Inexorably Bound
by Marti Mulder

NC-17
Spoilers: None
Summary: Hog-tied in the woods, our beloved heroes have no choice
but to confront the evidence of their attraction.
Disclaimer: I'm poor, so don't bother suing me. FOX and Chris
Carter own 'em, I'm just letting them get off for good behavior.
So to speak...
xxxxxxxxxx

Mulder and Scully searched the house, but found no trace of the
kidnapping victim. A rural area outside of DC, they had run a
trace on the plates of the car used to kidnap a female scientist
and found this residence as a result. It was a run down ranch
style house. Dirty. They exited, only to hear footfalls in the
woods. A knowing glance passed between them, and they were
running in pursuit. They separated, as was their custom when
chasing down a suspect; Mulder running ahead, Scully going to the
right and covering the area closest to the main road in case they
had a car waiting. Suddenly, Scully was tripped and went down
hard. She screamed for Mulder, and was gagged and cuffed quickly.
The man took her gun and left her on her stomach, face down, then
took off in Mulder's general direction.

The damp ground smelled lush and fertile, like grass and bark and
some unknown flower. Scully shifted and tried to get up, but
couldn't manage to rise. Sounds of a struggle reached her and she
rolled onto her side, trying to get up. Two men were dragging
Mulder, cuffed, over in her direction.

"Should we do 'em?" The fat one asked in a squeaky tenor. The
darkness allowed Scully to notice these characteristics only.

"Shut up and let me think." The other man snapped. He seemed
average in height and build, only slightly more muscular than
Mulder. His voice was very deep, a timber of exhaustion and
breathlessness, with a rasp. Probably a smoker, she decided. She
was sure it had been the fat one who'd cuffed her. "No-go. If we
plug FBI, we'll draw too much heat. But I got an idea on how to
slow 'em down."

They pushed Mulder down beside her, and she turned her face to
try to look at him. He winced as he hit the grassy ground. Eyes
open, he looked at her, telling her to cooperate and be calm. His
way of saying there was no other way. He had no plan this time.

The men were pulling her over toward Mulder. They uncuffed her,
and each took an arm. The fat man pulled Mulder up by his hair,
and he shouted.

"Watch the hair, gentlemen." Mulder snapped boldly.

"Shut up, ass-hole." The thinner of the men said, and slapped him
across the face.
They sat her, literally, on Mulder's lap and re-cuffed her hands
behind Mulder's back. They wrapped her legs around him, and tied
her ankles with stiff twine. Once she was secure, they uncuffed
Mulder. The average build man held twine around Mulder's throat
while the fat man cuffed his hands around Scully's back. Mulder
knew that if he tried to struggle, he'd be strangled. He didn't
offer any resistance.

"Now, if you're smart, you'll just stay here for a while and
enjoy yourselves. I have to admit, I envy you." The average build
sneered, and as an afterthought, he pulled his leg back and
kicked Mulder hard in the ribs.

Scully saw the blow coming and pressed her face into his chest to
avoid their faces colliding. The force of the kick sent them
sprawling onto the ground, tumbling over each other until they
came to rest with Mulder on top of Scully. When they stopped
rolling, Mulder rested his face against her shoulder, a soft and
agonized moan escaping his lips.

"OK, now I don't envy you quite so much. Let's get outta here."
They ran back toward the house.

The woods were impossibly quiet. Scully didn't want to move for
fear of Mulder's injury. They lay there until Scully coughed, the
sound muffled due to the gag around her face.

"Let's get that off of you." Mulder said, straining against his
own weight, their bonds, and the pain shooting through his ribs.
Giving up on the prospect of sitting up, Mulder moved his face
over hers, using his teeth to manipulate the handkerchief. The
knotted end finally twisted around, he worked on it with his
mouth until it loosened. Scully lay very still, her head on the
grass. She was acutely aware of his lips brushing her cheek as he
untied the gag and pulled it free. He rested his head upon her
shoulder again, breathing deeply, slowly, as one would during
extreme pain.

"You allright?" she whispered.

Mulder just laughed lightly against her neck.

"Are you able to move?"

"This was fun, but I think I threw my back out. You'll have to
learn to be more gentle with me." He teased, trying to lift their
weight with the backs of his cuffed hands. Pain tore up his back
and ribs, and he moaned through clenched teeth. They went down
again.

"Wait, why don't we roll over a little..." She said, starting to
move. Mulder let her slight movement roll him to the left, using
her sparse weight as a balance to keep him from going too far and
landing on his back. Once on their sides, he tried to use his leg
muscles to lift them. Scully rocked her body to try to help, but
it wasn't working.

"Damn it." He whispered. "I don't know how we're going to get out
of this one."

"If you can wiggle down, maybe you can slip through my arms and
legs, and...What?!"

Mulder began to laugh a hearty, histerical laugh. Soon, he was
gasping for air, and she pulled back enough to see tears forming
in his eyes. He looked back at her, his face resting on the
grass.

"What is so funny?" She asked, suddenly giggling in spite of
herself.

"You don't find anything about this situation a little...Well,
ridiculous?" He said, his face red and tears streaming into the
slight laugh lines of his left eye.

"Mulder, are you injured very badly?" She said, feeling awkward
with her face so close to his.

"It only hurts when I laugh, Scully." He said, grinning and
closing his eyes.

"Maybe I can wiggle out of this... Should I go up, or..."
Suddenly it dawned on her. If she tried to move up, his face
would wind up between her legs. Down, and her face would be
pressed against his groin. Up was a much shorter route, given the
length of his legs, but would without a doubt be more
embarrassing for her.

"Maybe you should just not wiggle right now..." His face was
reddening. His eyes remained shut. "Rest for a minute. It still
hurts."

She lay still. It was cold, and she was uncomfortable in that
position. Mulder pulled her to him, careful to separate their
aligned erogenous zones. His arms tightened around her, and he
shifted so his bicep would cradle her head.

"We can't stay here all night. They're getting away." She
reminded him.

"We'll never catch them anyway. If I could just reach my cuff
keys..."

"Where?" She asked.

"Inside pocket of my jacket. I don't think we can get at them,
unless..."

"What?"

"We could try to shake them out, then I could roll over and pick
them up. But then again, I still can't reach your hands. Shit!"
He cursed.

"How about your phone?"

"They took it, the bastards."

"Well, someone will come looking eventually, right?"

He opened his eyes long enough to roll them at her.

"Well, can you get up? Your legs aren't bound. Maybe if we..."

"I'm getting the distinct impression that you're in a hurry to
get rid of me." He teased, trying again to get up. He rolled over
slowly, until he was on top of her. Wincing as his cuffed hands
were crushed under her, he accidentally pressed his groin against
hers. She felt his erection immediately, and inhaled sharply. His
features tensed as he pulled himself up quickly. It was now clear
why he'd asked her to stop wiggling. He dragged his legs up until
he could push with his hands, then brought his knees up. With one
great push, he pulled her into his lap, and he balanced in a
kneeling position sitting on his legs. It was painfully obvious
that he was hard now, her legs and arms hanging on tight to make
the lifting easier. She was pressed firmly against him, and began
to tremble at the sensation.

"OK, I'm going to try to stand. If you let go, we could fall.
Ready?" His voice came out ragged.

"Yes. Go." She whispered.

His legs shook with the effort. He tried to flatten his feet
against the ground, and then throw their combined weight backward
to gain momentum. It didn't work, and they fell over. He tried to
control the fall so her hands wouldn't be crushed under him. They
landed on their sides, hard.

"Oow!" He hissed. "Damn it. Are you OK?"

"I'll live. How's your back?"

"Hurts like hell. Tell me more about his wiggling idea of
yours..."

They were laughing again. She could feel him roll his head back,
and his chest shook lightly. Looking up, she watched his Adam's
apple rise and fall as he laughed. Aftershave and earth filled
her nostrils. She moistened her dry lips. Adjusting his body, he
looked down at her, his face a mere inch away.

The seconds hung like hours. So close. Their eyes locked, and the
smile faded from her face first. Their eyes had adjusted to the
darkness, and they just stared at each other for a long minute.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"For?" She knew, and she felt more embarrassed for making him
acknowledge it. She could feel his body tense against her, his
offense pressing into her center.

His forehead touched hers, and his lips grazed over hers for
permission.

"Mulder..." She warned in a whisper.

But she didn't pull away. Her pulse raced, and she could feel his
matching it in the places where they were touching. Somehow, he
pulled her closer still, and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste
kiss. Trembling, she smelled his hair and his breath and that
intoxicating cologne. So good, comforting, yet exciting.
Forbidden. She opened her eyes. His eyes were closed, his brow
furrowed. Her eyes drifted shut. He pressed his lips to hers
again, the tip of his tongue ticking her lower lip. Chills shot
through her. Her muscles tightened involuntarily, legs twitched.
More than anything, she wanted to kiss him, but feared the
repercussions of that action. How, she mused, are we going to get
out of this?

Mulder was overheated. His skin felt enflamed, with lust and
embarrassment. He knew that she knew--she must have felt him hard
and pressing against her. There was no way to deny it, or he
would have. Now he'd kissed her, and there was REALLY no turning
back. If she rejected him, he'd be handcuffed to her, with a
raging hard on pressed into her, and no place to sulk off to and
lick his wounded pride. He hated himself at this moment, wished
his mother had never met his father, wished one of those freak
spontaneous combustions he'd just read about would claim him; put
him out of his misery and leave Scully unscathed. One more try,
and I'm going to pretend to lose consciousness, he said to
himself. Lame, Mulder, but your only option.

He pressed her lips again, and she opened her mouth to him. A
tiny moan escaped her as he licked her tongue tentatively. Their
breathing was heavy and frantic, as the kiss deepened. Her arms
held him as tightly to her breast as she could manage. The feel
of his body against her made her skin prickle with goosebumps,
and her fingers grasped the fabric of his jacket as he kissed her
savagely. So strong, his mouth seemed, his tongue flicking over
hers, lips sucking her's into his mouth every few seconds. She
was wild, lost in the force of the feelings she had harbored for
so long. She would have held out forever, if it hadn't been for
the position she'd been in, cuffed provocatively around his body.
She may have remained in control even then, had he not kissed her
like he had. But this. This was the epitome of too fucking much
temptation. Sorry Mulder, but you started it, she mused,
returning his kiss with intensity. She ground her hips, pressing
herself against his straining erection.

Mulder moaned into her mouth. He broke the kiss, moving to her
ear, then her hairline, then down her neck as far as he could
reach with his mouth. He moved against her, his arms pulling and
his restrained hands clutching at her back. Wanting to do this
for so long, the pent up sexual energy was overpowering him. He
felt the curve of her waist with his arms, her abdomen rising and
falling against him Wrists straining against the handcuffs, he
willed them to spring open. No luck.

"Scully. I can't stand this. We have to get loose. Now." He said
in a whisper against her mouth.

"Uh-huh." She breathed in muffled response, reclaiming his mouth
once more before breaking the kiss.

Trying not to make eye contact, she began to shimmy up his body,
legs clenching around him for leverage. He lifted up every few
seconds as she pulled with her arms, then as she pushed with her
legs. They had been cuffed with their arms entwined, she
realized, so they couldn't simply lift their arms over their
heads. Mulder lifted his arms as far above his head as she
wriggled on her side. His face pressed against her stomach, and
she was bent in half at the waist, straining to move.

"This isn't working." She observed. "Our arms are weaved..."

"Reach down and try to get into my pocket." He panted against her
pelvic bone.

She obeyed, curling up into an impossible position. she managed
to wind around so she was almost--but not quite-- behind him. Her
hands snaked between them, feeling around for the pocket. Her
heels dug into the soft earth, desperate to reach farther. She
had the pocket, snaking her fingers inside for the keys. With a
waving motion, she gathered the keys between her fingers and
began to straighten her body out. She tried to get the keys near
the keyhole of her own cuffs, but couldn't.

"Put them in my mouth. I think it's the only way." He said, still
breathless.

She felt her way over his face. He kissed her hands before taking
the keys into his mouth. He positioned them with his tongue and
lips, then tried for what seemed like hours to unlock her hand.
Finally, he heard the cuff give way. Her hands separated, and she
wasted no time pulling herself into a better position. She
reached around and took the keys from his lips. Arms surrounding
him again, she inserted the key into the right cuff and unlocked
it. Then the left. Her legs were still bound, and Mulder pulled
her into his lap and sat up. Scully handed him the key. He took
her still cuffed left hand and rested it over his heart, then
unlocked it from her wrist.

He stood up, his hands locked under her arms and helped her slide
down his body. Like stepping out of a skirt, he moved back and
then knelt in front of her, working at the twine that held her
ankles. The skin was raw, and little spots of blood developed.

"Oh, Scully." His eyes were large and heavy and sad.

"It's OK, Mulder. It doesn't hurt that much. Let me look at your
back."


"I'll make it. We should, uh, I guess we should get back to the
car and get out of here. Can you walk?" He looked like he was
going to cry.

"I'm fine, Mulder." She said, her face hot and reddening. He
reached out for her hand, to help her up, but she ignored it and
stood of her own volition. Embarrassment washed over her like a
tsunami. Walking ahead, she wanted desperately to hide from him.

"Scully, wait!" He called as she began to run back toward the
road.

He walked faster, then ran until he caught up to her. A hand
reached out and he grabbed her, though harder than he'd meant to.
She spun around, her face grimacing as he wrenched her arm.

"Don't do this. Don't run from me." He pleaded, loosening his
grasp on her.

They made eye contact, and fear flashed in her expression. She
took two steps back, but his hand held fast to her arm.

"Scully, no." He took her other arm, and pulled her into a tight
hug.

She relaxed, and he let her arms go, putting his around her and
pressing his lips down on the top of her head.

"What have we done?" She said against his chest.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" He grinned experimentally.

His hand trailed from her back to her jaw. Tipping her head up,
he bent down and kissed her again. Her legs were weak, and she
wobbled. He tightened his embrace around her, and lowered her to
the ground, maintaining contact with her mouth. The kiss became
frenzied, and he struggled to remove his jacket without breaking
contact with her. Once removed, he put it down on the ground
beside where they knelt. She looked at him, realizing what was
about to happen.

"We shouldn't..." She blurted out.

"If you don't want to..." He took her face in his hands.

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. His finger traced her jaw,
then moved down her collarbone, past her breastbone to the top
button of her blouse. Her hands went to his biceps, and she felt
the strength of his muscles. He rubbed the skin just above the
button for a few seconds, waiting for her to stop him. When she
said nothing, he undid the button, then another, repeating until
her blouse was open to her waist. His hands slid inside, and he
pulled it down her arms. Free, she wrapped herself around him,
pressing her body into his. This was his call. it had to be. She
didn't want to lose him, their partnership, to have him resent
her for interfering with his quest. But this was what he seemed
to want, too. Guilt banished, she allowed herself to settle
against his body.

They held each other, almost afraid to move. Mulder's hands ran
over her bare back, playing thoughtfully with the clasp of her
bra. Finally, she pulled back. Her eyes searched his, fingers
reaching up to touch the button of his shirt. He smiled, then
pressed a kiss to her lips. She felt the clasp of her bra open.
Reciprocating, she worked at his buttons, then ran her hands up
and down his bare chest. He pulled his white shirt off in two
quick motions, and his hands ran over her shoulders and pushed
the straps until the bra slid down her arms, off her hands, and
landed between them.

"Is that something like throwing down the gauntlet?" He whispered
into her ear, pulling her against him.

She smiled as she toyed with the button of his dress slacks.
Seconds whirled by, and she was straddling him again. He sat on
his jacket, careful to position her legs on the fabric rather
than the cold ground. Kissing wildly, his hands went to her
waist, guiding her on to him. Her body trembled as she felt him
pressing against her. In a swift motion, she lowered herself
until he was inside her. They both groaned, hands exploring every
inch of naked flesh. Scully grabbed at his back instinctually,
and he shuddered in pain.

"Mulder, you're hurt."

"I will be if you stop..."

He slipped his right hand between them, finding her clitoris. His
mouth latched on to her breast gently, and he licked dreamily
while bringing his lips together every few seconds to vary the
sensation. She rocked on him, harder and harder, relishing the
sensations he was giving her. It felt like swimming, like
drowning in wave after wave of intense pleasure. Her head ground
against his, her nose pressing into his hair. She took in every
smell, every sound as he breathed, every little groan that
vibrated against her breast. As he looked up, he strained for her
lips and she kissed him hard. The force of his lips, his hand at
her entrance and the other supporting her back, made her
overload. She came, throwing her head back and biting her lip
until it nearly bled.

He could feel her convulsing around him, and when she stopped
grinding against him, he kissed her sweetly. He whispered against
her lips "I love you." Before she could respond, he held her and
rolled her onto her back. Gently at first, he pumped into her,
licking delicately at her ear and neck. She cried out, a sexy
little rush of air and sound. Avoiding his back, she clawed at
his hips, and he quickened the pace involuntarily until his teeth
ground together and felt a rush of adrenaline. He pushed into her
as far as he could and ground his hips, coming in intoxicating
spasms, traveling from his spine to his groin.

When he was able to form a coherent thought, he realized that
they both were trembling. Not just from the best sexual
experience they had ever had, but from the rapidly dropping
temperature. Scully's teeth chattered.

"You're freezing." He whispered into her ear. "We should go."

"Mmm-hum."

He lifted up on his elbows, looked her in the eye.

"Promise me something."

"Uh-oh. What?" She closed her eyes.

"Don't try to pretend that this didn't happen. I don't want to go
back to where we were. I can't. Please, promise me that. Just
that, for now."

She didn't respond right away. He was still inside her, and
thrust gently to remind her what they had just done, where they
had gone.

"OK. I promise."

"I love you."

"Mulder..." She warned again, opening her eyes.

"Yes? Something you want to say?" He smiled, looking her in the
eye. Just to be ornery, he pushed inside her again.

"You know I love you. You always knew." She said accusingly.

"I figured it was the only reason you hadn't killed me." He
teased, moving off her and helping her up. "Seriously, I hoped it
was more than just, well, platonic."

"Guess you know, now." She said, blushing and pulling her clothes
on hurriedly.

Mulder finished dressing, and walked backward toward the road.
"First one to the car gets to wear this home!" He said, dangling
her bra from a forefinger. He sprinted, staying just a step ahead
of her the whole way back to the car.

Later that night, they left the hospital. Mulder had been wrapped
from navel to nipples.

"I can't believe you did THAT with broken ribs..." She muttered,
taking the car keys away from him.

"Just wait till I'm healed..." He taunted her. "What did Skinner
say when you called him?"

"He said he called your cell phone, and when a strange voice
answered, he had them track the modulation. They caught them
about fifteen minutes ago. You think we ought to ask for leniency
on their behalf?" She said, taking his hand. He saw the
nervousness in her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about us. We're going to be fine. Right?" He
leaned over, kissing her quickly.

She nodded.

"Just one thing bothers me, though."

"What?" She asked, turning white.

"I won't get to model this for you with all the bandages..." He
pulled her bra out of his pocket. She turned red, and he laughed
a carefree, throaty laugh. She slapped him on the rear, and they
dashed for the car.

Eager to go home.