Title: Upon The Highest Bough (1/3) Author: Ariadne E-Mail: ariadnen@yahoo.com Rating: This section PG, NC-17 ahead Category: Post-ep, MSR, A Spoilers: The Ghosts Who Stole Christmas, US season 4 & 5 arcs, FTF Archive: Yes to Gossamer and Ephemeral. Others ok too, but tell me where you put it. *** Part 1 *** They looked for all the world like six-year olds as they ripped into their packages. "Quit shaking it - just tear the paper!" Mulder's swift disposal of the ribbon was followed by an attempt to peek over Scully's shoulder to check her progress. His hand was promptly swatted away with a growl of "Mine!" The amateurish wrapping job took Scully a long time to penetrate; the garish gold paper was accented with enough Scotch tape to hold a car together. As she worked impatiently at the excess cellophane, she heard Mulder's low whistle. "Scully...this is...great..." The cover of the box was a photograph of them in their old office, taken by an Academy friend of Scully's who had dropped by for a consultation. Scully was perched on the edge of the desk, Mulder seated behind it, his hand indicating the late, lamented "The Truth Is Out There" poster. Mulder slipped his fingernail under the tape, opened the box, and smiled. "That's a lot of pieces." "I had that jigsaw puzzle custom made. There are 2,192 pieces to it, Mulder." He stared at her, his lips working as he tried to make a connection. "Six years...365 times six...plus two leap years." His voice was low and troubled. "You hate it." "No! No, Scully, I don't hate it." He ducked for a moment, then the face he turned to her was calm except for the tremor around the corner of his mouth. "But it's going to take a long time to put this together." Scully took the box from his hands and placed it with great care on the coffee table. "You'll have help." They smiled softly at one another until the tension was so great that Mulder had to shake a finger at Scully's half-opened gift. "You haven't finished with yours." She regarded the cylinder with a baleful eye. "This better not be what it looks like." "What?" "Don't give me the innocent tone. If this needs batteries, Mulder..." "Just open the thing, would you?" He handed her his pocket knife, which she took with a curt nod. Several incisions later she had managed to open not only the paper but also the cardboard tube inside of it. Within was a sheet of parchment, rolled carefully and tied with a silver ribbon. "Is it a gift certificate?" Her forehead was creased with concentration. "Sort of." Mulder nudged her with his arm, more eager to see her face than he had been to open his own gift. "C'mon, Scully." Her fingers easily undid the bow and she unscrolled the paper. "As designated by the signatures below, star #4540LJ is now known as..." The crack in her voice opened wide as she finished. "...Dana Katherine Scully." Mulder's handkerchief appeared just in time to save the ink from running; a warm teardrop landed on linen instead of paper. "Hey, Scully..." She would not meet his eyes, so he lowered himself into her line of vision. "What's wrong - don't like the color?" All she could do was shake her head in wistful silence, a wavering smile curling her lips. Mulder saw her swallow hard and heard her shallow, sobbing breath. He could not remember putting his hands on her shoulders but there they were, fingers soothing tense muscles as his pensive eyes swept over the unfamiliar sight of Scully losing a fight with her emotions. She would tell herself later that she only let him guide her head to his chest so that her tears would not mar her gift. The arms around her were warm and comforting and familiar...all the feelings that one should have on Christmas day. For his part, Mulder felt even more grateful to have this living miracle in his arms, wet eyes and all. He allowed his thumbs to wander over Scully's temples. Comfort. Joy. When the tears subsided and Scully's breathing was even and regular, Mulder whispered into her ear. "I asked them for their brightest star, Scully. Enough to light my way the next time I get lost." "Dammit, Mulder," she hiccuped as the tears started anew. "Quit being so nice to me." A moment or two of soft laughter reset their moods to something more festive. When at last they separated, they looked at one another through eyes made misty with sentiments that had been set aside time and time again. The air around them was cold; Scully scooted her hand along the sofa and laced her fingers through Mulder's. "I can't get it out of my mind, Mulder. What happened in that house, even if it was just a trick our minds were playing on us." "It would have been one hell of a trick. It *felt* real. And I should know; I've been shot before." "Sorry," murmured Scully as she tried to look away from the shoulder she had injured. "I'm not." They stared at each other for a few quiet moments, the only sound coming from the movement of his thumb against her palm. "If you hadn't shot me, Scully, I'd have killed Alex Krycek. And my sorry ass would be in jail either for that murder or the murder of my father, or both." "True." "But tonight, at the instant you said you hadn't shot me...the pain just disappeared. I knew right then that it wasn't real. That we were okay. That I wouldn't have to watch you die...again." "Mulder." This time she was the one to reach out and offer her embrace as support. Just as the long arms wrapped around her, she heard her own voice. "Intimacy through co-dependency." "Pardon?" Mulder's head popped up abruptly. "It's something that...Lyda said to me. If she said it...oh, hell, I don't know what I mean." "Is that what you think of...of us?" Mulder leaned his furrowed brow against Scully's. "Sometimes." "Now?" "No." They stayed like that, eyes so close that they lost focus until each saw only swirling colors of green and blue. Something in the air shifted. "Now?" Mulder asked again, meaning something else entirely. "Yes." Moving as if through honey, Mulder slowly tipped his head to the side and let his mouth touch Scully's, ever so slightly. "Yes," she said again around his lower lip. The sweet little kisses he dropped on Scully's mouth were like snowflakes, and they fell faster and faster until all either of them knew was the feeling of being enveloped in something white and beautiful. White and soft, Scully's hands fluttered over the hills and valleys of Mulder's face. Cool as snow, gentle as the mildest dusting of sparkling ice, they caressed his feverish skin. Her kiss was warm enough to keep any thoughts of cold far, far from the mind of the man whose mouth eagerly searched hers. Somewhere along the way, Mulder realized that he couldn't speak if his mouth was full of Scully's tongue. With reluctance he pulled his face just far enough away to look into hazy blue eyes. When he at last said her name, it was with an anguished sigh. "Ah, Scully..." Fear rather than cold sent a shudder through her lithe body. She shot backwards along the couch, pressing her back against the armrest and pulling her knees to her chest. Shaking arms wrapped around her legs, and the eyes that watched Mulder were enormous. "I'm sorry," she choked. In less time than it took him to blink back his tears, he found himself transported to a summer's night when those had been his words of misunderstanding. He was on his knees, pulling her into his arms, before she could take a breath. "Scully, no, that's not what I meant..." He stroked her face, lingering at the curve of her jaw. "I'm *not* sorry." The words were punctuated by a warm kiss. "I'm not sorry at all." "Then what..." "Scully, that kiss...you took all my words away." In spite of herself she laughed, relaxing the defensive curl of her limbs. She wrapped her arms around Mulder's shoulders, dragged her fingers through his hair, and kissed him. Passionately. "I know people who'd pay real money to see you struck dumb, Mulder." He kissed the bridge of her nose, then her chin, then the corner of her laughing mouth. Scully turned her head; their lips met and fit together as surely as if they had been designed for that purpose and that purpose alone. "Scully, Scully..." His breath tickled her ear as he kissed her there. His mouth lingered around the pink shell edges, his nose sampling her flesh and her perfume until he decided that the flesh was by far the sweeter of the two. Scully's lips roamed through Mulder's thick, dark hair. Her eyes were fixed on a spot somewhere in front of her, but all she could see through the haze of desire and tenderness was a wash of colors. Her heart hammered, not from the fear she had experienced earlier but in excited anticipation. "Mulder, I feel...I feel like a kid on Christmas morning." He looked into her eyes, amused and touched. "You *look* like Christmas morning," he whispered as his fingers traced Scully's hairline. "Soft and sparkling...full of surprises..." Scully chuckled low in her throat and she kissed Mulder's wrist. "I'm full of surprises?" A heartbeat of silence. "Always." He kissed her again, so softly that she moaned against his lips. "You're a gift, Scully. You're...treasure." "God, Mulder." The sigh - and her gaze - was full of desire. Their embrace tightened, hands cradling faces this time, fingers needing to contact skin. The snowfall of their kisses turned to a blizzard: a force of nature that could not be stopped. Breathing only as an afterthought, Mulder dragged his lips free just long enough to speak. "Scully?" "Hmm?" Her eyes were drugged with passion as she kissed his chin. "I have to tell you something." They separated slightly, hands clasped. Scully's face was uncertain even if her grip was sure. "What is it?" "I...God...never mind...I..." "Mulder?" Scully peered up into his eyes. "Tell me." He swallowed around the grimace that twisted his mouth. "I think I forgot how to do this." She didn't laugh. She brushed her hand along Mulder's thigh and looked directly at him with a serious expression and delightfully tousled hair. "*I* didn't." An endearing grin plastered itself on his face as he nodded. "Would you care to instruct me in the proper protocol?" "Even better." She placed both hands on his legs to balance herself as she rose from the sofa. "I'll show you." After letting her palms trail across Mulder's jeans, Scully gave him a tender smile. He wanted to be suave, but his fingers trembled noticeably while he unbuttoned Scully's blouse. She wanted to be seductive, but it was so hard not to wear a crazed smile when, after years of curiosity, she finally saw her partner's nude body in an unprofessional capacity. It was even harder not to laugh when Mulder tripped over his own discarded pile of underwear and landed hard on his knees in front of her. "You okay?" Scully managed to ask in a voice shaking with suppressed hysteria. "Oh, yeah. Better than okay." He put his hands on the pale skin of her hips and kissed her just below the navel. "In fact, I think I found a great place to start. C'mere." He tugged at her hand and she sat on the sofa. Her naked skin squeaked against the leather, making them both laugh. Mulder climbed up next to Scully, put his arm around her, and whispered in her ear. "Are you as nervous as I am?" "At least." "Good." He kissed away her laughter. Bare skin met bare skin and the sensations overloaded them. "Oh, God, Scully, you feel incredible." "Mmm." Her hands were busy tracing their way down the sinewy length of Mulder's arms and back up again. She deepened their kiss, feeling wanton enough to let her fingers wander across the muscled back, the narrow waist, and finally down further, to where crisp hair and hard flesh awaited her. "Scully!" he cried out as her hand closed around him. His eyes blinked rapidly for a moment and his breath escaped in a violent shudder. When he regained his focus, he smiled impishly at her and trailed his own fingers down the valley between her breasts. He placed wet kisses on each nipple; his reward was a tight squeeze and increased pace. The touch of his finger to her navel elicited a warning growl, so he proceeded south, to hair softer than his and the warm, moist haven it guarded. The stifled cry from deep within her was the most erotic thing he ever hoped to hear in his life. He wanted to hear more of it. His hand stayed there, performing dark, secret magic. "Ohh, Mulder..." Scully's hands were weaving their own particular spell, caressing with just enough strength to keep Mulder in a constant state of dizzying arousal. Their kisses became frantic; they gasped for air as quickly as possible before diving back into each others' mouths. Suddenly Mulder's head snapped back and he moaned. "Scully - slow down!" "Don't want to," she whispered drunkenly, but her hand slowed its pumping motion to a tender fondling. When he regained a moderate amount of control, he turned Scully so that her back rested against his chest. "Gimme a minute," he panted. He stroked up and down Scully's body for a second, then slid one finger down to her clitoris and began to make lazy circles there. Her hips shot up from his lap and she cried out sharply. "Oh, my God! Yes, like...that..." "Scully, Scully..." He watched the rosy flush creep across her neck and down to her chest. After a few hesitant moments he found a strength and rhythm that created a storm of sensations. Scully's head drooped backwards, finding a nest in the hollow of his shoulder, and her hands wrapped around his wrists. It was not a guiding motion, rather a gesture to connect her to the man who gave her such pleasure. That pleasure reached a plateau and receded, then washed up over her with more force. She writhed, rocking against Mulder's erection and making him bite down on his lip in concentration. "Oh, my God...Oh..." She took a deep breath and held it, her eyes squeezed shut as if in mortal agony. A sharp, small cry escaped her, a sound of surprise and delight. "Ahh!" She let herself be swept up in the sensations, knowing only that Mulder's hands were giving her such pleasure and that he was kissing her temple and crooning wordless encouragement to her. To call her orgasm an explosion would have been an understatement. It was the re-invention of her soul, painting every molecule of her being in jewel tones and leaving her dazed and breathless in its wake. "Scully..." Mulder was smiling as he kissed her neck. "Scully..." "Mulder!" Scully whirled around and rained kisses all over Mulder's face as she whispered his name over and over again. He held fast to her, enjoying her expression as she rode out the last of her tremors. Her dreamy eyes came back into focus and saw the love and longing on Mulder's face. "Hey," she whispered. "Hey, yourself." Their smiles were filled with childlike wonder. As if reading one anothers' minds, they moved on the sofa so that Scully lay on her back with Mulder leaning over her. He spent a moment staring at the beauty of the ivory body against the dark sofa, soft skin against grainy leather. Aching, he took his weight on his forearms and brought his body even closer to Scully's. She smiled and closed her eyes, but Mulder touched her cheek until she opened them once more. He was smiling. "Scully...you gotta see this." They looked down and watched as Fox Mulder disappeared into Dana Scully at last. Mulder felt as if he should say something to mark the momentous occasion but the overwhelming sensations, combined with Scully's dazzling smile, removed all but the simplest syllables from his vocabulary. So he did the next best thing and gently kissed her on the forehead. Scully rubbed her cheek against his for a moment, then began a subtle movement beneath him, letting him know that all was well. Their bodies rocked together with caution, learning and cataloging every response. It was not silence that surrounded them, but rather a natural extension of the silent language they had learned so many years ago. His eyes never left hers, not when he began to shudder with impending release, not when his body dipped swiftly into hers, and not even when he cried out her name as he felt the overheated flood race from him. "Scully!" His final, exuberant thrust left him hovering over his new lover with trembling, sweat-dampened arms. She kneaded his shoulders and soothed his face with tender kisses. "Mulder..." "Oh, my God, Scully..." At that instant Mulder felt his spent flesh freeing itself from its haven. He grimaced at the loss of Scully's warmth. She, too, felt a sudden chill and pulled Mulder's body over her own. Nestled in a tangle of arms and legs, they egarded one another with drowsy eyes. Mulder tried to speak. "I...Scully, I..." "Not now," she admonished with a finger to his lips. He nodded, acutely aware that he was grinning from ear to ear. After his heart stopped threatening to burst, he allowed himself to listen to the rhythm of Scully's breathing as it slowed to normal. They lay facing one another, searching each others' familiar features and seeing something new - tranquility. Silence, however, was not Mulder's strongest virtue. "I'm glad, Scully." That earned him a full-fledged smile. "Me, too." It had been years, decades, since Mulder had felt such unreserved acceptance. His face softened, heavy-lidded eyes bright. He wanted to say so many things to this glorious creature in his rms; he wanted to speak adoringly to her. But he was Fox Mulder, and those words just would not come to him. "I liked *this* present, too, Scully." He waited for a retort, for her silver laughter. What happened instead shook him to the core of his being. Scully pulled up on one elbow so that she could see him. Her voice was dark. "Last year, Mulder, I was certain that the cancer was about to kill me." She answered the tightening of his embrace by stroking his hair. "Suddenly I was in remission, and I had this whole life in front of me, stretching out in front of me, where before I thought I had only a little path to travel. "So I decided right there, in the midst of a miracle, that I didn't ever want to be alone again. And I tried to reach out to you, but...well, it didn't work." Mulder's face flushed and he lowered his eyes. "You scared me, Scully." She nodded, running a finger along the outline of his lips. "And then there was Emily." "I'm so sorry. About...all of it." A sense of impending doom clouded Mulder's expression. "Why didn't you tell me, Mulder? What did you mean when you said you thought you were protecting me?" "I found out the night I came to get you out of Scanlon's care. When I saw you, Penny was dying, then she was gone and you were so...vulnerable." He swallowed, wanting to look away from Scully's moist eyes but knowing that he had to face her, to let her see that the pain was shared. "At first I didn't want to tell you because - well, what would've been the point? Why give you anything more to regret in your life? Why put you through extra agony?" Scully nodded; she silently stroked Mulder's hair, needing the contact. "Then all of a sudden you shut me out, Scully. I wanted to know how you were and all you ever said was 'I'm fine.' You didn't tell me how serious it had become, so I had no idea what you were going through until...Jesus, Scully, I found out about your collapse from Langly. Even HE knew that your cancer had metastasized." "I'm sorry, Mulder. I think...I may have been trying to protect you, too." "No way in the world was I going to come to your deathbed and say, 'Oh, by the way, whoever took you also took all of your ova.' What would have been the point?" "But afterwards, Mulder. All those months." "You tell me," he said, trying to keep his voice even, "how the hell I could deliver news like that to a friend, much less someone I..." He closed his eyes and lowered his head, unable to continue. "Mulder." It was a caress. They clung to one another, offering comfort with a gentle embrace and delicate kisses. Mulder felt a single tear land slide down his cheek and he looked up with eyes full of regret. "I was afraid you'd leave me, Scully." "I know, I know. But I didn't." She wiped her eyes with her thumb, then resumed her rhythmic caress. "It all went to hell after the bombing in Dallas, we lost our partnership and our pride, and then they...took me. But you never gave in, Mulder. The moment I looked up and saw that damned snowmobile, I knew that we could never, ever leave each other." That made him smile at last. He watched the pre-dawn light wash over Scully's face and he leaned over to kiss her. Realizing that morning was almost upon them, Scully tried to extricate herself from his arms, but to no avail. "Mulder..." "Hmm?" "I have to be at my mom's in less than an hour." He groaned. "Let me up, Mulder." "Can't," he said, his voice laced with mock truculence. "I'm armed." "You're naked, Scully." "I have a *knee*, Mulder. And I know how to use it." Chuckling, he released his hold on her and turned his head to give her a moment of modesty as she pulled on her clothes. When he looked at her, there was an unmistakable happiness bout her that he had never seen. "You look wonderful," he whispered. The leer she aimed at him made him blush. "So do you," was the husky whisper that sent a jolt of electricity through his limbs. "Scully, don't go. I need to put you at the top of my Christmas tree. My shining star." Laughing, she gave him a kiss on the bridge of the nose. "You don't *have* a Christmas Tree. But...you could come with me." He considered this for a moment. "Is Bill going to be there?" At Scully's affirmative nod, he shook his head in mock terror. With a dreamy smile, Scully went to the desk and took a piece of paper from it. She kissed the paper, folded it, and put it in the striped stocking that dangled forlornly from Mulder's fish tank. "It's an IOU," she murmured. "I'll be back at four." He lay there, an absurd smile removing ten years from his face, as Scully gave him a farewell kiss and departed. "Merry Christmas," he heard her call as her heels clicked down the corridor. And it was. *** END Feedback is *so* much better than fruitcake! Please send some to