ENCOUNTER
by Amy Vincent
xfscully@aol.com
NC-17
MSR

Well, this is my first try at NC-17 fanfic -- trust me, wherever
I am as you're reading this, I'm blushing. Still, I thought of this
idea and it struck me as too much fun to let go, and just dashed this
off in about three hours. Disclaimersville: the characters are the
creation of Chris Carter and the property of the Fox network and are
used without permission. Any and all feedback would be quite welcome,
even if received in utter embarassment; send praise or flames to
XFScully@aol.com.

********************

"You won't even try it?" Fox Mulder's expression was
incredulous, eyebrows arched at his partner, who only folded her arms
across her chest.
"I played one game once. All I did was fly around through the
graphics from that Dire Straits video and try to shoot a pterodactyl.
It was sort of fun, but -- " Dana Scully shrugged. "Anyway, we've had
a rough week. I just want to go home and crash."
"C'mon, Scully. You could drive home and flop down on the sofa
in front of reruns of 'The Jeffersons' or you could go have one of the
greatest adventures of your life!" Mulder's enthusiasm was obvious,
if not yet contagious. "This isn't the virtual reality you've seen
before; Clark's come up with an entirely new feedback system. It uses
the images from your own mind, instead of that digitized crap you
floated through the last time. He says it's incredibly vivid -- and
to judge from the lines in front of his new place, his customers
agree."
He ceased gesturing about wildly for a moment to hold out a blue
slip of paper -- Dana picked it up and halfheartedly scanned the text.
"Beyond Imagination virtual reality center. Relaxation or thrills,
adventures or romance, whatever you envision is yours. Free Voyage
with this pass." She shook her head. "Really, Mulder, it sounds a
little melodramatic."
Fox sighed. "Well, it's advertising copy. At any rate, Clark's
always been a wizard at this sort of thing; even in Oxford he was
playing around with early versions of it. It could really be
incredible -- just give it a try?"
Scully nearly relented -- his face was lit with a happiness and
enthusiasm she saw there too rarely. And it *would* be interesting to
talk to this scientist friend of Mulder's; the idea of getting mental
images directly from the customer was intriguing. And they always had
a great time together -- but, no. "Sorry, Mulder. Maybe sometime
soon, but not tonight."
Disappointed, Mulder nodded -- but refused to take back the blue
paper when she offered it to him. "No, hang on to it. Maybe if you
feel a little better Saturday, we can try it then."
"Okay, maybe then," she agreed, trying to soften her refusal
with a gentle smile and a touch on his shoulder. It wasn't that she
didn't want to spend time with her partner -- far from it. But she
was just too tired tonight.
At least that's what Dana told herself as she got into her car
to start running her long list of errands. Still, she couldn't help
wondering -- why did I do that? Even though Fox and I don't have much
free time, I usually enjoy spending it with him --
Maybe *that's* why. There's something unnerving about the fact
that I can work a 60-hour week beside this man, and still only want to
spend more time with him when we're done. About the way I'm beginning
to feel when we're together. Scully shook her head as if to clear her
mind of such disturbing thoughts. "You can't afford to let yourself
dream this way about your partner, Dana," she whispered. "Just forget
about it."
And, so, Scully turned up the car stereo and sang along with the
Beatles, determined to finish her errands, get home, and have a
comfortable, quiet, Mulder-free evening. Even as she swung into
"Strawberry Fields Forever," she felt herself relaxing. Everything
was going to be all right now.
Of course, that was before she got to Blockbuster to discover
that the tapes had been due back Thursday, not today, and that she was
43 cents short of having the cash to pay the overdue fee. Before she
stood in line half an hour at the electric company only to have them
close while she was still in the thick of the roped-off maze. Before
she had to go to the drycleaner, braced for the odd glances she always
got from this woman (didn't blame her -- week after week of
bloodstains, knife tears, and the odd phosphorescent goo could make
anyone wonder), but not for the fact that her favorite peach sweater
would now fit no one larger than Kate Moss.
As she trudged from the cleaner's with the rest of her clothing,
it began to rain -- slow drizzle. Scully closed her eyes and counted
slowly to ten in English, German, and Greek in an attempt to keep
herself from screaming. Then she darted out to her car, fumbling with
the keys, and managed to get herself and her bundles in while still
reasonably dry. "WHAT a day," she grumbled, as she cranked up the
car.
And the windshield wipers wouldn't work.
"GODAMMIT!!" Dana screamed, her voice hurting her own ears as it
echoed within her car. The anger almost dissolved into tears as she
leaned her forehead onto the steering wheel; however, she regained her
composure within a moment, even found herself smiling at the
absurdity. Just think, I could be climbing the Alps or swimming the
Seine with Mulder, and instead, I'm trapped in a Ford Taurus until it
stops raining. I sure know how to call 'em.
But even as she was laughing at her own bad luck, Scully found
herself studying the blue lights just visible through the water
sheeting down her windshield. Have I seen that sign before? It must
be new ---
She leaned forward, face almost against the glass, breath
misting slightly against the pane as she read -- "Beyond Imagination."
I can't believe it, she thought; the virtual reality place Mulder was
talking about is right here.
Slowly, she pulled the soft blue paper from her coat pocket; it
was still there, its fantastic promise blurred somewhat with raindrops
but still legible.
"Free Voyage."

***

"Ever done this before?"
"Just this one game -- "
"Don't tell me; the pterodactyls, right?"
Scully nodded, forcing herself not to ask if this tall,
sandy-haired man was the famous Clark or just an employee. I *don't*
want it to get back to Mulder that I ditched him and just ended up
coming here by myself, she thought. She had a good reason, of course,
and every intention of explaining -- but she wanted to be the one to
do it. It was a little embarassing, but after the evening she'd had,
she could *use* a voyage to practically anywhere.
Maybe-Clark sighed. "That game is fun, and an excellent example
of that type of VR programming, but it doesn't come close to the
complexity of this system. There are certain areas that are augmented
with 'traditional' programming, but your imagination will literally
create the rest. I think you'll be amazed."
Dana grinned and said, "You sound like someone I know. Don't
worry -- even the pterodactyls would be a welcome break from the day
I've been having."
The man nodded and showed her into a small room -- it was dark,
and unfurnished except for a half-reclining chair, plush and soft.
She slipped off her coat and leaned slowly back into the welcoming
comfort of the chair; this was already a good enough reason to visit.
"Here -- put this on," he said, putting a lightweight opaque
visor over her eyes, and stretching the band around the back of her
head. Now in near total darkness, Scully had to relax and let him
guide her hand to the edge of the chair, where she felt two switches.
"The top one is for you to signal affirmation to the system -- it will
ask you what sort of scenario you're interested in, and at some other
points might ask for confirmation. The bottom one is your panic
button -- if it's too intense for you, or you just aren't enjoying
that particular voyage, just hit it and the system will respond."
Dana nodded. "I'm ready."
She heard the door close behind her and shivered in
anticipation; this *was* sounding marvelous. She'd have to thank
Mulder --
Before her eyes, projected onto the visor but seemingly floating
in a black void, green letters said:

CHOOSE SCENARIO TYPE
TRAVEL
ADVENTURE
FLIGHT
ENCOUNTER

"Encounter? What's that --- " she wondered, and out of
curiosity hit the affirmation toggle then.

===========================================================================

From: xfscully@aol.com (XFScully)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: "Encounter" Pt. 2 NC-17 test post
Date: 13 May 1995 19:52:42 -0400


Here we go again --

***

The green letters vanished, only to be replaced by slightly smaller
type: ENVISION AREA
Well, hell, I could've done this in the car, Scully thought, but
tried to think of someplace peaceful and beautiful -- someplace far
away from this nightmare day --
She gasped as suddenly the darkness faded into incredible light
-- and then the seashore. Not a flat, tourist-lined beach but a
beautiful, rugged coastline that seemed somehow familiar -- she
realized it was a combination of beaches she'd seen and imagined. She
stood atop the rocks near a small, shaded cove, where blue-green waves
rolled in against the stones and pure white sands. "Beautiful," she
sighed, as she watched the waves crashing against the dark rocks, felt
the coarse sand beneath her feet --
Feet? I'm not wearing a sensor suit or anything -- Suddenly,
the sandy feeling was gone, and she was aware of the chair again.
That was bizarre, she thought; yet even as she did so, she felt the
wind brush against her cheeks. Tentatively, she *tried* to feel the
sand beneath her toes again, and then there it was. They weren't
kidding about the imagination feedback, Scully decided.
Throwing herself into the fantasy completely, she found that she
was able to climb down the rocks to the very edge of the ocean itself
-- to run down to the waves and feel them lap against her ankles.
Dana decided the business clothes weren't at all appropriate, and
within an instant was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Then, she
reconsidered. "Anything goes, right?" Scully thought back to a
favorite childhood fantasy and was instantly clothed in a spectacular
gown of pale green gauze, veils blowing around her in the breeze.
"Perfect!" She skipped along the edge of the water, exulting in the
freedom and completeness of the dream. This *is* wonderful, I'll have
to apologize to Mulder --
"Hi there."
Scully gasped and whirled around to see Mulder sitting on the
rocks behind her, smiling gently at her. "Good God -- you get what
you wish for, don't you?" she breathed.
"I believe that's the idea," Fox said, climbing from the rocks
and coming toward her. "So -- what do you wish for?"
Something in his tone of voice made her shiver. She'd called up
this apparition of Mulder accidentally, without considering the
possibilities. But now that he was here -- walking toward her with
the same intensity in his eyes that always thrilled her -- temptation
was growing. Who'll ever know? she thought, then answered her own
question: I'll know. I must not do this.
But perhaps her imagination understood her desires better than
her consciousness; Mulder came right up to her, standing only inches
from her so that the breeze carried the very scent of him -- that
warm, musky, masculine smell that came from no cologne but was simply
a part of Mulder. Dana breathed it in deeply, then whispered, "I'm
wishing for some very dangerous things right now."
"Dangerous?" He cocked his eyebrow at her, smiling rogueishly.
"What can be dangerous within your own mind?"
This program is too perfect, damnit. Scully swore to herself
again as the breeze ruffled Fox's hair in just the way that always
made her long to reach out and smooth it. But even as she began to
take a step away from the image, she considered -- what *is* dangerous
about my own fantasy? It's not as if I haven't thought about this
before -- why not -- NO. "You wouldn't want to know."
"Oh, but I would," Mulder whispered, as he took her chin in his
hand, then gently traced her lower lip with his thumb.
Dana felt her last vestiges of self-denial fading. She opened
her lips slightly, brushing his fingertip with her tongue, and heard
his breath draw in sharply. His reaction only sparked the fire within
her mind; whatever reluctance she'd had was vanishing, being replaced
by a warm tide of dizziness that threatened to sweep her away.
As if in response to her unspoken acceptance, Mulder slid his
hand across her cheek, behind her head, tilting her face up to his.
Their lips met gently at first -- a light, sweet kiss that seemed
almost innocent. But not for long -- she opened her mouth beneath
his, sliding her tongue between his lips as she did so. He answered
her hungrily, passionately, deepening the kisses until she swayed
slightly, off-balance, and steadied herself by embracing him tightly.
Fox moaned softly, wrapping his arms around her, bringing his
hands lower nad lower until he'd pulled her hips against his own. She
could feel the eager hardness there, and shifted slightly against him
to make him shiver with delight. He pulled his mouth away from hers
only to cover her face and neck with slow, deliberate kisses. She
whispered, "I shouldn't want this."
"But you do?"
"Yes -- " her voice caught in her throat as his hand traced up
her abdomen and over her breast, with a light feathery touch she could
barely feel through the gauze of the dress. Then she thought, I
*think* this gown is becoming rather unnecessary.
It vanished at the mere thought, leaving her -- and Fox --
standing naked together at the water's edge. Her memory served her
well; his lean, muscled form was no idealized guess, but the
long-limbed swimmer's physique she'd clandestinely admired before.
She stepped back from him for one moment, to study the lines of his
body -- and laughed at the puzzled look he gave her.
"Come here," Dana smiled, lying down just beyond the reach of
the waves. He knelt next to her, looking down at her own naked body
as hungrily as she had gazed on his own. She felt almost shy for a
moment, then laughed again at herself -- only you would be bashful
before a figment of your own imagination. Reaching up to take his
hands in her own, Scully whispered, "I've waited for you long enough
--"
Mulder smiled as well, and lowered himself over her body. Even
as she gasped at the feel of his skin on her own, he claimed her mouth
in the most sensuous kiss she'd ever experienced -- slow, teasing,
incredibly arousing. She arched up against him, longing for more, but
he pulled his mouth away from her own.
"Not yet," he murmured, letting his lips trail down her neck,
across her collarbone. Fox reached the curve of her breast and began
tracing his way slowly, so very slowly, to the rosy point. His tongue
caressed her nipple lightly, teasingly, until she was writhing beneath
him in desire.
"Please -- " she groaned, and then cried out in sweet relief as
he took her into his mouth, sucking deeply but gently on first one
breast, then the other. Dana was gasping with her arousal by now,
could feel his own erection hard against her thigh. "I want you
inside me," she managed to say.
He lifted his head from her breasts and met her eyes with an
expression of animal passion, only barely controlled. Although he
smiled a hot, bright smile at her plea, Mulder instead shook his head
and whispered, even more quietly than before, "Not yet."
In a sigh that was half frustration and half delight, she
dropped her head back into the soft, damp sand, submitting herself to
him completely. Dana felt his lips trace down her belly, his light
kiss at her navel, and began to tremble in anticipation. Fox shifted
downward, bringing his hands up beneath the small of her back, tilting
her pelvis up towards him.
"Oh, yes," she breathed as his tongue brushed between her legs,
then settled there, caressing the soft folds in warm, sure strokes.
Waves of pleasure ebbed from his touch, flowed over her body, breaking
in her throat as she cried out unashamedly at the feel of it. As his
mouth created a powerful, insistent rhythm, Scully began rocking, ever
so slightly, to match the pulsing of the warmth that was spreading
through her. She felt the energy building within her, higher and
higher, until she came in long, slow, fluttering contractions that
seemed to echo throughout her entire body.
Even as the sensations flowed through her, Mulder was pulling
his mouth away from her, moving his hips between her thighs. She was
still orgasmic as he entered her in one powerful thrust. Dana muffled
her own cry of delight against his shoulder; he too moaned as he
paused there for one moment, as if afraid to move -- to disturb the
perfect pleasure of this joining of their bodies.
Oh, no, you don't, she thought, and arched her pelvis upward to
take him still more deeply within her. Fox groaned, then began
meeting her with his own motion, pulling her hard against him as he
thrust again and again.

===========================================================================

From: xfscully@aol.com (XFScully)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: "Encounter" NC-17 pt. 3 test post
Date: 13 May 1995 19:57:23 -0400


Scully felt her pleasure building up within her again and let it
overwhelm her. She came again so powerfully she thought she would
faint.
Her cry of delight pushed Mulder beyond the edge; even as she
twisted beneath him, he shuddered with the power of his own orgasm,
moaning roughly as he spent himself within her, their voices united in
their pleasure.
For a long moment they simply lay there, helpless and giddy; but
then he rolled to one side and took her within his arms. She sighed
happily, "That was even better than I'd imagined it."
"Amazing," he agreed. "Beyond my wildest expectations."
Dana started to tease him about his expectations, but then
stopped herself. The sexual fantasy was one thing -- bantering with
this image about her real life with Mulder would be too real, too
much. Instead, she giggled lightly as the water lapped at her toes.
"Maybe I should finish up with a swim."
He shrugged lightly next to her. "Create a swimming pool, big
bathtub -- anything you like."
She sat still for a moment, unsure of what to make of that.
Finally, Scully said, "Why would I do that when we're right next to
the ocean?"
"Is that what you see? I'm in a hotel I stayed in once in
London."
That took another second to register. "What do you mean?"
Then, the truth belately, horribly, sank in. She pushed him away as
she leapt to her feet. "You're REAL??"
Mulder's jaw dropped -- "What -- you thought I was just an
image? I'm a customer here -- just like you."
Her mind was whirling. "Oh, my God." Instead of having a
fantasy romp with Mulder, she'd ended up cybersexing with some total
stranger! Next to her, Mul -- the man was shaking his head in
amazement.
"Didn't they explain things to you? You chose encounter -- some
people fight wargames, others go adventuring together, and you and I
-- " he swallowed hard, "Well, I guess we were matched up because we
both chose romantic settings. I had no idea you didn't know -- I'm
sorry -- "
Dana felt like she wanted to sit down, and so put her favorite
soft chair right there, by the seaside, and plopped down in it. She
put her face in her hands and sighed. "No -- it's not your fault.
You didn't know." After the original shock wore off, the feeling of
violation was fading; all the same, she imagined herself covered again
in a thick robe. The man, still damnably looking just like Mulder,
she also clothed in the jeans and T-shirt she'd first seen him in.
"I'm just awfully embarassed. I wouldn't normally do something like
this --"
"Me either," he admitted, shrugging. "I gave in this once -- I
had a woman on my mind and I just -- I guess I thought I would get it
out of my system. I don't think it worked," he sighed.
She was curious, despite herself. "An ex-girlfriend?"
"No, nothing like that. Just a woman who's -- out of reach."
His expression grew distant for a moment, then he shook it off, and
smiled in an attempt to lighten the moment. "So who do I look like?
Liam Neeson? Denzel Washington?"
Dana smiled a little at that. "No. Just a guy I know -- and
that I'm very unlikely to actually do this with."
"Why?"
"It's just a bad idea. Anyway, I don't think he's interested."
"He should be," the man said quietly. "I don't know what you're
actually like, but I think -- well, he'd be a lucky man."
Scully shivered a little; this "encounter" had been too real,
and she needed to get home, to think this all through. "I think I'm
going to exit now -- "
He nodded, understanding. "I'm very sorry about what happened.
I don't want to be insensitive, but I feel like I should say that I
enjoyed it."
"I did too," she answered, surprising herself. "It was
wonderful. But this is too much for me."
"Mulder" raised a hand in farewell, as she forced her awareness
into her real surroundings, to hit the escape switch. "Bye --"

***

Scully was back in the darkness of the room, chair firmly
beneath her, visor before her face, blinking in green: TWELVE MINUTES
REMAINING.
"I don't care," she muttered, yanking the strap off her
forehead, and dashing out to the car before the not-so-helpful staff
could say a word. Just as well, she decided; I'm not sure I could
handle someone saying "Thank you for coming."
Thankfully, the rain had stopped; she dashed across the street
to her car, desperate to get home and do something, anything, besides
think about what had just happened. Yet as she turned the key, Dana
felt herself begin to tear up. It wasn't the shock of the man's
presence, she realized; his concern had wiped away most of her
embarassment about that. *That* wasn't what had made it too real. It
was the closeness, the intimacy with Mulder -- she hadn't realized how
desperately she desired it until her fantasy had overcome her. I
can't ever let myself get carried away like that again, she resolved.
But as she put the car in reverse, she couldn't resist taking one last
glance at the blue-lit building before her.
"Beyond Imagination -- "
Within its walls, a man sat quietly within a London hotel room,
fondly remembered from a few college trips. He'd meant to remember
one of his wilder nights from those times -- with perhaps Elle
MacPherson taking his ex- girlfriend's role -- but his mind hadn't
cooperated. He had only been able to conjure up a vision of the woman
he truly desired.
The room suddenly vanished, leaving the green words NO TIME
REMAINING. He sighed and tugged the goggles off, then stumbled into
the bright hallway. The tall, sandy-haired man was standing nearby,
and grinned when he looked up.
"Mulder! So, what do you think?"
"You're gonna make a million bucks," Mulder answered honestly,
trying to banish his melancholy for his friend's sake. "But you're
going to lose them in lawsuits if you don't prepare people better."
"What do you mean?"
"I -- met up -- with a woman who didn't understand the meaning
of the encounter function until it was a little too late."
Clark paled. "Oh, no. You're kidding."
"Nope -- she took it okay, but you could get your ass sued off
for that. Better be more careful."
"I will be, you better believe it." Clark looked postively
shaken, and Mulder forced himself to grin.
"It's all right this time; this woman's made of stern stuff.
Just don't let it happen again -- " Fox shook his finger like a
scolding schoolteacher, and was rewarded with a smile from his friend.
But his cheerfulness was faked; as he went out the back door
towards his car, Mulder let the gloom he'd been fighting back
overtaken him. The sad state of his sex life had led him to a few
hollow pursuits -- but magazines and videotapes were at least filled
with artifical fantasy women. Easy not to think of them as real.
This, however -- his breath caught in his throat as the image of
Dana Scully, lying beneath him, flashed back through his mind. It
was, after all, only a pale shadow of his *true* desires -- he'd
thought it was a chance to satisfy his curiosity and lust. A chance
to then put it all behind him. Instead, it had only sparked the fire
within him. And increased the sadness when he remembered that it was
*his* fantasy alone.
"Never again," Mulder whispered, as he got into his car.

***

"Good morning!" Scully chirped, a little too brightly, as she
came in on Monday. She was determined to behave as normally as
possible -- though even the sight of Mulder now made her catch her
breath. "How was your weekend?"
"Kind of slow," he lied smoothly, glad she was wide awake and in
such a good mood. This way, they'd be able to dive right into work
with a minimum of small talk -- not much time for her to notice the
way he was blushing, hopefully. "Yours?"
"Great. Just sat at home, drank some tea, read a book." She
plopped her satchel on the desk and went to the Mr. Coffee to get her
morning mug. Like I need to be any more wound up, she thought. "What
did you do?"
"Well, I considered going by the virtual reality place -- but I
decided against it."
Scully had nearly choked on her coffee at the mention of virtual
reality, but regained her composure. "Why did you change your mind?"
"I'll probably check it out sometime, out of courtesy for Clark,
but it's kind of pointless, really. Just enhanced imagination,
right?"
"My thoughts exactly." She handed a cup of the steaming coffee
to Mulder, glad he wouldn't press her to visit the place again.
"Nothing very special about that," he shrugged, glad she
wouldn't raise the subject on her own now.
Dana smiled a little. "I mean, it's not as if there's anything
in there you couldn't do in real life -- " Her voice trailed off for a
moment as the two of them faced each other, only a few inches and the
steam from the mugs between them, totally silent.
"I see your point," Mulder finally managed. Quickly, he turned
back to his desk, and heard Scully behind him doing the same. He
pulled the latest batch of paperwork from its designated pile, and
began working almost at random.

Behind him, he could hear Scully begin to type at the keyboard. Fox
sighed and tried to turn his mind to his work, but not before he
thought, *She would DIE if she found out.*
Dana settled in to read her email, brushing away her earlier
awkwardness by thinking, *Mulder, if you only knew -- *
Then it was business as usual.


***

THE END