Title: Punishing Agent Phillips Author: Laurie Cabbab Email: lauriec21@hotmail.com Rating: NC-17 for explicit sex and language Classification: S, A, MSR Spoilers: Amor Fati, The Goldberg Variation Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance Summary: Another federal agent just can't seem to stop harassing Mulder. Distribution: Anywhere, as long as you ask me first. Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. Author's Notes: It has taken me a little over a month to get this story completed. To me it was the longest time I had to wait just to have a one-part story of mine edited. I am immensely glad that I finally have the opportunity to send it to the lists. Thanks: To Eliza, Alicia K., and Georgia for the encouraging and informative beta. Feedback: Yes, please. ****** It was a morning like every other morning when Mulder and Scully walked out of the FBI crime lab. They had studied an unusual substance there, and were now passing the scattering of desks where the Organized Crime Section was stationed to get to the elevator. The lab was on the same floor since both sections were small. "Now that was some interesting slime," Scully murmured in a somewhat skeptical voice. Mulder smiled in delight. "Well, I know that it might seem a little strange considering the archaeologists had found it hiding in a cave in New Mexico." Scully lowered her head. "Archaeologists, huh? It's surprising that they found something still existent at that sight." "Uh huh," Mulder said in mock fascination. "Weird." Scully smiled fondly as she lowered her eyes for a moment. When she looked back up, she saw a man in a light gray suit blocking their path. She stopped dead in her tracks, and Mulder did the same as he scowled at the man before them. "Good morning, Agent Mulder," the dark-haired man said in a low, eerie voice. After releasing Mulder's gaze, he nodded at Scully. "Agent Scully." Mulder glanced at Scully. She had a cool expression on her face. Looking rigidly at the other agent, Mulder felt his nostrils flare as he tightened his hands into fists. "What do you want, Agent Phillips?" Scully asked, her voice deadly and even. Agent Brenton Phillips was exactly Mulder's height, but he had a slimmer build. He had a rectangular face, a high broad forehead, and thin lips. The man was an agent in the Organized Crime Section, but *not* a friend of Mulder's. In fact, Phillips had always judged Mulder's belief in the paranormal as nonsense. He thought that all of his beliefs were just plain ridiculous. It seemed as if Phillips held a personal grudge against Mulder, acting as though they were long-time enemies. He had been working with the division for no longer than three weeks before he got on Mulder's case, despising him as if he were a piece of trash. Christ, that guy had it wrong, *he* actually reminded Mulder of garbage, he knew that it was childish but he couldn't help but think that. There was something about Phillips that bothered Mulder unlike the other FBI agents who expressed negativity towards his work in the past. He just couldn't put his finger on why. Scully was always concerned for Mulder whenever Phillips came around to provoke him, which happened every single time that they crossed paths with each other. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have held back the urge to pummel the guy. She managed to keep Mulder's anger toward Phillips in check, calming the bitterness that grew from deep within. Phillips gave Mulder a challenging stare. "Well, I just wanted to say to Agent Mulder that he won't get away with stealing my case." Mulder looked at him in disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about?" Phillips smiled smugly at him. "You know what I'm talking about Agent Mulder. The recent case that you and Agent Scully solved in Chicago, you know, the one involving that mob boss who tried to kill that supposed lucky man Wimes." "Henry's last name is *Weems*," Mulder seethed. "And why are you accusing me of stealing the case away from you? I was certain that I was the first to volunteer for it." "No. It was supposed to be *my* case, fair and square. Hell, it was more of an Organized Crime case than one of your pathetic X-Files. Luck. Yeah, right. Anyway, you took it away from me without my permission." "Mulder would never do that unless he had a good reason to," Scully interrupted in a steely voice. The tension in Mulder's body eased as he looked down at Scully. He grasped her shoulder in assurance. "It's all right, Scully, he said softly. "You don't have to cover for me." She looked kindly into his eyes, but he could see that she was raging from Phillips' false accusation. "I want to, Mulder. There are some things that you shouldn't be handling by yourself." "Funny, Agent Mulder," Phillips said egotistically. "I didn't know you had the women fighting all your battles for you." Something in Mulder sparked at his comment. He seized the younger agent by the lapels, hauling him up until they were nose to nose. "Listen here you slim-ass punk!" Scully grasped Mulder's shoulder and his upper arm. "Mulder, no!" "Stay out of this, Scully," Mulder hissed. "It's all right, Mulder. Just let him go." Phillips let out a brief, selfish laugh. "You heard the lady, Agent Mulder. Let go of me." "Mulder, please," she pleaded reasonably. "Come on, he's not worth it." She soothed him with her hands, a gesture that managed to ease Mulder's tension. He released a heavy breath as his grip on Phillips' jacket relaxed. Phillips smiled coldly as he straightened away from Mulder. He sneered at him while smoothing his suit back into place. "Don't worry, Scully," Mulder replied gently. "I know he isn't. Come on, let's go." He simply walked past Phillips before he heard his voice again. "I'm reporting you to your boss for purposefully stealing my case, Agent Mulder," Phillips said vengefully. "You can count on that." "You have some nerve," Scully said. Mulder's movements came to an abrupt halt. He quickly turned to see that she hadn't even moved from her spot. "Are you threatening me, Mrs. Spooky?" Phillips replied coldly. Scully's eyes blazed with a composed, yet fiery anger. "No, I'm not. I'm just warning you to stop violating my partner's rights. He is a fine agent and has more of a heart than you'll ever have." "I believe that you are threatening me, Agent Scully," Phillips said through gritted teeth. "And I'm certainly not going to let you get away with it." Scully stood right up close to Phillips, staring into his eyes with a frigid look. "And I'm not going to stand around and let you treat Mulder like this. I suggest you back away from him, Agent Phillips, unless you want me to nail your pathetic ass to the wall." With his body shaking with rage, Phillips took a small step back. "Why you little..." "Phillips, no," someone yelled. Mulder looked just in time to see that Phillips had his hand reared back as he threatened to hit Scully in the face. Before Scully or the other Organized Crime agents had the chance to react, Mulder stormed over to Phillips to swiftly grasp his wrist when his hand started to come down. Mulder roughly twisted Phillips' arm behind his back and got a good chokehold around his neck, bringing his lips close to the other man's ear. "Don't you ever touch her," Mulder said in a steady, deadly voice. Phillips tried to struggle, but Mulder tightened his grip on his neck. "Struggling won't get you anywhere you little prick," Mulder growled. "I'm going to make you pay for this," Phillips said angrily even though Mulder's arm was nearly cutting off his circulation. "You're going to regret it." Mulder glanced at Scully to see her looking from him to Phillips in shock and disbelief. Christ. The bastard was going to strike her. Instead of shoving Phillips down one of the nearby desks, Mulder held all of his anger in check, but for Scully's sake only. "If you ever tell Skinner about your bogus accusation about me, *Brenton*, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life. Do you understand?" Phillips stilled. "All right. All right! I understand perfectly." Mulder released him. He was breathing hard as he looked around the room, seeing that Phillips' fellow agents were watching him. Phillips gave Mulder one last sneer before turning on his heel and heading for the elevator. When another Organized Crime agent ran over to him to grasp his shoulder, Phillips shoved him away. "Get out of my way," he muttered. "I need to get some fresh air." Right after the elevator doors started to close, Scully tugged on Mulder's jacket sleeve. "Come on, Mulder. Let's go." Mulder gave his partner a slight nod. They resumed their walk back to the same elevator that Phillips left in. ****** When they got back to the basement, Scully was practically steaming. Worry etched Mulder's features as he noticed his partner's behavior. Scully released an angry breath as she stormed over to the door. She savagely twisted the lock and stopped a couple of feet shy from the nearest wall. Her back was turned to Mulder and her shoulders were stiff. Mulder went over to her, facing her back. "Scully," he questioned. "What's wrong?" She whirled around to face him. "I'm making sure that no one gets hurt when they come in because I'm going to have one hell of a blow-out right now," she spat. Mulder's features softened. "Is this about Phillips?" Scully gritted her teeth. "It has everything to do with Phillips. I can't stand him, Mulder. And I can't stand the way he's been treating you lately." Concerned for her, Mulder couldn't stop himself from laying his hand gently on her shoulder. "It's okay, Scully." "Jesus! It's not all right, Mulder. He's slime! No, he's lower than slime, he even gives the slime that we just studied back in the lab a bad name!" Both touched and amused at her anger towards Phillips, Mulder looked deep into her eyes, hoping he could soothe her anger by expressing the consideration in his own eyes. "Hey, don't worry about it. Hardly anyone around here thinks my ideas are original, so I'm pretty used to most of the comments that they throw at me." Scully lowered her eyes. "I know," she murmured in apology. "It's just that...like you said in your hallway after I rescued you from those bastards who operated on you, I'm your friend. You're *my* friend and I can't stand someone like Brenton Phillips pushing you around like that." Mulder's heart grew tender. He smiled down at Scully, remembering that time when he held her face in his hands just outside of his apartment, his stitched head just starting to heal with the help of that white gauze wrapped around it. Scully let out an exhausted breath. Her eyes were still cast down on the floor. "I'm sorry about the way I've overreacted. I..." Mulder shushed her by crooking a knuckle under her chin and tilting her face up. Their eyes locked. "No," he replied gently. "Don't be sorry, Scully. I appreciate what you just said, and I appreciate having a friend like you worry about me because of guys like Phillips. Thank you." Her eyes filled with kindness as she smiled back at him. She slipped her arms past his suit jacket, wrapping them around his waist, holding him close as she rested her cheek against his chest. Mulder wasted no time in embracing her as well. Scully closed her eyes. "You're welcome," she whispered. They held each other for several moments. Mulder was the first to pull back, Scully's arms wrapped loosely around him. He let his gaze roam over her face, noticing how smooth her pale skin looked. It looked so delicate that he was sickened by the thought of it getting bruised. An image of Phillips preparing to strike her automatically popped into his head. It sent a chill through him. Mulder grasped Scully's shoulders gingerly. He knew how defensive she was when it came to his need to protect her, but the feelings flowing throughout his body left him feeling raw and exposed. He truly despised Phillips this time, despised him for what he thought of him, and he despised him even more for attempting to physically harm his Scully. "He was going to hit you," he said, his voice a husky timbre that had a slight tremor in it. "That bastard was going to hit you." Scully sighed. "Mulder, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. I saw that blow coming, and I would have stopped him even if you hadn't stopped him yourself." Mulder moved closer to her, so close that Scully could feel the heat from his body. His eyes bore deep into her own as his hands came up to cradle her cheeks, his face just inches away from hers. Scully's breathing quickened. The warmth from his hands made her body sway. The strong loyalty and desire in his eyes left her feeling mesmerized. Everything about him at that moment was so intoxicating that she could hardly think straight. "Dammit, Scully," he said softly. "I don't want you near that man ever again. This is between me and him." Scully shook her head. Mulder's battle with Phillips had now become her own. There was no way that she was going to let him face Phillips by himself from here on. "No, Mulder," she breathed. "This..." Her hands came up to cradle his cheeks. "This is *our* battle, not yours." When she tried to pull his mouth down to hers, Mulder let her. Her lips lightly caressed his, her actions surprisingly gentle, almost seductive. "Together, Mulder," she whispered. "We face Phillips..." Mulder's arms slid completely around her. "Together." Letting out a surrendering moan, he kissed her deeply, shutting his eyes tightly and loving the way she trembled in his hold. He felt a strong urge to keep her safe from men like Brenton Phillips who intended to harm her. This time Scully couldn't even comprehend a single thought as Mulder's arms held her close, his kisses reducing her mind to mush. Her eyes were shut tightly as she kissed him back. When his tongue slid possessively over hers, Scully moaned. Her kisses grew bolder as she slid one hand into his hair and her other arm around his back. Mulder responded by sliding his hands into her hair, tipping her head back to have better access to her mouth. He deepened the kiss, his mind spinning out of control. With his need growing restless, Mulder quickly pushed Scully's jacket off her shoulders. The moment her jacket dropped to the floor, he backed her up until she was wedged between his body and the wall. He pressed his body fully against hers. Scully gasped as his arousal pushed firmly into her belly. As they kissed and groped each other, there was a knock on the door. "Agent Mulder," a low, muffled voice filled the room. "I know you're in there." It was Phillips. Mulder froze. He then turned his head to the closed door. Shit. Why the hell did he have to show up now? Scully cupped Mulder's cheek in her hand to direct his face back to hers. Mulder looked into her eyes, seeing that they were filled with assurance. "Don't worry," she said dreamily. "I locked it, remember?" Awareness slowly flooded him as he relaxed. He captured her face in his hands and kissed her eagerly. "Oh, so you think this lock can keep me out now do you?" Phillips taunted. Mulder's anger towards Phillips' stupidity started to consume him when Scully managed to snake her hand between them, cupping his erection through his dress slacks. She kneaded and stroked him through the thin cotton, easily erasing his irritation. Beads of sweat popped along forehead as he ground himself into her hand. "God," he groaned aloud. "Even God couldn't help you now, Agent Mulder." Mulder yanked Scully's hand away as his lips swooped down hard on hers. He pressed her further back against the wall. His arousal pushed demandingly into her stomach this time, causing a loud moan to escape her lips. "Is that Agent Scully I hear in there as well?" Scully couldn't pay any attention to Phillips as her passion blinded her. She wrapped her arms around Mulder's neck, clinging to him as their mouths slanted this way and that. "You're going to pay for that little stunt you pulled on me earlier, Agent Mulder, you hear me?" Mulder ignored Phillips as he pushed Scully's skirt up, bunching it around her waist. He quickly fingered both her panties and her stockings. He shook himself free of her embrace, and with rough, jerky movements he yanked the garments down, pushing them to her knees. "Now would either one of you be kind enough to unlock this door or do I have to find a way to unlock it myself?" Phillips continued. With a shaky breath, Mulder came back up to meet Scully. Scully quickly placed her arms back around his neck, holding on tightly to him once again. Moaning softly, she nibbled and suckled the underside of his chin. The feel of her warm, moist lips sliding over Mulder's sensitive flesh was incredible. His fingers shook uncontrollably as he started to unbuckle his belt. He needed to be lost in her, to forget about Agent Brenton Phillips altogether. Phillips was restlessly turning the knob this time. For emphasis, he pounded on the door's wood, his demand to be let in growing. "You're testing my patience, Agent Mulder, so you'd better open this door!" Mulder worked frantically with the zipper to his slacks. The moment his pants and boxers dropped and pooled around his ankles, he grasped Scully's hips and lifted her. Their gazes met and held as his cock prodded at her opening. They stayed still for a long time. Mulder's heart was racing, making his temptation become too great with every second that passed. Exhaling a sharp breath, he jerked up, entering her in one smooth, even stroke. Scully gasped. Her head fell back gently against the wall. She couldn't keep her eyes off his. She wrapped her legs around his thighs and braced her hands on top of his shoulders, balancing all of her weight on them. "God, yes," she said in a rushed breath. Mulder loosened his hold on her until she sank down further on his shaft. Scully groaned. Her mouth hung open, her lips were shiny and parted, and her eyes were heavy-lidded, her lashes hanging low. Mulder shivered at the erotic vision that was presented before him. He gently shifted his hips from side to side, letting her get adjusted to the feel of him. He did this until his body was pressed snug against hers. "Your ideas aren't logical, and neither is that level-headed and reserved partner of yours!" Ever so slowly, Mulder rotated his hips, creating small, hypnotic circles while keeping his eyes locked persistently on Scully's. He wanted to show her how hungry he was for her, how badly he wanted her. Scully's eyelids gradually slipped shut as the pleasure flowed lazily within her. She clutched at his shoulders and let out a soft, breathy moan. "Ohhhhh, Mulder." Mulder's head hung back. "Scully," he whispered. Scully quickly opened her eyes. "Mulder, she replied huskily. "Now." Her thick, honeyed tone sent a shudder through him. Growling softly, he started to move, slowly and powerfully in and out of her, reaching deep with each and every stroke. "Yes," Scully gasped. Mulder made sure that the tip of his cock was nestled between her folds as he pulled almost completely out of her before pushing his way back in. The moment he saw her tongue flick out to wet her lips, he increased the pace, pumping fast and steadily between her legs. Scully let out a low moan and held on tightly to him, meeting him thrust for thrust. Once in a while their eyes would wander to the door as they continued to make love up against the wall. The moment seemed even more exciting at the thought that Phillips could barge in to see what the two agents he hated the most were doing. "Oh, yeah, you're both the same," Phillips continued. "And you know what, Agent Mulder, you're worse than she is. You're the one who first led her into your strange, spooky world. Hell, she was better off without you!" Mulder moved in and out of Scully in a fast, relentless driving rhythm, slamming into her over and over again. Sliding his arm around her lower back, he tilted her hips up, causing his shaft to slide more directly over her clit as he drove wildly in and out of her. The sensation was electric, making Scully cry out and thrash against the wall. Mulder quickly managed to fasten his lips over hers. He didn't want to risk having Phillips realize what was *really* going on in the next room. The racket that Phillips was making grew worse, though, giving the mixture of their pleasure and their lovemaking an edge. Mulder rested his forehead against the wall, causing Scully's head to bang against it every time he surged up into her. He moved within her like a man possessed, his actions merciless and out of control. Scully was mindless with pleasure. Her mouth was wide open, and her thighs squeezed his hips. He was making her his and she reveled in it. "You think that you're such a big, bad FBI agent around here, huh, Agent Mulder? Investigations of aliens and UFO's, huh? Well that's a whole lot of nonsense! Open this door now!" Scully let out a whimper just as she began to teeter on the edge of release. Mulder snaked a hand between their bodies to circle his finger over her clit. She sobbed his name as she strained against his rotating hand. "Utter nonsense," Phillips screamed. "In fact, you're nothing! NOTHING! YOU - ARE - NOTHING!" Scully finally came, bucking wildly from the force of her orgasm. The pleasure bursting within her was so intense that she had to press her knuckles against her open mouth to keep from crying her pleasure out loud. Mulder crushed her to him as she tightened around him. He thrust hard inside of her three more times before coming as well. His body spilled hot inside of hers as he buried his face against her neck to muffle his own cry of satisfaction. Scully shuddered and clung to him as she rode out the sensations that flooded throughout her body. When it was over, Mulder groaned and his knees gave out. They slid down the wall and to the floor in an ungainly heap, leaning against each other for support and struggling to catch their breath. Scully's body was curled around his, and her head rested weakly against his shoulder. She was trembling. Mulder held her close as he stroked her back through the thin cotton of her blouse. He tried to hush her with the gentle tone of his voice. Phillips just continued to rant and rave on the other side of the door. The door's wood was finally splintering, threatening to break. "YOU'RE NOTHING! YOU HEAR, ME, HUH! YOU'RE NO-" A loud, booming voice, twice as loud as Phillips' own voice, made his temper tantrum come to a complete stop. "EXCUSE ME, AGENT!" Scully's head snapped up. She stared into Mulder's eyes with wonder, trapped in the afterglow of their lovemaking, her thinking unclear. "Mulder," she said in a lazy murmur. "Is that who I think it is?" Mulder, enraptured at the sight of her with her hair tousled, her lips bruised from his kisses, and her eyes glowing brightly, nodded his head. She took his breath away. "Yeah," he breathed. "Skinner." Scully closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. "Oh, God," she groaned. "What next?" There were two loud knocks on the door. "Agents Mulder and Scully?" Skinner said in a loud, clear voice. "Are you two all right in there?" Scully sighed and pulled back to stare at the door. Mulder squeezed her shoulder briefly. "Yes, sir!" he called. "We're fine!" "Agent Mulder," Phillips answered harshly. "You no good son of a bi-" "I said keep quiet, agent," Skinner barked. What followed was the thump of a body being pushed up against the door. "Just stay where you are, agents. You don't have to bother in unlocking this door, as you *can't* see, I've got my hands full right now." Mulder was relieved that a conversation could be held between all of them with the door closed. His legs and arms still felt weak from the strain of making love to Scully. He doubted that he had the energy to push himself off the floor and stand up on his feet. The doorknob twisted violently. "Agent Mulder, is this man harassing you?" Skinner asked in concern. "Damn you, Mulder, I'll get you for this," Phillips yelled. "Be quiet," Skinner barked again. "Well, Agent Mulder, is he harassing you or not?" Mulder turned his head to Scully who was quietly looking at him with a detached awe. He winked at her, then looked back at the door. "Yes, sir, he is," he called. "We just wanted to ignore Agent Phillips by locking the door so that he couldn't get in. We figured that it would be the only possible way for him to leave us alone by tiring him out from his little blow-out...Sir, he's been harassing us for about three weeks with his erratic behavior. I suggest that he get some professional help, sir." "Well, it's obvious that Agent Phillips needs it since all that I could hear was the pounding and screaming that he was making. Anything else I should know about Agent Phillips over here?" Mulder let his eyes linger on Scully. "He threatened to physically harm Agent Scully." Another thump sounded at the door. "You son of a...All right, Agent Mulder," Skinner replied briskly. "I'd like to schedule a meeting with Agent Phillips in my office in about twenty minutes. I would like it very much for you and Agent Scully to join us so that you two can present your case against him. I'll make sure that I get his boss to attend it, as well as a few of Mr. Phillips' fellow agents." "Oh, and sir," Mulder replied. "He works in the Organized Crime Section." "You're going to pay big time for this, Mulder," Phillips screamed. "I said shut the hell up, agent," Skinner barked again. Yet another thump sounded at the door, followed by Skinner's low, menacing voice. "I will not have the likes of you harassing *my* agents and getting away with it. Now, do we understand each other, Agent Phillips?" There was a complete silence, which made Mulder strain to hear. "Yes, sir," Phillips finally replied in a defeated voice. "Perfectly." Mulder smiled exuberantly at Scully. Her desire faded away completely as she gave him a small, victorious smile of her own. Mulder didn't have to punish Phillips. Phillips had brought his punishment upon himself. "Agent Scully," Skinner asked. "You and Agent Mulder going to be okay in there for a while?" Scully smiled back at Mulder as she leaned against him and held him tight. "Yes, sir," she called back. "We'll be fine." She ended the brief conversation by placing a deep, lingering kiss on his lips before pulling back, looking deep into his eyes once more. "We'll be just fine," she whispered. End