TITLE:    WINNER TAKES ALL
AUTHOR:   DONNILEE
E-MAIL:   donnilee@snet.net
RATING:   NC-17
CATEGORY: MSR
SPOILERS: NOPE.

SUMMARY:  Mulder defends what's his, against family and 
coworkers.

DISCLAIMER:  All characters used from the show, The X-Files 
are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and 
Fox Broadcasting.  No copyright infringement intended.  No 
money made here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This is a sequel to "All or Nothing."  You 
don't have to have read that one to understand this one, but I would 
love it if you did!  This can also be read as a stand alone with the 
simple understanding that Mulder and Scully have finally 
consummated their relationship after Mulder throws a jealous fit 
over Scully's boyfriend.

WARNING:  This fic does contain one scene of loving anal sex.  
The rest is pretty vanilla.  

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 1 (NC-17)
DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
DECEMBER 15, 2001
MONDAY - 7:00 AM

I awoke feeling a wall of flesh behind me and stiffened.  A second 
later it all came flooding back.  Mulder.  He'd taken me last night, 
in more ways than one.  I was truly his now, in every way I could 
be.

Surprisingly, the notion didn't make me cringe like I thought it 
would.  I'd always mistakenly labored under the assumption that to 
give one's self over to love was to lose your sense of self.  I now 
realized that this was only true if the love was one-sided.  In our 
case, we loved each other equally, and so instead of bondage there 
was a freedom.

I wasn't naïve enough to think that there wouldn't be complications 
in this relationship.  It had been nothing but complicated from the 
beginning.  It was also one of the reasons that life with Mulder was 
so interesting.

I felt him stir and pull me more firmly into the cradle of his hips, 
his morning erection poking me in the low back.  I nearly moaned 
remembering the feel of him crashing in and out of my body.  

He hummed behind me and I felt his hand slide up to cup my 
breast, which was tender from last night.  I did moan then, unable 
to contain it any longer.

His hips flexed against me and I felt him stiffen further.  His breath 
ruffled my hair against my neck and then his lips settled on the 
bare skin above my shoulder.

He didn't ask permission.  He no longer had too, although I knew 
he would stop in an instant if I asked him to.  His hand slid from 
my breast, down my leg and lifted it into the air, placing it on top 
of his.  This effectively spread me wide for him, and I felt him shift 
behind me, angling for the correct position.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

A brief testing of my state of arousal with the tip of his shaft 
caused him to moan out loud, sliding forward and embedding 
himself to the hilt.

"Jesus, Mulder!" I hissed.

An infuriating chuckle sounded behind me.  I squeezed my 
muscles with all my might and was rewarded with a sudden buck 
of his hips and a groaned, "Oh shit."

"Play nice," I whispered.

His hand slid back up to my breast and cupped me again as he 
began to stroke back and forth.

I gave myself over to the sensations racing through me.  I was sore, 
but he was being gentle, a marked contrast from last night.  In no 
time at all, it seemed, I was moaning and feeling my walls collapse 
around him.  He waited for me to subside from my post-coital 
lethargy and whispered, "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning." I paused as he withdrew, still hard and now coated 
with my juices.  "You didn't come."

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

"Can't, gotta pee," he explained.

I chuckled and asked, "Join me in the shower?"

"Bring it on, Scully," he muttered as he rolled away from me and 
slid out of bed. 

I took a moment to admire his backside as he headed for the 
bathroom.  Then I sighed and followed him.  I entered to find him 
taking a leak, totally unselfconscious about this fact.  I was struck 
with how intimate it was, being there in the bathroom while he 
answered the call of nature.  I was neither disgusted nor 
uncomfortable as I had been during my past relationships. 

I turned on the shower and tested the water, dragging two body 
towels out of the closet, and retrieving a third towel for my hair.  I 
stacked them on the counter next to the sink and slipped behind the 
shower curtain to let the hot water douse me.

I sighed in contentment and just let it hit me, rolling over my sore 
muscles until I felt a cool blast of air as he entered behind me.    
We washed each other's hair, him bending so I could reach and 
then took time to explore each other's bodies.  Before we were 
done, he had me leaning my arms against the wall next to the 
spigots and was soaping my rear end.

I gasped as his soapy finger slid into the crack of my ass and 
pushed gently on my sphincter muscle. 

"You ever have anal sex, Scully?" he asked me, his voice low and 
ragged with his own arousal.  He continued to wash my butt 
cheeks, both hands now covered in soap.  He soaped some more 
and I felt him push gently against my sphincter again, this time 
slipping inside just one knuckle deep.

I gasped loudly and tensed, waiting to feel pain, but there was 
none.  He pulled back a little and pushed in again and I moaned.  
There was no pain at all.  On the contrary, a hot wash of sensation 
crashed through my body, leaving my nipples turgid and aching, 
my spine tingling and my nether regions tensed and waiting for the 
next rush.  I'd never done this and I was surprised at how sensitive 
the area was. 

"Have you?" he asked again, leaning over me slightly and bringing 
his face next to mine.  

I turned to look over my shoulder at him and said, "No."

"Have you ever wanted to?" he asked softly.

"I've thought about it," I admitted honestly.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Ahh, there it was, the magic question.  I knew if I said no he would 
back away instantly from this train of thought.  Now however, with 
the tip of his finger wiggling around inside my back door, and his 
renewed erection poking between my legs, the idea itself was 
turning me on and I felt my juncture flood with hot wetness.

"Yes," I said, softly.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXX

Holy Fuck!  She was going to let me do it.  I couldn't even count 
how many times I'd dreamed of this.  How many fantasies of mine 
involved her rounded, heart-shaped ass?  I'd lost count.

I held her steady with one hand on her hip.  I used the other to 
slather the soap all over my dick.  I wanted to take her this way.  
This was the ultimate sex act of trust.  If she gave this to me, there 
was truly nothing she wouldn't give to me.  I wasn't testing her.  
Truly I wasn't.  However, the opportunity was at hand and I 
couldn't resist asking.  I put my finger back in and worked her 
loose until I could easily slide two fingers in and out.  I didn't want 
to loosen her up too much, but wanted to make sure I didn't hurt 
her.

When I was satisfied, and she was moaning and wiggling her 
behind under my ministrations, I put more soap on my cock and 
pressed it gently against her back door.  Her round ass enthralled 
me for a moment.  

She tensed and I said, "Relax, Scully.  Trust me, and as I push in, 
you push out a little."

I began pushing, building up the pressure and she did as I 
instructed, pushing her muscles out.  Before I knew it, the head of 
my shaft popped inside and I groaned at the tightness of it.  She 
was hot inside and I shuddered at the sensations rippling through 
me.  Good lord, I only had the head in.

She was panting and I smoothed my hands over her hips and back, 
calming her.  "Let me know when you're ready.  Just push back, 
you control the pace," I told her. 

She took a deep breath and then pushed back slowly but steadily 
and I began to inch my way inside her.  As I suspected, giving her 
back some control had been the ticket.  I stood there, gritting my 
teeth against the urge to push and let her control my entrance.  It 
was agonizingly slow but delicious at the same time.

When I had but a merely couple of inches to go, I couldn't stand it 
anymore.  I gathered her up around her waist and lifted her against 
me.  She screamed slightly as I buried the rest of my cock into her 
soapy rectum.  We froze and when I felt her relax, I began to 
thrust, slowly at first.

"Oh my God, Scully, I'm sorry.  I can't help myself.  You're so 
sexy.  I didn't mean to hurt you."

"S'okay.  You just surprised me."

Leisurely drawing out our pleasure, I tormented her sphincter with 
the ridge of my glans.  I set an easy, measured rhythm meant to 
worry her flesh into high arousal and sustain it without climax.  I 
delighted in the sounds she made as she launched into an endless 
chant of whimpers and sighs.

I held her close to my body and slid my hands up to stroke and 
tease her nipples and then palm her breasts.  A few minutes later, I 
wrapped one arm around her waist again and nearly lifted her off 
the ground.  Her toes were barely touching the floor and her little 
ass was pushed into the air like an invitation.  

She groaned, "Oh yeah, do it, Mulder.  Show me what I've been 
missing."  

With that permission in hand, I started bouncing her up and down 
on my throbbing shaft.  She shrieked, but I could tell it was a 
sound of pleasure and not of pain.  She weighed almost nothing 
and I spread my legs for balance, one arm wrapping around her 
ribs to palm the opposite breast, the other still anchoring her to my 
body and I lifted her up and then loosened my grip, letting her own 
weight carry her down.  

I impaled her on my shaft over and over, quickly reaching the end 
of my endurance.  I realized I was going to come if I kept up this 
pace and she was not ready.  I slid my hand down and made tight 
circles around her clitoris.  She moaned and began grinding into 
my hand.  I slowed my thrusts and kept stimulating her.  I felt her 
tremble and her voice warbled, "Ohhhh, Oh my God.  Jesus, 
Mulder.  I never dreamed it would feel this good.  Oh Christ!  Here 
it comes!  OH. MY. GOD!"

Finally, she shouted and began to quake in my arms as her first 
anal orgasm took her.  I sped up again and pumped harder.

She shrieked and came a second time from the extra stimulation.  I 
was all done.  I rammed into her fully, her orgasmic contractions 
milking my cock in a silky grip.  I felt my balls tighten and tingle 
and then hot, burning ropes of cum sped up my shaft and pulsed 
deep into her bowels.

I shouted, "Oh fuck, Sccuullyy!" I shouted as my body emptied 
into hers.  We both nearly fell when it was over, our legs feeling 
like rubber.  I slipped out of her carefully and slowly and we 
helped each other wash and rinse off and then climbed out, turning 
off the shower and toweling each other dry.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I kissed her gently and held her face in my hands.  "Are we going 
into work today?" I asked.

She seemed to contemplate it for a bit and then said, "No, I don't 
think so.  There's nothing urgent and I think we could use this day 
together to decide what we're going to do."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my natural paranoia kicking in, as I 
followed her into the bedroom.  Was she going to come up with all 
kinds of rules and things that we couldn't do at work and couldn't 
do in public?  The agony of my hurt and despair from yesterday 
was gone.  However, despite my solid stance from the night before, 
I still had my doubts as to whether she would be as committed as I 
was to this relationship.  Not that I doubted her loyalty at all, it was 
just that I always seemed to be the one that loved more and got 
hurt more.  

Past experience had taught me that I usually didn't mean as much 
to other people as they meant to me.  Even though I knew 
intellectually that Scully was different, old habits died hard.

My fears were unfounded when she said, "Just stuff like what 
clothes we're going keep at each other's places and such."

I smiled.  "What if we only had one place," I blurted out.

She looked at me and I didn't miss the flash of fear that crossed 
behind her eyes.  "I don't know, Mulder."

"Sorry, I'm rushing you.  I just want ... everything.  I'm greedy, 
what can I say?"

"I'm not saying that's not a possibility, but let's take this one step at 
a time, all right?"

"Sure, Scully.  I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

She put her robe on and it clung to her damp skin, outlining her 
perfect breasts.  She pulled on some panties and was heading for 
the closet when the doorbell rang.

I instinctively looked at my watch and realized I didn't have it on.  
I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and it read 8:00 AM. 

"Who the hell is coming here at 8:00 AM?" I asked.

"I don't know.  Guess I'll go find out."  With that, she grabbed her 
robe sash and exited the bedroom.  I walked to the doorway and 
stopped, listening to see if I could hear what was going on.  Who 
thought they had a right to barge in on her at this hour?  Except me 
of course, I thought with a twinge of remorse for all the times I'd 
yanked her out of bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

I looked out the peephole as I tied the sash of my robe and saw the 
delivery boy from my favorite florist standing there.  I sighed, 
thinking of the unpleasant task that was ahead of me.  I knew the 
flowers were from Greg.  I opened the door, signed for the delivery 
and carried the long white box into the kitchen.  It was a dozen 
long-stemmed, red roses.  I put them in water in a big crystal vase 
and set them on the kitchen table.

I opened the card and read:

**For my beautiful woman,
Can't wait to see you. -- Greg**

I sighed again and then jumped as I heard Mulder clear his throat 
from where he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.  I looked up 
and he raised his eyebrows in question.  I waved at them and said, 
"Guess who?"

"Mr. Wonderful?" he asked sarcastically.

I swallowed my irritation and decided to try to help him get over 
the hurt my dating Gregg had caused.  "Look Mulder, I know you 
hate him, just because I was dating him, but he really isn't a bad 
man, you know?"

He looked down and finally raised his head after a couple of 
seconds.  "You're right, I'm sorry.  It's childish of me to keep 
taking jabs when ... he's in for a real disappointment."

I held his gaze for a moment and nodded.  He turned and went 
back into the bedroom, wearing nothing but boxers.  He said over 
his shoulder, "I'll call in to work for us."

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 2 (PG-13)
DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
DECEMBER 15, 2001

I buried my nose in the bouquet, loving the smell, so close to that 
of raspberries, which wafted up my nose.  Poor Greg.  He really 
was a nice man and I didn't doubt that he genuinely cared for me.  
Whether he would understand this now or not, I didn't know, but 
he deserved better than me.  He deserved to have someone love 
him as much as I loved Mulder.  I'd fooled myself and knew now 
that he'd been a poor substitute for the yearning of my heart.

I went back into the bedroom to get dressed for the day.  "What do 
you want to do first, Mulder?" I asked, as I perused my closet for 
something to wear.

He frowned.  "I just talked to Skinner.  He insisted we come in for 
an 11:00 AM meeting, but we can have the rest of the day.  I need 
to get back to my apartment to change before we check in."

"All right, that gives us at least two hours before we leave for your 
place.  Let's talk."  I pulled a suit out of the closet and finished 
dressing under his watchful eye.

"Well, let's talk about sleeping arrangements first," he growled.

"You would go straight for the sex," I teased, as I pulled on my 
shoes.

"Who said anything about sex?" he asked with mock innocence.

I smiled.  "You're forgetting I know you well, Mulder, you and that 
one track mind."

"You didn't know it yesterday," he replied, suddenly serious.

"Oh, I always knew you had a dirty mind, Mulder.  I just didn't 
think it was directed at me," I teased.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a semi-smile and he shook 
his head, clearly not believing me.  I let it go and he made his way 
into the living room.  

I started coffee and then joined him.  "Do you want to go out for 
breakfast?" I asked.

"Maybe, let's talk a little first.  I know I came on hot and heavy last 
night, Scully."

"Hot and heavy is putting it mildly," I responded with a smile.

He found and held my eyes with his.  "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, not really," I immediately responded.  He looked skeptical so 
I continued, realizing I had to be honest and stop hiding things 
from him.  "It's been a while so it was uncomfortable a couple of 
times, but the pleasure far outweighed the minor discomfort."

He smiled then.  "Yeah?" he asked, almost shyly.

It was hard for me to reconcile this Mulder in front of me with the 
self-assured, purposeful Mulder of last night, the one that claimed 
me, literally.  Now he seemed to need reassurance.  Of course, 
things often looked different in the light of day.  "Yeah," I assured 
him.

I watched his face blossom into a brilliant smile.  "For me too," he 
said quietly.  "I don't know if I'm going to be able to go to bed 
alone after this, Scully."

"What makes you think I want to either?"

"I thought you might need some time alone to assimilate 
everything that's happened."

"It will take some getting used to, however, you being gone won't 
make it happen any faster."

"Would it be O.K. if I stayed here during the week and then Friday 
and Saturday nights we spent at my place ... while we still have 
two places?"

I smiled at his subtle hint about moving in together again.  "Let's 
try it and see how it works.  We can always adjust.  I'm sure there 
will be times when we have to sleep apart, Mulder."

"I'm sure there will be too, but if we don't have to, I don't want to."

"Me either," I said.  

"So what now?" he asked.

"Let's go to your place so you can get dressed for the meeting.  We 
can pick up some suits and supplies and bring them back here 
before we go to the office.  We can stop for breakfast on the way."

"Sounds like a plan to me," he said, jumping up off the couch.  I 
smiled at his exuberance.  It was nice to see him smile so much.  
To think I'd had the power to put that look on his face all along.  
How could I have been so blind?"

XXXXXXXXXX

FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT
42 HEGAL PLACE
ALEXANDRIA, VA
DECEMBER 15, 2001
MONDAY, 9:00 AM

He looked up at me after zipping up his suitcase.  I'd finished 
throwing out all the rotting science projects in his refrigerator.  We 
would have to bring groceries when we planned on staying here.

"Want to christen the bed, Scully?"

I moaned in mock horror.  "Go easy on me, Mulder.  We've 
already done it twice this morning.  Well, once for you, but twice 
for me."

His face softened.  "I was only kidding.  Pretty sore, huh?"

I grimaced slightly.  "A little bit.  It will fade quickly."

He grinned after a small pause.  "I made you sore, huh?" he asked 
again with a twinkle in his eyes, knowing he had.

"You can be a real pig, you know that, Mulder?" I huffed.

He just laughed and headed out of the bedroom, carrying his 
gigantic suitcase.  He retreated into the bedroom once more and I 
asked, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything.  Be 
right out."

XXXXXXXXXX

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
DECEMBER 15, 2001
MONDAY - 10:00 AM

We were finally back in Georgetown, with his suits hung neatly in 
my closet after I'd cleared a space for him.  I'd made room for his 
underwear next to mine in the dresser drawer.  These little things 
seemed so intimate.  They were exciting, but comfortable at the 
same time, like we'd finally figured out what we were doing.  It 
was an odd combination.  

We tossed goofy smiles and looks at each other throughout the 
process.  While Mulder changed into his suit, I cleaned up the 
small mess in the kitchen.  

"We still didn't get breakfast, Mulder.  Let's go grab something at 
the diner and then we'll go in for Skinner's meeting," I suggested 
when he joined me a few minutes later.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he tossed back.

XXXXXXXXXX

HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
DECEMBER 16, 2001
TUESDAY - 10:50 AM

I put my hand on the small of her back like I always do.  Today 
though, it seemed more significant as we walked down the hall on 
the third floor, heading for Skinner's office.  People glanced up but 
were used to seeing us going in and out of the office.

As soon as we stepped into the office, his secretary Kim said we 
could go right in, giving us a secretive smile.  We entered the inner 
office to find A.D. Skinner and the Director, along with D.D. 
Kersh waiting for us.  We looked warily at one another and 
Skinner motioned for us to take a seat in the two empty chairs in 
front of his desk.

We did and he smiled at us.  "Agents, the Director and Deputy 
Director are here to give you something."

I tensed and glanced at Scully.  She looked calm and merely gazed 
at the Director.  "Sir?" she asked her professional armor in tact.  "A 
case?"

He smiled.  "No Agent Scully."  He walked to the edge of 
Skinner's desk and picked up two framed eleven by fourteen 
certificates.  He approached us and handed each of us one.
 
I gasped as I read it silently and Scully read it aloud.  
"Commendation to Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder 
for exemplary service to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 
achieving a solve rate of 85% over the calendar year, 2000, the 
highest solve rate in the history of the FBI."

Scully flushed and I just looked up, stunned.  Skinner was grinning 
from ear to ear.  The Director was smiling placidly, and Kersh was 
scowling as if he'd just swallowed something foul.  That finally 
made me smile, and I flashed him a 'pleased-with-myself' grin, 
which made him frown even harder.  I was shocked but finally 
found my voice.  "I don't know what to say.  Thank you very 
much, Sirs."

Skinner stood and Scully and I did as well.  She smiled at Kersh 
and said, "Thank you.  I'm caught off guard as well.  This is 
wonderful."

Kersh did flash a small smile at Scully.  No one could resist 
Scully's smile, not even the sour puss himself.  She turned to the 
Director.  "Thank you, Sir.  I'm honored."

He nodded at us. "Good work, Agents.  We evaluate solve rates 
annually near the end of the calendar year and you two were the 
clear winners.  I know the work you do with the X-Files is unusual, 
but this proves to me that it's obviously a very necessarily unit in 
this organization.  In fact, I'm considering expanding your 
department.

I nearly fell out of my chair I was so shocked.  "Sir?"

"I have an agent from New Orleans who specializes in the occult.  
She has requested a transfer to the D.C. area.  Her name is Monica 
Reyes.  I have another Agent from New York, an ex-NYPD cop 
that has also requested transfer to D.C.  I think they both would be 
helpful additions to the department."

"I don't know what to say," I said, mixed emotions swirling 
through me.  It was a real pat on the back to be offered other agents 
to work with us.  I just wondered how it would affect our working 
relationship.  We would have to be much more circumspect in our 
relationship.

"That's great news, Director Mullen," Scully replied, coming to the 
rescue.  "One question," she said.

"What's that?" the Director asked.

"Where are we going to put them?  We barely have room for us in 
the basement."  That was my Scully, always the practical one.

He smiled.  "We've talked about that.  There's an old storage room 
next to your office that's filled with miscellaneous supplies.  We're 
going to move all that stuff out.  I have a crew going down there to 
sort through everything and transfer useful equipment and supplies 
to Quantico.  The new agents will have a separate office in that 
area.  They will be partners, and you, Agent Mulder, will be the 
SAIC of the department, with Scully acting in your place if you 
should be unavailable.

I finally smiled, thinking this might not be so bad after all.  "Thank 
you again, Sir.  This is ... unbelievable news."

He shook Scully's hand and then mine.  "Just keep up the good 
work Agents.  Don't make me regret this decision."

"We won't," we said in unison and then smiled at one another.  

"Come on, Alvin.  Let's get back to work," he signaled to Kersh 
and headed for the door.  "Congratulations, Agents," he said and 
exited.  

We stood, stunned and turned to Skinner who sat back down and 
waved us back into our seats.  We sat and I cleared my throat.  "I 
can't believe this.  What's the catch?"

Skinner shook his head smiling.  "Does there have to be a catch?"

I frowned.  "Usually with us, yes."

"Not this time.  The numbers don't lie.  You have the highest solve 
rate in the history of the Bureau, and with cases others deemed 
unsolvable.  That's impressive, especially to the Director, even if 
he doesn't entirely understand what it is that you do."


Scully asked, "Did you have something to do with this, Sir?"

He sat back and eyed us carefully.  "Not really, no.  Kersh 
protested, saying you were a loose cannon, Mulder."

"Figures," I muttered.

Skinner shrugged.  "Like I said, the numbers don't lie.  I gave some 
examples of your more complicated cases that you solved with 
good old fashioned legwork and cited Agent Scully's reputation 
and her hard science background that solved many of your cases."

I hung my head.  "This belongs to Scully."

"No, Mulder, it belongs to us," Scully immediately interjected.

Skinner cut in again.  "Yes, Scully, it does."  He turned to me and 
said, "I also praised your outstanding profiling ability and intuition 
and said that the blend of that with Agent Scully's hard science was 
a winning combination that was evidenced by the results.  Neither 
one of them could argue with me."

"Thank you, Sir.  I'm overwhelmed," I said.

He smiled.  "You're welcome.  Go hang those bad boys on the wall 
in your office."

We stood and Scully smiled, saying, "Yes, Sir."

He grinned.  "Oh, by the way," he said, stopping us from exiting.

"Yes?" Scully asked.

"I ordered you a desk, Agent Scully.  See what you can do about 
clearing out your end of the room there.  It will be delivered right 
after Christmas."

We both grinned.  "Yes, Sir," she said again.

I felt a pang of guilt ... a desk.  It was something I should have 
done a long time ago.  I had finally ordered her a nameplate and it 
was prominently displayed on the door now.  I even hung it above 
mine.

We grinned at each other as we passed Kim's desk and she looked 
up smiling.  "Congratulations, Agents."

We waved at her.  "Thanks, Kim," I replied.  

We stepped out into the hallway.  Scully stopped and gave me one 
of her thousand watt smiles that always melted my heart into my 
shoes.  I found myself grinning back.  Then she surprised me when 
she gave a totally uncharacteristic squeal of delight and launched 
herself at me in celebratory jubilation.  

We were each still holding the frames but I caught her up easily 
with one arm banded around her waist as her arms went around my 
neck.  I could feel her frame lying against my back, as she 
struggled to hold onto it and my neck at the same time.

Without thinking about the potential audience, I dropped my head 
and planted a quick, hard kiss on her lips.  It softened a second 
later and I slid my tongue into her mouth quickly.  She moved her 
lips across mine once but then pulled away, blushing, slightly 
embarrassed.  It was a good look on her.  She flushed pinker and 
slid down my body, clearing her throat behind her hand but still 
unable to suppress the ear-to-ear grin on her face.  

I realized how seldom Scully got any praise and that was mostly 
my fault.  Since she hitched her wagon to mine, the accolades were 
few and far between.  Knowing how much her career meant to her, 
I was glad that she was finally receiving recognition.  For myself, I 
didn't really care, although it was nice for my ego.  For Scully, 
however, I realized how much the recognition of her peers meant 
to her and this was a real cherry commendation that would go into 
both our files.

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 3 (R)
HOOVER BUILDING
THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY

Someone gasped loudly and Agent Ferrell came around the corner 
into the hallway, curious as ever.  He had evidently missed our 
little display of joy and affection but still blurted out, "Well, well, 
well.  Don't Mr. And Mrs. Spooky look like the happy couple 
today."

We both looked up suddenly, jarred out of our own little private 
moment of sharing.  There, staring at us with his jaw somewhere in 
the vicinity of his navel was Gregg.  'Oh shit, this isn't going to be 
good,' I thought.

Three other agents, none of them big fans of mine, flanked him.  
Not that anyone was a really big fan of mine, but some were worse 
than others.  Colton was among the worst of my nemeses and he 
was among the crowd, along with Cecil Hamilton and his partner, 
Romy Petravicious.

Scully sighed loudly and murmured under her breath, "Time to 
face the music."  

XXXXXXXXXX

I strode out into the hallway as the elevator doors opened and eyed 
the row of cubicles that all looked the same.  A man poked his 
head out, scrunched his brow when he didn't recognize me, then 
walked around the corner with his hand extended.  "I'm Agent 
Hamilton.  Can I help you?"

"Gregg MacKenzie," I answered, shaking his hand.  "I'm 
wondering where A.D. Skinner's office is?" I asked.

The man pointed the end of the hall and a wood grain door.  
"Down there.  Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, no.  I'm actually looking for Dana Scully."

"Mrs. Spooky?  Yeah, she's in there.  I saw her walk by a few 
minutes ago." 

"Mrs. Spooky?" I inquired, feeling unreasonably irritated.  

Hamilton laughed and another man appeared behind him.  He 
turned and said, "This is my partner, Agent Petravicious."  We 
shook hands.

"Why do you call her Mrs. Spooky?"

The man gave me a sarcastic look like I was daft because I didn't 
know.  "Because she's Spooky Mulder's partner, the only one that's 
ever been able to put up with him," he said.

"I didn't know he had a nickname.  Why do you call him Spooky?"

Petravicious laughed.  "She hasn't told you much about what she 
does here, has she?"

I felt embarrassed, and realized how little I really knew about Dana 
Scully.  She was always circumspect when I tried to get her talk 
about her work, saying only that much of it was unorthodox and 
she wasn't at liberty to talk about most of it.  I took that to mean 
that the cases were confidential while the investigations were 
ongoing.  Being a doctor, I knew all about confidentiality and 
didn't push the issue.  "What do you mean?  She's an agent.  She 
investigates cases.  What else is there to know?"

Yet another man appeared from two cubicles up the hall and stuck 
out his hand.  "I'm Tom Colton."  He'd obviously been 
eavesdropping.  "They investigate cases with paranormal elements 
or cases that have been deemed unsolvable," he said as if it were a 
joke.  "Either that, or they're chasing little green men."

Hamilton smiled.  "Grey men, Colton.  Get it straight."  All three 
agents laughed.  

"What the hell are you talking about?" I said.  I was getting a bad 
feeling about this entire conversation.

They all eyed me suspiciously and Colton asked, "Are you a friend 
of Dana's?"

"I'm her boyfriend," I stated.

Colton coughed harshly behind his hand and said, "Does Spooky 
know about that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Mulder's a nutcase," he said emphatically.  "Nobody can figure 
out why Dana stays with him.  She basically ruined her reputation 
and her career by supporting his work.  We've got a running bet in 
this office about those two."

"A bet about what?" I asked incredulously.

Petravicious looked back and forth between them and finally said, 
"Whether or not they're doing the horizontal mambo."

"WHAT?" I gasped.

Colton laughed.  "Some say yes, some say no.  Why else would 
she stay?"

"Are you saying they're involved ... romantically?"

Hamilton grinned.  "I don't know how much romance there is 
between ghosts and chasing aliens, but I think he's been fucking 
her for years."

"Word from the secretarial pool is that he's a fabulous lover and 
hung like a stallion.  It's the only reason anyone can come up with 
for Scully to stay with him.  He's got to be doing her," Petravicious 
said maliciously.

I felt white, hot rage burn through me.  "Dana is no tramp!  She 
didn't sleep her way into the FBI!" I proclaimed.  "Apologize this 
instant!  How dare you talk about her that way!  Dana is a 
beautiful, intelligent woman.  We've been dating for a month now, 
and she's been nothing but the sole of sweetness and decorum."

Colton raised both eyebrows.  "Have you slept with her yet?" he 
asked boldly.

"None of your fucking business!" I hissed, wanting to yell, but not 
wanting to make a scene.

Petravicious said, "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Hamilton smiled.  "Ever wonder why?"

"No!  I know why.  She wants to wait and establish our 
relationship first.  She doesn't want to rush and that's fine with me, 
not that any of this is any of your business.  Dana isn't that kind of 
woman.  She doesn't jump into bed with every guy she dates for a 
couple of weeks."

Colton sneered.  "Five bucks says she doesn't cause she's getting it 
somewhere else and there's no doubt in my mind where."

"You asshole!" I hollered, now attracting the attention of several 
other agents that entered the hallway.  "I've heard enough.  This is 
all just petty bullshit.  You're probably just jealous because she's 
not with you.  How many of you have asked her out and got turned 
down?"

Dana had told me that she had a policy of not dating her co-
workers.  It was important to maintain her reputation of 
professionalism, being a woman in a man's world.  The FBI was 
nothing if not a good old boys' network.  I saw their faces fall and 
wondered if they all had asked her out before.  I wouldn't blame 
them.  She was a beautiful woman.  

I was frustrated with our lack of sexual progress, but had decided 
to be patient as I was sure it would be worth the wait.  Dana was a 
Catholic and I had always assumed this was what made her 
reserved when it came to our sex life.  We'd had a few heavy 
make-out sessions and even a few petting sessions, but she'd 
always stopped it before it got to anything serious.  

I'd had heard enough of this trash talk.  The guard at the front 
lobby had checked a schedule and told me that they were due to 
meet with their boss at 11:00 this morning.  I knew I was too early 
for lunch, so I decided to come up here and wait instead of going 
to their office in the basement.  I was on Dana's visitor list, so I'd 
been given a visitor badge and directions to the third floor.  I was 
sorry I'd come up here now.

I heard a door down the hall open and a woman's voice say, 
"Congratulations, Agents."

"Thanks, Kim," a man replied.  Was that 'Spooky' Mulder's voice?  
I'd only met him once and thought he was surly and rude but I'd let 
it slide, not really caring what he thought of me.

My knees went to jelly when I saw the smiles wreathed on their 
faces as they stepped into the hall.  They were leaning into one 
another as if they shared a private joke.  Agent Mulder in particular 
was leaning way into her personal space, being much too familiar 
to suit me.  The smile she gave him was glorious, and one I'd 
rarely seen.  In fact, I didn't know if I'd ever seen her smile that 
happily.

My world fell apart as she squealed in delight and literally leaped 
into his arms.  They were both holding onto some kind of plaques 
or frames.  She was obviously excited about whatever had 
happened in that meeting.  He banded an arm around her waist and 
easily caught her in mid air, holding her feet off the floor as if she 
weighed nothing.  God, the guy was strong.

I nearly died inside when he dipped his head down, so casually, 
and pressed his lips to hers in a quick, hard kiss.  It was the way he 
did it, like he had every right!  It wasn't a kiss of two friends 
congratulating one another.  It was celebratory, but it was also 
possessive.  Then it got worse as I saw her body relax against him 
and she returned his kiss softly for a few seconds.  I could swear 
he'd stuck his tongue down her throat.  She coughed behind her 
hand, seemingly surprised by the kiss but not upset by it.  She 
cleared her throat and looked up at him again, still smiling, as if he 
were the only man in the world.

I watched as her body slipped slowly down his torso until her feet 
touched the ground, as their gazes remained locked.  She was 
blushing prettily and I felt my stomach come up in my throat and 
heat burn my face with humiliation.

Just then, another agent turned the corner into the hallway and 
announced, "Well, well, well.  Don't Mr. And Mrs. Spooky look 
like the happy couple today."

XXXXXXXXXX

Scully strode purposefully forward and I followed at a slight 
distance.  We both realized that this was not the ideal place for her 
to have this conversation.  I was surprised at my relief when I 
heard the slight irritation in her voice when she said, "Gregg, what 
are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?  I sent you flowers.  I called you at work 
and you're not there.  After telling me you need time alone.  I was 
worried.  Not a peep out of you since Friday.  I came to take you to 
lunch.  Is that a crime?  What the hell is going on here?" he asked.

"Let's go down to the office, please," she said curtly, eyeing the 
other agents and trying to give him a hint.

"No, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is 
going on here."

"Gregg, this isn't the place.  We just got a commendation.  I'll tell 
you all about it.  Now, let's go."  She took hold of his arm and took 
a step as if to lead him to the elevator.

He violently shook her off and turned to glare at me.  "I said I'm 
not going anywhere.  What the hell is going on?" he demanded.  
When she didn't answer him right away, he turned to me and 
hissed, "Where do you get off kissing her?"

I closed my eyes and counted to three trying to school my voice to 
be calm for Scully's sake.  "Like she said, we just received a 
commendation.  It was unexpected.  Now let's go down to our 
office."

"No!  I'm not going anywhere with you until she explains!  You 
kissed her, you bastard," he hollered.

"Gregg!  That's enough.  You're making a scene.  Now let's go 
downstairs," Scully gritted out between clenched teeth.

"Tell me why you kissed her!" he demanded, ignoring Scully.

I looked him straight in the eye.  I reminded myself that Scully 
would be mortified if we made a scene.  I didn't care if the whole 
world knew about our relationship and she'd agreed not to hide it.  
I also realized this was not the way she had intended for Gregg to 
find out about us.  I didn't need that asshole Colton or any of these 
other cretins have fodder for the water cooler for the next six 
months either.  "It was a celebratory impulse," I said calmly, trying 
to resist the urge to punch him right in the nose.

"Impulse?  Impulse!" he spat.  "Do you always go around kissing 
other people's girlfriends on impulse?"

I smiled now, unable to resist.  Sorry, Scully.  "No.  Only my 
own."

"WHAT?  What do you mean?"

"Only my OWN girlfriend," I said pointedly and pinned him with a 
stare.  

He withered and I could hear the snickers from the other agents.  I 
couldn't be bothered to give them my attention.  I glanced 
backwards when I heard the door of Kim's office open and saw 
Skinner step into the hallway.  "Agents?  What's going on out 
here?" he asked.

Scully had released Gregg and said, "Nothing, Sir!"  She turned to 
Gregg, demanding, "Downstairs.  NOW!"

"Your girlfriend?" he sputtered.  He turned back to glare at Scully.  
"Are you with him, Dana?"

Scully swallowed hard, nodded, and said, "I'm sorry, Gregg.  This 
isn't the way I planned to tell you, but yes, it's over.  I was going to 
call you."

"When?  When did this happen?" he ground out.

"This weekend.  That's why I needed time.  To sort through 
everything," Scully said curtly.  She hated giving these vultures 
even this much information.  "I was going to call you this 
afternoon."

"You BASTARD!" he screamed, looking at me and then glaring at 
Scully again.

"Calm down, Gregg," I said.  "You came here unannounced, 
remember."

Gregg whirled back, pointing a finger at Mulder.  "Fuck you!  
Until a minute ago, she was MY girlfriend.  I thought I could stop 
by anytime I wanted to."

XXXXXXXXXX

Mulder's jaw clenched, but I was impressed with his restraint.  It 
wasn't like him to remain calm and it warmed my heart because I 
knew he was doing it for me.  "Watch where you're pointing that 
finger, buddy," he warned.  "Scully, let's get him downstairs," he 
said as he turned to acknowledge Skinner as he approached.

"I'm not you're fucking buddy!  You go to hell!"  Without warning, 
Gregg lunged forward and swung at Mulder.

It was a surprise attack and Mulder wasn't ready, having just 
glanced at A.D. Skinner.  He ducked but the blow glanced off his 
jaw.  Mulder's lightening reflexes kicked in and he caught Gregg's 
left wrist in mid flight, deflecting it as he attempted a second blow.  
Mulder's left hand dropped the frame and came up in a sharp 
uppercut and nailed him right in the solar plexus.  He automatically 
followed through with a quick right and I heard a crunch as blood 
began to pour out of Gregg's nose.

"No!" I shouted.  Gregg grunted, sucked in his breath, and glared 
up at Mulder from his bent over position.  He was either pumped 
on adrenaline, stupid, or a little of both.

Gregg leaped forward again, trying to wrap his arms around 
Mulder's torso and head butt him.  I knew he didn't stand a chance 
against Mulder.  "Gregg, stop this nonsense right now!" I hollered.  
It was like he didn't even hear me.

Mulder's reflexes were second to none as he leaned back, spun 
sideways, and watched Gregg's body fly by and crash into the 
cubicle wall behind him.  He circled around him, staying out of his 
way.  Mulder's back was now to me, but I could see the irrational 
anger on Gregg's face.

"Go Spooky!  That's the way to defend your girlfriend," Colton 
taunted from somewhere behind me.  

I lost my own temper and turned, hissing, "Shut up, you asshole!"

The others crowded around like little boys in a schoolyard 
watching Gregg stalk Mulder as he easily danced away out of the 
reach of Gregg's fury.  I could see Gregg's eyes flash and his jaw 
clench as the comments continued to fly.

"Show us the moves, Spooky," someone yelled.

"Go ahead and deck him for Mrs. Spooky," someone else called 
out.

"Do you dance this good in bed, Mulder?" another asked, laughing 
derisively.

Gregg bellowed again and struck out blindly, his fist swinging 
wildly towards Mulder's face, passing by without even grazing his 
jaw.  They were almost the same height.  Mulder maybe had an 
inch on him, but Gregg probably had thirty more pounds on him 
than Mulder.  Even though they were so evenly matched 
physically, it was like watching a boy fight a man, Mulder out 
maneuvered him so easily.  He had grace and speed Gregg couldn't 
even begin to match.  Mulder was also an athlete.

Mulder glanced at me and I shook my head, indicating that I didn't 
want him to hit Gregg.  "Scully?" he groaned through clenched 
teeth, trying to gain my permission to throw a punch, just one 
punch.  I knew one good punch from Mulder would send Gregg to 
the mat.  

"No, Mulder.  Jesus, he's a surgeon!  Don't hurt his hands!" I said, 
trying to reason with Mulder's desire to deck him.

"Fuck that!" Gregg screamed, enraged and I'll bet, embarrassed by 
my words.  He lunged again, nearly careening into a cubicle wall 
as Mulder easily avoided him, dancing around on his heels to stay 
facing him.  "You bastard," Gregg  croaked as he turned again to 
face his nemesis.  It seemed he was bent on making an ass out of 
himself.  

Mulder ground out, "I don't want to hurt you, damn it.  Stop this 
nonsense!"

"Nonsense!  Nonsense?  You're so sure you can hurt me?" Gregg 
taunted him.

"Yes," I confirmed.  "Jesus, Gregg.  He's a trained FBI agent.  He 
could kill you!"

"I may not be an Agent, but I'm no wimp, either!" Gregg spat, the 
hurt and embarrassment ripe in his voice.

"I know you're not," I said, trying to placate him.  "That isn't the 
point.  You're acting like a juvenile cretin.  Now stop this.  You're 
in a Federal building for God's sake.  You're a professional.  ACT 
LIKE ONE!" I shouted.

He tried to swing at Mulder again and almost hit me.  I saw Mulder 
grit his teeth, finally fed up with Gregg's foolishness.  He 
mumbled, "All right, that's enough of this crap."  

With that, he waited for Gregg's next swing and easily grabbed his 
arm in mid flight.  Instead of dodging him this time, he spun 
around, twisting his arm up behind his back and with two long 
steps shoved him into the hallway wall, grinding his face into the 
hard surface as Gregg squirmed impotently.  

"Let go of me!" Gregg shouted, blood still trickling down his nose, 
now seeping into his white dress shirt.

"You started it," Mulder said calmly.  He wasn't even breathing 
hard.

I could hear the surprised comments of the other agents behind us.  
Many of them were commenting on Mulder's agility and prowess.  
Part of me was disgusted with the lot of them.  Just because 
Mulder was a gentle man who had learned to control his temper, 
they had always thought of him as weak.  Another part of me was 
crowing in delight at the new macho image they were now willing 
to accept.  Comments floated to my ears from behind me.  
"Spooky's got nice moves.  Wonder if he ever boxed?  He wasn't 
even trying that hard.  Did you see that?"

I rushed to Gregg's side.  "Are you all right?"  I glanced up and 
saw Mulder's dirty look.  I returned it as I put one hand on Gregg's 
shoulder and the other on Mulder's hand that held him captive.  

"Don't touch me!" Gregg ground out.  "Let me go, I'm leaving.  
You and your new boyfriend have a great life!  You obviously 
deserve one another."  Blood was pouring out of his nose and 
down onto his white dress shirt.

Mulder turned and looked at the offending agents and said, 
"Thanks for filling him in on things you know nothing about.  
Anybody else have anything negative to imply about Agent Scully 
and myself?"

They all stood mute.  

"How about you, Colton?  Anything to say?" Mulder growled.  He 
shook his head in disgust at their continued silence.  "That's what I 
thought."

The elevator opened and two security guards emerged.  I assumed 
Skinner had summoned them.  Skinner barked, "Escort him out of 
the building."  He turned to look at Mulder and asked, "Are you all 
right?"    

Mulder nodded but said nothing for once.  He spun Gregg away 
from the wall and shoved toward the security guards.  Gregg 
staggered but was caught by each arm by the two security guards.

They marched him into the elevator, reaching for the button for the 
lobby.  Skinner held up his hand to halt their decent and asked, 
"You want to press charges, Agent Mulder?  Assaulting a federal 
officer is fairly serious."

He looked at Gregg.  "I ought to just to teach him a damn lesson."

"Fuck you!" he shouted.  

Mulder looked at me and I couldn't stop the tears I had in my eyes.  
"Mulder, please," I whispered.  

His face softened and he gave me a sad smile.  He looked at 
Skinner.  "No, I won't be pressing charges unless he attacks me 
again."

"Very well, get him out of here," Skinner barked to the two 
security guards.  

"Yes, Sir!" they said in unison and hit the button to close the doors.

Gregg glared, flanked by the two guards and spit out, "Merry 
Fucking Christmas."   The doors slid shut on his angry face.  

I hung my head and heard Skinner say, "O.K., the show's over.  
Back to work everyone.  NOW!" he bellowed.  He returned to his 
office and the door slammed closed behind him.

Everyone scrambled back to the cubicles and silence fell in the 
hallway.  I stood mute, staring down, as I felt the vibrations in the 
floor slowly die out.  I was biting my lip but finally I couldn't hold 
it back anymore and I let a sniffle come out, fighting against tears.

Mulder reached for me and I brushed him away.  "Why did you hit 
him?" I whispered.

He looked shocked and hissed, "He was attacking me, Scully."

"Oh please, Mulder.  What did you expect?"

"I don't know."  He looked wounded and I realized I'd gone too far.  
He bent down and picked up his commendation that had 
miraculously survived the fight in tact.  

"You know, I'm sorry he saw me kiss you when he came over here, 
but damn it, whether he likes it or not, you're with me now.  You 
tried to take it some place private.  You told him it was over.  I 
didn't want to stand here and listen to him throw insults at you and 
me for another minute.  What's the point?  Besides, what was I 
supposed to do when he attacked me?" he asked reasonably.  "I 
could have cleaned his clock with one punch.  I didn't out of 
respect for YOU."

I just shook my head.  "You should have just let me handle it, 
Mulder.  It wasn't your place to decide what was enough."

I strode to the elevators and punched the button.  The doors slid 
open and he followed me, angry now.  As the doors slid shut, he 
continued.  "Not my place?" he said dangerously.  "He almost hit 
YOU, Scully!  Not my place?  You're MINE now.  Or aren't you?   
What exactly is MY place?" he growled.

I looked away.  "I'm sorry.  I'm just upset.  I didn't plan for it to go 
this way.  I was going to call and meet him on neutral territory.  He 
beat me to the punch."

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 4 (NC-17)
HOOVER BUILDING ELEVATOR

He deflated from his fighting stance and held out his arms.  
"Truce?" he offered.  "I don't want to fight with you, Scully.  Not 
about this.  I only hit him twice in self defense."

I gave in and walked into his arms.  He held me and rocked me 
gently as I cried.  Through my tears I said, "I was wrong, Mulder.  
I never should have dated him.  He had a right to be angry.  I 
dropped this on him with no warning."

"Because I dropped this on you with no warning," he concluded.

I shrugged.  "I hurt him."

"It couldn't be helped."

"I know, but that doesn't make it easier."

"It would hurt him more in the long run to let him believe 
something that wasn't true."

I got my sniffles under control and looked up at him.  Sometimes 
he could say something really wise.  "You're right," I said softly.
 
"He'll be all right.  He's a big boy."

"I know.  He'll find someone else," I said, more to convince myself 
than anything else.  I really did feel bad, even though I knew it was 
the right decision.  I did wish Mulder hadn't punched him.  He 
probably could have subdued him easily without hurting him.  
After a moment's thought though, I realized I probably would have 
struck back too, purely out of instinct.  Gregg had clearly been 
humiliated by how easily Mulder had side stepped him and brought 
him to a halt.  Mulder hadn't even had to try very hard.  Gregg was 
a doctor, not an FBI agent with hand-to-hand combat training.  He 
hadn't stood a chance.

Mulder cupped my face and brushed my tears with his thumbs.  He 
leaned down and kissed me softly.  "One down, a bunch to go," he 
teased.

I chuckled in spite of my upset.  He was right.  Gregg might have 
been the hardest, but I was far from done informing the other 
people in my life of my new relationship with Mulder.  My mother 
would be delighted.  I wasn't worried about her or Charlie.  Bill Jr. 
was going to be a problem though.  Maybe I'd write him a letter.  
Then Mom could work on him for a while before I actually had to 
bring him and Mulder face to face.

Then I realized there wasn't time for that.  Bill Jr. was going to be 
home on leave for Christmas, and no doubt, he would be at my 
mother's with Tara and Matthew.  So much for that plan.

I sighed and hugged Mulder tight.  He returned the hug and lifted 
me off my feet, kissing my forehead.  "I love you, Scully."

"I know.  I love you too, Mulder."

"I'm sorry I hit him," he said unexpectedly.

"You are?" I asked skeptically.

He nodded.  "Yeah, I know what its like to be in love with Dana 
Scully.  I probably would have reacted the same way."

I gave him a close-lipped smile and he leaned down and kissed me 
again as the doors slid open to the basement.  We walked to the 
office and set down our commendations.  We silently grabbed our 
coats and headed for the elevator again.  

Mulder said, "When we get home, I'm going to call Skinner and 
ask for some time off."

"You are?"

He smiled down at me.  "Yes.  How does two weeks sound?  Get 
us through the holidays?"

"You're going to take a vacation?" I asked, astonished.

He grinned at me.  "I never had a reason to before.  I think we need 
to spend some time together, don't you?"

"We don't spend enough time together?" I teased.

He hesitated and then said, "We haven't spent much time together 
in bed, Scully.  Not nearly enough," he said roughly.  "I have years 
to make up for."

"Oh my," I said quietly.

He just laughed at me.

XXXXXXXXXX

DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
DECEMBER 15
1:00 PM

We returned home to my apartment a bit more subdued then when 
we had left.  The encounter with Gregg had shaken me.  I'm a 
normally private person and having a public confrontation like that 
was horrifying for me.  I knew the water cooler would be buzzing 
for days over this incident and there was nothing I could do about 
it.  It had certainly taken the edge off my excitement over receiving 
the commendation from the Director.

I changed and made us some coffee while Mulder called Skinner 
and arranged for us to have the remainder of the year off.  We 
would return to work on January 2, which gave us a full 16 days 
together without work interfering, if we were lucky.

Mulder entered the kitchen and watched me prepare our coffee 
cups with sugar while I waited for the coffee to brew.  He sensed 
my subdued mood immediately and approached me, wrapping his 
arms around me from behind.  His nose nuzzled my hair and he 
said softly, "I'm sorry, Scully.  I know this whole thing upset you."

I nodded, swallowing hard.  I turned in his arms and he loosened 
his grip to allow me to do so.  "In a way it made it easier," I said.

"How do you mean?"

"If he'd been good about it, I would have felt bad for hurting him.  
I do feel bad, but not as bad as if he'd been a gentleman.  I didn't 
know he could be that immature."

"He was a bit of a sore loser."

"And you weren't?" I fired back.

He dropped his arms.  "Look Scully.  You're right.  I was a sore 
loser.  I was in as much or more pain last night than he was today 
when I thought I had lost you.  I understand that.  I don't really 
blame the guy, but I wasn't going to stand there and let him pop me 
in the face without reacting.  I certainly wasn't going to take the 
chance that he would accidentally hit YOU.  It was his decision to 
show up at the Hoover unannounced and track you down.  It was 
his decision to sling insults and his decision to start a fight.  Don't 
take it out on me."

I hung my head.  He was right.  I was frustrated and embarrassed 
by the whole situation and I was taking it out on Mulder.  He'd 
done nothing but defend himself.  I knew that Mulder could have 
hurt him a lot worse.  I thought back to the sequence of events, and 
realized Mulder had advocated getting him out of there and into 
the basement.  Gregg had thrown the first sarcasm in Mulder's 
face; Gregg had thrown the first punch.  'How did I think Mulder 
should have handled it differently?' I wondered.  "You didn't have 
to make him bleed," I said sullenly.

He sighed.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to, honestly, it was just an 
automatic response.  I wasn't even swinging full force.  I just 
wanted him to back off.  I was embarrassed too, Scully.  I know 
what my reputation is and I know how yours has suffered because 
of your association with me.  I didn't relish that little scene in front 
of some of my biggest detractors.  Shit.  We'd just gotten a 
commendation.  Then I walk out of the office and get blind sided, 
and oh, cheery day, Colton's right there to see the whole thing."

"I know.  I'm sorry.  Can we put this behind us, or is Skinner really 
pissed off?  I assume he mentioned it when you called in?"

"Yes, he did.  However, he was there and saw most of it.  He 
knows that I didn't start it.  He didn't even know who Gregg was.  
He said there would be no disciplinary action for either of us.  He 
just called security and told them he saw the whole thing.  
According to him, the guard never should have directed him to the 
third floor in the first place.  He should have either escorted him to 
the basement or paged you or I to come get him.  Visitors aren't 
supposed to wander around the building unescorted.  I don't know 
what the security guard was thinking."

"New guy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's a relief that Skinner wasn't pissed.  Now we'll just 
have to deal with the gossip and juvenile comments for the next 
year."

He smiled lazily and stepped into me again, wrapping his arms 
around my waist.  "Yeah, but we've dealt with those idiots before.  
It will be all right.  In fact, Skinner suggested that our being gone a 
few weeks would give the gossip a chance to die down and I think 
he's right.  By then, everyone will be pumped from the holidays 
and have better things to talk about."

I nodded and was silent for a few moments and then said, "I 
wonder who's collecting all the winning bets today?"

His chest rumbled under my ear where it lay on his chest.  "Lots of 
winners, I'll bet."

We both smiled and I looked up at him.  He leaned down and 
kissed me softly.  His tongue snaked out to lick my lower lip and I 
was lost.

He moaned gently and deepened the kiss, pulling at my lips and 
nipping lightly.  His tongue engaged mine in a slow, sensual dance 
and I felt my knees go weak as I sagged against his tall frame.  I 
broke the kiss and whispered, "Coffee?"

"Later," he grunted as he reached over and flipped off the coffee 
maker.  His hands slid down over my ass, grasped the back of my 
thighs and lifted.  

I yelped and wrapped my legs around his lean waist, feeling his 
burgeoning erection pressed into my crotch.  "Oh God," I 
muttered, burying my nose in his neck.

He chuckled, turned and headed for the bedroom, easily carrying 
my weight and depositing me gently on the bed.  We wasted no 
time in shedding our clothes and were soon naked.  He gazed at me 
lying back on the bed for several moments and whispered, "You 
are so beautiful you take my breath away."

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I held up my arms, inviting him down.  He slinked onto the bed 
with the grace of a big cat and slid up between my legs, taking his 
weight on his forearms.  He commenced kissing me again, his 
ardor increasing as the seconds ticked by.  I gave as good as I 
received and we were soon panting with arousal again.

I was still amazed at how quickly my arousal soared to enormous 
heights with this man.  What I had with Mulder was so different 
from anything I'd ever imagined intimacy could be.  This was pure 
passion and it was manifesting in a wonderful, sensual way.  The 
last barrier had been hurdled and I gave myself up to his 
ministrations as his lips trailed down my neck, nibbling and kissing 
and licking.  He pulled my legs wide apart and I lifted them into 
the air, giving him greater access.  He paused, catching my eye and 
maneuvered his cock to my entrance. 

I felt his engorged head nestled against my moist labia.  My head 
was spinning and my stomach was curling into knots of 
anticipation.  I felt his iron hard cock part my quivering lips.  I 
groaned as my pussy sucked him deep inside.  He pulled my legs 
wider apart and changed his angle of penetration so that my clit 
was riding his cock with every stroke.  He started slow but it was 
pure sensation from the first stroke.  I felt like I was flushed with 
fever and burning hotter every second.  I felt light headed and 
arched against him, wanting him to penetrate into the deepest 
regions of my body.

"You're so wet but still so tight," he groaned, keeping his slow 
pace, enjoying the friction of every inch as he slid in and out of 
me, my walls grasping him in a staccato rhythm as I hung on the 
edge of orgasm.  He thrust deeply inside with every stroke and I 
could hear my wetness each time he entered, squishing out around 
our joining.  He picked up speed and soon was pounding my 
sensitive inner flesh.

In no time I was gasping for air as a tight feeling was winding 
quickly from my pussy throughout the rest of my body, coiling like 
a spring.  I was dizzy and my breasts ached.  One hand slid down 
my side sliding under my ass, squeezing one cheek firmly and then 
moving toward the center.  His finger brushed my anus and I 
jerked in surprise, clenching my muscles around him.

He groaned, did it again, pressing harder this time and all hell 
broke loose.

I began to warble an unintelligible sound as my orgasm broke over 
me like a crashing tidal wave.  "Oh Christ, yes, Mulder!  Yes!"

I began to whimper with every thrust as he pushed me deeper into 
my climax.  Each wave of pleasure that followed each stroke was 
replaced by another higher wave of greater intensity.  I was coming 
so hard I thought that my harshly spasming vagina would turn 
itself inside out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Moving my hand back to clutch her sides, I sped up, hammering 
myself into her, fucking her savagely now.  Her legs were 
trembling and her pussy was tightening on my shaft.  Her orgasm 
had her screaming and she came harder than I thought possible as 
her juices sluiced down over my balls.  I continued to slam into her 
impossibly tight tunnel. 

A soft squeal peeled from the back of her throat with each thrust 
and soon became a long, steady moan as she convulsed under my 
body.  My head spun with pleasure and building pressure in my 
shaft and I felt my balls tighten unbearably in preparation for my 
own climax.

I experienced a whole body shudder as I felt myself stiffen nearly 
to the point of pain.  Cum rocketed up my shaft as my climax went 
nuclear.  I roared in ecstasy, "Scccuuulllyyy, oh FUCK, YES!"

I didn't think I could come any harder than I had in our previous 
encounters.  I was wrong.  I felt blackness tickle the edges of my 
vision as I emptied my balls deep inside her, shooting load after 
load.  Her muscles finally relaxed and released my shaft.  Now 
flaccid, it slid out of her, leaking cum all over the sheets.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I collapsed on her, panting harshly and burying my nose in her 
hair.  "Holy shit, Scully," I muttered.

Her answering chuckle was a bit breathless as she lay there 
sweating beneath my body.  "That's putting it mildly."

"Too heavy?" I questioned, unable to form a complete sentence 
yet.

"Stay, like it," she said, showing she too was still coming down 
from her post-coital brain fuzzies.  "Love you," she mumbled.

I kissed her ear and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, letting 
my weight slip off to the side.  "Love you too, Scully," I said 
quietly.  She slipped into blissful oblivion as her exhausted mind 
and body shut down completely.  I was close behind her.

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 5 (NC-17)
MAGGIE SCULLY'S HOUSE
BETHESDA, MD
DECEMBER 25TH
9:00 AM

We'd driven up early and had a big breakfast at Mom's house.  
Mulder had finally met Charlie and his family and was pleasantly 
surprised by the warm greeting they had given him.  Bill had eyed 
Mulder warily but so far hadn't said anything about the fact that I'd 
brought him along.  We'd discussed how to handle the change in 
our relationship beforehand, and had been careful not to display 
too much public affection until the time was right to announce our 
news.

We all sat around in the living room now with coffee and tea and 
watched the nephews tearing into their packages.  Mulder had 
bought Matthew a new Batman action figure doll and he whooped 
in delight as he held it up for everyone to see.  The new computer 
games he had for Charlie's two boys were an equal hit.  We were 
all smiling, even Bill.

Before we knew it, it was time for the adults to open gifts.  Mulder 
and I waited until everyone else had opened their presents.  I'd 
agonized over mine to Mulder, wondering if I was doing the right 
thing.

We'd decided to start looking for a place together.  A mere two 
weeks and we hadn't wanted to spend one night apart yet.  After 
discussing it at length, we'd decided it was silly to pay rent on two 
places.  He was going to sublet his apartment.  My lease ran out in 
another month anyway, and I was not going to renew it.  To my 
surprise, I was ready to make an even deeper commitment, but 
wasn't sure how Mulder would feel.  I was usually the cautious 
one, but this time, I knew it was right and didn't see any reason to 
wait.

I nervously handed him the small package.  He smiled and handed 
me an even smaller package.  He looked as nervous as I did and I 
was afraid about what I would find in the package. 

My mother finally said, "Well, go ahead you two.  What are you 
waiting for?"

Mulder smiled and ripped the paper off, uncovering the medium 
sized jeweler's box.  He looked up and his smile faded.  "Let me 
guess, new cuff links?" he joked.  I could tell he was unsure of 
what he was going to find.

"No," I said softly.  "You first," I added, looking down at the 
unwrapped box in my own hand.  I knew it looked like it was a 
ring box but it could also be something less personal, like earrings, 
and my heart plummeted to my stomach and erupted in butterflies.

"Together," he said jovially.  

I nodded, smiling like a schoolgirl.  "O.K.  One, two ... three!" I 
shouted.

We both opened the boxes at the same time and we both gasped at 
the same time and then looked up at each other.  A smile slowly 
wound its way over each of our faces.  I slid off the couch and 
kneeled between his legs.

"What the hell?" Bill Jr. bellowed.  No one had gotten a good look 
at them, but everyone could see that it was rings in the box.

I took Mulder's hands in mine and smiled.  I took a deep breath, 
my heart threatening to beat right out of my chest.  "Mulder," I 
began.

"Yeah?" he answered quietly.

"Will you marry me?"

His eyes filled with tears and he reached over onto the cushion 
where I'd left my gift.  He plucked the platinum engagement ring 
sporting a 2 carat marquis diamond, out of the box and picked up 
my left hand.  He slid the ring onto my finger and said, "Yes, I 
would love to marry you."

Everyone had been silent up until now.  Leave it to my little 
brother to break the ice.  "It's about time, you two!"

I beamed him a smile and scrambled up off the floor.  We both 
began laughing as I straddled Mulder's lap and hugged him 
fiercely.  

"I can't fucking believe this!" Bill shouted.

Tara shouted, "Watch your language, William Scully, Jr.!"

Matthew promptly looked at his father and repeated, "Fuckin'!"

Bill groaned and grabbed his head.  I slid off Mulder's lap and 
turned to see my mother and everyone else starting at us.  She said, 
"Dana?  What's all this?  Why now?  When did you two?"  She 
stopped, at a loss for words.

I smiled.  "Mulder and I have been seeing each other outside of 
work.  We became more than friends."

"How long has this been going on?  Why weren't we told?" Bill 
said, his face turning red.  "How could you date this madman?"

I frowned at him fiercely and so did everyone else.  My mother 
said, "Hush Bill, let her tell us.  Congratulations, honey.  I 
wondered when you two would come to your senses."

I smiled at her but quickly lost my good feeling of having her 
approval.  Bill shouted, "Come to your senses?  Lost your senses is 
more like it.  My God, Dana, how could you consider marrying 
this nutcase?"

"Nutcase," Matthew parroted.  Tara groaned and scooped him up, 
leaving the room with him, his new Batman clutched in his hand.

I gave Bill the Scully death stare as Mulder called it.  "Bill, this is 
not your decision to make.  It's mine.  I'd appreciate it if you would 
kindly stop acting like you have a say in the matter.  I love Mulder 
and he loves me.  That's the end of it.  We're committed to each 
other."
 
Mulder smiled gently at me.

Bill scowled at him.  "What are you smirking at, you smug son-of-
a-bitch!"

"William Scully, Jr.!" Mom admonished.

He glanced at her.  "I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't believe this!  Who 
else knows about this travesty?"

Mulder frowned.

"Everyone at work, our boss, Mulder's friends," I replied.  "Our 
dating is hardly a travesty.  We've been best friends for years."

"Why are we the last to know?" he fumed.

I raised an eyebrow at him.  "Maybe because I knew you would act 
this way.  I hoped that because it was Christmas and we were at 
Mom's that I could announce this and you would conduct yourself 
in a more mature fashion.  I obviously miscalculated."

"You're ruining your life!" he shouted.

Maggie Scully turned toward her son, hands on her hips.  "Bill, Jr., 
listen to me right now!  I will not tolerate this bullying in my 
house.  Your sister is a grown woman and can make her own 
choices.  I'm happy for them.  If you can't behave yourself and 
keep your insults to yourself, then you can leave."

"Mom!" he gasped.

"I mean it!"

"He's welcome in this house and I'm not?" he questioned, his face 
turning red.

Maggie stared at him.  "If you're going to continue to act like a 
jack ass, yes!"

"Tara!" he bellowed.  She appeared in the doorway with Matthew 
on her hip and gave him a sullen look.  "Let's go, we're out of 
here."

"No," she said firmly.

"Excuse me?" he hissed.

"You go, Bill.  If you can't act like an adult and control your 
temper and your language, go home and sleep it off.  I'm not 
ruining Matthew's Christmas because you don't have any faith in 
your sister."

"You've all gone freaking nuts!" he hollered.

"Freakin' nuts!" Matthew screamed, holding up his doll.

Tara glared at him.  He turned on his heel and strode out of the 
room, his hands clenched into fists.  The front door opened and 
slammed, sending vibrations all through the house.  Silence 
descended and we all looked at each other.  I felt tears prick the 
backs of my eyes.  "I'm sorry, Tara," I whispered.

She shook her head, entering the room and setting Matthew down 
in a circle of toys next to his big-eyed cousins.  He happily ignored 
us and began to play.  "No, it's all right.  I don't understand why 
he's so opposed to this."

Mulder spoke for the first time.  "Because he hates me, and he 
thinks I destroyed Dana's life.  In a way, he's right, but I love her 
and I can't help that."

"No, Mulder!" I protested.  "You never dragged me into anything.  
It was my choice to join the FBI."

"Wasn't your choice to join X-Files," he countered.

I stared at him, annoyed that we were having this conversation 
again.  "It was my choice to stay, Mulder.  I could have left at any 
time.  I love my job.  I love the X-Files and I love YOU.  That's the 
last I want to hear about this nonsense.  I'm right where I want to 
be, right where I've always wanted to be.  With you, with the X-
Files, and now, with you for life," I concluded and leaned in and 
kissed him.

He returned my kiss softly and blinked slowly as our lips parted.  
"I love you, Scully," he murmured.  "So much," he added.

I smiled.  "I know.  I love you too, Mulder."

My mother sat down in an overstuffed chair and sighed.  "I'm sorry 
Bill almost ruined what should be a celebratory event," she said 
finally.  "Congratulations you two.  I'm very happy for you, 
honey."

I smiled at her.  "Thanks, Mom."

Tara gave a sad smile and said, "I am too.  Don't worry about Bill.  
I'll talk to him.  He'll get over it eventually."

Charlie and his wife chimed in, then changed the subject and soon 
we were all laughing again.

I nodded, wondering if the joys in my life would always be 
tempered with strife and sadness.  I knew life with Mulder would 
not be easy and I accepted that.  However, I wished just once that 
things could go smoothly for us.  At least my mother and Charlie 
approved.  I could only hope that Bill would come around, if not to 
like it, at least to accept Mulder.

For now, that was the best I could hope for.

XXXXXXXXXX

MULDER & SCULLY'S TOWNHOUSE
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
JANUARY 2, 2001
6:00 PM

I unlocked the door, entering our new home, following our first 
day back to work.  I couldn't believe how fast things had moved.  
Mulder had found a lovely sandstone townhouse to rent very near 
my old apartment.  He'd signed the lease after having me look at it.  
Between Christmas and New Year's Eve he'd hired movers who 
had carted all our stuff over in one day.  We'd spent the week 
following Christmas arranging everything in the new place and 
putting unused furniture in storage and listing it on eBay.  Come to 
find out, Mulder had quite the little cash crop in the bank, a side 
effect of his inheritance.  We were in a good neighborhood and for 
that I was thankful.  

Mulder entered the townhouse behind me and stood looking 
around.

"What?" I asked.

He smiled softly.  "I just can't believe it, even now.  It's all 
happened so fast.  I can't believe we're living together, Scully.  I 
can't believe you're with me, that you're going to marry me.  I can't 
believe any of it," he concluded.  "It's like a dream come true for 
me."

"Me too, Mulder," I said.  I walked into his embrace and we stood 
there silently looking around our new home.  "I love you, Mulder."

"I love you too, Scully."  We stood still, just enjoying holding one 
another.  Finally he said, "I want to get out of these clothes."

We went to the bedroom and stripped.  I was, once again caught up 
by his beauty.  He had such an unconscious grace about him, the 
way he moved.  It captivated me at the strangest times.  I slid into a 
tee shirt and watched as he fished a fresh pair of boxers out of his 
bureau.  We each had our own now.  He turned to find me staring 
at him.

He grinned and raised his arms, striking a weightlifter's pose, 
flexing his arm muscles.  We laughed out loud and it felt so good.  
I realized that I laughed a lot more now and it was all because of 
this kooky, brilliant, frustrating man standing in front of me.  

His voice was husky when he said, "If you keep looking at me like 
that, we're not going to make it out of this room to have dinner."

"Would that be a bad thing?" I countered.

He raised both eyebrows.  "Is that an invitation?" he shot back.

I smiled.  "I think it is.  I've been horny all day watching your ass 
move under those Armani slacks."

He threw his head back and laughed again.  "I can't believe you say 
things like that to me now.  I love it," he concluded.  

"I'm not the only one that notices.  Even your 'detractors' as you 
call them, were making complimentary comments on your 'moves' 
after your spat with Gregg.  They were impressed in spite of 
themselves.  Trust me when I tell you, I see all the women in the 
secretarial pool ogling your ass every time you walk by.  Don't 
think I don't."

He grinned, "You're crazy, but I love that about you."  He stalked 
across the room and pulled my tee shirt back over my head, tossing 
it carelessly to the floor.  He hooked his thumbs in my panties and 
shoved them to the floor.  "And every agent in that hallway would 
give his left nut to be where I am right now."

I stepped out of them as he took my hand, leading me to the bed.  
We laid down facing each other and began to kiss.  Our hands were 
exploring each other.  It was slow and languid and very arousing.  I 
moaned into his mouth and sucked on his bottom lip.  He moaned 
in return and rolled me onto my back, situating himself between 
my legs.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

Scully reached down and I groaned loudly as her little hand 
encircled my shaft and began stroking me gently.  I bucked into 
her hand and she placed me at her entrance in blatant invitation.  

I smiled at her.

With my cock in her hand she slowly moved back against it, 
guiding my hardness into her.  I was still constantly amazed at how 
snug her little body was.  No matter how often we made love, 
which was often now, she never seemed to stretch out or loosen up.  
Her small body made the process of penetration a little bit harder, 
but it was arousing in the extreme.

I thrust in and out of her gently, sinking a little more each time.  
Her body was shaking a bit as the small opening stretched around 
my engorged shaft pulling her sensitive clit down and stimulating 
it as I moved.  Finally, I was embedded to the hilt and I just stayed 
there, enjoying the feeling of being completely engulfed in her hot 
silky skin.

Her legs wrapped around my back and she began to thrust her hips 
up as she met my slow thrusts.  I hunched up and took her nipple 
into my mouth, sucking gently.  She groaned and pushed her chest 
into my face, asking for more.  I sucked harder, grabbing both 
pillows and wedging them under her low back, raising her hips 
higher.

I released her nipple and came up on my knees, my ass sitting on 
my heels.  Her pelvis was now propped high on the pillows.  I 
began to stroke up into her body.  She immediately spasmed 
around me and I knew I'd found the right spot.

XXXXXXXXXX

Oh my God!  He'd found my G-spot.  My whole womb cringed in 
delight as I arched my back, feeling my nipples pull up into tight 
buds that ached for attention.  The stimulation was unbelievable as 
waves of warmth washed through my pelvis.  Liquid fire spread 
through my loins and every stroke was sending bolts of electricity 
through my body.

I shook my head, feeling helpless in the wake of the stimulation 
taking over my body.  A spasm of pleasure gripped me and there 
was no end in sight as he increased the speed of his thrusts, 
burying himself fully, and tormenting my G-spot with every stroke 
in and out.

I tried to hold off, but it was no use.  I finally gave in to the 
inevitable and felt the wave of my climax roll through me, causing 
my body to convulse and grip him with all my strength.

He shouted with pleasure at the feel of my body holding him 
tightly.  My hands fisted in the bedspread and I felt another round 
of spasms tighten my body and the tension release from me in a 
flood of pleasure.  The sheer size of him was unbearably 
stimulating as he continued to slide in and out of me.  

Finally he moaned as I was coming down from my own climax, 
my loins still burning.  I felt him swell and harden in his final 
effort to hold back.  Then he disgorged waves of cum deep inside 
me, pressing into my cervix, and holding his cock there as he 
twitched and groaned, flooding me with warmth.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

He slid off me and I curled up into his side.  "How can it always be 
that good?" I asked lazily.

He chuckled.  "We've got chemistry, Scully.  No doubt about it.  
You fit me like a glove."

We cuddled there together, enjoying the quiet moment.  "Bill 
called and apologized," I said quietly.

He looked down at me, surprised.  "He did?"

"Yeah.  I accepted his apology, but said if he behaved like that 
again, not only was he not going to give me away, but he wouldn't 
even be invited to the wedding and I'd never talk to him again.."

"Whoa.  That's harsh."

I shrugged.  "He deserved it.  I'm sick of his bullshit."

"I must admit I am too.  I don't want anyone around you that hurts 
you, but I want your family in our lives and I want their 
acceptance."

"But he shouldn't make the mistake of thinking we need his 
acceptance."

"No, he shouldn't."

"He wants his little sister I guess.  He wants a piece of me still."

"He can't have it," Mulder grumbled.

"No?  Not even a little piece?" I teased.

He growled and dug his nose into my hair, kissing my ear.  "Nope.  
I won."

"Won?"

"Your heart."

"Yes, you did."

"Winner takes all, Scully.  The winner takes all."

THE END.