Title: Winter Games Author: abracadabra Email: abracadabra1754@hotmail.com Website: Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR Keywords: PWP, Smut Spoilers: None, really Summary: A little wintry distraction Archive: Sure, just let me know where and please keep my name and all headers intact. Disclaimer: They really aren't mine, but I really do enjoy writing about them. Thanks: To the Fric and Frac of greatest betas: Denise and Kim Feedback: Treasured :**:**:**:**:**: Winter Games By abracadabra :**:**:**:**:**: :**:**:**:**:**: Dana Scully's Apartment Sunday night She heard the door close behind them, his keys jangling as he stuffed them into his jeans pocket. She turned, just in time to steady herself as he jogged down the hall and plowed into her. "Where's your jacket, Mulder?" Her words were muffled as he pulled her to him, her lips against his wool sweater. "It's not cold out. You heard the forecaster; we're having an unseasonal, El Nino winter," he answered as he spun her around, reaching past her to open the stairwell door. The sound of their boots thudding on the cement stairs, she continued her weather report, "Mulder, it's almost midnight and it's about thirty degrees. Are you trying to tell me that's 'warm'?" As she exited the building, he quipped, "I'm trying to tell you I'm warm-blooded." Ruffling her hair he finished, "And you, Scully, are a winter wimp." He pulled the hood of her jacket up over her as he trudged through the almost six inches of newly-fallen snow and headed left, down the street. "Whose idea was it to wait this long to move the car?" She ran after him, his much longer legs carrying him farther faster, even with the added obstacle of the white stuff. He stopped in his tracks when he reached the car approximately one block south of her apartment -- and it was her turn to plow into him with a subdued and muttered curse. A double-handed shove against his back told him exactly what she thought of his actions. Trying to wedge her gloved hand into the pocket of his Levis, she replied, "I seem to remember suggesting we do this when the snow started falling around five. I also seem to remember that someone just had to watch the game first. Ringing any bells, Mulder?" "Scully," he laughed as he tried to extricate her hand from his pocket, "much as this is turning me on, let me get the keys." Scully sunk into the snow to the top of her boots as she made her way to the driver's side of her car. "Toss them to me," she called to her partner. Mulder lobbed them over the car, watching as she caught them easily. Brushing some of the snow from around the door, Scully then unlocked it and got in. She leaned across the seat to open the passenger side. Mulder's surprised 'hey!' greeted her as she poked him with the scraper and snow brush while he tried to get in. "Uhn-uh, snowman, clean the car first," she admonished, adjusting the defroster. By the time she'd climbed back out, Mulder had cleaned off the roof and the front windshield. She reached over the hood to lift one wiper as her partner did the same on the other side. The exceedingle quiet night, other than the sound of the plows making their way through the neighborhood to clear the streets and lots for the start of the workweek, was beautiful. She paused for a moment, glancing up into the streetlight's beam and watched as the large flakes seemed to first stand out in the beam of light and then blur as they started to blanket the surfaces of the vehicle recently cleared. Lost in the mesmerizing flurry, she started when she realized she was being watched. By an almost snow-covered Mulder. It was a good look for him, she mused. A very good look. The dark green turtleneck sweater was covered in white patches and the big, wet flakes also clung to his hair. If he didn't move soon, he was liable to become part of the landscape, she thought, a smile playing about her mouth. "What're you looking at, Mulder," she challenged, pointing to the idle snow brush. As he leaned toward her and started to sweep the car hood, he quickly shook his head, sending snow flying in her direction. "You," was his only reply. :**:**:**:**:**: Removing the remainder of the snow from the back of the car and dusting the head and taillights, Mulder made his way to the passenger side. He tapped his boots against the floorboards and got inside, pulling the door shut. The warmed compartment felt good. Not that he would admit to his partner that he was chilled and that he hoped she wouldn't notice his chattering teeth. Cranking the heater up even more, he rapped his knuckles against the inside of the windshield to get her attention. "Get moving, Scully," he called to her, watching as she spun around, her hood falling back. Stowing the other snow brush in the trunk, she pulled the door open and climbed into the car. "I think it's coming down faster," she observed as she pulled the wet gloves from her hands and set them on the seat between them. "Colder, too." Mulder laughed as he fastened his seatbelt, the sound drawing a questioning look from Scully. "Geez Scully, you sound like you've never experienced winter before." Picking up one of her still wet gloves, she playfully whapped him in the arm with it. "Watch it, Mulder or you'll walk back to the apartment." Grabbing the glove from her, he flapped it in her face, laughing as she blinked her eyes and tried to turn her face away, before setting it down again. "Don't be such a party pooper, woman," he quipped as his now warm hands roughly pulled her toward him. Leaning into her, he rubbed his nose on hers and then kissed the tip of it. Before he could pull back, she gripped the damp wool covering his shoulders and held him in place. Planting a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth, she then lapped at his bottom lip. Mere inches separating them, she told him, "If you want to make it to bed tonight, you'll let me get my car to the parking lot." Her smile belied her serious tone. One last kiss to her lips and Mulder tugged on her seatbelt to make sure it was fastened, drawing one raised brow. "Okay, boss." A slow sideways glance told him that Scully found the whole situation rather humorous, her eyes now twinkling although her mouth appeared set. Life with Scully was always one adventure after another, he thought wryly. She usually played straight man to his off-beat humor, but he always allowed himself to feel that surge of pride when he got her to smile. He would also admit that watching her try to hide her amusement was almost as enjoyable as full-blown Scully laughter. If he played his cards right, the night had potential. As long as he tapped into his partner's fun-loving side and didn't go too far and piss her off instead. "Mulder?" He heard the slight edge in her voice. "You've got that look in your eyes." She had reached the end of the street and had her right turn signal on, waiting to pull into the lot behind the complex. He was surprised at the number of vehicles out and about in this weather and at this time of night. Giving it a little too much gas, the mid-sized vehicle fishtailed slightly as it went up the slight curb through the plowed bank of snow. Steering into the direction of the skid, Scully managed to regain traction and headed for the back of the lot. She backed the car into a spot farthest from the building against a steep hill of snow that bordered the line of trees. Craning his head around to look out the back window, Mulder thought about how different it looked now that the few picnic tables set out by the landlord were nothing but rounded humps of white. To say the snow was coming down fast was a vast understatement. He remembered an impromptu picnic they'd had on the one table tucked deeper into the stand of trees just this past summer. A picnic after dark when the AC had been on the fritz and they'd had to get outside to cool off. The tuna fish sandwiches and ice tea never left the small styrofoam cooler Scully had insisted they carry. Mulder recalled the way the quaint lighting that ringed the back of the lot played on her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. He also remembered how they couldn't keep their hands off each other as they alternately swatted at mosquitoes while trying to find a way inside and under clothing. The fact that she'd had to remove a few well-placed splinters from his backside had done nothing to dampen their evening. :**:**:**:**:**: "Mulder?" It was her gloved hand waving in front of his face that finally caught his attention. "You okay?" She watched as he slowly turned toward her, grinning ear to ear. She knew this Mulder...this was the one with an idea. An idea she'd be quick to try to refute, but in the end, would find herself buying into. "What's going on inside that deviously mischievous mind of yours?" Her raised eyebrow accompanied her small smirk as she unbuckled her safety belt and then moved to shut off the engine. "Wait." His hand reached across, covering hers on the ignition. "I was just thinking." "Uh oh..." She brought one hand up in front of her mouth feigning surprise. In a flash, he swooped in, pulling her against the center console, swallowing her gasp of shock as his mouth covered hers. She vaguely realized she was moaning. Damn, he always seemed to be able to catch her off-guard. Even after all these years. Even after all this time thinking that she could really read him. He still managed to retain that element of unpredictability. And she was glad that was the case. Her gloved hands tried to clutch at his sweater, tried to draw them closer together, but she had to get the console armrest out of their way. Reaching down between them, she shoved it up into the space allotted and slid across the seats. It was her unpredictable partner that cleared the haze that was threatening to totally rob her of her senses. He looked as flushed and breathless as she felt and she found her hands underneath his resting against his heaving chest. Brushing the hair from her face, he tugged on the draw cords of her hood. His voice was so soft and low that it barely registered when he told her, "Maybe we should move this to the back seat," he remarked. His nose nudged hers in an Eskimo kiss before he drew back, waiting for her answer. "Maybe we should move to some place warmer and more comfortable," she told him; knowing she probably sounded predictable. She knew that her response about warmth and comfort were only half-hearted. The truth of the matter was that although she often protested his lustful penchant for the less conventional places, she was just as turned on as he was when it came to making love outside the bedroom. As a matter of fact, she could probably count the number of times, other than while already in bed for sleeping, that they'd made love on the queen size mattress. Both their apartments had been soundly christened; room to room, floors, walls, furnishings. Then there was his car and her car and a close call in their basement office. All this in the span of the two short months they'd been together. "Spoil sport..." He was giving up, moving back toward the passenger's door, leaving her open-mouthed and speechless. Until she reached for the key, shutting off the ignition. Before she could remove it, he slid in her direction, pulled her roughly to him and kissed her with the intensity of a starving man. "Let's get outta here, Scully." Speechless yet again, she shook her head as she watched him exit the vehicle. :**:**:**:**:**: If he were being honest, he would've told her that it wasn't easy for him to get out of the car -- not after the way she'd responded to his kiss. Not after her tongue had plunged into his mouth as if she were mapping it for future reference. Scully certainly knew how to light his fire. So caught up in his body's reaction to their lip-lock that he failed to notice that she was already out of the car -- and was forming a rather substantial handful of the white stuff. When he finally did realize and noticed that the car had been shut off, he wheeled around and climbed out. Only to be caught in the chest with a close-range snowball. All right, so her aim was pretty good from across the roof of the car. She might have won round one, but Mulder was sure that he'd show her his finely-honed skills in the nowhere near Olympics level sport of snowball fighting. He bent quickly, both fists full of well-packed snow, and stood, ready to fire. But she was no longer on the driver's side of the car. As a matter of fact, she had come up behind him, the ground cover masking the sound of her movements. And her hands were full, too. "Stalemate, huh partner?" "Not quite, Mulder." He just managed to duck and turn, narrowly sliding underneath her aim. From his now crouched position, he dropped the crumbling snow and grabbed his partner around her legs, hauling her off her feet, until she lay over his shoulder in a firefighter's carry. "'Not quite', huh Scully?" His loud laughter was in stark contrast to the muffled quiet of the otherwise deserted parking lot. He knew she was laughing, too, although her gloved palms slapped ineffectually at his backside. "Put me down, Mulder." Indignant. Indignant and slightly petulant. Scully was competitive and didn't like to lose; especially not to him, he mused. He wrapped his arms tighter around her legs, leery of the potential damage to a certain sensitive part of his anatomy should she decide to kick her way loose. "You want me to put you down?" He had to raise his voice to make sure she heard him since she was surrounded by fabric from her hood to his sweater. Not waiting for her answer, he complied -- dumping her into the nearest mounded snow bank where she landed with a heavy 'whompf'. The most recent top layer of new powder flew up around her as she scrambled to get up. Mulder could tell she was working up a good head of steam and if she didn't look so adorable lying there, he might have wisely backed away. She'd landed on top of the highest area, about waist high on him, and he took advantage of her futile attempts to climb her way down, the rip-stop nylon outer layer of her jacket preventing her from doing more than sliding on her back. "Here, let me help you, Scully." "I don't think I need any more of your 'help', Mulder." He could hear the patented Scully assertiveness. That special brand that bordered on plotting and planning. Be he wasn't daunted; not in the least. "No, I guess you don't. I mean, you're doing a fine job of laying there on your back, waving your arms at me. How many more minutes do you think it'll take you before you finish the lovely snow angel you're making?" He couldn't keep the laughter in or the smile from his face while Scully sputtered and hurled a wide variety of rather creative expletives at him. So he joined her, letting himself fall forward, neatly trapping her beneath him in the snow. His face was mere inches from hers and he nipped at her nose and then her lips as she struggled under him, trying to push him off her. "Scully, Scully -- you never did know when to admit that you're at a disadvantage with me." The overhead parking lot lights let him catch just enough of the gleam in her eyes to know that it could be potentially dangerous to his on-going well-being, but he wasn't one to back down from a challenge; especially when it involved this feisty and hot woman. He leaned in closer, turning his ear to her lips, "What's that you say?" He got his answer when she rubbed a handful of very wet and very cold snow in his face, followed by another handful inside the neckline of his sweater. The shock to his skin made him draw back onto his knees as he tried to shake the icy particles free. And gave Scully a chance to pull herself up, using his arms for leverage. Drawing herself even closer, her voice was but a whisper as she told him, "I was *saying*, Mulder, that you are so dead." She wanted to play; or at least thought she could win this -- this whatever -- but although she was well-trained and extremely fit, he had the size and position upper hand, so to speak. The toes of his boots in the snow bank, he sat back on his heels, his arms crossed in front of him, his knees framing her hips. He would wait her out knowing all he had to do was bend forward and she'd be on her back yet again. All in all, not a bad position to have Scully in. :**:**:**:**:**: She wanted to wipe that smug grin right off his conniving face, but first she had to figure out how to gain the upper hand. Scully was loathe to admit that her partner did have the advantage here; albeit a very slight advantage. It certainly wasn't due to any great skill on his part that he happened to outweigh her and tower over her in height. But she'd go toe to toe with him in the tactical arena. If she were pressed, she'd probably admit to never having enjoyed moving her car in the midst of a snowstorm quite this much before. However, given the fact that Mulder seemed to hold himself as reigning king of snowball fights, she wasn't about to concede that point just yet. In his current position above her, she had a chance. Although he still had her semi-pinned, she was unencumbered from the waist up. If she had full use of her legs, she'd have more leverage, but bending her knees would draw his attention -- and risk connecting with him in a rather damaging way. They both had too much at stake with *that* particular move. Distraction. She needed a distraction. "Looks to me Scully as if you're the one that's *so* dead." He was laughing. Her partner was a little too full of himself and deserved to be taken down. "Just help me up, Mulder, and let's get inside." The practiced twinkle in her eyes was having its effect on him. She could tell he was trying to withhold his ear to ear grin, but it wasn't working. That special grin that was a cross between the 'can't wait to get Scully naked' and the 'I've got her good this time' grin. Eat your heart out, Mulder. She extended her arm, her gloved hand touching his chest, one finger poking at him. And he reached out and clasped her proffered hand. Only to find himself flat on his back. One good tug on her unsuspecting partner and he was down; she was up. Pelting snow at him as she made a mad dash for the back door to the apartment building. She made precious little headway; Mulder was hard to keep down -- or something like that. He slipped and slid his way toward the door, occasionally stooping to grab fistfuls of snow to lob in her direction. The 'thumpf' of one nicely formed snowball hitting its target mid-back helped her decide to abandon her efforts to snag him. Besides, she was thoroughly chilled and her hair was nearly drenched, her hood having fallen back somewhere along the line. Scully heard the parking lot door slam shut on its auto-closer as she bounded up the stairs. "You can run, but you can't hide, partner." Mulder's voice took on that pseudo-serious tone that told her he meant business ; that he wasn't going down without a fight -- and he didn't sound anywhere near as out of breath as she was. Her hand was on the doorknob at the landing for her floor when she felt the freezing crush of icy, wet particles at the back of her neck. He'd effectively snuck up on her and held her trapped between his body and the door, his large cold hand covering hers on the knob. No matter how she squirmed and sidestepped, she wasn't going anywhere. Trying to bat his hand way was equally ineffectual as the trail of chilled water dripped down her back. But the contrast with the pliant heat of his lips on the bare skin beneath her hair sent a tingling through her, causing her to shiver. And he released her before she had a chance to give in to those feelings. "I believe I won this round, Scully." As he clambered up the stairs, he turned quickly, crouching and showering her with the remnants of a couple of nearly melted snowballs. He was gone in a flash, leaving her shaking her head -- partly to dislodge the wet crystals and partly in amused astonishment at how much he appreciated the simple joys of play. When he allowed himself to do so. She briefly considered explaining away any confusion about who won which round, but decided to save her breath. Grabbing the handrail, she launched herself up the two flights to her floor. Pushing her way through the door, she stopped, still holding the doorknob and, surveying the hallway -- and not seeing Mulder anywhere. Assuming he'd gone on ahead and let himself back into her apartment, she let the door close behind her. "Mulder?" She wasn't sure why she called to him at that moment, she knew where he was. Or so she thought. Whisking her up off the floor from behind, Mulder growled into her damp hair as he spun them around. Scully couldn't help but giggle as she told him to put her down. Being manhandled twice in one night was twice too many in most situations, but she had to admit -- if only to herself -- that she was enjoying herself. And the main reason was Mulder's antics. The man could turn the most arcane event into a three-ring circus. He wasn't listening. Either that or he heard her clearly and just wasn't going to do what she wanted. They'd reached her apartment door, but he still had her, his arms wrapped around her hips, her heels bobbing against his shins as she braced her hands on the doorframe. "Scully, we can't get inside if you don't get out of the way." This from the man who was using her as a shield -- blocking their entry. With no warning, he released his hold on her and she slid unceremoniously down the front of his body. Unlocking the door, she pushed it open and moved inside with a loud sigh. Depositing the keys on the side table, she unzipped her jacket and had started to slide one arm out when Mulder decided she wasn't moving fast enough. His two hands gripped the shoulders of the nylon and tugged it off, leaving it where it landed on the floor. :**:**:**:**:**: She wasn't moving fast enough -- at least as far as getting naked was concerned. It had gotten incredibly hot in Scully's apartment and Mulder didn't have on nearly as many clothes as she did. He hoped she'd take the hint as he tugged at her jacket, removing it and letting it fall to the floor. Sometimes, his ability to wait, to take his time, just flew by so quickly, he was never aware of it. Oh, he knew that Scully had her own one track mind, when she was so aroused that nothing else seemed to matter, seemed to exist. But it was times like this when he'd be hard-pressed to define exactly what the impetus had been. Not that anyone was asking for that definition right now. However, he was most assuredly moving faster than his partner. Who had this peculiar habit of having to remove all of her outerwear garments before removing any other clothing. At the moment, Scully was bent over unlacing her boots, her shapely ass pointed in his direction. If it had been anyone else, he might have thought he was being teased. But, although Scully liked to flirt with him as much as he did with her, he knew better. This was practical Scully; an order to all things. And this was spontaneous Mulder; her sometimes out of order partner. Quietly stepping up behind her, he leaned over her, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other around her hips. Lifting her up against him, he nuzzled her neck, wet strands of her hair tickling his nose and lips. She squealed and tried to pry his arms loose. To no avail. Sometimes sheer size and the element of surprise worked in his favor. Only sometimes, he mused. Despite her diminutive stature, Scully was a force to be reckoned with. "I thought I'd help you," he breathed into her ear. "How is this helping me?" she asked between breathless laughter. Nipping her earlobe, he followed with, "I'm helping you realize just how turned on I am, Scully," adjusting his hold on her delicious backside was pressed firmly into his rigid length. "Um, Mulder? I think I most definitely *realize*. Now," he heard the warning in her tone, "put me down." He complied, but he was far from allowing her to finish on her own. Dropping to one knee, he lifted one of her feet to his thigh, deftly finishing unlacing her boots. He then tapped her calf to signal that she should lift her leg. "The quicker these come off, the quicker the rest of it does." In the process, he'd managed to upset her balance and gasped when she gripped two handfuls of his hair to right herself. "If you don't slow down, Mulder, the only thing that will go quickly will be both of us flat on our asses," she half laughed, half chastised. He knew there was a very witty comeback in there somewhere, but refrained. Steadying her, he quickly relieved her of the other boot. Her hands had settled on his shoulders and the feel of her fingers working out some of the tension he hadn't been aware he'd stored there was working miracles. For one long moment, time stood still; his large hands bracketing her hips, their eyes locking. How was it that no matter how many times he looked at her, he was always drawn in by her beauty? By the way she said so much without uttering a word. By the way he felt he could see her very soul in her gaze. This woman was as much a part of his life as breathing and he wanted to go on breathing for a very long time. But right now, he had other ideas. Other ideas that included the continued fast pace of his breathing. Sliding his hands a little lower, his thumbs stroked the crest of her hip bones and his fingers kneaded her ass. His actions closing the distance between them. It was Scully who broke the silence. "Mmm," she purred, "that feels really nice, Mulder." Her hands slipped around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at his nape, her thumbs massaging behind his ears. "What do you say we move this in--" "What do you say we stay right here? It's so much closer." Without waiting for her reply, he undid the waistband button on her pants and had the zipper down before she could register what had taken place. His hands briefly encircled her waist before he snapped the elastic of her pastel pink cotton panties. Mulder's lips curled into a mischievous half smile. "Oooo, sexy Scully." He felt the ripple of barely contained laughter as she snorted, "I don't need any feedback from the fashion police, Mulder." For good measure, he tugged on the stretchy fabric once more. But Scully's tight grip on his playful fingers aborted his second attempt. "Do that again, Mister, and use of those fingers will be severely limited," she smirked. Message received. Leaning forward and into her space, Mulder tongued her navel as he unceremoniously yanked her jeans down over her hips. He didn't know if it was the stark contrast of the wet heat of his tongue and the chilled air of her apartment against her taut skin or the fact that as he dragged her pants down, she tried to step closer to him, but nonetheless, the result was the same. When the bunched denim reached that spot behind her knees, she went down. On her ass. Followed by Mulder who was pulled toward her. He stifled a laugh as he tried to extricate himself from their jumble of limbs. In an effort to keep from landing with his full body weight on top of her, Mulder had managed to wedge one knee between her legs, but in doing so, somehow caught his foot in the tangle of her pants which now resided around her ankles. Had it not been for her mother's recent gift of a Berber-style throw rug, Mulder would've taken a nosedive -- literally -- his face up close and personal with Scully's. "Mulder, get off me," Scully huffed, a small smile belying her words and her hands on his shoulders as she attempted to scramble out from under him. With little success. Mulder reasoned that no matter how they'd gotten in this position, ultimately, it was right where he wanted to be. :**:**:**:**:**: Scully felt his warm breath in puffs against her face and neck, partially from the effort of not completely crushing her as he landed and partially from the fact that he seemed to think their current situation was hilariously funny. Assessing their positions, she had to agree; it *was* rather humorous. She lay on her back, her head at the border of the woven wool rug wearing her untucked shirt, her pink cotton panties bunched around her hip on one side and creating a thong effect in the back. Her legs were splayed, one bent at the knee. Her very eager and somewhat smug partner was crouched over her, the look on his face somewhere in between mischievous schoolboy and lustful, predatory, male. He'd somehow already lost his sweater and his white vee-neck tee was still tucked into his jeans on one side. She couldn't tell if his boots were still on, but he'd somehow managed to tangle himself in her jeans where they were gathered around her ankles. His hair was alternately damp and curling and tufting. Scully silently shook her head at the fact that he could wear his hair in the most haphazard styles and retain his sexy look. He wasn't moving off of her. Instead, one hand attempted to unbutton her shirt. With all the finesse of a large-pawed bear. "Mulder, this might work better if we got up first." "Were you this practical as a child?" His question caught her off-guard and left her at a loss for words. Which seemed to be exactly what he was aiming for. He deftly repositioned himself so his thighs could bear his weight and before she could form a coherent response, the remainder of buttons were undone and her bra unclasped. She lifted her head with an amused smile and then glanced at him. "Were you expecting an answer?" Surveying her current state of undress and that fact that the man above her was still nearly fully clothed, she grabbed a fistful of his tee and pulled. Until they were nose to nose. "Forget the answer, Mulder, it's time for you to play catch-up." Quickly slipping her hands underneath his shirt, Scully freed it from the waist of his jeans and pushed it up over his chest, making sure that she trailed her fingers along his taut torso in the process. His swift inhalation and the way he sucked in his abs told her she'd succeeded in letting him know two could play his game. But in the meantime, she needed to feel his skin against hers. As always, Mulder caught on pretty quickly and, palming her breasts, lingering over her rapidly hardening nipples, he roughly pushed her knit bra and cotton shirt out of his way. Stretching out his legs between hers, he lowered himself over her. "Hey, this is no time to rest, Mul--" Scully's mock-protest died out unfinished at the sensation of her partner making himself comfortable. Very comfortable on top of her. And she wasted no time helping him. But as he began to draw her legs up to cradle him, her jeans once again got in the way. "Having problems, Scully?" he quipped before silencing her reply, his lips fastening over hers. The first touch was electric and her scalp tingled as his fingers roamed through her hair, finally placing her head in a position that allowed them to form a deep connection. She moaned. And then groaned. Then she met his tongue with hers, wanting to devour him. Possibly just a bit more than she wanted to get her damn pants off. Her socks slipped and slid on the floor as she tried to gain purchase, each movement jostling their bodies and bringing them into contact in all the right places. God, he was so hard and the friction of his shifting hips grinding against her only made her more frantic. But, her considerable experience told her that there were still too many layers of cloth between their essential body parts. "Yes, Mulder, you could say I'm 'having problems'," she gritted out between short bursts of laughter. She was sometimes amazed at the fact that they could be in the midst of some rather hot moments and laugh at each other, at themselves. The fact that the laughter ended up turning her on even more was even more amazing. Oh, there had been other partners with whom she'd grant that she'd had some pretty great sex. But with Mulder, she'd found she was much more able to let herself go, drop some of her walls and just have fun. "For one thing," she explained as she reached for his belt, "your pants are in the way." Mulder slid his hips sideways, smirking as her fingers slipped from their hold on the buckle. Right before his legs were swept out from under him, giving Scully the upper hand. Taking advantage of her position, she kicked herself free of her pants and scrambling onto her knees, launched herself into her partner. Propelling him onto his butt. However, as she soon discovered, a downed Mulder was not necessarily a decommissioned Mulder. Scully was finding difficult to compose herself enough to try to get his belt undone. Panting from a combination of effort, laughter and the heat of the moment, Scully drew in a deep breath as her smirking partner took her hands in his and deftly assisted her in unbuckling and unzipping. She couldn't help but notice the way the hard ridge of his erection strained against the denim fly and she let the heel of one hand slide downward. Four sets of fingers maneuvered in stop/start dance as Mulder lifted his hips to ease his clothing off. But Scully had other ideas. As soon as his boxers hit mid-thigh, she straddled him. Turnabout was, afterall, fair play. Grasping his penis at the base, she stroked upward, delighting in the way his hand clamped over her wrists. "Whoa, Scully, you're playing with a loaded weapon." "As I recall," she told him, thumbing the prominent vein along the underside, "I'm more than qualified to handle weapons." His only response was to grit his teeth as his eyelids fluttered and then slammed shut. Grinning broadly, she enjoyed the temporarily speechless Mulder. With emphasis on 'temporarily'. Coming up onto his elbows, his abs contracting in the process, he asked, "Does that include using your weapon on your partner, Scully?" She wet her lips and leaned forward from her waist. One hand still stroking him, the fingers of her other hand trailed along the line of dark hair from his navel and headed south. "All this talk about weapons handling is making me hot, Mulder, and I'm not talking about using any weapon but this one." To bring her point home, Scully rose onto her knees and moved back to Mulder's, taking his jeans and boxers a little further in the process. and took him in her mouth, Scully felt the thud as Mulder gracelessly lowered himself to the floor, his hands then twining in her hair. When his hips lifted from the floor, she released him with a wet pop. "Wha--" His question went unanswered as Scully positioned herself over him, teasing and taunting him -- and herself. Although she'd managed to delay the inevitable so far, she was finding it harder and harder. Their few moments of playful snow play had served to melt away the boredom from earlier in the day. And their sensually-charged flop into the snow bank, followed by stolen kisses had left her hot enough to melt away several inches of the white stuff. Once inside, she'd been torn between fast and frenetic and dizzyingly slow and torturously sizzling. They'd ended up with fast-slow and erotically heated. It had been her own state of arousal that had rendered her usually skillful fingers nothing more than ten clumsy digits. But as soon as she'd felt the velvety warm skin over his erection, she'd been unable to wait any longer. :**:**:**:**:**: She had him; she had him good. Mulder had to admit that he was rather partial to lots of foreplay -- heavy emphasis on the 'play' -- followed by Scully in Charge. Sometimes, he put up a good fight and other times he allowed her to take over. This time it had been a combination of both. He'd really caught her with her pants down, so to speak, but she'd used his gloating to her own advantage. Along with the fact that she knew just which buttons of his to push or, in this case, to stroke. One of the characteristics of their relationship he enjoyed most was their ability to be themselves with each other. And, if that sometimes meant reverting to child-like behaviors, than so be it. He had to face it; they both stared too much of life's ugliness in the face on a daily basis, so a little humor and a dose of levity was often a much needed relief. While others never really saw this side of his sometimes stoic partner, Mulder knew that Scully's sense of humor could be as light or as cutting as his. Just one more thing that endeared her to him. But he'd noted the changeover in her mood, having gone from light-hearted to teasing to highly-aroused. Her current state mirrored his exactly. Their eyes locked, searching. Searching for some sign. Much as Mulder strongly believed in signs from the cosmos, right now all he needed to know was that he was with the hot and sexy woman in his life, she was giving him very specific instructions -- from the placement of her hand -- to the flush of her skin -- to the way her hips undulated, her wet heat tantalizingly gliding over the hard length of him. Mulder couldn't wait any longer and, reaching upward, slipped his arms under hers, cupping her shoulders with his palms. He drew her to him effortlessly. And, had Scully been positioned a bit farther back along his thighs, she probably would've landed on him a bit more gracefully. But, his sudden movement disturbed her tenuous positioning, nearly toppling her from her perch. In the meantime, Mulder grimaced and let out a yowl the likes of which he was sure neither he nor Scully had heard before, as her inner thigh dragged his throbbing erection to the left of center in a manner much too ragged to be perceived as additional foreplay. Scully's look of genuine concern followed by the feel of her fingers whisking his bangs from his forehead turned him toward her. "I'm...okay, Scully," he gritted out as he rolled to his side. "Really." "Mulder, maybe someone's trying to tell us something," she chuffed against his neck. "Hmm, don't know about that Scully," Mulder whispered low-voice as he rolled half on top of her, "but I know part of me is trying to tell us something." One leg slid between hers as he nudged her hip. "Kiss me." The soft/firm feel of her lips against his told him they'd finally gotten to the part he'd been waiting for since he helped her clean the snow from her car. He actually enjoyed the more routine or mundane aspects of their life together and somehow, after all their years together, he never failed to learn something new and exciting about her, about them. And at this moment, he learned that perfection wasn't something either of them strived for. That loving, making love, having sex wasn't like the portrayals in the bookstore romance novels or in the movies. That somehow, no matter how they got there, they always got to the good part. This good part. The part where Scully's leg slipped up and over his hip as she fit her body to his, hip-thrusting and nudging and rocking against him. Followed by the part where they moaned and hummed into each other's mouths, his tongue seeking hers, being sought by hers until neither of them could catch their breath. And then the multiple parts where she tried to climb on top of him, but he rolled her backward and took his turn fitting himself to her body. Where, despite the difference in their sizes, they always seemed to fit just right where and when it counted. Guided by Scully's warm hand and teasing fingers, he slid into her tight and wet heat. "God, Mulder." Scully hissed warm puffs of breath into the shell of his ear. It didn't take much to push him closer to the edge at this point and the way she said his name seemed to have a direct correlation on the increased speed of his thrusts. At the point where he felt as if his knees were about to give out on the low pile rug, he used one hand to tap her leg, positioning it higher up on his back. Angling for the deepest contact. Spreading more of his body over hers, he slipped one hand between them, eliciting the response he knew she craved. Planting a kiss to her nose, he murmured, "Call me a god again, Scully," right before he sent her over the edge. Now at the point of no return himself, Mulder drew his knees underneath him to gain more leverage and with his elbows on the carpet, slipped his hands under Scully's shoulders, gripping tightly. As tightly as Scully's legs wrapped around him. As tightly as her hands dug into his ass, urging him to thrust harder, deeper. :**:**:**:**:**: Epilogue "Close the blinds, Mulder." Scully's pillow-muffled voice met the heavy silence of the dawn. Although it was barely 7:30am, the heavy snow cover reflected the wan daylight, giving the room an unusual brightness. Mulder kissed the back of her head and tossed the blankets back, sitting on the side of the mattress. Scrubbing at his jaw, he then raked a hand through his spiky bed hair. Ambling with that half awake/half still asleep motion, he padded barefoot to the window and reached for the slender stick to close the slats. Stifling a yawn, he twirled the long wand. "Nice ass." He stopped. Had Scully spoken to him? Turning toward the pile of comforter underneath which she was cocooned, he raised an eyebrow sleepily. "D'you say something, Scully?" She poked her head from the covers and smiled wanly. "I said, 'nice ass'." In spite of himself, Mulder felt the heat and color rise in his face. Not to mention the rise in another part of his anatomy located right around the corner, so to speak. "How nice?" "Come over here and I'll show you," she purred and scrambled into the middle of the bed. Not a bad idea. Mulder grinned muzzily, noticing how her blue eyes wandered over him, trying to meet his, but settling just south of his navel and north of his thighs. Making him harder by the moment. He made his way back to her, bending at the waist, crawling on his hands and knees, pushing the blankets from her naked body. Mulder stopped mid-prowl, drinking in the warmth radiating from her, loving the way she rolled onto her back, opening herself to him. Planting one hand on her pillow on either side of her neck, he leaned in to nip at her lips. And squeaked in a decidedly girly fashion when her very hot fingers curled around his heavy erection. The contrast of the chilled air and her skin against his heated flesh was enough to make him jump. Scully moaned into his mouth. "Mulder, you squeaked." Lifting her hips to meet him as she tugged him downward, she parted her lips to him, inviting his tongue inside. Swallowing any response he might make. He could be accommodating, he thought, as he stroked into her hand, aligning his body with hers. But he had other ideas. Breaking their kiss, he nuzzled her ear. "Gotta go, Scully; be right back." :**: Her eyes opened wide in aroused surprise, causing her to release her grip on him. "Mulder?" "Don't go anywhere." Scully stared after his retreating form. A truly fine form it was, but it was leaving. Leaving her panting, her body tuned to his wavelength and ready. Extremely ready. He was up to something. She knew Mulder better than he sometimes knew himself and right now, he was up to something. She thought about following him or calling out to him, but knew it wouldn't matter. Nor would it change whatever was about to happen. So, she rolled on to her side and moved over to his vacant pillow wrapping the comforter around her. She buried her face in the soft flannel, the scent of his shampoo and soap lingering there. What? Had she heard the apartment door open and close? No, she thought, he was quite naked and his clothing was still on the floor where he'd hurriedly shed it the night before. Shaking her head, she drew the bedclothes up under her chin and closed her eyes. Trying to sleep. But her body was humming and her nerve endings were tingling. She rolled onto her stomach and patted the pillow down. But it wasn't helping. She would give him five more minutes and then she planned to pull the covers over herself and go find him. Scully didn't have to wait that long. "Hey, Scully." His nonchalance had her rolling her eyes as she rolled onto her back, eyeing him with suspicion. Noticing his smug grin, the flopping hair in his eyes -- and the fact that whatever he was doing out there, his arousal hadn't flagged. Hadn't flagged in the slightest. "What've you got there, Mulder?" The fact that his hands were behind his back only served to further enhance his pose and draw her eyes to his groin. If it were not for the extremely adult masculinity of her partner, she'd swear he looked like a little boy. Or the cat that swallowed the canary. She watched as his eyes traveled down his own body. "You mean this?" He asked as he nodded toward his penis. "I mean what're you hiding behind you?" Scully never knew what hit her. One minute he'd been standing a foot from the bed and the next she was stripped of her blankets and had snow on her face -- as well as on other strategic places on her body. Her first instinct was to cry out or pummel him, but she never got the chance as he pounced on her, his laughter shaking them both. When she managed to catch her breath and warm up a bit, she twined her fingers in his hair, lifting his head from her neck. "Mulder, if this is your idea of foreplay, I think we need to do some talking." She knew that her attempt at seriousness was definitely lost in the way her body was reacting to his. Small pools of former snowballs now dripped and ran over her skin, droplets making their way to the sheet beneath them. Scully imagined the miniscule curls and wisps of heat as Mulder's body settled in over hers; surely his way of trying to distract her from her effort to extract some sort of explanation from him. "Talking's highly over-rated." She released her hold on his hair and gasped as his teeth nipped at the sensitive skin of her neck. :**:**:**:**:**: Finis