Chapter Text
At the end of a sweltering July day in the Midwest, the
land sighs relief with the setting of the sun. Fire spills
across the horizon and promises the heat will soon
relinquish to the night.
On days like these, clothes meld to damp skin, trapping the
heat. Scully opened the dusty car door with a sigh,
anxiously anticipating the cold blast of air conditioning.
She slid into her burning hot seat, cringing, and Mulder
slid in next to her. He eagerly flicked the key in the
ignition and turned the air on high. They sighed
simultaneously.
She pulled the sticky strands of hair away from the back of
her neck.
"So what are you thinking?" Mulder asked, loosening his
tie.
"I'm thinking...how did I get to the point in my life in
which my entire professional wardrobe consists of black
suits?" She adjusted the vent so it blew full on her face.
"You?"
"That I'd give my left nut for a pair of Bermuda shorts
right now."
Scully rolled her eyes and smiled, settling back against
the seat. "Mulder, I never, ever want to see you in a pair
of Bermuda shorts."
Mulder shed his coat for his dress shirt. "Why don't you
tell me how you really feel, Scully?"
"Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"Quit talking and start driving."
He laughed as he pulled on his seatbelt. Best not to push
it with an exhausted, hot, overdressed Scully who had just
made the conclusion that they'd dragged their asses out to
southern Missouri to discover that the unexplained "Lights
of the Ozarks" activity at dusk was not extraterrestrial.
In fact it was extremely terrestrial, in the form of a
massive swarm of lightning bugs in a mating frenzy at an
unusually high altitude zipping across the sky.
"You win some, you lose some," he had said as she stood
with her hands on her hips, face to the sky, shaking her
head. She'd turned her head to observe his sheepish grin
with an intolerant intensity.
"Sometimes, Mulder..." She'd waved a glowing bug away from
her face. "I think you get a real kick out of dragging me
around on your wild...bug chases."
He had gazed up at the swarming bugs and shrugged, full of
secret satisfaction. He did get a kick out of it. At times,
he enjoyed the failed cases more than the successes. It
gave her a chance to be right, more importantly to prove
him wrong. That rarely happened, in his mind anyway, and
honestly sometimes this stuff was so outrageous that it
seemed they, together, were the only sanity left in the
world.
The unity was indefinably important to him, that they
could counter each other without end yet still come
together and enjoy the moment of realization, no matter who
was right.
Another lightning bug hit Scully's face. With a
dissatisfied hmph, she'd shaken her head, her auburn hair
failing over her eyes. He'd viewed her peripherally as she
pushed it back from her face. It was one of his favorite
little gestures.
"Are you ready to get out of here?"
"As tempting as it is to stay in this bug-infested, damp,
sticky, hot excuse for the wonder of nature...yeah."
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Scully was splayed out on the lumpy mattress, coils sinking
into her bare back. Her arms were thrown haphazardly above
her head as she quizzically examined two houseflies as they
endlessly beat themselves against the light fixture on the
ceiling.
That's so us, she mused.
Her body was covered in a sticky film of sweat and dirt.
Immediately upon entering her less-than-fabulous
accommodations at the Blue Spruce Lodge, she'd stripped
down to her bra and panties. She wondered whether there
just might be a tiny video camera in this room somewhere.
It was that type of place.
Maybe, she thought as the flies knocked at the light, if we
would stop running after shadows and sasquatches all the
time, the Bureau would spring for more fitting
accommodations. At this point, they continually had the GAO
breathing down their necks about writing off two nights at
the luxurious Blue Spruce Lodge and a dinner of meatloaf at
the Toot Toot Cafe.
She'd watched Mulder wolf down the browned lump of meat
like it was his last meal on Earth. Six years with this man
and he always ate the same way. Urgently, like the food was
about to walk off his plate. She'd listlessly forked at the
meatloaf, staring at him, wishing she'd ordered the house
salad. Iceberg lettuce with carrot shreds doused in ranch
from a three-gallon vat was a bit more appealing than what
had been placed before her, the plate clattering as it
announced its glorious arrival.
So she was hungry, and Mulder had taken the car to go check
out "those crazy lightning bugs and their aerial acrobatic
show." And he'd stopped asking her to go when all he heard
was dead silence on the other end of the line.
"Fine, Scully...enjoy your evening at the Spruce."
She turned on her side, wiping the sweat from her brow with
her upper arm. The "Spruce" did have a small pool, and from
the looks of it, the water was fairly clean. Clean enough.
And probably fairly warm from the heat of the day.
She weighed her options. A shower in the clawed tub with
the screeching shower head. Hungrily, sweatily awaiting a
pizza delivery while watching the 15" black and white
television. Waiting for Mulder to return and bitching him
out for ditching her in a sweltering room with no food or
water to go explore A Bug's Life, in real life.
Order the pizza, skip the T.V. Go for a swim, wait for the
pizza. Accept the delivery, start eating, only to be
interrupted by a bang on the door. Let Mulder in, watch him
eat most of her pizza, bitch at him for ditching her, and
sigh when he blames it on her disinterest in the legendary
lights of the Ozarks.
Sounds like a plan.
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Scully's swimsuit was a mainstay in her luggage, though she
rarely used it. It was kind of a fantastical idea, that one
of these trips would involve some sort of relaxation in a
lagoon-like setting.
She slid on the black two-piece, inspecting her body in the
mirror loosely hung on the wood-paneled wall. She ran her
hands down the curves of her hips and checked out her
bottom. She was relieved to find each piece still nicely
fit. Her eyes were drawn to the tattoo that peeked out from
behind her back. She softly smiled at the simple pleasure
it gave her when she remembered it was there.
She knew Mulder was, or had been, wildly curious about what
it was, where it was, what it meant. All he know was that
it was there, somewhere on her body. A little shiver ran
down her spine as she imagined him looking for it, eyes
hungrily raking over her tense skin. Her fingers traced the
hollow of her belly button as a reflection of curiosity
burned back from the mirror.
She pulled out of her fantasy moment and grabbed a towel.
Scully padded barefoot along the cool, rough sidewalk. The
darkness was perforated by yellow lamps that led to the
dimly lit pool area. She'd wrapped her towel tightly around
her body to disguise herself from any weirdoes that might
be lurking. Sighing deeply, she pushed the gate open and
reached the edge of the pool. Dipping her toes in, she was
comforted to find it lukewarm.
She tossed her towel to the patio table and slipped into
the dark water just as quickly. Her body immediately
thanked her as she pulled her head under. It was pure,
simplistic bliss, something she hadn't let herself
experience in an embarrassingly long time.
She emerged with a gasp for air, treading water and
scanning the enclosure for any signs of ill will. Finding
none, she turned onto her back, pushing off against the
side. Millions of blinking stars welcomed her sight. She
heard her slow breaths in, out, as water filled her ears.
Somewhere up there are answers. Somewhere beyond the
clouds, the jets, the stifling atmosphere. But what were
they? Where would they lead?
Always to more questions.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After the mild disappointment of learning that lightning
bugs en masse only truly exist for that hour or so of
twilight between sundown and darkness, Mulder drove through
Sonic to get himself a strawberry limeade and a
cheeseburger with mustard. When asked if he wanted anything
else, he thought of his partner, probably anxiously
awaiting his arrival so she could bitch at him about how
hungry she was since he took the car to go investigate the
lights phenomenon.
He ordered another cheeseburger and gave a bit of thought
to how Scully would take her drink. He ordered her a cherry
limeade, knowing the seeds from the strawberries would
probably disturb her in some deep way.
In fact, he thought after he ordered, she would have
probably preferred some kind of salad. But he didn't even
know if Sonic had salads.
"Do you have salads?" He asked when he arrived at the
drive-thru window. The teenage girl attending the space
gave him the most irritated expression he'd seen in...at
least a few hours.
"Yeah. They're on the menu."
"Well..." Mulder faltered, thinking. "I mean, do you have
some...salad with chicken?"
"Oh, my Lord, yes." Exasperation filled her voice. "Is that
what you want?"
"Actually...it's for my partner, I think instead of the
second cheeseburger. Yeah, thanks," he decided. The order
was changed, paid for, and he was on his way.
He wondered if she would be cool with eating dinner
together in her room tonight. Most of the time his split-
second decisions related to some half-assed attempt at
getting more time with Scully without being horrendously
obvious as to his intentions.
He liked when they could get real, kick off their shoes,
and talk about anything other than work. They'd swap
childhood stories sometimes, like the time he drank a
bottle of salad dressing for a buck and threw it up
afterward. Or the time she walked in on her parents and her
dad was wearing nothing but his captain's hat.
Little moments of reality slowly and surely drew his heart
toward hers. Now it beat so closely and passionately he
wasn't sure if it could exist without the gentle prompting
of her own. To go on, keep moving, keep existing. At times,
to keep dreaming.
Mulder knocked on her room door, his hand clutching two
paper bags. The light in her room was off and for a split
second, he wondered if she'd called a cab to the airport.
He turned the doorknob and it popped open. Yellow light
filtered in from the doorway.
"Scully?" he murmured, glancing around. His eyes adjusted
to an empty made bed, her phone on the bedside table, and
her bag in the corner of the room. He set the food down on
the table and pursed his lips, trying not to let the little
panic alarm set off in his head.
A hungry Scully may have left the door unlocked to make a
quick pass at the vending area past the pool. Her affinity
was toward Cheez-Its and Diet Pepsi when she was desperate,
preferably Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi when available. He shut
her door and wandered along the outdoor corridor.
His eyes were drawn to the pool, cast in dim yellow
lighting, as he thought how fantastic it would feel to dive
in and wash the day's sticky dirty heat away. Someone
apparently already had that idea and was floating across
the water on her back. Mulder wandered closer, taking a
quick scope of the lean torso and black-clad breasts that
peeked over the top of the water.
And then he realized who it was.
His jaw dropped a bit before he quickly corrected it. How
completely uncharacteristic of Scully to lounge in the
pool. Or maybe it was characteristic of her, and he just
didn't know her well enough to realize it. The thought
troubled him. She was oblivious to her surroundings, her
guard let down. He ached to know what crossed her mind as
she soaked in serenity.
Mulder pushed open the gate to the pool area, relieved by
its silent swing. He slowly stepped over to a lounge chair,
his eyes focused on every bit of her he could see. He felt
like he was capturing a glimpse of some wild animal in its
natural habitat.
He sat down with his elbows on his knees, watching, waiting
for her perception to pick up his presence. Her fingers
delicately threaded through the water. She scooped up a
palmful and poured it onto her stomach. Shallow breath,
gentle movements. His eyebrows spiked and suddenly he felt
embarrassed for intruding on such a personal moment.
As if on cue, Scully's eyes opened and darted to him. Her
body disappeared underwater. "Jesus, Mulder."
"I'm sorry," he managed, a blush flooding his cheeks.
Settle down, he thought. It's not like she was touching
herself or anything. Okay...don't go there.
"Well..." She treaded water, staring at him. "It's all
right. You just surprised me."
"How's the water?"
"Wonderful."
"How wonderful?" He kicked off one shoe, then the other.
Scully looked confused.
"Really wonderful," she conceded, her eyes meeting his.
"Well then...make room for Mulder. I'm coming in." He
pulled his shirt over his head. Scully averted her eyes
away from his muscular chest and stomach, then let them
sweep back over his body as he bent to pull his socks off.
"Mulder...you...I was getting out soon. I'm starving."
Words tumbled out of her mouth and her tongue tripped over
them. He met her eyes with a half-smile and unbuttoned his
pants. He stopped and raised his eyebrows at her.
"Scully, do you mind?"
Speechless, she turned her back to him and rolled her eyes
with a deep breath. She heard him shed his pants. Silence,
and then the water shifted as he slid into its warmth.
"Can I turn around yet?"
"Up to you."
She found him hopping up and down in the water. His head
slipped under and her brow furrowed as she tried to figure
out his location. An avid swimmer, he moved like a shark in
the water. Swiftly, silently and with purpose.
He popped up near the middle of the pool about ten feet
away. "Ohhh yeah. Scully, that is sooo good."
She did her best to ignore the huskiness of his voice. His
motivations for joining her in the pool were puzzling, and
it was best not to overthink them.
Right.
"So did you find any bugs?" she asked, swirling her hands
in the water.
Mulder did the same, watching the little waves he created.
"Actually, and I'll pretend that you actually are
interested, no. It was pretty disappointing."
Her eyes wandered over his shoulders as she kept her
distance, treading water with slow, powerful strokes.
"That's a big surprise."
"What?"
"Disappointment."
He made a funny face. "What do you mean?"
"When was the last time you were actually satisfied with a
conclusion, Mulder? I know I'm having a hard time
remembering it myself." She watched as his expression
morphed from confusion to one of self-righteous
indignation. She felt like pushing his buttons tonight. It
served him right.
"What's with all this pent up anger, Scully? Last time I
checked we were just out here enjoying a swim."
"Well, there are some things that need to be said and maybe
I'm in the mood to address them," she countered. He
studiously watched her rant. "Like tonight. I'm so hungry,
Mulder, I could actually eat that meatloaf you so
unceremoniously wolfed down earlier."
"Ummm...maybe I should get out," he said, hurt evident in
his voice.
"You know...don't go running off on me just yet," she said.
His eyes darkened. "I'm tired of you leaving me behind.
Just because I didn't want to go watch those...stupid
bugs." She pushed herself a little closer to him to better
see his face. "Maybe for a change, if you want to do
something, and I say I don't want to do it, instead of
ditching me as always, a simple 'Well, what would you like
to do?' may be in order?"
His mouth dropped open slightly. "Jesus Scully, I really
don't feel like I deserve this."
They stared at each other across the trembling water.
"Welcome to my world," she finally shot back. "Not
everything is about you. I thought we went over this
before."
"Scully...stop."
She was panting slightly in her passionate attempt at
making him realize the hurt she felt, the same she'd felt
enough times before.
"Whatever...Mulder...you just don't get it." She turned and
swam toward the pool wall. It was time to get out, go get
the pizza, and have it all to her damn self.
Scully slowly pulled herself up out of the water. Her
thighs had barely emerged when she felt his hands on her
calves, yanking her back down into the water. She gasped
and caught herself on the edge. His hands slid up her
thighs and her hips to her sides, steadying her. She
angrily glanced over her shoulder.
"Mulder, I..."
"You need to stop and listen to me," he demanded, his voice
low. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers
tightened along her waist. His chest was inches away from
her back, radiating heat. He pushed his lips against her
ear and his words emanated as a low growl.
"Despite what you may think, I have never...ever...taken
you for granted. I do not operate solely on the basis of my
needs. In fact, I think I've been fairly reasonable about
ignoring some of my needs for an extremely long time now."
He felt her stiffen under the hot tone of his voice. He
held her, thumbs rubbing into her lower back. Breathless,
she was without words for a moment, which passed quickly.
"What...needs?" Scully asked hesitantly. She felt her
heartbeat speed up as he breathed out against her neck in a
sigh.
"You," he finally murmured. "You...all of you...all the
time, Scully. All the time."
She tried to turn around but he pushed his body against her
back. He bit back a moan at the sensation of her smooth,
wet skin against his chest. The hardness in his boxers
pressed against her bottom and she made a tiny sound,
pushing back against him. She wasn't sure if she was
fighting or giving in.
Mulder snaked an arm under her own, offering support, while
his other hand slid down her hip to grip her thigh. Scully
quickly grabbed his wrist.
"Hold on, Mulder," she whispered faintly, the erection
against her bottom causing a hot meltdown between her legs.
"You don't want me to hold on." Fingers traced her inner
thigh. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, feeling
every moist breath on the back of her ear. "You don't want
me to stop at all, do you?"
She sagged into his arms as he traced the juncture of her
inner thigh and pelvic bone. Her fingers loosened around
his wrist. Her body was throbbing and aching, telling her
what she wanted and trying to convince her intellect and
common sense to sit this one out.
"Tell me," he growled.
"What?" she whispered.
"Tell me not to stop."
She paused as his fingers pulled at the fabric of her
bikini bottom. "Don't..." A gasp as they inched under
gently. "...stop."
His hand slid down the front of the clinging fabric,
cupping her roughly. She bucked against him with all of her
might, struggling in the tight space between his body and
the wall. His hand kneaded her, pulling her harder against
his groin. She could feel him pulsing behind her.
"You can call me selfish all you want, Scully. I'm being
selfish right now."
"Oh god," she whispered. Mulder could feel how hot and damp
she was against his strong fingers, bringing him to a new
height of arousal. He began to part her folds slowly,
stroking and nudging his way in. Her panting became ragged.
"How about now?" He continued quietly. "Selfishly exploring
you...not even asking what you want."
His fingers dragged through her wetness, circling around
her clit slowly and firmly. She shamelessly ground herself
back against him, hanging on every word. Mulder pressed
into her, his mind growing wild as he imagined how she
would taste, how it would match her scent perfectly.
"And now...I'm going to slide my fingers inside you..." She
groaned loudly at the thought. He hesitated just before her
opening, desperately trying to take his time. "Because
I..." He pushed two fingers deep inside of her and she
rolled her head back on his shoulder with a moan. "I want
it."
The sensation of his thick fingers buried into her and his
palm grinding against her clit nearly drove her over the
edge. She turned her face into his neck and watched as he
bit his lip, slowly sliding his fingers in and out. Her
hips began to roll against his movements.
"If you want to go along with me on this one,
Scully...that'd be great...or...I could ask you what you'd
like to do for a change," he whispered.
Her eyelids fluttered closed. She opened her mouth to
speak.
"I'm sorry sir...ma'am...the pool area is closed. Hours are
from nine to nine."
Mulder was off of her so quickly that her head nearly
slipped underwater. Her eyes snapped open to the employee
at the gate. They both stared wordlessly at him as he
stood, unmoving.
Finally Mulder spoke. "So, are you waiting for us to..."
The employee nodded. Scully closed her eyes and exhaled a
deeply held breath. She pulled herself out of the water,
legs shaking. Mulder let out an exasperated sigh before he
swam to the other end of the pool. He made no attempt at
hiding the arousal pushing up against the wet fabric of his
boxers when he emerged.
"Karma, my friend," he snapped at the employee. Scully
pulled the towel around her shoulders, uncomfortably
exposed. He grabbed his clothes and shoes and waited for
her to exit the gate.
They walked alongside each other silently until they
reached their room doors. A cricket chirped as they met
each others' eyes. Mulder smiled softly at her.
"Not here," he said, searching her gaze.
"Not here," she repeated faintly, looking down. She opened
her room door. "Goodnight, Mulder."
He hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Scully."
She closed the door behind her and melted against it. Her
phone on the bedside table flashed with a message. Mind
cloudly with arousal, she picked it up.
"Hi, Miss Scully, we tried to deliver your order but no one
was there to accept it. Call us back if you'd like us to
re-deliver it. Thanks."
Scully rolled her head on her shoulders and flicked on the
lamp. She immediately saw two Sonic bags and two large
drinks sweating on her room table.
She sat down slowly, opening the bags. She ate it all and
drank the cherry limeade.