From: sclay@connix.com (Sheryl Clay)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: New Story - HEART (A Mulder/Scully Romance)  PG 13
Date: Mon, 08 May 95 17:18:21 PST


HEART - A Mulder/Scully romance

Although I am of the school that does NOT wish to see a Mulder/Scully
romance on screen, I have just finished reading several *wonderful*
offerings here, (I'm still sticking to my chair,) and couldn't resist
the temptation to offer my own idea.  

"HEART" Part 1 is PG 13 (adult themes), in which our heroes finally
admit their true feelings for each other, and contains nothing more
sexually graphic than a couple of passionate kisses.

Comments, critique and flames are welcome!  Thanks for your time. 

Special Note: It really HAS been three years, X-Files time.  The pilot
episode action was dated March, 1992.  Incredible, isn't it?

The following story is based on characters copyrighted by Ten Thirteen
Productions, lovingly borrowed without permission, and without any
intent to infringe, annoy or otherwise upset.

************************************************************************
HEART  (A Love Story)

        The kiss was an accident, mostly.
        It was late, the day had been long, the case trying.  FBI
Special Agent Dana Scully stood bent over the light table in the
basement office she shared with her partner, Fox Mulder, and squinted
at the slides he had laid out in front of them.  Mulder stood beside
her, pointing, talking, their heads so close together they were almost
touching.  He was leaning so close to her she could smell him; that
acrid, sour-milky maleness that was making all the hair stand up on
the back of her neck.  Making her hands tremble.  Making her want him
so badly she could hardly breath.
        It was not necessarily a new feeling for her when in his close
proximity.  A romantic entanglement with such a close professional
colleague, however, would be messy in the extreme, and was something
Dana Scully chose to avoid, regardless of her personal feelings in the
matter. Over the three years she had worked with him, Scully had
simply learned to control the growing attachment, and desire, she felt
for Fox Mulder. She was too smart to lie to herself.  But she would
acknowledge *only* to herself her devotion to this man who's
commitment to the truth was absolute to the point of grandeur.  This
indefatigable spirit.  And this in spite of the fact that he often
drove her crazy with his bizarre theories and his obssessiveness.
Accepting the fact that, as her partner, Mulder was strictly off
limits, Scully had simply learned to bury her feelings for him in
friendship, and an intense professional loyalty instead.  It was as
good place as any to put them.
        It worked just fine, too, most of the time.  And on those
occasions, like this night, when she was tired and feeling a little
vulnerable, when emotional need and physical desire reared up, she
just grabbed them, like always, and shoved them down hard.  Out of
thought.  Out of awareness.  Almost.  Right up until the moment she
turned her head to say something to him, and there he was, his face
right there, his mouth right next to hers.  Their lips came together
almost of their own accord.
        As kisses go, it was nothing much.  It was soft and lingering,
but tender rather than passionate, like a kiss between children. Then
Mulder's lips parted, parting hers, and his tongue was in her mouth,
exploring it, questioning.  Sweet.  She reached for him, touched his
face.  The room swayed.
        Scully jumped back and they gaped at each other. It would have
been hard to say which of them was the more surprised.  She moved away
quickly, her hands raised before her in defense.
        "Dana..."  Mulder reached out for her.
        "Mulder, we *don't* want to do this," she said breathlessly, a
little panicked, avoiding his grasp.  Mulder nodded.
        "Right."
        "It's late, we're both tired, it's been a very long day.
We're not thinking clearly."
        "Right, you're right."
        She looked at him imploringly.  He gave her a flustered smile,
and dropped his eyes.  Scully turned away, leaned back against the
desk behind her, and crossed her arms across her chest.  She struggled
for control of her galloping emotions: desire, and alarm, and a
whopping dose of embarrassment.  They *definitely* could not do this.
And anyway, Fox Mulder was a man consumed by his work.  Regardless of
his attachment to, and even affection for, her as a colleague and
friend, Mulder had never given her any reason to believe he would
welcome more personal feelings from her.  She doubted the
complications of a love affair with his partner would interest him.
Probably just the opposite; her feelings would most likely drive him
away.  The kiss had just been a reaction to a long and frustrating
day, nothing more.  She looked back at him, slowly, and found him
watching her.  She eyed him warily.  He raised an eyebrow.
        Fox Mulder held out his hand.
        "Come here," he commanded gently, wondering what she would do.
Wondering what he *wanted* her to do. For three years, now, he had
been telling himself she was unattainable, that it would screw up
everything, that he did not want her, anyway.  Despite that full,
pouty mouth that would open ever so slightly while she listened to
him, despite those looks she gave him, sometimes, full of wonder and
trust, that just took his breath away.  It would never work, he knew
that, he would be a fool to even entertain such thoughts.  And he had
been okay with that.  Really.  Until one sweet little accidental kiss
brought three years of carefully constructed defenses tumblin' down.
        Three years of trying not to let her into his heart, knowing
what a mess that could be. Three years of keeping a healthy distance,
for both their sakes. Three years, until she lay there dying in that
Georgetown hospital, and something in him had started to die, too.  It
was then that he knew that without her, his life, his work, even his
search for his sister, were all just hollow excuses for existence.
Without her beside him, there was just no reason to go on.  Walter
Skinner had tried to get him past that, and Mulder would always be
touched by his boss's effort.  But Skinner had not understood.
        Then Scully had fought her way back to him, and Mulder knew
for the first time the meaning of the words "heart's desire."  Not
that he could *ever* tell her any of that.  Not Dana Scully.
Unfortunately, the very things he admired in her most, her
determination, her vigorous adherence to fact and proof, her
tremendous professionalism, prevented him from ever unbending before
her, showing her his true feelings.  Besides, what would she want with
him?  She would probably just laugh at him.  He had done pretty well,
too, until this night when, weary and perplexed by this miserable
case, he had let the barrier slip for a moment, and literally hung his
heart on his lips.
        They could still go back, of course.  It had only been a kiss,
for god's sake.  Nothing done that could not be undone.  He *could*
just give her a brotherly peck on the forehead, and assure her that
nothing had changed, that it was all right, just one of those things.
That they were just tired, like she said.  And let it go.
        Like hell.
        Scully took his hand, and he drew her to him.  Maybe is *was*
just one of those things, but he had to know for sure.  She looked up
at him, eyes questioning.  Slipping his free hand behind her head,
Mulder pulled her mouth to his and kissed her again, fully and deeply.
And Dana Scully met him, kiss for kiss.  When he finally released her,
she slipped her hands under the lapels on his jacket and lay her
forehead against his chest.  He took her by the waist, pulled her
close, and pressed his face into her hair.  It smelled faintly of
strawberries.
        "We're in trouble, aren't we?" Scully queried tentatively.
Mulder nodded.
        "I think so, yeah."
        She exhaled sharply.  "Shit."
        He laughed.
        "Mulder, it's not funny," Scully insisted, laughing anyway.
"This is not good."
        "I know," he agreed.
        "We've been so careful."
        "We have."
        "Damn it, Mulder," Scully breathed.  "We were doing so well."
        "I love you," he said.  It almost sounded like an apology.
She nodded against his shirt and sighed.
        "Yeah.  I love you, too.  For ages," she agreed, her voice
catching a little.  She smiled up at him. "I think I fell in love with
you that first day, when you looked at me with that smart assed
expression on your face and asked me if I believed in the existence of
extraterrestrials.  I didn't know whether to laugh, or slug you."
        Mulder chuckled.  "I was prepared to duck," he agreed.
        "You were horrible," Scully accused, smiling.  Mulder kissed
her forehead.
        "What was I supposed to do?"  he asked her.  She looked at him
curiously, and he smiled.  "You waltzed through that door with your
head high and your eyes blazing, and knocked me right on my ear: Hi,
I'm Dana Scully, I'm here to help you, and if you don't like it, tough
shit."
        Scully laughed, a little chagrined.  "I wasn't really that
bad, was I?"
        "You invaded my domain, challenged my sovereignty, contested
my beliefs, refused to take any of my bullshit...  You were wonderful.
I had no idea what to do with you."
        He brushed her hair back off of her face, and tipped her head
up to look at him.  "I did the only thing I could do.  I fell flat on
my ass in love with you.  I've spent the better part of the last three
years trying to convince myself otherwise, but that doesn't change the
facts."
        Dana actually blushed.
        "I never knew," she said, her voice touched with wonder.  "You
were always so, I don't know."  She shook her head.  "You were very
sweet, sometimes, and I hoped you cared about me, but... you were
always so *professional* toward me.  So correct."
        Mulder made a face at her playfully.  "Me!  Is this Ms.
Government Service Scully speaking?  Agent By-the-Book, herself?"  He
kissed her again, to show he was teasing.  "I was afraid to let you
see it," he admitted.  "Although I don't know whether I was more
afraid that you'd flatten me, or bust a gut laughing."
        She did not answer him, not in words, anyway.  She had to
stand on tip toe to do it, but Dana wrapped her arms around his neck,
and found his mouth with her own.  Fox pressed her back against the
desk and she could feel him, now, urgent against her.  His tongue
filled her mouth, hot and demanding.  His body tensed with desire.
They kissed for a long time, until she felt the fine threads of her
own control snapping.  She broke away breathlessly.
        "Somebody might come in," she said.
        "It's after ten," he replied, his mouth against her forehead.
"Nobody's gonna come in."  Then he released her, and looked down into
her eyes.  He ran his hand lightly over her hair.
        "What do you want to do?"
        She did think about it.  Dana Scully did *not* make decisions
in half-blind passion.  She knew what she wanted.  She met his eyes
boldly, and touched his mouth with a fingertip.
        "Take me home."
        Fox drew a breath slowly, and let it out.  Then he smiled,
very faintly.
        "Get your coat."
        They held hands in the car, but said little.  Dana unlocked
her door without a word, and lead him inside.  He locked the door
behind them and took her into his arms, kissing her softly.  Then he
looked down at her, his eyes full of questions:
        "Are you sure?"
        She understood.  This would change everything, complicate
everything.  After this, there would be no pretending, no going back.
She met the question bravely.
        "I love you, Fox Mulder," she said.  "And I want you."  Her
voice became husky with emotion.  "Make love to me."
        Fox exhaled sharply.  Then he let her go, took her hand, and
they walked together to the bedroom.


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