From raquelm@urjwc.ucla.edu Mon Apr 14 19:57:58 1997 Subject: EP> SRA - Later (1/1) From: Raquel Montoya -------- Disclaimer: The X-Files belongs to Chris Carter (all praise him!) he also owns Scully and Mulder - though I sure as heck wouldn't mind *borrowing* Mulder for a couple of hours. This piece is not-for-profit and took a lot of time to write. I don't do this often, so please be at least semi-kind in your remarks. As for La'Vaughn, he's my creation. But if anyone wants to use him in another fanfic, go ahead! I just ask that you send me the story so I can read it too! Dedication: This story is dedicated to Barb O'Neill my cohort in the SPCDD. If it weren't for her, I never would have gotten up the nerve to try writing a second story. Classification: S,R and some A Rating: PG-13... maybe a mild R --- This is an MSR. Summary: Little romantic/angsty fluff piece. No spoilers. LATER (1/1) by Kelli - rumpltzr@mindspring.com 04/9/97 *I have to get there* thud... thud... Dress shoes against pavement. thud... thud... thud... running, faster, faster... He couldn't accept failure, he put on a sudden burst of energy.... thud..thud..thud..thud..thud... his mind kept repeating the same thought over and over.... *I have to get there, she has to be all right, please God, *make* her be all right!* The man was nearly out of breath as he rounded the corner... *There!* He could see her, her back was to him. Her assailant was throttling her and shaking her from side to side. The knife in his hand catching the light from the streetlamps and throwing it back in his face. Mulder slipped back around the corner where he was unnoticed and checked his suit pocket for the ever-present cel-phone. *Damn!* He must have dropped it earlier when La'Vaughn hit him from behind. In his rush to follow when he came to, he completely forgot about it. At least he still had his gun. Carefully easing his head around the corner he noticed that La'Vaughn had the woman on the ground now. There was barely an inch between his face and hers. Very little chance for a clear shot at this range... Then Mulder noticed something that made his blood chill. The woman. She had quit struggling. She was either passed out or.... dead? *NO!* The voice screamed in his head. *Not her, not now! I never got the chance to tell her...* "I love her..." he whispered. The urge to pull the trigger and put this bastard down was overwhelming. This man who had raped and mutilated twelve other women... and he was now preparing to do the same thing to the woman lying beneath him. Mulder took aim. If he concentrated, he could see the bullet leave his gun and arc across the open space to hit... what? La'Vaughn? The woman beneath him? He dropped his arm... there has to be another way. He couldn't risk it. If he missed and struck her, he could never live with himself. *You'll never live without her either way, just aim and shoot.* Would her dying at his hand be any worse then the fate that was being brought to her now? Again he noticed how still she was. *Maybe she's already dead?* *NO!* his mind argued. *She's not! He doesn't want them when they're dead, they have to be alive. He likes the struggle. He likes to exert his power.* Still, Mulder couldn't shoot... not yet. He watched as the man slid his hand to the top of her blouse and pulled down hard. The fabric coming away easily as buttons flew in every direction. Then his fear turned to rage when he saw the man rise and draw back his arm. He hit her. Once. Twice. She groaned and opened her eyes, ducking her head to the side to try and avoid another blow. Mulder's rage grew as he stepped around the corner and into full view. La'Vaughn looked up, startled and amazed at the sight before him. He was sure he had left the FBI agent in the alley, knocked out or dead. His eyes turned showing his horror when he saw what Mulder was holding... Mulder's instincts went into auto-pilot as he brought the gun up and aimed. *don't-think-just-shoot-don't-think-just-shoot-don't-think- just-shoot-don't-think...* "Just shoot." Mulder closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger. If someone had bothered to ask him later why he had done so, he would have been hard pressed for an answer. It was as if a voice inside his head was guiding him. A small, practical voice that spoke to him and could be heard above all else. It was her voice. The bullet found it's mark and La'Vaughn gave a strangled scream as he fell backwards still clutching the ruined blouse in his hand. Mulder opened his eyes and said her name... "Scully?" The woman was crawling, trying to get away from La'Vaughn even though he could no longer hurt her. Mulder ran to her side, pulling her into his arms as he knelt beside her. "Scully... sshhh... it's ok, I'm here.. It's all right..." His whispers in her ear growing softer and softer as she finally let go. "Mulder? He... he was going to... I-I couldn't, I tried to fight him, but I..." "Ssshh Scully... it's over, he's dead. He can't hurt you, he can't hurt anyone." "Mulder, I... I can't..." Her sobs overtook her as she buried her head in his shoulder and let go. All the injustices she had received... Tooms, Berry, Pfaster, Incanto and now La'Vaughn, they all came back to her as she clutched Mulder and held on to what slim thread of sanity she had left. Mulder placed his hand underneath her chin and tilted her face up to meet his. She was crying. Sobbing. And again, he had not been in time to stop her from being hurt. He could see the bruise swelling up on her cheek bone and right temple. The sight made him angry. He wanted La'Vaughn to be alive, just so he could have the pleasure of killing him again. He could see her embarassment as she realized that she was only half-dressed and he was holding her rather tightly. "Mulder, my shirt..." she began. "Here." Mulder slid his suit jacket from his shoulders and placed it as softly as possible onto hers, helping her guide her arms into the jacket. "It's a little big." She said with a slight grin. "It'll do for now Scully." His mind eased at the sight of her smile. Just a small upturn of her lips, but it let him know that she really would be all right. Then before he could stop himself he was leaning into her, guiding her face to his while his hand slid to the back of her neck. Closer and closer til he could smell her sweet breath, til he could actually taste the scent in his mouth. Finally his lips met hers in a pure and simple kiss. He was unsure if she would return the gesture and just as he began to back away from her, she wrapped both of her arms around him and pressed her body to his in an intimate embrace. Mulder's other arm went to her waist and pulled her even tighter to him as his mouth found hers once again. This time, there was nothing pure or simple about their kiss. He was devouring her, tasting her, probing her, making sure that she was really there. The sound of sirens in the distance invaded his mind. Someone must have called the police when they heard the gunshot. Still he didn't want to stop. Sliding his hand around to cup her bruised face, he kissed her lightly on her injured cheek and temple as he closed his eyes and said a silent thank you to whatever power allowed him this moment. As the police arrived in the open lot, Mulder let loose his embrace and started to turn away. His eyes still closed for fear of what she would see in them. Scully grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back around to her. "Mulder..." she began. "Scully, not yet." he pleaded. "But, just now... when you ki-" "POLICE OFFICER! PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM, THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPON AND STEP AWAY FROM THE WOMAN!" Mulder rolled his eyes at Scully, "Guess they think *I'm* the bad guy," he said with a slight grin. Then as he turned away to get his ID and begin explaining the situation to officer, he told her one last thing... "Later." ****************************** Scully was tired and sore. There were very few parts of her that didn't ache in some small way. *Especially that *ache* Mulder left you with*, her mind insisted. Shutting off that line of thought, she decided to take a hot shower to ease some of her physical pains. Where was Mulder? He had managed to convince the officer that La'Vaughn was the culprit. And then he had bundled her off into a police car to be checked out at the local hospital. In the meantime he had gone downtown to give a statement to the police about La'Vaughn. Not to mention he still needed to get his head looked at. He had suffered a nasty little blow from behind that he just *thought* Scully had forgotten. As she tested the temperature of the water her mind went over what had occurred... It was supposed to be a simple stakeout. They knew La'Vaughn was hiding out in the building and they were just keeping an eye out for him. Mulder was positive that their culprit was responsible for the deaths of twelve other women, now they just had to find the proof. Not an easy thing to do when the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. Scully shivered in the night air. "Cold Scully? I could warm you up..." "Mulder..." she warned. "By turning on the heater." he finished. "Why Agent Scully, what did you think I meant?" His low, sexy smile told her exactly what he meant, whether he said it or not. "Behave Mulder, or I'll take my toys and go home." With that she raised her binoculars again and trained them on the building across the street. Mulder chuckled. "Scully, you don't play fair." "I never said I wou... Wait! There he is." Mulder leaned across the seat and stared out Scully's side. Sure enough, La'Vaughn was standing at his window. He seemed to be looking right at them. "Scully, I'm going to circle the block. I think he might be on to us." Mulder started the car. "O.K. Let me out first." "What?" his suprise evident as he turned to look at her. "Mulder, if he *is* on to us and we circle the block then he might take the opportunity to leave. We can't afford that." she explained. "Besides, there are a dozen people on this street. I'll be fine." "I don't like it, it's too risky," he began. "No more riskier then sitting here in plain sight while he figures out that we're watching him!" she pointed to the newstand close to La'Vaughn's building. "I'll go over there and browse through the magazines. That way I can keep an eye on the door. *You* drive around back and wait 10 minutes, then come back around and pick me up. We'll park somewhere else where we can still keep an eye on him." Mulder was still uneasy with this plan and she knew it. "I'll be O.K. Mulder," she said with a smile. The smile is what did it. He put the car in gear and waited as she got out. "Be careful Scully." "*I* always am Mulder." she replied. And with that she slowly walked across the street to the newstand. As she watched Mulder pull away, she had know idea how wrong she was... ************* Mulder was tired. He had spent most of the evening going over the details with the local law enforcement so they could file their reports. They had been much more cooperative when they discovered that he and Scully were FBI agents. Even going so far as to offer to escort Scully to the hospital while he filed a statement. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but he knew the fastest way to get things done would be for them to split up. Though Scully would probably shoot him when she found out that he hadn't gone to the hospital to have his head injury checked. *Like it would be the first time,* he thought. Scully. His mind kept returning to her. The look on her face as she crawled away from La'Vaughn. Towards Mulder. Why did he let her talk him into leaving her on the street? He should have known it wouldn't go right. He *should* have been there... "Be careful Scully." "*I* always am Mulder." she replied. And with that she slowly walked across the street to the newstand. He eased his foot off the brake and began to make his circuit of the block. His eyes shifting constantly to watch Scully as she approached the newstand. *She's a trained FBI agent. She *can* take care of herself.* God how he hated that voice. The voice of reason that entered his mind when he went into "protective mode" over Scully. But this time the voice was right. They had a job to do and he couldn't allow his concern for Scully's safety to get in the way of their decisions. He pulled the car to the back of the building and, leaving the engine idling, parked next to an obnoxious, yellow, garbage dumpster. Something wasn't right. Mulder couldn't decide why, but this entire setup felt wrong. Still, Scully was right. He needed to wait 10 minutes before driving back around. Glancing at his watch he decided that he's already been sitting here for 2 minutes, so he only had 8 more to go. *Besides, it's not like she's clocking me or anything. So what if you pick her up a little early?* It started in his stomach, down low, and then spread towards his chest. Something definitely wasn't right. He didn't know how he knew this. Maybe it had something to do with his years of training and experience. Or it could be that special quality that earned him the nickname "Spooky" that he wasn't particularly fond of. Mulder stared at his watch. It had only been 4 minutes. "To hell with it." he sighed. Putting the car back in gear, he eased out from behind the dumpster and back around the block, completing the circuit he had started. That feeling that had started in his stomach and developed in his chest had nothing to do with training or "special" qualities. Something was wrong and he knew it in his heart. He knew it because it concerned Scully. *********** Scully pulled the shower curtain back and made a grab for the towel hanging from the bar next to the sink. As she did she saw the bruise that had developed on her wrist. Bruises on both wrist actually, from her struggle with the man who had taken her with so little effort.... "Hey Lady? Can I help you?" She looked up at the voice and noticed the salesperson for the first time. "Um, yes. Do you have this month's copy of the American Medical Journal?" "I don't think I got that one, but I got the lastest ish of Cosmo. It's got a centerfold special!" his leer was less then effective. "No. No thank you. I'll just look through some of these." Scully replied, pointing to some health magazines. "Suit yourself, babe." As Scully turned to look at the front door of the building she felt a hand on her shoulder and a tiny prickling sensation at the base of her kidney. "This is a very sharp knife, and if you don't want me to use it, you will do exactly as I say." Her first reaction *was* to react. Her body tensing to make its move. Just as she felt confident enough to try and sweep his weapon away, she heard him speak again. "Don't think it Agent Scully. Not only will I not hesitate to kill you, but I'll make sure your partner waiting around the corner is sharing a pine box with you." He applied more pressure to the knife at her back and turned her away from the newstand. "Now move." "Hey! You gonna pay for that?" Scully realized she was still holding a magazine in her hand. Before she could react, La'Vaughn spoke, "Just put it on my tab Jerry." "Sure thing Mr. Paldorn." His hold on her shoulder tightened, he shielded the knife from the salespersons eyes by keeping Scully between them. Then quickly moving to the side, he dragged Scully with him. "I think we could have some fun, don't you?" She could feel his eyes sweeping her form as they moved to the end of the block. ******** Mulder parked in front of Scully's building. Looking at her window, he could see that she still had her lights on. *She must still be up*, the considered. His concern grew. She wouldn't sleep well tonight, probably not for awhile. Then again... neither would he. He played the earlier events over and over in his mind. Could he have done something, anything, to prevent what had occurred.... As he drove around the corner, he could just make out the image of Scully disappearing into an alley farther down. Someone was with her... someone that shouldn't be there. La'Vaughn. Mulder swerved towards the alley, slammed the car into park, and threw open his door. He was grabbing his gun when he rounded the corner of the alley, so his attention was not entirely on what was in front of him. All he could focus on was Scully and getting her away from that sick, twisted bastard. The blow to his head as he turned the corner was fast and hard. Mulder had just enough time to see Scully sprawled on the ground a few feet away before his eyes closed and he passed out. His last thought, the last thing to enter his fogging mind was, *I failed her......* ********* Scully was reaching for her robe when she heard the knock. Without hesitating she threw on her robe and walked quickly towards her door. Taking a deep breath she peeked through her peep-hole to see who it was. Mulder. Of course. Opening the door she took in the sight of him and it made her feel warm again. "Scully..." "Mulder..." Neither of them smiled as they tried to determine who would speak first. "Come in Mulder." Scully said finally, as she watched him enter the room and turn towards her. Closing the door, she suddenly felt nervous. Would he talk about *it*? About what had occurred earlier in the parking lot after he has saved her and comforted her. About how right it had felt when his lips has landed on hers. How her body responded to his. He had told her 'Later.' What did he mean? Mulder could see the questions going through her eyes. He knew what her concerns were, and he wished he had the words to wipe them away. Instead he stared at her. Hair slightly damp from her shower, he could just smell the peaches and honey scent of her shampoo. Her thick robe swallowing her as she wrapped her arms around her waist. Her feet were bare and her face was scrubbed clean. The bruises on her cheek and temple standing out in stark relief against her pale, translucent skin. *God she looks beautiful.* The tightening that had begun in his chest moved lower south. He took the two steps necessary to close the distance between them and placed his hand under her chin. Slowly he trailed it along her jawline and then up towards her injured cheek, being careful of the large purple welt that had formed there. Scully stared back at him. His touch sending shivers through her soul as she knelt forward to obtain more of his touch. That he could do this with just a simple touch to her face made her head swim. *What would his fingers do to me if we made love?* her mind provided. She blushed at the thought and tried to lower her head to avoid his gaze. He saw her skin turn crimson and he smiled slightly. He didn't know what was making her blush but he had a good idea and it was just the confirmation he needed. Tilting her head back up, forcing her eyes to meet his, he leaned in close and breathed three little words in her ear... "Scully... it's later." Her startled gasp as he pulled her towards him was almost his undoing. Wrapping one arm around her back while the other slid from her face to the back of her head, his mouth descended on hers and began to say all the things the couldn't with words. Sliding his lips across her, placing tiny kisses along the way, he showed her what tenderness was in his heart. Tightening his grip on her waist and slipping his hand into her hair, tugging it to bring her mouth up to meet more closely with his, he gently bit her bottom lip and quickly licked the tiny wound. His tongue gliding over and over her lip, begging entrance. She let him have it, opening her mouth slightly and moaning as he thrust his tongue into her and began kissing her with the passion they had started earlier. During this Scully remained silent except for the occasional sigh or moan. Her hands tightening on his shoulders as he kissed her. His hands keeping themselves busy as he traced the arch of her back through her robe. His mouth left hers as he trailed kisses down her jawline and to her throat. Using his tongue to slip along her collarbone and pushing aside the robe from her shoulders with his nose. He could smell the shower-clean scent of her and underneath that something primal, something *hot*. Guiding her backwards until her back met with her door, Mulder brought both his hands to the front of her robe. Looking up and seeing her looking at him he silently asked for permission. Her answer was in her smile as she moved her hands inside his jacket shoulders and slid it off of him. Taking this as a good sign he pulled the belt of her robe open and slipped the robe from her body. *Sweet Jesus she wasn't wearing anything!* His mind locked up at the thought. Yes, he knew she had just gotten out of the shower, her hair was wet, she *smelled* of shampoo. But the idea that she might be nude under her robe had not occurred to him and suddenly he found himself close to gasping for air. Her grin as he took in this unexpected event was blinding. He looked to her like a child taken to a candy store for the first time and told that he can have whatever he wants in the store. His hands simply hung by his sides as he stared at her. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she spoke... "Mulder? Are you going to look at me all night or are you going to come to bed?" With that she turned to the bedroom and began towards the door. Mulder crossed to her and swept her up into his arms as he carried her down the hall. As he placed her on the bed and bent to kiss her he again whispered just three little words... "I love you..." THE END? All comments welcome. Flames get a raspberry... :-p= --=====================_860657390==_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Webmistress of the SPCDD, Member #6 of the MSSMB & Intelligence Officer/Healer for Project Cat ***Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to David Duchovny*** ***SPCDD motto: DEFEND, ENLIGHTEN AND PROTECT*** Visit our web-page! http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2024/spcdd.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Duchovny [Agent Dennis/Denise Bryson]: Coop... I may be wearing a dress, but I still pull my panties on one leg at a time... if you know what I mean. Kyle MacLachlan [Special Agent Dale Cooper]: Not really. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ rumpltzr@mindspring.com ~ rumpltzr@geocities.com ~ "Rumpie" on IRC