From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 17 Oct 2005 10:31:33 -0000
Subject: Unique Liaison by xphilernj [1/2] by xphilernj
Source: direct

Reply To: xphilernj@aol.com


Title: Unique Liaison
Author: xphilernj
Date: October 17, 2005
Email: xphilernj@aol.com
Website: https://donnilee.xf-redux.com/xphilernj/
Rating: Anyone
Category: MSR 

Summary: Will Mulder's ruse come back to haunt him?

Disclaimer: Don't own them.  But, why should anyone care 
right now?  Okay, I'll return them as soon as I'm through.

Author's Note: This is for my dear friend Fibbie.  Happy 
Birthday babe and thank you for all your love and support.  
For gently, and not so gently, pushing me to continue doing 
what I love to do.

And special thanks to AnubisKV5, who was so gracious to 
beta this for me.  After a long hiatus and a little kick from 
anubis and Fibbie, I thought I would post this for your 
viewing pleasure. Whatever.

* * * * *

unique 
1. Being the only one of its kind; single, sole.  
2. Without an equal or equivalent; unparalleled. 

liaison
1. A close bond or connection. 
2a. A close relationship, connection, or link. 
2b. An adulterous relationship; an affair. 

* * * * *

Basement Office
Hoover Building
Friday


The heel of her shoes tapped out a familiar song and echoed 
through the hall as she made her way to the basement office.  
Scully frowned when she opened the door slowly, and with 
caution, only to find it dark and no sign of Mulder.

She immediately picked up the phone.  Apprehension and 
worry kept tugging at her heart and nausea was setting up 
residence in her stomach.  

The phone on the end of the line rang out and Mulder's 
answering machine picked up.  Nothing new there.  Thinking 
he might be screening, she called out to him through the line 
but still no one answered.  Reluctantly she didn't leave a 
message but decided to dial his personal cell phone instead.  

After three rings, his voice message came on and Scully listened 
carefully, prepared to leave a message.  What she heard stunned 
her.

"You've reached Fox Mulder and if this is Dana Scully calling, 
I need your help.  If it's not, I do apologize.  Scully, I need you 
to go home and change into jeans.  I've already cleared this with 
Skinner.  I need you to go to my apartment and pick up the file I 
left lying on my table. Please, Scully; it's very important."  That 
was all; the message ended abruptly, which immediately worried 
her.

She ended the call and slowly took the room in with the eye of a 
trained investigator.  Everything seemed as it should be.  She 
gravitated to his desk and still found nothing out of the ordinary.  

Scully took in a deep breath and slowly released it.  She walked 
out the door, locked it and left the building. 

* * * * *

On the drive to her apartment, Scully tried not to think of all the 
times she had been put in this position, with Mulder running off, 
and no word until he needed bailing out of whatever trouble he 
had managed to sink himself into.  But, at least, this time, he had 
called first and asked for her help.  With that thought in mind, 
she smiled.

Scully had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that Mulder was getting 
better about not running off without telling her, or simply 
leaving without her.

She never did like to admit to anything without absolute, 
substantiated scientific proof.  That was just the way she was.  

She had to admit, at times, that she was blinded by her Science.  
What was it that Mulder told her once?  "Love is blind, Scully, 
and your love is Science."

Scully hated him for that remark at the time but, after a lot of 
self-analysis in a quiet apartment on a lonely night away from 
her partner, she had come to the realization that he was right.

But, how do you undo all the conditioning you have been 
subjected to over so many years of training, for a field you hoped 
would someday be useful, only to find out later in life that what 
you learned and had come to believe was now in question?

Before Scully knew it, she was pulling up in front of her apartment 
building.  She quickly made it to her apartment, changed clothes 
and, then, as an afterthought, she picked up the phone and dialed 
Mulder's cell once more.

Realizing there was no new message, Scully replaced the phone 
and headed out the door.

* * * * *

While looking for a space to park in front of Mulder's building, 
Scully scanned the many cars and found Mulder's car to be 
nowhere in sight.  Maybe he had already gone and she would 
find out where to meet him once she had retrieved the file.  

Scully rushed up to his apartment, knocked and when she received 
no answer, unlocked the door and cautiously stepped inside.  She 
quickly located the file and a small envelope that was addressed 
to her, carefully secured the apartment and locked the door before 
leaving the building.

Once Scully was back in her car, she opened the envelope and read 
the familiar scrawl of letters she had come to know as Mulder's.


Scully,

If you're reading this, thank you for trusting me.  I appreciate it 
more than you could ever know.  You've always questioned the 
work, my sanity at times, but never failed to be by my side when 
it really counted.  Your unwavering faith in me is, at times, 
unfathomable.  

I've come to depend on your loyalty, your ability to see much more 
in me than anyone else could, and even moreso  
than I could see myself.  And for that I am forever grateful. 

I have trouble wrapping my mind around it, to make sense of why 
you even bother.  I only wish there was some way that I could make 
up for all that you have given to me and that which I've selfishly 
taken from you.

In reading this, know that I have come to care for you like no 
other.  I'm not sure how, when or why it happened, but I'm not 
going to question it any longer.  

Scully, please go to the park where we always meet.  Follow the 
running path to the far end.  There, you'll see a yellow ribbon 
tied to a tree next to a foot path.  Follow it to a small clearing.  
I'll meet you there at 1:00.

Forever yours,
Mulder

P.S.  Don't forget the file. 



Scully read the letter at least three times before she looked at 
her watch.  12:30; she had just enough time. She glanced at the 
forgotten file, cranked the engine and headed for the park.


* * * * *


In Scully's scientific mind, a battle between excitement of a 
possible case and apprehension of the unknown was spurring 
her faster to her destination.

It had been slow the last couple of weeks in the basement office, 
filling out paperwork and filing expense reports; all of which had 
a two week deadline.

Boredom and repetition came close to sending Scully and Mulder 
to the brink of insanity.  Mulder would, at times, just to relieve 
the tension, play paper basketball or pencil archery.  Needless to 
say, this was not a time to test Scully's patience.

Today, being Friday, had been the deadline and they had managed 
to fill out, file and wrap up all the paperwork in a nice, neat 
package, sending it up to Skinner's office by 5 p.m. the day before.

Mulder had been tired, but had happily wished Scully a good 
evening and headed home.

Scully herself, cleared her desk, locked the door and headed home.

Since it was, indeed, Friday, Scully was looking forward to a quiet 
day alone with a relaxed Mulder and to see what mischief they 
might possibly encounter.

Scully pulled into the park and immediately spotted Mulder's car.  
With the exception of a few mothers and their children and the 
occasional runner, the park was fairly deserted.  But, of course, 
since it was the last day of the work week, it was essentially still 
a work day.

Scully exited her car, file in hand and headed for the bike path.  
As she strolled along, she marveled at what Mother Nature had 
provided for this sunny spring afternoon.  Athough it was just 
past noon, the air was cool and the sky clear.  She breathed in 
the numerous aromas the flowering plants had to offer and she 
smiled, wishing Mulder was by her side.

Scully spotted the yellow ribbon and cautiously scanned the 
surrounding area.  Not a soul in sight.  Heading down the foot 
path, she couldn't help but wonder what Mulder was up to and 
where it would lead them both.  Quite possibly, they'd end up in 
Skinner's office with another dressing down, or dodging another 
disasterous visit to the accountants' office to explain some of the 
X-Files office's more bizarre for expenditures.

The closer Scully got to the clearing Mulder had written about, 
the foot path started to widen.  Her heart began to beat faster, as 
butterflies decided to join the concert and flutter nervously in 
her stomach.

Her pace began to slow, and her feet felt as if she were wearing 
lead shoes.  For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she 
was feeling this way.

Granted, she had been secretly harboring a rather unpartnerly 
infatuation for Mulder, and had been wondering what their 
partnership would be like if feelings and actions were acted upon.  

Their relationship was a unique one.  A partnership that went 
beyond reason or comprehension by those whom they came in 
contact with.  But, those who lurked in the shadows kept those 
feelings safely tucked away.

Scully shook her head and walked to the edge of the clearing.  A 
pallet of golds, reds, blues and greens blended together, making it 
look as though she was walking into a water color painting.   She 
scanned the area for Mulder.

When she spotted him, her knees went weak, threatened to 
buckle and send her plummeting to the ground.

"Oh my God," she breathed softly.


* * * * *
to be continued...

* * * * *
Part 2
* * * * *

Scully walked closer on legs barely able to carry her.  Her 
heart beat faster than she thought was possible. Her eyes 
were riveted to the prone figure lying on the blanket under 
the shaded oak.  Pinpoints of light sifted through the branches 
of the tree lending just enough for the illusion of early dusk, 
or perhaps a candlelit room. 

She paused a couple of feet from him and stood scanning the 
man before her.  White t-shirt, faded blue jeans and well 
defined arms stretched up and hands tucked securely behind 
Mulder's head completed the picture of pure serenity this 
quiet little place offered.  Golden sunlight danced across his 
body when the breeze rustled the branches above.  A picnic 
basket and small cooler sat at his feet.

A delicate pink blush graced her cheeks with the thoughts 
that invaded her mind.  Years of pushing feelings and 
thoughts further into the recesses of her over-analytical 
mind had taken its toll and were now pushing forward 
when she stepped into the clearing.

Years of 'what if' and 'why not' no longer existed in this 
serene world Mulder had intrigued her to join, only to open 
up a whole new set of possibilites.  

What if?  Why not?  

Mulder's soft raspy voice startled Scully out of her reverie.  
Her face felt hot and her heart seemed to skip a beat when 
her eyes slowly met his.

"Hey, Scully."

"Hey,"  she breathed softly.

"Come on and sit down," he said as he sat up to greet her, 
patting the blanket.  "I hope you haven't eaten yet.  I 
brought us lunch.  Thought it might be a nice change to eat 
outdoors since we've been cooped up in the office."  Mulder 
crossed his legs Indian style and opened the basket.

"It's beautiful here, Mulder.  How did you find this place?  
I didn't even know it existed,"  she responded nervously as 
she sat, tossing the file to the side.  She wasn't certain why 
she was nervous, but she'd felt a shift in their relationship 
over the past few months, and this was feeling as if it might 
lead to more than just friendship.  At least, Scully hoped it 
would. Scully trusted Mulder with her life and, down deep, 
had admitted to herself recently she wanted him to be more 
than just her work partner.

"You know me, Scully.  I can't resist a mystery.  Unexplored 
territories; extreme possibilities,"  he replied with a playful 
smile.

"Yes, I do.  Too well sometimes."  Her response was quietly 
spoken with a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Mulder observed her for a moment before he replied.  "Yeah, 
I guess you do.  You hungry, Scully?  I stopped and got your 
favorite.  Turkey, light mustard, run through the garden on 
whole wheat.  Or if you prefer ...,"  he paused dramatically 
while opening the cooler,  "yogurt with fresh strawberries on 
the side and iced tea,"  he quietly finished, peeking at her from 
beneath his lashes.

Scully sat, mouth slightly open and looked in the basket in awe.  
Mulder had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure he had her 
favorites.  She leaned into him and softly pressed her lips to his 
cheek.  

"Thank you, Mulder." Scully's smile grew as she saw Mulder's 
slightly stunned expression for the simple kiss she'd bestowed 
upon him.  "You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me.  
But, I do appreciate it.  I'll have the sandwich.  Looks really 
good," she countered graciously, bowing her head slightly.  
Then sat back and reached for the sandwich.

Mulder lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.  "It's never 
trouble.  Especially when it's for you, Scully," he assured and 
then kissed her lightly at the corner of her mouth.

The hair on the back of her neck tingled and happy little 
shivers ran down her back to the bottom of her feet.  Scully 
touched the corner of her mouth and then pushed an errant 
strand of hair behind her ear.  She bowed her head slightly 
hoping the girlish blush was not apparent.

"I suppose the file you had me get from your apartment was 
just a ruse to get me here."  She picked up the file she had 
tossed aside earlier and handed it to him.

"It worked, didn't it?  Are you upset with me about that, 
Scully?" he innocently asked.  "I didn't know any other way 
without giving away my intentions," he finished, a little 
worried, yet hopeful.

"I'm not upset with you, Mulder.  Really.  I like this outcome 
much better."

They both smiled at each other, then ate their lunch conversing 
comfortably about simple things.  They talked and recalled old 
memories of long-past experiences.  Of picnics at the beach on 
the Vineyard and outings at a local park away from the Naval 
base.

Removed from work, their laughter and smiles came easily in 
the late afternoon and continued as they took a walk down 
another path through the woods.

Dusk brought a breathtaking display of color to the sky as they 
returned from their walk.  Together, they watched the rays of 
the setting sun turn the clouds into glorious shades of gold, pink, 
purple, maroon and innumerable shades inbetween.  Mulder 
shifted behind Scully, slipped his arms around her waist and 
rested his chin lightly on the top of her head.  He pointed to 
the sky to show her the first star of the evening.

She sighed contentedly and leaned back into his firm body.  
Scully closed her eyes and thought back to when she and Ahab 
would gaze at the starlit sky and he would point out the first 
and brightest star of the evening.  Then he would say, "Star 
light, star bright, the first star I see tonight.  I wish I may, I 
wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."  

She knew what her wish would be tonight.  Now, to see if it 
were Mulder's wish as well.

"You know, Mulder, you never told me how you found this 
place,"  she hinted, opening her eyes and continued to gaze 
at the stars.  Scully lifted and crossed her arms, then 
entwined her fingers with his, which were still wrapped 
around her waist and snuggled further into his warm embrace.

"I sometimes like to come out to the park early in the morning 
on the weekends," Mulder explained.  "Last week, I ran out a 
little farther than I usually do, and noticed an opening into the 
trees.  I decided to see where it led me and found this beautiful 
place.  After the last two weeks of paperwork, I was beginning 
to get cabin fever and thought it would be nice to share my find 
with you.  I just knew such a beautiful place was perfect to bring 
a beautiful woman."  Even in the starlit dusk, Mulder could see 
the high color on Scully's cheeks from his compliment.

"Well, I for one, am very pleased and glad you did.  It's so 
peaceful and gorgeous here."  Scully shifted and Mulder 
loosened his arms as she turned.  "Thank you for today, Mulder.  
I think we both needed this," she said as she looked up into his 
warm, sparkling eyes.

Mulder's soft smile grew even wider, happy that he had pleased 
her so.  "I thought we needed it, too.  Do you think this might be 
something you would like to do again?  I mean, we could go 
somewhere else if you had rather...?"  he inquired and with a 
hopeful expression on his very handsome face.

"No, I love this place.  I'd like to come back here again, but I'd 
like to explore ... other ... possibilities as well," she retorted 
playfully, a wicked glint in her eyes.

Mulder looked at her for a moment, trying to gauge her 
seriousness.  Apparently, he liked what he saw and told her 
softly, "I think that can be arranged," he spoke confidently.  
"And, Scully ... I want to kiss you," he continued softly and 
leaning closer to her.  "And not just on the cheek."  His 
expression and the conviction she saw in his eyes bespoke of 
things that set Scully's soul on fire.  When she found herself 
shivering, it wasn't from the cool evening breezes.

"Please," she whispered, and lifted herself up on her toes 
to meet his lips.

Two hearts beat hard and fast.  Two bodies trembled as their 
lips finally touched tentatively, lightly at first, teasing each 
other and themselves. Then the kiss intensified.

Two strong, masculine arms tightened around the small, 
feminine form they held.  Two small hands left a trail of 
goose bumps as they explored slowly, sensuously up and 
down his long, lean back.   

Their lips parted, followed by sighs and gentle smiles.  Mulder 
placed a kiss gently on her temple and rested his forehead 
against hers.  Scully had always found this act to be more 
sensual than any kiss.  Well, almost.  To her, it was their own 
very private, very special bond.

"Are you ready to go?"  Mulder asked, his voice a whisper, 
as he gazed into Scully's blue eyes and felt her tremble. 

"Yeah, I guess I am," she whispered back, desperately hating 
to break their connection and the wonderfully romantic mood 
of the day.

Scully helped Mulder pack up what was left of their outing and 
walked back to their cars, hand in hand.  When they had the car 
packed, he turned to her, pulled her gently to him and kissed her 
again.  She could tell he was reluctant to let her go and she was 
unwilling to let him leave.  

"I miss you, already.  I don't want to let you go," he whispered 
in her ear and placing butterfly kisses across her forehead and 
temple.

"Then don't," she replied with conviction.  She leaned into him, 
reached up, kissed him again as she slid her arms around his 
waist and hugged him tightly.

Scully didn't know how this day would end, but letting him go 
now seemed to be a mistake for which she might never forgive 
herself.  Mulder had made the overture; it was now her move 
and she prayed he had taken her simple but meaningful words 
seriously.  

Mulder pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes.  "I'll 
follow you," Mulder told her, then added, "anywhere, 
Scully ... anywhere."

Those words had so many meanings for her.  And coming from 
Fox Mulder, they meant so, so much more.

Scully nodded, released him and started for her car.

She looked back over her shoulder, certain he was watching 
her, and smiled.

"I know you will."

Scully and Mulder left their park and, into the starlit night, 
headed into the unknown, separately, but forever together.

* * 
The End
* *

Well, if you made it to the end, tell me what you think?  Would 
love to hear what you think. 

xphilernj@aol.com