|
Title: Double Occupancy Summary: Two strangers enter Mulder and Scully's lives and unwittingly bring disaster. Author's Note:This is for Dee, who got me started--and for Marina, whose invaluable support and encouragement keeps me going.....Danke! And a special thank you to Char for her constructive criticism which inspired me to do better "Every fictioneer re-invents the world because the facts, things or people of the received world are unacceptable." Geoffrey Wolff Ralph and Alice stood to one side of the motel's reception desk, carefully studying each couple that came in to register. Their mission had so far proven unsuccessful, and they were becoming increasingly despondent. Just before their cut-off time of midnight, a couple walked in--the tall, handsome man holding the door open for the petite, redheaded beauty. Alice looked at Ralph and said, "Bingo." The couple trudged wearily up to the front desk. The man drummed absent-mindedly on the desktop, looking around the room in boredom, while the redhead checked in with Joyce, the night manager of the motel. Alice drew closer to the woman to read over her shoulder and the woman shuddered, as if sensing Alice's presence. "Oh no.......Ralph!" Alice exclaimed as she read the register, "They're getting *two* rooms.......and they're not married, either....." She read aloud from the register, "'Dana Scully'..........'Fox Mulder'........damn!" "Well, they *are* dressed like they're on some kinda business....travelling salesmen, maybe?.." Ralph replied. "Maybe." "Well, we can't choose them, then.....it wouldn't be right." "I guess not," Alice said sadly. The red-haired woman thanked Joyce and turned to her companion, watching him for a moment in concern. She moved closer to him and put a hand on his arm, speaking to him in a soft voice. "You okay, Mulder?" "Yeah, just wiped out.....I'll be alright." He gave her a tired half-smile; then his eyes swept over her face, almost imperceptibly. The look captured Alice's attention instantly. "Wait a minute, Ralph....there's more to these two than just business.....I can *feel* it--the vibes are unmistakable!" "Woman's intuition, huh?" Ralph teased her. "You know I'm *never* wrong about these things, Ralphie---" "I know that, baby.....okay. You win. They're the ones." "He's going into Room 121....but wait until I get there before you do anything---it's my turn to start this time, remember?" "I remember, baby," Ralph said, then looked at Alice with growing excitement. "I can't *wait*." "Me either, sweetheart." They stared at each other, their eyes shining in devotion--then they vanished into the air. Scully said goodnight to Mulder and opened the door to her motel room, the one next to his. She dropped her overnight case onto the bed and stripped her clothes off, dropping them carelessly on the floor as she headed directly for the shower in the bathroom. She set the shower temperature to as hot as she could stand and stepped in. As she stood under the hot spray she leaned her head against the tile wall, her eyes closing in fatigue. She suddenly felt an odd chill and a panicked sense of suffocation--then she lost all awareness as the ghost of Alice Marshall took possession of her body. Alice knocked on the door of Room 121, wrapping the trenchcoat tighter around her to keep out the chill of the night air. The man opened the door and glanced at her only briefly before turning away, leaving the door ajar for her to follow. "C'mon in.....you havin' trouble sleeping too?" he asked, sitting down in an armchair next to the bed and picking up a file he'd been reading. She walked up to where he was sitting and stood over him, slowly undoing the belt on the trenchcoat. "Yeah," she whispered in Dana Scully's voice. "Scully?" The man looked up at her in shock as Alice slipped off the raincoat to reveal her host body wearing nothing but a bra and panties. She heard his sharp intake of breath when she sat on his lap and ran her fingers through his thick, silky hair. He had very nice hair. He also had beautiful lips, and a strong jawline just starting to show signs of stubble. Very sexy. She decided to begin there. She put her arms around his neck and leaned in, starting a trail of kisses along his jawline. She felt his arms come around her in a tentative embrace, his hands moving lightly over her back. "Scully?" he repeated, his voice now thick with arousal. When Alice sat up and looked into the man's face, she saw that his eyes had changed color, grown darker. She put her palm against his cheek, thrilled at how hot his skin felt. Oh yeah.....this was gonna be *good*. She and Ralph had learned from years of experience that the more passion the host couple felt for each other, the more intense their lovemaking would be. And this man was on fire for the woman in his arms. The man's fingers were sliding slowly through her hair as he stared into her eyes in open adoration. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her towards him to kiss her forehead. Alice was surprised to feel his fingers trembling against her face as he gently kissed each of her closed eyelids, then the tip of her nose. He was being so tender with his lover that tears almost came to Alice's eyes. This Dana Scully was one lucky woman. Alice was already regretting that she and Ralph could have only one night with these host bodies. The man brushed his lips almost shyly against hers, then kissed her softly. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down lightly, then sucked. The man moaned and grabbed her head more firmly. His next kiss was much deeper than the first; his mouth opened and his tongue sought hers. Alice raised her hand to give Ralph the signal, and he moved towards them from the corner where he'd been watching. She felt the exact moment when Ralph took control of his host body--his kiss was much rougher and his hands moved instantly to her breasts to pinch the tips sharply through her bra. Alice yelped into his mouth with a giggle and pulled away. Ralph followed her gaze as she looked across the room and into the large mirror over the bureau, where they were able to see a reflection of their real selves. "Hi, baby," Ralph smiled at her reflection. "Hi, baby," she smiled back. The next morning, Ralph and Alice lay in each other's arms, watching the sun rise outside the window with mounting sadness. "It's time," Ralph said. Tears sprang to Alice's eyes. "I wish we could stay longer....just for another day--" "You know that's not possible, sweet baby---we can't do that." He spoke very softly, trying to soften the blow. Alice sniffled. "I know............." They held each other tightly for a long moment before Alice turned her face to Ralph's and pressed her lips to his for one last kiss. Then they each relinquished control of their host bodies and returned to their natural forms. They headed for the door, turning back for a final look at the sleeping lovers who lay with their arms around each other, the man nuzzling the woman's hair unconsciously. Ralph and Alice smiled at each other and dissolved through the front door. Scully woke up with the startled, disoriented realization that: - She wasn't alone; - She wasn't wearing any clothes; - Her lower body ached with the symptoms of a strenuous session of lovemaking; - She had no idea how or why or even what exactly had happened. Without even glancing up at the equally naked man nibbling on her hair in his sleep, she *knew* it was Mulder--the long, slender fingers resting on her stomach were as instantly recognizable to her as her own. Son of a *bitch*! She pushed at Mulder's body as she moved away from him quickly, grabbing the blanket to wrap around herself modestly. "Wha? What is it?" Mulder said breathlessly, waking with a start. He sat up and looked over at Scully, immediately overcome with confusion. He didn't know how they'd gotten to this point--he couldn't remember anything after they'd kissed last night. He smiled faintly at the memory, but the disconcerting feeling nagged at him. Why couldn't he remember anything else? How could he have blanked out on something so significant? His smile disappeared completely when he saw the fury on Scully's face as she glared at him. "What the hell happened here last night?" "Excuse me?" he stared at her in bewilderment. Was she telling him she didn't remember any of it either? A knot of dread formed in Mulder's stomach as alarm bells went off in his head. This was bad. Really bad. Then it got a whole helluva lot worse. "How could you have come in here while I was asleep and done this to me?" As soon as the words left Scully's mouth, she knew she was dead wrong--it couldn't possibly be true--but it was too late to take it back. Mulder's eyes narrowed dangerously, his face turning scarlet. "You think I came into your room and had sex with you while you slept?....Is that what you think of me?" His voice trembled with barely contained rage. Without waiting for her reply, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his clothes on the floor, putting on his underwear, t-shirt and sweatpants with quick, jerky movements. "No! I......I don't know *what* to think, Mulder. I wake up from a sound sleep and find you in here in my bed and.......and........." Scully stammered, looking away from him in embarrassment. She could not only feel the aftermath of sex in her tired muscles, she could *smell* it; the two of them reeked of it. It was undeniable. "It's obvious *something* happened----" "I don't fucking believe this," Mulder whispered hoarsely, bending over double to hold his head in his hands. He stared between his knees at the threadbare carpet, feeling an overwhelming urge to puke. If Scully had kicked him in the balls, it couldn't have hurt worse than this. All of Scully's anger and doubt vanished as she looked at Mulder, his body hunched in misery. She touched his shoulder timidly. "Mulder?" she asked quietly. "Mulder.....look at me." He shrugged her hand off abruptly and stood up. Grabbing his wallet and car keys off the nightstand and his sneakers off the floor, he rushed towards the door. "Mulder--wait....I trust you...I just need to know what happened..." Scully followed him on rubbery legs, nearly tripping on the blanket still wrapped around her. Mulder paused at the open door and turned to look at Scully coldly. "Just for the record, Scully, I didn't come to you last night---*you* came to *me*. This is *my* room." He walked out, slamming the door loudly in Scully's shocked face. A moment later she heard the squeal of tires as Mulder sped out of the motel parking lot in their rental car. She turned back to face the room, her stomach churning when she saw Mulder's opened suitcase on the floor next to the bed, its contents spilling out haphazardly. Mulder had been telling her the truth---this was *his* room, not hers. She had come to him and they had made love. Then why couldn't she remember it? The only thing she *could* remember was being so exhausted that she'd begun to fall asleep in the shower. She wondered doubtfully if she had suffered a somnambulistic episode. A sudden, sickening thought occurred to her. She brought her hand back to feel the spot on her neck where the implant was imbedded and swore under her breath. Could she have been manipulated to come to Mulder's room and make love to him? Had "they" done this to them purposely, surmising that the resulting confusion might turn them against each other and destroy their partnership? It seemed cruelly plausible to her. She went into the bathroom with tears blurring her vision. Scully emerged from the bathroom draped in a large towel, another wrapped around her freshly washed hair turban style. She halted with a start when she saw a young couple sitting together on one of the double beds. They looked as if they'd just stumbled into the room after a Grateful Dead concert. Both had long, straight hair to their shoulders and were dressed in sixties' hippie clothing, the young man wearing a tie-dyed shirt and faded jeans, the girl in a long peasant-style dress. "Jesus, you scared me! You're in the wrong room---" "No, Miss Scully, we came to see *you*...." "What do you want?" A twinge of apprehension went through her as she wrapped the towel more securely around herself. The young girl looked at Scully solemnly. "It's about last night......we wanted to explain what happened to you and Mr. Mulder---" "What? What are you talking about?" Scully could hear the edge of panic in her voice as she wondered where Mulder had hidden his gun. "Please, Miss Scully, don't be afraid of us.....we're not here to hurt you or frighten you...we just want to make things right--" "Who are you?" "My name's Alice....this is my old man, Ralph. We live here at the River's Edge." Scully was scanning the room, wondering where in hell her clothes were; she felt uncomfortably vulnerable talking to these odd strangers wearing simply a bathtowel. She went over to Mulder's suitcase and picked out a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants; they would have to temporarily suffice. "I'm going to get dressed and then I want to know what's going on........excuse me," she said awkwardly and went back into the bathroom. She came out a moment later, Mulder's clothes swimming on her small frame, and stood over the couple with folded arms, demanding their explanation. "I'm not really sure where to begin---" Alice said timidly and turned to Ralph. "Honey, do you want to tell her?" "Are you afraid of ghosts, Miss Scully?" Ralph said. "Why would you ask me that?" "Because.......we're ghosts." Scully rolled her eyes. Nice try, Mulder. "Oh, I get it now.......Mulder sent you in here, right? What is he, hiding outside the door?" "No!" Alice said, "It's not a joke......we're ghosts, me and Ralphie. We don't just live here at the motel.....we *died* here." "I'm supposed to believe that?" "It's true, I can prove it to you." Scully's eyes grew wide as Alice began to dematerialize until she was almost completely invisible. Then she reappeared. "Do you believe me now?" "Oh my God," Scully whispered. She brushed her fingers nervously through her still-wet hair then closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. She opened her eyes and faced the apparitions. "Alright........let's assume I believe you. What does this have to do with me and Mulder?" "Do you remember being in the shower last night and feeling a weird sensation?....did you suddenly feel cold even though the water was hot?" Alice asked her. Scully flushed. "You were watching me in the shower?" "No!.....I wasn't watching you....I........I don't really know how to put this....." "Just *tell* me!" Scully exclaimed impatiently. "While you were in the shower, I took temporary possession of your body." Scully's arms went around herself in an unconscious protective gesture as chills ran through her body. "Why? Why would you do that?" Before Alice could answer, Scully's mouth dropped open in shock as realization dawned on her. "It was *you*........you came to this room last night in my body." Alice nodded her head. The color drained from Scully's face as she sank down on the bed opposite the couple. "What happened here last night? I have to know," Scully said faintly, dreading the answer. "I knocked on the door and Mr. Mulder let me in....he thought I was you.....then he sat down in that chair, " Alice pointed to the chair next to the bed. "Then what?" "I sat on his lap and kissed him." "You *kissed* him? What did he do?" "He kissed me back." "And then you made love.........." Scully put her hands over her eyes, her voice choked with tears. "How could you do this? You have no idea what you've done---" "But I *didn't* make it with him, I swear! We only kissed a coupla times before Ralphie took over his body." Scully took her hands from her eyes and stared at Alice and Ralph. "So it was actually the two of *you* that......that..." "*Did it*?" Ralph grinned at her. "Yeah." "Using *our* bodies?" "Yeah," Alice said dreamily. "It was sooo good too. You two must be really dynamite in bed, I can tell---" Scully let out a sarcastic bark of laughter and shook her head. "We're not lovers." "You're *not*?" Alice said in shock. Scully shook her head again. "Mulder is my partner........and my friend." "Your *partner*? You two own a business together or something?" "We're special agents with the FBI." "Oh, shit....Feds!" Ralph said. He turned to Alice. "So much for your vibes, babe." "Oh my God, Miss Scully we are so *so* sorry! We would never have done what we did if we knew you weren't together.....I could have *sworn* you were----" "Why did you assume that?" "We saw you two checking in at the front office and I just *knew* it.....I felt it....and when we kissed, I could tell he was really turned on." "Turned on?" "Oh *yeah*.......and he was so gentle with me, it was really sweet. He *worships* you, Miss Scully........or can I call you 'Dana'?" "No!" Scully felt a sharp pang of jealousy that a stranger had had an experience with Mulder that belonged rightfully to her. She roughly wiped away a tear that was trailing down her cheek. "Didn't you know how he feels about you?" Alice asked softly. "Doesn't he know you dig him, too?" Scully shrugged one shoulder lightly. "We don't really talk about it." "Why not?" Scully frowned. "Never mind about that, it's none of your business......I want to know why the hell you did this to us!" she snapped defensively. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy. You have a right to know everything, Miss Scully, so I'll start at the beginning.......... Ralphie and I spent our wedding night here at the motel....just a few doors down in Room 114. We eloped, 'cuz my parents were giving us alot of hassle about being too young to get married.....I was 17 and Ralphie was 19. Anyway, we came here right from the Justice of the Peace and celebrated our wedding--just the two of us......and we were having a great time, right baby?" She smiled affectionately at Ralph, who smiled back. "Yeah, we did.....the best." Alice continued. "We had a cheap bottle of champagne and some take-out Chinese food with chopsticks and a chocolate cake....we spread it out on the bed and had a honeymoon picnic.......and then we made love for hours......" Alice's thin youthful voice trailed off as she stared into space wistfully, lost in her memories. "And what happened to you? How did you.........?" Scully asked, caught up in their story despite herself. Alice looked forlorn. "It was such a stupid way to die, really......so careless.....we fell asleep and accidentally left a cigarette burning on the bed." "Actually....it wasn't a cigarette," Ralph said sheepishly. "Ralph!" Alice scolded. "Ah, c'mon Ally, what's she gonna do---bust us?" he grinned, then turned to Scully. "It was a joint." Scully had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from smiling. She wished more than anything that Mulder was here with them. He would have loved this. "I still don't understand why you possessed our bodies. What gave you the right to do that?" Alice answered, "Ever since we died, we have remained here......and once a year on our wedding anniversary, we choose a couple and inhabit their bodies so that we can celebrate our honeymoon night again. It's the only way we can physically be together. And we always choose people that we can tell really dig each other, so we didn't think we were hurting anybody.............. Yesterday would have been our 30th wedding anniversary.....and we didn't think we were going to get to celebrate it because all the couples we saw coming in were either businessmen with hookers--or people with kids--or cranky-looking couples---or just plain *awful* ones. And then you and Mr. Mulder walked in and we knew we found our couple.......at least we *thought* we did." Alice lowered her head guiltily. Ralph said, "We were outside your room this morning and we heard what Mr. Mulder said to you in the doorway and then we saw him slam the door in your face and drive off looking really pissed, and me and Ally felt so guilty, man......we couldn't believe it." Scully rubbed her temples wearily. "When I woke up, I was so confused I thought this was *my* room and that Mulder had come in here while I was asleep......and because I couldn't remember a damn thing about last night, I got angry and accused him of something he didn't even do....oh, God........" "We are so sorry, Miss Scully.......I wish we'd never done this to you." Alice said sadly. Ralph said, "Well now that you know what really happened, you can explain everything to him when he comes back.." *If* he comes back, Scully thought. "Why don't *you* explain it to him?" she asked. "I want him to see you. And he would *want* to see you---trust me." "We can't do that, Miss Scully," Ralph replied. "We're not supposed to show ourselves to the living----we only came to you specially because we realized we'd done something wrong and we had to fix it. We can't appear to anyone else....not even Mr. Mulder. I'm sorry." "Great," Scully sighed. "He'll just have to take your word for it." Scully smiled ironically. "Well, he's asked me to believe stranger things than this...." She sighed again and looked out the window. "I just wish I knew where he was...I don't even know how to reach him--he left his phone behind." Alice said, "We'll keep you company until he comes back, if you'd like..." Scully stood up. "No. I'm gonna go back to my own room now and I'd rather be alone.......thank you anyway." "Oh....okay. Well, I guess we should say goodbye then," Alice said, and she and Ralph stood up to leave. Scully felt a chill as Alice stepped close to her. "Miss Scully, we are truly so sorry for the trouble we caused you and Mr. Mulder....we never meant to hurt anyone. And if it's any consolation to you at all, you made me and Ralph very happy.......last night was the best honeymoon night we've had since the first one. It meant so much to us, I can't tell you how much....." "Yeah, thank you for helping me and Ally be together.........I hope you'll forgive us," Ralph said contritely. Scully looked at their young, innocent faces and her heart ached for what they'd lost. She couldn't stay angry with them. "I still don't approve of what you've done but I understand why you did it........I'll make Mulder understand it too....it will be alright." "Oh, thank you Miss Scully!" Alice said. "You can call me Dana." "Thanks, Dana. Goodbye." Alice smiled at her and turned to Ralph. "Let's go, baby." "Ok......'bye Dana......Peace," Ralph said, flashing Scully the peace sign before he and Alice dissolved through the front door. Mulder downed his sixth straight shot of whiskey and stared morosely into space. He was sitting in a dank, decrepit biker bar called Norton's, the first place he'd come across when the rental car had finally run out of gas somewhere in New Jersey and he'd abandoned it, getting out to walk aimlessly. He didn't even know where the fuck he was. He didn't even care. The place wasn't much to look at, but the bartender was his new best friend. Obviously graced with years of experience, the bartender had taken one look at Mulder when he'd sat dejectedly on a barstool in front of him and said, "Trouble with the little woman, huh?" If Mulder hadn't felt so much like dying, he would have laughed at the unintentional double meaning of the bartender's question. Instead he pulled two twenty-dollar bills out of his wallet, put them on the bar and mumbled, "Whiskey." The bartender had poured Mulder a shot then put the bottle down next to the shotglass wordlessly and walked away, leaving Mulder to drown his sorrows in peace. A man after his own heart. As Mulder stared down at the dark, beer-soaked bar, he had a sudden clear vision of Scully so startling he nearly moaned out loud. She was nude and on top of him in a bed, making love to him with such fierce abandon that it stole his breath. Her skin was flushed pink and slick with the sweat of her exertion, and her lips were parted as she emitted short, panting, highly sexual moans. When she paused to catch her breath, he took his left hand off Scully's hip and reached up to trace her exquisite lips with his fingers. She grabbed his hand and drew his index finger into her mouth, sliding it suggestively in and out, her eyes dazed with lust and fixed on his. Just as suddenly as the vision had come, it was gone, leaving Mulder slumped over the bar with a raging hard-on and more miserable and confused than before. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed under his breath, completely shaken. He straightened back up, poured his seventh shot of whiskey and brought it to his lips to down it, getting most of it into his mouth with a surprising amount of coordination for someone as drunk as he was. As he wiped away the bit that was spilling down his chin with the back of his arm, he heard a female voice next to him say, "Buy a girl a drink?" He turned his face to see who was talking, nearly colliding head on with a pair of enormous breasts squeezed into a tiny black Harley-Davidson tank top at least two sizes too small for the wearer. He raised his head to see a bleached blonde, Pamela Anderson wannabe that he could've sworn he'd seen in one of his videos--maybe "Debbie Does The Hell's Angels"? He looked at her blankly. "You talkin' to me?" "Yeah, I *said*, do you wanna buy me a drink?" she smiled at him brightly, sticking her chest closer to his face. He shook his head. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather be alone right now." He turned away to face forward again. She sat on the stool next to his and boldly ran her hand up his thigh. "Aw, come on.....you're kinda cute---" Mulder pushed her hand away, his attempt at being polite gone. "You wanna peddle it somewhere else, lady? I said I'm not interested!" She leaned over and hissed in his ear, "Faggot!" and slid off the stool to walk away. Just as Mulder thought his day couldn't get any worse, he heard the woman call loudly, "Hey, Jack! Come 'ere--quick!" Out of the corner of his eye, Mulder saw a huge, hairy tank of a man barreling towards them. "What is it, Audrey?" The woman thumped Mulder on the shoulder. "This guy just tried to grab my tits!" Jack and Mulder yelled simultaneously, "*What*???!!!" Jack grabbed Mulder by the back of his t-shirt and yanked him off the barstool. "Hey asshole, this is *my* woman!" "She's lying! I didn't touch her!" Mulder protested, struggling to regain his balance in Jack's vise-like grip. As Jack brought his fist back to punch Mulder, Mulder kneed him sharply in the groin and Jack dropped him, grimacing in pain. "Now I'm gonna fucking *KILL* you!" Jack wheezed through gasps for breath. With false bravado fueled by alcohol, Mulder put his fists up in a fighting stance. "I'm right here, fatboy....let's go." Every patron in the bar instantly stopped whatever they were doing to watch eagerly. The bartender surreptitiously picked up the phone to call the police. Jack threw the first punch, his ham-sized fist connecting solidly with Mulder's nose and dropping him where he stood. As Mulder lay on the floor feeling his blood pour down his face, all he could think was: "This is *all* Scully's fault......." Scully was pacing the motel room with growing panic when her cell phone finally rang at 6:18 p.m.. "Mulder?" she breathed into it in relief. "Agent Scully, what the *hell* is going on out there?" A.D. Skinner's voice boomed through the phone. Scully closed her eyes and mouthed "Shit", then said aloud, "Sir?" "I just got a call from the Sheriff's office in Meadowsville, New Jersey. They're holding one Special Agent Fox Mulder in custody on a Drunk and Disorderly." Oh, Jesus. "Sir...I....." "Scully, I don't want to hear it..." She could almost hear Skinner's teeth grinding in anger. "Just get there and bail him out. I'm giving you until tomorrow to get your stories straight---I want to see you both in my office at 9 a.m. Is that clear?" "Yessir," she replied weakly. The line at Skinner's end clicked off. Scully took a few deep breaths to calm down. At least he was alive. And safe. Five hours later, Scully walked into the Meadowsville Sheriff's office. Serving the small population of the town of Meadowsville, it had only two holding cells and one deputy on duty. The deputy got to his feet and swept his eyes approvingly over Scully as she approached his desk. "What can I do for *you*, little lady?" he tipped his hat and smiled at her. Scully heard a sarcastic cackle of laughter come from one of the holding cells. Mulder. "I'm here for Fox Mulder.....I was told that he's being detained here pending bail. How much does he owe?" "Oh yeah....the D&D....that would be $250, cash only." Scully pulled out her wallet and counted out the cash. The deputy pocketed the money and had Scully sign a release form. Then he took a large ring of keys off the desk and approached the farthest cell. "Alrighty, Mr. Mulder! You've been given your walking papers," the deputy said cheerfully. Scully walked up to the cell and peered in. Mulder was sitting on the cot, running a hand through disheveled hair that was sticking up in all directions. She could clearly see that he'd been in a fight---he had a cut on his nose that was starting to scab, the beginning of a black eye and a bruise on one cheek. Blotches of dried blood stained the front of his t-shirt. Guilt stabbed at her when she met his bleary eyes for a moment and he looked away. "I'm not going with this woman," Mulder said to the deputy sourly. "I don't even know her." "Well she posted your bail so we're releasing you into her custody---have a nice life," the deputy replied, swinging open the cell door and gesturing that Mulder should get out. Mulder left the cell and brushed by Scully, purposely ignoring her. He followed the deputy to his desk to collect his wallet and keys then walked out of the sheriff's station without a word. Scully followed, walking towards the car she'd rented to get to Meadowsville. She got in the car, started it and slowly drove up beside Mulder, who was trudging up the road. She rolled her window down. "Come on Mulder. Get in the car....I'm taking you home." "I don't need you to get home. I didn't call you," Mulder said obstinately, still walking. "No--you didn't--Skinner called me in a rage and ordered me to come get you." She drove slowly enough to keep pace with him. "Mulder, come on. I've just driven almost four hours at top speed to get here as soon as I could......get in the car." "Too fuckin' bad," he murmured, still refusing to look at her. Scully sighed to herself, then spoke aloud. "Mulder, I understand why you're angry and I don't blame you--but if you'll stop and let me talk to you, I can explain why neither of us can remember last night." Mulder halted abruptly with his back to her. Scully brought the car to a stop. "Get in and I'll tell you everything on the way," she said quietly. Mulder finally turned to look at her. "No....you come out here and tell me what happened and then I'll think about getting in the car." Scully turned the car ignition off and got out. Mulder leaned against the car with his arms folded, staring at her defiantly. Scully stood in front of Mulder with her arms also folded, aching to touch him but knowing he would rebuff her angrily. "Mulder.....what I'm going to tell you will sound ridiculous and highly implausible, but it's the truth and you have to promise me you'll listen with an open mind." "Like *you* always do," he said with bitter sarcasm. "Mulder....promise me." When he noticed that Scully was stubbornly blinking back tears, Mulder's face softened and his reply was much less harsh. "Alright....I'm listening." Scully told him everything about Ralph and Alice Marshall down to the last detail, including the fatal burning joint. As she spoke, she could see the sparkle of amusement lighting up Mulder's eyes, and although she could tell he was trying to hide it, she knew she had him. When she finally finished speaking, Mulder looked at her silently, his arms still folded, his tongue poking at the inside of his cheek. "*Well*?" Scully said in exasperation. "You expect me to believe that?" She could tell by his light tone of voice that he believed her but wasn't letting her off the hook yet. "Yes I do, Mulder...it's the truth." "Where's your proof, Agent Scully?" "I just *told* you why I can't give you any proof. You either believe me or you don't. There's nothing else I can do or say." She stepped closer to him and touched the cut on his nose gingerly. "Well at least it's not broken," she murmured. He winced in pain but made no move to stop her examination, so she continued. She ran her fingers lightly over the bruise on his cheek and made a "tsking" sound. "If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy---owww!" he winced again when she touched the purple-black mark under his eye. She ran her hand down his right arm and picked up his hand, studying the small cuts on each knuckle. It was obvious to Scully that he'd been brought directly to the jail without being given any medical attention. Guilty tears threatened to spill over again. "Oh Mulder...I'm so sorry," she said softly, squeezing his hand lightly. "I shouldn't have doubted you even for a moment.......but can you understand now why I did?" Mulder's eyes turned serious and he nodded. "Yeah....I do. 's okay, Scully." He squeezed her hand back. Scully shivered when the night breeze suddenly grew stronger. "You cold?" She let go of his hand and rubbed her arms. "Yeah...a little." "C'mere." He ran his hands over her upper arms and coaxed her to come closer. When she did, he put his arms around her in a warm embrace. She put her arms around his waist to hug back and he dropped his head wearily onto her shoulder. When they separated, Mulder saw Scully crinkle her nose unconsciously and he dropped his arms in embarrassment. "Sorry.....guess I smell kinda ripe, huh?" Scully grasped the front of his t-shirt and tugged on it gently to bring his face down close to hers. "I don't care," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips. He kissed back solidly and his arms went around her again. They opened their mouths at the same time and their tongues entwined. Mulder tasted like an Irish coffee, Scully thought---whiskey mixed with strong coffee and sugar. "Mmmmmm..coffee," she smiled against his lips when they paused for air. "Deputy makes a mean cuppa Joe." He grinned back. They kissed again, Scully finishing the kiss by biting down gently on Mulder's bottom lip. When she leaned in to kiss Mulder again, he looked at her oddly and put a hand up to stop her. "Wait a minute......." "What is it?" "How do I know you're really Scully and not Alice?" Scully knew he was joking, but she could see a wary look in his eyes. She rubbed her hand against his roughly-stubbled cheek. "It's really me, Mulder.......I don't know what I can do to prove it to you." "Tell me something that only you and I would know.....something personal, that no one else could possibly know about us." "Alright....give me a second to think." He watched as her face suddenly lit up. "Okay...I've got it. About four weeks ago, you taught me how to hit a baseball. You told me it was a very early or very late birthday present." Mulder knew immediately that this was Scully, but he wanted to hear more. "Go on....," he said. "Oh come on, Mulder, you *know* it's me----" "I'm not sure that's enough to convince me.....tell me more. I need details." "A little boy was pitching us the balls.....you called him Poorboy. You told me the correct way to hit a baseball is to bring your hips forward first, then your hands, and you made me repeat it to you. And you kept trying to hog the bat." He stifled a smile. "What else?" Scully let out a frustrated breath. She knew Mulder was deliberately prolonging this just to annoy her. "Afterwards, we went for ice cream. We went to Friendly's because you insisted that I get 'real ice cream not that stuff that tastes like Elmer's glue', I believe were your exact words." She started to shiver again, this time because Mulder had brought his hands up to her hair and was running his fingers through it while he listened. "What did we order?" he asked in a low voice, moving his hands to either side of her face. "Ummmm.....you ordered a hot fudge sundae and I ordered a vanilla chocolate chip cone," she answered breathlessly. "And?" he murmured against her skin as he kissed her cheek. She started breathing faster as he began placing soft kisses randomly on her face. "Mmm....and...you made a perverted remark about wanting to lick my cone and I kicked you under the table." She paused to gulp for breath; his feather-light kisses were turning her to jelly. "And you complained the next day that.....uh.....hmmm....you had a bruise on your shin but I knew you were lying because I didn't kick you *that* hard and mmmmmmmm....." She had to stop talking when Mulder reached her lips. As she raked her fingers through his hair and deepened the kiss, she heard Alice's voice in her head saying, "He *worships* you, Miss Scully." One of Mulder's hands moved back into Scully's hair while his other arm wrapped around her body to hold her tighter against him. When he pressed his pelvis into hers, Scully knew it was time to leave before things got out of control right on the street in the sleepy little town of Meadowsville. "We've gotta go," she murmured against his lips. "*No*....." he moaned, now kissing her frantically, "Want you......I want you......." Scully gasped into his mouth when he bumped deliberately against her pelvis again. She broke off their kiss reluctantly and smoothed down her jacket, trying to regain her composure. "Let's go Mulder, " she tried to sound authoritative. "I want to take you home and get you cleaned up....that cut on your nose is at risk of infection." "Killjoy," he mumbled in disappointment when Scully walked around to the passenger side door and opened it. "Get in, Mulder....I'll drive so you can rest." He walked over to where she was holding the door open and stood in front of her, staring at her with a curious smile on his face. "What?...What are you staring at?" she asked him self-consciously. "I smudged your lipstick....it's all over the place," he answered, sounding pleased with himself for a thorough job. Scully's sarcastic retort died in her throat when Mulder brought his fingers up to delicately trace her bottom lip, his eyes growing serious. She was hit with a sudden overpowering image of making love to Mulder, straddling him while he touched her lips reverently in just this same way. He was watching her intently, his gaze a mix of desire, devotion and wonder. Scully saw herself taking Mulder's finger into her mouth and licking it, eliciting a guttural moan of pleasure from him. The image ended there. It was as fleeting as trying to remember a dream, but she realized it was more than that. She was somehow recovering a memory from the previous night....she was sure of it. She took hold of Mulder's hand at her lips and slid his finger into her mouth, watching his face carefully as his eyes grew wide and his breath came in shudders. His other hand tangled into her hair and his fingers rubbed her ear as he let out a moan. "This happened before, Scully," he said in a shaking voice. "I know," she whispered, kissing his finger as she slid it back out of her mouth. She looked up at him. "I remember it." With a grunt, Mulder pinned her against the car with his body and began kissing her again. "Oh, God," she breathed when his lips trailed down to her neck, losing herself in the sensation. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the deputy peeking through his office window at them. "Mulder......*Mulder*!" She tugged on his t-shirt to get his attention. "Hmmmm?" His voice vibrated against her neck. He lifted one hand up to cup her breast, his thumb brushing against her nipple. "Jesus!" she groaned, moving his hand away. "The deputy's watching us, Mulder...if he comes out here, he's gonna arrest us for public lewdness...." "It'll be worth it....long as he puts us in the same cell." Mulder chuckled to himself softly, his lips still at her neck. "Shit, here he comes!" she said in a panicked voice. She pushed Mulder away and banged the passenger door shut. She opened the back door, shoving Mulder towards it. "Get in! We've gotta go *now*." Scully slammed the car door as soon as Mulder got in and ran around to get into the driver's seat, starting the car and driving away quickly before the deputy could reach them. She blew out a relieved breath when she looked in the rear view mirror and saw the deputy turning back into the building. She met Mulder's questioning eyes in the mirror. "What am I doing in the back seat, Scully? Is this some kinda kinky role-playing game? Like I'm a filthy rich playboy and you're my sexy, devoted chauffeur? Sounds like fun----" "No!" Scully let out a shocked laugh. "I want you to stretch out and relax, Mulder...it's a long drive back." She wouldn't say that she preferred him in the back seat because she didn't know how long she'd be able to keep her hands off him if he were sitting right next to her. She was liable to crash the car and get them both killed if she didn't concentrate on the road. The further Mulder was out of her reach, the better. "Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. He sighed and stared out the window for a few minutes, then shifted over and rested his chin on the back of the seat next to Scully, watching her drive. "Hey Scully?" "Yeah?" "We just passed a motel....let's go back and check in...it's gonna take us forever to get home." "A *motel*?? After what happened last night?" Scully shot him an incredulous look. "Absolutely not." Mulder moved over a bit on his seat. His hand snaked around Scully's neck and his fingers dipped down the front of her blouse, as far as he could reach. Scully bit down on her lip and tried not to swerve into oncoming traffic. "Mulder...stop it......" "Pull over Scully......*anywhere*.....down the nearest dark alley.....I can't wait until we get home, I don't think I can hold out that long." The sexy gravel in Mulder's seductive voice was making a persuasive argument for her to stop the car immediately and leap into the back seat on top of him. But Scully was adamant.... this wasn't the way she wanted their first real time to be. She had to stay strong. Even if it killed her. She took one hand off the wheel and gently removed Mulder's hand from her throat. "Mulder....when we make love, I want it to be in my nice, soft, ghost-free bed after a long, hot shower," she said quietly but firmly. Mulder gulped at the sudden image of humping Scully in his bathtub, pushing her roughly against the tiled wall while a hot shower spray washed over them both. It was one of his favorite fantasies. Oh shit. "Scully if that's supposed to be calming my libido, it's not working." He put his forehead down on the seat in front of him and let out a whimper. "Well how about *this* then: Skinner wants to see both of us in his office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning..." she glanced at her watch, "I mean *this* morning...with a rational explanation of why you were picked up on a drunk and disorderly in the middle of nowhere, New Jersey." Mulder slumped in defeat against the backseat with a groan. "Oh, Christ. Yeah, that did it." Scully met his eyes in the mirror again. "So, what are you gonna tell him?" "What are *you* gonna tell him?" She shrugged. "I don't know, Mulder....we've got about 5 hours to think of something---" Mulder groaned again. It was gonna be a *long* ride home. End |