Title:  ONE WORD (1/1)
Author:  jesse  (jesse.bee@mailcity.com)
Rating:  PG-13
Category:  V, A, MSR, mild UST
Spoilers:  FTF - unabashed flickfic
Summary:  Scully forces the issue
Disclaimer:  20th Century Fox, Chris Carter, and 1013 Productions own
the rights to THE X-FILES.  No copyright infringement is intended.
Archive:  If you like the thing that much--sure!  Go for it.  Just 
let me know.
Feedback:  PLEASE.  It reminds me I'm alive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ONE WORD
jesse022799


Two weeks.

Two weeks for life to change almost beyond recognition.

Dallas.  Antarctica.  Life regained, work regained.  New office, 
even.  But even more, something fundamental has changed in me.

Maybe it was being way too close to death one more time.  Maybe it 
was seeing him nearly kill himself to save me.  Maybe it was watching 
his eyes finally admit, there in the hallway, the truth we've both 
fought for so long.

Maybe it was finally getting that close to that pouty bottom lip...

I'm going to fight FOR, now; not against.  Life is just too damn 
short.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I need you to do something for me, Mulder."

"Sure, Scully; what?"  Mulder looked up, curious.  Scully got up and 
walked over to the office door.  And locked it.  Then turned around 
and leaned against it. 

A little coil of unease started in his stomach.  "Scully, what's 
wrong?"  Her eyes pinned him.

"I need you to tell me the truth."

<What in the world...?>

Mulder's jaw dropped but before he could get a word out Scully held 
up her hand.  "Wait. Please."  He closed his mouth and studied her 
carefully in the low office light.  Whatever this was, he realized, 
it was big.  Very big.  Under that cool Scully veneer was...terror?

"I have two questions, and I want your word that you will tell me the 
truth.  Just a simple 'yes' or 'no'.  The complete, absolute, utter 
truth.  Not half of it, or part of it, or the part you think I want,
or the part you think will protect me.  The whole truth."

Mulder started to rise but she held up her hand again.  He subsided, 
still studying her intently.  The flutter of worry in his belly got 
larger, but he ignored it.  <It's *Scully*, for God's sake.  And
she's hurting.  Whatever this is, it's got her as close to petrified 
as I've ever seen her.>

"Of course, Scully."

"Promise me, Mulder.  Just yes or no."

"I promise."

Scully pushed off the door and took a few steps toward him, stopped 
again.  " Mulder--you said you needed me.  In the hallway outside 
your apartment that night you said you needed me.  Here and now, is 
that still true?"

Whatever it was he thought he'd been expecting her to ask, it wasn't 
that.

<I've been hit by lightning.  I can smell the ozone and my hair is 
standing on end, I can feel it.  She *doubts* this?  Where's my 
voice--I had it here a second ago.>   "Scully..."

She shook her head, held up one finger.

"Yes."

She took a deep breath, swallowed, but blue eyes never wavered.  And 
suddenly he knew.  Knew beyond a doubt what her next question would 
be.  Searing panic took him.

<Oh, Scully, no.  No.  Don't go there.  You're supposed to forget 
that happened.  You've got to forget.  It's like you're my best 
friend's wife--I can't have you it would ruin everything we've got.
You don't want me all the way like I want you, love you, and if I 
touch you, I can't live with less than all of you you'd have to leave 
they'd separate us and I can't lose you again I can't...>

"Your eyes were talking that night too, Mulder, not about need--"

<Scully NO! Don't...!>

"--but about want. You *wanted* me.  As a woman.  Do you?"

<Nononononno...lightning does strikes twice in the same place...>

Dimly he realized his mouth was open.  But he couldn't speak, 
couldn't get any air.  <This is it...>

"Mulder?"

<Is it possible to hurt this much and live?>

"Answer me, Mulder."

"Scully, I..."

She shook her head, her eyes glittering.  "One word."

<Trapped.>   "Scully *please...*"   <can't you see I'm dying...?>

"One word, Mulder!"  No quarter was to be given.  Her voice was 
rising and suddenly Mulder was white-hot furious.  <How dare you.  
HOW DARE YOU force my hand like this?  Demand that *I* be the 
instrument of our destruction?>

"ONE WORD!"

"YES, DAMN YOU, YES!!"



The shout echoed around the room along with the explosive crack of 
Mulder's fists on the desk.

Scully was chalk-white, her eyes huge.  She looked terrified again.  
Of him.

The fury drained away as fast as it'd come and took his strength with 
it.  Mulder laid his head down on his hands.  His eyes squeezed
shut--he couldn't see her anyway through the threatening tears.  
"Yess..."  It leaked out, a soundless whisper, but it didn't matter 
now because the damage was done. 

Her heels clicked and she was next to him.  Her cool hands were on 
his burning cheeks but no way in hell could he look at her.
"Mulder..."  Her voice sounded strangled.

<I'm dead Scully, you want to do the autopsy now too? Please please 
PLEASE just go away...>  She shook him a little.  "Fox!"

<CHRIST what more do you...?>  His head came up then and  <God--now
she's crying...>

"I want you too, you idiot!"   Scully choked, shaking, shaking him.  
"Dammit, I love you!  Can't you see that?  I had to know if you...!"

Everything stopped.  They were utterly still, hazel eyes locked with 
blue, demanding, pleading. Searching for the truth.

The complete, absolute, utter truth.

Time kicked back in.  Mulder was out of the chair and before she 
could draw breath he was kissing her.  Hard.

It wasn't the soft, sweet, tentative thing she'd imagined for their 
first kiss, or even the strong, confident one.  It was the 
plundering, frantic, desperate touch of a man who'd been snatched
back off the brink of destruction.  His hands tangled in her hair and 
his mouth slanted across hers insistently, demanding a response that 
Scully eagerly gave.  

<Air?  Who needs air?>  Her hands slid down his neck, splayed against 
his back.

Mulder shuddered and broke the kiss, his arms coming around her.  He 
laid his face against her neck, his breathing wild, heart pounding.  
She could feel him fighting for control and she held him close, 
exalting, tears threatening to return.  <Oh YES thank you GOD, 
finally finally finally...>

After a bit he drew back, holding her face with gentler hands, 
searching her eyes.  Searching, seeing...what?  His fingers traced 
out her cheeks, nose, eyebrows--lover's touches.  He brushed the few 
ever-errant strands of fiery hair from her eyes with butterfly 
softness.  <He's...memorizing me.  What I look like--this way.>

Then his hands cupped her face and he leaned in slowly, and Scully 
realized she was finally going to get that hallway kiss.

His mouth was firm and warm, moving softly over hers this time.  
Caressing, seducing.  He traced the outline of her lips and pulled 
gently, nibbling.

<Aaahh.  Two can play, please.>   Scully ran her tongue over his 
bottom lip  <finally!>  begging entry.  Oh yes.  Seeds and sweet tea.  
And some wonderful dark spicy thing that was only Fox Mulder.  
Tongues dueled, chasing and teasing.  Mulder growled deep in his 
chest and the sound dropped south of her waist and set up camp.

His hands slid down her back, gathering her closer.  He dragged away 
from her mouth to kiss her nose, her eyes, her forehead.  His grip 
tightened and Scully could feel the heat of him.  All of him.

"Scul-leeee...," his hot whisper in her ear sent a frisson through 
her, both of passion and of purely feminine glee at the ragged sound 
of his voice and the feel of his arousal.  <I've done this to him.  
Me.>

"Dana, we shouldn't be doing this..."

She kissed his throat and felt him shiver, trailed her fingers down 
his back.  "Why not?"

Mulder made a sound somewhere between a groan and a chuckle.  "The 
great unwritten no-involvement rules, remember?"

"A rat's ass for the rules.   I don't give a damn."  She nuzzled his 
chest, drowning in the scent of  him.  "Hold me."

"As long as you want."

"How 'bout forever?"

"Deal."

Mulder buried his face in her bright hair and hung on, rocking a 
little.  His mind reeled, trying to encompass what had just happened, 
but his heart and soul just sighed as the circle completed and all 
the pieces locked and fused.

They'd been intellectual lovers for years, closer than spouses.  This 
would just be icing on the cake...

<...but I *like* icing.>