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Mulder was early. He had been home, showered, shaved and dressed in dark jeans, a dark grey button-up and a midnight blue sweater. His hair was fluffy and a little too short but in a week it would be just the length Scully found herself unable to avoid touching. His plans for their evening had been in place for two weeks. He had never been this organized, this excited by the lead up to Valentine’s Day or this damn nervous! It wasn’t that he was expecting anything. After his painkillers had worn off on New Year’s Day, he and Scully had sat down and had what was, for them, a revelatory conversation. They were both committed to taking their relationship further, but Scully wasn’t quite there yet and she didn’t know why. She had told Mulder that she loved him and kissed him sweetly when he returned the sentiment. Mulder had held her gaze and told her sincerely that he would wait until she was ready, then he’d kissed her until she was loose-limbed and boneless. They’d spent every weekend together for the last month and Mulder had slept over at Scully’s place, beside her in her bed, on three or four nights when their weekend movie marathons had ticked over into the midnight hour. They had never been closer, and yet each time they were together away from work, at some point Scully’s face would cloud over and she would become lost in her thoughts. It was never enough to send her hurrying home or to prompt her to evict Mulder from her bed, but something was holding her back from the total intimacy they both craved.
Mulder’s early arrival found Scully in the kitchen. She had baked a tray of cookies and was just removing them as she heard the door open. Distracted, she bumped the edge of the tray on the open oven door and the tea towel she was using to lift the hot metal shifted so that her index finger was seared by the heat.
“Ow!” More surprised than seriously hurt, Scully released the full tray to clatter on the bench, sending sugar cookies sliding in all directions. Her cry and the noise of the tin hitting the counter with a heavy metallic thunk, brought Mulder to her side in a couple of swift steps.
“Oh, sweetheart! Come here,” Mulder practically crooned as he gathered Scully’s small frame to his chest. “Are you alright?”
Scully’s eyebrow had raised at ‘sweetheart’ but her expression quickly returned to the slightly pained look that had brought Mulder so swiftly to her side. Instinctively, she stuck her burned finger into her mouth. Mulder placed a swift kiss on the top of her head and then grasped the wrist of her injured hand and led her past the hot oven and over to the sink, where he ran the cold water tap and held her hand so that the cool water could ease the sting of the burn. Mulder’s other arm wrapped around Scully’s shoulders, holding her so that she rested against his body. She allowed her head to loll back against him, defeated.
Mulder peered over her at the burn. “It doesn’t look too bad, Doctor,” he said. “Is the water helping?”
“Yes, thanks. It’ll be fine in a few minutes,” she acknowledged, grateful that Mulder’s quick actions had probably saved her from a blister. The burn wasn’t big or deep, but it was in an awkward place on a joint so the sooner it healed, the better.
“So, now you can explain that complex medical treatment you had going on there, Doc,” Mulder joked. “Remind me how many years you spent in medical school.” His voice was soft and teasing. Scully’s eyebrow lifted again but this time it was accompanied by a small smirk that Mulder couldn’t see from his vantage point; it might have given him a little warning if he had noticed her expression. Scully used her uninjured hand to grasp the wrist of the arm Mulder held slung loosely around her. Before he could divine her intentions, Scully had raised his hand to her mouth and sucked his index finger between her lips. Mulder froze. Scully sucked gently and her thumb stroked the underside of Mulder’s wrist. He let out a low hiss and swiftly canted his hips away from Scully, creating some space between them. Having gained her revenge for his teasing, she released him and guided his hand to the running water, first rinsing his finger and then stroking his palm as the water splashed into it and out again. Mulder’s other hand remained steadfast around Scully’s wrist, keeping her burn in the soothing stream. He might be careless of his own health, but his vigilance when it came to his partner knew no bounds.
“Jesus, Scully!” he finally huffed into her ear. “What was that?”
“Oh, just a little medical demonstration, Mulder. I can’t have you doubting my skills,” she replied slyly. He groaned into her neck. He could feel her laughter as her back vibrated against his chest. Too late he remembered how playful she could be when teased.
“You can let go now,” she said. Mulder did not move. “Mulder, you can let go. My hand’s been under the water for long enough,” Scully tried again. Mulder’s expression, could she have seen it, would have told her his thoughts were elsewhere. Scully took her free hand and wet the tips of her fingers just enough to flick cold water at Mulder’s face, startling him into attention.
“Hey!”
“You can let go, Doctor Mulder. The treatment has been a success,” Scully prompted for the third time. Mulder finally dropped Scully’s wrist, only to take her by both shoulders and spin her around to face him. He instantly lowered his lips to Scully’s and pressed a hard kiss to her smiling mouth before sucking her lower lip between his. The surprised laugh that had started to bubble up through Scully’s slight frame quickly subsided as Mulder deepened the kiss. She opened her mouth to his and felt her own passion rise to mirror Mulder’s ardent response to her lips suddenly wrapped around his flesh.
“You are a tease,” Mulder whispered against Scully’s lips when they broke apart, both breathing heavily and leaning into one another.
“Think of it more as a promise,” Scully suggested in an equally intimate voice.
“You’re so beautiful, Dana,” Mulder confessed. “I don’t think you have a clue the effect you have on me.”
“Oh, I have some idea,” she responded, well aware of Mulder’s nascent arousal brushing her hip. “Perhaps it’s less obvious, but you have the same effect on me, Mulder.” Scully raised her hands to brush through Mulder’s soft, fluffy hair, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp and allowing her bright blue eyes to reveal to him her desire. Mulder’s gaze grew in intensity as he watched his beautiful partner’s expression turn serious and she began to bite her lip.
“Stop thinking, Scully,” he chided gently.
“Sorry,” she replied, with a little smile. “These big emotions are overwhelming sometimes. Thanks for letting me take my time. Believe me, I know it’s not easy!”
“You are worth the wait, Scully,” Mulder reassured her. “Although a little warning would be good next time you decide to taste me!” he joked. Scully blushed; her action had been spontaneous-had she thought it through, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to start something she wasn’t quite ready to finish. She only wished she had some idea of when she might be ready, or what it would take for her to get out of her own way. She loved Mulder and she did not doubt that he loved her. And yet…
“Stop thinking,” he laughed again, running a finger down Scully’s profile, smoothing out the frown that had formed between her mesmerizing eyes. “Come on, I have plans for us. Let’s sort out these cookies so we can be on our way.”
Mulder’s idea of ‘sorting out’ the cookies seemed to be leaning on the counter and sampling the broken cookies while Scully lifted the undamaged ones onto a cooling rack. She covered them with a clean towel, effectively ending Mulder’s snacking, and then went into her bedroom to grab her suede jacket to layer over her simple navy dress and to step into a pair of heels that would save both of them from a neck ache by the end of the night. They had agreed to a romantic dinner two nights before Valentine’s Day. Mulder thought it might take some of the pressure off the day itself and Scully had quickly agreed. They would still spend Valentine’s Day together but would do something fun and casual at home, away from the curious, admiring eyes that seemed to follow the beautiful pair whenever they ventured out in public as a couple.
When Scully left the bedroom, ready for their date, Mulder was waiting with a small gift box in his hand. It was silver, with a ribbon bow adorning the lid. “Happy Valentine’s, Scully,” Mulder handed her the box and, before she could open it, gathered her in his arms and pulled her close for a kiss. When he released her she offered Mulder a happy grin and stepped back to open the box. Nestled inside was a simple gold belly button ring. The fastening was adorned with a sparkling amethyst; Scully’s birthstone. Scully smiled, both at the beauty of the gift and at the memory of the lazy Sunday afternoon when Mulder had discovered she wore a belly-button ring. He had spent the next twenty minutes pretending his roaming hand hadn’t felt the simple adornment under one of Scully’s close-fitting sweaters as he'd wrapped his arms around her for a hug. She had also feigned ignorance of his discovery, secretly amused by the furtive looks he kept directing to her midriff. Eventually, she took pity on him and guided his hand under the hem of her sweater, tacitly authorising his exploration. Mulder had been extremely grateful for Scully’s low-rise jeans that granted him access to her bejewelled navel. He had given her a wide-eyed smirk and then scooted further down the couch to slide her sweater up to her ribs so he could play with the ring with his tongue. Scully had raked her fingers through his hair and allowed him to caress her hipbones with his thumbs while his mouth danced on her flat belly. That had been the first time she had almost ordered him not to stop. Almost.
“Mulder, this is beautiful. Thank you!” Scully rewarded him with a kiss. Without another word, she handed him her purse and returned to her bedroom, where she quickly traded her plain ring for the new one. She smoothed down the bodice of her dress and felt the round stone under her fingers. She returned to Mulder and walked up to him, spun so that her back was flush with his chest, and took the hands that instinctively wrapped around her strong, tiny body. She guided one of his hands to the spot where the amethyst sat against her belly. Mulder quickly understood her purpose and ran his index finger back and forth over the jewel, and circled her belly button.
“Knowing this is under there…” Mulder paused, unsure how much of his pleasure and anticipation at imagining his gift adorning Scully’s belly she would appreciate hearing. For her part, Scully had grasped both of Mulder’s forearms, holding him in place around her. She released her hold on him just enough to be able to turn in his arms. Her heels gave her enough of a boost that she could stretch up to press her lips to Mulder’s. His arms tightened around her again.
“Walk me home after dinner. I’ll change and you can see how your present looks on me.” Scully’s voice dripped with humour. She knew the contrast between her staid FBI appearance (and reputation) and her private demeanour was something Mulder enjoyed being privy to.
“Are we sure that dinner is completely necessary?” Mulder joked.
“We are sure,” was Scully’s reply. She stepped away from Mulder and collected her keys and purse. “Come on, partner.” Scully held out her hand and Mulder took it, a smile lighting up his handsome face.
Mulder had chosen a restaurant in a strip mall not far from Scully’s apartment. It was romantic, not by design, but by virtue of being small and not too busy. The lighting was soft, but not dim and the music was tastefully classical, without being mushy or forced. No one would approach their table tonight offering to serenade Scully or drown out their conversation with manic violins. As Mulder had calculated, two days before Valentine’s Day the restaurant was particularly quiet-most people had plans for later in the week and so were eating at home tonight. The others were local couples enjoying a glass or two of wine and the authentic Italian cooking that had kept the restaurant in business for nigh on twenty years.
Scully had eaten there a few times over the years with family or friends. Mulder had not, but had looked around Scully’s neighbourhood before asking her opinion about which of his suggestions she would most enjoy. Mulder knew that his Scully was not keen on surprises, however well-intentioned, so he had outlined their evening in enough detail to invoke pleasant anticipation rather than worried speculation. It seemed to have worked as Scully was relaxed and smiling as they took their seats and made their menu selections.
Anyone watching Mulder and Scully would have noticed the natural ebb and flow of their conversation. They talked and laughed and were quiet. Twice Mulder rose slightly from his seat to close the distance between them and press a kiss to Scully’s lips when a glossy coating of oil from her salad made them far too tempting to resist. Once, on her way to the bathroom, Scully traced a hand along Mulder’s shoulder and up into the hair at the nape of his neck, making him shiver and miss her even more while she was gone. Between courses, they held hands across the table and played footsie under the cloth. They fed each other forkfuls of pasta and fish without thinking about it or wondering what the other diners might think of their familiarity with one another. At some point between salad and dessert, Mulder’s chair ended up right next to Scully’s. They shared an icy bowl of sweet gelato. Mulder left the lion’s share of the scoop of cioccolato for Scully and she could not have loved him more. He was content to sit with his hand on Scully’s knee, drawing small circles on her inner thigh as he slowly dragged the hem of her skirt incrementally higher. Scully seemed to be ignoring him until she finished her last spoonful of chocolate and then she placed one elegant hand so high up on Mulder’s thigh that he inhaled audibly. She raised one eyebrow at him as if to say, ‘Gotcha!’ and then caught the eye of their waiter and asked for the check.
The walk home took considerably longer than on the way to dinner. Mulder stopped in every shadow, pulling Scully to him to kiss her or hold her close. She did not mind. More than once she felt her belly-button ring being traced gently and she knew where Mulder’s thoughts were tending. When they reached her apartment she kept hold of his hand and led him inside with her, directing him to pour them another drink and choose some music while she changed.
Scully traded the navy dress for her navy silk pyjamas, loosely buttoning it across her chest but allowing the rest of the top to remain unfastened. She’d see how long it took Mulder to notice.
It was not long. Springsteen was singing them love songs from the stereo in the corner and two glasses of neat Irish whiskey were waiting on the coffee table. Mulder had removed his sweater and his shoes and was spread out on the couch, legs stretching out into the room. As Scully went to move past him to claim her place on the couch, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her down to sit in his lap.
“I’ve been waiting all night, Scully.” His words were unhurried but hushed like he was telling her a deep secret. She smiled at him and moved out of his hold to face him, her knees on the couch on either side of his thighs. She left space between them and nodded down at her belly.
“See what you think,” she offered.
Mulder met her eyes for an intense moment and then his gaze dropped to where her pyjama top hung loosely in front of her. He brought his hands to gather the fabric and draw it back to her hips, exposing her torso to his view. He stared for a moment and then looked back up to Scully.
“Stunning!”
“It is,” she agreed happily.
“Not it. You,” he countered before thoroughly kissing the beaming smile from Scully’s lips. Breathing heavily when they parted, Mulder reached around Scully to pass her drink up to her. He took his glass and they toasted before drinking.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Scully.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mulder. Thank you for tonight. It’s been perfect!”
“Can I stay?” he asked her quietly. Scully nodded. “I’d like that very much.”