Scully awoke with a start. She had dozed off on the couch while the TV played some mindless rerun. It had been a rough couple of weeks- the bombing, the virus, Antarctica, and OPR. As soon as she finished talking to Mulder on the Mall, she came straight home and changed into her comfort clothes. An old U. of Maryland T-shirt, some well worn jeans, and a pair of white socks. There...she thought she'd heard something. A sharp rap. The VCR clock told her it could only be Mulder at this hour. What was so important that he couldn't call first? Scully unfolded herself from the sofa and padded over to the door. Because of her short stature, she had to stand on tip-toe to peer out the peephole.

Mulder was wearing a grey tee, jeans, sneakers and his black leather jacket. As he waited for Scully to answer, he danced from one foot to the other, betraying a barely contained excitement. His fist came up again, poised to knock a third time when he detected the unmistakable sound of Scully hurriedly unlatching the dead bolt. The door opened wide.

"Mulder- -"

"Scully, you're not gonna believe this." He bound into her apartment.

"Wha- -" Mulder didn't give her a chance to complete her question. " Skinner called me. He wanted to tell me. They've re-opened the X-Files. I don't know what you said to make them change their minds, but it worked." He grinned at her.

"That's great, Mulder. I'm really happy for you."

Wooosh, all of the air in his lungs left him at that moment. It was as if the sun had just come out, Mulder thought. The way she beamed at him. It warmed him to see her this way, happy. He must of looked like a idiot, because she shyly dipped her head, then turned to close the front door.

<Damn, I can't take it when he looks at me like that.> Some very un-partnerlike images flashed through her mind.

"Hey- hey, what about you?"

"Um, Mulder, Salt Lake City. Remember?"

"Oh," he waved his hand dismissively. "Skinner has revoked your transfer. That is, if you haven't changed your mind. Still want to work with me in the basement?" He eyed her expectantly.

"Yes." She shifted to meet his gaze. "Yes, I'd like that."

There it was again, that elusive smile. The one that Scully so rarely offered. Twice in one night! Before Mulder could embarrass himself again, he pressed on. "Great! Let's celebrate." His hand disappeared into his jacket pocket and then re- appeared with a pony bottle. It was a no-name brand of champagne. "Not the best, but what do you expect from the corner bar?"

"I'll break out the fine crystal, while you unscrew the top." She smirked, then walked over to the cupboard.

"Is that what you think of my taste in wine? I'll have you know; it does have a cork." He sniffed.

Scully returned to the living room with two flutes, placed them on the coffee table and reached for the remote. She turned off the TV as she sat down next to Mulder, who was already ensconced on the couch. He had removed his jacket and was diligently working on the plastic cork. A small 'pop' announced his success.

"Here we go." He filled the first glass, handed it to her, then filled the other.

"So..."

"So...cheers?" He held out his flute.

"Cheers." Scully clinked his glass and took a healthy swallow. *Cough* "Jeez Mulder, how much did you pay for this stuff? It's horrible."

"Muhmmm," He finished his taste, "Five bucks. You, you think I paid too much?" He laughed.

"Definitely. I'd say about four dollars too much." She chuckled.

The sound of her laughter intoxicated him. He moved his arm so it was lightly resting on the back of the couch, almost brushing up against Scully's shoulders. They both stared off into the unlit fireplace. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Mulder spoke.

"I...I've been thinking, Scully."

"Yeah- about what, Mulder?" She turned to face him.

<Oh, man. Was this hard.> "When..." he chewed his lower lip. "When Samantha was taken. That was...that was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Until, until I thought I was losing you again." He paused. "When they took you, that first time, I was going crazy trying to find you. But... when you were stung... And then... and then you were gone... I felt as if I were twelve years old again, except... except, it was worse." He smiled at her tightly.

"It's O.K. Mulder. I'm here. You came and got me. I knew you would." She stroked his arm.

Ah, there are three constants in the universe, thought Mulder. Death, taxes, and Scully's unshakable faith in him. Maybe that's why he cared so much about her. No one else ever bothered to stick with him this long- not even his parents. And now, now was the time to show her how much she meant to him.

Scully's heart felt as if it would burst. Mulder had just given her something she'd waited for, for a long time. After five years together, this was the first time he had actually opened up to her- completely. Oh, he had declared himself to her in his hallway, but she half-expected that to have been a reaction to his fear. Fear that she was leaving him. Now, in the comfort of her apartment, with no outside pressures exerting themselves, he had laid his soul bare. The joy she felt was indescribable. A slow grin crept across her face.

When had Scully become so beautiful? Mulder wondered. And how had that fact escaped him until now? She seemed to emit a soft radiance that he'd never noticed before. Mulder was sure that what he was doing was right. Slowly, he leaned in towards his partner. His left hand had found it's way to her shoulder, while his right tenderly cupped her cheek.

Scully brought her hand up and covered his. She then lifted it away from her cheek. Mulder's confusion was written all over his face. He was giving her the ‘little dog lost’ look. He thought she was shutting him out, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. She held his hand, and turned her face towards it. Gently she kissed his palm, then rubbed her cheek against it. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling.

"Scully?" Mulder rasped.

Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself engulfed in a wave of desire. Mulder's lips were only millimeters from her mouth.

That small, honest, offering of affection left Mulder in a painful state of arousal. It was just so sexy. He would have kissed her right then, but he wanted her to look at him when he did so. Not as a point of pride, but simply to convince himself that this was really happening. If he could see her eyes, he'd know that this was real. When she finally obliged him, he dove in.

The kiss was like a homecoming for the both of them. Now that he was finally kissing her, Mulder didn't want to stop. Scully's mouth was soft and inviting. After a heartbeat / eternity, her lips parted to engage his fully. She slipped her hands into his hair, pulled him forward, and was urging him to deepen the embrace.

Mulder was surprised, to say the least. He hadn't expected his partner to be so... well, earnest about returning his kiss. The intensity of her reaction, left him reeling. But his body was on autopilot, and he couldn't help but parry with his tongue as she invaded his mouth. After they came up for air, Mulder continued with an exploration of her jawline with his mouth, first nipping then sucking. He wanted to cover her with kisses everywhere. His arms had encircled her waist and he instinctively pulled her close.

As his lips moved away from hers, Scully began to feel uneasy. What they were doing, what they had just done, had irrevocably changed the nature of their relationship. While her doubts began to surface, Mulder was giving his undivided attention to a spot just behind her ear. This was quickly escalating into what looked to be a trip to the bedroom. She wasn't sure if she wanted this to go that far, but she continued to facilitate his access to her throat. Their close proximity provided 'hard' evidence that her partner was ready to take the next step. Scully felt flush. Her respiration came in short, staccato breaths and certain parts of her anatomy were straining at the confines of her clothes. But, she had to work with the man. If she slept with him it was going to be awkward, at least that's what she'd always told herself. His caresses were making it difficult to think straight.

"Umm, Mulder..." <Oh God, what did I want to say?>

"Mmmm." He continued to lave at her neck.

"M...M,Mulder." < Had to get him to stop, stop, stop.> All the while her fingers were urging him on. Raking, clawing at his back.

"Mmmmm." He pulled at the neckline of her T-shirt. Since it was old, the material gave easily. He moved his mouth to Scully's collarbone.

"MULDER!" There, she's done it. She'd regained some semblance of sanity. So why did she feel like she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life?

"What?" He looked up, startled at her sharp tone.

"Umm, sorry- it's just that... This is nice, but do we *ahem*, do we really want to get carried away... and everything? We... we still have to work together."

Mulder sat there stunned. After a minute or two, he found his voice. "You're right. I don't want you to do anything you'd be uncomfortable with, Scully. I'm sorry, I thought you wanted this... I guess I'll leave now." <Smooth move, Mulder. What were you thinking? Obviously listening to your hormones. How could you do that to Scully? She's your partner for Christ's sake!>

He practically bolted to the door. Scully mentally smacked herself on the forehead for shutting him down so quickly. "Wait, Mulder..." He refused to acknowledge her. Damn it. "Fox..." There, he paused for an instant, she saw his spine stiffen, then he continued to unlock the door. That moment was all she needed to catch up with him. She grabbed onto his arm and spun him around so that he was facing her.

"Mulder, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing? I think it's fairly obvious to a trained scientist like yourself. I'm trying to leave."

"Yes, but why?"

"What do you mean why? Scully, you just told me that you don't want to get carried away because we work together. I can take a hint. We can just pretend that this little incident never happened."

"Is that what you really think, Mulder?" She gave his name a slight lilt, using the inflection of her voice as a quasi-peace offering. <See I'm using the name you want me to use.> "Do you think that I would have let you kiss me like that if I wasn't interested in you for God's sake? All I’m asking for is a little time. This is all happening so quickly. I mean, from our first kiss to jumping in bed within the span of about twenty minutes? It's tempting, but this." she squeezed his hand "is going to change everything. Have you thought about that?"

"You're all I've thought about recently, Scully." He mumbled to the floor.

Scully pursed her lips. "I've been thinking about you a lot too."

The encouraging tone of her voice and the warmth of her hand soothed his bruised ego. He tried to look nonchalant. "So, how much time would you need?"

She gave him a half-smile. "Oh, I don't know. How much time can I have?"

Mulder reached for his partner and enveloped her in a hug. "All the time you want."