From: akelleynolan@yahoo.com   
      
   TITLE:  Aquatic Dreams   
   AUTHOR:  A. Kelley Nolan   
   EMAIL:  akelleynolan@yahoo.com   
   DISTRIBUTION:  I'll take care of Gossamer and Ephemeral. Anywhere else   
   would   
   thrill me to pieces. Just let me know.   
      
   RATING:  Strong R, NC17 to be on the safe side, for language, blasphemy,   
   and adult naughtiness in a semi-public place   
   CATEGORIES:  VR   
   KEYWORDS:  Mulder/Scully romance   
   SPOILERS:  None   
      
   SUMMARY:  Speedos, tankinis, and primordial ooze.   
      
   Disclaimer:  Everybody in this belongs to somebody else.  Aquatic Dreams   
   is the name of a scuba shop in Modesto, California.  It's cracked me up   
   ever since I was old enough to get the joke.  Like the characters, it is   
   borrowed lovingly but, alas, without permission.   
      
   Author's Notes:  No plots were harmed, or even acknowledged, in the   
   writing of this fic. I didn't intend for this to be blasphemous, but it   
   sort of turned out that way.  Skip this one if you think you might be   
   offended.   
      
   *********************   
      
   "Mulder, how do I let you talk you me into these things?" She glanced   
   over at him, at the goggles that made him look like a six foot praying   
   mantis, and almost laughed.   
      
   "I think it's my natural charm." He grinned. "Or possibly the   
   opportunity to see me in a Speedo."   
      
   "I can see you in less than that anytime I want to," she reminded him.   
   Although she had to admit the Speedo was a nice variation on the theme.   
   It threw the lean muscles of his body into relief, letting her see the   
   play of shadows over his beautifully sculpted...well, everything, the   
   little dip where his obliquus externus met his iliac crest that made her   
   crazy. Yeah, Dana, say it in Latin and it doesn't sound nearly as   
   sexual. Right. The suit hid just enough to bring fevered memories to   
   mind, and the black color against his golden skin made him look like   
   some dark angel. She was pretty sure even dark angels wore more than   
   that, though. She dragged her gaze back to his face and found him   
   smiling smugly at her frank appraisal of him. "Been getting some sun,   
   huh?" she asked casually.   
      
   "You like?" he teased. She cocked an eyebrow noncommittally, and he   
   laughed. "You're such a bad liar, Scully. Now are you going to get in   
   that pool or not?"   
      
   "It looks cold." It did, too, although she knew it was heated and would   
   probably feel really nice. She caught the tang of chlorine that   
   sometimes lingered faintly on his skin, and a shiver which had nothing   
   to do with cold went through her.   
      
   "Basically, you've got two choices," he replied, walking toward her with   
   insouciant grace. "You can get in on your own. Or I can throw you in."   
      
   "You do realize what the consequences of that particular action would   
   be, don't you?"   
      
   "I think it might be worth it."   
      
   He continued to move toward her, a warning smile on his face, and Scully   
   knew better than to think that he would back down. She took the only   
   option left to her and dove cleanly into the water, gliding under the   
   surface like a fish for a quarter of the length, then breaking with   
   smooth, firm strokes. Mulder watched with amazement as she slipped   
   effortlessly down the lane, turned a clean racing flip at the end, and   
   stroked smoothly back.   
      
   She stopped when she got back to his end, hanging her elbows on the edge   
   and looking up at him. Her red hair was sleeked back, her blue eyes were   
   the same color as the water she floated in, and there was a sparkle of   
   pleasure in them.   
      
   "Nice form, Scully," he said admiringly. She smiled and fiddled with her   
   goggles. Mulder crouched down next to her so they were closer. "Don't   
   tell me -- swim team?"   
      
   "Diving."  She met his eyes, saw the surprise there, and shrugged. "I   
   went to high school in San Diego. It paid to be into water sports. I was   
   always too small to be any more than average at swimming. I just didn't   
   have the reach for speed. But small was actually an asset in diving."   
      
   He found an image of Scully, her slim body twisting through the air and   
   slipping into the water, floating before his eyes. Serious turn on, he   
   thought. "Were you good?"   
      
   "Yeah, I was okay."   
      
   He watched her thoughtfully. She kept her gaze averted, toying with the   
   strap on her goggles, making miniscule adjustments. She must have been   
   very good. "Show me," he said quietly.   
      
   "Mulder-"   
      
   "I want to see."   
      
   She shook her head. "It's been a long time."   
      
   "You're not going to tell me you don't remember how." She flashed him a   
   look, and he knew he'd be able to talk her into it. "Come on, Scully.   
   I'm not asking you to do a Louganis. I just want to see you do something   
   I never knew you could do."   
      
   Scully looked up into his face, searching his eyes for some   
   unmentionable motivation. His tan made them look greener, she noticed.   
   "Does this have anything to do with your gymnast fantasy?"   
      
   "Who says I have a gymnast fantasy?"   
      
   "All men have a gymnast fantasy."   
      
   He smiled. "Point granted. But no. This has to do with my Scully   
   fantasy." He pulled out the big guns. "Please?"   
      
   "Oh, that is so unfair. All right, fine," she said, with an exaggerated   
   sigh. "If you catch me, I'll dive for you."   
      
   "Catch you?" But she had shot off across the pool, and he realized he   
   was going to have to physically restrain her to get her to do this. He   
   dove in and took off after her. There was no way she could get away from   
   him. As she'd pointed out, he had the significant advantage of reach,   
   and he was quickly gaining on her.   
      
   Scully knew, of course, that there was no way she could escape him. She   
   was quick and agile, but he was strong and fast. She just figured it   
   would be fun to be caught. She put on a good show, but she hadn't made   
   it much more than halfway across the pool before she felt his firm grip   
   on her ankle, tugging her to a halt. She stopped without a struggle and   
   turned to face him as he pulled her toward him.   
      
   "Brat," he grinned.   
      
   She floated closer, found that his feet were firmly planted on the   
   bottom of the pool, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought you   
   liked the chase," she said with a smile that totally failed to be   
   innocent, and used his body to pull herself closer and kiss him.   
      
   He slid his hands to her hips, drawing her against him, and she hooked   
   her legs around him to anchor herself. "I think I like the catching   
   better." They kissed lazily for a few minutes, his fingers sliding   
   beneath the waistband of her tankini bottoms to rest on the curve of her   
   buttocks, before he drew his head back and looked at her with amusement.   
   "I know I'm easy, sweetheart, but I'm not brain dead. Get up there and   
   dive for me, unless you want to go chasing your suit in the deep end."   
      
   Scully eyed him warily. "You wouldn't."   
      
   "Oh, I absolutely would," he assured her. "A deal's a deal. I caught   
   you, so I get the mermaid's tail." He laughed and ducked underwater to   
   avoid the hand that came streaking toward his head, then darted a few   
   feet away, leaving her treading water and trying to glare at him without   
   grinning. He smiled, lifting his chin toward the springboards. "Go on."   
      
   She gave up. He would be relentless, and she knew it. Worse still, he   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)