From: colbysgurl@shaw.ca   
      
   Authors: Sassy and Jacquie   
      
   Category: MSR Romance   
      
      
   Summary: A post episode fic for "Arcadia   
      
   Rating: M   
      
      
      
   .........................   
      
      
      
   Mulder woke with a start. He looked over at her laying on the far edge of   
   his bed. He pulled her back, afraid she would fall off. He spooned her   
   against his chest. "I love you, Dana," he whispered.   
      
   Scully was vacuuming the following morning. Mulder woke to a whirring sound.   
   He stretched and tossed back the covers. He stood right in front of her so   
   she had to turn it off.   
      
   "What are you doing?"   
      
   "What does it look like I'm doing?" She started vacuuming again.   
      
   He reached for the vacuum. "Let me have it." She turned her back and   
   continued. Mulder pulled the cord from the wall. "We talked about this,   
   Dana."   
      
   "Mulder, your place is a PIGSTY! I can't live like this!"   
      
   "Then don't."   
      
   "Fine!"   
      
   Scully stormed back into the bedroom and grabbed her suitcase. Then she   
   slammed his apartment door so hard it shook. He slammed a few things around   
   before it dawned on him that she left. He was about to follow her when he   
   realized he was still in his underwear. He threw on some clothes and grabbed   
   his keys and cell phone. He was dialling her number while walking out the   
   door. He got her answering service.   
   "Dana, come on...answer the phone. I'm sorry. Please?" He hung up and   
   continued down the stairs.   
      
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   Scully put the keys in the lock to her mother's apartment. She heard her   
   cell ring and put it to her service the moment she heard it. She knew it was   
   Mulder. She didn't want to talk to him.   
      
   Mulder went to every place he could think of looking for her. He left about   
   five more messages. Finally, he headed toward her mother's. Maggie was out   
   of town, but wouldn't Scully have a key? He knocked gently.   
      
   Scully buried her head under a pillow when she heard the knock. "Go away,"   
   she said tiredly, muffled.   
      
   "Scully, you open this door now. I'll break it in. You know I will. Let me   
   talk to you...Please?" His voice was scared now.   
      
   With a sigh, she got up. Her mother might have a few things to say about a   
   broken door. She undid the latch and went to sit down.   
      
   Mulder silently turned the knob. He stood in the door and watched her for   
   the longest time. "Dana, I'm sorry." Tears threatened to fall down her face   
   but she said nothing. He moved to kneel in front of her. Scully turned away   
   from him, but he grabbed her and turned her to face him.   
      
   "It's not that I don't want you to clean...you shouldn't have to clean for   
   me... Dana, I let my pride get in the way and as usual I've landed on my   
   ass." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I'm so sorry, Dana. I won't let   
   it happen again. I can't stand that I've hurt you."   
      
   Her face softened. "You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?"   
      
   "I didn't, Dana...I never do," he said softly.   
      
   "If you still want me to come stay with you, I will. And I promise, no more   
   griping."   
      
   "I don't want those kind of promises, Scully." He tilted her head up.   
      
   She sighed. "Just humour me this one time?"   
      
   "Okay," he relented.   
      
   "Mulder?"   
      
   "Yeah?"   
      
   "I'm in the mood for pizza."   
      
   Mulder chuckled. "What kind?"   
      
   "Everything on it...well, except anchovies of course."   
      
   "Awww but I love them little fish," Mulder teased.   
      
   Before Scully could answer, he kissed her mouth tenderly. "Please never do   
   this again."   
      
   "We're going to disagree, Mulder," she said softly. "It's inevitable." But   
   then she kissed him again. "But I promise I won't storm off."   
      
   "That's all I ever wanted."  He took her hand in his. "Where's your bags?"   
      
   "Guest room."   
      
   Mulder went and got them. "Let's get the pizza and go home."   
      
   Scully wordlessly followed Mulder back into his apartment. She inwardly   
   cringed when she saw the vacuum still sitting in the corner where it was   
   left.   
      
   "You just go make yourself comfortable. Let me finish cleaning this and I'll   
   be right with you." He kissed her head.   
      
   Scully didn't argue or comment. She smiled slightly and did as he asked.   
      
   It took him about thirty minutes to finish vacuuming and dusting. He was   
   gritty and sweaty by the time he finished. There was a knock at the door.   
   "Pizza's here, Danes. Can you get the door?"   
      
   She got up wordlessly, biting her lip against a comment. She paid the   
   delivery driver and thanked him.   
      
   He advanced on her as she shut the door. He waggled his eyebrows.   
   "Arm wrestle you for the biggest slice."   
      
   "Okay, but I gotta warn you I'm pretty good."   
      
   "I just bet you are" He lowered his mouth to hers for a kiss.   
      
   Scully gently kissed him back, starting to shiver. "Cold?" He said as he   
   rubbed her nose with his.   
      
   "And if I'm not?"   
      
   He kissed her again. This kiss was long and lingering. He pulled back   
   slowly, his eyes still closed.   
      
   "The pizza is getting cold." Scully smiled a little at his growling stomach.   
   "And you sound like you have a tiger in there."   
      
   "I just might," Mulder teased. "I'll get the plates."   
      
   "I got the iced tea."   
      
   He smiled, remembering his comment to her back when he was surveilling   
   Tooms.   
      
   "Did we get any root beer by chance?"   
      
   "Nope." Scully had been thinking about that conversation too. She was   
   tingling all over.   
      
   "Must be fate." Mulder smiled at her as he took out two plates and grabbed   
   napkins. Scully fell silent as she took out two iced teas.   
      
   "Table or living room?" Mulder said, raising his eyebrows.   
      
   "Living room. I think 'War of the Worlds' is on right now."   
      
   "Then what are we waiting for?" Mulder sat the plates on top of the pizza   
   box and nudged Scully toward the living room. Scully couldn't resist a small   
   giggle at that. She sat down on his couch and flipped on the remote. She   
   carefully settled back into the couch as she picked up her plate and took a   
   slice. Halfway through the pizza and movie, Mulder was on the edge of his   
   seat, gripping the cushions. Scully looked over at him and had the urge to   
   take his hand. But she hesitated. She turned her eyes back to the screen   
   instead, taking a sip of iced tea.   
      
   Mulder lay back against the cushions next to her. He realized that he'd been   
   acting a fool. He smiled sheepishly. "I guess I was into it."   
      
   She could see how exhausted he was. Gently she rested his head against her.   
   He laid his head in her lap. He closed his eyes as she stroked his hair. He   
   drifted off to sleep. He began dreaming of making love to her. He called out   
   her name softly. "Dana" He moaned a little.   
      
   Scully's eyes closed when she heard him say her name. She continued stroking   
   his hair. Mulder reached up to touch her in his sleep. He found her neck and   
   drew her mouth down to his. Scully whimpered softly when her lips met his.   
   His eyes slid open and locked on hers.   
      
   "It's okay," she whispered when his eyes widened a little.   
      
   He sat up to hide his obvious reaction to his dream. He wanted her. He   
   wanted her bad. "I'm sorry I fell asleep."   
      
   "Maybe you should go to bed," Scully suggested.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)