From: taffyxf@yahoo.com   
      
   Title: Shadows in the Starlight   
   Author: Taffy Northwood   
   E-Mail: taffyxf@yahoo.com   
   Summary:  Getting together was the easy part. Making   
   it work was harder than either of them imagined.   
   Spoilers:  Season 6   
   Rating:  NC17   
   Category:  MT, MSR   
   Archives:  I'd be honored.   
   Feedback: Please?  With a cherry on top?   
   Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Skinner and any   
   other XF characters are on loan only.   
   Author Notes:  "Shadows in the Starlight" is a   
   sequel to "Let No Star Shine."  It isn't necessary   
   to read that story first--you just need to know that   
   after a wild weekend at a FBI seminar, Mulder and   
   Scully are now in a romantic relationship. Hugh Davis   
   is a world famous forensic expert and friend of   
   Scully's from college who was at the seminar where   
   he met Tim McCloskey, an idealistic young FBI   
   agent.   
      
      
      
   Shadows in the Starlight (part 5)   
      
      
      
   Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Mulder went to physical   
   therapy, where he was forced to lift, push, and pull   
   until his arm was trembling with exhaustion.  The   
   remainder of the week he was supposed to rest his arm   
   in a sling.   
      
   Scully had a perfectly logical explanation.  His   
   activity was supervised at physical therapy, so it   
   was safe.   
      
   Officially, Mulder was back in his own apartment, and   
   he and Scully no longer drove each other nuts over   
   housekeeping preferences.  They were together as much   
   as ever, but the dynamics had changed.  It was easier   
   for Mulder to do things Scully's way now that he was   
   in guest-mode instead of roommate-mode.  Scully was   
   too good a hostess to get worked up over socks on the   
   floor.   
      
   In his own apartment, Mulder found he liked the idea   
   of getting dirty glasses out of the way before he went   
   to bed.  The first time Scully noticed what he was   
   doing, she had a field day.   
      
   "What's your hurry, Mulder?  They'll still be there in   
   the morning.  What if you want more soda?"   
      
   In effect they were cohabiting, but in two apartments.   
   It was inconvenient but actually living together was   
   inconceivable, with each of them so set in their ways.   
   Scully seemed to really need a sense of order at   
   home, especially when the larger world became   
   threatening.  A hand towel folded the wrong way was   
   just another reminder that she couldn't control   
   things, couldn't protect the people she loved.   
      
   Control and safety were big for Scully.  Huge.   
   Sometimes she'd even talk about them . . .   
      
   *************   
      
   "You ditched me for no particular reason--"   
      
   "It was the day after Tim was shot.  You'd been up all   
   night."   
      
   "You went into a dangerous situation without backup--"   
      
   "I was just meeting  a guy in a bar--"   
      
   "In the worst part of town--"   
      
   "Hell, Scully, I had a gun--"   
      
   "Which you didn't use when you decided to break up a   
   knife fight."   
      
   The key to defusing a fight was to de-escalate, to   
   cool things down.  Guns weren't good for that.  When   
   the attacker was already in physical contact with the   
   victim, you couldn't expect a clear shot anyway.  But   
   it was a matter of size, too.  Scully would have had   
   to handle it differently.  She would have needed to   
   draw her weapon.   
      
   "Look, you weren't there," he said.   
      
   Her eyes widened till they nearly popped out of her   
   head.  Her nostrils flared and her shoulders rose and   
   fell with each breath.  He could see that she wanted   
   to rip him apart and he was pretty sure she was   
   counting to ten before she trusted herself to speak.   
      
   "I wasn't there because you ditched me," she said   
   quietly.  She didn't sound angry, she sounded sad and   
   resigned.  "I love you, Mulder and I know you love me.   
   I was stupid to think that would change things, or if   
   it has, it's changed things for the worse."   
      
   "How are things worse?" he asked, genuinely alarmed.   
      
   "Because you think it's thoughtful to let me sleep   
   late.  You know what would really be thoughtful,   
   Mulder?  If you'd try to keep yourself alive."   
      
   He didn't know how to answer her.  She had blown the   
   knifing incident way out of proportion, but her pain   
   was real.  She stiffened for a second when he took her   
   into his arms, and then she collapsed against him.   
   They both knew she was trying not to cry and that she   
   would fail.   
      
   "I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry, Scully."  He patted her   
   back and leaned his face down against her hair, the   
   embrace unbalanced because his right arm was still   
   trapped in its sling.   
      
   "You're sorry I'm crying, but you still don't think   
   you did anything wrong," she said.   
      
   "I was wrong.  The first rule when you enter a   
   situation is to keep from becoming a victim.  I broke   
   the rule."  He knew that was what she wanted to hear.   
      
   "Think about it.  I know you're only trying to appease   
   me, but please think about it."   
      
   "I will, I will."  He kissed her, bending down to   
   reach her mouth.  "I'll think about it."   
      
   "I love you," she said, making it sound like a   
   complaint.   
      
   "I love you too."  He kissed her eyelids, still wet.   
   "Come on."   
      
   He didn't really need to guide her to the bedroom, but   
   he didn't want to break contact.   
      
   "You're a bully, Mulder.  Any time I win an argument   
   you--oh, god!"   
      
   Like most women, Scully had sensitive breasts.  Not   
   that Mulder's hand was driven purely by the urge to   
   please her. She was a handful, a generous handful.   
   It felt so damn good to cup her and feel her weight,   
   her warmth, her softness.   
      
   "Oh god, Mulder!"   
      
   He threw her on the bed, or at least gave her a push   
   in that direction, then shucked his arm out of the   
   sling.   
      
   He was allowed to do that now, they'd told him that in   
   his last therapy session.  The sling was supposed to   
   protect his shoulder muscles from the weight of his   
   arm, which was different from the stress of supporting   
   his own weight.  God he hoped he'd remembered to   
   explain that to Scully.   
      
   "I can take it off in bed, remember?" he pleaded.   
      
   "I know I know."  Scully was busy ripping off her own   
   clothes.  Since Mulder's injury she'd become a speed   
   stripper, wriggling out of her own clothes and opening   
   his belt and buttons at the same time.  She pulled   
   ferociously to drag off his jeans.   
      
   Sometimes Mulder thought he detected a certain amount   
   of anger in Scully's lovemaking.   
      
   "Hey!" he yelped when she slapped his bare ass.  Not a   
   hard slap, but enough to sting.   
      
   "This is mine, Mulder!  Don't go getting it killed!"   
      
   He pushed her onto her back, letting most of his   
   weight rest on her.  Scully needed this.  She needed   
   him on top, proving he was okay, and he needed it too.   
      
   "Let me help you with your nipples," he said,   
   straddling her and shimmying down her body until he   
   was properly aligned.  "Mm.  So hard.  So tight."   
      
   He sucked and nibbled.  Scully kneaded his ass with   
   one hand while the other clutched the back of his   
   head.   
      
   "Flip over, Mulder, I gotta fuck you right now,"   
   Scully groaned.   
      
   If he wasn't already as hard as a rock, that would   
   have done it.   
      
   "Soon, Scully.  Mm.  Such tasty nipples.  I wonder   
   about your neck."   
      
   As he slid up to kiss her soft throat, he used his   
   sneaky right hand to visit the warm, moist nest of   
   curls between her legs.   
      
   "Mulder, Mulder, Mulder . . . "  He felt her hand   
   close around the base of his cock.  "Don't hurt   
   yourself . . . "   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)