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 6)   
      
   "Mulder, stop fidgeting," Scully said as they stood   
   at Hugh's door waiting for him to answer.   
      
   "I'm not fidgeting," he said, trying to adjust the   
   twisted strap on his sling.  If Scully wasn't with   
   him, he'd have pulled it off long ago--and to hell   
   with doctor's orders.   
      
   "Hello, you two," Hugh called out as he swung the   
   door open.   
      
   "Hello Hugh," Scully said, embracing their host   
   who kissed her on the cheek.  "Ooh, something   
   smells delicious."   
      
   "Hope you came hungry," Hugh said, just as his   
   gaze settled on Mulder.  Or more specifically,   
   Mulder's arm in his sling.  "Well, isn't this   
   remarkable.  I'm having dinner with three FBI   
   agents and two of them are injured.   Makes   
   one wonder how much of our current federal   
   deficit is due to medical bills."   
      
   "So tell me," Scully said, taking Hugh's arm.   
   "What amazing things have you been cooking?"   
      
   Scully had managed to at least partly distract   
   Hugh from whatever was bugging him.  After a   
   moment, his face relaxed and he guided them   
   into the apartment.   
      
   "Come out on the terrace," Hugh said.  "I've got   
   cherry tomatoes stuffed with arugula and goat   
   cheese and bacon-wrapped oysters.  Tim's having   
   a rest before dinner."   
      
   "Oh my," Scully said, walking to the edge of the   
   terrace and looking down at the view.  The lights   
   of the city were spread out like a blanket of   
   stars.   
      
   "In the daylight, you can see the Capitol Building,"   
   Hugh told them.  "I come out here with my coffee   
   and watch the sunrise."   
      
   Mulder figured each glittering light set Hugh back   
   a hefty fee.  He turned to survey the terrace with   
   its ornamental shrubs and wrought iron and glass   
   furniture.  Trays of hors deurves were set out on   
   the table amid little plates and glowing candles.   
      
   "These are delicious," Scully said, taking another   
   bite of bacon-wrapped oyster.  "Mulder, you have   
   to try these."   
      
   He was going to say that he didn't care for oysters,   
   but Scully was raising one to his lips.  He opened   
   his mouth.   Well, at least he liked bacon, he   
   thought as he chewed.  And oysters were purported   
   to be aphrodisiacs.   
      
   "What can I get you to drink?  Beer?  Wine?"  Hugh   
   gestured to the ice-filled shiny tin bucket filled   
   with chilled drinks.  The choices were all upscale.   
   Hugh didn't buy his beer at the supermarket.   
      
   Mulder accepted a Corsendonk Brown Ale from Belgium   
   with some skepticism.  Trust Davis to find some hideously   
   expensive obscure foreign brew. It tasted better than   
   he thought it would.  Hugh poured Scully a Pinot Grigio.   
      
   "Well, look who's up," Hugh said, as he noticed Tim   
   in the doorway.   His face changed then, open affection   
   transforming him from pompous ass to a man in love.   
      
   Tim smiled at them as he walked onto the terrace.   
   He still looked pale and moved carefully.  He lowered   
   himself onto a chair.   
      
   "It's great to see you guys."   His voice, at   
   least, was strong.  "What the hell happened to you?"   
   he asked, nodding at Mulder's sling-wrapped arm.   
      
   "I ran into the business end of a sharp object,"   
   Mulder answered.   
      
   "Dana, I can't believe you didn't tell me that   
   Mulder was hurt."  Hugh looked at her sharply.   
      
   "Oh Hugh," Scully sighed.  "You had so much on your   
   mind--Tim was still in critical condition."   
      
   "Was this in the line of duty?" Hugh asked.   
      
   Mulder wasn't sure how to answer.  As he considered   
   his choices, Scully jumped in.   
      
   "In a manner of speaking," she said.  "Mulder came   
   upon two men in a knife fight.  He was hurt trying   
   to diffuse the situation."   
      
   Tim let out a low whistle of admiration.  Scully   
   looked tense as Hugh shook his head.   
      
   "How do you people live like this?" he asked.   
   "Risking your lives every time you go to work."   
      
   "We're trained to take care of ourselves," Tim   
   said quietly.  "We don't take unnecessary chances."   
      
   "All I know is, all three of you have come close   
   to death because of your work.  It's too much."   
      
   "A smart man once told me that every life is in   
   danger, every day," Mulder said.  "Nobody is   
   free from that.   When you strap on a bulletproof   
   vest, you acknowledge the risk."   
      
   Hugh cleared his throat.  "I better see about   
   dinner."   
      
   "I'll help," Scully said, following him from   
   the room.  "Why don't you two visit for a while."   
      
   Mulder returned to the hors deurves, popping   
   another bacon-wrapped oyster into his mouth.  They   
   weren't half bad once you got used to them.  He put   
   a couple of stuffed cherry tomatoes on a plate   
   and turned to Tim.  "You want anything?" he asked.   
      
   "I'll wait for dinner," Tim replied.   
      
   "Hugh's frightened," he said, returning to his   
   seat.   
      
   "I know.  I don't think the reality of my job   
   really hit him until I got shot.  He just hasn't   
   been able to get past this and it's making me   
   crazy."   
      
   "Hovering?" Mulder asked.   
      
   "Major league hovering.  He makes my mother look like   
   a rookie.  Does Agent Scully hover?   
      
   "She tries to be subtle, but...yeah."   
      
   "At least she understands, right?  I mean, she has   
   a dangerous job too."   
      
   "Scully and I have different styles," Mulder began.   
   "She's extremely methodical.  By the book, but not   
   to the exclusion of intuition.  I'm big on intuition,   
   but not to the exclusion of the rule book."   
      
   "So?" Tim probed.   
      
   "So...she thinks I take too many chances."   
      
   "Do you?"   
      
   "Maybe I do.  I've been thinking about it a lot lately,   
   especially after this," he said, indicating his sling.   
   "I was on my own for a long time.  Even after Scully   
   and I became partners, I still considered myself a   
   'one man operation.'  Oh, I listened to her and trusted   
   her and was probably already in love with her, but I   
   kept my own counsel.   A lot of things changed when   
   Scully and I got together.  I guess some things don't   
   change as easy as others."   
      
   Tim laughed, mirthlessly.  "I know what you mean."   
      
   "Dinner's ready," Scully said from the door.   
      
   He wondered if she had heard the end of the   
   conversation.  Mulder thought she hadn't from the   
   relaxed set of her features.   
      
   He and Tim followed Scully to the dining room.  Like   
   the living room, it exuded 'designer chic' without   
   looking stiff and formal.   
      
   The first course of tortellini with a red sauce   
   was already on the table as they took their seats.   
   Mulder was surprised when he took his first bite   
   to find that the sauce was made from red peppers   
   instead of tomatoes.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)