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 7)   
      
   Mulder planned to arrive early for his first day back   
   at work. He set his alarm clock.  He picked out a suit   
   and tie.  He shined his shoes.   
      
   "You must have been one of those little kids who was   
   out at the bus stop before sunrise," Scully said,   
   watching as he set up his ironing board.  He seemed   
   to be moving comfortably now, though a bit carefully,   
   no longer hampered by the sling.   
      
   "I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to get   
   back.  Even if I will spend most of the day running   
   paperwork for my reinstatement."   
      
   Scully waited in suspense.  Was he really going to   
   iron wearing just his boxer shorts?   
      
   "The disability office doesn't open until 9," she   
   said.   
      
   "Still..."   
      
   "I know.  You want to get in at 7.  It's fine, Mulder,   
   just don't expect me to carpool with you."   
      
   Mulder took a shirt from the closet and draped it over   
   the ironing board.  Scully refrained from mentioning   
   that it was a pressed and laundered shirt.  Obviously   
   "Trust no one" included the dry cleaning store.   
      
   "I want to get back in the football pool before the   
   good spots are all taken," he said.   
      
   He might be joking, but Scully decided to accept it at   
   face value.  Mulder couldn't be that concerned about   
   the exchange of a couple of dollars but he might be   
   eager for the chance to talk about sports with people   
   who actually gave a damn.  Meanwhile, he was doing an   
   expert job with that iron, smoothing out the few stray   
   wrinkles in a couple of deft passes.   
      
   Scully resolved that she would never touch an iron   
   again.   
      
   Mulder put away the shirt and the ironing board,   
   leaving the iron to cool.  He still seemed to bristle   
   with nervous energy.   
      
   "Want to watch a video or something?" Scully asked.   
      
   Mulder turned and slipped his hand between her legs.   
   He stroked gentle circles on her inner thigh as he   
   gazed into her eyes.   
      
   "*Something* would be nice," he murmured.   
      
   A half-naked Mulder was a beautiful thing, all toned   
   muscles and golden skin.  A half-naked Mulder with   
   sexual energy to burn was beyond beautiful.  She   
   cupped her hand at the back of his neck, bringing   
   him down for a kiss.   
      
   Her hands strayed down the smooth expanse of his   
   back to rest at the waistband of his boxers.  His   
   mouth was minty, his lips soft and pliant.  He   
   hummed against her lips as her hands slipped   
   down, cupping his bare ass.   
      
   Scully had admired her partner's remarkable bottom   
   for years, sneaking glances every time he bent   
   over to pick up a file.  To have access to that   
   ass was something she continued to marvel at.   
      
   "Mine," she said, squeezing the firm flesh.   
   "Don't forget that."   
      
   "Really?" he laughed as he did a little exploring   
   of his own.   Her pajamas seemed to be dematerializing   
   with every passing moment.  Mulder's hands were on   
   her hips now, pulling her to him.  She felt the hard,   
   hot length of him pressing against her belly.   
      
   "This is mine, too," she said, slipping a hand   
   between them.  With one deft movement, she divested   
   him of his boxers.  "In fact, I have plans for it   
   right now."   
      
   "Do tell."   
      
   "Mmmmm," was all she could manage while she put her   
   plans into action.  "Mmmmm, hmmmmm."   
      
   "Sweet fancy Moses," he gasped as she drew him in   
   deeper.   
      
   Dana Scully may have found her partner frustrating,   
   even maddening at times, but she always knew she   
   was a lucky woman to have this complicated, flawed,   
   passionate man in her life.  As Mulder pulled her to   
   her feet, lifted her into his arms and carried her   
   to the bed, she reflected on how very lucky she was.   
      
   *****************   
      
   The sun shown brightly the next morning.  The birds   
   sang, the flowers bloomed, the air was fresh and   
   sweet.  It was all Scully could do not to whistle   
   "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning."   
      
   She had a bounce in her step as she walked   
   down the hall to Mulder's basement office--a   
   bounce usually seen in people who had been   
   blessed with a really good sexual experience   
   the night before.   
      
   "Good morning," she called out cheerily as she   
   opened the door.   Only silence greeted her and   
   her mood deflated just a tiny bit.   
      
   Mulder had obviously been here.  The lights   
   were on and a stack of files teetered on his   
   desk.  The files had been safely in their   
   cabinet when she'd left the office on Friday   
   night.   The scent of coffee hung in the air.   
      
   She crossed to the small table designated as   
   her workstation where a folded piece of paper   
   was taped to her monitor.   
      
      S,   
        HR lost half the forms from my doctor   
      and they're threatening not to pay me for   
      the last 3 wks.  I have entered the   
      Inhuman Non-resource Zone.  If I'm not   
      back by lunch you may need to rescue me.   
                               M   
      
      PS--this is not a ditch.   
      
   It was a good thing she would feel sorry for   
   him when he got back from HR or she'd punch   
   him for the ditch comment.  The really scary   
   thing about working on the X-Files wasn't the   
   mutants or the men in black or the monsters.   
   It was dealing with the wizened little dragon   
   in charge of medical disability claims.   
      
   Even Skinner was afraid of Ms. Delvecchio.  Scully   
   remembered him muttering that getting shot in the   
   stomach was a walk in the park compared to having   
   your claim forms worked over by the enforcer.   
      
   Scully busied herself with the weekend's email   
   before taking a few files from Mulder's pile   
   for review.   She'd gone through one or two   
   cases when the phone rang.   
      
   "You'll be happy to know I didn't strangle   
   Ms. Delvecchio this morning." Mulder said   
   without greeting.   
      
   "I'm proud of your self-control.  Everything   
   straightened out?"   
      
   "Sort of.  I still have to get copies of a   
   couple of forms, but I feel like I dodged   
   a bullet."   
      
   "We should have lunch somewhere nice to   
   celebrate," she said.   
      
   "Damn.  I wish I could.  I still have to   
   get out to the shooting range and requalify.   
   Noon is the earliest they could fit me in.   
   I wonder if picturing Ms. Delvecchio's face   
   in place of the target will improve my   
   score," he mused.   
      
   "It works for me," she replied.   
      
   Oh well, she'd have to brave the cafeteria   
   for lunch, she thought as Mulder hung up.   
      
   Scully grabbed a few more files and sat down   
   at her desk.  She'd started to make some   
   notes when the phone rang again.   
      
   "Hey Dana," Hugh greeted her.  "I had an   
   appointment near the Hoover building this   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)