See disclaimers in part one.


REKINDLING THE FLAME (2/4)
by Jennifer Farwell
rfarwell@foxnet.net



        I was awoken the next morning by being tapped on the nose.  I opened my
eyes to see Mulder grinning.  "You were drooling," he explained.
        Whoa, talk about your feelings of deja-vu.  I looked at the pillow, and
realized it was dry.  "Liar," I mumbled, and rolled over in the other direction.
        "I know you got the bed, but are you planning to sleep in it all day?"
        This was impossible.  So much for going back to sleep.  I sat up, defeated,
and faced him with the patience I didn't have.  "So help me God, Mulder, if
it's any time before 10, you're a dead man."
        "Then I guess I was still alive two hours ago," he grinned.  "It's noon,
Scully.  Time to get up, have lunch, and hit the beach!"  What an assignment
we had going, here.  Spending the day relaxing in the sand.
        I had to admit, the beach was heaven.  It had been a long time since I'd
just sprawled out in the sun, relaxing to the sound of waves crashing
against the shore.  I laid on my towel on my stomach, and savoured the
feeling of the sun warming my body.  This was definitely the life.  Just lie
here, forget last night, forget about Mulder--
        "Are you sure you won't burn?"
        I turned my head to look at Mulder.  "Hmmm?"
        "Well, you're a redhead, and have pretty fair skin, right?  Are you sure
you won't burn?" he repeated.
        "Well, come to think of it..."  I reached over for my bag, and pulled out a
bottle of sunblock.  Mulder took it from my hands.  "Here, lay back down,"
he instructed.  He began applying the lotion to my back, and suddenly all
the thoughts I'd been getting out of my mind came flooding back.  How could
this man make me feel so many things?  It was getting to the point of being
ridiculous.
        When he finished, I thanked him.  He said he was going for a swim, and
asked if I wanted to join him.  I knew it was in my best interests to stay
Mulder-less for awhile, so I told him go on, I'd stay on the beach.
However, I soon found that I couldn't stay still.  Eyeing up an abandoned
pail, I had the idea to build a sandcastle.  Now there was something I
hadn't done since I was eight years old.  I was just beginning the
foundation of it when Mulder came back from his swim.
        "Hey, whatcha working on?" he asked.
        "A sandcastle.  Want to help?"
        "Yeah, I guess so.  What do I do?"  
        I handed him the pail.  "Go get some water."
        I'd been concentrating so hard on figuring out the castle's design, that I
didn't notice when Mulder crept up behind me with the bucket.  Suddenly, I
was being doused with water.  Caught off-guard, I screamed.  That was not
the end of it, though.  I found myself being scooped up and carried toward
the ocean.
        "Mulder, stop it," I warned.  He laughed, and carried me further into the
water.  "Mulder, put me down!"
        "If you insist," he agreed, then proceeded to drop me into the water.  When
I resurfaced and saw the look of amusement on his face, I decided that this
meant war.  Smiling sweetly at him, I skimmed my arm against the surface of
the ocean and got him in the face with a wave of water.  Growing up with two
brothers had its advantages when it came to water battle.  I had forgotten,
however, that they had always fought back.  Soon, we were engaged in an
all-out water fight, laughing and shrieking like little kids.  He dunked me
underwater, and I tried to push him backwards into an oncoming wave.  He
caught my wrists, then lifted me so my feet weren't touching the sandy
bottom.  I was at eye level with him, when the smile died off his face.  We
inched closer and closer, until I could feel his lips about to touch mine.
Softly, we began to kiss.  His arms tightened around me, and my hands roamed
up his back.  As my fingers tangled in his hair, I kissed him with an
urgency that frightened me.  It was actually happening.  _How_ could this be
happening?  This wasn't an act, or a cover-up... this time it was for real.
And here we were, in the middle of the pounding surf, kissing with a need so
intense it was almost frightening.  A low moan escaped me.  This is what I'd
wanted, right?  Four years of working together, our bond becoming stronger
every minute we were together.  This was what Mulder wanted... how had he
kept it hidden?  As we slowly separated, I gazed into the depths of his
eyes.  There were no shields there, just passion and caring, and perhaps a
bit of amazement.  Almost as if in a trance, he lowered me so my feet were
once again touching the ocean floor, his gaze never once wavering.  He kept
his arms loosely around my waist, and my arms stayed around him.  I don't
think I could have moved them if I'd wanted to.  Here we stood, on the edge
of the unknown, partners, best friends... and more?  It was no longer a
matter of either of us walking the line... it had happened.  It had finally
happened.  An open admission of the long surpressed feelings, and there
couldn't be any going back.  An expression of honesty, without words.  We
stood there, zombies, trying to absorb the shock of what we'd just let
happen.  Who would be the first to speak?  What was there to say?  Four
years of pent-up longing, all breaking loose in one sweet kiss, and an
unspoken communication with a stare that would not break.
        His hazel eyes searched mine.  Bringing one of his arms up, his thumb
traced my jawbone.  It was as if he had to touch me, to assure himself that
this was real.  I brought my hand up along his arm, then intertwined my
fingers with his.  Finally, I looked down at the hand which I held.  It was
the hand of the one person who knew me better than I sometimes knew myself;
the one person I knew could hurt me more than anyone else.  I was vulnerable
to him, and he was vulnerable to me.  We'd crossed over into uncharted
territory, looking for a different kind of truth.  The most human truth of
all.  Caring, feeling... love.  This was new for both of us.  Mulder hadn't
been one to let himself be loved  - the walls he'd built were so great, I'd
thought they'd never be completely down.  Yet here we were, hand-in-hand,
him beginning to lead me back to the shore.  We stayed silent the whole
journey there, scared as hell of what was to come.  We'd both had
relationships, years previous to this, but somehow this was different.
Every reaction I had was so strong, and felt so right.  I had seen by the
look in his eyes, it had been the same for him.  It had been a natural
progression so far, from partners to friends.  Had we really been so foolish
as to think it'd never go this far?
        We returned to our spot on the beach, hands still together.  I looked up at
him, again.  His soulful gaze remained, causing my heart to quicken.  We had
a bond, and we had a need.  He bent his head down to mine, as we tested the
waters of our new relationship once more.  When we once more broke apart, he
took me gently in his arms, where I so perfectly fit.  Holding me there,
running an arm up and down my back, he whispered, "Let's be careful with
each other, Dana."  I nodded.  This was something special, and we both knew
it.  We had so much already, and neither of us wanted it to be destroyed.
        In an unspoken agreement, we both began to collect up our towels and bags,
and headed back to the car.  There was no conversation as we drove back to
the hotel, just the sounds of KOST FM blaring from the speakers.  When we
got to our room, we saw a light on the phone blinking.  We had a message on
our voice mail.  As Mulder retrieved the message, I flung myself down on the
couch, drained and exhilarated from this afternoon's revelation.  When I
heard the phone being put back into the receiver, I twisted around to look
at Mulder.
        "Who was it?"
        Mulder looked disappointed, somehow.  "That was Skinner.  It seems the men
we were supposed to be observing turned up in another town, and someone else
is watching them.  Our stint here is over, and we return to Washington
tomorrow afternoon."
        Two days in paradise, on what appeared to be the easiest and best case of
my career.  It figured.  However... "Does that mean we're free for the evening?"
        Mulder looked at me and smiled.  "Actually, yes.  How would you like to end
our short-lived vacation?  Dinner?"
        I made a face at him.  "Well. you know, food is always a good way to end
any vacation.  Come to think of it, it's a good way to end any day.  You
know, that thing called supper and all..."
        He joined me on the couch, taking me by surprise when he wrapped his arms
around me from behind.  "No," he said, his voice low.  "I meant a real
dinner... a nice restaurant, where you and I are there not as partners."
        "A date?" I supplied.  He smiled a little when I said that.
        "I guess so," he agreed.  He chuckled softly.  I turned my head around to
look at him, and saw the shine and happiness in his eyes.
        "What?" I asked.
        "I was just thinking, how much like a first date this feels like."
        "Uh, Mulder?"  I gave him a strange look.  "That would be because this _is_
a first date."
        "That's what's so funny," he explained.  After a quizzical glance from me,
he elaborated.  "We've been together most waking hours of the day for four
years, and it's just now that we're finally getting our act together..."
        "Yeah, but aren't you glad we did?" I asked softly.
        "Incredibly glad," he breathed, lightly kissing the end of my nose.  He
looked at me for a long time.  "I can't believe it's finally happening."
        I relaxed against his chest.  "Do you know how many times I just wanted to
sit like this?"
        "Do you know how many times I just wanted to hold you like this?"
        "Spooky, isn't it?" 
        "The spookiest," he returned.
        "So what time is this dinner thing happening?" I inquired.
        "Well," he thought for a moment, "what's a good date time?"
        "My guess would be when we're hungry," I smiled.  "Seven?"
        "Sounds good to me."
        "Dressy or casual?"
        He put on an expression of mock offense.  "We're making an evening of this,
aren't we?"
        "Yeah, but I was just making sure, cos..." I bit my lip before continuing,
"...I didn't think to bring anything dressy here with me.  I've got to go
shopping.  Want to come?"
        "Well, since I seem to be unable to unattach myself from you," he teased,
"I guess I'd better."
        "Okay then, let's go."  I attempted to stand up, but found myself anchored
to the couch by Mulder's arms.  He looked up in surprise.
        "Right now?"
        "Well, when did you think?  After dinner?"  I disengaged his arms, and
grabbed one of his hands.  "It won't take too long, I promise.  I remember
seeing something I liked in a store we went in yesterday."  Tugging on his
hand like an impatient child, I attempted to get him up off the couch.
Slowly and deliberately, he let me pull him up, then nearly sent us both
crashing into the wall when he was finally to his feet.  This was a side to
him I'd never seen before... almost playful.  I liked it.
        I found the store and the dress I'd been hunting for, then made Mulder wait
outside while I purchased it.  It was a date, after all, and I could
surprise him.  Although, it would be more like a 'date' married couples go
on, considering we'd be sharing the bathroom as we got ready.  Strange, but
then, that was us.  It was all in how you defined normal.
        At seven that night, I stepped out of the washroom, in full-date ensemble.
I watched as Mulder turned from where he was gazing out the window to look
at me.  I suddenly became a little shy.  He'd never really seen me dressed
up before, I knew, and now things were a little different.  He took in the
wide-strapped blue dress that perfectly matched my eyes, with the simple
gold chain decorating my collarbone.  My hair was wavier than usual and
loose, and my makeup slightly heavier.  I waited for him to say something,
and when he didn't, I realized he was still staring.  I saw desire flash
through his eyes, and remembering our promise to be careful with each other,
decided to lighten the mood.  
        "You don't look so bad yourself," I kidded.  The truth was, he was
gorgeous.  He always had been, but tonight I realized it more.
        He had been caught.  Clearing his throat, he walked over to me.  "So...
shall we go?"
        "Does my chariot await?"
        "Yes, my lady," he played along.  "That is, if you consider a Ford Taurus
an acceptable chariot."
        We drove to one of the most elegant restaurants in Misty Point, and were
promptly seated.  It all seemed so incredibly unbelievable that we should be
here in this situation, but we were.  Dinner was wonderful.  For once, work
wasn't mentioned, but we conversed like two normal people with normal lives.
We laughed and smiled, and even relaxed.  I briefly pondered how I could get
us both transferred to an office in southern California, so we could always
be in this mood.  Maybe it was something in the air of the west coast.
Besides the bits of tire rubber, that is.  I felt like a person again - one
with a life.  I hadn't been this happy in a long time.
        The dessert cart came, and I claimed I couldn't eat another bite, but
Mulder grabbed a large slice of chocolate cake.  With that all-too-familiar
twinkle present in his eyes, he told me to open my mouth.  I was about to
protest, when I realized it was something I didn't have to put up a fuss
about, now.  We were being a couple, out on a fun night.  Giving in and
opening my mouth, he proceeded to feed me pieces of the cake from off of a
fork.  I savoured it, rolling my eyes and moaning in appreciation.  I
watched with amusement as Mulder sat back and fidgeted with his shirt collar
a slight bit.  I, Dana Scully, was having this effect on Fox Mulder.
Astounding, really.  I took the opportunity to turn the tables on him, and
speared a bite of cake onto the fork.  He saw it as I aimed it towards his
mouth, and wordlessly, he opened it.  After the cake was safely in his
mouth, my arm went to make its retreat.  Suddenly he caught my wrist  From
across the table, he asked, "May I have this dance?"
        Yes, there was a dance floor at the restaurant.  It hosted several couples
at this hour, all looking to be around our age.  As the music started,
Mulder pulled me close to him.  I speculated on what a sight we must have
made, him being nearly a foot taller than myself.  It didn't matter.  It was
as though I had been meant to be in that man's arms, for we fit together
perfectly.  I rested my head against his chest, as the melody continued on.


Did you ever listen to me?
Have you ever heard?
Is friends all that we're meant to be?
Would you ever say the word?
I've known you for so long now
Do I know you at all?
Don't tell me that I'm wrong now
Don't put up that wall


How long can you keep hiding?
This game is so absurd
Cos all I really want from you
Are those three little words...


        This song was the story of our lives, up until now.  Mulder must have been
listening to the words as well, because I felt his arms tighten around me.


You think that you're protecting me
When you're the one who's scared.
I know our love is meant to be
Expressed nurtured and shared...


        My mind whirled for the rest of the song.  In one day, so much had
happened.  Everything I'd wanted but never thought I'd have, was here.  I
was dancing with Mulder to a song made for us, on a night that seemed to
belong just to us.  It was something I continued to obsess over, but enjoyed
doing.  The evening had been perfect.
        It was getting late when we got back to the hotel.  It was our last night
there, in the honeymoon suite, and Mulder's night for the bed.  After going
into the washroom to get ready for bed, I came out to find him still sitting
on the couch, looking at the television which wasn't turned on.  I went over
and sat down beside him.  "Hey you."
        He turned his head to me, an expression of warmth crossing his face.  "Hey
yourself."
        "So, is the night over?" I asked.
        "It would appear that way," he replied.
        "Do I get a goodnight kiss?"
        "Always," he promised.  His lips found mine for the third time that day,
and I realized that this was almost addictive.  There was a spark there, a
hint of a flame.  I laid my head against his shoulder.  "Pretty crazy day, huh?"
        "Pretty wonderful day," he corrected.  I smiled.  He took my hand, and
stood up.
        "What are you doing?" I questioned, as he pulled me up.
        "Going to bed.  We actually have to get up tomorrow."  He continued to lead
me over to the bed.
        "Mulder..." I hesitated.  "What happened to being careful with each other?"
        He stopped for a moment, then looked at me seriously.  "Dana, is that what
you think I wanted?  God, no.  I mean, one day, well..." he flushed, then
his voice dropped lower.  "I just wanted to hold you tonight, our last night
here.  We're going back to our other lives tomorrow, where things are going
to be a little more difficult.  We will make this work, even with Bureau
policies, but I wanted a few more precious moments to remember from our trip
here.  That's all.  Is that okay?  I mean, I won't even do that if it's not
all right..."
        Every word found its way into my heart.  He was being so sweet, and was
scared at the same time.  "Of course it's okay," I assured him.  "It's perfect."
        As we laid there that night, we told each other more than we'd ever told
anyone.  Stories from childhood, feelings on tragedies... we talked late
into the night.  After we'd been silent for awhile, I felt my eyes begin to
drift close.  The sound of Mulder's voice forced them open.
        "I want to tell you something I've never said to anyone...  I love
you, Dana."
        Tears pricked at my eyes.  All of his walls were down, now.  He'd let me
in, further than anyone.  I whispered softly, "I love you too, Mulder."
        "Fox."
        I looked at him, tears threatening to spill.  "I thought you hated that
name."  He closed his eyes, looking to be almost in pain.  I became alarmed.
"What is it?"
        "I only told you that to distance myself from you.  Even then, that early
into our partnership... I felt something.  It scared me, Dana.  I had been
dedicated to the search for Samantha for so long, and hurt so badly by
Phoebe... God, I don't know why I was hurt like that.  There was nothing
there, really.  Nothing like this...  I wanted to distance myself from you,
somehow.  I must have been crazy to think it would work."
        "Then maybe we're both crazy," I murmured.  "I kept denying that this would
ever happen.  Such a skeptic."  He chuckled.  "Goodnight, Fox."
        "Goodnight, Dana."


        I despised wake-up calls.  That's the conclusion I came to the next
morning, when in a blissful state of semi-consciousness I laid in Fox's
arms.  I wanted to lie there all day, and probably would have, had it not
been for that damn phone.  I urged him, "Let it ring."
        He grinned, but picked it up anyhow.  When he hung up, the first thing I
did was club him with a pillow.
        "Ow!  Hey!"  He looked up in surprise.
        I returned the pillow to its spot on the bed and settled back in his arms,
the picture of innocence.  "Yes?"
        "Good morning," he said softly.
        "Good morning," I whispered back.
        "Time to get up, Sleeping Beauty."
        I groaned.  "Don't tell me I get fairytale nicknames now.  That's so...
so... not us."
        "Well, would you prefer Little Red Riding Hood?" he asked.
        "Only if that makes you the Big Bad Wolf."
        He tried to reach for the pillow to thwap me, but I quickly threw it off
the bed.  Instead, he settled for the next best thing:  Tickling.
        "It's not gonna work, buddy," I lied.
        "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" he countered.  I knew I was
in for it when his hand found my foot.  I had to bite my lip to keep from
laughing.  "Still sure you aren't ticklish?"
        I nodded my head, but hardly dared to say, "Positive."
        He grabbed my other foot with his other hand.  It was taking all my
restraint not to burst into a fit of giggles.  "You know, if you scrunch
your face up anymore..." he began.
        I hit his arm.  "Isn't it time to get up?"
        "We can spare a few minutes.  Just laugh, and I'll let you go."
        "And what if I don't want to laugh?"
        "Then I guess you'll just have to kiss me."
        I took hold of his arms and led them away from my feet.  "I may just have
to do that."  As I moved closer to him, he suddenly brought one arm back
down to tickle my foot.  Caught off guard, I shrieked.
        "I win!" he announced.
        "Win what?" I pondered.
        "The first shower."
        "Not if I get there first," I replied.  Bolting up off the bed, I raced for
the bathroom.  Making it to the door first, I turned around and said
sweetly, "You can go find the coffee."
        We had a long day of travelling ahead of us.  We left from LAX at 2 p.m.
Pacific Time, which was already 5 p.m. on the East coast.  We had a 3-hour
stopover in Minneapolis, and finally got back into Washington late that
evening.  After collecting our luggage, Mulder drove me home.  He helped me
with the suitcases up to my apartment.  I unlocked the door, then turned
around to face him.  He brought his hand up to my face, cupping my cheek.
"I guess this is goodnight."
        It was a reminder we were no longer in the land of sunshine and relaxation.
We were back to our lives, or lack thereof.  How strange would it be the
next day in the office?  How lonely would the night be without him?  I met
his gaze.  Stepping closer to him, I raised myself up high enough to lightly
plant a kiss on his lips.  His arms encircled me, and he bent his head down.
We probably could have stayed out there all night, making out like
teenagers.  A pity that we were far too sensible for that.
        He gave me one last long look, before retreating.  "Goodnight."
        I watched as he disappeared down the hall.  I leaned against my door.
"Goodnight."


Continued in part 3...