He suddenly remembered Scully at the office the day before talking about going out with some of her friends. She had invited him to join them, but he had said no; he wasn't sure if men encompassed this group of friends, and though he wasn't cognizant of the thought, the idea of seeing Scully with a man didn't sit well with him. He thought briefly how odd it was that neither of them ever talked about their personal lives. Early on in their career together they would inquire about one another's social lives, talk about dates that had gone sour for whatever reason, but after a while they had both stopped talking, and asking. Of course, he didn't have much of a social life. Sure he had an occasional date and female companionship wasn't a problem if he wanted it, but his life was pretty dull for the most part. He found himself wondering exactly how dull Scully's was.

As his thoughts wandered and suddenly turned into pictures of Scully being with a man, he set his beer on the coffee table harder than he had intended, muttering to himself, "What the hell." He went to his room, where he changed out of the boxer shorts and T-shirt he had been wearing into a pair of stonewashed blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue oxford button-up shirt. As he returned to the living room, he turned the television off in disgust after putting on his shoes. Taking his dark brown leather jacket from the back of the couch he put it on and went over to his phone and dialed Scully's mobile number.

Scully always left her mobile phone on, and tonight being no different, she almost jumped out of her skin at the intrusion of it ringing. She wasn't in the mood tonight to be called away on a case. "Scully," she said hesitantly after debating about whether or not to answer at all.

"Scully, it's Mulder. Are you still going out with your friends tonight? My, uh, plans fell through, so if your invitation still stands, I'll join you." He plopped a couple of sunflower seeds in his mouth, shell and all as he waited for her response. He wasn't sure why he was feeling this way; it was almost as though he was nervous.

Looking at her watch, she wondered what plans he had had that were canceled. Realizing it was none of her business she brushed some hair out of her eyes as she spoke into the phone. "Well, actually, Mulder, my plans got canceled as well. But if you'd like to meet me at Mort's, that bar down the block from my apartment, I'll meet you there for a drink or two. I'm really not in the mood to be here tonight." Scully was surprised by Mulder's phone call. Somehow she thought he was always busy doing whatever it is Fox Mulder did outside of his FBI duties. She certainly never expected to receive a social call from him on a Saturday night. She was telling the truth though; she was in no mood to sit at home tonight.

"Sure, I'll meet you at Mort's. Or should I pick you up?" He looked at his watch again, putting down the sunflower seed bag as he looked at the leftover pizza. "Maybe we can grab some dinner, all I've had today was some pizza, and it wasn't even very good. Maybe some Chinese or something." It was still early, before 8:00. They could grab something to eat, and go out for a few drinks. He'd be home by midnight or so, which would give him plenty of time to get a decent night's sleep and wake up and pack his bag for his trip to Miami. He wasn't sure if Scully was even aware of where he was going the following day, or for that matter, if she knew he was going anywhere.

Scully looked out her window in time to see a couple walk past her window arm and arm. She shook her head to clear it of the image, and said, "Sure, Mulder, you can pick me up and Chinese sounds fine. I'm not that hungry, but I don't mind watching you eat. Besides, maybe my fortune cookie will bear some good news, I could always use some of that." She glanced down at what she was wearing, I'll have to change, she thought. She had gone running earlier, and while she had showered afterward, she wasn't dressed to go anywhere.

She hung up the phone after Mulder had said he'd be there in about 30 minutes and quickly went to her bedroom. She glanced through her closet, unsure of what to wear. "This is Mulder," she thought to herself. The man she'd spent just about everyday of her life with for the past seven years. Surely she could handle dressing for an evening out with him. She tried to recall if they had ever had an evening out, away from business. Surely they'd eaten together while away on trips, but this was different. Was this a date, she wondered? She quickly dismissed that thought from her mind. He hadn't asked her on a date; he had called thinking she was going out with some friends. She should have asked him what he was wearing, that would have been the simplest way to make her decision. She didn't want to call him back; that would indicate that she had some question about the evening and she didn't want to plant any thoughts in his head. She decided on a pair of khaki pants, a navy shirt and navy flats. Perhaps a little dressy, she thought to herself, but how often did Mulder see her outside of work to know how she dressed anyway. She ran a brush through her hair, applying some blush and lipstick finishing just in time to hear her buzzer ring.

Mulder rang Scully's buzzer, pleased with the view in the hallway as he waited for Scully to open her door. One of Scully's neighbors had come in from walking her dog and he was still watching her with a smirk on his face when Scully opened the door. Scully, noticing the look on Mulder's face, peered out her door to see what he was looking at. Rolling her eyes when she saw who he was looking at, "Mulder, she's way out of your league."

Mulder turned his gaze to Scully, "What makes you say that? Besides, a man can admire a work of art, can't he?" He took one last glance at the woman in the hallway then focused his attention on Scully.

Scully opened her door all the way, "Whatever, Mulder." Mulder passed by her, entering her apartment. "I just have to get my coat, and I'm ready to go. Where was it you had in mind?" She asked, as she pulled her coat from the closet. She watched Mulder as he looked around her apartment, something she had never noticed him doing before.

Mulder turned to look at her as she put her scarf around her neck, "Well, you know the area better than I do. Just someplace that will serve us real chicken instead of dogs or cats." Mulder shot her a sarcastic grin. They had had this discussion before and while Scully had tried to reassure him those rumors were false, he still had his doubts.

They walked to a neighborhood restaurant a few blocks from Scully's apartment, where they both ordered Sakai and drank it while Mulder waited for his Kung Pao Chicken and chicken fried rice. The fried rice was for Scully, and the gesture did not go unnoticed by her. When dinner arrived, they both ordered a second Sakai, and talked about mindless things as they ate.

Midway through dinner, Scully found herself thinking how odd it was they never ran out of things to talk about. As she finished her second Sakai, she watched Mulder as he ate wondering why that was. The Sakai was taking affect as the thought of Mulder not being a bad looking guy ran through her mind. She smiled inwardly at the thought, listening as he talked about a basketball game he had watched earlier that day.

They finished eating; leaving after Mulder paid the tab. The wind had picked up, cutting right through them, the effects of the Sakai leaving them prone to the cold. Scully pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck as they walked the few blocks in silence to Mort's. Mulder held the door open for Scully and followed her inside where they found a table close to both the dance floor and the band.

Scully saw the poster on the wall advertising LedAHettuce as the band for the evening and gestured toward it, "Have you ever heard these guys play, Mulder? They're not bad."

Mulder laughed, "No, I haven't. It's an interesting name though. I'm sure they're good, though."

The waitress took their drink orders as the band took their place on the makeshift stage. They were good; the five men in their early 20s doing some Led Zeppelin cover tunes, general classic rock tunes and some original stuff. Three hours and quite a few drinks later, Mulder realized it was getting late. While he was no stranger to drinking, the idea of a three-hour flight with a hangover wasn't appealing.

"Scully, I really should get you home. It's getting late." He hoped she didn't think it was her company that he was trying to get away from. He put his coat on, helping her with hers afterward. When they got outside, Mulder flagged down a passing taxi, "We've both had enough to drink tonight, Scully. I think we'd do well to get a ride back to your place." Mulder turned to her with a slight smirk, amused at her drunken state. He wasn't feeling any pain either, of course, but this was a side to Scully he hadn't seen.

Scully nodded her agreement, not knowing why it was she drank so much that evening. True, had she gone out with her friends, she probably would have drunk far more than she had. Being with Mulder, however, was entirely different. She didn't like him seeing her like this.

They arrived at Scully's building, Mulder paid the cab driver and walked with Scully to her door. Though Mulder wanted to get home he wasn't about to just drop her off and leave. She had reached that state when you've had a bit much to drink where you're not quite altogether there. She handed him her keys, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets as he fumbled to find the right key. Unlocking the door and flipping on the light as he opened the door, Scully followed behind him. She kept her half-mast eyes on him as she sat on the couch.

Mulder went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee, he knew if he was going to drive himself home tonight he was going to need a cup or two before leaving. A cup or two wouldn't hurt Scully either, he thought. He brought two cups of coffee out to the living room, surprised to see Scully wasn't sitting on the couch anymore.

Moments later, she came out of her bedroom dressed in a pair of flannel pajamas. "Sorry, Mulder, but as soon as you leave I just want to roll right into bed. I knew if I waited to put my pajamas on, I wouldn't bother to later." She gave him a half-hearted smile, sat on the couch and took the offered cup of coffee from him. How stupid he must think I am, she thought. She was always the one in control, and now the shoe was on the other foot and he was taking care of her.

Midway through the cup of coffee, Mulder felt Scully's head on his shoulder. He looked over at her, and despite her effort to stay awake she did not succeed. Gently removing the coffee cup she held in her hand, he set both cups on the table. "Scully. Are you awake?" His question was met with an inaudible response. Looking at the clock on her VCR, he decided it was time for him to get going.

Picking her up gently from the couch, he took her into his arms and carried her into her room. Not wanting to wake her, he set her on the bed gently. Reaching for the blanket at the foot of her bed, his arm inadvertently grazed her covered breast as he pulled the blanket up to her body. He was startled to feel her arms reach around his neck as he set the blanket up around her chest.

Scully stirred, sensing someone was in the room with her. Feeling Mulder's hands touch her, his arm graze her breast she instinctively reached her arms up around his neck. She heard the words he spoke, but they didn't register. She felt the caring way he placed the blanket around her and realized he was trying to take care of her. Her arms remained around his neck. Using her hands, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him instinctively, longingly. "Mulder," she whispered softly as she broke away from the kiss.

Mulder looked at her face. She looked so angelic lying there in her pajamas. He pulled away slightly, "Scully, you're tired and have had a bit to drink. Just go to sleep." He sat on the edge of the bed as he removed her arms from around his neck. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead, "Good night, Scully." He went to stand up, his right hand inadvertently grazing her covered breast again.

She stirred at the slight touch, once again wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't you want to kiss me, Mulder?" She drew him to her again, kissing him again.

This time Mulder didn't pull away. Instead, placing his hands on either side of Scully as she lay on the bed, he returned the kiss. He couldn't help but wonder briefly what he was doing and why; his doubts soon displaced by Scully's fingers working the buttons of his shirt. He broke the kiss slightly, looking into her eyes. She was awake now, that he was sure of. He moved her hand struggling with the buttons on his shirt, and began unbuttoning the shirt himself. Pulling the shirttail from the waistband of his jeans, he removed it tossing it on the floor. He returned his attention to her; her eyes were wide open now. She had a smile on her lips as her hands reached up under his T-shirt, touching his bare chest. He closed his eyes at the warmth and gentleness of her touch. He was quite certain that he had never been touched so perfectly before.

Now convinced she was awake and aware of what she was doing, he placed his right hand on top of her left hand, which rested on his chest. Bringing his mouth to hers, it felt so right kissing her. They had known one another for seven years, and it suddenly all seemed to fall into place for him. His kisses moved to her neck and her ears where he gently nibbled her earlobe. He looked at her as she laughed lightly; he had never heard her laugh that way before.

His mouth moved to the side of her neck again as he began unbuttoning her pajama top. When finished with the buttons, he parted the top exposing her breasts. One nice thing about her wearing pajamas, he thought to himself, she's not wearing a bra. He laughed to himself slightly at the thought as his eyes took in her exposed body. With his right hand, he traced the outline of her lips his fingertips gently tracing her neck, and finally stopping on her breasts. He heard her inhale slightly at his touch, bringing his mouth to each of her breasts as his hand continued to caress her exposed flesh. His kisses moved from her breasts to her stomach. Pausing to look up at her. "You all right, Scully?" He asked.

"Yes, Mulder, I'm fine." She smiled as she sat up to look at him, removing her top. “I'm more than fine.” She lay back down, her head against the pillow as she placed her hands by her side. She wondered silently what had taken them so long to get to this point. They knew one another better than anyone else did, wasn't this just a natural progression.

Mulder inched off her pajama bottoms, leaving only her underwear on. He stood from the bed, removed his shoes, unfastened his belt and removed his jeans, which he placed in a pile with his shirt and shoes followed by his T-shirt. Returning to Scully's side on the bed, he was surprised when she leaned up and kissed him, her hands trailing over his chest resting on his thigh.

After what seemed like an eternity of kissing, touching and caressing to Mulder he brought Scully to him, her lying against his chest. He brought his lips to hers for a fiery kiss, then pulling herself away from him she straddled him and without much difficulty he was inside her. She placed her hand on his, nervously taking it in hers and bringing it to her chest.

Mulder looked up at her, his head lying on a pillow. She had been his partner in work for the last seven years, how natural it seemed now for her to be his partner in life as well. After he was sure she was satisfied, they switched positions so he was now on top of her. Her arms wrapped about his neck, her legs intertwined with his, his arms wrapped about her hips. The way she felt, her body pressed against his, the way he felt inside her, he couldn't resist the urge. Feeling it had happened too fast, he kissed her breasts, her neck, her mouth. "I'm sorry, Scully."

"Don't be, Mulder. You were fine." She traced his lips with her fingertip. "I don't know that I can remember something feeling so natural."

He moved so he was lying next to her, his arms pulling her to him so her head rested on his chest. He took in the scent of her hair, "You're right. But, we shouldn't have expected it to be any different. I think we'd make a perfect pair in anything we tried to do." He smiled at the thought as she looked up at him. "Though, I think I like the thought of practicing this a few more times." His hands continued to caress her body as he spoke. Oddly, unlike the other women he'd been with, Mulder's instincts told him to stay. He wasn't normally the type to sleep with someone after they had sex, but right now nothing felt more right then laying here with Scully in his arms.

"I think that can be arranged, Mulder. I think that can definitely be arranged." Though he couldn't see her face, Scully was smiling at the thought. "They say, after all, practice makes perfect." She dislodged herself from his embrace briefly to kiss him. She returned her head to his chest, nuzzling in and drifting off to sleep. Her last thoughts were hoping that they hadn't done something hasty or foolish that would change their work relationship. She, however, found herself dismissing her doubts as soon as they entered her mind. Somehow, she thought, I don't think that's going to be a problem.

Mulder looked at his watch, rolling his eyes at the time. So much for getting home tonight, he thought. Then looking down at Scully sleeping, he wasn't so sure he wanted to go to Miami after all. They were both on vacation the next week. Maybe he'd spend his vacation time with her instead. He somehow was overcome with the compulsion of learning much more about his partner then he had learned up until now. He knew that he definitely liked what he knew thus far. His hands stopped caressing Scully as he drifted off to a comfortable and peaceful sleep.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com