#AweburnPhoenix

[audiofanficpod]

I'm not going anywhere by @AweburnPhoenix

Read by @msrtheatre0223

Please leave the author a comment if you enjoyed their story 😘

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Fic: IVF Successes (Poll Results 3rd)

This list was inspired by this poll, sharing 3rd place with post-Tithonus Mother Hen Mulder.

Successful IVF fics are my life's blood (...okay, all of these Poll Result Fics are my favorites, but--); and there are, fortunately, so many good ones that I love to reread over and over.

I could go on and on about each and every detail I love about each and every one of these fics; but it would take eons. Instead, let's go!

Loose chronological order below~

**Note**: Will ghost edit later~.

@o6666666's (Ao3) Untitled

""Which room tonight?”

She smiles, eyes closed. “Living room.”

He starts, slowly, to scratch her back. “The older kids have a soccer tournament this weekend,” he begins, speaking in the soft monotone that feels like a back scratch in itself. “They came in with their cleats on and tracked mud everywhere and you got mad.”

He feels her grin and gathers her closer.""

Mulder weaves bedtime stories about their Imaginary House filled with kids, a dog, filling food, and a skylight window on the first floor of a two story-house.

@sunflowerseedsandscience’s (Ao3)

2016 Fictober Drabbles - Chapter 8 (Ao3)

""The first time, Mulder had stayed in their basement office during the procedure, and later, when she’d learned that it hadn’t taken, she’d informed him by phone.  The second time, he’d driven her to the doctor’s and waited in the car.  He’d offered to come in with her,  but she’d turned him down.  There had still been no discussion regarding what they’ll do if the procedure works- she hadn’t seen any point in making any decisions when they didn’t even know if it would be necessary- and with his potential involvement still undecided, she’s not completely comfortable having him there.""

Mulder prevents Scully from giving in to despair, asking to pay for her third IVF attempt and opening up their relationship to more.

Someday Your Child May Cry

""Mulder blows straight past Dr. Parenti’s receptionist, with Scully doing her best to ignore the sharp pains in her gut and keep up. In his fury, he’s forgotten her still-healing injury, and from the look he’d had on his face when he’d gotten out of the car, he’s not likely to remember it anytime soon.

She’s never seen him this furious.

Inside Parenti’s office, Mulder doesn’t pause before grabbing the doctor, lifting him bodily from his desk chair, and slamming him against the wall. He brandishes the test results in the terrified man’s face.

“Who do you work for?” Mulder demands. “Whose orders were you following when you did this to my partner? To our child?""

A S6 chapter by chapter epic where Mulder and Scully battle their way through their failing IVF attempts and loss of the X-Files; but what almost breaks them is when Mulder slips up to Diana, who then sells this information to her Consortium higher-ups. (The Tithonus and Sixth Extinction chapters left an imprint on my mind forever. Stunning work, @sunflowerseedsandscience-- you left a mark on my mind forever~.)

AweburnPhoenix's Every Monday

""Two large, thank you," Scully ordered once they reached the end of the line. "Oh, make one decaf," she added. 

Mulder smiled for a second. It would be hard for her to adjust, that was for sure. Probably even more difficult for him. Cranky, no-caffeine, morning Scully was not something he was looking forward to. But they would manage. It was for a good cause.""

Post Monday Mulder is certain that the IVF took, not letting Scully's nerves dimmer their hope. Pam's legacy lives on.

@crossedbeams/CrossedBeams's Pink (Ao3)

""Look inside.’

Mulder had forgotten about the bag, and in the minute he’s been holding it has managed to reduce to top to a sweaty, balled-up mess. It takes him thirty seconds to open it and another thirty to process what’s inside. As he fumbles, Scully’s agitation grows. He can feel her gaze boring into him as he reaches into the paper sack and pulls out the contents.

‘Well?!’ Scully’s voice is as crumpled as the paper. ‘What does it say?’

Mulder looks down at the three pregnancy tests in his hands. He’d thought she was going to the doctors on Monday. He’d been dreading it. The last judgement on a last chance.""

Scully BANGS her way into Mulder's apartment, hyperventilating on his floor and begging him to look at the test results for her.

@frogsmulder/Brynstein's The Day That Never Came (Ao3)

""He bursts through the door, and sees Scully on her knees, leaning against the bath. She looks pale, frightfully so, and although she is staring down, he can see the tears streaking down her face. It's obvious she collapsed in that position and his immediate thought is that the cancer has returned. Kneeling down beside her, Mulder cautiously raises her chin with his finger, ready to catch the blood dripping from her nose with his thumb.

But her nose is clean and she looks up at him with shock and wonder in her eyes, a smile poking through like sunshine through cloud cover.""

Scully terrifies Mulder by yelling for him from the next room.

@atths–twice‘s (Ao3, Alt. Ao3, FFN) Successful Undertakings

""Pacing the room, he waited for her to return, rubbing his hand across his face. Finally, he heard the door open and she walked over to him.

“This is it,” she said quietly and he saw tears in her eyes. “Whatever happens, Mulder, thank you. Thank you for…”

“My contribution?’ he joked, clenching his jaw.

“Yes,” she said seriously, touching his arm. “There is no one else I would have even considered asking.”

“Not even Skinner?” He tried another joke needing to break the heavy seriousness.

“Mulder,” she whispered, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around him, burying into his chest. She sighed as he held her tightly, his eyes closed. “A baby with Skinner would have always been bald."" 

Mulder and Scully are a bundle of nerves at this their last chance; and are both elated when the nurse tells them the good new.

@sisterspooky1013/SisterSpooky1013/Sister Spooky's Everything

""I love you” he whispered so quietly she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. She tucked her face back into his chest to conceal a yawn.

“Am I boring you?” He joked, and she chuckled, facing him again while she shook her head.

“I’m just suddenly exhausted” she remarked. How much had her life changed in the past couple hours? It’s was a lot to absorb.

“Wanna take a nap?!” He proposed with the same level of excitement he might normally ask “wanna go to Kentucky?!” Except this time, what he was offering actually sounded good.""

Scully is awed at Mulder's reactions each step of their IVF journey: being struck dumb at her request, scooping her up and comforting her when he thinks the IVF has failed, and alternating between tenderness at her "go big or go home" confession and keen interest in their baby's development. She leaves no doubts regarding "them."

@baronessblixen​‘s (Ao3) 

Against the Odds (Ao3)

""It didn’t take, did it?”

Mulder has spent hours trying to come up with the right words for each outcome. He walked through her kitchen as if taking inventory. As if the fact that she owned three sizes of coffee cups meant anything at all, made any kind of difference. The last hour he spent here, on her couch. A familiar spot. The lumps and indentions fitting his body perfectly as if he belonged there. So he stayed. Stayed and let his thoughts run wild. There were only two outcomes. Two. It’s either one or the other; success or failure. Whatever news she carried with her, though, he knew he needed to be prepared. He fell asleep halfway through thinking up his speech for when it didn’t take. He didn’t even get the chance to consider the idea that it might have worked."" 

Mulder is so overjoyed at the news that he shifts their relationship immediately; and further surprises Scully with a celebratory alien onesie.

Five Minutes

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

""He’s been hovering, lately. In a case of worst timing ever, Scully started having morning sickness right after their first tentative step towards a more intimate relationship on New Year’s Eve. When he walked into his bathroom hours later, hair sticking into every direction, his eyes wide as saucers, she could see in his face that he blamed himself for her sitting there on the cold tiles, hunched over his toilet. As if his shy, careful kiss had caused this. Only her Mulder could conclude something as inane as that. But since that night, he’s become a shadow at her side, making sure she’s fine. Most of the time, she is.

The morning sickness has since passed and has been replaced by this giddiness. Scully glances at Mulder again. Perfectly still, like a statue. Not a peep out of him about how he wants to go home, why this is taking so long and isn’t there a way to speed this up? All these questions run through her mind, though. It’s as though this particular trait of his has been transferred to her, along with a good chunk of his genetic material, currently growing a baby inside of her.

Scully can't wait, buying a pregnancy test early; and, as if reading her mind, Mulder drops in just in time to read the results. She ruminates on this new restlessness of hers after The Goldberg Variation, baffled that their normal rates of patience have swapped; but this is all resolved when she finally, finally, spells out what she wants for their relationship. (One of my all-time favorite IVF pieces is Chapter 2. Can't rave about it enough.)

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls’s

Successful IVF miniseries

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

I love every. single. line. from Part 2. The best part, to me, was too long to pull out one single quote (the section about holding Matthew and almost getting caught by Bill), so I made do.

""The Christmas tree is unplugged, dark, and she can see Mulder on his side on the couch bed. She isn’t sure that he’s even awake until she draws close to the edge of the cot, and Mulder immediately turns over. “Scully, hey,” he says, his voice somewhere between sweet and worried. “Are you okay? Is it morning sickness?”

Scully chuckles quietly, sitting down on the bed gingerly, one leg folded under her. “Oh, no, Mulder. That’s still a few weeks away, fortunately.”

“Oh.” He extracts an arm out from under the blanket and reaches up to cup her cheek. “What’s up?”

“Oh...” She is suddenly embarrassed.... “I dunno,” she says quietly. “I guess I just got...”

“Cold?” Mulder tugs the sleeve of her sweatshirt between two fingers. 

She nods gratefully. "Cold.""

My all-time favorite IVF success series. Mulder and Scully become a thing the MINUTE that they get their successful news. Slowly, he nudges his way into her apartment, true; but they're an undoubted fixture in each other's life throughout the whole experience. (Part 2 is my all-time favorite IVF fic: it can never be topped, and it was what started my XF fic cataloguing and filing journey. My love for it is boundless; and it is perfection.)

under the star (Ao3)

""Scully, I want this, he says. I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t.

She smiles again, eyes welling up, and buries her head in his shoulder.""

AUs where Mulder and Scully might have been happy-- IVF success is one of them. (Love these little vignettes~.)

effywho's Astra Inclinant

""He doesn't know what that means. She removes her jacket, and he peers at her, trying to make out her expression as nonchalantly as he manage. Happy, heartbroken? She is indecipherable. Mulder tries to still his bouncing leg and bites his nails into his palms in an effort to keep them to himself, though they want her magnetically.

"Hey?" he whispers. Scully is almost upon him, her blue eyes are swimming with tears. He touches her cheek softly, afraid to break this spell, afraid to know. "Is it...is it bad news?" Scully blinks, and a fat tear falls down her face that has inexplicably broken into a dizzying smile. She clutches his biceps, hanging onto him as though she might fall. "No," she chokes out the word.

The breath is knocked swiftly from his lungs, he gapes at her in shock. "No?""

Mulder is speechless with delight at the IVF success; and follows it up with an "I love you." Scully, of course, takes the reigns.

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN)

AU headcanons: the IVF works (Alt. link, alt. link)

""Aha, you said “he!” You know it’s a boy!”

“I have no idea Mulder, it’s too early to tell. We can findout the sex next time if we want to.”

Mulder likes the sound of “we”. They’re not a couple, but they’re already embracing co-parenting. He has no idea how it’s going to work when the baby’s born but they have six months to figure it out.""

Mulder is overjoyed when Scully tells him their successful news; and, all told, they have a conversation about everything at least in the first trimester. Bill even cools down enough to let them be happy.

Donna’s (Gossamer, mulderscreek) 

Per Manum Interruptus (Site)

""He thought he had this whole thing thought out. He'd certainly told himself he had. He hadn't just agreed to something like this blind . . . had he?

They hadn't discussed anything in reality. No logistics at all.

"I know I'm babbling, Mulder. There're just so many things going through my mind."

He was able to nod at that.""

The IVF is successful... and Mulder immediately panics. His inner near-hysteria coupled with Scully's serene happiness is a beautiful conversation. Their relationship is a whirlwind before the baby is born... but it all melts away in a washed-up dream (or doesn't if you skip the ending.) The humor in this is spectacular.

Destiny (Site)

""He started to speak when they both heard Katy scream.

He was on his feet and racing for her before Scully had time to process the sound. Katy had gotten herself caught behind the toy basket and didn't have the concept of backing out firmly in her head. Her tears dried magically in his arms.

He turned to look at Scully, still a little shaky. "Am I good to her?""

AU-- Mulder is shot into a future where he and Scully married, the IVF worked, and they have a daughter. He spends the day acclimating, falling in love with this life, and shaking up his own life to help achieve that future.

@blackcoffeeandteardrops's (Ao3) An AU where the IVF works?

""I like it better than the dandelion. I don’t want something too yellow,” she muses. “Which do you like?”

“The green is good,” he says, resting a hand at the small of her back.. She ropes an arm around his waist and it nearly makes him jump, but he quickly settles into it. There’s an invigorated feeling about being close to her, an energy brought forward by the new physical closeness of their relationship, that makes him nearly giddy, “It’s good for a girl or a boy, you know.”

“We don’t need to find out,” she replies, shaking her head, knowing he was trying to goad her into telling him her suspicions.""

This fic covers a little of everything: elation at their success, nervousness while getting ready to tell Maggie, tense anticipation at the "next step" talk, banter over wall swatch colors, and a rewarding little ten-finger-and-toed baby at the end.

@sigritandtheelves/DarlaBlack's Unnamed

""He didn’t come with her because they weren’t… well, they weren’t doing this kind of thing together yet. They were Figuring Things Out, and he’d touched her belly several times (still mostly flat but for bloating, though she let herself pretend it was the swell of life already) and he’d kissed just the corner of her mouth, and his eyes had looked so needy. But. He was buying no “Proud Dad” sweatshirts, nor was he asking her for daily updates or buying onesies. Watching, though. He was always watching her.

And he did seem proud. He’d have come if she’d asked.""

Scully breaks the successful IVF news to Maggie, who immediately reads between the lines.

@sixhours/6hoursgirl's (FFN)

A Boy and His Fox (FFN)

""He squints, tilts his head again. “What I don’t get is how you can look at twenty photos of genuine paranormal phenomena and dub them fakes, then present me with a picture that looks like it was taken by a drunk with a broken camera and claim it’s a baby.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Chronic morning sickness isn’t proof enough?”

“I’m just saying, how do we know this isn’t an elaborate hoax perpetuated by government officials who don’t want the public to know the truth?”

“The truth about what?” she asks, folding her arms over her chest in mock skepticism.

“The scam that is the medical ultrasound industry. Seriously, Scully,” he says, gesturing to the photo. “I saw something like this during a Rorschach test once.""

Mulder is a detached but interested party to Scully's successful IVF journey; and is even swept in as Maggie's replacement when it's go-time. Slow, slooooooow burn into an actual relationship. (I love to pause just after the baby is born; but I reread fics patchily.)

Lucidity (FFN)

""Kids?” he asks, pressing his eyes shut against the inevitable answer.

She softens, stroking the baby’s cheek with the back of her fingers as he coos and wiggles against her. “Emma and Will.”

Good names, he thinks, fixating on the ring around his finger. He slips it off, passing it from one hand to the other.

“You’re saying you don’t remember anything. Not even our children.”

“It’s like I’ve stepped into another life.”

She makes a disapproving sound in the back of her throat. The expression on her face reminds him of a much younger version of his partner—one who stood in the rain and laughed at his theories, who followed him as he chased lights in the sky.""

AU-- Post Triangle? Mulder is stressing out over Scully's IVF request; but bigger problems come his way when he dreams himself into an alternate universe as a family man: baby son, suspicious older daughter, disbelieving wife, and doting boss-father-in-law in tow.

TeaGirl42's Born to Be My Baby

""We want you to understand that if it were anyone else, I mean if you were anyone else we wouldn't even be having this conversation," Mulder said cryptically.

"Well no..." Skinner replied dryly. "If I were anyone else we wouldn't be..."

Scully rolled her eyes and smiled at their boss patiently, "We're asking you to keep this confidential…for now at least."

"Is this…?" Skinner started to say and looked cautiously around the room signalling to the possibility that someone could be listening in.

"No, nothing like that," Scully assured. "This is all available to anyone who has access to my medical records…this isn't business, this is personal.""

The IVF works; and Mulder and Scully are launched into a soft famfic: admitting their love, telling Skinner (because), first dates at planetariums, having a daughter, getting married, and all the et cetera's of a happier life.

FatCat's Eggnog

""Scully is tired and sore from all the work of labor, but nothing is bothering her too much. I once again have feeling in my fingers on my left hand. I am drowsy, happy, and ready to join my family in sleep when I hear Scully muttering.

"What? Scully? What did you say?"

" ... didn't get any."

"What, Baby? What didn't you get?"

"Eggnog. I still didn't get any Eggnog. What's a New Year's Eve without eggnog?" she mumbles.""

Mulder and Scully are stuck in a stickup at the end of her third trimester; but it gives them time to ruminate on their glaring lack of communication. Both decide that Scully tearing her brothers to bits in Mulder's defense (and dropping the "love" word) is enough to, at least, open the conversation. Their relationship is thwarted, however, just as it begins-- but in a good way.

WildwingSuz/Suzanne Feld's Fruition (Ao3)

""Mulder…” I half-whimpered, not sure who I was angrier with more, the annoyingly cheerful doctor or the man who’d done this to me. So I had asked my partner to be the father, but that was beside the point at the moment....

I gathered my flagging strength as much as I could, feeling Mulder tense behind me. “This is it, Kate, one good push and it’s over,” Dr. Towhees said in that all-too-cheerful voice. “Let’s get this over with; you’re almost done.”

I swore I would strangle him when this was over.""

Post Millennium Mulder and Scully have to go into hiding after their IVF is successful; but both don't care as long as they're together with their son. In noncommunicative fashion, they only say these things after he's born, of course.

Enjoy!

[lilydalexf]

👽 Random X-Files Fic Rec

If you like historical AUs, you'll like this one! Here a young Mulder and Scully meet in the early 1900s. Mulder's sister Samantha is ill, and both she and Mulder become fascinated with the pretty young lady from down the road who's living with her uncle (a doctor) and studying medicine. Title: The Doctor's Niece Author: AweburnPhoenix (@aweburnphoenix​) Summary: Historical AU: Philadelphia, Christmas 1918. WWI is finally over, and William Mulder has returned home from combat. Unfortunately, this means his family expects him to marry Diana Fowley -- a marriage he went to war to avoid. Things get even more complicated when he meets Katherine Scully, a woman ahead of her time who is studying to be a doctor at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, and who his family disapproves of. Length: 15,976 words Classification: AU, UST to RST Rating: Teen and up Spoilers: None Favorite line: This was her first real male patient and she tried to convince herself that that was the reason for her nervousness, and it had nothing to do with the fuzzy feeling in her lower belly. Read the story!

[villanellebeing-gay-iskillingeve]

me @ every villaneve fic on my phone

[xfilesfanficexchange]

✨"The Blessing Way” Fanfiction Reading List✨

Dead No More by Erin Blair [archived by spookyawards_archivist]

Mulder thinks of his life and about his budding relationship with Scully after the events in "Anasazi" and "The Blessing Way."

Fox Mulder's Senior Thesis by @gaycrouton 

Scully reads Mulder's thesis to get even since he read hers, but she wasn't expecting just how much autobiographical insight she would gain into her new partner. Hanging Upside Down From Oak Trees by @bluesamutra

So many things I had thought forgotten

Return to my mind with stranger pain:

Like letters that arrive addressed to someone

Who left the house so many years ago

- Philip Larkin

Like a Rolling Stone by Mox_Folder

After Melissa Scully’s death, Mulder starts a tradition to remember her, and finds a subtle way to show Scully he’s thinking of her.

Visionary Encounters with the Dead by @aweburnphoenix

Scully's journey from knowing about Mulder's death until he reappears safe and sound in his apartment. The story also goes back to her youth and into the future/present to Mulder's "real" death.

The Blessing Way by @leiascully 

She had to know why her name was in those files.

Ao3 X-Files Search Results for "The Blessing Way"

Gossamer fics Tagged "The Blessing Way"

[gaycrouton]

A few lovely philes and I undertook the daunting task of individually ranking all 218 episodes and 2 movies of “The X-Files”. The end results are so different and it’s interesting to see. Anyone’s list close to your own? Anyone’s choices surprise you? 

-OUR TOP 25-

-OUR BOTTOM 25-

Annie: @admiralty-xfd​

Cathy: @xfilesobsession

Karen: @believe-the-lie​

Laia: @aweburnphoenix​

Monika: @monikafilefan​

Nicole: @gaycrouton​ (Me <3)

(And yes, we did color code by season, corresponding to the color of that season’s collector’s edition box lololol)

[dreamingofscully]

The Wrong Side of the Bed

Rating: Explicit Length: 4427 words Classification: Established MSR, Slight angst, Season 7, Smut Exchange 2020 Summary: Smut Exchange 2020. Prompt from @crescentmoon223​: After a frustrating day at the office, Scully gets bossy in the bedroom.

Notes: Thank you to my wonderful betas. @fragilevixenfic​ you are so quick, detailed and wonderful with your feedback. @AweburnPhoenix I loved the suggestions you made. @suitablyaggrieved​ I think you have beta’d every one of my fics and I am overwhelmed with your support and value your opinions on everything I create. Lastly, my good IRL friend who isn’t on tumblr/twitter made such an impact on my very first fic also looked over this one, and I am so so grateful. I could never have done it without you all!!!

READ THIS ON AO3.

“No I can’t wait until tomorrow, I need that file before noon.” A pause, her brow scrunches in a way that he has become intimately familiar with over their long partnership. “What do you mean, you don’t know where it is?”

Mulder cracks another sunflower seed and watches Scully surreptitiously from his desk. She’s near the door, the reception on her cell phone trapping her in a small five-foot section of their office, and she’s pacing like a wild animal in a cage.

She glances in his direction and he looks away, busying himself with the file he’s pretending to read.

“Look, do I need to come up there and fetch it myself, Agent Porter? … No? … Fine, if you can get it to me by one I won’t–”

When Mulder peers up, she’s looking at her phone incredulously.

“That asshole hung up on me.”

A burst of laughter bubbles up before he can stop it, and he intently regrets it when he sees her narrowed eyes, the heat in her glare directed at him instead of the hapless agent on the fifth floor.

Scully goes back to the computer desk in the corner and slumps in her seat. She’s holding her shoulders tightly to one side. He notes the wrinkles in her slacks, the half-untucked blouse, the careless way she sits her elbows on the surface in front of her. It would be charming and he’d delight in teasing her about her unusually unkempt state of dress but not even he would dare to try to lift her up by joking with her today.

“Would you stop staring at me Mulder, I’m fine.”

He opens his mouth to remind her about the words she’s not supposed to say but she nails him with another hard glare.

“I’m just having a shitty day.” She sighs and shifts in her seat, groaning as she cracks her neck from side to side. “Why are there so many incompetent people in this goddamn building?”

.

It’s been about an hour, and she can’t get herself to relax or focus. Another crack from Mulder’s side of the office makes her wince.

“For Christ’s sake, Mulder would you stop eating those things for, I don’t know, fifteen minutes? Maybe?”

When she glances up at him to emphasize her words, he’s looking at her with wide eyes, mouth half-open, hand frozen in place as he’d set another sunflower seed in his mouth. Instead of biting down, he spits it out on his desk, causing another surge of annoyance to rise within her at his carelessness.

The smallest things have been irritating her all day. She hates her unexplainable irrationality, that she can’t gain control of herself, and it makes her want to alternately burst into tears and smash something into tiny pieces.

She looks towards her partner again, sees his sad eyes and a tight, uncomfortable smile flash across his face. Her anger dissolves and shame rises within her. She can feel the tide of tears well up from deep in her chest, stinging her eyes as she holds them back. Mulder’s been nothing but supportive today; handling all the minor tasks that neither of them liked, answering the phone, and redirecting stupid questions. Yet, all she can think about is his inconsequential habits. She hates herself for taking out her anger, for which she could find no rational source, on him.

Her chair creaks as she shifts away from him in her seat; her hands coming up to hide her crumbling face, uncontrollable tears falling down her cheeks.

His gentle hand on her wrist stills her shaking hands.

“What can I do Scully? Anything.”

.

Kneeling down beside her chair and leaning close, so she can’t hide, his worry deepens. He’s never seen her so upset. At first he thought she’d just been stoically withstanding a day that had gone from bad to worse… but the tear tracks down her flushed cheeks and the worry in her eyes betray a deeper problem. His heart starts to race, finding it strange that she’s accepting his comfort at work.

Mulder releases a breath when her watery blue eyes meet his, and he sees a determination there, a curiosity. Something different than the fury and despair he’s been a silent witness to all morning.

A small smile briefly lights up her face and she brushes her damp cheek with the back of her hand.

“Anything?” Her eyebrow lifts, and he’s done for.

Nodding, Mulder squeezes her hand, moves a bit closer.

Scully withdraws her hand and looks away from him. When she looks back, he’s relieved to see she’s transformed back into her usual self. Her emotions are subtle, carefully hidden behind a mask of clinical detachment, but easily recognizable to him.

“Go to your apartment. Take off your clothes. And wait for me,” she says, her eyes an intense indigo that pierce straight through him.

Mulder’s eyes widen and a smile spreads on his face. Scully merely tilts her head to the side, raising both of her eyebrows at his delay. Her back straight, she directs the full power of her commanding gaze towards him.

He stands, grabs his jacket from his chair and leaves the office, a foolish smile on his face as he rushes to the elevators. He’s distracted but has enough sense to cover the evidence of his arousal already tenting his pants.

***

As Scully’s heels tap along the tiles in the hallway outside Mulder’s apartment, a small smile dances on her face. Mulder’s intervention worked something of a miracle. The control that she wrestled with all morning has morphed into anticipation. An emotion she was much more familiar with and something she could easily compartmentalize.

She didn’t wait very long. It took a weight off her shoulders that she was able to finish a few reports, thoughts of a licentious afternoon with Mulder teasing her. On the drive to his place, all she felt was the hot pooling of desire and all she thought about was how much she wanted to reward him for his ability to always make her feel better.

She lets herself into his apartment, the only light scattering dimly through the windows. The long shadows and silence gives her pause, but she sees his shoes scattered in the entryway, his jacket crumpled on the floor near the coat rack. She envisions his distracted, lanky frame entering his apartment in a rush, even more heedless of neatness than usual. It never fails to thrill her that she excites him just as much as he excites her.

The bedroom is darker than the living room, the shades pulled from the night before to give them privacy. She waits on the threshold, grazing her eyes over his darkened form, lingering over his hardening cock, wondering if he touched himself while waiting for her.

She doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move.

Dragging her eyes away after a few long moments, she moves to the window and tilts the blinds open, risking a little of their privacy so she can enjoy him in the light from the bright midday sun outside. A thrill races up her spine at the small chance someone could watch them and enjoy the view of their partially obscured forms making love.

She stands over him on the bed, and their eyes connect.

.

Mulder can tell she sees the desperation in his eyes. She’s deliberately dragging things out, and he almost forgets what started this in the first place. He wants to reach up and throw her on the bed, rip off her expensive suit, and show her what he’s been thinking of doing to her since he left their office.

But… he stays still under her intense gaze. His breathing quickens and his cock hardens under her scrutiny, arms across her chest like she’s examining evidence. Her eyebrow raised in silent command, he knows he’ll be hard-pressed to move without her permission, even if a goddamn sasquatch appeared behind her.

Suddenly, she’s leaning over him, one knee on the bed. Her mouth inches from him, warm puffs of breath onto the flushed skin of his cheek.

“You’ve been good, I can tell. Did you shave?”

He doesn’t speak, knows this game. He answers her with his eyes: Yes.

“How can I show you how much I appreciate you, Mulder?”

He can’t help but smile at her with a toothy grin. She’s fully clothed but reaches upwards to shrug off her jacket, unbutton her blouse halfway. The silky material of her untucked shirt tickles his skin, the warmth from her hands seeps into him as they hover but don’t touch. Her hair wraps around her face and hides her expression in shadows.

Her tongue is the first thing he feels, meandering down the center of his chest. The coolness of the air a transitory sensation on his dampened skin as her touch inflames him. He can only watch as she circles his navel, the sunlight from his window catching her fiery hair as she nears his cock. She exhales a soft sigh and glances upwards to meet his eyes before her mouth and hands descend upon him.

.

She grasps his rigid cock and licks his entire length with the flat of her tongue. Swirling around the tip, she tastes his essence, the saltiness, and something else that she’s associated with him from the very beginning. She can’t quite describe it. Since their first embrace, her face pressed into the center of his chest… it is HIM.

Taking him in her mouth, stroking the base of his cock with her hands, she hums in pleasure. The vibration from the sounds she makes travels down through him, upwards, echoing in his own voice. Mulder groans from his position on the bed but doesn’t reach out to touch her, as much as she wants him to.

Tears sting at her eyes, this time in happiness. He doesn’t hesitate to make himself vulnerable when she’s feeling powerless, shifting the balance between them. Ever since that first night in his hotel room, he knew what she needed. The trust built from there, and it was unconditional, unspoken, the thing she treasured most about them.

“Scully…”

She feels the tightening in his balls before the warning in his voice and lets him go, peering at him through her lashes.

“Did I say you could speak?”

Mulder shakes his head, his eyes tinged a deep green, equally desperate and aroused. Sweat slicks his brow, and his hands clench at the sheets. Holding his gaze a few seconds longer, his face softens, a small smile gracing his lips. The absolute trust she sees reflected in his eyes clenches at her heart.

Crawling up his body, carefully letting only the fabric of her clothing touch him, she brushes her nose along his. Her hand caresses his cheek, moves upwards to tangle in his thick hair. When her lips dart close to his, she pulls away as he strains upwards.

“Tell me what you’d do with me if I let you touch me.”

His voice is rough as he speaks. “I’d grab your wrists, pull you under me. I’d lick my way down to your pussy and keep licking until you begged me to fuck you.”

A twitch of her lips betrays the thought that she would, very much, like for him to do that to her. But not right now. Mulder waits passively but the sparkle in his eyes gives away his enjoyment.

“You were supposed to say ‘whatever I want’.”

“Tell me, then.”

“Kiss me.”

.

Their lips meet, and electricity travels from the top of his head straight to his groin. Her hands grasp his wrists, holding him in place. Her tongue invades his mouth, withdraws. She nips his lips playfully then pulls back out of reach. He longs to reach up and crush her mouth to his, to grab fistfuls of her hair, to run his fingers along the edge of her blouse and over her silky skin. He waits, but not for long.

Their lips separate momentarily, and Scully whispers into his mouth. “Touch me.”

He takes advantage of his freedom, hands finally moving from the bedsheets to caress the sides of her breasts through her shirt. Pulling on the edge of her blouse, he draws her closer to deepen their kiss. His tongue presses along hers and glides along her lips, tasting her.

Mulder pulls away and implores her silently as his hands move to the last remaining buttons on her blouse. Scully nods and grins at him. When he removes it, gliding his hands over her shoulders and down her back, he sighs at the contact of his hands along the smooth length of her skin, finally.

They kiss, her hand tangling in his hair, gently tugging and scratching his scalp. A surge of desire rising up within him, his hands glide up and squeeze her breasts. She gasps at the contact, pulls away slightly.

“Sorry, was I too–”

“It’s okay, I’m just a little… sensitive.” She grins at him, strokes a finger over his cheek, and bites her lip.

Nodding again and pressing closer, Mulder continues his ministrations. He takes a deep breath and controls himself, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. He works his way slowly towards her nipples, dares to glide over the hardened peaks through the material of her bra once he can see her face twist and her body writhe with want for him. Her skin is flushed down to her chest. Running a finger along the edge of her bra, he leans upwards and licks the perspiration forming there.

Panting shallowly, Scully sits up, reaches behind, and releases the catch on her bra.

“Your tongue.” She arches an eyebrow. “Gently.”

He obliges, teasing her as she teased him, awareness of her flooding every sense. When she stiffens slightly, he pulls back, touching her heated flesh everywhere but there, working his way up. Her sweet rosy nipples draw him, but he resists, placing feathery kisses on her alabaster skin, circling her areola with his tongue. When he finally, finally covers her nipple with his mouth, she’s panting with lust. He gently skims the sensitive nub with his tongue, making sure to pay equal attention to the other.

Suddenly she’s rolling off of him, lifting up her hips and divesting herself of the rest of her clothing. She perches up on one elbow, gazing at his body next to hers.

.

Scully watches as Mulder’s eyes sweep over her body, pausing at the thatch of curls at the apex of her thighs. She sees his hesitation, his hand inching towards her body. Stilling it with her own, she smiles impishly when his eyes return to hers, bathing her in the heat of his desire. He always makes her feel so fucking sexy like she’s the only woman on the planet.

As she rises on her knees, Scully feels wound up, tightly coiled, and ready to break at any moment. The unusual discomfort she felt earlier is forgotten, miles away. She’s swollen, flushed with heat, and ready. However, there’s a few more things she wants him to do first.

She crawls up his body, and can’t help but giggle self-consciously as she braces herself on the bed in front of him, knees bent on either side of his head, directly over his face.

“Make me come,” she demands.

He grasps her legs, pulling her close, and she gasps at the contact of his warm breath against her thighs. His tongue glides a trail along her leg, and she can tell he’s hesitant. His kisses are soft and slow, frustrating her with their gentleness. She moves, hoping he’ll quicken his pace, touch her where she wants him to, but he maneuvers out of the way, wrapping his arms around her legs firmly, grasping her ass with his hands.

“I’m ready, Mulder. Don’t hold back now.”

She feels him smile against her. It seems to take forever and then he’s there, a teasing nip at the crease of her leg, a soothing lick. Her legs wobble unsteadily, but he’s got her, supporting her completely as she abandons the control she’s had all this time. She gives herself over to him. As he worships her, kissing and sucking at her folds and her clit in a gentle rhythm, Scully grips the bedsheets with one hand and grasps his arm with the other, the flood of sensation overwhelming her.

The extended anticipation, the teasing, made her more than ready, despite how little she’s allowed him to touch her up until now. She’s wet, dripping, and he’s consuming her.

She lets him.

It’s only moments before his deft tongue has her breaking apart, seeing their future in the stars.

He’s holding her up when she comes and lays kisses against the soft skin of her thighs when she returns to him.

.

She crawls unsteadily off of him and lies on her side, trembling and breathless. She’s loose, draped languidly like a ragdoll. Mulder touches her freely, gliding over her porcelain skin. It glows underneath the sunlight from the window, and he worships her. The curve of her hip, the dip of her waist, the strength of her taut abdomen. He grazes his thumb over the slight swell just below her navel, the spot she curses at in her neverending search to rid herself of that last bit of softness. It’s his favorite place, where he’d lay his head for the rest of his life if she let him.

When her breathing steadies Mulder moves over her, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “What next?”

He’s close, mimicking her teasing from earlier, well aware that with only a word he’d do whatever she asked. Her eyes are dark, the blue irises a thin circle around her pupils. The dimple in her cheek flashes briefly as she grins. Her hands move across his chest, scratching upwards, tracing her thumbs around his nipples before pushing him up firmly.

“Off.”

He moves away from her, testing his limits by remaining as close as possible while still obeying. Scully licks her lips and slips out from under him. She sits close and moves a delicate finger down his chest and along his abdomen. A pause, a tantalizing glance beneath her lashes as she lays a palm on his chest and pushes him away again.

And then she’s on all fours, peering back at him through the veil of her hair.

“Fuck me.”

It takes him a moment to process her words through his lust-addled brain, the sight of her positioned so vulnerably, yet with absolute control of him, nearly makes him come right there. He scrambles up behind her, moving her to the edge of the bed, hands lingering on the curve of her ass and giving it a light squeeze.

“Hmmm… “ Scully murmurs, wiggles temptingly nearer to him, arching her back and laying down on her elbows.

The fiery fan of her hair blazes in the sunlight, her creamy skin beckoning him to touch her. The tattoo on her lower back taunts him as he grasps his cock, teases her entrance. She’s incredibly wet, swollen with need. He can’t help lingering there, gliding his other hand over the ink on her back then wrapping it around her hip.

He meant to go slowly to give her time to adjust, but once he enters her, she drives back onto him, and he’s deep within her, all at once.

“Oh!”

They both exclaim at the sensation and laugh in tandem. Being inside of her always feels incredible, like he’s sheltered, complete.

“Talk to me.”

“Miss my voice already?”

Scully giggles and swivels her hips to encourage him to move.

“Agh, Scully. Your wish is my command,” he says, as he starts to thrust slowly, his words centering him, keeping him focused on her.

“Do you know who I ran into on the way to the car out of our office today?”

“Hmm?”

“Skinner.”

Scully gasps, and he’s not sure if it’s from his words or a particularly sharp thrust, but he enjoys the ambiguity.

“I had to hold my jacket in front of me the whole time. And look like a complete jackass when he wondered where I was heading to in the middle of the day. You think he figured it out, Scully, what you do to me?”

Mulder leans over and kisses her shoulder blade.

“Do you know how hard it is to drive with an erection, Scully? Well of course you do, it’s not the first time you’ve put me in that state.”

She snorts into her arms with laughter, and the movement causes him to slip out momentarily. They both groan from the loss of contact. Mulder falters in his story, too distracted by the sight of her ass and slit in front of him, and the feel of her surrounding him when he enters her again.

“More.” Scully says, her words muffled by the pillow she’s holding onto.

He continues his movement and his tale with difficulty, his hands steadying her hips and caressing small circles into her skin with his thumbs.

“I thought I’d be late, that you’d get there before me and I’d disappoint you. I never want to disappoint you, Scully.” He’s quiet for a moment, wanting the meaning of his words to sink in, and desperately holding onto his control.

It was hard to think about anything except the woman writhing and moaning in front of him, but he was going to do his damndest to do what she wished. A challenge, he was always up for that.

“I waited for you, just as you asked. Shaved, laid down on the bed. It felt like hours…” He pants, pauses, leans forward again until she turns to face him. “I knew you’d come, Scully. Do you know how much that means to me?”

“Umm…” She leans up towards him, grasping onto his neck and pulling him forward. She looks at him as directly as she can from this position. “I’ll always come for you, Mulder.”

“That’s what she said.” Mulder smiles broadly, thrusts forward with a “Schwing!” motion.

Scully shakes with laughter and groans. Reaching backward she slaps the side of his ass. “That’s enough of that.”

Mulder’s broad grin shifts into a sentimental one. With one hand still holding her hip as he moves within her, he traces the contours of her spine and runs his fingers lightly over the soft skin of her lower back.

“When I heard you enter my apartment, it was all I could do to stop myself from leaping out of the bed to tackle you. The thought that in mere minutes, seconds, you’d be touching me, telling me what you wanted. It’s everything, Scully. You’re everything, you know that don’t you?”

“Yeah, Mulder,” she pants. “Love you, too. But… harder.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He is overwhelmed by how good she feels; her tight walls gripping his cock with each movement. The swivel of her hips at the perfect moment. The increasing intensity of her moans and the sounds they make coming together. His hands grip her hips as he withdraws slowly, thrusts inside quick and deep. The force of it causes her to jerk forward on the bed, to grip the bedsheets tighter in her fists.

A wave of tenderness washes over him at the sight and feel of them together. His hand moves from her hip to glide up and caress the fine hair at the nape of her neck. He’ll never get over how amazing it feels to share this with her, to know that she wants this, that he can make her happy. She turns her head to peek at him, a smile curving upwards. The glint of the sun reflecting in her eyes, the love shining forth. His heart clenches and his movements grow more erratic. Gliding his hand between her legs, he rubs her clit, desperate to help her to the edge before he falls inevitably, towards his own.

It’s not long before she’s there. Scully gasps and her eyes squeeze shut and Mulder feels her walls pulsating around him. A few more sloppy thrusts and he’s engulfed by his own climax, an overwhelming tide of sensation and emotion.

.

When she comes back to awareness, she’s lying facedown on the bed, Mulder’s limp form half-covering her. Both groaning, they crawl into each other’s arms. Scully tucks her head into her spot just under his chin and sighs contentedly as her heartbeat slows.

Her eyes droop shut as Mulder strokes her hair and pulls up the sheet to cover them. She’s deliciously sore, filled with warmth, and finally feels calm settling over her like a quilt.

“Feel better?”

“Mmm, much.” Scully tilts her head up to look at him. “Thank you for turning my day around.”

“Well, let me tell you, it was a hardship.” Mulder winks at her and kisses her forehead.

Chuckling and laying back down, Scully sighs. “I really don’t know what got into me today. I’ve never been the superstitious sort–”

“No kidding.”

“–But it honestly feels like some horrendous combination of every terrible idiom. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, full moon, etcetera. I could believe all of them were true.”

“I don’t know, Scully. I’m glad I could help though.” Mulder glides his hand over her shoulders and grasps her hand. “And I’m glad–”

At his pause, Scully looks up at him again, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m glad Skinner found me before he could go see you.”

“Why?”

“He told me something I’m sure would have made things worse. I… hope I don’t sour your mood again by telling you, but…”

“Mulder…” she warns. They don’t keep things from each other, not anymore.

“There’s some sort of audit coming next week. He just wanted to make sure we didn’t take any field trips before then. Apparently the guy is a bit of a hard-ass.”

“Is that it?”

Mulder’s mouth quirks into a half-smile. “I thought you’d be more upset.”

“That was this morning. I’m good now.” Scully’s eyes pierce into his own. “How are you with this news?”

Mulder shrugs and rolls his eyes. Giant waste of time, she can hear him think.

“We’ve been through worse, Mulder. One accountant certainly can’t do much.” She wraps her arm around him tighter, kisses his chest. “Besides, we’ve got each other. What can they do?”

She can feel his contentment surrounding her as she drifts into a half-sleep. “Yeah, we got this, Scully.”

[cassiopeia462]

It's @xscullyx1′s birthday! To celebrate this special day, I've written an Easter-themed post-S11 domestic fic for her. 🥳 Thanks to Nica for creating this wonderful drawing to go with it. Also a big thanks to AweburnPhoenix for the beta! 🥰 https://archiveofourown.org/works/30584390/

[atths--twice]

This was posted on Twitter, obviously, from one of my buddies. @monikafilefan responded with an idea that I could not get out of my head- Scully seeing Mulder on the news and saying “you promised not in public.”

So I came up with this little story, hope you enjoy! 😀

Out Squatchin

She looked at her watch for what must have been the tenth time in half an hour. She had tried his cell phone, but to no avail. With his plan to be home over an hour ago, she shook her head as she looked outside. The snow was falling harder, sticking to the snow from the other night.

He had gone out, planning to stock up on items before a big storm was due to pass through, possibly cutting them off if the roads were not cleared and remained unpassable.

“He could be lying in a ditch somewhere. The car could’ve been run off the road. What is he thinking not answering his phone?” She paced and mumbled, looking out the window again before sighing and sitting on the couch.

The news was on, showing the 5 day forecast and all she saw was snow and more snow. Looking towards the door, she listened for the sound of his tires. Instead she heard a cry and went upstairs, shaking her head and muttering how he was in so much trouble.

Smiling at their rosy cheeked little girl standing in her crib, she scooped her up and held her close. Closing her eyes, she imagined his punishment. No sex for two weeks. Well… a week. Two days at least.

The bastard.

“Little girl, you’re daddy is in for it when he gets home.”

“Dada!”

“Exactly.”

Going back downstairs, she looked out the window again and nearly growled. God, but that man could try her patience. Sitting on the couch again, she cuddled her girl on her lap trying to calm down when she inhaled a gasp and her eyes bulged in disbelief.

“Oh. My. God…” she whispered and rewound the scene she had just witnessed.

A woman was bundled, reporting on the weather as she stood on the side of the street, snow blowing and piling around her. But the reporter was not the focus of her attention, no. The person she was staring at was behind the reporter. It could have been a man or a woman, no way of knowing, but she knew who it was and she was both horrified and nearly overcome with the giggles.

There in his full ghillie suit, was none other than the man she had been trying to reach for the past hour. He trudged through the deep snow, not a care in the world, straight toward the camera and the reporter. When the woman stepped back, she saw him and jumped. Only when he was close enough to be heard and seen clearly, did he make any sound.

“Squatchin!” he yelled through the face mask and she laughed until her sides ached. She hit record as she did, knowing how much he would love to see himself on the news, when no one but her would know it was him. Rewinding it, she watched it again and then twice more, laughing each time.

When she finally heard his tires pulling up to the house, she quickly shut the television off and acted nonchalant, playing on the floor with the baby. The door opened and he tried to hide his grin, but she knew him well enough to recognize his barely suppressed glee.

“Scully, you’re never going to believe this,” he said, stepping inside and closing the door, picking up his girl as she toddled over to him.

“I already know,” she said as she stood up and crossed her arms, keeping her smile off her face. “You promised not in public, Mulder. You promised.”

“But… but I… what do you mean you already know? How could you know?” He looked at the television and he grinned. “You saw me! You did! Oh, please tell me you recorded it.” He stepped closer to her and she fought against her smile, but felt it twitching at her mouth.

“You’re damn right I recorded it,” she said, reaching for the remote and queueing it up, as they all sat down on the couch.

They howled with laughter as they watched it over and over, him lumbering through the snow, and then shouting Squatchin’! as he ran clumsily off camera, leaving a dumbfounded reporter and cameraman in his wake.

“You have to admit, I would never have a more perfect opportunity. I drove past that news van and I knew the suit was in the trunk… it was kismet, Scully,” he said as he shut off the television and looked at her with a grin. “I had to.’

“You did. I completely agree.” He raised his eyebrows at her and she leaned forward for a kiss, any thoughts of his punishment long gone.

Falling in love with a man who believed in the fantastical, one needed to anticipate that one day he would appear on the news dressed as one of the creatures he found so intriguing.

It was, after all, kismet.

[serahsanguine]

Christmas on The Run

Rating; Nc-17

For The Secret Santa Christmas Exchange. for Laia aka  @AweburnPhoenix

#XFSecretSanta2019        Ao3

Prompt; M&S Xmas after her abduction OR M&S first Xmas together on the run (sharing memories of their childhood, maybe?) I'd love to see some Hanukkah included somehow. 

********************************************

Notes; I did extensive research on the Jewish side of this fic, I do apologise if the hymn is wrong. Also a massive thank you to @graciedane for Beta reading for me.

******************************

                             Christmas On The Run.

Early December

This was their first Christmas on the run, they were stopping in a cabin over the Kicking Horse Kabins just over the Canadian border on the outskirts of British Columbia. Mulder had a very, very old college friend who owned a cabin up here and knew he would be spending the holidays with his family back in Britain. They were safe for a little while, so they made the place feel like home. They had placed a 5ft tree in the corner of the room, with ornaments, lights the whole shabang. Twinkling light shattering the walls.

The Christmas music was on low in the background as Mulder was placing the stockings on the mantelpiece making sure the embers would not set them alight.  He was placing the last stocking when Scully walked up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist, her head softly placed on his winter jumper.

“Are you celebrating Hanukkah this year?” she asked in a soft voice.

“I wasn’t planning too, why?”

Mulder turned around to let the warmth of the fire engulf them both but she let go intending on walking off.

“I…. Just …. Never mind Mulder it doesn’t matter”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him holding her close.

“Do you want to celebrate it with me?” he placed his finger underneath his chin lifting her face up to his so they could look each other in the eyes. His hazel eyes burning holes into her crystal blue ones.

“No, it doesn’t matter” she felt a single tear prickle the back of her eyelids. She didn’t want to tell him how she wanted to celebrate it with him because it would be there the first one together as a couple. The first time they were together he was abducted, the second time she wanted to celebrate he had to run to keep her and William safe. She looked away and tried not to let the cold tear fall down her warm cheek.

“You promised no more lies, we tell the truth and speak our feelings.”

She turned to look at him again her hand reaching around to the back of his neck and her fingers sliding through his soft hair. It was a bit longer now than she was used to.

“It would be our first one together Mulder, every time we have tried something has happened, I want you to know that I respect your faith as much as you do mine.”

“Ok then we celebrate it together it’s a little later this year, and it begins on the 22nd.”

“What do you expect when Christmas day is on a Wednesday this year?”

They made them both giggle. she snuggled in his chest. his body wash invading her senses his soft jumper frizzling against her skin. They swayed to Band Aid 1984 reduction of Do They Know It's Christmas.  

The song had ended and Scully stood in front over the mantle noticing there were 4 stockings and not two. And that’s when the tears were no longer held back and she let the free fall.

“There are four but….”

“Emily even though she was not with us for long will always be ours. She lives through our hearts and be with us always. And one is for Will because even though he may not be here right now, again he will always be loved and he will never be forgotten.”

She looked at him with sadness and joy she placed her lips on to his and whispered, “I love you,” to which he replied ‘I know, and I love you to the moon and back.”

*****************************************

Night of Sunday 22nd December.

Mulder had gone down to the ‘Local Store’ which in reality wasn’t that local at all. 30 minutes by car, down the mountain.  He bought a new Menorah and 9 different candles each representing the miracle that a one-day supply of oil lasted for eight days. Scully laughed that the candles were all different colours his simple reply was the shop only had rainbow colours.

“Scully, what is that amazing smell?”

“Potato latkes.”   He picked one up and it was still extremely hot. “That’s what you get for touching too early.” he stuck his tongue out at her and scrunched up his face. He blew it hard and she smiled.

“When did you learn to make them?” he said finishing his mouthful.

“When you were on the run, me and mom practised and I mastered the technique. I think mom was just trying to keep my mind occupied”

He felt her sorrow for the missing time they had spent apart, he knew it well as he had the matching feelings.

“It’s nearly time Scully.”

“It’s 8 o’clock already”

He nodded

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she was unsure of his answer even though they had bought and baked everything for the occasion.

“Yes for me, for you, for us.”

The room was dark the crackle of the fire roaring and burning in the background. The snow falling outside the cabin windows. The wind slightly rattling the window and echoing around the room. Mulder found the lighter and placed the first candle in the menorah and lit it and recited the first blessing.

“ Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner ha-nu-kah.”

“In English, Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light.”

They both stood there in silence watching a flicker of the flame bouncing from left to right after 5 minutes Scully finally spoke.

“The prayer was beautiful,” she said calmly.

“I just hope I said it right it’s been a while,”  he replied truthfully.

“Even if you didn’t it sounded ok, plus there is always time to practice,” she said lightheartedly.

“Yes I suppose there is,”  he laughed and she joined in.  she wrapped his arms around his waist her head snuggled into his chest.

“I love you, Mulder,” she muffled into his shirt.

“I love you too Scully”

*****************************************************************

Christmas Day 2 am

Mulder woke up looked at the crack underneath the curtain, the sky was still green like every night the moon bounced off the snow. He felt Scully's' warmth against his stomach her strawberry smelling hair ticking the tip of his nose. He buried his head further into her hair taking and deep breath in and letting her whole essence overfill him.

He stayed like this for a little while until Scully wiggled against his pelvis making some cute noise in her sleep. He flaccid penis went rock hard within seconds. He placed his lips against the crook of her neck trailing kisses up and down nibbling her ear every time he reached the top. His hand slid down her side of her body.  Her rounded perky breast with perfect rose nipples, standing to attention. He slid it further down her slim silky smooth stomach that once held their child. He hit the curls of the pubic bone and his hand slithered through her wet folds.

He heard her moan which only excited him more his erection full pressing itself on the small expanse of her back.

She opened her legs slightly to give him access this only encouraged him to carry on. His finger slid and slipped with ease around and through her folds and to her clit. She threw her head back into his chest, her body warm and succulent against his hot a feverish skin. She moved her body up slightly to allow him to enter her with ease. Her fingers around his waist helping him thrust inside her.  They soon become one body, one soul, one eternity moving in unison with each other he felt her body heighten in the desire for release. He was also so close to his bliss that when he felt her body convulse around his member he joined her in a euphoric pleasure.

When they came back to the real world he kissed her on the cheek and whispered,  

“Merry Christmas Scully”

“Merry Christmas Mulder, ” she hushed back before falling back to sleep for hours.  

******************************

Christmas Day

They had woke up a little over an hour ago he made her blueberry pancakes in bed with fresh-squeezed orange juice. The fire crackling and warming the whole cabin up before Scully stepped off the bed. Mulder had laid her presents under the tree and she had placed his presents by the chair that had claimed as his.

“Mulder, when did you put up more decorations?”

“Why it wasn't me, it was Father Christmas.”

“Oh shut up,” she laughed and pushed him towards the chair and she sat next to the tree on the cream shag rug.  

She opened the smallest first it was wrapped scruffy in blue wrapping paper with small red presents on it with a small red bow and a sticker in his scruffy penmanship it read,  

‘To Scully, always and forever. Merry  Christmas love from your dearest Fox”

She opened it and what she saw brought silent tears to her eyes but instead of sadness, they were full of joy. With the box open she looked upon it and opened it up. He had gotten her a locket with Will’s picture in it. She had never before seen this photo of William and it made even more special.

The thought of William still hurt them both and they both often thought of him.

“Mulder it’s beautiful you shouldn’t have.”

“Something just as beautiful as you,” he hugged her and she placed her head on his chest and enjoyed his comfort. There were times she wouldn't let him all those years ago.  

She gestured for him to open one and he did picking an overly square one in red wrapping paper with a perfect bow and perfect note.

‘To Mulder Merry Christmas with all my love Dana’

He opened it tossing the paper aside and what sat on his lap was a photo album of William he open the black velvet book with the embroidered name of William on the front to find the first page was of him holding William in the hospital in his little alien onesie saying ‘I still want to believe’. The second page was full of when they first bought him home from the hospital in his small blue and yellow outfit. The next couple of pages were of Scully family holding Will in different locations as well as at home, he always smiling unless he was asleep.  

Mulder looked at Scully and in the moment with both their eyes glistening, the love and adoration for each other. They may have not have been married (yet) but in the quiet moments in the cabin, they felt like it.

They spent the next couple of hours going back and forth opening gifts with dinner somewhere in between. The night was closing in and they both sat on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around them in front of the roaring fire.

“Do you remember that first time we spent Christmas together?” he asked.  

“Of course, it was just after my abduction Mom had invited you without my knowledge at you turned up bright and early and Melissa was also there and she also knew.”

“We had turkey with all the trimmings and your mom made me help with the cranberry sauce.”

“Yes she did,” Scully replied laughing.

“I didn’t know what to get you so I bought you the first edition of Moby Dick.”

“It was a beautiful gift, Mom and Melissa kept calling you Fox.”

“And you kept correcting them every single time without fault telling them it was Mulder.”

They both started laughing and he moved closer to her and whispered sultry in her ear causing goosebumps forming on her skin.

“Now you know you can only call my Fox in the bedroom”

She took his lips with her own, the kiss sweet and sensual full of passionate desire and everything in between she let his lips go and he sat back where he was sitting.

“Do you have any of the best memories from your childhood you want to reminisce about while we drink the really expensive wine?”

“Yeah hell why not,” she replied as she took a sip of the red merlot. “There was this one time I was about 7, Charlie must have been five or six Melissa was 9 and Bill was ten”

Mulder sat closer to her his hand wrapped in hers.

“We were meant to be sitting at the table after getting everything prepared. We were all sat at the table and Missy was last and when she came down her face was full of makeup she had ‘borrowed’ from mom. And let me tell you mom and Ahab's face was in complete utter shock with what she looked like. She looked a mess and it was so funny we all laughed and she got an utter bollocking from both mom and Ahab. By the time they had cleaned her up dinner was cold but we teased her about it for the whole year”

“Oh my God, I can't believe she did that,”  he said in hysterics and trying to breathe in between.

“Now it's your turn,” she said smirking and taking another sip of wine.

“There was this one year where Samantha was about 5 and mom and dad got her the beautiful red border collie and Sam named her Ruby, she was completely in love with the puppy watching her bounce through the snow, throwing her the ball and playing fetch until about ten months later she ran away.”  

“This is meant to be happy Mulder,” she said, raising her eyebrow.  

“Wait for it I haven’t finished yet. A couple of days later she came back with a male companion scruffy looking thing. But you could tell this dogs were smitten for each other. 3 months later Ruby gave birth to a whole litter of puppies on Christmas day and Sams' face lit up all over again. But mom and dad won't be very happy about it and sold most of the litter apart from Sams favourite one. Which was red white and black proper runt of the litter but Sam loved it”

“So it was a Lady and the Tramp scenario,” She said smiling.

“Completely she even called the male dog Tramp.”

“That’s really sweet Mulder.”

“It was unless you had to shout Tramp when on a walk that got me some funny looks.”

“Oh, I bet it did,” she said laughing “But it is a really sweet story thank you for telling me”

Again she instigated the kiss by placing her lips on his. Wine forgotten about, clothed shed. Fire crackling. They spent the rest of Christmas the same way they had entered it entwining the minds, bodies and souls.

As they lay their weary heads on the pillow, wrapped up in an oversized blanket the snow fell outside the fire down to its last orange and yellow amber glow. Before falling asleep Mulder placed his lips on her red hair and whispered.

“Merry Christmas Scully.”

***************************************************

Thank You for reading please leave me feedback whether it's good or bad I really appreciate it. Merry Christmas Everyone, I hope you have a wonderful new year

*************************************

Tagging @skullsmuldon @today-in-fic

[audiofanficpod]

Quaint Charm by AweburnPhoenix

Read by @anniexami

Please leave the author a comment if you enjoyed their story 😘

[peacenik0]

Mulder and Scully do the Body Swap

For @Aweburnphoenix as part of the 2019 Easter Fanfic exchange

A/N: The original prompt was for Mulder to watch Queequeg while Scully goes to visit her family in San Diego for Easter, but this is not that.

Summary: After investigating an unusual occurrence at a research facility in Ft. Marlene, Mulder and Scully wake to find that they have somehow swapped bodies. Whatever will they do?

Tagging @today-in-fic @improlificinsarcasm

---

Part One

Ft. Marlene

Frederick, Maryland

April 20th,1999

Scully and I pull over on a dark country road outside of Ft. Marlene. The crisp country air is sweetened with the smell of pink and white cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom.

“Don’t you ever miss seeing all of these stars, Scully?” I ask. Above me, the vast expanse of sky holds a million pinpricks of light. It's astounding. The moon is in waxing gibbous; a fingernail.

“Yes, actually I do.” Scully exhales looking up at the sky. Her tone is wistful, longing. I can't help but notice how beautiful she looks, even in the blackness of a rural night. “The light pollution in D.C. obscures our view of a lot of natural phenomenon.”

“This place is just teeming with natural phenomena.” I get a whiff of animal fertilizer, as we walk up winding Shookstown Road. “Smell that? It's cow shit, Scully.”

“Speaking of which,” Scully asks raising an eyebrow, and I smirk at her. “What are we doing out here again?”

“Investigating a strange occurrence,” I say absently, pulling out my flashlight to look at my map. “I think the research lab should be at the back quadrant of the base.”

“Mulder,” Scully huffs, and shuffles her feet impatiently. “You didn’t exactly answer my question.”

“Well, don’t you want to know what happened to Dr. Condliffe and Dr. Goldstein?” I ask, surprised at her lack of curiosity.

“The two scientists who claim to have swapped bodies unwittingly last Wednesday?” She asks, reaching into her jacket pocket for a flashlight. “Not particularly, I fail to see where a crime has been committed.”

Why did Scully decide to come out here with me on a Saturday night, if she didn’t really want to investigate The question bobbles around in my mind, threatening to shake loose an avalanche of unspoken thoughts and feelings. I can’t help but remember the gentle kiss when she brought me home from the hospital after rescuing me from the Bermuda Triangle. It was a ‘don’t you dare do that to me again’ kind of kiss. And I was grateful for it, but I wasn’t expecting any more.

Until last Friday.

Scully and I were in the midst of a long argument over the existence of werewolves. An argument that made both of us exceedingly hungry. Soon her table was teeming with Thai take-out, which of course had to be followed by some red wine. We both fell hard into her couch in a South Asian food coma. Which thankfully led to some decidedly ‘more than partnerly’ snuggling. Did I say ‘more than partnerly’? You bet I did.

“You should stay, you’re in no shape to drive,” she said in a soft tone as she took me by the hand and led me into her bedroom. “I’ll stay on the couch, you can have the bed,” she said, standing over me. Maybe it was the red wine, but something in me decided to take a chance that night.

“C’mere,” I said before pulling her under the covers. I couldn’t help but notice the warmth in her smile. The hope. Maybe even a little hesitation.”I think we can share.” The first time she kissed me, I figured it was an accident… or something. Just the close proximity and all. But the second time though… and then the third…

“Mulder!” Scully calls me, wrenching me out of my lovesick daydream. I blink, trying to remember what we were talking about. Oh yeah, the case.

“Right, a crime. Well, there hasn’t been any crime, per se…I just wanting an excuse to put on something black and sexy to do some funky poaching.” My attempt to elicit even a hint of amusement out of Scully fails, so I try a little harder. “Speaking of which, did anyone ever tell you that you look really good dressed in black, Scully?” My question is met with an an eye roll that I’m pretty sure could be seen from space.

“You dragged me out here on a Saturday to trespass on Federal property so you could do some ‘funky poaching’?” she asks. I spot the research lab where the body swapping incident allegedly began.

“Sounds like crap when you say it.” I admit. She tsks. “Look, Scully, I do have my doubts as to the validity of the research scientists’ claims. Which is exactly why I wanted to check this out in the first place.” I hold my flashlight over my face and playfully bat my eyelashes at her. “Aren’t you even the least bit curious?” I use my sweetest tone, the one I usually save for times like these when I really, really want her around.

“Fine...“ she drifts off, blowing out a puff of air. “But if we get in trouble for this, you better be the one to explain all of this to Kersh.”  Her finger jabs into my chest in order to make her point. For some reason it makes my heart flutter a little. The truth is, this whole case is largely an excuse to spend time with Scully on a Saturday night. I won’t say the word date. A night trespassing on Federal property is no one’s idea of a date.

“Come on, I’ll give you a boost over the fence.” I say facing her and squatting down, with my hands linked together. She raises an eyebrow. “Not that you need it.”

“Fine.” She grasps the fence, and places her tiny black chunky heel in my hands. Her breasts brush against my face as I hoist her over the chain-link fence. We both pretend not to notice.

“But, seriously, I thought you would be interested in the theoretical possibility that we as a species could somehow trade our consciousness with another human being.” I say as I locate an unmanned door on the side of the building. Without a second thought, she stands guard while I jimmy the lock.

“Mulder,” her hands go to her hips. “Not only is it physically impossible, it goes against everything we know about physics. Even theoretical physicists dismiss the idea as science fiction.”

“Perhaps,” I pause as the bolt turns, and the door creaks open. “But both men have reported walking up in each other’s homes, in each other’s bodies, sleeping next to each other’s wives…”

The beams of our flashlights cross into an ‘x’ ahead of us,Illuminating our path. Each step we take echoes off the nineteen fifties bomb shelter walls.

“Sounds like a really elaborate excuse for wife swapping,” she says dryly. My jaw drops.

“Scully,” my tongue clicks in disbelief. “Did you just say the words ‘wife swapping.’” I can see her lick her lips even in the dark.

“Yes I did.” We stop in front of a heavy metal door at the end of the long hallway. I can hear the loud buzz of machinery even from where I stand. “Think about it. Two scientists working closely together, both married for over twenty years. I mean I can see where the idea might be appealing… living someone else’s life.”

“Scully, is this your way of telling me you’re getting tired of working with me?” I question her with a smirk. Underneath the joke is a hard kernel of truth: what if Scully really is getting tired of all of this? What if this is the last time I can convince her to abandon her weekend plans to come investigate with me?

“Don’t I tell you that every day?” She asks, raising an eyebrow. There is an amusement in her eyes, which helps to soothe my worried mind.

“Oooh, ouch.” I cover my heart with my hands, feigning injury. Opening the door, we both step inside. My ears ring as I am hit with a wall of robotic sounds. The room is filled with a multitude of machinery mounted on large metal racks. I scan the room, and finally I see it.

“Mulder, what is it?” Scully must notice something in my expression, and pulls her trusty weapon from its holster. My hand goes back to touch her arm.

“I think we may have just found our smoking gun.”  I say, entranced by a large machine with blinking lights in the corner of the room. My curiosity gets the best of me; I am pulled into its orbit like a tractor beam.

“Mulder…” she starts following after me. Her voice is soft over the din of the lab, and my own laser focus on what’s in front of me. “I wouldn’t touch…”  

“Oh, shit!” My foot catches on a large cable on the floor. I can almost picture the scene as if I were outside of my own body. There I am, flailing my arms as I careen into the machine. Then dragging my hand down a wall of buttons as I try desperately to regain my balance. A sonic pulse fills the room, and we both fall to the floor covering our ears.

Once the sound dissipates, Scully speaks up. “Mulder, what did you do?”

“I don’t know,” I blink my eyes, and rub my temples. “But don’t you think  we should get the hell out of here as fast as humanly possible?” I grab her hand and we run out of he building, making it into my car just before I hear sirens blaring in the distance. Slamming on the gas, we peel out of the parking lot like two convicted felons making a Bonnie and Clyde style escape.

“Mul-der…” she shakes her head, and I feel like a kid caught with my hand in a cookie jar.

“Hopefully I didn’t just set off a nuclear attack somewhere.” My attempt at diffusing the situation with humor goes over like a lead balloon. Her face falls into her hands as we take the ramp onto route two seventy.

“Why did you have to do the thing with the thing?” Scully whines. For the first time all night, I genuinely feel bad for dragging her out to Ft. Marlene.

“Look, Scully I’m sorry…”

“I should’ve stayed home.” She sighs and looks out the window. “I knew I was going to regret this.”

---

As the light comes through the Venetian blinds, my eyes blink open. There is the pleasant smell of freshly washed sheets, clean cotton. When I roll over onto my side, I notice my body seems lighter. I see Scully’s alarm clock, and her nightstand, thick with a year’s worth of medical journals. A sleepy smile spreads its way onto my face. I must’ve stayed over at Scully’s place again. I rack my brain, trying to remember the events of last night, but sadly nothing is coming to mind. So that is my first clue that nothing happened between us, because I am sure I would remember that. When I reach out for her, she’s not there. Strange.

It must be a dream.

Stretching my arms out in front of me, there are Scully’s hands. Her tiny fingers. I look down at my body, I am wearing her silky blue pajama set. I would never admit it to her, but I love when she wears these. My hands come down, to rest on my (her) chest, where I feel her soft breasts.

Scully has been a constant figure in my dreams, especially as of late. The yearnings of my subconscious mind making themselves known. As far as I can recall, I have never had a dream where I am in her body. Another oddity,

Lifting up the material of her pajama top, her pert breasts fall into my palms. Pink tipped nipples, creamy ivory skin. Perfect. My imagination never lets me down. My fingers pinch her nipples. It feels good. I do it again.  

I feel the familiar pang of needing to pee. I groan aloud, my voice sounds like hers. God, why did this have to happen at a time like this? Once inside Scully’s bathroom, I drop my pajama bottoms and reach for my… wait… what? Where’s my dick? My hands slide down over Scully’s smooth…

I flash back to our experience at Ft. Marlene last night. The wheels in my head start turning, putting the pieces together. Could we actually have… Shit! My need to urinate is now unbearable. So despite my reticence about touching Scully’s body inappropriately, I attempt to use the toilet. Sitting straight down on the seat, I relieve myself. But something is wrong. Urine has somehow escaped through the toilet seat and onto my feet, bringing me back to reality.

This wasn’t a dream after all. Scully and I have switched bodies!

I sit there on the toilet in shock, covered in urine. My first thought is; why in the world did I have to be right about the body swapping thing? My second thought is; Scully is going to be so mad at me!

After I clean up the mess, and toss my soiled pajama bottoms in the laundry. I go to wash my hands. Catching a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror; I see Scully. Her hair is mussed, her face clean and make-up free. The small mole above her lip, the dusting of freckles that she always covers up. Fresh. Beautiful.

A moment later I dial my own number, Scully picks up on the second ring.

“Scully, I mean… Mulder,” he (she) says in a breathless tone. A thought about what she might have been doing before she answered the phone pops into his head, but I quickly dismisses the idea. We have bigger fish to fry.

“Scully, it’s me,” I say in her voice. Realizing how it sounds, I decide to be a little more specific. “Scully, I know it’s you, but this is me, Mulder.” I gulp. Yeah, that was as clear as mud. Silence.

“Mulder,”  she says. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you need to get over here immediately.” It’s like listening to myself doing an impression of Scully. Spooky.

“Yep,” I look down at my bare legs, realizing that I’ll need to at least put on some bottoms. “I’ll be over as soon as possible.”

---

It’s Sunday, a chilly yet perfect April morning. The cherry blossom trees in Alexandria are in full bloom as I park Scully’s car on the street in front of his building. It takes me longer to reach my apartment door, probably because I have Scully’s short little legs. God damn, it’s a miracle she can keep up with me. I need to give her more credit. In my haste to get back to Scully this morning, I chose her most comfortable pair of sneakers. I wasn’t feeling especially confident in the alternative: a cornucopia of black four or five inch chunky heels.

It is a mistake to unlock my front door without knocking, because as soon as I open it, Scully is on the other side with her gun drawn.

“Woah, woah, woah,” my hands go up in surrender. “It’s just me.”

“Oh, Mulder,” she exhales in relief, and sets her gun on the coffee table. “I’m sorry, this whole situation has me a little on edge.”

“It’s okay…” I say, absently putting a hand on her bicep. Not bad, I think as I touch the firm muscle. I should probably work more on my triceps the next time I hit the gym, though. “Me too.”

“I almost hate to say this,” she says before slumping into the couch. “But you were right.”

“What’s that?” I ask, falling next to her.

“You were right, about this whole…” she pauses to gesture. “Body swapping thing.”

“Ah, that’s what I thought you said, I just wanted to hear you say it again.” I mug at her. It earns me a firm punch in the arm. “Ow,” I wince, but I won’t admit how much it actually hurt.

“Mulder!” she says in exasperation. “This is not a time to joke around! We need to get ourselves switched back!”

“I don’t think we can, Scully.” I say, rubbing my upper arm. “Dr. Condliffe and Dr. Goldstein said that the swap only lasted for twenty-four hours. So at this point, I’d say it’s just a waiting game.”

“So you’re telling me, I just have to live in your body until tonight?”

“Oh, come on, Scully, it’s not that bad, is it?” I ask, elbowing her lightly.

“I suppose not.” she sighs. Looking me up and down, her expression changes to one of amusement. “Mulder, why are you wearing my pajama top with my running shorts?”

“It’s a long story…” I drift off, remembering the incident in the bathroom this morning. “But now I understand why you like wearing these,” I say, pinching the material between my fingers. “After this whole thing is solved, I might buy myself a few pairs.”

“I doubt the JcPenney petite section carries your size,” she says, raising an eyebrow. Oh good, Scully at least still has her sense of humor intact.

For the first time I notice that Scully is fully dressed, wearing none other than my tightest pair of blue jeans. Her (my) hair is damp and carefully styled, which means that she must have showered. Meaning she would have been naked. In my body.

“It seems like you were able to get everything figured out this morning.” I waggle my eyebrows at her.

“Uh, yes…” Scully clears her throat and looks down. My curiosity is getting the best of me.

“So… uh… no surprises or anything, then?”

“The biggest surprise was waking up to this…” she grabs my wrist and pulls me into my bedroom.

“Scully, if this is about my porn collection, I’ll have you know that those videos with Bigfoot are not mine.” My joke falls flat. Scully whips around and points to the mirror above my bed.

“When did you get this?”

“Oh that…” I laugh in relief. “I honestly don’t know. I found it like this when we got back from Area Fifty-one. I thought maybe the guys did it as a prank or something. Or maybe you…” I drift off, as one of her eyebrows raise.

“Did you actually think I would do something like this?” Scully asks, snorting. “Geez Mulder, give me a little credit, I think my taste would be a little less…” she pauses to hold back a chuckle. “Tacky.”

“Yeah, you know, you’re right. It sounds kinda ridiculous now that I think about it.” I laugh. It still feels good to be around her. Even when she is kinda ‘me.’

“Besides,” she grins. “I didn’t even know you had a bedroom. After all these years of you sleeping on your couch, I figured you were destined to live a life of perpetual bachelorhood.”

“Yeah, well, I think I might be getting tired of it. Might be time to change things up a little.” I finish with a half smile. I can’t help but notice the hopeful look in her eyes. “You never know what the future holds.”

End part one.

Look for part 2 tomorrow.

---

PS. I love feedback!

Many thanks and praises to @gaycrouton for putting this exchange together, and giving me some great feedback!

Also thank you to @monikafilefan and @cultureisdarkbeer and @observeroftheuniverse for their amazing beta. 

Also tagging friends: @i-gaze-at-scully, @i-dont-wanna-wrestle, @illnevermeettheground, @xfimnotdone, @arboreta @pickingoutchinapatterns, @storybycorey, @leiascully, @spookydarlablack, @pearsalot, @itotallygazeatscully, @starbuck09256, @scully-eats-sushi, @msrafterdark, @msraddicted @txf-fic-chicks

[lilydalexf]

👽 X-Files Fic Rec Roundup 2022, Part 4

Here is a master list of all my new X-Files fic recs from the last month. These and all my earlier recs can be found under my fic rec tag, where you can also read why I recced each story. This month I also newly posted the themed lists below. Enjoy!

"The Truth" fics

** Fic Rec Roundup 2022 part 1 - part 2 - part 3 ** Compass by SeemaG (@seemaunbound) (The Truth & IWTB - 21,324 words - Teen and up) The Doctor's Niece by AweburnPhoenix (Historical AU - 15,976 words - Teen and up) New Orleans by Paula (MSR - ~4,000 words - PG) rewriting Requiem by @mldrgrl (Requiem - ~1,025 words - Not rated) What Hands Do by Mish (MSR - ~5,550 words - R)

[underworldobsessed]

A Price to Pay ll An MSR Fic

A/N: Written for the X-Files Spooky Fic Exchange for AweburnPhoenix. Their word was ‘Witch’. I hope I did well for the fic! Read it Here or under the cut. 

Summary:  Mulder is absolutely desperate to find a cure for Scully's cancer, and it leads him to pursue a less than logical path. He hears of a witch who is able to cure individuals of even the most lethal of diseases, however, he learns that it comes at a cost. When he accepts, he finds that the price he paid was one he is unwilling to deal with.

Takes place in Season 4, during the Cancer Arc. 

Mulder knew that his options were limited. He blamed himself for what happened to Scully, the cancer, all of it. He knew she was determined to fight it, her way. But if he had to see her again, pushing away her food because she was too nauseous to eat, he would break.

There had been rumors of a witch on this side of town, one with healing abilities that could change even the most weak individual’s life for the better. He doubted Scully would have joined him, which was why he went alone. He couldn’t even guarantee it would work, but he was at that point of desperation.

Mulder pushed open the door to the shop where the witch supposedly worked, and he was surprised when there was nothing there. Cobwebs lined the roof and into the corners. Tapping of what sounded to be rat paws echoed through the empty building, causing a shiver to run up his spine. A waste of time, of course that was all this was.

However just as he turned to leave the building and head back to his apartment, he heard a soft voice whispering in his ear.

What is it that you have come for?

The words were almost in tandem with his own thoughts, which caused him to become concerned. He looked around again, trying to find the source of the whispers, but again all he saw was the building as it was almost falling apart. It would be rude not to answer this mysterious voice.

“My best friend, she’s very sick. She doesn’t have long left, and I’m doing whatever I can to help find a cure for her. Please, I’m willing to do anything to help her. I just want to help.” His tone sounded absolutely desperate. He figured he was absolutely pathetic, but it was the point he was at. It was his fault that she got into this life, got abducted, and resulted in the cancer that was ravaging her body.

Very well. The voice rang out again, and then right before Mulder’s eyes, the building began to change before his eyes. The walls that were falling apart became whole, lined with all sorts of potions that had labels on them that Mulder couldn’t read. All the cobwebs and mold just disappeared like they weren’t there to begin with. At the front of the building was a person, hair cut short with their bangs covering one of their eyes. One hand beckoned Mulder closer, and he was more than happy to walk forward.

“You must be warned,” They said to Mulder, now that he was close. “All this magic comes with a cost. And because it is you asking, you will be the one to pay the cost, not her.” The warning did make Mulder hesitate, if only for a moment. He decided that as long as it was him who paid the price, and not Scully, that was fine by him.

“Of course,” Mulder decided, taking a step forward, “I want you to save her, I don’t care what happens to me, just keep her safe.”

“Very well,” The witch commented, stepping away to go to their potions. “What is the illness that I will be curing? Each one is different and I need to make sure I get everything right.”

“Cancer,”

The witch stopped for a moment, turning to face Mulder. “That is a difficult one to cure, and the costs might be something you are not willing to pay. You must be aware of this before I continue.”

The warning sent a shiver down Mulder’s spine but he knew that it had do be done. He was willing to pay any price if it meant Scully was going to be cured of her cancer. “I’ll do it,” He told them, and the Witch said nothing more. With a snap of their fingers, Mulder’s world turned white.

When he came to, he was in his bed back at his apartment. He didn’t quite remember how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered, he was talking to the witch about a cure for Scully, and then nothing. Maybe it had been just a dream, because he didn’t feel any different. He’ll just ask Scully when he got to the office.

He quickly got ready for work, pulling on his suit and combing his hair. He knew he probably looked like a mess, a little disheveled but he didn’t really care. There was a part of him desperate to see Scully, to find out if anything had changed for her. He forced himself to slow down and checked himself in the mirror to make sure he actually looked presentable before he hurried out the door to make his way to the offices.

Upon walking into the building, Mulder knew that something was wrong. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something felt wrong. He went down to the basement office, and then it hit him. Where was Scully? He looked around at his office, not finding any sign of her anywhere in his office. She was always here before him, and she wasn’t sitting in her chair by his desk. Now that he noticed, her chair wasn’t even there.

Thinking the worst, Mulder took off out of his office and back up to the main floors. Maybe she was up here in a meeting, or doing an autopsy. He went to where he knew she would be if she was performing an autopsy and he breathed a sigh of relief. Her familiar red hair was pulled up, but he could recognize her anywhere.

“Scully!” He burst into the room, noticing her jump. She turned around to face him. “What are you doing up here?” Before he could ask her anything else, she removed her mask and the words out of her mouth sent his heart plummeting down to his stomach.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Part of Mulder wanted to accuse her of fucking with him, but he could tell that by the tone of her voice, she wasn’t playing. She was being serious that she didn’t recognize him. His legs almost gave out and he knew he would have to figure out how to beat around the bush so she wouldn’t catch on to this.

He had to deny this right away. “Scully, please tell me you’re fucking with me.” His tone was pleading, but then he dared to look over at her once again. The look of fear and confusion on her face was enough to stop his begging.

“I-I’m sorry,” He shook his head, trying his best to stop himself from letting the heartbreak from overcoming him. He had a witch he needed to see, badly. “I’ll leave you to your autopsy, Have a good day, Dr. Scully.” He hurried out of there, his heart twisting and making him feel like he was going to break down.

His legs carried him out of the bureau, and back towards the abandoned building where he had found the witch before. He knew that Scully had been cured of her cancer, but at the cost of her memory of her time in the basement. At the cost of her memory of him. He didn’t know how to explain the broken feeling that resided in his chest at the loss of Scully. He knew she was alive, but it felt like she had died. The Scully he knew was dead, and she had no idea who he was now.

It was more than he could really take. He had only started to come to terms with the fact that he was starting to really adore Scully. The feelings went far more than anything he cared to admit, far more than he should have for a partner. He couldn’t tell her, especially since she was on her deathbed, and now that she didn’t remember him… she would never be able to know.

He entered the abandoned building and looked around. “Where are you!” He yelled, looking around for the witch to show up again. “This isn’t what I asked for. Scully doesn’t even remember me.”

You asked for a cure for her cancer. I warned you that the price you were going to pay was not one you would be willing to.

Mulder clenched his fists. “Change it back, I’ll find another way to cure her cancer!” He snapped, glancing around for any sign of the witch, but couldn’t see them. “I’m sure there’s another way I can cure her cancer. I will not… I can’t…” His shoulders shook, trying to hold back his sobs. He was being selfish, and he knew it, but he couldn’t be without Scully. Not again. He’d find another, non-magic, way to get rid of the cancer.

You are one selfish man. The Witch’s voice sent shivers down his spine, and he looked around for them, but still they were nowhere to be found. Your friend is cured, but because she has no  memory of you, you want to give her the cancer back? You are disgusting.

“I’ll find another way. I know there has to be another way.” If there wasn’t, Mulder didn’t know what to do. He might be screwing Scully over, but he didn’t think he could live without her in his life.

Fine, but be aware of what you are doing. The sound of a snap echoed through the building and Mulder get like he was falling again.

When he awoke, he realized he was back in his apartment. How the fuck was he back here? The last thing he remembered was…

He jolted up and grabbed his phone, calling Scully almost immediately. He waited for a moment, before he heard her pick up.

“Mulder, I swear to god, it’s two in the morning,”

The sound of her voice made Mulder almost sob. She remembered him, and that was the best thing he had ever heard. “Mulder what’s wrong?”

“You remember me!” He sobbed “how are you feeling?”

Scully sighed, the sound echoing across the phone line. “I haven’t had a nosebleed today and I’m not nauseous so I’ll call that a win.” It broke his heart to hear, but at least she remembered him. “But why wouldn’t I remember you?”

“Because you…” How was he supposed to tell her that he took away her cancer but at the cost of her memories of him, and he brought it back just so she would remember him again. “It was just a nightmare. Sorry for disturbing you, Scully: I’ll see you in the office.”

“Bye Mulder,” He heard the click of the phone and he breathed out a sigh. The words that he loved her were still on his tongue as he listened to the phone for a moment. It was all he wanted to say, but knew it was inappropriate at that time. Especially after what he did.

He would have to figure out how to explain all this to her, but for the time being, he would figure out how to cure her. But he could do that with her by his side, and he hoped that he wouldn’t be too late before he could figure out how to cure her. All he could do was wait, since there was nothing he could do for her at that time.

Perhaps he had been dreaming, but it felt so real. He’d have to investigate this again when he had the chance, but he doubted the witch would respond to him again if he did search them out. He had been the one to want everything back the way it was. He always said she would be better without him, and now he saw that, but was it so wrong of him to want her by his side too. He couldn’t be without her. Scully had made him a better person, and whether she knew it or not, she was stuck with him.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so he got up and went to his computer to begin his research. He knew there would have to be a non-magical way to cure Scully’s cancer, and if it existed, he would be the one to find it.

[xfilesfanficexchange]

Keep an eye on them

Author: @aweburnphoenix​

For: Violetta_Valery

The Lone Gunmen know Mulder and Scully are going to need a boost to get together, so they set them up on a date.

Link Here

#XFSecretSanta2021 5/27

art credit: CastleMcQuade on Etsy

[gaycrouton]

how old do you think scully was when she got her braces on?

Hmmmmmm that’s a good question that I’m not sure I have the answer to. I think she had them for sure in that Christmas flashback with Melissa or whatever? Aka Gillian’s sister had them, lol. I’m gonna throw this question out to everyone, but especially @aweburnphoenix who is amazing with timeline facts.

So sorry I wasn’t able to help more! I didn’t have braces myself, so I am really unsure