BACKGROUND: Mulder comes out of hospital, after being treated for hypothermia (see 11/28/99 episode "Triangle"). They have gone back to their separate posts within the bureau.

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The ice cold December wind gnawed at Mulder's face as he ran inside the Federal building. However, he barely noticed it; all he cared about was showing this new case to Scully. Even though they weren't supposed to have any contact what-so-ever, he still proceeded to Scully's office, unnoticed.

"Knock, knock..." Mulder poked his head around the door; he saw his partner sitting in front of her computer, staring intensely. She looked particularly perplexed , and Mulder could see she had a mountain of papers on her desk.

"Mulder! " She turned around in surprise. "What are you doing here? You know we're not supposed to see each other."

"Agent Scully, when have I actually ever taken any notice of what we are and aren't supposed to do??" Mulder teased. She raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. "So, how ya been? Missed me much?"

"Oh yeah, I've been simply pining away for you. I can barely eat, I miss you so much." Scully sarcastically proclaimed. He looked hurt for a second but then realized she was joking.

"Anyhoo, I've been doing my regular, boring, standard FBI-crap. Well, I was 'til I found this folder on my desk..." He handed her a manila-colored folder, but before it even reached her hands, she stood up, shaking her head.

"No, Mulder. If this is one of your bleepin'- UFO-wild-goose-chases, I can't help you. I have a huge amount of work to catch up on - since I spent last week searching for you and visiting you in hospital. I'm sorry Mulder." Her eyes focused back on the screen for a second to see if the information she was looking for had appeared.

"Scully, please. Just read the file. I know that once you've read it, you'll be willing to help me out. I need you on this one." He reached out and held her hand gently. Scully glanced down at his hand and sighed deeply. "Please Scully, just his one last time." He begged.

Unable to disappoint those sad puppy-dog eyes, she took the folder. "Mulder, I will look at your folder, but I can't make any promises. You've got to face the fact that the bastard - Spender, and his partner in crime- Fowley, have got the X-Files now. You can't keep going off on tangents just to get away from it all. You have to face responsibilities now Mulder."

" I know, Scully. It's just that we were so close..." Mulder began. Scully put her finger to his lips sensing he was about to launch into his "we were so close to the truth " and "we can't trust anyone" routine.

"Mulder, I have to get back to work now. You'd better get out of here before anyone sees us."

"OK, call me if you want to do the case with me." Mulder said on his way out.

"I'll let you know." She answered.

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Mulder unlocked the door of his apartment, plowing through the piles of dirty laundry on the floor. He went to look at his fish tank, a place that was always tranquil. He realized that one of his fish, Kavanough, was laying belly-side up on the surface. Mulder sighed and saw that his other fish, Biddle, looked distinctly sad. He scooped the fish out and placed it in a plastic bag. Later he buried it outside.

Once inside again, he played his messages on his answer machine. There was one from his mother asking him when he was coming home for Christmas. Another from Langly, telling him that there was a computer virus going around and that he should watch out. The last was from Scully.

"Hello? Mulder, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I will help you out. I've booked two tickets to the Bahamas. Sounds like a great place to do a case in! Maybe we can get some vacation time in too. By the way, this 'case' is off the record, right? Well, call me when you get a chance. You know the number." The machine stopped.

"YES!" Mulder yelled, dive-bombing his leather couch. he quickly picked himself up, knowing that probably wasn't a very mature, FBI-ish thing to do. He ran to the closet and grabbed a handful of shirts. Stuffing his bag as full as it would get, he wondered what his partner was doing right then.

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Scully wearily arrived at her apartment and kicked off her high-heels, once inside. She sat down on the plush couch and began to massage her aching feet. Why on earth she had accepted Mulder's plea was beyond her. Perhaps it was that sexy charm of his that he used to lure her into coming with him. Or maybe it was actually the case itself. Taking the brief from the folder, she reread the words:

Three US airforce men. Gone missing. Were flying from the Bahamas to Florida. Plane crash- but no men. Evidence of radiation. Must investigate before authorities destroy evidence. SHOW THIS TO NO-ONE, MR. MULDER!!!!!

"Huh," she thought "I guess he really does trust me. He showed this to me even though it was pretty clear that he wasn't supposed to." She went to her closet and pulled out her bag. She packed a couple of suits, a T-shirt, toiletries, and of course, spare bullets. As she was routing through her things, she came across a bikini.

"God, I haven't worn this thing forever. I can't even remember the last time I wore it! I guess I've become a little more conservative now..." Her mind began to drift. After several minutes of debating on whether to take it or not, she finally tossed it in. Maybe they might go swimming, right?

Who knows?

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The agents met at JFK airport and boarded their flight. "I hope you bought something to do, Scully 'cos this is gonna be a long haul." Mulder exclaimed, placing his sunglasses on. He then picked up his discman and the latest issue of Playboy, settled back into the chair, and sighed happily.

Scully looked at him, "Well, actually, I was planning on doing something a little more 'productive'. Sorry, that was a little harsh, I shouldn't be making fun of someone who is reading such a scholarly magazine. Or do you just read it for the articles?" With that, she flipped open her laptop and started surfing the net for information on the location of the crash.

Mulder glanced over at her; he watched how the sun beams through the window bounced off of her beautiful auburn hair. At that moment she looked like some ancient Greek goddess.

Noticing his stare, Scully raised and eyebrow, "Would you quit staring at me? I know it's hard for you to understand that I'm actually working here, but you're freakin' me out, Spooky!"

Mulder shook his head. "Huh? Oh...yeah....sorry. I was just looking at ummm....how the sun er, nevermind." Scully looked at him with a frown, shrugged her shoulders, and continued working, muttering "Sure, fine, whatever." to herself.

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"This is your flight attendant, on flight 1121 non-stop to the Bahamas. We will be approaching the gate shortly. The local time here is 10:13am. Thank you for flying with us."

Mulder and Scully exited the plane and after many hours of flight, felt rather tired and hungry. As they walked into the airport, a rush of heat greeted them. When they had left D.C., it had been snowing, so a change in temperature was just what they needed.

"Jeez Scully! It's hotter than hell out here! I hope you brought your shorts- and that the hotel has AC." Mulder loosened his tie.

"Shorts?!" She thought to herself. "No, I guess I forgot them." she said as she put on her sunglasses.

"Now to baggage claim!" Mulder followed her lead.

After getting their bags, they got a taxi and went to their hotel. "Wow, Mulder!" Scully exclaimed after entering her room. "You certainly took advantage of our location. This must be one of the nicest, most expensive hotels here! Oh look, my room has an ocean view! It's absolutely gorgeous Mulder!"

"You mean OUR room." he stated. She gave him a quizzical look. "Well this hotel was kinda expensive and I knew the bureau wasn't paying, so I paid. It was easier to get one double room than two singles." Scully slowly strode over to him, looking like an animal that had its prey in a very precarious position.

"So...this means we have to share a bed, right? You know Mulder, it says in the rules that two federal officers of the opposite sex are not supposed to consume alcoholic beverages or share a room together." She recited.

"Don't give me all that crap, Scully. Technically, this isn't an FBI case. Technically, we are on vacation. Technically, we..." he rambled. He stopped. "You get the picture?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "So," changing the subject " Where do we start? You know, we should probably go to the site of the crash."

"Er...yeah. The site. Erm- let me look for the directions again." He started rummaging through his bag for them. Scully wandered around the room, putting her clothes away neatly in to drawers and on hangers. "Oh, I think I know where it is. First we have to drive over to the little harbor. Then, take a boat over to the island we the plane crashed." He concluded.

"What's the island called?" Scully looked up.

"It's so tiny it doesn't even have a name. But apparently it's a great place for swimming and exploring. The water is particularly clear and very calm. So, if you brought your swim suit - maybe we could go a-swimmin'-we-de-fishies..."Mulder looked hopeful.

She gulped. "Well, I did sorta bring something with me, so I guess it would be okay."

"Good! Let's pack our stuff and get to this island then!" he said enthusiastically.

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Mulder sat looking rather green as the boat rocked back and fourth.

"You should have taken some Dramamine, Mulder. I remember how sick you got when we were on that boat in Norway. Jeez, that was a while back. Let's hope that nothing weird like that happens here. I would really prefer to go back to D.C. roughly the same age as I left it!! I would thought you would have had enough of boats lately, what with your "Queen Anne" ship. Which, incidentally Mulder, wasn't real. It was all in your..." she trailed off as she watched him hurl off to the side of the boat. Putting her arms around his broad shoulders, she sighed.

"Thanks, I'm done." He sat back. She sometimes felt as though she were a part of him; she knew what he was thinking about and how he felt. "Land-ho, Scully!" He proclaimed weakly.

Ten minutes later, the pair pulled the boat high up onto the sand. "So, where's the plane?" She asked. They climbed up some rocks and began to search.

After several minutes of looking, Scully noticed Mulder had stopped. "Mulder I thought you said the plane crashed here. We can't seem to find any evidence of debris or anything. I'm really beginning to think that this really IS one of your UFO - wild - goose - chases!"

"Scully," he said, taking her hand. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Yeah...?" she said skeptically.

"The truth is, there is no x-file out here. I just told you there was to be with you. I figured it was the only way I could get you to come. I wanted to get us away from Washington for a bit."

Scully bit her lip and let what she had just heard sink in. "You mean, you made that note up? Brought me here under false pretenses? Away from work?"

"Please don't be mad! I tried to tell you how I felt, back in the hospital, but you didn't believe me." He said, practically whispering. "I was thinking" he continued," that we could go swimming now. C'mon, Scully, it'd be fun!"

She searched her mind for some excuse but couldn't seem to find a reason not to. "Okay." she answered, forgetting her anger " You go off behind that rock and get changed, while I go behind this one."

"Ok, boss!" He grinned.

"And no peeking either!" She teased.

Five minutes later, the agents reappeared in an attire that neither had ever seen before on each other.

"My God!" she thought "He's even better without his business suit on!!" She watched as his sculpted body dove precisely off of a nearby rock. His red Speedos showed off his perfect body. "As well as 'certain' other parts!" she thought with delight.

Comparatively, Mulder was admiring her figure too. Five long years he had waited and fantasized about the REAL agent Scully; the person beneath the blouse and suit. Her black string bikini covered her perfect breasts in such a way that Mulder could have only dreamed about before. "Come on in Scully! It's so warm and refreshing!" He yelled to her.

She carefully strode across to the water's edge. A little timidly, perhaps, she descended farther and farther into the clear blue ocean. Suddenly, she couldn't see him anymore. Frantically, she looked around. "Mulder?! Where are you?"

"Boo!" he jumped up from behind her, grabbing her shoulders.

"Jesus Mulder!" She scorned.

"I had you big time..." he played.

"Nu-uh! I knew you were there all the time..."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

He grabbed her shoulders again and started play-wrestling with her; a huge splash fight broke out. Mulder noticed a rare smile had crossed her face, which soon turned into hysterical laughter.

"Now that's the Scully I used to know!" he told her. "I miss that smile and laugh."

She stopped splashing and he held onto her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Dana, that when you smile, you light up my whole world."

"Mulder..."she murmured.

"I love you, Dana Scully."

Their eyes met together; a gaze that set off fireworks of passion inside their bodies. Drawing nearer and nearer, their awaiting lips touched. The long, anticipated kiss had finally happened; five years' worth of sexual tension exploded for the other to feel.

Mulder gentled placed tiny butterfly kisses on her neck, while her hands felt their way around his muscular chest.

He carefully untied her top, letting it fall down. She let him trace his fingers around her hardened nipples, sending tingles down her spine. She caught her breath as she felt his other hand reach into the lower half of her bikini. "Mulder....we shouldn't...."

"I'll stop if you want me to. It's just that I thought you felt the same way about me as I do about you." He whispered back.

"I do, but is this right?" she asked, even though she yearned for more of his amazing touch. In her heart, she knew it was right. She had let her love for Mulder grow and grow and now it was time to let him know that she needed him also. "I love you too, Mulder." she whispered in his ear.

She ran her fingernails up and down his chest causing him to smile. Taking her chin in his hand, he kissed her; his tongue meeting hers inside. A curtain of golden-red silk fell around her face, as he breathed in the floral bouquet.

He noticed that she had started to shiver slightly. "Let's go back on the beach." He lifted her up in his arms and headed for the shoreline. He set her down on the warm grains of sand. "Hang on a sec." he said. Grabbing the sports bag he had brought with him, he pulled out two towels. He handed one to her and put the other around himself. He then pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the sand. Reaching in one last time, he pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"Mulder, were you counting on the fact that I would fall for your romantic-seduction plan?" She nodded in the direction of the glasses.

"I was hoping..." he grinned mischievously. The champagne made a slight pop and he poured it into the glasses. "Here's to us and a newly proclaimed love that has brought us here." They raised their glasses and sipped the sweet nectar.

"Ummmm..." Scully said, licking her lips and closing her eyes. "God, you look so sexy when you do that Dana...You make me wanna..." he looked at her ravenously.

"Make you wanna what? Huh?" she raised an eyebrow and teasingly ran her finger across his lips. "Hmmm? Come on Agent Mulder, you of all people should know what you want." Running a hand through her hair, she glanced down at his Speedos, which now looked as if they could burst from the bulge that was pushing inside of them. A low growl emerged from Mulder's throat as her pounced on her, pushing her back on to the blanket.

"You KNOW what I want, Dr. Scully." he hungrily started kissing and nibbling her neck.

"Hmmm...I seem to get the distinct impression that you want to do something to me. And, in my scientific opinion, I think it should be done right now." She commanded.

Looking up at her for moment, he nodded and began to make a trail of kisses down her flat stomach. He slid off her bikini bottoms and licked her inner thigh.

"Oh my god!" he thought "I have Scully, the most beautiful woman in the world, lying completely naked, begging for me."

She arched her back instinctively as his tongue drew closer to her. A surge of warmth ran through her body making her gasp and groan. She yearned for more as his lips sucked her clit and his tongue explored her folds. His nose was buried inside of her, sending her body into spasms of pleasure. "Murghh....Mulder..oh..bleurgh..." was all that she could manage to utter.

He could tell that she was on the brink of coming; he tasted her more and more, savoring the delicious taste that was Scully. His hands roamed up to her breasts, gently pinching her nipples. This proved to be too much for her, as she let out a high pitched scream and grabbed his hair. A wave of electricity bolted through her, causing her to release what she had not released on a long time. She smiled and breathed heavily, as Mulder greedily lapped at her swollen lips.

He move his body up on top of her and sucked hard at her nipples. Her eyes rolled back in her head, for surely this could not be happening. Mulder had just made her come; how did this happen? No guy had ever made her come; only she knew how. She reached down to the elastic on his Speedos and gently tugged at them. His body twitched at her touch. "Roll over." she whispered. He obeyed.

Positioning herself above him, she let her breasts hang down, brushing the tips of his nipples with hers.

"Ah, Scully..." he closed his eyes, smiling. . The tantalizing smell of his cologne and sweat mingled in a certain pleasing way. She began to lick his slightly salty chest, making her way towards his lower half. He grabbed her wrists and squeezed her slightly. His hips bucked against her, thrusting his cock higher. She raised an eyebrow and coyly licked the very tip. He opened his eyes, to see the woman of his dreams in front of him, with the sunset behind her, illuminating her red hair. With her other hand she cupped his testicles and gently began to massage them.

"Oh my god Scully....you're...you're...incredible...." he murmured. A small squirt of liquid seeped out of him; wanting to taste him, Scully quickly licked it up. He was so desperate to completely let himself go but wanted her to continue even more that he held painfully held it in.

She ran her tongue from the top to the base of his length several times. He moaned and tensed his muscles. Sensing what he really wanted, she took his cock in her mouth. In and out, she sucked and licked it, harder and harder. "Give it to me Scully..." he cried.

The pace got faster and faster until he finally couldn't take it anymore; he would simply explode if he didn't climax. He burst in her mouth as he lay back.

"Was that ok?" she whispered.

"Ok? It was more than ok, Scully. It was, it was just...ugh...mind-blowing! My god, you are so beautiful - how did I deserve you?" His fingers traced the contours of her face, letting her kiss the tips.

"Well, the sun has nearly set now so I think we should probably head back before it gets too dark."

Scully looked sad for a moment at the thought of leaving this paradise. "Hmmm....I suppose so. Maybe we could get dinner or something when we get back."

"Yeah," he answered "Apparently there's this really nice Italian place near the hotel." They packed up their stuff and quickly got changed. A strong gust of wind prompted them to hurry up and get in the boat.

"I think a storm may be brewing, Mulder. I hope we get back before it breaks." Scully looked at him.

"Hmm..yeah, I hope so too." The boat began to get further an further out into the ocean. Scully closed her eyes and played over in her mind all the events of the day. Who would have thought that Mulder was such a romantic? Or that they would even get together? She was jolted out of her thoughts as a huge bolt of lightning lit up the sky like a giant flashlight. A loud grumble of thunder rolled in the background, making her jump.

Knowing that she was a little anxious about the storm, Mulder wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, Starbuck, Ahab is here." He soothed. She looked at him in surprise, amazed that he had remembered that conversation they had nearly three years ago. They had been stranded on a rock together and she had told him how she used to call her father 'Ahab' (from "Moby Dick") and he would call her 'Starbuck'.

The boat rocked violently from side to side, cumulating water each time it rocked too far. She took a deep breath and hoped they would be back soon.

"Well, it ain't no monster, at least!" Mulder attempted to joke.

"Unlike most other times we've been out on the water." Scully smiled a little, knowing he was only trying to comfort her.

A bolt of lightning struck the water about three feet away from them, making the boat shudder and lean dangerously close to the water. Scully let out a small yelp.

"Don't worry, I got ya." he hugged her. Rain drops began to fall lightly on them, getting larger every second. The rain pelted them like sharp daggers; within moments, they were drenched.

Suddenly the boat lurched to the left, a little too far. The force flung the agents overboard, the ocean trying to swallow them into her abyss.

"Scully!" Mulder cried out in desperation. "Where are you? Answer me! Scull-y!" he searched in vain, hoping to see her little head bobbing up and down on the water.

A coughing and spluttering Scully answered weakly. "M..m..m....ulder!" "I'm" "here!" She caught sight of his head as a huge tidal wave engulfed their bodies and pushed them away from the boat.

To BE CONTINUED…