Raspberry and Lace - Part 8/10 Summary and disclaimers in Part 1 ***** ...'Oh, my God. What have I done?' That was Scully's first coherent thought after the explosion she had barely survived atop Mulder's desk. Her body was still trembling with aftershock after aftershock from the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced in her life. Mulder's face was buried in her neck, and his penis was just beginning to slide languidly from her overly sensitized flesh. 'What had *they* done?' With weak, exhausted arms, she pushed at his shoulders. "Mulder?" Her voice was husky, and she felt herself blush all over as she recalled the screams that had emanated from her only minutes earlier. "Mulder?" She pushed harder. He grunted softly and pulled back. She felt him slide all the way out, and a chill hit her sweaty body as his ceased its contact with her. "Scully?" he asked, his voice much stronger than hers and holding more than a touch of concern. "Are you all right?" Without looking in his eyes, she nodded. He was silent for a moment. Then, with hardness taking over the concern, asked, "Are you sure?" She looked up, surprised by the almost angry tone of his voice. "Mulder, I..." She couldn't continue. What could she say? Should she tell him she had fantasized about this moment for years and never believed it would ever happen? Should she tell him the real thing had been far better than any of her fantasies? Should she tell him how much she wished it had never happened? She pushed away from him and slid off the desk. "I need to go." He backed away from her, tugging his jeans back into place and zipping up the fly. She could feel his eyes on her as she set out to collect her scattered clothing. Her bra was draped over the computer monitor. Her panties were tangled with her torn nylons. Her shirt, the soft, green short-sleeved sweater she had bought only a week ago, was lying on the couch were she had been sleeping not thirty minutes ago. She gathered it all in her arms, holding them against her still tingling breasts, feeling like an idiot. Her jacket. Where was her jacket? There. On the arm of the couch. Her shoes? By the door, a habit she had picked up from Mulder himself. Grabbing the jacket, she headed for the door, trying to create as much distance between her and Mulder as possible. She could still smell him...all over her. And she could still feel him. The residue of their loving soaked the inside of her thighs, and she could still imagine him, hard and powerful, thrusting into her over and over. She stopped by the door and dropped everything. Tears began to run silently down her cheeks. He seemed to know she was crying, even through her silence. He came up behind her and stood there, not touching her. "What do you want me to say, Scully?" She thought she heard tears in his voice. "Do you want me to pretend what happened here was a dream? I don't know if I can do that!" "I don't..." She cleared her throat. "I don't want it to change." "What? What don't you want to change?" He gripped her by the shoulders and turned her around. "Tell me!" "Us!" Mulder's face revealed the internal torment brought about by her words. "Why does this have to change 'us'?" he demanded. "You're still my best friend. My partner. My respect and trust for you will never change." "Are you sure about that?" she whispered, disbelief filling her voice. He let go of her and backed away. "You would willing have given birth to my child, yet you think it's wrong to share my bed, is that it?" She winced at the anger and hurt in his eyes. "Then I guess I'm glad the IVF didn't work, Scully. Because if we had shared a child, I would have expected us to share a bed, as well." "Don't you bring that up!" she argued, holding back her tears with growing anger. "Why not?! Did you even give a thought to why I agreed, Scully? Because, out of the goodness of my heart, I figured I could play stud horse for my best friend? And not involve my heart?" He laughed harshly and ran his hand through his hair. "I love you, Scully. Yes, I wanted you to have that baby you've always wanted. But I had hoped that you would want me as part of the deal as well." "Don't do this, Mulder," she whispered, her anger gone. "Don't say these things. Please. I can't handle it." "You can't handle it, huh? Well, then. We better just not talk anymore tonight." He stepped into her suddenly, bringing his arms around her and sweeping her right off the floor. With a soft screech, she grabbed hold of him, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her as he swung around and headed for his bedroom. She half expected him to throw her onto the bed, but instead, he set her down gently. He unzipped her skirt, the only piece of clothing she still wore, and slipped it off. She pushed herself onto her elbows and watched as he rid himself of his jeans. Confusion turned to wonder as she admired his body. He was so perfect. Anger turned to desire as she noticed he was already regenerating. Fear turned to love as she recognized the look in his eye. He was waiting. Waiting for her to welcome him into her body. Into her heart. Silently, she opened her arms... ...Mulder felt relief pour through him as he joined her on the bed. She was confused and scared, and he knew he was taking advantage of her, but he wanted the final step to be her choice. The love he saw in her eyes sent a shock wave right to his chest. For a moment, he knew he had finally broken through her walls. He wasn't about to let the moment slip by. He gently eased himself onto the bed, determined to take it slow this time. Before, out in the living room, they had had sex. Wild, uncontrollable, mind-blowing sex. Now, here, in his bed, he wanted to make love to her. He touched her with his hands. With his mouth. Breathing her in, tasting her. At first, she just lay there beneath him, letting him do whatever he wished. But, it didn't take long for her to become an active participant, using her own hands and mouth to investigate his body. More than once, Mulder felt a sense of unreality about the whole event, as if he was indeed just having a very real, very erotic dream. For seven years he had wanted this woman; maybe he had finally lost it. But, if this was insanity, he would be content to stay insane forever... ...Scully couldn't believe she was actually touching him. Tasting him. How many times had she wondered what he felt like? How many times had she dreamed of running her fingers through the sparse hair on his beautiful chest? Gradually, she became bolder, and began touching him below the waist. Scully wasn't incredibly experienced in the area of sex, but being a doctor, she knew things about the male body many men didn't know. Bringing her hand up between his legs to cup him, she squeezed very softly, smiling as she heard his answering groan and felt his erection increase by a significant amount. She continued her exploration, tangling her fingers in his dark hair before she grasped him in a firm grip. His hips jerked into her hand and she responded by pumping her hand up and down his length. His breathing harsh, he grabbed her wrist. "Stop! Not yet!" She just smiled and continued. He moaned and fell onto his back. "Scully! Please! I want to be in you." "You will be," she told him as she leaned over him, taking one of his nipples into her mouth and sucking lightly. She rubbed her own breasts against his ribcage and along his flat stomach. "Scully," he whimpered. She felt him expand, ready to explode, and she released him quickly. Taking her index finger and thumb, she firmly squeezed him toward the base of his straining penis. Almost instantly, his erection eased. He took a deep breath. "How...?" She smiled again, and moved to straddle him. "I'm surprised with all your experience you didn't know about that little trick." "How did you know?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed in jealousy. Griping his still erect penis in her hand, she maneuvered herself over it. "I'm a doctor," she whispered, then lowered herself onto him. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of her, then opened them to look at her, the question still there. She leaned forward and kissed him. "If it makes you feel any better, I've never actually used that technique before." "Good," he mumbled back to her as she began to ride him. He placed his hands on her hips and helped her ease herself up and down. She looked down, amazed by how large his hands looked against her body. Her eyes were drawn to where they were joined, and again she was impressed by the size of other body parts. It had hurt when she had first taken him inside her; it had not only been a long time since anyone other than a doctor had entered her private recesses, but he had been impossibly large compared to her petite frame. Yet, she took him easily now, her body more than welcoming to his. She quickened her pace. His hips began to thrust up to meet hers, and his hands had traveled from her hips up to her breasts. She leaned into him, moaning uncontrollably at the incredible sensations he created. He was getting larger inside her, and it felt wonderful. "Mulder?" "Yeah?" He was breathing hard now. "I love you." Their eyes met, and Scully knew he could see the truth in hers. "I'm sorry, Scully," he responded, a soft smile on his face. "But, nothing is ever going to be the same after this." Even while her heart swelled with love for him, it ached at his words. He was right. And she hated it. Biting her lower lip, she leaned forward, bracing herself on his shoulders, and began to thrust down on him hard. He responded with powerful upward thrusts of his own. She felt him release himself inside her just as her own body clenched around him. Together. 'Wow,' she thought. 'I didn't think it was possible.' She felt a smile spread across her face as she delighted in the feel of her orgasm, then she let herself fall onto the heaving chest of the man beneath her...<<< They had both fallen asleep with smiles on their faces, but when Scully woke just before dawn, she had panicked. She had left the bed and retrieved her clothes before she finally calmed. And though she dearly wanted to climb back into the bed with Mulder, she had instead cleaned herself up and dressed in his bathroom, then left without waking him. He had called a few hours later. She hadn't answered. He called again. Still, she didn't answer. Three times he tried. Three times she ignored him, knowing she was destroying the best thing that had ever happened to either of them, but too scared to change things. Mulder had understood her silence and had not brought up that night since. Even after discovering her pregnancy. She knew she was being childish, hoping he would bring it up himself when she had been the one to insist it be forgotten. But, Mulder tended to make her behave childishly. And Doggett's advice to her earlier in the day had made her want to talk to Mulder very much. She wanted confirmation that he believed this child had been conceived that night, too. And, selfishly, she wanted confirmation that he still loved her. Though they had ignored the events of that night, their relationship had changed. She knew that, had she not gotten sick, something important would have happened in that motel room on Oregon. If Mulder hadn't been abducted, she was sure they would have eventually opened up to each other, especially after discovering her pregnancy. They had never had that chance. But they did now. Scully rose from her bed in Doggett's guest room and waddled to the window. She wished this Wallace guy would appear so she and Mulder could have that talk. Now. Before she lost the guts to do so. With a self-depreciating sigh and a shake if her head, she began to turn back toward the bed. Suddenly, movement from outside caught her attention. She leaned closer to the window to see better. Below her, ducking in and out between the bushes at the side of the yard, was a man. ***** Night had fallen, and Doggett's house was dark. But, this didn't stop Charlie from pacing back and forth across the floor of her bedroom. John's bedroom, she corrected herself. She didn't know when she had started to think of him as John, and not Doggett, in her head, but she knew it meant something. She wasn't sure what, but she hoped she figured it out before she had to leave. And yet, she prayed she would be leaving soon. Leaving here meant that Fox and the other agent had caught Wallace. It meant she could go home. She sighed heavily, unsure if that would happen anytime soon. Though she didn't know the details, she had been told by Dana that there was a chance Wallace knew where she was. For two nights, she had slept peacefully in this house. Now, on the third, she couldn't even bring herself to go to bed. With another sigh, she left the room and tread soundlessly down the stairs. Maybe she could find something to snack on in the kitchen, and maybe that would help distract her mind enough for her to sleep. But, in order to get to the kitchen, she had to pass through the living room, where John was sleeping. As quietly as she could, she began walking through the room, not even daring to look at the couch where the agent lay; she couldn't afford to get distracted. She had almost reached the kitchen door when his voice called out from behind her. "Where are you going?" She stopped, feeling guilt sweep through her, though she knew she had no reason to feel that way. She turned. "I can't sleep." His face was just a pale blur in the dark of the room, but she didn't have to see him to know he was trying not to smile. "So you're going to eat instead?" She put her hands on her hips in a defensive posture. "I amuse you, don't I?" He swung his legs over the side of the couch and placed his feet on the floor. "Well, yeah," he said, as if the answer should be obvious to everyone. With a soft groan of frustration, she turned and walked into the kitchen, flipping on the light as she did so. Without pause, she marched over to the refrigerator and opened it up. She heard him enter the kitchen behind her but didn't acknowledge his presence. "Hey, I didn't mean that in a derogatory way, Charlie." His voice sounded sincere. She glanced at him. He had a little half smirk on his face. He was also bare chested. She looked away again, not knowing if it was the smirk or the chest that caused her to do so. "I'm so glad you find me entertaining, Agent Doggett," she said through clenched teeth. "Charlie?" She didn't respond. She kept staring into the fridge at nothing in particular. "You want to know why I find you so amusing?" Taking a deep breath, she closed the fridge, turned back to face him, and folded her arms. "I'm all ears." "That's my line," he said dryly. Charlie felt laughter bubble up and barely stopped it by biting her lower lip. "You 'entertain' me because you are so contradictory. I mean, look at you. You have the body and face of a supermodel, but you act like a nun. You talk tough, but in reality, you're more than willing to let others boss you around." She opened her mouth to argue, but he stopped her by holding up his hand. "And the worst part is when you act like you're attracted to me, then back away when I respond to that. Now, how am I supposed to act around you? I'm trying to figure that out, and that's why I'm so 'entertained'." Charlie was struck speechless. For a moment. "What an ego. You think I'm attracted to you?" He took a step toward her. "Aren't you?" "No!" But she said the word a little too quickly. A little too forcefully. He stepped forward again. "I don't believe you," he said softly. "I think you're as attracted to me as I am to you." "I am not...!" She stopped suddenly. "What did you just say?" "I said I'm attracted to you." He smiled. "That shouldn't be a surprise. I'm sure I'm not the first." No. He wasn't. In fact, in high school and college, it had been one of her strong suits: attracting men like a flower attracted bees. But Wallace had changed that. With her hair cut short, no makeup, and dull, unflattering clothes, she hadn't caused many men to sit up and take notice of her in the last several years. Which was how she liked it. "Look," she whispered. "Fox is going to catch Wallace soon. And when he does, I'm going back to West Virginia and my life. I'll probably never even see you again." The thought made her heart ache, but she wouldn't let him know that. "So, you better give up the flirting and just pretend I'm..." "Pretend you're what?" Doggett asked patiently. "Pretend I'm like a sister. Like Fox does." He snorted. "I'm sure 'Fox' didn't always look at you like a sister." Charlie knew he was probably right. She also remembered how, as a teenager, she had tried mightily to catch the eye of her brother's friend. But, he had always been honorable, and never made any kind of moves on her. And after Wallace, he had indeed become like another brother, though more distant than her real one. "That was then. This is now." "And what's so different about now?" "Wallace!" she said sharply. She felt her whole body begin to tremble. "Wallace and what he did to me." John sighed and moved to sit down at the table. "It's been almost ten years, Charlie. When are you gonna live again?" This time, she snorted. "Sounds like you've been talking to Fox." John laughed. "The day Mulder and I talk about something that important is the day I admit to dressing like a woman." He laughed even harder at Charlie's wide eyes. "It was at a college Halloween party, Taylor!" She smiled, but it didn't last long. John also sobered quickly. "Anyone can see you're still suffering, Charlie. Even if they don't know what he did to you." "If it had been done to you," said quietly, "you would have a hard time living again, too." He sighed. "Maybe. But it seems to me a little of that girl you once were would still be there, fighting to get out." She shook her head sadly. "The girl I once was wasn't really that much different than who I am now. I was just a better actor back then." She clasped her hands together and looked at the floor. "I was a virgin." John was silent for a moment. "What?" he whispered. "I was a virgin when Wallace took me." She clenched her teeth together, holding her tears at bay. "Not many people know that. The doctor and nurse that checked me out. Bill Connor, the Agent in Charge of the case." She shrugged. "I don't even think Fox knows." "I'm sorry," Doggett said. She looked up sharply. "It doesn't really matter, you know? I mean, I'm sure it was just as horrifying, just as painful for the women before me. Women who had boyfriends. Who'd had sex before." She shook her head. "But, I..." She couldn't continue. "There's been nobody since?" John's words were soft, full of compassion. But not pity. She shook her head. "Not that I haven't thought about it. Or wanted it." She gave him a false smile. "I'm pretty sure no one wants a damaged, inexperienced lover." "I might." His words sent a shock wave through Charlie. "What?!" "I can see past the damage, Charlie. To the woman underneath. She's there. She just needs someone to coax her out." "You?" "If you'll have me." The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs prevented her from responding. Not that she knew what she would say. What exactly was he offering? Or was he just trying to tell her it was possible for someone to want her, despite her past? She wasn't going to get an answer tonight, because Dana was there, her eyes wide and a frown on her face. "Agent Doggett?" John stood at the anxiousness in her voice. "What is it?" "There's someone outside. I saw him from my upstairs window." He nodded toward Charlie, and Scully, weapon in hand, walked across the room in her bathrobe and slippers to stand next to the younger woman. Doggett flipped off the light and disappeared back into the living room where Charlie knew his gun was. They both held their breath, listening as he exited the house from the front door. A minute of tense silence filled the little room. Then, a shout was heard. What sounded like a body hitting the outside of the house. And more shouting. Scully cautiously moved toward the front of the house, flipping on lights as she went. Charlie stuck to her back like a burr. "Agent Scully?!" John yelled. "I got the bastard! Call the cops!" Scully immediately picked up the phone to make the requested call. Charlie, however, was driven by her morbid curiosity to the open front door. Slowly, she stepped though. John had a man pressed up against the wall and was cuffing his hands behind his back. The captive turned his head to look at her, his eyes burning. Charlie gasped. John looked at her sharply. "Charlie?" "It's not him!" she whispered. "It's not Wallace!" ***** End 8/10