Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 21:01:06 -0000 From: beduini Subject: NEW: Ian (1/2) Ian by Beduini (1/2) Category: S, A, MSR Rating: R - not for the kiddies. What are you doing reading about old Mulder and Scully, anyway? Go play your 'N Sync cd's! Keywords: Scully/Other leading to Scully/Mulder Spoilers: Fire, Lazarus, The End, Never Again, Dreamland, The Host, Milagro, Tithonus, Cancer arc - find the one for the CDROM game and you get a prize Timeline: After Milagro, before The Unnatural Summary: It often takes a third party to point out the obvious to those who are too close to the situation. Or, Mulder finds his cojones. Disclaimer: I don't own them, and even Ian is a blatant rip-off of a well-known British actor who shall remain nameless. I'm not making any money off of this unless you count the salary I earn while I'm writing this instead of doing my job. For Marty and Van...xoxox Ian By Beduini "...really do work in the basement." "It ain't much, but it's home. It looks like Scully's here. Come on, I'll introduce you." Scully could hear Mulder's voice down the hall, the resonant sound reverberating off of the solid basement walls of the FBI Headquarters. She raised her eyes away from the x-ray she had been examining just in time to see her partner stroll in the door, followed by a tall, dark haired man in his mid- to late-thirties. "Scully." Her partner greeted her with a wide grin, hands on his hips as he stood in the middle of the dimly lit office. "Mulder." She replied with a blink, stating the obvious. Greetings were something they'd stopped dispensing long ago. "I want you to meet a friend of mine. Ian Hollingsworth." Mulder turned toward the man. Ian, my partner, Dana Scully." The well-dressed man stepped around Mulder and offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you, " he spoke politely with a clean British accent. His eyes were a clear light blue with a sleepy quality about them, a shock of wavy soft brown hair falling across his forehead much like Mulder's used to do before he cut it all off. There was a natural ease about him that permeated his expression in spite of his politeness. This was a man who was well-schooled in social graces. Scully smiled a closed-lip polite smile in return as she took his hand. He was slightly taller than Mulder, similar build but not quite as skinny. On first impressions alone, he was inarguably attractive. She crossed her arms in front of her, an eyebrow raised. "College friend?" She asked, deducing as much from the fact that the man was British and well-mannered, knowing Mulder had attended Oxford University. "Flatmate, actually." Mulder replied for him. "Ian kept me sane in an otherwise insane time of my life." "Besides now, you mean?" Scully asked with a hint of a smile playing at her lips, her obvious affection for her partner shining in her eyes. Ian wore a slight smile that hinted at a set of heartbreakingly white teeth hidden underneath. "Ah, well, some things never change." Scully found herself smiling in response, noticing Mulder's wide grin. "What brings you to Washington, Ian?" He crossed his arms in a pose similar to hers, his brow furrowing. "Business, I'm afraid." "Ian is a political analyst." Mulder offered. "He's here with Tony Blair." Ian's expression was slightly embarrassed without a hint of self- importance. "But my visit here today is purely social. Mulder promised me a quick tour of his fabled basement office before I'm due back for an afternoon meeting." His eyes traveled to the 'I WANT TO BELIEVE' poster hanging on the wall behind Scully before turning back to Mulder. "I see now why they keep you in the basement." He said as he studied the poster with a look of incredulity that made Scully laugh and Mulder roll his eyes. "I thought you didn't know any normal people, Mulder." Scully poked him in the arm with her index finger as she walked across the office to the light board on the wall in the adjacent alcove. "Who says Ian is normal?" Mulder replied. "Sir Ian Winston Hollingsworth the third." "Bugger." Ian muttered under his breath, a genuine look of embarrassment causing him to look down at the floor as Scully looked over at him, an eyebrow raised as she clipped the x-rays into place. He raised his eyes and gave her a slight nod, with a look that said, 'can't take him anywhere.' Her response was a look that commiserated his feelings. Mulder's attention had been drawn to the x-rays Scully had placed on the light board and he stepped closer to get a better look. "Is that Mr. Jones?" He asked, his hands on his hips. "Yes, it is." Scully replied, taking a deep breath and focusing her full attention on the x-rays. "This may be an explanation for his two hour visit to the bottom of the lake without any ill effects." She pointed to a dark spot on the x-ray. "Right here, behind his ears." She turned sideways to face him, leaning in closer as she crossed her arms. "I can't begin to tell you how, Mulder, but it appears that Mr. Jones has gills." "Gills." Mulder repeated. He tilted his face down to hers, looking into her eyes. "What about his lungs?" From Ian's vantage point he could see the two agents standing very close to each other, their voices low, each intently focused on what the other was saying. He took the opportunity to run his eyes over Scully's petite form briefly while they were otherwise occupied, noticing with a pleasant raise of his eyebrows her slim waist, full hips and firm calves, her natural beauty evident even in the subdued black suit jacket and skirt she wore. There was an unspoken dialogue between the two that spoke volumes. They were obviously close. Very close. Mulder was listening intently as Scully was speaking, "...blood oxygen levels and..." as Ian stepped behind them, his hands behind his back and a wide-eyed expression of interest on his face. Scully stopped as he entered her line of vision, Mulder turning to look when her eyes left his. Ian blinked, his expression changing to apologetic as he raised a hand defensively. "I didn't mean to intrude. You obviously have work to do, old friend, and I've got to get back." He gave Scully another polite smile, offering his hand again. "Agent Scully, it was a pleasure meeting you." "So we're on for tonight, right?" Mulder said, clasping a hand around his friend's arm. "Do you need directions to Casey's?" Scully looked up. "Mulder, Casey's? Aren't there a lot nicer places than Casey's in the DC area?" "Oh no, I suggested Casey's." Ian replied, blinking apologetically. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. Will you be joining us?" Scully looked uncomfortably at Mulder, then averted her eyes. "I've got some reports..." Mulder interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder before she could finish. "Why don't you meet us after work, Scully? Ian's buying." His sarcastic tone was accompanied by a toothy smirk. She looked hesitant, glancing up at Ian. He was grinning the 1000 watt smile. "For the company and a chance to get the latest dirt on Mulder here, I'll gladly pick up the tab for the two of us." Ian looked back at Mulder, his face changing to show his disdain as he clapped him on the back. "You, however, are on your own." Scully grinned at him and then at Mulder, a glint in her eye. "I wouldn't want to miss that. I'll try to stop by." Mulder met Ian in front of Casey's that evening, both arriving at the same time. They entered together and Mulder ordered two draft beers from the bartender as they headed toward a booth near the back of the bar. "How was the meeting?" He asked as they slid into their seats. "Bloody awful." Ian grumbled. "I was tempted to bugger out of there and knock back a couple of pints before you arrived." Mulder nodded. "I hate to do this to you, but I'm not off the clock yet. I'm waiting on a phone call about some evidence reports." "Pretty much an 18-hour a day job, then?" Ian asked sympathetically. "More like 24 hours a day." Mulder replied. "Thanks" he said to the waitress, handing her a twenty as she set the mugs down on the table. Both men took their mugs and clinked them together. "Blondes, brunettes and redheads," he spoke as litany, taking a sip before he continued. "We get called out at all times of the day or night, regardless of weather or how much sleep we've had. We end up sleeping in rental cars, airports, airplanes, budget motels...probably more often than our own beds. We take whatever we can get. Scully's much better at it than I am. Most of the time I don't sleep." Leaning his elbows on the table, Ian studied his friend's face as the waitress returned with his change. "So, ...Scully." Mulder's mouth curled up in a half-smile at the name. "So, ...Scully." He replied, taking another sip. There was a gleam in Ian's eye. "You seem to have left out a bit of information on that subject, haven't you?" "Such as...?" "Well, you've told me about her skepticism and her sharp analytical mind, not to mention the fact that she's rescued your arse more than a few times. How frustrated you get when she doesn't readily accept your wild theories - how she keeps you grounded. But you neglected to mention one minor but very important point." Ian glared at Mulder. Mulder had been nodding through Ian's narrative until the end. "And that would be...?" He said again, this time more pointedly as he stared at him. "How bloody attractive she is, you sod." He grinned widely, Mulder unable to stop himself from grinning as well. "Here I was expecting something more along the lines of a female Arnold Schwartzenagger when she is in fact quite the opposite. You always did have all the luck where the fairer sex is concerned." He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "Just how long have you two been shagging, anyway?" Mulder's face went slack and he took another swig of beer, his eyes staring unblinkingly at Ian. "We're not. She's my partner." Ian stared at him, waiting for the Mulder punch line. After a moment of silence it became clear that Mulder wasn't going to deliver. "You're kidding." He looked at Mulder, who had yet to react. "She's...she's not..." he fumbled for the right words. "Lesbian?" Mulder offered a private smile and shook his head slightly. "No, she's not a lesbian." "She's already seeing someone, then? Married?" He prodded. Mulder shook his head. "No, she's not seeing anyone. Look, she's my PARTNER. Ok?" His voice carried a protective tone punctuated with a finality at the end which indicated that he didn't want to discuss the subject any further. Ian took the hint and kept his mouth closed, a look of curiosity in his eyes. From what little he'd seen he'd have bet everything he had in the bank on the two of them being involved. "So who are you turning on the old Mulder charm for these days? What happened to the one I met the last time I was here? The one with the lovely..." he gestured with his hands across his chest. "Diana." Mulder supplied. "Yes, Diana." Ian looked at him expectantly. "That was over years ago." Mulder replied flatly, took another swig of his beer and motioned to the bartender for another. Ian leaned back against the booth, a look of disappointment on his face. "I see." He said softly. He leaned forward again, speaking in a tone reserved for private conversation. "Are you alright? I mean, there's not..." he stopped, letting the rest of his question die out. Perhaps he was prying a bit too much. Mulder laughed. "No, everything is in working order. I'm just wrapped up in my work." Ian nodded, and as he looked up his demeanor changed. "Speaking of your work, I think I see your lovely partner." He sat up straighter, tilting his head to catch a better glimpse of the door. He raised his hand politely, catching Scully's eye, his face breaking into a shy smile. Scully paused at the bar to speak to the bartender before approaching the booth, Mulder sliding over on his side to make room for her. "Did you speak to Danny before you left?" He asked her in lieu of a greeting. "No, I've been in the lab. He's not finished with the reports?" She sat next to Mulder, their shoulders lightly touching. "Not yet." Mulder grumbled. "Hello, Ian." Scully said pleasantly, her expression guarded. Ian raised his eyebrows and nodded a slight greeting as he was taking a drink. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward Mulder. "What are you having?" Mulder slid his mug over to her and she took a sip, choking back a cough and wiping her fingers across her mouth delicately. "Mulder! God, that's awful!" Mulder smirked at Ian, who was watching her with amusement. "Scully learned how to drink beer her first year of college in California." At that moment the waitress sat a Corona and a cold glass down in front of Scully. "Back during the Mexican beer craze." He added, pushing a five across the table. "She'll need some extra limes." He told the waitress as she handed him his change. The waitress nodded at him and moved over to the next table where a group of seven yuppie-looking young men in suits had crowded into the booth. "Better this than that sludge you're having." Scully replied, pouring her beer into the glass. "Guinness is an acquired taste, Scully." He took his mug back, taking another swig. "It flows like water at Oxford." "That it does." Ian agreed, giving her a smile before taking another swig from his own mug. His grin was infectious and Scully smiled back at him, then looked down as if suddenly catching herself. She took a quick sip of her own beer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but the exchange did not go unnoticed by Mulder. Mulder leaned back, propping his feet up on the seat next to Ian and throwing his arm across the back of the seat so that it nearly rested atop Scully's shoulders. "So, Ian." He said, having to raise his voice over the noise at the next table. "How's Fiona?" Ian looked up at him a moment, glanced at Scully and then looked down at the table. "She's well." He took another swig of Guinness without making further eye contact. "I suppose." "You suppose?" Mulder asked. Ian glanced over at Scully. He didn't want to sound pathetic. "She called off the engagement three months ago. She's now seeing an investment banker." Ian said crisply as he examined the beer in his mug. An alarm was going off in Mulder's head and it was a moment before he realized the trilling was his cel phone. Scully was looking at him with her familiar expression of disgruntled expectation and he reached into his pocket. "Mulder. Danny, hey." He was nearly yelling, unconsciously compensating for the bar noise. "What? I can't...Danny, hold on second." He tapped Scully on the thigh and she slid out of the booth, allowing him to get out and scurry out the emergency exit, the phone pressed against his ear. "Talk to me..." was the last thing they heard before the door shut behind him. Scully watched the door for a moment, deciding if she should follow Mulder outside to hear what Danny had to say, or if she should stay with Ian and wait for Mulder to come back in and give her the condensed version. She sat back down, giving Ian a polite but understanding smile. "I'm sorry about your engagement." He looked up at her over his mug. "It's for the best, really. She wasn't happy about the hours my job dictates and I can't say that I blame her." Scully nodded in understanding. "It's difficult to carry on a serious relationship when you're working all of the time." The waitress dropped off a small bowl of cut limes and Scully reached for two, squeezing both into her glass. "Were you together long?" He nodded. "We met at Oxford my last year. I was still recovering from a nasty break-up and she was seeing a classmate of mine so we were friends for a few years. We began seeing each other more and more frequently and I'd finally gotten over Phoebe, so it just grew into something more." Scully's shoulders straightened. "Phoebe." She said softly. "Would that be Phoebe Green?" Ian looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "Mulder told you about Phoebe?" She took in a deep breath. "Not much." She took a sip of beer, sat her glass down carefully and glanced up at him. "She showed up several years ago with a case that she wanted Mulder's help on, a case involving an arsonist. She knew about Mulder's fear of fire." He nodded with a sad smile. "Phoebe was into games. I'm afraid I wasn't much of a match for her. She was attracted to the title in front of my name more than anything, I think. When she met Mulder she knew she'd found somebody who could easily outsmart her so she pursued him with the prowess of a cheetah, using sex to keep him off balance." Scully leaned in closer, a look of interest in her eyes. "So she left you for Mulder." He let out a breath, blinking a few times as if clearing his head. "I guess you could put it that way. I don't hold Mulder responsible for the way things happened, he was more or less a casualty of Phoebe himself. She was seductive, dark." Scully tilted her head to the side, her demeanor guarded as she watched him. "How so?" He hesitated. "She liked to initiate intercourse in public places to play off of the excitement from the possibility of getting caught. She was uninhibited...daring. She liked to push the limits. She liked things rough." He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back off of his forehead and looked at her apologetically, thinking he may have said too much. "Mulder was attracted to the danger." Scully said quietly, her brow furrowed in thought. "Like a moth to a flame." Ian studied her somber expression, then smiled kindly. "Well, it was all a long time ago." Taking another deep breath, she returned his smile with a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, it was." Scully could see Ian harbored no ill feelings toward Mulder. They were silent for a while, Ian glancing at her a few times. "So, Agent Scully. Why the FBI? A bit of a danger seeker yourself?" She caught his eye and held his gaze. "Dana." He smiled. "Dana. What a bloody bore it must be working with Mulder day in and day out." Scully's shoulders raised protectively as she took in a long slow breath, considering the question. Then she let the breath out in a rush, a soft laugh escaping with it. "Boy." She shook her head. "Loaded question, hmm?" He grinned back at her. "He used to drive me mad with his endless energy and impulsive behavior. Does he still hare off and not tell a soul?" Scully nodded, taking a sip of her beer. "That would be Mulder." She could see the warmth radiate from Ian's eyes as he talked about his friend and her instincts told her that he was trustworthy. "In the beginning it bothered me a great deal. He would run off on a lead without telling me, or turn an entire investigation upside down based on a less-than-plausible theory. We butted heads quite a bit." She paused, thinking a moment as she poked a finger at a lime wedge. "We still do. But I've realized that he's that way because he has me to reign him in. When left to his own devices he's much more conservative. Just like I'm more inclined to consider the less-than-plausible theory when Mulder isn't there to suggest it." "You allow him to be himself without any distractions. He claims that you are the only person in the world who keeps him sane." "Maybe." She said, taking another sip. "Maybe that goes both ways." "Ah, teamwork." Ian commented. "It was the same at Oxford. We complimented each other, I think." He finished his beer, setting the mug back down on the table. "It seems you and I have a lot in common, then." Scully smiled, looking up at him. He smiled as he considered her statement. "Well...as far as Mulder goes, perhaps. But I'd have to say you are much more pleasant company." He looked at her with a touch of caution, waiting to see how she would react. She poked harder at the wedge of lime. "I wouldn't say that." She looked back up at him, her eyes shining warmly and a smile playing at her lips. They held each other's gaze, a spark of attraction flaring between them briefly until the waitress interrupted to ask if they would like another round. Scully looked into her glass and took a sip, while Ian ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody Hell!" He said, looking toward the emergency exit. "Where is Mulder, anyway?" Scully's eyes grew wide with realization and she slid out of the booth and out the emergency exit, Ian close at her heels. There was no sign of Mulder. Ian crossed his arms, glancing around. "It looks like we've been..." "...ditched." Scully finished the sentence for him, the tone of her voice sharp and her hands on her hips in aggravation. Mulder pushed a sunflower seed between his teeth, removing the shell with his thumb and forefinger and dropping it into the waste can next to his desk. Danny's report lay open on the top of his desk and regardless of the rather copious lead he had chased down the night before he had been unable to turn anything else up, despite the fact that he'd stared at the report the entire morning. He hadn't spoken with Scully since the night before when she called him on his cel phone and effectively ripped him a new asshole for ditching her and rudely leaving Ian. He knew her well enough to know she'd be over it by now, which only left him wondering where she'd been all morning. He picked up the telephone on the desk to call her and ask just that when he heard the familiar sound of her heels hitting the hard hallway floor just outside. He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the edge of the desk and stuck another seed between his teeth, watching the open door for her entrance. Scully was in another skirt today, the second in two days - must be a new record. She gave him the customary raised eyebrow at his less-than- professional pose as she approached the desk, then set her briefcase down on the nearby chair. "Just getting in?" Mulder asked, dropping another shell into the waste can. "I was called into VCS to consult on an autopsy report." She sighed and sat down in the extra chair. "Three hours with SAC Shanks saying, 'is that YOUR scientific opinion, AGENT Scully' - as if he suspected I was reading from a hidden script instead of using my own medical training." Mulder stuck another seed in his mouth. "Asshole." He commented, punctuating the work with a crack. "That guy always did know how to piss me off in under sixty seconds." "So I told him that in my `scientific' opinion, the victim had been injected with a muscle relaxant before drowning as there were not traces of the drug found in the stomach or the intestines. I suggested he have the body examined for a needle puncture." Her brow furrowed. "He laughed, Mulder. I knew without a doubt the next words out of his mouth would have been derogatory, but he was interrupted by a telephone call." Mulder had pulled himself up into a sitting position, his eyes flickering with anger as he listened to her story. Without comment, he threw away another shell as she finished. "It was the morgue calling to tell him that they'd found a puncture wound in between the victims right fourth and pinkie toes." She grinned evilly. "Shanks had to apologize to me in front of his entire team. He threw in a `say hello to your partner for me' for good measure." Mulder grinned back at her, their eyes seeking and finding the same emotion in each other. "Yeah, well..." Mulder made an obscene gesture, "...to you, too, Shanks." He stood, shaking his pants legs down, his eyes shining. "You wanna grab some lunch?" She looked startled for a moment, then opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ian stepped inside, his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. "Who let YOU in?" Mulder said with a grin. "Great timing, we're just going to grab something to eat." Ian looked confused as he glanced from Scully to Mulder and back to Scully again. He brought his hands around front, disclosing a tasteful bouquet of fresh flowers, which Mulder failed to notice as he was already retrieving his jacket from the back of the door. Mulder continued to chatter happily, his back toward them. "How about Abe's Deli? They make a mean pastrami sandwich. Scully's fond of their tuna salad..." Scully and Ian exchanged a look and a smile while Mulder rambled on about food. "Pretty." Scully said, looking at the flowers in Ian's hand. "Oh, I..." Ian held them out to her, "...they're for you." Mulder turned around just in time to see Ian hand over the bouquet, his mouth dropping open as he froze in place. Scully glanced over at him and looked away nervously as Ian looked at his friend, hands clasped in front of him and his mouth set in a straight line. The room was suddenly very silent. "Thank you." Scully said softly. "I'll just..." she hesitated, holding the flowers out in front of her like they would burst into flames, then stiffly crossed into the alcove to find a makeshift vase. Mulder stared at Ian, his face expressionless but his eyes dark and disturbed. Ian shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, looking back at his friend openly. "Did I miss something?" Mulder asked, his voice soft and measured. Scully stepped back into the room. "Last night, after you left, Ian and I made lunch plans, Mulder." She said carefully. "I left the pass for him with security." She found she was unable to look Mulder in the eye. "You're more than welcome to join us." Ian added. Mulder looked from Ian to Scully, his pulse increasing when she wouldn't meet his gaze. "No thanks. I just remembered an errand I need to run." He turned and started toward the door, stopping just before he crossed the threshold. "Have a good time." He said without turning back around, and then he was gone. -----End part one of two Ian by Beduini (2/2) Disclaimers in part one Scully's neighborhood was quiet as he sat in his car on the street in front of her building, most of her neighbors already settled in their homes for the evening. Mulder hadn't been back to the office that afternoon, nor had he been able to contact Scully with his cel phone, so he didn't know what plans kept her out on this particular evening. He'd spent the afternoon chasing down leads on the Jones case, ignoring the exchange between her and Ian at the office, and the thought that she would be with Ian again tonight was just plain implausible. Scully didn't jump into things with both feet - she was cautious and took her time to think things through. Besides, he'd already rationalized that they probably spent the entire meal talking about the subject they had most in common - Fox Mulder. An irritating notion, but much less threatening than the alternative. He wasn't a total idiot, though. He knew that women found Ian attractive and Scully would appreciate his polite manner and conservative behavior. But he didn't know what type of man she fell for, except for her supposedly off-limits Quantico instructor Jack Willis years ago, and that Ed Jerse guy in Philadelphia who got her a tattoo and then tried to kill her after one date. Just recently there was Philip Padgett and his more than just fictional infatuation, although that was all one-sided on Padgett's part - or so Scully would have him believe. Up until the Padgett incident, he'd been functioning under the assumption that she was happy with the way things were. He had noticed her dropping a few more comments about settling down lately, her biological clock obviously sending her frequent reminders that she wouldn't be able to chase around after conspiracies and flukemen forever. He didn't expect to himself, for that matter. Where that left the two of them was a question he didn't have an answer for, however. There was a vague "someday" sort of a notion that blended together with his warm, fuzzy "when I grow up and have a family" idealism consisting of Sunday mornings sharing coffee and the paper in bed, mortgage payments and small-time politics. Oh, there were other, much more erotic images as well. Exactly when Scully had become the one he saw himself tangled up with in that fuzzy little fantasy alluded him, but she'd been there for a long time now. The pile of discarded sunflower seed shells was growing larger on the sidewalk outside the car window, Mulder cracking another seed between his teeth when he spotted Scully's car pulling up to the curb across the street and two spaces ahead of him. He spit out the seed and checked his teeth in the rearview mirror, only to spot Ian getting out of a car three spaces behind him. Hidden in the shadows, he watched Ian and Scully meet in front of her building, giving each other a large smile. Ian took the brown paper bag from her arms and leaned over, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Well, closer to her mouth than her cheek, actually. As Mulder sat motionless in his car, Scully and Ian walked into the building side by side, Ian holding the door for her with his free hand to allow her to pass before he stepped inside and closed it behind him. Mulder was frozen in his seat, uncertain what to do next. All of the thoughts he'd spent the afternoon pushing aside were now assaulting him. Ian was raised to be a gentleman but he didn't hesitate when he found something he wanted. Of course he wanted Scully. What man on the planet with a pulse wouldn't, for that matter? And Ian was exactly the kind of guy who could make her happy. Scully would never leave DC - Mulder was certain that Scully's devotion to him and their work would never allow her to leave the X-Files, even for Ian. But Ian was in the position to understand the uniqueness of her work and their partnership, having known Mulder for as long as he had. The pit of his stomach would not let him ignore the fact that if he didn't do something Ian would be spending the evening alone with HIS partner until the wee hours of the morning, if he planned on leaving at all. The sight of Scully and Ian together combined with the mental image of them making the beast with two backs overpowered Mulder with pure unadulterated jealousy; the white-hot, blinding kind of jealousy that made everything else fall out of focus and made you do stupid things. Like bust into someone's apartment without just cause with your gun drawn. Or steal someone's mail. The kind of jealousy that reared its ugly head any time Scully even looked interested in another man. The jealousy that was eating him alive the longer he sat in the car staring at her apartment window, certain that if he didn't go up there, she and Ian would be horizontal doing the nasty in that pretty apartment before the evening was over. He closed his eyes and laid his head back against the headrest, knowing that the longer he sat in the car, the greater the chances were of him going up there and making an ass of himself in front of two people he cared about very much. Running a hand through his hair, he made a snap decision and turned the key in the ignition. Stepping on the gas petal the engine gunned to life and he pulled away from the curb. Ian glanced around at his surroundings, pleased with the soft, feminine dcor of Scully's apartment. His eyes on the grouping of pictures on the mantle above the fireplace, he bumped into the table behind the sofa and chuckled softly as he rubbed his thigh. Dana had disappeared into the back of the apartment, only to return wearing dark slacks and a soft-looking scoop neck t-shirt. "What's so funny?" She asked, smiling as she passed into the kitchen. "Nothing. I'm just getting acquainted with your furniture." He smiled, his entire face lighting up. "Actually, I think your sofa table and I are now good friends." She grinned, tamping down the urge to ruffle his hair and tell him how adorable he was. She'd barely known him two days, yet she was more comfortable with him than she'd been with anybody besides Mulder in a long, long time. And unlike Mulder, he was outspoken about his thoughts; he didn't hide the fact that he found her attractive and engaging. Something that she'd felt was sorely lacking from her life for a long time. Mulder was good at throwing innuendo, but she knew he did it for levity, not to seduce. Dana Scully didn't meet many eligible men in her line of work, and the few that did happen along Mulder managed to scare off before she had a chance to say more than 'hello.' She did love Mulder. Deeply. And his possessiveness went a long way toward telling her how much he cared about her, but it didn't change the fact that when she wasn't at his side working on a case she was alone. Early on in their partnership she had sought out a suitable companion but there wasn't anyone who captured her attention the way Mulder had. Most of the time the work was enough. But sometimes...sometimes she longed for something else. The same thing everyone wants - to be appreciated and loved and touched not because you nearly died of cancer or a gunshot wound or because a maniac tried to rip your heart out, but just because. By someone besides your mother. By an attractive, arousing, interesting man who is attracted to and aroused by and interested in you. She wanted that man to be Mulder but she had realized over a year ago when Diana Fowley came back to DC that where his personal life was concerned, Mulder had his own agenda. Unless she was deathly ill, laying on the floor bleeding or about to walk out on him and the X Files, she wasn't even close. Ian already knew Mulder, so she wouldn't have to try to explain him or his motives. She could even discuss him with Ian, to an extent. Mulder's silent acceptance of their lunch date had been a fortunate indication of how willing he was to allow her the opportunity to know Ian better. She couldn't have ever hoped for a better situation, and for the first time in a long, long time, Dana Scully felt like she was a part of the rest of the world. She felt normal. "...damage in the kitchen." Ian was saying as she shook herself out of her reverie. "I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked with a self-conscious smile. "I was just wondering if I made amends to your furniture out here how well I would fare in the kitchen." Ian replied. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the counter. "It's user friendly. I'm warning you, though, I don't cook for anyone other than myself very often." She retrieved three large tomatoes out of the grocery bag and set them on the counter in front of him. "And I hate chopping vegetables." Ian began rinsing the vegetables in the sink as she pulled and knife and cutting board out. "That's a bit odd for a pathologist, don't you think?" His voice was raised over the sound of running water. She threw him a look and he grinned at her, causing her to reciprocate. "Mulder doesn't come by very often, then?" He asked, turning off the tap and drying the vegetables with a nearby dish towel. "Mulder?" She scoffed. "The number of times Mulder has been to this apartment still ranks in the single digits." Ian wore an expression of surprise. "I was under the impression that you two were close." "We are." It suddenly struck her as unusual as well. "And, we aren't." Her expression changed and she turned toward him. "He has no problem with barging into my motel room and flopping down on my bed while we're on assignment, and I've been to his apartment dozens of times. But he doesn't come here much." The thought bothered her more than she wanted to think about. The truth was, she never invited Mulder over. And the few times he had shown up she'd seemed less than thrilled about it, while inwardly she quietly struggled to control her racing pulse with the hope that maybe this time he wasn't there to work. Turned back toward the counter, she mumbled. "Maybe he's not comfortable here." "I can't see why. It's quite homey, actually." Ian caught her eye, making sure she knew he was sincere as he reached for the cutting board and knife. He began chopping the tomatoes. "So you travel quite a bit, then." "Yes, we do. More than I prefer, actually." She turned to reach into the refrigerator. "It's a bit unsettling, business travel." Ian replied, still chopping. "All of the things familiar to you in everyday life reduced to a single suitcase." Scully opened her mouth to respond, then shut it silently. Business travel WAS familiar to her - just as familiar as being at home. Maybe even more, as long as Mulder was there, whether it was Podunk, Texas or BFE, Wyoming. During the months that the X Files were in the hands of Diana Fowley and Jeffrey Spender she was nearly bored to death cooped up in the office doing background checks all day. Yet she always complained about wanting to get home whenever they were out in the field. It was the second thing to strike her as unusual that evening. Ian had stopped chopping and was looking at her with concern as she stared into the refrigerator. "Is there something on your mind tonight, Dana?" She looked up at him, suddenly back in the present for the second time that evening. "I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically and closed the refrigerator door. "I can't seem to be able to shut it off." He turned to face her and gave her a soft smile, his eyebrows raised. "Want to talk about it?" "No." She paused. "I don't know." She leaned back against the refrigerator. "It's just...all of a sudden I have this new awareness of behavioral patterns in my life that I've never really given much consideration before tonight." His light blue eyes searched her face for a moment. "Ah, an epiphany of sorts. Or something else?" She looked at him, and then past him, scanning her mind for the answer. "I have several people in my life who I talk to on a regular basis - Mulder, my mother, my brothers...my priest and a couple of old friends even less frequently. But most of the time we don't talk in depth about how things BECAME the way they are, we just talk about recent events in our lives. Most of the patterns that govern my day to day life were established long ago. Years ago." She looked up at him. "Perhaps your subconscious is telling you it's time for you to reevaluate those patterns. Or, maybe my sudden appearance is making an impression." His face was hopeful. She looked at him, her eyes taking in the whole of him; his clear blue sleepy eyes, the movie-star smile, the wave of dark hair falling over his forehead, and she smiled. "Oh, you've definitely made an impression." Ian smiled, his eyes holding hers and Scully could feel her pulse quicken, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. The air was heated between them as they looked at each other, both poised and ready to take the proverbial step forward. They were interrupted by a sudden pounding on the door. Her brow furrowed, Scully dropped Ian's gaze and walked over to peer out the peep hole. Mulder. She paused a moment, sighed and opened the door. Mulder was still in his work clothes, a little sloppier than when she'd last seen him before lunch, his hair sticking on in all directions. He stood before her, his eyes wide and dark, his lips pursed and his jaw set in determination. "Mulder, what is it?" She asked with concern and dread as he brushed past her, stopping an equal distance between her and Ian. Mulder looked at her with intensity, his eyes running quickly down her figure and back to her face. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked, his words sounding more like an accusation than a question. He had noticed the flush across her cheeks and it served to further inflame his nearly raging jealousy. Reading his body language and tone, Scully was immediately on the defensive, her arms crossing in front of her chest. "Yes, Mulder, you are." Mulder took a breath, caught off-guard by her bluntness. He had expected to dance around the subject for a while and now he found himself thrust into the middle of it unprepared. He looked over at Ian, who looked surprised at his sudden appearance but still maintained his composure. A benefit of being raised to British nobility, no doubt, unless it came from the more recent years he'd spent in politics. It pissed him off. Scully was his partner, dammit, and Ian barely knew her. "Mulder." Scully was still glaring at him, her tone sharp with agitation. Mulder looked back at her, his look of betrayal causing her to drop her gaze and take a step back, biting her upper lip. She took a breath and looked back up at him. "Why are you here, Mulder?" She asked, her voice now low and tremulous. He looked at her a moment longer, then over at Ian, who had taken to examining the kitchen walls. He kicked at a scuff mark on the floor before returning his gaze to her. "We're working on a case, remember?" She found something on the floor that drew her attention as well, and she poked her toe at it. "Has something turned up?" She glanced sideways at him. He sucked in his lower lip and looked her over one more time before stepping toward the door. "It can wait." He paused at the door, his shoulders slumping a moment, then straightening just before he walked out. He didn't look back. Scully's head turned toward the door and she stared at the floor a moment, letting out a shaky breath. Ian watched her closely, his eyes narrowed with focus. He hadn't seen it before, but it was nothing if not obvious now. But Dana Scully was a remarkable woman - she took in a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, raised her head and looked at him. In her eyes there was a steeliness that had everything to do with years of experience at building walls to block her emotions. Six years with Fox Mulder, he guessed. "I'm sorry." She said, although she didn't say exactly what she was sorry about. Still, he knew. It was time for him to leave. Mulder stood in the doorway between the hallway and his apartment in jeans and a t-shirt, barefoot. He looked exhausted and he resignedly stepped aside to let Ian enter his inner sanctum, aglow with nothing more than the soft flickering light of the muted television. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" He asked crankily, scrubbing his hands through his cropped hair before letting the door close on its own. He walked back through the front room and flopped back down on the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table. Ian moved over to the chair opposite the sofa and sat, watching him. "You ARE daft." He said, as if continuing a conversation they had been having earlier. Mulder rubbed his eyes and looked at him. "You're just figuring that out?" Ian grinned briefly, his look turning serious once again. "No, but you haven't given me any reason until now to think so. We're supposed to be older and wiser than we were at Oxford." Mulder rose from the sofa. "I'm definitely older. I don't know about wiser." He shuffled into the kitchen, returning with two bottles of beer, handing one to his friend before sitting back down on the sofa and taking a swig of his own. Ian held his beer up in a salute before taking a swig. "Blondes, brunettes and redheads." "Redheads." Mulder mumbled taking another sip. "So, where's Scully?" Raising his eyebrows and taking a breath, Ian sat back in his seat. "At home, reinforcing the coat of armor around her heart, I imagine." Mulder stared at him with an assessing gaze, cataloging and calculating his observations. "So what is she to you? Rebound? Payback?" He sneered. "A nice little diversion?" Ian stared back at him, holding his glare while he slowly raised his beer and took another swig before lowering the bottle. "More than that. She's the one." Mulder's chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily, biting his lower lip while he held Ian's gaze. "You hardly know her." He shrugged. "'Twice or thrice had I loved thee, Before I knew thy face or name; So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame, Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be.'" He took another swig. "Jesus Christ." Mulder muttered under his breath. "Why are you here?" He asked, pointedly. "Based on your charming display this evening, it seemed appropriate." Mulder laughed sarcastically. "So, what? You're here for my approval?" He made a sweeping gesture with the hand holding the beer. "If she wants your bony white ass it's her call. My opinion isn't a factor here." "I'm asking." Ian replied stonily. Sinking farther back into the sofa and crossing his arms, Mulder nodded slightly, licking his lips. "Alright. Since you're asking." He watched him, finishing off his beer and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Stay away from her." Ian repeated the motion, leaning forward and setting his empty beer bottle on the coffee table without breaking Mulder's gaze. "I thought so." Mulder stood again, retrieved two more bottles from the refrigerator and sat down again. "Exactly where are you going with this?" He asked, tipping his bottle toward his opponent and muttering a quick "...redheads" before draining half the bottle. Ian tipped back. "What happened to the Fox Mulder who once had three dates with three different women in one evening and then got up to ace his abnormal psychology exam the next morning?" "He turned into Spooky Mulder, searching for his lost sister, tucked away in the basement with a bunch of files on unsolved cases that nobody else wanted to deal with except for one exceptional little redheaded scientist with a penchant for saving his ass." "Oh please." Ian moaned, "save me the self-deprecating garble and get to the real point." Mulder drank the rest of his beer. "She deserves better." Ian gestured toward him before following suit. "She loves you." "That's her misfortune." "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Ian rolled his eyes and rising from his chair. "When did you get so bloody morose?" He asked over he shoulder, retrieving two more beers and setting them down on the coffee table. Mulder looked up at him, accepting the offered bottle and tipping it at him before drinking. Ian continued to talk. "You've known her for what, six years? And out of those six years, you've been in love with her for how long?" "Six years." Mulder supplied. "Six years." Ian echoed with finality. "That is so fucking pathetic. You're right, she does deserve better." Mulder sat up straighter. "Oh, like you're any improvement." Ian's mouth snapped closed and he looked at his friend with curiosity. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, you were engaged for how many years? How long does that ceremony take, Ian? Fifteen, twenty minutes maybe?" Ian's eyes narrowed, his mouth turning down with disdain. "At least she had the ring on her finger and my bony white ass in the bed with her." They sat in silence across from each other, scrutinizing, sizing up the competition between swigs of beer. A long period of time passed and Mulder fetched two more brews in the interim. He cleared his throat, and looked over at his friend with wide, dark eyes. "She'd be happy with you. You could give her a home and a social life worthy of her." He said quietly. Ian blinked a moment before responding. "You give her excitement and adventure." "Stability is important to her. And a dog. She'd like to have a dog. And a yard." Mulder said soberly, although his sobriety was becoming questionable. "You need a yard if you've got a dog." Ian replied absently. "She'd get bored, just like Fiona." "A normal life." Mulder was floating into his own little world, where Scully stood in the doorway of a rose-covered estate home, waving like the Queen as Ian pulled away in his Range Rover. "Spontaneity." Ian mumbled, picturing Mulder dressed like Indiana Jones, pulling Scully by the hand through a cavern full of flying knives and rolling boulders. "Do I get any say in this?" A third voice broke in. Both men looked up from their reveries to see the object of their mutual desire standing in the middle of the room, her forehead furrowed. Mulder blinked and rubbed his eyes, squinting up at her. "Don't you knock?" "You left your front door open, Mulder." She raised an eyebrow as she mentally counted the number of bottles on the coffee table. "So what's it gonna be?" She looked from Mulder to Ian and back at Mulder again. "Huh?" Mulder asked. "Give up the act, Mulder, it takes more than four beers to get you wasted. I said, what's it gonna be?" Mulder rolled his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. "I don't have an answer for that." "Chemistry." Ian chimed. "Chemistry." Scully echoed in monotone. "What about it?" "It all comes down to chemistry." Ian stood and approached her. "Some have it, and some don't." Mulder rolled his eyes. "Who are you, Sky Masterson?" Ian frowned at him. "Dana knows what I'm talking about, don't you?" He asked, turning back to her. "Electro-physiological impulses transmitted from the body to the pleasure centers in the brain. Chemicals are released into the blood stream signaling a response. Quickening of the pulse, flushing of the skin, dilation of the pupil..." he stepped closer to Scully, his eyes holding hers, "...engorgement, liquification..." Mulder was on his feet. "We get the idea, Ian." Scully was looking up into Ian's eyes, watching him, her breathing a bit labored as he hovered above her. He leaned toward her, closing the final distance decisively as he captured her lips with his, a hand coming to rest lightly on her shoulder before he pulled back. "Chemistry." He whispered against her parted lips, standing straight and turning to look at Mulder, who was now standing beside him, tight- lipped and eyes blazing. Scully glanced at Mulder, quickly dropping her eyes from his gaze and wiping her fingers across her lips with embarrassment. Mulder's hands were clenching and unclenching into fists at his sides and he breathed heavily through his nose. He glanced at Ian, who wore a supremely smug look on his face that made him want to smack him, and reached out, cupping Scully's chin in his hand. Her breathing doubled in frequency and she kept her eyes cast down, refusing to look at him. He reached out his with other hand and cradled her face, brushing his thumb across her cheek bone until her eyes turned toward his, locking into place. Time slowed to halt and everything else fell away as they stared at each other, neither one moving. Reflexively, Scully licked her lips and Mulder felt himself gravitationally drawn closer, lowering his face to hers, his eyes closing, the sensation as the tips of their noses brushed, turning slightly and free-falling until flesh met flesh. Soft, yielding, gentle...becoming harder, stronger, wetter...teeth, tongues, hands, skin upon skin, probing, stroking, floating... Too soon, they had to come up for air too soon, and as they stood panting with bewilderment, they slowly returned to themselves. Mulder's hands fell gently to her shoulders, Scully's forehead leaning against his chest as she fought her lungs for control. And as Mulder turned to look at Ian, he saw nothing but an empty room. Ian had left the building. A smile broke across his face, and Mulder looked down at the woman before him, gathering her close and resting his chin on top of her head as her arms came around his waist, holding him tight. Chemistry. Fin "As me how do I feel from this chemistry lesson I'm learning, Well, sir, all I can say, is if I were a bridge, I'd be burning..." - Sarah Brown, "Guys and Dolls" beduini@earthlink.net http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Starship/9769/Main.html