BACCARAT FIGURINES II By Sean Spencer seans13@hotmail.com RATING: Slash NC-17 (Sk/M) WARNING: Explicit but always loving consensual sexual activity between members of the same sex. BUT almost no bad words. SPOILERS: Paper Clip CATEGORY: SRA KEYWORDS: Slash, Skinner/Mulder ARCHIVE: YES ATXC: NO DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, Bill Mulder and Mom Mulder are the sole intellectual properties of Chris Carter, FOX Television and 1013 Productions. No infringement nor copyright validation is implied or should be inferred from their use in this work of fiction. All creative works and original characters contained herein remain the sole property of the author. AUTHOR'S NOTES: I forgot to tell readers of Baccarat Figurines that Skinner was already divorced by the time he and Mulder got together. Please be reminded that events in the third and fourth seasons don't happen here (except for Paper Clip). I'm sending this sequel out now because I just discovered that my computer will be taken away from me tomorrow (boo- hoo!). So if anyone wants to GIVE me a computer, they're welcome to do so if they want to get to read Baccarat Figurines III (which still has about seventy pages). However, I will still be able to read my e-mail. 1. Why does Skinner take Scully to Mulder's apartment in Paper Clip when he could just have taken her to the local caf‚ if all he wanted to do was talk? 2. Why was it that only Skinner was the one who figured out that the DAT tape was in that oh-so-secret(?!) place in Mulder's desk? Was Scully drinking fizzy water from Mulder's tap to make her brain all fuzzy like that? 3. Notwithstanding all the "Going Down in the Elevator" fanfic, why was Mulder less emotional in reuniting with Scully than Mr. Spock was in reuniting with Jim Kirk in that ponn farr episode (I'm trying to wrack my brain for the title)? 4. Why is Scully seeing a dermatologist even if she has such a transluscent complexion? Is it because of the mole on her philtrum? 5. The most important question of all: Why did Scully and Mulder get off so light when they were in possession of highly classified government documents? Shouldn't they at least have been demoted just like Mulder was at the beginning of the second season? 6. Why is Bill Mulder buried in Boston? SUMMARY: Scully and Mulder get engaged but not to each other. In these sentimental series of vignettes, there are no clones but vehicles figure prominently in this sequel to Baccarat Figurines. ....................................................... BACCARAT FIGURINES II (1/3) by Sean Spencer seans@hotmail.com CHAPTER ONE BOX AT THE DOORSTEP AND FILE FIASCO Mulder was staring into space, still shaken to the core by Skinner's words. By now, Mulder was expecting something like this and his mind raced to the past month. He still wondered why everything fell apart. He remembered that last weekend: they'd made love that Friday night, quite vigorously. Then Mulder woke up Saturday with Skinner even caressing him awake. Sharon made an unexpected visit but Skinner didn't seem particularly upset by it. Then Skinner went fishing and was not the same again. He felt so hollow and numb that he was unaware of the phone ringing until his answering machine picked it up. He got on the phone, not realizing who was at the other end. "Fox, this is your father," Bill Mulder said. "I'm here for a few days and I'd like to see you. I'll be coming to pick you up so we can go out for dinner." "Dad, th-this isn't really a good..." "Nonsense, I'll be there in a few minutes," snapped his father with the usual tinge of irritation. Then Bill Mulder hung up before Mulder could protest any further. Mulder's shoulder sagged as he tried to pick out a tie from the tie rack and just picked out one at random and put it on. He didn't know if he would be able to take his father's visit, on top of Skinner's rejection. He knew that if he didn't crack up by tonight, it would be a miracle. It wasn't far-fetched that his father was in DC for his work in the State Department but made a side trip to his son to pound him into shape, like always. They hadn't seen each other since the day the clone fell off the bridge and his father had blamed him. Mulder knew that there was a distinct possibility that this visit would be a continuation of that tirade. The doorbell rang and Mulder stiffened. He opened the door and his father came in, looking with bemusement at his son's apartment. This was only the second time that Bill Mulder was here and this night time visit didn't improve the interiors one bit. Mulder greeted his father warily. Like always they didn't even exchange handshakes. Bill Mulder peered at the aquarium and saw that there was a lone goldfish swimming in it. "Come on, put on your coat," his father commanded as always. Fox shrugged into this coat and followed his father out of the building. He didn't even notice Skinner's Cadillac which was still across the street. Skinner hadn't missed the slumped shoulders and Mulder's tense face. Bill Mulder meanwhile looked relaxed so Skinner just waited for them to leave in the rental car before heading for home. Fox was braced for the usual Litany of Fox's Stupidities which his father always recounted when they were together. But Bill steered clear of it and only talked of generalities. Fox didn't know what to say because as far as he could remember, they never engaged in small talk before and this was too much outside the realm of experience he had with his father. He kept silent most of the time, occasionally commenting with monosyllables; just enough to be polite but with the distance he was more accustomed to. The French restaurant was full even for a weekday. Once they ordered their drinks and were perusing the menu, Fox's mind was wandering and didn't hear his father's query. "How have you been doing, Fox?" Bill Mulder finally repeated. Fox looked up dazedly from the menu and it was awhile before the question registered. "F-fine," he said faintly, sounding unconvincing, that he vaguely noted that he was just like Scully. "How's work?" Bill Mulder said, gently. So gently that Fox looked at his father for the first time that night. It was weird. His father never asked about him. Ever. The tone of voice was so new to Fox that it took awhile for him to get back his voice, since his throat had tightened. Fox managed to say that he got a raise a few weeks ago and that he was thinking of moving to a new apartment. It was the first time he ever talked like this to his father and once their food arrived, he was able to focus more on their conversation, despite the gnawing pain that remained in the back of his mind. Once they were in the car, Fox marveled that not once did his father snap at him since they've been in the restaurant. This was also the first time they spent together in DC. In fact, it was the first time in Fox's life they spent more than half an hour together. When his father dropped him off in front of his building, Bill Mulder even gave him a brief squeeze on his shoulder, something that stunned Fox. He shakily said goodnight and got inside. Of course, Skinner's rejection hit Mulder with full force once he was alone in his apartment. Silent tears started coursing down his cheeks just as he was turning the key into the lock on his door. He wept most of the night, for the loss of the older man who had dominated his life for more than two years. He was able to get two hours of sleep that night but forced himself to go back to work. Even if Skinner was there, he knew that nothing mattered now except the work. .......................... It was four days since Skinner's last visit to Mulder's apartment. Scully was tempted to tell her partner to go home since he looked so bad. But he was all fired up today; he was searching through the old filing cabinet again and stirring up dust in the basement office. Mulder was looking for cases that tied up together so that he could file a 302 to ask permission to investigate. By early afternoon, when Scully came back to hand in some papers to him, he had two potential cases lined up but he was starting to wilt. He saw Scully's concerned face and held up his hand. "I'm okay, Scully," he said. "I'm just tired; please don't ask about my love life anymore. It's over and in due time, I'll get over it." "If you say so, Mulder," Scully said, smiling at him. "But if you need to talk..." "I know, I can talk to you," Mulder sighed. "Maybe next time..." Scully gave him her papers and he checked it. Then he suggested that she bring it up to Skinner so that she could also file the 302 with him. Scully cheerfully did so; at least there was now a semblance of normalcy in their own little corner of the office. When she was going up the elevator, she looked at her left hand and once more analyzed the small diamond ring on her finger. She and John have been engaged for the last three months now and as always, she got those occasional doubting tendrils in her mind. She'd talked about it with her mother but she was reassured that it was normal for any engaged person to have his or her doubts. Maybe she would be able to talk to Mulder in a few weeks once his own life was settled, so that she would get a fresher perspective on things. After all, he did have an unusual perspective of life. She got to Skinner's office. Scully didn't need to ask Kimberly, his assistant, if he was in a bad mood. She could hear his voice bellowing even in the outer office. He was in his full ex-marine mode and could sympathize with whoever was inside. Mulder always seemed to have this sixth-sense when Skinner was in these moods; she was the one who went to the AD's office in times like these because Skinner had a soft spot for her and never yelled as much at her. Mulder claimed that she was his favorite agent, because even if she was stuck in the X-files, her work outshone most other agents' work. When the harried Agent Garcia walked out, Kimberly told her to go right in. Skinner looked balefully at her as she got into the room and listened grimly to her short spiel about why a 302 was filed. He grimly nodded to her and looked briefly at the papers before he signed his approval. He was so tempted to ask about Mulder's state of mind but he knew that it was unwise to do so. Scully might just get suspicious enough. It didn't escape his notice that Scully went up alone to his office, probably from Mulder's instructions. It would probably be a long time before Mulder would ever step into this office again. Two nights ago, Skinner saw a box at his kitchen door when he came home at ten o'clock. At first, he was suspicious but he saw Mulder's handwriting on it that had a single word "Thanks". He opened it and saw that it was the fox and soldier collection. He just put it in the basement along with the other discarded things in his life. ............................................................... Skinner kept a professional distance since the day he came back from his vacation. Mulder kept aloof as well, only stepping into his office unless absolutely necessary. Skinner saw with satisfaction that Bill Mulder kept his part of the bargain, that of calling his son and even visiting him sometimes in Washington. Skinner kept tabs on the calls, making sure that Bill Mulder did not further torment his son with his mind games. After a few months, Skinner painfully noted that Mulder seemed to be adjusting to the situation and seemed happier. As far as Skinner knew, Mulder didn't seem to be involved with anybody, just keeping himself busy in pursuing his precious X- files cases. As promised in their agreement, Bill Mulder gave Skinner the negatives and all the prints of the implicating photographs. The senior Mulder promised that there were no other copies, saying that he himself wanted to protect his son. So it came as a shock for Skinner when his superiors told him to verify the information of Mulder getting copies of very sensitive Department of Defense files. He called Mulder to his office, one of the rare times he'd done so. When Mulder tried to hit him in the hallway, Skinner fortunately was able to keep the situation from escalating. Only because of his superior martial training that he easily subdued Mulder. He reluctantly had to file a report on the incident, only because other personnel witnessed the incident and it would have aroused suspicion if he kept quiet about it. Skinner was shaken when a disciplinary meeting was called the next day. The OPC intent on prosecuting Mulder, not just for striking Skinner but also for denying that the files were in his possession. Skinner was sure that if they dug any further, they might be able to glean the information that Mulder and Skinner used to be lovers. Fortunately, Scully's equally adamant denial on the knowledge of the whereabouts of the DAT tape with the Department of Defense files focused the attention of the panel to a different direction. The AD knew that the DAT really existed, because everyone seemed to be looking for it. It was very difficult to convince Scully that he was as intent on protecting Mulder as she was and she looked at him with a suspicion that ran quite deeply. Skinner was only able to figure out where Mulder had secreted the DAT tape because he knew the agent so well and knew his favorite hiding places. Even Scully did not know until too late that Mulder had kept it right in his desk. The events that followed were equally confusing as during Mulder's Arctic adventure. Suddenly, there were news that Mulder's father was killed and that Mulder himself was a likely suspect and was being pursued by the Vineyard police. When Mulder went missing and was feared dead in New Mexico, Skinner tried to keep the hysterical tone from his voice when he confronted the cigarette smoking bastard as to Mulder's whereabouts. He was so bereft that he even invited Scully to Mulder's apartment. He was actually going to tell her that Mulder was as precious to him as he was to her; that they were lovers for two years. But Mulder's paranoid nature seemed to have rubbed onto Scully in a big way and when each of them were in that standoff, the AD had been as shocked as Scully when Mulder entered his apartment. The AD's training kept him from appearing as upset as he felt when Mulder cocked his gun at him. In a span of eight months, all the trust they had with each other had dissolved such that Mulder's voice was cold when he made his preference for Scully clear. When the two agents left the apartment, Skinner sagged against the couch, as his knees gave way. He really wasn't thinking as clearly as he could such that Krycek caught him unawares and beat the DAT from him. Unknown to both Scully and Mulder, Skinner had dredged up all of the influential contacts cultivated by his mother. Both agents didn't know that their butts were saved because of Mrs. Skinner's brothers who happened to be a Senator and a Cabinet member. So when Skinner met the two agents at the diner, he was glad that Mulder at least listened to reason and allowed Scully to make the decision for both of them. CHAPTER TWO DADDY'S BETRAYAL AND BACK INTO THE HOT FOLD The tensions of the latest X-file case eventually died down after a month but Skinner could see that Mulder was still shaken. He correctly surmised that Mulder was blaming himself for Melissa Scully's and his father's deaths. If Mulder hadn't taken the files from Soona, these unfortunate events might not have happened. From what Skinner gathered, it seemed that Mulder had the best relationship he ever had with his father and it was cruelly snatched away. His father's involvement with sheltering Axis scientists was also hard to take. So Skinner knew that he would never tell Mulder of Bill Mulder's hand in ending their relationship. After another month, Skinner finally got the courage to talk to the agent. He waited in his car as it was parked beside Mulder's building. Mulder stiffened visibly when he saw Skinner approach him as he entered his building. However, good manners prevailed. Mulder remembered that Skinner had saved his ass more than once especially this last time. He nodded warily at Skinner and allowed the older man to follow him to the fourth floor. Skinner didn't speak until they were inside the apartment. Actually, he didn't say anything. He just wordlessly opened the large brown envelope and spilled the photographs on Mulder's coffee table. The photos were quite good even for surveillance work. There were photographs of Mulder and Skinner walking hand in hand through the woods. There was even one of Skinner smiling tenderly at Mulder while holding his cheek. But the majority of the pictures showed Skinner and Mulder making love in the cabin. They were in the bedroom on the second floor with the curtains open. It was the time they were doing it face to face when Mulder had declared his love for the older man. The pictures were explicitly detailed enought to show that they were having anal intercourse. Mulder was speechless as he saw the 8 by 10s and Skinner quietly explained how he was blackmailed with those pictures with strict instructions to stop their relationship from progressing any further. Mulder's eyes widened as everything suddenly fell into place: Skinner's sudden change and his insistence that their relationship cease, but at the same time, the contradictory steps he took to protect him and Scully. Skinner's voice shook as he said he was sorry, that he was just thinking of protecting Mulder. Mulder's eyes closed as his memory went through the events of the past months. "It was Dad, wasn't it?" Mulder whispered as sudden insight flashed through his mind. Events of the past few months and his father's sudden interest in him gelled into place. Skinner was stupefied. He didn't know what to say. "Walter, was it my dad who did this to us?" Skinner's silence confirmed Mulder's fears. He pounded his fists angrily into the couch saying over and over that he hated his father. Skinner allowed him to vent his frustration and anger for a few punches but stopped the agent before he could further injure himself. "How can my dad hate me so much?" Mulder said brokenly as he easily fell into Skinner's warm embrace. Skinner soothed him quietly, and he himself calmed down. "No, Fox, it was quite the opposite," Skinner murmured into his hair. "He was trying to protect you in his own way. He didn't think anything of me but as a predator. He had no idea of what we had. Remember that in his last months, you were seeing more of each other than ever." Mulder had to reluctantly nod at Skinner's correct statements. Just a few weeks before he died, Mulder was even looking forward to his father's monthly visits; he'd even spent a few weekends at the Vineyard. His father was starting to listen to him, something that never happened even when Mulder was a little kid. But that just further fueled his confusion regarding the man. Mulder couldn't reconcile the State Department operative who sheltered Axis scientists then gave up his daughter, the stern man who used to belt him and yell at him all the time in his childhood, to his backhanded manipulation of Skinner and even spied on his own son with surveillance photographs to the man Mulder was just getting to know in the final weeks of his life. He was even convinced that his father was beginning to like him after all. Skinner bit his tongue and refused to mention that Mulder's seeing his father was part of the bargain that Skinner managed to extract from Bill Mulder. Then Mulder told Skinner of what they saw in the mines, the boxes of files with Samantha's file that was originally his. And his mother's revelations that his father was forced to choose which child to give up. Skinner kept saying he was sorry for not telling Mulder the whole story, that he never wanted the agent to experience the anguish both of them had to endure. He stated that he really thought about it and considered it from all angles and that there didn't seem to be much choice at the time except to carry out Bill Mulder's wishes. He further stated that he never stopped loving the agent. "I really need a few days to process all these," Mulder said, gesturing at the incriminating pictures. "Would it be okay with you if I stayed here?" Skinner said. "I really missed you." "No," Mulder said tightly. "I need to be alone!" Skinner was hurt but he nodded reluctantly and left. He was just worried about the younger man. Everything in his life seemed to have gone wrong with all the major betrayals revealed to him. Skinner wouldn't have known what he would do if he were in Mulder's place. Skinner gathered the pictures back into the envelope and he left Mulder's apartment and went back to his house. It was three in the morning when Skinner was awakened by the doorbell. Disturbances in the dead of night were never welcome and Skinner went downstairs with his handgun but when he saw the Camry in the driveway, he relaxed and put the service piece back to safety. He opened the kitchen door and Mulder stepped inside. He looked awful. "I just have to see you," Mulder murmured quietly. "But-but I don't want..." "I know," Skinner said and led the younger man up to his room. He got back into bed and watched as Mulder undressed to his underwear and slipped under the covers with the AD. He curled up against Skinner like in the old days and they promptly fell asleep. It turned out that Mulder had clothes in his car so that he was able to start off early the next morning. He left just a hairsbreadth before the housekeeper came in. Things considerably improved with the tension now evaporated between them. Skinner wasn't sure as to what Mulder wanted so he held off from the phone calls. Mulder didn't visit his house again after that night and Skinner thought that Mulder wanted to maintain distance between them. So Skinner was surprised when he went to the cabin after three weekends and found Mulder's car. Mulder was waiting in the dark by the stoop of the steps. He was even more surprised when Mulder kissed him passionately once they were inside. "Please, make love to me, Walter," Mulder said. "I want you in me...I've never been with anyone since the last time we were here." "But not here, honey," Skinner said. "I want you upstairs so that it would be better." Skinner slowly undressed the agent as they kissed and he gave a start when he saw that Mulder had a new scar on his left shoulder. Scully shot him, he explained and Skinner had to ask him about that later. Once they were both naked on the big bed, Mulder tried to hurry things up, his impatience overwhelming him. Skinner pushed back Mulder down onto the bed and sucked on his nipples. Mulder writhed and gasped as Skinner gave this activity his full and undivided concentration. When the older man started kissing his stomach, Mulder sighed in anticipation and gave a grunt as Skinner finally enclosed his penis in his mouth. Mulder was so eager that he opened his legs and moaned continuously as Skinner suckled his quickly engorging penis. "Please, Walter," Mulder gasped as he was able to gain his senses for a brief moment, "...Oh, God, that's so good...please, I want you in me...I want us to come together, Oh..." "We have to go slow, honey," Walter managed to gasp out. "It's been too long and I never want to hurt you again." Skinner positioned Mulder's legs on his shoulders and applied a large dollop of lubricant to the agent's creases. He gently inserted a finger and then two in the younger man's anus to slowly stretch the tract. Mulder sighed loudly as he felt the familiar fullness. "Oh, honey, you're so tight again," Skinner moaned as he kissed Mulder on the lips. He gently pushed his finger in and out of the agent's rectum as he continued his oral ministrations on Mulder's member. He stopped abruptly when he saw that Mulder's eyeballs were starting to roll back in his head and his testicles were tightening in his scrotum. Skinner deftly stopped just in time and concentrated on kissing and smelling Mulder. It had been so long but Skinner had enough self-discipline for both of them. Mulder was able to regain his breath and appreciated the prolongation of his pleasure. "I missed you so much, honey," Skinner murmured quietly as he took Mulder's face between his hands. Mulder nodded and his back arched in wild abandon as Skinner gently scraped his prostate with a knowing finger. "Only you know my body so well," Mulder arched again as Skinner ran his nail over Mulder's small gland. "God, Walter, please, I want you so bad." Skinner got onto his elbows and rearranged Mulder's limbs so that the older man finally lowered his eager erection into the agent's now prepared anus. Skinner couldn't help a few tears from escaping as Mulder's familiar tight and hot exquisite body finally enveloped him. "You're so tight, honey," Skinner said through clenched teeth. He was using all his control not to ram mindlessly into his lover's body. Mulder groaned as Skinner slowly inched his large penis into him. They rested a while so that Mulder could get used to the aching but pleasurable fullness only Skinner could provide. Then Skinner started the slow rhythm and managed to take Mulder's penis in his hand. This was their favorite position, face to face. Skinner had a plain view of Mulder's flushed and sweaty face, with his panting arousal. He had Mulder's rampant penis in his hand. Mulder, in turn, knew that Skinner liked it when he grasped the headboard rails so that his whole body was open to the older man. Mulder arched his back once again and let out a long almost scream as he copiously ejaculated. He failed to keep his eyes open although he knew Skinner preferred to look into his eyes as he came. "Baby, just relax," Skinner said as he continued to pump his fist over Mulder's penis. "I want you to try to come again...I'll wait for you." Amazingly, Skinner managed to continue the slow lazy rhythm which propelled Mulder's body into another sexual arousal within a minute. Mulder was gasping again as Skinner pounded his large erection into Mulder's orifice which was now looser in relaxation. Skinner was starting to lose control and Mulder smiled through his haze of pleasure as Skinner started the heavy grunting that meant he was close to coming. Mulder could smell Skinner's sweat and hear the wet sounds of the slapping of their flesh. His semen was helping in continuing the lubrication between their bodies. "I love you, Fox!" Skinner's body tensed and sobbed as he finally had his rampaging orgasm. Mulder's anal tract tightened as he ejaculated for the second time. Skinner couldn't help it as his full weight fell on Mulder then as he regained his senses he withdrew his penis and helped arrange Mulder's legs back down. They were aching by this time but Mulder didn't mind; the pleasurable aching of his anal area overshadowed the ache in his legs. "Baby, I never stopped loving you," Skinner continued kissing the agent. Mulder was too limp by this time, having had two back to back earth shattering orgasms. Skinner rubbed his back and embraced him tightly even as he started to drift off into sleep. Skinner for once didn't get up for the post-coital cleaning ritual. He was too spent himself to move anymore. "I was hurt very deeply, for a while," Mulder murmured into Skinner's chest. Then he fell asleep. "I'm sorry for not telling you," Skinner apologized again. "But I never once stopped thinking of you, Fox." CHAPTER THREE COMING HOME Mulder didn't wake up until eleven o'clock the next day. The bedsheets with Mulder's dried semen was what had awakened Skinner. He rose at his usual time of eight and took a shower. Mulder was still knocked out and Skinner rightly attributed it to Mulder's decreased stamina from the New Mexico affair. He'd noted that Mulder's body was now more wiry and muscular but also thinner. It just seemed that their lives were starting to revolve around Mulder's various adventures with Skinner picking up the pieces at home here in the cabin and at the office. He also reminded himself to ask Mulder again as to why Scully had shot him although there were no official records of this particular shooting. When it was nearing noontime and Mulder was still not up, Skinner finally went back to the bedroom and sat on Mulder's side of the bed. The younger man was curled up under the covers and was still dead to the world. Skinner nuzzled his neck and tried to wake him up. Mulder smelled strongly of sex and sweat. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead," Skinner murmured. He gently tickled Mulder's neck and the agent was starting to stir. "What time is it?" Mulder lazily asked as he slowly opened his eyes then was startled at the bright light of the noon day sun filtering into the room. Skinner laughed lovingly as Mulder sat up in surprise when he told him the time. "The things you do to me, Walter," Mulder luxuriated as he slowly stretched awake. "I'm probably the only multiorgasmic man in this county." "And I'm glad he's mine," Skinner kissed him. Mulder was startled. Skinner was even more affectionate now than before and Mulder didn't know if it was because of their prolonged separation. He was just glad when everything was explained to him that Skinner didn't really break up the relationship; it was more like an enforced separation. Skinner then gave him a playful whack on the buttocks and told him to take a shower. Just as he was getting out of bed, however, Skinner stopped him briefly to check out his anal area. The older man was always so concerned about not hurting him and would make it a point to check him out after a particular vigorous bout of sex. When Skinner noted that there were no tears, he teasingly inserted a finger into the orifice which still gleamed of excess lubricant and semen. Mulder gasped in surprise and arched his back. He shuddered as Skinner withdrew his finger and chuckled. Skinner's brief tease had hardened his morning erection in a flash. "Now, you've got me on a hair trigger," Mulder complained as he walked to the bathroom. His body indeed tingled and all of his skin surface seemed to be supersensitive. He pissed and then sat to use the toilet. Skinner asked permission before coming in to wash his hands. He knew it irritated Mulder whenever Skinner entered the bathroom while he was using it but today Mulder didn't mind. Skinner washed his hands quickly and left the bathroom. As Mulder showered, Skinner changed the bed sheets and picked up the clothes scattered throughout the room. It was a good sign that Mulder was in a good mood. Maybe, they would have their weekends together again. Having Mulder back into his life had further intensified Skinner's feelings for him but he didn't know if Mulder felt the same. He shivered as he reluctantly remembered that only two months ago, Mulder chose Scully over him in the standoff. Skinner did the laundry and once again cursed Mulder's father for having such a malignant hold on his son and ultimately, on their relationship as well. He knew it was wrong to think so but he was glad that the bastard was dead. Mulder came down in his usual shorts and T-shirt and rooted in the refrigerator. He complained that there was nothing to cook with. Skinner called from the laundry room to say that he hadn't done the shopping lately and that they should eat out. The agent went to join Skinner in the laundry room and softly kissed him. "I noticed that most of my stuff is still in the study," Mulder said. "Would-would it be okay if we started over again? I've really thought things over and you're-you're the only one I-really love, Walter." The last few words came out in a jumbled rush and Skinner was touched. He knew how hard it was for Mulder to say those things out loud, especially when it was daylight and they weren't in the heat of sex. Skinner hugged him briefly and repeated that he never stopped loving him. They settled for the local Perkin's and Mulder had a field day as he stuffed himself with the high calorie and high cholesterol stuff he loved. There were quite a few people in the place so Skinner had to restrain himself from holding Mulder's hand even when the urge overwhelmed him. Mulder was at his most animated and relaxed mood, relaying things they missed out in each other's lives in the past months. This time Skinner knew that if anything ever happened to separate them again, he would be devastated. Then a plan formed in his mind. "Fox, what's your opinion if I sold my house in Virginia and got an apartment in town instead?" Skinner suddenly said. "I'd really like you to move in. I told you that I've missed you so much and I realized that it was about time that we saw more of each other." Mulder's eyes became wary once again. The change in mood was so abrupt that Skinner was startled. "I don't know," Mulder muttered. He moodily pushed his food away and finished his iced tea in silence. Skinner didn't know what to say and wondered if he was pushing things way too fast. The uncomfortable silence stretched and Skinner forced his own salad down. They got up and paid for the meal and left the restaurant still silent. As Skinner drove on, intending to go to the Safeway to stock the cupboards, he glanced uneasily at Mulder and saw that particular look in Mulder's eyes that he knew the agent was still pretty upset. Skinner stopped the Range Rover on the side of the road and gently waited. "I'm sorry if I said anything back there that upset you," Skinner said quietly. "But you have to tell me what's wrong because I have no idea what you're thinking." Mulder crossed his arms over his chest and spit out his anxiety about moving in with Skinner. It was a big step for him. It was akin to getting married for a heterosexual couple. Plus he said he wasn't sure if Skinner was asking him to move in just because he was trying to make it up to Mulder. And he didn't know if he would be able to take it if people started talking and more importantly if the Bureau found out. It would just make people nod knowingly that the only reason Mulder was able to keep the X-files so long was that he was the boss's pet. Skinner was trying to make sense of Mulder's mixed jumble of reasons but after probing, he was able to really sift out the reason Mulder was upset. It turned out that Mulder really thought that Skinner was asking him to move in because he thought that it was just Skinner's way of apologizing. He finally told Mulder that apology may be a part of it but the major reason for him was more of his underlying fear of losing Mulder in the future, considering all the scrapes and situations Mulder managed to get himself into. That every second with his lover was precious. Mulder calmed down after hearing Skinner's side and nodded and said that he would think about it. He didn't object when Skinner continued on to the Safeway and spent the next hour getting provisions for the cabin. CHAPTER FOUR HOUSEHOLD HELP Mulder finally came to his senses and by Wednesday the next week, he went to Skinner's house and said that he accepted the idea of moving in with Skinner. Skinner was glad and they went upstairs where they made love tenderly for the first time in the house. Mulder overslept and Skinner was reluctant to wake him up. Skinner nervously waited for his housekeeper and when she showed up. Mrs. Jackson came promptly at half past seven. Skinner stuttered and hemmed and hawed but was finally able to tell her that Mulder was upstairs, asleep in his bed. Skinner's face burned. It was very hard to say he was gay. He was braced for her revulsion, something akin to Bill Mulder's reaction. "I was just waiting for a day like this," Mrs. Jackson patted his arm to reassure him. "I knew that the young man in the picture had a special significance for you. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." It turned out that Mrs. Jackson had known that he was having a discreet homosexual relationship for some time now, since the sixth month she'd worked for him. She said that she first had an inkling when she heard Mulder's voice on the answering machine quite frequently. She even thought that they'd broken up since almost a year had gone by without her hearing him on the answering machine. Then there were the clothes that Skinner sometimes brought home from the cabin. There were one or two instances when she found a shirt smaller than Skinner's usual size and then Mulder's boxers when she knew that Skinner preferred briefs. Skinner was dumbfounded and complemented her on her detective work. She laughed at that and said that maybe she should work for the Bureau, too. It was time to go and Skinner shyly reminded Mrs. Jackson that Mulder was still upstairs and if he still wasn't awake by eight thirty to please wake him up. Mrs. Jackson shooed him away and told him that she'll even make sure that he had breakfast. Then she said that it was better now since the dinners she'll be leaving would be for two. Skinner smiled to himself as he left for the office. He was certain that Mulder would get the surprise of his life when Mrs. Jackson would wake him. He just hoped that Mulder wouldn't jump out of the bed since he was quite sure that Mulder was naked when they fell asleep that night. Mulder was being shaken awake and tried to snuggle back under the covers. But the hand on his shoulder was pretty insistent no matter how hard he tried to bury his head under the pillows. Finally, he opened a reluctant eye and when his eyes focused, Mulder jumped out of bed just like Skinner had suspected he would do. The sturdy gray haired lady looked on in amusement as Mulder stammered a good morning at her. When she handed him his boxers from the floor, Mulder realized that he wasn't wearing anything and the lady was getting an eyeful. He grabbed the boxers and put it on. Then he launched on a fantastic story about Skinner being his friend and he just needed a place to crash for the night since his girlfriend threw him out the night before. Mrs. Jackson had to hide her amusement as the man continued on his convoluted story about how he ended up in Skinner's bed but that nothing happened. "So you aren't the lover Walter told me was oversleeping in his bed?" Mrs. Jackson said innocently. Mulder looked at her in frank confusion and watched as she left the room. Mulder found the phone and frantically called Skinner's cellular. He started by apologizing to Skinner for oversleeping but when the older man laughed and said that Mrs. Jackson knew about them, and it seemed for quite some time now, Mulder relaxed with a big sigh of relief. He took a shower and got into Skinner's shirt and the suit he'd worn the day before. He was about to sneak out of the house but Mrs. Jackson caught him and told him that from what she'd seen of him earlier, he needed breakfast. He was amazed when he found the high calorie repast waiting for him. He knew he could never pass up the pancakes, sausages and scrambled eggs she had prepared and as he ate with relish, since Mrs. Jackson disappeared from the kitchen, he was able to relax. He was just finishing up and was about to leave when the housekeeper reappeared with a shirt and a fresh pair of boxers he knew were his. "You can't go around the office with a shirt much too big for you and certainly not without your underwear," Mrs. Jackson admonished. "Here are some of your things you left before. Go upstairs and change before you leave." She briskly handed the clothes to Mulder as he stared after her speechless. He obeyed her however and went upstairs to change. He stammered a thank you as he left from the kitchen door and drove off. He was still shaken by the encounter with the kind Mrs. Jackson. As he hurried into the crowded freeway, he tallied the people he knew that were aware of their relationship and he came up with three people: namely, the doctor in Baltimore, his father who was dead now and Mrs. Jackson. He was anxious if the narrow circle of two people (two people didn't even count as a circle) would start to widen beyond their control once he moved in with Skinner. Should Scully be included? She was busy with her own set of problems with her own love life. She initially broke off the engagement but the dermatologist was persistent in wooing her and now the ring was back on her finger and they were even picking out china patterns now. As far as he knew, the wedding gown was now in the works and the date was set in a Catholic church somewhere. Her mother was ecstatic that the dermatologist was a Catholic, too. Mulder missed seeing Mrs. Scully on a regular basis. She used to call him up quite regularly and ask about him. But she was busy with helping Scully with the wedding and one of her daughters- in-law was about to give birth anytime now and they hadn't had their regular phone calls in months now. Mulder wondered if her calls to him would stop once Scully was married. He had the nagging feeling that maybe Mrs. Scully had sighted him as a prospective son-in-law and now that the real one was looming in the background, she wasn't interested in Mulder anymore. He was a lot closer to Mrs. Scully than his own mother. He couldn't even remember when they last talked. She still refused to see him and didn't acknowledge the Christmas, birthday and Mother's Day cards he continued to send her. Part of the uneasiness that hounded him that morning was that Mrs. Jackson was so nice to him and maternal. She even knew he was gay but she didn't even bat an eyelash. Mrs. Jackson just continued to fuss over him. The sad fact was, when he was growing up, his own mother never prepared breakfasts just for him and checked what he wore; Mulder was so unused to such attentions. His mother certainly fussed over Samantha but he never got the same treatment once his sister disappeared. With Mrs. Scully gone and his mother not there, maybe he could transfer his affections to the kindly Mrs. Jackson. Gradually, Mulder moved some of his things to the house in Virginia. Not a lot of his things because Skinner put the house on the market and was looking for a new place much nearer the Bureau headquarters. As Skinner secretly predicted, Mulder developed a great affection for Mrs. Jackson who was delighted at the opportunity to try out her dormant culinary skills with the agent. Skinner was no fun to cook for since he wanted low calorie dishes, mainly vegetarian if he could have it. But Mulder had no such qualms and each night, he looked forward to what she cooked for dinner. She was likewise disappointed when Mulder needed to be out of town on a case and she was stuck with the formal, dour AD Skinner. Mulder and Skinner were careful, however, with displays of affection between them in front of the housekeeper. They even refrained from holding hands in her presence since they didn't know how far she could take of their lifestyle. Mainly Mrs. Jackson was unnerved by the fecal streaks on the washcloths she occasionally found in the laundry and once when Mulder was out on a case, she confronted Skinner about that. She was growing to love the younger man like a son and was concerned if this type of sexual activity was okay in the long run. Skinner was startled by her question. Mrs. Jackson was poised to leave for the night already and was in her coat and had her purse in her hand. Then when it turned out that her questions were more on any impairment of Mulder's continence. He couldn't look her in the eye but said that those questions had been addressed by their doctor a long time ago and that Mulder was checked regularly. He emphasized to the old lady that as long as they were careful and he never hurt Mulder, the doctor had reassured them that Mulder was going to be okay. Amazingly, the old housekeeper patted Skinner's burning cheek and said that it cleared up a lot of her questions. Then she apologized about the deeply personal questions she had, saying that she just wanted to make sure that Mulder was all right. "I would never do anything to hurt Fox, Mrs. Jackson," Skinner said and the intensity in his eyes when he said that convinced the old lady and she smiled once more before she left. Since Mrs. Jackson was the one who mainly did the cooking and cleaning, she was the one who did the shopping as well. It was in one of those shopping forays when Mulder was helping her store the groceries that he spotted the Astroglide along with the toilet paper and shampoo. Mulder was stumped as he looked at the tube in his hand and then at Mrs. Jackson, who was busily chopping vegetables by the sink. She spied Mulder. "Is it the wrong kind, Fox?" she said anxiously when she saw his creased forehead. "I asked at the supermarket and they said it was the best kind." "You-you asked at the A&P?" Mulder asked faintly. "They said?" "Well, I saw that you were running low on the lubricant by Walter's night stand and I didn't want you to run out," Mrs. Jackson said matter of factly. "You might be tempted to use all sorts that might be on hand and you might get hurt. And I just couldn't remember what brand Walter had on the night stand." Mulder had to blush at that but what mainly concerned him was the idea that this little old lady in her fifties was walking around the supermarket asking store personnel about which lubricant to buy. As he asked her for more details about this, it turned out that the store people were very helpful and quite a number were offering their own suggestions. It seemed quite a crowd had formed around the displays of condoms, spermicides and lubricants and she finally decided on what the majority preferred. Mulder couldn't tell by her story if the people there were expecting her to use it or if she had mentioned who it was for. He finally had to laugh at the whole situation and gently reassured the old lady that yes, it was the right kind. The sex that night had to be halted for a while because Mulder was nearly hysterical with laughter when he saw the tube in Skinner's hand. Skinner still couldn't believe that Mrs. Jackson was the one who bought the fresh tube of lubricant and his mortification deflated his erection. Mulder's convoluted telling of the tale finally conveyed to Skinner the inherent humor of the situation. From then on, Mrs. Jackson included Astroglide on the grocery list and by then, no one batted an eyelash at the checkout counter except for the occasional bag boy who would incredulously look at Mrs. Jackson. Skinner eventually sold the house and most of the furniture. He kept the most important antiques and they moved out into the apartment at Crystal City. Most of the furniture was new but Skinner kept the bedroom mainly the same. It was easier in the apartment for Mrs. Jackson because it was smaller and easier to keep clean. However, she still missed the big kitchen of the old house. There were still a lot of unpacked boxes in the apartment when Mrs. Jackson came in early. She lived much closer to the apartment and still had difficulty getting in at seven thirty. Most days she got here at seven. So one morning, Mrs. Jackson entered the apartment as usual and started making breakfast. She heard a regular thumping sound from upstairs and was at first startled until she finally realized what the sounds were. She smiled knowingly and hoped they were having a good time. It seemed that the bedroom door was left partway open because Mrs. Jackson could plainly hear them since they were quite loud in their lovemaking. She finally smiled wider when she heard Mulder's voice in passion. He was moaning and groaning in abandon and she could hear Skinner urging him lovingly on. "Walter, I love you so much," she heard Mulder cry out. Mrs. Jackson assumed that Mulder had come and was soon followed by a long drawn out groan from Skinner. Mrs. Jackson was pleased. She finally had hard evidence that everything was all right with the two up there. She'd worked as a housekeeper a long time and had quite a lot of stories like this to tell. Married couples naturally succumbed to their needs at any time especially in their own house and Mrs. Jackson had more than her fair share of accidentally hearing and even occasionally seeing such encounters. Instinctively, she knew that what she had heard was right for the two upstairs and it was confirmed when she heard unintelligible loving murmurs that followed. It just so happened that both voices were male, one a tenor and the other a baritone. Since this was the closest to a marriage these two were going to get, Mrs. Jackson predicted that this one was going to last a lifetime. Upstairs, Skinner was already up and doing his morning workout on the machine which they had situated in Mulder's study. He was a morning person; that was the reason why he was always the first one to wake up and the reason why most of their best sex occured in the mornings. Mulder was still ensconced in their warm bed. Skinner usually gave him a half hour more in bed than him on weekdays. Once he finished the requisite amount of time on the machine, Skinner got a towel and wiped off the sweat from his face and torso. He went back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, beside Mulder's sleeping form and gently shook him awake. Mulder gave a long drawn out groan, as expected but Skinner persisted in shaking him awake so that he won't be late that morning again. By the time Mulder padded into the bathroom, Skinner already finished with his shower and was shaving. Skinner by this time was hurrying to finish up on his shaving as Mulder waited. Mulder was more of a private person and didn't like it for anyone to see him seated on the toilet or taking a shower. It was just one of his peculiarities that Skinner learned early on. No matter if the older man knew more about every inch of his lover's body, Mulder was still not one to expose his body if he didn't need to. Skinner cleaned up his sink and applied aftershave then his deodorant and left Mulder to his morning ablutions. The bathroom in the apartment was a lot bigger than the bathrooms in Skinner's old house. There were two sinks here and each sink and medicine cabinet reflected the personalities of each user. As expected, Skinner's side of the sink was spotless and each bottle and what not were strictly lined in the shelves of the cabinet. Even if he was still continually shedding hair on a daily basis, due to his male pattern baldness, there wasn't a stray hair in sight on his side of the bathroom. Mulder's sink, however, was a haphazard display of toiletries. He had his small travel bag open and various shaving stuff spilling out. Since he travelled more frequently to the field, this travel bag was supposedly always ready; but more often than not, it was at Mulder's sink because he was missing something from the medicine cabinet and would habitually rummage through the travel bag. They'd had arguments about that small toiletry bag already and even Mrs. Jackson's replenishing its contents once in a while didn't work for him. He just kept losing things in the various motels where he and Scully stayed. Because Mulder took to eating his breakfast in his shorts and t-shirt after a shower, he bounded down to the kitchen ahead of Skinner most days. Skinner always got down to breakfast fully dressed for the day. Mrs. Jackson's opinion of Skinner was changing once she saw more of how he was with Mulder around. Previously, she just saw him as her employer and she saw him as a self centered stern divorced bachelor who was a workaholic even if he obviously didn't need the money. Once Mulder entered the picture however, Mrs. Jackson saw a whole new side of him. Skinner obviously doted on the younger man and really took care of him. Mrs. Jackson could see how his bespectacled brown eyes would light up whenever Mulder was in his line of sight. He was now beginning to confide in Mrs. Jackson about Mulder. Their mutual affection for the man was drawing them together and she heard the pain in his voice about the younger man's estrangement with his mother. She realized that she was probably the first sounding board they had for their relationship and each of them were starting to talk about the other whenever one of them was not around. She refused to referee any petty quarrels, but these were few. Mainly it was what the other would like, or about certain past experiences with the other. Mulder also talked a lot about a certain Scully who was his partner in the Bureau. It seemed that this was his friend and she was startled when it turned out that Scully was a woman. He was asking her if she should know of his relationship with Skinner. She bowed out of that one too and said it was for both Skinner and him to decide. Mrs. Jackson was setting the table and just starting to brew the coffee when Mulder walked into the kitchen. He was freshly showered and his damp hair was still uncombed. He was quite startled when he saw the housekeeper and she saw that he was starting to blush. She surmised that he must have realized that she had heard their lovemaking and was embarrassed by it. Instead of commenting on it as she previously planned, Mrs. Jackson just briskly told him to eat his breakfast and shoved the eggs and bacon at him. CHAPTER FIVE SKYE'S THE LIMIT Skinner was doing their post-coital clean up as Mulder drowsed on the bed. He didn't know how he felt. He'd just made Mulder come three times, his stimulation of the agent unrelenting throughout the night. Skinner just stopped when Mulder had begged off from being supersensitive already. Skinner had started out the night quite angry at Mulder for what he did today. He knew that he should always draw the line when work was involved, but today, Skinner had seen the way Mulder had eyed the senior NSA consultant that was in the meeting that morning. Skinner was in his usual spot at the end of the conference table when Mulder walked into the meeting, late by a hairsbreadth as usual. The AD had seen the way Mulder's eyes widened when he spied the handsome features of the NSA consultant and seemed captivated by him. Skinner just managed to keep his eyes from narrowing and barking at Mulder during that meeting. He'd been angry most of the day and his head ached by the time he got home that night. He'd never been this jealous before, not even when he saw another man proposition Mulder at the supermarket two years ago. It just so happened that that NSA prick was assigned to work with the VCS quite closely for the next two weeks and unfortunately, Mulder and Scully were being lent to the VCS for that length of time on a case in Texas. Skinner had seen the way Mulder had hung on to the NSA's every word and had been particularly charming to the man, making sure that Skye knew how extraordinarily intelligent he was from the questions he posed to the man. So when Mulder had come in that night, an hour after Skinner, the older man launched an attack on the agent. Mulder was swept off his feet when Skinner unmercifully used his mouth on him and even before he was recovering from that, Skinner had him on the couch in the living room. As always, Skinner gently entered him but it took all of his self-control not to ram into him with all his might. More than anything, Skinner had the overpowering urge to bury himself in Mulder's warm silkiness. Then just when Mulder thought it was over, Skinner helped him upstairs and after another half hour, he'd masturbated the agent. Mulder had tried to beg off after the second encounter but as Skinner lightly held his member, Mulder's eyes had rolled back in his head and he'd been helpless to stop the AD. The third orgasm was dry and Mulder had curled away immediately after, too overstimulated to enjoy it much. His penis never felt so sore in such a short time. Mulder was totally out of it as Skinner cleaned him up with the washcloth. He didn't even have dinner yet. Skinner sighed as he cleaned off himself and proceeded downstairs to gather up the clothes they'd shed all over the apartment. Skinner knew that he'd been relentless in his pursuit of the younger man that night to make sure he won't forget him throughout the few days the agent would be in Texas with that NSA bastard. Once he'd carefully hung Mulder's suit in the closet and put the shirt, socks and underwear into the clothes hamper, Skinner tried to wake up the agent to entice him to have dinner. Mulder had murmured angrily in his sleep and refused to leave the comfortable burrow he'd created from the blankets on the bed. Skinner then took a shower and got into his pajamas. Suddenly remembering that Mulder was going to Texas tomorrow but was now too tired to pack, Skinner sighed and took out Mulder's garment bag and packed the clothes that the younger man would need for his trip. Once that was done, he got into bed and was about to watch the late news when Mulder as usual instinctively turned towards him in sleep and settled into his arms. Skinner took a whiff and grimaced. Mulder was pretty ripe. He was still all sweaty after all that exertion and now smelled strongly of sweat. Skinner got up again and got another washcloth from the bathroom and laced it with his own aftershave. When he wiped off Mulder's torso with it, the agent finally woke up as he felt the cold washcloth over his body. "What's that?" Mulder asked sleepily. "You're too sweaty but too tired for a shower," Skinner said. Once he finished, Skinner got back in bed and Mulder asked for his embrace again. He smelled better now, fresher, and they watched the news together. Mulder, however, ruined Skinner's improved mood, by suddenly bringing up the NSA's name again. Mulder felt Skinner stiffen and he looked at the older man in puzzlement. Then he wondered if Skinner knew that Mulder had felt attraction for the man. It was the first time Mulder was ever attracted to another man other than Skinner. He'd felt uncomfortable during the meeting that morning. Skinner knew that the younger man still looked appreciatively at some of the more attractive women in the office but no man ever took his breath away except Skinner until that morning. Just when the newscaster was onto more of Bosnia's woes, Mulder hugged Skinner hard and then kissed him fervently. "You're the only one I love, Walter," Mulder said with all of the intensity he could muster. "There's just too much betrayal in my life, but never you. I'll never do that to you, either, Walter." Skinner was startled by Mulder's sudden statement and it was his turn to blush. He'd made love to Mulder earlier tonight but not with the sincerity he normally had. He was using Mulder's body to make sure the younger man wouldn't stray. And all along, he'd forgotten about Mulder's love for him and his previous declarations about his body being for Walter only. "Oh, honey, I love you, too," Skinner said, hugging Mulder tightly. "It's just that you couldn't take your eyes off Skye this morning." "Is that why you've been at me all night until my eyes were popping out of my head?" Mulder suddenly chuckled. "So if I want all the sex I can take until it's coming out of my ears, I just look at other men, huh?" Skinner gave him a playful slap on the rear and they laughed together, releasing much of the tension that Skinner felt since that morning. Mulder then complained that his penis was sore from all of Skinner's attentions. Skinner told him to lie back and applied a light lotion to his spent member, making it feel much better. It was getting so good between them that they now understood each other quite well. Previously, Skinner had been jealous with the way Scully and Mulder understood each other whenever they were in his office for some reason or another. He'd even seen the way a mere glance from one another conveyed their thoughts, especially during field work. But Skinner was catching up by this time and now had the upper hand on Mulder's nonverbal cues. Scully was still Mulder's best friend but Skinner now knew more about his lover than his partner did. "You hungry?" Skinner asked as he put the lotion away. Mulder still hadn't eaten any dinner. "No, I think I'm sated for the night," Mulder grinned sleepily. He felt much better now and went back to a deep sleep. CHAPTER SIX SUNFLOWER SEED ADJUSTMENTS Skinner's fears were unfounded after all. The Texas trip with NSA's Skye was uneventful in that nothing happened. Mulder called home as frequently as he could; it turned out that Skye was getting on Mulder's nerves because of differences in investigative policies. Fortunately, Mulder was not the SAC so his involvement with Skye was just in the fringes of the investigation. By the second day in Texas, Mulder's ardor for Skye was nil and Skinner gave a sigh of relief a thousand miles away. They had a happy reunion and Skinner made Mulder come three times that night again but made sure his motives were pure in providing his lover with a good time, instead of as a bribe to keep him in line. This time it was much better such that Mulder was limp for the rest of the evening. It was unusual that now they were living together, none of the Bureau people had a whiff of their relationship. Mulder still maintained his old apartment and that was where his mail went. They had installed a special device on the phone such that all calls were diverted to the second telephone line in Skinner's apartment. Even Scully was not suspicious. Mulder's precious aquarium now bubbled happily in the second bedroom which he'd converted to his study. Skinner was tasked to feed the fish whenever Mulder was away on a case. He knew more now about tropical fish than he cared to. The fox and soldier collection was now resurrected on the shelves of that study. Furthermore, the high rise apartment was more anonymous than Skinner's old neighborhood and few were concerned about the two men living together on the seventeenth floor. The apartment was taking shape and soon all the boxes were thrown away as things settled into place. When not in some case out of town, Mulder and Skinner spent the nights at home, still reluctant to venture out of the house. They still weren't ready to make their relationship that public. Aside from the doormen and some of their neighbors, who weren't even aware that they were from the Bureau, plus Mrs. Jackson and their doctor, no one else knew about them as a couple. More adjustments had to be made as they started living together, unlike the more minor changes they made when they just met at the cabin for their weekends. It was a strain for Mulder to try to be neat all the time, instead of before when he only had to watch his mess when he was in the cabin. Skinner still allowed him to keep the study the way he liked it but the rest of the house was still his. However, Skinner was starting to realize that he had to adjust to Mulder's ways as well and there were less arguments about the sunflower seeds on the carpet; after all, he should stop thinking of the apartment as his. It was theirs by now. He still could remember Mulder's guilty start one evening when Skinner caught him with a respectable pile of shelled seeds on the living room coffee table. Skinner's forehead had reddened angrily for a minute but he finally came to his senses and said to himself that Mulder really needed more free reign in the apartment now that they were together seven days a week. More than once, he even caught Mrs. Jackson helping Mulder clean up the mess hastily, and Skinner finally allowed that to pass. He had the strong feeling that his occasional bullying of the younger man had to stop now. For his part, having to deal with Mulder's moodiness on a daily basis sometimes wore Skinner down. Mulder was so volatile sometimes that he would be euphoric one minute, fired up by some idea and then would be morose and uncommunicative in the next breath. He still had quite a lot of unresolved issues in his life and one of the major ones was the Samantha question and his mother's continued indifference to him. It took Skinner by surprise when Scully now entered the picture. Mulder was anxious about Scully's engagement and impending marriage, telling Skinner in not so many words that he was probably going to lose his best friend to that dermatologist within a few months. He didn't know if Scully would still follow him on his bug hunts with such blind faith once she was married. Lately, she had begun to question his theories with as much zeal as he held those theories and he'd told Skinner that sometimes it took all of his will power not to smack her when her pithy logic got to him. Mulder voiced the fear that the relatively smooth running of the X-files might change once she had that ring on her finger. Skinner also noted that Mulder began to fret about Mrs. Scully not calling him anymore, preoccupied as she was with her daughter's upcoming wedding. He'd underestimated the role Mrs. Scully seemed to have in Mulder's life, that of his substitute mom. It didn't get lost on Skinner that he was starting to see Mrs. Scully as not so different from his own mother, someone who would drop him like a hot potato once more complicated things came up. Skinner learned more about Mulder within the first three months they lived together than in the three odd years of cabin weekends and phone calls. However, learning more about the agent just intensified the love he felt for the younger man. By this time, Skinner was quite sure of what he felt for Mulder. He never had these same feelings for his ex-wife even during the best years of their marriage. What he had in his previous marriage was pale in comparison with what he felt for Mulder. Maybe with Bill Mulder's interference and their temporary separation, Skinner was just more aware of how his life was like without Mulder. He'd constantly reminded Mulder to stop going into dangerous situations half-cocked in his usual way. Skinner still assigned him to some dangerous cases, but these were now few and far between. Dangerous, that is, in the usual nonparanormal terms. Skinner didn't know what he would do if Mulder did indeed get badly injured in one of his escapades. He knew that it would probably be the time when everyone in the Bureau would find out about them. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep a discreet distance this time, unlike when Mulder was confined in that military hospital in the Arctic. Sometimes, the thought of sending off Mulder to a dangerous situation so upset Skinner that he would look for Mulder around the apartment and give him a brief embrace just to reassure himself that the younger man was still in his midst. Mulder was surprised by these hugs from nowhere but he took it all in stride and gave him that special warm feeling in his gut that only Skinner could cause. Initially, for Mulder the sex had been what had drawn him inexorably to Skinner. It was still fantastic after all this time and in his experience, only Skinner could play his body the way he did. But now, the sex was being overshadowed by the more important aspects of their relationship. He was never so content as being with the older man who could make him feel so loved and safe through every fiber of his being. He especially loved it waking up in the mornings in Skinner's arms. It gave him the energy to face any challenge the day would hold for them. He still had nightmares occasionally but Skinner's being there for him had driven away most of the fright he used to feel whenever he woke up alone in his old apartment. Skinner still bugged him about looking for a good sleep lab to sign up for treatment but Mulder had resisted his requests up to now. Mulder had noticed that the AD was more flexible now that they were living together than when they just used to meet at the cabin. He was more generous with his laughter and his demeanor was less dour. Even the agents in his department had commented on this, such that a meeting with AD Skinner was less feared than previously. Skinner also started wearing more casual clothes now, taking in some of Mulder's clothing habits, but only up to a certain point. Mulder had been mockingly scandalized when he noticed Skinner's new Italian loafers that he even wore to work, instead of his usual cap toes and tie shoes. Skinner in turn was still trying to get Mulder to dress better on weekends and had even persuaded Mrs. Jackson into his cause. She now hid those hideous flannel shirts at the back of the closet where it was more difficult to get to so that there was less of a chance that Mulder would wear them on their weekends in the country. Skinner was back to his old way of helping Mulder organize his life. The nest egg he'd built up previously was dormant in his absence and he was making up for lost time. Furthermore, there was the substantial legacy left by Mulder's father after his death. Mulder was mighty tempted to buy a new car, just like most young men who suddenly found that they could afford more expensive things. They'd fought about that for a few days with Skinner trying to dissuade Mulder from the new car since the Camry's mileage was barely significant. Especially now that they went to the cabin together in the Range Rover. Mulder had whined about Skinner's own intentions of replacing the Cadillac, which was considerably older than the Camry. Finally, Skinner sighed and baldly told Mulder the possible consequences of his buying a new car. In no uncertain terms, he told Mulder that such purchases had their implications. If someone found out about their relationship, it would not be far fetched if someone became suspicious precisely because Mulder could suddenly afford to buy an expensive car. It would cause talk in the Bureau that a G-18 was tooling around DC in a smart new BMW and then an investigation might ensue. If that investigation led to Mulder's relationship with his AD, it would have serious consequences. Even if both of them knew that it was Mulder's money that bought the car, people would inevitably gossip that it was the AD who was bribing the agent in a sexual relationship. Mulder reluctantly had to agree with Skinner's line of reasoning and it caused him to sulk for a few days around the apartment. Skinner was trying to persuade him to invest his money in other things like real estate but Mulder wasn't too keen on the idea. You certainly couldn't have fun with real estate the way you could have fun in a new car. So Mulder's nest egg just continued to grow. He really didn't have any expensive hobbies and his free time was spent in mainly solitary pursuits of swimming and running, sports that didn't require any expensive equipment. He just upgraded the computer and found the best media system to enhance the television. Skinner himself went to the gym regularly and that was the way he managed to keep his form muscle bound and trim, just the way Mulder liked it. It was fortunate that Skinner's self discipline helped him in maintaining a strict diet so there were no more further bouts of hypertension. If anything, he was even healthier than Mulder who still held the jackpot prize in the Bureau of being the first to always come down with the flu whenever flu season came by. CHAPTER SEVEN JUST MARRIED AND CHILDREN As their relationship deepened, Mulder took more initiative in sex. It was Skinner's turn to wake up some mornings writhing in extreme arousal as Mulder took him in his mouth and pleasured him. Skinner was more comfortable now in losing control in front of Mulder and he didn't hesitate in moaning and groaning much to Mulder's satisfaction. Because he was older, Skinner could achieve orgasms only one at a time with a longer refractory period. He complained to Mulder about these morning surprises, saying that he preferred for them to come together as much as possible with him up Mulder's delicious warmth. They still had anal intercourse quite frequently; it was what both men enjoyed the most. It was at one of their rare trips to a Baltimore mall that showed how generous Skinner was. They were in Baltimore because there was less of a chance to run into somebody who knew them. Mulder wanted ice cream so they sat down in one of the sidewalk tables while Mulder had his overloaded sundae and Skinner had his one scoop of frozen yogurt. Skinner was reading the U.S. World News, the kind of dry fare that Mulder hated, saying it was all propaganda so he didn't know why Skinner even took any of the articles seriously. He was engrossed with it because it took him a shorter time to finish his yogurt than Mulder to finish off his double chocolate supreme bombe. Skinner was about to show Mulder an interesting article when he looked up and saw Mulder utterly transfixed at a little boy and girl playing by the indoor fountains of the mall. At first, Skinner thought Mulder was remembering his sister, but as he surreptitiously eyed his lover, he noted that Mulder was looking at every little kid that was passing by as his ice cream melted. "You want one of those, don't you?" Skinner asked gently; he had to avoid holding Mulder's hand in such a public place. "Wh-what?" Mulder asked, shaking his head, as if coming from being hypnotized. "A child," Skinner said, simply. "You want to have a child." Mulder blushed inexplicably. He felt that the older man caught him with a hand in the cookie jar, red handed. He gave a painful nod. "Didn't you, when you were with Sharon?" Mulder asked. He pushed away the rest of the ice cream. "Yes," Skinner admitted. "We tried for the first ten years but it turned out that she had a malformed uterus. Then later, it didn't matter anymore. I just did a lot of Little League coaching for a while." "I've thought about that, you know, Walter," Mulder said. "Volunteer work with kids. But if anyone ever found out about us...You know how people don't want gay men around their kids." "I won't stop you if you really want to have a child, Fox," Skinner murmured. Mulder looked startled and Skinner was surprised by the brightness in his eyes. "You love me that much?" Mulder said shakily. Skinner looked deeply into his eyes and nodded. "It's one of the most important things in life, to have children," Skinner answered. "It's just that it's something I was resigned never to have since I was your age." "I'm not really sure I want to have kids," Mulder finally admitted. "Sometimes, I just see them like this all cute and well-behaved. But I really don't know how to take care of the nitty gritty stuff for them, like in real life. And I don't exactly recall having good role models for parenthood." "Just tell me when you really want to have kids, Fox," Skinner repeated, resignedly eating the rest of Mulder's ice cream, hating to see it go to waste. "Just don't surprise me with a cute bundle of joy out of the blue." Mulder laughed gently and said that he'd never do that to Skinner. Then he teased the older man and started voicing his opinions on various women they both knew and their potential for surrogate motherhood. Skinner laughingly got in the game and they started rating the women in the Bureau. Not surprisingly, both of them settled for Scully as a possible surrogate mother, only if her wedding didn't push through. Once they were in the car and Skinner started the engine, Mulder leaned forward and kissed Skinner lightly on the lips. "I wanted to do that since we were at the ice cream place," Mulder sighed. "Thank you for saying you'd understand if I wanted kids." "It might be mushy, Fox," Skinner repeated as he backed up the car from the parking slot., "but I really do love you that much." Mulder was so moved by the whole afternoon that he didn't say anymore. He just stared out the window and was thankful that he and Skinner found each other again. Once they were back in the Crystal City apartment, Skinner took Mulder up to the bedroom and showed him how much he was loved. Everything was perfect this time, with Skinner taking everything slow. Skinner even had the stereo playing soft gentle music. He started off with kissing Mulder, initial light kisses and later deepening the kisses. He was at it for a half hour and ignored Mulder's entreaties of speeding up their loving. This time, Skinner used his dominance at full force and set a slow maddening pace. He only removed Mulder's shirt once Mulder was completely undone by the kisses and he proceeded to kiss his sensitive neck. Skinner then set his full attention on lightly licking Mulder's nipples which was causing the agent to groan heavily. Mulder finally accepted the slow ministrations of the older man and gave himself up to drowning in sensation just as Skinner intended. Mulder shivered deliciously as Skinner ran his tongue over his chest and neck. Skinner then concentrated on kissing his navel and slowly proceeded to unzip his jeans which were now straining as it tented over Mulder's erection. He even lightly slapped Mulder's hands away from his own trousers, growling gruffly that he wanted Mulder to concentrate on his sensations. Mulder sighed and closed his eyes as he felt like drowning. Skinner's powerful body hovering over him never failed to put a lump in his throat. Finally, he let out a long drawn out moan as Skinner obliged him and started slowly lowering his jeans and boxers. Skinner turned him onto his stomach and gently divested Mulder of the rest of his clothes, just leaving him in his socks. Skinner continued to kiss each cheek of Mulder's buttocks, taking his own maddening sweet time. Mulder was so relaxed and pliable by now that he allowed Skinner to arrange his limbs in the way the older man wanted it. When Mulder felt Skinner part his buttocks, he started sighing happily until he felt the wet warmth of Skinner's tongue on his anus. "No, Walter, not that..." Mulder protested. He still found it distasteful, that Skinner might not be enjoying that particular activity so much. "Ssh...honey," Skinner said from below. He was persistent this time and held Mulder fast, even though Mulder's resistance wasn't as strong as the time years ago when Skinner first attempted this. "Fox, you've got to feel how much I worship you and your body. I love you so much...I really adore you." Mulder was still trying to clench his buttocks closed but Skinner persisted and the wetness and warmth and Skinner's probing tongue soon worked their magic on the agent. Skinner felt Mulder's buttocks relax as Skinner's hands separated the crease and he laved the younger man fore and aft. Mulder was starting to loosen as Skinner continued to profess love for him and soon, Mulder didn't object as Skinner raised his hips on the pillows and parted Mulder's knees as far as it will go. The strong musky scent of Mulder's backside was arousing Skinner quite powerfully but he held it down as his sucking and tonguing of the nether regions continued. Mulder was starting to become undone and was now moving his hips, rocking onto the pillow involuntarily. His breath was coming out in short pants as he couldn't believe that he was enjoying it so much. The wetness and heat of the older man's inquisitive tongue invading his anus was starting to get too addicting. Skinner didn't want his lover to rub himself into his climax so he finally turned the agent over and smiled tenderly at the glazed expression on his face. "Walter, I really need you now," Mulder gasped as he raised his legs and found that the AD was still fully clothed. He impatiently sat up and helped Skinner undress and he lay back down again. Skinner fumbled with the lubricant and generously smeared Mulder's parts with it. The foreplay was so prolonged that Skinner easily penetrated Mulder. A long drawn out groan was emitted by the AD as he gently sunk into his lover to the hilt. Everything was so gentle this time and Skinner just moved his hips minimally so that Mulder could get the most out of this, since he knew that Mulder loved it when he was filled with Skinner's length. Mulder was clutching at the bedsheets in abandon as his senses overshadowed everything. He leaned awkwardly on his elbows as he attempted to kiss Skinner deeply as they were tightly joined. He smiled as tears came to Skinner's eyes from the intensity of the moment. "Oh, Fox, I love you, darling," Skinner moaned, his eyes open a fraction as Mulder's delicious silky passage engulfed him. The younger man was so tight, and wet and warm and smelled so wonderful and was making the most wonderful grunts. Then Mulder's eyes got that tell tale rolled back in his head look and Skinner felt the wet warmth of his ejaculation on his stomach. It was soon followed by the rippling movement of muscle on his member that caused the AD to shudder in his ecstacy. "I love you, Walter," Mulder shook as he groaned as Skinner slowly shrank from him. They cuddled together awhile, relishing the afterglow of this special encounter. Skinner reluctantly stood up and got a scented washcloth and lovingly cleaned up Mulder. Mulder shuddered involuntarily as Skinner gently ran the washcloth over his stomach, genitals and anus. It was the first time everything from start to finish was so gentle between them with none of the urgency and hard thrusts that more often characterised the sex between them. It was probably why Mulder had acquiesced to the mouth of Skinner on his backside. Skinner drew the thick comforter over them and chuckled softly. "You liked that, didn't you?" Skinner yawned. Mulder nodded and blushed prettily and Skinner kissed him again. He lay underneath Skinner's large muscular body, feeling totally at peace and accepted. Their spent members rubbed against each other, groin to groin, just the way Skinner liked it after they had made love. He spent some time running his hands over Mulder's soft hair as the agent would take little pecks on his lips. Being under the warmth of the comforter, tucked into each other, totally relaxed was so cozy and perfect. "I love you, Walter, I have never loved you so much," Mulder sleepily murmured. Skinner smiled tenderly at him. Mulder's declaration of love on this one day was so numerous that it was causing Skinner's heart to overflow. A delicious languor settled over Skinner. It was only late afternoon on a Saturday and never had everything seemed so perfect. He savored the moment and continued to kiss Mulder as the agent slept. He gently kissed the sleeping man's eyes, ears, cheeks and mouth and chin as Mulder smiled in his slumber. After an hour, Mulder opened his eyes and grinned as he saw Skinner looking down at him. "Hey," Mulder greeted his lover, his voice still husky with sleep. Skinner had been watching him for an hour now and smiled tenderly at him again. Each one still felt their own heart filled almost to bursting as their love seemed to have reached an even higher plane today. Each of them couldn't deny that something magical happened between them that afternoon. Skinner continued to caress his chest and arms as Mulder greedily savored the sensation of their skin to skin contact. Mulder's more fanciful mind wondered if their very souls were now fused. Before, he'd had glimpses of this feeling only when Skinner was hovering over him, this feeling of completeness and completion. Now, he was quite sure that Skinner's mere presence in a room would give him this most profound sensation. Everything inside him felt centered and he knew with absolute certainty that every problem he had before was now completely overshadowed by the love they had for each other. As long as he was with Skinner, he was going to be all right. Mulder threw himself bodily at the older man and caught him by surprise such that they tumbled backward. Skinner laughed again as Mulder impulsively showered him with his sweetness. They spent another hour just cuddling on the bed as the magical day slid into evening. Skinner finally got up as his empty stomach protested and pulled Mulder with him into the shower. He bathed Mulder lovingly and Mulder did it to him in turn. It was the first time they ever bathed together. Mulder had protested when Skinner first suggested it years ago so Skinner had held off the request. But now they had fun in the bathroom, the first time Mulder could remember having fun in a tiled place, except for some vague fleeting memory of him and Samantha bathing together in early childhood and causing havoc in the bathroom at Chilmark. They settled for a pizza for dinner and ate it in front of the television where they watched some cable movies. Mulder was lying on the couch with his head in Skinner's lap, and the older man would frequently lean down to kiss him and run his hand over Mulder. It was a science fiction movie and took most of Mulder's attention such that by the end of it, he was still awake while Skinner had conked out earlier with his head leaned back and his mouth open with his eyeglasses all askew. Mulder gently shook him awake and they went to bed for the night. For Skinner, there was nothing better than enclosing Mulder in his arms as they fell asleep. END OF BACCARAT FIGURINES II (1/3) BACCARRAT FIGURINES II PART 2/3 by Sean Spencer seans13@hotmail.com WARNING: Slash NC-17 Skinner/Mulder SRA DISCLAIMER IN PART ONE CHAPTER EIGHT POOR DRIVING AND SCULLY'S DISCOVERY Three days later, Skinner left for the Bureau at a much earlier time than usual. His whole day was going to be occupied by policy meetings and the first one for the day was set a eight o'clock, which had the all important budget on its agenda. Department heads filled the Director's office and the usual sucking up to the Director and the powers that be were happening even before the meeting started. Skinner was an ambitious man and he himself was not immune to the posing that was necessary to advance in the Bureau but at the moment, Blevins had Freeh's utmost attention and Skinner just chose to get to his seat and go over the papers. The meeting was in full swing a half hour later and each and every section head was jockeying for a bigger slice of the budget. Fortunately, Freeh just finished with Skinner's section when an assistant came into the room and told Skinner that he had an urgent phone call outside. Skinner excused himself. He was satisfied with the slight raise in his department's budget. Freeh hadn't objected much, since Skinner's slice of the pie was pretty small, compared to the Lab departments and the VCS. Skinner was slightly distracted when he picked up the phone. He heard a lot of noise on the phone and couldn't make out what it was. Then he heard Mulder's voice, sounding scared and breathless. "Fox?" Skinner said, unaware that his voice was rising. "I'm on the freeway, Walter," Mulder said, in that gasping breathy voice. "Someone bumped me." Skinner heard a loud buzzing sound and tensed when he heard Mulder crying out, obviously in pain. "Fox?" Skinner repeated, "Hello?" After a few seconds, Mulder's voice came back over the phone. In jumbled words, Skinner was able to figure out that Mulder was on the freeway in a four car pile up. Skinner's stomach clenched and he went cold. Just then someone else's voice got on the line and briskly told Skinner that he was the firefighter who was just ready to pull out Mulder from the Camry. Fortunately, he told the AD as to which hospital Mulder was going to be taken. Skinner looked wildly around him for a minute then came to his senses and told Freeh's assistant that he had to excuse himself to go to the hospital. Skinner took off and didn't even remember driving to the hospital. All he could remember was praying under his breath the whole way. It took Skinner a full half hour to get there because the freeway accident had further aggravated the rush hour traffic. He found Mulder at the Trauma bay and there seemed to be a lot of blood everywhere. Apparently, other victims had been brought here too. He was able to find someone who knew where Mulder was and even if he wasn't family, Skinner was able to go in because he'd flashed his ID and said that he was Mulder's boss. There seemed to be a commotion going on in Mulder's cubicle and he was initially not allowed to enter. But after a while, a harried looking doctor, who looked even younger than Mulder told him to come into the cubicle. "He's really agitated, Mr. Skinner," The young man identified himself as Dr. Earl. "We're hoping that if he sees you he might calm down. Unfortunately, we can't sedate him as yet because we need to be sure of his neurological status before we do that." Skinner couldn't hide the distress on his face when he saw Mulder's pale body on the narrow bed. Mulder was fully stripped, his clothes all snipped away and Skinner saw a lot of tubes and blood. It was only his tight hold on his emotions that kept him from getting out of the small cubicle. Mulder was flailing and causing distress on the medical personnel who were trying to calm him down. When Skinner finally got beside him so that he could see his face, Skinner had to blink as his eyes threatened to tear up. Mulder was very scared and had that wild look in his eyes and the tube down his mouth prevented him from speaking. The agent was trying to pull out the tube. "Mr. Skinner, could you please tell him that the endotracheal tube is very important right now since he has what we call a flail chest because he hit his chest on the steering wheel when his car's airbag malfunctioned," Dr. Earl explained. Skinner wasn't aware of it but he tenderly took Mulder's face into his hand and stilled the agent's head. Then he murmured to Mulder that he shouldn't be scared because he was with him. Mulder calmed down somewhat and Skinner held his cold and sweaty hand which was plastered down with a lot of intravenous lines. Mulder's poor body was naked and Skinner could see the gooseflesh standing out on the otherwise smooth pale skin of the agent. He could see the old familiar scars of the left shoulder gunshot wound and the thigh wound. The chest had a massive bruise and Skinner could plainly see the round indentation of the steering wheel on the skin. There was a chest tube on the right chest from which bloody fluid emptied into a contraption near the floor. A yellow catheter snaked from his penis, which had shrunk from the fierce chill of the room. After a few more minutes, the younger man calmed down enough such that he wasn't fighting the ventilator anymore and they were able to bring him to radiology for more tests. Mulder was wheeled away and Skinner was brought aside for further questions. They wanted to know more about the patient and Skinner was able to supply answers. The trauma team nodded knowledgeably when Skinner relayed the vital information of his retrovirus illness of two years ago when Mulder was stuck in the Arctic hospital for a while. It explained a lot why the patient went wild once the endotracheal tube was inserted. The AD also remember the gunshot wound to the leg and the one on his shoulder. Skinner's voice shook when he admitted that Mulder was his lover but he emphasized that the both of them were HIV negative and had been monogamous for years. He was glad that the medical personnel didn't even blink with this information, unlike in that small community hospital three years ago when he had an attack of hypertension. He didn't know that Dr. Earl had suspected as much when he'd done the required rectal exam earlier and noted that this had caused more distress on Mulder than it should normally had done. The doctor also found the sphincters not as tight as it should be. When Skinner had walked in and was upset as well, Dr. Earl had rightly suspected that this was the lover even if Skinner had identified himself as Mulder's boss. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw how gentle the AD was with the patient. The doctor then told him that barring the results of further tests, Mulder seemed to have sustained the flail chest with blood in the chest cavity necessitating a chest tube. Mulder's abdomen was still being observed but he will be put in the ICU shortly for close monitoring. Mulder was wheeled back a half hour later and the results of the scans of his chest, head and abdomen were discussed. Someone covered him with a blanket but he was still shivering. Skinner was able to calm him down by making sure that Mulder knew he was just nearby. The doctors came back and informed Skinner that no further surgical intervention was warranted at the moment and that he was to be transferred to the ICU. Skinner was in the waiting room just outside the complex with his head in his hands when a gentle hand came on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that it was Scully. He tried to shift back into his concerned AD mode but Scully stopped him with a raised hand. "Why didn't you tell me, sir, about you and Mulder?" she wasn't angry, more of resigned. "Did you think I would blab about it?" "How did you find out?" Skinner tiredly rubbed his eyes and removed his glasses. "I read his chart the moment I got here," Scully said. She asked if this was going on for four years now. Skinner nodded. "It would have been easier for both of you if I knew earlier," Scully said kindly. "I must imagine how it felt for both of you when Mulder was so sick in Alaska that time." Scully went on to say that for once, she wouldn't get mad at Mulder for making her look so stupid. Apparently, she knew that Mulder was in a serious relationship for years but had wrongly needled him about a married woman who didn't even exist. Quite a lot of things were now clear to Scully, the volatile way the two interacted sometimes and Mulder's secretiveness about his love life. Most of all, there was Skinner's protective stance over the two of them, especially after the MJ files fiasco. Skinner felt awkward around her, knowing full well what her presence meant. Bureau personnel, although a single Bureau person, now knew about their relationship. He knew that Scully was discreet but he didn't know how discreet. Although Mulder trusted her implicitly, even Mulder had been distressed when she was trying to pluck out more information about his lover than he was willing to give. He knew that Scully had a previous relationship with Jack Willis, formerly her superior in Quantico, so she might be sympathetic. However, that had been a heterosexual relationship, without the added stress and strain of the relationship Skinner and Mulder had. Understanding the excessive strain Skinner was under, that of having his relationship found out and Mulder being so ill again, Scully excused herself to see her partner separately and thankfully left the waiting room. Skinner himself was so restless that he had to stand up and walk around the floor. He ran into the hospital nondenominational chapel and had a sudden urge to go inside. Thankfully, it was empty and Skinner sank into one of the pews and prayed for Mulder to get well. Mulder had already been through so much and this car accident wouldn't help any. Although the doctors said that his prognosis was excellent, Mulder's battered body might not be able to take much more next time. Skinner also couldn't shake the image in his mind of Mulder calling frantically for him from his cellphone while still in the car. Skinner was able to talk to one of the paramedics who was at the scene and she had relayed how flames had started in the car in front of the Camry. He was able to understand the panic Mulder must have felt, knowing how pyrophobic Mulder was. Hell, he wouldn't even start fires in the fireplace in the cabin because of his phobia. Skinner prayed for two hours, admitting to himself that he felt better. He went back to the ICU and found that Mulder was now mercifully sedated. A transfusion was ongoing since blood continued to trickle from the chest tube. Mulder's urine was also slightly blood tinged, no doubt from a renal contusion, the nurse explained. Skinner remembered about the renal contusion which the scans had revealed, along with a small liver contusion. The nurse then came over and gave Skinner the remnants of Mulder's clothes which just happened to be irreparably ruined from the blood and their slicing it off at the ER. She also handed him Mulder's watch and wallet and cellphone. Skinner suddenly remembered that Mulder's mother still didn't know that her son was once again in the ICU of another hospital. He sighed heavily and went to look for a telephone. This would be the third time he would have to call her. The first one was when Mulder was shot by Bogg's accomplice while the second time was when Mulder was in Alaska. Skinner also remembered the time when Mulder and Scully were jointly confined at a USMRID facility when they had worked on those ecoterrorists and the glowing bugs. He realized that Mulder was probably the only agent in the Bureau who had been to the ICU so frequently. That didn't mean that calling the agent's mother would be any easier, especially now that he knew more about her. He fiddled through Mulder's cellphone and was able to recall Mrs. Mulder's telephone number from the machine's memory. Skinner went through the distasteful ceremony of informing her of her son's injuries again. He noted that she had sighed resignedly when Skinner identified himself as Mulder's boss. She already knew that something had happened to her son again; after all, it was the only time the AD ever called her regarding Fox. The AD tried to urge her to come to Baltimore to see Mulder, but as expected, Mrs. Mulder refused. He couldn't understand how a mother could even treat her son so callously but he had to remember that he was calling as Mulder's boss and had to keep a detached professional concern in his voice all throughout the conversation. Skinner had a strong urge to yell at the woman and give her a piece of his mind. However, he knew that this was not the time nor place for such things. He finished the perfunctory conversation and headed back to Mulder's ICU cubicle. He felt so drained that he didn't care anymore if anyone saw him. Mulder was stirring fitfully and everytime Skinner gently ran his large hand through the soft hair, it seemed to let Mulder know that he wasn't alone. Mulder was still on mechanical ventilation although his blood pressure had been steady after the transfusion, indicating that presently, no active bleeding was present. His main problem was his lungs, which had been bruised with the steering wheel and was further compounded by the multiple rib fractures, making each breath an agony if he weren't sedated. Fortunately, the medical personnel didn't seem to mind Skinner's presence at Mulder's bedside, even if the agent was already sedated and wasn't really resisting any of their interventions. It was nighttime when Skinner finally left his lover's bedside. He ached all over and suddenly remembered Mrs. Jackson. She had to know or else she'll never forgive him. He used Mulder's phone again and talked to her, initially in control when he gave her the cold hard facts of Mulder's accident. But her horrified gasp at the other end of the line finally got to him, too and Skinner sobbed a few seconds over the phone, mortified that he was out in the hallway. But his iron control snapped back into place and he told her not to come since Mulder wouldn't even know her presence at his bedside in his sedated state. Mrs. Jackson insisted that she come and told him to wait for her. The AD was dozing off in the waiting room outside of the ICU when he heard Mrs. Jackson's voice. He opened an eye and straightened himself in his seat. She had already seen Mulder in the ICU and was now here to make sure that Skinner ate something. She even brought him a clean shirt and a sweater and told him to change his clothes for the more comfortable ones she had with her. Skinner bemusedly went into the bathroom down the hall and washed his face and neck before putting on the soft shirt and sweater to replace the suit jacket and tie. It seemed that Mrs. Jackson was decidedly turning maternal on him, too, not just on Mulder. He emerged from the bathroom, more refreshed and energized and she got his shirt, tie and jacket and stuffed them into a large bag she had with her and led him to a small eating area beside the relative's waiting room. She had a thermos of hot soup with her and urged him to finish it up with the crackers. Skinner didn't have lunch that afternoon so drinking the soup that night indeed made him feel better. Mrs. Jackson just talked of everyday things, nonthreatening bits of information that further calmed down Skinner's roiling emotions and allowed himself to stand back awhile from the atmosphere of the hospital. The AD finally revealed that Scully had found out about him and Mulder that morning and everything fell into place in Mrs. Jackson's mind. She had worried as to why Skinner had broken down over the phone since it was so rare that the large stern man before her to lose control like that. Although she had never met her, Mrs. Jackson had heard a lot about Scully from Mulder, that he was probably his best friend. Now with the best friend knowing about the homosexual relationship, it wouldn't be too far fetched to grasp Skinner's fears that he might lose Mulder and his career on the same day. She then made the effort of talking about other things because as of now, the most important thing was for Mulder to get through this. Skinner spent the night at the waiting room and he was replaced by Scully in the early morning. He reluctantly had to go home and change. Of course, he had to go back to work. Things already looked suspicious, what with his outburst in Freeh's outer office when he had talked to Mulder over the phone. The secretaries were the only ones there but their gossip carried considerable weight in the Bureau since their information was even more reliable than any green agent's. Kimberly, his own assistant, was already there that morning. She knew that Mulder was in the hospital again and she didn't find it unusual that her boss was in the same said hospital the whole day. Sometimes, as AD, Skinner had to do that occasionally, especially with any agent who got hurt in the field. However, with Agent Mulder, one can never predict if the Consortium struck again. Furthermore, she shrugged to herself, there might have been problems with the paperwork from Agent Mulder's insurance since he had used up quite a lot of it already. Skinner spent sometime with her because he had to reschedule the meetings he missed yesterday. He was his usual snappy self and Kimberly knew that he was probably annoyed with Agent Mulder again, what with his penchant of winding up in the hospital every few months or so. Skinner rushed back to the hospital as soon as it was decently acceptable to leave the Hoover. He was surprised that Scully was there and she smiled at him. It seemed that Mulder's respiratory problems were stabilized and there was a possibility of extubation tomorrow. Scully reported that Mulder was awake and wasn't fighting the tube anymore. He was more or less resigned to his present condition. As always, Scully said her good bye and Skinner again wondered if she was just giving them privacy or if she found the situation with her boss and partner uncomfortable. When he entered the ICU and slipped into Mulder's cubicle, he found that Mulder was indeed awake. The younger man saw Skinner and his eyes widened. Skinner smiled at him and the agent grasped his hand as best he could. Someone had provided him with a magic slate and Skinner held up the board and Mulder managed to scrawl. "Hurts." "Ssh, honey, I know," Skinner gingerly kissed Mulder's forehead, grateful that the curtains around the cubicle at least covered them. He wiped off the tears of pain and misery that welled from the agent's eyes. "Do you want something for the pain?" Mulder shook his head and just grasped Skinner's fingers tighter. After a few more minutes, Mulder fell into a fitful sleep and Skinner just stroked his arm lightly, just to let him know that he wasn't alone in the ICU. It was a relatively quiet night and Skinner managed to collar Mulder's attending surgeon who reassured him that Mulder was making an uneventful recovery. The agent's urine had cleared up indicating that bleeding of his kidney had ceased and the repeat scan that afternoon had shown that the liver hematoma did not increase in size. Mulder's belly was less tender as a result. They were anticipating that the chest tube and endotracheal tube would be removed early tomorrow morning. When Skinner asked if the procedures would cause some pain, the attending surgeon said that the endotracheal tube removal would be more of a relief but the chest tube removal would be uncomfortable. Skinner winced as the surgeon left. He had a clear idea that there was a huge gap between what doctors and their patients understood of what uncomfortable meant. Skinner could remember how having tubes pulled out of him felt. He was a very young Marine at that time when he was so severely injured. With Mulder awake in fits and starts this night, Skinner spent the whole night at his bedside. Fortunately, when the attending surgeon said that the tubes would be removed early morning, it was indeed early morning. A flurry of activity occured at the tail end of the graveyard shift. Dr. Earl, looking extremely rumpled and with blood spatters on his scrub suit, obviously after having spent the night in the OR, came at five o'clock and awakened them both. Seeing that he was again surrounded by medical personnel, Mulder's eyes got that extremely scared look again, the one that tore at Skinner's heart. He stiffened but understood when the doctor explained that the tubes were going to be removed. The endotracheal tube was first to go and Mulder gasped as this happened. He still didn't have a voice but the voice reappeared when the chest tube was pulled out. He got that gray cast on his face that Skinner knew was due to pain and fortunately, a mild analgesic was injected. An oxygen mask was strapped on and the whole contingent left, except for his nurse. She made a fuss over him, combing his hair and wiping off the tape marks over his face. She gave him mouthful of water, strictly for gargling and Mulder gratefully washed off his mouth. She then gave him a brief sponge bath, just enough to make him feel better and put him into a fresh hospital gown. All the while she was doing this, she kept talking of nonsensical things to keep his mind off his troubles, not unlike Mrs. Jackson with him yesterday, Skinner thought. So when she finished with Mulder, he at least looked more or less like his old self except for the oxygen mask on his face. Skinner had to say good bye and Mulder wearily nodded. He knew that Skinner had to go back to work, but he wished that someone familiar would stay with him. He knew that Scully wouldn't be able to come in today, because she was flying off to Nebraska for another case; something she would have to handle alone. He was just grateful when Skinner kissed his forehead and squeezed his arm before he left. Everything hurt and even the slightest intake of breath seemed to multiply the pain he was feeling. This was worse than any rib fracture he ever had and an intern passing by gleefuly explained to him that he had something where three sets of ribs had fractured on his right side so that every breath he took caused the ribs to grate on each other. Finally, at midday, Mulder was moved out of the ICU, having been stable through four hours of just having supplemental oxygen by mask. He was gently moved to his own room and he was able to rest much better there because of the absence of the incessant bleeps of the monitors. He still had that damned nasogastric tube up his nose and the catheter so there were still tubes to be pulled out, hopefully soon. Mulder drifted off to sleep and woke up with a feeling that someone else was in the room with him. He opened an eye and grinned when he saw that it was Mrs. Jackson. She said that he definitely looked much better now than the last time she saw him. She relayed how much distress he had caused Skinner but she emphasized that the accident wasn't his fault, since the official investigation revealed that one of the cars had a drunken driver. Things progressed swiftly once Mulder was out of the ICU. Both tubes were removed that afternoon and his diet was started the next day. Of course, the gradual progression of his diet, from liquids, to mush to solids didn't help his appetite any and this was aggravated by the way the hospital food looked. Serial X-rays were taken of his chest and there seemed to be no progression of his pulmonary contusion. By the fifth day, he was ready for discharge although there were strict instructions on pulmonary physiotherapy and incentive spirometry use and round the clock analgesics. He had balked at the doctors' reminder that his right kidney and liver were still bruised so that he was supposed to stay in bed at home for two more weeks without even bathroom breaks in the first five days. Skinner helped him get dressed into sweats and was the one who put on his socks and running shoes for him. It felt weird getting back into regular clothes after spending almost a week in those stupid hospital gowns. He had to be wheeled out of the hospital and he had to admit that walking the long distance to the Range Rover would have been too much. Skinner wanted to seat him at the back but Mulder wouldn't have none of that. He wasn't about to be treated like a child. He would have enough of that once he got back home. Complete bed rest for two weeks was too much! CHAPTER NINE DOMESTIC KISS Mulder was entitled to a full month of medical leave. He was allowed to ambulate after the requisite two weeks. It was, in some ways, worse than his recovery after the Alaskan interlude, because he really didn't feel sick. He got bored rather quickly and Skinner was hard put to keep up the supply of books and videos to keep him occupied. Mrs. Jackson kept an eye on him while Skinner was at work and she tried to entice him with cooking his favorite greasy foods. He was only starting to recover his appetite after ten days at home. At times, Skinner had the urge to throttle him because in his boredom, Mulder would deliberately get on his nerves. But Skinner's infinite well of patience in regards to Mulder was holding out and all Skinner had to do was think of what his life would be like without the younger man. After the exact two weeks were over, Mulder asked for sex. Skinner was reluctant to go all the way with him, cognizant of his internal injuries. "You might get a relapse, honey," Skinner said as Mulder tried to kiss him as they were lying on the bed. The agent had to be satisfied with heavy petting, which Skinner gently did, just like when they were in that New York hotel. Mulder clung to Skinner's shoulders as he parted his legs as Skinner's fingers sweetly penetrated him. Skinner concentrated on this awhile and Mulder was soon sufficiently erect. He was soon being masturbated by the older man, who was whispering loving words to him. Skinner then held out the washcloth and Mulder tensed as his body released his semen. "I really wanted you in me, Walter," Mulder sulked as he pulled up his shorts and pajama bottoms once he regained his breath. It was pleasant enough when he came but it wasn't the same. "I know...I know that we can have the whole thing once I get better." He already knew Skinner's practiced response. He was cranky and by this time, he didn't feel that he should hide anything from his lover anymore. Skinner got under the covers with him and shifted so that Mulder was on top of him as they embraced for the night. They couldn't get into their more customary position of Skinner shielding him with his body for the night because Mulder was still recovering. Mulder could feel Skinner's erection but Skinner had growled at him to leave him alone because he didn't want to overtax Mulder anymore than he had to. Mulder just tucked his head at the crook of Skinner's neck and they fell asleep. Of course, Mulder recovered quickly once the enforced bed rest rule was lifted. It was the longest time he ever had two weeks of leave since he and Skinner started living together. He found that he looked forward to Skinner getting home from work each day and eagerly awaited the turn of the key in the front door each evening. He kept busy during the mornings with his various research, even if Skinner urged him to stop doing that while he should be resting. He even went out to lunch with Scully three times and he found that she was only really annoyed that he felt he couldn't tell her about his relationship with their boss. She honestly didn't mind about his sexual orientation. She just naughtily asked how Skinner was in bed and he surprised himself when he'd answered her truthfully that Skinner was the best. Scully had laughed because he turned a beet red and had whispered when he'd answered her. It was just that he remembered their lovemaking the past few days which only seemed to get better and better. Scully herself seemed finally settled with her decision to marry the dermatologist and she never looked happier as she contemplated her coming wedding four months from now. She said that she never knew she would embrace the traditional wholeheartedly, with her gown and long engagement and reception at the appropriate club and the Catholic ceremony. Mulder then leered at her and asked how her fiance was in bed. She simulated outrage at the question but laughed back at him and said that she was a lady and such things were not discussed. But she had blushed as red as Mulder. Mulder's car was now in the junk heap so he and Skinner set aside some time in the weekend for car hunting instead of going to the cabin and in a few days, he picked up his new Cherokee. It wasn't really the car his heart was set on but for now, Mulder wanted a bigger and more sturdy car than the Camry. Getting trapped in a car while there were flames a few feet away was something he didn't want to happen again. Being fully rested and relaxed and having come back from a life threatening situation just enhanced Mulder's libido again and Skinner willingly obliged once the all clear signal was given by the doctors. Skinner still avoided any position that put Mulder under him so most of the time, he penetrated the younger man while they lay on their sides. Mulder loved the way Skinner continued to be so concerned about him in every aspect of their lives together. He'd complained once that the side to side position didn't allow as deep a penetration as he wanted and Skinner finally showed up one afternoon with an anal vibrator, something that he bought at the sleazier part of town. Mulder had protested at first when he saw it, warily eyeing the battery powered thing. However, Skinner persuaded him to give it a shot. They had quite a bit of foreplay that night and when Mulder was sufficiently aroused, Skinner generously lubricated the thing and inserted it gently. At first, Mulder gasped as Skinner played with it in an in and out motion. "Is that deep enough for you, honey?" Skinner kissed his lover as Mulder trembled. Mulder nodded, his face sweat slicked with excitement, speechless in the sensation of the friction of the vibrator as it continuously went through and retreated at his sphincters. As he got into the spirit of what Skinner was doing, Skinner turned it on at the lowest setting and Mulder jumped. "Oh...oh, Walter!" Mulder writhed as the in and out motion was accompanied by the new vibrations. The small machine was continuously stimulating his prostate and Mulder came hard within two seconds. Skinner was so surprised at the intensity of Mulder's orgasm that he was caught unawares as Mulder's semen arced into the sheets. "I guess Mrs. Jackson would have to do the sheets again tomorrow," Mulder laughed shakily. He groaned as Skinner continued kissing him deeply and this time, it was better as Skinner entered him from behind while both were lying on their sides. Mulder's excitement built again as he felt Skinner' s filling him up and he could feel Skinner's sweet breath on his cheek. Skinner's breathing was ragged now and his hips were thrusting into Mulder more jerkily, signifying that he was close to the edge. Skinner gave the younger man a nip on the neck as he shook with the force of his orgasm. Mulder groaned as he felt Skinner gush into him. Skinner was preparing to withdraw but Mulder pleaded with him to stay connected for a while. Skinner obliged him and kept his leg over Mulder's thigh while Mulder clamped a hand over the same leg. Skinner was shrinking rapidly but it was pleasant to be surrounded by the Skinner, his sweaty smell, his heavy arms and leg, the particular scent of his semen, his heavy breathing. Skinner knew that his lover was particularly feeling vulnerable again, especially after one night when he had choked out his anxiety over being so close to the possibility of dying by fire when the flames had licked the cars. Skinner nuzzled Mulder's moist neck as his arms rubbed his chest and arms. It surprised Skinner when Mulder voiced the fear that he might have caused the accident. Although the official investigation had revealed that it was really the drunken driver's fault, Mulder had the usual nagging doubt in the back of his mind. As Skinner gently probed Mulder, trying to understand how this particular train of thought came about, he was startled to learn that Mulder never felt that confident with his driving. It turned out that he only learned to drive when he came back from Oxford at twenty-three. He was too young for a driver's license when he left for England at sixteen and Bill Mulder never had the inclination nor the patience to instruct his son in the art of driving a motor vehicle. Mulder had shyly shown his father his learner's permit when he was fifteen but it was patently ignored by his father. And once in England, everything was left-hand drive; furthermore, most students there went around by bicycle or bus. Once he got back to the States, Mulder had wheedled his mother's housekeeper, a lady not that far from Mrs. Jackson's age, to teach him when Mrs. Mulder was not around. It was on the housekeeper's ten year old Pinto that Mulder learned to drive. And because he didn't have a car until the Camry, most of his driving experience was gleaned from the Bureau car pool. No wonder Mulder's personnel file contained so many forms from the car pool, filled out by the agent on explanations of the various dented fenders he'd incurred throughout the years he was working in the Bureau, Skinner mused. Skinner gently pulled out of Mulder's backside and the agent groaned with disappointment. They got cleaned up and once he was reassured that Mulder drank his last set of medications, Skinner's strong arms enclosed the slighter form of the agent, making sure that the embrace was not crushing Mulder's newly knit ribs. It was very sweet having Mulder at home, waiting for him every night after a hard day's work. Mrs. Jackson left earlier these days because Mulder took it upon himself to cook dinner for Skinner during his leave. Skinner found himself looking forward to Mulder's more serene company each night once he got home. He knew that it was unfair for Mulder that was why he never said it out loud, but he preferred Mulder like this, seeing him at the end of a long day perfectly rested and solicitous of him. It reminded Skinner of the first few years with Sharon when she was still enthusiastic with her new housewife role. But Skinner chided himself, because he knew perfectly well that when he entered this relationship with the agent that he wasn't really looking for a housewife. It was just that he sometimes got nostalgic for his younger years. Having Mulder so sweet and safe in the apartment gave Skinner all sorts of tender feelings inside. That was why he had risked so much for Mulder this afternoon when he had parked his car in that unsafe neighborhood and had stammered at the counter for what he wanted, just so that Mulder could get that vibrator. It had taken some time to select what seemed to be the right one for Mulder; Skinner never knew so much variety existed. He'd blushed when the proprietor had extolled the virtues of some of the models and some of the browsers in the shop had heard. It had unnerved him that so many men much more burly than him had looked at him with interest in that sex shop and he had split from there as soon as he'd paid in cash. A young Hispanic slender and pretty had even winked at him and blew him a kiss. Skinner blushed again as he looked away and hoped that no one followed him to the car. He certainly stood out in the shop with his regulation suit and tie with topcoat. He was the only one who seemed to regularly take a morning shower and shave, thus peaking the interest of most of the patrons. As Mulder slept the sleep of the sated in his arms. Skinner reminded himself to make sure to tell Mulder about all the trouble he'd gone through just to get something that would enhance Mulder's gratification. He winced as he remembered that it took him at least twenty minutes of high tension to get that vibrator but that it only took seconds for Mulder to achieve such a strong orgasm once Skinner turned on the switch of that thing. The damned thing was still by the sink where he'd left it after he'd cleaned it and Skinner hoped he would remember in the morning to hide it from Mrs. Jackson. She might be more receptive to Astroglide but Skinner wasn't sure if she would be offended in finding that he and Mulder were stooping to sex toys so soon after Mulder's accident. But once Mulder was fully recovered and was back to work and their routine back to normal, the vibrator was soon forgotten in the shoe box at the back of the top shelf of Skinner's closet, far from Mrs. Jackson's clutches. Skinner occasionally missed Mulder's brief stint with keeping house but he had to admit that Mulder working and maintaining his obsession with the X-files was a lot better than that. CHAPTER TEN MISSING WALTER AND DOING LAUNDRY Mulder was moping around the apartment. He'd just showered after an afternoon run. He ran in the mornings and afternoons lately, since Skinner had been gone for the past four days. Scully likewise was only married for a month and he certainly can't bother her anymore like he used to when he was bored. Skinner was attending some seminar for senior Bureau management in the West Coast and it was for the whole week. Mulder was painfully finding out how empty the apartment could be without his lover. He just never thought of how it was in Skinner's shoes, whenever he would go on a case with Scully to some godforsaken town. In some cases, Mulder would be away from DC almost every week and Skinner never complained. Now, Mulder was realizing how it must have been for him. No wonder there were always a big stack of books by Skinner's night stand whenever Mulder got back to DC. Skinner always favored books on military stuff, a topic that held no interest for Mulder. Mulder surfed the net for an hour and glumly ate Mrs. Jackson's dinner but he was unable to finish it. Finally, Skinner made his call as he did every night at eight o'clock and they talked for a long time. Mulder had to admit that hearing from Skinner never lost its thrill for him and he was warmed thoroughly when the older man complained about missing him. Skinner ran up quite a long distance bill that night so much so that Mulder was looking forward to their reunion that Friday night. Skinner got into the apartment past midnight. He wearily left his luggage by the front door, not bothering to bring it upstairs. The plane was delayed by the snowstorm in DC and Skinner only got on the flight after shelling out a brand new first class seat which was still available at the last minute. Ashcraft and Blevins were left behind because they were unwilling to pay the difference in seats. Skinner grimaced as he saw the cold dinner on the dining room table and his sense of neatness prevailed. He put each dish in the refrigerator and washed his hands. He took off his tie and turned off the lamps. He went upstairs and likewise turned off the lights on the way to their bedroom. He smiled tiredly when he saw Mulder asleep over the bedcovers. He was still fully dressed in his suit trousers and dress shirt. He was sleeping better these days and the nightmares were now occuring only once every few months. Right now, Skinner could see that Mulder had gotten himself a new haircut, the really short kind that Skinner preferred and was looking so young and untroubled in his sleep. Skinner quietly sat by the agent and his arm protectively sheltered the agent as he kissed him awake. Mulder stirred and snuffled into the pillow as Skinner kissed his neck tenderly. Mulder wiped off the drool from his mouth and squinted an eye awake. "Times it?" he muttered. His hair was endearingly standing up at the top of his head which Skinner was smoothing down. "One o'clock," Skinner said, kissing Mulder's forehead again. He snaked a hand up the agent's shirt and stroked his side. "Shitty flight?" Mulder inquired as he languidly stretched. Skinner nodded an affirmative. "You hungry?" Mulder asked, his eyes closing again. Skinner shook him awake again and told him to undress and get under the covers. It was a cold night. Skinner tried to get him awake enough to try to get him into pajamas, but Mulder crankily just tossed his clothes onto the floor and snuggled under the comforter. Skinner sighed and picked up the clothes and himself undressed and got into bed. He turned off the last lamp at his night stand and they were enshrouded in darkness. Mulder instinctively closed the gap between them and Skinner shivered as Mulder's frigid feet encountered his own as the younger man wrapped his body over the AD. Skinner fell asleep within the next second. When Skinner finally opened a bleary eye, he saw that it was still dark outside but was startled when the bedside clock revealed that it was almost ten o'clock. It looked like they weren't going to the cabin this weekend because of the blizzard. Mulder woke not soon after and shivered as he got out of bed and rummaged into his closet for a sweatshirt. Once he had it on, he gingerly returned to the still warm bed. They murmured their conversation, now mainly consisting of the shorthand and unfinished thoughts which the other understood, just like any married couple. Whereas before, they would have been all over each other once they were awake, just like all the previous Saturday mornings, now, their Saturday mornings first agenda consisted of conversations about the week they had spent. This morning, their conversation lasted an hour and a half and Mulder shivered in anticipation as the words started to peter out and Skinner's hand was straying up his sweatshirt and the other sneaked down his shorts. Mulder tried to keep talking but he was soon reduced to breathless sighs and moans and Skinner expertly found all his erogenous zones. Pretty soon, Mulder didn't mind anymore that all his clothes were shed. He was being warmed enough by Skinner. The older man gently sank into him in their favorite face to face position after successfully preparing and lubricating Mulder. Skinner sighed happily because it was the first time he'd attempted this position since the accident and Mulder didn't seem to have any aches about it. Skinner moaned with Mulder when he felt Mulder's familiar wetness between their stomach and he soon followed with his own orgasm. "Shit," Mulder moaned with irritation as he felt his sphincters loosen as soon as Skinner withdrew. The leak was only a small amount and he was starting to get up to clean himself. Skinner knew how badly the agent felt during the one time this had happened and he gently grabbed Mulder's face and kissed him deeply to distract him. "Walter...Walter," Mulder protested. "I need to clean up...the sheets..." Skinner smothered him with kisses and murmured that it was okay. Mulder didn't want to be persuaded. "You were pretty full this morning, when I entered you," Skinner tried to reason with him as he got up and turned back the covers. There was a small spot of feces by Mulder admixed with Skinner's semen. Mulder turned his face away in disgust and embarrassment. Full was right. Just at the moment, he felt that he might go all over the place if he even attempted to stand up to go to the bathroom. He was surprised when Skinner's powerful arms lifted him off the bed and gently deposited him in the bathroom on the toilet. Skinner left him alone to give him privacy as he went back to the bed and efficiently stripped the sheets. He knew Mulder was unnecessarily upset again even if they'd already asked the doctor about this. The doctor said that it was inevitable at times, and wasn't a sign of incontinence. It was just having a full rectum during anal sex led to rectal stimulation which caused the sphincters to relax and peristalsis of the bowel was the natural result. Of course Skinner had known that Mulder's rectal vault was full just before he penetrated him since he'd checked when he was preparing his lover. Now Skinner vowed to ask him first if he wanted to proceed with sex each time he found him thus, because Mulder seemed unnecessarily humiliated each time it happened. The sheets were in the washing machine by the time a subdued Mulder got out of the bathroom. His jaws clenched when he saw the freshly made bed. He accepted Skinner's kisses and other shows of affection. Because they were so close now and their brain waves so attuned with each other, Skinner could sense the wheels of his thoughts on what had happened and not incorrectly was relating it to Mulder's ever pervasive guilty conscience. "It's okay, honey," Skinner tried to reassure him again. Mulder finally softened to him and accepted his hug. They went down to the kitchen for brunch and watched some videos, this time a combat movie, the kind that Skinner preferred. It was a really cold day and there seemed to be no sign of the blizzard stopping. Mulder cuddled against the older man as they watched the movie, making snide remarks of the quality of the black and white movie. Skinner tolerated it because he himself made such remarks when Mulder was watching his B-movies. Sometimes, Skinner would even tell stories about his Vietnam experiences. Mulder drew the afghan over both of them as they watched. CHAPTER ELEVEN VICARIOUS FAMILY RING Mulder prepared dinner for both of them. Dinner conversation centered on Skinner's past. It was Mulder's current obsession regarding his lover. It seemed he could never get enough stories of Skinner's boyhood and young adulthood. Skinner was only too glad to oblige. Skinner knew what had brought this on. Just a few days ago, Mulder had finally given up his old apartment and they had spent the day moving out the few boxes of things Mulder deemed important enough to keep. Skinner had been shocked when he saw that one of the contents of the boxes stored two copies of Mulder's Academy official graduation photos. Mulder was embarrassed as he relayed that neither one of his parents cared to have a copy of the thing. Then Skinner had spied a small battered photo album and found that most of the pictures contained Samantha's photos since Mulder painfully muttered that his parents didn't take pictures of him either when he was growing up. Mulder knew that he was just getting a vicarious experience when Skinner reminisced. He'd found out that Skinner was very close to his father growing up and it was something that was a total mystery to Mulder. Skinner even called his father Daddy up to now. It seemed that the senior Skinner taught his son almost everything from the first bike ride, first fishing trip, camping, driving and everything. Mulder couldn't even remember his father teaching him anything and up to now he was a total klutz with outdoor pursuits. Skinner also talked of the fun times his family had at the cabin, when it was still really a cabin. How his mother would cook there, when she did so little of the cooking at home since there were maids to do that for her. How she always made sure that they ate whatever fish Skinner caught for the day. "If they were around now, would they have liked me?" Mulder hesitantly asked. Skinner was surprised at the question and pondered at it for a while "My mother would have liked you a lot," Skinner admitted. "She never really warmed to the idea of Sharon as an in-law and in the end she was right. She was actually more open minded than Daddy." He relayed to Mulder how she had caught him masturbating one time and didn't make a big to do about it; instead, she just said to lock the door so that he could have privacy. "But Daddy was more conservative than Mother was," Skinner pondered. "He probably would have been very angry for a while but he probably have come around after a few months." Mulder's asking about his parents prodded Skinner's visit. The next week, before they set off for the cabin, Skinner dragged Mulder along to the cemetery where they spent a few cold minutes while Skinner communed with his parents. Mulder shivered in his thick jacket and stared with discomfort at the cemetery. Seeing Skinner put some flowers on the graves of his parents and shed a tear painfully reminded the younger man that he'd never even been to his father's grave in Boston. Things were pretty jumbled up after the case in New Mexico and after finding out what his father's real motives were regarding getting close to his son in the few months before his death, Mulder never felt that his father warranted a visit. Skinner blew his nose and looked up. He saw that Mulder was uncomfortable. He had to laugh and threw an arm over the younger man's shoulders. He joked as to how Mulder could look scared in the cemetery when so much of this thing was a part of their work. Then Mulder mumbled that he'd never paid a visit to his own father's grave. Skinner looked at him in shock. "Maybe someday, I'll visit my dad," Mulder shrugged. Like everything between them lately, their lovemaking at the cabin was very sweet and tender. Skinner gently kissed Mulder's neck and cheek as the younger man moaned and sighed beneath him. The AD tenderly filled Mulder's body with his erection and Mulder was clutching the sheets as he felt Skinner's familiar and well-loved heaviness over him. "Oooh, W-walter," Mulder moaned. Skinner's strong arms lifted his hips from the bed as the gentle rhythm continued. "You love me so good..." "Honey, I want to go deeper," Skinner groaned. Mulder obliged by lifting up his ass and spreading his knees as far as it would go and keeping his chest on the bed. He tried to entice Skinner to put his hand on his erection but Skinner wanted him to last longer and managed to gasp out that he'll do that later. Mulder closed his eyes in ecstacy as he realized that Skinner was managing to prolong their pleasure considerably this time. The older man was leisurely going in and out of his body. "Try to relax, Fox, so we can last longer," Skinner murmured. Mulder took a deep breath and forced his body to relax. Skinner gently pinned him back down on the bed and amazingly, relaxing seemed to heighten their senses. Skinner stopped for a while and kissed Mulder's face, neck and back while still hard within Mulder's body. Mulder moaned as Skinner's kisses continued. Then Skinner reestablished the rhythm at an even gentler pace. Their soft sighs and Mulder's occasional moans filled Skinner's ears as their bodies moved under the comforter. When he felt that the time was right, as Mulder's moans started to intensify again, Skinner reached a hand between Mulder's legs and lightly massaged Mulder's erection. Within a few seconds, Mulder grunted as Skinner's hand magically triggered his orgasm "Walter..." Mulder sobbed as Skinner rained kisses on his lover. Mulder collapsed and moaned again as Skinner finally succumbed to the inevitable. Skinner actually saw stars beneath his eyelids from the intensity of the moment. It was freezing in the cabin since the heating still hadn't kicked in fully so both of them were actually not nude under the comforter. Both of them were still wearing their undershirts and socks and only the lower half of their bodies were bare. Skinner cleaned them up with the washcloth ready at the bedside and once done, Mulder put his freezing hands underneath Skinner's T-shirt to warm them. His lover did the same and continued to deeply kiss him. For once, Skinner was glad that Mulder wasn't falling asleep on him and they continued to play with their kisses which was proving to be quite enjoyable for both of them. "Thank you, Walter, for the good come," Mulder murmured, as sweet as ever and Skinner chuckled happily. He continued to stroke Mulder's bare buttock as the agent finally succumbed to sleep. For once, Mulder woke the next morning before Skinner and he gazed at the sleeping form of the older man. Skinner looked more vulnerable in sleep, especially with the absence of his eyeglasses. His mouth was open as he snored lightly. Mulder quietly turned back the comforter and saw that Skinner's T-shirt had hitched up in sleep and exposed his muscular abdomen. He had no excess fat and only muscle was present. There was a light brush of hair on his lower abdomen that led to his pubic hair which had a few traces of gray by now. Skinner's penis and scrotum never ceased to amaze Mulder because of their impressive dimensions even when quiescent like now. Skinner laughed when Mulder openly compared the size of their genitals when they were in the shower together a few days ago. Knowing that Skinner's muscular presence was exclusively for their mutual pleasure gave a nice feeling in Mulder and he covered both of them again with the comforter as he cuddled up next to his lover. Mulder looked at the signet ring on the smallest finger of his left hand. Skinner gave it to him five months ago. It had been just after he'd fully recovered from the accident and Skinner had been particularly romantic that day. The older man reiterated his intent that their relationship was for always. The small detailed coat of arms on the ring was actually Skinner's family crest but no one knew that of course except for Scully. She'd seen the ring a few days later and had smiled at her friend and gently kissed his cheek as congratulations. Then she laughed when he blushed over it. Mulder gave Skinner a hug as the AD continued to sleep. For the past four and a half years, this man had been the most important person in his life and the love in his heart for Skinner seemed to fill him to bursting. Skinner finally blinked his eyes open and he grinned when he saw that Mulder was gazing at him with adoration. Mulder said a good morning and Skinner's grin became even wider and his eyes turned misty when Mulder repeated how much he loved him. Mulder knew he sounded very mushy and maudlin but he didn't care. He just sighed happily when Skinner growled jokingly at him and pulled him into a fierce embrace. Both of them didn't want to move out from under the warmth of the comforter so they continued cuddling for a while. Skinner finally pulled away as his bladder was near bursting as he got up to go to the bathroom. Mulder heard him take his morning shower and once done, Skinner went back to the bed to prod Mulder to get up so that they could go cross country skiing. Just like most things in his life, skiing was something that Skinner learned from his father and it was something that seemed to interest Mulder as well. As expected, Mulder knew next to nothing about the sport. Skinner taught him all he knew about it this past winter and when the weather was good and the snow was right, they'd indulged in the sport whenever possible. Mulder was a quick study and it was something that kept them both fit and still keep Mulder out of trouble. But up to now, Mulder still refused to go fishing with him. They were pleasantly breathless by the time they got back to the cabin that late afternoon. Their exertions made the heat of the cabin almost unbearable so Mulder started shedding his clothes as Skinner prepared the hot chocolate. Hot chocolate after skiing was some sort of Skinner tradition and their continuing that tradition sometimes still unnerved Mulder. He never had traditions like that when he was growing up. When Samantha disappeared, he mainly concentrated on keeping out of his parents' way. His father pounded it into to him not to disturb his mother with anything since she was so fragile with major depression. It was during times like these, when everything was so perfect between them when Mulder was filled with anxieties he knew might be groundless. His whole life had been marked by losses and he knew that no matter what Skinner said that they were together forever, Mulder's whole experience only reinforced the obverse of that "forever" part. All the important relationships in his life were never permanent. His sister, for one thing. Another was the sudden death of his father just when Mulder was getting close to him. Now his mother wasn't even speaking to him. Phoebe seemed like the love of his life when he was young and he later realized that she was merely using him. His few friends in the Bureau were likewise dead, like Reggie Purdue. The many times he'd been hospitalized only emphasized to him as to how fleeting life could be. His right hand absently twiddled his signet ring. Mulder went upstairs to change out of his thermal underwear and tried to shake himself out of this blue funk. He knew that he couldn't hide much from Skinner, that sometimes, Skinner had been able to pry things out of him even when he didn't want Skinner to do so. When he got back down, Skinner was starting the fire in the hearth, a chore that Mulder never did. Only because Skinner was there that Mulder was slowly being convinced that a fire in a fireplace could be romantic. Skinner sat down on the couch and Mulder settled himself onto the older man's lap as best he could and they cuddled a while as they drank the hot chocolate. Skinner could see that Mulder was in somewhat of a blue funk again, but not too much. A grey funk, Skinner privately called it. He didn't know what brought this on but he knew that just spending time quietly talking as they cuddled in front of the fire was enough to put the younger man in a better mood. He ruffled the agent's hair absently as they talked and occasionally rubbed his back and liberally showered kisses on his neck. He just knew that sometimes, Mulder needed extra loving and this afternoon was one of those times. It was just that Mulder was taught quite early in life to keep everything inside of him while Skinner's management training had armed him with a thing or two of gentler interrogation techniques. Within two hours, Mulder was relaxed enough to laugh with him over something he'd read. When Mulder finally laughed, Skinner smiled at him indulgently and vowed again to do anything in his power to make the younger man happy forever. It was during times like these when they were in the warmth of the cabin with seemingly few cares in the world, with winter raging outside that Skinner's heart filled with love for the agent. When such feelings overwhelmed him, he would usually take Mulder in his arms in a tight embrace, but now, he just cupped Mulder's cheek indulgently and carressed his face lightly. CHAPTER TWELVE BELIZE TAN AND SORE PARTS Lately as their relationship continued to deepen, Skinner wondered how much longer they could disguise their feelings for each other at work. Previously, as long as Skinner didn't concentrate on looking at certain parts of Mulder, like his lower lip, the back of his neck or his crotch, Skinner didn't have any problems with that. But now, just seeing the agent at a distance in the hallway was enough to bring an involuntary smile on his lips. There was a large meeting the other day where Mulder even presented something and it took all of Skinner's self-control to keep from smiling stupidly at his Mulder. It didn't help any that Mulder would occasionally brush against him deliberately when he was sure no one was looking or even hold his hand. It was just as well that Mulder visited his office only sparingly but when he came up alone ostensibly to hand in a report to him personally, they'd even indulged in a chaste kiss once the door was closed behind them. Of course, whenever Scully came up with Mulder for updates on their current cases, both of them managed to maintain decorum. He didn't know that Mulder was being teased by Scully the moment they stepped out of his office. She found it so hilarious that they were behaving so professionally because she was the only one who really knew the score between the two. Mulder made no secret of his envy of Scully whenever her husband came to pick her up after her work on Fridays. It just bugged him that he and Skinner couldn't even drive to the office together and leave together. That winter was exceedingly harsh and Skinner finally had enough of it and managed to get a two week vacation for himself and a ten day vacation for Mulder. He then assigned them to another Florida case and once his holiday started ahead of Mulder, he flew to Florida to meet him. Scully tried to be blase when he hugged Mulder in the airport at Jacksonville, but he could see that seeing her boss and her best friend together for the first time still unnerved her. Of course, it had been different when she had found out about their relationship at the hospital because all of their emotions were heightened at that time out of concern for Mulder's well-being. Then of course, seeing them at the office was different too because close physical contact never happened between the two in her presence. But after a few minutes in the car with Mulder happily joking and holding Skinner's hand liberally as the agent drove, Scully could see how much good Skinner was for her partner. They got back to the motel and Scully was feeling like a fifth wheel, especially when they talked about things other than work. They still had adjoining rooms and Scully was just wondering if she should move out for a while to give them privacy. She could plainly hear them kissing at the other room. Knowing mentally that they were into a relationship was one thing, but seeing the actual evidence was different. To her relief, Mulder packed his bags and cheerfully told her that he was checking out since he and Skinner were going to a better hotel. The next day, Mulder and Skinner flew to Belize. Skinner had found a resort there that offered complete privacy and even had a private pool for each guest house. Mulder seemed to be recharged the moment they set foot on the island and he was the one who was now taking charge. They made love out in the terrace by the poolside and Skinner was reduced to a quivering mess as Mulder turned him into his pet project. He wouldn't allow Skinner to do anything, just to savor his sensations. Dimly in his mind, Skinner realized that Mulder was doing something that Skinner usually did during the early part of their relationship, when he would pleasure Mulder endlessly without him receiving anything in return. He found that he liked being the recepient of all the attention for once. Skinner found himself holding Mulder's head to his erection as Mulder enthusiastically took him in his mouth. "God, Fox, you're getting really good at this," Skinner said through clenched teeth as he panted out his pleasure. It only seemed like yesterday when he was teaching Mulder the way he liked to be stimulated orally. He was lying on one of the chaise lounges by the pool with his thighs spread wide while Mulder laved him and sucked him. His swimming trunks were long since gone and the afternoon sun wasn't so fierce anymore. The tall palm trees overhead captured Skinner's attention as he concentrated on Mulder's hot, soft and wet mouth. Mulder brought him close to the edge again and again, stopping just in time whenever he felt Skinner's testes riding up. Right now, Skinner was going crazy with longing and he felt himself getting unhinged. Mulder looked up briefly at his lover and liked what he saw. Skinner was clutching the sides of the chaise lounge, his powerful chest heaving as deep heavy grunts issued from his lips. His upper lip and head were beaded with sweat while trickles issued from his chest down to his stomach. His eyes were looking up at the trees that surrounded them and he occasionally murmured Mulder's name. Finally, Mulder relented and sucked him to completion. "Did you like that?" Mulder went up to him and kissed him. He inhaled the special scent of sweat that was his lover's alone. Skinner growled at him and said, "What do you think?" He was still panting heavily and was breathless after such a strong orgasm. Tasting himself on Mulder's mouth under the hot sun was incredibly erotic and pretty soon, he recovered and they were playing around the pool. Skinner wanted to try something new and he and Mulder got into the pool. Because it was so warm and completely private, they were able to maintain their erections in the water. Mulder got the idea and braced himself against the shallow part and parted his legs. Skinner carefully parted his lover's buttocks and entered him from behind. It felt incredible once the older man started strongly thrusting into his partner. It seemed that each thrust brought an undulation of water that seemed to fill Mulder. He was soon sobbing with need and he ejaculated strongly into the water. Mulder could plainly see his semen moving slowly out of his penile tip as the water coagulated his seed. They cleaned up in the big outside shower as the sun started to set. Skinner ordered room service for them and they had a nice long romantic dinner by the pool. "Isn't this like a honeymoon, Walter?"" Mulder asked shyly as he speared a shrimp and popped it into his mouth. Skinner laughed and kissed him again and told him that yes, this was their honeymoon. In the late evening, after Mulder had had his fill of the local television stations, he was hot for Skinner again. But Skinner had to beg off. He knew that he wasn't going to get another erection for tonight but he stimulated Mulder with his hands again. This time, Skinner was the one who drove him wild. Mulder didn't blush anymore when Skinner put his legs over his shoulders and put a few pillows under his hips. Mulder felt like drowning when Skinner licked him down there. This was only the second time he did it for Mulder and Mulder was now all for it. "OOH, God , Walter!" Mulder kept crying out as Skinner's mouth possessed his anus. Skinner's powerful hands were parting his bottom cheeks and Mulder found himself thrusting up his hips into his face. He felt the full force of Skinner's acceptance and profound love for him during times like this when the older man urged him on to let go of his sensations when he was so open and vulnerable. Just when he thought he was in heaven, he felt something slide into him and realized that it was the old vibrator. "Baby, I love you so much," Skinner murmured into his ear as the older man slid the vibrator in and out at the rhythm that was just perfect. "I love it when you're like this, so aroused and open to me." Skinner kept murmuring loving words into his ear and Mulder felt the animal sounds escaping from his lips. He grunted heavily as beads of sweat formed on his body, releasing his particular scent that Skinner so loved. Mulder unconciously held onto the headboard and with his arms and legs outstretched to their limits and his body taut with arousal, Skinner savored the sight of his lover. Skinner leaned forward to lick his nipples and it was enough to set Mulder off. "Walter...I love you!" Mulder cried out as he trembled in his ecstacy. The sensory overload was too much and Skinner scooped him into his arms and Mulder shuddered the last of his body's pleasure. "Did you like it better when I licked you down there, honey?" Skinner asked quietly. Mulder wearily nodded as he drifted off to sleep. "Your tongue there feels great," Mulder sleepily confirmed. He felt Skinner get up and clean up the excess lubricant and his semen which had gone everywhere on him and on the sheets. Then Skinner got another washcloth and wiped off his sweat from his chest, neck and under his arms. As usual, Skinner was so considerate of him throughout their "honeymoon", unabashly treating him like he was the blushing bride. Mulder had to admit that it seemed peculiar at first but he liked all the attention the older man lavished on him. It was here in Belize that Mulder finally believed the significance of the signet ring on his finger. It helped a lot that there was unlimited privacy in this tropical paradise and when they left the guest house, no one gave them much thought. For the first time, both of them could hug and kiss each other in front of other people without fear of being found out. The freedom was intoxicating because even when they were in New York years before, they couldn't really do this out in the open. The "Do Not Disturb" sign was perpetually on their door and it was the first time in a long while that they had to abstain from anal intercourse for two days because Mulder was getting very sore, indeed. They went snorkeling and shopping in town but Skinner drew the line at scuba diving, because knowing Mulder's track record, he didn't want to risk any equipment failure. They went windsurfing and jetskiing and for once in his life, Mulder enjoyed being on the water. It tickled Skinner's sensibilities that people were looking at Mulder with interest but no one really bothered them. A lot of the women in bikinis and other revealing beach wear would occasionally brush up against Mulder to peak his interest, unaware that his interest was only in Skinner. Mulder really did look particularly good on the beaches of Belize, with his fit tanned body and perpetually wearing those little bathing suits he called trunks but were really the male version of bikinis. Skinner knew that Mulder also looked at the women but by this time, he wasn't threatened anymore. Even when some of the obviously gay men were trying to entice Mulder, Skinner didn't mind because he was confident with the fact that Mulder was totally his; that they were only for each other. Skinner had to step in only once when a persistent man kept hounding Mulder. He was someone obviously European and was quite taken with the agent even when there were signs of rebuff and anger from Mulder. Skinner had noticed the man a few days before and knew that he had propositioned Mulder many times already. But Skinner remembered the incident at the Safeway when Mulder had declared that he could handle those advances by himself and Skinner just stayed away. Right now, Skinner was trying to doze off at the nearly deserted beach but when he was hearing raised voices, he looked up and stood when he saw that the long haired European had a grip on Mulder's arm. This was too much and Skinner approached them and with a few moves, he dislodged the man from Mulder. A few well placed curses finally convinced the thick-headed pursuer and he walked away. "Are you all right, Fox?" Skinner asked with concern. Mulder appeared shaken and there were red finger marks on his upper arm. "Yes," Mulder said uncertainly. "It's just that he kept saying all these weird things he wanted to do to me and he was pretty graphic, just like a serial killer." "You should have called me earlier if he was bothering you that much,"Skinner took him into his arms and was surprised when he found Mulder to be actually trembling. "He wouldn't take no for an answer," Mulder muttered as he felt better in Skinner's arms. The predatory manner of the man had chilled him. "Maybe it's different with gay people in other countries." "Okay, honey," Skinner kissed his cheek. "I won't leave you alone next time." It bothered both of them that people assumed that they were promiscuous just because they were gay. Skinner himself had been surprised when some men at the beach had frankly appraised him and had tried to entice him, too. He'd only thought that Mulder was the one who deserved such attention, because he was more obviously good looking . Mulder had laughed at his discomfiture and had tried to convince him that he was attractive, too. After that incident, they didn't stray far from each other especially if they were on the public beaches. That night, they ate dinner at a romantic restaurant and walked in the town for a little sight seeing. Then when they got back to the hotel room Skinner slowly undressed Mulder for a slow seduction under the full moon which was visible from their room. The french doors were thrown wide open so that the cooler evening breeze from the beach filled their room with the smell of the ocean. Mulder was still obviously sore when Skinner checked him, the way the puckered nether orifice was reddened and his painful squirm when Skinner had placed a tentative finger. "Walter, it might hurt," Mulder said, with a slight anxious tone in his voice. He was lying nude on the immaculate white sheets and his smooth tanned body was illuminated only by moonlight. Skinner savored the absolutely magical sight of the younger man in this tropical paradise and was enchanted anew. "I'll never hurt you, honey," Skinner murmured. And Mulder was transported into another world as Skinner leisurely licked every inch of his body. Skinner took his own sweet time and for once, Mulder didn't try to make him go faster or harder. Total relaxation was what Skinner wanted and there were no frantic thrusting into his mouth by the time he had taken Mulder's engorged member. Mulder's body was moist all over and he glistened in the moonlight. He didn't grab Skinner's head either, only having his arms and legs outflung on the big bed. His orgasm was sweet and gentle but seemed to take a longer time than usual. "What about you, Walter," Mulder asked breathlessly. "No, I want this to be my gift to you," Skinner said romantically. It had been like magic worshipping Mulder's body and it had been enough for Skinner. He also knew that the younger man was drained and was too sated to do much of anything. "This has been the best vacation ever," Mulder murmured as Skinner gathered him up into his arms so that they could sleep as close to each other as possible. The next day, Mulder was sunbathing nude under the tropical sun. He wanted to avoid the tan lines made by the bathing trunks so he stayed on the chaise by their private pool. Skinner was reading inside their room and after a few minutes, he looked up with concern. Mulder had been under the sun for at least an hour now and Skinner was aware about the health guidelines of too much sunburn. He went to their private terrace and muttered a curse when he saw that Mulder was asleep with the tropical sun at its highest. He got his own sunblock and sat by Mulder and applied the sunblock on his back. "What's that?" Mulder awakened and sniffed the unfamiliar scent. "You can't sleep out here for more than a half hour and not expect yourself to burn," Skinner said, slowly massaging the lotion onto Mulder's broad shoulders and down his back. Mulder found himself enjoying the unexpected massage and was almost dozing off under Skinner's hands. Then he felt Skinner's hands stray between his buttock cheeks. "Uuh, Walter, I don't think anyone gets sunburn there," Mulder laughed and squirmed. "I want you protected all over, honey," Skinner murmured seductively and Mulder shivered. He felt Skinner's slick finger gain entry into his orifice and he groaned. "Does it still hurt?" Skinner asked with concern as his finger gently went in ever widening circles. It was just for the past three days he hadn't been able to do what he most wanted and he was starting to feel deprived. Being stimulated manually and orally were okay but nothing can beat being enclosed by Mulder's silken sheath. Mulder stood up abruptly and took Skinner's hand and led him into the bedroom. "You sure you're okay now?" Skinner asked with his usual concern. "I'm ready for you now, Walter," Mulder said, his eyes dilating and his nostrils flaring. Skinner's desire was urgent this time and they didn't spend much time with the usual preliminaries. He got out of his trunks in one swift move and got the tube of Astroglide from the end table. "I want you on top, honey," Skinner said as he lavishly applied the lubricant on his erection and applied much more to Mulder's anal area. "You have to control the thrusting so that I won't hurt you." They shifted places and Skinner lay down on the immaculate sheets. Mulder squatted with his feet planted by Skinner's torso and facing away from Skinner. The older man used his fingers first to stretch his lover's orifice. Mulder's breath released in relief when he realized that the soreness was gone. "It doesn't hurt anymore, Walter," Mulder gasped as the second of Skinner's fingers invaded him. When he was ready, Mulder faced Skinner again and with Skinner helping him balance with his hands on his hips and Mulder guiding Skinner's penetration, Skinner groaned heavily as he felt Mulder's familiar tight silky heat enclose his member. "Baby, you feel so good," Skinner moaned as his hands grasped Mulder's slim hips and helped Mulder with the thrusting down movement. Skinner wasn't able to hold back and ejaculated into Mulder's bowels with only a few strokes. "Please stay, Walter," Mulder murmured as they fell onto their side still attached as one although Skinner could feel himself shrinking rapidly. After a few minutes, however, the inevitable happened and Skinner had to pull out as he shrank further. He turned Mulder to face him and grasped the younger man's erect member and with his other hand, turned Mulder's face so that they were looking into each other's eyes. Skinner found that looking unblinkingly at each other while they continued to make love made them feel closest to each other. It was addicting watching Mulder's face transform under the stimulation of his penis. His eyes continued to dilate until it seemed black and his nostrils flared and his mouth was open as he had to breathe through his mouth as gasps emitted from his lips. "Honey, I love all of you so much," Skinner urged him on and he saw Mulder's eyes get that far away look as his arousal heightened. Then Skinner felt sticky wet warmth on his hands and finally deeply kissed the sated agent. END OF BACCARAT FIGURINES II (2/3) BACCARAT FIGURINES II (3/3) by Sean Spencer seans13@hotmail.com WARNING: Slash NC-17 Skinner/Mulder SRA DISCLAIMER IN PART ONE CHAPTER THIRTEEN BEACON HILL SHRINE AND SILVER FRAMES They finally got back to DC, very happy and rested. Mrs. Jackson saw that going out on holiday had a good effect on the couple. If it was all possible, the two seemed even more loving now and Skinner seemed to be deferring to Mulder much more now compared to before. They were less conscious about not showing their affection for each other in front of Mrs. Jackson. They now would constantly touch each other on the arms, hand or thigh whenever they were within reach of each other. It seemed that Mulder's latest project was installing a better aquarium in the house; the type of aquarium he really wanted, not the small pathetic one he used to have in his apartment and was now esconced in the study. With someone almost always there in the apartment everyday even when he was out on a case, Mulder was convinced that this was the time to get the more exotic fish since Skinner would be able to care for them when he was out of town. Furthermore, seeing the coral reefs in Belize had fired up his old enthusiasm for tropical fish and he wanted to recreate the atmosphere of that island that was so important for both of them. Skinner was just glad that he'd judiciously used the sunblock on his face and bald head throughout their holiday or else arriving at the Bureau almost a the same time from a holiday and sporting identical deep tans would have fired up office gossip. Mulder looked magnificent walking down the corridors brimming with health and looking relaxed and tan. According to him, the older office secretaries were setting him up with blind dates again and he'd complained bitterly with Skinner when the older man told him it would do some good if he went out with one or two of the women. It caused a minor fight between them when Mulder petulantly didn't want to date and he'd wanted Skinner to go on a date himself. It was Scully's brillant idea that got Mulder off the hook. She unearthed a nice picture of her best friend from medical school and put it in a nice frame and placed it prominently on Mulder's desk. Of course, office gossip carried the news swiftly that Mulder had a girlfriend outside the Bureau and that stopped the endless matchmaking he'd had to endure. As the harsh winter moved into spring and the weather improved, Mulder was starting to chafe at all the self-imposed restrictions on their activities in public. Especially after their freedom to walk around anywhere in Belize as they wanted, being seen together as little as possible in DC only served to remind both of them that they weren't really free. Neither one also wanted to risk going to the DC gay hang outs also. The cabin was still their only weekend outlet. But there were other DC events they wanted to see but couldn't together, like concerts, plays and other similar pursuits and they had to miss out on those. So the aquarium just got more and more elaborate as he poured all his energies into his hobbies. When he had wanted another aquarium, Skinner put his foot down since having another one around would only cramp the apartment. One weekend, however, they went to Boston and finally visited Bill Mulder's grave. Mulder resisted at first, but ultimately gave in at Skinner's insistence. There were no tears at the graveside since time inevitably healed things and Mulder didn't stay too depressed for long. Of course, seeing the historical sites in Boston with Mulder touring Skinner around helped a bit. But Mulder still toed the line at hopping the ferry to the Vineyard. It had been two years since he last talked to his mother. He still missed her terribly and still continued to send her her quota of Hallmark cards, but she never acknowledged that she received them. Finally, that Sunday, after Skinner came back from church, they both went to Bill Mulder's old house. Skinner was surprised when they turned into Beacon Hill, the best part of town and Mulder pulled up to a respectable townhouse, an old respectable townhouse that spoke of old money. Mulder used his key to enter and shivered involuntarily as they stepped in. The house never really held any good memories for him. "This is where Dad stayed when they divorced," Mulder muttered. The old place was silent and Skinner saw that the major pieces of furniture were covered to keep off the dust. Skinner walked around and realized that the house was probably more than a century old. Mulder held his arms over his chest in the hallway as Skinner wandered around the living room and dining room. There was an old fireplace with the mantle holding some dusty photographs. Skinner had to squint to find a boyhood picture of Mulder. It was a group picture and Mulder was barely visible at the back. He was about ten years old in the picture and Skinner could tell that he looked miserable. The rest of the pictures on the mantelpiece were of Samantha and their parents. There was a library on the first floor as well. The three rooms upstairs turned out to be Bill Mulder's bedroom, his study and a little girl's bedroom. There was also a small room off the study, where there was a couch and television "This is Samantha's shrine," Mulder shrugged. "I wasn't allowed to even set foot in here." "But didn't you sometimes stay with your Dad on the weekends after the divorce?" Skinner asked in confusion. "Where's your bedroom?" "I didn't have one," Mulder said in a small voice. "I slept on the couch in front of the television." "Oh, honey," Skinner murmured in sympathy and embraced Mulder to comfort him. To have a bedroom for one child, someone who wasn't even present in the household, and the other to sleep miserably on the couch was downright abusive, considering all the rooms there were in the house. Mulder started weeping and Skinner held him tightly and tried to comfort him as best he could. The younger man cried for a long time, much longer than when they first became intimate so long ago in his apartment on a miserable birthday. Being in the house had reminded Mulder more glaringly of all his boyhood hurts and misery at the hands of his father and Skinner knew that Mulder had to cleanse it off with the tears. The weeping was heartbreaking to hear and Skinner shed a few tears of his own in empathy. "You okay?" Skinner asked gently as he pulled away somewhat to look into Mulder's face. The younger man had finished crying and he nodded. Skinner got out his handkerchief and wiped off Mulder's tears and running nose. "If I recall, this house is yours now, isn't it?" Skinner remarked. "Yes," Mulder said shakily. "I just never got around to going here and looking over it. I really don't know if I want to keep it or sell it." Skinner left it at that and they went back to DC that Sunday. They talked it over after a few weeks when Mulder was more comfortable discussing it. He listened to Skinner's more level-headed analysis that the Boston townhouse was just what they needed. It wasn't too far away that it could be another weekend place for them aside from the cabin. Furthermore, the house was in Boston where they could indulge in city life away from DC. The rest of the spring was spent in Boston whenever they had free time where they cleaned out the place and Mulder sorted out his father's things. Skinner hired a decorating firm who made sense of the place by keeping the better pieces of furniture. Mulder left it up to Skinner for the renovation of the place because the townhouse still gave him the creeps most of the time. When summer came, the house was finished and Skinner at last brought Mulder to it. The bright red door was Mulder's first inkling that the house was now different. Then as they stepped into the foyer, Mulder's eyes popped in surprise as he realized the extent of the difference. No longer was it a place of misery and darkness. Most of the furniture was still there but rearranged with bright chintz upholstery. It was a totally different house and it was the first time Mulder ever remembered smiling as he stepped into one room to another. Skinner then led him upstairs. "I left it as is," Skinner said apologetically. "I wasn't sure if you wanted it changed." Once they got into the biggest bedroom, Skinner nuzzled Mulder's neck and noticed that the agent stiffened. "He's gone, Fox," Skinner muttered as he started to kiss the agent with greater urgency. "This house is yours now and he'll never come back to hurt you. I won't let him." It was somewhat weird and disconcerting to make love in the Boston townhouse that first time. Skinner was determined to banish any bad feelings Mulder had for the house and this was one of the ways he knew how. It took quite a lot of foreplay before Mulder was thorougly convinced and when he was receptive and pliant and both of them were ready, Skinner realized that he was missing a key ingredient. He excused himself a minute and ran down to the newly renovated kitchen and fortunately found the thing. Mulder's glazed eyes unglazed for a moment when he saw that Skinner had a bottle of olive oil in his hand. "Is that okay?" Mulder asked in trepidation as Skinner slipped back into bed with him. It didn't take long for him to find out that it was indeed very much okay as Skinner possessed him from behind. As they fell into the comforting rhythm, something in Mulder snapped. Here he was in his father's bedroom, being made love to by the only love of his life and Mulder finally realized that he was free of the spectre of his father. This served to heighten his pleasure and Mulder finally let go. "It's the first time I was ever happy here, Walter," Mulder murmured breathlessly as they separated afterwards. Having Skinner's powerful body covering him afterwards as the bigger man slept served to reinforce Mulder's new freedom in the house. "Thank you." The Boston house was a godsend. It provided them with an urban getaway while the cabin was their country hideout. They still spent most weekends in the cabin but they now occasionally took the four hour drive to Boston on some days. "More than anything, I want you to be happy, honey," Skinner said as he reluctantly rolled off the agent. CHAPTER FOURTEEN PUPPY IN LOVE Mulder carefully put down the carrier and set it down on the kitchen floor. He then went up the den where he knew Skinner had settled down earlier. He grinned when he saw that the older man had dozed off in front of the television. It was undeniable that the ex-Marine's body still looked powerful even in repose. Presently, Skinner was lying down on the couch with his glasses askew on his nose. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, casual wear that Mulder only recently converted him to. Mulder went over to him and kissed the top of his bald head. Skinner awoke with a start. "Where were you?" Skinner asked with annoyance. "We were supposed to leave for the cabin two hours ago. Traffic on the expressway would be terrible by now." It was Memorial Day and they had planned to spend the long weekend at the cabin. Skinner eyed the younger man with some suspicion when he saw that Mulder had that telltale look of mischief in his eye. "Okay, tell me what you've been up to," Skinner sighed as he got up into a sitting position on the couch. Mulder gave that annoying grin again and disappeared for a while. He came back with the carrier and opened it with a flourish. Skinner's eyes widened when he saw the light gold creature that came bounding out of the carrier. The furry ball of labrador puppy was curiously sizing up the older man and then was now wholeheartedly licking his hand. "Happy bithday, Walter," Mulder grinned again and seriously kissed Skinner this time on the lips. "I really wanted to give you this fellow for a long time now. I didn't want you staying here alone whenever I'm off on a case. And before you protest, Mrs. Jackson said she'll take care of him when we're at the office and he has his shots and his papers are impeccable. He came from a long line of housebroken Labs so I guess we'll have no problem with that." The puppy was looking soulfully at Skinner now and for a second, he could have sworn that it looked like Mulder. Skinner found himself grinning as wide as Mulder was and he scooped up the puppy in his arms. "This is great, Fox," Skinner said. "I love you, darling." They kissed again until the puppy protested as he was crushed between them. After debating briefly if whether they should proceed to the cabin with the new member of their family, Skinner agreed that it was better to start getting the animal used to their lifestyle of weekends in the country. They piled their luggage into the Cherokee and this time it included Puppy Chow and the dog bowls. Although the traffic was indeed hellish, it was okay by Skinner because Mulder was driving and they were preoccupied with naming the puppy. The little fellow already had pompous long-winded names from his papers but all of them were ridiculous and not suitable. Mulder concentrated on driving efficiently through the crowded Memorial Day traffic. He occasionally still got a chill down his spine whenever traffic was heavy because he still had vivid memories of his last accident. However, he noted that he felt better because Skinner was with him in the car. He never even told Skinner that it took a while for him to get back to driving on the expressway. Only Scully knew that he was avoiding the high traffic areas for months after the accident. Getting the puppy for Skinner had taken weeks of indecisiveness on his part. Mulder had been agonizing over his present for months now with Mrs. Jackson as his sounding board. It just so happened that Skinner's birthday presents for him had always been fantastic each year because it was also their anniversary. It was also more difficult to get the older man presents that he really needed and wanted because Skinner never really wanted for anything. But seeing Skinner preoccupied with the feisty puppy throughout the ride to the cabin made Mulder's heart fill because obviously Skinner was liking his present very much indeed. One other reason that Mulder finally decided on the puppy was the realization that they could never have the family that they had talked about earlier. Although there was a slim chance that they could adopt a baby or one of them could father one, Mulder knew that having a child in their lives would be stretching things too far. People aren't going to really tolerate it if a couple like them would start raising a kid. Now that they were together for almost five years now, it was about time that they expanded their family and the best way that Mulder could do it was for them to have the puppy. By the time they got to the cabin, the puppy was already named Taylor by Skinner, because it reminded him of his old cousin. They had a quick dinner of frozen pizza as they familiarized the dog to its new surroundings. Fortunately, Skinner had taken care of dogs in his boyhood and knew something about paper training. Also, fortunately, Mulder seemed to have picked the right one from the litter, because Taylor seemed to catch onto the idea of housebreaking quickly. It was inevitable, however, that things weren't so rosy with the puppy all the time. That night, they found out that Taylor could interrupt them at the most annoying moments. Skinner had reassured Mulder that the puppy should be all right in his basket beside the refrigerator with the ticking clock. They had then gone upstairs and had started to make love. Just when Mulder was blissfully sighing as he was penetrated by Skinner, they heard the puppy whine at the door. At first, they tried to ignore the yelps and whining as Skinner was preoccupied with kissing Mulder's neck and back as his hips began its ageless rhythm but his concentration wavered as the puppy's cries became louder than the moans of Mulder beneath him. "Sorry, honey," Skinner had to withdraw and Mulder moaned in disappointment as Skinner rose from the bed and opened the door. Taylor managed to squirm his way into the room. The older man then went back to Mulder and tried to proceed until Mulder protested. "I c-can't, Walter," Mulder felt his erection subsiding. "He's looking at me. We could traumatize him with this, you know." Skinner was still too hot and ignored Mulder's initial protest. "He's just a dog, honey," Skinner moaned in Mulder's ear as he tried to reposition the agent for penetration again. This time, it was Mulder who was squirming away. "He may just be a dog, Walter, but he's our dog," Mulder said as he uneasily saw that the puppy was indeed looking at him with what seemed to be singular interest. Seeing the disappointment on Skinner's face, Mulder complied and spread his legs as he lay on his front. Skinner again, parted his buttocks and was just settling in with a sigh until Taylor jumped onto the bed, startling both of them. This time, Skinner had to agree that it was disconcerting. With his erection still raging, Skinner went down with the puppy back to the kitchen and finally had to admit defeat when all his efforts to keep the puppy out of the room failed. Even with the basket just outside their bedroom door, Taylor was protesting loudly. Twenty minutes later, the puppy was happily ensconced in his basket at the foot of their bed and Mulder was already sound asleep, both of them unsatisfied. Fortunately, Skinner was able to brush up on his long-buried dog-caring skills and Taylor was soon as disciplined as his master. It turned out that the puppy was just apprehensive with being left alone at night so those first few weeks, they had to catch brief moments of lovemaking on waking up just before going to work. Once there was light, Taylor didn't protest being outside the bedroom door. Skinner had muttered under his breath once as they were snatching a few furious minutes of lovemaking one morning that this was how it must be like for parents of toddlers and Mulder had laughed at that one. By the first month, Taylor was satisfied with staying in the kitchen whether it was at the apartment or at the cabin. Skinner had to admit that having the dog was a good idea because it really made things better when Mulder was gone from the apartment on some case. During those times, Taylor slept on the floor by the bed and Skinner didn't feel as lonely. It also made him feel better, too, when Taylor accompanied Mulder on his morning jogs since the dog was rapidly growing and was starting to give a modicum of protection. Skinner was the one who took the dog out for its afternoon walks. Skinner then got the idea of training the dog seriously and Taylor was soon doing elaborate tricks that he had devised. Mulder would get startled each time he came home and found that Taylor's repertoire of tricks just kept growing. Skinner's bedside bookreading now had a large pile of dog training books and was now seriously considering setting up a dog obedience school in his retirement. Mulder shuddered everytime Skinner mentioned his retirement. Although he wasn't even fifty yet, there was a distinct possiblity that Skinner could opt for the early retirement package because he really didn't need his pension anyway. The idea of not having Skinner in the Bureau still gave Mulder some tendrils of apprehension. He had to admit that the only reason he still had the X-files and that the search for Samantha continued was because of Skinner's continued protection of him in the Bureau. CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHERRY REMINISCENES Skinner lay for a long time just watching Mulder sleep. He smiled with satisfaction as he settled back into bed. He turned on the television to CNN, occasionally glancing down at Mulder who was just losing the flush on his skin. Their lovemaking just kept getting better and better. The AD ran a hand through Mulder's soft head of hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. Mulder was getting quite imaginative in sex now, a far cry from the early years of their relationship when Skinner always took the lead in almost all their encounters. Skinner smiled again as he remembered how Mulder lost his cherry in this very same cabin, on this very same bed so many years ago. It was a weekend forever etched in both of their minds, when Mulder experienced a lot of firsts. But the ultimate for Skinner had been the first penetration of Mulder those many years ago, when he had to admit to himself that possessing the younger man in the most concrete way had transformed both of their lives. Mulder had been apprehensive, quite naturally, and Skinner would never forget the catch of pain in the agent's voice and Skinner's slight dismay just when his glans managed to sweetly pop through the resistant ring of muscle. He'd asked Mulder then if he wanted to proceed, because Skinner had been perfectly willing to withdraw if it proved too much for the younger man. Instead, Mulder had gritted his teeth and Skinner was gratified when the tight body beneath him had relaxed and Mulder's cry of pain had transformed to deep groans of pleasure. Skinner still had a very vivid tactile memory of Mulder's shuddering and trembling, his body's unique pleasant smell in arousal, his stiffened erection in his hand, his crisp pubic hair, the smoothness of the skin of his buttocks and the sweet virgin rectum. For the first few weeks, Skinner had doled out their actual intercourse judiciously as Mulder needed to adjust to his new sexual role. As Skinner watched the news on the bed, he smiled in fond recollection when Mulder had tentatively asked for anal intercourse. He was so shy then, since Skinner had initiated all their previous encounters before and had essentially dictated what type of encounter they were going to have. It was the first time when Mulder had specifically requested for the activity and he'd stammered and blushed when he said that he wanted Skinner inside of him, instead of his fingers. A few months later, he'd taught Mulder how to administer oral sex to him. As expected, it wasn't very good those first few times; Skinner certainly wasn't reduced to the same quivering mess that he'd reduce Mulder when the same thing was done to the younger man. But, inevitably, in time, Mulder improved and Skinner still had fond recollections of Belize. Thinking about their early days together led to a renewal of Skinner's erection and he tried to rouse Mulder awake with running a warm hand over the velvety skin with the lean hard muscles underneath. Mulder, however, was dead to the world, and the agent continued to sleep despite the increasing insistence of Skinner's carresses. Skinner just shrugged to himself and let his libido subside. One thing he would like to change in the future, Skinner mused, was Mulder's tendency to get knocked out immediately after a good come. Mulder would just be dead to the world after orgasms, except during some of their morning lovemaking. Once in a while, it would be nice to talk for a long time after intercourse, instead of having to settle for incoherent mumblings from the younger man. Instinctively, Skinner, however, knew that there were some people like that, whose whole body and mind shut down to such a degree after orgasms, even the mild non-earth shattering ones. Thinking about Mulder threatened to overwhelm Skinner with all the feelings of sweetness and tenderness he felt for the man lying beside him. He drew the agent closer to him and had Mulder's sleeping head resting on the crook of his neck. The heavy familiar weight of Mulder and his clean scent only reinforced Skinner's feelings of deep love for the agent. Sure, they still had their differences but these were few and far between now. Their latest argument had been something petty and stupid, something so inconsequential that Skinner couldn't remember what it was about. All he could recall was their shouting through the Crystal City apartment and slammed doors, frightening Taylor into barking along with their angry bellows until it became so ridiculous that they were forced to laugh. Actually, Skinner always had the upper hand in their arguments because it was so easy to bully Mulder. His dysfunctional upbringing made him fearful of prolonged silences and raised voices. Skinner knew that Mulder would bend over backwards just to be sure that Skinner wouldn't stay angry with him. Just when the morning news was finishing up, Taylor padded in and circled a few times around the his spot on the floor by Skinner's side of the bed. The dog went over to Skinner for some pats and finally settled down with a humph on Skinner's slippers. Skinner contentedly had his eyes glued to the television set, quite happy that his small family was safe and protected from the world's ills so aptly shown by the newscast. Then he got under the covers with Mulder in his arms and slept with the younger man once again.. CHAPTER SIXTEEN SURGICAL BLUES It was the end of another long day for Skinner as he slumped in the elevator of his apartment building. The whole day had been used up by the endless meetings and it didn't help any that it was high summer and one of the hottest days in DC. He'd shed his suit jacket long before the trip home and was now loosening his tie. He grimaced as he felt the gnawing in his gut and told himself that he was going to need a few more tablets of those anatacids tonight. Fortunately, the apartment was pleasantly cool with the airconditioning going on at full blast. Mulder had set the table for dinner already and he'd greeted the older man. Seeing that Skinner looked tired and harrassed, Mulder poured him a glass of lemonade and set it in front of the coffee table where the AD had slumped into the couch. Mulder was comfortably dressed in shorts and a tank top, having arrived much earlier. No matter how it was, AD's still had a lot more work than special agents. Taylor seemed to know how tired Skinner was as well as he refrained from his more usual profuse welcoming romp. The dog just laid his chin on Skinner's knee. Skinner refused the lemonade, saying that something that acidic was the last thing he needed. He then got up, went upstairs and changed into more comfortable clothes and found the antacids in the medicine cabinet. Dinner that night was subdued and he had hardly an appetite. Mulder gave him a massage that night and the younger man noticed that he had a temperature. Maybe he had the flu, they both concluded. He drank a couple of aspirins and slept fitfully. It was around four o'clock when Skinner was woken up by the most searing pain he'd ever experienced. He doubled up and broke into a sweat, waking Mulder in the process. "Walter, what is it?" Mulder asked anxiously. "My stomach, it hurts," Skinner moaned. The pain seemed to go on and on and Skinner tried to keep still.. The gray pallor of his face scared the hell out of Mulder. Except for the previous hypertension, Skinner was never sick. He wondered frantically if Skinner was experiencing a heart attack. A few tears of pain had leaked out of Skinner's eyes and that scared Mulder more than anything. Skinner hardly ever shed tears, unlike him. Whatever it was was bad. Unable to think clearly, Mulder called Scully once the worst of the pain had subsided and Skinner looked a little better. Scully was in her doctor mode automatically, asking pertinent questions and saying she was coming right over. Scully got to the apartment just after a half hour when Skinner was just at the tail end of another bout of belly pain. She apprehensively waited at the door. This was the first time she was ever going to see her boss and partner together at their home. Mulder opened the door for her, his hair all disheveled and looking frantic. Scully saw that he was wearing just his boxers, all printed with little yellow flying saucers. She only had a brief glimpse of the living room, noting that everything seemed modern. A big friendly dog sniffed at her feet and followed her upstairs. She braced herself before entering the bedroom, expecting that it would look like some sort of den of iniquity. However, she was surprised to see the old fashioned room with antiques. She got down to business however when she saw how much pain her boss was in. Skinner was unusually silent and his mussed hair and lack of eyeglasses made him oddly vulnerable, especially since he was curled up on his side on the big bed. Skinner was in regular striped pajamas, much to her relief. He seemed in pain but was equally embarrassed at seeing her there. Skinner reluctantly turned over so that Scully could examine him. He answered all her questions. Scully then gave her boss a complete physical. Scully still had her doctor's bag. Although she was a pathologist, that didn't mean that all her clinical skills had atrophied. She checked Skinner's pulse, finding it rapid and his blood pressure was borderline hypertensive, probably from the pain. His skin was cold and clammy, his lungs clear. His abdomen, however, was another story. There was an old laparotomy scar which he said he got when he was injured in Vietnam. He grimaced in pain and drew in his breath sharply as Scully gently palpated his right side. When Scully repeated the procedure, Skinner involuntarily cried out, causing Mulder to hiss in sympathy. Scully apologetically said she had to complete her examination as she gently and briefly but thoroughly checked to make sure he had no hernias. "Uhm, sir, I have to do a rectal to see if this could be appendicits," Scully said. Skinner's resignation only served to emphasize how sick he was. He turned over gingerly and Scully was startled when Mulder helped him lower his pajama pants. Scully snapped on the glove she had brought but realized that she had no lubricant. Sensing her dilemma, Mulder handed her the large tube of Astroglide without a word. Mulder couldn't meet her eye and all of them blushed. Skinner however could only howl when the rectal exam did indeed reveal that he most probably had a hot appendix. She told both of them that Skinner seemed to have appendicitis but not a simple one considering that he was already febrile and the old laparotomy could complicate the surgery. Mulder tensed up when he realized how sick Skinner was. He helped the older man dress in loose clothes as Scully discreetly turned away as she fixed her bag. She told them that she would meet them in front of the building since it was more logical for her to drop them off at the hospital before going to work in a few hours. A few hours later, Mulder waited numbly in the waiting room for Skinner to get out of surgery. The surgeons had earlier warned him that the operation might be difficult, since no one knew what procedures Skinner had undergone in Vietnam and how adhesive his insides would be. It was going to be far from a routine appendectomy. The prospect of losing Skinner was just too horrible to contemplate. But Mulder couldn't deny it that he kept losing people close to him. Samantha, his father, Reggie Pardue one of the few friends he'd made in the Bureau. His mother, although she wasn't dead, was essentially lost to him, too. But all of them weren't as important as Skinner. The surgeon only came out after three hours. He reported that Skinner's appendix was already ruptured and that the operation had been difficult because of Skinner's previous injuries causing a lot of scar tissue inside. It would be two days before Skinner could be declared out of danger and he would need to take a whole lot of intravenous antibiotics. He then allowed Mulder to go see Skinner in the recovery room even though he might still be out of it. For the first time since Mulder knew him, Skinner looked quite vulnerable. He was still asleep and was very still and pale. When he had to be brought to the hospital for hypertension so long ago, he didn't look as ill as he did now. That scared Mulder more. He wanted to touch Skinner's cheek but had to settle with holding his hand because there was no privacy in the recovery room. The nurse urged him to go home. His unshaven appearance and oddly mismatched clothes telling everyone that he was in no shape to stand a vigil. Some of the nurses seemed to assume that he was Skinner's younger brother. Mulder rushed home and was just hoping to shower and change his clothes before going back to the hospital. However, Scully called him throught his cell phone and diplomatically warned him that the Director and some of the Bureau management had heard that Skinner was ill and were planning to visit him that afternoon. Apparently, Kimberly, Skinner's assistant, had quite an efficient office grapevine that had conveyed the message to practically all of the Bureau. Scully said it would be better for him to stay away for a while since the likes of Colton would gossip if he stayed at Skinner's side too long. Then Scully sympathetically said that she would visit at five o'clock so that Mulder could accompany her to lend a certain legitimacy to his vist. "But Scully, he...might need me," Mulder said miserably. "I know, Mulder, but both of you would be finished at the Bureau if everyone got so much as a whiff of your relationship," Scully said gently. "Remember, he had to stay away from you when you were sick with that retrovirus in Alaska. It must have been hard for him to stay away." Mrs. Jackson, who was dusting the furniture, overheard snippets of the conversation and finally came to the rescue. "Fox, I'll go over there for you and explain the situation to him," Mrs. Jackson said just as she set down Taylor's kibble on the kitchen floor with the dog following her eagerly around. "I'm sure he already knows why you can't be there. And I'll call anytime there is a new development. In the meantime, you better take a nap because you're all done in." Mulder had to agree that at this point in their lives together, he couldn't risk jeopardizing it by lingering stupidly in Skinner's room while the whole Bureau trooped in to pay their respects to the AD. He ironically realized that in all the numerous times he was hospitalized, Skinner never had the same problem of causing suspicion by staying by his side, just like when he was in that car accident. Nobody ever visited him except for Scully and Mrs. Jackson. Mulder had to admit that even if Skinner had a reputation of being a hardass, the AD was actually popular with the Bureau because of his overall fairness. By the time he returned that afternoon with Scully as his cover, Skinner's room was bursting with flowers and knicknacks that everyone sent. Unfortunately, Agent Pendrell and a few of the lab guys were hovering at a respectful distance. Mrs. Jackson was keeping everyone at arm's length from the AD because he had to get his rest. She had to pretend to keep Mulder away, too. Skinner's nurse, however, put her foot down and drove everyone out, even when Director Freeh actually was about to step into the room. Pendrell and the other agents bowed out and left and even Freeh couldn't convince the nurse. Once the Bureau people left, Mulder was surprised when the nurse gestured to him and allowed him in. "Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Skinner's housekeeper explained that you are his partner?" the nurse tried to confirm. For a minute, Mulder was confused because in his mind, Scully was his partner while Skinner was much more than that euphemism conveyed. "You're the only one we'll allow in, except for his relatives. It's been almost like a circus here once the government offices let out." Mulder was relieved as the nurse posted a "no visitors" sign on Skinner's door. The agent was finally able to go to Skinner's bedside. Mulder had to swallow hard. Skinner's eyes were closed but his creased forehead showed that he really wasn't asleep. "Walter?" Mulder tentatively asked as his hand brushed gently on Skinner's arm. Skinner opened one eye and his attempted smile turned into a grimace as he tried to move. His face was still drawn in pain. Mulder's hand on his forehead revealed that Skinner was stll febrile, albeit at a lower temperature compared to yesterday. "Can you get me my glasses, Fox?" Skinner asked wearily. Mulder searched through the plastic bag where the AD's clothes had been put earlier. Skinner shakily put the glasses on and squinted around the room. Mulder kept quiet and Skinner was content to just hold his lover's hand as he finally drifted off into real sleep. Skinner had to stay for ten days in the hospital, developing a troubling abdominal abscess. He lost quite a lot of weight because of the resultant diarrhea and vomiting. It was a stormy postoperative course and it drove Mulder to distraction. Unfortunately, he had to go back to work so as not to arouse suspicion. After all, AD Ashcraft had taken over Skinner's department temporarily and was now breathing down Mulder's back again. Skinner's condition worsened enough that his ex-wife came to visit and Sharon informed two of Skinner's relatives, relatives that Mulder didn't even know existed. The old well-respected Virginia senator showed up just when Mulder was dozing off at Skinner's bedside. Luckily, they weren't in a compromising position. The senator nodded to Mulder absently and murmured to Skinner with low voices. By the way the senator was gently holding Skinner's hand and even checking his incision site, Mulder at first wondered if he should be jealous. Skinner spied the beginnings of Mulder's scowl and introduced Mulder to the senator. There was a sudden look of interest in the senator's eyes as he looked over Mulder. "So this is Fox Mulder," the senator commented. The statement bewildered Mulder and caught him off-guard. "You're Bill Mulder's boy?" Mulder nodded an assent. But the senator just rose to his feet and said his goodbyes after kissing Skinner lightly on his forehead. "He's my uncle, Fox," Skinner said as he gingerly shifted his position on the bed. "He's my mother's brother." "How come you never mentioned that you had such high placed relatives?" Mulder said bitterly. "Why does he know me?" "Uncle Ford was the one who bailed you out of that MJ files fiasco," SKinner muttered. "He prevented your ass getting fried three years ago. I had to tell him about us." Mulder digested this bit of information as he chewed on his lower lip. But this was not the time nor place to argue with the older man about such important details of his life. He saved his questions for a later time. When the Cabinet member with the same last name as the senator showed up the next day, however, Mulder wasn't surprised anymore. It was Skinner's fifth postoperative day when his fever was at its worst and his incision site had infected and had to be drained. Just like before, Skinner's uncle seemed to know about Mulder but this time, the politician was kinder than his brother. Mulder was actually taken aside and was gently told to take good care of his nephew, then Mulder was rewarded with a pat on the back. "Let me guess," Mulder said. "He's your mother's brother, too?" Skinner nodded. "There aren't anymore relatives, Fox. All my other uncles are deceased." Seeing the tight look on Mulder's face, Skinner continued. "I didn't tell you about them not because I'm ashamed of having you, Fox, but because they had to stay far away. Bailing you out of your MJ adventure wasn't cheap." Mulder all the more was determined to take care of Skinner with this latest revelation. Skinner always was the one taking care of him and now it was the older man's turn. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the antibiotics finally took effect and Skinner was fit to go home on the tenth postoperative day. The appendicitis had taken a lot out of him and he hated feeling so weak. But it was a nice change being pampered and for once, it was he who had a month off from work as it took time to recover. ............................................................ Mulder woke up in the middle of the nght and was conscious of the sticky wetness. He'd just had a wet dream and he looked guiltily at Skinner who was still asleep beside him. It had been a month and a half since Skinner's surgery. Mulder had been good but lately, he'd been getting so horny. Gosh, he hadn't had a wet dream in ages, ever since he'd been with Skinner. Mulder hurriedly got up and went to the bathroom where he took a shower He wasn't aware that Skinner's eye had opened and had felt the wet spot on the bed. Skinner pretended to be asleep when Mulder came back. The gooseflesh on the agent meant that he'd taken a cold shower and Skinner felt sorry for him. "I just hope you dreamt about me," Skinner said drily, startling Mulder. "No, I was dreaming about Ralph," Mulder regretted letting out an annoyed tone in his voice. He was embarrassed that Skinner knew he had a wet dream. Skinner's ears pricked as he tried to figure out who Ralph was. "Is Ralph the security guard, the big black guy?" Skinner said suspiciously. "Yeah, I've got a crush on him the longest time," Mulder muttered. He gasped when he felt Skinner's hand insinuate into his fresh pair of shorts. Skinner was slyly awake now and launched a full scale attack on the agent's fresh newly showered body. Mulder joyfully joined in and couldn't even ask if it was already okay for the AD since Skinner wanted it hard, fast and deep. It had been so long ago when it was so wild. Mulder ended up with a lot of hickeys on his neck and the older man hoped that the agent's collar would be high enough to cover it all in a few hours. "I hoped that that made you forget about Ralph," Skinner said as he dismounted. Mulder was still gasping and he laughed when Mulder said, "Who's Ralph?" "I love you, Walter," Mulder whispered as he got back into the familiar warmth of Skinner's embrace. "I'm glad you're over your appendicitis." "Let's just hope that neither of us will have to visit the hospital for a long long time," Skinner . declared. It felt good making love so roughly. He didn't feel a twinge from his incision site the whole time and coming so hard was so fantastic. He was still forbidden gym work outs and he hated the way that his muscles seemed to have melted off him, although he wasn't going to pot either. All he could do was take long walks, which was the most that his surgeon allowed him for now. Skinner was lying back in bed when Mulder took it upon himself to gingerly run a finger over the still red incision site. Then he kissed Skinner's abdomen before laying his head on it Skinner again was struck by Mulder's sweet little gestures and fell into a restful sleep. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN MONTANA VOWS AND HOTEL SUITE BOMBSHELLS It was the end of another fruitless day of following leads. The crime scenes were all since cold by now and the freezing weather didn't help any. All the potential witnesses had been interviewed and all their statements reread and properly filed. In other words, the case was still far from being solved and they had been in Montana for three days already. It didn't help any that tomorrow was Mulder's birthday and he had been antsy the whole time today. Scully shed her topcoat and rubbed her hands together after removing her gloves. Fortunately, the motel room was overheated and she could stay warm as she undressed. She hung up her thick wool suit and stood in the middle of the room in her silk thermal underwear and thick socks. She had settled for practicality and hadn't worn high heels for this trip. The heavy ankle boots were barely regulation enough but it was really cold. She went to the bathroom and took a long hot shower and when she emerged in her flannel pajamas, she was comfortable in the toasty warmth of the room. Ever the obsessive-compulsive person, she went over to the desk and started filing her report on her laptop. She called her husband earlier in the car using her cellphone. He was an early sleeper and tended to get grouchy when she called past ten, so whenever she was away on a case, she made it a point to call at eight or earlier to catch him when he was still awake and coherent. He said that he became a dermatologist precisely because he couldn't stay up late. Mulder was in the room beside her, separated by the half-open door of the connecting room. To her discomfiture, she noted that the walls of this motel was particularly thin and she could hear Mulder talking on the phone, obviously to Skinner. Ever since Skinner's bout of illness, Mulder had been particularly grateful to her for diagnosing him so accurately. It seemed that her seeing them at home together made Mulder realize that he didn't have much to hide from Scully anymore. He was telling her more about his relationship with Skinner and didn't mind if she could hear him talk on the phone with the AD, just like the way she would call her own husband on the phone while Mulder drove the car when they were out on a case. Just now, Scully could hear Mulder's side of the conversation and smiled to herself. She wondered if she sounded as inane as he did when she talked to her husband. "...yes, Walter, I'm wearing your flannel pajamas... Yes, it's cold here...I miss you, too...Will you tell me what you got me for my birthday...Were the cleaners able to get out the green goo from my charcoal suit...the Hugo Boss one...What's Taylor doing...I told you I really miss you...yes, I won't forget to wear thermal underwear tomorrow...I'll be careful, Scully will keep me in line...No, I didn't make the sheriff mad at me...the pesto sauce is the one in the blue resealable in the freezer...I wish I could go home tomorrow, Walter..." The disjointed trains of thought continued. They sound just like an old married couple, Scully mused. She only interrupted Mulder once when she called out from her room that he was lying when he told Skinner that he wasn't letting Scully do all the paperwork. Once the phone call ended, Mulder sheepishly entered her room and said that he'd help her with her report. "No, Mulder, it's your birthday tomorrow so I'll let it pass this time," Scully said virtuously as she typed away. "Why did Skinner assign us this case anyway? It doesn't seem to be an X-file?" Mulder shrugged and rummaged in Scully's bag for Cheetos. She always kept a bag of junk food with her; it was part of their division of labor on these out of town trips. He kept the pertinent files in his briefcase. As she looked at him and saw that he was wearing striped pajamas, she suddenly understood why, in the rare times he wore pajamas on the road, it was always oversized. Apparently, they were Skinner's. She smiled and shook her head to herself as he was holding up the pajama pants with one hand while unsuccessfully attempting to open the bag of Cheetos with the other. Scully impatiently held out her hand for the bag and Mulder handed it to her. She opened it for him and he proceeded to munch noisily on the snack while he watched ESPN, lying down on her bed. Scully genuinely didn't expect an answer to her question. She knew that Mulder would tell her if he knew the answer himself but just because their boss was his lover didn't mean that he was privy to all his administrative decisions. Somehow, out of long practice, Skinner and Mulder had managed to keep their personal and Bureau lives separate. That was why Mulder still received dressing downs from Skinner even when she was there in the meetings, although these were much more infrequent. Out of long practice, too, Mulder didn't seem to resent these reprimands anymore. Scully's relationship with Mulder also reached a turning point after she had witnessed the domestic arrangements of the two men. Mulder was much more comfortable with her now, just like in the early year of their partnership. Maybe that was what sharing a tube of Astroglide does, Scully ironically thought as she remembered the blush that had descended among the three of them that night. He was back to being the obnoxious erratic brilliant partner and they treated each other like long-time buddies. Skinner, likewise, had no qualms anymore around her and seemed to smile a lot more, which gave Scully an inkling of what had attracted Mulder to him in the first place. It was just that she knew more than Skinner probably how much Mulder needed someone strong in his life, because his unpopular theories and unorthodox methods always had him teetering over the edge. So now, when schedule permitted, Skinner would frequently pick up Mulder from the airport and they were even allowing brief hugs of welcome between them in her presence. The Montana case wrapped up after two more days and Mulder was chomping at the bit the whole ride back to DC. He bugged her the whole time on that flight with his endless fidgeting. Spending a whole week on the road was too much when one's partner was so obviously lovesick. So it was with a sigh of relief for her when the plane finally touched down on National and Mulder deplaned. Skinner was indeed waiting at the end of the tube and greeted his agents. Scully could see, however, that Skinner only had eyes for Mulder and this time, couldn't seem to keep his hands off the younger man. Scully smiled when they finally politely parted from Scully and her husband. She saw Skinner lead Mulder to a hallway devoid of people and through the glass window, she almost gasped when she saw Skinner give Mulder a heated open-mouthed lingering kiss. It was the first time she was ever exposed to the raw sexuality between the two men. Mulder's slighter form was pinned against the wall as Skinner had both his hands on the agent's face, almost devouring him in his eagerness. Scully hastily looked away and went with her husband to the baggage claim. At the luggage carousel, they had to wait and Scully found that Mulder's cheeks were highly flushed as he stood beside her. Skinner was not with him. "He went to get the car," Mulder said in explanation as Scully's eyebrow raised in question. Then he whispered to Scully as her husband left them to join in the melee as the carousel activated, "That's the first time he ever kissed me in public here in DC." Scully was touched that he shared this particularly peculiar but very significant moment in his life. Mulder had only been recently revealing facets of his life with Skinner. She was finding out how difficult but vital that her boss' and partner's relationship remain secret. "Oh, Mulder," she said softy, although she was acutely aware that she could smell Skinner's aftershave on her partner, "he must really love you a lot." He gave her a watery smile before joining the crowd around the carousel. Once their luggage were retrieved, they said their good byes and separated for the weekend. Mulder went over to the curb and waited for the Range Rover. He was still shaken by the way Skinner had greeted him. Although he was getting used to Skinner meeting him at the airport from his out of town trips, his homecomings had always been restrained, just as everything between them had been necessarily so whenever they were out in public but especially in DC. But Skinner's rare bout of impulsiveness had initially scared him but later had warmed him. He had to grin as Skinner pulled up. Taylor was in the car too and greeted him just as profusely as Skinner had done. It sure was great getting home when there was someone waiting for you. Skinner was complaining about how their extended stay in Montana had screwed up his plans for a nice weekend in Boston. Because it was already Saturday night, it was too late for that. Then Skinner brought the vehicle to a stop at the shoulder just before leaving the airport terminal. "This just can't wait, Fox," Skinner said, taking a box from his jacket. Mulder gasped when he saw the emblem on the box. The Rolex inside wasn't flashy but it was still no ordinary watch. He saw the engraving on the back which simply said, "Forever, W." "Thank you, Walter," Mulder said simply, his eyes glittering. Skinner took Mulder's wrist and undid his old watch and snapped on the Rolex, which fit perfectly. "I wanted something that you could have on you all the time, aside from the ring," Skinner explained. His previous gifts to the younger man were usually the latest electronic gadgets which Mulder was always so crazy about. But jewelry was the only way one can sometimes convey how priceless another person is to you and the only jewelry conservative men like them could have were watches. This particular model on Mulder's wrist cost thousands of dollars. Taylor licked the single tear that had fallen from Mulder's eye and the agent laughingly waved off the dog. The dog broke the momentary tension, and Skinner drove back onto the road. But, when Skinner was headed for DC instead of Crystal City, Mulder asked where they were going. Skinner said that the night still had surprises awaiting him and Mulder gulped when they made their way to a side entrance of one of the most expensive hotels in the city. Mulder warily got out of the Range Rover and stood at the curb as Skinner talked to the valet. Skinner put an arm over Mulder's shoulder and led him into the small lobby. Mulder strained his neck after the Range Rover. "Don't worry about Taylor," Skinner reassured him. "The valet's bringing him home." "These hotels have private entrances, honey, don't worry." Mulder's eyes widened at him questioningly when they got to the elevator and Skinner punched the button to the penthouse. The AD continued to rub a reassuring hand on his back and hugged him briefly before the elevator doors opened and they stepped out. The hotel penthouse was huge and Skinner laughed at Mulder's dumbfounded expression. He then led Mulder to the dining room where a candlelit dinner was waiting for them. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Fox," Skinner murmured in his ear. "Everything was all set at Boston and I had to cancel out when you took so long out of town." "Then I realized that we've never had a night on the town, our town here in DC," Skinner continued. "We've never had dinner out, except at the most out of the way restaurants in Virginia and Maryland. I think it's about time that we live up a little." The dinner was wonderful but what followed was even better. Mulder bathed off the grime of travel and emerged from the bathroom in a fluffy white robe. He found that he was wriggling with anticipation. Of course, Mulder wasn't disappointed. Every year, at their anniversary, Skinner always began their lovemaking by focusing solely on him and tonight wasn't different. Just like every year, Mulder felt Skinner outdid himself. Skinner was gentle and very playful, everything so slow and achingly sweet between them as Mulder savored every stroke and massage and caress and fondling and cuddling. Their ultimate joining and their mingled cries served to reaffirm their love for each other. "Happy fifth anniversary, Fox and happy birthday," Skinner whispered afterwards as they basked in the afterglow. Mulder smiled sleepily, noticing the pleasant ache deep in his pelvis which only happened when they made love so slowly when Skinner managed to keep him in a very prolonged state of arousal before making him come explosively. Seeing the telltale drooping of the eyelids of the younger man, Skinner nudged him and walked over to his pile of clothes and took out something from his jacket pocket. "What's this?" Mulder came fully awake and saw that Skinner handed him a letter. "I wanted this to be a really special day, Fox," Skinner said, his jaw clenching as he was uncomfortable. "When you were away, I put all my thoughts down on paper so that you really know how I feel about you. I'm not really as open with you as I'd like to be, maybe because I'm so used to keeping my thoughts to myself. You know I'm less emotional than you are, but that doesn't mean I feel any less for you." Mulder's throat tightened as he took out the letter from the envelope. Skinner stood up and walked out of the room; he wanted Mulder to digest the contents of the letter alone. Skinner was certainly full of surprises today, outdoing everything that had happened before. "My Dearest Fox, Maybe you're wondering what came over me today. When you were away, I've been thinking about our five years together. Of course, there were rough spots, especially when circumstances separated us that time for eight months. But all in all, it's been the best years of my life and I'm more than glad that it has been you to share it with me. I don't know if I was able to do as I planned for today, that I would meet you at the airport and whisk you off for a memorable night. I want you to know how precious you are to me. It's very hard for men like us to sustain a relationship for more than a few months. It's even rarer to have five years together. I had your watch engraved precisely because those are my intentions for us and I want you to remember it always. I would want you to have the ring and the watch forever with you. I know you're the crying type and you're probably bawling your eyes out over this right now. More than anything, I want you to know what your are to me: my honey, my best friend, my love, my lover, my darling, my precious, my baby, my sweetheart. Don't ever forget that. I will love you always. Forever, Walter" Skinner was right, of course. When he returned to the room, Mulder eyes were swollen and his nose was running. Mulder carefully put back the note in its envelope and they embraced for a long time. Then Skinner dropped the bombshell. "I had another reason for this letter," Skinner said quietly. "I've been thinking about it for a long time and when I was recovering from my operation, I had lots of time to think." Mulder tensed. What was going on? "I'm being promoted, Fox," Skinner stated. "I'm now Deputy Director of the Bureau. I won't be AD of the Criminal Investigations Unit anymore. One of the major reasons that I accepted the post is that I can't stand to be your direct supervisor anymore. I would absolutely hate myself if I ever sent you out in the field and you get so much as a scratch. It's been very hard for me balancing our personal and professional lives. With my promotion, I would still be able to help you with the X-files but I would be more removed from the day to day decision-making." "But it's a more high profile position," Mulder protested. "If the press so much as gets wind of us..." "I plan to stay in that position for a year, then I'll retire," Skinner said gently. "You know that the Deputy Director is as high as any career Bureau officer is ever going to get. After all, the directorship itself is a political appointment. Would you deny me this promotion?" Mulder had to shake his head. Of course he knew since the beginning that Skinner was an ambitious man and now that he was going to achieve the pinnacle of success, Mulder wasn't one to stand in his way. He just hoped that their relationship wouldn't leak out. Being Deputy Director meant that Skinner would sometimes appear on television and all those publicity stunts that Freeh didn't want to do himself. Furthermore, it entailed attending those stupid political benefits. Skinner had attended some of them before with an appropriately pretty woman that Mulder previously approved of. Usually, it was someone from work. But overall, being Deputy Director involved a lot of responsibility since the actual running of the Bureau would be on his shoulders. The first few months on the job would also put him under intense scrutiny and Mulder didn't know if both of them would be able to stand that. "When do you start?" Mulder sighed, wishing that he could keep the resignation from his voice. "In a month," Skinner answered. He put an arm around Mulder's bare waist and pulled him down with him. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's late and you must be tired." Mulder found out the next day that this fifth anniversary wasn't over. Skinner woke him up and they had another bout of lovemaking. Breakfast came by way of room service and Mulder forgot his lingering anxiety over Skinner's new job a few minutes after Skinner returned from church. The doorbell rang and Mulder was puzzled as to why Skinner had ordered a midmorning snack. He stood at the doorway of the bedroom and dumbfounded when he saw someone setting up photographer's equipment in the living room of the penthouse suite. Skinner smiled at him again and told him to get dressed and that they were having their portrait taken. "All our pictures together aren't the type that I wanted," Skinner explained as he took a fresh white shirt of Mulder's out of the closet. "We never had a proper picture together, only our tourist shots from New York and Belize. I would like us to have a really nice picture together." The portrait sitting took up a better part of an hour with the photographer fussing over the lighting and looking for the perfect pose. The man was obviously gay, the screaming type and Mulder was uncomfortable at first with sitting so close to Skinner in front of this stranger. But the photographer was a professional and had both of them at ease within ten minutes. He packed up his equipment and left. .............................................................. END OF BACCARAT FIGURINES II Written in the very brief Wisconsin spring of 1997, that's why it's shorter than the first one.