Title: At Last
Author: Andrea
Disclaimer: They belong to the evil tease and those people at Fox. The
song "At Last" was written by Warren Gordon and beautifully sung by
Etta James.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Avatar loosely, I can't think of any others.
Notes: This is my first G rated story.  I'm actually planning to make
a series out of it based on jazz songs. The next installment will be
NC-17 if people think I should keep going.
please e-mail me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mulder and Scully both looked up in surprise when A.D.  Skinner
rushed into their office late on a Friday afternoon.  Scully was
surprised that he was even at the office at all today. That night he
and Sharon were renewing their wedding vows. Scully was pleased that
they had finally worked things out and were back together. Skinner was
breathing heavily and he looked somewhat panicked.
"Mulder," he panted. "I need a huge favour."
"Sure sir, what can I do for you?" Mulder stood up.
"My brother Frank, who was supposed to be my best man, just called.
His plane is fogged in. He is still in San Francisco. Would you please
stand up for me tonight? I know it's really short notice, but it would
break Sharon's heart if we had to postpone."
Scully looked at Mulder expectantly.
"It would be an honour sir, as long as you're sure that you want me."
Mulder was skeptical.
" I would be proud to have you as my best man, Mulder. I'll owe you
big time," Skinner reassured him.
"Actually I think it'll finally make us even, sir. You have pulled my
ass out of the fire more times than I care to admit. Will I need a
tux, sir?"
"Well, I'll be wearing a suit, not a tux, so a suit will be fine.
There won't be anyone you know there tonight. Would you like to bring
a date?"
Mulder glanced at Scully. She nodded her head quickly.
"I'll pick you up Mulder, and I'll pick out your tie," she smiled.
"On time and looking respectable," Skinner grinned. "Thank you, Agent
Scully."
"Speaking of time...when and where, sir?" Scully inquired.
"The ceremony is in the chapel at St. Stephens church at seven
o'clock. Then we have reservations at 'Jolie' for eight."
Scully looked at her watch.
"Four-fifteen, time for me to get going. I'll be at your place at six,
Mulder," she grabbed her purse and briefcase and was on her way.
Skinner heaved a sigh of relief.
"Glad Scully agreed to come with me?" Mulder laughed.
"More than you'll ever know," Skinner smiled. "And now I should be
going, too," he shook Mulder's hand. "Thank you again Agent Mulder."
"I'm happier than anyone will ever know that she agreed, too," Mulder
sighed after Skinner had left the room. Mulder assumed she had agreed
out of respect for Skinner. At this point, he really didn't care. He
had a date with Dana Katherine Scully!

 Mulder had showered and shaved and was standing in his dress shirt,
boxers and socks when he heard Scully's knock.
"Come on in," he called.
 He heard Scully's heels clicking on the hardwood as she approached
the bedroom. Mulder's jaw dropped when she appeared in the doorway.
She looked beautiful, radiant, stunning. Every superlative he could
think of didn't seem to do her justice. She was wearing a dress made
of some shimmering sapphire blue material that swished slightly when
she walked. The dress seemed to be made for her. It accentuated her
slender waist. The bodice fit like a glove and pushed her breasts up,
making them seem larger than Mulder knew they really were. Her make-up
was expertly applied and different, somehow, to what she wore to work.
Mulder couldn't put his finger on exactly how it was different, it was
just different. Her hair was pulled back off her face and was loosely
curled. She was carrying a wrap made from the same material as her
dress. Mulder also noticed her black suede heels were significantly
higher than the shoes he was used to her wearing.
 She came into the room and threw her wrap onto the bed. She walked
over to Mulder, put a finger under his chin, and closed his mouth.
"I'll take that as a compliment, Mulder," she smiled.
"You look gorgeous, Scully," he said quietly.
"Yeah, I clean up real good. Now, let's see what ties you've picked,"
she looked at the ties in his hands.
"Not just now Scully, always, but tonight you took my breath away," he
told her.
She blushed rosily.
"Thank you, Mulder. Now let's finish dressing you or no one will
notice me," she grinned.
"I could go wearing nothing but a big red clown nose on the end of my
penis and I still wouldn't get noticed next to you, Scully."
She laughed out loud.
"That I would love to see, but not tonight, Mulder."
He was holding two ties; one burgundy, the other navy.
"This one," Scully picked the burgundy. "It'll go better with your
charcoal suit.
 She sat on the bed and watched Mulder finish dressing. When he was
done, Scully walked over to him, adjusted his tie slightly, and
brushed a wayward lock of hair off of his forehead.
"Perfect," she smiled up at him.
The force of her smile nearly knocked Mulder backwards.
"You're going to outshine the bride tonight, Scully," he told her.
"If I'd known you were going to be such an attentive date I would have
asked you out a long time ago," she smiled. "Now let's get going. Will
you drive, please Mulder? These shoes make it nearly impossible," she
grabbed her wrap off of the bed.
 Mulder was silent as they drove to the church.
"What's up Mulder? Why so quiet?" Scully asked.
"What? Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how lucky Skinner and Sharon
are to have found each other again. Some people don't ever find the
right person. They found each other, then lost each other, but then
they were lucky enough or maybe smart enough to put the bad times
behind them and make their relationship work."
Scully sighed.
"What?" Mulder asked, glancing at her.
"I hope I'm loved like that sometime."
'I love you like that, Scully,' he thought to himself, but only said,
"Me too, Scully, me too."
 Mulder pulled into the parking lot at the church. Scully started to
open her door.
"Let me do that," Mulder said, jumping out of the car. "We're on a
date, remember?" Mulder smiled when he opened her door.
"Sorry, old habits..." she smiled, letting him help her out of the
car. She was more than happy to play this game. Mulder put his arm
around her waist as they walked into the church. Scully led Mulder to
the vestry. Skinner looked relieved to see them.
"I'm going to go back out and sit down. Congratulations, sir, I can't
tell how happy I am for you," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek,
then she wiped the lipstick off with her thumb.
"Wouldn't look very good, would it?" she laughed as she left the
vestry.
"Dana looks radiant tonight," Skinner commented after she was gone.
"I'll say," Mulder said, still staring at the door she had walked
through.
"You've got it bad," Skinner laughed.
"What?" Mulder turned to look at him.
"Never mind. Here," Skinner handed him a ring, "Put this in your
pocket."
 The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Scully felt silly when she felt a
tear sliding down her cheek. She felt better when she saw other people
wiping their eyes, as well. She and Mulder looked at each other often
during the ceremony. She smiled at him, hoping to encourage him. He
looked nervous and hopelessly handsome in her opinion. When the
ceremony was over, everyone got into their cars and headed to the
restaurant.
"You did wonderfully, Mulder," she told him once they were on their
way.
"I'm sure I looked like a jackass. I felt really out of place."
"You looked very handsome and sure of yourself," she assured him.
"You think I look handsome?" he was surprised.
"I only date handsome men," she laughed.
"And I only date gorgeous redheads," he grinned, looking at her
sideways.
"Since when?" she snorted.
"Since tonight," he replied softly.
"Since there weren't any leggy brunettes handy," she jabbed.
"Leggy brunettes are highly overrated. Curvaceous redheads are my
thing now."
Mulder's little game was starting to make Scully uneasy.
"Okay Mulder. Enough's enough. Playing first date was fun for a while,
but now you're making me uncomfortable."
 Playing? She thought he was playing? They pulled up in front of the
restaurant. Mulder turned to her.
"I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'd
still like you to be my date, please, but I'll back off, okay?"
She squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Mulder. I was starting to wonder if
you were actually playing."
He smiled and got out of the car. A valet opened Scully's door. Mulder
handed him the keys and slipped an arm around Scully's waist.
 The food was delicious but Scully couldn't eat. Mulder had her
confused. She had the distinct feeling that she'd hurt his feelings.
He hadn't said much since they sat down. The Skinner's had opted to
forego the usual after dinner speeches. Instead, a jazz band with a
girl singer began to play almost immediately after dinner. The
Skinners danced alone to the first song, Unforgettable.
Scully leaned over to whisper in Mulder's ear.
"Pretty apropos, considering your earlier evaluation, Mulder."
He smiled and nodded, thinking to himself that he would probably never
forget the feel of Scully's breath against his ear. When the song
ended, the Skinners asked the matron of honour and the best man to
join them. Mulder smiled at Scully and took her hand. Scully's stomach
flip-flopped the beginning chords of 'At Last' begin to play. She knew
it well. It was one of her mother's favourite songs. She looked up at
Mulder. Something in his eyes made her heart start to race. He pulled
her close and they began to move to the music.
 'At last, my love has come along,' the singer crooned. 'My lonely
days are over,'
Scully was surprised at how easily she and Mulder moved to the music.
'And life is like a song,'
Mulder was guiding her effortlessly around the dance floor. Scully
felt like she was floating.
'At last the skies above are blue'
Mulder was gazing at Scully intensely.
"Like your eyes, Scully," he whispered.
'My heart was wrapped up in clover,' the singer continued, 'The night
I looked at you.'
"Tonight, I realized my heart was wrapped up in you," he said softly.
'I found a dream that I could speak to,' she sang as if only to them.
'A dream that I can call my own.'
"I don't want it to be a dream, Scully."
'I found a thrill to press my cheek to,'
Mulder stroked Scully's cheek with his thumb.
'A thrill that I have never known.'
"I want that thrill with you, Scully."
'You smiled...you smiled and the spell was cast,"
"You aren't playing, are you Mulder?" her eyes were wide.
'And here we are in heaven'
"No games, just me and you, Scully, in heaven.'
'For you are mine at last,' the lyrics ended.
"Are you mine, Scully?" he whispered.
"Yes," she answered, breathlessly.
As the final notes of the song faded, Mulder leaned over to kiss her.
Her lips parted and their tongues met. They kissed feverishly. She
broke the kiss, panting.
"At last," she smiled.
He covered her mouth with his and they kissed passionately again.
"Hey!" a voice nearby startled them. "I thought the bride and groom
were supposed to be the center of attention," Skinner was grinning at
them. They looked around and realized that the music had stopped and
they had been standing in the middle of the dance floor, kissing.
"Sorry," Mulder muttered.
Scully's forehead was on his chest.
"If you two can't control yourselves here, what are you going to do at
the office," Skinner laughed.
"I think we'll be fine as long as no one plays that song," Scully
smiled.
"Speak for yourself, Scully. And it's all your fault, sir," Mulder
accused.
"My fault! You've been mooning over Scully for a couple of years, at
least," Skinner defended himself.
"Yeah, but it's your fault that I couldn't resist her tonight." He
turned to Scully. "You looked even more beautiful than you usually do,
and then that song!"
"Thank you, Mulder, but I think Skinner's right. Let's go sit down. We
aren't supposed to be the center of attention tonight. I'm sorry sir,"
she apologized to Skinner.
"Would it draw too much attention if we necked in the corner," Mulder
whispered in her ear as they headed back to the table.
"I'm afraid so, Mulder."
He sighed with mock dejection as they sat down at their table again.
"But, I will let you take me parking later," she smiled, slyly.
"How far do you go on the first date, Scully?" Mulder began to nuzzle
her neck.
"You'll have to wait and find out, but past first base, apparently,"
she leaned closer to him. "And if you don't stop that, you'll find out
right now, and we'll embarrass ourselves again."
"How long do we have to stay?"
"To be polite, Mulder we have wait until the bride and groom leave."
Mulder looked at his watch.
"So when do the bride and groom leave, traditionally, Scully?"
"Traditionally, fairly early, but the Skinners look like they are
ready to party all night," she nodded towards the dance floor.
"Well, let's dance the night away then Scully. I can't think of a
better way to pass the time than to be pressed up against you," he
took her by the hand and they joined the Skinners on the dance floor.

End