Title: Maggie's Christmas Wish

Author: Andrea

Rating: NC-17

Category: MSR, Scully POV, very mild Scully angst.

Spoilers: Up to and including season six. There may be perceived
spoilers from season seven, but this story was written before 
season seven began, so if you think something is a spoiler, it's 
really just foresight.

Disclaimer: They're not mine in the legal sense.

WARNING!!! Christmas mind candy. Mushy mutual declarations of love 
ahead. If you don't like that kind of MSR, stay clear.

Notes: I am forever in debt to Falconer and Aly, without them my 
stories would be unreadable. Thank you to Jules and Dan for their 
support and input. 


*****************************************************************


Basement of the FBI Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, December 22, 1999
8:15 a.m.

Scully's head stayed slumped on the drafting table when Mulder 
breezed into the office, characteristically late. She was feeling 
anything but characteristic this morning. On Monday mornings she 
was usually full of energy, ready to take on whatever Mulder threw 
at her.

"You alright, Scully?" Mulder asked.

"I'm exhausted. God, I hate this time of year," she lifted her head 
to look at him.

"But you love Christmas, Scully!" he was shocked.

"You're right, Mulder. I do love Christmas, but I hate Christmas 
shopping."

"How could you hate shopping? You always pick out the best gifts. 
They're always perfect, Scully."

"Do you have any idea how much time it takes to buy the perfect 
present for everyone I have to buy for? Never mind that I got a 
late start this year."

"I guess that's why my gifts always suck. I don't spend a lot 
of..."

"Your gifts don't suck, Mulder" she interrupted him.

"I wasn't aware that you were so fond of football videos and key 
chains," he protested.

"I still have every gift you ever gave me, Mulder. Maybe it's not 
the gifts themselves, but the memories that are attached to them 
that make them special to me...and that they're from you."

Mulder looked shocked.

"I have every freaky gift that Missy ever gave me, too. Sometimes, 
when I miss her really badly, I pull out the box that I keep them 
in and I...I just remember...the good times."

A tear slid slowly down her cheek. Mulder took two long strides and 
gathered her into his arms. She let him caress her back as she 
cried.

"I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"That's just it, Mulder. They aren't bad memories, they're good 
memories. I don't want to forget. That's what's so good about your 
gifts, they scream 'Mulder.'"

"When do you look at the stuff I gave you?" He was kissing the top 
of her head.

"When I need to smile."

She could feel his lips, which were still pressed against her hair, 
spread into a smile.

"Excuse me, Agents," Skinner's voice made them both jump. Mulder 
released Scully from his arms, slowly, almost reluctantly, she 
noticed.

"What's the matter?" Skinner asked when he saw Scully's eyes.

She wondered if at first he thought that he had finally caught them 
doing what the office rumour mill said they'd been doing for years.

"I'm sorry, sir," Scully said, her voice still clouded by tears. 
"We were just talking about my sister."

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Skinner apologized.

Scully stood up quickly. "That's alright, sir. Is there something 
we an help you with?" she asked brightly.

"Oh, I was just stopping by to wish you both a Merry Christmas. I'm 
leaving for Boston tonight. I'll be spending the holidays with my 
brother and his family."

"Christmas is always better with kids around," Scully noted, 
smiling.

"Not when they are angst-ridden teenagers," Skinner grimaced.

Scully walked over to him. 

"Well, try to have a Merry Christmas anyway, sir." She stood on her 
tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Agent Scully. Do you have Christmas plans? Are you 
spending the holidays with your brother again this year?"

"Actually, no. My mother decided that she didn't want to travel so 
far this year, so she rented a cabin in Vermont and asked me to 
join her."

"That sounds relaxing. What about you Agent Mulder?"

"I've been invited to spend the holidays with friends," he told 
Skinner.

Scully was curious about Mulder's holiday plans. He had been vague 
and whenever she pressed him for details, he had changed the 
subject. She had a feeling that he was going to spend the holidays 
alone, but he didn't want to let on. She had bought Mulder a few 
gifts this year to brighten his Christmas, she hoped. When she 
tuned back into the conversation Skinner and Mulder were shaking 
hands. Skinner wished them both a Merry Christmas again and left 
the office.

The rest of the day passed fairly quietly. They spent the time 
working on paperwork they wanted to finish before the holidays.

"Have you finished your shopping, Scully?" Mulder asked when Scully 
began to straighten up her work.

"Well, yes. I usually finish early, because I have to send most of 
it to San Diego. I was a bit late getting started this year, so I 
was rushed. I didn't actually finish my shopping until last night. 
Do you have any idea what the stores are like on the 21st of 
December?"

"Well, I always do my shopping at this time of year. I guess I'm 
used to it."

"I've never finished my shopping this late. I hope everything gets 
to San Diego in time. Anyway, last night I was up late wrapping 
your presents."

She pulled a shopping bag out from underneath the drafting table 
and walked around Mulder's desk.

"Merry Christmas, Mulder," she leaned over and kissed him on the 
cheek.

"Presents? Plural?" he grinned, "Should I open them now?"

"I'd rather you saved them for Christmas day," she told him quickly.

"Okay," he agreed. "Are you still here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I was just wondering why you were giving me my presents today."

"I wasn't sure when your last day was, Mulder."

"Tomorrow, actually. When are you heading up to Vermont?"

"Friday," she told him.

"Good, I can bring your presents tomorrow.  I must admit though, I 
thought you would have been leaving sooner."

"I would have liked to, but I still haven't packed yet and I still 
have my Mom's presents to wrap. I might have some time tomorrow 
night if you'd like to get together before I leave town."

"I don't think I'll have time, Scully. I'm leaving on a late flight 
tomorrow and I haven't packed yet either."

"Oh, you're going away for the holidays?"

"I thought it was supposed to be men who never listen," he 
accused.

"You said you were spending the holidays with friends. I didn't 
realize you were leaving town."

"Sorry! Next time I'll give you an itemized itinerary."

"I'm not trying to keep tabs on you, Mulder. You just never 
mentioned that you were leaving town. Sorry I brought it up," 
Scully could feel her cheeks growing hot.

"Scully, I was teasing," he told her gently. "I thought I'd 
mentioned that I was leaving town."

Her face softened.  "I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't mean to fly off 
the handle. I'm just so tired," she sighed and leaned against his 
desk.

"You should get going, Scully, so you can finish your wrapping and 
packing."

"Yes, sir!" she grinned.

"And try to be in bed at a reasonable hour."

"Aye-aye, Captain!" her smile broadened.

"Is this part of your Christmas present to me, Scully? Doing 
everything I say?"

"In your dreams, Mulder. But since it's Christmas, I'll let you 
have your choice. Do you want me to do whatever you say, or would 
you rather I boss you around?"

"Can I think about it for a while before I make my choice?"

"I dunno, limited time offer," she grinned and started to hum the 
Jeopardy theme.

"Okay, okay! I guess I'd like you to boss me around, Scully. Better 
the devil you know..."

"Hey!" she laughed and punched him on the shoulder.

"See?" he laughed, rubbing his arm.

She went to grab her purse and coat, still smiling. "I'll see you 
tomorrow, Mulder."

"Night, Scully," he grinned at her as she headed for the door.

 When Scully arrived at work the next morning she was surprised to 
see that the office had been decorated. There were garlands hanging 
everywhere and there was even a little tree on the filing cabinet. 
It was decorated with Star Wars, Marvin the Martian and Star Trek 
ornaments. As she stood inspecting the tree Mulder came into the 
office with his arms loaded. She rushed over to help him.

"What do you have here?" she asked, taking two bags out of his 
right hand.

"An office party."

"An office party?" She was conscious of her eyebrows rising in 
surprise.

"Well, we're going to miss this year's office party. So, I thought 
we could have one of our own."

"We never go to the office Christmas party, Mulder," she pointed 
out, trying to suppress a smile.

"My New Year's resolution for 1999 was to try to fit in better at 
work."

"Or maybe you thought we should enjoy a little holiday spirit 
before we go away?"

He just shrugged with a big shy grin on his face.

"What can I do to help?"

"Were you asked to be on the X-files office Christmas party 
committee, Agent Scully?"

She shook her head.

"Then I suggest you get to work. The party doesn't start until 
noon."

"Yes, sir!" she laughed.

"I told you I wanted you to boss me around, Scully, remember?"

"Oh right, you better get your ass in gear, or else nothing will be 
ready in time."

"That's the Scully I know and love."

Actually, she spent most of the morning watching Mulder get ready 
for the party. He hung a mistletoe in the archway that separated 
the office from the mini-lab. He had cleared off one of the benches
then put out a couple of platters and a punch bowl. He left for a 
few minutes and returned with a cooler. He began to fill up the 
platters with meat, cheese, crackers and pickles. Scully watched as
Mulder poured a couple of egg nog into the punch bowl and then 
added some rum extract to it. He pulled a container out of the 
cooler and opened it up. He looked around at his supplies, biting 
his lip.

"I know I wasn't worthy of being on the Christmas committee, 
Mulder, but can I make a suggestion anyway?" Scully offered when 
she saw his dilemma.

"'Kay."

"Put one of the napkins on a paper plate and put the cookies on 
that."

"Thanks, Scully. You can be an honorary member of the committee."

"Why, thank you. As an honorary member of the committee can I ask 
a question?"

"Sure."

"How much do you think I can eat, Mulder? You have an awful lot of 
food there."

"You are not the only person on the guest list, Agent Scully."

As if on cue, Mulder's cell phone rang.

"Mulder," he answered.

"I'll be right there," he said after a couple of seconds. He handed
Scully a bag.

"Would you put these under the tree, please."

He left her standing there holding the bag as he headed out the 
office door. She opened the bag and peered in. There were several 
brightly wrapped packages inside. She began pulling them out, 
reading the labels and placing them under the small tree.

There were eight presents in all. Two for each of the Gunmen, 
one from Mulder for her and one for Mulder from her. As she was 
straightening the presents under the tree, Mulder returned with 
the Gunmen in tow. They each had presents for Mulder and Scully 
as well. Actually, there was one present for Mulder and three 
for Scully.

Mulder invited everyone to dig in and on the way to the mini-lab 
Scully got trapped under the mistletoe and had to kiss each of the 
Gunmen. Frohike came back for seconds. Mulder just poured himself 
some egg nog and grinned. They all filled their plates and cups. 
Scully laughed when Alvin and the Chipmunks started singing in the 
background.

When they finished eating, Mulder said it was time to open the 
presents. Scully, momentarily forgetting about the mistletoe, 
managed to get herself caught again, and Frohike snagged a third 
and fourth kiss from her and was positively aglow. Scully noticed 
with chagrin that Mulder hadn't kissed her either time. He did, 
however, seem to be enjoying all of the kisses the Gunmen were 
getting.

Mulder handed everyone a present. The presents he gave to
the Gunmen were the ones from Scully. She was dreading to see
what *she* had bought for them. For Frohike, it was a picture of
her in a very nice antique-style brass frame. For Langly, she had
picked a collector's edition of the original D&D rules. Byers
received an elegant burgundy silk tie. They all thanked her
profusely. Her first present was from Frohike. She was surprised
to find it was a bottle of her favourite perfume.

"Thank you so much, Frohike," she gushed and gave him another kiss.

Mulder was busily unwrapping his present from Scully. It was a 
calendar, a Playboy calendar.

"Hey, Scully, you know what I like!" he grinned.

"Almost like you'd picked it out yourself," she laughed.

Mulder made Scully open up two presents next, so that they could 
all open their last presents together. Langly had given her bath 
salts, bath beads and bubble bath. Byers had picked out some votive 
candles and holders.

"Are you guys trying to tell me I need to bathe more often?" she 
laughed.

"Oh yeah, Scully, you always smell so bad," Langly laughed.

"Hey! Watch it!" Frohike punched him on the arm.

"Just a joke, man!" Langly protested, rubbing his arm.

Frohike just glared at him. Mulder ignored them and handed out the 
last of the presents. Mulder opened his present from the Gunmen. It
was a microchip.

"I don't way to say, guys," Mulder told them, "'Cause I don't know 
what the hell it is."

"Hand me your cell phone," Byers instructed.

He took a set of jeweler's screwdrivers out of his pocket and 
opened up Mulder's phone. He took the microchip and seemed to
just pop it into the phone. He closed it up again and handed it
back to Mulder.

"My calls are already paid for," Mulder pointed out.

"This doesn't give you free air time, it prevents your cell phone 
from being triangulated," Byers told him.

"But I can make and receive calls?" Mulder questioned.

"That's the beauty of it. You can make and receive calls, but your 
calls get bounced from cell to cell to cell. It's impossible to 
triangulate. If someone tried, it would look like you were being 
beamed all over the world," Byers explained.

"Great, now no more black ops bastards will be able to track me 
down. Thanks, guys."

"Hey! We know what you like," Langly laughed.

The Gunmen opened their gifts from Mulder next. He gave them each 
a tree ornament. Frohike got a "Marvin the Martian", Langly got a 
"Pinky," and Byers got " the Brain."

"Hey!" Langly protested, "I think I'm being insulted here."

"'Nuff said," Mulder laughed.

"What?" Langly was confused.

"If you can't tell when you're being insulted, 'nuff said."

"What did Mulder give you, Scully?" Byers changed the subject.

"I'm afraid to find out," she laughed, tearing at the paper. 
"Edible underwear. Thank you, Mulder," she said, shaking her head, 
"Next time we're hiking in Florida, I'll wear them. That way at 
least we'll have something to eat."

"I knew you'd think of something sexy to do with them," Mulder 
chuckled.

He retrieved the plate of Christmas cookies from the mini-lab and 
passed them around.

"These look like my mother's cookies," Scully observed.

"Probably because they are your mother's cookies," Mulder told her,
his mouth full of cookie. "I didn't know where to get homebaked 
stuff at the last minute, so I called your mom."

"I think you talk to my mom more than I do," Scully laughed.

They whiled away the rest of the afternoon finishing off the food 
and discussing possible articles for the Gunmen's upcoming "false 
millennium" issue. When the food and egg nog were gone, the Gunmen 
decided to hit the road. Mulder walked them to an employee entrance
while Scully started to clean the office.

She was rinsing out the punch bowl in the small sink, or trying to,
in the small sink, when Mulder reappeared. He took the bowl out of 
her hands, put it on the counter and turned off the water. He took 
her hand and led her to the archway.

"I wanted to do this in private, in case you were wondering."

He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I was wondering, Mulder, but this is hardly private," she pointed 
out.

"Well, it's better than in front of the three stooges. I've got a 
long way to go to catch up to Frohike. You made his millenium you 
know, Scully. He was still talking about it on the way out."

"The real millennium's not 'til next year, Mulder," Scully pointed 
out.

"I know, but right know I'm more concerned with catching up to 
Frohike," he pressed his lips to hers again.

She smiled at him, "Thank you, Mulder."

A puzzled look flashed across his face.

"For the party, Mulder. I was feeling really guilty about not being
able to spend time with you over the holidays. You read my mind. 
Thank you."

She stood on her tiptoes, put her hands around his neck and kissed 
him.

"Don't worry about me, Scully. I'm going to be spending the 
holidays with the two women who love me the most," he smiled.

"Two women, Mulder?" she laughed.

"What can I say, I'm irresistible," he smiled and kissed her again.

Scully stepped away from him, "Well, I guess I should get going 
now. I still have some packing to do."

She began to gather her things.

"Wait, Scully, I have something for you."

She turned back towards him. He handed her a bag.

"Your Christmas presents," he told her. "See you in the New Year, 
Scully."

"In the New Year, Mulder," she nodded, smiling thinly as she left 
the office.





Highway 89
East of Burlington, Vermont
Friday, December 24,1999


Scully had caught an early flight to Burlington and was in her 
rental car on the way to the cabin by 10 a.m. Her mother would 
already be there, having left the day before. 

Scully had quickly gotten over her guilty feelings about leaving 
Mulder over the holidays and had begun to feel something darker. 
She tried to push it away. She had always thought that she and 
Mulder had a tacit agreement about their relationship or lack 
thereof. There never seemed to be good time to take their 
relationship to the next level, but while they bided their time, 
they didn't see anyone else, either. Apparently, she was mistaken. 
She knew she shouldn't be jealous. They had never actually said 
anything to one another. It stung so badly, though, especially 
after the sweet kisses they had shared.

She turned down the road that led to the cabin and according to her 
mother's map it was just a few miles down the road. Scully took 
some deep breaths. She would not let this ruin her holidays. Maybe 
Mulder was spending the holiday with relatives, and he *had* thrown
that party for her, and they had kissed.

She saw the cabin ahead and there was a car in the driveway. She 
pulled in and parked the car. After getting some of her bags out of 
the trunk, she headed up the stairs of the porch. She was just 
reaching for the door when it opened. Scully thought her jaw must 
have hit the porch when she saw Mulder standing in the doorway.

"Let me help you," he laughed as he reached for some of her bags.

She followed him into the main room of the cabin. It was gorgeous. 
The main room was open concept with cathedral ceilings. The wood 
that the cabin was constructed with was well-aged and well polished,
giving it a warm cozy atmosphere. There was a fireplace on the west
wall and a large table on the east wall. There was a loft at the 
back of the cabin and the kitchen was underneath it. Scully took 
all of this in quickly. She was far more interested in Mulder.

"What are you doing here, Mulder? I mean I'm happy to see you, but 
I'm really surprised, too."

"Your mother invited me. She asked me not to tell you. She wanted 
it to be a surprise."

"The two women who love you most," she whispered.

"Nobody loves me more than you and your mother, Scully," he told her
gently, "But I'm a little confused. I thought your mother was 
supposed to be here. I got here an hour ago and she wasn't here. 
The cabin is all stocked up. The cupboards are full to bursting."

"Maybe she drove into town to get something," Scully offered.

"Then she took all of her clothes with her. There are no suitcases 
or clothes in the bedroom. There is an envelope on the dining room 
table with your name it," he nodded towards the table that stood in
front of three floor to ceiling windows. Scully put down the bags 
she was carrying and walked over to the table. She opened the 
envelope and read the letter. She felt her cheeks get hot.

"She thought I would object if she had told me her actual plan. She
wanted us to have a nice quiet Christmas, with no one sick, no one 
missing and no work," she explained her mother's letter.

"Would you have objected?" Mulder asked as he joined her by the 
table.

"Probably," she admitted quietly.

"Why?"

"I guess because I wouldn't want to make any assumptions," she 
wasn't meeting his eyes.

"I thought we already knew how we felt about each other, Scully."

She still wasn't looking at him. He took the letter out of her hand
and put it back on the table. He stepped closer to her and put his 
hands on her shoulders.

"Look at me, Scully."

When she looked up she found that she was looking directly into 
his eyes. She felt herself being drawn into him. She wasn't sure 
what happened next. All she knew was that they were kissing. These 
were not the soft sweet kisses they had shared yesterday. These 
were hungry kisses, passionate kisses, searing white-hot kisses. 
Scully's head was swimming. Mulder's hands were everywhere. He was 
pulling her coat off and tugging at her blouse; trying to get it 
out of her jeans. She moaned into his mouth when he squeezed her 
breast. Then she realized that Mulder's shirt was off and she 
couldn't remember undoing the buttons. Her hands were on the button
of his jeans. She tried to pull out of the kiss, but Mulder 
followed her. She shook her head.

"Stop, Mulder. Please stop for a minute."

He did as she asked. She looked at him. His eyes were closed, his 
lips seemed swollen from kissing her, his mouth was open and he 
seemed to be having trouble catching his breath. He opened his eyes
to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"I know this is going to sound stupid and probably typically female,
but please hear me out."

He nodded.

"I've wanted this for a long time, Mulder. I fantasize about this 
all the time."

A grin was starting to spread across his face.

"And usually the fantasies are just like this, with us tearing each
other's clothes off, but you know what, Mulder?"

"What?"

"I want our first time to be really special. In ten or fifteen or 
twenty years when I look back, I want to remember every glorious 
detail of our first time. I want to remember how your caresses felt.
I want to relish the memory of how it felt when you kiss my neck 
and my breasts."

She watched as her words sank in. Mulder moaned softly.

"Mulder, I don't remember taking your shirt off. I don't recall you
 unbuttoning my blouse. I would really like it if we could wait 
until tonight. We could have the tree up by then. We could have a 
fire and make love in front of it. I know it sounds foolish and 
romantic, but that is what I would like to do. Is that okay?"

"I thought you were going to say you wanted to wait until we were 
married."

"Married?" she grinned. "Do you want to get married, Mulder?"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Scully."

"Oh God, Mulder," she groaned as she pulled him into another 
kiss.

"Was that a yes?" he laughed.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with *you*, Mulder."

He ran a finger along her jaw line and smiled.

"You know, Scully, I think you're right. I want to remember every 
detail of the first time we make love, too. We've waited this long,
I think we should wait until tonight."

"Thank you, Mulder."

When she leaned in to kiss him again, she felt his erection 
pressing into her belly. She reached down and caressed him through 
his jeans. He moaned at her touch.

"God, Scully, I won't be able to wait if you keep doing that."

"I won't leave you like this, Mulder."

She slowly got down on her knees, maintaining body contact with him
as she went.

"Scully, you don't have to..."

"I want to," she told him as she undid his jeans.

She looked up at him as she lowered his jeans. He was looking down 
at her intently. His lips were parted and his pupils were dilated. 
She gently stroked his cock through his boxers before she gently 
slid them down. He gasped when she took him in her hand. She 
quickly sucked off the pre-cum that was glistening on the head of 
his cock. She ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft, base
to tip. He shuddered and groaned. A guttural sound escaped his 
throat when took him into her mouth. She let her tongue dance 
around the head of his cock. She felt his hand on her head. He was 
stroking her hair and moaning her name. She pulled back for a 
minute.

"Are you going to remember this, Mulder?" 

Her voice had become very sultry.

"Till the day I die, Scully," his voice was hoarse.

She took him completely into her mouth. She caressed his balls as 
she moved her mouth up and down his cock. Her free hand followed 
the path of her mouth. Mulder was moaning constantly and saying her
name with reverence. Scully knew the old saying that the way to a 
man's heart was through his stomach, but she had always found that 
a good blow job got you there a lot faster. She was thoroughly 
enjoying Mulder's reaction to her ministrations. She loved how she 
could turn a man to putty with her mouth. He started to moan louder. 
He was clutching her hair.

"God, Scully, I'm gonna come."

She moved her mouth and hand a little more quickly up and down his 
shaft. She knew that he had warned her, but she wanted to taste him.
She felt his cock begin to pulse. He thrust his hips jerkily and 
growled her name as he came. She kept his cock in her mouth until 
he began to grow soft. Then she pulled his boxers and jeans back up
and stood up. He pulled her into a feverish kiss.

"God, Scully, that was..."

"Shh," she quieted him with another kiss. "I've wanted to do that 
for a long time."

"Now, what about you, Scully?" he asked her in between kisses.

"What about me?"

"You just gave me a fantastic blowjob, Scully. What can I do for 
you?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just change my underwear and I'll be as good as 
new."

Mulder grinned and tried to reach into her pants.

"Mulder! You said we could wait. If you keep doing that, It'll be 
all over in no time."

"Jesus, Scully," he breathed as he pulled her into a kiss, "waiting
is going to be harder than I thought. Although I'm happy to know 
that I made your panties wet."

"It's not like it's the first time," she grinned.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Women can just hide it easier than men."

"I've had this effect on you before?"

"Yes, Mulder, but I think we should talk about something else. 
Let's unpack, have some lunch and then go and get a tree. My mom 
said that we are allowed to take one from the back of the property. 
Judging from the height of this ceiling, it can be a fairly big 
tree, too. It's a good thing I brought my decorations."

"Your mom's are upstairs and she asked me to bring mine, too, so we
should have lots."

It took them a couple of trips to get everything upstairs. When 
Mulder arrived with the last of the bags Scully was surveying the 
bedroom with a smile on her face. The bed was huge, a king-sized 
four-poster. The quilt was a double wedding ring design of red and 
gold on white. The curtains were white and frilly. There was a 
small table in the room with two straight-backed upholstered chairs.
Mulder walked up behind Scully and put his arms around her waist.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered in her ear.

She nodded and sighed, leaning back against him.

"I'm looking forward to making love to you here after we make love 
in front of the fire," he continued.

"Me, too" she whispered.

She was surprised to feel that his erection had returned.

"God, Mulder," she spun around in his arms, "I don't know if I want
to wait. All I can think about is having you inside of me."

She kissed him deeply, exploring his mouth, her lips tugging at his. 
She gripped his ass and she was holding him against tightly her as 
she slowly rocked her hips.

I thought you wanted it to be special?" he asked when he managed to
pull himself out of the kiss.

"Anytime we make love will be special," she said pulling him back 
down into the kiss.

She stood on her toes, feeling that she couldn't kiss him deeply 
enough. Mulder reluctantly pulled out of the kiss again.

"The tree will look beautiful in the front window," Mulder told her. 

"The lights will sparkle off the ornaments. The fire will be 
crackling and the firelight will dance on your skin as I slowly 
remove your clothes. Every square inch of skin that I reveal will 
be wet from my kisses.

She leaned her head against his chest.

"Thank you, Mulder."

"I seem to recall you saying something about lunch?"

"Hungry, Mulder? Can we unpack first?"

"Okay."




After unpacking, eating a quick lunch and tidying up the dishes, 
Mulder and Scully searched the cabin for equipment for their 
Christmas tree excursion. They found everything they needed, a saw,
an axe and a long toboggan in the mudroom at the back of the cabin. 
Since the driveway had been shoveled, neither of them realized how 
deep the snow actually was up here. It came up to Scully's thighs. 
They agreed that Mulder should lead the way and break the path.
 
"How do we know where the property line is?" Mulder asked.

"Apparently there's a fence," Scully told him.

They were quiet again for a few minutes as they trudged through the
snow.

"Oh, Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be able to tell if the tree is going to fit? I'm afraid 
I'd pick one that is too tall."

"I should be able to come pretty close. Indian guide, remember?" he
said, tapping his chest.

"Oh right," Scully laughed, "That's always been such a big help in 
the past. Besides, it's your photographic memory that I trust, 
Mulder, not your Indian guide skills."

"My memory allows me to recall all of my Indian guide training," he
pointed out.

"Well, I'm counting on you accurately remembering how high the 
ceiling is."

"Well, that too," he admitted.

Scully was trudging along behind Mulder, pulling the toboggan and 
Mulder was carrying the saw and the axe. The sun was shining 
brightly and there was hardly a breath of wind.

"It's gorgeous out here, isn't it?" Scully said aloud.

"Mmm, it is nice," Mulder agreed. "See anything you like yet?"

"Well, your ass looks pretty good in those jeans."

He stopped and turned around. There was a big grin on his face.

"I was referring to a tree," he informed her.

"Oh, I guess you should be more specific in future."

"I will, believe me, I will."

He started walking towards her. The look on his face was almost
predatory.

"What are you doing, Mulder?"

"Don't worry, Scully. I'll tell you what I'm doing and I'll be very
specific.

She tried to appear nonchalant.

"I'm going to kiss you and I'm going to stick my tongue in your 
mouth."

"Oh yeah?" Scully's voice betrayed how she was actually feeling.

Mulder began to kiss her exactly as he had described. She responded
immediately, opening her mouth to him, returning his kisses.

"Now I'm going to open your coat so I can squeeze your breasts and 
your ass while I kiss you some more," he told her.

She just nodded while Mulder unzipped her coat. She moaned into his
mouth when he began to caress her as he told her he would. He 
pulled out of the kiss again.

"Now I'm going to undo your jeans and reach into your panties to 
see how wet I've made you."

He turned her so that her shoulder was against his chest. Then he 
began to undo her jeans. He slowly slid his right hand into her 
panties. She moaned and thrust her pelvis forward to meet his hand 
as he began to explore.

"God, Scully, you're so wet!" he groaned.

He had his left arm around her waist and she leaned against his 
supporting arm, moaning into their continuing kiss.

"The way you react to me is the sexiest thing I've ever experienced,
Scully."

She was dimly surprised to hear herself almost growl in response to
Mulder's words. She gasped when his thumb grazed her clit.
 
"You like that, Scully?" Mulder's breathing had become labored.

She tried to answer him, but she didn't think she actually said 
anything intelligible. She wanted to look at him, but she couldn't 
keep her eyes open. The realization that this was Mulder with his 
hands in her pants was making her head spin. She felt her orgasm 
beginning to build. She shuddered when she felt Mulder slide a 
finger into her.

"You like the way it feels to have my finger inside of you, don't 
you? I'm going to keep doing this until you come as hard as I did."

He was gently brushing her clit with his thumb. Her moans 
intensified as he slipped another finger inside of her. She 
adjusted her hips to allow his fingers deeper access.

"Look at me, Scully," Mulder said, his voice ragged.

Her eyes fluttered open. Mulder began to speak to her as he 
continued to caress her.

"We are in the woods, in two-and-a-half feet of snow. We are 
supposed to be looking for a Christmas tree, but instead I have my 
hand in your jeans and I'm about to make you come. Are you going to
remember this, Scully?"

With that her body went taut and she clamped her legs around his 
hand. Her body trembled and quaked as her orgasm raged through her. 
Mulder pulled her into another kiss as the aftershocks of her 
climax continued to course through her. She had to pull out of the 
kiss to catch her breath.

"That's exactly what I meant, Mulder," she told him breathlessly.

He looked puzzled as he tried to do her jeans back up.

"I don't think I will ever remember an orgasm as vividly as I'm 
going to remember that one."

"I guess I've got my work cut out for me tonight then, don't I?" 
he grinned.

"Somehow, I don't think that will be a problem, but I will never 
forget standing in the woods up to my ass in snow with your hand 
in my pants, bringing me to, without a doubt, the most spectacular 
orgasm I've ever had."

"You know what, Scully?" Mulder smiled.

"What?"

"I know I've already said this, but this making it memorable and 
special was the single best idea you've ever had. In ten, or 
fifteen, or twenty years I'm looking forward to holding you in my 
arms and saying 'Remember when...'"

"God, Mulder, I love you so much," she told him, pulling him into 
a kiss.

Scully was surprised to see a flash of disappointment cross his 
face. 
 
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

He laughed, "God, no. I just sort of wanted to tell you first."

"You did, Mulder. You did."

She laughed when Mulder looked confused again.

"When you talk about holding me in your arms twenty years from now, 
that says more than those three little words can ever hope to. You 
told me that you love me, that you want to commit to me and that 
you plan to make our life together loving and memorable."

"Have I told you recently that you are an amazing woman, Scully?
Somehow you manage to make *me*, a loser, one sorry son of a bitch, 
feel like I'm something special. You not only make me feel like a 
great lover, but also like I can express my feelings for you far 
better than I really can."

"Mulder, the people who said those things don't know you from Adam. 
They were making judgements based on very limited information. As 
long as you are honest about how you feel, Mulder, I will know that 
you love me. Sometimes that's better than those three little words."

"Is that why saying 'I love you' doesn't feel like it would tell 
you how deeply I really feel about you."

"God, Mulder," she groaned. "There you go again. If you keep saying 
things like that, I will be putty in your hands. That tells me you 
love me more eloquently than any poet could to."

"So, I should actually just tell you what I'm thinking? That might 
get me into trouble sometimes."

"If what you're thinking is 'God, that jacket makes you look fat,' 
as long as you tell me while I can still change it, I won't be mad."

"What if I'm thinking 'Do we really have to go to your mother's for 
supper? I'd rather stay home and have sweaty sex on the kitchen 
table.'"

"That would depend," Scully grinned.

"On what?"

"On how big a deal supper was. If it was a special occasion, we 
would still have to go. If it wasn't, I would just tell my mother 
that we were going to stay home and have hot, sweaty sex on the 
kitchen table."

"I like how you changed it from sweaty sex, to *hot*, sweaty sex, 
but you wouldn't really tell your mother, would you?"

"Honesty, Mulder. Besides, she started this, she'll have to live 
with the consequences."

"Know what I'm thinking now, Scully?" he asked.

"No. what?"

"I'm thinking we'd better hurry up and find a tree while I can 
still feel my feet."

"It is a little chilly out here when you're not in the throes of 
passion," she laughed as she did up her coat.

Mulder laughed with her as he bent to retrieve the saw and axe. 
Scully gasped, laughed and pointed over his shoulder. He looked 
where she was pointing and there, about ten feet from them was a 
gorgeous blue spruce. It was about fifteen feet tall and 
beautifully shaped.

"Maybe we should make this our first Christmas tradition, Scully.
We'll make out in the woods to find our tree."

They laughed together as the headed through the snow towards the 
tree. They cleared the snow away from the bottom of the tree and 
Scully held the trunk while Mulder quickly sawed through it as 
close to the ground as he could get. Then, using the axe, he 
removed a few of the lower branches. Scully threw away the dead 
ones, but kept the rest to decorate with.
                             
It took them about half an hour to haul the tree back to the cabin 
and about another half hour to actually get the tree inside. Once 
they had managed to maneuvre the tree into the front room, Mulder 
held it up while Scully fetched the tree stand.
 
"I was worried that the trunk might be too big," she said when she 
returned, "But it looks like it'll fit."

Mulder inspected the stand and the trunk.

"I'm really going to have to slam the tree onto that spike, Scully. 
I'm going to need you to hold the stand for me."

She nodded and got onto her belly to hold the stand. Mulder counted 
down and she braced herself in anticipation of being smacked by the 
lower branches. She felt the breeze of the tree approaching her and
heard the thud of the tree hitting the stand. She felt a few of the 
branches brush up against her.

"Okay?" Mulder asked.

"Yup," she answered.

"Why don't you tighten the screws while you're down there?"

"Sure."

She began to tighten each screw a few turns at a time to keep the 
tree centered. In a few minutes they were all tightened into the 
trunk. Then she shimmied out from under the tree.

"You might want to see if you can tighten them down some more."

"Okay, you hold the tree steady," and he crawled under the tree.

He was back out shortly.

"You had them pretty tight, Scully. Now, Let's take a look at the 
tree."

They backed up away from the tree.

"It's gorgeous, Mulder," she gasped.

It is perfect, isn't it?" he agreed, as he slid his arm around her 
waist.

She smiled up at him, "This is perfect, Mulder."

He  gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. "This is 
beyond my wildest dreams, Scully. I keep waiting to wake up."

"I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, Mulder, except 
that it's not Christmas I'm waiting for."

She turned to him, and pulled him into an embrace. He leaned and 
began to kiss her. She returned his kisses passionately. He began 
to kiss a trail down her cheek, towards her neck.
 
"I don't remember you being quite this short before, Scully," he 
said as he bent down further to reach her neck.

She laughed, "No heels. After trudging through that snow, and 
wrestling with that tree, I could really use a bath, anyway. Would 
you start a fire please? When I'm done it will almost be time to 
make supper."

"After we eat, the tree should have settled enough to decorate, 
since it wasn't all bound up. I'll give it some warm water, too. 
That should help, too," he told her. 

"Oh," he continued, "I didn't notice, was there a shower?"

She shook her head, "Sorry."

He shrugged, "That's alright. I'll make do with a quick bath when 
you're done. I'll chop enough wood to get us through the night. I 
don't want to work up a sweat after I have my bath."

"*Chopping wood*," she grinned.

"Mmm, right, I was looking forward to a little heat later on, and 
I don't mean from the fire."

She pulled him into another kiss. Mulder pulled out of the kiss.

"Okay, stop that and go for your bath," he started to push her 
towards the bathroom. They both stopped when they heard a cell 
phone ringing.  They tracked it down to the dining room table. It 
was Scully's.

"Scully," she answered.

"Hello, Dana, are you at the cabin?"

"Mom, it's about time you called. Could you please tell me what the 
hell possessed you to come up with such a ridiculous plan? It's 
been a nightmare. Mulder was really angry when he found out you 
weren't going to be here. He said he sees enough of me at work. He 
was looking forward to spending the holidays with you. He said you 
are the only person who really loves him. He's packing to leave."

At this Mulder grabbed the phone out of Scully's hand.

"Hello, Mrs. Scully."

"Fox! What on earth is going on there?"

"Your daughter is pulling your leg, Mrs. Scully. We are having a 
wonderful time. We have the tree up, but it's not decorated yet. 
We are planning to spend a romantic evening in front of the fire."

"Oh, Fox, that's wonderful. I couldn't be happier. Could I speak to
my daughter again, please."

"Yes, but I wanted to thank you first. I can't remember ever being 
happier, either. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Scully."

"Call me Maggie, Fox."

"Okay, here's Dana," he put his hand over the mouthpiece. "I'm 
going to water the tree now and get the fire going," he gave her a 
quick kiss.

"Okay, I'll take the phone upstairs with me. Hi again, Mom," Scully
grinned as she headed upstairs.  

"Dana, why would you let me think that you and Fox were fighting?"

"Just my way of getting back at you for your little scheme, Mom."

"I guess it was a little underhanded of me, but I really wanted you
two to get together," Maggie explained.

"We've been together for a long time, Mom, just not physically. 
We've both known for ages that we were in love, but I think we were 
both worried that our partnership would suffer if our relationship 
became intimate. Neither of us were prepared to take the risk."

"So what will you do, then?" Maggie asked.

"I don't want to think about that right now. We can worry about 
that when we get back to D.C."

"I hope I didn't push you into this before you were ready."

"I think it's too late to worry about that now, Mom. Mulder and I 
have been skating on thin ice for a while now. You know, kissing 
more and more often, finding ourselves holding hands, looking for 
stupid excuses to spend time with each other. It only took a little
shift for the ice give way completely."

"The ice gave way quickly, did it?" Maggie asked.

"We almost made love by the dining room table with your letter in 
my hand," Scully laughed.

"Almost?"

"I convinced Mulder to wait until tonight. I want it to be special 
since we've waited so long."

She started to run the water for her bath.

"Fox sounded like he was looking forward to tonight."

"We both are. We almost didn't make it a couple of times and there 
is still a lot of time to get through. Now that we've decided to do
this, it's very difficult to wait just a few hours." 

"Well, I won't keep you on the phone. Enjoy the rest of your day, 
dear."

"Oh, I will, Mom, I will. Would you do me a favour, please and tell
Bill all of the gory details. I'm just sorry I won't be there to 
see him squirm. I'll call you Christmas afternoon, okay Mom?"

"It's not nice to torment your brother, Dana," she said with a 
laugh, "Say goodbye to Fox for me."

"I will, Mom. Bye."



Scully reappeared downstairs about an hour later in black slacks 
and an emerald green cashmere sweater. Mulder was in the front 
room crouched down in front of the fire, rearranging the wood. 
Scully stopped at the foot of the stairs and surveyed the room.

"We don't even have the tree decorated yet and the room already 
looks beautiful, Mulder. I love the way it smells, too, with the 
tree and the fire," she sighed. 

Mulder pulled the fire screen closed and stood up. Scully had 
crossed the room to join him by the fire. Mulder gathered her into 
his arms.

"*You* look beautiful, Scully, and you smell wonderful," he told 
her as he began to kiss her. He ran his hand along the curve of her
ass. "And you feel fantastic," his voice was muffled as he nuzzled 
her neck.

"Mmm, that feels so good, Mulder," she had thrown her head back. 
She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. "You feel...
God, Mulder, I love the way you feel."

"Mmm," he chuckled as he continued his assault on her neck.

"I'm really enjoying this, Mulder, but unfortunately, um, you don't 
smell so hot."

"You don't like my manly smell?" he feigned shock.

"Yes, I do, but right now you smell a little too manly. If I hadn't
gone for a bath I probably wouldn't have noticed or cared."

"I did notice that you do smell much better than I do, and if 
there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that for some 
obscure reason women find clean men more appealing."

"It's a definite X-file, Mulder," Scully laughed.

"Well, after I have my bath, I'll have to investigate further. You 
know me, Scully, I can't rest until every case has been explored 
thoroughly."

"And I'm your latest case," she grinned.

He nodded, "I plan to make a very detailed study."

"How long will that take?"

"Years."

"Years?"

"Mmm-hmm, and as you are always telling me, Scully, results aren't 
valid if they can't be reproduced. So, after years of study I'll 
have to start over to see if I can duplicate my results."

"Some changes *will* occur over the years, Mulder."

"I'll take all the variables into account when I finalize my 
report."

"You never like to finalize things, Mulder. You always want to 
leave things open for further study," she pointed out.

"Let me know when you think this case is ready to be closed."

"I don't want you to close it," she told him softly.

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"God, Scully," he sighed as he bent to kiss her.

 She felt his hands tangle in her hair, as he pulled her closer. 
She melted against him as his tongue sought access to her mouth. 
She felt a tingle in her solar plexus as his tongue danced with 
hers. The tingle became constant heat when one of Mulder's hands 
left her hair and began to caress her breast. The warmth traveled 
through her belly and she felt a rush of heat between her legs 
when she felt his erection pressing into her. She clutched his ass 
and she felt her hips begin to make slow circles against him. He 
groaned into her mouth and she thought that she could actually feel
his cock throbbing through the layers of their clothing. He pulled 
out the kiss, his breathing ragged.

"Bath," he panted. "I'm going for a bath."

She nodded, trying to catch her breath. "I'll go start supper."

After Mulder staggered upstairs Scully went into the kitchen. She 
began to look through the cupboards to see what supplies her mother
had laid in, since she hadn't looked closely at lunch time. 
Following a quick investigation, she decided to make chicken in 
white wine sauce with wild rice and mushrooms, with glazed carrots 
on the side. It wouldn't be the traditional Scully meatless 
Christmas Eve meal. Scully didn't think fish would fit the bill 
tonight, even though her mother had some of the Scully favorites 
already made, just needing to be thawed and reheated.
 
Mulder returned in half an hour, freshly shaven, wearing navy 
chinos and a burgundy shirt.

"It smells good in here," he complimented her.

"Thanks. It'll be ready in a little while. You look nice, Mulder," 
she was standing at the island stirring the glaze for the carrots 
while trying to make sure the chicken didn't stick to the pan. 
Mulder stood behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"How do I smell now?"  He leaned over and kissed her neck.

"Mmm, much better. I see that it didn't take much investigation for
you to find that spot on my neck." She leaned back into him.

"This spot?" He kissed her neck just behind her ear.

"Mmm," she moaned.

"I like this spot," he moved his lips closer to the base of her 
neck. "I like the way you push your ass back against me when I kiss
you there."

"If you keep that up, Mulder, you're going to distract me, and 
supper will be ruined," her voice was husky.

"Just a little appetizer," he told her. She gasped when he brushed 
the hair away from the back of her neck and kissed her right below 
her hairline. "I love the way you get practically boneless when I 
do that."

"You've never done that before, Mulder," she laughed.

"I still love it," he pressed his lips to her neck again.

She groaned in response, pressing back against him.

"Okay, that's enough appetizers for me. I don't want to ruin my 
supper." He moved to the other side of the island. "What did your 
mother have to say?"

Scully smiled, "Oh, just that she is very happy for us and that 
she hopes we enjoy the evening that we have planned. Oh, and she 
said to say good-bye to you, too."

"What did you tell her about tonight?" Mulder looked surprised.

"I tell my mother everything, Mulder. You'll have to get used to 
that. She's like a girlfriend that way. Besides, she's the one that
planned this. She wanted us to make love. I don't see any point in 
being cagey about it."

"We never talked about stuff like this in my house, and we're not 
even Catholic," Mulder laughed.

Scully smiled, "My mother wasn't always like this. She didn't tell 
me anything about sex until after my first period almost scared me 
to death. Missy hadn't become a free spirit yet, so she hadn't 
breathed a word to me. I thought for sure I was dying. Then after 
my mom sat me down and explained it all to me, I was sure that 
there would never be any fear of me getting pregnant. 'Cause there 
was no way in hell I was going to let anyone do to me what she had 
described."

"I take it you changed your mind," Mulder chuckled.

She grinned mischievously, "Mmm, yes, I eventually found some 
definite benefits to that particular activity."

"And you told your mother all about it?" he raised his eyebrows at 
her.

"Hell, no! She would've killed me. I don't even want to think 
about what Ahab would've done. But, that was years ago, Mulder."

"How many years ago?" Mulder was waggling his eyebrows now.

"You really don't want to share sexual histories, do you, Mulder? 
I know that there are parts of yours that I certainly don't want to
hear about."

"I just want to hear about your first time," Mulder smirked.

"Some other time, Mulder. I thought we were talking about my 
mother's new-found peace with my sex life."

"Okay. When did your mother magically become comfortable with her 
baby girl having sex outside of marriage?"

"I think it was when she realized that no matter how much she 
wanted me to get married, move to the suburbs and have 2.5 kids, 
it wasn't going to happen. My brothers are successfully carrying on
the Scully name, but I still think she still would have liked to 
have at least one of her daughters marry and have kids. I don't she
would ever admit that, though. Now I think she just wants me to be
happy."

"I thought you wanted that kind of life, too," Mulder was confused.

Scully smiled at him as she poured the glaze over the carrots. 
"Every once in a while I wonder what it might have been like, but 
I am very happy with the path I have chosen, especially now."

"I guess your mother and I both want the same thing. We want you to
be happy. I'm just sorry I waited so long, Scully. We could have 
been this happy so much sooner."

"I don't know about that, Mulder. I'm glad we weren't a couple when
I was sick. It would have been even harder for me to deal with, if 
I thought I would be leaving a lover behind as well as my best 
friend."

"There never seemed to be a good time to take this relationship to 
the next level," Mulder agreed.

"And whenever we tried, something always got in the way," she 
added.

"Not this time, Scully. Come hell or high water, I'm going to make 
this work. I don't care what the cost is."

"I don't want to think about that right now, Mulder. Until we get 
back to D.C. I don't want to think about anything except you and me. 
I know I'm sticking my head in the sand, but I don't care," she 
told him.

"That's fine with me, Scully. I will be delighted to think about 
nothing but us, and maybe my stomach. It smells really good. Is it 
almost ready?"

She gave him a smile of thanks.

"I just need to set the table and then we're ready."

"Let me help," he said, taking the placemats, napkins and cutlery 
the she had ready on the counter.

She carried the dishes and wine glasses to the dining room, and 
left them on the table for Mulder. She went back to the kitchen and 
grabbed the wine and took it out to him.

"Would you pour this, please?"

"Where's the rest of it?" he asked looking at the half-empty bottle.

"The chicken is simmering in it," she smiled.

While Mulder set the table and poured the wine, Scully brought the 
food to the table in two trips.

She had cooked three breasts. Mulder ate two, just as she figured 
he would.  He complimented her on everything. There was barely a 
grain of rice left at the end of the meal.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. Did I not make enough? Are you still hungry?" 
she worried.

"God, no. I think I actually ate too much," he patted his belly, 
sighing. "If you'd made more, I probably would have eaten it. It 
was all delicious, Scully."

"Thank you, Mulder. It's more fun to cook for two. It seems to make
it more worthwhile. There's a cheesecake we could have for dessert,
or we could save it for later."

"Let's save it. I couldn't it another bite right now."

"Okay. Would you do me a favor please, Mulder, and get my 
decorations out of my trunk. I'll do up these dishes and then we 
can decorate the tree."

"Sure," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

It wasn't long before Scully heard Mulder come back into the cabin 
and begin to tend to the fire, making her think out their plans. 
She was lost in these thoughts, so she didn't realize that Mulder 
had come back into the kitchen until he put his arms around her 
waist. She jumped in surprise.

"Sorry, Scully, I didn't mean to scare you. What were you thinking 
about?"

She leaned back against him and keeping her voice low said, 
"Tonight."

He chuckled and slid his hands under her sweater to cup her breasts.
She moaned as he teased her nipples through her bra.

"I love the way you react when I touch you, Scully." He kissed her 
neck again. "I've been thinking about tonight a lot, too."

She turned in his arms they began to kiss lustily. The heat in her 
belly returned quickly. She had never been so turned on before. Her
feelings in previous relationships paled in comparison to the way 
Mulder made her feel. She knew she had to pull out of the kiss now 
or they would end up making love on the floor of the kitchen. She 
ended the kiss reluctantly.

"Time to decorate the tree?" Mulder was breathing hard.

She nodded.

"I'll get the ladder out of the mudroom. We'll need it to reach the 
top of the tree."

She nodded again. She had finished washing the dishes and decided 
to let them air dry. She could put them away later, or tomorrow.
 
Mulder came back with the ladder and they moved to the living room.
It had grown quite dark, so Scully turned on some lights. The tree 
had settled out and looked even more beautiful.

Mulder climbed the ladder and put the traditional Scully angel at 
the top of the tree. Then he took a string of lights and started to
work his way down.

"It's a good thing you brought your decorations, too, Mulder, or 
there wouldn't have been enough to do the tree properly," Scully 
realized.

It took almost an hour to get all of the lights onto the tree. 
Scully turned the house lights off while Mulder plugged in the tree
lights.

"My God, Mulder, it's gorgeous!" she gasped.

"I think we done good, Scully," he agreed.

"I think the rest of the decorating can wait, Mulder. Will you put 
the ladder away for now? I'll be right back."

"I have to go to the bathroom, too," he told her, smiling.

When Mulder appeared in the bedroom, Scully was standing there with
most of the bedclothes in her arms. She laughed at the questioning 
look on his face.

"I want to be comfortable," she explained before she headed 
downstairs.

When Mulder joined her by the fire she was smoothing a sheet over 
top of the quilt from the bed. She smiled and patted the sheet next
to her. He kicked off his shoes and sat down beside her. He 
caressed her cheek with his thumb and then slid his hand under her 
hair to the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. He eased 
her onto her back and began to kiss her neck. He slid his free hand
under her sweater and began to tease her nipple as he had earlier. 
When he tried to reach around to undo her bra her eyes popped open.

"Wait," she pleaded breathlessly.

"Too fast?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You first," she grinned.

"Why me first?" he was puzzled.

"Purely selfish reasons, " she arched an eyebrow at him and began 
to undo the buttons on his shirt.

"What?"

She kissed the skin that she had revealed. "How long do you think 
you'll last, Mulder?"

He grinned, "Aha, now I see your evil selfish plan. Well, if I 
must," and he lay back on the pillows again.

"You're such a martyr, Mulder. The sacrifices you have to make," 
she laughed.

"Never let it be said that I let my selfish desires interfere with 
your pleasure, Scully."

She laughed again as she continued to unbutton his shirt, kissing 
his chest and belly as she went. She straddled him and pulled his 
shirt out of his pants.

"Sit up so I can take this off," she said softly.

He sat up and she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and then 
ran her hands down his arms to push the sleeves of the shirt off. 
She tossed it aside and kissed his shoulders. As he lay back down, 
he pulled her with him, kissing her passionately. She could feel 
his erection pressing against her and she instinctively thrust her 
hips against him. They both moaned. Scully gazed at him through 
heavily lidded eyes.

"God, I can't wait until you're inside of me," her voice was 
incredibly sultry.

He could only groan in response. She slowly took off his pants and 
socks. When she worked her way back up to his boxers, she was 
pleased to see his cock straining against them. She stroked his 
cock before she removed his last piece of clothing. She wanted to 
make this really good for him, so she resisted the urge to go 
quickly. If he had thought this morning was good, tonight was going
to blow his mind, she smiled to herself. She moved up to straddle 
him once more.

"Sit up again please, Mulder."

When he did, he kissed her hungrily. She tried to talk to him while
they kissed.

"Mulder,--mmm, I think,--mmm, I have too,--mmm, many clothes on. 
--Mmm, take my sweater off."

That got his attention and he stopped kissing her to pull her 
sweater off. He breathed in sharply when he saw the lacy black bra 
she was wearing.

"God you're beautiful, Scully," he sighed.

"Thank you, Mulder. Now the pants."

He unbuttoned her slacks and she stood up so he could take them off. 
She was wearing high-cut black lace panties that matched her bra. 
Mulder reached between her legs and slid one finger under the 
elastic of her panties. She moaned as his finger caressed her.

"Not yet," she told him, her voice husky.

She gently moved his hand away and pushed him back onto the 
pillows. She sat down on his thighs again and began to kiss his 
chest. She kissed his belly, his balls and his thighs, purposely 
avoiding his cock. Then she let her hair brush against it as she 
passed. Then, after avoiding his cock again, she let her lips graze
him. An eternity later she kissed the head of his cock.

When she took him into her mouth and Mulder growled her name. She 
let her mouth slide slowly down his shaft. He groaned loudly. She 
tried to keep the pace agonizingly slow, letting his cock slide in 
and out of her mouth while her tongue swirled around him. 

He gasped at the first touch of her hand and the volume of his 
moans and groans increased. She continued to caress his balls, 
occasionally stroking his perineum. She started to move up and 
down his cock faster, using her tongue, hands and lips in concert 
to keep him right on the verge. He was trying to speak to her, but 
it came out so garbled that she couldn't make out was he was 
attempting to say. 

She decided it was time to send him over the edge. She moved her 
hand from his testicles to his cock and a few strokes later he 
began to shake. When she swirled her tongue over the head of his 
cock he yelled her name. She felt his cock pulse just before her 
mouth was flooded. As she had earlier, she kept his cock in her 
mouth until he began to grow soft. Then she kissed her way back up 
his belly to his chest and lay down beside him. His eyes were still 
closed and his body was trembling. She lay her head on his shoulder
and caressed his chest. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Jesus, Scully," he rasped. "That was...I don't think I've 
ever..."

"Shh, I'm just glad you enjoyed it," she smiled.

"Do I want to know where you learned how to do that?"

"My technique wasn't really any different than this morning, I just
dragged it out to make the sensation better for you. It's always 
better with a longer build up."

"Then thank you for loving me enough to want to make it better for 
me."

He rolled onto his side and gently pushed her onto her back. He 
ran a finger across her cheek and then along her jaw.

"God, you are so beautiful, Scully," Mulder sighed as he leaned in 
to kiss her.

She opened her mouth to him, putting her hands on his face and 
pulling him closer. Mulder put his hand on her stomach and caressed
her. As their kiss continued, he slid his hand up until it was 
covering her breast. She moaned softly and arched her back, 
pressing her breast more firmly into his hand.

"I want to taste you, Scully," he told her as he reached under her 
to unfasten her bra. "I want to taste all of you."

He removed her bra and added to the pile of clothes on the floor. 
He began to kiss her neck as he continued to squeeze her now bare 
breast. He gently rolled her nipple between his thumb and 
forefinger. She made a noise that she could only describe as a 
cross between a laugh and a growl. When he pinched her nipple a 
little harder she definitely heard herself growl.

"Mmm, you like that, Scully?" Mulder chuckled as he kissed her 
chest.

"God, yes," she moaned.

He continued to tease her nipple as he started to kiss her other 
breast. She gasped when he sucked one nipple into his mouth at the 
same time that he pinched the other. Mulder kept teasing her 
nipples until her moans became whimpers and her hips were writhing.
He moved his hand from her breast and slid it into her panties. She 
lifted her hips to meet his hand. She whimpered when he pulled his 
hand back out, but then watched in rapture as he sucked his fingers
off one by one.

"You taste so good, Scully." His voice had become low and gravelly.
It made shivers run through her.

Before she knew what was happening, he was between her legs, 
pulling off her panties. She felt his mouth close over her and she 
moaned when she felt him suck on her lips. His lips and tongue 
caressed her. She couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, with the
notable exception of the times that he flicked her clit with his 
tongue or sucked it between his lips. She didn't care. It all felt 
fantastic.

She groaned when he slid his fingers into her. He continued to 
massage her clit with his tongue as he slid his fingers in and out 
of her. She felt her orgasm approaching, but Mulder backed off and 
kissed her thighs, keeping his fingers still. When her breathing 
quieted he began his ministrations again. 

Every time she got close he backed off. He kept this up for what 
seemed like forever to Scully. When she finally thought she 
couldn't stand it anymore he began to move his fingers in and out 
of her rapidly. He flicked her clit several times in a row and 
then sucked it between his lips. Her orgasm exploded through her. 
There was a flash of white light and then everything went black and
still and all she could feel was the pulsing of her clit.

When she became aware of her surroundings again, she realized that 
Mulder was over her, kissing her tenderly.

"God, Mulder," she whispered.

"Shh," he whispered back, kissing her gently.

She could feel his erection pressing into her belly.

"Mmm," she moaned and she shifted underneath him so that his cock 
was between her legs. She looked up at him. He was breathing 
heavily and his eyes seemed to be searching hers.

"I never knew before," he whispered.

"You never knew what?" she asked softly, running her hands through 
his hair.

"I never knew what it felt like to be truly in love. I have never 
loved anyone this thoroughly. I'm consumed by my desire to be one 
with you, not just for sexual pleasure, but to show you how much I 
want to be part of you. I have never experienced anything this 
powerful before."

Scully felt tears sliding over her temples.

"Where did you ever get the idea that you couldn't express how you 
feel, Mulder? I think you're doing a damned good job. I want you to
be part of me, too. Actually, I think you already are, but I want 
you to have all of me. My body, my mind, my soul, they're all 
yours."
 
"God, Scully, I love you so much," he told her and then he kissed 
her tenderly again.

He began to slowly enter her. Her mind reeled as he began to fill 
her up.

"Oh God, Mulder," she gasped. "This feels better than I ever 
imagined. Better than I knew was possible."

He began to slide slowly in and out of her. After a couple of 
strokes she was amazed to feel another orgasm approaching. She dug 
her nails into his arms as it raged through her. She barely got her
breath back when she felt another climax begin to build. Mulder 
kissed her as her body quaked under his. Her body barely recovered 
before she was rocked by yet another orgasm. She had never 
experienced anything like this before. When Mulder began to stroke 
more quickly, her orgasms came one on top of the other. She thought 
Mulder was saying something to her, but all she could hear was the 
blood rushing in her ears. Everything went still, as it had earlier.

Then she was dimly aware through the fog of her orgasms that Mulder 
had shouted her name and was throbbing inside of her. She felt him
trembling above her. Her orgasms finally subsided and her body 
began to relax. She groaned in disappointment when Mulder moved off 
her, but sighed contentedly when he pulled her close so that they 
were spooned up.

Mulder lifted his arm and looked at his watch. "Merry Christmas, 
Scully," he chuckled softly.

"I'm sure I'll never forget this Christmas, Mulder," she said, 
trying to stifle a yawn.

"Don't you want to go upstairs?" he asked.

"I need to sleep for a while. Then you can take me upstairs and we 
can make love there."

"Mmm, that sounds like a good plan," he yawned, too. 

"Mmm," she mumbled and snuggled back against him.

"I definitely think that this will be my best Christmas ever," 
Mulder told her softly.

"I'm glad we made it memorable," she agreed.

"Think we should call your mother and tell her how things went?"

"I'll call her tomorrow."

"Does your mother always get her way?" Mulder asked as he nuzzled 
her hair.

"Always," Scully told him. 

The last thing she remembered before she drifted off to sleep was 
Mulder's voice saying, "God bless you, Mrs. Scully."

 
End