Date sent:        Tue, 31 Mar 1998 13:59:50 -1000
From:             cktanaka@mail.health.state.hi.us (Tanaka, Chad K.)
Subject:          Submission - The Call

Title: The Call

Author: Chad Tanaka

e-mail: chadt@aloha.net

Rating: PG

Category: VR

Spoilers: Fifth Season, Small Potatos, Emily

Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance

Summary: Mulder gets a call from Scully and it leads to an unexpected,
but wonderful encounter. Some relatively tame sex. All non-shippers
will want to leave by the side exit!

Disclaimer: As usual, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are the property of
Chris Carter, Fox Broadcasting and Ten-Thirteen Productions. The
characters have been used without permission for purely entertainment
purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

"The Call"

Residence of Fox Mulder
Alexandria, VA
March 30, 1998
9:30pm

"Mulder, it's me..."

Mulder had heard that a million times before, and felt comfort
in the familiar voice. He suddenly realized that he had been lying
here on his couch, subconsciously waiting for her to call. He felt
ashamed of his growing feelings for Scully. After all that he'd put
her through, he didn't need to complicate her life with something as
trivial as an infatuated partner. No, Mulder thought, she deserves
better. In spite of all the pain she has endured, she's still by my
side.  This wonderful woman amazed him.

"Mulder? Hello?"

"Uh, Sorry, Scully. I'm just a little distracted at the moment."  He
kicked himself mentally for his embarrassing lapse in conversation.
Why was he acting this way? Get a hold of yourself, he thought.

"I hope it's not that videotape that doesn't belong to you, Mulder.
The one that I put back in that drawer along with those other tapes
that don't belong to you," Scully said wryly.

"I'm hurt, Scully.  You should know that I don't need those now that
I've got you." He knew she would take it as a joke. He wasn't sure if
it really was a joke. Mulder wished that humor wasn't the only way he
could express himself to her.

"Well, I'm glad to know I could help." Scully sounded a bit
uncomfortable. 

Mulder detected an increasing uneasiness in Scully whenever he made
any references to their relationship outside of work. Mulder began to
worry that his confused feelings toward Scully were becoming more and
more of a hindrance to their friendship. I've got to get this under
control, thought Mulder.

He told himself initiating a physically intimate relationship with
Scully would probably be a mistake. Mulder believed Scully felt the
same way. The dynamics of their partnership within the X-Files hinged
on the perspective and clear-headedness they had toward each other.
Being lovers would just muck up the works. How could Mulder worry
about unraveling evil government conspiracies if he was worrying
about whether he left the toilet seat up, or snored too loudly the
night before? It was like all the television shows and movies. Once
the main characters "made it" with each other, Mulder mused, it got
stale and uncomfortable very quickly. Mulder worried about that.

"Okay, what's up Scully?"

"Mulder, do you realize this is one of the few times that we're not
actively working on a case?"

"Well, even Little Green Men need vacations Scully."  Mulder
deadpanned.

"But usually on our downtime, I'm trying to get as far away from the
job as possible and you're off trying to prove some kind of wacky
theory or hanging out with The Lone Gunmen. What are we doing now?"
She said.

"What are you getting at?" He asked.

Scully hesitated, then said, "I think the reason why we're acting
unusually is that we've got a problem. Something's bothering the both
of us, and I think it's starting to affect our working relationship. 
We really need to talk, Mulder."

Uh, oh, thought Mulder. He was in for it now. Mulder didn't know what
to do next. Should he tell her how he felt? Bring it out in the open?
But he wasn't sure how he felt. On one hand he valued their special
friendship and he didn't want to lose that.  On the other hand, he
wanted nothing more than to take Scully into his arms, kiss her
passionately and feel her soft embrace. Should he tell her? In any
case, how did she really feel about him? It wouldn't make a hell of
a lot of difference if she didn't feel as strongly about him as he
did her. This was starting to get complicated. What do I do, Mulder
wondered.

"About what, Scully?"

"I think you know. This has been going on for a while now, and I
think this lull in our case load is a good time to work it out."
Scully waited for an answer. 

"All right. I'll be right over."

"I'll be waiting," replied Scully.

Mulder hung up the phone.

At 10:13pm, Mulder began the drive over to Scully's apartment.
He bought a half-dozen red roses and a decent bottle of champagne
from a nearby 24-hour market and put them on the passenger's seat. He
knew it would probably give Scully the wrong impression, but he didn't
feel he could show up for what could shape up to be a very serious
discussion about their relationship empty-handed.

He was dressed casually and clean-shaven. He still felt uncomfortable.
He dealt better with monsters, aliens and shady government officials.
To think about what was coming nearly scared him more than any X-File
he had ever worked on. Would the X-Files survive if anything terrible
happened between them? Of course it would, thought Mulder. It had been
his life's work ever since Samantha disappeared. It was more important
than Scully or anyone else.

Or was it?

Lately, he began to realize, after finding out that Samantha might be
alive and well (raised by Cancerman - unthinkable!), and being
overjoyed by Scully's miraculous recovery, Mulder wondered if his
quest was more important than treasuring what he still had in life.
He might not have his sister or his father, he might not even have
all the answers to the government conspiracy he railed against, but
he still had Scully.  She was one of the only women in his life. She
was becoming the most important one. Could he let that slip away?
Could he live out his days not telling her how he really felt? Did he
owe it to her, after all she had sacrificed because of his quest?

Mulder drove on into the night, not sure what to think or believe
anymore. But he knew he would find out soon. 


"Mulder?" Scully said to the door.

"No, just us Little Green Men," Mulder replied.

The door opened, and Scully stood in the doorway. Mulder looked at
her. Really looked at her. Not as a Special Agent with the FBI, not
as an M.D., not even as his partner in the X-Files, but as a young,
vibrant, beautiful woman. His breath was almost taken away. It was
amazing what a change in perspective could do to you, thought Mulder.

"Hi, Scully," Mulder croaked out. Great, just like prom night, he
thought. Good thing I don't have a corsage with me. I'd end up poking
her full of holes. He stepped through the doorway.

"Thanks for coming, Mulder..." Scully was looking at the roses and
the champagne, her eyes widening.

"I'm sorry. But I didn't think it was appropriate coming empty-
handed." Mulder blushed slightly and looked apologetic.

"No, no." Scully replied. "It's fine. I just remembered when Eddie
Van Blundht showed up with a similar gift." Scully began to relax.

"Oh. Sorry. I can assure you, it's just me." Mulder said with a
smile. "Look, no tail!" He turned.

Scully laughed. "Good, I wouldn't want to go through that again. But
thank you very much." Scully took hold of the items and went to the
kitchen. Mulder saw her smell the roses and smile. He smiled as well.
She was probably the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, with her
flaming auburn hair; gorgeous deep blue eyes; smooth, creamy
complexion; petite, well-proportioned figure. Not to mention her lips
- soft, but with just a hint of defiance. Had he really not noticed
before? What a dope, thought Mulder.

"Come on in, Mulder. Have a seat. Have you eaten yet?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Mulder took a seat on the sofa. He could hear
music coming softly from Scully's stereo. He felt hot and sweaty.  He
felt light-headed. He leaned back.

"POP!"

Mulder looked down at his feet. The champagne cork lay there. He
looked up at Scully. She was holding the bottle in both hands. She
giggled. He smiled back. 

"Sorry, almost got you there," Scully said, smiling.

"Hope it's all right. I'm not very good at that stuff and I wasn't
sure if it was appropriate or not." He felt like a child who didn't
know which fork to use first at the dinner table. He sighed.

"It's fine. It was nice of you to think of it." Scully picked up a
couple of champagne flutes and walked over to the sofa. Mulder took
the bottle and poured some in each glass. They each took their glass
and raised it slightly.

"To...well, you know..." said Mulder awkwardly.

"My thoughts exactly," Scully said with a quiet giggle. They toasted,
and drank.

After a while, Scully started the conversation.

"Mulder, we've been together in the X-Files for quite some time now.
I think, over the years, we've both grown together and come to trust
one another, right?"

"Sure," replied Mulder.

"And some amazing and horrifying things have happened to us that
brought us even closer together than we are with our families,"
Scully went on.

"Most of  the time, I've tried to keep that closeness at arm's
length, Mulder, fearing what would happen to us and your work if
things got emotionally...complicated."

"A most prudent course of action," Mulder said.

"But lately, I think those same latent...feelings have been getting
in the way of our working relationship and I feel it's time we get
things out in the open and decide how to proceed." Scully finished,
looking squarely at Mulder.

"Gee, and I thought I was the one with the background in psychology,
Scully," Mulder said flippantly.

"I'm serious, Mulder," Scully was still looking at him.

Scully, you can always be counted on to be the rational one, Mulder
thought.

"Okay, you're right. Let's talk. Who's gonna come clean first?" Mulder
was still trying to lighten the mood. Sometimes Scully's intensity
made him squeamish.

"Since I called you, I guess it should be me," Scully sighed, and
turned away from Mulder. She leaned back.

"I've lost most of my family since I've been with you. My father died.
Melissa was killed. I've even lost the ability to have a family. And
I...I've lost maybe the only daughter I'll ever have. " Tears began
to form in her eyes. "Much of what I've cherished and loved has been
taken away. Much of it is because of the path I've chosen. Your path."
Scully's voice was quavering.

Mulder was taken aback. "Scully, I..."

"But you know the funny thing is, I don't blame you. In fact, you've
sacrificed for me more times than I can remember. Besides, you've
lost a lot too. In the end, you gave me the strength of your beliefs,
Mulder. As much as this quest has taken from me, there is so much
that it has given back. I am a stronger person for it, and I have you
to thank for that. We've come this far, I couldn't let you go on
alone. Your life is linked with my life. Although my viewpoints may
sometimes differ from yours, I believe in your search for the truth."
Scully let the tears fall, but a look of relief passed over her. She
demurely wiped at her eyes, and looked down at her hands.

"However, Mulder, in spite of all that, or maybe because of it, there
is another reason why I'm still here with you. Scully again looked
into Mulder's eyes.

"What reason?" Mulder asked. Could it be? He wondered.

"I...I...," Scully stammered. She was obviously having difficulty
with this, Mulder thought. He felt an incredible tenderness toward
her at that moment.

"Hey, it's okay," he said. "Take your time." He reached out and
stroked her back. She have him a helpless smile.

"Scully, are you going to say what I think you're going to say?"
Mulder looked at Scully in wonder and anticipation.

"Time's up. You're next." Scully, with a gleam in her eye and an arch
in the corner of a lip, changed the subject.

Mulder laughed. The tension was broken. He knew now how he really
felt about Scully.  He made up his mind on what to do next. And upon
realizing that, he felt comfortable with her again. He now saw her as
the same old Scully, his best friend, partner and confidante. He
could tell her, consequences be damned.

"Okay, let's not give each other the runaround here. You know that
our relationship is something special. Our work is one big special
circumstance. I'm closer to you than anyone else. I trust you
completely. But I fear any changes to our present relationship would
ruin everything, that taking the next step might be fatal. But I
can't go on thinking we can stay the same. I honestly don't want to.
I want to take our relationship to another level, one where I'm not
speeding down a highway in the pouring rain, talking to you over the
phone while you're holding a flashlight, walking into some dark room.
What we have is special, Scully, but is it special enough to prevent
us from being something more than just partners? Do we throw that
chance away?" Mulder slumped into the sofa, visibly out of breath
from his impassioned speech.

Scully looked as if she was short of breath also, but for another
reason. As if making a decision, she quickly leaned over and put her
hands on Mulder's face. She tenderly kissed him, slowly and
tentatively at first, but then Mulder responded in kind, and the kiss
turned more passionate. Mulder put his arms around Scully's waist,
pulling her even closer to him. He could smell her. It was like being
in a fragrant spring garden. Scully thrust her tongue through
Mulder's lips. He moved his hands behind her back, under her sweater.
Her body was soft and yielding, but he felt the underlying strength
beneath the petite exterior. Their first passionate embrace was
better than Mulder ever imagined.

And as quickly as she started, Scully pulled away.

"I...I'm sorry Mulder. I shouldn't have." Scully was flushed and
looked horrified at what she had done.

Mulder smiled and laughed. He put his hand on her smooth, soft cheek.
It was warm. She held his hand to her face.

"Not at all, Scully. Don't you know aggressive women are a turn-on?"
Scully blushed and gave Mulder an embarrassed smile. "Anyway," he
continued "I'm glad you beat me to the punch." And he gave her one of
his smirks that turned into a smile. Little did he know that when he
did that, it drove Scully crazy - crazy enough to say something that
she'd never thought she would ever say to anyone.

"Mulder, I think I'm falling in love with you." She said flatly.

Mulder froze and stared at her. The words came out, but he couldn't
believe they came from her. He never truly expected her to say that.
How could she love him after what he had put her through all these
years? He felt powerful emotions stirring within. If she could love
him for what he was, then he could never let her get away. Instead
of shrugging off Scully's declaration with a one-liner he decided
to return the sentiment in kind.

"No uncertainty on my part - I love you. I just couldn't face that
fact before...Dana." He smiled.

She looked up and laughed heartily. "Does that mean I can finally
call you Fox?"

"Better than something like 'Snooky-Pookums'," he replied.

"Maybe not, I'll keep that one in mind."

The two reached across the sofa and held each other's hand. They
shared a look. This was it, past the point of no return. The future,
which lay ahead of them, would be unpredictable, but exciting because
of that. Mulder leaned over and kissed Scully again. The passion was
palpable, pent-up over five years of working and growing together.
They held each other tight, not wanting their fear to get in between
their love for each other.

"So, what happens now?" Scully said, looking up at Mulder.

"I don't know, you tell me, G-woman," Mulder quipped.

"Well, being as aquainted as we are with one another..." Scully
took Mulder's hand and stood.  She led him to her bedroom.

"Um, are you sure about this, Scu...I mean, Dana?" Mulder said as he
stepped back from her bed.

Scully let out a big sigh, and said, "Maybe you're right. I guess I'm
trying too hard. I've just been anticipating this moment for awhile,
you know?"

"The thought had crossed my mind once or twice," Mulder said.

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment, contemplating
their situation. Then...

"Oh, to hell with it," said Scully.

"Tomorrow is another day," said Mulder.

They embraced and kissed once again. Mulder began to move down and
kiss Scully on the neck. He looked at the simple cross she wore, and
all it signified for her. He wanted her even more. He began to pull
her sweater over her head. Scully unzipped Mulder's denims.

"This is better than the time I undressed you after I had to shoot
you," Scully said in a throaty voice.

"Better for me too," said Mulder. "What happened to 'Fox'?"

"You'll always be my Mulder. I think it's kind of kinky, don't you
think?" She said.

"You're full of surprises, Scully," as Mulder finished with her
slacks and silk underwear.

"You haven't seen anything yet," She said with that gleam in her eyes.

Scully began to kiss Mulder's chest, and she moved lower and lower.
She slowly pulled down his briefs. He began to respond.

"Okay, bedtime," Mulder said, as he swept Scully off of her feet. She
let out a tiny shriek. And began to giggle as Mulder lay her down. He
started to laugh as well. They silenced each other with a deep kiss. 

They were both nude.  He lay upon her. The unfamiliar feel of
forbidden skin excited and scared both of them. They felt each
other's heat. They heard each other's breathing. Time stopped.

"I love you Dana Scully," Mulder said. And he meant it, with all his
heart.

"I love you too, Mulder," Scully replied. "Despite everything that's
ever happened me, I'm beginning to think I'm the luckiest girl in
the world."

Mulder lowered himself onto Scully. She let out a low moan, "oh,
Mulder, yes."  Then...

"RRRIINNG!"

Mulder looked at the phone. "Great," he thought, "what timing." But
then, he realized he was looking at HIS phone, the one in his
apartment.

Mulder let out a tortured groan. It was only a dream. A fevered
dream, brought on by bad Mexican takeout and improper sleeping
accommodations (namely his sofa). He looked at his clock - 11:21.
Mulder picked up the phone.

"Hello," he said.

"Mulder, it's me..."

"Scully," Mulder said, as his memories flashed back. He felt a bit
embarrassed about the liberties he had taken with Scully, even though
it was just a dream. "I was just thinking about you." He smiled.

"Really?" She said. "That's funny. I just had the most unusual dream.
And, um...you were in it. It got me thinking about something and I,
uh, felt I had to call you...I'm sorry."

"No," Mulder sat up. "Tell me all about it, G-woman," Mulder said
with a wide grin on his face. This, he had to hear...

The End


I realize that many MSR stories are out there, and mine may seem
derivative of some of the others. But I wrote this after reading only
one piece of fanfic - I was amazed later at the similarities with
many existing stories. I guess people have similar ideas of how they
think Mulder and Scully should start an affair.
I really enjoyed expressing my creative side, and I have been deeply
affected by the potential love story that will probably never happen
on the show itself. As with all the other authors, I would welcome
feedback (any constructive criticism - instead of flames telling me
how I couldn't get anything right!), so I can improve any future
writing. I'm glad I could share my dreams of Mulder and Scully with
all of you.

- Chad Tanaka
chadt@aloha.net