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A Perfect Summer's Evening by Mary Kleinsmith (Buc252@aol.com) Spoilers: Slight ones for Milagro and Detour Summary: I think I'll let you figure it out . . Rating: R, I guess Classification: MSR Archive: Yes Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and everything related to them belong to Chris Carter and 10-13, with magic added by David and Gillian. I'm only borrowing them. *************************** I know Mulder was surprised when I suggested it. Hell, I practically shocked myself when the idea first entered my mind. But we'd earned it, and I knew we both needed it badly. Despite our current lifestyle, neither of us was raised in the city. A New England suburb isn't nearly the rush and crush you get in the city of Washington, DC, and neither is any navy base where my often-absent father was ever stationed. We had to get away, to regroup after the fiasco of the Milagro case. Okay, I know that isn't what it will be called in the FBI archives, but that's how I've come to think of it. In the privacy of my own mind, I recognize just how closely I came to losing it when I nearly had my heart torn from my chest. Can anyone blame me? And Mulder . . . Mulder needed to go somewhere he didn't have to deal with facing on a daily basis the place where I almost died. I made my suggestion . . . "The woods?!" Mulder had asked me with that half-smile, half-shocked expression he gets whenever I catch him off his guard. "Sure, the woods! Why not?" I smiled back at him. "We haven't been somewhere we could commune with nature since the Moth Men case, and that wasn't exactly restful." "You're telling me?" he grinned. "I have the scar to prove it." "So, is that a yes to hiking this weekend?" I asked, hoping for a positive response. "Wait!" Mulder laughed, and I knew he was hooked. "Who said anything about hiking? I thought this was camping." "Well, we can't exactly take the Taurus into the middle of the woods," I suggested, to which he reluctantly nodded. "And I know the perfect spot for us to make camp." Two days later found us making our trek through the woods, and if I was enjoying the fresh woodsy scent and the fauna that fearlessly surrounded us, then Mulder was positively glowing. It was at rare times like these that I realized just how seldom I look into his face and see absolutely no stress there. Well, I was seeing it now, and it was like the cherry on the top of the hot fudge sundae. Now if I could just keep it there . . . We followed the faintly marked trail, guided by the map the man from the forestry service had graciously donated to a fellow government worker. I remember how he'd warned me to stick to the trails. People seldom were in the woods at this time of the year, for some reason, and especially not in the area where we'd be heading, so nobody would be coming along of whom to ask directions. If we got lost, it wouldn't be realized until we'd been missing for quite some time. I didn't need to be told twice - I still remember the time Billy purposefully "lost" me in the woods outside of the base when I was seven. It was difficult to tell when the sun began to set, as the trees overhead obliterated a good deal of it, so I kept an eye on my watch, knowing when the weatherman had said it would get dark. "We're almost to the spot where we'll make camp," I told Mulder from where I hiked behind him. It made sense that I, since I had the map, would be in front, but I know it makes Mulder feel better - like he's protecting me - if he goes first, and that's fine with me. Besides, I was enjoying the view. There was more to admire out here than just the wildlife. "We'd better be," he commented to my original statement. "It's almost dark." Fifteen minutes later, the trees cleared slightly, giving us a dry, sheltered circle in which to set up our camp. I shivered in the near darkness, but it had nothing to do with the temperature, which was still pleasantly warm. I watched as Mulder slung his pack from his shoulders, then did the same with my own. "Thank God the weather held out," he said. "I have no desire to go hiking while lugging around a tent." "I did do some research before I planned this little escape, you know." I said facetiously, enjoying the friendly banter. It made me forget my nerves for a few moments. We gathered medium-sized rocks to form a small circle, placing what firewood we found nearby in the center. We'd have to scout for more, of course, but this would be enough to make dinner and shed a little light for collecting more. And, if everything went the way I hoped, scary stories around the campfire were not on the itinerary. Mulder starting emptying his pack, which was just the signal I'd been waiting for. "While you do that, I'm going to go clean up," I remarked, grateful for the darkness that allowed me to hide my expression. "There's a small lake not too far from here, see?" In the beam of my flashlight I showed him the water on my map. "I shouldn't be gone long." I quickly pulled a large towel from my pack. "Just be careful, okay? Not everything in the forest is cute and fuzzy." I had a warm feeling at his comment. Sometimes his worrying drove me crazy, but tonight it just seemed sweet. "I know, I know," I threw over my shoulder as I strode away. The lake was only about ten minutes' walk from where we'd set up camp, but I stood and stared out at it at least that long once I arrived. It was beautiful, with the moonlight reflecting brightly off the clear waters. Just heavenly. I tore my eyes from the enthralling sight, although I knew I had plenty of time. Everything had to be perfect. Luckily, this side of the lake tapered up to ground level rather than rising suddenly, and I laid my towel out flat on the bank. My body began to shiver before I removed the first piece of clothing, but after checking the area, I was convinced once again that I was alone. The last pieces of cloth slid from my body, and I headed for the water, wading in slowly. It was cool enough to be refreshing, but not chilling. The cool fluidity of the water touched me in places that hadn't been touched like that since my last skinny-dipping excursion in my freshmen year of college. I ducked my head under the water and swum in circles for several minutes before I became conscious of the time once again. I knew if I stayed away too long, he'd get worried and come looking for me. I hadn't told him I was going swimming, just washing up - a fifteen minute task at best. Floating on my back, I locked my eyes on the woods from where I knew he would emerge. I ran my hands over my stomach, my arms, wondering what Mulder would say. Would he be pleased with what he saw? I prayed he would. I knew he loved me, and I most definitely loved him, but I'd pretty much resigned myself to having it go unacknowledged until that hooded psychic-surgeon-turned-killer nearly took my life. Suddenly, I wasn't so willing to go without. Letting my mind wander, I nearly missed the shadowed figure moving in the trees. I swam closer to the shore, keeping my legs bent so I was submerged up to my shoulders despite the water being only about three and a half feet. Then I just stopped. He drew closer, and the moonlight glanced off his face - he wore a puzzled expression. "Scully, what are you doing?" I didn't respond, except to begin walking toward him. Even at the distance between us, I knew I heard him gasp as my exposed breasts broke the surface of the water. As I drew closer to his position, I doubted he was breathing. I'm not sure I was, either. Finally, I stood in front of him, fully exposed in every sense of the word to the one man I wanted to always be a part of my life. To be my life. I almost laughed as I looked up into his eyes, trying not to look away at his examination of me. His mouth was moving, but he wasn't making a sound. Standing on my tip-toes, I ceased the movement of his lips with my own, and while there was a slight reaction, he mostly appeared to still be in shock. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Grasping the hem of his shirt, I gently drew it over his head to reveal the well-muscled chest beneath. The scent of his flesh - his own uniqueness - flirted with my nose, and I gave into the compulsion to kiss the skin in front of me. He was trembling! Doing a fantastic job of hiding it, but my lips were too sensitized to miss it. Guess I wasn't the only one who was nervous. I realized it was time to try out my own voice. "You're overdressed," I said, deep and throaty, hoping I sounded like one of those movie actresses we saw on the late-late show. I wanted to sound sexy, not like I had a cold. Kneeling in front of him, I removed his shoes and socks as quickly as I could - I wanted to get back to looking into those gorgeous eyes as soon as possible. I drank them in as my hands moved to the waistband of his jeans, dropping both them and the boxers underneath down around his ankles. And finally, we were both revealed in front of each other. Oh, I've seen Mulder naked before, as he's seen me, but that was always in a moment of crisis, and the other of us was too frustrated, concerned, or just plain busy to really take in the vision. Then the moment, and the opportunity, would be gone. This time, we were not going to miss out, I was determined. I took his hands in mine and walked backwards to the towel I'd laid out a few feet away. I kissed him once again and felt him respond this time, then lowered myself to the soft terrycloth. "I love you, Mulder," I said, reaching out for him to come to me. A smile as brilliant as the sun that had set so short a time ago lit his face as he descended into my arms. "I love you, too," I heard him whisper as this time he claimed my mouth and then my body with his own And somewhere, the heavens wept . . . And Carter's Inferno froze over . . . |