Seeds of Change

By Mary Kleinsmith Buc252@aol.com

Category: Humor

Spoilers: None that I can think of

Summary: Mulder and Scully once again don't agree on food

Rating: R

Classification: UST/MSR, Humor

Archive: Yes, anywhere

Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and everything related to them belong to Chris Carter (the jerk!) and 10-13, with magic added by David and Gillian. I'm only borrowing them, especially since the fic writers have a better sense of what to do with Mulder and Scully than CC and Company does (despite the fantastic final Mulder/Scully scene they gave us). Still, I'm not making any money on this.

Acknowledgments: This is a story I wrote especially for my friends at the XF Gathering in Chicago. I can't be there, but this is my little way of being there in spirit. The idea came to me when I saw this particular product in the grocery store. Thanks to Brenda for beta'ing it for me without giving it away to those who will be in Chicago, and thank you to David's for coming up with a very MSR-ish combination .

You can read my fic at: http://members.nbci.com/mary_buc252/MarysJarofMindCandy2.html

Feedback: Please, please, please, please, please, please, please?

Seeds of Change

By Mary Kleinsmith (BUC252@aol.com)

Mulder tried very hard to ignore the crunching coming from across the room. That infernal, annoying, never-ending crunching. She was just doing it to bug him, he knew. It was payback for the pencils in the ceiling, the slides, his desire to drive most of the time, and every other little habit that he'd exhibited in the years she'd known him.

Admittedly, it wasn't the crunching itself that was irritating him so - it was more what the crunching represented. He knew she was just trying to get to him. He was sure of it. She of the "non-fat tofruitti rice dreamsicle" didn't just eat chocolate without a damn good reason.

"Mulder, would you please stop pouting?" A voice interrupted his reverie. He felt the slight blush when he realized she'd stopped working and was studying him. Damn. He could usually sense it when she did that.

"I'm not pouting," he responded, making a conscious effort to suck in his lower lip.

"Whatever. It's a long time until the end of the day. Are you sure you don't want some?" She waved a red, white, and brown bag in his direction.

"Surely you jest. I know that we try to respect our differences, Scully, but I can't believe you'd encourage the bastardization of something I hold near and dear to me by buying those things." Grumbling to himself, he added, "I have half a mind to write a letter of complaint to David's."

That prompted a rarely-heard laugh on Scully's part. "You do something like that, and they'll think you DO have half a mind. It's not like they discontinued the regular kind. Besides, you haven't even TRIED them - just turned up your nose."

"Watchit, Scully," he said, stifling a smile. "I think you're channeling your Mom."

"I could do a whole lot worse than sounding like Margaret Scully, I'll have you know. Especially when dealing with insolent little boys disguised as FBI agents. Besides, even I've learned in my time on the X-Files that only dead people can be 'channeled'!"

"Well, then, maybe you're channeling MY mother." That got a faint smile, but it was clear by the mischief in her eyes that she wasn't yet through with this argument. She rose from her seat, approaching where he stood looking through the files.

"I don't see what your problem is with this. Companies do it all the time: take something people like and add something else that people also like to it. C'mon," she added, a dainty hand approaching his mouth. "Just try one."

"Why try something I know I'm going to hate?" he managed through clenched teeth and pursed lips, taking no chances. It elicited a tiny giggle from her.

"You're behaving like a child, Mulder. I'll tell you what. If you try them and like them, you have to take me to that new restaurant on Fifth Street. But if you don't like them . . ."

"If I don't, what's MY prize?" he asked, leering.

"You name it," Scully said, meeting his challenging gaze with her own.

"We go dancing. And not that new wave stuff. At least four ballads." She was obviously surprised that, given all the possibilities, he'd ask for this. She'd have been lying if she said the idea didn't appeal to her.

"Sounds like we have a bet," Scully agreed, perhaps a little too eagerly. Mulder looked instantly suspicious.

"That was a little bit too easy," he thought aloud. "Maybe we'd better re-think the whole thing." He acted suddenly uncomfortable, and Scully was at a loss as to why.

"We had a bet, Mulder. You can't back out of it now."

"We never shook on it," he said petulantly, and she half expected him to follow the comment with a "so there!" and his tongue stuck out. "Besides, if I say I don't like them, you won't believe me anyway. You'll just say I'm trying to win the bet."

"How childish!" she exclaimed. You owe me at LEAST the courtesy of testing these. Especially if you're going to make disparaging remarks about them." She was closer to him now, standing toe to toe, definitely invading his personal space. Of course, they did that all the time, so it was no big deal. But what followed definitely would be. She would make sure of it, she thought with a mental leer of her own.

Rolling the fingers of her left hand, she felt the tiny seeds toss and turn inside the tissue that kept the small stash from melting. Her right hand joined the other behind her back, sliding out the tissue while pouring the objects into her bare hand as she said, tipping her face up, mere inches from his, "so that's your final word, huh? You won't even try them?"

"I don't think so, no," he answered, smiling as he inhaled the chocolate on her breath. She raised her right hand, a single chocolate covered sunflower seed grasped between her fingers. He clenched his lips together as she playfully tried to force it into his mouth, but it wasn't going to work.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Scully said, pretending to be resigned. But she didn't step back from where she had him cornered up against the file cabinets.

A sparkle in her eye, she popped the seed into her mouth, crunching on the delicious flavor.

Mulder had been shocked by a great deal of things in his time, but never quite the way he was when the hand that had held the seed, rather than returning to Scully's side, moved between them. The back brushed seductively across the front of his pants, and his eyes flew wide as other parts of his body leapt to life. "Scu . . ."

Before he could finish the word, Scully's left hand was pushing a small palmful of the confection between his previously clenched lips. She kept her hand over his mouth so he had little choice but to chew and swallow.

Removing it when she saw his adams apple move, she giggled.

"That wasn't fair," he exclaimed.

"Maybe not, but now that you've tasted them, how were they?"

Turnabout is fair play, he figured as he bent his head to whisper. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" He captured her lips with his own, using his tongue to part her lips & push a single seed, missing most of the chocolate, into her mouth.

The taste of the seed - woodsy, sweet, and strongly of just Mulder - registered for just a moment before all other thoughts fled her for, replaced by a more basic instinct. Her own tongue joined his, gliding together until they finally had to separate for air. She'd waited forever for their first real kiss, and she hadn't been disappointed. Still, there was the matter of where they were.

"Better get back to work," she panted, backing away and returning to her desk. They worked in silence for a few minutes, but she couldn't miss Mulder's out-of-the-ordinary smile. It didn't fade.

Finally, the end of the day arrived. She was gathering her things when he finally spoke. "I rented a bunch of movies from Blockbuster yesterday. Would you care to join me for dinner and a marathon at my place?"

Scully was instantly pleased. "Sure. Why don't I pick up the food on my way over. I need to go home and change my clothes."

"Sounds good," he agreed as she headed for the door. She stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway when he added, "oh, and don't forget to bring the seeds."

The seduction in his voice made shivers run up her spine, and she tried to mimic his tone. "With or without chocolate?"

"With, I think. I'm beginning to realize how much I like trying new things." He seemed to promise, without words, that there were more new experiences to come.

"Then we'll have to keep it up," she purred as she left the room. "New experiences can be very stimulating," she added over her shoulder, laughing when his response was the frantic slamming of drawers and locking of cabinets. Looked like they were both in store for some new experiences tonight.