Aftershocks

Aftershocks by Sheryl Martin

STORIES ON THIS SITE ARE INTENDED FOR ADULTS ONLY

All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter. No infringement intended on any part... I like being poor, really... Comments, complaints and just plain talk to [email protected]

This, I guess, is kinda a sequel to all those initial encounter stories that I've written... or to any other ones; it's not specific... But it is NC-17 and you've been warned... or tempted... I keep getting them mixed up...

Aftershocks by Sheryl Martin (NC-17)

Fox Mulder opened his eyes slowly; feeling the soft breath drift across his chest. Moving his head cautiously to look down, he smiled as the sleeping form of Dana Scully came into view. Curled up in his arms, her lips slightly parted as she exhaled in a soft noise; almost a purr.

He was still Fox Mulder. He still worked for the FBI. There were still the X Files. He still had a partner named Scully... But everything had changed in a single decision; and nothing was like it had been scant hours before. Now the consequences of that decision had to be dealt with.

Fox looked down at Dana again; lifting a hand from her waist to tenderly trace her cheekbone along her peaceful face; to run through the fiery strands of soft hair flaring out over the pillow around her head. Soon it would be time to talk; and he had no idea of where to start.

Dana Scully slowly made her way back to consciousness; cuddling closer to the warm body holding her in a snug hold. A hand gently ran down her face; brushing lightly over her skin as it settled on her waist. With a contented sigh she tried to not open her eyes and deal with the reality of what they had done.

Not that she was ashamed or anything... A soft smile curved the edges of her mouth as she remembered the previous night. But now, in the daylight, there were certain truths that had to be discussed and sorted out. With a deep rumbling sigh she nuzzled into the skin under her face, delaying the inevitable.

Dropping his face onto her head, Fox placed a light kiss into the silky hair; feeling her shift against him restlessly. For a long minute they lay there, each trapped in their own thoughts.

"Scully?" He murmured into her hair softly. "Ah... you awake?"

"Hmm..." The low voice answered. "Maybe..." Listening to his heartbeat, Dana took a deep breath. Time to go back to the real world. She twitched as he began to run a hand down her bare back; lightly drawing large circles on the skin.

"So..." Fox licked his lips. "Think the Knicks'll take it tonight?"

"Oh, by at least ten points." She hummed into his chest. After another long pause she raised her face to his, smiling shyly as he kissed her forehead gently, then lowered his lips to graze the edges of her mouth. Pulling back, he waited.

"So..."

"Sew buttons?" He grinned.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"Oh..." His impish wink sent her heart pounding. "I can think of a few things..."

"Mulder, I was talking about us. What we..." She felt her face redden.

"Well..." Suddenly a deep growling notice came from between them. He looked down at his stomach. "I think we should eat breakfast first."

"If you want to scrounge what you can out of the cupboards, I'll grab the shower first." Pulling away from him, she grabbed the first article of clothing her hand landed on - being Mulder's dress shirt. Tugging it over her head, she slid off the bed.

"Scully?" Dana stopped at the doorway and turned around. Sitting up anxiously in bed, Fox rubbed the tip of his nose. His hands lay in his covered lap; a dark lock of hair falling into his eyes. "You're not... mad at me, are you?" His voice dropped to a low whisper; making him look ever so much like a young boy being chastised for dipping into the cookie jar and getting caught.

"No." Moving quickly around the bed to his side, she perched herself on the mattress. "I just need to think about this."

"Alright." Leaning forward, he kissed her gently. "Because I'm not sorry..." Their lips met again, a little stronger this time. "Not sorry at all..." His arms went around her and pulled her close. "Definitely not..."

With a soft laugh Dana pulled away, running her fingertips down the side of his face. "You're insatiable."

"Yes." He grinned. "Complaining already?"

"Not at all..." Slipping from his grasp, she headed for the hallway with a smirk on her face. "Of course, that depends if you can keep up with me..."

Resting her head against the cold tiles in the shower; Dana tried to gather her thoughts. Okay, she could do this... Do what? Turning the hot water up, she watched the steam curl up and over the top of the stall door. Did she want to pursue a relationship with Fox Mulder? Did he want to with her? Could they stay partners and keep being an efficient team?

When Jack Willis had approached her for that first date, he had intentionally waited until she had left his class to avoid the rumours that flew anyway about them. Not that any of them had any basis; and Jack made sure that the people were brought to task for suggesting any bias on his part, but it had still been stressful on them both. But this... this was very different from that...

"Hey, Scully..." A familiar voice drifted through the steam. "Just be a minute in here... something about hearing running water first thing in the morning and you got in here before me..." She chuckled as she lifted her face to the hot stream of water, letting it run down over her body.

A gush of cold air grabbed her breath, quickly disappearing as the stall door shut again. Turning quickly, she stared at him.

"Mulder..." Dana didn't know what to say, if anything. Her mouth suddenly went dry as her eyes travelled over his body; refreshing her memory of last night.

Picking up the bar of soap, Fox smiled. "I heard there was a water shortage on the radio, and I thought as government employees we should do our part..."

"In Washington?" She arched an eyebrow. He shrugged.

"Well, it's the thought that counts." Rubbing the bar between his hands, he gestured at her to turn around. "I'll do your back if you do mine..."

Obediently she turned to the wall; feeling his strong hands begin to affectionately lather up and down her back. Closing her eyes, she felt the tension begin to leave her body; surprising herself in the ease at which she was adapting to this new world.

"What are you thinking?" A soft whisper met her ear.

"Is this..." Dana swallowed. "Is this serious? I mean, do you..." Her voice faltered. His hands moved back up to rest on her shoulders.

"I think..." Fox said quietly. "That I want this to work. That you want this to work. And after all we've been through; after all we've seen and experienced, I believe in this. In us." His hands settled around her waist as he placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck. "I'm willing to fight... as much as I fight for everything else I believe in."

He held her close; feeling the trembling in her body. Resting his forehead on her back, Fox wondered if he had just destroyed something else valuable in his life. Maybe he should have just left; told her that it wasn't real and lied to her to keep what they had pure and sacred. But he couldn't do that and face her at work on Monday. And now he waited in painful silence; the water pelting down on him and rolling off his back for what answer she would give.

"I... I want to try..." Her faint reply came back to him. "But I'm afraid..."

"Of me?" He murmured into her neck.

"Of me. Of what you could do to me. Mulder, I've been through so much and I don't know if I could stand losing what we have; our friendship and everything..."

"I won't ever leave you." His arms tightened around her in response. "Dana, I... I love you and I know that now. I think you know that too..."

"Will it be enough?" She threw her head back as he shifted to rest his face on her shoulder. "Will it be enough when we get back out there again?"

"It'll have to be." Fox said in a low, reassuring tone. "It's been so far. How do you think I came back to you... you to me? It's been there all along; we just never wanted to acknowledge it until now." Turning her around to see him, he stopped at the sight of the tears running down her face, a stark contract to the running water still cascading over them both. "Do you want this?"

"Yes." She said in a tired whisper. "I want this more than anything else in my life..."

"Then we'll make it work. Besides..." He kissed her softly. "I'm turning into a prune in here and the muffins I made up are going to be ready in a few minutes..." Pulling her close in a hug, he smiled. "And I still need my back washed..."

Sitting across from her, dressed only in his boxer shorts, Fox watched carefully as Dana slathered a good amount of butter on the bran muffin. Pulling off one piece, she popped it into her mouth, unaware of his gaze. The thick white robe that she had put on only served to magnify her beauty; fitting in all the right places... and leaving certain gaps to tease and tantalise.

"Scully..."

She looked up, her mouth full as she put the knife down. "Hmm?"

"I was thinking..."

"Dangerous, Mulder... very dangerous..."

He smirked. "Depends on what I'm thinking about." Seeing her face start to redden at the implication, he continued. "I don't think we should tell Skinner. Or anyone. Not unless we have to."

"And what do you define as 'have to'?" She smiled as she licked the melted butter off her fingers, aware of his eyes glazing over. With a playful grin she spent a long second on the last finger; swirling it around in her mouth before pulling it free.

"Ah..." Blinking rapidly, he tried to gather his thoughts. "I mean, if they catch us sharing the same hotel room or something like that. Hide in plain sight, you know. Confirm nothing..."

"Deny everything?" Dana picked up the dishes and put them on the counter top. Getting to his feet, he nodded.

"We're not lying... we're just not volunteering the truth." Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist; fingers playing with the loose knot. "At least... not until Monday..."

"Oh?" Turning to face him, she leaned back, offering him a better view of her open robe. "And what will we be doing until Monday?"

Lifting her rapidly off her feet, Fox set her atop the table; leaning forward as he pulled the knot free and opened her robe fully. Her eyes widened as she felt herself carefully laid back on the wood.

"Mulder..." She gasped as he climbed on the table above her. "This table is over two hundred years old. My father found it at an auction..."

"Then..." He whispered in her ear; sending a tremor through her body, "It should be pretty steady and strong, right?"

Her hands rested on his chest, not sure whether to push him away or pull him closer as she felt the soft kisses run along her hairline and down along her neck. Balancing himself precariously, Fox managed to pull her arms free of the thick terrycloth; pushing the material up and under her head as she started to laugh.

"Mulder..." She started; suddenly muffled by a deep kiss. "I do have a bed..."

"I know." He whispered hoarsely into her mouth, their eyes locking. "But as FBI agents we should be prepared for every situation..."

Her reply was choked off by a moan as he dropped his mouth to her breast; his fingers teasing her sensitive skin as she arched back against him. Reaching down, she tried to slip his shorts off; failing miserably as her arms fell short.

"Hmm..." Lifting his face, he grinned at her. "What was that word you used earlier?"

"Insatiable..." Dana gasped, feeling his hands creep lower to stroke and play with her.

"Insatiable..." He repeated, withdrawing his hand only to quickly pull his boxers down around his ankles. Kneeling above her, Fox paused for a second, holding her face in his hands. Their eyes met again, both agreeing to the path they had chosen. Then unsatisfied want and longing took over; and he slipped into her effortlessly with a muted gasp.

Running her hands over his bare back, Dana felt the hard polished wood under her skin where the robe had pulled off to one side; her skin so alert that she could feel his pulse pounding where his lips rested on her neck. The last beads of moisture left from their shared shower ran down from her damp hair onto his shoulder; where he eagerly lapped it up before meeting her lips again with renewed fury and passion.

Fox wrapped his arms around her, rubbing against the terrycloth robe as he moved against her; his mind whirling at the incredible sensations and thoughts racing through his mind. Her hands tightened on his shoulders as he felt her tense under him; her eyes clenched tightly in anticipation of the upcoming explosion. Letting an animalistic snarl break free; he lowered his lips to her ear, taking quick gasps to fuel his voice.

"This is real. This is true love..." He murmured, his breath hot and frantic. "I love you so much... And I will fight to the death for this..."

She gasped; feeling herself begin to lose control as her hands clenched and tightened on his back. Pulling her head back, she let out a soft whimper as the release she longed for finally came; shaking her body with long; leisurely waves of sensation and light. A part of her felt his back arch one final time against her; his child-like cry reaching her ears as she fell back against the wood. Her mind reeling, she could focus on nothing but the soft breathing on her neck; the pounding of another heart lying next to hers.

Working one hand free from under her, Fox took a deep breath and drew a finger down the side of her neck slowly; watching the skin twitch under his tender touch. A soft kiss on her lips, and he watched slowly as she tried to open her eyes and failed. Burying his face again in her neck, he couldn't help smiling with the wonderful feeling he had deep in his soul; in those dark places he had thought would never see the light.

Sliding off the table, he wearily gathered her into his arms and walked to the bedroom, leaving the robe atop the table. Placing her in the middle of the bed, Fox curled up around her as she reached for the thick comforter nearby. Cradling her in his arms; he yawned once as sleep began to overcome him.

Turning to face him, Dana buried her face again in his chest; taking a long deep breath to try and fill her empty lungs again. Letting out a contented sigh, she opened her eyes to stare into the soft bottomless darkness of her partner's.

"This is real." She murmured; bringing up a hand to gently stroke the side of his face. Turning inward, he placed a soft kiss in her palm as she smiled. "Some things are worth fighting for..."

"Worth waiting for..." He gathered her close; burying his face again in the silky red hair.

"Hmm..." Her voice came to him from a distance, and he realised that he was falling asleep again. "Most definitely... and it's not even noon yet..."

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