It was Saturday night. Mulder sat alone in his apartment drinking a beer, watching television, and eating some cold pizza he had ordered earlier that day. Bored out of his mind and with nothing on TV, he was not in the mood to sit there alone. He did not know anyone who would come over to his apartment on such short notice, so he contented himself spending the evening alone.

He remembered Scully talking about going out with some of her friends. She had invited him to join them, but he had said no. He was not sure if men encompassed this group of friends, and though he was not cognizant of it, the idea of seeing Scully with a man did not sit well with him.

He thought on how odd it was that neither of them talked about their personal lives. Early on in their career together they would inquire about one another’s social lives, talk about dates that had gone sour for whatever reason. After a while they had both stopped talking, and asking, about details away from the office. Of course, he did not have much of a social life to talk about. Sure, he had an occasional date and female companionship was not a problem if he wanted it, but his life was dull for the most part. He found himself wondering exactly how dull Scully’s was.

As his thoughts wandered, eventually turning into pictures of Scully with a man, he set his beer on the coffee table harder than he had intended. Those images didn’t sit well with him at all.

"What the hell," he muttered.

He went to his room and changed from the boxer shorts and ratty Bureau Academy T-shirt into a pair of stonewashed blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue oxford button-up shirt. He returned to the living room and shut the television off in disgust after putting on his shoes. Taking his dark brown leather jacket from the back of the couch he put it on and went over to his phone and dialed Scully’s mobile number.

Scully always left her mobile phone on and tonight was no different. Not expecting any calls since her friends had all bailed on her last minute she almost jumped out of her skin at the intrusion of it ringing. She was not in the mood to be called away on a case.

"Scully," she said hesitantly after debating whether to answer at all.

"Scully, it’s Mulder. Are you still going out with your friends tonight? My, uh, plans fell through. So if your invitation still stands, I’ll join you.”

Looking at her watch, she wondered what plans he had had that were canceled. Scully was surprised by Mulder’s phone call. Somehow she thought he was always busy doing whatever it was Fox Mulder did outside of his FBI duties. She certainly never expected to receive a social call from him on a Saturday night. Realizing it was none of her business she brushed some hair out of her eyes as she spoke.

"Well, actually, Mulder, my plans got canceled as well. If you’d like to meet me at Mort’s, the bar down the street from my apartment, for a drink or two we can do that. I’m really not in the mood to be here tonight."

She was telling the truth. She was in no mood to sit at home tonight. No reason in particular. It wasn’t as if nights at home were foreign to her. She supposed it was because plans had been made so she was expecting to go out tonight.

"Sure, I’ll meet you at Mort’s. Or should I pick you up? Maybe we can grab some dinner. All I’ve had today was some pizza, and it wasn’t even very good. Maybe some Chinese or something."

It was before eight o’clock so still early enough. They could grab something to eat, go out for a few drinks, and she could be home by midnight or so. Scully looked out her window in time to see a couple walk past her window arm and arm. She shook her head to clear it of the image.

"Sure, Mulder, you can pick me up and Chinese sounds fine. I’m not that hungry, but I don’t mind watching you eat. Besides, maybe my fortune cookie will bear some good news; I could always use some of that."

She glanced at what she was wearing. She would have to change as she had gone running earlier and while she had showered afterward she was not dressed to go anywhere.

She hung up after Mulder had said he would be there in about thirty minutes and went to her bedroom. She glanced through her closet unsure of what to wear.

"This is Mulder."

The man she had spent just about everyday of her life with for the past seven years. Surely she could handle dressing for an evening out with him. She tried to recall if they had ever had an evening out together away from business.

Sure they had eaten together while away on trips, but this was different. Was this a date, she wondered? She quickly dismissed that thought from her mind. He had not asked her on a date; he had called thinking she was going out with some friends. She should have asked him what he was wearing, that would have been the simplest way to make her decision. She did not want to call him back; that would indicate that she had some question about the evening and she did not want to plant any thoughts in his head. She decided on a pair of khaki pants, a navy shirt, and navy flats. Perhaps a little dressy, but Mulder did not see her outside of work very often to know how she dressed anyway. She ran a brush through her hair, applying some blush and lipstick, finishing just in time to hear her buzzer ring.

Mulder rang Scully’s buzzer, pleased with the view in the hallway as he waited for Scully to open her door. One of Scully’s neighbors had come in from walking her dog and he was still watching her with a smirk on his face when Scully opened the door. Scully rolled her eyes when she saw who he was looking at.

"Mulder, she’s way out of your league."

Mulder turned his gaze to Scully, "What makes you say that? Besides, a man can admire a work of art, can’t he?"

He took one last glance at the woman in the hallway then focused his attention on Scully.

"Whatever, Mulder."

Mulder passed by her, entering her apartment.

“I just have to get my coat, and I’m ready to go. Where was it you had in mind?" she asked as she pulled her coat from the closet.

Mulder felt her watching him as he looked around her apartment. He had never taken the time to really look at where she lived before. Mulder turned to look at her as she put her scarf around her neck.

"Well, you know the area better than I do. Just someplace that will serve us real chicken instead of dogs or cats."

Mulder shot her a sarcastic grin. They had had this discussion before and while Scully had tried to reassure him those rumors were false, he still had his doubts.

They walked to a neighborhood restaurant a few blocks from Scully’s apartment, where they both ordered Sakai and drank it while Mulder waited for his Kung Pao Chicken and chicken fried rice. The fried rice was for Scully, Mulder could not have her eating nothing and she had said she would take whatever she did not eat home. When dinner arrived they both ordered a second Sakai and talked about mindless things as they ate.

Midway through dinner, Scully found herself thinking how odd it was they never ran out of things to talk about. As she finished her second Sakai she watched Mulder as he ate wondering why that was. The Sakai was taking affect as the thought of Mulder not being a bad looking guy ran through her mind. She smiled inwardly at the thought, listening as he talked about a basketball game he had watched earlier that day.

They finished eating; leaving after Mulder paid the tab. The wind had picked up cutting right through them, the effects of the Sakai leaving them prone to the cold. Scully pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck as they walked the few blocks in silence to Mort’s. Mulder held the door open for Scully and followed her inside where they found a table close to the dance floor and the band.

Scully saw the poster on the wall advertising LedAHettuce as the band for the evening and gestured toward it.

"Have you ever heard these guys play, Mulder? They’re not bad."

Mulder laughed. "No, I haven’t. It’s an interesting name though. I’m sure they’re good, though, if you say they are."

The waitress took their drink order as the band took their place on the makeshift stage. They were good; the five men in their early 20s doing some Led Zeppelin cover tunes, general classic rock songs, and some original stuff. Three hours and quite a few drinks later, Mulder realized it was getting late. While he was no stranger to drinking, the idea of a three-hour flight with a hangover was not appealing.

"Scully, I really should get you home. It’s getting late."

He hoped she did not think it was her company that he was trying to get away from. He put his coat on, helping her with hers afterward. When they got outside, Mulder flagged down a passing taxi.

"We’ve both had enough to drink tonight, Scully. I think we’d do well to get a ride back to your place." Mulder turned to her with a slight smirk, amused at her drunken state. He was not feeling any pain either, of course, but this was a side to Scully he had never seen.

They arrived at Scully’s building; Mulder paid the cab driver and walked with Scully to her door. Though Mulder wanted to get home he was not about to just drop her off and leave. She had reached that state when you have had a bit much to drink where you are not quite altogether there. She handed him her keys, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets as he fumbled to find the right key. Unlocking the door and flipping on the light as he opened the door, Scully followed behind him. She kept her half-mast eyes on him as she sat on the couch.

Mulder went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. If he was going to drive himself home tonight he was going to need a cup or two before leaving. A cup or two would not hurt Scully either, he thought. He brought two cups of coffee out to the living room, surprised to see Scully was not sitting on the couch anymore.

Moments later, she came out of her bedroom dressed in a pair of flannel pajamas.

"Sorry, Mulder, but as soon as you leave I just want to roll right into bed. I knew if I waited to put my pajamas on, I wouldn’t bother to later."

She gave him a half-hearted smile, sat on the couch and took the offered cup of coffee from him. Midway through the cup of coffee, Mulder felt Scully’s head on his shoulder. He looked over at her; despite her effort to stay awake she did not succeed. Gently removing the coffee cup she held in her hand, he set both cups on the table.

"Scully. Are you awake?" His question was met with an inaudible response. Looking at the clock on her VCR, he decided it was time for him to get going.

Picking her up gently from the couch he took her into his arms and carried her into her room. Not wanting to wake her, he set her on the bed gently. Reaching for the blanket at the foot of her bed, his arm inadvertently grazed her covered breast as he pulled the blanket up to her body. He was startled to feel her arms reach around his neck as he set the blanket up around her chest.

Scully stirred, sensing someone was in the room with her. Feeling Mulder’s hands touch her, his arm graze her breast she instinctively reached her arms up around his neck. She heard the words he spoke, but they did not register. She felt the caring way he placed the blanket around her and realized he was trying to take care of her. Her arms remained around his neck. Using her hands, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him instinctively, longingly.

"Mulder," she whispered softly as she broke away from the kiss.

Mulder looked at her face. She looked so angelic lying there in her pajamas. He pulled away just a bit.

"Scully, you’re tired and have had a bit to drink. Just go to sleep."

He sat on the edge of the bed as he removed her arms from around his neck. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Scully."

He went to stand up, his right hand inadvertently grazing her covered breast again. She stirred at the slight touch, once again wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Don’t you want to kiss me, Mulder?" She drew him to her, kissing him again.

This time Mulder did not pull away. Instead, placing his hands on either side of Scully as she lay on the bed, he returned the kiss. He could not help but wonder briefly what he was doing and why. His doubts were soon displaced by Scully’s fingers working the buttons of his shirt. He broke the kiss, looking into her eyes. She was awake now, that he was sure of. He moved her hand struggling with the buttons on his shirt, and began unbuttoning it himself. Pulling the shirttail from the waistband of his jeans, he removed it tossing it on the floor. He returned his attention to her; her eyes were wide open now. She had a smile on her lips as her hands reached up under his T-shirt, touching his bare chest. He closed his eyes at the warmth and gentleness of her touch. He was quite certain that he had never been touched so perfectly before.

Now convinced she was awake and aware of what she was doing, he placed his right hand on top of her left hand, which rested on his chest. Bringing his mouth to hers, it felt so right kissing her. They had known one another for seven years, and it suddenly all seemed to fall into place for him. His kisses moved to her neck and her ears where he gently nibbled her earlobe. He looked at her as she laughed lightly; he had never heard her laugh that way before.

His mouth moved to the side of her neck again as he began unbuttoning her pajama top. When finished with the buttons, he parted the top exposing her breasts. One nice thing about her wearing pajamas was that she wore no bra. He laughed to himself slightly at the thought as his eyes took in her exposed body.

With his right hand, he traced the outline of her lips. His fingertips gently traced along her neck and finally stopped at her breasts. He heard her inhale slightly at his touch, bringing his mouth to each of her breasts as his hand continued to caress her exposed flesh. His kisses moved from her breasts to her stomach. Pausing to look up at her.

"You all right, Scully?" he asked?

"Yes, Mulder, I’m fine." She smiled as she sat up to look at him, removing her top. “I’m more than fine.”

She lay back down, her head against the pillow as she placed her hands by her side. Mulder inched off her pajama bottoms, leaving only her underwear on. He stood from the bed, removed his shoes, unfastened his belt and removed his jeans, which he placed in a pile with his shirt and shoes followed by his T-shirt. Returning to Scully’s side on the bed, he was surprised when she leaned up and kissed him, her hands trailing over his chest resting on his thigh.

After what seemed like an eternity of kissing, touching, and caressing Mulder brought Scully to him, her lying against his chest. He brought his lips to hers for a fiery kiss. Scully pulled herself away from him and straddled him. Without much difficulty he was inside her.

Mulder looked up at her, his head lying on a pillow. She had been his partner in work for the last seven years, how natural it seemed now for her to be his partner in life as well. After he was sure she was satisfied, they switched positions so he was now on top of her. Her arms wrapped about his neck, her legs intertwined with his, and his arms wrapped about her hips. The way she felt, her body pressed against his, the way he felt inside her, he could not resist the urge. Feeling it had happened too fast, he kissed her breasts, her neck, and her mouth.

"I’m sorry, Scully."

"Don’t be, Mulder. You were fine." She traced his lips with her fingertip. "I don’t know that I can remember something feeling so natural."

He moved so he was lying next to her, his arms pulling her to him so her head rested on his chest. He took in the scent of her hair.

"You’re right. But, we shouldn’t have expected it to be any different. I think we’d make a perfect pair in anything we tried to do." He smiled at the thought as she looked up at him. "Though, I think I like the thought of practicing this a few more times."

His hands continued to caress her body as he spoke. Oddly, unlike the other women he had been with, Mulder’s instincts told him to stay. He was not normally the type to sleep with someone after they had sex, but right now nothing felt more right then laying here with Scully in his arms.

"I think that can be arranged, Mulder. I think that can definitely be arranged. After all, they say practice makes perfect." She dislodged herself from his embrace briefly to kiss him, returning her head to his chest, nuzzling in and drifting off to sleep.

Mulder looked at his watch, rolling his eyes at the time. So much for getting home tonight. Looking down at Scully sleeping, he was not so sure he wanted to go to Miami after all. They were both on vacation the next week. Maybe he would spend his vacation with her instead. He somehow was overcome with the compulsion to learn much more about his partner then he had learned up until now. He knew that he definitely liked what he knew thus far. His hands stopped caressing Scully as he drifted off to a comfortable and peaceful sleep.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com