Title - Darkened Bedroom (Version 2)
Author - Marianne (Agent Dubie)
E-Mail address - dubie910@hotmail.com (Sorry about the last one, this 
should make it up to you!)
Rating - PG
Category - Story, Romance, Lovey dovey, puffy, fluffy
Spoilers - Vague references to Momento Mori and Redux 1
Keywords - MSR
Summary - Scully has a visitor in her bedroom and gets quite a surprise.
Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully and all those guys are property of CC, Fox, 
and 1013. Didn't mean to use them, it just sorta happened. Sorry! A 
special thanks for letting me borrow the G-Men too, that was really nice 
of you.

****************************
Darkened Bedroom (Version 2)
  By Marianne (Dubie)
****************************

     Dana Scully set her briefcase on the kitchen table and threw her 
trench coat on the couch. She sighed as she plopped down next to it and 
closed her eyes. What a day. She had spent the last three hours typing a 
report for Skinner that Mulder had effectively gotten himself out of. 
His claim was that he had a doctor's appointment for the hip that he 
wounded in one of his basketball games. All she had heard about for the 
past three days was that illegal block and his poor hip. He just wanted 
to get out of paperwork. She knew the boy hadn't seen a doctor outside 
of the hospital since the damn Nixon administration. Who was he fooling?

     "What a pain in the ass," she muttered as she stretched the length 
of the couch. She was just thankful that tomorrow was a Saturday. She 
wouldn't have to deal with him.

     One day he'd make it up to her. She was sure of it. All the crap he 
had put her through would have to be repaid some day. She hoped sooner 
than later because her life was going nowhere. Same old job, same old 
Mulder, same old loneliness. She'd just have to settle for what she had. 
The looks of tenderness, the guiding hand on the small of her back, the 
secret smiles she received that were Mulder. If only there could be 
more. If only he could understand how much she loved him. If he could 
only see that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and only 
him. 

     Her eyes grew heavy and she let herself drift off to sleep with 
dreams of a normal life as Mrs. Mulder with a normal home and a normal 
family. Her state of slumber was too deep to hear the knock at the door 
and the jingle of keys. Mulder inserted the key into the lock and slowly 
opened the door. She was definitely here. He could smell the sweet scent 
of her perfume. It his favorite smell. He tried to beat her to work 
every morning just to catch the first drift of her angelic scent. He 
smiled as he saw her sleeping peacefully on the couch. She seemed so 
innocent, like all of the painful memories she had were out of the realm 
of reality.

     Mulder looked at the long stemmed rose in his hand and hoped that 
this was a good idea. He retreated to her room, hoping that she wouldn't 
sleep too long. He sat in the same chair in the corner of her bedroom 
that he did so long ago. It seemed like ages since he had asked her to 
lie for him. His heart beat faster as he heard footsteps outside the 
door.

     Scully awoke as the winter night breeze tapped against her window 
pane. She yawned and stretched. She looked at the clock on the wall, 
which read 8:30. Well another eventful Friday night, she thought as she 
headed towards the bedroom. She didn't bother turning on the lights as 
she began to rid herself of her work clothes. 

     Mulder tried his hardest to remain silent as she unknowingly 
stripped for him. He couldn't contain himself any longer, "Take it all 
off baby."

     Scully whipped around and closed her now unbuttoned shirt, "Jesus, 
Mulder, that's twice! What the hell are you doing here?"

     "Can't I make sure my partner's safe and sound once and a while?" 
Mulder replied as he rose from his chair. 

     Scully turned on the bedside lamp and glared at him, "That's not 
the answer I was looking for." 

     "What answer were you looking for?" he answered slyly, pulling the 
rose from behind his back.

     Scully could hardly contain herself. Mulder in her darkened 
bedroom, with a long stemmed rose. Who was this guy and what had he done 
with the real Mulder? "What's that for?" she asked quizzically.

     "Can't a guy do something nice for his partner?" Mulder responded 
with a smile.

    "I'm not going to play your little game Mulder," she announced 
sternly. The sparkle in her eyes told him otherwise. 

     "Fine, you're right. This is for you. Now, get dressed," he said 
handing her the rose.

     She inhaled the sweet scent and smiled, "I am dressed."

     "It doesn't look that way to me," he replied playfully.

     "Oh really, well stop looking," she scoffed.

     "Would you just put on some warm clothes and don't ask anymore 
questions?" he asked, crossing his arms in mock impatience. 

     "Where are we going?" she pressed. She was not about to take orders 
from him of all people. Mulder just growled and she gave in, "Ok, ok, 
turn around."

    Mulder smiled triumphantly and faced the door so she could get 
dressed. He thought of how ridiculous his turning around was considering 
how many times he's actually seen her naked. Scully excitedly changed 
her clothes, thinking that maybe this Friday night wouldn't be just a 
normal Friday night after all.

     "Ok, I'm done where are we going?" she asked as he turned around to 
inspect her choice of clothing.

     "No more questions, understand? Turn around and close your eyes," 
he instructed. Mulder pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and 
tenderly covered her eyes. She let out a squeal of protest, but he spun 
her around and silenced her with a soft kiss. "Will you shut up?" he 
asked sternly. If she could only see the glow of his cheeks. He couldn't 
believe it had taken him six years to work up the courage to perform 
that simple act. The fact that she kissed him back gave him much more 
confidence.

     Scully was speechless. She had to admit, the boy really knew how to 
keep her silent. She just smiled and tried her hardest to keep from 
blushing. She had waited six years for that and she didn't even get the 
chance to prepare herself emotionally for it. She felt him take her hand 
and slowly lead her out of the bedroom. 

     Mulder was careful to steer her clear of the obstacles in her 
apartment and grabbed her heavy coat from the coat hanger as they exited 
the door. He locked her door, knowing that she would protest if he 
hadn't. He caught a glimpse of her face and tried not to laugh. She was 
trying to hide a smile mixed with confusion and excitement, but was not 
pulling it off very well. 

     Scully let the only hand she trusted lead her outside. She heard 
the jingle of keys and a car door open. "Now this is a truck, so you 
gotta step up ok?" he announced and he helped her into the passenger 
seat. She reached back to grab her seatbelt, but he playfully slapped 
her hand and buckled it into place for her. She crossed her arms in 
false annoyance, complete with a humph. 

     He hurried around to the driver's side, hopped in and started the 
engine. Soft music flowed through the speakers. "Mulder, where the hell 
are we going?" she asked as she tried to remove the blindfold.

     Mulder pulled her arm away from the blindfold, "No you don't. This 
stays on until we get there."

     "But…" she cut in. 

     "But nothing. You are not going to ruin this Ms. Scully. The 
blindfold stays on and there will be no questions regarding our 
destination because you will get no answer. Now, do I have to shut you 
up again?" he asked her playfully. 

     "Um, no sir. I promise I'll be good," she replied softly, although 
she seriously considered forcing him to shut her up. 

     "Good, now go to sleep, this is going to be a lengthy trip," he 
informed her. He slipped the gear shift into drive and pulled onto the 
street. 

     "Mulder…" she started in protest.

     "Shhp!" he threatened.

     "But Mulder," she tried again. 

     "I said quiet didn't I?" he asked. 

     "Yes sir," she surrendered. Scully leaned back in the seat and 
tried to get comfortable. She let the song invade her mind. Her ears 
perked up at the words.

"I don't want to let you go, so I'm standing in your way.
I never needed anyone like I'm needing you today.
Do I have to say the words?
Do I have to tell the truth?
Do I have to shout it out?
Do I have to say a prayer?
I must have proved to you how good we are together.
Do I have to say the words?"

     "Bryan Adams?" she asked him quietly, rolling her head to face his 
direction.

     "Yes Bryan Adams. Are we complaining?" he asked. The truth was that 
he had spent hours making a tape of songs that described his feelings 
for her perfectly.

     "No, I just never thought Bryan Adams would be played in a car you 
were driving," she answered honestly.

     "Well there's a lot of things you have yet to learn about me. Now 
will you just go to sleep?" Mulder asked softly, almost pleading with 
her.

     "Alright already," she whispered as she relaxed in the seat. Mulder 
just smiled at the peaceful form next to him. She always had to have the 
last word. He just decided to let her win this time. 

     Mulder suppressed a yawn as the elevation rose. He wished she could 
see the scenery outside her window. The moonlight cast shadows between 
the Virginia pine trees and the snow glistened with a silver tint. It 
was perfect. The whole plan was perfect. He congratulated himself on a 
job well done and just hoped Scully appreciated his efforts. 

     He had actually been planning this for quiet a while. He rented a 
cabin in the mountains of Virginia and paid Frohike fifty bucks to go up 
that day and make everything perfect. The boys were more than happy to 
oblige. 

     His heart beat a little faster as he pulled the truck into the 
cabin's driveway. The Lone Gunman Mobile was parked out front and 
Frohike waved to him through the window. Mulder took a deep breath and 
opened the door quietly. He opened Scully's door and unbuckled her. 
Trying not to wake her. He tenderly lifted her out of the seat and made 
his way to the cabin door. He silently thanked Frohike for clearing a 
path through the snow. 

     Scully was stirred from her sleep by a delicate cool breeze. She 
smell of pine trees and snow awoke her senses. She still wore the 
blindfold, but she was being carried by strong arms. "Mulder, put me 
down," she whispered, still drowsy.

     "Not yet," he answered. Frohike held the door open and winked at 
Mulder as they stepped inside. The boys waved to Mulder as they exited 
the cabin. Scully was immersed in warmth as he stepped through the door. 
He carefully set her down on the couch. Again, soft music from an 
unknown source flowed throughout the room. 

     Mulder sat down next to her and slowly removed the blindfold from 
her eyes. Scully blinked a few times and looked around. The cabin was 
small, but felt like home. The lights were dimmed and a fire roared in 
the fireplace directly across from them. She turned to Mulder and saw 
the flames reflection sparkle in his hazel eyes. "Why?" she asked 
softly.

     "Because you deserve it. After all I have put you through, you 
deserve a quiet vacation in a secluded place," he answered smiling. 

     "But why all this, why right now?" she pressed. The entire thing 
was overwhelming. She couldn't believe Mulder had gone to all this 
trouble for her.

     "I wanted to do something nice for you. I owe you so much. I just 
felt it was time. Time you knew how I really felt," he replied, turning 
himself to face her on the couch. He took her hands in his and looked 
into her shining eyes. He took a deep breath and said, "It's been two 
years. Two years since I found out about your cancer. Two years since my 
heart broke. Two years since I realized how much I love you."

     Scully blushed and began, "Mulder, I…"

     Mulder put his finger up to her lips to silence her, "Shh, I wasn't 
done. I want you to know that I have loved you since the day you entered 
my office. And I'm sorry for everything that has happened. If I could go 
back, I would never would have let anything happen to you or your 
family."

     "But Mulder, that wasn't your…" she tried to cut in.

     "You don't give up do you? I'm almost done," he covered her mouth 
with his hand. She conceded and he continued. "I wake up every morning 
just to see your face. I cherish every look, every touch, every word 
that you say. You are my entire world, I couldn't bring myself to keep 
living without you."

     He took his hand away from her mouth. "I couldn't have said it 
better myself," she replied, with a smile. Mulder saw his chance in her 
inviting look and took it. He reached up to run his hand along her jaw 
line and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met in a wave of passion. 
Time stood still. All of their worries, problems, and memories seemed to 
drift away, making room for new ones. 

     Scully pulled back slowly and met with Mulder's loving stare, "Next 
time you want to go on a romantic getaway, just ask me ok?"

     Mulder smiled in agreement, "Whatever you say."

     "Good, that's the way I like it," she told him, returning the 
smile. Mulder leaned back into the couch and wrapped Scully in his arms. 
She snuggled close to his chest and sighed, "I love you."

     Mulder grabbed the blanket sitting on the arm of the couch and laid 
it over her curled up frame. He ran his hands through her hair and 
kissed her forehead softly, "I love you too, Dana."

     "Say it again," she murmured into his chest.

     "Dana?" he asked playfully.

     "No, the other part," she replied, with eyes still closed.

     "I love you," he whispered into her ear. She smiled and lifted her 
head to meet his lips once more. One dream had finally come true


**********
 The End
**********

Now wasn't that so much better? I'm sorry for putting you through that 
first one, I just don't know what came over me. Ugh, I apologive 
profusely, with every part of my being! Please don't hate me! Thanks, I 
hope this was fluffy enough for you!