I'm baaack! Sorry it's taken me so long--small case of writer's block to
deal with. When in doubt, go with smut. <g> This little piece of mind
candy takes place within the universe I created in Dance Without
Sleeping, though you can certainly read this without having read that.
Just know that Scully is dealing with her cancer and she and Mulder have
become lovers. I anticipate doing a whole slew of these over a long
period of time, hence the secondary title on this one. Feedback would be
nice. :)

Hey, Charli? Your turn..... <g> Also, this is dedicated to a wonderful,
highly talented lady named Kathy Cox. It was her superb Beauty and the
Beast series "Small Seductions" that inspired this one.

Disclaimer: Guess what? They don't belong to me. It was CC who thought
them up and he and 1013, along with Fox, own them. I just like to take
them out and play with them. I don't mean anything by it; really I don't.


Enjoy!

Into Each Other Sinking I
Liquid
by Lydia Bower <bower2@juno.com>
Classification: V, MSR
Rating: NC-17. Um hum. Yep. One of those.
Summary: Set within the "Dance Without Sleeping" universe. Scully takes a
bath and gets some help--along with a story--from Mulder.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Lovers

Look how each becomes gift and giver:
their veins with nothing but spirit flow.
Look how their forms like axles quiver,
round which revolving raptures glow.
Thirsters, and straight there are draughts for their drinking;
wakers, and look, they are sated with sight.
Let them, into each other sinking,
rise, surviving each other's might.

Ranier Maria Rilke

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
 

	Scully loves to take baths. Long ones. With lots of bath oil. She
sits in a fragrant cloud of steam and unwinds. She'll pin her hair
carelessly atop her head and scrub her face clean of make-up first and
then climb in. After awhile the bathroom will get warm enough that it
draws tiny beads of sweat from her exposed skin. She'll dip a thick wash
cloth into the water and squeeze it out over herself, the water trickling
in small streams down her body to rejoin the sea she floats in.
	Scully is beautiful when she's wet.   
	I try to leave her alone when she's soaking. I know how important
her time to herself is--and I've given her precious little of it lately.
Both Scully and I  lived solitary lives before the cancer. Now we can
hardly stand to be apart. But there are times when we get on each other's
nerves.
	We just went through one of those times. So from Friday after
work through the weekend, she stayed here alone. We both needed the time
apart.  
	Until a few minutes ago I was sitting in the living room, trying
to watch a movie and fidgeting instead. She's been in there for over half
an hour now and I just heard the faucet come back on. She's warming up
the water in the tub again. I'm trying to make up an excuse to bother
her, to enter the private sanctuary that is the bathroom when Scully is
soaking. It doesn't seem right to barge in on her for no other reason
than because I like to look at her when she's relaxing in the tub. Well,
truth be told, that's not the only reason. She's also necessarily naked
when she's in there--and it was a very long weekend away from her. I shut
off the TV and put in a Marvin Gaye CD, grab a random file off the dining
room table and approach the bathroom door.
	Lifting my hand, I knock lightly with the backs of my fingers.
"Hey, Scully? Can I come in?"
	There is a long pause and I hear her through the door. "That
depends on what you want, Mulder." 
	I smile and tip my forehead against the door. "Let me come in and
I'll tell you."
	I hear water sloshing and then, "Okay, but I'm not talking work."
	A flick of my wrist and the file lands on the table in the hall.
I open the door and step into a cocoon of warmth and fragrance. Ah.
Bubbles tonight. Another reason why water keeps getting added to the tub.
Her pinned up hair is a bright spot of color upon a sea of white foam.
She's sunk low in the tub, her back to the door. I can see the soft, pale
skin of her neck and the faint scar from the implant. Dark red toenails
peek up from the bubbles at the other end of the tub. I always knew
Scully was the type of woman to paint her toenails red--her shoes are a
dead give-away. 
	The room is filled with steam and it fogs the mirror and window.
Three steps take me to the tub and I fold myself down on the bathmat
beside it. Scully's eyes are covered by a washcloth and about all I can
see of her face are her bee-stung lips and her tiny chin. Only the tops
of her creamy shoulders are visible above the bubbles.
	Her voice interrupts my appreciative gazing. "What is it,
Mulder?" 
	"Um. Nothing," I admit. "I just got lonely."
	Her mouth curves up in a knowing smile. "I've only been in here
for a little while."
	"Yeah, I know." 
	She shifts a little and a kneecap emerges from the water. I can't
resist. I reach out and lay my hand on it. I watch as she pulls her
bottom lip into her mouth and gently bites it. 
	"Do you want me to leave you alone?" I ask.
	"No." The word comes out slowly. "You don't have to."
	If I didn't know what to listen for, I probably would have missed
the wistful inflection in her voice that tells me she's been thinking too
much; thinking about the turn her life has taken since her diagnoses. It
doesn't matter that she's decided to fight this thing tooth and nail. It
doesn't matter that we've stepped beyond the boundaries we once set for
ourselves and become lovers. The sadness still weighs heavily on her from
time to time. I willingly take up my share of the weight when that
happens. How can I not?
	I rise from the floor and grab the book of matches from the shelf
where she keeps the towels. The scratch and flare of the match goes
unheard, masked by the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye. I light the fat
candles placed here and there and then shut off the light. A warm glow
fills the room. Much better.
	I get back to the tub just as Scully reaches for the washcloth
covering her eyes and asks, "What are you doing, Mulder?"
	My hand shoots out to stop hers. "No. Leave it there."
	I've lit the candles for my own sake. Scully remains in a
darkness of her own making and I want to keep it that way. At least for
now. I reach across the tub and grab another washcloth before settling
back down on the floor. 
	"I want you to lay back and relax, Scully," I tell her. I keep my
voice soft and low. "I want you to leave it all up to me."
	I dip the cloth into the water and watch her shoulders rise and
fall as she quietly sighs. "Mulder, I've been thinking."
	"I know you have. And I want you to stop it. Right now. No
thinking allowed."
	A sad smile lifts the corners of her mouth. "Then what am I
supposed to do?"
	"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All I want you to do is feel. And
listen. I'm going to tell you a story." 
	"No little gray men, okay?"
	"No little gray men, I promise." I grab the bar of soap and
lather up the washcloth. Scooting down to one end of the tub, I take one
of her small feet in my hands and begin to wash it. 
	"Once upon a time," I start.
	Scully giggles.
	"Isn't that the way all stories begin?" I ask.
	"It's not that, Mulder. You're tickling me."
	I tug on her big toe. "This little piggy...."
	She jerks her foot away and it disappears under the water.
	"Hey! Bring that back here. I'm not done yet."
	"Leave my toes alone."
	"Deal. Now, do you want to hear my story or not?"
	The foot rises and I hold it out of the water, one hand cradling
the back of her slim ankle as the washcloth skims across the top of her
foot and moves up her calf.
	"Once upon a time there was a man who was obsessed with finding
the truth--"
	"Gee, I wonder who that was."
	"Are you going to keep interrupting me, or are you going to shut
up and listen?"
	"I'm sorry. Go on, Mulder."
	I wash her leg up to the knee and gently settle it back into the
water, reaching for the other one. "Once upon a time there was a man who
was obsessed with finding the truth."
	"I've heard this part before."
	I come up on my knees and silence her with my mouth. It's nice
that I can do that now. She tastes of honey-sweetened tea and ripe
apples. I deepen the kiss and brush my tongue across hers before pulling
slightly away. "Shut up, Scully."
	"Not if you're going to keep kissing me like that when I
interrupt you."
	"You'll get your kisses; don't worry." I retrieve her leg and
begin to gently soap it, the washcloth sinking forgotten to the bottom of
the tub. Yes, hands are much better than cloth. Her skin is slick with
soap and so very soft.
	"Anyway, this man was alone," I continue. "It doesn't really
matter if he chose to be that way or not--although he probably did. What
matters is that he was so used to it that when a certain woman came into
his life he saw it as a threat to him and his obsession."
	"Tell me about this woman."
	I let the interruption pass without comment and finish the leg,
moving on to the arm closest to me. "She was sent to spy on him and
expose him as the nutcase those in power believed him to be. He didn't
want to trust her; couldn't trust her--not in the beginning. But then
something happened."
	My hands are cupping her arm, sliding up to her shoulder and back
down. Scully sighs and sinks deeper into the water as my fingers twine
with hers for a moment before moving back up. I release her and shift
positions until I am kneeling behind her. I stretch over her and lift her
other arm out of the water.
	"What happened, Mulder?"
	I've given up on keeping her quiet. That's all right--she's
entitled to talk, too.
	"Little by little, somehow, she found a way to ooch past all the
barriers he'd thrown up against her and settled into a place in his
heart. He began to trust her as he had trusted no other." Her arm
finished, I move my hands to her shoulders and upper chest, staying above
the line of foamy water that divides what can be seen from what I have
begun to imagine. Scully shifts again and my breath catches at the sight
of one pink, perfect nipple peeking through her gown of bubbles. My hands
come up loosely around her neck and my fingers settle under her chin as I
tilt her head back for another kiss. My clothes have become restrictive
and I fight the urge to shed them. This is for Scully.
	I break the kiss and bring my hands down again. They move over
her chest and slide beneath the water, carefully cupping and squeezing
the small weight of her breasts. Scully arches her back and pushes her
flesh deeper into my hands. I can feel the hard tightness of her nipples
against my palms. I pull away and catch her breathy moan. I move again;
back to the side of the tub.
	"And with that trust came something else. Something he was
totally unprepared for."  
	"What?" Scully again reaches for the cloth that covers her eyes.
Again, I stop her.
	"He began to need her. In ways that were very unpartnerly. Ways
that would have gotten them both into big trouble if anyone were to find
out about them. But he'd always been very good at hiding his
feelings--even from himself. You might even say he was an expert. He was
kind of a smart-ass you see, and he was good at hiding behind his humor."
	As I talk, Scully moves again. This time she bends her knees and
braces both feet flat against the bottom of the tub. Several inches of
leg emerge, creating my next target. My hands slides down the front of
one thigh and moves up over her belly to cup a breast. My thumb lazily
circles the hardened nub there. Her face is relaxed and her mouth opens
on a sigh. I smile at her, knowing she can't see me.
	She's so beautiful. And I'm so lucky. I still haven't figured out
exactly what I've done to deserve her--I don't think I ever will.
	My hand moves to her other breast and teases the peak there. "But
after a while it got harder and harder to hide his feelings from himself.
And those feelings began to move closer and closer to the surface. He
began to dream about her."
	"What did he dream?"
	I fold one arm across the edge of the tub and drop my hand back
to her knee. Slowly I begin to stroke up the inside of her thigh using
just the pads of my fingers. Scully's head tips back and her hips raise
just a little. 
	"Oh, he dreamt about a lot of things. The deep blue of her eyes.
The fullness of her mouth. Lots of dreams about her mouth. He'd kiss her
in these dreams. Long kisses. Slow kisses. Kisses that set them both on
fire. Would you like me to show you?"
	"Yes." Her reply is soft and low.
	I lean forward and cover with mouth with mine. I take my time,
tracing the richness of her lips with my tongue and teeth before
exploring her mouth slowly and with great care. Our tongues tangle and
slide, one across the other. My fingers curl around her upper thigh and
my palm lies flat against her now. As if of its own volition, my hand
moves up those last few inches to the juncture of her legs and I slip a
single finger inside the warmth of her. She is moist and tight and I feel
her inner muscles clinch around my finger. I capture her groan of
pleasure in my mouth. Scully pulls slightly away and takes my bottom lip
between her teeth, gently tugging at it. I pull it loose and remove the
washcloth from her eyes. 
	"Look at me, Scully."  
	Her eyes come slowly open, as though she has to force them. They
are heavy and soft and dark with her desire. It takes her a moment to
focus on me. I feel my mouth curl up in a smile. My finger moves in and
out of her; slowly, carefully. 
	"He dreamt about other things, too. Do you want me to go on?"
	"Oh, yes. Don't stop now, Mulder." Her eyes slip shut again.
	My finger leaves her and turns, trailing the short distance up to
the small bundle of nerves that top the silky folds of her sex. I lay my
fingers flat against her and begin to move them in tiny circles there.
Her arm leaves the water and her hand lands at the curve of my shoulder,
moving up to caress my face and weave her fingers through my hair.
	"He dreamt about the way she smelled; about the way she moved and
the way she smiled. He imagined what it would be like to take her in his
arms and hold her close. He dreamt of slowly undressing her, exposing
each part of her a little at a time. He imagined how beautiful she would
look standing naked before him. He just knew somehow that her breasts
would fit perfectly in his hands, that her nipples would be tight and
hard and would beg for his mouth, his tongue, his teeth."
	I dip my head and take a nipple in my mouth, showing her with
actions instead of words. Scully strains against me and I can feel my
erection begin to throb in perfect counterpoint to the beating of my
heart.
	Scully has begun to murmur quietly. "Please, Mulder. Please." She
begins to tug at my shirt, trying to pull it up, to reach the bare skin
of my chest and back. I leave off my suckling and quickly shed the
t-shirt. Her fingers dance across my skin before she grabs my arm and
urges me closer. Her pleading continues, her eyes pinning mine. "Please,
Mulder."
	"But I'm not finished with the story."
	"Finish it in here with me. Please."
	I study her face. She is flushed and breathing in tiny, shallow
pants. Her eyes glimmer and her lips are open and moist. Her tongue darts
out across them. 
	"Okay, Scully." I stand and unbutton my jeans, hurriedly peeling
them off. The rough fabric of the denim being pulled across my skin
creates a friction that is almost painful in its intensity. My skin is
super-sensitive, my nerves spark and dance. I catch the wicked gleam in
her eye when she sees that I'm not wearing anything under the jeans. My
erection springs up, tight and ready. "Turn around."
	She shifts until she's kneeling and her back is to the faucet.
The bubbles that still remain slide slowly down her chest as she comes up
out of the water, tracing a slow path over her breasts and down her flat
belly. Scully is my water baby.
	I step into the tub and gasp at the contrast between the heat of
my skin and the now-cooling water. I lower myself down so I am facing
her, my legs stretched out before me as far as the tub will allow. Scully
wastes no time moving forward and straddling me. She grasps my shoulders
and tries to sink down onto me. I stop her. "No. Not yet. I have to
finish the story first." I settle her down until she rests on my upper
thighs. Before I can stop her she has reached down between us and taken
me in hand. And now I don't want to stop her.
	She strokes me, her fingers first tightening and then relaxing;
over and over, as she pulls at me, milking me. My eyes slip shut and a
chuckle escapes me--half gratitude and half shock. I am too close. Too
close. I stop her hand. 
	"Uh uh. Wait."
	Scully raises an elegant eyebrow. "For what?"
	"Don't rush me, Scully. I've got a story to tell."
	She swoops in for a kiss. Pulls slightly away and rests her
forehead against mine. "Make it snappy."
	We grin at each other. "Where was I?"
	"The man was dreaming about making love to the woman."
	"Oh, yeah. Okay." I take a deep breath as my hands stray to her
breasts. I watch her as she raises up on her knees a little and throws
her head back, grasping onto the edges of the tub. She is so beautiful.
	"One day, this man's dreams become a reality. After years of
knowing her and trusting her and loving her, he finally realizes that she
loves him right back. And trusts him. And wants him."
	My hands move to circle her hips as I pull her towards me and
stop her downward movement just as she attempts to impale herself on me.
She is so close I can feel the heat of her sex hovering just above me. It
is sweet agony.
	"And when they finally come together it's unlike anything he's
ever experienced. She makes him whole and makes him strong. She awes him
with her courage and her faith and her patience."
	The tiniest pressure of my hands on Scully's hips gives her
permission and she slowly sinks down to envelope me. I force my hips to
be still, knowing that any thrust I make might well be my first and last.
We lock eyes and hold our breath until I am fully sheathed by her. And we
are one again. I love this moment. There is nothing else on earth like
it--and there never will be. 
	We simultaneously release heavy, shuddering sighs. Scully leans
forward and dots my chest with butterfly kisses. "Is that the end of the
story, Mulder?"
	"No. Oh, no. There is no end, Scully. You see,  this man--who all
his life had been searching for the truth--discovered something with this
woman."
	She begins to rock against me and all thought leaves my head. I
force myself to focus on something else, anything else, before I am lost.
Not yet. Not yet. I struggle to finish the story. I struggle to remember
my name. 
	"What does he discover, Mulder?" Scully whispers in my ear and
takes the lobe between sharp little teeth. My hands slide up and down her
soap-slickened back.
	"That the truth within is just as important as the truth
without." I speak through clenched teeth, hissing the words. "That this
woman means more to him than anything else."
	Scully pulls back and studies me. Her face is a contrast of
emotions. Desire. Love. Anticipation. And a question. An anxious waiting
and wondering. 
	"More than the truth?" she asks me.
	I grab her face in my hands and devour her mouth as she increases
the speed and pressure of her thrusts. I break the kiss and tell her,
"Aw, Scully. Don't you know? You *are* my truth."
	I watch, entranced, as a single tear breaks free and slips down
her cheek. I lap it up with my tongue.
	"I love you, Mulder."
	"Aw God. Scuh-lee."
	I am lost. Gone. Past the point of no return. I give myself over
to sensation and let go of all restraint. My vision blurs and goes fuzzy
and my eyes snap shut only to open again seconds later. And now all is
sharp and there is a clarity of sight that takes hold and defines
everything around me and within me. I watch my Scully as she clinches me
tighter within her and surrenders to the orgasm that floods her body. All
softness leaves me and I am transformed to steel. Every muscle, every
fiber of my body, stiffens and freezes. 
	I let go.
	Scully rides the contractions with me, urges me, answers my
calling out to her with words that echo my own.
	You are my salvation. My strength. My passion and pleasure and
pain.
 	My promise. My truth.
	As quickly as it overcame me, the steel leaves; replaced by a
shaky lassitude that envelopes us both, leaving us shuddering and
panting, Scully leaning heavily against me. Muscles loosen and relax,
becoming soft and pliable again. We are melting together, one with the
other. We become liquid.
	Scully places a gentle kiss on my mouth and twists away from me.
I tip my head back against the edge of the tub and brace my arms atop the
sides. The drain is opened and I can feel the cool water swirling around
me as it begins to empty out. But not all the way--just enough. I leave
Scully to her business. She is the expert at the proper mix of hot and
cold. The tub slowly refills, the water warm and soothing. Once she's
finished, I pull Scully back to me and wrap her tightly in my arms.
	We float in a sea of contentment; into each other sinking.

	XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

	The End