See disclaimers part 1 _Coming Clean_ 2/2 by Friday pontiac@ozemail.com.au Part two <"I'm glad to hear that," he said in tone which made it clear that he wasn't. The two agents made their excuses and walked away, trying not to run.> * "That went well," Mulder observed dryly. "Hmm," Scully sighed. "I'm glad he's retiring. Did you see the way he was looking at us?" "Like he'd like to dig up our records and cover them in big black marks. Come on, are you hungry?" Scully nodded, following his lead towards the buffet table. "Hey, Spooky!" someone called. Mulder stopped, Scully at his side. "Yes, Colton?" Scully said sweetly, recognizing with a touch of disgust the agent who had once released a suspected murderer, who in turn had later almost killed her. Colton was obviously half-drunk at the very least. "Hey, Spooky," he slurred slightly. "Caught any aliens lately?" He laughed, as if he had made a huge joke. Several other agents who had closed in around them sniggered. "Not recently," Mulder said seriously. "It's the wrong season for UFO sightings in the northern hemisphere. Too much ionization in the atmosphere." Colton turned an uneasy glance on him, and Scully felt an unreasoning stab of anger towards the irritating young agent. Anger turned to a faint queasiness as Colton turned his attention towards her. "Hello, Dana," he said, leering. "How 'bout you an' me dump the loser and go have some fun?" Scully glared icily at him. "I would not go anywhere with you in a million years, Colton." She spoke quickly, before Mulder could damage the younger agent. *That* would not look good on their record. Colton's look turned speculative. "Oh, I see." He leaned forwards until he was close enough for Scully to smell the alcohol on his breath. "Tell me, Dana, when you and Spooky are doing it, does he make you scream his name? Do you wake up the neighbours?" Shocked momentarily speechless, Scully tried not to hit him. It was too late. Mulder was already reaching over to grab the shorter agent by the collar, dragging him away from Scully. "You son of a bitch," Mulder said in a low, dangerous voice. "You're lucky I don't kill you right here and now." Colton's courage had deserted him, along with his sniggering friends. He nodded, swallowing convulsively and hanging limply in Mulder's grip. "Mulder," Scully said, regaining her presence of mind with some difficulty. "Mulder, let him go. He's not worth it. Just let him go." Mulder looked down at her. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "Leave him be. He's not worth the trouble." Mulder slowly released his hold on the other agent. "Colton," Scully said levelly before he could escape. "If you ever come near me again, I *will* hurt you. Do you understand me?" Colton almost fled. * "Well, that was entertaining," Scully sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. Mulder looked closely at her. She looked tired. This was weighing heavily on her... so far, no-one had come up to tell them they were fired, but then, no-one had looked even remotely approving, either. The women seemed angry with Scully, the younger men with Mulder, the older men with both of them. This wasn't turning out very well. They were leaning against a wall, balancing plates of food which neither really wanted to eat. They had momentarily escaped the stares, disapproving, jealous or otherwise. Mulder touched his partner's cheek. "It could be worse," he murmured. "We're not out of a job yet." She nodded gratefully, and looked up at him. "They're playing music. Want to dance?" "Why, Scully, are you coming on to me?" She grinned back at him, momentarily forgetting their worries. "You bet." * Mulder led his partner out onto the floor, both of them acutely aware of the looks they were receiving. "We're the life of the party, Scully," he murmured, leaning down to whisper into her ear. She smiled, letting him draw her against him as he swayed to the music. Mulder drew back slightly, staring into his partner's, his friend's, his lover's eyes and felt his breath catch. Electric blue... Their eyes locked, oblivious to the rest of the world, they swept across the dance floor, movements as perfectly matched as always. From where he stood with his wife and several senior agents, Walter Skinner watched his two best agents with a faint smile playing across his lips. By the buffet table, Alan Pendrell stared at the couple on the dance floor, feeling his world crumbling around him. They were so obviously in love... how could he ever have missed it before? Half-filled plate forgotten, he watched sadly as the most beautiful woman he had ever known danced against her partner, the rest of the world forgotten as they stared into each others' eyes. * As the song ended, Scully leaned her head against her partner's chest and sighed. He leaned down, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. "I love you," he murmured almost inaudibly. "No matter what happens after this, I love you." "I love you too," she whispered. After a moment, she added, "Skinner's coming this way." They broke apart reluctantly. "Sir," Mulder said by way of greeting, searching his boss's face for any sign of anger. He found none; only a faint amusement. "Good evening, agent Mulder, agent Scully." "Good evening, sir," Scully replied, hiding her anxiety well. "You two dance well," Skinner observed. "Uh, thank you, sir," Scully said, wondering what he was leading up to. Skinner looked from one to the other, noting their worry. This had obviously been weighing heavily on them... they *would* have to complicate things by falling in love. It was such a Mulder and Scully-ish thing to do. However, he wasn't about to let them screw everything up now; he had fought too long and hard for them. It would work out. If any trait defined Mulder more than his talent for complicating things, it was his ability to get out of those things alive. Especially when he had Scully with him. There was just one thing Skinner had to know. "How long?" he asked. They exchanged a deep, expressive glance that said a hundred things, but mostly spoke of a vast relief. Mulder reached out to squeeze his partner's shoulder. Scully smiled at their boss, her hand resting atop Mulder's. "Since the beginning," she replied. "The beginning," Skinner echoed. That figured. _end_ Okay, so tell me what you think. Comments considered, praise accepted, flames ignored. Or you could just talk to me... X----------------------------------------------------------X | Somewhere, just out of sight, the unicorns are gathering.| | xxxxx <*> xxxxx | |Love conquers all. Amor vincit omnia. La Verita essere Li.| X----------------------------------------------------------X