DRIVER'S EDUCATION. 
by Brown-Eyed Girl


Disclaimer- I don't own any of these characters. I just borrowed them 
for a little while. They belong to Chris Carter and Fox, but not to 
me. Trust me, I'm making no profit from this. 

Spoilers: None

Category: Discipline, very little slash (Sk./M.)

Feedback welcome to carolinamoon66@hotmail.com


DRIVER'S EDUCATION. 
by Brown-Eyed Girl


Agent Dana Scully entered the basement office she shared with her 
partner. She was surprised to see him sitting at his desk already and 
even more surprised at his haggard appearance. He was pale, his eyes 
were blood shot and he had a butterfly bandage over one eye. He jumped 
up as she came in.

They both spoke at once.

"Mulder, what happened...?"

"Scully, where were you...?"

Scully held up her hand. "Ladies first, Mulder."

She crossed quickly towards him, examining his face closely. "Mulder 
what happened last night after you left here? I thought you were going 
to see Skinner in his office and then spend a quiet night at home with 
the TV remote."

"Oh, Scully, where were you last night? I tried your cell phone, but 
it was turned off.", Mulder said in despair.

"Mulder, you knew I had a date last night-- you set us up, remember? 
We went to a movie and I didn't want to have my phone ringing in the 
middle of it. But you still haven't answered MY question. What 
happened to you?"

Mulder dropped his head into his hands.

"Oh, God, Scully, I'm in so much trouble. Why couldn't you have been 
home?", Mulder practically wailed.

Scully's teeth clenched in frustration. "Mulder, would you please tell 
me what's going on before I lose what's left of my mind!", she hissed.

Mulder finally lifted his head to look at her.

"I got picked up for drunk driving, Scully. I tried you from jail, but 
you didn't answer so I had to call Walter."

"Drunk driving!!?? Mulder, have you lost what little sense you ever 
had? Of all the stupid, dangerous, ridiculous.....", Scully was so 
angry she could barely finish.

"Scully, please...don't yell. My head is killing me. I know it was 
stupid. Believe me I know. Just don't yell at me."

Scully took a deep breath and willed herself to be calm. It was 
obvious her partner was miserable, so she decided to hold off on her 
tirade-- for now.

"All right, Mulder. Tell me what happened-- from the beginning. I know 
you had a meeting with Skinner yesterday afternoon. What happened 
after that?"

Mulder began to speak in a slow monotone, as if the words pained him.

"I met with Skinner about that new case I wanted to pursue- you know- 
the thing in Detroit." Scully nodded and waited for him to continue. 
"He wouldn't even listen to me, Scully. Once I told him what it was 
about he totally shut me down- he wouldn't even consider letting us 
just go take a look. No matter what arguments I gave him, he wouldn't 
re-consider. Finally I lost my temper and told him I 'd just go check 
it out on my own time. That really made him mad. He actually forbade 
me to go! Like I was a kid or something! Just because we're lovers out 
of the office doesn't mean he can control my life outside the office!" 
Even now, hours later, the memory of the words still rankled. Scully 
could sense his anger building and urged him to calm down and finish 
the story.

"We argued some more and I finally ended up storming out of his 
office-I'm sure I scared Kimberly to death. I was too angry to go home 
so I decided to stop and have a drink at the first bar I came to, just 
to calm down. Well, one drink led to a few more, but I swear, Scully, 
when I left I thought I was perfectly fine."

Scully was shaking her head. "Oh, Mulder- you should know better than 
that. You don't drink often enough to know your own limits and I bet 
you didn't have anything in your stomach either, did you?"

Mulder shook his head ruefully. "Anyway, I got in my car to drive 
home. I made it most of the way without any trouble, but I took that 
curve down Hollins Lane just a little too fast and I skidded and 
brushed a tree. I didn't do much damage, except bumping my head on the 
steering wheel, but unfortunately a cop happened to drive by. He 
stopped to check and see if I was ok and I guess he smelled alcohol. 
The next thing I knew, he was making me take a breathalyzer check and 
then he was handcuffing me." Mulder dropped his head back into his 
hands, reliving the humiliation.

" I tried to call you from the station, but you didn't answer. The 
Lone Gunmen are at that stupid conspiracy convention, so I didn't know 
who else to turn to. I had to call Walter."

As Scully listened to this she realized idly that whenever Mulder 
referred to their boss in his 'office mode' he called him Skinner, and 
whenever he was thinking of him as his friend and lover he called him 
'Walter'. Scully figured it must be his unconscious way of separating 
the two in his mind.

"Scully, I've never seen him so furious. He got me out -I don't even 
want to know what strings he had to pull, since there was no mention 
of bail, but he barely spoke to me the whole way back to my apartment. 
They had bandaged my cut in the police station and he examined that, 
but other than that he barely looked at me. It was like he was too 
angry to stand the sight of me. Once we got to my place, he made me 
take some aspirin and go to bed, but he hardly touched me. Hell, he 
barely said goodnight. He just told me we'd talk about it today. I 
came in early-- I had to take the Metro since my car was towed. Now I 
just have to wait to hear from him, I guess. Oh Scully, this is 
awful." Mulder's eyes filled with tears and he laid his head down on 
his desk.

Scully stood behind him and absently rubbed his back and shoulders, 
trying to soothe him. She sighed. "Mulder, I don't know what to say. I 
guess there's no point in me adding to your suffering by continuing my 
lecture. It scares me to death to think you could have been killed. I 
wish I could offer you some words of encouragement, but I have no idea 
how this will affect your job-- or how Skinner will deal with you, 
professionally or personally."

Mulder looked up sadly. "I don't know what he's going to do to me on 
the job Scully, but I'm afraid I know exactly what he's going to do to 
me as his lover."

"What , Mulder?" she asked, curious.

"Well, you know he's always been a little protective of me-even more 
so since we became 'involved'. You know-- always nagging me to eat and 
sleep and just take care of myself in general."

"You mean now you have to put up with two of us doing it , huh, 
Mulder? , asked Scully with a smile.

Mulder tried to smile back but he didn't quite succeed. "Sometimes I 
think he's more of my father than my lover. Like this Detroit thing. 
He acts really bossy sometimes- like I'd better obey him, or else. 
Well, after the Wisconsin case, I found out what the 'or else' was. Do 
you remember what happened in Wisconsin, Scully?"

She looked at him, incredulous. "Remember? For God's sake, Mulder that 
whole experience is etched on my brain forever-- and it plays in my 
nightmares on a weekly basis. You really out did yourself on that one. 
You scared me to death when you went up against that loony militia 
man-- unarmed. And I swear Skinner lost a whole lot more hair in just 
that one day."

"Yeah, he wasn't too pleased with me once he got me back to the motel. 
Actually," Mulder's face flamed as he continued, "he spanked me, 
Scully-- me! A grown man! He was so furious that he threw me over his 
knee and paddled my ass good. And let me tell you something- that hand 
of his can do some damage."

"That explains why you were so uncomfortable on the plane ride home. 
You were even more fidgety than usual.", said Scully, remembering.

Mulder nodded, still blushing. "Well after that...incident, he warned 
me that if I ever did anything that foolishly dangerous again he'd 
take a whip to my ass. I tried to tell him I was too old for that, but 
you know him. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it. I've 
screwed up a few times since then, but it's all been pretty mundane 
stuff. I've gotten off with a lecture or reprimand. But I have a 
feeling this time I'm really going to get it."

Scully wasn't really as surprised by Mulder's revelation as she should 
have been. He just seemed to be one of those types that needed taking 
care of. And with the age difference between him and Skinner, it made 
it even more logical. Even her own mother tended to baby him when she 
could. There was just something about that little boy face. 

Still, it was hard to feel too sorry for him. Drunk driving was one of 
the stupidest things she'd ever heard of, and while she didn't like 
the idea of her partner and best friend being hurt, she had to admit 
it was deserved. Hell, she was tempted to take him over her knee 
herself.

"We're supposed to go away this weekend, Scully. Up to his cabin near 
Deep Creek. Now I don't want to go. I just know he's going to punish 
me there."

"Mulder, you don't know that for sure. Maybe he'll just lecture you." 
But she thought to herself that he was probably right. If Skinner had 
threatened to whip him for a major screw up, this would definitely 
qualify. He was really in for it.

Just then the phone on Mulder's desk rang. He jumped and then reached 
to pick it up like it was a coiled snake. Scully realized it had to be 
Skinner because her partner drooped even further in his chair. He 
didn't say much more than "yes, sir " and "no, sir"-Skinner seemed to 
be doing almost all the talking. He finally hung up, looking even more 
miserable than before.

"How'd it go, Mulder?", Scully asked gently.

"He's really angry, Scully. We always try to keep things professional 
in the office, especially over the phone, but he was so cold. He told 
me I'm not to leave the building at all today unless you're with me 
and I won't be getting my car back anytime soon. He's having the 
police send it to the FBI lot here and he's keeping the keys. I'm 
supposed to go straight home after work and wait for him. Don't 
suppose you'd consider coming with me for back up, would you Scully?", 
he said, trying to grin.

"Sorry, Mulder-you're on your own this time. But call me when you 
can-anytime, no matter how late.", she said with a smile, knowing that 
he never worried about what time it was when he called. "Now, why 
don't we tackle some of the paperwork that's been piling up around 
here. There's no point brooding all day. Might as well get something 
done."

Mulder appreciated her efforts to keep him distracted, but he found it 
impossible to concentrate on his work and he only picked at the lunch 
she brought him. He was dreading 5:00. When they finally got ready to 
leave for the day, Scully insisted on giving him a ride home. When 
they got to his apartment , she turned to him and gave him an 
encouraging smile.

"Call me, Mulder. And don't look so sad-you know Walter loves you. 
He's angry, but he'll get over it. He's had lots of practice, after 
all." She was pleased to see his half-hearted attempt at a smile. She 
watched as he dragged himself inside.

Mulder dropped on to his couch, not even bothering to remove his coat. 
He didn't know when Walter would arrive and he didn't have the energy 
to change at the moment. He dozed off but awakened suddenly when he 
realized Walter had arrived and was staring at him.

"Don't you even bother to take your coat off when you come home, 
Mulder? Or were you planning to go out again and finish your party 
from last night?"

Mulder cringed at the sarcasm in his voice. He stared at the floor, 
hoping Skinner would take pity on him. After a moment he felt Skinner 
drop down on the couch next to him. Mulder kept waiting for him to say 
something, but he remained silent. The minutes ticked by slowly. 
Mulder finally couldn't stand it any longer and jumped up and began 
pacing.

"Walter, please-yell at me or something. I can't stand the suspense. I 
know you're angry and I'm sorry. I know what I did was stupid but 
please, please--stop with the silent treatment."

"Mulder, I'm not saying anything yet because frankly, I don't trust 
myself to speak. What you did last night is absolutely 
incomprehensible to me. I realize that this kind of thing happens 
every day, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you did something 
which could have killed not only you, but someone else."

"So what happens now? You're going to punish me, aren't you?", asked 
Mulder, his voice miserable.

"We'll discuss it this weekend, Mulder. I need time to cool down, and 
I hope that by Friday, I'll feel a little more in control. But to 
answer your question, yes, you're going to be punished. Severely. That 
should give you something to think about this week. And until I pick 
you up Friday, you aren't to go anywhere but work. You and Scully are 
between cases now, so it shouldn't be too hard to find things to keep 
you busy in the office."

Skinner pushed himself up off the couch. "I'm going to go now, Mulder, 
but I want you to promise me you'll get some dinner and then some 
sleep. I'll call you later." He looked for a moment at the forlorn 
young man in front of him and then pulled him close and wrapped him in 
a tight hug. "I could have lost you last night, Fox.", he whispered 
into his hair. "That's why I'm so angry." He pushed back abruptly and 
walked to the door. "Get some rest-I'll talk to you later."

The rest of the week was pure misery for Mulder. Skinner checked in 
with him often, just to make sure he was behaving, but they didn't see 
each other. Scully came over every evening to keep him company and to 
make sure he'd actually eat something and not just mope. Normally, 
Mulder would chafe at being kept on restriction, but he didn't even 
complain. It troubled her to see him so disheartened, but she knew he 
deserved a little guilt this time. And she also knew he was dreading 
the upcoming weekend. She was fond of their boss, and pleased that he 
took such good care of her partner, but she shivered thinking about 
what punishment Mulder would face. An angry Skinner was to be avoided 
at all costs.

When Friday finally arrived, Mulder was almost sick with a combination 
of anticipation and dread. Part of him just wanted the suspense to be 
over with, but he knew he was in for something awful. Skinner's anger 
didn't seem to have cooled much at all. By the time five o'clock 
rolled around, he was a bundle of nerves. Scully drove him back to his 
apartment, since Skinner would be picking him up there.

She got out of the car with him so she could hug him tightly. He 
looked so sad.

"Don't worry Mulder. You know Walter will take care of you."

He nodded weakly and tried to joke. "If I don't show up Monday, 
Scully, make sure he tells you where to find the body. And tell 
Frohike he can finally have my videos-unless you want them. It's not 
too late to change my will-yet."

"Tempting offer, Mulder, but I think I'll pass. They just wouldn't 
look right next to 'Steel Magnolias' and "Terms of Endearment"., she 
grinned. Turning serious again, she gave his arm a squeeze. "You'll 
survive, Mulder. Call me Sunday when you get home." He nodded and said 
good bye.

Walter arrived by 6:00 and they were soon on the road. The cabin was 
only two hours away, but Mulder knew they'd be an uncomfortable two 
hours with so much unsaid between them. Walter didn't talk much on the 
way but he did reach over every so often to squeeze Mulder's hand. 
Mulder was grateful for the contact. Walter stopped at a fast food 
place after about an hour on the road. Mulder stayed in the car, 
insisting he wasn't hungry, which earned him a glare from Skinner. 
When Skinner returned he tossed Mulder a bag. "Fish sandwich-no tartar 
sauce, extra pickles. Now eat." Skinner's tone made it clear he would 
accept no argument, so Mulder managed to choke most of it down. At 
least Walter had remembered the way he liked them.

They arrived at the cabin and unloaded their things quickly. The 
mountain air was cool and beautiful and Mulder would have loved a walk 
in the woods but he knew that wasn't in the plans for this particular 
evening. After they had gotten settled, Walter sat down in the living 
room and motioned for Mulder to take a seat on the couch.

"Guess it's about time we discussed this, huh, Mulder? I wish I could 
tell you that I wasn't angry anymore but I'm afraid that's not the 
case. In fact, the more time I had to think about this thing this week 
the angrier I got."

"Walter, I said I was sorry and I am. It was just a stupid mistake. I 
wasn't even that drunk. If the cop hadn't been in the area everything 
would have been fine."

"Stop it, Mulder! Just stop it! How dare you try and turn this thing 
into 'no big deal'. I read your arrest record, Mulder. You blew a .16 
into the breathalyzer. That's legally drunk in every state. You're 
just lucky I was able to pull the file or you'd be facing criminal 
charges right now." Walter's eyes were flashing behind his glasses.

Mulder flinched at the anger in his tone and decide he'd better change 
his tactics immediately. "I've been arrested before-and I've even done 
more dangerous things than this before. Why does this make you so 
angry?", he asked quietly.

"Yes, Mulder, you have done some pretty stupid things before. But at 
least with them you had a reason-a goal. I might not have agreed with 
it, or your methods, but at least there was some justification. But 
this-- this wasn't some misguided quest for the truth. This was simply 
an adult version of a temper tantrum. You got mad at me and went off 
to sulk with a bottle of Jack Daniels, instead of your thumb and 
blanket. Well, I may not always know how to deal with your zeal for 
the truth, but I surely know how to deal with a temper tantrum."

Mulder closed his eyes- this was it - the thing he'd been dreading. 
Now he'd find out exactly what his punishment would be. "What are you 
going to do to me?", he finally asked.

"Exactly what I said I would if you ever placed yourself in danger 
again. I'm going to whip your ass until you won't think about sitting 
down 'til somewhere around Christmas. And I'll warn you right now, 
Mulder- it's going to be severe. I want to make sure that even the 
thought of alcohol will turn your stomach for a while."

Mulder nodded, oddly calm now that it was out in the open. No more 
suspense. "Where do you want me?", he asked in a strangled voice.

"Go into the bedroom and strip, Fox. I'll be in shortly. You can just 
sit on the bed and wait for me."

Mulder rose unsteadily to his feet. The bedroom was only a few steps 
off the main room, but it seemed like miles to him. He went in and 
shut the door. He peeled off his clothes slowly, taking the time to 
carefully fold each item and place it on the chair near the bed. When 
he was finished, he sat down on the edge of the bed, his heart beating 
as though he had just run a marathon. He was almost glad when Walter 
entered just a moment later. He couldn't have endured waiting much 
longer.

"Roll over on to your stomach, Fox."

Mulder did as he was told. He heard Walter open one of the drawers in 
the near by dresser. He flinched when he felt Walter's hand grasp his 
ankle and pull it toward one side of the bed and tensed even more when 
he felt a soft cloth wrap around it. Within a moment, his ankle was 
effectively tied to the foot post of the bed. The other one soon 
followed suit. Mulder's face flamed. They had never indulged in any 
kind of bondage games in their love making, so this was all a new 
experience for him. He became even more nervous when Skinner grabbed 
his wrists and pulled them together over his head. Then he heard the 
clink of handcuffs. Skinner was obviously taking no chances on him 
moving.

Once he finished securing Mulder, Skinner sat down next to him on the 
bed.

"Mulder, do you have any idea how many people have been killed this 
year in DC alone by drunk drivers? I looked it up on the internet 
after your arrest- 38, Mulder. That's 38 mothers, brothers, sons and 
daughters that will never go home again thanks to someone like you who 
didn't have enough sense not to get behind the wheel of a car after 
they'd been drinking. I want you to remember that number Mulder, so 
that's how many times you're going to feel my belt tonight. And I want 
you to picture a face every time I whip you."

Mulder's whole body shivered-38 strokes would practically kill him, he 
was sure. Skinner couldn't be serious. But Mulder knew that voice-the 
one there was no point in arguing with. If Skinner thought he deserved 
that many strokes, that's how many he'd get.

Mulder buried his face in the comforter and tried to prepare himself. 
He trembled again when he heard the unmistakable sound of leather 
being drawn through belt loops. He heard Walter move to the side of 
the bed and then "CRACK"- the first lash landed squarely across his 
ass. He bit back a scream-Skinner had hit him full force. No warming 
up for him. "That's one, Mulder. I'm going to keep count for you since 
I don't think you'll be able to do it yourself." The second landed and 
then the third-all across the center of his cheeks. The next few were 
aimed lower, closer to his thighs. The sting of the belt was 
unbelievable. Tears had started almost immediately and they were 
flowing freely into the bed covers. He bit down on the comforter, 
trying to muffle his cries. Skinner hit him again and again without 
pause, announcing each stroke as it landed. Mulder jerked and twisted, 
but his bindings held fast-there was no way he could avoid the 
punishing blows. Every inch of his ass felt like it was on fire. When 
Skinner announced the twentieth stroke the belt stopped and Mulder 
felt a surge of hope-maybe Walter thought he'd been punished enough. 
That hope was dashed by Walter's next words, however. "Your butt's had 
enough, Mulder, so you're going to get 9 on each thigh. And you can 
scream all you want-no one is around to hear you."

Walter started on his right thigh-he striped it from the top down to 
his knee, counting each stroke in that same calm, steady voice. With 
his legs spread wide, it was impossible for Mulder to protect his 
tender inner thighs at all, and several times the belt hit him there, 
causing him to shriek even louder.

When Skinner finished on the right side he quickly moved to the left 
of the bed, giving Mulder no time to catch his breath. His left thigh 
was soon in agony also. By this time, Mulder's mind was almost numb 
with pain. He barely heard Skinner's voice announce the final few 
strokes and was only dimly aware when they stopped and Skinner threw 
the belt down. He sobbed into the bed, feeling his backside throb with 
each beat of his pulse. After a few minutes he realized that Walter 
was sitting next to him on the bed, rubbing his back gently. He picked 
up his head to look at him and was surprised to find Walter was crying 
too. Not sobbing -- just a slow steady flow of tears down his stern 
face.

Walter moved to the foot of the bed and gently un-tied the restraints 
holding his ankles. He massaged the chafed skin for a moment and then 
moved and unlocked the handcuffs at Mulder's wrists. He held Mulder's 
hand for a while, still not speaking.

"I want you to try and sleep now, Fox.", he said after a few minutes 
had passed. " If I know you, I'm sure you didn't get any rest this 
past week." He stood and grabbed a blanket off the chest and shook it 
carefully over Mulder's body. "I'll be in later to check on you."

" No--Don't leave me-please! I don't want to be alone.", Mulder said 
desperately, pushing himself up from the bed. Walter gently but firmly 
eased him back down.

"You need your sleep, Fox-you've been through a lot tonight. I'll be 
in shortly, but right now I need some time to get myself together. You 
might find this hard to believe, but tonight was hard on me, too. Now, 
go to sleep." He kissed Mulder on the cheek and ruffled his hair. Then 
he quietly turned out the light and left the room.

Mulder stirred a few hours later when he felt Skinner's body ease onto 
the bed next to him. He nuzzled in to his chest, anxious for contact. 
Skinner pulled him close and rubbed his back, murmuring him back to 
sleep.

When Mulder woke again, the sun was shining through the window and 
Skinner's side of the bed was empty. He could hear noises from the 
kitchen and he smelled coffee.

He got up carefully and walked into the bathroom. The movement 
increased the throbbing of his still sore thighs and backside. He 
caught a glimpse of them in the mirror in the bathroom and was 
dismayed to see they were still raw and bruised looking. He decided 
not to bother dressing-jeans were out of the question, so he threw on 
Walter's robe, which was hanging on the hook on the back of the door.

Walter was standing at the sink, staring out the window and drinking 
coffee. He turned when he heard Mulder enter the kitchen.

"Good morning, Fox. How are you?", he asked cautiously.

Mulder shrugged, but didn't answer.

"Sit down, I'll get you some coffee."

"I think I'll stand, if you don't mind.", Mulder answered petulantly.

Skinner sighed. Mulder was definitely in a 'mood' now. He crossed to 
the couch and returned with one of the throw pillows from it. He 
placed it on one of the kitchen chairs. "Maybe this will help."

Mulder glared at him, but moved to the chair and carefully sat down. 
He hissed slightly as his butt made contact, but he stayed seated.

Walter set a mug of coffee in front of him and he managed to mutter a 
thank you.

Walter sat down in the chair across from him. He reached for Mulder's 
free hand, but Mulder yanked it out of his grasp.

"Mulder, stop it.", Skinner growled. "I know you're still upset, but 
you know you had it coming. Sulking about it won't do you any good. 
And we still need to discuss a few things."

"Like what?" , Mulder snapped.

"Like the rest of your punishment, for one thing. That whipping you 
got last night was not the end of this. Not by a long shot. There are 
going to be some changes around here, and the first had *better* be in 
your attitude."

Mulder was horrified. "More punishment? You practically took my skin 
off last night-you can't mean I'm going to get more?"

"No, Mulder, not another whipping. I'm not sure I'd be able to stand 
that. But I am going to put you under certain restrictions until I'm 
sure you've learned your lesson from this little fiasco."

"Restrictions? What kind of restrictions?", he asked warily.

"Well, for one, you aren't to have any alcohol at all for at least the 
next month. I mean not one drop. Not a beer after a run or a glass of 
champagne at your cousin's wedding. I know you're not much of a 
drinker anyway-usually," he added with a glare "but there's no point 
in taking chances."

Mulder started to protest and then decided not to bother. Skinner was 
right-he wasn't much of a drinker, so he could live with that. He 
nodded and said "What else?"

"Until further notice, you have to keep Scully or me informed of your 
whereabouts at all times-on duty or off. No more taking off by 
yourself unless you've cleared it with one of us first."

Mulder's chin dropped.

"You're making Scully part of this? That's crazy-she's not my keeper 
and neither are you, for that matter. I may have screwed up here, but 
I'm not going to be treated like a damned 15 year old who got caught 
staying out past curfew. I accepted the whipping because I knew I 
deserved it, but this is too much. Last time I checked, my birth 
certificate listed 'William Mulder' as my father-not 'Walter 
Skinner'." He started to jump up, but Skinner grabbed his arm and kept 
him seated.

"Watch your attitude, Mulder. I'm not in a great mood this morning 
either, so I'd be careful if I were you. Unless you'd like to go over 
my knee so I can refresh the sting in your ass a little bit?" He 
stared at Mulder's defiant face until he dropped his eyes and shook 
his head.

"All right then,", he continued, once he was sure Mulder was calm 
again. "That brings us to the matter of you driving again. I am well 
aware that drinking and driving is not something you're likely to make 
a habit of doing , so I'm not going to keep your keys. But there was a 
note in the policeman's report that you didn't have your seat belt on. 
I don't think I have to tell you how stupid that is. I'm sure it was 
just an oversight, but if I ever catch you in a car without yours on, 
I'll give you a spanking you'll never forget. Is that clear?"

Mulder nodded, his face flaming. "Is there anything else?", he asked, 
dreading the answer.

"No, Fox. I think that's enough to keep you in line-- for now. But I 
wouldn't advise you to test me on any of this. You wouldn't like the 
response."

Mulder was relieved that Skinner was going to give him his car back, 
but the rest of the restrictions were so humiliating. He loved Walter 
and he wanted to please him, but this was awful. Still, in some ways 
he knew he had gotten off easily. It made him shudder to think what 
could have happened . He never would have been able to live with 
himself if he had actually hurt or even killed someone. His stomach 
clenched at the very thought. He shook his head to clear it and stood 
up. He walked over and kissed Walter on the top of his head.

Walter wrapped his arms carefully around Mulder's waist and pulled him 
close to him. He searched Mulder's face closely. "You know, that call 
the other night scared me to death, Fox.. I never told you this I 
guess, but I lost my favorite uncle to a drunk driver when I was only 
12. I remember thinking at the time what a stupid waste it was. I 
couldn't bear to lose you-especially not to something so pointless. I 
want you around driving me crazy for a long, long time."

"I didn't know about your uncle, Walter. I'm really sorry. I don't 
ever want to frighten you like that again."

"Good, 'cause I'm not sure I could take another week like this one. 
It's not easy being this angry at someone you love. I hope you 
understand that that's the reason I'm being so tough on you."

"Yeah, I understand. I'm not going to pretend to like it, but I guess 
I'm glad you love me enough to be so hard on me. Now how about being 
hard another way?", he asked with his trademark smirk.

"Sounds like a hell of an idea to me. And maybe later we can go 
horseback riding.", Skinner remarked innocently.

"Great idea!", said Mulder, forgetting the condition of his rear end. 
He turned toward the bedroom and then realization dawned.

"Oh ,ha ha, Walter, very funny." 

THE END

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