True Love
by Donna

Email address - donnah@donnas-stories.com
URL - http://www.donnas-stories.com/
Rating - R
Category - MSR, 
Spoilers - I Want to Believe
Keywords - MSR
Summary - Prequel to the movie
Feedback - Please
Archive - Anywhere, just let me know so I can visit

Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunmen and 
Skinner all belong to Chris, 10-13, and Fox - Bless them 
for it!!  No infringement intended.


She pulled the car up to the gate and put it in park.  Wearily she 
stepped out, unlocked the gate and moved it inward.  She 
trudged back to the car, moved it in a few feet, stopped again 
and relocked the gate.  It was all automatic, like the drive 
home.  She was done in.

There were too many patients, too many parents to try to 
reassure.  She'd had to be 'social' all day and wanted to crawl 
into a hole somewhere and draw it in after her.  But she 
couldn't.  Mulder had been here, alone again, all day and he 
needed some interaction.  She was all he had and he kept 
reassuring her it was enough.  She didn't buy it, but there 
weren't a lot of options.

She pulled the car into its accustomed space in front of the 
house and looked up.  Mulder was opening the door.  She took 
a deep breath and exited the car.  

He waited on the porch, not coming down into the yard to greet 
her.  "Long day."  It wasn't a question.  "Come on in, relax a 
little while."

She tried to smile, and kissed him lightly.  The beard was still 'in 
the way' as far as she was concerned, but it didn't cause the 
burn that the growing out had.

"Dinner's in the oven and I can turn it to low.  Why don't you 
soak for a few minutes in a hot tub?"

She looked up surprised.  "What?"

"A bubble bath.  You can just soak, rest for a few minutes."  He 
had to grin at the look of longing in her eyes.  He took her coat 
from her.  "I'll take that as a yes.  Go on up, I'll turn down the 
stove."

Her steps were still heavy, but lighter than they had been as 
she made her way upstairs.  How had he known?  Yes, the 
man could read her like a book, but . . . 

He reached the bath about the same time she did and it was 
him that turned on the water and poured a small amount of her 
favorite scent into the water.  She turned to thank him, but his 
hands pulled her blouse from her slacks and he began 
unbuttoning it.  He didn't seem to be asking anything of her, so 
she relaxed and let him remove the blouse.  She was slightly 
amused when he unbuttoned her slacks and lowered the 
zipper.  He held her hand as she stepped out of the slacks, 
then he sat her on the side of the filling tub and removed her 
shoes and socks.

She felt his arms go around her and unhook her bra, then slip 
the straps down her arms.  His eyes caressed her breasts, but 
his hands were innocent.  He held out one innocent hand to 
help her to her feet, then lowered her boy-cut panties to the 
floor.  He noted without comment that they were the same pale 
blue as the bra.  It was one of her deep dark secrets that they 
didn't discuss.  She liked feminine, hell, sexy underwear.  It 
made up for the button down suits and scrubs she wore for the 
world to see.  And he knew now that quite often it was for him.  
More than once he had wondered if it dated back to the first 
time he'd seen her underwear all those years ago.  He still 
made no comment, just keeping hold of her hand to help her 
step into the tub.  

He moved behind her then and gathered up her hair into a 
ponytail in his hand.  He twisted it and piled it on top of her 
head, fastening it with one of the clips lying on the counter.

She eased back into the tub and closed her eyes.
 
"I'm gonna check on dinner.  Relax."

She nodded, her eyes closed, and heard the door close.  The 
water, the oil, the scent all relaxed her, but she found herself 
slightly lonely.

In just a few minutes she heard a tap on the door, but it opened 
before she could respond.  Mulder entered, carrying a glass of 
red wine.  He winked at her.  "Take as long as you want."

She accepted the wine and looked him over.  He was wearing 
one of his endless gray t-shirts.  Not one of the original ones, 
this one had been purchased after they went on the run.  They 
had nothing from before that time, but this one had been 
washed enough to softly mold to his body.  His jeans were low 
slung on his hips and if she was right, he was commando under 
them.  He was barefoot and so damn comfortable in his body.  
She watched him head back toward the door.  "Mulder?"

He turned back to her, his hand on the doorknob.

"You in a hurry?"

"Me?  Why?"

"Well, there's room in here for two."

"I thought you needed some alone time."

"Turns out, I'd rather have some Mulder time."

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled.  The whole world 
seemed brighter suddenly.  She watched as he pulled his t-shirt 
over his head.  Damn, the man did look good.

The buttons on his jeans came loose easily and she saw she'd 
been correct.  He was already at half mast as she admired 
him.  With a wink, he eased himself into the tub behind her.  
His arms encircled her around the waist, below her breasts, 
though he did allow himself a smile as he watched those 
breasts peek above the bubbles.

She eased back against his chest.  "How did you know I 
needed some alone time?"

"Fifteen years, Scully."

She lightly chuckled and nodded.

Brushing guilt aside, he lightly probed the surface of her mind.  
Yes, nothing big, just too many things to think about.  He felt 
her relax completely and let his arms tighten around her.