From lmock@gpu1.srv.ualberta.ca Wed Nov 13 11:42:25 1996
The X-Files and the characters of Mulder and Scully are the property of 
the Brilliant Chris Carter, Fox Broadcasting and Ten Thirteen 
Productions.  No Copyright infringement intended.


The creative well had been bone dry lately, when suddenly this
idea fell into my lap.  No 4th season spoilers except for maybe
the quote at the end, and it doesn't give away anything.
Sort of a relationship thing but not really, very tame.
Comments to lmock@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca  They are appreciated!


Ice Cold
By Loret Mock
LGW#6


     Scully sat typing notes from the autopsy she had preformed
earlier in the evening on her laptop and shivered, just becoming
aware of how cold it was in her small motel room.  She glanced at
her watch, it was after two in the morning, Mulder had gone to
his room next door hours ago.  She leaned her head back and
rotated her shoulders and neck, trying to ease the stiffness in
them.
     Shutting down her laptop, and rising from the small table,
she walked to the thermostat, nudging it higher as she went past
it to one of the double beds in the room that her suitcase was
resting on, retrieving a pair of soft cotton pyjamas.
     She washed her face in the bathroom after she changed.  She
was exhausted.  They both were.  They had been tracking a killer
for over a week, and now--finally; had a suspect.
     Scully willed her frantically moving thoughts to slow down
so she could sleep.  Glancing out the window, it looked like it
was snowing.  She walked over to it shivering again, it was cold
for early November.  She reached for the curtain to draw it
closed, and her fingers brushed the icy glass.  It wasn't
snowing, there was frost covering it.  Dropping the curtain, she
crouched down in front of the hot air vent, placing her hand over
it.
     Nothing.  She went back to the thermostat and turned it all
the way up.  She waited.  Still nothing.
     "Great."  Stuck in a small town motel room with no heat at
two thirty in the morning.  In November.
     "I just want to sleep."  <Oh God, I'm whining>, she was
horrified.
     She plopped down on her cold bed undecided as to what she
should do, her tired brain had finally slowed down just when she
needed it to work.  There was no way they were going to fix the
heat at this time of night.  They might move her to another room,
but all she wanted to do was go to bed.  Her only other
alternative was to bunk with Mulder for the night, or what was
left of it.
     Before she could change her mind, she stepped into her
sneakers, threw her trench coat around her, stuffed the key into
her pocket, and hurried out the door.
     It was cold outside, with the wind blowing steadily.  She
banged loudly on Mulders door, her hands curled into fists
against the frigid air.  She pulled her coat tighter around her
getting ready to bang on it again.
     The door opened suddenly, and Mulder looked blearily at her. 
"Scully?"
     She pushed past him and closed the door behind her. 
"There's no heat in my room," she said accusingly, sure that this
*could* be his fault, if she worked at it.  "I'm *freezing*.  Can
I stay here tonight?  I'll get them to move me to a new room in
the morning," she was shivering violently, and had her jaw
clenched shut to keep her teeth from chattering.
     Mulder blinked at her, going to the bedside table, and
setting the gun he had been holding down on it, then looked at
the rumpled bed.  The *only* bed in the room.  He had gotten a
single occupancy, whereas she had gotten a double.  He rubbed his
eyes, trying to force his rudely awakened mind to function.
     Scully had followed his gaze to the bed.  The *only* bed. 
Her shoulders would have slumped if they hadn't been so knotted
up from tension and cold.  "Oh," there was a long pause as
everything sank in, "I didn't realize...  I'll just get them to
give me another room tonight," she waived her hand at the bed,
backing toward the door.
     Mulder covered the distance between them quickly, and his
hand closed over hers, effectively stopping her from leaving. 
"Your hands are like ice," he said finally realizing how cold she
was.  Instinctively he started rubbing it to warm it up.  "Look,
it's," he glanced at his watch, "*really* late, and we both need
sleep, it's a double bed, stay here tonight.  I promise to
behave," he gave her a look with mischief in it.
     Scully debated a moment, thinking how this might look if
anyone found out, then relented, and nodded.  She stepped out of
her shoes, while Mulder took her coat and folded it over a chair.
     He guided her over to the side of the bed he had recently
vacated, she sat down and flipped the blankets over her,
immediately curling into a little ball, and watching as Mulder
doused the light.
     Mulder walked around to the other side of the bed, and sat
down, suddenly feeling self conscious.  He rose again and went to
the thermostat, nudging it higher.  He took a deep breath,
berating himself for being ridiculous about this, and went back
climbing into bed, and laying on his back.
     He could feel Scully shifting restlessly, straightening out
for a few seconds, the curling back into a ball.  He looked over
at her in the greenish light emanating from the clock radio, and
watched her burry her face into the pillow, then twist back to
stare at the clock.  Mulder rolled onto his side toward her.  She
froze for a minute before she started wiggling around again.
     "Scully," Mulder said softly.  
     She rolled onto her back then turned her head to look at
him.  "I'm sorry for keeping you awake," Scully began.
     "Come here."
     "No, it's okay," she said hastily, "I'll warm up in a
minute."
     Mulder could see she was going to be stubborn about this, so
he just reached over and pulled her toward him until she was
pressed up against his chest.  "You can give me hell for
manhandling you tomorrow," he said, keeping his arm across her
back, and effectively silencing any protest she may have made.
     <Well okay, just this once>, she thought as she pressed her
face to his chest, and let her hand rest on his side.
     Mulder smiled, "Your nose is cold."  He could feel it
through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
     "I told you, I'm freezing."  He was warm, and his scent was
familiar and comforting.
     Mulder rubbed his hand gently up and down her back, feeling
her tense muscles slowly start to relax as she drifted off to
sleep.
     On the edge of consciousness, Scully wrapped an arm around
Mulder's waist, and rubbed her cheek against his chest, sighing
contentedly.
     Mulder looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms.  She
so rarely allowed him to offer any comfort, yet gave hers freely
when he needed it.  He appreciated being allowed to do this much
for her.
     He eventually fell into a light sleep, but woke frequently,
constantly surprised to find her there.

     Mulder awoke fully when Scully rolled away from him.  He
glanced at the clock, it was four thirty.  His alarm was set to
go off at five, he had planned to go for a run, but found he
suddenly didn't want to.  He reached over Scully, and reset it
for six thirty, making the excuse that they both needed the
sleep.
     Mulder always tried to view Scully as his partner, but
tonight, he saw her as the petite woman that she was.  He moved a
little closer to her, wrapped an arm around her waist
encountering the now exposed soft skin of her midriff.  It was
warm and felt like satin.  He pulled her towards him until her
back was against his chest, lowering his head until he could
smell the fresh scent of her hair, and feel the silky threads
against his cheek.
     His conscience troubled him a little.  Earlier he was
offering warmth, but she was quite comfortable now, and he was
bordering on being intrusive.  He mentally told his conscience to
shut up, let him enjoy this, and go back to sleep.

     Scully blinked her eyes, waking from a disturbing dream. 
Disturbing because it was something that she shouldn't be
dreaming about.  She was disoriented and focused her gaze on the
green glow of the numbers on the clock.  Five twenty-two in the
morning.  Her eyes drifted closed, and she leaned her head back
meeting something solid.  Her eyes flew open again as she
frantically tried to remember where she was and who she was
sharing a bed with.
     Not being the type for one night stands, she was
considerably confused until her memory kicked in.  "Mulder," she
sighed softly, relieved.
     Mulder unconsciously responded to his name by tightening his
arm around her waist.  Scully was shocked when she felt his hand
move against her skin, sliding higher along her ribcage.  
     She twisted in his arms until she was facing him and his
hand was on safer ground on her bare back under her shirt.  She
couldn't be upset with him because he was asleep and unaware of
what he was doing.  She *wasn't* upset because, quite honestly,
once the initial surprise wore off, she found that she rather
liked having Mulder hold her like this.  She slipped her arm
around him and rested her face against his chest.  
     In the morning she could always deny everything.

     The alarm went off with piercing intensity, and Mulder
practically crushed Scully in his haste to get to it and turn it
off.  He flopped back down on the bed and looked over at her,
"Good morning."
     "Prove it," she sighed deeply, arching her back, stretching.
     "I could..." he whispered brushing his fingers lightly along
her exposed side.
     The air left her in a whoosh and she jerked away from him,
slapping at his hand.  "Mulder, quit!" She scooted over to the
edge of the bed, and sat up, her back to him.
     He sighed silently, longing for the quiet hours of the night
for a change, instead of dreading them.  Mulder rose from the bed
and went to the window looking out at the frigid town.  "Why
don't you grab a shower, and I'll get you a new room," he
suggested pulling his coat on.
     "That's okay, I can do it," Scully stood swiftly,
protesting.
     "Look," Mulder began in a stern voice, "it's still really
cold out there, and you didn't bring much to wear with you last
night."  <Besides, the cold air will do me good,> he thought
ruefully as he took her key from her coat pocket.  He left the
room quickly before she could think up a good reason to object.

     Mulder let himself into Scully's motel room and shivered. 
Other than the absence of the wind, you wouldn't know that you
were inside.  He glanced at her laptop and hoped that it wouldn't
be damaged from exposure.  He gathered her things quickly,
dumping them into her suitcase, then carried everything over to
his room.
     After a couple of fumbling attempts at opening the door he
burst into the room, dropping her briefcase in the process.  He
could hear the water running in the bathroom.  He left again,
clicking the door shut behind him and making his way over to the
office to get her a new room.
     It took a few minutes to convince the manager that only a
penguin would be content in that motel room, but Mulder got his
point across.  He returned triumphant with a new key for Scully.

     Scully wrapped a towel around herself after emerging from
the shower.  She eased the door open and scanned the room.  She
didn't see Mulder, but she saw her suitcase laying by the door. 
Picking it up and thumping it down on the bed, she snapped it
open quickly.  It hadn't been in the room long enough to warm up
and was ice cold, along with it's contents.  She got a suit and
blouse out, but couldn't get a change of underwear without
loosing her towel, so she took them and then returned for her
underclothes.
     Suddenly the door flew open and Mulder blew into the room
along with a gust of frigid air.  Scully started violently,
dropping her clothes and grabbing for her slipping towel.
     Mulder stared at her for a long moment, watching the
gooseflesh erupt on her skin, reacting to the cold air he brought
in.  Then regaining his senses, he tossed the key onto the bed by
her open suitcase.  "I got you a new room, no extra charge."
     "Thanks," she said snatching up her fallen clothes, "I'll
get dressed and get out of your way."
     Mulder watched her disappear into the bathroom and shook his
head, wondering how long things were going to feel so awkward.

     When Scully came out of the bathroom rubbing a towel over
her wet head, Mulder was on the phone.
     He hung up a couple of minutes later, and turned to her, his
eyes bright.  "That was Cameron at the station, they have the
suspect in custody.  Why don't you dry your hair while I grab a
quick shower, then we can go straight over there.  With a little
luck, you won't even need that other room.  I wanna' slam dunk
this guy!" He said as he went into the bathroom.
     Scully smiled slightly, "It's good to be back to normal."

*****************************
Pendrell: Shouldn't we wait for Agent Scully, just so I won't
          have to repeat myself?
Mulder:   She's not coming.
Pendrell: Why not?
Mulder:   She had a date. <long pause> Breath Agent Pendrell,
          it's with a dead man.  She's doing an autopsy...
     - Mulder tormenting poor Pendrell in "Teliko"
*****************************