From: Megan Reilly Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: Dares 3/the Final Revenge (1/2) R. Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 15:30:45 -0800 Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Chris Carter and all his wonderful buddies and staff at 10-13 and 20th Cent. Fox. My comments: This story has no X File. It is Rated R for an incident of very crude language that I'm sure Mulder regrets. I wrote this after seeing "The one where Ross finds out" on Friends and I think that affected my brain. I also have to give credit to the writers of "Tooms" because I use some of their dialogue in here. Hi, how many times have I watched that Stakeout scene? WAY too many. Please enjoy and send me comments at eponine@uci.edu Dares 3/ The Final Revenge by Megan Reilly eponine@uci.edu Mulder wasn't really enjoying his revenge. Instead, he was sitting down in their office wondering what was going on. He knew Scully had been watching his humiliation and while he had greatly enjoyed the look of horrified realization on Scully's face when he picked up her sweater and left her in the elevator, it just wasn't the same. Waiting and wondering was driving him crazy. A.D. Skinner faced Scully squarely across the desk. Her bare arms were crossed over the top of her slip in deference to modesty, but handcuffs still dangled from her wrist, a reminder of what had transpired. "Agent Scully, do you realize the seriousness of your actions?" She was staring down at her lap, unable to look him in the eye, embarrassment still tinging her face and ears pink. "Yes, sir. But -" "This is not only a federal place of business, *Agent* Scully, but an office of law enforcement. Do you realize that your stunt could have endangered lives?" "Yes, sir. But -" she paused, thinking he would cut her off but he didn't. She continued. "With all due respect, sir, Agent Mulder is the one who put me there." "Can you honestly tell me you had no participation in this action?" She could feel his eyes burning the spot on her neck where only a short time earlier Mulder's lips had been. "No sir. But Agent Mulder is the one who did the handcuffing. Sir." She said. Skinner was silent. "Sir?" She sneaked a glance up and saw the look her boss was giving her. As her anger rose again, she was able to face him. "You can't possibly believe I stripped and handcuffed myself to that railing?" His silence was long enough to make his point and make her sweat. "No, Agent Scully, I don't believe that. But I heard the rumors that spread about Agent Mulder and I also know who was behind them. I was willing to let that slide, but I WILL NOT STAND FOR THESE KIND OF GAMES BETWEEN MY AGENTS! Do you understand?" "Yes sir." He hadn't thought it possible for her to lower her head any more, but she'd done it. He pressed a button on his desk and barked at his secretary, "Get Agent Mulder in here." Mulder arrived a few minutes later, steeling himself against betraying laughter. He managed to limit his response to a satisfied smirk when he saw Scully, embarrassed, with his handcuffs still attached to her wrist like a Scarlet letter A. Then he saw the look on Skinner's face. His smirk faded. Mulder's stance became uncomfortable. "Where is Agent Scully's shirt, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked. Mulder couldn't think of a smart reply fast enough and he also suddenly couldn't pull his eyes away from Scully's downtrodden posture. She was really upset and he'd caused it and it didn't feel good. "Down in the office." he answered quietly. "I think she might like it back." "Yes sir." "After you return her clothing, the two of you are not to have any contact until the end of the week. So that the two of you may comtemplate the potentially dangerous outcomes of a game like this between federal law enforcement professionals. Is that understood?" "Yes sir." Scully replied but Skinner's eyes were on Mulder, who merely nodded. "Out of here then." Skinner ordered. Mulder waited for Scully but she walked out past him and kept going without acknowledging him. The door closed. Skinner's smile spread slowly across his face and then the laughter came. Mulder had taken his revenge, Skinner thought, but he was going to be the one to have the last laugh. Those two had it coming to them. Scully turned on Mulder as the elevator doors closed. "I hate you." she said. "You deserved it." he pointed out. "I did not deserve to be humiliated -" "You humiliated me first." "You'll pay for this Mulder." she declared. The doors opened and she stalked off to their office and started banging things around, looking for her sweater. He held it just out of her reach. "Truth or dare, one final game." "This Friday." she agreed. "After work." "I'll be there." "To the death." Scully said with a final fierce look at him, grabbed her sweater and left without even stopping to put it on. Mulder smiled after her, his thoughts an incredible cliche, but true nonetheless. She was magnificent when she was angry. She reappeared only a moment later. Without a word, she thrust her wrist out in front of him. He was still smiling as he unlocked the handcuff. The look she gave him was pure ice. He was going to pay, she thought. I'm going to love every minute of this, he thought. Scully couldn't keep her eyes off the clock. It was ten minutes till six on Friday evening. Ten minutes until Skinner's ban was lifted. Ten minutes until she made Mulder pay for the speculative looks she'd received from everyone who heard about their fiasco. She'd poured all her her frustrated energy into making up questions, knowing Mulder would do the same. Six o'clock. Mulder put aside the folder and stared at the closed door. Before the clock reached six o one, Scully entered. She looked furious but beautiful. He'd missed her. He detected a slight softening as her eyes met him. She'd missed him too. She recovered quickly. This was war. "You ready?" she asked. He rose from his desk. "Your place or mine?" he asked smoothly. "Stop enjoying this." she ordered. "To the death," he reminded her of her own words, this time with a clear sexual overtone. He placed a light hand on her back, as he so often had before, but she shook him off violently. They stood silently before the elevator, noticing that the display above it never changed. "It's not coming." Scully said, her irriation clear. "What's six floors?" said Mulder. "It was working a minute ago," but Scully headed for the stairwell. She pushed on the door. Nothing happened. She pushed again. She put her whole weight against it. Finally Mulder spoke the words. "We're trapped." It was the first day in many that Walter Skinner left the J. Edgar Hoover building wearing a private smile. He had to stop and have a word with the nightwatchman, but all in all, he was pretty pleased with himself. His smile stretched into a grin. He couldn't wait. "Look at it this way, Scully," Mulder said, trying to cheer her up. "We've got running water, facilities...and look. A whole bag of sunflower seeds." He plopped the bag down on his desk. "What more could you ask?" "Freedom." she said. "Phone service." She had of course immediately tried to contact the night watchman, but the phones and fax were down for the count. She looked pointedly at him. "Privacy." "We were going to play, so let's play." Mulder said, determined. "This isn't what I had in mind." "Chicken?" he asked, knowing it would get to her. "This couldn't be any worse," Scully lamented. All she really wanted to do was throw herself at him, except she hated his guts at the moment and all he wanted to do was play a kids' game. She suddenly wanted to go home. That was when the lights went out. "I had to say it didn't I?" Scully said, shaking her head. He heard her pull out her desk drawer. "I know there's a flashlight here somewhere." "You have an extra flashlight? I knew you were holding out on me." "You laugh now." she said and pointed it in his eyes. He squinted, then rose from his seat behind his desk. Scully began to regard the flashlight as a weapon as he came and stood very close to her. His hand closed over hers. "Maybe we should save the batteries," he whispered into her ear and she shivered at his breath on her skin. His thumb caressed hers lingeringly as he flicked the light off. "I am not playing truth or dare in the dark with you Mulder." "What would you prefer to play? In the dark. With me." She knew he was walking behind her because she could feel his presence but she wished she could see him. "That's not what I meant." she bit her lip. She didn't like this, but then she did. Too much. His hands closed around her upper arms, and she jumped. "Scared?" "Of course not." She held herself very still, wondering what he would do next. He abruptly released her and clapped his hands. OK then. Truth or dare, part 3. Who goes first?" he asked, moving away. She flicked on the light to see where he went. He sat down in his desk chair and rolled it up next to her desk, across from her. He met her eyes and she turned off the light. "You first." she said. He wanted to start out slowly, win her trust back a little. "First kiss." "That's not a question." "What was your first kiss like?" he rephrased. She hesitated only a second. "Messy but wonderful. My turn." The pause was longer this time and Mulder thought about how unsatisfying her answer had been. "Have you even gotten personally involved with a case subject?" Her question cut to the heart of something he NEVER wanted her to know about. "I get personally involved in all my cases Scully." he drawled evasively. "Personally involved with a case SUBJECT." Scully wasn't letting him off the hook. He was definitely not telling. "Dare." Damn, Scully thought. The dares were always her weak point. She hadn't had much luck thinking of any better ones these past few days. "I dare you to remove one article of clothing." "I'm always going to take the dare, Scully," Mulder joked, removing his jacket. "I'm going easy on you at first." A lie. He knew it. "I thought you were out for blood," he said, but regretted the words. His brow furrowed, remembering his indiscretion. "It's your turn," she pointed out. Go easy on her? he thought. Yeah, one more. "If I was a car, what would I be?" She laughed before she caught herself. "Volvo." she smiled. "A sturdy, safe, big green Volvo." "A Volvo?" he said and she wanted to see his face. "I'm hurt." "A quirky one though. A safe Volvo, but with a flaw."she added. "Ummm...OK." Mulder was a bit confused by her answer. A Porsche, he'd understand, some unique car like that. Even a Ford Taurus, because of all those rental cars. But a Volvo...? "My turn," Scully said. "Do you..." she stopped. "Have you ever dreamed about me?" She had all the good questions, he thought. "No," he said, a blatant lie. "That's a lie!" "It's not." he said defensively. "I never remember my dreams." "That's a lie too." "It's all your getting." "There ought to be a penalty for lying." Scully said and it irritated Mulder a little. She was working hard to be right, as she often did. "Fine then... I'll let you ask another question if you don't accept my answer." Mulder gave in to her. She smiled but he couldn't see. "If you thought of me as a car, what would I be?" She threw his question back at him since she was getting a freebie. He smirked. "Something small, red and saucy. A Geo, maybe. But American." "Red and saucy?" Scully blinked. "Mulder, I'm not a plate of spaghetti." He had to laugh and she laughed too. A comfortable moment filled the dark space between them. He had her where he wanted her. He leaned in across the desk, closer to where he imagined she would be. He let the pause stretch to significance. "When was the last time a man other than me touched you?" His question brought a temporary halt to her breathing. "Skinner unlocked me -" "Touched you, Scully." he repeated, his voice dropping. "Recently." she replied. His fingers found her arm, the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist. "When." "Not so long ago." Another vague answer, "This year?" he prompted. Silence. His fingers moved up her arm. "Last year?" He was stroking above her elbow now. She wanted to slap him, or at least slap his hand away. But she couldn't move. She had to stop this. "I don't remember," she said quickly. Mulder pulled his hand away and laughed harshly. "You don't remember? It must have been some man, Scully." he mocked her. Her anger flared again, her face flushing. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to match his cruelty. "Will you ever love a woman who is not your sister?" her voice was hard. Mulder didn't answer for a long time. Finally he managed a whisper. "Yes." "I think you're lying." He went cold all over. "You'll never know for sure." he informed her, trying to hide that she'd cut him to the heart. And Scully recognized the aloof, self-protective veneer Mulder wore with other people. The one she'd worked so hard to break through herself. "Do you hate me?" She asked, worried. "No, do you want me to?" he asked, analyzing the motives behind her question. She couldn't answer for a long moment in which she wanted to apologize but refused to. "No," she managed. "I'll admit I want to hurt you." "Hurt me how?" she asked. He didn't answer. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you have violent fantasies?" IT was supposed to be tempting. Or funny. He wasn't buying. "You sound like a 1-900 commercial," he reprimanded her. "I think it's my turn." "Ask away." End of part one. See that's better isn't it? Comments to eponine@uci.edu =========================================================================== From: Megan Reilly Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: Dares 3/The Final Revenge (2/2) R. Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 16:20:59 -0800 Disclaimed in part one. This is the part that's rated R. Coming up. Right now. Dares 3/The Final Revenge, part 2 by Megan Reilly eponine@uci.edu "Ask away," she said, a brave front, but she was a little scared. She wanted to take back her hurtful question. She didn't want him to try to hurt her. She was afraid he could. With good reason. Mulder did want to hurt her, emotionally, for her last question which was horrible and unfair and unfeeling. HE tried to make the pain go away, to think of a different question, but had to ask the one that came from the burning in his gut. "Has a man ever made you come?" "What?" she demanded, ready to kill him. But she couldn't because she knew she deserved this for her last question. For asking a similarly intense personal question. "You. Orgasm. Yes or no." Mulder declared, disgusted with himself. "Yes," she said, glad he couldn't see her face. "You're lying." His finger closed hard around her wrist, almost hurting her. She yanked her hand away, but he held fast. "No," she said. "Describe it." he said, hating himself. He could feel her trembling, whether from fear or fury he didn't know. He brought her wrist to his mouth and slowly licked her skin. He interpreted her silence cruelly. "Scully. The Ice Queen." he said, needing a response from her, expecting the sting of her hand across his face. Instead he heard a gasp that sounded almost like a sob. He released her wrist and reached for the flashlight but she was faster. "Don't." she said. It was as though reality came crashing down on him. "Scully, I'm sorry." "No," she said, "I was spiteful and you were spiteful back. But I don't want us to say anything we'll truly regret." Too late, he thought. "Isn't that the point?" "Yes." she agreed reluctantly. "Your turn." he prompted. There was a long long silence. Scully thought of and discarded questions. She finally opted for something he would take the dare on, so she could dare him something lame and things would be back to normal. "How old were you the first time?" "The first time what?" "The first time, Mulder. No stalling." He didn't take the dare. "Twelve." he said. "Lying," she said. "How do you know?" "I've seen pictures of you, Mulder. You didn't hit puberty till 15. At least." "You don't know that," he said though he was lying. "Isn't this called *truth* or dare?" she couldn't believe he hadn't taken the dare. But things were easier between them. "What about you, Scully?" "What about me?" "The first time." "Oh, I was ten and a half," she laughed, mocking his lie with one of her own. "There definitely need to be a penalty for lying," Mulder said. "Yes," concurred Scully, "But what?" The same thought clicked into both their heads at the same time. "A kiss," they said in unison and laughed uneasily. "A kiss for lying it is." Scully said. "Your turn." "Oh. Of course." Mulder tried to think of a question she would lie about. "No, wait, it's my turn." Scully said. "Is it?" "Yes." she said. "Did you ever wet the bed?" "No!" "Lie," she accused. "How do you know?" Mulder demanded. "Prove it's not a lie," Scully challenged. Of course he couldn't, so he sat there silent. "I think you owe me something," she prompted. They leaned forward, fumbling in the darkness. Mulder's hands found Scully's chin, and he managed to kiss her cheek. She was disappointed. "How old were you when you got your first bra?" "Maybe we should have a penalty for sex related questions too." "Just answer the question." "Ten and a half," she said, echoing her earlier answer. Mulder snickered. "Lie." This time it was the truth, but she didn't contest his statement. "Believe what you want," she told him. "I think you owe me a kiss." he said. She didn't really, but didn't argue. It took her a minute to get up on her knees in the chair. "Scully -?" he prompted. She couldn't find him in the dark but the fumbling was kind of nice, too, Scully thought, and found his mouth with hers, and just as quickly pulled away. It was her turn. What else would a man lie about? she wondered. "How many women have to made love to?" "What was the penalty for sex related questions?" Mulder inquired. "There isn't one." "Are you sure?" She was suddenly warm. "Yes, I'm sure." "Made love to?" he asked and hoped she would mistake his truth for a lie. "Two." "Two?" she sputtered. "Kiss me." "Now that's what I like to hear." They were both smiling as they kissedn, this time for a much longer moment. "I think this has become lie or dare." Scully said weakly when they finished. "Without the dare." Mulder agreed. "Shall we play it properly?" she asked. "Sure," he agreed. "What do you sleep in?" "PJ's, Mulder, and I know you've seen them...what do you sleep in?" "I sleep in my bed." he evaded neatly. "My turn. Ok, what did kids make fun of you for? In school." "Trying to be tough at sixty two inches tall." Scully answered honestly. "Reaching my full height at twelve. My turn. If you were granted three wishes what would they be?" "Three?" he asked. "Three." "I'm not sure there's three things I want." he admitted. "Dream a little." "OK." This was a serious question. "One, Samantha." This was as she'd expected. "Two, the Truth." She nodded again. "Three...three... I can't think of anything." he lied, wondering if she'd call him on it and he'd have to kiss her again. "Nothing?" "Nothing." he confirmed though his real third wish was about her. She accepted his answer. "Your three wishes?" She bit her lip, thinking. It was a hard question. "In deference to you, one would be to know the Truth." "Thank you." "You're welcome." She thought a moment longer. "Two would be, no more suffering on this earth. Three would be...to know the people I love will always be safe." "It sounds like there's a four in there." Mulder leaned his chin on his hand, wishing he could see her eyes. But she had the flashlight and she wasn't using it. She shrugged. "What can I say? Three's not enough for me." She felt like they were really sharing now. She flicked on the flashlight and found her partner smiling at her. Caught and selfconscious, he smiled and tipped his head back slightly, a gesture almost like a wink. The motion and the look on his face took her suddenly back in time, so that when he said, "Your turn," she knew exactly what she wanted to ask. "Do you remember after Tooms got out of jail and you were on that one man stakeout to nail him?" Mulder nodded. "Is that your question?" "No," she said, looking away from him. The flashlight's beam was dimming, he noticed. "We were talking in the car, I brought you a sandwich, and I remember you said, 'if there's an iced tea in that bag, it could be love.'" The flashlight's beam was definitely dimming. "Do you remember that?" "I had't slept in days." Mulder said, not committing himself to yes or no. But it didn't feel like the game any more. It felt like they were talking, like friends. Or lovers. He brushed the thought away. "Mulder," she began, but the flashlight blinked off and she stopped, surprized. It was a moment before she continued, her voice very soft. "What would have happened if there was an iced tea in my bag instead of whatever it was?" He didn't answer. Couldn't. "Mulder?" she pressed., "It's getting late." he said gently. "Maybe we should get some sleep. Do you want a hand clearing off your desk?" "I'm not sleepy, Mulder." She wouldn't let this go. "I got up early," he lied. The darkness was full of tension. "Mulder, what would have happened?" she asked again, slowly, not nagging or annoying, just asking. "I don't know." he admitted. "But you do remember -" He preferred the option of not remembering. "I hadn't slept in three days," he said. "I don't want to play any more, do you?" she asked and he had the idea she didn't just mean truth or dare. "Maybe we should tell some more lies," he suggested. A joke. She smiled weakly, giving in. "Maybe we should get some sleep," she said and heard his heavy sigh. "You're right," he agreed and they both knew they were avoiding the important issues. He got up and started piling files from his desk onto the floor, though he knew the desk would be incredibly uncomfortable. He heard Scully drop her shoes onto the floor from desk height. She spoke, hesitantly. "If you won't give me the truth, will you give me a goodnight kiss?" "Are you sure that's wise?" She nodded, realized it wasn't going to work, and said,"Yes." He walked over to her desk and paused, knowing this would be the telling moment. He felt he had to try to answer her. "I was very attracted to you then," he began. "But you aren't now?" she said and instantly wished she'd stayed quiet. He bumped his hip up on the desk and she shifted on the makeshift bed so he could sit. "But I also knew I couldn't do anything about it. Certainly not lure you into the backseat on my stakeout. When I wasn't sure of your loyalties." "But now you are sure of my loyalties." she said. He put his hands down on either side of the desk top, leaning over her. "Yes." She could sit up and be in his arms, she thought. She remained prone on the desk. There was a long long silence that swallowed up whole minutes. She closed her eyes in the darkness, deciding what to say. And she knew it was up to her. "We're both here." she said finally. "Yes," he replied quickly. "We've been playing these games for a reason." "Yes." She wished he'd stop syaing that. She was doing all the work here. "Fox," she began and realized he'd been leaning in closer to her. His fingers touched her lips, halting her words, and slid away, down his jaw. He shook his head, as though to say, "It's no good," and whispered, "I even made my parents call me Mulder. Mulder." he repeated, and his lips had to be less than an inch from hers. The words from that night, she thought, her heart racing. He did remember. "Mulder -" she said, not sure what was supposed to come next. He didn't move. "I trust you." A breath escaped his lips. She could feel his body nearly touching hers. "Say it," he said. She let out a ragged breath, not sure what she was supposed to say. "I don't want it to be a game or a lie or revenge," she said quickly. "Say it," he urged her again, unable to express himself, refusing to act. She was powerless to resist. "Kiss me," she said. "No," Mulder said, not moving away. "I dare -" "No," he said harsher. "You're right." Scully said, knowing she should pull away. "No," he said, "Say it again." She closed her eyes. He couldn't be playing with her now. It made no difference. "Please kiss me." "Not that." he whispered, tortured. Her eyes opened and she could see his eyes shining. There was a sliver of light leaking underneath the door. She smiled, understanding. "Fox," she called him by name, "Dana." he breathed and she saw him smile for the briefest instant before his mouth claimed hers. Not a dare, not a game, not a lie, not revenge. The lights flooded on. They ignored it, clinging together, the kiss deepening. But then they heard the door bang open, other instincts took over and they sprang apart, ready to fight. The nightwatchman stood in the doorway. The pair relaxed as their eyes adjusted to the brightness of the light and to their hsock and horror, they saw a good crowd of people looking at them. Several agents, a maintenance crew, and Skinner, looking smug. "It must be fate," Scully murmured, more words from that long ago stakeout. "The problame with the elevator is fixed. And we didn't realize the stairwell was locked until we heard sounds from down here." Skinner said without an ounce of sincerity. "Looks like you two had no trouble keeping busy." Mulder and Scully both stared amazed at their boss. "Best clear the building now," Skinner said. "After you." he waited. Slowly Mulder raised himself off of Scully and off the desk. She followed suit. They left their office, walking ahead of the group, supremely embarrassed. One of the agents muttered audibly, "Mulder and Scully sitting in a tree..." Another voice took it up. "S-P-O-O-O-K-E." he took poetic liscense. Mulder clenched his fists. Skinner did not reprimand the agents, though he could certainly hear them. Mulder put a protective arm around Scully's shoulders, felt the look he recieved, and dropped it. The elevator ride was silent. They reached the lobby, there the few agents and maintenance crew scattered. Mulder and Scully hung back. Skinner did as well, turning to them both. "I hope you two have resolved your need for revenge and learned something from this," he said, sounding like a boss. Scully nodded, though she was again looking so far down her chin nearly touched her chest. "Yes sir." Mulder stated. "And I hope you weren't put out." Skinner swallowed a smile, "I mean, inconveinced. Good night." He turned and left the building. Skinner had sone this on purpose, they realized jointly and Mulder and Scully turned to each other with only one thought in mind. Revenge. Skinner had had his joke at their expense, his revenge on them for being his two most difficult agents. But he was their boss. "We can't." Scully said. "Are you sure?" Mulder asked. She nodded. An awkward moment passed between them and each wondered what to do next. The tension and the weirdness was almost unbearable. Mulder took the initiative. "I'll see you Monday." Scully nodded. "Good night, Mulder." she said. Not Fox. Mulder. She watched him walk away. It was how it had to be. Her mouth twisted up in a half smile. For now. End. So, now the question is: should there be a Dares 4? I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure this isn't getting old. Email all comments to me at eponine@uci.edu