Title: Territorial
Author: Deia
Category: MSR, post-ep
Rating: NC-17
Distribution: go ahead, just let me know
Spoilers: Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Paper Clip
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money from it
Summary: "With much more confidence, Mulder walked 
out of his office with every intention of showing 
Queequeg his place."
Dedicated to my dear friend Sallie. Happy birthday, 
Sweetheart!
A.N. This story was written for Fandomonium's 
Virtual Season of Smut (Season Three).
Char, thank you so much for all your help. It was a 
pleasure having you as my beta. 
Vi, I don't know if I can write without you reading 
'over my shoulders' anymore. Thank you for being 
there for me every step of the way.

Territorial

Mulder threw the coin up for the thousandth time 
that night, watching it flip in the air again and 
again while his mind raced through the events of 
the past few days. A simple coin could make the 
difference between life and death. Any action, any 
decision had the power to change the future. He 
couldn't help but think that Bruckman had seen more 
than he said about Mulder's confrontation with the 
killer. Something in his face maybe, but Mulder was 
sure that he didn't tell the whole story on 
purpose. If he hadn't heard that vision, would he 
be alive right now? Or was he more alert because he 
knew he would be attacked from behind? But that 
wasn't right. The killer was poised over him with a 
knife ready to strike when Scully arrived.
Maybe it wasn't him at all that changed his future. 
Could it be a coincidence that Scully got the wrong 
elevator? She was there with him, she heard the 
vision. Perhaps she had unconsciously come to his 
aid when she saw Haves dead. Unless, of course, he 
was really destined to die of autoerotic 
asphyxiation. He could see Scully roll her eyes at 
him at this last thought. Mulder smiled. No matter 
what, he could count on Scully to bring him back to 
reality, or the closest he could get to it.
Mulder looked around his office and sighed. He had 
been sitting in the dark for a couple of hours 
letting his mind wander over the case, Bruckman, 
and his talent. All the talk about death and the 
future had made him more reflective. It was almost 
unconceivable to him that someone would have the 
power to foresee the way people were going to die 
and not do anything to prevent it. Maybe that was 
exactly the reason someone like him didn't have 
this gift. He'd never be able to hold back. He'd 
try again and again to change it, no matter how 
futile his attempts would be.
Shaking his head, Mulder stood up to leave. It was 
late and he needed to head home and try to distract 
himself from his musings. He needed a beer that 
night. For a few seconds he contemplated the idea 
of calling Scully to join him, but he knew she 
wouldn't come. She had left earlier that day saying 
she needed to buy a few things for Queequeg. Yes, 
she named the dog Queequeg. And he had heard enough 
of the little beast already to last him a lifetime. 
The fondness in her voice when she talked about him 
was a bit irritating, too. She knew him for what, 
two days? As if it was enough time to tell you a 
dog was all that smart.
Was it too pathetic that he had been insanely 
jealous of a dog for the past two days?
Next, he was going to start competing for her 
attention. He looked at his watch. It wasn't so 
late. Maybe he could pay her a visit. Show the dog 
he wasn't afraid of him. He had been in her life 
for a long time, after all. There was no need to 
get territorial.
With much more confidence, Mulder walked out of his 
office with every intention of showing Queequeg his 
place.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Standing outside Scully's door, Mulder questioned 
the wisdom of being there. He was feeling a bit 
ridiculous. All of that disappeared from his mind 
when he heard his partner talking with the dog. She 
actually laughed at something the monster did. He 
made a face, and knocked.
He wasn't prepared, though, for the way Scully 
looked as she stood in the open doorway. Her eyes 
were alight with laughter, and a gentle smile still 
played  on her lips. Her cheeks were a little 
flustered from mirth, and her hair was mussed.
"Hi, Mulder."
For a few moments he only gazed at her, drinking in 
the sight in front of him. He couldn't recall 
seeing Scully so carefree before. It was 
breathtaking. A bark broke the spell; a high-
pitched and annoying bark.
"Come on in," Scully said stepping aside for him to 
enter. Her dog wasn't so welcoming, though. "Stop 
it, Queequeg!"
The dog stopped barking, but still looked 
menacingly at him. Mulder followed Scully to the 
living room and they sat on the couch. Immediately 
Queequeg jumped on Scully's lap, and after making 
himself comfortable, looked over at Mulder, and he 
could swear the dog was gloating at him. Okay, 
Queequeg 1, Mulder 0.
"Something happened?"
"No, not at all. I just need company for a beer."
Scully lifted an eyebrow at him, and he felt 
compelled to elaborate.
"I was just thinking about Bruckman and his gift. 
His attitude, or lack thereof, regarding the 
future..."
"You have been thinking a lot about it, haven't 
you? I noticed you've been a bit distracted since 
the end of the case."
Mulder shrugged. "I always think a lot. And the 
subject fascinates me. Why some people have this 
gift and others don't. How it manifests, how it 
feels. While I was thinking, I came to the 
conclusion that I'd try so hard to stop the future 
from happening that it's a good thing I don't have 
it. I wouldn't be able to sit back and watch."
Scully smiled softly at him, and put a hand on his 
arm. "You're a good person, Mulder."
His head was shaking but his eyes were fixed on the 
hand resting on his arm.
"You are. And you don't give yourself enough 
credit," Scully continued.
Surprised, he looked up. She was still smiling, and 
he could see the fondness in her eyes. Take that 
Queequeg. He updated to score to Mulder 1, Queequeg 
1.
"And how much credit would you give me?"
She rolled her eyes, and stood up, lifting the dog 
from her lap. Damn his big mouth. 
"I'm not sure if I have beer. Would wine do?"
"Sure." At least she wasn't throwing him out. 
Queequeg gave him a nasty look before following his 
mistress.
She came back a few minutes later with an open 
bottle of wine and two glasses. "I gave it some 
thought, too."
He looked at her, and was prepared to tease her, 
when she continued, "Don't say it." She sat down, 
and poured the wine, handing him one glass. "I'm 
not saying I believe it, but the talk about The Big 
Bopper, I don't know. It got me thinking about the 
decisions we make and how they affect our lives."
"What would you change, if you could?"
She took a sip from her wine before replying, 
"That's just it, Mulder. I came to the conclusion I 
wouldn't."
Mulder didn't know what to say to that. He thought 
back to everything Scully had suffered in the past 
three years alone, and to think she wouldn't change 
anything was absurd to him. His first thought was 
of Melissa. Only a short time ago, she lost her 
sister. How could she say she wouldn't try to 
prevent that? He didn't dare voice his thoughts, 
though.
"Don't look at me like that, Mulder. I have no 
guarantees that changing something I did would do 
me, or anyone else for that matter, any good. It 
could go both ways. And I also concluded that if I 
kept thinking about the past and what could have 
been, I wouldn't be living the present." Her voice 
was soft but he could hear the emotion in it.
He knew in that moment that she was thinking about 
her sister, and he longed to see the carefree 
Scully back. Maybe the dog wasn't so bad after all. 
Without thinking he pulled her to him, and to his 
surprise she came willingly.
They were quiet for a few moments, and then he felt 
it. Moisture on his shirt, and the trembling in 
Scully's shoulders. In the past few months since 
Melissa's death Scully had closed herself off and 
hid her grief from him. If he didn't know her so 
well, he'd have believed the facade she was 
presenting to the rest of the world. 
He also knew the case had affected her. He couldn't 
quite understand what it was, but he saw the 
connection between his partner and Bruckman.
Mulder knew that sooner or later, she'd need to let 
out all the pain she was holding inside. He just 
didn't know she'd let him see it, and help her. It 
was a humbling experience and he was grateful for 
the gift she had just given him, maybe without even 
realizing it.
He heard her sigh, and knew she was going to pull 
back soon. Knowing it didn't prevent the loss he 
felt when she actually left his side, though.
Looking at her hands, she said, "I'm sorry, Mulder. 
You came here to..."
Mulder cupped her cheeks, encouraging her to look 
at him, and interrupting her words. "Shhh. Please, 
Scully. Don't apologize."
Her eyes welled up again at the sincerity and 
intensity in his gaze, but she held back the tears. 
Instead she embraced him tightly and thanked him in 
a whisper.
"Anytime, Scully."
She moved away from him and seemed in a better 
mood, which reminded him, "Where is Queequeg?"
Scully smiled at him. "I saw the way you two were 
eying each other and told him to stay in the 
kitchen."
Mulder didn't know what to say to that, except 
"Oh."
She seemed amused by his discomfort. "I can't 
pretend it wasn't funny."
He looked everywhere but at her, and apparently his 
reaction caught her attention, because next she 
asked him, this time her voice more serious. "What 
is bothering you, Mulder?"
It was bad enough to be jealous of a dog, Mulder 
didn't need Scully finding out just how jealous he 
was. He decided that he needed to scape and fast. 
"Nothing, Scully." He forced a laugh, and stood up. 
"It's getting late, I should be going."
Scully stood up and took his hand in hers. "What is 
it?" Her voice was soft and her eyes searched his.
Mulder's eyes dropped briefly to her lips before he 
could stop himself, but it was enough for her to 
catch it. When his eyes turned back to hers he knew 
he had been busted.
There was a look in her eyes he had never seen 
before, the hand holding his relaxed its grip, and 
she seemed frozen in place.
Before he could do any more damage, Mulder left 
Scully's apartment.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Scully didn't move for a few moments. The longing 
she saw in Mulder's eyes had caught her completely 
off guard. She could understand that Mulder at some 
point would think of her as a woman. It was 
natural, they were close, and attracted to each 
other. What she saw however was not something 
filled by lust, it was deeper, and she couldn't 
help but be a bit scared by it. 
She couldn't deny that she had fantasized about 
Mulder. More than she cared to admit. But she 
didn't know if it was anything but attraction. 
Could it be? She didn't know what to think or how 
to classify her feelings for her partner any 
longer. She needed to think. What did Mulder mean, 
really mean, to her?
Because she knew him enough to imagine how he was 
feeling, it tore at her to think Mulder left her 
apartment feeling rejected and guilty for his slip-
up. She never wanted to cause her partner any more 
pain. He had suffered enough in his life. Even so, 
she couldn't go after him to talk about it. Not 
before she understood what she really felt for him.
Sighing, she went to the kitchen and put the 
glasses in the dishwasher. Queequeg was curled up 
on himself sleeping. She smiled fondly at her new 
companion. She couldn't keep her thoughts away from 
Mulder, though. She remembered the way he looked at 
the dog when he saw him jump on her lap. He looked 
jealous. She shook her head at the thought. At the 
same time she felt a wave of tenderness for her 
partner. Did he really felt threatened by Queequeg? 
A memory, of Mulder trying not to roll his eyes 
when she told him how well the dog was adapting, 
flashed in  her mind, and she knew she was right. 
Scully went to her bedroom knowing that that night 
would be restless. She knew she wouldn't be able to 
put aside the matter and would think about it over 
and over again.
Mulder was one of the most important people in her 
life, and she never wanted to hurt him, but she 
also knew that she owed it to him to be honest 
about her feelings. If she only knew how to name 
them anymore. If she had been asked that question a 
few hours prior, she would say it was deep caring, 
and friendship. Now she wasn't so sure. That look 
stirred something in her, something powerful, 
hungry, and overwhelming. Was that feeling worth 
risking her partnership and friendship with Mulder? 
If it was love she could see herself crossing that 
line, but if it was lust... No, she wouldn't do 
anything before she knew for sure. She only hoped 
that she would figure it out soon.
As she predicted, she barely slept that night and 
every time she closed her eyes she saw Mulder's 
face just before he turned to leave her apartment.
While she got ready for work, Scully knew that the 
day ahead was going to be hard. She could almost 
see it. Mulder would act as if nothing happened, 
but he wouldn't be able to conceal the hurt from 
his eyes. Not from her. It was going to be a 
painful day for both of them.
Her heart was beating fast when she reached the 
Hoover Building. Her hands were sweating in 
anticipation as she took the elevator to the 
basement. She had to stop for a moment outside the 
door before going in. She knew Mulder would already 
be there, knew he had slept as poorly as she had. 
If he had slept at all.
Being right sometimes could be much worse than 
being wrong.
Mulder didn't acknowledge her presence at first; he 
seemed completely absorbed in the sheet of paper he 
was reading. Scully knew better. They had always 
been tuned to each other presence.
"Good morning, Mulder."
He looked up at her, and Scully felt her heart 
constrict at the sight of him. He was hurting, 
although he was doing all he could to conceal it. 
She had to fight herself to not go there and 
envelop him in her arms. The urge was so strong 
that she took a step towards him. She stopped 
however when she saw him flinch. It was barely 
noticeable, but there nonetheless.
"Morning." The forced cheerfulness in his voice 
only fueled her own pain.
It was going to be a long day.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It turned out to be a long week. By Friday, Mulder 
was almost himself again, except for the lack of 
innuendos and leers. Scully missed it. She never 
thought she would miss it, but she did.
She was still unsure about her feelings. Too afraid 
to take a wrong step, she kept arguing with herself 
and not reaching any conclusions.
That changed the moment Bonnie Stevens walked into 
their office. 
Bonnie worked in the lab, and sometimes stopped by 
to bring results of their investigations. Scully 
had noticed that for the past couple of months, she 
had been to the basement much more often. Until 
that moment, Scully hadn't thought anything of it, 
but when she saw Bonnie walk purposefully to 
Mulder's desk, she understood exactly what Bonnie 
was trying to accomplish.
Scully watched as Bonnie handed Mulder some papers, 
and flirted outrageously with him. A possessiveness 
she never knew she had overwhelmed her. She had 
felt a little jealous of Mulder before, but she had 
always justified it as something else, and it had 
never been to this extent. For the first time she 
was thinking of Mulder as hers and hers alone. The 
mere idea of another woman trying to steal him away 
was making her blood boil.
Mulder looked a little uncomfortable, in her 
opinion. Seeing that he wasn't that impressed by 
Bonnie's attentions, Scully took a deep breath, and 
tried to remain calm. She turned back to her 
computer, keeping an ear on their conversation, 
until the moment Bonnie made her move. She actually 
had the nerve to ask him to dinner. Scully looked 
up in time to see Mulder's eyes turn briefly to 
hers. She saw a flash of resignation in them, and 
she knew what his answer would be.
"Sure. I'll give you a call."
Her heart dropped, and she bit her lip to keep from 
screaming. Seeing the smug smile on Bonnie's face 
and the spring on her step as she left the office 
was not helping matters. Scully turned to her 
partner to see him looking at the wall, seeming 
lost in thoughts. He was really considering calling 
that... woman.
What the hell was he thinking?
She looked down as if willing the papers in front 
of her to tell her what to do now. Scully didn't 
need any more proof that she was indeed in love 
with her partner. The fear of losing him, the 
knowledge that he accepted Bonnie's invitation 
because he thought she didn't want him, the urge to 
jump at Bonnie's throat, and more importantly the 
need to have him at her side, in her life, all of 
those feelings made one thing very clear. She 
couldn't lose him. She wouldn't. 
Determined to make Mulder understand, she looked 
back at him to see him observing her with a furrow 
in his brows, and a look of confusion on his face.
"What do you mean?"
It was Scully turn to be confused. "Excuse me?"
"You asked me what the hell was I thinking. Why are 
you asking me this?"
Damn. She tried to think of something to say. It 
was not the best moment or place to start this 
conversation.
She heard him sigh, and saw him shake his head, 
before going back to his work.
That wouldn't do. She'd left him thinking once 
before that she didn't want him. She wasn't about 
to do it again.
"Mulder, I need to talk to you."
"Go ahead."
But he was still reading the reports Bonnie brought 
to him. She knew what he was doing. Trying to 
protect himself. He didn't believe he would like 
anything she was going to say.
"Mulder, please, look at me."
His eyes found hers, and instead of hurt she saw 
something else. Something she wasn't expecting, but 
knew she deserved. Anger.
"What?"
"Can we go someplace else?"
"I'm busy. I have a lot of paperwork to do before 
going home."
"Very well." Scully stood up and went to the door, 
closing and locking it.
"Why are you locking the door?" His voice was as 
incredulous as his face.
"Just to make sure no one will barge in while we're 
talking."
He let out a frustrated sigh, and crossed his arms, 
leaning back on his chair. "Okay then, talk."
Scully was starting to feel frustrated herself. It 
was hard enough to have to say what she intended. 
He wasn't making it any easier on her.
"I wanted to talk about what happened on Monday."
Mulder looked away, then back at her. "Well, I 
don't. Now can we go back to work?"
"No. We have to talk about it, Mulder."
"There is nothing to talk about. I got the message 
loud and clear. It won't happen again, if that's 
what you're worried about."
"I'm not worried about anything. I want to 
explain..."
"Don't. Please, Scully. Don't explain."
He collected his jacket, and stood up to leave. By 
then Scully had had enough. She walked around his 
desk and stood in front of him.
"You'll sit down and listen to me, Mulder."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulder looked over at the door, trying to decide if 
it was wise to ignore her or not, when he felt a 
tug on his tie. The next thing he knew Scully's 
lips were on his.
Stunned by his partner's actions, it took him a 
moment for his brain to register what was 
happening. Then he was kissing her back with all 
the hunger and longing he had. He briefly wondered 
if they shouldn't stop the kiss and talk, but when 
he felt Scully pulling at his shirt, the only thing 
that mattered was helping her get rid of it.
Without breaking the kiss, Mulder lifted Scully 
until she was sitting at the edge of his desk. She 
managed to open the buttons of his shirt and was 
running her hands all over his chest and back. The 
feel of her hands on his skin was making it hard to 
breathe. 
His lips left hers, and traveled across her face, 
neck and collarbone, while his hands were busy with 
Scully's shirt. She was so soft and warm. 
"What's happening here, Scully?" he whispered in 
her ear, nibbling the lobe softly.
"What should have happened on Monday."
He pulled back a little to look at her eyes. Her 
heavy lidded eyes filled with lust. For him. He 
groaned and kissed her again.
Scully made short work of his pants and boxers, 
letting them pool at his feet. Pushing him back 
into his chair, she stood up and let her skirt 
fall. She stepped out of it, toeing off her shoes.
The enormity of the situation hit Mulder harder 
than a ton of bricks as he gazed at an almost naked 
Scully. It was really happening. This wasn't one of 
his fantasies. 
Mulder pulled her to him and leaned his head on her 
stomach. Letting it sink in, her hands found their 
way to his hair, as he breathed her in.
Turning his head, he kissed her navel reverently. 
Much more slowly this time, taking his time to 
taste, and feel. To make memories of it, even if 
the environment wasn't the most comfortable or 
appropriate. That office was however the only place 
that belonged to both of them, and in a warped sort 
of way, it made sense their first time was 
happening there.
He nuzzled her breasts as he took off her bra. His 
lips latched on her right breast and he felt her 
knees buckle. He tightened his grip on her waist 
for a moment, before slowly lowering her pants.
His hands lazily caressed her thighs, hips, waist, 
and back again. Mapping her body with his fingers, 
before urging her to straddle him.
Scully gasped at the contact of his skin on hers. 
They looked at each other, as Scully lifted 
herself, just enough to bring him to her entrance. 
Slowly, using his shoulders as leverage, she 
descended on him. When he was completely buried in 
her, she let her head fall to his chest, breathing 
hard, and they stopped again to become accustomed 
to the feeling of being so close to each other.
She lifted her face to his and their lips found 
each others again. As their kisses became more 
heated, Scully started to move above him. She broke 
the kiss and touched her forehead to his, as they 
made love to each other. 
One of his hands played with her nipples, while the 
other found its way to her clit. At the feel of his 
fingers on her, she moaned and threw her head back. 
As their movements became faster and more erratic, 
a whirlwind of sensations encompassed both of them. 
Scully came first, clutching Mulder's arms, a 
silent shout on her lips. The sight, and feel of 
Scully's orgasm was enough to bring him to his own.
They held one another as they caught their breaths. 
Mulder leaned back on his chair, cuddling Scully to 
him. She went willingly, a small smile on her lips.
Mulder's insecurities crept up on him as soon as 
the bliss of their lovemaking started to fade. 
"Scully, what does this mean?"
Leaning back, she looked into his eyes trying to 
convey all her feelings for him. "It means that I 
love you. It means that I was too afraid to 
acknowledge it before, but the thought of losing 
you made it clear to me."
Mulder looked at her awestruck. "You love me?"
"I do," she said, kissing him tenderly.
As they broke the kiss, he grinned back at her. "I 
love you, too."
She caressed his cheek, absorbing his happiness. 
She didn't remember having ever seen him this alive 
before.
"Let's wrap things up here, and go back to my 
place. We can order some dinner..."
"Dessert?"
She laughed at his hopeful face. "If you behave."
He looked at her with the most innocent eyes. "You 
don't think Queequeg will mind?"
"Well he'll have to get used to you, won't he?"
"You tell me." His voice became suddenly serious.
She took his face in her hands, and locked her eyes 
with his. "Yes, he will. This is not a fling to me, 
Mulder. The only reason it took me so long to come 
to terms with my feelings was the fear of risking 
what we have. I'd never put our partnership and 
friendship in jeopardy if I wasn't sure of my 
feelings. You're too important to me. I meant it 
when I said that I love you."
He kissed her when he couldn't find words to 
express what he felt at her words. The kiss held 
such passion, affection, and devotion, it made her 
fall in love a little deeper with her partner.
Scully pulled back from him, and stood up. "Come 
on, Mulder. We have a whole weekend to make 
Queequeg like you."
"What if he doesn't?"
She smiled at him, and winked. "We'll just have to 
keep trying."
Mulder smugly thought to himself, 'poor Queequeg.'