Title: An Early Morning Case Author: The Fox E-mail: xmarksthespot8@hotmail.com Spoilers: none Rating: PG-13 for language (and maybe playful thoughts!) Disclaimer: I doubt whether anyone would believe me if I said I owned them all? No? Didn't think so. Summary: An early morning case that may just turn out to be an X-File one way or another. Author's note: Taking a break from the series....? Yes! This one was borne of too many painkillers during a couple of boring afternoons. Thanks to Kimpa for the beta (yes, the romantic bits are for you!) and for the website where my stories have their own den www.kimpart.com (www.kimpart.com/foxden.html) ~~~~~~~~~~ An Early Morning Case by The Fox "Check this out Scully!" I knew she was standing at the door across the room even without looking up from my discovery. I glance up and wave her over. She weaves her way through the maize of activity in the crime scene, or what was someone's very orderly, very ornate living room. I can feel myself smile at her as she flashes her badge and her authority to the men towering above and around her. "So, Mulder..." She stops next to me and her leg brushes up against my shoulder. "What's so important that you have to drag me out here at this hour of the morning?" I grin up at her, lifting the plastic covering the face of the victim found an hour earlier. "He's dead, Mulder." She says, her face blank. "Thank you for that adept conjecture, doctor." I retort counting quickly to ten as I remind myself that Scully does not perform well without several hours of sleep. "Okay, take a good look at his neck, Scully." I hear her sigh and then she kneels beside me, slapping on a latex glove efficiently as ever. Does she keep them in her pockets all the time? A question to file away for later. "Well, Mulder," she says turning the deceased man's head from side to side, "looks like a couple of puncture wounds." "Again, you astound me with your observations, Scully." "Mulder, what do you want me to say?" She raises an eyebrow in my direction. "You want me to say that I think this is vampirism or a cult murder of some sort?" "I love it when you talk dirty to me, Scully." I smirk, hoping to receive some shrewd response or at least a smile. She's not buying it right now. She rips off the latex and stands, her face still deadpan. Shit. I replace the plastic and stand beside my partner. "Scully..." "Mulder, where do you hear about these things? Who reported this to you?" "One of the detectives noticed the marks and called me." "He called *you*?" "Yeah, anything weird or out of the ordinary and I get a call." "Mulder..." "He knew me from when I was in Violent Crimes and knows my interest." "Your interest..." She starts to walk away from me, discarding the glove in a bag proffered by one of the uniforms. I follow her, thinking of what to say to pique her curiosity. "Scully, c'mon!" Oh that was real good! But I can't think of much else to say, so I grab the sleeve of her coat as she passes through the door into the hallway, coaxing her to turn to me. "Scully, just do the autopsy tomorrow?" She turns, an exasperated look on her face. "Mulder..." "Scully..." I grab her shoulders, giving them a brief squeeze. "Please?" I try and produce my best 'please' look, bending slightly so that my eyes are almost level to hers. She sighs again, blue eyes averting mine and she looks at her feet. Somehow I don't think she can refuse me. She shakes her head and I know that's an indication of affirmation. "Mulder, it better not be too early! I'm going home to catch up on a couple more hours!" Oh no. I grab her arm as she turns to leave again. "Um, Scully..." "What now, Mulder? I've agreed on the autopsy, okay?" Her shoulders are now slumped and although I know I'm responsible and feel guilty as hell, I have to plunge on. "It's at 7." "7? 7! As in AM?" Her eyes widen in disbelief. "Mulder that's around 2 hours from now and it took me over an hour to get here!" I cringe at those words, the petite form in front of me about to blow a gasket. Courage, Mulder, courage. "Scully..." I place a hand gently on her arm, softening my voice. We can usually communicate without contact, but I don't think Scully's mind is quite where I want it right now, so I'm going for tactile. "I'll buy you breakfast." A little whine emits from her closed lips. I've never heard this sound from Scully before and I have to admit it's almost erotic and I have to concentrate on keeping certain parts of my body from rising to the occasion. "Mulder, you have no idea how many breakfasts you would owe me..." "...and dinner?" I offer giving the best smile I can muster when I'm cornered. Both eyebrows raised, she tilts her head up to confirm my sincerity, both hands on her hips. "If you take me to McDonald's I will be more than a little pissed off Mulder." "Scully, would I do that?" I spread a hand over my chest. "I promise, no McDonald's." She turns back down the hallway again. "But you do like Pizza Hut, don't you?" I can't help but fling that one at her. I have never seen Scully give the finger and I find it extremely amusing as she lifts her hand above her head. I chuckle and quicken my pace to catch up with her. Breakfast was going to be interesting but I find myself anticipating dinner. ~~~~~~~~~~ Scully's hovering over the autopsy table, shifting her weight from one foot to another, back towards me when I enter as quietly as I can. How she manages to look good in hospital greens amazes me. She bends further over the body, perhaps focusing on something that she's discovered. She was obviously concentrating as she jumps when I place my hands on her shoulders. "Jesus, Mulder!" "Sorry." I hold my hands in front of me but then return them and begin to knead her shoulders and neck, hoping to relieve some of her tension and acquire points back in my favor for her effort. "So, what did you find?" "The puncture wounds were made with some kind of utensil, perhaps a catheter of some kind." She leans back into my touch. "There were no teeth marks or saliva, which indicates that this is not vampirism." "Oh." "Mulder, did you really expect that this would be? There is no X-File here." I continue to knead, unable to concentrate my train of thought as this woman is leaning back against me obviously enjoying this gentle massage. "So," I clear my throat, trying to reign my thoughts back in but continue to knead the tension from Scully's shoulder and neck. "it could still be a case of extracting blood for the purpose of vampirism." "You're clutching at straws. I think it's a case of someone trying to throw us off the obvious reality that this man was murdered. They didn't conceal it very well at all. There was poison evident in the contents of his stomach." She sighs, eyes closed, still leaning back against me and all I can do is grasp at the final thought. "Okay." I fail miserably, but what can I do when this woman is sighing against me? She starts to laugh and I stop kneading but keep my hands resting on her shoulders. "Okay?" She enquires, turning to face me. "Okay? Mulder you submitted too quickly. Are you sick?" "Well, I can't argue with the facts." "Mulder, you *always* argue with the facts." She smiles, still chuckling. Damn! I lose it completely and lean down to capture her mouth with mine. She pulls away, her face still close to mine, bows her head slightly. Fuck! Now I've done it! "I'm sorry, Scully..." I begin, but she places a finger against my lips. "No, Mulder. I just..." she tilts her head toward the cadaver, "I don't think this is the right place." "Scully, unless this is really a case of vampirism, I don't think he's going to jump back to life and be offended." I receive an outright laugh in reply to that comment and she buries her head in my chest, clutching the lapels of my coat. I just thank whatever God Scully has faith in that she's just accepted my advance. "I'm going to change." She mumbles against my coat then raises her eyes to mine. "Then I am going to have a long, hot shower, get some sleep and then you can pick me up and take me to dinner." "Sounds so good, I might join you." "Mulder..." As she motions to move away, we hear a moan from the autopsy table. Dinner may have to be postponed. ~~~~~~~~~~ The end