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Thirteen days later, after another quick stop in Barstow, California for some stupid ass background check on some asshole who ended up needing arresting for his massive stash of illegal guns and even more illegal immigrants, they were in the air over Colorado, relaxing with four bags of peanuts, two of pretzels and one vending machine bag of M&Ms between them, all poured into an empty cup to create a munchable trail mix. They were surrounded by a dark, hushed 12am (2am at home … Scully always put them on home time the moment they stepped on the plane) peacefulness broken only by the hum of engines and the snores of the man across the aisle.
Tucking the armrest up and away, Scully shifted her legs and dipped her head to rest on his shoulder, digging for candies in order to eat in rainbow order, “I would like to request no cases that involve air flight for the next few weeks, okay? Nothing more than 30 miles away, tops.”
Mulder snagged a red one, handing it to her with a weary smile, “Tired of racking up the frequent flyer miles?”
“Just tired. I could do with some home cooking, some loud family and some uninterruptable sleep next to you.”
Dropping a salty lipped kiss to her hair, “well, you’ll get some sleep tonight, maybe, depending if we want to go into work tomorrow and get the cases finished but regardless of that, since tomorrow is Thursday, you’ll have home cooking and the ladies, while not family in the traditional sense, will be loud and gossipy enough to feel like Charlie and Dave are there.”
Her cheeks pushed into a smile that Mulder could feel against his arm, “I think we should drink some and cheat some and then sleep some out back in the hammock.”
He would have been just fine with only the hammock sleeping but he did have to try to win back $37.75 from Ellie and $14.25 from his partner, “we should just go over there when we land, then we’ll be nice and drunk by the time the cards come out.”
Yawning, her eyes slipped shut, “I don’t think we can have loud, noisy sex at 7am in my mother’s house.”
“We can if I give her $20 and tell her to go to the movies.”
Hand gliding over thigh, voice sweetly slurred, “I’ll spring for the popcorn.”
Mulder quietly told her already sleeping form, “I’ll wake you when we land.”
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
It took an extra two hours to land, between the bone-jarring turbulence they ran into and the alternate route they were forced to take given the intense storm that shifted track and took a giant dump right on their flight path. The first jolting drop of the plane woke Scully up, terrified and confused, hand blindly groping for something steady to latch onto. Mulder, because he was Mulder, was ready for her clenching white digits, having watched the faint lightning growing brighter in the unshaded window, wishing to the unformed god outside that he’d calm his thundering ass down just until they landed and he had her safely at home, then the skies could rip themselves apart.
Finally on the ground, Scully looked wrecked, her face peaked, her appendages like ice. Taxi-ing to the gate, he could hear her sigh of relief, “30 miles, Mulder, so help me … 30 miles.”
“I’ll do my best.”
They fell into her bed long after the sun rose and the world awoke, pajamas haphazard, socks twisted around toes, covered pulled up around noses, Mulder’s hand buried deep within her shirt, palm suctioned to the warm skin on the underside of her breast. They would have stayed that way into Friday but bladder won out around three, Mulder reluctantly shuffling, eyes closed, imminent door frame crashing seconds in the future, to the bathroom, swearing loud enough to rouse his partner once future crashing became present pain.
“Yalright?”
Her voice, still sleepy and dreaming, slid its way to his ears, his second and third swear held back for decorum purposes, “yeah, just the stupid doorway again.”
Scully lifted her head enough to make sure he was still alive, then dropped back to the warm pillow, “at least you have nine other toes to stand on.”
Fearing he wasn’t going to make it to the toilet in time, he forwent closing the bathroom door, peeing while wincing while calling back to her, “eight. Took out a pinkie and that useless one next to it.” He found her smiling when he returned, drying his hand on his pants, “I figured you’d be back to sleep by now.”
Her smile went typical to tantalizing instantly, her eyes giving him the quickest of once overs, making his toe pain a thing of the past, “I recall something about you and me and things happening.”
Dropping to his knees beside her, “I like things, I mean, I really like things but can you hold that thought for maybe five minutes? I haven’t showered in two days or brushed my teeth since yesterday and I’d prefer you not cringe at the smell of me while I’m pulling my best moves on you.”
He looked so nervously pathetic that she laughed, “how about I shower with you because, now that we are being honest about it, I probably don’t smell that great either, given fear and plane make for sweaty partner.”
Mulder kissed her quickly, then stood up, “come on. I’ve got some shower moves you might enjoy.”
“Shower moves?”
“Yeah, but you gotta come in to see ‘em. Words aren’t enough.”
Moving fast, she dance-hopped close behind, plucking at his shirt as she went.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
They were good moves.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
They finally got in the car a little after five, bodies dry and clothing appropriate, the slight hint of sex glinting in Mulder’s eye and Scully’s upturned lips. He laughed at her smirk as he started the Jeep, “every one of the ladies is going to know you did naughty things to me.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll know you did them right back.”
This time it was his grin, his giddy little head wiggle and shoulder jiggle that made her return the laugh, “damn right.”
“Luckily, mom has probably already told them all that we’re … us … now, so aside from a few not so surreptitious glances between them, it should be a pretty normal night.”
“Have you met these women?”
The ladies, once they got there, did not disappoint. Betty took one look and clapped her hands together in conspiratorial glee, calling back over her shoulder, “ladies! You owe me $5 each.” There was a collective groan from the kitchen while Betty leaned into them, eye winking, “I told them you’d be late because you were having relations.”
Mulder’s laughter burst forth with an uninhibited blast as he pulled Betty in for a hug, “I love you so much, Betty, Scully should be jealous.”
The older woman laughed at well, hauling Scully into the embrace, “no need for jealousy.” Whispering loudly up to Mulder, “you’re too tall for me, dear. I’d never be able to reach your face.”
Scully whispered back, “that’s what stairs and chairs are for.”
Betty stepped back, patting Scully on the arm, “then carry on.”
Maggie, however, didn’t let them carry on, coming down the hall with a spoon, a plate and a purpose, “what are you all doing just standing there? There’s lasagna to be had and bets to collect on, plus, Ruth made her special punch.”
Mulder looked down at Scully, “special punch? Why have I never heard of the special punch?”
Her mouth could already taste the next several hours, “it takes a good four days to recover from and dyes your tongue blue for a week. You need a heavy lifting license and Ruth doesn’t issue them to just anyone. You should feel privileged.”
“Then why the hell are we still standing here?”
With a little skip, Scully pulled him forward down the hall, “no idea.”