Work Text:
Baltimore:
Now.
Mulder stood before the bronze door, waiting with his hands shoved into his pockets for the door to swing open, to let him into the warmth of the house and to finally get some work done that would lead him and his partner to the end of their case.
When the door finally opened and the blonde head of Bedelia du Maurier appeared in the hallway, he gasped audible and took a step back.
Eyes wide and mouth open he looked at her, the world around them forgotten and blurring and old memories present again.
She was the first one to regain her composure and a smile formed on her face. “Fox. It’s been a while,” she said and stepped aside to let him into her house.
Oxford:
Then.
Their bodies crashed together in a heated mess, his long limbs tangling into her small form, pushing her to the bed before she could say one single word after entering his dorm room. It was their dance, their way to release the tension, the stress that came with exams and studying. They had found each other in a moment of despair and now they weren’t able to stop.
She caught his plump lip with her teeth, sucking it in, making him moan her name before she even had started what she had in her mind for him today.
Her knees hit the edge of his bed, sending them both down on the soft mattress and let her instantly feel how much he needed her right now while he pressed his long body against her.
His hands sneaked under her woolen sweater, large palms stroking her soft flesh, trailing up to sneak under her bra and finding her already hardened nipples with his fingertips.
Rolling and pinching them, he swallowed her moans with his mouth, devouring her lips with his and dueling her tongue in an endless battle of dominance.
He rolled them over, her small body now atop of his, her legs over his twitching cock and her heat seeping through the woolen pantyhose she was wearing under her black skirt. His hands now free he pushed up her sweater, exposing creamy skin that contrasted nicely with his hands that still held the tan from their shared summer nights.
Her bra followed the sweater soon, her round full breasts tumbling free, drawing his gaze and mouth towards them to suck in her perky nipple into his warm mouth.
Her head fell back and she opened her mouth to let a sigh of pleasure escape while her fingers fumbled with his burgundy shirt. She was eager to feel him too, feel his warm chest with the light dusting of dark hair on it that ran straight into his dark sweatpants.
He already knew what she wanted, he knew what she needed and so he helped her taking off his shirt and enjoyed her fingernails raking over the taunt muscles of his abdomen, over his arms up to his face where she cupped his cheeks and placed tender kisses over his neck to his jaw up to his plump lips.
Mulders hands found her small waist, and the zipper of her skirt. It followed the clothes already strewn on the floor while his hands sneaked into her pantyhose.
Bedelia withdraw her hands from his face, let her fingertips trail over his body to his hands. He was surprised when she stilled his hands with hers and looked at him.
A questioning look formed on his face, normally they wouldn’t stop until they were naked as the day they were born. But now she held his hands, and the look on her face worried him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, lifting himself up so he was eye to eye with her. Her hands sneaked around his neck then and brought him even closer as they already were.
“This is our last night, Mulder…Fox. I have to leave tomorrow in the morning. There… was an offer from John Hopkins in Baltimore I couldn’t resist. I … I will move there and I didn’t want to tell you but now… I think I will miss you and I had to tell you.”
It hit him like a ton of bricks, and he was at a loss for words. She was leaving him, not only the university, not only Oxford, but the whole damn Country.
“And what is happening with us?” Was the only thing he was able to mutter in his shocked state, looking at her like she had just opened his chest and tore his heart out.
“Fox, we agreed that... we are no official thing, you wanted it that way. Don’t make it harder as it already is.” She frowned at his sudden hidden declaration that they indeed seemed to be a thing.
“You should have told me earlier,” he said and made a move to get up from the bed.
She had seen him in this state before, pacing the small room over and over again, deep in thoughts. Bedelia had their last evening envisioned in another way, with them tangled and sweaty under his covers, giving promises to one another that no one would be able to stand to.
That was what she wanted, not him brooding over her announcement. Grabbing for her clothes she knew the moment had passed; the desire was gone and replaced with his Mulderness.
He caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and looked at her questioningly. “What are you doing?” he asked her when he saw she was dressing herself again.
“I am leaving. I am sorry I ruined the night, I shouldn’t have told you.” She didn’t look at him then, pulling her sweater over her head until his large warm hand caught hers.
“I don’t want you to leave, Bedelia,” he just said and was at the bed she was still kneeling on in two long strides. He cupped her cheeks in his large hands and brought his lips down on hers with so much tenderness it made her heart ache.
“I will miss you terribly,” he confessed, pulling her down onto the bed with him again, continuing what they had started.
When the morning sun lit the small dorm room and their limbs untangled from one another he was in a sad mood.
He popped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her sleeping form and studying her features to remember them. Even if it was just barely more than a year that they shared a bed, he had grown fond of her, of her intelligence, of her wit and the way she could make him laugh. Mulder had always thought he would prefer is casual between them after they had tried dating. Now he realized they were nothing but casual, and he somehow regretted he never told her how much she meant to him.
She had left England in a hurry, barely accepting his kiss goodbye before she hurried to the car already waiting outside for her.
Bedelia could sense he wanted to tell her something, something meaningful, but she decided it would be best to leave some things unsaid between them and just savior the time they had together.
Baltimore:
Then.
Nearly a year after leaving him and the University she came across one of his papers, and she wondered what happened in that year they had spent apart. It was full of conspiracy theories and she wondered what was going on in his mind to publish crazy things like this.
She put the paper aside then, burying it into one of her drawers, and with it she casted aside the urge to see or hear from him again.
Only him being announced one of the best profiler working for the FBI in Washington woke her interest, but she was distracted by the ringing of her door, announcing her new patient and also colleague Hannibal Lecter.
Washington D.C.:
Then.
Fox Mulder liked his basement office. He had the chance to be alone here, to work, concentrate and solve the cases he had discovered in a dusty corridor. He liked the X-Files and his solitary work.
So he wasn’t overly pleased when he got assigned a new partner, a woman named Dana Scully who was praised from their boss. And should probably just spy on him.
His heart missed a beat when she walked through his door, the only thing differing between her and Bedelia the red flaming hair.
Mulder took the hand she offered and thought if she would be a bit like Bedelia was, this wasn’t going to be so bad.
Baltimore:
Now.
Now he was stepping into her hallway and handed her his cloak when she offered him a hand. He was led into an octagonal room, and Bedelia offered him to take a seat in one of the designer seats opposite of each other. Mulder suspected that this was her office for meeting her patients, a neutral room but still in her own home.
Mulder looks around, taking in the decorations and the art carefully placed on the walls and on the small dresser. Bedelia took a seat opposite of him and he could feel her eyes on him while he acted as if he was occupied by his surroundings.
“So, Dr. du Maurier, huh?” Mulder asked with his trademark smirk playing on his lips. She smiled back at him, the cold mask she had worn before cracking and showing him the Bedelia she once had been.
But the mask returned fast, concealing her feeling and just letting him muse what was going on inside of her. “Fox William Mulder, Star Investigator of the FBI, it’s a pleasure to meet you again. What brings you here?” Her cold glance made him wince in his chair, the cold she radiated seeping into him. She had changed, he noticed, the once bubbly and warm woman now was a block of ice and possibly the calmest person he had ever seen. She sure had grown older, but her beauty never faltered, just as he had imagined her when he had found out she might be involved in the current case.
They were hanging back, not knowing in which direction to go and he and Scully had split up to get as much work done as possible. Mulder had done the background check on all the victims, and coming across the name of Dr. Bedelia du Maurier as a psychiatrist of one of the victims.
“I go by Mulder now. And you probably know already why I am here.” He felt like he was sitting in front of a whole different person, not the Bedelia he knew from their time together at Oxford. It made it easier for him to think she wasn’t the girl who had moaned his name in the dark of the night.
Their eyes locked, the tension rising. Bedelia got up again, making her way over to one of the bottom to ceiling windows. She turned her gaze away from him, and he wasn’t sure if he was pleased by that. It would be hard for him to find out that way if she was responsible for the murder or not.
But he doubted that she, as small as she was, was able to handle a man of that figure. But he had been wrong before, and so he knew he had to be extra careful to not miss a small detail because he was too absorbed with her whole appearance.
“Edgar Coberly was a patient of mine, and I am sorry for his family’s loss. But as I told the officer before, I don’t know where he went when he left after our appointment.” She turned to him then and Mulder tried his best to read the expression she was wearing.
She must have heard about the way he had been slaughtered, about the way his body had been separated from his head and decorated around a tree. Part as a birds nest, part as some kind of curel art.
Even though he had sat down just a few moments ago Mulder got up and stood next to her in front of the window. He looked down at her, and when their eyes met there was a strange connection still present between them that made the air around them grow thicker. “I missed you, after you left, you know?” he said to her, his eyes never leaving hers. She didn’t know what she could say to that, instead she looked away and made her way over to her wine cabinet, bringing as much space between them as possible. She took out two wine glasses, filling one for herself and looking over to him to see if he wanted something to drink too.
The look on his face made her stop for the blink of an eye, his pained expression for not answering his confession still visible to her. But she knew he wasn’t here because of old times, because of what they had when they were younger. He was here because she was a witness, because she was suspected to know something. And it was just a coincidence that they knew each other.
He declined her offer for some wine and decided it would be best if he would leave soon as the doorbell announced another visitor.
“I am sorry Fox, this might be my next patient. You know where to find me if the FBI has further questions, but I would prefer if you would leave now.” She had already made her way into her hallway and had his coat in her hands. He knows he wouldn’t get anywhere today, not with the coldness she was wearing around her like a thick wall to protect her. He put on his coat and let it hang open when Bedelia opened her front door to let her patient in. It was a handsome man, around the same age as Bedelia, who kissed her cheeks to greet her.
Mulder eyed them both curious, wondering if there was more to that man than he being simply her patient. Because as far as he could remember Scully, as a doctor never let her patient kiss her hello. “Agent Mulder, I wish you a good day,” she wished him goodbye and led him to through the front door.
Mulder said his own goodbyes and waving to her when he trotted over to his rental car.
Washington:
Now.
Back in Washington he made his way down to his basement office, two cups of hot steaming coffee in his hands. He pushed the door open, dust dancing in front of the high windows and the dim light just illuminating the office enough to work properly. Scully sat on his chair behind his desk, engrossed in the case file, working through the papers.
She looked up from the mass of papers surrounding her, a small smile playing around her lips when she noticed he had brought her some desperately needed coffee.
“Did you find out something new about Mr. Coberly? Did his psychiatrist say something that might help us?”
Mulder sat down the on the desk and took the chair in front of her. He took a sip of the hot steaming liquid, before he answered:” I don’t know if she is the right person to suspect. I don’t think she has anything to do with all of this, but there wasn’t enough time to question her. We just have what the police forwarded us, but I would like to have her in an actual interrogation room to figure out what happened that day. And I would like you to do the interrogation. It might help us gather new information. I wouldn’t go that far and say that the police didn’t do their work properly but it seems a bit ... sloppy. “
Scully watched as he stretched his legs under the table, brushing her own in that process. Her own leg brushed against his, sending sparks trough her body and made a small blush highlight the freckles on her cheeks.
Mulder noticed the blush on her and couldn’t hold his smile back. They had arrange to keep their new found relationship under covers at work, but in times like this with just them down in their office he just wanted to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to tease her even more and slipped his foot out of his shoe and let it travel up her calf while the blush on her face even grew a deeper shade of red. He liked to tease her like that and he would like the banter that would follow even more.
“Mulder… we… “ she stammered while his foot reached her knee and he caressed the back of it.
“I know, I know…” he replied and pushed his foot back into his shoe that lay upside down under the desk. He leaned forward to see what she was working on and to have something else to focus to than his beautiful partner.
“We have to see what to make of all the information we have, maybe we missed some details. Edgar was a popular man in Baltimore, someone might have seen him in his car after his appointment with Dr. du Maurier. “ Mulder looked back down on the papers strewn over their desk. After the visit he paid to Bedelia he felt like something was directly in front of him but he couldn’t figure out what he was missing.
Baltimore:
Now.
When the police called Mulder and Scully a few days later and asked them to come to a crime scene Mulder was surprised as the cop on the other end of the line told them Bedelia du Maurier’s address. He hadn’t told Scully about Bedelia, that he knew her and about their history. She would notice soon enough.
When they stepped out of their car in front of Bedelia's house there was an ambulance and police cars. While they made their way through to the door they had to step out of the way while the paramedics carried the lifeless body of what had been Bedelias patient into the hearse.
Scully looked up at Mulder who worried his plump bottom lip between his teeth. Now there was clearly a cause to suspect her, since it was unlikely that in only one month 2 persons died while in her care or afterwards.
He went through her open front door, turning to his left to her study and was surprised to see the room in disarray. There was a shattered vase on the floor, the flowers that seemed to be freshly placed crushed under the feet of police men. The glass table she had rested her wine glass on a few days prior was shattered and blood splatters were strewn over the light beige carpet. There were policemen securing the evidence in the room, while Bedelia herself was nowhere in sight.
Mulder stopped a young officer. “Officer, my name is Special Agent Fox Mulder; do you know where Dr. du Maurier is to be found? I would like to talk to her,” he said and looked around if he might be able to spot her. The young officer showed him to her bathroom, where Bedelia was perched on the edge of her big bathtub, and to Mulders surprise the man she had introduced as her patient was there, taking care of the small cuts she had on her hand and neck.
Her white blouse was splattered in blood too, and even from the doorway he could see her hands trembling.
Without thinking too much he was next to her in two long strides, crouching down in front of her and taking her trembling hand in his. He looked up to her and saw that her pupils were dilated and he was sure they had given her some meds already to calm her down.
First he had thought that when he and Scully would come to a crime scene and would find out that Bedelia du Maurier indeed had killed her patient during one of their sessions.
But he figured, that would have been too easy.
Scully looked at the scene that unfolded before her eyes in confusion. Bedelia du Maurier bore a striking resemblance to herself, what was the first thing she noticed. What confused her even more was the way Mulder rushed to her side to look for her wellbeing. She swallowed down the lump of jealousy that formed in her throat and tried to remember if he had said anything before that he knew this woman. Because like he behaved it was unlikely that this was their second meeting.
She also noticed the frown on the face of the man who was looking at Dr. du Mauriers wounds. The way his gaze fell down on Mulder made her spine tingle with sudden fear for her Partner. The maroon eyes of the elderly man darkened and he stopped in his movements to take in the scene the same way Scully did. So she mused this must be Dr. du Mauriers husband? He must have sensed her confusion at what was happening and put the medical supplies aside to extend his hand in greeting to her.
“Hannibal Lecter, I am a colleague of Dr. du Maurier, “ he introduced himself. His words seemed to haul each one of them out of their mind and made them able to communicate again. Bedelia's eyes flew over the people crowding her bathroom and her eyes set on Scully. A small line appeared between her eyes, but if she realized they looked similar she didn’t show it. Bedelia's eyes instead moved over to Mulder, then to Hannibal himself, sensing the tension between the two men instantly. Her eyes fell down into her lap where Mulder still held her hand in his and she untangled her fingers from his.
“Fox,” she breathed, trying to occupy her hands with another task then being held. She put a lock of golden hair behind her ear, before she met his eyes again. “What happened?” Mulder asked her, concern still edged into his features. Like if she was looking for help, Scully noticed Bedelia's gaze travel to Hannibal Lecter, and as if he could sense her distress he answered for her.
"Dr. du Maurier was seeing one of her patient who had a very violent outburst. He attacked her with a letter opener and injured her. In the process of distress he swallowed his own tongue and Dr. du Maurier tried to calm him through his struggle. She wasn’t able to get his tongue out of his windpipe and he sadly suffocated. I had my appointment scheduled directly after and gladly arrived a bit early and heard the crashing inside. I was worried and got in.” Scully noticed the look he let travel to Ms. Du Maurier at that.
Scully suspected that there was far more between them then just the displayed patient /therapist relationship. Mulder got up from his position and made room for Hannibal to look after Bedelia's wounds once more. Bedelia hissed when the needle to stitch her wound sunk into the soft flesh of her neck, a very sensitive spot to sew. Scully also noticed he did it with a certain precision, like he didn’t do it the first time.
She looked up from his hands to his face and found Hannibal already looking at her. “You are a doctor too, aren’t you?” Scully asked. Hannibal nodded and answered her with a small smile playing around his thin lips:” Yes, I am. I am psychologist too. I worked as a surgeon. Hopefully Dr. du Maurier is satisfied with my work. She refused to see one of the paramedics to sew the small gash.“
Scully took a step closer then, looking at the work he had done with the small needle in his hands. She, as a doctor herself, was satisfied with the work he had done. The cut was small and if she would be careful it wouldn’t scar much. Silence settled upon them again and Scully was thankful that another officer came into the room to inform then that they had to take Bedelia du Maurier into the police station for a hearing in this case.
Scully wasn’t sure if the interrogation would be a good idea today. The doctor, still on the edge of the bathtub, but now cleaned of blood, at least on her skin, looked nothing like she could stand through an interrogation. Mulder seemed to think the same, looking at Scully questioning. Their communication worked without any words spoken, and Mulder turned to the officer. “I think it will be best to postpone the interrogation. We will take a look at the evidence tonight, but I am sure Dr. du Maurier is in no state to be interviewed more this evening. I would say I will take the responsibility for her turning up tomorrow, but that is your choice officer.”
He avoided Scullys glance that moment, but he could still feel her eyes burning on him. The way she tensed up there would be a lot of talking involved this evening, he figured. The officer nodded, and shoved the hands in his pockets.
“Can I have a moment with you, Agents?” he glanced over his shoulder, looking for a spot where he could talk to both of them. Even if the tall Agent said he would take responsibility for Dr. du Maurier he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to leave her here, in this crime scene with her bedroom directly looking down into the octagonal office the dead body had just been removed.
He voiced his worries directly to them when they were out of hearing for Bedelia and Hannibal. Scully nodded, understanding that it wouldn’t be wise to leave her here alone. But they had to make sure she wouldn’t disappear in the dead of the night too. Because, even if it seemed to be an attack, initialized from her patient Scully felt like something was off at this whole scene. “We will take Dr. Du Maurier with us. Even if it seems that she is in a shocked state we can get her out of here. We can bring her to the police station and do the interrogation, maybe her… friend… can pick her up after that and she can stay at his or in a hotel.” Scully looked between the two men next to her and both nodded in agreement. While the officer was telling the change of plans to Dr. du Maurier Scully looked up at Mulder. He knew what she was going to ask, and he hoped there would be a way to avoid all of her questions and just get over with the things hanging in the air at the moment. “I know you want to know why and how and all that, but I promise you Scully, we will talk, but not right now, please.”
The look he gave her let her give in once again, his dark eyes like that of a puppy lulling her in once more. “Ok, but I want that before we do the interrogation Mulder. I don’t know what is going on, but if this affects the case we have probably to back up.” He nodded to her in agreement and slid his hand to the small of her back to give it a light and apologizing squeeze.
They had left her house, the cops and Dr. Lecter behind, with the promise he would clean up the mess to his best ability, when they escorted her out of the house in into Mulders car. They drove in silence to the police station the officer advised them to and skipped the part where she had to wear cuffs on her injured hand.
She was led into a small room with a worn wooden desk in the middle and four chairs around it. The glass window on her opposite was mirrored, but she knew it was the see through and on the other side thee were probably already a bunch of people who would love to know what happened. But Bedelia couldn’t care less. She knew Mulder wouldn’t accuse her of things she hadn’t done and her lawyer was already on her way due to Hannibal insisting on calling him. Just in case, he had said.
On the other side of the mirrored glass Scully approached Mulder who as watching Bedelia through the window. She stood silently next to him, but even her presence set him under pressure. He knew what she wanted, and he knew he had to tell he before the interrogation started.
“We were together. In Oxford.” he stated and tore his eyes away from the window and to the woman standing next to him. She locked her eyes with his, and he knew she wasn’t satisfied with his short answer that didn’t answer enough for her liking.
“She studied psychology with me and that’s how we met. We… not only shared the books, if you know what I mean,” he circumscribed.
Scully looked at him with her trademark eyebrow nearing her hairline. Of course she knew what he meant, but since he was holding back with the information’s for days now she wanted him to suffer and admit what had happened between them.
“I am not sure what you mean,” she said, now looking at the woman sitting alone in the room in front of them. She looked tired, her skin pale and her hands restless.
“God, Scully, Bedelia and I had an affair. We were together for a year before she left from one day to another to go to John Hopkins in Baltimore. We haven’t seen each other since then. I just met her the other day when I went to her house.” He finally looked at her again, searching the eyes of his Partner who should know he was telling the truth.
“So tell me, Mulder, why is she still calling you Fox? Why is she saying your name like she is ready to jump you anytime soon?” Scully didn’t know why she was this angry at Mulder, he had told her what had happened and normally she would be ok with that. She even had swallowed down all the emotions when Diana Fowley was around. So why was she on this confrontation course when she knew that SHE was the one on Mulders side?
Maybe because Bedelia du Maurier was a striking image of herself? And was able to turn heads even if she walked into a police station with a bloodied blouse and two FBI Agents escorting her.
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks and it infuriated her that Mulder was just looking at her as if everything was still ok. And it WAS ok, but somehow it wasn’t for her.
Scully turned to Mulder who was smirking at her and his simple “It’s over, you know that” was the last push she needed to explode.
“So you think just because you tell me it is over she knows that too? Do you see how she looks at you? Do you know how I feel when your eyes lock and you stand her gaze? Mulder she is beautiful, still, and you can’t tell me you haven’t remembered how she had been in your youth!”
With a huff Scully stormed out of the room, she needed air, needed to escape his eyes that were following her now.
Mulder was about to follow her, to tell her that she was his one and only, his touchstone, but before he was able to react the officer who had advised them to the police station came in, ready for the interrogation.
He decided it would be best to give her some space after her outburst and instead of following her, he went into the interrogation room with the officer to take her witness testimony.
Mulder and the officer went into the Interrogation room and took their seats in front of Bedelia du Maurier. The officer held his clamp in his hand where he had stacked up all the forms they had to fill out. Mostly the form had already been filled out with her name, and other personal information so they just had to take her testimony and were done for the day.
Mulder switched on the small recorder that was placed on the table, so it would be easier for them afterwards to think about the interview again and listening in on the recording again.
“Dr. Bedelia du Maurier, can you tell us what happened in your home on 2350 Doulton Drive?” Mulder watched her intensely while she reproduced how Neal Frank had been transferred form Dr. Hannibal Lecter into her care a few month ago. She mentioned she wasn’t allowed to talk about the reasons he visited, her, since she was still under the requirement of confidentially but what she could say was, that he from the moment he had set a foot through her door was surrounded by a strong aura of violence that led Bedelia to the point in placing a gun into the top drawer of the desk in her room. Bedelia had sensed that something was off when he had entered her home this day, that his aggression was seeping out of him and that it didn’t mattered what she said or asked, the answers she got rose with aggression until the point where he shot up from the seat opposite of her and was strangling her. The seat she had sat on toppled over and she was able to free herself from Mr. Frank.
She tried to bring space between them but he lunged at her again with his bare hands, in the process crashing the glass table that separated them.
They stumbled over to the desk to get to the weapon placed before for self-rescue, but before she could round the table he caught her wrist and pressed the letter opener that had sat on her desk to her neck. Bedelia explained that he wanted to say something, but before he could say a single word, he started choking.
The letter opener cut into her neck in Neals attempt to free his own windpipe from the source that blocked his air supply. Neal had stumbled backwards, holding his neck, trying desperately to get fresh air into his lungs, when he stumbled and fell backwards. Bedelia could already see blood oozing out of Neals mouth, a sign that he had bitten his tongue already and the blood was adding to the blocking in his throat. She knew she had to act fast, because he would suffocate on his own blood soon. So she shoved her hand into his mouth and tried to reach the muscle of his tongue to get it out of the way and open a way for him to breathe again.
The panic was visible in Neals eyes, she told the Federal Agent and the officer in front of her, and he clawed at her hand when she tried to help him. So when she finally had reached the tongue with her fingers, he had already stopped breathing. The shock still sat deep in her bones and Mulder could see her shudder when she described the last scene. After taking a few calming deep breaths she continued. Hannibal was her next appointment, and she figured he must have heard the struggle from outside. He had helped her calm down and then had called the police and ambulance while he had started to tend to her wounds.
“After that you came in,” she looked at Mulder then and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
The Officer looked over to Mulder. Since this was part of an Federal investigation the decision when they were done with the interrogation was on Mulders end of line. “I think that will be enough for today,” he said and stood from the chair. “If you like I can take you home, or to a hotel, depending on what you would prefer,” he offered. He didn’t have to look at the Officer to see the question in his eyes. It was unconventional for an Federal Agent to escort the witness home, but when he thought about that, he didn’t voice his thought out loud.
Mulder escorted Bedelia out of the building after a few shared words with the officer. He helped her into her jacket before they stepped into the cold wind and opened his umbrella to save them from the rain. She gratefully smiled up at him when he opened the passenger door for her and slid into the seat. Mulder hurried over to the driver’s seat and put the key into the ignition. They drove to her home in comfortable silence until Bedelia's curiosity got the bigger side of her and she asked:” Fox, since this the second one of my patients dying, do you.. I mean, do they think I am one of the main suspects?” He could see her worrying her bottom lip and somehow the way she bit it and her small white teethe peeked out made him swallow the lump that was forming in his throat.
He had to clear his throat when he answered her:” I don’t think you have to worry too much. It is uncommon for someone to swallow the own tongue but not impossible. The case we are investigating leads into another direction, so I don’t think there will be further questionings. “
To ease her worries he placed his huge warm hand on her knee, just clad in a pantyhose. His warmth seeped into her bones and goosebumps erupted on her skin. She shivered and he misinterpreted because he asked her:” Are you cold? Hopefully the police had your house cleaned up. A bit of rest would be good for you.” Bedelia shook her head and placed her hand on top of his. It gave her some comfort to know she didn’t have to go back home alone. And he was right, she really hoped that one of the officers had sent a cleaning team. If not she probably would avoid her study for the coming days until she had cleaned up.
Deep in thoughts she didn’t realize that they had reached her house and was shook out of her daydreaming.
Mulder came around the car and opened the door for her again, holding up his umbrella. They skipped a few puddles in her driveway where a few hours prior everything was lit in the red and blue lights from police and ambulance. Her hands shook as she took her keys out of the purse she was carrying and she needed a second try to get the key into the lock.
When the door swung open she could already smell the biting note of the cleaner and she knew that someone was fortunate enough to spare her from cleaning up. She didn’t switch the headlight on; instead she went for the small lamp on the dresser in the hallway. It illuminated the room enough for her to shed her cloak and place it on the rack. Her eyes fell on Mulder who was still standing in the hallway, the umbrella clutched in his hands, dripping onto the hardwood floor.
“I think I need a drink. Can I offer you something too?” she asked and hoped he would join her for a small glass before he had to leave.
It seemed he had waited for an invitation like this because he also hung his cloak and left the umbrella at the door. He followed her into the kitchen where she also just lit a small lamp. “Shall I look if your study is cleaned up? I mean, if you want to stay here for the night I wouldn’t want you to be instantly reminded in the morning and…” Mulder figured he was rambling and stopped. She would know what he meant.
“Thanks, but from the smell I would say its already done. If you don’t mind I would like if you take a short look inside. I will light the fireplace and prepare a drink for us in the living room if you like.”
Mulder nodded his thanks and trotted off into the hallway again to take a look at her study. The glass had been picked up, the bloodstains seemed to be removed too. The furniture had been rearranged and Mulder wondered if that really was the work from the police.
Shrugging he walked down the hallway again and saw the soft glow of the fire already burning while passing a doorway. He entered when he saw her looking up from pouring them some amber liquid into crafted tumbler.
He strode to her side, taking in the interior and admiring her taste for soft colors paired with expressive art on her walls.
Bedelia handed him the tumbler filled two fingers with her best scotch. She knew he couldn’t hold liquor well in his youth and probably that hadn’t improved much, but it was what she needed right now. He took the glass from her and knocked it down in one gulp before setting it down on the small coffee table again. Bedelia looked at him with her eyebrow raised and her lips curling into a smile.
“Impressive,” she said and did the same, the strong scotch burning down her throat. She sat her glass down as well but directly grabbed the bottle to refill their glasses. But she wanted it a bit more comfortable and motioned him to sit down on her couch. She took both of their glasses with her and refilled them when she had found her spot on the couch.
“Take your time,” she ordered when she gave him his glass back. “Its really strong and when you throw it down like that you won’t last long. “ A smirk played around her lips when she realized what she had said. He took her order and sipped the Scotch, let it run through his mouth and taste it properly. It burned less than the first one, but since he wasn’t a big drinker he already felt the light buzz coming from the alcohol that poured through his blood.
“I like your house,” he said and made a small gesture with his hands. “Thank you,” she replied and added “I fell in love with it the moment I passed the threshold, but it was, and still is, in a state that I would describe… as a little… cave-y?” Mulder studied her face while she spoke, finding that he liked her better when she smiled, like when she was wearing the cold mask that she had worn on their first meeting. The fire bathed her features in a soft glow and he wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol speaking, but he felt like he wanted to kiss her to comfort her.
“Do you mind showing me the wound? I would like to see if everything is ok,” he muttered. Bedelia took a moment to process what he just asked her because the alcohol made her head lighter as well. But then she got what he was asking and closed the distance between them. She sat next to him, never breaking their eye contact as he leaned forward and brushed her blonde hair away from her neck. A shiver ran up her spine and there were goosebumps all over her body again.
His fingertips gazed the bruised skin and made her hiss in pain. “Sorry,” he spoke, with a voice that felt like velvet. She might not have heard it, as quiet as he had said it, while she tried to focus on anything else then on the fingers that ghosted over her skin.
It was easier said than done, she realized when a short breath escaped her mouth.
His fingers stopped then and he grabbed his glass filled with Scotch bringing it to his mouth and again he polished off the whole glass in one big gulp. She wanted to scold him for his actions again, but when he sat down the glass he curled his hand around her jaw and closed the distance between them. His lips were just like she remembered, soft and plump and tasting like scotch. Before she realized what they were doing his tongue had fought its way into her mouth and Bedelia felt her resistance melting. Her lips moved against his with ease, finding back into their old pattern like it wasn’t 20 years ago.
His hand sneaked around her waist and with a slight tug he had her on his lap, a surprised gasp leaving her. Her skirt ran high up her tights and her own hands tangled on the front of his shirt.
The sound of the closing of the front door and keys being dropped on the dresser let her stumble from Mulders gasp and straighten her clothes back to normal. Bedelia wiped her mouth but when Hannibal rounded the corner it was still visible what just had happened here. Mulder sat breathless on the couch, eying the pair in front of him.
He had suspected that something was going on between them, and now that he saw how she behaved he certainly knew there was more to them.
His returning was a good thing though, then suddenly he remembered that his other half was probably waiting at their home for him, too, probably already going mad with worry.
He straightened up too and tried to ease out the crinkles on the front of his dress shirt were her hands had just been moments ago.
“Hannibal,” she breathed as he already seemed to turn on his heels and leave again. She stumbled to him, following him into the hallway, and stopping him with a hand on his arm. Hannibal turned at the contact and when his eyes locked with hers she directly took a step back. Bedelia wasn’t sure how to place the look in his eyes, but she felt the urge to apologies and beg for his forgiveness.
“I am sorry I am interrupting,” Hannibal said, again turning towards the door, ”I saw light and just wanted to check if everything was alright.” Before they both could say another word Mulder came out of the living room, making the scene in the hallway even more awkward. “Uhm, Bedelia, I think I head home. Scully is probably waiting with… uhm.. I will head home.” He snatched his cloak from the rack and hastily threw it on and headed out of the front door.
Bedelia wanted to wish him a good night, but before she could say a single word he had already left and she could hear the car leaving. That left herself and Hannibal alone again.
And also it left her with the realization that Mulder had his girlfriend at home and had kissed her and the guilt from the kiss and from all the events happening today was too much for her.
“Please, Hannibal, stay,” she whispered while he was also on his way to the door.
He directly turned to her, a cold mask on his face. “Why should I stay? I thought you might need something or at least would like some company, but I see you already entertained yourself. “ It felt like a stab to her heart when he threw the words at her, a sob escaping her still red lips. “I cleaned up your study, so you won’t be reminded too much of this day. I cleaned up the bathroom too, and there is some food in the fridge…” his words trailed into nowhere when she pressed her lips to his cheek. Before he could uphold the cold mask he wanted to show her, his hands had their own plan and wrapped around her small and fragile frame.
“Thank you” she murmured when she pressed herself against him. The way he held her made her feel safe and the way he nuzzled his nose into the crown of her hair showed her that he couldn’t be as mad as he acted.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” she added, her hand circling his waist as well. “He was a special friend back when I studied psychology in Oxford. We had some sort of affair back then, but when I moved back to the US it was over and I never thought about engaging with him again and then…” she suddenly stopped in her words, not sure if she should say what she wanted to.
But the way his amber eyes locked with hers then and the smile that now was playing on the corner of his mouth ensured her that he might already know what she wanted to say.
“… and then there were you,” she added, a little quieter as she had spoken before.
“I never thought he would hurt you, honestly. I thought it would be good for him to have a woman who is able to stand him talk to him. Bedelia if I had known he would hurt you… “ Hannibal's voice trailed off and she didn’t expect him to continue after that. She knew his words were sincere.
It was their first kiss then, the first time they gave in into the tension that had been tangible between them for a long time now.
Washington D.C.:
Now.
The sound of the keys in the door of her apartment made her jump on the couch she had cuddled on the whole evening since she had left the police station. Her anger had faded because she realized her jealousy was unnecessary. Even when they had been together once that didn’t mean they would fall madly in love now, wouldn’t it?
Her head was plotting ridiculous stories of what could happen, of how they would break up and never would be able to work together again when she realized how utterly stupid this all sounded to her.
Her apartment door swung open and a soaked to the bone Mulder stumbled inside, clearly tipsy and without any further word he crushed her small frame against him. Even if she protested because his wet coat was dripping on the floor and all the water was already seeping into her clothes as well she didn’t dare to break the hug he gave her.
“I am sorry I didn’t tell you before,” he finally started his apologies. “She is not important to me anymore, so I didn’t felt the need to say something. You are the one, Scully. No one is like you. No one will ever be like you are. No one will ever mean so much to me like you do. “
“You smell of alcohol, Mulder. And you are wet. What had taken you so long?” She murmured into his wet coat. Scully shoved her small hands in his coat and tried to free it off from him. He let her take it and tossed it onto one of the kitchen chairs to dry before she got back to him. He stood in her living room like a beaten up puppy, wet from head to toe and smiling goofily at her. She liked tipsy Mulder most of the days, but now it just added to the questions she already wanted to ask him.
“So, where have you been,” she asked again when she led him to the comfortable couch in the living room he liked so much. She sat him down and gestured to him to take off his shoes.
He did as she wanted to, and then looked at her. “I brought Bede… Dr. du Maurier home. She offered me a drink and I accepted. She has a nice taste of Scotch, Scully, it even warms the last cell of your body. And, you won’t believe it, do you remember the “colleague” that was looking for her wounds? He has a key to her house. And he came in when we had the drink and I swear, when looks could kill I would be dead. He turned and was about to head out again, all angry for nothing. I don’t know if there is something going on between them, but I swear, I would bet my last penny that they are together.“
Scully looked at him amused and shook her head. „Mulder, a blind person could have grabbed the tension between them. When you were in that bathroom with her he was ready to kill you. I have never seen a man being so possessive over a woman. I am not mad at you anymore. In fact I am sorry that I behaved like this. It was highly unprofessional and I never thought I could react like I did today. I have to apologize too. I trust you. There is more, Mulder. Director Skinner called me and told me we were no longer on that case. They don’t think it is something X-Files related that are doing this murders. We have to report to Jack Crawford now, he is the new one responsible for the case. So. What about a day off, mh?” she asked him with a smile on her face.
Mulder kissed her soundly on her lips then, still reeking of the scotch he had consumed, but combined with his typical Mulder taste. “You always have the best ideas, you know? I think that’s why I like you. Or is it because you taste so good? I think there is some really urgent science project needed to prove my thesis….” He carried his giggling girlfriend to the bedroom next door then.