FORMS

9-96
From Saraid: I am the cat that walks by herself and all places are alike to me. Okay, okay, *darn it*. This series is cheering up. Must be all those wonderful ego-stroking responses I've been getting. Stop sending them! and I can put things back on the emotional level nature intended.

details ------- Study your disclaimer notes. Quiz tomorrow.

This piece is rated NC-17 for vivid, imaginative (I hope) and consensual sex. Don't let the kiddies anywhere near it, 'kay? There is a case here, but once again it's secondary to the relationship stuff. Everyone's favorite (well, actually, *Rafe* is my favorite) *Dancer* is back so Mulder can eke out a few more clues about him...maybe. Remember, folks, he's mine.

For the future: Yes, I do have an ending planned, though it's not your standard run-of-the-mill relationshipper ending. Ya have ta remember that I started this for fun, it was never intended to go on and on...there is a problem with this...actually there are several problems...I've been ignoring my *real* books for this fluff that I can't sell...I broke down and wrote an outline and now I feel like it's finished, *I* know how it ends, why should I tell you guys?...my desk chair broke, the new one hurts my back, I need to go to the dentist...I'm ranting now, aren't I? Maybe things aren't as cheerful as I feared...:)!

This is part six of a potential 14...or so. Read the others so you know what's going on.                                    
 

Part #1 ------- Time for Friends

Mulder looked up from the backlit display of slides, cocking his head. He'd heard something, in the hall.

He glanced at his partner, deep in a thick volume, research. She hadn't heard anything.

*There it was again*.

He got up and went to her desk, leaning on his elbows, putting himself in her personal space. Making himself the focus of her attention.

She met his eyes. She was smiling slightly, a mere upturning of the corner of her lips.

"What."

He shrugged.

"Just wanted to look at you." he whispered it so softly she had to strain to hear. They both knew the room was bugged and acted accordingly. "Want to take a break?" he said more loudly.

Translation; want to step outside where we can talk?

She shook her head.

"I've got to finish this, Mulder."

This time they both heard it, since it came from right outside their door. A piercing low whistle.

A wolf whistle.

Mulder groaned softly.

"I bet I know who that is."

There was a knock and Scully got up to answer it.

"Considering the way you threw me at him, you should be happier to see him." she scolded mildly as she opened the door to smile at the man she'd known was standing there - he'd called her that morning to let her know he was on his way into town. "Ru!" she said with honest affection, allowing herself to be swept into a very unprofessional hug before withdrawing from him.

Dancer squeezed her and nuzzled her neck, picking up information she couldn't have known was available on her skin -- no, she and Mulder were still working it out, though there was a stronger essence of him on her, so they must be spending more time together than they had been.

But he knew they still weren't lovers by the time he set her down and turned to Mulder.

The taller agent made a cross with his fingers in front of him.

"Don't even think it." he said as Dancer took a step closer, arms akimbo. The shorter man laughed and crossed to flop - he was so damn graceful, Scully thought - into Mulder's recently vacated chair.

"Good flight?" Scully asked, standing beside him, close enough to make Mulder's insides twist with a very basic male response.

"You knew he was coming?" he asked Scully quietly.

"He called." she shrugged. Mulder had been attentive, caring since they got back from Wyoming...but he hadn't kissed her properly. Not once. Maybe Dancer's presence would remind him.

Not that she would have asked him here just to push Mulder's buttons. He had a case, one with a personal slant, and he wanted their help.

She perched on the desk and smiled at both of them. Mulder took her abandoned chair.

"So tell us what you've got." she said.

"That's what I like about you, Dana." Dancer chuckled, but it sounded forced. "Always get right down to business."

Mulder watched with rising frustration as his cool, calm partner blushed. She only did that for him when...he yanked his mind back to the room as Dancer laid his briefcase on Mulder's desk and opened it, pulling out a thick sheaf of files.

"I've got a serial killer." he said flatly. "Last seen boarding a plane for Annapolis at six-thirty last Friday morning. Didn't get the warrant in time." he shook his head at that. "Thirteen dead by my count, possibly as high as twenty-one. And the last victim was my cousin, a woman named Sierra Nightrunner, in Denver."

"What's it got to do with us?" Mulder asked, feeling sympathy for the man.

"I'm trying to get it 'X-File' status so you can help me find him." Dancer said. "He claims to be a 'demon hunter' and that all of his victims are 'unclean, undead, or inhuman'."

"Lovely." Scully laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I spoke to Skinner this morning, he said he'd talk to us as soon as you got here, I'll call him now and see if he's free."

The basement door opened again and was filled with the sturdy, stocky body of their immediate supervisor, who took in the room with a glance, his eyes lingering on Scully's hand still on Dancer's shoulder. She grimaced and removed it.

"Agent Dancer." he said as the three of them stood respectfully. "I was coming to speak with Agents Scully and Mulder about your request."

"Assistant Director Skinner?" Dancer flowed over the floor to offer his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, sir."

Skinner returned the handshake firmly.

"I've spoken to your AD, and he had only *good* things to say about you." he spoke to Dancer while looking over the short man's head at Mulder, who shrugged slightly.

"I'm flattered." Dancer took Mulder's chair again, tidying the already neatly stacked files.

Skinner turned his attention to his agents.

"I'm approving your assistance in this matter." he told them sternly. "I don't want to report anything but *good things* to *his* AD when you're done."

"Understood, sir." Scully answered, but he was staring at Mulder, until her partner nodded.

"I can give you three days." he told Dancer. "Find him."

"Thank you, sir." Dancer was perfectly polite.

With a last long look at Mulder, Skinner left, shutting the door behind him.    

"Nice guy." Dancer smiled at Scully, a silly grin.

"He tries." she answered. She could *see* the steam building behind Mulder's ears. "Have you had lunch?"



They put off conversation until they were settled in The Kettle Black, a pub-type place popular with the FBI crowd. Dancer ordered a rueben and ale, Scully got her favorite pasta salad, and Mulder went overboard with rare roast beef and fries. Lots of them.

Sitting back with his ale, Dancer gave the crowd a breif sweep. Many of them were surreptitiously watching their trio.

"We're popular." he observed. Scully watched as Mulder's jaw tightened. He remained silent.

"If any of them are cats they'll die soon." she said, half- joking.

"Not getting any better?" Dancer was sitting next to her, leaning back, looking too comfortable for Mulder's peace.

Scully considered. She knew he was asking if the treatment they received at work was any less annoying, but she also thought he was asking how things were between her and Mulder. They'd talked on the phone about it just last week, so he knew what was going on.

"No, not really." she said with a sigh. He patted her hand on the table and Mulder closed him eyes briefly.

When he opened them the waitress was standing over him with his food.

They ate, but Mulder, uncharacteristically, didn't finish his sandwich, actually left most of it. Dancer polished his off and glanced at Mulder's plate with a gleam in his eye.

"Mind?" he asked, reaching a hand out. Scully forced down a smile at the look on Mulder's face.

With a shrug Mulder shook his head, and Dancer put Mulder's plate over his empty one and took apart the sandwich, eating the medium-rare meat a slice at a time with cheerful relish.

"Maybe you'd like it better raw." Mulder said, not really fishing, but still annoyed with Dancer because Scully had been so glad to see him.

"Against the rules." Dancer grinned, finishing the last piece and delicately wiping his fingers on a napkin. "Cooked food is a triumph over my nature, Agent Mulder."

Scully made an inquiring face at that. Mulder leaned closer, his elbows on the table.

"And is your nature so very different than mine, Agent Dancer?" he asked. Scully wondered what he was insinuating, but Dancer just kept grinning.

"Not *so very* different." he leaned to meet Mulder's eyes and Scully got suddenly nervous. "I know you love a challenge, Mulder, but this one's beyond even you."

"Was that a gauntlet?" Mulder's eyes were gleaming with what Scully could only call mischief, and Dancer was grinning like an idiot.

"Enough macho posturing." she snapped, pulling on Dancer's shoulders. He sat back up without a fight, while Mulder leaned back more slowly, still studying the shorter man, who met his eyes with a smile free of guile. "We have a case to work on, unless you want more meat, Dancer."

Now *Mulder* was smiling at her.

"What'd I say?" she looked from one to the other, bewildered.

"We have a case to work on." Mulder answered, deadpan.

"I want to canvass shelters, homeless compounds, churches." Dancer said, switching gears smoothly. "Get an APB put out."

"I think we should look for the next potential victim." Mulder said suddenly.

"You think you can predict who this guy's going to hit next?" Dancer was skeptical.

"There are often reports of possessions and exorcisms." Mulder says stoutly.

"In the *Enquirer*." Scully rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey, no problem." Dancer stood, smiling, holding a hand to lift Scully from the booth. "We don't need three feds to ask around. Scully can come with me and you can go do your research."

Mulder stood as well, not looking happy about this.

*This wasn't working*. Scully felt like the situation was getting out of control. She tried to catch Mulder's eye, to re- establish their communication pattern, but he was staring at Dancer, who was also avoiding looking at her.

*Was this a guy thing? Or was there something else going on between them*?

"That sounds like a good idea." Mulder said slowly. There was a definite hint of threat in his voice.

"*Mulder.*" Scully hissed. People were watching openly now, and she didn't want the attention.

"Then we'd better get started." Dancer said, still smiling. Scully had to look twice.

It wasn't a *nice* smile anymore.

Actually, there was something feral about it.

*What the heck is going on with these two*?

She and Dancer walked back to his rental car while Mulder got his and drove off without a word. It was worse than his usual lack of 'goodbye'.

Scully directed and Dancer drove. First to the office specs room to pick up the copied pictures he'd asked for before they left, and then to the list of missions and shelters the local provided.

Sitting forward in the car -- it smelled faintly of peppermint and sweat -- Scully studied the picture.

"You don't seem very urgent to find this guy." she said, watching him drive, with a tenseness Mulder never showed. Mulder liked to drive. "Aren't you thinking he might be out there killing someone else?"

He shrugged, shocking her a little.

"If he is there's nothing I can do about it. Everything will happen in its own time, I just follow the path." he answered, sliding into a parking space near the first mission on their list.

They got out and began walking, both studying the crowd still gathered at the front door hoping to get lunch. Scully's heart twisted when she saw several small children in the line, waiting patiently, not demonstrating an average child's intolerance for long lines.

"I would never have pegged you for a fatalist." she said as they went to the service entrance in the alley and buzzed.

"I'm not a fatalist, as you might have noticed. I *do* think that some things will happen the way they are meant to and an individual can't change that. I also think that most of those things will be good, in my personal case."

"How do you work in this business with that attitude?"

He was going to answer but the bell rang and they were admitted into a close, dark hall that smelled strongly of something burnt and old, old despair.

Directed to the head office, at the other end of the building, they walked slowly, glancing into the doors of small private rooms where worried and frightened and wary faces looked back.

"Hitchcock." Dancer said suddenly.

"What?" she gave him a hard look.

"A memory game I play. My memory isn't anywhere near as good as Mulder's, or probably even yours. So I remember places by assigning them to a category. Today I'm using horror movies."

"Hitchcock?" she questioned as the reached the office and knocked.

"If this was a movie set they'd be filming a Hitchcock piece." he smiled as the door opened and a fiftyish woman greeted them unenthusiastically.

"Okay, okay. Two videos *and* a twelve-pack." Mulder sighed. "*Not* Scully's email address. She'd shoot me again."

Frohike frowned, disappointed.

"You got any good pictures of her?" he brightened.

"NO!" fed up, Mulder turned to the tall blond man standing behind him. "Make him stop!"

"Can't." Langley shook his hair out and went to sit at one of the many computers in the room. "But I can try to run the search for you."

Knowing Langley was really a hardware man, not a hacker, Mulder shook his head. But the tactic had worked, Frohike was rolling back to his station and getting to work, threatened with somebody else infringing on his territory.

"You want everything we can give you on this guy Dancer?" he asked as his short fingers flew over the keyboard.

"Him, his family, his background, what he wears to bed."

"Phone records?" Langley was also starting to type, albeit more slowly.

"*Everything*." Mulder grinned. "And I'll work on those exorcisms and possessions."

"Most recent are in the cabinet to your far right. Lower left hand side." Langley supplied.

"Here's the beginning." Frohike said loudly. His finger hovered over the 'enter' key. "You want hard copy?"

"No, just let me read it." Mulder threaded his way through the room to read over the dwarfish man's shoulder, scrolling down the screen. He nodded. "Got it. Get more." and went back to the file cabinet.

"Must be nice." Langley said with exaggerated envy.

"Here's more." Frohike called. Mulder sighed and stood. *This was going to take a while*.

It was past eleven when they got in. Dancer had wanted to stay at a hotel, but Scully insisted that he stay with her, if he didn't mind the couch.

"Mulder not on it tonight?" he asked, concerned when her face fell and she sighed sadly.

"He hasn't been here long enough to even sit on it."

"What's his problem, Dana? I thought you guys had this worked out."

"I did too." Dana let them in and hung her coat. Dancer had gone all day without one, not feeling the cold. "But I hint, and hint, and it seems to go right over his head."

"Wow." he flopped on the couch, not claiming it the way Mulder did, but just sitting. "He's either blind or dead."

She rewarded the compliment with a smile and went into the kitchen.

"You hungry?" it had been a long time since lunch for her.

A flicker of emotion crossed his face, but she wasn't around to see it. "Nah. I'll go out for something later."

"You're not tired?" she stuck her head out, a casserole dish in her hands.

"Sure, but I have to run at night or I can't sleep."

"I wish that worked for Mulder." she came out and sat beside him.

"Dinner in the nuke box?"

"Oven. It tastes better that way." she said, leaning back and sighing again.

"I'm sorry you're unhappy, Dana." he said softly as she closed her eyes.

She waited, but he didn't say anything else.

Or make a move on her.

That was good, actually. She did love Mulder, but she wasn't getting much attention from him that way lately.

"I think you need to remind him what he's missing." Dancer's voice was close to her ear. "I'll be sure to stay out long enough for you to drive him crazy."

"He's already crazy." she grinned.

There was a knock on the door and Dancer sat up straight, still grinning. "Speak of the devil."

Scully got up and let him in.

He blew in like a summer wind, warm and excited. Seeing Dancer, he flopped at the other end of the couch, feet up on the coffee table, and smiled with malicious cheerfulness.

"Guess what I found out today?" he said to Scully, still standing by the door.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, avoiding the question.

"No. I found out some things about Ru, here." he pointed his chin at the shorter man, who crossed his arms over his chest and grinned.

"Do tell." Dancer looked skeptical.

"You're way too young for Scully."

"Excuse me?!" Scully glared at him.

"That's for her to decide." Dancer was still smiling.

"Wait a minute!" she stared at Dancer. "Just how old *are* you?"

"How old do you think I am?" he countered softly.

"My age. Maybe a year or two older." she looked confused. "You can't be that much younger."

"Twenty-six." Mulder was cackling with laughter "He's only twenty-six! A *baby*." and then he subsided when she turned her glare back on him. "Hey! It's not my fault he looks older...!"

Dancer wasn't upset.

"It's a genetic thing." he told a stunned Scully. "What other bombsheels did you find?"    

"You're overcharged on your Visa bill." Mulder was teasing him. "And your family has a long and weird history of getting shot."

"Mulder!" Scully was apalled that he'd bring up something that had to be painful to Dancer like that.

"My mother and father were shot, yes." Dancer agreed, not apparently bothered.

"By poachers in a state park who thought they saw wolves!" Mulder was enjoying this. "And you have so many cousins... Nightrunners, Packers, Silvers and that little group out in Texas -- the Wolfhearts."

"His wife was shot, too." Dancer supplied. "Your sources are better than I thought if they made those connections. I'd better clean my records up when I get home."

"I would if I were you." Mulder smiled. "By the way, *what* encryption code do you have on your home system? My... friend... couldn't begin to break it. It's worse than Navajo."

Scully thought she was going to faint.

"You hacked his home computer?"

"Tried to." Mulder was grinning widely, and *Dancer* was grinning back.

*This is too weird*, Scully thought.

"It's kind of something I was born with." Dancer stretched hugely, still grinning as he picked up the remote and threw it at Mulder. "You'll never get it."

"I know." Mulder caught the remote and turned on the TV. "Basketball?"

"There's a National Geographic Special on the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone." Dancer suggested.

Mulder seemed to think about it, then shook his head.

"Football." he said decisively, changing the channel. "How's dinner coming, Scully?"

She was standing like a statue, staring at both of them.

"Hey, the man's hungry." Dancer added. "You got a beer?"

Throwing up her hands, she retreated to the kitchen.  

An hour later Mulder was fed, Dancer had drank both the beers in her fridge, and Scully, sitting between them on the couch, was getting sleepy.

She was warm and comfortable, leaning on Mulder's shoulder, Dancer's leg touching hers. He was a very warm person, she could feel the warmth flowing from him. In contrast Mulder was the steady coolness of a fall day.

They were watching CNN. After a bit Dancer stood and stretched, his hands not even reaching the ceiling, and bent to gather the dishes left from her chicken-and-broccoli casserole.

"You didn't even eat." Scully protested softly.  

"I'm house-trained." he answered, and she felt Mulder's twitch at the comment, as Dancer took the dishes to the kitchen. He came back out and headed for the door.

"I'm going for a run. Don't wait up." he said over his shoulder.

"Don't you need shoes?" Scully called after him, and felt Mulder muffle a chuckle. "What?" she punched him in the chest and he grabbed her hands to protect himself as the door closed behind Dancer.

He held her hands in mid air and their eyes met. He looked worried, but she heard his quick intake of breath as she leaned forward, touching her breasts to his chest.

"Bondage, Mulder? I never would have expected that from you."

"I thought you knew me by now." he was teasing, she saw, trying to keep things light, but she decided not to let him get away with it this time. Boldly she lowered a hand to his crotch and rubbed sensuously.

The light was hitting his eyes at just that angle that made them go gold, and she watched as they softened, his face relaxing, not smiling but at ease, and quietly eager.

He  slid to lay back on the couch, holding her to his chest with strong arms, his coolness becoming warmth as she softly kissed his jaw, his neck, his lips.

"Scully..." he sighed and opened his mouth beneath hers, allowing her tongue access to his wet warmth, his hands spreading over her back, stroking with gentle assurance. She broke the kiss long enough to meet his eyes, the blue so startling that he caught his breath, and then she smiled.

"I was afraid you didn't want to do this anymore." she whispered. He couldn't reply because next she traced the contours of his mouth with the tip of her tongue and he felt himself surge in response. It hit him so hard and so fast that he gasped aloud.

"I've been preoccupies." he defended himself softly as her delicate hands slid between the buttons of his shirt

"It's time you think about something besides work." she said in that low, sexy voice that made his toes curl. He hadn't thought toes could actually curl.       

"Uhh." his soft moan echoed in her ears. She wrapped a hand in the soft, short hairs at the back of his neck and pulled his head back. He closed his eyes and offered her his throat, and she traced it in painstaking detail, his skin blazing in the trail her tongue left.

He'd never thought *anything* could feel this good.

"Dana." he groaned her name, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up to plunder her mouth, kissing her hungrily, forcefully.

Then he broke off, struggling to regain his control, and sat up, Scully hot in his lap, protesting.

"Mulder...what? What's wrong?"

He leaned his head close to her ear and whispered, one hand running light, tantalizing fingers down her side.

"Damn. Have you *cleaned house* lately?"

She rubbed her eyes with one hand, trying to decipher what he was saying.

Oh no. She shook her head.

"It's been awhile. Not since we got back from Wyoming." she admitted reluctantly.

"I'll have somebody over to do it tomorrow." he said, hugging her close, and then lifting her to set her on the couch beside him. She clung to him for a minute and then let go, frowning and frustrated.

"You don't really think..." she said, but then realized that, yes, he did. He smiled down at her, a twisted, lopsided self-depreciating grimace.

"Believe me, it's not want *I* want." he said softly. Then his voice dropped even softer as he leaned to whisper, his breath stirring the fine hairs on her neck and making her shiver. "*I could take you back to my place, but that would look suspicious..."

She turned her head to whisper to him and their lips brushed in passing. He began to deepen the kiss and then caught himself.

"They can't always watch us..." he heard the plea in her voice and it almost undid his resolve.

"Do you want to take that chance tonight?" his hands were still stroking her blouse, making her squirm and want to crawl back into his lap. "This can't work if we're not careful..." he pressed a kiss to the side of her neck as he drew back, looking alone again.

This time she let him go, moving away with a deep sigh.

They watched the TV for a few minutes while getting things under control.

Then Mulder stood, with an obvious wince that made her grin.

"Problem, Mulder?" she asked wickedly. His _expression said she was going to pay for that one.

"I'd better be getting home." he answered. "Wouldn't want to be here when the dancing boy gets back."

"Mulder!" she threw a throw pillow at him, covering her laugh with a cough.

"Goodnight, Scully." he leaned over her on the couch and *just* touched her lips with his. "Sleep well." it was said with a grin that could only be described as evil.

"Mulder." she said as he went to the door, gathering his jacket and case and phone as he went.

"Scully." he answered with a small, real smile.

"Don't go home and watch a video, okay?"

He looked at her. Curled on the couch -- she seemed to curl up whenever she was comfortable -- like a small red kitten, her face flushed from his kisses, her body still sensitized by his touch.

"I'll suffer through." he said quietly, his eyes telling her that it wouldn't be enough, that nothing on those tapes would ever compare, and that he'd wait until he could have the real thing. She sighed and smiled, a little bit shy, embarrassed at having brought it up.

"Goodnight, Mulder." she said as he went out the door.

He didn't watch a tape. He didn't relieve his discomfort.

But he *did* take a very long, *very* cold shower.

If this keeps up much longer, he thought as he dressed quickly in sweats and pulled Margaret's blanket over him on the couch, I'm going to get pneumonia.

*And then Dr. Scully will have to take care of me*.

He smiled at that and picked up the textbook that was his choice of reading material for the night.

 Part#2 ------ Chasing Time

The phone woke Scully, but Dancer, in the living room, got it first, as Scully pulled on a robe and came out to listen.

"Huh? Who?" he obviously wasn't at his best first thing in the morning. Scully glanced at the clock and saw that it was half-past six. She didn't usually get up this early either.

He listened for a minute, agreed, thanked the caller, and hung up, promptly falling back on the couch, eyes shut.

"Who was it?" Scully asked, wondering if he was the roll- over-and-go-back-to-sleep type.

One dark eye opened beneath a heavy brow and glared at her balefully.

"Nun."

"What did she say?" Scully came to stand over the couch, holding her robe shut and staring at him sternly.

"Saw him."

"*Where*?" she felt like she was dragging information out of a teenager.

"Southside camp." he punctuated his response by rolling over to face the back of the couch, leaving her staring at him, miffed.

"I'm calling Mulder." she said, retreating to her bedroom. "We'll check it out."

Sitting on the bed and picking up the phone she wondered just how late he'd stayed out.

Mulder was already awake, his frustration returning full- force, and very glad to hear her voice.

"Scully? I scheduled the exterminators to be in by noon. Is that okay for you?" his voice carried a wealth of information to her, most of it about how badly he wanted her - *now*.

It made her shiver deliciously. Mulder was so focused, so intense, and when he directed that at her alone, it was almost intimidating, but so exciting.

"We have a lead." she said. "But I think Ru will still be here, so that's okay."

"I'm not sure I want him to meet these guys, Scully." Mulder hedged. As soon as they heard his name the Lone Gunmen would know he was the one Mulder was interested in, and then *they* would be interested in him.

That might be a good thing.

"I'll be there in an hour." he said, hanging up and heading for the shower.

Sister Mary Angela was not a typical nun. Like most modern brides of Christ, she didn't wear a habit, just a modified wimple over a simple blue dress with an ankle-length skirt. But the zippered motorcycle boots beneath the dress said something to Mulder right off.

"I saw the picture when I came in yesterday." she said. She was prettier than most nuns, too. "I'd been home to visit my folks and had to go over the board when I got in, so it was fresh in my head." she stuck a thumb at the large bulletin board covered with pictures and 'missing' notices. "And then I went to the homeless camp down on Southside, and there he was."

"What was he doing?" Scully asked. If she didn't know better she would think that Mulder was flirting with this woman.

She could just imagine him saying; 'But a nun is such a challenge, Scully!'

With a hard shake she got that image out of her head.

Sister looked at her and she realized that she hadn't been paying attention. Years of Catholic elementary school flooded back and she almost *felt* her hand stinging from the slap of a ruler.

"Scully?" Mulder looked concerned, but amused.

"Are you well?" Sister asked kindly.

Scully gave Mulder a 'this-is-all-your-fault' look and answered steadily.

"Yes, Sister, I'm fine. I've just been having trouble sleeping."

Sister smiled gently.

"If I had such an interesting man in love with me I might have trouble sleeping as well."

Now Mulder was the one shaking his head. Getting over her initial shock, Scully managed a coherent answer.

"Agent Mulder is my partner, Sister." she couldn't say anything else.

"That must be obvious to everyone you meet."

"Southside camp? On the dumpster side?" Mulder strangled out.

"Yes." Sister nodded. "I hope you find him before he hurts anyone else."

His hand on Scully's back, steering her to the parking lot, Mulder didn't even give her time for a thank-you or goodbye.

He didn't stop until they were safely in the car, and then he leaned close to whisper on her cheek.

"Why didn't you tell her we aren't together?" he put his hands behind his back, sure he would put them someplace else if he didn't.

"I can't lie to a *nun*, Mulder!"

"It's not like you're very good at it." he agreed, and she groaned in frustration, but didn't know if it was the situation or the case.

"Let's find this guy so we can get this over with." she said, scooting away from him and getting her seat belt.

He didn't answer, just started the car.

"You haven't seen him since yesterday."

"You don't know where he went?"

"Does he have any favorite hangouts?"

"Does he have any friends in town?"

The questions went on and on and they weren't getting anywhere. Scully checked her watch with a groan. It was almost noon. The gunmen would be at her house soon and Dancer was probably still asleep on the couch.

And she still hadn't had anything to eat.

Mulder closed his notebook -- it wasn't like he needed it, it just gave his hands something to do besides grope Scully -- and looked down at her, reading her face with the ease of long practice.

"Back to your place to get ballet boy and then lunch." he said.

She nodded gratefully.

"It *is* his case."

"I guess he thought I was staying the night." Mulder smiled, a small, soft smile. "I should've let him stay at my place."

"But he makes such a good alibi." She almost laughed at his _expression. "I'm sure everyone thinks I dumped you for him."

"Or they think we're doing some weird threesome thing."

"Sounds kinky." she saw the speculative gleam in his eye and shook her head. "No. NO....Mulder!" she said in a warning tone.

"I might find out more about him..." Mulder said suggestively.

"Hey!" she punched him in the shoulder and he raised his hands in defense.

"You're hitting me a lot lately." he complained in a sulky tone, rubbing the spot before starting the car.

"You deserve it." she retorted, but sat back as he drove, thinking that the reason she kept hitting him was because it was the only way she'd been able to touch him for weeks.



They met the Gunmen at the door. Frohike and Langley had the equipment and Byers was keeping a discreet lookout in the parking lot.

"Mulder." he said in his usual no-nonsense tone. "More data came through on that search you were running. You can come by and get it tonight before nine."

Mulder nodded while Scully studied him, unwilling to ask in front of them.



Dancer was still asleep on the couch. With a grin Dana went over and sat beside him, leaning to whisper in his ear. Mulder grinned and Frohike looked startled.

Whatever she said had Dancer up in less than a minute, staring at them with wide-open, anxious eyes that soon settled into their normal calm shade of black-brown, meeting Mulder's as the shorter man slipped an arm around Scully and grinned at him wickedly.

Swallowing a smile Scully removed herself from his embrace.

"I think we'd better leave them to it." she said, giving Frohike a hard look. "You don't have to rifle my drawers or anything, do you?"

Mulder spoke up.

"Guys, this is another agent from California we've been working with. *Ruarke Dancer*."

To give them credit they didn't blink an eye. To them it was totally normal for Mulder to be checking up on people he worked with. Even to be encouraged.

Byers glanced at Mulder before answering Scully and she grimaced.

"No, Agent Scully, we won't be into anything private." he assured her.

"Good." she said sharply, annoyed that they still didn't trust her. Mulder did.

But they didn't work with her day in and out, either, so she supposed she had to forgive them. And they *were* doing this as a favor.

"Are you ready?" she asked Dancer, who was pulling on his suit jacket over his severely wrinkled white shirt.

"Food." he snapped, grabbing his plain black tie and slinging it around his neck before pulling on his boots while standing. He had excellent balance, Mulder observed silently. "You got me up, you feed me."

Dana would have argued, but they had an audience and, besides, she was pretty hungry herself.

"You don't want a shower?" she asked. *Or a clean shirt*?

He sniffed the air in front of him and grinned.

"Not too bad."

"How did you ever manage to survive the academy?" she asked as he led the way out the door, Mulder hanging back to talk to the guys.

"I was the meanest one there." he answered with a smile that had nothing to do with humor.

They ate at a steakhouse, Scully amazed at the quantity of meat Dancer put away.

"I thought the FDA outlawed those 'eat this and it's free' specials." she said as he finished what had to be a five-pound steak. The waiter had checked on them four times, apparently as astonished as she was that this small man was managing to put away the whole thing.

Eating a modest sirloin, Mulder went slowly through his plate, keeping his own council, but meeting Dancer's eyes more than once.

They understood each other, he and Dancer. He knew that now.

It didn't make them friends, but they weren't going to be enemies.

*That left a lot of room to maneuver*, Mulder thought as dancer finished with a contented sigh. He'd even managed the potato and vegetables, though he had doused the broccoli and carrots in steak sauce to do it.

"Enough meat?" Mulder asked while Scully signaled the waiter. Not only had he eaten enough for three meals, but he'd done it in the time it took Mulder to eat his one, yet with perfect table manners.

"For now." Dancer grinned at him, showing his teeth in a way that might have been construed as threatening.

"Then can we get to work?" Scully was irritated with both of them.

"Yes, ma'am." they answered simultaneously, then dancer chuckled while Mulder drew back into himself.

Scully saw that he was thinking and hoped he was coming up with a solution to this case.

Or, better, that he was planning his moves for tonight.

*Whoa.* she caught herself. This was Mulder. Maybe she better hope he *wasn't* thinking about things for tonight...all those videotapes...

Part#3 ------ Finding Time

"How many miles did you do last night?" Mulder asked dancer conversationally.

"Ten." his smile hinted at more.

"Don't your feet hurt?" Mulder wa remembering his four miles barefoot and the days of soreness afterwards.

"Used to it."

Mulder drove, Scully beside him, Dancer leaning over the seat from the back.

Mulder to Dancer; "You ever use a seatbelt?"

"Why?"

"Where are we going?" Scully cut in.

"To see a Father Frank. Rumor has it he performs exorcisms without the sanction of the church."

"Rumor?" she asked uneasily. That could mean he'd heard it any number of unsavory ways.

"It's not something he can advertise, Scully, not and keep his official status."

"Oh. Right." Scully thought about that. Though she didn't agree with -- or even follow -- all of the churches teachings, the idea of a *priest* disobeying them made her oddly uncomfortable.

"It's not a perfect world." Dancer said suddenly from the backseat.

*Was that meant to be consoling*? she thought. *Cause it ain't*.   

Father Frank lived in a tiny apartment above the rectory, which was used as a temporary shelter for the homeless. He greeted them in the small living room, which was serving as home to a family of four. Three small children danced around the TV to the tune of a purple dinosaur.

"I'm sorry we have to talk here." the priest, a cheerful man in his late fifties, said as he sat on the bettered sofa and a toddler came up to him, arms out. He pulled him onto his lap automatically, and the baby lay on his shoulder, sticking his thumb in his mouth and closing his eyes. "Their mother has a job interview today and there was no one else to watch them. She has tried very hard to find work, I am very hopeful that this time she will be successful."

"This is fine." Dancer spoke up, wanting to put the man at ease.

"I've seen your record for social services." Mulder said. "I have to tell you, I'm surprised you aren't running a real shelter or presiding over a larger congregation."

Father Frank smiled wryly.

"I have unpopular views, Agent Mulder. As I have heard you yourself do."

Mulder did a double-take at that and Dancer covered his mouth to hide a smile.

"I know what information you are interested in, but I cannot give it to you without knowing your reasons for wanting it."

Mulder began to object but Frank held up a hand, holding it off.

"The people who come to me are not freaks or psychos. They have very real problems that sometimes require extreme measures to solve. I would not want them to be investigated or harassed by your agency or any other."

Mulder nodded. "Any information we get will be kept confidential."

"There is a chance that one of your - special cases - may be in danger." Scully said quietly.

"We're hunting a killer." Dancer pitched his voice lower than the goofy song still playing in the background, not wanting to frighten the children. "He claims to be killing those who are 'possessed' or 'unclean'. Perhaps people like your patients."

Frank looked worried.

"I can give you the names of the ones I am talking to now." he said. "I do not keep records after a patient has left my care, and my memory is not as good as it once was."

"Do you refer to them as 'patients' for a reason?" Mulder asked suddenly.

"I thought you knew that, Agent Mulder." Frank tsk-tsked. "I hold a master's degree in psychology, and am a qualified therapist."

He stood, looking for a place to put the toddler, but most of the sofa was covered with folded laundry and pillows. Dancer came to him and held out his arms.

"Let me. You can take Mulder and Scully for the information." he said quietly.

The baby was transferred with a minimum of fuss, Mulder watching curiously, expecting the child to -- cry, or something.

Dana smiled when Dancer settled back, the child still soundly asleep, drooling on his shoulder.

"Good thing you didn't change clothes." she said.

"My files are in the garage, in my office." Frank said. "You will keep an eye on the others?" to Dancer.

"No problem." Dancer smiled at the two little girls, who were climbing into the big armchair on the other side of the TV. One smiled back shyly.



The office was pretty basic. Desk, two chairs, filing cabinet. And a long table on the wall with a pillow at the end.

"Very Freudian." Mulder said.

"Hmmph." Frank unlocked a cabinet, pulled out several files, and handed them over. "I would like these back as soon as possible."

"As soon as we check them." Scully answered as Mulder opened the first and began reading, shutting them out.

"I guess I'm driving." was Dancer's response when they got out of there.

Mulder didn't even bother to grunt.

Frank currently had four patients who were being considered for exorcisms. Two had experienced periods of 'possession', one was deeply depressed and the other was a teenage boy apparently undergoing a poltergeist episode.

"I thought poltergeists were usually girls."  Scully was in front with dancer, Mulder in the back reading aloud.

"Maybe he's gay." Mulder smiled up at Dancer in the rearview.

"Don't tempt me." Dancer retorted and Scully stifled a laugh. These two were perfect for each other.

"I suggest we talk to the possessions first." Dancer said. "That would be more appealing to our hunter."

"You sound like you know him." Scully said.

"I *understand* him." Dancer corrected. "Mulder's not the only one who can get into people's heads. He's just the best at it."



It was a fruitless endeavor. Even with Father Frank's name to get the door open, none of these people were talking to the FBI without a warrant. Leaving the last house, in which a young man -- younger than Mulder -- sat contemplating ending his life, Scully was disturbed by the resemblance to Mulder, and climbed into the back of the car with him, surprising him when she wrapped her arms around him and held on for a minute.

"Scully." he said softly, understanding what was bothering her.

She lay her head on his chest and he put an arm around her shoulders, reluctant to show affection in public, even though they had been watching for a tail all afternoon, just in case.

"Home?" Dancer asked, watching in the mirror with a soft smile.

Scully nodded, but Mulder shook his head.

"I've got an appointment."

"Skip it." Scully said, knowing what he would be talking about.

"Can't."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, neither of them aware that Dancer could hear them clearly.

"Can't resist a challenge." he said softly, brushing a kiss across her hair. "That's why I fell in love with you."

"For the challenge?" she looked up at him, her eyes smiling.

"For everything." he kept his arm around her as Dancer drove through the darkening night, aware of her, wanting her.

It helped to know that she wanted him too.

But he left without a word of goodbye when they got to her place, taking his car and leaving them on the stairs.

Scully looked at Dancer as they went in.

"I think this means he trusts you, just a little bit." she said. "Otherwise he would have brought me in himself and checked the place."

"Mulder needs his paranoia." Dancer replied. "It keeps him alive."

"You sound like you know a lot about it." she said as he went to his suitcase and began pulling out jeans and a shirt.

"I just hide it better than he does." Dancer smiled at her. "Let me take a shower and I'll buy you dinner."

"Not another steak...." she warned.

"Fish." he offered. "Okay? Fish."

Smiling, she agreed, and went to clean the kitchen while he showered.

"Look." Scully said across the table. They were in a bust seafood restaurant, sitting in a table by the wall and Dancer's back was to the room. Mulder would never sit that way. "It's AD Skinner and his wife. I'm glad they got back together." she smiled as the hulking marine walked by and did a double-take, turning back to look again.

"Oh, no."

He spoke to his wife and they came back to the table, Sharon smiling the smile of a happy woman.

"Agent Scully." Skinner greeted her, looking Dancer over. He'd changed to jeans, a black *silk* shirt, and a leather jacket that matched his boots. Scully had settled on a simple cream knit dress. "It's so unusual to see you without your partner. Agent Dancer." he nodded to him, curiosity emanating from him.

"I'm off-duty, sir." she said quietly. "Contrary to popular belief, Agent Mulder and I do not spend every waking moment together."

"I'm glad to hear that." she could have sworn he almost smiled. "You have met my wife, Sharon?" he tightened the arm he had around her. She smiled brightly at Scully and offered her hand.

"You were so helpful the last time we met." she said softly.

Scully remembered. It had been a horrible situation, Skinner accused of murder and Sharon in the hospital with him also accused of putting her there. But Skinner had saved the day, and, apparently, his marriage.

"And I'm Ruarke. Ru Dancer." Dancer stood and took her hand, bowing over it as Skinner stiffened and Sharon colored faintly. "A good friend of Agent Scully's."

"It's about time Agent Scully had a friend like you." Skinner said, getting some back as Dana now blushed, the curse of a red head. "How is your case coming?"

"No shop talk, Walter." Sharon said, steering him away. "I believe we are interrupting a *date*. You mustn't frighten your agents like that..."

He allowed her to lead him away. Behind them, Dana and Dancer looked at each other and burst into subdued laughter.

"What was *that*?!" Dana demanded. "Now he thinks I'm dating *you*!"

"What better way to take suspicion off you and Fox?" he threw back. "Maybe now the tongues will have something else to wag about."

"Fox?" she questioned with a look, but he ignored it. "That's not such a bad idea." she said, picking up her wine glass and sipping with a smile.

"And he'll hate it." Dancer smiled back.

"So this is a date?"

"I'll even take you dancing." he promised, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Be still my heart." suddenly life seemed better.

 They got in very late, Dana tipsy and giggling, Dancer trying to keep her on her feet and finally giving up and carrying her up the stairs, then juggling her as he tried to get the key in the lock.

But the door was opened from inside and Mulder, in shirtsleeves and stocking feet, stared at them, stunned.

"Here." Dancer said shortly, heaving Dana at him -- Mulder caught her by reflex -- "I think this is yours."

Dana snuggled into his chest with a smile, her hands playing with his shirt buttons while Mulder looked from her to Dancer and back again.

"What'd you do to her?" he asked harshly.

"Not anything you're gonna." Dancer grinned wickedly. "We went to dinner, she drank wine. We went dancing, she drank wine. We stopped for cheesecake, *she drank wine*." he was entirely amused by the situation. "I'd say she was getting ready for you."

Feeling the air on his chest as she undid his buttons Mulder shifted her to one arm and caught her hands with one of his.

"Mulder..." she said in that low voice he loved.

"Scully." his tone was scolding.

"I'm going to be out for a while." Dancer said. "That cheesecake is *killing* my stomach." he slipped off his boots and jacket, peeling the silk shirt off in front of them, revealing a heavily muscled and furred torso, but Dana didn't even look up from Mulder's buttons. Grabbing a T-shirt, he stopped at the door and smiled back at them.

"Lactose intolerant?" Mulder asked stupidly.

"*Sweets* intolerant." Dancer replied as he went out the door. "She's stubborn."

"I knew that." Mulder said, looking down at the woman in his arms. She'd given up on the other buttons and was contenting herself with nuzzling the flesh she could reach, her tongue searching for his nipples blindly.

"Scully." he turned to carry her into the bedroom. "*Dana*."

She looked up at him and smiled like the sun.

"Mulder." she said it like what-the-heck's-wrong?

He lay her on the bed and took a step back, unsure.

"Mulder...?" she was sliding the short sleeves of her soft dress down, pulling out one arm and then the other, holding the top to her body while he watched and she watched him watch. "Come to bed."

"Dana." he said it like a plea. "No...not like this."

She sat up, still holding her dress, reaching a hand to him.

"I know what I'm doing." she said softly and he *did* see sanity in her shining eyes. "I just wanted to have some fun tonight. And now I want to have *more* fun...with you." she dropped the top of the dress, allowing it to fall around her waist, revealing a scrap of white satin and lace with her pale skin straining against it.

With a soft groan Mulder lay on the bed, pushing her down beside him, pulling her close and fitting her to him, his mouth on hers, his hands behind her to unfasten the bra and let her flesh spill out.

"Dana..." he groaned. "I've been here hours, thinking about this..."

"I'm sorry I took so long to get home." she muttered as they broke for air, his hands on her breasts making it hard to think.

"As long as you're here now." he covered her mouth with his own again, shrugging out of his shirt, wanting her breasts touching him, wanting her hands on him. "Dana..." his whisper was hot in her ear. "*Touch* me, please, I'm dying here..."

Hearing the need in his voice she lowered her hands to his crotch and fumbled with the zip while he kissed her urgently, and he stiffened and groaned into her mouth as her hands closed around him. She smiled against his mouth, no doubt about the effect she had on him.

"Mmmmm." she sighed as he lowered his head to other areas, licking and kissing his way down her neck. "*Mulder*."

"I love you too." his whisper from her chest started a new fire in her belly and she shivered as his mouth closed over a nipple, the heat of it making the room seem freezing. His hands were pushing the dress further down, past her slim hips, catching her panties, and over her legs as she twisted, to assist, enjoying the movement. Then he pulled himself from her hands to roll off the bed and shed his pants, boxers, and socks before rolling her over and sliding on top of her, resting against her for a minute, both of them marking the minute before they became one again. He lowered his head to kiss her, one hand in her hair, the other below her waist, testing, teasing, and he suddenly stopped, pulled his hand away.

"What?"

"I was thinking." he suddenly looked worried. The only light in the room was from the hall and it barely illuminated half his face, leaving half in shadow and making him look...spooky. "We haven't been doing this the way we should."

"*What* are you talking about?" she reached for him and he caught her hands again, holding them above her head.

"I've never been a choirboy, Scully." he said softly. "I know you're on the pill, but I still worry. But I get all the tests regularly and I can tell you I'm clean."

"Mulder." she sighed. "I knew that. I've seen your records."

"But we haven't been safe." he said softly.

"We're as safe as we're gonna get." she said, arching against him. He dropped one hand to her hip, hers still trapped in the other. "You're really killing the mood here, Mulder."

"Had to offer." he said with a killer smile. "Being a sensitive nineties kinda guy."

"Well, quit it and be yourself." she said, and he chuckled before lowering himself between her legs again, moving his hands to hold hers at her sides.

"Is this okay?" he asked, looking into her eyes as he held them there and slowly lunged against her, pressing into her. She met his stare with a sigh and a parted mouth that urged him to kiss her.

"Anything *you* do is okay." she gasped as he lunged suddenly, filling her, his weight settling on her inside and out. "Oh, God, Mulder!"

"What?" he whispered against her lips. "Tell me how it feels. Tell me how *I* make you feel..." he rotated slowly against her, making her squirm. "I want to hear you, Dana."

"What do you want to hear?" she kissed him, her hands curling in his grip, aching to be in his hair, to hold him and stroke him, but he held them fast, controlling his motion, controlling himself. "How much I love your mouth? Or your hands..." they splayed over hers, lacing his fingers with hers as he lunged again, slowly, deeply, holding himself there as she moaned and sighed.

"yes..." he withdrew and did it again, her low soft sound running down his spine, bathing in the light of her eyes as she looked at him, wanting him, *welcoming* him.

"Mulder..." she whispered, arching and beginning to move against him. "You feel like a part of me I was missing...like you're the only thing that belongs..."

"Dana." he said, moving with her, picking up the rhythm, feeling her tighten around him. "*Dana*."

He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, sitting up, pulling her with him so she was sitting in his lap, buried deep inside her, feeling her pressed against him as she gasped for breath, her body hot and slick on him. She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers as he slid his arms up her back, cupping his hands over her shoulders and moving her with him. He buried his head in her neck where it met her shoulder and moaned loudly, deeply, the sound reverberating in her bones as he moved faster, words spilling out as he took her hungrily.

"oh, Scully, oh, Scully, oh, Scully..." he said as most men say Oh, God, and his voice was enough to send her off that edge she'd been standing on, to fall into the abyss, taking him with her as he stifled a scream by biting down on her shoulder his arms bands of iron holding her to him, shaking with intensity, trying to crawl *into* her, become a part of her, *meld* with her...

Dana shivered as the last surge of feeling died and he continued to hold her so tightly, his mouth open on her shoulder, his arms still so tight she had to fight for breath...but she wasn't going to ask him to let go, not if she passed out from the lack, because she was too close to him, knew him too well, their souls beating in time with their synchronized hearts and laboring lungs.

He didn't let go of her, simply fell over with her still in his arms, the two of them entwined on her bed, still a part of each other, still shaking in the aftermath.

At last he raised his head. She met his eyes with a soft smile and saw the tears shining in them and kissed them away as he whispered.

"I never knew I could love anyone like this." he kissed her softly. "Be so close to anyone."

Her answer was a smile and another soft kiss as he loosened his arms and she could breathe deeply again. Feeling soreness in her ribs, she hoped she wasn't bruised. Not because it would hurt, but because he would be upset about it.

"Neither did I." she answered. "I dreamed...."

"I had no dreams before you loved me, Dana." his whisper ached. "Only nightmares."

"You've made my dreams come true, Mulder." she sighed as he kissed her again, tongues playing erotic games between them.

"All of them?" his question was quiet and serious.

She met his eyes, his still bright and soft.

"There's time for the rest." she pressed herself close to him again.

"Time *tonight*?" his change of tone warned her before he rolled onto his back, her on top of him, pushing her up to straddle him on her knees, his hands spread on her hips, fingers almost touching above the curly red hair. He moved his hands, urging her to rock against him.

"You feel so good." she could feel that he wasn't ready to start again, but he moved with her, groaning softly as he whispered, his words loud in the silent room. "I love looking at you...knowing I can touch you..." he raised his hands to cup her breasts, making her quiver and blush faintly as he stared at her, admiring her. "So perfect..." he leaned up to take one in his mouth.

With a sound from the back of her throat Dana twisted on him, her hands going behind her to stroke him and lean back on his thighs as his hands traveled lower, down her stomach, hands back on her hips, thumbs sliding to where they joined, looking at her intently, watching her as he touched the nerves that made her gasp and squirm.

"I want to do that to you..." he smiled, looking more relaxed than she'd ever seen him.

"Every night?" she gasped, heat building between her legs. To distract herself she moved her hands up, cupping his sac, playing with it, feeling him harden in her, heard the sound he made when she rolled him in her fingers just so..."Anytime, love." she said softly as he moved, shuddering, beneath her. She leaned to put her arms on his shoulders, watching him as he threw his head back and closed his eyes. His hands on her hips encouraged the pace.

"Scully...!" he gasped. "Come with me..." it was a plea.

"Not this time." she leaned to whisper into his ear, sitting back up to watch him again. "This is for you."

Knowing what she wanted he opened his eyes and locked them with hers, baring his soul to her, showing her all that he was and all she meant to him as he bit his lip and stiffened, his hands clenching on her hips, stilling her movement abruptly, thrusting deep and shuddering suddenly, violently.

It was minutes before his eyes cleared and sanity returned, without a trace of embarrassment. Seeing her looking at him he reached to pull her down to his side, their legs still wrapped together, holding her gently, closely, his long fingers tracing abstract patterns on her heated skin.

She lay on him, her head on his shoulder, shivering occasionally as he teased her skin, sighing into his neck, her own hands resting on his chest. Still aroused, she moaned softly when his fingers trailed through her curly hair and he sighed into her hair.

"There..."he whispered, repeating the caress softly, feeling her shiver and his own tired response. "You like that..."

"Yes..." she couldn't find any more words as he did it again, the movement deliberate, sensuous, and he started to rub and caress her purposefully, feeling her straining against his hand, feeling new heat as she opened to him.

"There...let me feel you...Scully..." he whispered as she arched into his hand and closed her eyes, her breathing fast and heavy, breasts flushed. "Give yourself to me."

"Mulder..." she groaned. "*Mulder...*"

"Yes...." her world narrowed to his whisper and his hand and then she felt the exquisite agony of release, clinging to him and whimpering as she shuddered, his arms holding her close and safe.

"Good." he kissed her head. "You're so beautiful, Scully." He wrapped her snugly in his arms and folded the blanket over them, not wanting to move. "I love you so much...far too much to be safe."

His words and the fear inherent in them penetrated her fogged brain and she responded sleepily.

"We can handle it." she whispered, kissing his chest. "We're strong."

"I'm not as strong as you are." he answered, watching her eyes close and feeling sleep sneaking up.

"...love you always, Mulder..." her sleepy words faded as she drifted off.

He hugged her close, the tears she'd seen earlier spilling out to run silently down his face into her hair.

"I can't live without you." he whispered, crying silently until he slept.

Creeping in after three Dancer went down the hall, wanting to use the bathroom. He'd run for so long tonight, but not gone, unwilling to mark territory he wasn't claiming. He saw them, together in her bed, wrapped around each other, Scully half across Mulder and Mulder's arms tight around her even in sleep. The room smelled richly of love and lovemaking, making his stomach turn over with desire that he ruthlessly squashed.

He made it to the bathroom, but Dana's eyes were open when he came out, which surprised him. He figured Mulder would be the one to wake, his paranoia pervading his sleep.

She looked at him, obviously aware that she wasn't fully covered, and smiled faintly. He stepped closer.

"Cold?" his whisper floated in the room. She nodded gratefully.

He went to the hall closet, where she had shown him the blankets -- laughing because she knew he wouldn't use them -- and pulled out a light quilt.

Coming back into the bedroom he saw that her eyes were closed, but she opened them briefly as he gently covered them both and smiled at him, mouthing a 'thank you'.

He grinned a response and left them where they belonged.

 Part#4 ------ Hang Time

This was the twenty-ninth abandoned church they had searched. Dancer and Scully had greeted Mulder's new theory with skepticism that afternoon, and now they were downright amused by it.

"Last one, Mulder." Scully said as they approached the boarded-up doors. The building was good-sized, surrounded by a miraculously intact high wooden fence covered with graffiti. "I want to get home at a decent hour tonight.

"Why?" he said, a flash of interest in his eyes that was quickly smothered by his frustration with the case.

His only answer was a smile as Dancer joined them, he and Mulder both reaching for the doors. Dancer slid his square fingers under the edge of one and pulled it off with a ripping sound as Mulder watched, still a little stunned though he'd seen Dancer's strength many times this day.

There was no glass in the door. Dancer laced his hands together and leaned down for Scully.

"After you." he said as she stepped up and in, her bright light cutting through the darkness. "You know, we might not find this guy. He may have moved on." Dancer shrugged gracefully. "I may just have to wait for another lead."

"Do you know something you're not telling us?" Mulder was asking seriously beneath his sarcasm. "Some other unexplained instinct you're using?"

"In cases like this your instincts are better than mine." Dancer said, pulling himself through the window and disappearing. Mulder heard Scully moving around in there and hurried to follow.

They covered the church quickly. It was getting dark out, and Dancer seemed distracted, unlike his usual calm self. Mulder watched him, wondering if the time was right for a little test.

Going up the stairs to the balcony where choirs once sang, he leaned over the rail, his light picking up debris on the floor.

Dancer and Scully were on the other end, checking the alcoves on either side of the raised stage.

"How long until the full moon?" he asked the air in front of him.

Dancer appeared suddenly in the doorway, without the flashlight Mulder was beginning to believe he didn't need, looking at him from across the distance. His eyes, normally a dark brown that was almost black, seemed to be glowing lighter as Mulder raised his light to illuminate his face.

If he didn't know better he'd say Dancer was looking...unnerved.

"Not nice, Mulder!" Dancer yelled across the room. "Dirty pool!"

Smiling suddenly Mulder went down the stairs.

Dancer met him at the bottom, studying him with eyes again dark.

"Tomorrow." he said flatly. "The moon is tomorrow."

Mulder noted how he said 'the moon', not the 'full moon', but let it pass.

"Did you get into the rectory?" he asked, dumping the subject for later thought.

"Not yet. Scully and I don't have your prowess at picking locks." Dancer said, relaxing as soon as Mulder didn't pursue the subject.

"Then I'd better get it." Mulder went past him.   



He got the lock in ten minutes. Cracking the door, he peeked and then looked back at the other two.

"I think we just got lucky." he whispered. "A light behind the door on the left."

They both nodded and pulled their weapons from behind themselves as Mulder slid his out of the shoulder holster he preferred. With a quick look to confirm that they were with him he stepped back and kicked the door, going straight for the half- open door across the hall, Scully going to his right and Dancer to his left, flanking him as he went through the other door and then following him.

Mulder stopped. There was nobody in the room, but a window banged in the sudden wind outside.

"Damn!" he yelled, almost running over Dancer as they all turned to rush out, Mulder's long legs in the lead.

Outside Mulder and Scully went left while Dancer went right, circling the building carefully. Their suspect wasn't a young man, they didn't think he could have beaten them to the front or scaled the fence.

Straining his senses as he slid around the corner into an angle where the rectory joined the church, Dancer still missed the footsteps behind him until he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking.

"There you are, demon." the voice was friendly, even. Normal. And behind him in the shadow.

Dancer turned, raising his hands to shoulder level, gun dangling from his fingers.

"Drop it."

Dancer did, the soft thump it made in the dirt running through him. He shivered once.

"You recognize me." he stepped from the shadows and Dancer got his first real look at him. "And I know what you are.

Not much to see. An old man, greying bald head, an old wool suit.

Holding a large gun and a cross.

Hoping to stall him until Mulder and Scully arrived, Dancer spoke as if addressing an equal.

"That won't hurt me, you know."

The man wiggled the cross and then tucked it into a coat pocket.

"Not for your kind." he agreed. "But what's in this *will*." he waved the gun. Dancer prepared to rush him, but hesitated, If he knew what he was doing he probably had...

His thoughts were interrupted as movement exploded behind him.

Mulder and Scully had arrived.

"Drop it!" Scully shouted, training her gun on him. Mulder flanked her, his gun pointed at the hunter's head.

"Do you think you can kill me before I kill him?" he looked at them. "I do not want to shoot the two of you. You do the same work as I."

"We are *nothing* like you." Scully grated out. "Drop it or I'll shoot."

Mulder tried a different tack.

"He works with us. He's one of us. Why are you going to shoot *him*?"

"He's one of *them*." the man grimaced. "The unclean. God has appointed me to clear them from the face of his earth."

"If we are what you think we are then God made us as well." Dancer said slowly. "Why would he want you to kill us?"

Scully felt like there was another conversation hidden in the one she was hearing.

"God makes mistakes." the hunter replied.

"And he's asked you to clean them up? Give me a break." Mulder said suddenly and Scully frowned. *Mulder* was in on this conversation, too?

"You know how hard we are to kill." Dancer said quietly. "Go ahead. *Shoot*."

"You don't think I will?" he smiled, calm and happy. "I will. They may kill me, but I go to my reward. You will go to hell, to join your female and the whelp she carried."

In the fading light Mulder couldn't be sure, but he thought Dancer's face paled suddenly.

"You didn't know. She didn't have time to tell you. *Good*." the hunter smiled, nasty this time. "It would have been so much harder to kill her if you had been there to protect her."

"I know which of us is going to hell." Dancer said softly, all the life gone out of his voice.

"That's enough!" Scully shouted, confused but determined to end this. "On the count of three - you throw down your gun or we shoot!"

She caught Dancer's eyes, suddenly realizing how yellow they looked in this light...

"One. Two. - "

A shot rang out and Dancer went down, holding his stomach with both hands. Mulder and Scully's guns rand out together and the hunter went down without a sound.

Scully rushed to Dancer, ripping open his shirt.

"Mulder, the light!" she shouted. "Call 9-1-1!"

Mulder shined the light on the hole in Dancer's middle. Shiny loops of intestine were visible, Scully trying to hold them back with her hands. "Call, Mulder! He's still got a chance!"

"*no, Dana...*" Mulder heard dancer's voice, weak and distant. "No hospital. *I need to...* -" he gasped for air and Mulder dropped to his knees beside Scully, taking her hands from his wound, pulling when she resisted.

"You need to run." he said quietly, understanding, not letting his mind process what he was saying, what it *meant*. "Let him go, Scully."

"Mulder, no..." she said, just as she had that night when he'd put the gun to his own head.

"Dana." his voice, soft and full of love, caught her. He never spoke to her like that outside the bedroom. "Let him go. Don't ask why. Just...trust me."

Without another word she stood and stepped away while Mulder helped Dancer struggle to his feet. He was bleeding copiously.

"You're going to bleed to death." she told him urgently. "You need medical care...if you won't go to the hospital, let *me* treat you!" she was almost begging.

Unsteady, wavering on his feet, Dancer shook his head vehemently and almost fell over. He raised his eyes to hers and smiled, a ghastly _expression in his dirty, bloodless face.

"I'll see you soon, Dana." he said, so softly the words just brushed over her ears.

Then he turned, staggering, and managed to turn the corner of the rectory, out of their sight. Dana tried to follow, but Mulder grabbed her and held her in a tight embrace.

"Mulder! Let me go! He's delirious..." she trailed off as she pulled away and saw the _expression on Mulder's face. He was goofy, giddy, as excited as a child in Disneyland. "Mulder...what the hell is going on here?"

"I truly don't know, Scully." he said, still smiling that dumb smile. "But I think we've had a *very* close encounter."

"What?!" she didn't resist as he lead her to the car. "What the hell do you think he *is*, Mulder?"        

He got in and started the engine, then glanced in the rearview mirror, sure he saw a passing shadow behind them.

"I told you, Scully, I *don't* know. You have as much information as I do. You figure it out."

She pouted and pleaded, begged and demanded, but he wouldn't give her a scrap of information on Dancer.

But he made up for it when he got her back to his place.

They even slept in the bed.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Midget: "You'd be surprised how many women find my size alluring and attractive." Mulder: "You'd be surprised how many men do as well."
 

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