TITLE: Limited Edition AUTHOR: Fiona E-MAIL: nurseowens@clara.co.uk Visit Fi's Place: www.geocities.com/puritycontroller DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere as long as my name is attached, but I would like to know where so that I can visit. SPOILER WARNING: Existence RATING: PG-13 CLASSIFICATION: V,H KEYWORDS: MSR SUMMARY: Scully learns to adjust and accept. Limited Edition My feet hurt. The result of too many cadavers and only one coffee break. Several mortuary technicians are on sick leave, leaving me with two suicides, three homicides and one nasty accidental death involving a carving knife. I need a vacation. And food - did I even eat lunch today? I'm so tired I honestly can't remember. The front door swings open and carnage greets me. Mulder is home. There are a pair of Nikes on the coffee table, a dirty dish is balanced precariously on top of the television, cushions, socks and baby clothes are scattered across the room.. and on closer inspection, I spot sticky newspaper, glue and gummy paintbrushes. Oh God. Picking my way through the mess I hear splashing noises from the bathroom followed by a soft chuckle and incessant chattering. He must be giving Will his bath.. I just hope he hasn't got the finger paints in there this time. Mulder seems to think that any activity involving water is a good excuse to get as grubby as possible in the process. But then that's what I love about him. He's carefree and reckless when it comes to having fun - something I've never been very good at. Last Sunday we took Will to the park which meant spending at least an hour in the sand pit making a mess. He was laughing happily at Mulder who was up to his armpits digging a tunnel 'to the basement', when I happened to look down at my own hands, clean and dirt-free, tapping a small spade carefully onto an upturned bucket. Dana Scully was not a team player. It was Mulder who rolled up my sleeves and guided my fingers into the soft sand, and Mulder who threw me down into the pit and kissed me noisily while Will screeched with delight and threw sand into my hair. It was one of the happiest afternoons I've had in years. Crossing the living room I kick off my shoes and notice something stuck to the bottom of the left heel. Looks like more soggy newspaper. Oh well. I shed most of my clothes in the bedroom and wander into the nursery in my underwear. Will is in his crib asleep, his tiny hands flailing intermittently as he dreams. One kiss to his forehead and he settles once more with a shuddering sigh. He smells of baby lotion and his little fingernails are scrupulously clean, so I've obviously missed bath time. There's more splashing from the bathroom followed by a loud shout of "Direct hit!.. take *that* you dirty rat!" Okay, if it's the finger paints I'll forgive him, but if he's got his hands on my expensive bath oils he's a dead man. I creep quietly to the bathroom door avoiding two puddles of glue, one feeding cup and a pair of silk boxers and I'm just about ready to give him hell when I catch sight of him. My anger suddenly evaporates and my eyes prickle with tears. Mulder is sitting naked in approximately five inches of clear bath water, totally engrossed in a game of battleship with two yellow plastic ducks, one bright red tug boat and a sponge shaped like a dolphin. His long fingers manoeuvre the boat beneath his bent knee as he gives a running commentary.. "Coast is clear Captain Scully, but mission control reports sightings of alien duckery on the horizon, so you may have to call in reinforcements." I have to bite my lip or I'm going to laugh. The ducks bob about in the water as he makes waves with his foot. "Aye Captain, we're sending in Mulder the Fearless..he'll be riding the whale on your port side." Up and down goes the sponge followed by a "Whoop! Whoop!" and a yellow duck sails past me, bouncing off the towel rail. "Good show old chap! That will teach those yellow beaks not to mess with ol' Spooky!" The sponge makes it's way around the boat in a lap of victory. "Come in Mission Control! This is Spooky Mulder requesting clearance for docking with Captain Scully - honeymoon suite requested and a bottle of.." He licks his lips and slowly turns his head towards the door. "Scully? Is it six already? I .. I was just.." he gestures to the bath toys and smiles sheepishly, reaching out to tug on the waistband of my panties. "Actually it's after seven." "Bad day?" "Horrible. Fill the tub Mulder, I need to relax for a while." After a few minutes he leaves me to wallow in peace and I let out a long sigh as the fragrant bubbles surround me. I close my eyes. God I needed this. He's clattering about in the kitchen and it's surprisingly comforting. Maybe if I don't bitch about the mess he'll make dinner...and clean up afterwards. "Scully?" his voice is whisper soft in my ear and I realise that I must have been drifted off. There are candles flickering and he's standing by the tub, still naked. Mood lighting does spectacular things to the golden hue of his skin and I suddenly feel aroused despite my fatigue. "Move over" he mutters, padding back into the kitchen and reappearing with a small table which he places next to me. He *has* made dinner. Pieces of cold chicken, slices of buttered crusty bread, pickles, cheese, salad, strawberries, chocolate and a bottle of wine lay before me, and for moment all I can do is stare. He puts his hands on my shoulders and kneads my tired muscles. "I fixed the living room" he murmurs, "sorry, I didn't want you to come home and see that, it's just that Will and I were busy making a..." With one hand I turn and pull his face down to mine and shut him up with a sloppy kiss. "Get in here you idiot." I have to scoot forward to allow him to settle behind me, and as I'm trying to get comfortable something incredibly sharp digs into my rear end. "Ow! Shit! Mulder what the hell..?!" Fishing about between my legs I eventually locate the offending object and pull it out of the water. It's a bright green spaceship moulded in plastic. Incredibly tacky. His mouth assaults my earlobe and he lets out a huff, snatching it back. "Scully, you sat on Mission Control!" Twisting to face him I give him the lift of one eyebrow. "Where did..?" His lips form an award-winning pout. "Cereal packet. Five colours to collect, and so far I've got two green, five silver and three cards saying 'better luck next time'. I'm holding out for the gold mothership." It takes me a while and I have to take a couple of deep breaths, but eventually I get there.. "Are you telling me that I have TEN boxes of cereal in my kitchen?" When he starts shifting and diverting his eyes I know it's a lot worse than that. "Mulder?" "Um.. I'd say around eighteen." My mouth drops open and he takes advantage of the moment by shoving a strawberry into it. "And there's half a dozen in the car," he adds quickly, patting me gently on the back as I choke. "It's a limited edition Scully, with Marvin the Martian in the cockpit!" All I can do is roll my eyes and shake my head, leaning back against his chest. I can feel him nuzzling my neck and I know he's smiling. "It's got a flashing light too.." he whispers, "a whole three inches of 3D entertainment especially made in China for people who like cereal." A large snort of laughter escapes me and I reach out to wrap his arms around me. I am totally in love with this man. We have a beautifully clean, peaceful baby asleep in the nursery, enough cereal to feed a small country, and I am being fed by my wonderfully sexy, infuriating lover while in a relaxing bubble bath. What could be better? Well I know there's something curious involving newspaper and glue that I have yet to face, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, all I want to do is enjoy the warmth of his skin against mine and the small tokens of affection he bestows upon me. We share the food, feeding each other with our fingers between kisses, and then he initiates the revival of my body with his skilled hands, touching me reverently, creating intricate patterns on my skin. "Love you Scully.." he sighs into my hair. The candle he placed on the closed toilet lid fizzles out with a loud popping and hissing, making us both jump. In the dim light I squint and peer into the corner of the room. "Mulder? ..is there a papier mache alien stuck to the window sill?!" End. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~