Touchy

Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com 
Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
Rating: G
Category: UST
Spoilers: Beyond the Sea, Tunguska, Bad Blood, Folie A Deux, FTF, Triangle, Rain King, One Son, Milagro, Millenium and the episode where the basement caught fire (can't remember where it's from).
Disclaimer: Here I go again... Mulder and Scully belong to Fox.
Summary: Is it just me, or does Mulder look a little stiff whenever Scully touches him?

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Touchy 

Scully sighed and flipped the pages of the X-file in her hands impatiently. Her partner pretended not to notice, diligently reading an old Time magazine he picked up before leaving their office. She sighed again. "This is a total waste of time."

"Hmmm..." He agreed unenthusiastically.

"Mulder, did you hear what I said?"

"Did you know that the longest single word for a USA city name has 15 letters. There are actually seven and three of them belong to the state of Pennsylvania."

"We've been waiting her for nearly an hour."

"Connoquenessing, Montgomeryville, Trumbauersville and Washingtonville, all in Pennsylvania. Then we have Correctionville in Iowa, Carpentersville in Illinois and finally Charlottesville in Virginia."

She glared at him. "Mulder, you're getting on my nerves."

He looked up briefly. "Unlike you Scully, I'm trying to pass this meaningless day as pleasantly as possible. I told you to bring something to read, didn't I?"

"I did. I just didn't expect to be kept waiting this long."

"And you're surprised?" He shrugged. "They always make you wait."

She groaned and in frustration, accused him. "You know we wouldn't be here if you hadn't gone all Bram Stoker with a stake."

He was incredulous. "That was ages ago! And you think we're here because of anything like that? Come on..."

"What do you mean?" She demanded to know.

"It's same old story, they're fishing for a reason to shut us down."

Giving him an unimpressed look, she suggested. "And they're going for proving your insanity? Because I thought they covered that base a long time ago."

He replied with a nasty look. "No, they're going for inappropriate work conduct."

"Inappropriate what?"

Biting his inner lip for a moment, he moved to pull an envelope out of his pocket and held it to her without looking up from his magazine. "Accounts called me in yesterday and gave me this. Apparently the Kroner hotel manager is in the habit of leaving vouchers with the receipt."

She took the article from him and her eyes gradually widened as she read. "Dear Mr. Mulder and Miss. Scully, to express how deeply sorry we are about the cow that landed on your bed, attached is a discount coupon for a weekend special in our honeymoon..." She could not go on any longer and turned to Mulder with a horrified look on her face. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Because I knew you would overreact like you are now."

"No. You didn't tell me because it was your turn to do the expense claim and you didn't open this stupid envelope before sending it in, did you?"

The former grimaced slightly before shrugging. "Okay, maybe that too." 

"I can't believe it. That claim was sent in a year ago. They only process it now?"

"Well our division is not exactly a top priority division. If compared to the scale of evolution, we're probably right down there with the salmonella bacteria." She raised an eyebrow at him and he lifted his informative magazine. "The salmonella bacteria, used for testing cancer treatment drugs. First introduced by Dr..."

"Oh shut up, Mulder." Scully groaned loudly as she balled up the note in her hand and tossed it expertly into the bin across the waiting room. 

He waited a moment for her to cool down and then sighed. "So now you believe me, that this has nothing to do with Ronnie?"

"No." She denied, although less confidently. "There've been rumours about us for years now Mulder. Don't you think if they wanted to, they would have used that excuse a long time ago? Anyway besides this stupid letter, we've done nothing else to incriminate ourselves."

"I'm not really sure about that Scully. I mean sometimes you can pretty obvious."

"What?"

"Remember when we were waiting to see Skinner? When you straightened my tie in front of Kim? That was kinda suspicious."

She was incredulous. "Mulder, it was just a tie!"

"After Tunguska? Rushing into my arms after the senate hearing?"

"I can't believe this. You're using that against me? That was what? Three years ago?" 

"Okay, how about holding me tightly in front of a roomful of fire fighters and agents in the basement after the fire was put out?" He shot back in a mock serious tone. "I'm telling you Scully, someone was just bound to notice that you can't keep your hands off me." A dangerous scowl warned him he was on very thin ice but he was enjoying himself too much and grinned widely. 

"Mulder, if we are indeed here for inappropriate work conduct, you're a lot to blame for it too."

"Me?" His grin vanished. "What did I do?"

"Well for one thing you practically smoother me when we walk around the building."

"I do not!" 

"You do too." She shot back mercilessly. "The way you over-protectively lead me in and out rooms with the small of my back? Well honestly, sometimes I feel like cattle."

He rolled his eyes. "You are no cow Scully. And it's called gallantry, I do it all the time. I led Mrs. Thomas of administration into the elevator this morning with my arm about her too. You saw me, you were there."

"Only because she nearly slipped on the wet floor and was still shaken. Besides, she's old enough to be your mother."

"So now you're saying I have a fetish of herding you and old ladies into rooms?" He shook his head and muttered with a snort. "Chivalry's only dead because women killed it."

Not about to give in, she argued her point. "You're overly protective when it comes to me and people notice."

"You're my partner. I'm just looking out for you." He sputtered out defensively.

"By barging into their homes like to did with Padgett? I could have handled him just fine without you, Mulder."

"Could you really?" His eyes flickered uncertainly.

She sighed, wishing she didn't bring the psycho up in the first place. The disturbed writer was one mistake she hoped to forget. She quickly changed tactics and turned to other ammunition. "You touch me too, you know."

Her partner shook his head confidently. "Not as often as you do."

She knew he was right, well somewhat right. They were always alone when he did touch her. Her mind flashed back to one of her first memories. It was the day after her father died, Mulder surprised her thoroughly when he gently held her cheek, telling her how sorry he was.

Not getting a response from his very thoughtful partner, Mulder grinned. "You see? I'm right."

She shook herself out of her reverie and impulsively shot back. "How about New Year's Eve?"

The smirk vanished. But two seconds later, Mulder recovered with a nonchalant shrug. "Fine. But you kissed me back."

She bit her lip and lied. "I was being polite." 

"Oh is that what you were being?" He leered.

Rolling her eyes, she gave up. It suddenly seemed ridiculous that they were arguing about who touched who more. She opened her X-file and mumbled to her partner. "This is pointless, Mulder. Let's just drop it. Damn it, I wish the woman would hurry the hell up and put us out of our misery."

A quiet minute passed as both agents pretended to read the articles on their laps. But it wasn't long before Mulder extended an olive branch as a peace offering. "I suppose you were just brought up that way."

His partner blinked twice and warned. "I hope you're still not talking about cows."

"Nooo." Exasperated, he nearly groaned. "I meant all the touching. It's a Scully thing. The way your Mom grabs me every time we meet..." He trailed off with a sigh.

A trace of amusement could be heard in her voice when she informed him helpfully. "It's called a hug, Mulder."

"I know what it is." He growled. "And maybe that's why you're so **touchy**. You just can't help it. My family on the other hand... Well let's just say hugging wasn't really what I was brought up on."

She remained silent for a while, allowing the melancholy moment to pass. Then knowing exactly how bring him out of his sad thoughts, she softly teased. "Maybe you're right Mulder. And it would explain why you turn into a wooden pole each time I touch you."

It worked for he was totally taken aback. "I what?" 

"Face it Mulder." She shrugged. "Every time I touch you, you physically freeze up and behave so awkwardly weird, I sometimes wish I could thump you." 

"I do not freeze up!" He quickly defended himself, his ears growing red. "For your information, I am **perfectly** comfortable with your touch." 

She resisted a smile and diligently kept her eyes on her document. "Sure you are." 

Mulder opened his mouth to say more but no words came out. Clearly agitated, he suddenly stood up and declared. "All right, this is taking long enough." Rising from his seat, he moved towards the secretary's desk. "I'll go see what's holding this nightmare up."

"Oh Mulder?" His partner called after him. "Do try not to drive a stake into anyone's heart while you at it." As a reply, he turned around briefly to scowl at her. 

'A wooden pole? I do not turn into a wooden pole!' Mulder fumed silently as he made his way to the receptionist. "Excuse me, could you please tell Dr. Lisa Matthews that we're ready for her."

The woman behind the desk looked up from her glasses and told him. "She knows, Agent Mulder. Please have a seat. She'll be right with you."

"You said that an hour ago!"

"I'm really sorry. I've got more magazines at the back, I could.."

Mulder sighed and waved her offer away. "No no. It's all right." 

Then turning to face the waiting area, he paused for a moment to watch his oblivious partner across the room. His thoughts soon drifted back to her words and he winced slightly. "Wooden pole..." He growled to himself and wondered, did he really? Perhaps. But why?

As he pondered, the real reason soon came to him. It was because he liked her touch too much. Any physical contact with her actually. And as he got his daily dosage through two layers of cloth at the small of her back, he desperately tried hard not to want more. So he froze up. He had to. He had to control the fifty six thousand neuron impulses that go berserk at her touch. He had to rein them firmly from doing what they really want, that is to touch her in return, and in places that could get them arrested if in public.

Meanwhile, Scully wasn't actually paying attention to her reading. 'It was simply ridiculous.' She reflected. The thought of them being evaluated for the possibility of being more than partners was just laughable. 'Mulder's just being paranoid as usual.' She'd bet her life that the only reason they were here was because of Ronnie, the gnawing vampire. 'Or it could be the Praying Mantis case? Or perhaps running off to Antarctica alone? And who could forget the Bermuda Triangle? Then the brain surgery he had?' She snorted and shook her head, muttering. "So many reasons for insanity. It's a wonder that we took this long to get here."

"Hey Scully, we're up." Her partner called out and motioned towards the open door. She got to her feet and caught up with him. Together they strode into the psychiatrist's room. Scully frowned when she noticed that her partner carefully kept a step away from her.

"Agent Mulder. Agent Scully." Dr. Lisa Matthews greeted them with a smile. "So sorry to keep you waiting. I had an important call from Accounts about... uh something." 

Mulder shot Scully a look but she tried her best to ignore him. 

Lisa raised an eyebrow slightly as if she noticed the silent repartee. "Well, shall we begin?"

"Yes. Please let's just get this over and done with." Scully sighed.

"Okay Agent Mulder, there are a couple of questions on the table in the next room. You're a psychologist so it shouldn't be new to you. Take your time while I have a chat with Agent Scully for a couple of minutes."

"All right." Mulder reluctantly agreed and shuffled into the adjoining room, closing the door behind him.

"Agent Scully, have a seat." Lisa motioned her to a comfortable chair nearby. 

"Thanks." Scully mumbled and tried to make herself as comfy as she could.

"So tell me a little about your family."

"My family?" Scully repeated absentmindedly, a little surprised that she was actually feeling nervous. "Oh okay. Well we were... " She abruptly trailed off when the shrink began writing furiously on her pad. 

Lisa noticed the sudden silence and looked up from her notes. "Yes?"

Shaking her head slightly, Scully tried again. "I'm sorry. I was going to say that..." Again, she found could not voice out the sentence she wanted to say. For some reason she could not shake off the suspicion that Mulder had maliciously implanted. 'What if Mulder was right? What if they were going for the only reason left they could think of?' She thought. What if the lady shrink before her stamps a 'Lovers' brand on them and Skinner is left with no choice but to assign them to separate divisions?

"Agent Scully?"

Scully snapped her head up and smiled sheepishly, apologizing. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry I... I just drifted off for a moment." 

"You were about to tell me about your family." Lisa reminded.

"Yes, my family." The redheaded agent sighed, caving in to the sad fact that she had once again allowed Mulder to get to her. And thus she began spontaneously. "I was brought up in a very **touchy** family."

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End of Touchy 

Yes I was bored. Thanks for reading it though. And if you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear from you..
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com