Touchy IV (Day 1)

Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com 
Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx
Rating: G
Category: UST
Prequels: Touchy from https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Touchy.html, Touchy II from https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/TouchyII.html and Touchy III from https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/TouchyIII.html
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to Fox.
Author's note: I would like to apologize in advance for any geographical inaccuracies. 

XXXXXXXXXXX
Touchy IV  **DAY 1**

"Here we are, home sweet home." Mulder announced next to her as he killed the engine. 

Seated next to him, Scully gazed out the open window. A white washed building stood clearly separated from the bustle of the busy Miami beach. She recognized it from photos from Skinner's case file. It was the lifeguard hostel. For the millionth time that day, she took a moment to assure herself that she would able to pull this undercover assignment off with poise and professionalism. 

"Come on Pookie Bear, let's get this show on the road." 

She shot him a glare and to her disgust, Mulder's grin grew wider. 'Great! So much for poise.' She thought with a wince.

They stepped out of the car and took the rest of the scenery in. The main boulevard was infested with pedestrians, cyclists and skate-boarders that wore little to nothing in the scorching heat. It made both agents feel a little overdressed, with their matching Hawaiian tops and soft Bermudas. 

They both wondered if they should take off their tops so as to blend in. Not to mention, it would be much cooler. But as they caught sight of each other across the hood of the car, they decided against it. It would be best to postpone the beginning of the six-month torture till later. So without a word, they removed their luggage from the back of the car and struggled with them across the scorching soft sand, towards the building.

On the way, they had to maneuver between a few blankets, large umbrellas and locals who preferred the peace and quiet, away from the crowd. One particular group of bikini-clad teenage girls whistled at Mulder as they passed. The latter had the audacity to pause to say hi while Scully rolled her eyes in annoyance. It was then that it suddenly hit her.

All this while she had been dreading the job because it meant being with Mulder almost 24 hours a day, resisting taking on any one of his lewd suggestions that he would be inclined to make. But she had carelessly left out one huge consideration. They would be surrounded daily by hundreds of half naked women, what made her think that with all the temptation around, they would be a danger to each other? After all, the man was a dish. There would be tons of women flinging themselves on him. She knew she would, in another life. 'Oh God, what if amidst the long legs and cleavages, he doesn't find me even a teensy weensy bit attractive?' 

"Hey, wait up!" He called suddenly for she had unconsciously walked ahead without him. "What's your hurry?"

She quickly improvised. "We're already late, Mulder." 

"Just getting to know the locals." He defended himself. "Friendly girls too."

Determined to remain nonchalant, she told him. "Yes, I'm sure they are. It's just that we don't have time for this right now."

"Right." Clearing his throat slightly, he suggested cheekily. "And I suppose the fact that they were slobbering all over your husband didn't bother you at all?"

She rolled her eyes, answering calmly. "Not at all. Actually Mulder...." Her voice trailed off for a second as her eyes gazed pointedly ahead at a gorgeous male specimen nearby. ".... I think you and I both are going to enjoy the next couple of months." 

Mulder turned to look at her choice, a well-tanned Greek God look-a-like. His jaw tightened slightly and his voice dropped. "Just don't be too obvious in front of important company. We're supposed to be married, remember?"

She had to smile. So he still held a soft spot for her, short legs and all. Perhaps she had nothing to worry about. 

"Come on Scully. We're late."

Taking a better grip of the bag in her hand, Scully followed him up the hostel steps. It was weird. A couple of minutes ago she was concerned about keeping Mulder at arms length. But bring in a little competition and she immediately morphed into a mewing bitch. Frowning, she wondered. 'Now do I want Mulder to want me or not?' 

XXXXXXXXXXX

"You must be the Bunsens." A gruff looking man studied them cautiously from behind his desk. 

"Yes, we are." Mulder answered brightly. His arm casually went around his 'wife', bringing her close. 

Even though she tried her damnest to control them, Scully's brows furrowed at his touch. Her disconcertment grew when she saw that the man opposite them didn't miss her reaction. A hint of inquisitiveness flashed in his eyes before he held out his hand. 

"I'm Collin Durst, the administrator of this division." The undercover agents shook his hand as he continued. "I do all the paperwork and the timetables here."

"Ah, the very man we've got to suck up to." Mulder quipped.

"It wouldn't do you any good." Durst answered seriously. His unwavering steely look told them he wasn't joking. "We have very strict rules here, Mr. and Mrs. Bunsen. And one of them is no screwing with the scheduled watches. If you do, you might have to find another unit to work with." 

He stopped glaring long enough to signal someone behind them. Meanwhile Mulder and Scully exchanged a silent agonized look. It seemed they had just agreed on their first suspect. Collin Durst certainly didn't like additions very much and that made him suspicious.

A man in blue trunks soon entered the office. Durst nodded at the duo as if dismissing them. "Felix will show you the ropes. I hope you're anxious to get on the beach because you start today. Good luck." He then turned to the stranger behind them. "Felix, bring them to their rooms and get them settled in."

"Sure." The bulky blond cheerily responded and motioned the agents to follow him out. Only after the door was safely shut, did Felix speak, cocking his head towards the room. "Sorry about that nasty piece of work. His mother didn't love him enough or something." 

Mulder and Scully grinned, instantly liking the man. "We're Josh and Lynn Bunsen."

"Felix Lint." He grinned back while shaking their hands. "It's a relief to finally get two new lifeguards in our team. We've been working double shifts for weeks!"

"Durst doesn't seem so happy."

"Durst's a sadist. He was initially in charge of getting new hands but took so long that Krook our boss, decided to butt in, getting the lifeguard association to send you two." Waving his hand for them to follow him, he led them towards the stairs. "Your room is the second on the right. You'll like it. It faces the beach."

The married couple stumbled into the room with their luggage. As they took in the size of the room and everything else in it, their hearts simultaneously sank. How on earth would they be able to coexist in this room without touching each other? 

"It's real cozy, isn't it?" Felix called after them. 

'Cozy? It's only slightly bigger than a dollhouse.' Scully thought in a panic. The room was shockingly smaller than any of the naval bases rooms she ever had the pleasure to live in. 

Meanwhile Mulder was thinking that letting Skinner fishsit was a good decision. It was already a miracle that there was room for a dress cupboard and a nightstand, his tank definitely wouldn't be able to fit. The bed, a little larger than a single size, had a good reason to be. Any bigger and they would have to literally jump across the mattress to get to the bathroom next to it. 

The senior lifeguard noted their dismayed faces and admitted. "Okay okay, it's a little small. But they're building a new lifeguard hostel next to the main walk. Stick it out for a couple of months and we'll soon move in there." 

Mulder refused to think about his condition in a couple of month's time playing house or rather room with Scully. Instead he concentrated on the heat, undoing his third button of the day. "Doesn't this place have air-conditioning?"

"Nope, another thing to look forward to in the new digs." He pointed at the wide sliding windows. "Just keep them open during the day and let the breeze through, it's good enough. The nights can sometimes be awfully chilly around here though." Giving them a sly look, he added. "Not that you have any trouble keeping yourselves warm. How long have you guys been married anyway?"

"Not long." Mulder coolly replied, stepping up to his partner.

Scully played along too and elaborated. "About a year." 

"Still on your honeymoon huh?" Felix teased, waggling his eyebrows. 

Dana flushed slightly while Mulder found the opportunity too irresistible to refuse. Slipping his arm around Scully's waist, he comfortably leaned his chest against her back. He felt her stiffen before reluctantly giving in. With a twinkle in his eye, he told the other man. "I hope the walls here aren't too thin, if you know what I mean."

While Scully repressed a look of horror, Felix laughed. "I'm afraid they are. And I would keep it down if I were you. One of Durst's rules, not a sound after twelve." He rolled his eyes before mumbling a couple of nasty names, which were obviously for the unit administrator. "Anyway, there's more entertainment downstairs in the lounge. We've got TV, videos, a pool table, jukebox and a fine Poker foursome." 

"Great!" Mulder uncharacteristically exclaimed.

Fully recovered from her mortification by then, Scully asked Felix. "Durst scheduled us for today's watch. Does that mean right away?"

"Yeah, saw your names up on the list for the afternoon session. That started out fifteen minutes ago. He's put you two together for the first watch but split you up from then on. Professionalism and all that, I suppose. Anyway, why don't you get changed and come on down? I'll show you the rest of the digs and introduce you to the rest of the unit."

"Thanks." And the husband and wife team smiled at him sweetly.

"I'll see you downstairs." Felix waved and closed the door behind him.

The moment they were alone, Scully nudged Mulder away. Slightly offended that she was such in a hurry to keep her distance, he growled. "Just for the record. You pulled away from me, not the other way around."

"What?" She asked without turning. Unzipping their bags, she started rummaging at the about frantically. 

Mulder took a long stride towards the bathroom and poked his head in. "Unbelievable, there isn't enough space to swing a cat! I guess showering together is out."

Her brows still furrowed, she straightened herself, holding their guns. "What did you say about pulling away?"

"Despite your insistence that I'm uncomfortable with touch. **You** pulled away first." He told her, feeling a little triumphant when the frown grew into a scowl. 

"We were playing a part."

"Still you pulled away first."

Giving him a look, she rolled her eyes. "Ancient history, Mulder. Drop it." Her attention focused on the nightstand next to the bed. "Guns?"

He nodded, agreeing that it would be the best place. She moved to tuck their guns behind the low furniture. He watched her bend over, unwittingly showing off her very cute tush. Suddenly, the room seemed hotter. Undoing another button, he cleared his throat and decided to distract himself. "I'll get the windows open."

Meanwhile, Scully found herself thinking about Mulder's accusation about pulling away. She wondered if he was right. If she couldn't handle his arm around her for three seconds, how was she supposed to handle the next six months? Durst certainly saw that something wasn't right a couple of minutes ago. She bit her inner lip. Perhaps it would help to be honest with her partner. "Mulder, do you think Skinner may be right about us?"

He finally managed to get the window opened and a gust of cool air blew into his face. But it wasn't what caused his goose bumps to rise. "You mean... about not wanting us to go on this case?"

"Yes." She replied as casually as possible. 

"You think we would... behave unprofessionally?"

"It's possible, isn't it? You're a man, I'm a woman. These things happen."

"Not to us."

She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. "You're so sure?"

His hazel eyes flickered uncertainly. But the moment passed and he grinned. "Are you coming on to me, Scully?" 

Giving him a look, she warned him to be serious. "Mulder, I know we have been together for seven years and nothing has happened so far. But that doesn't mean..." She trailed off abruptly before hesitantly adding. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that; we have an assignment to do so let's be professionals and do it right. Let's try not to get into trouble, okay?"

"Sure Scully. Like you said, let's play our roles right. How about I attempt some husbandly duties tonight?" He waggled his eyebrows meaningfully. "I'm pretty sure I could pull them off rather professionally."

She sighed and wondered why she bothered at all. It was simply impossible to have a serious conversation with this man. Deciding to move on to their proper task, she began unbuttoning her Hawaiian shirt, taking off her shoes at the same time. "Come on Mulder, we don't want to be late."

For a moment, he stared at her in absolute bewilderment. Then he realized that there was an Aqua Blue bikini top underneath her shirt. His brows cleared. "Oh, you're changing for the watch."

Tossing her shirt on the bed, she looked at him in confusion. "What did you think I was doing?"

"Nothing." He muttered, silently curbing his straying thoughts. But as his gorgeous partner shimmied out of her short pants and revealed more, he suddenly felt reluctant to take off his clothes just yet. "You know what, Scully? I think I'll take a quick shower first. The heat is killing me."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The huge problem with being undercover as lifeguards was that there were no barriers between her skin and his own, at the small of her back. He discovered this while they headed across the beach to meet Felix for their first briefing session. Walking just behind her, his fingers automatically made their way to her back and instead of one of her no nonsense FBI suits she usually wore to work, he felt her soft flesh. The fifty-six thousand neuron impulses immediately went on a panic alert. And he tried his very best to retrieve his hand without her notice. 

Scully frowned as his touch left the all-too-familiar spot on her back. Turning, she wondered why he suddenly dropped his hand. 

"What?" He asked as she gave him a strange look.

"Something wrong?"

"No." He denied. 

"Okay." She said, although clearly not convinced.

Thankfully Felix approached them to defuse the awkwardness. "Hey, welcome to Tamara Beach. As you have noticed by now, it is rather small. One of the smallest beaches in Miami, which explains the size of our team." 

"How many of us in the whole unit?" Mulder asked although he already knew.

"With the addition of you guys, there are now seven of us. You've met Durst." He pointed to a tall pretty woman and straight long golden hair, standing at the edge of the water line. "That's Ruby, the only other woman on the team." Then waving at another blonde in a lifeguard watchtower nearby, he told them. "Nelson's up there, the youngest on our team and finally Krooks our unit chief, who is on vacation this week." He motioned for them to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you a good view of the whole beach from the cliff top."

As they walked, he explained further. "Being a rather secluded beach, we tend to get overeager and adventurous locals who think that they can get away with anything. Unfortunately, we get a couple of local teenagers drowning every year."

They listened carefully as the senior guard filled them in on the boundaries of their unit, the conditions of the seas, their duties on the sand and what to look out for. He also gave them a brief history of each teammate. "If we have to work together, we have to get to know each other. It's all about trust. Although it is much more important for you to build up that trust with your partners."

Scully frowned. "Any idea who our partners are?"

"Yeah. Durst 's put Josh with Ruby and you're with Durst himself."

'Ruby?' Scully grouchily thought of the tall busty blonde she saw from afar. 

'Durst?' Mulder reflected worriedly.

Unfortunately, they knew that being new, they had no say in the matter. It was best to put up with it, rather than make a fuss. Besides, it would only be for six months. 

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was after dinner and the agents were finally back in their room. 

"Mulder..." 

"Josh." He corrected. 

"Whatever." She snapped as she eyed the bed. "Left or right?" 

He stopped digging for his pair of shorts and straightened himself. "You mean both of us, in the same bed?" 

"Yeah Mulder, you and me in the same bed." She answered flatly, ignoring his raised eyebrow.

"And you'll be nice and let me share the covers?"

She growled again. "Left or right?"

"Left." Turning his attention back to his bag, he grinned. He knew he got to her because she was thrusting her clothes inside the cupboard without a care in the world, which was so unlike her. Scully was a Grade A neat freak.

"So your bet's still on Durst?" She suddenly asked.

He took a moment to put on his G-man hat. "Maybe Nelson. What do you think?"

One look at Nelson Davis and Durst was knocked off the top spot. The younger male, although in his late teens, looked haggard and tired. His watery eyes gave him away. Then again, those who trade usually don't get themselves hooked. "I don't know Mulder. He seems too young for a job as big as this."

"True."

"How about Ruby?"

"Don't think so. She doesn't strike me as a drug smuggler."

"Oh?" An eyebrow rose and she asked. "So what exactly does she strike you as?"

He knew it was a loaded question and dodged it by shrugging. "How about Felix?"

"Nah. He's like a boy scout."

Chuckling, he agreed. "Yeah. I can't believe I kept my face straight all through his 'trust' speech."

"I guess we should rule Krooks out since he took the trouble to recruit us."

"So that makes Durst once again our number one man." He frowned. "And now you're his partner."

"That's good. I can keep an eye on him."

"And let's say you do and you see something. He could get rid of you very easily."

She rolled her eyes. "I hardly think Durst would be so stupid as to partner himself with me and then do something incriminating in front of me."

"Well he doesn't know you're an FBI agent, does he?"

"If I were you, I'd keep the advice for myself."

He cocked his head slightly. "What? You mean Ruby?"

"She doesn't like me Mulder."

"That's ridiculous! How could you possibly come to that conclusion? You didn't even get the chance to talk to her."

"I didn't have to. From the way she looked at me, I just know."

"Really? That's funny, because she looked at me just fine."

She gave him a pained look. "That's exactly the point I'm trying to make, Mulder. We can't afford another 'Detective White incident' because it might blow our covers wide open."

"For the last time, there wasn't a 'Detective White incident'." 

"Whatever." Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her towel and a change of clothes. "Do you wanna shower?"

"Sure. But like I said, I doubt that tiny shower could fit the both of..."

"Forget I asked." She cut him off and huffed off to the tiny bathroom, the sounds of water running as soon as she did. 

Scully took a twenty-minute bath and after she came out in her pajamas, Mulder immediately went in. She noticed that he had unpacked and did a better job than she. So she started straightening out her side of the cupboard. Then she put away her other personal accessories. When Mulder came out of the shower, she was just turning the bed sheets over. He walked over to his side and gave her a curious look. 

"What?" She asked.

"Um... No face mask?"

Looking conscious for a moment, she soon admitted. "No."

"But the last time..."

"The last time we were undercover for a week. I'm not gonna do it for six months, okay?" 

He was dumbfounded for a moment. "You're saying that all that time in Arcadia, you purposely made yourself unattractive on my account? Gee Scully, I'm touched."

"I was trying to make things as easy as possible for you, that's all."

"You have so much faith in my self control, don't you?"

"Uh Mulder?" She eyed his boxers cautiously. "Is that all you're gonna wear to bed?"

He looked down at the only material on his large body. "Yeah. Why?"

She gave him a look. "Aren't you at least going to put on a shirt?"

"No, it's like a sauna in here." 

"I know but we're professionals...." 

He groaned. "Oh no, not this again.... You've seen me in less, Scully. This shouldn't bother you at all."

"Fine, don't put on a shirt." She snapped. And not wanting him to think that his lack of clothes disconcerted her, she brazenly removed her pajama bottom. "Hell, I'll even join you."

Just as she expected, his jaw dropped. "Uh you sure you wanna do that Scully? I mean, you might get cold later."

"Not accordingly to the forecast tonight." She quickly hopped into bed before common sense reclaimed her mind. "Turn off the lights, will ya?"

He continued to stare, his gaze alternating between her white thighs that were barely covered by her blue top and the abandoned matching bottom on the floor. For the life of him, he didn't have a clue if he would be able to sleep with her dressed like that. 'Well, one can always try.' He thought, determined not to lose to this contest of wills. He then moved to switch off the lights. 

"Oww!" Scully growled when he misjudged the size of his space and jabbed his elbow into her spine. 

"Sorry. Gee, this bed is really small huh?"

She struggled to create some distance away from him. "Mulder, move over a little. You're hogging the whole bed."

"I can't. I'll fall off."

"Your elbow is still poking me."

"Well either you sleep on me or live with it, Scully. Personally, I wouldn't mind the former."

"Can't you sleep on your side? Our backs could face each other and we'd have more space."

"I'd snore if I slept on my side and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"That doesn't make sense. People snore on their backs not the other way round."

"Well I'm not like most people. Haven't you noticed by now?"

She sighed and gave up. On one hand, she was too tired to argue any further and on the other, Mulder would only get more irritating (this she knew from experience). So despite his elbow, she tried to sleep. 

He noticed that his partner had settled quietly and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was bad enough having her half dressed beside him, her restlessness was driving him crazy. But now, she was at peace at last. 

'Oopps! Shouldn't have moved.' He thought as he felt Scully jump when his elbow dug into her back again. To his surprise, she didn't say anything. 'Was she already asleep?'

Mulder stared at the dark ceiling and listened to the distant sounds of the waves. They were soothing but they still weren't enough make him drowsy. So he let his mind wander to summarize the status of their case. So far they had only a hunch on Durst and nothing else. They had better come up with something more soon or they'll be here longer than six months. The faster they got this case wrapped up, the faster they'd be able to get back to DC and the X-files. 

Scully fidgeted and he frowned, wondering if it was because of his elbow again. Then he heard her mumble something. "Scully?" He called out softly but there was no answer. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Unconvinced, he waited in breathless anticipation in case it wasn't.

This time he heard her unmistakably. She muttered it as clear as day. "Mulder...." 

So it wasn't just his imagination, Scully was mumbling his name in her sleep. 'Shit!' Hastily, he tried reasoning with himself before he jumped to extreme conclusions. 'Mulder get a hold of yourself. It could be a mundane unsexy dream." 

But like always, she didn't make it easy for him. His partner made another throaty whisper. "Mulder, please..." And to his horror, added a soft seductive whimper that forced all his senses into maximum overdrive. 

'That does it, I'm outta here!' He finally caved. Scrambling out of bed, he stumbled in the darkness for his shirt, tracks and shoes. As soon as he had his pants on, he grabbed his flashlight and made for the door. A long night run would definitely help, he figured. And if it didn't, he could always jump into the freezing sea.

A full minute after the door closed, Scully opened her eyes one after the other. She watched the door for a little while longer but it didn't budge. 'He's really gone. It worked!' She thought. Giggling to herself, she stretched herself out comfortably across the mattress. 'Aaaah... a bed all to myself. This is much much better.' 

XXXXXXXXXXX

Scully woke up with a start. Mulder was shaking her and rambling something about getting it out of him. Groggy and disorientated, she squinted to look at him in the darkness of the room. "Mulder, turn on the lights." She muttered.

"No!" He hissed urgently but pulled his torch out, flashing the light into her eyes.

"Will you get that thing out of my face?"

He obeyed by pushing it into her hands instead. "Here, take it and get it out." 

"What are you talking about? Get what out?"

"I don't know. I can't tell." To her surprise, turned his back to face her. 

A flashlight in hand, Scully sat up and found he was pointing towards his ass. With an eyebrow raised, she focused the light towards the direction of his index finger, namely on his left butt cheek. "Mulder, your butt's bleeding."

There was a pause before a very restrained voice answered with as much dignity as it could muster. "I know that. What I what to know is, why?" 

She bit her inner lip to prevent herself from laughing. Peering closer, she tried to determine the cause in between his torn track pants. "Christ, how the hell did this happen?"

"Damn it, Scully! What is it?"

"It's a bait hook." She exclaimed. "How did you... You sat on a bait hook?"

He cursed before he answered her. "I didn't want to sit on it! It was an accident. Can you get it out?"

She parted the grey material and his cream coloured boxers. "It's not gonna be easy. The hook seems to be caught quite deeply. You're lucky it's in a fleshy spot though."

"Oh yeah, I'll be sure to thank my lucky stars there's a hook in my ass. Just get it out, will ya?" He growled fiercely.

"Under the flashlight? Why can't we switch the lights on?"

"Because some people saw me out there and if they see the lights, it might blow our cover."

"What? Who?" 

"I don't know. I was running by the docks when I heard voices. So I stopped to take a look. They were divers, in wet suits and all. Before I could get a look at their faces or the boat's name, I slipped on some seaweed and fell on my ass."

She reminded him. "And on a hook." 

He turned to scowl at her. "Gee did I miss that out? I'm sorry, I'll make sure to put it down in my report, in big bold letters..."

"Mulder..."

"Anyway, they heard me yell and started towards my direction. The minute I saw them take out guns, I took off as fast I could. Thankfully, they lost me in the dark."

"And you're thinking they're our smugglers?"

"Actually I'm thinking I want to get this hook out of my butt."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh all right. Take off your pants and lie down on your stomach."

"Mmm... the very words from her I've been dreaming of all my life."

"What?" 

"Oh nothing." 

He undressed and made himself comfortable on the bed. "Err.. Scully? How exactly are you going to get it out?"

"I'm afraid the old fashion way, Mulder. I didn't bring much supplies." She admitted as she dug into her luggage for her travel scalpel. "You don't happen to have any whisky on you, do you?" 

"You're kidding! You don't have any drugs?"

"Considering we're here to bust a drug ring, I figured it was too... weird to bring in more drugs."

His face contorted in frustration. "Look in the cupboard, under my shirts."

"After this assignment Mulder, we'll talk about getting you in an AA program." 

She was at his side a couple of minutes later, taking a long swig of his whisky. He was horrified. "Hey, I thought it was for me!"

"Oh right." She deadpanned. "You might want to take a shot too, before we start." 

"Downright hilarious Scully." He growled as he took two long shots.

The sharp blade cleaned and her nerves prepared for the worst, Scully leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Okay Mulder. Just relax and trust me."

He turned his head slightly to look at her and after a moment's pause, gave her a confident nod. They both took a deep breath as they took their positions. She cradled the flashlight between her ear and shoulder, tore his boxers apart slightly and pressed the blade down on his flesh.

"Holy Sh..!" Mulder yelled loudly, one hand grabbing the bedpost, the other, one edge of the small nightstand. 

"Hang on. Just a little while longer." Scully encouraged but winced as she was forced to tug at the jagged end of the hook. Unfortunately it determinedly held on to Mulder's bloody flesh.

"Don't..!" Whatever he was going to say gave way to a list of obscenities. Then after half a minute, he gave up on words. Instead he expressed his pain by lifting the wooden nightstand in his right grip, trashing it rather noisily against the floor.

"Just. Hang. On." Scully was totally oblivious to the racket, only concentrating on the task at hand. The faster she got the stubborn hook out, the less blood Mulder would lose, not to mention the less pain he would have to endure. When it was finally released, she sighed in relief. "Yes!" 

Mulder's groans died off with the slow subsiding of the pain. The nightstand too was now, back on the ground, although one of its legs suspiciously out of place. He took long deep breaths against the pillows and sheets, thankful that he could smell Scully's soothing scent amongst them.

"Are you all right?" Scully soon asked as she began to dress the wound. 

"Uhmuh." He answered with a grunt, his face still buried and unseen. 

She decided to take it as a yes and worked fast to seal the dressing tight. "You've got to keep it dry for at least two days. That means no getting into the water." Thinking of their current undercover responsibilities, she frowned. "We'll have to think of an excuse to get you out of active duty." His silence was beginning to worry her. Taking the flashlight from her aching neck, she leaned down to light the side of his face. "Mulder?" She softly touched his temple and his soft hair. "Hey, you okay?"

He moved his head slightly, enabling her to see his weary face looking even sicker through the yellow light. "Yeah. My ass is another story though."

'He's fine.' She thought and gently tussled his dark hair. "Don't worry, it will hurt less tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Mulder, get some shut eye."

"Okay." 

And as he drifted off to sleep, he heard her mutter. "Unbelievable, day one and he's already hurt."

XXXXXXXXXXX
End of Touchy IV (Day 1)

E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com