TITLE: Deuteranomaly AUTHOR: bcfan FEEDBACK: bcfan@shaw.ca RATING: PG-13 CLASSIFICATION: MSR SPOILERS: Post-ep for "Little Green Men" THANKS TO: Redwyne, for keeping my feet on the story path. DISCLAIMER: Not mine, will never be. *** Green. Green with envy. That Ethan guy from last year. Little green men. But in the moment he flashed on it, grey. Green agent. My Scully, his mind whispered. Soylent Green. Mulder smiled at that last thought, then wryly mused, Green. The colour he can't see. And yet, he knew it was all around him. Vines snaking down from the jungle trees, broad-leafed bushes surrounding the stalled pick-up truck. A curtain of green, which obscured his view of the road and the sky, but did nothing to offer any real relief from the humid sun beating down on them. "What do you think, Scully? Does this look okay?" Mulder called up to his partner, standing on the road's edge. "Looks good, Mulder. I can't see the truck from here. Do you need any help?" His answer was to struggle through the bushes and up the steep incline. First the top of his head, then the rest of his sweat-soaked body emerged before Scully. Panting with exertion, Mulder tried to catch his breath. Throughout the wild ride that led him to Arecibo, his encounter with the unknown, his return to consciousness and his flight with Scully from the army, Mulder had been running on adrenaline, plain and simple. Now exhaustion was taking its place. Scully seemed to be examining Mulder's ashen features and ragged gasps with a physician's intensity. Mulder tried to shrug off her concern with a wry glance. "C'mon, partner," she urged. "Let's find a place to sit and try to figure out where we are. I know we were heading east towards San Juan when the truck broke down." "Good idea," Mulder panted. With Arecibo's precious reel-to-reel tape tucked under Mulder's arm - finally, solid proof - he regained his breath as they slowly continued east, sticking close to the edge of the road. If they were still being pursued, they could duck into the bushes at the first sound of tires on rough pavement. After about 20 minutes, they saw a small, quickly flowing stream cross under their path. "Scully, let's follow this stream for a bit." In a short time, the stream emerged from the wall of greenery that was enclosing their steps into a canopy of jungle. They were surprised to see a large, unruffled pond - a haven for the weary travelers. "Perfect!" Scully exclaimed. Both sighed with relief as they sat next to each other on stones at the water's edge, soaking their tired feet. Mulder glanced slyly at his partner, and then wiggled his toes to splash Scully's legs. "Hey," Scully laughed, playfully splashing back. Both were soon wet, but grinning and feeling much cooler. Mulder's smile faded as he grasped Scully's hand in his. "I - I want to thank you, Scully. Thank you for saving me." Mulder gazed solemnly into her eyes. "No one else has ever done that for me before. No one" "Mulder." Scully reached out and gently cupped Mulder's unshaven cheek. "I thought you knew. I care about you, care about the x-files. Besides - I've told you before, no ditching." Mulder started to speak, as Scully held up her hand. "No excuses. I'm your partner, Mulder. I don't expect you to forget it." Mulder bit his lip and ducked his head, embarrassed. He knew he was trying to protect Scully, but when she put it that way... "I keep underestimating you, Scully. I'll try not to let that happen again." "Glad to hear it," Scully continued briskly. "Now, tell me everything. How are you feeling? What did you see? What's on the tape?" They moved from the water's edge to lean against a tree as Mulder spoke. As his narrative wound down, Mulder glanced at her, smiling in surprise. Scully was asleep, still reclining against the trunk. Mulder affectionately leaned over and gently brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Sweet dreams, Scully," he murmured. Exhausted himself, Mulder was soon quietly snoring, sharing the trunk with his partner. The broad-leafed branches shaded their faces as they slept. -------- Red. Red button. Nojo on the rojo. Red with embarrassment. Trust Scully with everything, his mind whispered. Red-blooded male. That's how he feel when he look at her. Red. The colour of Scully's hair, he knew. Even though he couldn't see the hue, he judged all reds against its brightness. Mulder opened his eyes and turned. His partner was still asleep. Stretching sore muscles, Mulder realized that he'd like nothing more than a quick soak. Perfect time, he mused, and proceeded to strip off his sweat-stained clothes. After rinsing out his clothes and laying them on a rock to dry, he was soon lazily backstroking in the pond. Mulder chuckled as a few ducks, disturbed by his presence, took flight. However, their quacking woke Scully, who appeared to be somewhat sleep-addled. She jumped up and lurched toward Mulder's voice, shouting in confusion, "Mulder, what..!" "It's all right, Scully." Mulder called out. "I'm taking a dip. That sound you heard was just some unhappy ducks." "Oh," Scully blushed. And then blushed some more. Mulder hoped his nudity wasn't making Scully too uncomfortable. He didn't know how to change the situation, or if he wanted to. After working with Scully for the past year, when her support for him was demonstrated time after time, Mulder was ready for their relationship to become more intimate. Besides, she'd just said that she cared for him. Feeling encouraged, Mulder waited to see what would happen next. Mulder was surprised but pleased when Scully continued to face him. And began to become aroused as he felt the sweep of Scully's gaze. From his long feet up to his lanky legs, there was a slow burn created everywhere her eyes touched. His thickening cock, his chest and slowly moving arms - she didn't miss a step, stopping only when she reached his hazel eyes and his flushed, amused face. "Seen enough, Scully," Mulder gently teased, then grew concerned when Scully turned away. "Look, I - I'm sorry, Scully, if that bothered you." Mulder flipped over on his stomach and swam closer. Scully peeked back, then turned to face him. "Not bothered, Mulder," Scully swallowed resolutely, and then returned Mulder's teasing tone. "Hot and bothered, maybe." She shrugged. "You know, every once in a while you have a good idea." Now it was Mulder's turn to stare as Scully proceeded to remove her grimy clothing. As she matter-of-factly took off each item and laid it neatly on a rock, Mulder thought - this is more erotic than any striptease. This is real. This is Scully. Mulder sighed in appreciation as - for the very first time - he saw Scully's perfect breasts, her smooth, pale skin, her auburn curls, which matched the brightness of her hair. "You're beautiful, Scully." Mulder's whisper was so faint that Scully almost missed it. Turning to him, Scully's smile was radiant. "You're not so bad yourself," she murmured. As she stepped into the water, Scully's foot slipped and she almost lost her balance. She made a face as she realized that she'd stepped on a snail. Then suddenly she frowned. "I'm not getting in that water, Mulder, and if I were you I'd get out right now." "What's the problem, Scully? Come on in, the water's fine." Mulder winked, trying to convince her. "Mulder, I'm serious." Scully motioned him closer. "Have you ever heard of cercarial dermatitis?" At the shake of Mulder's head, Scully continued, "It's commonly called swimmer's itch, and these are the perfect conditions for it. Still pond water, migrating ducks, snails - I should have realized sooner. Trematode parasites - blood flukes - work their way under the skin and cause a bad rash. It's not serious, but..." Scully stopped talking as Mulder rushed out of the water - wearing nothing but his panic face. "What should I do, Scully?" He shivered. "Rinse off in the stream above the pond. It might help. I'll bring your clothes." Mulder gloomily watched from the distance as Scully quickly dressed. He felt, for the first time in years, he was ready to let someone else into his life. He trusted Scully like no other. And from what she'd done for him - putting her job and life on the line by rescuing him from Arecibo, willingly exposing herself to him, body and soul - he knew Scully cared for him too. Mulder chuckled. Yes - and what a body! On that note, Mulder's mood lifted as he splashed and rinsed himself off in the stream. Scully returned and asked, "How come your clothes are so damp?" "I washed them in the pond water, to try to clean them up," Mulder replied ruefully. "I guess I'm going to test your swimmer's itch theory big time." "I'm sorry, Mulder. I hope you don't get it," Scully sympathized. "Me too." Mulder shuddered. "I can't think of anything more gross than blood flukes scratching around in my skin. Thank god we've never run into flukes in our x- files!" Scully laughed. "A microscopic organism? I think we're safe from ever investigating that." Scully went back to retrieve the reel-to-reel tape as Mulder dressed. Soon, they were walking up the stream to the road. As darkness fell, they were lucky enough to hitch a ride with a farmer on his way to San Jose, to catch their flight home. -------- Red. A red patchy skin rash covering the parts of his body that Mulder could see in the airplane bathroom mirror. Mulder frowned in disgust, and absently scratched his stomach. "As soon as this rash goes away," Mulder murmured. "As soon as I'm healthy and presentable, as soon as we have a little free time - I'm going to ask Scully out. Now I know she cares about me. Takes care of me. Maybe even loves me?" "We have time. She's not going anywhere." With that last thought, Mulder smiled and headed back to his seat, eager for what his future with Scully would bring - eager for the very first time. END 'Deuteranomaly' by bcfan