Title: A Kiss.
Author: Maria O'Rourke
Keywords: RST, MSR, STORY.
Spoilers: Millennium.....
Summary: Its the dawn of the new Millennium and
moments after the kiss they shared, is it the start or 
end to a beautiful relationship?
~@~@~@~@~
        His hand rested on her shoulder as he steered her
out the door, his body brushing against hers for a
moment and then she spun around, her eyes staring into
his.
        Deep shades of blue crystal.
        "You kissed me Mulder..." she stated bluntly, her
eyes losing contact with his for a moment and he
licked his lips slowly.
        "I know...." he said simply and she nodded and
turned, walking through the doors of the hospital.
        It took Mulder a moment to realise what had
transpired and then he quickened his pace so that he
was walking beside her again.
        "That's it?" he asked and she turned.
        "What's *it*?" she enquired, a nervous smirk crossing
her lips.
        His eyebrows knitted together and he licked his lip
again.
        "I kissed you..." he stated and looked up to face her
again. She smiled.
        "I know.."
        She began to walk off again and he grabbed her arm
gently.
        "Did..." he paused and looked into her eyes again.
"Did you want me to?"
        "What?" she asked, trying to hide the smile on her
lips and failing.
        His good shoulder sagged and he closed his eyes for a
moment, as if to gather his thoughts.
        "Did you want me to kiss you?" he asked slowly and
she grinned.
        "Mulder, it was New Year's Eve....." she began.
"Everyone kisses on New Year's Eve...."
        He allowed his hand to fall from her shoulder.
        "You didn't answer my question..." he said
reluctantly.
        She took a deep breath and took his left hand in
hers, massaging the back of it gently with her
fingers.
        "It was New Year's Eve Mulder, things happen on New
Year's Eve, people do things in the spirit of the
moment....." she paused, biting her top lip. "You
were..." she paused again and bowed her head to hide
her smile. "Over-whelmed..."
        "Over-whelmed?" he asked in mere disbelief. "Is that
you're idea of a brush-off?"
        Scully smiled slightly.
        "Was that kiss your idea of a chat-up?" she retorted
and he shook his head and chuckled slightly.
        "I see what you're doing..." he said and her
eyebrow's shot up.
        "What I'm doing?"
        He nodded.
        "You're not making this easy for me are you?"
        "Making what easy exactly?" she asked and he sighed
and turned again to look into her eyes. This time his
hand went up behind her neck, pulling her close until
they were mere inches apart.
        He could feel the beating of her heart underneath his
palm and he saw her eyes close expectantly, and he
smiled and pulled away.
        He stared at her for a moment until she opened her
eyes and looked expectantly at him. Her lips pursed
together and she pouted and swallowed slightly.
        "Funny..." she simply said and he shrugged.
        "What?" he asked and she shook her head and walked
away. He smiled and followed.
~@~@~@~
        Scully's hands remained at two and four on the
steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road. She knew
that he was looking at her.
        Staring.
        Watching.
        Waiting.
        She wasn't going to satisfy him and say anything.
Nope, he was going to have to make the move, whether
he liked it or not. She wasn't playing a game anymore,
well not really...
        She grinned.
        "What's so funny?" his voice asked suddenly and she
realised that she was still grinning, she turned and
smiled at him.
        "Nothing, just thinking...." she replied and he
returned the smile.
        "About what?" he asked and she shrugged, making the
turn towards his apartment.
        "Things..."
        "Things?" he repeated and she nodded.
        "Yep.." she added and turned her attention back to
the road. She pulled on the handbrake as she pulled
the car to a stop in front of Mulder's apartment.
        She turned expectantly towards him and sighed.
        "Here we are...." she said and he nodded.
        "Here we are..." he repeated and she tapped the
steering wheel with her forefinger.
        "You know Mulder...." she began and he turned
expectantly towards her. "This is the part of the
journey when you say ‘Night Scully, thanks for leaving
me home, see you tomorrow...."
        He nodded and smiled, opening the door.
        "Night Scully, thanks for leaving me home, see you
tomorrow..."
        And he closed the door. She sat there for a moment
and just watched as he walked up the stairs to the
apartment building.
        The bastard didn't even turn around and wave. Just
walked straight into the building. He didn't come
back. She actually sat there for five minutes, staring
at the stairs.
        Half hoping.....
        Half fearing......
        That he'd actually come back out and kiss her again.
        After the clock showed that it was 1am she put the
car into gear and drove off, heading in the direction
of Georgetown.
~@~@~@~@~
1:43am
~@~@~@~@~
        She turned onto her side, pressing her face against
the soft pillow. She was there for about thirty
seconds when she turned in the opposite direction and
shuffled the pillows around.
        She was *not* comfortable and she could *not* get to
sleep. And who was to blame?
        Mulder.
        Fox Mulder.
        Fox William Mulder.
        Mr Spooky himself.
        She sighed and stared at the ceiling, wishing to God
that she'd left along with Frank Black. If she had
then she'd be asleep by now, not lying awake and
wondering if she'd just ruined and lost the best
friendship she'd ever have.
        Was what they had ruined?
        In tatters?
        A wreck?
        A shambles?
        She sighed again and ran a hand through her hair. She
closed her eyes and remembered looking up at the
television screen, feeling his eyes on her as she
watched the couple on tv and then turning and finding
his lips coming towards her.
        His smell.
        His body.
        His lips.
        She smiled, she actually couldn't help herself. She
knew she was blushing, acting like it was her first
kiss. It felt as if it had been.
        Soft.
        Sweet.
        Unsure.
        She squeezed her eyes shut further, trying to
visualize his face afterwards, so expectant and then
breaking into a small smile.
        Had he expected her to say something?
        To repulse?
        To enjoy?
        To seek another?
        So many questions and with the way she had acted
tonight, she may never find out the answers. She had
so wanted to kiss him again, feel his soft warm lips
on hers, feel his hands wandering up her back.
        She could feel a tingling in her stomach at the mere
thought of his hands. She smiled again.
        Her eyes shot open as she heard a knock at the door.
She rose and sat up in the bed, the covers falling
from her as she sat.
        She stepped out of the bed, careful not to trip in
the semi-darkness. Reaching the door she didn't even
pep through the peephole, just opened it.
        Mulder.
        He smiled awkwardly and swallowed, she could see his
Adam's apple quivering.
        "Can I come in?" he asked and she nodded, opening the
door farther for him to step in.
        He stopped in the middle of the living room.
        "How did you get here?" she asked, indicating his arm
and he shrugged.
        "Walked, couldn't find a cab..." he said and she
nodded.
        "It's New Year's Eve..."
        "Everyone's out partying..."
        "Like it's the millennium or something..." he said,
grinning.
        She took a deep breath.
        "Why are you here Mulder?"
        "I didn't want to leave it the way we left it..."
        "And what way did we leave it?"
        "Unfinished..." he replied and she sighed.
        "Do you want to sit down or want something to drink?"
        "You're procrastinating..." he stated dryly and she
smiled but remained silent.
        "I want a clear cut answer as to whether or not you
wanted me to kiss you in front of that tv..."
        She looked at the ground.
        "If the answer is no, then we'll work it out..." he
said, lifting her face up so he could see her eyes.
"We're friends, above everything else...."
        "And if the answer were to be yes?" she asked, her
breath holding in her lungs as she finished.
        He reached around her neck with his hand and she
trembled underneath him.
        "Is the answer yes?" he asked and she looked at him.
Before she knew what the hell she was doing, she
reached up and kissed him gently on the lips.
        She had intended for it to be quicker than his had
been, she had wanted to get it over with as soon as
possible but she found her hands wandering up his back
and she found his hand settling on his waist.
        She pulled away and smiled up at him.
        "I guess the world didn't end tonight..." he said and
she looked at his hand on her waist for a moment and
then she took it in her own.
        "I guess it didn't...." she said and began to pull
him off in the direction of her bedroom.
        "What are you doing Scully?" he asked and she stopped
and turned to face him, standing in the entrance to
her bedroom.
        "I'm starting off the new millennium the way I intend
to finish it..."
        He smiled as she pulled him in, kissing him with such
vigour that his head spun. She closed the door behind
them.
        The world for them was just beginning.
~@~@~@~@~@
Disclaimer: The X=Files and Mulder and Scully are all
registered trademarks of Fox, 1013 Productions and
Chris Carter. They are used without permission but
without the intention of making any profit.