#she's begging to watch XF

[gilgaladswife]

Addicted to You

Tom Ryder xF!Reader

Everyone warned you about him. They told you he is a real asshole and that someday he would break your heart. As you watch frozen in place, Tom kissing another woman on his lap, you realize you should have listen to them.

Today was your first anniversary together and he has a break from filming so you wanted to surprise him. And to celebrate the way you always do. It seems he had other plans. You leave his penthouse heartbroken, closing the door loudly, going straight to Colt’s appartement. He and Judy are your best friends.

When he opens the door and sees your tears, he immediately knows what happened. He knows Tom and how he is. That doesn’t stop Colt from wanting to kill him for breaking your heart. You enter inside completely devastated. What are you going to do? You are supposed to be working on the same set as him tomorrow. That was your other surprise, you are now his hair and makeup stylist.

-What am I going to do Colt? you say after telling him everything.

-It has always been a dream for you to work on a movie set right?

You nod.

-Well don’t let this bastard stop you. You’re going to work with me. I know Jody will agree. says Colt smiling.

You think it’s a good idea. For now, the less you will see Tom the better it will be. And Colt is such an angel, you will have fun working with him.

The next day, Colt tells Jody about the situation and as expected, she immediately agrees. You are nervous about crossing paths with Tom on set but also excited to work with your best friend. You didn’t tell Colt but last night you texted Tom to tell him you’re breaking up then you blocked his number.

The morning goes well, you are constantly busy since Colt is the stunt double and has to look perfect. You love the job, your talents are useful and it’s something you’ve achieved by yourself. Without Tom’s help. You know he would have helped and say it’s because of him that you’re here.

After lunch, the inevitable happens. You are walking back to Colt’s trailer when you see Tom. Alone. He seems preoccupied. Your first instinct is to ask him what’s wrong, but you remember he has cheated on you. So you continue your walk and as you look one last time in his direction, you catch him staring at you. Fuck.

Later, once the day is done, you’re leaving with Colt, laughing at something he said when Tom intercepts you both. Your smile disappears and Colt puts an arm around your shoulder protectively. Tom notices and you know it pisses him off. Good. He was always very possessive.

-What do you want Ryder? ask Colt drily.

-I need to speak with Y/N. says Tom.

-She doesn’t want to talk to you so get lost. Don’t you have more important things to do?

-No. Y/N please baby I need to talk to you. says Tom looking at you with his blue eyes.

You have never in your life heard Tom Ryder begs. That’s why you’re tempted to accept but Colt decides for you. Maybe it’s for the best. You feel like crying again and it would be easy to just fall back into the asshole’s arms.

-She won’t talk to you ever again. Forget her. Let’s go Y/N. says Colt pulling you with him.

You leave a angry and sad Tom Ryder standing there. On your way back home, a hour later, you think about him. He seemed distressed, but you cannot trust him anymore. Even if your heart aches for him. Tom can really be an ass sometimes but never as he been bad with you. Until yesterday.

When you arrive at your apartment it’s raining hard. Someone is waiting for you at your door steps. Tom. How did he got here so fast? He sees you and comes closer. He is soaked.

-What are you doing here Tom? What did you not understood in I don’t want to talk you to again? you say angry and sad.

-I know you don’t want to see me but please let me explain. It wasn’t what it looked like. says Tom desperate.

-Oh really? Well you seemed to enjoy the kiss for someone who pretends it wasn’t what it looked like. I loved you asshole and you cheated on me!

-I didn’t kiss her! She kissed me! It was my ex. I told her that I was with you and don’t love her. She kissed me in despair and you left before you could see me pushing her off me. I swear baby I love you. And only you. You are the most important person in my life and I don’t want to lose you. Please you have to believe me.

Because of the rain you didn’t realize you were crying. He really sounds sincere. And even if you should be mad and not forgive him, you still love him with all of your heart. Tom might be a world class asshole, but to you he is more than that. He is a man who just want to be love for who he is, not just because of his fame.

Tom approaches you and swipe away your tears tenderly before kissing slowly as he sees you’re not pulling away. In fact, you cling to him and kiss him back immediately. After a while of making out, you’re out of breath and start to feel cold, your clothes being completely soaked.

-Let’s get you inside. I know a good way to get you warm. says Tom with a smirk.

You laugh and feel warm inside your belly. You know what he means and you are not against his suggestion. After all, they say make up sex is the best right?

-Can’t wait to see what you’ve got Ryder. you say teasingly and happy as you lead him inside your apartment.

The next morning, as you lay naked in your bed in his arms, you realize how addicted you are to Tom and that you will always love him no matter what. And you know it’s the same for him.

Another Tom fic :) this one is a bit different I was feeling a bit sad 🥹

Tags: @tangerineboss @pretty-little-mind33

[carefulfears]

Omgosh I’m currently part way through my first rewatch of the xf and sweet LORD earth s2 scully was really ready to risk it all… maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but those first few eps in s2 when they’re separated from each other are possibly some of the most romantic in the whole show. If they’d been professionally separated for much longer they 100% would have started dating then.

if they'd been professionally separated for much longer i think they would've committed scientific horrors. perhaps an act of terrorism. they BOTH got bangs. scully was BEGGING to autopsy a body covered in sewage and mutant worms to spend 5 minutes with him. when she flipped the photo of samantha on his desk to signal him to meet her at their secret meet-up spot, and all she wanted to do was ask if he's okay and ruffle his hair skjfdks. these are grown ass adults who work in the SAME BUILDING and have cell phones and they have super-secret codes and hiding places. they're best friends. scully lecturing at quantico and freaking her students the fuck out spiraling about how life is meaningless. they worked together for a year and have been separated for likeeeee maybe a few weeks, btw. when a kid said she sounds "spooky" and she looked like she was about to cry sdfkjshf. when he's emailing her case notes and she's TALKING ALOUD BACK TO THE EMAIL all giggly. ("'there have been reported abductee paranoia in UFO mass abduction cases…' i was wondering when you'd get to that...")

when he was partnered with krycek and she's sooo jealous that someone else gets to work with him that she REFUSES TO SHAKE KRYCEK'S HAND. and then calls mulder later to be like :( do u like him better than me :( SHE LITERALLYYYY ASKS HIM THAT!!!

you're right, it is very romantic, in that it's very loving, but also they behave as though working at different desks is like....the most gothic devastation that could ever happen to them. there's genuinely a cute level of innocence to it. also....makes me think again of how laughable any discourse of scully just "tolerating" him or not really wanting this life is. the woman was near HYSTERIA.

thanks for chatting, i hope you're enjoying your watch!!! <3

[ravenclawella]

Crossed Wires (Sebastian x f!OC)

Minors dni. 7th year students. Sebastian xf! OC (Mae) Warnings for this chapter: Smutty 'themes' but no actual smut...yet. >>>>Link to all chapters.

Chapter 1: Too Tired to know

“If you keep yawning like that you’re going to catch a Billywig” Poppy chuckled while she brushed the Puffskein in her lap, “You’re not far from looking like an inferni from all those late night adventures” she added with a hint of concern. Although it was Mae’s last year at Hogwarts, she still needed to make sure she was fully caught up before she graduated. Despite this, she couldn’t help but say yes to any late night adventures with her friends. “I’m fine. Really. I just need five minutes.” Mae slumped her forehead into the book she was trying to read and lay as still as a sneaky dugbog hiding in the reeds. “You need to spend one night not delving into the restricted section and actually sleep” Natty laughed as she knew that Mae would go into the restricted section anytime Sebastian had asked. Last night had been no different despite the upcoming exams this year, Natty wasn’t worried though, she knew Mae had studied a lot more last year and had caught up easily. She was impressed at how quickly Mae had picked up magic, but she would never let on completely, she didn’t want Mae to accidentally fall behind because of her compliments.

“Didn’t think you could use a book for that.” A familiar voice chuckled, coming closer to the trio. Without moving her face from the book Mae lifted an arm and made a rude gesture towards the direction of the voice. “Well, I never!” Everett gasped in the distance as he walked past the commotion. Ominis tilted his head to the direction of Everett with a raised eyebrow and scanned for a smell or an audible clue to find Everett’s shock.

“Oh leave her alone, she’s just taking a little nap….on a book” Poppy added for Ominis’s benefit. “That’s what you get for gallivanting around in the restricted section until the early hours of the morning. I heard Sebastian come into our room at 4am.” Ominis snorted. “How else are we meant to access that part of the library? Do tell Ominis” Sebastian grinned. “Plus, how could she refuse an offer from the most charming, handsome, dashing guy at school?” he puffed out his chest in emphasis. Mae smiled into the book before she adjusted her face and sat up “Oh? I remember distinctly that ‘dashing’ boy pleaded and begged for company so he wouldn’t be alone.” Mae cooed. Sebastian's face warmed with a slight blush. “Oh please, it didn’t take that much convincing. You just can’t stand to say no to me” he grinned, hoping he won the banter. Poppy has been watching the two of you go back and forth before interjecting “I mean, Mae helps a lot of people with their errands. Just last week she helped me deliver a package to the centaurs.” Sebastian gawped at the news. “That’s what you were doing when I asked you to duel that evening? That was more important?” Sebastian looked mortified that you had chosen Poppy before him. Natty could only wonder how he held his own ego so high. “We can duel anytime Sebastian, you know that. I couldn’t let Poppy go alone, it’s too dangerous!” “I think Poppy’s errand was a little more pressing than your duel Sebastian” Natty chuckled. “I could have helped too” Sebastian sulked slightly. “If I remember, you had detention for…what was it? Trying to sneak into the girls dormitories?” Mae grinned “It was not! I was just returning a book, that YOU gave me!” he looked flustered and Mae knew she had won. She loved making him flap since he was normally so suave. He spied her smug grin and coughed to regain his composure. Ominis could only chuckle at the interaction that had his friend so tongue tied.

“Speaking of books. What are you reading that has you so ...entranced that you need to sleep on it?” He mused. Sebastian bent down to pick it up but Mae managed to bat away his hand playfully. Ominis stood, listening to all of the commotion with a small smile. He enjoyed moments like these, where his friends were all together, happy. “Bah bah, don’t touch. You’ll make me loose my place” Mae scolded him playfully, “Heh” he smirked and settled to sit infront of her, his fingers brushed hers as he tried to take the book “Please may I look at your book?” He asked, giving her his full attention, staring into her soul with his deep, dark brown eyes. For a second Mae forgot to breathe as she found herself under his charm, letting the book slip between her fingers. “That wasn’t hard now, was it?” He grinned, flipping the book to another page. “Oh this is potions? I thought you were fine with this subject? Do you need me to tutor you? I know I’m your favourite teacher” He winked, tilting his head, the sun catching the red highlights of his auburn brown hair. Mae caught her breath back and snapped out of her daze. Snatching the book back quickly. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Mae’s voice shook. Poppy looked at Mae with her eyes slightly squinted. Natty looked to Poppy, the pair speaking to each other through glances between friends and small facial changes. “Weren’t you having some issues with finding some ingredients?” Poppy added, trying to confirm her suspicions, looking between Mae and Sebastian. Mae stared at Poppy with desperation “No. No. I’m fine. I’ve got it all” Hating how flustered she was, she decided to snatch the book back and use it as a pillow again. “I’m just tired. I need sleep. No adventures tonight” Sebastian groaned and Mae couldn’t help but smile into the grass. Poppy grinned at Natty. “Not even to that cave Sebastian was talking about the other day? I remember you saying you were excited to see that” Natty added, also collecting information on her suspicions. Mae’s head pulled itself up involuntarily, remembering the excitement of exploring a new place with Sebastian. Natty grinned back at Poppy. “I knew you couldn’t resist my adventures” he smirked. “So meet me by the library at 8?” Mae shut her eyes and tilted her head to the sky with a long groan. “Oh, not tonight. Mae already promised she’d help Natty and myself tonight.” Poppy grinned. Mae frowned, not remembering any plans she had made for tonight. “I can help” Sebastian announced. Poppy and Ominis laughed at his boldness. “Ever the pleaser” Ominis chuckled. “You can’t help Sebastian” Natty shook her head with a smile. “Why not?” He pouted “I’m good with my wand!” “I’m bet you are” Natty side eyed Mae with a grin while Poppy stifled a laugh. “But this is girl stuff. You can’t help with this” “Girl stuff?” He eyebrows pressed together. Ominis places a hand on his shoulder with a light squeeze, hoping Sebastian would take the hint to stand up. “I’m sure Sebastian would love to hear all about this girl stuff. Perhaps you could finally take a brush to that birds nest on top of his head. And paint his nails too? Oooh maybe a bubble bath!!” He continued with a clap, knowing Sebastian would object to such torture. “Ominis! Don’t we have that err…that…” he scrambled to stand up quickly and tripped over his own feet. “Charms assignment?” Ominis smirked, helping his clueless friend to his feet. “That’s the one. Sorry ladies, my services will have to come another day” Sebastian straightened himself and bowed with a smile. Mae found herself enamored by his gaze and nodded with a small smile. “Next time, for sure!” Poppy chimed as Ominis lead Sebastian away muttering how he always got him out of situations like this. Mae’s face flushed as she watched him walk away, a smile shining towards the pair.

“Girl stuff?” Mae raised an eyebrow at Poppy and Natty. “We are going to have a much needed chat” Poppy nodded and looked around to see that they were alone. “About?” Mae tilted her head before she repeated “Girl stuff? Girl stuff. Wait…wait. Do you like someone Natty?!” Mae’s face started to beam in delight. Natty shook her head putting her hand in her face “When were you going to tell US that you like Sebastian?” She shook her head with a smile. “I don’t!” “You DO. It’s all over your face. Look, look, you’re blushing!” Poppy continued to tease her, with a quick poke to Mae’s maroon cheek. “I am not, it’s just the sun.” Mae frowned, hiding her cheeks with her hands. “He’s my friend, I don’t like him like that. I can’t” “Mae, there is no sun. You’re in denial.” Natty placed a hand on Mae’s shoulder “Have a real hard think and tell me you don’t love him. Or like him. Or whatever. Look me in the eyes and tell me that”. Mae there for a few moments with a long hard stare. Thoughts scurried through her head “I…I don’t like him like that?” Mae’s voice squeaked. “Well, that’s convincing” Poppy chuckled. “Tell me when you wake up from your denial. I want to know when you plan to make a move” she wiggled her eyebrows with a mischievous grin. The thought still plagued Mae’s mind. She didn’t like Sebastian like that, surely? He was good friend. He was always there for her, no matter what. That’s just what friends do. Mae pulled herself from her thoughts before she decided to tease the pair back “Now is the time you’re also going to tell me you like Ominis, right?” Mae’s smile widens and Poppy sighed. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to do anything about that. Not with my past. He would never want someone from a family like mine.” Her lips pressed together. “I don’t want a family like mine. I’m just happy I at least have my Grandma.” Mae’s and Natty’s eyebrows rose with shock. “You should talk to Ominis more, you may surprise yourself.” Natty responded. Mae’s lips raised to one side, knowing the two of them would make the cutest couple.

*** A Few months later: Sebastian POV

Sebastian’s eyes snapped open as he gasped for air and sat up from his bed. He clutched at the sheets, shaking. His body burned like fire, his pyjamas clung to his body from pools of sweat, his heart racing. What WAS that dream? He had known Mae for a few years now and this was the first time he had a dream so visual, so graphic, so delicious! Sebastian flopped back onto the bed, an arm over his eyes. He recalled how he pushed you against a wall in the restricted section, his hands greedily grasping… “No. It was just a crush. I got over it. This can’t be happening” he groaned to himself. Unfortunately for Sebastian, his friend was already awake. “Again, Sebastian?” His tone sharp and agitated. “O…Oh. Sorry Ominis. Did I wake you?” His face flushed, he hoped Ominis hadn’t heard anything. “This is the fourth time this week Sebastian! Who IS it?” Ominis sounded pissed. The fourth time? “I. Er. I just had a bad dream. That’s all.” He mumbled, as pushed his face into a pillow. “A bad dream doesn’t sound like that Sebastian. And I can SMELL what you did in the sheets. Can you just ask her or him out already so I can have a peaceful nights sleep?” he huffed. He really missed his undisturbed sleep. He was always grouchy when he was deprived of his sleep. “Sorry Ominis. I’ll fix this. I will” He looked into the dark, determined. “I miss my sleep, Sebastian. If you don’t figure this out, I will. Whoever it is.” Ominis responded with a huff and a shuffle back into his sheets.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>>>>>>Chapter 2 here

>>>Link to all chapters

*** ...Tumblr finally let me post this all here but it is also over on AO3..

This is the first fic that I've posted to AO3. Tumblr didn't like my super long fic so I shall be posting it partially here with the remainder on AO3. I'm still getting back into the flow of writing, so if you have any feedback, please let me know <3

[whenmuldermetscully]

XF Rewatch - S7 (X-Cops thru Je Souhaite) / long post

FPS — great. Hope that post-case bang got all the ya-ya’s out and then some. Congratulations, you two have found a system that works.

Theef — it’s been touched on, but goddamn do they like a good flirt at a crime scene. Poor Padgett rolling in his grave at all this free inspo

En Ami — I miss landlines. The ol call the house phone first then the cellphone… cute that she calls Mulder like a proper gf about going out of town but again…. NO CODE PHRASE. C’mon guys.

The more I watch this episode thru the lens that CSM is actually trying to put MSR closer together so she gets pregnant to continue his legacy, makes this episode a TEENSY bit better. But damn Scully’s got dealt such a hand for in-laws. …

The LGM I could never hate you. They’dve been the best uncles ever 😭

Yup I’m just accepting that CSM did all this just so he could push Scully into Mulder’s bed before the summer so she could get pregnant. If he did anything to Scully while asleep, it was to restore whatever was necessary for her fertility. Idk. This episode is just too oooogiee for me to accept otherwise. Anyway - Mulder looked hot.

Chimera — mmhmm. Scully is no better than Mulder when he goes off on a case without her. Basically calling him for no other reason than “hey…in case you forgot about me…” Scully and her cute lil whiny “Mulder… ☹️” ……….And ngl my brain could easily imagine a playful “gotta go ok bye love you” at any one of their phone conversations in this episode. It’s season 7… if we had gotten ONE “I love you”, then maybe we wouldn’t be begging for it 24 years later —WHICH we still haven’t gotten mind you

Once again watching EVERYONE ELSE have sex except the people who deserve it. My god. What a waste.

All things — gotta love that this episode starts off with them post-coital as the x file.

‘Scully… you little victim.’ - sorry I struggle with this episode as much as there is a lot of things I love happening in it.

I do love the universe intervening… Mulder leading her even when he’s not. All roads back to Mulder.

Daniel is such a…. Scully, I could never. One thing that is so — heartbreaking to see is how open and receptive she is to Daniel and not Mulder. It really gives such an insight to what’s all going unsaid. Even more so after being with Mulder, she’s still unsure or unwilling - it’s like how long babe 🥺? How long have you been feeling this way alone?

But I do love that she told Mulder everything and of course the conclusion that it was always Mulder. Anyway, William. That was when mommy first said I Love You to daddy (I don’t know where I place conception… sometimes it’s here, sometimes it’s Hollywood AD…) I mean you know Scully’s in her feels when she starts monologuing.

I don’t care for ‘all things’ first time fics, but I do go balls to the wind for a solid all things first ILY fic.

Brand X — sassy Skinner is my favorite. Tough break for MSR mannn. They just *waves hand* you know? And now Mulder got BUGS in his chest. Even tougher break for Scully because this makes 2 lovers on their ‘deathbed’ back to back…… but you know what, knowing what’s coming in s8.. I just want to hold Scully and close her eyes because actual hell is on the horizon that makes this look like a cake walk

Hollywood AD — I have so many questions about the opening scene, the lines in the coffin… we got: flashlight/dick joke, 7years waiting, bees, and making out? Because that all means there was some kind of disclosure made or at least conjecture

Scully being described as “Jodie Foster’s foster child on a payless budget” is my new bio.

4 weeks probation…. What did you guys do with your time?

Flirty playful MSR makes me sad because i want to see playful, carefree, goofy domestic MSR

And Chuck. WHERE DID HE GO? I like him! He knows things. He should’ve been a regular

Je Souhaite — aww look at that… our last glimpse of happiness. They’re just… a couple in love investigating these low risk cases, relaxing the night away with beer and movies and sex and all is GOOD. If she’s not already pregnant, she will be 😭 they’re so happy. I—

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #106: XF issues 24-26

Finally we're here, starting with X-Factor. They've just been teleported onto Apocalypse's ship, where he greets them and says he's been watching them and is planning to test them. Scott tells them to go with plan 383 and they attack. Simonson often writes Scott in battles like this, like a coach calling out plays. It's a small detail that for me adds a lot both to Scott's personality and to the history and familiarity between these people. As he takes them all down, Apocalypse monologues about how he's been sowing destruction in the world for thousands of years to push evolution forward. He commends X-Factor for sowing hatred between humans and mutants. They're appalled that a villain is so proud of them and declare once and for all that they'll give up the mutant hunter ruse. Honestly, I think that development has been too dragged out, but I get why Simonson wanted to wait until the Fall of the Mutants to make it happen. Apocalypse brings out the Horsemen, minus Death. As Hank faces Pestilence again, Apocalypse tells him that her touch, combined with the experiments Artie's dad did on him, are slowly increasing his strength while damaging his mind. Although she didn't know it here, Simonson is setting the direction for Hank's character for the entire 21st century- a genius driven by the fear of mental regression. Finally, Apocalypse reveals Death. Scott is disgusted, saying that Warren stood for peace and life, and Death's wings are an insult to his memory. But then Death takes off his mask and reveals the truth. Unable to fight their friend, X-Factor is quickly defeated by him and imprisoned until they agree to serve Apocalypse. Caliban takes the offer, joining up with the villain in exchange for the same power enhancements he gave Warren, so he can kill the Marauders. The rest of our heroes watch helpless as Apocalypse sends the Horsemen out into the world to destroy Manhattan.

Apocalypse keeps on monologuing, taunting the heroes with how Hodge manipulated them. He says that what made him finally come out of the shadows was the Mutant Registration Act, which he views as a call to war between humans and mutants. He believes Xavier's dream has failed and they must give it up to survive. Unfortunately for him, when he designed the shackles that hold X-Factor he didn't realize how much Hank and Bobby's powers have been growing, so they break free and start fighting again. Apocalypse, a petty bitch, is like "fine if you love your humans so much go save them" and hits a lever that makes the floor disappear. Hank and Bobby manage to hold on, but Scott and Jean plummet to Manhattan below, where they see the Horsemen. They kiss and spring into action. Because we have to set up tie-ins in all the other non-X books, Pestilence flees into the subway tunnels and they lose track of her. Famine beats Jean pretty badly, and as a reward Apocalypse teleports her to the Midwest so she can destroy a bunch of farms. During that brief fight she reveals her backstory, which is that her parents gave her an eating disorder so now she wants the whole world to starve, which is an absolutely wild motivation that probably should not have made it past the editors. Meanwhile, Scott is doing better against War while they debate philosophy, soldier to soldier. Simonson is really on a roll with Scott recently. He forces War into a retreat across the sky on his flying horse machine and reunites with Jean. Up on the ship, Hank and Bobby continue their attack on Apocalypse in vain, but manage to destroy the ship stabilizers. It begins to fall through the city, destroying buildings. Scott and Jean head towards it to try to stop it and run into Death. Jean begs Scott to try to reach Warren, but Scott has turned off his emotions to deal with the pain, and forces himself to view Warren as just another enemy soldier. When the ship crashes into the Empire State Building, Power Pack shows up. Jean and whichever PP member has the gravity powers (I don't remember if they switched again) hold up the antenna while Scott and the others fight of Pestilence, who's come back (she was just hanging out in a Power Pack tie-in that I guess continued directly into this). Death comes along and slices the antenna in half, making Jean lose grip. Half of it smashes into Pestilence, killing her. Scott tells the kids to go out and save lives in the city while he and Jean take Pestilence's horse back to the ship, where Apocalypse, impressed with Hank and Bobby's displays of power, has brought War and Death back up to fight them. Now with their second wind, X-Factor takes out War pretty quickly, but can't- or in Jean's case, won't- get any clean hits on Death. Bobby has an idea, and makes an ice statue of himself that Death shatters. The shock is able to shake Apocalypse's brainwashing off and bring back Warren, who turns on Apocalypse. Bobby's whole thing recently is he wants people to judge mutants by their actions, not their identity, and here he forced Warren to judge himself by his own actions instead of his vague philosophical rambling. Apocalypse is pleased with Warren's strength of mind and the conviction and ingenuity of X-Factor, so he grabs War and Caliban and flies off, leaving his ship as a gift for his enemies, which he believes will force them to continue evolving. X-Factor don't know how to fly it, but they manage to steer their crash landing to land on their own headquarters, destroying it. They invite Warren back to the team, but he tells them that he didn't attempt suicide, and Cameron Hodge actually planted the bombs on his plane. He hoped that his friends would come to find him, but instead it was Apocalypse. A bunch of reporters show up and are like "what the hell" and X-Factor officially reveals their secret. After 20 issues of buildup, half of which were basically just stalling till they could make it official, the mutant hunters organization is finally dead and buried. Thank God.

Never a moment to rest, X-Factor springs into action when a fire breaks out in a nearby building, except for Warren, who's going full edgelord and flies off dramatically. The cops approach Apocalypse's ship, which they just left there, and find that force fields prevent any humans from entering it. From one of his backup secret bases, Apocalypse, along with War, Caliban (the new death), and Famine, who has returned after fighting Captain America and friends in a tie-in, watch on their big evil screens and laugh evilly. X-Factor is racing through the city, saving lives as the structural damage from the Horsemen battle continues to take its toll. Warren swoops in occasionally, silently saving people and then vanishing back into the sky. Hank's mental reasoning is rapidly falling as his strength increases, but he refuses to sit by when his strength could save lives. Scott saves a red haired woman and is reminded of Maddie, and he and Jean finally have a civil discussion about that marriage. Scott says he never truly loved Maddie and never really wanted to retire from the X-Men, but felt pressured to give her the happiness that he felt was out of his reach. It's a necessary retcon after the terrible character work from the start of this book, but I don't like it. I actually do like the part about him never really wanting to retire from Xavier's dream, because I still think he should have stuck around as a mentor for the New Mutants who stayed out of the field when his son was born. But I hate that his relationship with Maddie is reduced to settling for what he could get, because under Claremont's pen it had blossomed into something unique and healthy for Scott. But anyway. Hank and Bobby run into Trish Tilby, the reporter who discovered their secret right before shit hit the fan. She tells them that she hated X-Factor, and now that she knows the full truth and they've gotten rid of the stupid ruse, she wants to help them get their story out. Bobby agrees that she'll get an exclusive when the city is more stable. As X-Factor continues through the city, they're getting a lot of attention, but not the kind they're used to. People love them and support them, including the mayor, who tells all the cops to lay off them. When they're too exhausted to continue working, they decide to head back to the ship and make it their new headquarters. Scott and Jean decide to no longer let any ghosts stand between them, and they spend the night together. In the morning, Bobby runs into their room telling them that a grateful tailor in the city has made them new costumes. They put them on and head out into their city, where a parade is being held in their honor. It's the first real victory in the war against human hatred for mutants, and for a moment, X-Factor gets to enjoy it.

And that's that, the first prong of Fall of the Mutants over. This is by far the most optimistic of them. It's a tragic parallel to what's going on in Uncanny; as X-Factor steps into the light and finds open arms, the X-Men descend further into the darkness. It's also a really interesting role reversal, as X-Factor becomes the true mutant superhero team. For the first time, it seems like Xavier's dream might not be dead, and his first students are the ones who with keep pushing it forward into the future. It's a happy ending for most of our team; Scott and Jean finally put aside their baggage and start planning their future together, and Bobby finally has a direction in life that feels fulfilling for him. Warren's off on his edgelord quest, but at least he's free now. And of course Hank gets the short straw, losing his mind and becoming the beast he always feared he was. But that'll be good for him in the long run, and besides, the book would be boring if they were all happy at the same time. The characters were raised by Xavier to be child soldiers, fighting for his dream but never benefitting it. But now they've all grown up and grown apart. There's been a lot of tension in the team, and that will continue, but they've found a way to start fresh with each other and make the dream their own. They can be public heroes, proud of their mutant heritage and not constantly apologizing for it. Circling back to Bobby, it hasn't really been clear to me until this point but Simonson has been crafting a really interesting arc for him. He was always the fun loving one who thrived on being a superhero, but he never had a really strong personality. He's always been a follower, and though he's grown since he was a kid and now wants more out of life, he was never able to find his own path. But in this arc, he was the one who led Warren to his freedom, and now he's playing a more active role in the team direction. I'm really proud of him. And of all five of them, they deserve to allow themselves to be happy and they finally are.

[iloveurscratchybeard]

I've spent the last week in Vancouver. Every trip here requires a few XF related stops, and watching the sunset at Cate's Park was perfection. I'll share more soon!

[enigmaticdrblockhead]

Looking Forward to the Abyss

(I felt inspired to write a spooky XF mini-fic for Halloween. Apologies.) @xffictober2022

SUMMARY:

A case gone wrong.

——— x ———

She knew. She’d known for a while now, but it seemed she grew tired of waiting for him to prove her wrong and decided to take the initiative.

His former self would’ve probably found this amusing. To be honest, his current self did a bit as well: ‘a fox, a Maggie, and a priest walk into a bar…’

But to be honest, he was more annoyed than anything else. He never could stand religion, and yes he now acknowledged the hypocrisy that his faith in ‘the truth’ was without a doubt a warped sense of religion for him, and he surmised that it was that part of him that understood and at times appreciated Scully’s conflicted nature; both the scientist and the catholic. But still, this was different; a feeble attempt at an exorcism he would guess.

Sorry Mrs. Scully, I skipped on lunch today so no green vomit I’m afraid.

He was; however, not annoyed by their expressions. Similar to prey in the near clutches of a predator, perhaps they could see the error, the miscalculated step they had made.

His eyes, non-blinking since all three joined together in the room, held little glimmer of light, only shadows of a forgotten, ancient, abyss. While he couldn’t bring himself to smile at the absurdity, he could feels the edges of his lips curl back away from his teeth in a snarl. Then as quickly as what little emotion he felt enter his mind and body, it quickly evaporated.

“Do you know what hell is?” His voice soft, but with a textured quality to remove any pretext of sincerity. He watched their shocked faces become somewhat perplexed, but didn’t wait for a response.

“No you don’t. You think hell is fire and brimstone. A place where ‘bad people’ go and pay for their sins. Where horned figures wrapped in red flesh dance as the damned scream in agony.

“It’s not that. I know, I’ve been there. Many times in fact. Hell…is everywhere. Hell is an abyss, devoid of light, heat, cold, love…of anything really. Hell is your darkest fears made into reality, where your nightmares are your only source of comfort, and where your mind is warped and shredded to the point where there is no hope of regaining your sanity.

“People think when you die, you go to heaven or hell. But people never think about what happens if you come back.

“Well, Mrs. Scully…I do. Because I did die, on a case. They killed me, and they foolishly thought to bring me back. They were religious too…although…”

He couldn’t help but smile now. It was a joke and he knew the punchline. How could he not smile.

“They worshipped a different entity, I’m sure you can guess who based on our meeting. But when they brought me back, I was different, that’s how they wanted it. You see,”

His voice had taken on an odd and out-of-place jovial quality now. His affect seemed to lift and brighten; it really was a good story after all.

“I think, they were trying to summon a demon, but…they actually brought ‘me’ back. Not that they knew. I was different. At first I didn’t know who, or what I was. A monstrosity, they hid beneath the floors in the basement. When they could they’d bring in someone, maybe two. With each person I consumed, I gained a larger understanding as to who I was.

“As I feasted on their corpses my body and my mind shaped back into something more familiar. But it only made it worse, I wanted to be myself again, but it came at the cost of devouring another. With a Joe, I could walk again. A Susan, speak. A Dana…”

He paused and his face fell. This was the hardest part of the story, even if it did have a happy ending.

“I was so close, so close to being me again. But they brought her. I couldn’t do it! I couldn’t!!!! But the darkness inside me could. I begged to God to kill me and to save her, I begged to my captors to let her go and that I would take double, no triple, the lives if they would just let her go. But their response was silence.

“Except for her. She didn’t believe it at first, of course not. But she saw the scrawled markings and warnings laid by my previous victims: to hide before sundown. Before I changed. Before I slaughtered them.

But there was nothing she could do. Initially she tried to find an opening, some way for us to escape. And in that process found a video recorder, apparently one of my former victims was on vacation and was recording their trip. And in their desperation, must’ve recorded their final moments… She saw it… I saw it…

“Despair. That’s what I think hell is. And that’s where we were. I didn’t know what else to do, but she did, she always knew. She sat me down and held me in her arms. Sobbing and stroking my hair, she said she loved me. And I loved her. That’s why, I did what I did.

“Yes Mrs. Scully, I killed your daughter. I tore into her flesh and consumed her mind, body, and soul.”

He saw their faces twist and contort into confused horror, but again he refused to wait for their response.

“But unlike the others, when I was done and I came back and those fools released me… I prayed… one last time… This time, my prayer was answered. He brought her back, all I had to do was sacrifice my captors in His name, which I was all to happy to do. And I have to say, their flesh was incredible.”

He couldn’t help but lick his lips.

“And as promised, she was back. But even better, she had no memories of what happened and no hint illness or disease in sight. I can’t count how many people I killed that night, or since then, if I’m being perfectly honest. And I don’t regret it…not one bit.

“But by all means Mrs. Scully and Father…I’m sorry I didn’t get your name; by all means sing your hymns, say your prays, perform your exorcisms…it won’t work. I’m not a demon, I’m Fox Mulder.”

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXL (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: This gif is huge but it’s the only one I could find with detective!Erick vibes and it excels at it so enjoy -Danny

Words: 2,936 

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu’ (Acoustic) -by The Maine

Chapter Two: Just Friends.

HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?

Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more...'

"Well, look at that," Mel threw the paper onto the backseat. "Looks like Harry's going to have a fun year."

"He'll enjoy it no doubt," Erick replied, his eyes fixed on the road. "Is it true, though?"

"You were there..."

"I mean the prophecy."

They'd been driving for two days and they still had no idea where Slughorn could be. Mel was starting to miss her bed and her hair was gross, she was more than grumpy.

"I can't talk about it."

"Yes or no would be fine..."

"If you want to believe it go ahead, I'm sure Harry'll appreciate one of his friends participating in the gossip."

Erick scoffed, she looked back at him with a frown.

"What?"

"I don't gossip about Potter," He grumbled. "And I don't think he'd cared if I did. We're not friends."

"After all you've done you think he would consider you a mere acquaintance?"

"You remember how he treated me last year at Grimmauld Place?"

"You remember how he treated everyone last year?" She raised a brow.

"I've spent lots of good moments with you — but him... you really think he considers me a friend?"

Mel opened her mouth but nothing came out of it, she had no idea.

"Lots of things can change in a year," She said at last.

"Maybe," Erick agreed, then he looked at her shortly and smiled. "You're still the same girl from six years ago, though."

Mel let out something that sounded like half a snort.

"Because I'm the only one that doesn't bully you?"

"You're the only one that bullies me," He laughed. "Listen, you might think that being sweet sucks, but that's not all you are. You're the best witch of our age..."

"Doubt that," She said bitterly, "if I were I'd be the one with a prophecy, don't you think?"

"So there is a prophecy?"

"I'm just saying," Mel responded promptly. "That if I were meant to do great things, the stars would've said something about it — I wouldn't be so incompetent..."

"The stars are balls of gas floating outside the planet, not deities," Erick rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember what I told you?"

"You've said many things to me, you have to be more specific."

"You can do anything, but you're afraid it won't end well. You're the only person who gets to decide your future," He glanced at her once more. "So what is it, Miss Dumbledore? Are you going to make history?"

"I'm going to have lunch," She concluded.

"You have the picture?"

"Of course I have the picture, I'm not you."

"I left it in the car once!" Mel scowled. "And we weren't close to finding him!"

"Quiet," He fixed his hat. "We can't attract attention to ourselves."

"In that case, you should stop acting like a fool," She snatched the hat out of his head. "You're ridiculous."

"No!" He pushed his hair back grumpily. "My hair looks weird today!"

"You look fine — let those poor curls breathe, they suffer under all the things you put on them..."

"I only use wax," He grumbled. "Wouldn't hurt you to brush your hair for a change..."

"I already cut it," She gestured vaguely to her bangs. "The hardest thing I've done in my life, by the way..."

"Hardest thing? The fight in the Ministry was a breeze for you?" Erick snorted.

"You know what —"

Mel froze; a small man was approaching the house across the street. Erick grabbed the photo from inside his pocket and stared at it, then nodded. They turned their backs on the man, both of them staring at the reflection of a window to keep an eye on Slughorn.

"We're eight hours away from home... what if he moves while we're driving back?"

"Don't think so," Mel watched as the man opened the door with a flick of his wand. "He stays at least four days in each place, he'll be there long enough for us to inform my uncle."

"Okay," The boy smiled. "We did it."

"This isn't over," Mel squeezed his arm, noticing the two figures ahead. "He's been followed."

"What?"

"Look..."

She discretely pointed to the other two reflections: men in dark robes were standing seven houses away from Slughorn's. Mel didn't recognize them, but no muggle would walk around wearing that kind of clothes.

"We have to get rid of them."

"You read my mind," She responded. "D'you think they know we're here?"

"They're following him, not us..." He tilted his head and eyed her up and down. "How do you feel about being the distraction?"

"You think you can take down two death eaters on your own?"

"If I can't and they kill me, I know you can."

"Fair enough," Mel grinned. "I'll lure them into the alley, wait for us there..."

The girl crossed the street, she didn't know if they would know who she was, but she was hoping her face was still unknown to most wizards. She crashed against one of them and dropped her wand on purpose.

Both men froze and quickly retrieved her wand; Mel gave them a panicky look over her shoulder that she hoped was convincing. The wizards had been taken by surprise, but they ran after her. She took a shard turn and ended up cornered in the alley.

"Bad luck for you, missy," said one. "We can't —"

A flash of blue hit him on the back, then a second one reached the other man and he fell forward too.

Erick walked into the alley. "We should obliviate them."

"Sharp aim you got there," Mel commented.

"Thanks," He replied casually, "are you all right?"

"Yeah, they were too busy giving a dramatic speech," She stared at the men and frowned. "Dumbledore said Slughorn was afraid like everyone else, but it looks like he's got a reason to be hiding, don't you think?"

Erick crouched down and inspected the men's pockets.

"Nothing," He sighed. "Can't blame Dumbledore for hiding stuff — The more we know the more the Death Eaters could get from us if they catch us."

"He told my mum I'd be safe," Mel scowled. "What does he value more than what's left of his own family?"

Erick raised a brow.

"Did you get hurt?"

"No."

"Listen, we're inexperienced, he's not going to trust us right away with all the information —"

"It's thanks to me and Harry that he's found out half of the things he knows! If that's not enough then I don't know what he wants!"

"I don't want to argue with you," Erick stood up. "He said he would tell you everything, I don't understand what's the problem..."

"I don't understand why you're okay with being his puppet —!"

"I'm not a puppet!" He replied fuming, then pointed his wand towards the men. "Obliviate!"

In less than a minute it was done. Erick fixed his robes and snatched his hat from Mel's head.

"Time to go home."

Mel threw a soft punch at him and Erick grunted, staring at her with confusion and holding the place she'd hit.

"I hate it when you act like that," She picked up the men's wands, "like a villain."

"Thought you were over fairytales," He muttered. "Villains aren't real..."

She walked past him and slammed the wands on his chest, Erick grunted again.

"You know I'm right!" He followed her out of the alley. "You would've done the same!"

"Shut up!"

They arrived at Privet Drive in the afternoon, she saw Harry move away from his window and knew he was going to ask them all about their adventure.

"Don't mention the Death Eaters to Harry."

The seatbelt snapped back into place and Erick hissed, shaking the hand he'd hurt.

"Why?"

"If he finds out I was chased down a street he'll go crazy, and I've been trying to convince him to... to stay out of my problems. Leave it to me, I can handle his tantrums way better than you."

They got out of the car, Mel opened the trunk and pulled out her bag as well as Erick's.

"Hi!" Harry greeted. "How was your mission?"

"Successful," Erick said shortly.

"How're you?"

"Brilliant!" She said. "I have to take our bags inside, so..."

"Let me help," He replied.

"Oh, I got it! Erick needs a hand in the kitchen, though..."

"I still don't know how the stove works," He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and guided him into the house. "I was thinking chicken soup, but I have no idea how to cook it!"

"Sure," Harry followed him cheerfully, Mel had the feeling he'd missed them.

"Did you find the man?"

Erick hummed.

"Cool," said Harry, grabbing three plates from the sink.

Mel was upstairs taking a shower, Erick begged for her to hurry.

"Did... er... Did all go well for real?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you really just found the man and came back?"

"We came back as soon as we finished, yes. She was safe at all times, I promise."

"I know," Harry put the dishes on the counter. "I would've felt something otherwise... you know about the lifeline, right?"

He knew about that, whatever made them feel each other's pain. Erick didn't understand how that worked, but he'd never asked.

"Right," He nodded. "Bet you must hate that..."

Harry stared at him.

"She didn't tell you? What Dumbledore said to us?"

"Why would she?"

"Well," Harry looked down again, drying the plates carefully. "You're the one she goes to when she has a problem."

"Only when I'm available," He said quickly. "It's just... lately everyone else is always preoccupied with... well, you."

Harry hadn't thought about it, but that was true. A few weeks ago half of the order had gone to King's cross just to talk to his uncle, everywhere he went the conversation would always end up being about him.

Mel had known Harry for nine years and she'd always looked after him, with or without the connection, he understood why she felt like they didn't need it. Harry, on the other hand, depended so much on their lifeline to make sure she was safe... but was it really necessary? Would it be equally helpful for both sides? They truly needed to give each other space to think.

"I'm glad you're here," He confessed. "Don't think I'm being helpful... all the things I've done... all she sees when she looks at me is Voldemort."

Erick didn't wince, which caught Harry's attention and made him curious.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're from a pureblood family, but they weren't Death Eaters... How come you're not afraid of his name?"

"Oh," Erick tilted his head. " knew I wasn't supposed to say it, but I was used to hearing it. My Grandad would call him Voldemort all the time... I just never say it out loud because, you know..."

"I was really rude to you last year," He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You had your reasons..."

"They weren't good enough."

"Listen, Harry, I know how it is... feeling like you're on your own, having one person that makes your life better and then having to walk away because you could hurt them more than you make them happy — I've been angry like that too. Actually, it also happened in my fifth year. Guess we do have things in common, huh?"

Harry had a funny look on his face. It was true, they did have a thing in common: They both wanted the best for Mel.

Right now, the best was Erick.

"You're a good bloke, Flint," He admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to Mel before, we could've been good friends since the start."

"I wasn't likeable then, believe me," The Slytherin chuckled. "But she refused to take a no for an answer... She's something special, isn't she?"

"She is," Harry agreed.

"Yeah, she is," He sighed, perhaps a bit too dreamily.

This didn't go unnoticed by Harry.

"Listen," The boy began carefully. "Take care of her, alright?"

"I don't think she needs a man to look after her," Erick replied distractedly.

"No, listen, don't make the same mistakes I did — I don't want her to suffer, that's why I gave her up in the first place. You understand that?"

One thing Erick knew from talking with Hermione and the twins was that Harry never admitted that he'd dated Mel. He had no idea why he'd been chosen to be the first to hear it.

"I don't know if she — she doesn't want me that way," He'd never felt as embarrassed about anything in his life as he did now, standing in front of this sixteen-year-old who somehow made him feel like he was an idiot.

Harry stared at him carefully, he took his time to answer.

"If she says no, I know Mel will make you regret it if you bother her too much — But if she wants you... I don't mind it."

"Okay," Erick said hoarsely. "Thanks?"

"Excellent," Harry grabbed the plates and set them on the table.

Erick stared at the boy and couldn't help but wonder how much Harry had to suffer to stop fearing the little things in life like demanding stuff from an older, taller guy?

Or maybe, just maybe, Harry wasn't afraid of him because he was a friend.

Could that really be it? He'd been waiting for this quite some time, and yet he couldn't stop the thought of something else being the real reason behind Harry's serenity. He wasn't the same boy Erick could torment by pretending he was flirting with Mel, and for some reason, he found that disturbing.

"One last thing?" Erick turned off the stove.

"Yeah?" Harry looked at him over his shoulder, eyes attentive.

"My old friends used to call me Flint," He smiled a bit. "So please, call me Erick."

The boys were having lunch when she entered the kitchen.

"I hope the Dursleys didn't make you starve while we were gone," Mel said as she sat in front of them.

"Not much."

"That's not good," She raised a brow. "How long till Dumbledore comes for you?"

"He'll pick me up tonight, didn't he tell you?"

"Haven't seen him since we left..."

"You're still moody, then?" Erick raised a brow, noticing her pout. "Thought the shower would help, I genuinely believed your bad mood was thanks to the underwear you'd been wearing for —"

"We don't need to talk about that," She blushed.

The boys laughed and she stared at them, what was that about?

An owl flew in through the window and landed in front of Erick.

"Dumbledore," He raised his eyebrows. "He wants us to go with him and Harry... We must be ready at seven as well. I should pack..."

"No need — Mum took all our stuff, our trunks are waiting at the burrow. She took Grey too."

"Ah, so that's why my feet haven't been attacked today!" Erick folded the letter. "Okay then, looks like you won't get rid of us for the rest of the summer, Glasses."

"Pity," The boy replied.

"Hang on!" She pushed her plate away. "I left you alone for half an hour and now you're best mates? You can't call him Glasses — Only I get to call him that!"

"You're the only one that calls me that because it's a stupid name," Harry raised a brow. "I call you Mellow but everyone else does too! We never said my nickname was exclusive. If he wants to sound stupid then let him."

"You see? He doesn't mind," Erick smirked, then he understood Harry's words and frowned. "I do not sound stupid."

"I feel betrayed," Mel sulked. "I'm not sure I'm liking this friendship between you."

"You were the one who wanted us to get along!" Erick exclaimed. "You should be happy! Looks like your efforts finally paid off..."

"Only took us two years," Harry grinned.

"I finished with the laundry and it's your turn to wash the dishes —" She walked into Erick's room and gazed up from the basket. "Shit — You're naked!"

Mel looked away, feeling her cheeks burning at the sound of his hearty laugh.

"I just took off my shirt!"

"I came here to leave your clothes — Possibly a shirt you can wear right now..." She walked up to the bed, Erick did so at the same time.

He didn't mean to walk up to her half-naked, but he didn't step back either. He just stood there, his chest moving up and down with every breath.

Erick had freckles over his shoulders, he also had thin scars across his torso from the cuts that had almost killed him. Mel redirected her attention to his face only to meet his hazel eyes softened by the sunset, his lips were forming a tiny, yet noticeable smirk.

"I'll take that," He seized the clothes gently, "and I'll wash the dishes after my shower."

"Okay."

"And I'll lock my door from now on since no one taught you to knock first," Erick teased, she felt like he could tell how fast her heart was beating.

Mel looked up at him resolutely.

"A prince doesn't expose a lady," She said in a firm voice.

"I'm no longer a prince," He replied without breaking eye contact, "and you've never been a lady."

Mel stormed out of the room without even responding.

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha​ @vampiregirl1797​ @siriuslysirius1107​ @stardusthigh​ @mikariell95​ @vernon-dursley​ @thesuitelifeofafangirl​ @tomshollandz​ @wlwmaximoff​ @reverse-hxlland​ @hamiltonwc​ @omiwashere​ @t-rexs-world​ @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs​ @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​ @thelastpyle​

[soft-thrills]

XF Fic: Too Much, Just Right

I fear that if I don’t post this now, I may never post it.

Summary: Mulder/Scully smut. Dom Mulder. NC-17. Classic PWP. Mulder and Scully get kinky on a vacation to Big Sur. That’s it, that’s the plot. It’s embarrassingly long, what else is new.

It satisfies two prompts from the Dec ‘18/Jan’19 @xfpornbattle​, which, LOL, could I be any slower?

Those prompts are:

Dom Mulder draped over Scully's back, pounding into her and whispering the dirtiest things in her ear while playing with her clit. Bonus if there are people nearby.

and:

Dom Mulder blowjob, slapping Scully's cheeks with his dick while she touches herself

I reserve the right to revisit this setting, by the way, because Big Sur is the most surreal landscape I’ve ever visited, and it’s a BIG Mulder/Scully mood.

If I’ve not scared you off, keep reading, friends. Unbeta’ed. Sorry for the typos or tense slips. I tried to catch ‘em all. If you like it, hate it, it makes you feel something, anything, please let me know.

He books them a cabin in a redwood grove on the California coast. Their cell phones lose reception as they begin the winding drive through Big Sur, dramatic scenery seemingly all around them — jagged cliffs and primal, roaring ocean waves on one side; mountains and thick forest on the other. It feels like the edge of the universe. 

They are in a rented Jeep, with the top taken off, and Mulder had popped The Beach Boy’s Pet Sounds — somehow at once upbeat and melancholy, not unlike him — into the CD player.

They are relaxed, happy. Blessedly alone.

“No shared apartment walls out here, Scully,” he says, his voice dark and low, the way it always sounds in the evenings when he takes charge.

His hand lands on her thigh and she jumps. He smirks. She feels off balance — the rush of the wind around the Jeep, Brian Wilson’s voice, the sheer edges and the blue sky — and it feels good. 

“No neighbors. I’m going to have so much fun making you scream,” he promises. “Just you and me in the middle of nowhere.”

...So he hadn’t realized there would be another cabin about 20 feet away from theirs, occupied by a friendly couple in their twenties who wave when they pull up, just as the sun is setting. She shoots him a trademark raised eyebrow. 

“All alone in the middle of nowhere, huh?” 

In the end, it works out. Ed and Mary are lovely, and they spend the evening sitting around a fire pit between the two cabins, sharing a cache of West Coast IPAs, pinot noir and marshmallows. Sadly, Mulder and Scully have to politely turn down the couple’s generous offer to enjoy some fine California Gold marijuana, what with the federal employment and all. 

A couple hours later, it is well and truly dark. Scully knows from past trips out to Big Sur when she was young that the sky is full of stars, though they can’t see it from their vantage point beneath the thick canopy of redwoods. She feels warm from the fire and the drinks and the easy camaraderie. She feels happy, relaxed, far from her responsibilities. 

“Ready to hit the hay, Scully?” Mulder asks, a voice so sweet she’d almost forgotten the mood he’d been in earlier. 

Almost.

She felt warm all over again.

“Yeah, if we want to get up early tomorrow and hike, I suppose we’d better.” 

And so they say goodnight to Ed and Mary, who say they’d be outside a little while longer, making sure the fire safely dies down. Very responsible. 

The cabin is small but well appointed — for once it really is a nice trip to the forest. It has sliding glass doors, and once they were inside, Mulder drew the curtains almost all the way. Almost. It would be unlikely Ed or Mary could see anything from their vantage point, but not entirely impossible if they ventured out of the clearing. The walls are thin enough that she can hear Mary laughing at something Ed said outside.  

“Guess it would be a little rude to make you scream, Scully,” he says, and she jumps, because Mulder’s low voice is right against her ear, and she hadn’t even realized he was behind her.

“I guess so,” she says, not happy about how shaky her voice is already.

“Maybe I’ll just have to settle for making you whimper. Making you beg. Making you moan.”

She could settle for that. Doesn’t really feel like settling at all, actually.

“And maybe, Scully, if you’re very good, and you promise not to make too much noise, maybe I will let you come.”

She watches her own chest rise and fall, listens to the sound of her own breath. He is so annoyingly, wonderfully good at this. It was hard, at first, for her to accept that she liked it — that bossy Dana Scully liked being bossed around in bed. She supposes it’s not particularly shocking. It might even be predictable. It took Mulder next to no time to figure out, brilliant profiler and whatnot.  But it’s still hard to be vulnerable with someone when you want them to treat you as an equal in a relationship. Harder still when you also work with that someone in an environment where it is imperative that they treat you as an equal.

Needless to say, she got over it.

“Would you like that, Scully? Would you like me to make you beg?” he asks, running his hands up her sides, and she can’t help but shiver.

“Yes.”

“Take your clothes off,” he says, not a whisper anymore, and his voice is enough to make her jump.

He stalks out from behind her as she sheds the fleece jacket she’d worn to keep warm by the fire, then her t-shirt, then her jeans.

“Stop,” he says, when she was down to her underwear and bra, simple but matching black cotton.

He kisses her, hands in her hair, like he’d been waiting to do it since he’d made his now-amended promise back in the Jeep all those hours ago. A needy sound escapes from the back of her throat, and she can’t tell if she’s squirming because of embarrassment or desire but she’s pretty sure it’s both.

She is out of breath when he pulls away. 

“You’re so beautiful, Scully. You���re perfect,” he says, and while she doesn’t think of herself that way, in that moment, she believes him.

“I want to make you deliriously happy,” he tells her.

She leans into his chest as he strokes her hair.

“But first,” his voice drops again, his hand goes from stroking to gripping the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling back so she looks up at him. “You’re going to suck my cock.”

He is good at that — setting her at ease with sweet little touches and then jolting her back into their kinky little game — and she is a real sucker for it. 

She glances in the direction of the bed, but he shakes his head. She feels herself get hotter. He pulls a pillow off the bed and places it in front of him. She knows what he wants, but she wants to hear him tell her.

“On your knees, Scully.”

She’s always been good at following directions. When she is settled, he unbuttons his fly. He takes his cock in hand, but instead of pressing it against her lips, he rubs it against her cheek. She feels herself blush and then he gently taps it against her cheek, and then a little harder, and that’s something new and Christ, it’s almost too much, which means it makes her wet.

“Does sucking my cock turn you on?” 

She silently curses him for expecting her to speak in this condition. “Yes. Please,” she says, although she’s not entirely sure what she’s asking him for.

He slaps his dick against her cheek again and she squeezes her legs together. Too much. But God, she likes it. 

“You can play with yourself,” he says. Of course she can, she is a grown woman, and she can do whatever she likes to her own body… and yet on this evening, in this mood, she wouldn’t dream of it without Mulder’s permission.

He puts his cock in her mouth, and she takes him up on his offer, slipping her hands inside her panties and finding herself predictably wet.

She takes him as deep as she can, concentrating until she gets into a rhythm, then looking up at him and making eye contact. He groans, and she’d smirk if she could.

“I’ve been waiting all day for this, Scully,” he mutters. “Been thinking about sliding into your mouth since I started teasing you in the Jeep. I could barely concentrate out by the fire, I wanted you so bad.”

She moves the busy fingers under her underwear a little faster, and he notices. 

“It makes you wet to have my dick in your mouth, huh?” 

She moans around his cock. Too much. Just right. 

Kinky sex with Mulder never fails to remind her what a good interrogator he is. He is constantly talking to her, asking her to react, asking her to admit her secrets — yes, I want you to make me beg, yes, I want to suck your cock, yes, I like having your dick in my mouth. It is a temporarily lopsided power dynamic — there is no doubt that Mulder is in charge right now — but there’s rarely any sense of force. She wants every filthy thing he does to her, and he makes her tell him that. 

It is overwhelming to be the object of his intense focus, his questioning, his curiosity. At first it was terrifying how little she could hide from him. It is still a little scary — in an exciting, pulse-quickening way that reminds her why she turned in her stethoscope for a gun. It’s also oddly comforting: She doesn’t have to hide, or pretend, with Mulder. She just has to be herself, strange quirks and kinks and all. He could see through any pretending she could try.

She takes him a little deeper, deep enough that it makes her eyes water. A gentle thumb wipes away a tear that had formed at the edge of her eye. She looks up into his eyes and when he smiles at her, she nearly melts. 

“Hands where I can see them, now, Scully,” he says, and she reluctantly stops touching herself. 

Mulder withdraws from her mouth a moment later, and helps her to her feet. He steps out of his jeans, then pulls his t-shirt over his head. 

“Did you enjoy that, Scully?”

That he calls her by her last name, even now, as she wipes the corner of her lips, it’s somehow a thousand times more intimate than if he’d used her first name. It’s like he sees right through whatever walls she might want to build, flimsier than the walls of this cabin, outside of which the fire is still burning as Ed and Mary keep talking.

“Yes,” she says simply, finally, answering his question. Then she flicks her eyes at his erection. “I could feel that you enjoyed it as well.”

Despite how much she likes it when he’s in charge, she can’t help but try to claw back a little pride.

“Of course I liked it,” he says, pulling her close against his erection. “What’s not to like about my buttoned-up partner getting on her knees to take my cock down her throat while she plays with herself?”

She moans -- an embarrassing, unintended, not very quiet moan. 

“What did I tell you about being quiet, Scully?” he teases, followed by a sharp swat on her ass. 

Too much. Just right.

“I can’t help it,” she whines, a whisper.

“Well you’d better try, if you want me to let you come.”

On any other evening she’d laugh. She’d scoff at the idea that anyone could *let* her do anything. But it isn’t any other evening and she’s ready to dissolve into a puddle at his feet and so she bites her lip and she nods like a --

“Good girl,” he says.

When she is back in her right mind she is going to murder him. Or buy him breakfast. She can’t really be sure. 

He shoves her -- shoves her! -- onto the cabin’s king size bed, which takes up most of the small space. Her pulse is racing. 

Scully knows, rationally, that there are lots of reasons people like any manner of kinky sex -- the trust, the intimacy, the letting go of responsibility, all of those things are appealing to her. But she thinks the biggest draw is the sheer thrill. She doesn’t know what Mulder will do next. She is a little afraid but terribly excited, the way she is as a roller coaster cranks its way up a hill, or when her heels click on the pavement as she chases a suspect. She slinks backward on the mattress, away from him, back up against the headboard, even as all she wants is his touch. 

He slips out of his boxers. 

“Where ya going, Scully?” he asks, all boyish charm and wolflike grin. He yanks one leg, hard, pulling her down the bed until she’s flat on her back again. 

“Mulder, please, I --” and she stops, because she doesn’t even know what to say.

“You looked very pretty with my cock in your mouth, Scully. Would you like me to touch you? I haven’t yet, have I? Touched your pussy, I mean,” he says, marking that last bit with a firm squeeze of her left breast.

“No,” she replies.

“No, you don’t want me to touch you?”

“Oh, god, please touch me. You haven’t, but please,” she begs, and it’s embarrassing to beg, but it’s also hot, and it’s also all she can do, because if Mulder doesn’t touch her soon she’s going to lose her mind. 

He slides her underwear, embarrassingly wet, down her legs, his fingernails scraping their way. 

“Turn over,” he says.

She does, arching her ass up almost unconsciously. He gives it a playful smack and she moans.

“What do you want?” he asks her, drawing his penis up and down her labia, teasing.

“I want you to touch my clit,” she says.

He waits. She waits. 

“No,” he says, the only real warning she gets before he slides his cock inside her, to the hilt. 

She cries out -- and his hand covers her mouth.

“What did I tell you about being quiet?” he growls.

The feeling of him inside her -- hot and hard and so big -- is overwhelming. But she knows she won’t come without his fingers on her clit, and so does he. He’s going to keep teasing her. 

He moves his hand away from her mouth. She’s prone on her stomach and he’s draped over her, all over her. His lips are against her ear.

“Are you going to be quiet for me, Scully?” he asks her.

“Yes,” she whispers.

“Good,” he says. “We wouldn’t want our friends outside to hear what a little slut you are, now would we?”

Too much. Just right. She whimpers, muffling the sound into the mattress beneath her. 

“I bet you’d like to rub your clit right now, wouldn’t you?” he asks her.

“Yes, please,” she says.

“But you’re not -- why aren’t you touching yourself?” he asks.

She squirms, just another subject of his interrogations, just as helpless against his probing questions as any of them have ever been. 

“Because you haven’t let me,” she admits. “You haven’t given me permission.”

“That’s right, and I’m in charge, aren’t I?”

She has heard Mulder’s voice crack like a whip. She has heard him bellow, heard him snarl, heard him command a room of men with just his words.

But this — this rough, ragged whisper, so close to her ear she feels it more than she hears it — it’s so unbearably intimate, so unnerving. It reverberates to her very core.

“Yes,” she admits. “You’re in charge. Please.”

“Please what, Scully?” he asks, as he slams into her. “Do you want to touch yourself?”

“Yes,” she breathes. And then: “No. I want you to touch me. Please.”

“That’s my girl,” he says. 

Before she knows it, two fingers are working her clit in tight little circles as he pounds into her. In another moment she might envy his athleticism, be impressed by his coordination. But all she can do right now is moan into the pillow beneath her, overwhelmed, overloaded. 

Too much, just right. 

“I told you to be quiet, but you just can’t help yourself, can you?” he asks.

She assumes all he can hear is a moan, but what she’s muttering into the pillow is: “Pleasepleasepleaseplease.”

“I like it when you can’t control yourself, Scully,” he mutters. “Because even if you can’t -- I can. You know that, right?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes yes, please, please.”

“Come for me,” he says, his voice practically a growl. “Come for me, Scully.” 

She’s so worked up that a few flicks of his wrist is really all it takes for her to tumble over the edge, as sharp and severe as the cliffs they drove past a few hours ago. 

“That’s right” he says, so fucking smug she wants to suffocate him, except she’s busy gasping for air herself. 

She’s coming down as he starts moving faster. She realizes, appreciatively, the amount of self-restrain that was probably necessary for him to focus so singularly on her orgasm. She arches a little higher, moans a little breathier. He deserves it, doesn’t he?

“Give it to me,” she moans, knowing what buttons to press, wanting it to be as good for him as it was for her. “Please, Mulder.”

A moment later he spills into her, collapsing on her back, overwhelming her, surrounding her in the best possible way.

For a moment they both just lie there, flattened, useless, happy, sated people. Scully feels empty in a good way, a way she rarely feels. Divorced from her worries, from her expectations. Elated. 

He slips out of her, slides to her side and spoons against her. 

“God, I love you, Scully,” he murmurs into her shoulder. 

“I love you too, Mulder,” she says, pressing back against him.

“I hope I wasn’t --”

“Stop. It was perfect,” she sighs. 

A beat.

“But I hope we don’t run into Ed or Mary tomorrow.”

[serahsanguine]

Can you please do number 12 from the fucksgiving list!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your XF smut you are awesome 🖤🖤🖤🖤

NC-17 NSFW in any way shape or form. 

*********************************************************

Explicit Birthday Surprise 

Rating; NC-17

Prompt: or the Fuckgiving prompt fill number 12Scully knows Mulder has a secret fantasy about trying anal. She calls him over on his birthday to give him his present. He is annoyed, she takes his hand and places it on her butt, then leads his fingers into her pants to feel the butt plug she is wearing. Happy birthday, Mulder.

Tagging; @today-in-fic @skullsmuldon @xfpornbattle

found here on A03

**************

Explicit Birthday Surprise

She knows he has a fantasy about trying anal, and if she was honest with herself so does she. She‘s been dying to tell him all day but she didn’t want to ruin the surprise. They started their sexual relationship a few months ago ‘to ease the sexual tension’ they agreed. It was an as-needed kind of thing though there were a few rules which she won't go into now. 

She sat by her couch with her phone in hand. She dialled a number she knew by heart. 

“Hello,”

“Mulder it’s me” 

“Hi, Scully what’s up?”

“I know you said you didn’t want a present this year and I said didn't want to see you today?” she was teasing him and he never had a clue as always. She stretched her legs out and started twirling her red hair in between her fingers. 

“Yeah, and?” oh boy did he sound annoyed. 

“Well, can you come over I have something for you?"

“Scully I just….” he sounded even more irritated now, oh boy was he in for a surprise she giggled lightly which only made him angrier. 

“Please Mulder,” she practically begged 

“Fine, I’ll be over in 20 minutes” she heard him hang up and the wait was on. She had already done her hair and made sure she was presentable with light makeup and an outfit she knew he would love. 

 20 minutes later

 There was a light knock on her door and it could only be one person. She stood up, her feet squished into the carpet and she walked towards the front door. 

“I’m here” was all he said

“Thank you, please come in” she gestured for him to come in before shutting the door. He took off his shoes and placed his key’s, badge and gun on the table next to the door like he always did before standing next to the table. 

“Look, Scully…”

She walked up to him and stood in his personal space. She could feel the heat coming from him. The pool of desire was already starting to pool in between her legs the buzzing floating feeling started in the pit of her stomach. 

“Shh, your surprise is this way” she took her hand into his and started kissing him, tasting the sunflower seeds and coffee he had earlier. She couldn’t get enough of him. 

She led him toward the back of the couch only stopping when her knees hit it. Their hands still entwined, she placed his hand on her top it’s only then done he notice she was not wearing a bra. She moved his hand from one breast to the other, his nails scraping alone her thin tank top. 

“Scully” he moaned out low and deep which only spurred  her to do what she intended 

She led his hand to her pants, she watched him lick his lips and fully appreciate the outfit she had chosen. He admitted one time that this was his favourite pantsuit it was dark grey but it hugged her in all the right places. 

He took the initiative to undo her trousers before letting them drop to her thighs. She moved his hands underneath her panties and between her legs, he went to play with the bundle of nerves and she shook her head 

“Not yet,” she kept running his long fingers through her dripping wet folds before lowering them even further to the crease of her anus. Just wear his surprise was 

“Fuck, Scully is that what I think it is?

“Happy birthday Mulder” 

  The end 

Only joking. 

“Fuck” he pulled her pants trousers down to her ankles, then he ripped her panties off to get a better look at the object in question. He bent her body over the couch and spread her legs seeing the shiny metal shaped red glistening heart-shaped butt plug in between her white cream ass cheeks. “Scully you are so fucking hot” 

He ran his fingers down her wet folds before taking the bundle of nerves in his mouth and making her quiver. He nibbled and licked and sucked she couldn’t think straight. All she could do was moan and groan with the absolute pleasure of what he was doing to her. She was close, so close and then he stopped she could hear him undoing his pants and boxers shorts before feeling his rock hard shaft move through her folds and into her core. She felt herself stretch around him taking in his length and girth. She could feel him lean over to whisper in her ear.

“Next time we are going to do it just the way I want.” He thrust sharply burying himself inside her and then taking himself nearly all the way out. He was driving her insane and he knew it “in that tight little ass of yours” he thrust twice more. “God you so tight and we haven't even got where I want to be yet” she felt herself shatter around him and it wasn't long before she felt him follow her into orgasmic bliss. 

Her body went limp. There was sweat on her brow and her skin was sticky. He stood her allowing her to also move.

“I think we need a shower Mulder” she laughed he nodded lust still in his eyes.

She pulled up her pants trousers before walking through to her bathroom, with him close behind her.

“Best birthday ever” 

She heard him say and her face grew into a massive smile. 

The actual end this time promise. 

[sukunas-play-thing]

Could I get headcanons for shihai kuroiro x f reader pls? Where she's utterly loyal and in love with him but she discovers that he has feelings for kinoko? And she doesn't wanna get in between that crush he's got?. Love u work pls keep it up!

Ahhhh gfgfjf I freaking love this chaotic mess of a man. Since you didn't specify the ending I went with one hope it's acceptable ><

Happy belated birthday my sweet Prince of Darkness! Also headcanons couldn't do this justice so I went with a scenario I really hope that's okay thank you anon bean I love you.

Word count: 8015

Warnings: slight angst

*Shihai Kuroiro xf! Reader*

The feeling is indescribable at best. Being in love.

How his quirk allows him to hide in the shadows, you'd never know he was there until he wanted you to know he was there. (Name) smiled as she watched him chat with kamikiri and Shishida. He's so mysterious, and so careful with how he speaks. Hands moving languidly as he's motioning his arms as if painting a picture of what's he's talking about. "(Name), earth to (name)." She Shook her head pulling herself from her deep thoughts seeing Kendo and Pony standing by her desk. "Oh. Hey." She said meekly while waving her hand to her peers. "Always in your own little world you ready to head to lunch?." Kendo asked while tilting her head.

Pony shaking in excitement. Taking one last glance at Shihai, she grabbed what she needed for lunch and headed out to the cafeteria with her friends.

****

"So you're telling me Taemin from SHINee is now with super M? No way." Kinoko's mouth hung open in utter surprise as her and Pony exchanged topics of K-Pop idols. (Name) honestly couldn't focus. Shihai's birthday is fast approaching and still hasn't gotten together what to give him. Part of her thought something small and subtle would be suffice, but she also wanted to finally work up the courage to confess. She knows he's into dark concepts, and has a knack for penchant dramatic speaches. She smiled remembering something that'd happened between her a kuroiro at her work.

*he was visiting her at her job to give her a CD of his favorite band that came out with a new album. She had to work late that night and do last minute shopping before heading home. When a child behind them was throwing a fit because her parents wouldn't give her a candy bar. As (Name) was ringing up her stuff Kuroiro had grabbed a candy bar from the stores shelves, rung it up on a separate register and as (Name) turned to him to ask if he was ready to go he looked the child dead in the eyes, "My darkened soul begs for substance, and this candy bar sure looks delicious." And ate the whole thing right in front of her. "Oh my god Kuro-kun you're terrible." (Name) giggled as she placed a hand on his chest playfully. She could feel his heartbeat on her finger tips like an array of thunder coursing through her veins, seeing his surprised look as he glanced at her hand then at her, she quickly moved her hand away blushing. What she didn't see was the small tint of pink dusting his cheeks as well.*

***

Then a realization hit her. She knew what to do for his birthday. "Hey guys something just came up I'll see you later. " grabbing her things (Name) took off without waiting for 'goodbyes" from her friends.

The theme is a black satin box with Silver trimming and a gold quarter size pentagram on the kid. The box was a big enough size to fit all his favorite things inside. A close friend of hers was good at carving things so she got with Kamikiri and Kodai to help her make the box for Shihai. Once the box was set she carefully placed all things he loves most, and we couldn't forget his favorite food black ink pasta. After the assorted goodies were placed in the box she wrote down a note containing dark themed clues to help piece the puzzle together in confessing her feelings for him.

Once the letter and clues were finished she carefully wrapped the box with skull and crossbones and waited until the next day.

"Heyo!." (Name) announced her arrival through the door of her classroom most of the classmates were already there saying hellos back to her. She skimmed the room for familiar silver hair but didn't find the male in question. "Where's Shihai?." She asked tetsutetsu. He looked around quickly before looking back at (Name). "He's not here did you check the lockers?." She Shook her head, her smile wavering but determination to find Shihai fueled her even more. With his present in tow she walked around the halls but couldn't find him. She checked the lockers like Tetsutetsu suggested, still no Shihai.

*"where could he be... "* more of a question to herself than anything. She ran straight into someone dropping the present in the process. "Shit (name) I'm so sorry." Kamikiri said while picking up said item. "Was the box to you're liking?." He asked handing it back to her. "Yes! It's so beautiful thank you so much for the help."

"Y'know. You never told me who or what it was for." (Name) glanced at the green haired man. "Oh.. It's for well." She mumbled while running her fingers through her hair. "It's for shihai. Todays his birthday and I wanted the present to be special." Smiling to herself. He nodded understanding. "Is that who you're looking for? I just saw him by the tree near the dorms. With Kinoko." Her heart thumped in her chest, an uneasy feeling soon settling in her very core. "Oh. Thank you! I'll bring this to him now." Right as she went to dash off Kamikiri called out. "Hurry up whatever the reason he said it' was important for him and kinoko to meet up." But when he looked up the female had already gone.

Upon arriving at her destination she seen Kinoko talking with Shihai by the tree. Her steps falter and slowed, maybe now was a bad time? Looking at the wrapped present in her arms she decided against it. Newfound confidence settling back in. But she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her head that kept screaming. *"turn back while you still can."*

Nevertheless she waited by a tree just a foot or two away for her opportunity to pop in and give him the present. While she was debating on how to go about it she overheard they're conversation.

"Komori-chan. I wanted to tell you... " Shihai's voice. He sounded so nervous, more nervous than she's ever known he could be. Yeah he is bad at talking to girls, but she never noticed him have a problem talking with her let alone they're other female classmates.

"I really can't help but think about you. A-and want to know if you would go on a date with me."

There it was. The nagging gut wrenching feeling she's felt since finding out he was down here. Her heart had shattered, and felt a lump in her throat upon hearing his confession. Looking at the box with much less determination. She slowly backed away from their conversation and left the scene like a dog with it's tail between it's legs.

****

Kamikiri and Kendo were walking back to class when they'd seen a wrapped present and a disheveled (Name) sitting on a bench. "(Name)? Is everything alright?." She asked placing a hand in the girls shoulder. Eyes peered through (hair color) locks, giving a bright smile (Name) jeered. "Oh me? Yes I'm quite alright. Why do you ask?" Kendo frowned. Fake so fake of a reaction she knew something was wrong. Kamikiri shifted uncomfortably on his heels. "(Name). You weren't able to give Shihai his present?." "Oh this? Haha well no he seemed too busy with Kinoko, so I thought I'd hold onto this for awhile." Her voice wavered. Kendo looked to Kamikiri then back to (Name) before two and two put together. "(Name), whats the present. If you don't mind me asking." She sat next to her. Finally she begun letting her walls fall. "Shihai.. He asked Kinoko out on a date. This present here? I was gonna give this to him not only for his birthday. But it contained a letter and clues, I was planning on confessing to him..." She took a breath. "But. It seemed he had someone else in mind instead."

((Lol this was super long. I'd put a 'read more' link but alas I did this all on mobile hopefully this was okay. Thinking about giving this a part 2? Not sure if this one was acceptable or nah thank you anon for this amazing ask I had a lot of fun writing this piece. Also the Part with the kid and candy bar? I seen someone make an incorrect quotes post of Shihai doing this it made me giggle bc he's totally the type to do this so I thought I'd implement that into the scenario hopefully it's okay.))

🐲Queen Targe 🐲

[kyouryokusenshi]

Between Darkness and the Light

Summary: Scully struggles with past demons as their daughter’s birthday approaches.

Written for the Halloween XF Exchange and Ann Marie/bumblebee1220 with Spooky word prompt: Nightmare. Special thanks to Nicole @gaycrouton @xfilesfanficexchange for organizing these awesome exchanges and to my beta readers @monikafilefan and @rationalcashew as always for such awesome work and keeping my grammar in check. :D

--

In the darkness, adrenaline pumped through her veins as the sound of her beating heart thrummed through her eardrums. It was almost deafening. A baby cried profusely. Her baby. William, her miracle child. She felt herself slamming her weight against the door, screaming at the top of her lungs for the attacker to stop. It felt like an eternity before the door gave way and she only caught a slight glimpse of the man, pillow in his hands with the intent on killing her child before she unloaded the rest of her clip into his chest. She watched him drop to the ground in a heap.

She remained frozen in place, unable to move. The gun dropped from her hand with a clatter. William continued to cry and she watched as the man on the floor pooled her carpet with a deep crimson as she processed what had just happened. This man tried to kill her child.

It wasn’t until the sound of her mother’s voice filled the room that she was drawn out of her stupor. “DANA!” her mother cried out, her voice laced with terror before her gaze settled on the bloodied sight at their shoes. Scully’s hands flew to her mouth as she fought the urge to vomit. However, the sound of William’s continuous piercing cries stirring her maternal instinct into motion.

William continued to wail in his crib from the commotion, his face beet red and scrunched up, tears glistening on his rounded cheeks with his tiny hands suspended mid-air. Her mother’s next moves were all a blur as she saw the older Scully reach into the crib in an effort to comfort and placate the baby.

Scully’s legs felt as if they were rooted in place by lead. Her head was spinning and she barely caught a glimpse of her mother as she walked towards her with William in her arms. She was obviously terrified, but concern for her daughter seemed to override any fear that seemed to remain. Blood seeped from her hairline, revealing that she had been hurt during her efforts to protect her grandson.

She hadn’t realized she’d been hyperventilating until she felt her mother’s concerned touch, causing her to involuntarily flinch at the contact.

“Dana...DANA?” Maggie Scully urged. “We need to call 911.”

William’s cries seemed to dissipate in the comfort of his grandmother’s arms as she tried to console his mother.

Scully shook her head, barely aware of the hot tears spilling down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the sound of movement from the living room caught Maggie’s attention and she all but thrust William into Scully’s arms before retreating from the room to find the source of the commotion.

William was quiet as Scully’s tears continued to fall, almost blissfully unaware of everything that had just happened. That fact only caused Scully to cry harder as she whispered to her son while simultaneously taking in his milky baby scent. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry sweetheart,” she chanted. All she could think about was Mulder and how she had failed to keep their son safe in his absence. She hated herself for sending him away. What had she been thinking?!

William let out a small mewl against her in response.

In the distance, she could hear Doggett and Reyes’ voices. They were talking to her mother. She took a deep breath as she gathered herself to move away from the crime scene and into the other room.

Suddenly, she was whisked away by a bright light and words uttered by a dying man,“Your son has to die.”

“Why?!” She shrieked.  “Who told you that?! He’s my son...HE’S MY SON!”

-------

“Scully?” Mulder’s voice pierced through her thoughts. “Scully, it’s me. It’s okay, I’m here,” he pled.

Scully’s eyes flew open and was greeted by the darkness in the familiar comfort of their unremarkable house. It took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings and realize where she was.

She turned to the left to see Mulder sitting up beside her, his hand on her back, worry evident in his features.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, clutching the sheets in her hands. She realized she was still trembling.

“You had a nightmare?”

Scully looked down and closed her eyes against the darkness of the room. “Yes and no.”

A moment of silence passed between them before the sound of crying crackled through the baby monitor next to her, reminding her that she’d had another baby completely dependent on her just down the hall.

She nearly threw off the sheet and quickly padded down the hall, her mind relieved at the sight of her baby girl in her crib. She was fifty-five years old. She had a, now, one-year-old daughter and an eighteen-year-old son who was out there living his life- aside from the odd visits he surprised them with. At times, her mind struggled to entertain the image of the small baby boy she carried in her arms with the young man she’d seen on limited occasions.

Scully scooped up the baby, instantly calming her with her presence. Rocking her gently, she made small soothing noises.

“What is it, baby girl? Something scare you?” she crooned. Their daughter had started sleeping through most of the night a few months back. Sometimes, Scully still woke up each day in complete awe of the fact that they had another miracle baby well into their fifties.

She was suddenly aware of Mulder beside her, his face full of concern.

“Honey,” he pressed gently. “You kept screaming for William in your sleep. Did he...was it another vision?”

Scully sighed, trying to find the words. Just a few years ago, their son was a taboo subject as they each grieved in silence. She had made a commitment, a sacred vow in that church that, come what may, they would break through the darkness together.

“It was a memory. I know you know about the threats on William’s life, but Mulder...I, I witnessed it firsthand,” her voice broke as she looked down at her daughter’s deep blue eyes staring back at her as if completely mesmerized by the sight of her mother.

Mulder’s chest tightened at the sight of tears spilling over Scully’s cheeks as she involuntarily smoothed her hand over her daughter’s downy head. When she turned to look at him, he could see the pain from all those years ago in those watery depths.

“I saw him...with a pillow,” she choked how. “I-I shot him and…” she had difficulty continuing as her throat was clogged with emotion. “If I didn’t get there in time… I-.”

Her face fell as she let out a sob, unable to continue. Mulder crossed the distance between them and pulled both of them into his arms. His heart ached for all Scully had endured and experienced in his absence. Scully held onto their daughter protectively as she sobbed into Mulder’s chest at the memory that felt as if no time had passed.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he soothed. “He’s okay, Scully,” Mulder whispered. “It was never your fault. None of it.”

His chin found it's a familiar place as her head tucked safely beneath it. Their daughter squirmed between them in protest, but it went unnoticed in their shared grief. Mulder didn’t notice as his shirt became completely soaked in tears; however, her sobbing eventually subsided and they stood completely still in the nursery. A small night light illuminated the darkness of the room in addition to the scattered glow in the dark stars above them.

Scully felt a small tug on a lock of hair. “Ma...ma-ma. Mama.”

Her eyes flew open, hoping beyond hope that her ears weren’t betraying her. Mulder couldn’t help but smile as they pulled apart. He watched as Scully looked down at their daughter in awe as she stared up at Scully, her fist full of red hair. Ever since she was born, her hair seemed to serve as Katie’s security blanket.

“Mama,” she said again.

Mulder fought back a wide grin suddenly pulling at his features. He didn’t want to ruin the moment for Scully. He worked tirelessly day in and day out while Scully was at the hospital, begging her to say “Mama” and “Dada”. He wanted so much for Scully to hear the words she’d been craving all these years even if she already knew that she was a mother.

“Oh, my sweet baby girl,” she gushed. She was crying again, but Mulder knew these were tears of happiness.

Whether it was the hours of effort he put into getting her to say "Mama and Dada" or that their daughter had impeccable timing he wasn't entirely sure. Katie always seemed to be acutely aware of her mother's emotions ever since Scully was pregnant with her. Each and every time Scully was upset, whether about William, her mother or just afraid for their daughter, she was rewarded with a gentle jab at her insides.

They had their own special type of connection he couldn't explain, of that he was certain.

"I love you," Scully gushed. "I’ve loved you since the very moment I found out you were growing inside of me."

Katie shifted in her grip, reaching for Scully's face with her tiny hands.

"Mama," she said again.

Scully took her daughter's hand in her free one and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I know," she whispered. "You don't like seeing Mommy sad." She sniffled before she let out a laugh.

"You could use a change though."

Mulder smiled. "Let me do it. You go back to bed, I know you have to get up in a few hours."

Scully nodded as she passed the baby to Mulder's waiting arms. "Goodnight, baby," she whispered.

"See if she'll take a bottle, but I don't think she's hungry," Scully said. With a gentle squeeze to Mulder's upper arm, she walked out and down the hall to their bedroom.

Scully was right, Katie didn't seem to be hungry and she fell back asleep shortly after he changed her.

Mulder carefully snuck back into bed and draped his arm around Scully. He could feel her thinking as he often did.

"You okay, Scully?" He whispered from behind ber.

Scully sighed. "I just...William was only three months younger when I gave him up. Sometimes, I keep expecting something to go horribly wrong, for her to be...different. She's an incredibly intuitive baby."

"I don't think it's any more or less spectacular or unusual than your connection with William."

Scully sighed. "You're right. I just can't help but worry for her."

Mulder chuckled. "Oh, Scully, I don't think we'll ever stop worrying for her. I think we knew that going into this whole parenting thing. But things were different this time. She's fine, Scully, and I'm here. Nothing is going to take her from us."

Scully closed her eyes and released a sigh. If anyone was more in tune with her emotions than her daughter, it was Mulder.

"She probably gets it from you," she mused. "Along with many other things."

"But her skepticism from you. I swear she's doing the eyebrow thing."

Scully laughed in spite of herself. "Sure. Fine. Whatever, Mulder."

"It's true," Mulder insisted before he leaned over as Scully met him halfway for a quick kiss.

Scully hummed in response. "Mulder, have I told you lately how thankful I am you got rid of that beard?"

"All the time."

This time they both settled into a deep, dreamless sleep.

-----

The next morning came quicker than either of them expected. Mulder fed Katie as Scully got ready for work. She only worked three days a week now, but they were frequently twelve hour shifts or longer.

She threw him an appreciative glance and Mulder couldn't help but admire her long locks of hair. It brought him back to where they were long before she left and wanted to make a change.

He knew she had a particularly complicated surgery that morning and he wanted to ensure her morning was as smooth as possible, so he had coffee prepared for her from their new espresso machine, knowing she'd grab food at the hospital.

As Scully left the house, Mulder followed her onto the porch. She kissed him, long and hard, before running her hand through Katie's soft brown hair. "I love you so much, Baby. Make sure Daddy behaves himself."

Mulder opened his mouth in mock horror, but let her enjoy the moment. As Scully retreated down the steps, briefcase in hand, he whispered to Katie whose eyes followed Scully. "Can you wave bye bye to Mommy?" He instructed as he lifted a hand.

"Bye, Mommy," he said, louder this time, making Scully turn around. The sight stopped her in her tracks.

Katie had lifted her tiny arm moving it and down slightly. She babbled before she uttered "Mama" once more.

Scully's eyes filled with tears and she fought the urge to run back and kiss them both profusely as she had to be at the hospital in thirty minutes.

"Bye, Baby," she said, waving back.

Mulder stood there as Katie waved her arm profusely. “Ba ba,” she started giggling in the process and he could tell Scully was pulling away with great difficulty.

The two of them watched until Scully’s car disappeared from sight and Mulder turned to retreat back up the stairs. “That’s it, Baby...now say “Da-da”,” he encouraged.

“Ba-ba,” Katie continued with a grin. Mulder sighed. The disappointment never lasted long when it came to his daughter as she was always full of surprises. He moved to press a firm kiss against her cheek and she erupted into laughter. “Baaaa.”

“Da-da,” he said again as he stopped on the top of the porch, turning back to the graveled driveway.

It was eerily quiet as a gentle wind passed through. Mulder spotted a few errant leaves floating in the wind and Katie instinctively tried to reach for them. She was such a curious little thing. “ Just like someone else I know,” Scully often teased.

She was turning one in just a few days, a day she coincidentally shared with Mulder. They had a simple party planned with Doggett, Reyes, their daughter, Gracie, as well as Skinner and Kim. They invited Bill and Charlie along with their families, but both were unable to get flights out as Bill was still in Germany. There was someone else they were yearning for, but they didn’t want to get their hopes up.

Mulder knew Scully was almost always worried if they would be enough for their daughter. “ We’re so old, Mulder, with very little family left and just a few friends. Will the small niche group we have ever be enough?”

They were at least thankful that Katie got on well with John and Monica’s daughter- who was only a few months younger than Katie. Both Scully and Reyes’ alien DNA had allowed them both to become pregnant later in life, even if Reyes was a few years younger than Scully, but that is a story for another time.

“Your mama is out saving lives,” Mulder started, gaining Katie’s attention. “She’s certainly saved mine more times than I can count. We’re so lucky to have her. You know, I think you will be just like your mommy when you grow up.”

Katie just stared at him, grinning a toothless smile before she let out a squeal.

------

Scully had to wipe away the stray tears on her cheeks as she embarked on the drive to work she knew like the back of her hand. She didn’t understand what was wrong. In fact, everything was almost perfect. Their son knew she loved him; in fact, he dropped by every now and then. They had this wonderful second chance to be parents. It was almost too perfect.

She walked through the halls of Our Lady Of Sorrows as she did hundreds of times over. There were difficult times. Those were the times she was constantly looking over her shoulder to ensure no one followed her home, to or from the hospital. That went on for a few good years until Agent Drummy showed up. Not long after that, she was finally able to rest easy as she went about her chaotic workday. Mulder was able to show up at the hospital, causing minor uproar among the hospital staff. They would often go out to dinner and, of course, they went on a Bohemian cruise.

Everything was just fine until it wasn’t. Dinners out slowly became a thing of the past as Mulder’s nights in became long and unpredictable. She picked up more shifts at the hospital during those times. As December 2012 drew closer, Mulder would disappear from the house, chasing leads, not understanding why she wasn’t doing more to prevent what was coming. It got worse and worse until he no longer came to bed and they were fighting almost daily. At some point, she had gotten demoted to a surgeon’s assistant, though she did not mind it too terribly much. So many of her patients’ cases were becoming too personal for her and, no doubt, the hospital administration took notice. The screaming matches between her and Mulder also were physically and mentally exhausting until she just could not do it anymore.

Until she left.

The drive to work was much different after that. It was shorter, sure. She forgot how many times she had cried on that drive when she realized she wasn’t driving down her usual path. She wasn’t sure when, but she eventually was able to stop crying. It wasn’t long before she received that call from Skinner requesting their assistance and she fell down the rabbit hole again. Even though those commutes were different, it was a path that led to them both finding one another again. A path that led to another miracle child. And now here she was, traveling the same road she did all those years ago under new and renewed circumstances. She had a husband and a child to come home to.

She started her day as she often did, heading to her office and reviewing patient files, readying herself to assist with the latest patient. As she left her office, she was so engrossed in the most recent patient’s file until she felt herself run into something solid. “Oh God, I’m so sorry,” she spoke quickly, rushing to catch the folder before it collided with tile.

“No worries,” a sweet, entirely unfamiliar voice replied. “Happens to me all the time; so much, in fact, my mother tells me that it must run in the family.”

Scully looked up to see a woman, clad in a white lab coat, smiling softly at her. She couldn't have been much over thirty. She had long, soft brown hair and the purest blue eyes she had ever seen, other than her child’s of course.

“Have...have we met before? I’m certain I haven’t seen you in this hospital, but you look so familiar. What’s your name?”

“Katherine, but everyone calls me Kate. I even made my parents call me that.”

Scully stood there, stunned as she felt an odd sense of deja vu settle over her as she remembered Mulder’s words to her from so long ago. “I even made my parents call me Mulder.”

Before she could respond, Kate spun on her heels. “I gotta go, maybe I’ll see you around again...”

“Dana,” Scully felt herself supplying for her. “Dr. Dana Scully.” And, the woman was gone.

Scully took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something about that woman shook her to her very core.

The rest of her day was uneventful. She was just about to leave as another thought struck her. Pulling out her laptop, she decided to search the hospital directory for Katherine. She mentally kicked herself for not asking for Kate’s last name and she felt it was rather odd that she did not supply it either. There was only one Katherine that populated the search results and it certainly wasn’t the woman she met in the hallway earlier. Scully heaved a sigh as she nearly slammed the laptop closed. There was only one explanation, that woman wasn’t a regular doctor here at this hospital.

Scully sighed as she retreated from her office, suddenly eager to get home. She hadn't heard from Mulder all day and she was starting to worry. Usually, he sent a text during each of her shifts, showing her the mischief he and their daughter were often up to.

As she walked outside, she spotted the woman from earlier, seemingly oblivious to her presence. She stopped against the wall and watched her continue to walk. It was ridiculous, she had no good reason to be stalking this woman.

After she got a good distance away, Scully followed in the same direction and hurried closer without being too close. She stopped for a moment, realizing she had no real plan of action here.

"Hey!" She was startled from her thoughts as the woman stopped and stared in her direction. How in the hell was she spotted that easily?

When Scully didn't respond, the woman placed her hands on her hips and eyed her skeptically...something she was guilty of far too often. "Are you following me?"

Scully frantically searched for some type of explanation. "Umm, er, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't catch your name."

Katherine walked closer to Scully, twirling her keys in her hand. "It's Katherine," she deadpanned.

"But your last name…" Scully paused as the woman neared her as she caught the golden reflection that contrasted against the sunlight

Scully felt her heart rate quicken, unsure of what suddenly came over her as she reached towards Katherine, grasping the golden chain around her neck. That crucifix mirrored her own.

"Hey-"

"Your last name," Scully interrupted, "wouldn't happen to be Mulder would it?" She was unable to look Katherine in the eye as her head started to spin. When the woman didn't respond, she felt her jelly-like legs give way beneath her. She swore she could have heard someone say Mom before everything went dark.

----

Scully opened her eyes slowly, looking around only to realize she was in an unfamiliar room. Her legs had been elevated with multiple pillows.

"Better now?" The familiar voice asked beside her.

Scully jumped as Katherine moved a tray in front of her. On it was a glass of fruit juice. It shouldn't have surprised her that this woman knew how to care for someone who had fainted. She was a doctor.

Once again she caught the reflection off of her necklace, which made everything immediately come back to her.

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at the once tiny person that grew inside of her.

"My baby. My sweet baby girl. You're all grown up," her voice broke. "But how?"

Katherine smiled. "I didn't mean to frighten or confuse you, but my secret is clearly out."

Scully wiped at her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. “Oh my God, what’s happening?”

“It’s okay,” she said in a rational voice that mirrored her own as she sat next to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Shaking her head and reaching for the juice, she took a long sip before she continued. She had so many questions and at the same time, she was unsure of what to ask.

“You’re a doctor, too?”

“Yes,” the brunette responded with a smile that reminded her so much of Mulder.

Scully was in tears again- she couldn’t help it. This woman was a total stranger and at the same time, she felt as if she already knew this adult version of her child. She decided to start simple.

“You’re taller than me,” she chuckled through her tears, making Katherine smile. “Though that’s a fairly easy achievement.”

Several moments passed as Scully stared at her daughter and suddenly the questions she wanted to ask bubbled to the surface. “What are you doing here? How old are you? Are we still alive? Do you have children?”

Katherine smiled as she sat in front of her. Scully looked around at the fairly modest and yet, clean apartment and took a mental note of where her daughter’s cleaning habits came from.

“You have a lot of self-doubts,” Katherine started. “You worry if you’ll be able to care for me properly and protect me, the younger me anyway, because of what’s happened in the past...your past.”

Scully opened her mouth to respond, but was unsure how to answer. It was true. Before Katherine continued, Scully felt a twinge of anxiety creep up, wondering what was coming next.

“Relax,” she said as if reading her mind. Could she read minds?

“You should listen to him more, you know,” Katherine said.

“When have I ever been wrong, Scully?” Scully could almost hear the words pouring out of Mulder’s lips.

“Jesus, you’re so much like him,” she muttered.

“A good thing, I hope?”

“Of course it is...but please, tell me.”

Katherine looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have to be careful about how much I divulge to you...changing the future and whatnot. I am thirty-three years old and, no, I don’t have kids...or a partner for that matter. I’ve never desired kids personally and neither has…” she was hesitant to elaborate.

Scully seemed to pick up on the indication. “William-Jackson, do you know him, is he,”

Katherine smiled. “He’s alive. He’s married, but they, also, do not have children. While we’re not exactly alike, we’re both similar in that we’re different because of the alien DNA you passed to us. Not to worry, however...you don’t need to worry for my life or safety because of it. Instead, both of us are dedicated to a cause that helps children like us. There are many more.”

Scully sighed as she tried to wrap her head around all of it.

“Things are so much different now, so progressive, but I’ll admit I worried a bit that you’d pressure me for grandchildren.”

Scully laughed as the tears started flowing again. “I would never. My parents, as I’m sure the me in your time already told you, were often disapproving of my life choices. But all I ever wanted, want, for you and William is for you both to be happy. To grow up loved...and safe,” her voice broke and it took her a moment to compose herself.

“As for grandchildren, ha- we’re parents for the second time in our FIFTIES, so that itch has already been scratched.”

Together, they both laughed.

“My mom said the same thing,” Katherine shrugged.

“She is a wise woman if I must say so myself.”

“She certainly is,” Katherine agreed.

“So…” Scully hesitated. “Are you...happy?”

Katherine smiled a warm smile. She reached forward and took Scully’s hand in her own.“Yes, very much so...because of you and Dad.”

“Are we… ?” she hesitated again.

“You’re both still alive and doing fairly well...in your eighties. Pushing each other with each other’s wheelchairs. Now, the tables have been turned and it’s my turn to worry about you.”

Scully let out a tearful laugh as she recalled Mulder’s words to her not long before their daughter was conceived. “Baby…I’m sorry,”

“Don’t be. I had a happy childhood. You gave me a good life.”

Scully swallowed back tears as she nodded. She glanced around the room and saw a simple photo sitting next to Katherine on a coffee table. Katherine caught her gaze and handed her the photo before she even had a chance to ask for it.

In it, she could see four people. Despite the years of age that added fine lines and wrinkles, she recognized herself and Mulder. Next to them, she could barely make out William...still the same boy she recognized with his crop of dark brown hair and eyes, but with the same added lines of wisdom that only comes with years of experience. A woman stood next to him, she appeared slightly older, but only just by a few years. She had matching long dark hair and dark eyes with an olive complexion. Last, but not least, was Katherine, her blue eyes contrasting against them. Scully gingerly ran her finger over the wooden frame as the tears fell. This was her family and they were all together. Her heart swelled at the realization that her son had found happiness and she was certain her daughter would as well.

“That’s Crystal,” Katherine offered. “Well, that’s what she likes to be called anyways. You’ll have to be patient to find out the details yourself. But she’s like us.”

Scully nodded as her hands continued to trace the frame.

“Your grandmother would have adored you. We...we were so close and I can only hope to be the kind of mother that she was.”

“I know and you are,” she insisted, taking Scully’s hands into hers. “That’s why when I was little, I wanted to be exactly like my mom when I grew up. Even though it seemed impossible and still does at times. It’s a LOT to live up to...an FBI Agent, a doctor, and scientist,” she laughed.

Scully shook her head. “You’re so much more than that, my sweet girl. I don’t even have to ask you to know it. Since the moment you were born, I knew you would change the world.”

It was Katherine’s turn to cry. She normally wasn’t an emotional person, but she was becoming overwhelmed. “The...the world, it’s a different place now. No more poverty, everyone has healthcare. We don’t have to worry about mass shootings. I’m sorry,” she shook her head. “I’ve probably said too much already. There’s still progress to be made, but…”

“A world without Trump. Thank God! I can at least sleep easier at night knowing what’s to come. I swear, I fear for you...my baby growing up in today’s climate as a woman. It’s awful,” Scully sighed.

“You’ll have to see how it plays out.”

Scully nodded, wiping her eyes as she sniffled. “I worry for William...Jackson, being out there on his own. I just want him to know how loved he is. That he has a home to come to if he wants it.”

Katherine nodded. “He knows. You told him, remember? I actually have a feeling you’ll be seeing him again soon. He has his own part to play in things. You’ll see. He...he’s always been a good big brother...protective. Still is, even though we’re both grown ass adults now,” she couldn’t help but chuckle.

Scully smiled proudly. “That’s big brothers for you. I had one myself.”

“I know.”

Scully’s heart ached as she knew she couldn’t stay this way with her grown daughter forever. She had to go home soon...to her home.

“I love you...so much,” Scully felt the words rolling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Katherine wiped the tears from her eyes. “I know. I love you too...Mom.”

If Scully was certain she was all out of tears, she had another thing coming. “Oh my God...I’m still. I’m not used to hearing that.”

Standing up, she pushed the folding table out of the way. “Can I...hold you?” she asked, outstretching her arms. To her surprise, Katherine was immediately at her feet and threw her arms around Scully. Both Scully women erupted into sobs, though they were tears of joy and happiness.

“I love you,” Scully kept saying. “I need you to know that.”

“I know. I know you do. William knows it, too.”

They stayed that way for several minutes before she heard Katherine whispered against her. “You have to go back now.”

Scully was torn. She had only just gotten to know this older version of her daughter and now she had to leave?

“No, I...” Scully started to protest.

Katherine forced them both apart by pulling back. She placed her hands against Scully’s cheeks, cradling them in her own. “You are exactly the same as I imagined you to be...so long ago,” she added with a laugh. “You’re the same, Mom.”

“Well, that’s reassuring, I guess,” Scully laughed tearfully.

Katherine smiled and placed a loving kiss on her mother’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you most, baby girl.”

Katherine couldn’t help but roll her eyes, in typical Scully fashion, eliciting a laugh from Scully.

“That still hasn’t changed and it’s embarrassing.”

“You always will be my baby girl, even when you’re fifty and I’m six feet under.”

“Okay, now you’re just being morbid.”

The beautiful young woman in front of her began to fade, her touch dissipating. No.

As Katherine’s hands fell from her face, Scully reached out and pulled her forward, placing a loving kiss on the crown of her daughter’s head. “Bye, my sweet girl.”

The last thing she saw was her daughter wave before the whole room was catapulted into darkness.

“Bye, Mom.”

-----

Scully shifted as the images faded away. In the distance, she could smell Mulder’s familiar cologne and hear his voice calling to her.

“Scully.”

Her eyes flew open and she was greeted with the familiar darkness of the room in their unremarkable house.

“Scully?” he tried again, his concern growing.

It was then that she realized her face was still wet with tears. No wonder Mulder was so concerned.

She sighed, staring at the ceiling as he continued. “Another nightmare?”

Scully shook her head. “No, no nightmares,” she said.

Mulder waited several moments for her to continue. When she didn’t, he sighed, not wanting to push her. He knew she would tell him when she was ready.

Reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, she said, “I’m good, Mulder. Promise.”

“Good. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I haven’t finished all of the party decorations. But if you need me, I’m just a wink away.”

“Thank you.”

“Night, Scully.”

“Night, Mulder.”

--------

Scully sat in the rocking chair in the back of their house. Katie sat in her lap, babbling away at whatever it was that struck her fancy in the horizon. One year ago today, she brought her second miracle baby into the world. Coincidentally, it was also Mulder’s birthday. However, his only thoughts were for his daughter and Scully loved him for it. Little did he know, she had an extra special birthday cake hiding in the freezer and that John and Monica were watching Katie tonight.

As the trees bustled in the fall breeze, Scully turned back to the birthday girl and the butterfly cutout book in her lap. “Ba..ba ba,” she chanted.

Scully’s thoughts began to wander to the dream she had the previous night, or was it a vision? It never did occur to her to ask Katherine what abilities she had that were similar to William’s. In fact, there was a lot she still didn’t know. What kind of doctor was she? What was her specialty?

Smiling, Scully shook her head as she placed a small kiss onto the soft brown hair of her daughter in front of her, who was pulling at the pages to reveal more colorful cutouts.

“So you like being called Kate, huh?” she found herself musing out loud.

Katie looked up at her all of a sudden as if she were reading her mind. She opened her mouth and let out a sudden squeal of delight.  

“So Kate it is then?”

Not that she expected a response, but Kate’s attention was suddenly torn back to the scenery in front of them. The trees blowing in the wind and open land before them.

She raised a tiny arm and began to move it in the same haphazard motion that she did when she and Mulder saw her off in the mornings. She was waving...at nothing in particular it seemed as she observed the scene in front of them.

“You see something, baby?”

She let out another squeal as a grin spread across her face. “Gaahh.” Another giggle.

Scully closed the book and set it on the small table beside her. “We should probably finish getting you ready, huh?”

“Da...Dada,” she said suddenly as they turned towards to screen door. Scully’s eyes widened, again filling with tears as she realized what had happened.

“Yeah, Daddy is inside,” she explained, suddenly in a rush to go inside.

Little did she know, Mulder was standing just a few feet away from the other side of the door.

“Dada,” she said again as Mulder came into view, lifting her arms towards him.

“Oooh my Sweet Pumpkin, Happy Birthday to me, too, huh?” he said as he took her from Scully and blew raspberries into her cheeks. She erupted into a fit of giggles and Scully smiled as the sound of their daughter’s laughter filled the house.

In the distance, a lone figure remained unseen, cloaked in a hooded sweatshirt. He smiled absently to himself at the home that was filled with warmth and laughter. Only one person could see him when others could not.

She, who was the light in the darkness.

The one who would grow up to change the world.

END

[joelyjo]

Fic - Night and Light and the Half-Light

Author: joelyjo

Rating: Hard R

Summary: Well, you can’t start to write XF fanfic without writing something set around the events of ‘all things’, now can you?  

Notes: Any and all feedback is most welcome. I’m an analogue XF fan trying to operate in a digital XF world and am still finding my way. Some inspiration (and the title) has been taken from William Butler Yeats’ He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven.

 All along, she realises, he’s been laid out before her, like a corpse for her inspection. From the first moment of their meeting, when she held out her hand to him in his basement office and he saw that she wasn’t what he’d been expecting, he’s been a fallen man.

She knows this. Has known it all along. It’s simply taken seven years for her to really see it.  

Through the slatted blinds, the night glitters with a kaleidoscope of artificial lights; it’s an urban starlight. Living in the city means that the skies are shrouded but, she thinks, that is probably a good thing. She never looks at stars and sees just stars any more. From the doorway, she watches him, his naked body stretched out on the bed, a hidden treasure beneath the sheets. His skin is golden, the arcs of the bones of his face silver-plated in the half light. She knows he is awake, can tell it by the pattern of the rises of his chest, even though his eyes are closed. She sighs.

“I’m such a coward, Mulder.”

At that, his eyes spring open and he meets her gaze. He says nothing, does not move. His silence gives her space to continue.

“I think I’ve been in love with you for a long while.”

She’s left her shoes in his lounge and she feels absurdly small. Her hands are heavy weights at the end of her arms, redundant. His jaw tenses. Around his eyes, the skin creases as he studies her, taking her in, no doubt trying to determine if she is for real. Yet even as he gauges her, tenderness rolls away from him in lapping waves.

“Don’t look at me like that, please, Mulder,” she begs.

He sits up, one hand behind him bearing his weight. “Like what?”

“Like that. It makes me think that you’re in love with me too.”

“Scully.” His voice conveys a good-natured reprimand. An amused smile fights vainly at his lips. “I don’t think it’s been platonic between us for a while, has it?”

She doesn’t answer. There is no need for an answer, because she knows he is damn right.

He flips back the covers and climbs out of bed. She is glad to see that he is wearing boxer shorts; she’s not sure how she would have coped if he’d been as naked as he appeared under those sheets.

Personal space has never been something Fox Mulder has done well, and now is no different. He stands a hair’s breadth away from her, so she has to tilt her face to look at him. Still, she feels so very small.

“Mulder, I... I don’t know what to do.”

Ridiculous tears are pricking at her eyes. She wants to turn and run desperately away from him, but knows that the moment for that kind of fleeing has passed. There is only the way forward now.

“Oh, I think you do,” he says and his voice is so gentle and patient and kind and sexy that she wants to wrap herself up in it and never hear anything else ever again.

It seems perfectly natural, then, to accept his kiss and to return it, quite fiercely; to lay her hand on the bare skin of his upper arm and trace down the humerus, radius and ulna to his wrist; to feel briefly for his pulse. He threads his fingers through hers and squeezes, then releases and cups her face so that he might kiss her more deeply.

There is the fast patter of panic inside her, running this way and that, making her want to pull away from him. It’s Newton’s Third Law for human interactions, she thinks, as she forces it down and away, summoning calm from within.

This is Mulder. And it is time.

Long minutes pass as they explore the contours of each other’s mouths.  

When eventually, she pulls back, breathless, mouth open, and looks at him, standing there before her, her brain is lagging half a heartbeat behind her body, trying to comprehend what is happening. She’s pretty sure the FBI has rules against French kissing your partner like this. But since when have they cared about rules? She wants to do it again. He seems to be thinking the same thing and so they lean together once more and merge, tongues alight. His body is warm and close; she can feel the heat emanating from him and she basks in it, in him, as their kissing slows and then they surface again.

Without the sense of his mouth on her, she feels weirdly dislocated, like kissing Mulder in this way has transported her somewhere other than where she expects to be. Is this what he’s always called an ‘out of body experience’?

Almost laughing at the absurdity of her thoughts in the moment, she allows the giddiness engendered in her to run free. She kisses his nose. Mulder smiles like a little boy given praise for a job done well and so she boldly bites his bottom lip.

Her eyes slip downwards, to pause at the sight of the enticingly tented material of his boxer shorts. “I’m sorry, Scully,” he murmurs, his gaze joining hers. They stare at his erection for a moment. His hands reach for hers again, as if he can’t stand not to touch her in some way. “I should be able to kiss you without him thinking that it’s reason to stand up and be counted, but it’s been a while and right now, I gotta admit... I’m kinda turned on.”

So is she. There is suddenly a furnace of heat being stoked in her body and she is powerless to suppress it. “It’s all right, Mulder,” she murmurs back. Feeling brave, she reaches out and touches him, running her finger along the ridge of hardness beneath the soft cotton of his shorts. The way his eyes close and his head rolls back makes her soar. He gives a little thrust into her palm.

“Fuck, Scully. I always knew you’d be good with your hands.” She smiles like cat with a big bowl of cream and he clears his throat, gasps as she squeezes him.

His hands start working at her clothes. He pushes her jacket off her shoulders, catches it one-handed and flings it onto the top of the laundry hamper. Her skirt comes next, the run of the zipper vibrating right through her. As it pools at her feet, she steps out of it and kicks it carelessly to one side. Creases are the last thing on her mind right now. Her green top and bra are next; they land at the foot of his wardrobe. Then he pauses, drops to his knees and begins to peel her pantyhose down her legs.

She expects him to get straight back up again, but when he doesn’t, when he lays his big hands on her thighs and rubs, she knows what he is going to do. “Mulder,” she says. “Mulder, you don’t have to.”

It’s a response born of a half dozen men from her past who have treated the act as a chore – Dana Scully is not the sort of woman who likes to be an imposition to anyone. But he looks up at her and pins her with that look again. “I want to,” he tells her simply.

He slides her panties down her legs, then gives her a gentle push towards the bed, encouraging her to sit on the edge of the mattress. With some anxiety, she does so, watching as he shuffles forward and parts her thighs with determined hands. She fights hard against the tiny voice inside her that is calling that this is Mulder, this is MULDER, and he’s about to go down on her on the edge of his bed. For his part, Mulder doesn’t seem at all affected by what he’s going to do, but his eyes... his eyes are darker than chromium sulphate. She draws in a breath as he begins.

Like a narrator telling a tale, his fluent tongue traces patterns and hieroglyphs across her most sensitive flesh. He’s good at this, Scully dimly thinks, as coherent thought soaks away from her and the world contracts to the two of them and this room and this act. When she comes, it is more powerful than any orgasm she’s exacted from her own hands and she cries out, reaching for him.

And then he’s there, climbing above her, sliding her up the cool sheets and his cock is pushing at her entrance. “Oh, Scully,” he sighs.

In the dark recesses of her pleasure-addled brain, Scully feels pieces of her consciousness bubble and glow, seeking out his like ions in electrolysis. They come together and it is magnificent.        

Afterwards, silence oozes around them. They lie in perfect symmetry of one another for a long while, not speaking, and the heat from their bodies cools. Her skin tingles even though they are not touching. She feels like a dragonfly, newly hatched from a nymph, her wings unfurling and hardening in warm sunshine, waiting to take flight and soar. Eventually, he falls asleep, yet still she watches him, marvelling. The dim, bluish half-light of the city at night ripples like water over his flesh, casting shadows that perform a dance celebratory in his cluttered bedroom.

When, at length, she rises, dresses and leaves, she knows it will not be long before she returns.

 The End.

Tagging @today-in-fic, @marinafrenzy, @i-just-knew1013, @softnow Thanks folks!

[jlf23tumble]

Just a quick group answer to my inbox because I’m not gonna deal with individual nonsense:

I don’t actually have to deal with nonsense, so you can stop sending multiple versions of the same “ask”...I’m not gonna change your mind, I don’t know who you are, but you do know who I am, and I’m not gonna change my mind, so I’m begging you, go outside, get some fresh air, come back inside, and then block my ass. I won’t be hurt! I promise!

You’re entitled to your opinion about how terrible Louis’s life is, and I’m entitled to mine, so please see the last two lines of (1).

I don’t know jack-shit about Louis Tomlinson’s life goals, so by Schrodinger's kitty law, maybe he always HAS had a lifetime ambition of being an XF judge...I don’t know, but more importantly, I don’t care. See the last two lines of (1).

If you come and drop an anon bomb in my inbox, and I respond to it, that response is not, in fact, a witch hunt on you. Again, I have no idea who you are, I’m just answering your “question.” I can’t chase you down and spread my world view to you unless you’re seeking it out...if you have a problem with this blog, see the last two lines of (1) and maybe stop sending anon “questions” while you’re at it.

Phoenix has never, ever said that it was homophobic to worry about Louis, but I get it: her inbox is blocked from anon messages, but mine isn’t. She’s open to chatting to anyone off anon, though, so have at it.

I agree, American culture is WILD, but I’ve never said that Louis is pure strength and has never had a bad, sad, or tragic moment; I’ve definitely never said that Harry’s an angel who can do know wrong. It’s not that black and white for me, but I can see why it’s hard to see gray when you only want to see black or white.

And to the one nice person in there, I really do need to watch 1D day again, so maybe I’ll recap it then?? Dunno, I’ll think about it...thanks for the idea and for your kind words as well!

[xgurl07]

I don’t say much here on tumblr as I am shy AF but I am just doing a word vomit to say goodbye to my favourite show. Sorry it’s long and kudos to whoever reads this all.

25 years later and the biggest chapter of my life is coming to an end and what a ride it has been!! I have been in this fandom since a young age and grew up with The X-Files. I would buy any magazine or merchandise I could get my hands on that had XF on the cover. I even went as far as begging for the Newsweek with XF on the cover from my optometrist’s office (she let me have it).

I was around when internet dial up was what we had as a source of information. When a new trailer aired, I hopped online laaaaate at night and looked at screencaps because watching an uploaded version would take at least 10 mins to load. I remember when Haven was formerly The Haven for the FBI’s Most Unwanted website with news and information. This is where I discovered their message board back around 1997/1998.

Through this board (that led to other boards) I met some Philes that I keep in contact with til this day. @everything-ology was somebody I became friends with through one of these boards (p2k?) and has been one of my longest friendships (more than some real life friends) in my life. I want to say 18 years? Is that right?

We were able to fangirl over the show with other friends we made through these boards. We flipped out with the S7 finale and swooned with the S8 finale. We also watched online the 200th episode party via a live feed and we were over the moon to be able to do it together. Majority have come and gone as the show ended its first run in 2002. Saying goodbye back in 2002 felt different for me. I was sad that the show ended but maybe because I was young and naive and didn’t think much of it and was able to move forward easily. Different fandoms came and went between 2002 and 2008.

When IWTB was announced and red carpet event made public, that was when I finally was able to meet @everything-ology in real life..in Los Angeles! That trip was amazing and crazy all in one. Anybody else do that red carpet fan event???

S10 announcement just floored me. I had not paid that much attention to the XF fandom prior and was over the moon with the news. I avoided tumblr for the longest time and finally got an account late 2015 I think. And what an eye opener this site has been. Because of this site though I was able to meet up with @everything-ology to attend Wizard World Chicsgo 2016. We had a blast and met some awesome people along the way. Even though S10 was not great, it was a gift I never thought we’d get and will be forever thankful for it. S11 was announced and I almost cried at the news because again another gift I never thought we’d get. Then NYCC 2017 happened and that was a crazy ride, in a great way.

S11 has been amazing (we need a kiss or something thoight) and the finale is tonight and I want to enjoy this last episode as much as I can because this is gonna be it. We will never get anything like this again. Thank you to the cast and crew of @thexfilesfox for this amazing show that I love with all my heart. It has allowed me to travel and meet amazing people and I am forever grateful for that.

Thanks for reading, if you did! My inbox is always open to meet new people 😊

[discordantwords]

I wish you would write a fic where it was literally anything about Mulder and Scully.

You prompted me to root around in my folder of unfinished XF fic, so I’ve knocked the cobwebs off of the beginning of this incomplete casefile I’ve had had hidden away for the past few years:

When they were kids, Samantha used to cringe away froma house in the neighborhood, a crumbling Victorian affair with broken windowsand crooked shutters. She’d shut her eyes and beg him to hold her hand and he’dtease and she’d whine and finally he’d just do it and they’d run, she with hereyes closed and he with his open, eager to leave it behind them.

 This house inspires that same blind, irrationalterror. Palms sweaty, skin clammy, heart galloping in panicky little bursts.

 He is singularly affected. Scully stands on adilapidated porch, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed in the sharp sting ofsunlight. The look she throws in his direction is impatient, a little curious.Only a little.

She thinks he is pausing for effect.

He thinks of fog drenched haunted houses and Christmastime ghosts and darkbasements and thinks maybe he understands where she is coming from.

 She is waiting for him, eyebrow quirked, lips turnedup in a half smile. She does not yet know whether to be amused or exasperatedand sits somewhere in between, straddling the line, waiting for him to push herin one direction or the other.

 Best not to disappoint.

 He steps up the cracked stone path, grinning,squinting up in the bright sun at the ramshackle structure.

 "Bit of a fixer upper, isn’t it?“

 She rolls her head to the side, looks faintly amused.He marks that a victory on his internal scorecard.

 "Oh, I don’t know,” she says. “It hasits own charms.”

 They do not speak of how the windows look like hoodedeyes, how the porch with its broken railing looks like jagged teeth.

 "Well?“

He shrugs. “Stiffs are your domain.”

 There is a body just beyond the front door, lyingthere on the cracked marble floor in the foyer. It is the fourth corpse in as many daysto find its way into this unlucky room.

 Uniformed officers mill about outside, fiddling withcrime scene tape. No one seems to want to enter the house. He notes this idly,looking at her standing amidst the cobwebs.

 "No thrilling tales of vengeful ghosts? Cursedburial grounds? Homeowner associations gone awry?“

 "I could tell you stories about cursed burialgrounds that would make your hair stand on end,” he promises, standing, asalways, just a bit too close. His breath ruffles her hair and he could swearthat she shivers.

But it could just be the house. Here, on the porch, in its malevolent shadow,it is hard to deny the feelings it induces. He wonders if the prone man on the floorfelt the same way before assuming the position.

 He hears the snap of latex, sees Scully slippingcapable hands into gloves. She seems unperturbed.

 "Though maybe the homeowner association isscarier.“ He pauses, looks around. “It doesn’t give you thewillies?”

 She glances sharply at him, her face melting into anunsure smile. “The willies, Mulder?”

 He gestures to the house, to the gaping maw that isthe doorway.

 "It is a bit,“ she pauses, glances around."Unsettling. But we’ve been in stranger places.”

 "There are historical precedents for housesholding negative energy,“ Mulder says.

 "There are documented cases of men and womenliterally scaring themselves to death,” she replies. “A naturalsymptom of the fight or flight response. Adrenaline floods the system, heartrate increases, blood vessels constrict and… bam.”

 "Bam? Is that the accepted scientific term?“

 "Why don’t we ask our victim here?” Sheraises her eyebrows, steps over the threshold.

 He watches as she disappears through the doorway,bright head passing into shadow. When she was sick he wanted to grab her and crushher to him, wanted to beg her to live, live, live as though the sheer force ofhis will could bend reality and make it so.

 He wants to grab her arm now, wrench her back out intothe sunlight.

 Instead he swallows hard, tells himself to get a grip,sets aside his own uneasiness. He follows her into the foyer.  

 She crouches next to the corpse, gently pulls back thesheet to reveal a pallid face, locked in a rigor mortis scream.

 "Like the others,“ she murmurs.

 He crouches, joins her, resists the urge to make ajoke about the gaping mouth, the wide frozen eyes. Instead he reaches insidethe dead man’s pants, produces a wallet.

 "Edgar Gutierrez,” he says. His voice echoesoff the bare walls.

 She looks back at him, frowns. He can see the wheelsin her head turning, trying to fit this man in with the unfortunate trifecta ofprevious victims.

 It doesn’t fit. None of them fit. There is no pattern.

 Mulder stands and steps around the corpse to peer intothe parlor. There is no furniture, nothing on the walls. The floors are bare,dirty. Dust motes dance in shafts of sunlight.

 He crosses into the next room, stands staring at asagging staircase. Cobwebs hang from the ceiling, waving in the gentle breezefrom a broken window.

 The hairs on the back of his neck stands up.

 "Boo,“ she says softly behind him.

 He jumps, whirls, blinks at her. Sweat has begun tobead on his face in the claustrophobic heat of the house.

 She looks at him, smiles, tries to hide her amusement."This place really does give you the willies, doesn’t it?”

 He thinks of her, pale and jumpy, screaming in ashort, panicky burst at the sight of him with a flashlight under his chin.

 "You should talk,“ he replies.

 "It was dark.”

 "And there were ghosts.“

 "Hallucinations,” she corrects quickly. Sheis smiling again, head tilted, smug. “Of which there are none to be seenhere.”

 "Not yet,“ he muses, takes hold of therailing. It quivers in his hand. "Has the house been searched today?”

 She shakes her head, puts her hands on her hips,purses her lips. “I couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone outthere. I think they drew straws to see who would come in here and confirm therewas even a fourth corpse.”

 "Some pretty powerful willies,“ he says.

 "What I want to know is how someone managed tosneak in here past the patrol car last night,” she is irritated, her faceflushed with the indignation that their warnings have not been taken seriouslyby the local PD.

 Mulder thinks it may, in fact, be a case of theirwarnings being taken too seriously.