"Scully, are you coming on to me?"

"Ooo boy!"

Love Among the Ruins received two 2002 Spookys Honorable Mentions (Outstanding Long Story and Outstanding Collaboration).

LOVE AMONG THE RUINS

By the Secret Squirrels
Story bridge by Brandon D. Ray

E-Mail Address: Secret-Squirrels@yahoogroups.com

DISTRIBUTION: Please ask. It's likely we'll say yes and be flattered, t' boot.
SPOILERS: Through Season 8
RATING: NC-17 (Here there be smut. No minors, please. This story contains adult subject matter and graphic descriptions of explicit sexual situations. The art is kinda hot, too.)
CLASSIFICATION: S, MSR

SUMMARY: Newlyweds Mulder and Scully have a mere 48 hours to enjoy their honeymoon before they must return to real life. With little William at grandma’s, our heroes lock themselves away for two days of connubial bliss.

DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Chris Carter, FOX and 1013 Productions. We use them to pay homage, not bills.

Authors' notes: “Love Among the Ruins” is the sequel to “Bare Ruin’d Choirs.” Although it’s not necessary to read that one first, you may want to.

In case you missed the Rating above, we're gonna say this one more time: this story is smut, smut, smut. Adults only. Got that?

Special thanks go to Bambi for suggesting the title “Love Among the Ruins.”

Text only version.


PROLOGUE PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6

LOVE AMONG THE RUINS
By the Secret Squirrels

PROLOGUE

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When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate,
For thy sweet love rememb'red such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

                                            --William Shakespeare

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RESIDENCE OF DANA SCULLY & FOX MULDER
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
MARCH 20, 2003
7:05 PM

"I thought we’d never escape," Mulder said, closing the door and locking it behind them. He turned to face Scully, standing a few feet away, in front of the sofa.

"They wanted to see us," she replied. She slipped off her coat and handed it to him. As he hung it on the rack next to his own, she went on, "It’s been a long time since all those people were together in the same place. I was just realizing that this morning, when Mom was helping me get dressed."

"I know," he agreed. He stepped back next to her and put his arms around her waist, nuzzling his lips in her hair. "It’s been a long year. And a hard one."

"It has."

They stood together like that for a few minutes, soaking in the peace and quiet. They so seldom had moments like this; they so seldom had the opportunity just to relax, or have fun. Mulder didn’t want to move, and Scully seemed content to stand within his embrace, gently stroking his back, breathing against his chest.

"I could stay like this forever," she said at last, stirring in his arms and turning her gaze up to meet his. "But I don’t suppose that’s really practical." She smirked, in the way that she never let anyone but him see. "And we’d be missing out on an important tradition or two."

"Eager, are we, Scully?" he asked. He dipped his head, brushing his lips lightly across hers. Not yet, not yet. He wasn’t quite ready. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but there was something --

"Yes, of course," she replied, squeezing him a little tighter. "It’s our wedding night, after all. And we haven’t had much time...."

She let her voice trail off, but she didn’t have to say the words. He could hear them anyway, as clearly as if she’d spoken them aloud. We haven’t had much time together. We haven’t had much time for fun. We haven’t had much time for us.

He released her from the embrace, only to take her hand and lead her over to the sofa. She started to sit next to him, but he wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Mulder!" She struggled for a moment, laughing, then seemed to decide she liked it after all, and settled down, a look of wary amusement on her face.

"When was the last time you necked with your boyfriend on the living room sofa, Scully?" he asked. "Can you even remember that far back?"

She rolled her eyes. "I assume we’re not talking about Eddie Van Blundht." There was a time when those words would have hurt, but back then he would never have asked that question. They were past that now.

"No mighty morphin’ mutants, Scully," he agreed. "When was the last time? Hell I’ll make it even easier on you. When was the last time you actually had fun?" She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. "And I don’t mean playing with Will, or coloring with Matty and Sarah, or any of that. I mean *fun*."

"Those things *are* fun," she protested -- but the smile that lingered on her face told him she knew exactly what he meant.

"Fun with a *man*, Scully," he persisted. "And it doesn’t even have to be the *last* time you had fun with a man. Just any old time. Anything that you can remember."

"Any old man?" she teased. "The list is so long, after all."

"Oh, I’ll bet there were a few." He leaned in and kissed her again. "Back in the day."

"I don’t want to think about them." A shake of her head, still smiling. She ran her finger along the line of his jaw. "I want to think about you."

"Little ol’ me?"

He slipped his hand from her waist to her hip, hesitating only briefly as his fingers encountered the bump of scar tissue left by one of the alien Invaders. That had been a bad one; that had been close. But God help him if she hadn’t saved his ass anyway. Again.

"Hey." Her voice dragged him out of his sudden melancholy, and he looked into her eyes and found redemption, as he always did. "You said something fun," she remonstrated. "Something happy."

"I know. I’m sorry." He couldn’t keep his smile away as once more he drank of her beauty. He was intoxicated, and he would be the first to admit it. "All right," he went on. "So you don’t want to think about them -- but I still want to hear about something happy. I want to hear about a time when you had fun." He pressed his palm against his chest in mock nobility. "And if I have to be the star attraction -- so be it!"

She sat in his lap for a minute or two, obviously thinking, reviewing her memories, looking for one to share. At last, a slow, seductive smile spread across her face, and Mulder felt his heart start beating a little faster. This was going to be good; he could tell already. Whenever she got that look on her face --

"Okay," she said, deliberately shifting her weight so as to rub her bottom against a part of him that had suddenly sprung to attention. "It all started with fingerpaints."

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Go to Part 1: "THE GEORGETOWN DEVIL MEETS SLEEPLESS IN ALEXANDRIA" by aka "Jake"