Findings - Part 3 (NC-17)

They introduced themselves to the matriarchal woman seated behind the large, and very clean, desk. Scully was captivated by the woman’s hair. Who was that woman who had spoken at the national democratic convention in Texas? They had the same hair. Must be a southern thing.

She asked her assistant to locate Sally’s file and offered coffee and muffins while they waited. Scully attempted polite conversation, but Mulder was too wired to even pretend patience. When the secretary returned with the obviously aged file Scully almost had to grab him to keep him in his seat.

"Now, how can I help you?" Mrs. Beauchamp drawled.

"We need. . . " Scully did place her hand on his arm then. No need to antagonize the woman with his first words.

"We’re looking for information about Sally Cooke. She was found on the streets of Atlanta and brought to your offices in November of 1977."

The older woman had opened the file and was nodding. "Do you have any information about her prior to her being brought here."

"I’m sorry, Miss Scully, but we weren’t able to find anything out about her. I'm sure the police did their very best, but we never did find out where that dear child came from."

Mulder closed his eyes and turned away for a moment. "Do you have the name of the family where she was first placed?" He managed to keep his tone civil, but Scully glanced at him afraid.

"Why I believe I do. Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Aarons."

"Do you have a current address for Mr. Aarons?"

For the first time the woman’s composure seemed strained. "Mr. Aarons passed away four years ago."

"In prison?" Mulder bit out.

"No sir. As far as I know Mr. Aarons never spent any time in prison." But her face had more color now and her posture had become defensive.

"Was Sally the only child that accused him of rape?"

Mrs. Beauchamp wouldn’t meet his eyes now. "We protect our children to the best of our abilities, Mr. Mulder."

"Did anyone even investigate her claim? Did he only rape the girls or did he go after the boys too?"

"Mulder. . ." He was losing control and while she didn’t blame him, it wouldn’t do any good.

"Mr. Mulder, times have changed in the last twenty years. We have different methods and more protective laws than we used to. No system is perfect, we do the best we can."

"Agent Mulder and I would like to go through Sally’s file. We need all of the information we can find to try to close a missing person case."

"I’m not suppose to let. . . "

"We can get a court order in a couple of hours." Mulder’s voice was flat.

Mrs. Beauchamp wanted to glare at him, but knew it was a battle she would not win. "I can’t allow the file to leave the building." Her head when up and her regal posture returned.

Scully spoke before Mulder could, "That would be fine. If we could have an office to go over the information, we’ll get out of your way."

Scully met her eyes and did not blink. The woman pressed the intercom key and asked her secretary to take them to the conference room. Well, not exactly cordial, but they’d gotten what they wanted. She and Mulder rose and she took the file from the woman’s desk.

At the door Mulder paused and turned back. "How did Mr. Aarons die?"

She almost didn’t answer, but finally, grudgingly, "Prostate cancer."

Mulder didn’t say a word, but Mrs. Beauchamp’s face colored at the gleam in his eye. After they had gotten into the hall, Mulder whispered to Scully, "Maybe, sometimes, there is a little justice."

She wanted to punch him and tell him to keep quiet but since she happened to agree with him, she only gave him a small, tight smile.

Once in the conference room they spread the information in the file out and divided it between them. Mulder read the police reports and Scully checked out the medical exams. They were both silent for a while, going over the information in front of them.

Finally Mulder exploded. "Nothing! They didn’t do a damn thing to try to locate her family or her past!" He shoved a handful of papers off the table with his arm and shoved the chair back. "They didn’t even try!"

He finally looked up at Scully to see her reaction and froze. "Scully, Scully what?" He was whispering by the time he finished and had sunk back into his chair.

She couldn’t hide this from him, but how in hell did she say it?

"They wouldn’t have listened to her about Mr. Aarons, Mulder. They discounted her story completely." His eyes questioned her. He had no voice.

She took a deep breath, "According to the medical exam done when she was found, she had already had at least one pregnancy." She watched the color leave his face. Was he going to pass out?

"She was. . . she was only twelve years old." His gaze had gone inward now, visualizing the little girl that had been stolen from his care that night.

Her hand was on his shoulder. "Let’s get out of here, Mulder. We’re not going to find anything. Please. Maybe later we can come back, but now you’ve got to leave."

He looked up into her eyes and she saw the depth of his pain in his. There had been too much information, too many blows to his psyche. He was going to implode with all of the findings they had made in the last couple of days. She needed to get him to a safe place and make sure the damage was external and not internal. Now how the hell was she supposed to do that?

She quickly gathered up the papers from the floor and closed the file. She returned them to the secretary’s desk, explaining that they would have to return at a later date then hurried to retrieve Mulder and get him to the car. She didn’t know Atlanta, where could they go? The hotel first, to change, she’d ask there.

He followed her obediently to the car, not talking, sunk deep into his own despair. Once in his room she rummaged through his suitcase and found his running shorts and a t-shirt.

"Here, Mulder. Put these on." She shoved them into his hands.

"What? I don’t want. . . "

"Put them on, Mulder. I’ll be right back." She retreated to her own room and called the desk. After making sure she had the directions straight she changed into jeans herself and returned to him. He had changed and was sitting on the bed, staring into space. "Come on, let’s go."

"Scully, I don’t want to run."

"Come on." Ignoring his wishes she pulled him to his feet and herded him into the elevator. She found the track with no problem and forced him from the car.

"Scully, I don’t want to run. I don’t feel like running, do you hear me?" He was beginning to lose his temper.

"Yes I hear you!" Her face turned up to his, her eyes flashing with fire. "Now go ahead and do it anyway!"

He actually backed up a step from her. What did she think she was doing? He didn’t feel like. . . oh what the fuck. He started out around the track, slowly building a little speed. This was stupid, why was he letting her talk him into this? If he didn’t feel like doing something, she had no right to force him. Who did she think she was anyway? She wasn’t in charge of him; okay maybe she was helping him out right now, but. . . She was no better than that bitch at the agency, the one that hadn’t protected the kids she was in charge of, forcing them to live with evil and pain. Forcing them to put up with the pain and the degradation, not believing them when they said no, they didn't want. . . Forcing them. Not listening when they said they’d been violated.

Scully sat on the bleachers watching him run. His speed had increased steadily and now he was running flat out. Too bad she didn’t have a stopwatch, he was probably breaking records out there. She had watched his anger build along with his speed. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake here, what if she forced him into a heart attack? Well, she was here and could get him help but he was getting it out of his system, at least for a little while.

Now she was becoming concerned. How long could he run like that without hurting himself? It was time to stop him. As compulsive as he was he might not stop on his own until he literally dropped dead. It already looked like he was beginning to stagger. She rose from her seat as he rounded the far turn and started down the track to meet him.

He saw her approaching him but wasn’t sure if he could stop, he wasn't sure he even should stop. But he couldn’t mow her down and she certainly wasn’t moving out of his way.

They both realized he was falling at about the same time and she moved forward swiftly to support him. She was able to slow his descent and they landed together on the track. She held him as he tried to get his breath. Then she realized he was sobbing in her arms, completely out of control.

Good. This was the best thing for him. It was what she had hoped would happen when she pushed him like that. Let the poison pour out of him. She sat and rocked him, holding him close as she had that night on his couch. This storm took a great deal longer to end, but she would sit there all night if it would help.

She realized his breathing had changed and looked down to make sure he was okay, just in time for him to take possession of her lips with his own. Her mind was too stunned to react. Her body had no such restrictions and she opened herself to him, sucking on his tongue as it probed her mouth. Responding openly to his hands that were clutching her to him.

One of them needed to get this under control or he’d be taking her right here on the track. While there was a certain pleasure to that thought, being arrested and having to explain it to Skinner didn’t seem wise.

"Mulder." The taste of his name on her lips was the most arousing thing he had ever felt.

"Scully, I can’t. . . "

"Not here, Mulder. Come on, let’s go back to the room."

He could only hope that he nodded. He did agree but his senses, his abilities were totally overwhelmed. She had to help him to his feet and half carry him to the car, where he collapsed gratefully.

She was pretty sure his eyes never left her the entire trip back to the hotel. She wasn’t sure what he was seeing but he was calmer, more sure of his movements, back in some sort of control.

Once back in the room he turned to her, standing much too close, but not touching her. "I can’t change the past."

"No, you can’t."

"But I can make it better in the future."

She smiled then, "Yes."

"And you’re here now."

"Yes, I am." He still didn’t touch her, but she could feel the air vibrate between them.

"I’m going to take a shower, please wait for me." She nodded not sure what to say. He took a step back away from her and it took all of her strength not to follow him. Then he was gone.

She stood there not sure what do to. She couldn’t kid herself about what was going to happen here. She was frightened she realized, not about the act or even Mulder, but the inevitableness of the act, the commitment it implied. She knew Mulder loved her as she loved him, but she wasn’t naive to think that was enough. Mulder was Mulder; things would never be easy with him. As if she hadn’t already made a choice, somehow she’d known this was her future since that night on their first case when she had run to him instinctively to be reassured and bared her body as well as her soul to him.

She hadn’t realized how long she had stood there, unmoving, until the door opened and he was coming toward her clad only in a towel. He stopped a small distance from her, taking in her fear.

"Scully?" She met his eyes and he relaxed a little. "I will try so hard to never hurt you."

She smiled then, "Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Just promise to be Mulder for me, okay?"

Now he approached her. Finally she felt his arms around her, molding her to him. His lips, this was not a comforting kiss, not this time. This was a man demanding his woman. His hands had pulled her t-shirt from her jeans and they broke long enough for him to remove it from her body. He didn’t even fumble with the clasp of her bra, removing it gently and finding himself unable to tear his eyes away from the perfection of her breasts. Now her hands were in play, her fingers lightly outlining the bullet wound in his left shoulder. He shivered at her touch, was this really happening? It must be, his dreams never came close to this kind of perfection.

More, he wanted more of her, so he sank to his knees, released the button of her jeans and began easing them down over her hips. His lips followed, his tongue investigating her navel and moving down.

She couldn’t remember ever being so aroused. Was this even legal? She had to grip his shoulders to remain on her feet. Then she was in his arms and they were on his bed, she in just her panties and him in the towel.

He gently eased the damp silk from her body. Not fair, she reached for the towel still separating them. Oh my god! Her mind tried to tell her it had just been so long since she had seen a man fully aroused that she was only imagining he was so large. Her body knew better.

"It’s okay, Scully. It’s okay." He continued his downward movement toward her core, his tongue flicking at all the secret places she had hidden from him for so long.

He was right, it would be okay. It was already so much better than okay she thought she would die from it. If his mouth could do this to her, how would she survive more? Of course he was the most oral man she’d ever known. It was obvious he knew what he was doing.

Now his fingers were moving along her inner thigh as his tongue continued its dance with her clitoris. She could feel the tension building in her body, totally beyond her control, beyond even her fantasies. She’d never been this out of control.

"Mulder!" He was there, holding her, guiding her back to reality. His hands gentling her as though she were a wild animal that had just been captured. Maybe she was.

"Mulder?"

"Right here. I’m not going anywhere." She buried her face in his neck, wanting to burrow into him and never come out. Her body vibrating from the orgasm that was still pulsing through her body. "You okay?"

She nodded, the only word she could still form was his name. Her body however was already missing him and she reached for his cock.

"Scu. . ." Her warm hand wrapped around him causing him to lose the ability to speak. This really was Scully, caressing him! It was the only thing his mind could process. And god, she knew what she was doing.

Now she was moving down his body. He wasn’t sure he could handle that and he wanted. . . oh god he wanted to be inside of her.

"Scully." She looked up at him and understood his need immediately. She could give him this other pleasure later. Now suddenly she needed him inside of her as much as he needed it. She pulled him back as he started to leave the bed.

"No." Her eyes were confused.

"In the suitcase. . . I need. . .Scully, stop that!"

"We don’t need that, Mulder. Please. . . "

She had hold of him and he wasn’t leaving now. He had to slow down, he’d waited too long for this. No way would he allow himself to be rushed now.

He allowed her to lead him to her center and slowly began entering her. God, he might not be able to finish this. She was almost painfully tight and what sweet pain. He could feel her stretch to accommodate him and he wanted to give her time. He didn’t know how long it had been for her, didn’t want to know, but he sensed it had been as long as it had been for him. And then he was completely sheathed within her.

He hesitated, he wanted this to last and right now he needed to regain control. She was so tight, so hot, God! He watched her face, her eyes were mostly closed. He could see the barest glint of blue in her eyes. Her lips were swollen and bruised and her nipples were peaked in hard little nubs. Because of him, all because of him! He could die happy right this minute.

She opened her eyes then and smiled at him. Well, maybe not right this minute. He slowly began to ease out of her and then returned, giving them both time to adjust. He didn’t know this land beyond sex, he had to explore it carefully and not miss a thing.

She had her hands on his chest, her fingers everywhere. She rose up and laved his nipples. "Scully, stop. . . I can't. . ." Slow this down, Mulder! He pulled back as though to leave her body and she moaned, wrapping her legs around him to prevent such an action.

He was so close, but he wanted her with him. He reached between them to further stimulate her and was rewarded with the incredible tightening of her body as she arched and gave complete control to him. He was aware of this for seconds before his own body joined in the fireworks and shot out of control with hers.

The blood was roaring in her ears and she wasn’t sure where her body ended and his began. She had been no virgin, but this felt like they had. . . merged. She opened her eyes to see the look of awe on his face and realized that she was not alone with this discovery. And neither of them would ever be alone again.

*****

Denouement

"What’s the catch?" She was totally suspicious.

"The catch is, you have to stay clean, attend classes and probably send your grades to him," Scully responded.

"Why is he doing this for me?" Not backing down an inch.

"Because he links you with his sister. If he can’t help her, he wants to do it for you. If you agree."

"Here?"

"Well, he thought you might want to move somewhere new, somewhere no one knows you."

"A clean start?" Now Scully could tell she had her attention.

"You’d need to get your GED."

"Oh, I already have that." She caught Scully's look of surprise before she could disguise it. "There's not a whole lot to do during the day and I love to read. It was just something to do." Jasmine shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Scully kept quiet, but she was feeling better and better about this arrangement she and Mulder had worked out. After Jasmine was settled and away from her past, telling her the whole truth would probably be the right thing to do. They would just have to be gentle, play it by ear. Soon, very soon, she didn’t think she’d have to protect him from the sight of her. She already seemed to be sitting up straighter. Jasmine was much too smart for what she was doing. Well, she was a Mulder and even the ones that hadn't always gone where they wanted to in life were still damn intelligent.

"If I'm going to start over, Lloyd won't know where I am, will he?"

"No. You can change your name, your appearance. We'll never give him any information about you."

"Change my name again? I never could stand Sally, they named me that at the 'holding pen' in Atlanta."

"Well, now you can choose anything you want."

"Look, since I'm kind of a substitute for his sister, do you think he'd mind if I used Samantha? I mean," she hurried on before Scully could interrupt her, "when he finds her I'll give it back. And. . . and when he finds her he can quit helping me too. Maybe I won't need his help by then and. . . "

"Don't worry about that now. If he finds her, I know he'll still want to help you. And I think he would be honored if you really wanted to use her name." Keep your voice steady, Dana. Don’t let her know how this is affecting you.

"You don't think he'd mind?"

"I can guarantee you he won't. Look, Jas. . . Samantha, do you need some time to think about this?"

"What? No! No, I want to do this. I was just thinking, what if I let him down?"

"You won't." Scully smiled at her. Samantha smiled back and held out her hand.