Author's Note: Ariadne was a Minoan princess who fell in love with
Theseus.  However, it turned out that Theseus was not quite the man of
her dreams.  Later, another comes along to rescue the princess and
teach her the meaning of true love.

I started wondering what it would have been like if Scully had never
joined the FBI, but my firm belief in fate led me to think about how
all these funny things would have turned out if Mulder and Scully were
not partners, but a couple.  I took liberties with the timeline, wanting
to cover those episodes with the most romantic tension, but not wanting
to be constrained by what was supposed to happen when.

***

Dana Scully hated parties.  Especially the kind where people dressed
in tuxes and velvet, and spent their time sipping juleps and talking
about horse races.  She stood near the piano, untouched scotch and
water in her hand, watching the hands of the huge grandfather clock
move with agonizing slowness.

Where *was* he?  Ten more minutes and she was out of there.  Her date
had gone off with some business associates at least a half an hour
ago.  Kissing her cheek, he had promised to be back soon, and since
then it had been insipid society wives and their smarmy husbands
coming over to her and asking about Ed.

*Well, if I ever saw him, I could tell you how he's doing...Ed Jerse,
the successful businessman, my fiance, who I haven't had a serious
conversation with in three weeks.*

Dana scowled and looked at the clock again.  It was nearly ten
o'clock.  With sudden resolve, she set her drink on a passing tray and
headed for the door.  She was out of there.  Ed could go to hell.

She had just grabbed her coat and was pulling it around her shoulders
as she walked to the front door when she was hit solidly on the
shoulder with what looked to be several yards of dark haired, muscular
male.  She stumbled, and he caught her elbow before she fell.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you.  Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said waspishly, and looked up into his face.

*Nice, very nice,* she thought breathlessly, and was just wondering
how one could think breathlessly when he smiled at her, and thinking
ground to a halt in Dana Scully's world.

He was tall, dark and handsome - yes, it was a cliche, but he gave life
to the cliche.  His brown eyes were alive and expressive, his tie was
too tight, and his hair was a little funky...but she could seriously
consider riding off on a white horse with this one.

"Leaving so early?" He asked.

"Yes," she said, fumbling for words.  "I have to get going."

"Not even a dance for the guy who just tried to knock you over?  I swear
I won't step on your toes."

She smiled, but knew that she couldn't be seen dancing with another man
when Ed was lurking around there somewhere.  "It's a lovely offer, but I
really have to leave, Mr..."

"I'm Mulder, Fox Mulder," he said.

"Dana Scully," she answered shyly, and felt her heart drop when he
hesitated to take her hand.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said.  "Mr. Jerse's
lovely fiancee."  He belatedly took her hand and shook it, but let go
quickly.

"So I've heard," she said before she could stop herself.

He looked at her oddly, then started to laugh.  "Honeymoon over
already?"

Dana flushed.  She had said too much.  Wishing she could blame it on
the liquor that she hadn't drunk, she stepped back from Fox Mulder.
"Excuse me."

"I'm heading out, too.  Can I get you a cab?"

She didn't doubt his intentions had been pure, but somehow they ended
up at some all-night coffee house, getting jazzed on mochas and
looking patently ridiculous in their formal evening wear.

Fox, it turned out, was a serial killer profiler with the FBI.  The
underlying danger of such a profession gave Dana a pleasant thrill
that she preferred not to think about.  He was surprised to learn that
she was a professional herself.

"After you're married, will you continue to practice medicine?"  He
asked.

"Yes.  I'm not going to be some dyed society queen.  I don't know why
I was at that dive earlier tonight anyway.  I can't stand the things."

"Haven't you ever heard of networking?  Those 'dives' are where you
make contacts, set up tennis games, learn about new people in town."

"Yeah, well, they're also boring as hell."  She took a sip of her
mocha and swirled it idly in the cup.  "What were you doing there?"

"Business.  I want to attend a seminar that's being taught by Dr.
Madison.  The only way you can get in is if you know someone who knows
someone."

"And did you accomplish anything?"

"Yeah.  I met his social secretary and she put me on the list.  It was
a damn piece of work, I'll tell you.  I had to feel her up on the
dance floor and agree to take her out next week."

Dana laughed.  "Was she cute?"

"Oh, I suppose so.  Not compared to some."  He grinned at her, and she
felt herself blushing for the second time that night.

"What's the topic of the seminar?"  She asked pointedly.

A devilish gleam in his eye, he took the hint and said, "The social
lives of pathological killers.  Subtitled: OJ Simpson's night life."

She laughed.  "Nice."

"More interesting than harvesting techniques for physical evidence and
how to lift a fingerprint from a corrugated surface, I can tell you
that."

"So you deal with that kind of stuff?"

"Not as a rule, no.  Sometimes it's necessary.  But boring."  He
leaned forward.  "I prefer to go digging for my fingerprints.
Impressions left of the minds of killers."

"'Brain prints.'"

He laughed and indicated her coffee.  "I should get you home.  You're
almost done with that, and I can only hold you hostage for so long
before Ed gets suspicious."

"Ed is probably still at the party, having no idea I'm even gone.  And
besides, I'm holding *you* hostage."

"Come on.  I could break you in half."

"Only if you could catch me."

"If you were running around trying to stay away from me, how could you
be keeping you hostage?"

She smiled seductively at him and leaned forward.  "Girls have their
ways, Mr. Mulder."

Her breath caught when she saw a faint smoky blaze in his eyes.
Briefly.  It was gone in an instant, and she was left with the
frightening realization that Fox Mulder found her attractive.

"You're right, though.  I should get home."  She downed the last of
her coffee and reached for her purse.

"I'll get it," he said, tossing a couple of bills onto the table.

"I want to," she insisted.

"It's covered, Dana.  Let's go."

"This isn't a date, Mr. Mulder," Dana said, more sharply than she had
intended.

"A date?"  He helped her put her coat on.  "I'm not trying to land
you, Dana.  Jerse would bury me.  Don't get uptight about it."  He
took her arm and led her from the restaurant.

She sensed a sudden tautness in him, and she realized that she'd
insulted him.  "Look, I'm sorry.  I just didn't want this to turn into
something that it can't be."

He stopped in the sidewalk and looked at her.  "I'm well aware of what
this can and can't be, Dana.  Let's get you home."

He hailed a cab, Dana standing in abject misery in the biting cold.
She was feeling a sudden, aching sense of loss for what Fox Mulder
could have been to her.

"South Parkside," he said to the cabby when they piled into the
cab.

She started.  "That's Ed's street."

He looked at her.

"I don't live with Ed.  I live on Huntington."  She gave the cabby the
address and avoided looking at Fox.

"You don't live with him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm old-fashioned," she said defensively.  "Besides, what's wrong
with abstaining from pre-marital sex?  It's not like it's going to
matter in the long run."

"You mean you haven't even *slept* with him?  Dana, he must be going out
of his mind.  When's the wedding?"

"Six weeks," she said tightly.  "And my sex life is none of your damn
business."

"Jerse is going along with this?" Mulder pressed, disregarding her
warning.

"Fox Mulder, I suggest you drop it," she said dangerously.

"Seriously, Dana, that's really weird.  I fully understand the merits
of abstinence, but I can't see a guy like Jerse seeing things that
way."

"He got used to the idea," she shot back.

"How, when he got your knee in his groin?"

Dana was incensed, but suddenly the image struck her and she began to
snicker.

"What?  Not that far from the truth, hm?"

"No, it's not that."  she gasped for breath.  "Okay, so it is that.
Ed likes control.  He likes to feel like a macho man.  The fact that
he can't get any from me drives him crazy.  It's kinda my way of
showing him that I won't let him walk all over me when we're married."

"Dana," Fox said huskily, "The man who would walk all over you
obviously doesn't have much intelligence.  There are a million
different things a man would *rather* do with you."

Her heart tripped a little, and she looked out the window.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." She pulled her coat tighter around her.

"I've made you uncomfortable.  That wasn't my intention."

"Then what was all that needling about my sex life with Ed earlier?"

"That was pure reconnaissance.  I was trying to figure you out."

"Oh?  And what did you figure out?"

"That you don't love him."

Dana started as if she'd been slapped.  "That's not true!"

"You don't even like him.  Why are you marrying him?"

"I do!  I do like him."

"Ah, you said like, not love.  The question stands."

"Ed and I have a very complicated relationship."

"It doesn't seem complicated to me.  He does his thing and you do
yours, and one of these days you'll end up doing your separate things
with three kids and a huge diamond on your finger.  Maybe even in
separate houses.  Or separate states."

"Are you implying that Ed and I are doomed?"

"Yes, I believe I am. You don't even respect him, Dana.  What are you
thinking?"

"Stop it, Fox."

"What possessed you to accept this man?" He pressed.  "What?  He's
attractive?  He's rich?  Daddy's business partner?"

"He asked me!"  She hissed.

Fox sat back, confused.  "What do you mean?"

"Ed asked me.  So I said yes."

"That's it?  Come on, Dana.  It's not like he was your very last
chance.  You'll get dozens of proposals in your time."

"Yeah, well, I'm nearly thirty and he was the first."

He exhaled.  "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not, okay?  Ed was the first boyfriend I've had since high
school."  She clasped her hands together at her stomach.

"I refuse to believe that."

"Believe what you want."  Dana was burning with humiliation.  To talk
about this to a man as handsome as Fox Mulder, as charming, who had
probably been propositioned more than once himself...

"Dana," Mulder pried her fingers apart and clasped a hand between his,
"I'm going to say this not because I think you're a beautiful and
dynamic woman and I'm seriously thinking of stealing you from him, but
because it's true.  Ed Jerse does not deserve to have you.  He does
not have to be the dying gasp of your life.  Think about it."

***

Dana did think about it.  She thought about it every day for a week.
She thought about it at work and at home and when she was with Ed,
which was blessedly seldom.  Suddenly, he didn't seem as appealing to
her.  She didn't feel like selling herself so cheaply.

She silently damned Fox Mulder and all his fucking intuition to hell,
even as she looked up his phone number and sat with the phone in her
hands, trying to get up the courage to call on a lonely Friday night.

She would get through the prefix, maybe two numbers into the suffix,
and then slam down the phone.  She wondered if he would answer, or
some sleepy female voice, maybe Dr. Madison's social secretary...

It rang.

She jumped, and then picked up the receiver before she could stop
herself.  "What?"  She asked sharply.

There was a pause.  "Dana?"

"Yes?"

"This is...uh, Fox Mulder."

"Oh.  Hello, Fox," she said as casually as she could.

He laughed suddenly.  "Ah, this might be a good time to let you know
that I go by Mulder.  Mulder."

"Oh.  Lots of furry animal jokes?"

"Yeah.  Were you waiting for a call or something?"

"Um, yeah."

"Sorry.  I'll call back later."

"No!"  She thought frantically.  "It's not important.  Just my sister.
What can I do for you?"

"What do you want to do?"

She swallowed convulsively at the huskiness of his voice.  "Pardon?"

"Do you want to get out of the apartment?  Go do something?"

"As in like a date?"

"Well...yeah."

Dana bit her lip.  "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Hell, no. What's your point?"

"Um."  Dana looked about her apartment hopelessly.  This was getting
way out of hand.  Ed was going to crucify him.

"Wait, scratch that.  You're waiting for a phone call.  Maybe some
other time."

"F-Mulder, wait," she said.  "Do you, um, want to come over instead?"

He paused.  "Is that a good idea?" He teased.

"Definitely not."

"I'll be over in ten minutes."

In two minutes, every stray piece of underwear, newspaper or food that
was hanging around her apartment was gone.  In the next two, she
managed to try on fifteen outfits and finally settled on what she had
had on before he called.  Then, she spent the next six minutes
frantically brushing her hair and reapplying makeup.

Ten minutes had been an underestimate.  He was there in twenty
minutes.  She changed clothes one more time and ended up in a tight
T-shirt and the sexiest jeans she had.  The ones that she had to
lay down to zip up.

She was just making some tea to calm herself down when the doorbell
rang.  Breathing deeply, she slowly opened the door and found him
there, in an old ratty Oxford sweatshirt looking as sexy as all get
out.

"Hi," she said as he came in.

"Hi," he answered, and they stood in awkward silence until his eyes
left hers and started looking around her apartment.  "Nice place," he
said appreciatively.  "How long have you been here?"

"About five months."  The buzzer on her egg timer went off, making her
jump, and she hurried over to the kitchen.  "Would you like anything?
Tea, coffee, beer?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," he said distractedly.  "Were you in
the city before that?"

"No, I moved here to...be closer to Ed."  Mentally she cursed herself
as she poured him a cup of tea.  "Sugar, milk?"

"Neither, please."  He took the cup from her and looked intently down
at her.  She felt dwarfed.  "Why did you invite me over here?"

"I don't know," she confessed.  "This isn't good."

"Ed the jealous type?"

*Yes.*  "Sometimes."

"Did you tell him about me?"

"I...mentioned I'd met you."  Actually, that simple admission had been
enough to upset Ed, though he hadn't shown it.  He'd asked her how
long she'd spent talking to Fox Mulder, whether she'd liked him, what
they'd talked about - all of which she'd fibbed about.

Fox - Mulder - smiled into her eyes.  "It's good to see you again."

She looked away.  "How did you get my number?"

"I looked it up."

Of course.  She could feel herself blushing again.

"Why don't you have an unlisted number?  A doctor, fiancee of a
wealthy man..."

"Yours is listed too," she pointed out, and could have bitten her
tongue.

"Really?"  He wanted to laugh, she could tell.  Flustered, she wheeled
around and sat down quickly on the sofa.  They had both been standing,
not drinking their tea.

"What happened to us?"  He asked suddenly, setting down his cup.
"Last week, we talked for hours.  Now we can hardly form coherent
sentences."

"It's more real now.  Last week was a chance meeting, a spur-of-the-
moment thing.  Now it's more deliberate.  Getting each other's
numbers, calling and setting up dates...this is different.  Now I feel
like I'm doing something wrong."

"What?  Cheating on Ed?"

"Yes," she confessed.

Mulder sat down on the couch next to her.  "That's good, Dana.  That's
very good.  It gives me hope."

"Fox - Mulder," she said in a troubled voice,  "Maybe you should go.  '
This isn't smart."

"We've already established that.  Did you get your phone call?"

"What? Oh, um, yes."

"Let's get out of here.  I know a great place."  He took her hands and
pulled her to her feet, leaving their teacups full and steaming on the
coffee table.

Mulder held the doors open for her between her apartment and his car.
He placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her along, a
gesture that seemed vaguely possessive and somewhat familiar.  His car
was a mess - littered with sunflower seed husks and empty bottles of
Lipton Iced Tea, for which he apologized profusely as he tried to clean
up.

"Don't worry about it," she said smilingly.  "You should have seen my
apartment before you came over."

"Did you clean up for me, Dana?"  He asked softly.  She looked down at
her lap.

"Let me kiss you," he whispered.

Her chest constricted, and she exhaled sharply.  "No."

"Just one kiss."

"No."

He lifted her chin with the tips of his strong fingers, and she closed
her eyes, waiting breathlessly for him to steal the kiss she had
denied him.  "Why not?"  He asked.

"Oh, God," she moaned, and captured his mouth with hers.

Her aim was impeccable, even with closed eyes. She wondered if she had
some sort of built-in Mulder radar.  His fingers left her chin and he
placed both hands on the sides of her face.  He took control of the
kiss instantly, moving over her like a tidal wave.  She felt
surrounded, trapped, enfolded in sensation as his tongue swept into
her mouth, sliding over hers in a sinful motion that reminded her
exactly why she had been trying to avoid this moment.  He was showing
her how he wanted to make love to her.  His fingers slid into her
hair, clutching handfuls and moving her head to the side for the best
possible angle.

"I want you, Dana," he muttered roughly after several moments, his
mouth sliding over her cheek to her ear.  "Let me have you."

"I can't," she whispered, and found that her hands had moved under his
sweatshirt and were kneading the muscles of his back.  She had been
pulled awkwardly over the gearshift, bent backwards by the force of
his body.  He had her earlobe in his mouth and was pulling at it with
his teeth.

A sharp noise broke the relative silence and they both stilled.

Dana's eyes opened and she pulled back slightly.  "Do you have a
cel phone?"

"Um, yeah," he said sheepishly, and dug it out of his coat pocket.
"Mulder," he said into it, and then his eyes snapped to Dana's face
with an expression that she instantly recognized: guilt.

"Hi.  What's going on?"

Dana straightened her clothes and settled herself back in the
appropriate bucket seat.

"I'm kind of busy right now...can we talk about this in the morning?"

Dana smoothed her hair where his fingers had mussed it and looked at
herself in the visor mirror.

"I...I really can't, not right now.  We can do this tomorrow, okay?
Me too.  Bye."

As he turned off the phone, Dana turned to him and looked him squarely
in the eye.  "Girlfriend?"

Mulder's face and neck flooded with color.  "Um, no, that was my
partner."

"Come on, Mulder.  I'm not a total idiot."  She wouldn't let him look
away.  She had known the truth the moment the phone rang.

"My partner's name is Diana Fowley.  I can introduce you two if you
like."

"Will I survive the encounter?"

"Dana, please.  You're reading this all wrong."

"Was it not guilt that you felt when you first picked up the phone,
Mulder?  Did she not say 'I love you' at the end of that conversation,
to which you answered 'Me too'?"

He finally broke eye contact, looking down, and Dana knew the truth.

"I'll see you around, Mulder."  She opened the car door and walked
away without a glance backwards.

To be continued...