Title - Neighborhood Watch
Author - Cyra (ccontryman@ups.edu)
Rating - R
Classification - SRA
Spoilers - Arcadia
Keywords - Mulder/Scully romance.
Summary - A lonely woman ponders the strange things going on next door.
Disclaimer - Yeah, I don't own them.  Whatever.
Archive - please, anywhere.  Just let me know.
Feedback - Do you have to ask?

***

When Shari's husband was away on business trips, she couldn't bring
herself to sleep in their bed.  It was too big, too empty, too lonely. 
Instead, she sacked out on the couch.  Mike, her husband, didn't know. 
She didn't want to make him feel guilty.

Those nights that she spent on the living room couch were often long,
lonely, frustrating nights.  She rarely slept very much.  Nothing
particularly interesting ever happened.  Until tonight.

Mike was gone until the next Friday, and she was curled into a miserable
ball with a quilt wrapped around her, gazing sightlessly at the
television.  And then she noticed some movement outside her window.

The window looked right into the living room of the house next door. 
The one that those newlyweds had just moved into.  Rob and Laura...
Petrie?  Shari squinted and looked closer.

Rob Petrie was curling up on the couch himself, remote control in hand
and looking perfectly content, considering that he wasn't sleeping with
his pretty new wife on their first night in their new home.  Shari's
confusion mounted.  What the hell kind of marriage was *that?*  A newly
married, mutually sexy couple not sleeping together simply didn't make
sense to her.  Feeling very little guilt, Shari turned off the TV and
crept closer to the window to watch him.

What Shari could see and Rob could not made a smile run across her
face.  Laura Petrie appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs and gazed
down at him, frustration coming off of her in waves.  She stood there,
motionless, for what seemed like an eternity, but didn't speak.

Rob shifted on the couch, and Laura flinched back into the shadows.  It
was as if...it was as if she didn't want him to know that she wanted
him.  For she did want him.  Shari could see it in her face.  Love and
longing were integral parts of the aforementioned frustration that Laura
Petrie radiated as she stood in the shadows, gazing down at her husband.

After a long time, Laura apparently deemed it safe to come downstairs. 
She crept slowly, watching him warily.  Shari guessed that Rob had dozed
off and Laura wanted to get a better look at him.  She tiptoed across
the living room and sat gingerly in a chair near the couch.  She watched
him gravely for some time, not moving, making no indication that she had
any intention of waking him up.  She just watched him with her heart in
her eyes.  Shari was fascinated, confused, and not a little aroused.

God, she missed her husband.

Suddenly, Rob Petrie shifted and Laura flinched.  She looked like she
was about to bolt, but didn't want to risk drawing his attention.  He
found a more comfortable spot on the couch and settled down again.

Laura, however, wasn't reassured.  She began to creep slowly back
towards the stairs.  Shari's heart leapt, however, when she saw Rob
raise his head and watch her.

Apparently he spoke, because she stopped in her tracks and seemed to
wilt.  She turned, reluctantly, with guilt and embarassment in her
expression.  She said something, gesturing towards the kitchen.

Rob threw off his blankets and sat up.  They talked for a while, and
some of Laura's tension eased.  She even laughed a little at something
he said.  He gestured towards the TV once, and slowly she walked back
towards the couch.  She settled onto the other side of the couch as Rob
turned on the TV and hunted for something good to watch.

There was a good three feet between them, and neither seemed to indicate
that they intended to get any closer to each other.  Laura's head sank
down against the couch and she curled up with her knees tucked against
her chest.  Rob sat motionless, the remote control in his hand.  He
seemed to be trying hard not to look at her.

Shari sighed and hugged a pillow to her chest.  She was watching
something tragic and wrong and it just made her miss her husband more
and more.  

Rob sneaked a look at Laura, then leaned in closer and said something. 
She didn't move.  Rob threw off his blankets and gathered her up in his
arms, lifting her as if she weighed about as much as a sleeping puppy. 
She snuggled down into his embrace, tucking her head against his neck.  

The look on his face was priceless.  Rob closed his eyes briefly,
standing still as he held her against him.  Pleasure and pain and
loneliness and not a little lust warred on his face.  He seemed to be
hugging her tighter and rocking her a little.  Shari watched with a
sinking heart as he moved slowly towards the stairs, ostensibly to put
her to bed.

Shari settled down into the couch, alone, just as Rob did when he came
back downstairs.  He left the TV on, though, and fell asleep watching
it.  Shari watched him until she drifted off herself, her mind weaving
fantasies around the strange, lonely, lovelorn couple next door.

Perhaps Laura would come back downstairs during the night and sit down
next to him.  She would stare at him, as she had earlier, but this time
he would be awake and would take her hand.  

Laura would be upset.  She would try to go back upstairs and make
another excuse as to why she was watching him.  But Rob would not
forsake her hand, keeping her from leaving and talking to her
earnestly.  In Shari's dreams, she could not hear what they were saying,
just as it had been in the reality.

Laura would bite her lip, demur, try to extricate herself from his hold
and move back up to higher ground.  And then Rob would do something that
would shock her.  He would lean down and kiss her hand gently with his
lips, holding her to him with his affection and sweetness, and she would
be speechless.

It was obvious that these two weren't given to displays of their
affection.  Rob's action would be totally out of character, and she
would be completely unequipped to deal with it.

How would she react?  Well, if it were Shari in there with her husband,
she would plant herself in his lap and show him precisely how pleased
she was with his gallant gesture.  But this woman was definitely not
Shari.  She was cool, sophisticated, and utterly terrified of her
husband.  Or rather, what her husband made her feel.

Perhaps she would simply stand there, speechless, and Rob would...

Shari drifted off into strange formless dreams of her husband.

***

The next night, it was the same.  Shari was on the couch again, and
watched in fascination as Rob came down and sacked out on the couch
again.  This time, however, Laura constructed a bona fide reason for
coming downstairs long after they both should have been asleep. She
carried what looked to be a bottle of pills with her into the kitchen,
then after she had fetched a glass of water, lingered in the living room
for a moment to stare at Rob.  

She seemed to shake herself mentally just before she hurried back up the
stairs and out of sight.

Rob, though, was not as unaware as both of the women had believed.  As
soon as she disappeared, Rob threw his arm over his eyes, as if trying
to block the situation from his thoughts.  He didn't succeed, however,
and presently flung off his blankets and paced around the living room
for a while.  He started for the stairs several times, but never got up
the nerve to go up to his wife.

His *wife.*  God, what was *wrong* with these two?  Maybe they were part
of some psycho cult that required periodic bouts of celibacy.  No, that
was just too bizairre.  Maybe she was having her period and didn't like
for him to touch her at that time.  But why would she banish him to the
couch, and why would they have such an obviously stunted sense of
affection for each other?

Maybe they were really art thieves, posing as man and wife in order to
rob the neighborhood blind.  But even then, there seemed to be an
invisible and inpenetrable barrier between the two of them that
transcended simple shyness.  They were obviously close.  They simply
resisted any sort of sexual converse.

Shari watched until her eyelids got heavy and she fell into a fitful
sleep.  

***

The next night was the last night that Mike would be away, and Shari
wasn't nearly as lonely as she had been the previous two nights.  She
could wait when she knew he was only one night away from her.  And she
was even more curious about the strange, sad couple next door.

She was drinking a glass of wine, her mind beset with images of Rob and
Laura and herself and Mike shifting in and out of her mind.  It was like
watching a particularly good movie, or a soap opera.  Not that she
watched soap operas.  

Rob was again settled comfortably on the couch, now watching a porn
movie.  She couldn't see the screen, but she knew that was what it was
because of his deep breathing and the way he shifted every few seconds. 
She felt heat rise up in her belly and shivered.

She barely noticed when Laura came to the top of the stairs, so
engrossed was she in watching Rob's obvious excitement.  Laura stayed in
the shadows, watching him like a little hawk would, hovering and
silent.  She leaned her head against the wall and - Shari could barely
contain her excitement - ran the flat of her hand over her own breast.

Laura, too, was affected by what Rob was watching.  But she had no
intention of showing herself when he was engaged in such an activity. 
Shari could understand that.  She might get a little trepidatious
herself if she caught Mike watching skin flicks.  Of course, if he
invited her to watch them with him...

If only Rob would look over his shoulder, or Laura would make even a
little noise, then the barrier would be broken.  Anything.  Anything to
tip the scales somehow.  Wildly, Shari looked around.  She didn't know
what she was looking for, but she found it in the newly revised
neighborhood phone list.  There, eighth from the bottom, was the entry
"Rob and Laura Petrie."

She siezed the phone in a kind of frenzy and punched out their number
before she could think twice.  She could almost hear it ring in the
house next door - Rob looked abruptly to his left and Laura instantly
shrank backwards.  She retreated like a startled doe into the shadows.

But Rob had heard her.

Shari slammed the phone down before either of them could answer it,
praying they didn't have caller ID.  That thought left her, however,
when Rob turned and looked up at the landing at the top of the stairs. 
He looked for a long, long time, and then threw himself down on the
couch and tossed an arm over his face.  He took deep, heaving breaths,
obviously in great discomfort.  In his new position, she could see
exactly how excited he was...and alternately envied and pitied Laura. 
Envied because she could have all that...and pitied because she wouldn't
take it.

Suddenly, with restrained violence, Rob threw off his blankets and
pounded up the stairs.  Shari waited for a few moments, conciously
reminding herself not to snap the stem of her wineglass, wishing that
she had come down instead of him going up; Laura wasn't the only one who
felt a little voyeuristic.

Who was she kidding?  Here she was, spying on her new neighbors, who
were in obvious emotional distress.  She was getting off on it.  Even
now, she felt the dull throb in her womb and wished, not for the first
time, that she wasn't on the pill.  God, she wanted Mike.  She wanted to
share this drama with him, and tell him she loved him, and ask him if he
wanted a baby.

Closing her eyes, Shari burrowed under her blanket, wanting her husband,
wanting children, wanting love and fulfillment for the couple next
door...

When she opened her eyes again, Rob was slowly walking down the stairs. 
Alone.  He looked like a man on death row.  His head hung, and she could
see a sad, despairing longing in him.

Shari sighed in disgust.  If these two didn't get with the program, she
was going to have to do more than make a crank phone call.

It was a long time later when, staring sightlessly at the window in
front of her, Shari saw Laura descend the steps slowly.  God, she was a
beautiful woman.  She wore a pair of oversized silken pajamas and her
hair was tousled, but Shari could see the intrinsic beauty in her, the
grace and stability, and the purpose.  Laura was coming down to her
husband; not running away, not watching from the shadows.  

Rob didn't flinch when she came to sit on the floor next to the couch. 
She laid her head on the armrest and slowly, tentatively, reached out
her hand to his face.

He didn't stir, which seemed to make Laura bolder.  She slipped her
fingers into his hair, pushing it back from his temple over and over
again.

Rob didn't budge an inch, but Shari saw his lips move.  Laura jumped a
little, but didn't flee.  She spoke back to him, something that made his
eyes open and look up into hers.  His words were heated.  She hung her
head and launched into a long monologue.  She didn't stop stroking his
hair, and he didn't flinch for long minutes while she poured out a litle
part of her soul to him.

Laura was still speaking when Rob seized her hand and pressed it roughly
to his lips.  He spoke, rapidly, pressing her captured hand to his
breast and shoving the fingers of his other hand into her hair.

Laura shook him off and stood up, but he followed her, relentlessly,
like a fox hunting his prey.  She lashed out at him, surely shouting,
but he didn't back off.  And, as Shari's heart pounded violently in her
chest, he took her hands in his and pressed his lips to hers.

Laura seemed to be in shock.  She didn't move, but stood there with her
eyes opened, held captive by him.  

He kissed her for a long time, with lips closed and not moving to touch
her any other way.  When he finally moved back, staring into her eyes,
she didn't move.

He spoke again, gently, twisting his fingers around hers and pressing
them to his heart.  His words made her crumble.  Shari could see the
moment her resistance faded, practically heard the walls tumbling down
around her.  She stepped forward and into his arms.

He stood still for a moment, just looking down at the top of her head. 
Slowly, as if loath to frighten her away, he disentangled her fingers
from his and placed his arms around her.

Her reciprocating embrace was fierce.  She squeezed him tight around the
waist, burying her face in his chest, the shudders of her shoulders
indicating she was crying.  Shari drew her blanket tight around
herself.  She ached for them, glad and crying as she watched their
reconciliation.  Or whatever it was.  She had the feeling that this was
the first time they had been so with each other...but how could that be,
for a married couple?

Rob's head was tilting backward, his eyes closed, his mouth slightly
open.  Shari squinted and saw that Laura's face was pressed against his
throat.  She shifted angles, and Shari could see her little pink tongue
peek out from between her lips, laving his skin gently.

Suddenly, they both began to laugh.  Confused, Shari squinted and leaned
forward.  She needn't have bothered, though, for the answer to her
question came when Rob disentangled himself from his wife and went to go
turn off the TV.  Shari remembered that he'd been watching a porn movie
earlier and smiled too, wondering what had happened on the screen to
make them giggle so.

She had a moment's trepidation when she looked back at Laura, who was
standing with marked panic on her face, hugging her arms to her chest. 
Rob was a little worried, too.  He spoke softly to her, keeping his
distance.  Slowly, like a deer emerging from the forest cover, Laura
came forward to stand in front of him.

Rob's relief was evident.  Gently, tentatively, he touched her hair and
brushed a kiss against her forehead.  Laura leaned into it, and Shari
had the feeling that this was a defining moment for them.  That kiss
signified the shift in their relationship.  She wondered if he'd ever
done it before.

Slowly, Laura raised her head and looked into his face.  Her hands came
up to cup his cheeks, and she drew his mouth down to hers.  Shari saw
Rob shudder a little...and shuddered herself when Laura's mouth opened
against his and their kiss changed from chaste to carnal in the space of
a second.

Rob hugged Laura tightly against him, lifting her off her feet, and she
arched against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders --

"Shari?"

Shari whirled around and saw her husband standing in the doorway, his
bags in his hands.  "Mike!"  She cried, and ran towards him.

"What are you doing down here, sweetheart?"  He asked, but couldn't say
more because his wife launched herself into his arms and kissed him
desperately, pressing herself against him.

"I missed you," she said, laughing and crying.

"Sweetheart," he soothed, running his hand up and down her back.  "Are
you okay?  Did something happen?"

"No," she said, swiping at the tears that were suddenly leaking down her
cheeks.  "It's just been too long since I've had my way with you," she
said with a grin, and he laughed and started shedding his clothes,
kissing her when he could.

"What are you doing up so late?"  He asked breathlessly as he worked on
her bra.

"I'll tell you later," she said, sneaking a glance out the window and
seeing Rob and Laura moving together up the stairs.

***

"Did you hear about what happened last night?"  Shari's neighbor
Christie didn't mince words when she called a few days later.  "It's
dead.  So is Gogolak.  Can you believe it?"

"How?"  Shari demanded, aghast.

"That couple next door to you?  Laura and Rob?  It turns out that
they're FBI agents.  They came here to investigate all the deaths.  They
found out about everything.  Somehow, Gogolak got killed and the thing
just disentegrated."

Shari frowned.  "The Petries...are FBI agents?"

"Yup."

"Not married?"

"I don't think so.  Their names are Mulder and Scully.  Can you believe
it?"

Shari hung up the phone with a sense of smug satisfaction.  She had been
witnessing a coming together.  It *had* been the first time for those
two. 

She and Mike slept notably well that night.

Finis