Disclaimers and Warnings: Please refer to the Story index page. Extra warnings for this series: A few naughty words and a little violence.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Radclyffe for initial suggestions and encouragement. Thanks to Pam for her patience with my grammatical errors. Last but not least, my Partner and muse, Kyls.
If you are an X-files Xpert, please suspend your reality. This story is set in an alternate one.
Part I
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this!" the woman thought to herself. A slow grin spread over her face. "Nobody else will believe it either!"
"Here's your paperwork. Now you have all your protective gear, and you have the maintenance schedule. You're all set. You won't regret your purchase I guarantee, but if you have any problems or questions don't hesitate to call us, O.K."
The woman thanked the salesperson and walked out to the front of the bike shop. There, sitting on the pavement, was the result of the one of the more unusual mental arguments she had ever had with herself. A brand new YZF600R. Not one of those huge fat cruisers or an 1100cc, carbon fibre, turbo charged crotch rocket, just a 600cc black road bike. Now that’s not to say it didn’t 'low fly'. But hey, she wasn’t damn tall enough to ride the one she actually wanted! As it was the bike shop had to set the rear suspension a bit lower, so she could reach the ground with a little more comfort. She swung her leg over the bike, settled herself for a moment, then hit the starter. "God I hope I don’t stall this damn thing!" she thought as she eased out the clutch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scully walked through the empty rooms of her apartment one last time. The movers had left with the last of her belongings bound for storage about an hour ago. Now she just wanted a bit of peace to reflect on the closure of this chapter of her life. The young couple that had bought the place from her would be moving in early next week. Time for regret was gone, not that she had any. Regrets would be continuing to live her life as she had up until now.
The cancer had shown her that.
Shown her that it was time to start living her life for herself. She was more than a good little Catholic girl or daddy's little Navy brat, Dammit! She was also a hell of a lot more than Mulder's goddamn sidekick as well!
After one last look around she quietly closed the door and walked out to her FBI issue sedan for her last trip to the office. Most of the paper work had been completed; all she had to do now was hand over her badge and Matt black Sig. She had bought her own gun a week ago; another Sig Sauer only this one was stainless. The new shoulder holster still pinched if she moved the wrong way. It's funny; she had never really felt comfortable carrying a gun. Now, after all the shit she had been through with the X Files, she didn't fell 100% safe without one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Agent Scully," called a strong voice from behind her as she walked through the building. Scully flinched and stopped, waiting for her ex-boss to catch up. She knew she wouldn't see Mulder and had hoped to avoid Skinner as well.
"What can I do for you Sir?" she said when he caught up with her.
"I just thought I'd tell you I'm not accepting your resignation," he said quietly.
"Excuse me," Scully said, eyes blazing with anger.
"You have no right to stop me," she continued.
"Just hear me out Agent," Skinner said in a conciliatory tone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That was weeks ago. Then she was Special Agent Dana Scully of the FBI with her power suits and heels. Now she was simply Dana Scully with her bike leathers, jeans and boots. She had ridden away from Washington with renewed spirit. She hadn't realised exactly how much energy Mulder and the X-Files (sounds like some bad 50's rock and roll revival band) had taken from her, until they weren't there anymore. It was like some major weight had lifted from her. She had chosen a B&B in a seaside town for her stay. The town was just enough of a tourist destination to provide anonymity without causing claustrophobia. An old college friend had recommended the B&B to her, and when she rode through the old iron gates, she was glad she had taken the advice. The main house looked like a parish rectory had been uprooted, ivy and all, from some quaint English village and relocated into two acres of beautiful gardens on America's east coast. The circular gravel drive even had a small fountain complete with cherubs! The six-foot high stone wall (also covered in ivy) that surrounded the grounds provided privacy and cut virtually all outside noise.
"This is perfect," she breathed quietly, lost in the grace of her surroundings.
"Dr. Scully?"
Pulled from her reverie, Scully turned towards the greeting. Two women walked towards her from the side of the house. Both looked to be in their mid forties, with short cropped hair. The taller of the two had dark hair shot through with silver and commanding blue-grey eyes, she extended her hand as they stopped next to Scully.
"I'm Jayce and this is my partner Lee. Welcome to Shepherd's Hill, Dr. Scully."
"Please call me Dana," she said accepting the proffered hand with a smile. "I'm on vacation and decided to leave 'Dr. Scully' back in Washington where she belongs. This place is truly beautiful."
"Why thank you, we think so too," Lee answered. She was about Scully's height with sandy coloured hair and clear green eyes. "If you want to follow the drive around the side of the main house we'll show you your rooms and let you get settled."
Scully's rooms were located in what appeared to be a restored carriage and stable block. There were four sets of oiled oak doors along the length of the stone building, replacing what would have been stable doors and large windows where the hay loft doors would have been. The block was situated at right angles to the corner of the main house so both buildings had exquisite views of the gardens and the ocean. Scully stopped in front of the 'stables' and rocked the bike back onto the centre stand. Yesterday she had found out that it was not a good idea to lean the bike onto the side stand when it was fully loaded. The rack and tank bags along with pannier bags tended to be a little too much weight for the side stand and she had narrowly escaped having it dropped on her, bike and all.
"Is there anyone else staying here at the moment?" Scully asked after stretching the kinks out of her muscles. As much as she enjoyed the freedom the bike offered, long trips still had a similar effect on your muscles as being cramped into a car.
"Not tonight, but we have another guest arriving late tomorrow morning. It's still a little early in the season. In a month's time we're booked solid," Lee answered
"It's such a beautiful place, I feel like I've stepped into another world," And no men hitting on 'the poor lonely female', Ah Heaven! Scully added silently.
"Yours is the first door. When you've unloaded you can park your bike undercover between the buildings there. Once you get settled come on into the house and have supper with us if you would like," Jayce said, handing the keys to Scully.
"Thanks. That would be great."
After her hosts left, Scully unlocked the door of the place that was to be her home away from home for the next few weeks. She dropped her bags on the polished hardwood floor and a delighted grin suffused her classic features.
"Oh yeah! This is gonna be great."
To the left of the entryway were a small, modern galley kitchen and a door leading to the bathroom. To her right were a cozy living area, complete with open fire, and the staircase leading up to the loft bedroom. She decided to check out the bathing facilities first, and was delighted to find a large clawfoot tub as well as a shower. "Yes. Definitely heaven!" Walking back to the entryway she picked up her bags and went up to the loft.
"Did I mention heaven yet?" she said to herself
The bed was one of those enormous timber canopy affairs surrounded by filmy gauze curtains, and faced directly out the large windows over the gardens to the ocean. A more romantic setting would be impossible to find.
"It's a shame you don't have anyone to share it with Scully," she said to herself.
"Well, a lot can happen in a few weeks," she continued with a lascivious grin. "If you play your cards right."
After settling in, Dana joined Jayce and Lee for supper. The main house was exquisitely restored. Rich polished timber; walls painted in deep earthy tones and antique furniture that complimented not cluttered the space. The entire place reeked of understated elegance.
The supper Lee and Jayce provided was superb. Thai marinated chicken fillets on a bed of jasmine rice and wilted Asian greens, accompanied by a bottle of Australian grown Gewurztraminer.
"Okay, you're holding out on me," Dana said with a smile. "Which one of you is the Chef?"
"That would definitely be Lee. You would not want to attempt anything I cooked, trust me," Jayce laughed. "However, I will take credit for the wine selection. We found it on our last trip to Australia, it's from the Hunter Valley region, northwest of Sydney."
"Well it's wonderful," Scully said, as she tried to suppress a yawn. "Sorry, good food and wine have just combined with the long ride. I think I'll go to bed. Thank you."
"We'll see you in the morning Dana," Lee called.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Finally," the rider thought to herself as she turned in through the old iron gates.
She had decided to ride out as soon as she had finished her latest 'assignment'. The artifact had come from an ancient Mayan temple buried in the depths of the jungle, and her client had been quite… insistent she deliver it personally. Consequently she hadn't slept in a while and hadn't bathed in longer. Right now, her greatest aim in life was to procure a hot shower and a great big warm bed. Pulling up near the door of the main house, she climbed off her black Ducati S4 trying to ignore her protesting muscles.
Taking off her gloves, she rang the night bell before removing her helmet. She turned and did a slow survey of her surroundings while waiting for one of the girls to answer. Lee had finally finished her rose garden, she noted with pleasure. A flash of movement in the window above her head caught her eye, just as the light next to the door was switched on. She wondered if the exquisite red head in the first guest room realised she was clearly visible. Or exactly how revealing her white cotton nightshirt was. She gave the woman a slow smile and watched the window for a moment after she disappeared from view.
"Hey, it's good to see you. Bit earlier than expected though," Jayce said with a smile, when she answered the bell.
"I'm really sorry about waking you at this obscene hour. I just needed to get out of the city. Forgive me?" the weary rider replied apologetically.
"Of course, old girl!" Jayce answered with a laugh.
"Jayce? You know that ring I bought back from Thailand, the one you gave Lee as an anniversary gift," she began.
"Yes. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"Not really. Well… there may be. I'm not sure yet," she stopped, a frown marring her face as she thought. "I just had this odd inquiry from my most recent client. Oh I don't know. I'm just jumping at shadows I think."
"If you’re sure…?" Jayce said with a worried expression.
"Yes," with more confidence. "So where are the keys my friend. I would fight my way to the lower pits of hell right now for a hot shower and a bed."
The shower was an exquisite relief. She allowed herself to relax for the first time in a long time. It was only two weeks but it felt like two years! She even managed to turn off the little nagging feeling behind her eyes that had plagued her since delivering the artifact to Sanderson. Lathering her body, her thoughts drifted to the sexy female she had caught a glimpse of earlier. It had been two weeks since her last 'fling' and her body was reminding her of that, rather insistently. The fact that she had ridden the Ducati at warp speed to get here didn't help. With only the centre seam of her leathers between herself and over 900cc's of vibration was sublime torture. Bracing a hand against the cool white tile of the shower wall, she began a slow soapy exploration of her body. Nerve endings jumping in response to the pressure of questing fingers, her clit twitched as she ran her hand over her breasts, squeezing her nipples. Leaning her head against the tile, she slid her hand down over hard abdominal muscles and into pulsing heat.
"Ohh… God." Echoed around the tiled room as she came.
Scully had been awakened by the sound of an engine outside. Not having shed the suspicious FBI persona, she had gotten up to investigate, unconsciously picking up her Sig. Another motorcycle had just pulled up in the courtyard near the door to the main house. A shapely figure in red and black racing leathers and helmet dismounted and rang the night bell. While she waited, the woman removed her helmet and looked around the yard. The light went on above the door and Scully inhaled sharply. From the little she could see, the woman was beautiful. Long dark hair, olive skin and full sensual lips. Her thoughts immediately wandered off to how those lips would feel on assorted parts of her anatomy.
"Get a grip Scully! It hasn't been that long," she whispered to herself.
At that moment, as if sensing her thoughts, the woman glanced up at Scully's window giving her a slow smile. Eye contact was only momentary before Scully drew away from the window and climbed back into bed. As tired as she was from her ride, it was a good hour before she was able to go back to sleep. And then only with a little… help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scully was surprised to discover she actually slept through to 8 am. This never happened to her. Even on weekends, she was awake at 5 am for her morning run. She didn't even bother with an alarm clock anymore.
"Oh well, your body won’t miss one morning run, and it's not like you have anywhere you have to be," she chided herself as she dressed to go down for breakfast.
As she walked across the courtyard, Scully looked for the bike that had arrived early that morning. She was vaguely disappointed when it was nowhere to be seen
"Good morning Dana. Did you sleep well?" Jayce asked as she wandered into the kitchen.
"As a matter of fact I overslept. I can't believe my body just slipped into holiday mode so fast. It usually takes days, if at all, for my internal clock to stop waking me at 5 am," Dana answered with a smile.
"Hope our early morning guest didn't wake you. She arrived just a tad earlier than expected," Lee said apologetically as she came into the room
"Don't worry about it. So is that the woman you were expecting to arrive today?"
"Yes. Lara stays with us whenever business brings her over here. She says it reminds her of home."
"Oh. Where is she from?" Dana asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"I'm from England," said a clipped British accent from the kitchen door.
Scully started at the sudden voice behind her and turned to face the newcomer. Her throat dried up at the sight before her. Calf-high motorcycle boots over leather pants; tight black T-shirt and leather bike jacket. If the hard body wasn't heart stopping enough, Scully then connected with a pair of deep blue-green eyes. The heat radiating from those eyes caused a sudden flush of arousal to stir in Dana's body.
"Lara…? Sorry to interrupt," said an amused voice. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Dana Scully. Dana this is Lady Lara Croft"
Lara was pulled from her silent perusal of the other woman's… attributes by Jayce's words.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Scully," Lara purred, taking Dana's hand.
Dana tried to speak, but Lara's handshake became almost a caress as their hands parted.
"Mother of God!" Scully groaned inwardly.
Lara's vision contracted as their hands touched. Her entire focus was now the red headed woman in front of her. As she let go, her fingertips brushed along the other woman's palm.
"Oh Lord!" Lara thought, as she witnessed the reaction this caused. Scully closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again the heat was palpable; Lara had never seen blue eyes contain that much heat.
The moment was shattered in an explosion of glass. All four women dived for cover, Lara and Scully reaching automatically for their weapons. Scully's Sig Sauer pulled from her shoulder harness and Lara's H&K USP from a hidden rig on the small of her back. For a moment no one moved, then a trail bike could be heard roaring to life and heading around the side of the house. Lara and Scully bolted for the front door, but by the time they got there, the bike was turning onto the main road. Scully drew down on the rear tire of the trail bike, but it was out of sight before she could fire.
Lara, swearing a blue streak, returned to the house to survey the damage.
"Lee? Jayce?" she called as she hurried back through the house, "Are you alright?"
Scully paused for a moment before holstering her weapon and following Lara. She was glad the bike had disappeared from her gun sight before she pulled the trigger. As much as she liked these women, the incident it would have caused with local law enforcement would not have been worth it. They tended to frown on the discharge of semi automatic handguns in residential areas. She couldn't hide behind her badge any longer either: it was back in Washington.
The kitchen was a mess. A light coloured house brick had been hurled through the large kitchen window that Lee had been standing in front of only moments before. Luckily, the flying glass had injured no one. Lara picked up the brick with a look of fury and disgust.
GET OUT FUCKING DYKES! Had been painted around the sides.
"I will deal with them when I find them," she enunciated in a deadly quiet voice.
"No Lara," Jayce said in a commanding tone. "This time we will wait for the police, we will do this properly!"
"This time?" Scully asked as she walked into the room. "This has happened before?"
"Yes," she said abruptly. "It seems some of the pond scum in this lovely, enlightened town believe we are an unhealthy presence."
"They will not get away with it this time," Lara's speech was becoming even more precise with her anger.
"Enough Lara!"
The tone Jayce used to quiet Lara reminded Scully of the occasions AD Skinner had taken both her and Mulder to task over some royal screw up, she almost flinched.
"Lee has called the Sheriff, you will remain as long as she requires for a statement and then you will go about your business. You will not involve yourself in this any further. Are we clear on that?"
Jayce didn't shout. She didn't have to.
"Absolutely," Lara replied, looking like she had eaten something incredibly bitter.
"One more thing, both of you. I want your weapons and rigs. I will lock them in my gun safe until the Sheriff has gone. You do not need another 'Concealed Weapon' incident like the last one, Lara. Some how I don’t think your title and friends can be used to excuse you twice."
"What the hell is going on here?" Scully thought to herself, as she stripped of her gun and holster. She looked over to see Lara doing the same.
Her thoughts ceased at the sight of the other woman removing her leather jacket. There was a second H&K in the custom harness she wore. It looped over both shoulders and joined at the back in an arrangement of leather and alloy to hold the guns tight into the small of her back. It looked uncomfortable as hell, but was concealed well by Lara's bulky jacket and muscular form.
"Oh Hell," Scully thought, as arousal slammed through her again. "And what a form it is!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The interview with the sheriff took a few hours. The woman was professional and had taken the whole incident very seriously. However, at the end of the day what could she really do? None of the women had seen the attacker or could give a license number or description.
Scully truly detested being on the wrong end of an interview, and now that it was all over, she was restless and irritable. Deciding to take it all out on the pavement, she stalked out to grab her bike gear and go for a ride. She rolled the YZF out into the courtyard and started it. As she was pulling on her gloves, Lara's bike stopped beside her.
"You and I seem to have had the same idea, Dr. Scully. The old 'Monster' here wanted to stretch her legs," Lara said, patting the fuel tank of the stripped down sport bike.
"Please. Call me Dana, and yes, I do feel the need for a little… distraction."
"Well… Dana. Do you have any particular form of distraction in mind? Or would you like a guide who knows the area reasonably well?" Lara said with a feral smile.
"A guide would be great… for now," Scully replied with a grin of her own. "Oh Lord help me survive that smile," Scully added silently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On days like this, you could lose yourself in just being alive. The sky overhead was a crystal blue and the land they traveled through was in its first flush after a long winter. Scully quickly lost herself in the beauty that surrounded her and the power of the bike below her. Lara had set out hard and Scully had to fight to keep pace with her, as the younger woman was obviously more familiar with the quiet, winding roads. That and the fact the Ducati had much longer legs than the Yamaha. By the time they arrived home hours later, Scully's irritation had evaporated. Her restlessness, however, had just shifted into a higher gear.
"Well Dana. What did you think of my tour guide skills?"
"Excellent. You seem to know the area well. I had trouble keeping up with you at times."
"That would be the result of the inordinately large amount of time I spend here. When I'm not traveling or at home that is," she said with a somewhat rueful smile. "Hillary is starting to wonder who I am."
"Oh." Dana slammed down her best FBI mask to hide her disappointment at the mention of the woman's name. "Damn. Damn. Damn." she thought.
Lara noticed the other woman's features close up at the mention of Hillary's name. "Now that was interesting," she thought. "Let's play with this and see where it goes," the wicked side of her responded.
"Yes, poor Hillary. Pottering around, keeping the Estate in order when I'm away. Bryce seems such a burden at times; Hilary seems to spend the entire time following around cleaning up after him," Lara said this with an almost wistful tone in her voice.
"Oookaay. A wife AND a child. Exit stage right, Scully. Now. You don't need this kind of arrangement," Dana thought.
"Well Lara, thanks for the tour. I had a great time. See you later."
With that Dana turned and started walking towards her rooms.
"Hey Dana," Lara called to Scully's retreating form. "I thought you might like to have dinner with me tonight."
Scully stopped at her door but didn't turn around or answer immediately.
"Scully! Exit stage right. Remember?" she thought, fiercely suppressing the almost visceral urge to accept the invitation.
"Come on Dana, it'll be fun. I know a superb little Italian restaurant in town."
"I don't think so Lara. Thanks anyway," Dana said after a moment, still not turning to face the other woman.
A hand was placed softly on her shoulder, drawing Dana from her inner argument. "I'm sorry, Dana."
"What do you mean," she said, finally turning to face Lara.
"I saw your reaction when I mentioned Hillary, and I… well I couldn't help it. I had to tease you a little. Hillary and Bryce both work for me," she said, looking a little ashamed of herself.
"They work for you?"
"Well, yes. Please don't be angry with me. I just couldn't resist, you looked almost… disappointed."
Scully was speechless, and more than a little angry. Who did this woman think she was anyway? She thought she had left all that crap behind when she quit the X-files. Dana, again, turned her back on Lara opening her door. She rounded on Lara just inside the threshold to give the damn woman a taste of the infamous Scully temper. Before she could utter a syllable, Lara moved to within inches of Dana's body.
"Is that it, Dana? Were you disappointed?" she growled, her eyes locked with Scully's.
Dana's mouth was open to utter a sharp retort, but the words died in her throat. The nearness of this exquisite woman was causing her body to take on a life of it's own.
And that life existed in a world of heat and lust.
Scully grabbed the front of Lara's bike jacket and hauled her through the door. She slammed it closed then pushed the other woman back against it.
"Why Dr. Scully, I'm shocked."
"Just shut up," Scully growled, then pulled Lara down to her mouth.
Their teeth clashed as they devoured one another, Lara groaned as Dana's tongue demanded entrance, exploring her mouth. She pushed her body tight against Lara's, kicking her feet apart and rocking her hips hard against her. Her heart hammering in her chest as Lara reached around and pulled her hips in closer contact.
Lara wrenched away from the kiss to draw a much-needed breath, Scully seized the opportunity to kiss down the column of her throat. She finished by sinking her teeth into the tight muscle above her collarbone.
"Oh God, Dana," Lara groaned. "Were you a vampire in a previous life?"
"No, but I met one once. That encounter wasn't quite as… satisfying as this promises to be."
Dana stepped back suddenly and began to pull off her clothes. Lara's eyes blazed at the carnal sight and with a deep, animal growl, she followed suit.
Half-undressed and craving skin on skin, Lara closed the minimal distance between them as Dana reached to unfasten her leather pants. With one hand on Scully's leather-clad butt, the other on her breast Lara guided her in the direction of the small dining table.
"Dana," she breathed against Scully's throat. "Can you make it upstairs?"
"God, no. Right here. Now," she demanded.
Lara pushed her hands inside Dana's leathers, removing them and her underwear together. The scent of her skin and her sex was intoxicating. She knelt taking the leathers with her, raking her teeth down Dana's body. Scully leaned back against the end of the table, her legs unable to support her any longer. When Lara reached the damp thatch of red hair, she buried her tongue inside, taking one hard swipe at the distended clit. Scully let out a strangled cry, bracing her arms back against the table. Lara stopped momentarily to look up along the expanse of flushed, trembling flesh and locked with hot blue eyes.
"God. Now. Please, I need you…"
Lara hooked a booted foot around the leg of a chair, pulling it under herself as she bent to her goal. Scully fell back against the warm wood of the table as the sensation of a hot mouth sucking on sensitive flesh washed over her. Lifting a leg, she braced it over Lara's shoulder with her bare foot against the back of the wooden chair.
Over her years at the Bureau, Dana had been called many things. Most notably 'The Ice Queen'. If any of her fellow agents could see her at this moment, that image would be forever shattered. That woman, so self-contained was the polar opposite of the one now responding under the ministrations of Lara's exquisite mouth.
"Oh God, Lara. Inside… go inside me. Ahhhh."
Lara savoured the wetness beneath her tongue like the finest of wines, as she plunged two fingers into Scully's depths. Dana bucked hard against her, a feral cry escaping her throat.
"Ahhh… God… Yes. Harder. Oh God, Lara."
Lara could feel Scully's muscles beginning to contract around her and hot liquid wash over her hand. She was distracted by a brief thought of whether her leathers would ever recover from the soaking they were getting. She refocused her thoughts as she redoubled her efforts, lifting out of the chair for better leverage.
'Oh God she tastes so good!' spun through Lara's mind.
Scully's thigh muscles tightened suddenly around Lara's shoulders
"Oh God… Lara I'm coming. Oh God Oh God Ohhh…"
"Lara…?" Scully said softly, when her body subsided.
Lara was breathing hard, her cheek resting against Scully's stomach.
"God. That was…? Well it just was," she said, with a soft chuckle.
Lara looked up at her with a lopsided grin. Scully sat up and slid off the table into Lara's leather-clad lap.
"Well, Lady Croft. How are you holding up?"
"My dear Dr. Scully, if you were not sitting in my lap, I would be sliding to the floor. I may yet need medical attention for dehydration."
"Is that so?" Scully said as she kissed Lara's throat.
"Uh huh. In fact… Ahh. I believe I feel a little faint. I think I'm going to have to lie down."
"I can't have you filing a malpractice suit against me. Perhaps I should take you upstairs and remove any clothing that might be restricting blood flow."
"Oh God… How about removing them right here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The figure looking through the small back window gave a humorless smile before moving away. The frenzied joining of the two women was interesting. Ultimately it could be turned to gain an advantage in the race. With luck the distraction this… interlude would provide, should keep Lara from investigating that idiot Sanderson's lapse.
Well at least that couldn't happen again. I should have taken personal control of this operation sooner!
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