TITLE: Rightfully Mine AUTHOR: aRcaDIaNFall$ FEEDBACK: arcadianfalls@yahoo.com.au RATING: PG SPOILERS: none CLASSIFICATION: H, R SUMMARY: Mulder tags along when Scully goes shopping for a new bed. AUTHORS NOTES: Yes, I spent half the day furniture shopping. Alas, my day wasn't quite so bizarre as Mulder and Scully's. This fic couldn't decide if it wanted to be humour with a touch of MSR or vice versa. I think it ended up being the latter... It's quite a confused little fic, so any esteem-boosting feedback would surely do it the world of good. *g* --> http://www.geocities.com/arcadianfalls// Rightfully Mine by aRcaDIaNFall$ "How about this one?" I glanced across at the dark leather couch he was stretched out on, feet up. "Mulder, we're looking for a bed. Somewhere for me to *sleep*." *Exactly*, his expression said. He patted the leather, pouting a little, as if in rejecting the couch I was rejecting him. "Bed," I said firmly. He shrugged, bouncing up. Already I was starting to regret letting him tag along. He was like a child, wanting to pick up and juggle all the decorative ornaments, test out all the furniture, pull out drawers and readjust anything adjustable, kick back and relax as if he were at home. Oh well, I thought grimly. You break it, Mulder, *you* buy it. He was ahead of me, stopping to check out a coffee table, wandering around it entirely and even bending to touch the surface before moving on. He dropped down into an overstuffed recliner and leaned back, looking at me through half-closed eyes. "What do you need a new bed for, anyway, Scully? You only just got a new bed." "Some of the slats have broken and the whole bedhead is coming apart." An eyebrow rose. "I see." I knew what he was implying. I stared at him, refusing to smile. "I got it second-hand. It was practically falling to pieces when I got it." "*Right*." I shook my head, unable to stop the small smile. "Yeah, Mulder, my sex life is too much for my bed to handle." He nodded gravely. "We better find you an extra-durable one, then." Jumping up again, he surprised me by grabbing my hand. "Let's *browse*." He spoke the word with a playful zing to it, tugging me along the path to the nearest bedroom setting. "Don't," I warned, before he could start bouncing on the furniture. The bed rails were inlaid with hideous big blue glass stones which refracted the light. We moved onto the next setting. I withdrew my hand from his and reached out to touch the bedpost, caressing the sculpted pine. Mulder and I walking along hand in hand as we picked out a bed... Whoa, far too symbolic, even if it was comfortable, maybe even a little bit more. We were buying a bed for *me*, not *us*. Mulder knew that, right? The wood was too dark, particularly with the accompanying bedside tables and dark linen, and I moved on to the next setting, pure country style, carved oak and a patchwork quilt, teddy bear tossed casually on the embroidered pillows. I knew I was buying just the bed itself, not the entire scene, but I was still picky. I couldn't help myself. "Hey..." Mulder saw something ahead of us and took off. Ignoring him, I moved onto the next display, considering the polished, rounded rails but disliking the dark checkered bedspread and the feel it evoked. The next setting was modern, gleaming chrome and steel, citrus colours, and that was followed by an old fashioned white wrought iron frame with gold knobs, then a silky oriental look. When I caught up with Mulder he was, as I'd almost expected, stretched out on a bed. Not just any bed, but a huge four poster bed, the wood dark and almost oriental in its carving, but the linen snow white, a filmy white canopy. It was incredible. "It's perfect," I murmured, gazing at it, awed by the pure beauty of the piece, knowing that I'd found *it*. Mulder, propped up on an elbow, grinned at me. "You like, huh?" "Absolutely." I moved closer, running my hands over the carved post nearest to me, touching the silky white fabric of the canopy. I glanced down and flipped over the pricetag. Yowch. There went the new winter wardrobe I'd been hoping to splurge on. He patted the mattress through the comforter. "C'mon, you've got to try it out." It was true. He was right. I couldn't buy a bed without testing it out first. I sat down on the edge, bouncing a little to test the springiness of the mattress. So far, so good. Mulder looked at me, disapproving. "Since when do you just *sit* on a bed, Scully?" He wriggled over to the other side, rolling onto his back, stretching out to interlock his fingers behind his head. His t-shirt and jacket rode up at the front, revealing his navel and some pretty impressive abdominal muscles. I felt the same tremor I had when he'd grabbed my hand earlier and I forced my gaze away, kicking my shoes off and cautiously laying down beside him, mimicking Mulder's pose and crossing my ankles, aware that less than a foot separated us. Oh, *wow*. It was like lying on a cloud, warm and soft and white. Comfortable didn't begin to describe it. "Comfy, huh?" "Heavenly," I agreed with a yawn, already feeling sleepy. "I think I'll buy it." I sat bolt upright. "What?" He rolled onto his side again and shrugged one-handedly. "You've been telling me for years to get myself a bed." "Not this bed!" I shot back, incredulous. "Mulder! This is *my* bed!" He shrugged again. "Finders, keepers... Sorry Scully." I grabbed a pillow and swiped at him with it, frustrated, disbelieving. I'd found the perfect bed, the bed I'd been wanting my whole life and not even realised it, and now *he* was going to buy it?? I tossed the pillow down and held my hands up in surrender. Fine. He could buy the bed. It wasn't as if it were a handcrafted original. They probably had half a dozen more out back. Why did it matter if Mulder and I had identical beds? I could deal with it. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking..." Mulder offered, tossing me a perspex display pyramid from the bedside table. 'Limited stock!' it read in big letters. That was crossed through, and the words written alongside in black marker, "Last in stock". I swiped at Mulder with the pyramid, infuriated. "It's my bed, damnit!" "Sorry Scully. But we can find you another bed, right?" He rolled over and slid off his side, tugging the crumpled covers straight as if the bed were already in his possession. I slid off, pulling and smoothing the covers on my side with just as much possessiveness, pulling my shoes back on with as much ferocity as if it were part of a statement of protest. Mulder moved around the bed and tried to take my hand. I pulled away from him, seething. My bed, damnit. What did he need a bed for anyway? He slept on his couch. "How about a waterbed, Scully?" Mulder pointed to a bed with pink and purple satin sheets, still rolling from the touch of another curious customer. I stood back, arms folded stubbornly, lips pursed. I wasn't going to let him get away with this. That bed was rightfully mine. It was for me that we'd come here. This never would have even happened if I hadn't let him tag along. And what happened to male gallantry? He should be tripping over himself letting me have the bed. Damnit, this gender equality was starting to be a pain in the behind. Mulder looked at me impatiently. "Scully, are you interested in finding a bed or what?" I glared at him. He shrugged. "Okay." He glanced at the details on the pricetag and headed over to the counter, drawing out his wallet. I followed miserably. He greeted the young woman at the counter. "I'm interested in the 'Grace' bed set," he explained pleasantly. I seethed at his smoothness. Oh boy, don't you expect me to come running to save your ass next time you're in a jam... "The display model is king-sized, right?" he continued. The salesgirl nodded brightly. "That's all we have left in stock. It's been a very -" "You don't have *any* more?" I interrupted. "Any size?" I was only short. I didn't need a king-size. As things were I hardly needed a double bed. She shook her head. "That's the very last one left. The company that makes them went out of business several months ago. Why, is the display model damaged?" "No, but that's *his*. I want one too." The salesgirl's eyebrows rose as I tried helplessly to explain. "He needs a bed for *his* apartment, and I need a bed for *my* apartment, because mine - my bed - is falling apart. Besides, he sleeps on a couch!" "I'm sorry, but we have only the one bed," the salesgirl said firmly. "But -" I protested, helpless. Mulder touched my arm. "Why don't you wait in the car?" he suggested gently, a twinkle in his eye. Oh yeah, Mulder, I'm having a bundle of fun. I'm just jumping for joy. I glared at him. "That's *my* *bed*," I said resolutely, grabbing the keys from his outstretched hand. I flounced out. I took the driver's seat and strapped myself in, gripping the wheel, still furious, my mind plotting a hundred evil little things to do to him in revenge. I was snapped out of my thoughts as he opened the car door, cold breeze from outside rushing at me as he climbed in. "You sleep on a *couch*, Mulder," I pointed out, putting the key in the ignition. "Why couldn't you just have bought yourself a new damn *couch*?" "I don't need a new couch," he said calmly, tolerant of my anger, almost amused by it. "My old couch is fine." "So why the hell do you need a bed?" He shrugged, grinning at me. "Why not?" I gritted my teeth and gunned the engine, nearly reversing into a VW beetle and not feeling remotely guilty about the way Mulder grabbed the dashboard at the sudden braking. "Scully, I think you should -" "Shut up, Mulder." He was silent as I drove us back to my place. I was fuming. Okay, so it was only a bed. Okay, so there were still a million four poster canopy beds out there that I could do up twice as beautifully. But I didn't want them. I wanted *this* bed. This bed had been blissfully comfortable and more. I pulled up outside my apartment. Mulder heaved a sigh. "Y'know, Scully, you can have the bed if it means so much to you." "Thank you," I said shortly. Somehow his surrender only made me madder. If he hadn't been so selfish in the first place - I released my seatbelt and climbed out of the car, moving over to the kerb near his open car door. I looked at the a slip of paper he offered me as he climbed out, leaning against the car's frame. It was the receipt. "They're delivering it to your door some time between four and six this afternoon." My head jerked up. *What*? There was a small smile on his lips. He looked like a child very pleased with himself. "You -?" I gaped. "You -!" All along it had just been teasing. He'd gotten me mad as hell over some sort of a *joke*. "I can't believe you put me through that!" He chuckled and I felt a little awkward, a little ashamed of my anger, grateful to him but unsure how to express it. It wasn't like Mulder bought me a bed every day. I couldn't just say 'Thanks' like I did when he handed me a cup of coffee. To hell with it. I put my arms around him, hugging him tightly. I felt his arms close around my waist and I was struck by a surprising thought. I was completely comfortable with it. Just like I'd been completely comfortable sharing the bed with him in the store. I drew back and he kissed me on the cheek, then again on the lips. Just a light kiss, no pressure, and I didn't feel pressured. Just comfortable. And maybe a little more. "Think of it as a birthday gift," he grinned. He held both of my hands, running his thumbs over my palms. It was both pleasantly distracting and so comfortable I barely noticed it. "My birthday isn't for another four months," I pointed out, amused. His eyes narrowed dangerously, that scheming twinkle returning. "Oh... I guess in that case, it's mine til then." I responded to the teasing remark with a skeptical smile. "Oh, right. In *my* apartment?" He grinned again. "I think it's a fair compromise." Ohhhhhhhh, wait a second. He was serious. He was serious? Oh boy. This was unbelieveable. I yanked my hands away. "*You* want to sleep in *your bed* in *my apartment*?" "I'd let you share, of course." He couldn't be serious. "No way." He shrugged, still smiling. "Okay, then I'll call them, get it delivered to my apartment inst-" "No!" I cried before I really knew what I was saying. It was my bed. I could already see it in my apartment, could already imagine myself snuggling down in the enormous cloud of white. "No, don't do that..." I bit my lip and thought hard. It was my bed. If I let Mulder have it in his apartment and if he got used to sleeping in it I'd never get it... and I needed a bed. At the moment I was resorting to sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I needed a bed. I needed *my* bed. Mulder and I snuggling down in the enormous cloud of white? Stranger things had happened. "...Only til February?" "Cross my heart," he agreed soberly. I nodded slowly. "...And then it's my bed, just mine?" "Yep." He smiled ambiguously, slamming his door closed and moving around the car to the driver's side. "Just like me. It's all yours." Whoa - What? "Mulder?" He swung the door open and grinned at me over the top of the car. "I'll see you tonight, about six. Thai sound good?" "It's a date," I agreed, a little dazed. He shook his head, still grinning. "Not a date. Just -" Just comfortable. Mischief crept into his grin. "Hope that bed ended up being extra-durable." He ducked into the car and took off before I could respond. I grinned as I watched him leave. Comfortable... and definitely a little more. fin.