Healed with a Kiss - Chapter 4

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

Skinner's office
Monday, June 9, 1997
11:30 p.m.

"You wanted to see me?" Mulder asked as he entered the office.

"Fox, come sit down," Skinner said, and Mulder settled into his usual chair in front of the massive oak desk.

Skinner got right to the point. "You're leaving for the special training camp tomorrow."

Mulder nodded. He wondered why Skinner had called him up so late to talk about this, especially since they had discussed it so many times already. Why Skinner hadn't just stopped by his office to say what he had to say, whatever it was.

Mulder had stayed in the building late to finish up some urgent paperwork before leaving for the training. Skinner had gone home earlier that afternoon but, knowing Mulder would be kept busy with paperwork, had called him to tell him to stop by his office later that night -- "11:30 sharp," he had said -- because he had some "last-minute business to take care of" with Mulder. Now, in the office, Mulder was still wondering what that business could be, and why Skinner was being so mysterious about it.

Skinner got up from the desk and walked around behind Mulder's chair as his agent and lover repeated the itinerary.

"Three weeks at Quantico, and then six more weeks in London," Mulder said. He began to speak more rapidly. "It really is a great opportunity for Scully and I to participate in this. We'll be sharing much of what we've learned about field investigation while working on the X-files, Scully with her pathology experience and me with my psychological profiling. And we'll have the chance to see what other agents and detectives have been doing in their areas of expertise, as well as finding out all the newest investigative procedures..."

"And you'll be away from me for more than two months," Skinner broke in, coming up beside where Mulder was seated. Both men knew that Mulder had been rambling just to avoid discussing the more unpleasant aspects of this trip.

Mulder looked up at Skinner and reached out, taking Skinner's hand. "I'm going to miss you, Walt," he said regretfully. "I wish you could come with me, but..."

"But three's a crowd," Skinner finished for him.

Despite the excitement he savored from taking risks in exposing their secret relationship, Skinner knew that he would not be able to go with Mulder or even visit him while he and Scully were away. Stolen kisses and quick fondling in his office behind a locked door were exciting, but still relatively safe. Loving words whispered during investigative team meetings brought a thrill, but their content was easily hidden from others in the room. Following after Mulder like a lovesick schoolboy to a long, intensive professional training spanning two continents would be career suicide. Law enforcement people weren't blind *or* stupid, Skinner thought. Well, most weren't, he amended.

Skinner surprised Mulder by suddenly swinging a leg over his so that he could sit on Mulder's lap, facing forward. Skinner looked directly into Mulder's eyes and cupped Mulder's chin in one of his large hands. "I wish I could spend this time with you, too," he said quietly.

Mulder reached his arms around Skinner's back and drew him into a gentle kiss. So much had changed for him since becoming involved with Walter months earlier; Mulder had no idea how he was going to function without his lover for the weeks they would be apart.

Skinner finally broke off the kiss, holding Mulder's face between his hands and looking intently at him. A mischievous smile erupted on Skinner's face. "Well, I *do* have a going away surprise for you." He got up and walked behind Mulder to a cupboard in the corner of the room. "You have to stay right where you are, though, and keep your eyes closed," he demanded teasingly.

Mulder closed his eyes as ordered and immediately began perspiring, wondering anxiously what Walt might have in mind. He heard Skinner walk close behind him again. He took in a sharp breath as he felt a blindfold placed over his eyes and tied at the back.

"Walter..."

"Now, now, no questions. This is a surprise, and I'm not giving any hints." Skinner picked a gym bag off the floor and took Mulder by the hand, lightly compelling him out of the chair and leading him toward the door. Mulder sensed the direction and stopped suddenly.

"Walter...we're not going outside, are we?"

"I said, *no hints*."

"But...but what if someone sees us? My God, Walter, what would someone think?"

"Oh, Fox, it's late. There's hardly anyone in the building."

" 'Hardly anyone'? That means *someone* might see us."

Skinner rolled his eyes, grateful that Mulder couldn't see the exasperation in his face. He had wanted Mulder to enjoy this. Mulder *was* going to enjoy this, if Skinner could just get him to loosen up a little. After all these months together, however, he knew how to loosen Mulder up. He gently pressed Mulder up against the wall. "Foxy, I want you *now*," Skinner whispered barely an inch from Mulder's ear.

Mulder smiled slightly.

Mulder had always pretended to hate the pet name, but Skinner knew, as lovers knew such things, that he secretly delighted in it.

"C'mon, Foxy-Boy, we're going in!"

"That's 'out', Walter."

"Whatever."

Skinner grabbed Mulder's tie and opened the door, glancing left and right. The coast was clear. Now to just make it to the elevator...and have it empty. No, the stairs would be a better route. No one *ever* took the stairs, the lazy bums.

They made it to the entrance to the stairwell, Skinner pulling Mulder behind him by the tie. Mulder was having a hard time not laughing out loud. He *was* enjoying this, whatever *this* was.

Then Skinner pushed him through the doorway and Mulder heard the loud "clang!" of the closing door echo down the stairwell. It was then that they both realized a potential problem.

"Walter, you're planning on taking me down the stairs with me wearing a blindfold? It's going to take us forever. Have you ever tried walking down stairs with your eyes closed?"

Skinner knew where this conversation was going, and suddenly greatly regretted not taking the elevator. "No."

"Neither have I, but I would imagine it would be pretty fucking hard."

Skinner peeked out of the small tempered glass window in the door, looking down the vacant hall to the elevator. It seemed a long, long way down the hall. This was no time for retreat, he determined. Onward, ever onward!

"Get on my back, Fox."

"What??"

"You heard me. Get on my back, and I'll carry you down." He put the gym bag down.

Mulder reached up for the blindfold. Skinner stopped his hand.

"Walt, let's just forget this. It's a cute idea, whatever it is, but I don't want to be found dead at the bottom of a stairwell at F.B.I. headquarters, blindfolded and with my legs wrapped around my boss. That's even more embarrassing than what Bruckman said."

Skinner couldn't remember who Bruckman was, and opened his mouth to ask Mulder to clarify his statement, but decided it could wait. This operation was not going off as planned.

"Mulder, as your supervisor, I order you to hop up on my back." Mulder always liked it when he pulled rank in their love games, anyway; why not use that to his advantage now, Skinner thought.

With a sigh, Mulder managed to get on Skinner's back without both of them toppling over. He felt ridiculous, but he was also having fun. It was exciting to risk being caught like this, despite his complaints.

Skinner felt the same way. At first, their secret relationship had caused him a great deal of worry. As the months went on, however, Skinner had learned there was something very erotic about risking exposure. He was certainly proving that now. He already had a hard-on, and could feel Mulder's growing erection pressing into his spine; Mulder's hot breath on the back of his neck.

With Mulder perched on his back, Skinner carefully reached down to pick up the bag again. He was beginning to feel like a pack animal. The bag banged heavily against one of Mulder's legs.

Mulder heard a slosh and a "clink".

"Ow!" Mulder cried out. "What are you carrying, Walt? Some kind of bag? It feels like you have a big rock in there."

"It's none of your business. Yet."

"Okay, Secretariat, I'll let you keep your mystery for now," Mulder replied. "I hope I find something hard when we get wherever we're going...and it better not be just in your bag! Now, giddyup!" He started to chuckle softly again as he imagined how they must look.

Skinner smiled at the thought of what Mulder would find when they got to where they were going. Hard, indeed. Yes, Mulder would not be disappointed.

The odd-looking horse and his rider began slowly descending the stairs.

X X X X X X X

Minutes later...

They reached the bottom of the last flight of stairs. With a weary grunt, Skinner put the 170-pound agent back down on his own two feet. He led his lover through a door and into a cool, open area, and then through what seemed to Mulder a maze of twists and turns and openings and closings of doors. Finally, they halted.

"We're here," Skinner announced softly, pulling Mulder closer to him. Putting the bag on the floor again, he reached for Mulder's belt and unbuckled it. "Don't remove the blindfold yet. I'll do it for you later."

If Mulder's curiosity was piqued before, it was running wild now. Where the hell were they? He had become quite disoriented in the stairwell, and even more so in the maze Skinner had led him through. For all he knew, they could be in the middle of the commissary, the gamut of F.B.I. agents, staff and administrators lurking and ready to pop out and yell "surprise".

Mulder trusted Skinner to look out for them; still, not questioning his lover's actions and motives incessantly had been difficult at first. But he didn't want to spoil whatever Skinner had planned for them. "Is this a going away party?" he asked apprehensively.

"Why, yes, I suppose we could call it that," Skinner replied as he began to slowly unclothe Mulder. He was relishing the process.

As each item was removed, there was a pause and Mulder could hear a rustling and sense movement in front of him, followed by the "plop" of shoes or the soft whisper of cloth meeting the floor. He realized that Skinner was discarding each item of clothes from his own body as well, piece by piece.

Finally, Mulder stood there wearing nothing but his shorts, which were tented out in front of him. He knew this without being able to see them for himself, and wondered at what was going through Skinner's head. If it was anything like what was going through his own, he was going to be a lucky man.

He assumed that Skinner was equally bared, the thought of which made him want to plead for Skinner to take off the blindfold, or to go ahead and take it off himself. But he would wait. Good things come to those who wait, Skinner had once taught him. He knew it was true.

Mulder had noticed a strange texture to the floor under his bare feet -- it had a definitely uneven, raised surface, cool and somewhat metallic in its feel. Mulder heard Skinner unzip the bag, take something out of it, and then begin walking away from him. "Walt, where are you going?" he asked nervously.

"Don't worry; I'll be right back. Now, promise me... stay right there! I just need to get this plugged in."

Mulder was ready to explode with curiosity about what that statement might forebode, but only gulped and nodded slightly in response. He knew he was going nowhere in just his shorts. He waited patiently, rocking on the balls of his feet and humming softly.

This was getting interesting, he thought. That bag...what could be in it? From the sounds it had emitted earlier, he knew that Skinner must have brought a bottle of wine and glasses. But it was an awfully big bag to just hold that. Mulder wondered if, tonight, Skinner might want to investigate some of Mulder's more unconventional fantasies. Perhaps even ones he had never told Skinner.

Standing alone in the quiet, Mulder noticed that his heart was beating so rapidly and forcefully that he could hear his pulse echoing in his ears. Skinner had done many creative things in their lovemaking over the last few months, but Mulder predicted this would top them all.

He was starting to worry about Skinner when, suddenly, the sound of a familiar tune filled the air:

"Though we've got to say goodbye for the summer,
darling, I promise you this:
I'll send you all my love
every day in a letter
sealed with a kiss."

As the opening line sounded, Mulder heard Skinner pad bare-footed toward him again, coming to stand behind him, resting his hands lightly on Mulder's shoulders. Skinner took a step closer, and Mulder could feel the other man's erection press against his buttocks through the thin material of his shorts as Skinner lovingly kissed the nape of his neck. Finally, Skinner reached up and untied the blindfold.

Fortunately, the light was almost nonexistent and Mulder's eyes didn't need to readjust to being uncovered. He immediately recognized where they were: in the middle of the huge lobby on the ground floor of the Hoover building. The floor was an expanse of cool white marble but, at the center, where they were standing, a replica of the Department of Justice seal was inlaid in brass, with raised lettering. This was the strange texture Mulder had puzzled over while he had stood there blindfolded.

Mulder looked over to where he knew the windows were at the front of the building. Thankfully, Skinner had set up a large folding screen blocking anyone's view in from the street. The lobby was dark and it was dark outside, but some street light came in through the windows, so any late-night passersby might have been able to see in to where they stood if not for the screen.

So that's what he's been up to tonight, Mulder thought, smiling in appreciation.

"I took care of the security cameras," Skinner explained. "They're running a loop tape from last night. I also arranged things with Gus, from building security. Being Assistant Director does have its perks. He thinks I have a woman down here, and I know Gus wouldn't poke his nose in or let anyone through those doors. Just in case anyone *is* still here." He paused, watching Mulder's head nod in relief at the precautions Skinner had taken.

"Well, what do you think of my surprise?" Skinner asked in a whisper, wrapping his arms around Mulder's waist from behind and drawing him in even closer.

"Walt, this is...this is incredible. You're insane!" he said with a grateful laugh. He turned around to face his lover and asked something to which he already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it from Skinner's lips. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well, I'll tell you; after I'm done with you, your back will likely be permanently emblazoned with this seal," Skinner answered with a smirk, looking down at the emblem beneath them.

"Oh, I've always said, I'm an F.B.I. man to the very end," Mulder teased. "But before I get -- *ahem* -- 'em-bossed'...may I have this dance?"

Skinner gladly complied, wrapping his arms snugly around Mulder's waist, pulling them close together and letting Mulder rest his head on his shoulder.

As they began to sway and turn to the music, Skinner saw one last vision of Sharon, far over near the door that separated the hall from the lobby. He hadn't seen her, or even thought of her more than fleetingly, in months. This time, the only time in all of his visions and dreams of her, she was smiling. He slowly smiled back. She turned and walked away, her image fading as it reached the door.

The two lovers held each other through the end of "their song" and beyond. They made love in the center of the seal on the floor, sharing one last time together before having to part for the summer. But they knew it would not be their last time ever.

Mulder was quite "impressed" by Skinner's performance.

END

Please send constructive criticism and other feedback to me, Griffin. Thanks! Click here to go back to Griffin's Den Stories page, or...

For those who would like to see all the lyrics of this song, here they are. Even though I don't own a recording of the song, it has been playing through my head as I've written this story. (Hopefully, it will stop now that I'm finally posting it!) I also saw a note on a guitar players' list that an alternate ending is "Heal it with a kiss"...explaining, in part, my title.

X X

Sealed with a Kiss -- Jason Donovan
(Geld/Udell)

Though we've got to say goodbye for the summer,
darling, I promise you this:
I'll send you all my love everyday in a letter
sealed with a kiss.

Sealed with a kiss.
Sealed with a kiss.

(C) 1960 Chappell Music, Ltd.