///////// Epilogue ///////// Scully took her hot mug of coffee to her kitchen window, where she held aside the curtain to peer at the neighboring tree. It had delicate green flowers now, a harbinger of the thick foliage to come. Soon the cherry blossoms would be out and spring could settle in earnest. Mulder entered, and she dropped the drape to greet him. He had shaved but was still dressed in his boxers and a T-shirt. He had been off the crutches for over a week now, and the cuts had healed for both of them. Their hellish days in Boston had quieted with the howling of the winter wind. "Coffee," was all Mulder said as he sank down in one of the chairs. She poured him a mug and set it steaming in front of him. "And here I thought you would be the one all up-and-at-'em today, Mulder. We finally have the X-files back and here I am dressed for work while you're... dressed for a college dorm." He swallowed a few large sips of coffee before replying. "I've got time. I can get my clothes on as fast as I can get them off." He eyed her. "Not as fast as you can get them off, though. I think you set some sort of land speed record last night, Scully." She swatted him and went to retrieve her bagel from the toaster. She spread it liberally with cream cheese before returning to the table, where she proceeded to lick the excess from her thumb. "Besides," he said before she could sit down. "This allows me to satisfy one of my long-running fantasies." She paused in mid-lick. "Oh?" "Mmm-hmm." He slid a hand up under her skirt. "I believe you've satisfied that one already," she replied as his fingers grazed her thigh. "No, no, you have to be wearing this outfit for it to work. You see this slit here? I've had dreams about this slit. I've written sonnets about it." "I find this hard to... believe." Her breath caught as he gave her the barest touch between the legs through the double barrier of her nylons and underwear. He held her gaze as he brushed back and forth, increasing the pressure slightly with each pass. Scully looked down at the illicit sight of her skirt hitched up and Mulder's arm beneath it. The tendons in his forearm flexed as he stroked her. "Mulder," she whispered. "We're going to be late." "I was right about that slit. Very tasty. Wait a second," he said, moving away from her. "I have something for you, and I figure now is the best time to give it." She raised her eyebrow at him as he got up and went into the bedroom. As long as he was gone, she figured she would get that glass of water. She had it half drained by the time he returned. His hand was behind his back. "Have a seat," he said. "Why?" she asked, wary. "Okay, don't have a seat." So she was standing at the sink with half a glass of water and damp underwear when he gave her a black velvet jewelry box. Her stomach clenched and she regarded his outstretched hand as though he were presenting her with unknown alien goo. "What's this?" "It's a box. You have to open it to find out what's inside." Feeling vaguely ill, she set the glass on the counter and took the box. She took a breath and made herself flip the lid. Inside was a diamond solitaire and a gold wedding band. "Hoo boy." She raised both eyebrows and stared at the rings. "Mulder, um... I..." She heard snickering and looked up at him. He was grinning his smug grin again and not looking very much like a man who was proposing marriage. She narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?" "They're for our first case." "We have a case? That involves wedding rings?" "And California. Surf's up, Scully!" He rode an imaginary wave in her kitchen while she put the rings next to the glass on the counter. "And the wedding ring part?" she asked again. "Oh, yeah. We're going undercover and we'll have to be married to fit in. We're braving the deepest darkest part of Republican suburbia, Scully -- make sure to bring both guns." "Not a problem," she said darkly, tempted to use one on him now. "I got you good," he told her, looking pleased. "The look on your face when I got the box out! Now let's see if they fit." She allowed him to slide both rings onto her left hand, and they stood together to admire them. She waggled her fingers. "Perfect," Mulder said, kissed her head. "Now I really do have to get dressed or we'll miss our flight." Scully leaned against the sink and let the sunshine warm her from behind. If she held her hand just right, the diamond seemed to wink at her. She smiled back at it. Married, she thought, to the X-files. /////////// That's all there is, there ain't no more. The End. Many chocolate Mulders of gratitude to Amanda for all her help with this story, and for designing its beautiful cover! Notes: This is always the bittersweet part for me, when the story is over and I feel like the characters might disappear forever. But the fun part is completing the story I meant to tell, and this one has special meaning because it is a tip of the hat to one of my favorite authors who died this past July. Ed McBain essentially invented the police procedural novel back in the 1950s with his 87th precinct series about a group of cops working in a fictional city that really was New York. The novels were clever, funny and gritty all at once, and his detectives seemed like real people who kept on living once the pages were done. After 55 novels in this series, the characters are at last silent with McBain's death, and I will miss them all. "Overnight Sensation" is bit of McBain's style as seen through the syntax6/XF lens, and there are nods to his work throughout the fic. I will never match the master, but it sure was fun trying. I hope you enjoyed the story as well. If you'd like to learn more about McBain and his work, you can visit http://www.edmcbain.com/ Thanks as always for reading! Cheers, syntax6 Syn_tax6@yahoo.com