Much to Doggett's surprise, the meal went quite well. Scully was an 
excellent cook, 
having clearly enjoyed catering for more than one person for a 
change. And three hungry men did justice to the  meal, putting away 
most of the food, and in Mulder 
and Doggett's case, several more beers.
Seating opposite Skinner, Doggett diligently tried to avoid gazing 
into his eyes, conscious of Mulder's intuitive mind. 
Mind you, he thought, using his ciabatta to mop up the last of the 
sauce on his plate, 
considering  what they were planning on revealing, it really didn't 
make much difference. 
He popped the bread into his mouth.

"So, John," Scully said. "Do you have any other siblings?"
He shook his head. "No. Just Sal." He grinned. "Came as a bit of a 
shock to my parents, 
15 years after me."
"I can imagine." Scully smiled.
"Came as a bit of a shock to me, too," Doggett confessed, with a sigh.
"You seem to get along okay," Mulder said.
"Yeah, I suppose." He laughed. "Wasn't always like that. She drove me 
insane, 
growin' up."
"Yeah?"
"I won't say she was the reason I joined up, but it was a hell of an 
incentive."
Skinner laughed. "You wuss! She was just a little girl!"
Doggett stared across the table, incredulous. "Now I know you're an 
only child."
Skinner just grunted. "Good job she's changed then."
Wasn't that the understatement of the century? He stared at Skinner, 
reading the 
expression in the other man's eyes.

"Pretty girl. Nice eyes." Mulder said thoughtfully. 
Doggett turned to look, wondering if he was going to make some smart 
assed comment. 
In the absence of any reply, Mulder looked up.
"What?"
Again, no-one spoke. He held up his hands and sat back. "What did I 
say?"
Doggett shook his head. "Nothing." He was surprised, and a little off-
balance. 
"Thank you."
Mulder shrugged. "No big deal."

Scully tapped the back of Doggett's hand. 
"I thought she looked a lot like you."
He looked at her. "Y'think?"
She nodded. "Like I'd imagine you looked when you were younger."
"What, you mean the long hair and the skirt?" Skinner laughed.
Doggett raised his middle finger. "Bite me."  Then he closed his 
mouth and looked at 
Scully. "Sorry."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to keep apologising for every 
little slip, John. 
I've heard it all before."
"Not from me."
She regarded him. "I'm patient. I'm sure will, eventually."
He smiled. "Maybe, maybe not. That's not the way I was brought up."
Strict parents?"  Mulder asked.
"Y'might say." Doggett pulled a face, remembering. "Definately."
Mulder blew air between his lips. "My parents wouldn't have noticed 
if I'd stood on the 
table screamed `fuck' at Sunday dinner."
 
There was a moment of quiet again.  He looked up at Scully. "Sorry."
She rolled her eyes. "Now you sound like John."
Mulder gave her a look. "No need for that."
"Behave, Mulder," Scully said, flicking her napkin towards him. She 
clapped her hands
together. "Would anyone care for dessert?"
Skinner groaned, patting his belly. "I couldn't."
"Me either."  Mulder pulled a face. "Couldn't eat another thing."
Doggett felt his face fall.
"But I'm sure John could be persuaded to force something down."  
Skinner grinned.
Scully looked hopeful. "Really?"
"He's just a walking waste-disposal unit," Skinner laughed.
Doggett opened his mouth to object, then caught the look on Mulder's 
face. Puzzlement, 
mixed with burgeoning curiosity. He decided to hold his tongue for 
the moment.
"Oh, good. Now I have an excuse." Scully moved as if to rise.
"No, let me get it for you," Doggett offered. "What and where is it?"
Scully grinned. "In the freezer - Alabama fudge cake and a choice of 
either Chunky 
Monkey or Phish Food."

Doggett looked at her, remembering another pregnant woman, a hundred 
years and 
a lifetime ago.
"How `bout both?" he smiled.
"Man after my own heart," Scully laughed.
"Comin' right up," he told her, gathering plates.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Scully told him.
"It's fine," Skinner said, doing the same. "You cooked, we'll clear."
"Well, if you're sure?"
"Absolutely." Doggett stacked the crockery.
"In that case," Scully announced. "I'm going to sit in the lounge, 
feet up, and we can eat 
dessert in there."
"Go ahead." Skinner took glasses in his hand. "Won't be a minute."
Rising awkwardly, Scully waved at Mulder. "Coming?"
"Yep," Mulder replied, watching the other men with interest.
 
Doggett couldn't be sure if it was because he had finally gotten the 
message, or if 
he simply wasn't used to the idea of men offering to clear the 
dishes. Whatever, he 
thought. It didn't matter.
He walked through, balancing cultery, Skinner at his heels.
Placing the plates on the counter, he glanced over his shoulder. 
Mulder was trailing after 
Scully, chattering away. A moments peace and quiet. He watched 
Skinner stacking the 
plates into the dishwasher.
 
"Turns me on - watchin' you bein' domestic," he whispered, leaning 
against the 
counter.
Skinner glanced up, dismissively. "Pervert. Shut up and get the 
dessert."
Laughing, Doggett opened the fridge-freezer and dug around.
"Oh yeah," he groaned, over the tubs of ice cream.
Skinner looked over his shoulder at the amount going in the two bowls.
"You're gonna puke," he said, shaking his head.
"Uh-uh."  Doggett grinned. "Not me."  He pulled the large cake 
towards him. "Sure you 
don't want any?"
Skinner grimaced. "No way. I value my waistline."
Doggett grinned,  licked the spoon clean and threw it in the sink. It 
bounced off the edge 
of the plastic bowl and sloshed into the water.
	 
"Congratulations," Skinner remarked, wiping washing-up water off his 
glasses. "Two 
points."
Doggett laughed, then nodding his head towards the lounge, whispered. 
"Well, so far, so good."
	"Just you wait," Skinner grunted, putting his glasses back 
on. "The night's still young."
Doggett grinned. "You bet," he said, reaching out to run his hand 
across Skinner's chest. 
The other man stood still, permitting the caress.

"Thought about what we're gonna say?" Doggett asked, absently 
thumbing a nipple 
through Skinner's shirt.
"Not really. Play it by ear."  He grinned, looking pointedly at 
Doggett's head.
Baring his teeth in a mock snarl, Doggett pinched the nipple under 
his hand. "Watch it, 
big guy."
"Or else?" Skinner's voice was low and sexy. He leaned into the 
pinch. "What're you 
gonna do about it?"
Doggett stepped a touch closer bringing their noses almost tip to 
tip. "Oh, I'm gonna do 
plenty, just you wait and see."
"That a threat?" Skinner asked quietly, echoing Doggett's words from 
the night before.
"Nah." Pushing forward just that little bit more, his breath brushing 
over Skinner's lips. 
"I'd say it was more of a promise... Sir."
 Just one... That's all he needed. One kiss to keep him going...  He 
brought his lips to 
touch Skinner's.
 
"Scully wants to know if you're ever going to bring her desert, 
Doggett."
Mulder appeared in the doorway, hands in pockets.
Quickly stepping back out of Skinner's personal space, Doggett 
cleared his throat, 
embarrassed.  He glanced at Mulder.  Didn't think he'd seen anything. 
Had he?
He scratched the back of his suddenly warm neck.  
"Uh... Sure. Tell her to keep her panties on."
Mulder chuffed loudly.  "I'm not gonna be the one to tell a lady 
anything remotely like 
that where dessert's concerned." He wandered in, shaking his head. "I 
value my nuts."
Both Skinner and Doggett turned to look at him.
He lifted both hands. "Hey! Women and chocolate... You just don't 
wanna get between 
them. Know what I'm saying?"

Turning to the cake, Doggett willed his breathing to steady. He 
hadn't seen anything. 
He would've said.
Would he ever!
"You changed your mind about having some of this, Muldah?" he asked, 
selecting a large 
knife from the rack. "There's plenty."
"No thanks. Had enough." He peered into the bowls. "Jumping Jesus, 
Doggett. You going 
to eat all that?"
"He will," Skinner answered for him. "And beg for seconds too, no 
doubt."
Mulder whistled through his teeth.  "God! I know Scully can put away 
the chocolate, but 
you're a guy. We're not supposed to do that."
"Gimme a break, here. I just wanna keep Dana company."
Bald-faced lie, but he didn't give a shit. 
"You'll be keeping her company in the bathroom, throwing your guts 
up," Mulder 
commented, leaning on the work surface.
"I heard that," Scully said, wandering in. "Some of us can take it, 
and some can't, is all 
I'm going to say," she said, primly.
"You tell `em, Dana." Pushing the blade through the moist icing, 
Doggett put his weight 
behind the knife. It was still a tiny bit frozen in the middle. Just 
the way he liked it.

Mulder chuckled, tapping the counter with a finger.
"Yeah, well, I'd still swear Doggett was a woman in men's clothing, 
but for the fact I've 
seen him naked."
Doggett's head whipped round at Mulder's laugh, pushing just that 
little  bit too far on the 
knife, his thumb disappearing under the edge of the blade.





chapter 16



Doggett  jumped.  "Awww SHIT!" 
Snatching his hand away and gripping his thumb in a tight fist, he 
bent over, biting his 
lip. "Shit! Damn!"  He paced around the kitchen, trying not to think 
about what he'd
just done.  "Ffffffffuck!" 
 
Bruises, black eyes and bullets he could cope with. Even broken bones 
held no terrors. 
But slicing knife wounds were something else. He'd always had a thing 
about knives.
"Goddamn!" He screwed his face up, grinding his teeth.

Sighing, Scully put the kettle down. "Let me see."
He shook his head, holding his hand tightly. Uh-uh. No way. 
"John..."  Skinner walked up to him and laid a hand on his 
shoulder. "Let Scully see."
Still shaking his head back and forth, Doggett pulled away, 
desperately trying not to 
think about the feel of the knife on his thumb. He didn't want to 
look.  Wetness was 
oozing into his palm.
"Give it to me," Scully told him, firmly, holding her hand out.
"No." He ground out between tight teeth. He could feel a wave of heat 
creeping up 
from the pit of his stomach. Dammit! He wasn't gonna hurl! No way.
"John..." The grip on his shoulder returned, tighter. "Tell you what. 
Let me have a look."
Taking both of Doggett's hands in his, Skinner turned him 
round. "Come on," he said. 
"Show me."
Doggett tugged, trying to take his hands back. "No. Hurts."  God, 
that sounded whiny, 
but he didn't care. That whole slicing-feeling made his ass clench.

One of Skinner's hands came up and pulled his chin to look him in the 
face. 
They stared at each other. 
"I won't hurt you," Skinner said at last. "I promise."
Putting on his best puppy-dog expression, Doggett gazed 
back. "Really. I'm fine."
Skinner nodded his head. "You sure are, but I still want to see."

Choking back a laugh, Doggett found himself momentarily distracted 
from the pain.
He other man smiled at him, covering his hand with a warm palm. 
Doggett sighed and relaxed the death-grip on his hand. He felt the 
warm spread down 
his hand and looked away. 
No way he wanted to see how much of his juice was coming out.

Mulder whistled in his ear.  "That's a good one. Bet it hurts."
Doggett gave him a poisonous look.  Wise ass.
"Here... Let me see." 
Skinner pushed Doggett's hand towards Scully. She took his wrist in a 
small hand. 
"It's not that bad, Mulder. Don't exaggerate."
Mulder pressed forward.  "But look - you can see..."

Doggett groaned, closing his eyes. He didn't want to think about what 
Mulder could 
see, but visions of  butcher's blocks danced across his mind, anyway.
Skinner made a noise in the back of his throat and put his free hand 
back on Doggett's 
shoulder.
"You okay, there?" 
Doggett prised his eyes open to look at him. What a dumbass question.
"Feels like my goddamned thumb's hangin' off," he snapped. "Course 
I'm not fuckin' 
alright."
Skinner grinned. "Temper's still intact, anyway."
Something poked at his thumb and he yelped. "SHIT!"
Scully looked up, apologetically.  "Sorry. Didn't mean that to hurt."
"Well it fuckin' did!" Doggett informed her, trying to pull his hand 
away.

The famous Scully-eyebrow rose with an amused smile. 
"I told you that if I waited long enough I'd hear the rest of the bad 
words from you."
He stared at her for a moment, then sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm 
sorry."
"Forget it." She laughed softly. "I expect you're going to be using a 
few more before 
we're done." Just to prove her point, she poked again.

"FFFUCK!"   Arching his head back, Doggett screwed up his face, 
squinting at the 
ceiling.
"Bit of a wimp, aren't you?" Mulder spoke from way too close for 
Doggett's liking.
"That's not helpful, Mulder," Scully told him, before Doggett had the 
chance to bite his 
head off. "Make yourself useful. Go and get my bag from the bedroom. 
This needs 
attention."
Doggett's head snapped back down to look at her.
"What?" 
Scully gazed back. "Cleaning." She shrugged. "Maybe stitches."
The contents of Doggett's stomach jumped up at the thought of tugging 
flesh. 
"No," he croaked, puling his hand back again. 
"John. Get a grip," Scully scolded. "It's just a cut, but it needs 
looking at properly."
"Get me a Band-aid. I'll do it."
"Calm down." Skinner rubbed his back again. "The thought of it's 
probably worse 
than it actually is."

Don't bet on it, Doggett thought, feeling his thumb throb in time 
with his pulse.
Scully clucked.
"It's not all that bad, John. Just a scratch."
Doggett scowled and looked down. Didn't feel like a fuckin' scratch 
to him.
The neat slice on the edge of his thumb gaped up at him, all red and 
angry. He could 
see the meat inside, and a hot rush ran up his back into his face.
"Oh shit..." he said in a very weak voice, dinner roiling in his 
belly. He leaned back on 
Skinner.
"Hey!" The larger man grabbed his shoulders. "Steady!"
Doggett pulled in several shaky breaths. "I'm okay," he lied, feeling 
rather peculiar.
"Sit him at the table," Scully instructed as Mulder trotted back in 
with a black bag. 
"I can see better there."
 
She pulled him across the kitchen by the hand, a yelp of pain 
squeaking out.
"Sit." Skinner pushed down on his shoulders, and Doggett unhinged at 
the knees, 
plopping into the kitchen chair with a thump.
"You've gone a real funny colour," Mulder said, peering into 
Doggett's face. "How the hell did you pass the psych tests for the 
Marines?"
"Strangely enough they don't slice and dice you to see how you'll 
react," Doggett told 
him, grinding his teeth.
"Pity. You'd have been right out." Mulder leaned back in his chair.
"Mulder, just shut up, please." Scully rooted in her bag and came up 
with a handful 
of items. She handed them to Skinner. "Sort these for me, would you. 
I'm just going to wash my hands."

Gripping his wrist in case his hand dropped off, Doggett watched with 
narrowed eyes 
as Skinnner set out medi-wipes, gauze and little packets on the 
table. One glimpse of a 
needle and he was out of there. 
He looked up at the other man, who smiled, reassuringly. 
"Relax," Skinner told him. "She's good."
"Her patients are usually dead," Doggett pointed out.
Mulder chuckled. "You're something else, Doggett. Never would have 
thought you 
were squeamish."
"Shut up,"  Doggett snapped. "It's your fault, anyway."
Mulder looked amazed. "How d'you figure that?"
"That crack about seeing me..." Doggett frowned and loked down. He 
didn't want to 
say it.
"Naked?" Mulder finished, helpfully.
Scully sat down, drying her hands. She looked at each of the men. "So 
when did this 
happen?" she asked, a smile on her face.
"That's just what I was wondering," Skinner said.

Doggett felt uncomfortable. He hadn't told Skinner about his noctural 
visitor in 
hospital. Didn't seem important at the time. It just seemed stupid 
not to have mentioned 
it, now Mulder was making it into a big deal.

"It was..." he started to say.
"You should really wear more in bed, if you're going to wriggle 
around so much, 
Doggett," Mulder  said, peering over the table to watch Scully open 
little packets of 
antiseptic wipes.
A furious blush raced up Doggett's body. Bastard!
Scully laughed. She paused in her ministrations, her hand poised 
above Doggett's 
finger. "Something you two need to tell us?"

Mulder shrugged. "Not really," he said, glancing up, a smirk all over 
his face. "It all 
happened kinda suddenly."
"Muldah!"  Doggett snapped, embarrassed. "Quit bein' an asshole!" 
He glared at Mulder, wishing he could reach that knife again. "Wasn't 
the fuckin' 
highlight of my evening, waking to find you in my hospital room."
Mulder grinned back. "Funny. Was the highlight of mine."

Wincing, Doggett glanced at Skinner.  He was very quiet. The big man 
sat 
expressionless, with only the dark eyes moving, staring at Mulder and 
then him. Doggett 
couldn't read them. He had no idea if he was in trouble, or if 
Skinner was just in 
AD mode.
"Naked?" Scully said, that amused expression all over her face.
"No," Doggett snapped. "I was not."   Hospital gowns covered jack 
shit, but it 
meant he couldn't be classed as naked. And that was very important. 
To him, anyway.
"I had a gown on."
"Indeed?" Skinner's voice was quiet. Doggett checked out the 
expression that 
went with that one word. Blank. 
Shit.
"Well, those gowns don't exactly..." Mulder began.
"What were you doing in his room?" Skinner asked, just as quietly.
Mulder looked up. "Visiting."
"At night?"  Skinner still didn't betray any emotion. It was starting 
to make Doggett 
nervous.
Mulder shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

Doggett opened his mouth to spill out that he didn't ask Mulder to 
visit, that he 
hadn't liked finding the other man in his room, he hadn't been really 
naked, he didn't 
see anything, but a sudden spike of pain in his thumb pulled his 
attention down to the 
table. He jerked in pain.
"Hold still." Scully told him, then swooped down with a wipe, 
obliterating everything 
that had Doggett had been about to say.
"Owwwww!" 
Scully held his hand in a death grip. "Hush," she said, wiping 
firmly. "And keep still."
The antiseptic stung like a sonofabitch.
"SHIT!"  Doggett pulled his hand, desperate to get it 
away. "Goddammit, woman!"
Scully looked up and gave him a stare that closed his mouth with a 
snap. He stopped 
struggling.
She stared some more. Doggett shifted in his chair.
"Sorry," he said eventually.
Without speaking, Scully returned to her wiping.

Doggett bit his lip and screwed up his face, determined not to whine 
any more.
He bore the wiping and squeezing admirably, only the occasional grunt 
escaping. 
Gradually, he became aware that Skinner's hand had never left his 
back, and was still 
moving in slow gentle circles.
Opening his eyes, he turned slightly to look at the other man. 
Skinner stared back, 
a merest hint of a smile ghosting across his lips.
He wasn't mad at him. 
Realisation coursed through Doggett, making him giddy with relief. 
Shit!  
What this man could do to him. This just confirmed he was a hopeless 
case where 
Skinner was concerned. He leaned back into the touch, feeling the 
corner of his mouth 
quirk up in reply. But that was just fine with him.

"I don't think you'll need stitches, after all." Scully held the 
digit this way and that.
"Adhesive ones should do the trick."
"Thank God," he sighed, pathetically grateful, shoulders sagging. He 
had an irrational 
dislike to being stitched up. Or maybe not so irrational, considering 
the ones he'd endured in the field, sans anaesthetic.
He looked at Scully. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
She smiled back, ripping open the packet of webbing stitches. "No 
problem. Just keep it dry and take it easy. Give it a chance to heal."
"Sure."
  Skinner would just have to be on top.  The thought made him smile, 
picturing the 
other man naked, those powerful legs astride his hips. Yeah, he could 
do that.

Mulder picked up an empty packet of gauze and studied it. 
"You know, Doggett.  I've never met anyone who talks so much in their 
sleep." 
	




chapter 17


Scully's kitchen didn't have a clock to mark out the passage of 
silent time. 
But the drip of the faucet did the job admirably.
All eyes were rivetted to an oblivious Mulder, who was busy trying to 
make an alien out of the discarded gauze packet.
Eventually, the lack of response registered, and he looked up.
"What?"

Scully recovered first, and returned to pulling the edges of 
Doggett's sliced 
thumb back together.
She glanced up. "Pass me the gauze please, Walter."
Silently, never taking his eyes from Mulder's face, Skinner handed 
over 
the wad.

Doggett swallowed. Was he supposed to ask Mulder what he'd said, or 
just 
spend the rest of his life wondering? He winced as Scully pressed 
down.
"That okay?" she asked, distracting him.
He nodded. "Yeah. Fine." She proceded to do a winding-thing with some 
tubi-bandage and a bit of tape, and Doggett watched as his thumb 
disappeared 
under a dressing, his mind chattering away to him.
What had he said? Was it bad? And never mind that - did he really 
talk in 
his sleep?

"I do?" he said at last, looking back up to Mulder.
Nodding, the other man gave up on his origami flicked the paper at 
Doggett 
and folded his arms.
"Yep. Lots and lots."
Very dry throat. "And?"
Mulder shrugged. "Let's just say it was an education."
Oh shit.
Doggett could practically feel the colour draining from his face.
"Meaning?" he asked, not wanting to hear the answer in the least.
"Oh, just stuff."
Doggett ground his teeth. "Elaborate."
He watched as Mulder's eyes tracked across the table to Skinner, and 
his 
guts fell. 
He didn't... Did he?
"Muldah..." he growled.
"It's not as if I was listening on purpose," Mulder said, with an 
apologetic 
look on his face. "You just kind of addressed the whole room, you 
know 
what I'm saying?"
"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me?"
"Well..." Mulder sighed. "It was just weird stuff about something or 
other 
not looking like a teardrop, but Africa..." Mulder pulled a `what the 
hell face'.

Unconsciously, Doggett glanced down at his clothed chest, the picture 
of 
Skinner's love-bite racing across his mind.
"...And you also said how they really hurt." He nodded down. "I 
presume 
you were talking about... You know..."
Doggett nodded brusquesly. He didn't want his balls to be the topic 
of 
conversation right now.
"And then you muttered something about some big hairy gorilla."

That blush raced up again, warming Doggett's ears. He refused to look 
at 
Skinner.  
He could hear little chuffs of amusement coming from the chair next 
to him.
Mulder shook his head. "Lot of nonsense really." He laughed. "That 
was 
some conversation!"
Doggett forwned. "What?"
"A conversation." Mulder mimed with his hands. "You know. Talking."
He shrugged.  "One-sided."
"Oh."  How bad could that be? He asked himself. Depends with whom 
you were chatting, his mind replied, warily. 
"I say anything interesting?" God, he hoped not.
Mulder shook his head. "Rubbish mostly. Grunting and muttering about 
juice cartons 
and leather jackets."
Doggett relaxed.
"Except..."
Tensing, Doggett braced himself, praying Mulder wasn't going to say 
anything 
incriminating.
"Except..." He paused, taking Doggett's nerves and stretching them to 
snapping point.
"Yes?" he prompted.
Mulder looked at him. Then looked at Skinner, as if deciding whether 
or not to say it.
Doggett took a deep breath, "Go on," he said.  "What?"
"You said..."  Again, the hesitation. It was driving Doggett nuts.
"Oh for goodness sake!" Scully flung an empty packet at Mulder, 
rolling her eyes. 
"Just say something or shut up, Mulder! My ice cream's melting."

Doggett looked from her, to Skinner and back to Mulder. The other two 
were looking 
at Mulder, too. Seemed everyone wanted to know what he rambled on 
about in his sleep. 
He rubbed his hand over his eyes. This was puttin' years on him.
"Well... it was kind of personal."
"That's never stopped you in the past," Doggett sighed.
"True." Mulder nodded. He pulled in a breath. "You kept saying: `I do 
love you, 
you know.' Over and over.'"

The dripping of that damned tap echoed round the roaring emptiness 
Doggett's 
head. 
Nobody else at the table seemed inclined to move. 
His finger throbbed in time with the pounding in his head.
"Then you asked if they knew that."
It took all of Doggett's self-control to get the word out 
quietly. "Who?"
Mulder grinned widely. "Well, that gorilla, apparently."
Doggett swallowed. "The gorilla," he said, not daring to turn and 
look at Skinner. 
Mulder nodded. "The gorilla."
"Ah."
Leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands, Mulder stared at him.
"So. How long have you had a thing about large, hairy primates, Agent 
Doggett?"

Across the table, Scully exploded in a shower of giggles that brought 
her hand to her 
mouth and tears to her eyes.
"Gorilla!" she spluttered, gaining a little control, then looking at 
Skinner, 
started again.
Sneaking a look for himself, Doggett was relieved to see that smile 
on Skinner's face. 
The big one with all the teeth. He was okay.
Doggett tilted his head at Mulder.
 
"It's the banana-breath. Can't get enough of it," he said, dead-pan.
This time, Skinner joined Scully in raucous laughter. Doggett 
grinned. 
He loved it when Skinner cut loose like that.
He glanced back at Mulder, who sat, still gazing at him, a slight 
smile on his face.
Doggett wondered what was going on behind those eyes.
"Okay." he said. "Mystery solved. I have a primate problem."
More titters from the other two.

Mulder nodded a little,  waiting patiently until the others regained 
their breath.
"So..." he said when it had gone quiet. "Who is it?" 
Doggett decided to play it dumb. "Who's who?" 
"Your beloved Silverback."

Drip drip drip went the water, counting the seconds until Doggett 
replied. 
He wondered if now was the time.
He glanced at Skinner, who had slipped his glasses off to wipe his 
eyes. He caught 
the expression on Doggett's face and nodded.
So. It was time.
Doggett turned back to Mulder, wondering quite how to put it. He sat 
there, 
running words through his mind, and not coming up with anything 
suitable.

Eventually, Skinner rescued him.  "Me," he said, slipping his glasses 
back on.
Mulder didn't say a word, just looked from one to the other.
Everyone else seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the reaction.
"No, seriously. Who is it?"  Mulder didn't crack his face.
He didn't get it, Doggett thought in amazement. All the time he's 
spent teasing, all 
the smart-assed remarks, and he doesn't get it when it's finally 
shoved under his nose.
He shook his head in disbelief.

"Go on," Mulder insisted. "Give."
Doggett looked over at Scully. She seemed to be as dumbstruck as he 
was that 
Mulder was so oblivious.
He looked at Skinner. He was looking at Mulder with much the same 
expression 
on his face as Scully. 
"Well?"

He was gonna shit when the penny finally drops.
"Like the man said, Muldah."  He shrugged.
Again the gaze went from one to the other, blankly. Sighing, Mulder 
laid his hands 
on the table.
"Scully. Make him tell me."
Scully's eyebrow shot up. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"I dunno. Poke his thumb or something."
Scully shook her head, amused. "I don't think so, Mulder."

Doggett's hand disappeared underneath the table, just in 
case. "Muldah. You asked. 
He told you."
"Yeah, right." Mulder rolled his eyes. "Like I'm gonna fall for 
that." 
He pointed at Skinner.  "Nice try."
Doggett looked helplessly at Scully, who just shrugged. What the hell?
 
Mulder turned to Skinner. "No way."
Skinner merely smiled. "You think?"
Mulder's eyes narrowed.  "You're just trying to yank my chain for all 
the 
times I..."
Skinner shook his head. "No. I'm not."
Mulder held up  hand. "Uh-uh."
"Why not?" Skinner seemed genuinely interested.
"You're hardly the type."
Doggett laughed softly. "There's a `type'?" he asked, shaking his 
head.
Mulder's eyebrow shot up.  He stared at Doggett in a way that made 
him both 
uncomfortable and a little pissed off.
He snorted. "Not everyone looks good in pastels, Muldah."
The other man grinned. "I don't know, Doggett. I think you carry it 
off."
Narrowing his eyes, Doggett leaned forward,  bringing his hands out 
from under
the table. "Wanna lean forward and say that again?"  
"Bit late to try for `butch' now," Mulder laughed. "Not now I've 
heard you 
squeal like a girl..." He smirked. "And seen what you look like in a 
baby blue 
hospital gown."
Doggett braced himself. 

He felt Skinner's hand on  his shoulder, holding him back. 
"What'll it take, Mulder?" 
"Huh?"
"For you to get the picture. What'll it take?"
Mulder frowned. "I don't get it."
"You want promises?"
Mulder just stared at him. Scully snorted from across the table.
"Sworn statements?"
Again, no reaction from Mulder.
"How about pictures?"
Scully made a different kind of noise from across the table. Oh yeah, 
thought 
Doggett. She's a 90%'er, alright. He surpressed a smile. She was no 
doubt producing 
her own polaroids in her head right now.
Skinner sighed. 
"How about this?"
A large hand was suddenly gripping the back of Doggett's neck, 
turning his head, 
and just the action filtered through his consciousness, Skinner's 
mouth was on his.

Oh shit.
Wide-eyed, Doggett's protests were muffled by the tongue that was 
pushing between 
his lips.
Not in front of... not in front of... This was wrong!
This was... His eyes slid shut. 
This was wonderful.
Leaning into the kiss, Doggett brought his own hand up to cup 
Skinner's face and 
opened his mouth wider.
Godamn... This hairy old gorilla was good.






Chapter 18.



It must have been a couple of minutes, at least, Doggett reckoned. A 
couple of 
minutes that sped by for him, but he'd lay odds it dragged by second 
by 
tortuous second for Mulder.
As Skinner released him, breathless, he grinned wetly. And Scully?... 
He'd bet she was sitting there with her mouth resting on the kitchen 
table.
He turned to have a look.
Yep. 
Her eyes were almost as big as her mouth. His grin broadened. 
That'd give her something to think about at night. Shaking his head 
at himself 
for thinking such a thing, he felt Skinner's hand squeezing his neck. 
Doggett 
glanced at him and winked. 

"Thanks," he said.
"My pleasure," Skinner rumbled in that delicious baritone.
Doggett turned to see if Mulder had fainted clean away.
Not quite, but judging by his colour, it was a close thing. Slack-
jawed and 
silent, the other agent sat staring at them.

Feeling deliciously reckless, Doggett reached over and passed a hand 
in 
front of his eyes.
"Hello? Agent Muldah? You in there?"
Not a sound.
"Think he's had a seizure, Dana?" Skinner asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised," she replied, in a very small voice.
Doggett leaned forward, clicking his fingers. "Earth to Muldah? Come 
in. 
Your time is up."

Watching as the implications of what he and Skinner had just done 
filtered 
into Mulder's consciousness, Doggett tried not to hold his breath.
There was a lot riding on his reaction. He could feel Skinner 
squeezing the 
back of his neck gently, an action that betrayed the other man's 
nervousnes. 
Doggett glanced at him, not really surprised to see no trace of those 
nerves on 
his face.  It was as impassive as ever. 
He wondered how he did that. Doggett knew his own feelings were
broadcast all over his face.

"So?" he prompted, suddenly eager to to know what they would be 
dealing 
with.
"Huh?" Mulder looked at him, the hazel eyes slowly coming into focus.
Doggett raised his brows questioningly.
Frowning, Mulder rose from the table and ran a hand through his hair. 
"I don't..." he started to say, then turned and moved to stand in 
front of 
the sink.

Doggett looked over at Scully, wondering what she was making of 
Mulder's 
reaction. She was staring at his back, a frown on her face.
"Mulder?" she said. "You have a problem with this situation?"
"No," came the eventual reply, but the set of his shoulders 
screamed: `yes'.
"Sit down and behave like a mature adult, then."

Mulder turned to give her a look over his shoulder. Doggett watched 
them 
stare at one another, mystified by what appeared to be an utterly 
silent 
argument.
Raised eyebrows from Scully got a scowl from Mulder.  A pout from 
him, got 
a tilt of the head from her.
Doggett's head went back and forth, tennis-match style, the dripping 
of the 
faucet 
accentuating the silence.
He glanced at Skinner, a `what the hell' look on his face, but 
Skinner just 
shrugged, `dunno' written all over his.
Finally sighing, Doggett watched Mulder visibly conced the battle. He 
turned 
off the dripping with a savage twist and swung round to face them.
  
"I don't believe it," he said, folding his arms.
"Oh, for goodness sake, Mulder!" Scully sighed.
Doggett rolled his eyes. Jeez! After all that? "What, Mulder? What 
don't 
you believe?"
A hand came up to point at Skinner. "Him," he said. "I don't believe 
he's a..."
He let the silence fill in the missing word.
"A what?" Skinner asked, stiffly.
"You know..." Mulder nodded. "The type that's into pastel..." He 
faded away. 
"I don't know anything about colours, Agent Mulder." Skinner ran his 
hand up the 
back of  Doggett's neck to ruffle his hair. "But this is definitely 
my type."
"I don't believe it."
Skinner looked incredulously, from Mulder to Doggett's mouth. "Even 
after 
what I just did?"
Mulder nodded.
Skinner sighed. "Why else do you think I'd kiss Agent Doggett like 
that?"
"A joke?"
Skinner looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "A joke? You think 
I'd do 
that for a joke?"
Mulder had the good grace to look sheepish. 
"You don't have a very high opinion of me, do you Mulder?"
"I'm sorry..." Mulder rubbed his eyes.

The action looked helpless, and not a little despairing, making 
Doggett feel 
sorry for the other man.
"Hey, Muldah," he said, waiting until he looked up again. "Seems you 
were 
right about me after all."  He smiled as he spoke, trying to lighten 
the moment.
Mulder stared back at him, still strangely silent.
"And all that time..." he started to say. He cleared his throat. "All 
that time. 
You let me think..." 
Doggett wondered if he was angry about that. He hoped not.
"Damn. I was right." He shook his head. "Who'd have thought?"  
He was staring at Doggett thoughtfully, his fat lower lip held 
between his 
teeth.  In fact, the way he was staring was making Doggett more than 
a little 
uncomfortable. 
He couldn't read the expression on his face.
Doggett wondered what that look meant.

Eventually tilting his head at Doggett, Mulder gave a small grin. "I 
never really 
thought you were `batting for the opposition', you know."
Doggett widened his eyes. "No?"  
"I was just trying to press your buttons."  
Doggett snorted. "Yeah? You were testing me, more like."
Mulder gave a series of rapid blinks, as if startled. "What?"

Doggett stared back, now the faucet was silent, he could hear the 
sound of 
a penny dropping, echoing in his head.
Shit. 
Oh... shit.
That penny rolled around, moving in ever-decreasing circles around 
the truth, 
until it fell over with a dull clunk.
It wasn't Skinner.
It was never about Skinner. 
He stared across the table at Mulder, hearing all the double-
entendres, snippy 
remarks and jokes shouting in his mind.  All the smart-assed side-
swipes about 
him being queer...
Oh, fucking hell.
Doggett swallowed, wondering if he should say anything. 
Shit, what the hell could he say?
He  stared, saying nothing. Once again, Mulder had stolen his ability 
to speak.
Moments before it all got too much, Mulder broke the eye contact and  
gave a 
dry bark of laughter. 
"What d'you know! Hide the truth in plain sight. It works!" He 
turned. 
"Hey, Scully! Doggett's gay!"

Doggett felt a mixture of relief and irritation surge through him.
That felt more like situation normal as far as Mulder was concerned.  
Something like `normal', anyway.  He didn't know how he was going to 
feel 
about what he'd just learned about the other man, when it sank all 
the way in. 
He'd imagined he was going to have some major re-evaluation work to 
do in 
his head.
Not to mention some embarrassing explaining to do to Skinner. 

"How about that?"  Mulder was recovering himself. "Bet you're 
stunned, 
aren't you, Scul?"
Scully regarded him calmly. "Not really," she said.
"Disappointed, then?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She smiled enigmatically. "I already knew."

Doggett watched Mulder's mouth drop for the second time in the last 
five 
minutes. He wished he'd got this on tape. He could watch it forever.
"What?!"
Shrugging, Scully stood up, dropped the slices of cake into two bowls 
and 
carried them back to the table in Mulder's shocked silence."I knew," 
she said, 
pushing one of the bowls over to Doggett. 
"No way!" Mulder was outraged. 

Primly spooning mostly melted Chunky Monkey into her mouth she just 
batted 
her eyelids.
Mulder whipped his head round to the other two. "She's lying, isn't 
she?"
Digging his spoon in, Doggett shook his head, unable to resist having 
a stab. 
"She knew." He took a mouthful, feeling his tastbuds cramp in delight.
And then, just because he was still hearing the echo of all the hard 
times 
Mulder had dished out, he loaded his spoon and offered it to Skinner. 
Out of the corner of his eye, Doggett was satisfied to see Mulder 
gape as the 
AD took the mouthful with a smile.
 
"Actually, Mulder," Scully said chasing her dessert around the 
dish. "I think 
Walt must be gay, too. Considering."  
Was there a slight blush to her face as she said that? Doggett 
couldn't be sure.
Mulder sat and did fish impersonations, mouth flapping, nothing 
coming out.
"Don't you think?" she prompted.
Oh, but there was a definate blush on Mulder's face, Doggett noted 
with vicious 
glee. He wondered what images that was bringing forth in his mind.
"Yeah, well..."  Again, he trailed off. 

Shit, he could really get used to this speechless version of Mulder. 
Payback.
"You maybe need a replay, Mulder?" Skinner asked pleasantly, bringing 
his 
hand up to the back of Doggett's head.
Doggett watched that blush deepen all over Mulder's face.
He grinned around a mouthful of chocolate. "Fine by me," he said, 
laying the
spoon down, 
licking his lips clean and waiting for Mulder to object.
There was no comment from across the table.
Doggett looked up at him in time to see something skitter across his 
face. 
Something pale from lack of sunlight, that was dragging a whole 
boxful of 
issues along with it.

"Well?" Skinner tugged Doggett a little closer.
Finally, Mulder sighed. "No. It's okay." He held his hands up in 
resignation. 
"I believe you."
Skinner's mouth was dangerously close. "Sure?"
No. He wasn't, Doggett thought. That look on his face said he wasn't 
sure 
at all.
Mulder sighed. "I think I can live without seeing that again, thank 
you sir."  
Doggett didn't think that was because he didn't like it .

"I'd like to see it again," Scully said, licking both sides of her 
spoon clean.
Doggett looked at her. She had a gleam in her eye and a smirk on her 
face.
100%'er. Definitely.
"I don't do requests," Skinner said, saving Doggett from having to 
think of 
something to say.
"Shame." She went back to her ice cream.

Doggett exchanged a glance with Skinner and shook his head. You just 
never 
knew about some people. He stirred his dessert around, mixing the 
mess of 
chocolate together. Wasn't that the truth?
"You going to eat that?" Skinner asked, nodding at the bowl. 
"You bet." He shovelled a loaded, dripping spoon in his mouth to 
prove his 
point.The big man winced. "You never cease to amaze me."
Doggett laughed and choking on fudge cake crumbs, his eyes watering, 
spluttered 
into his hand.
"Or is that `disgust' me?" Skinner asked, pounding on his back.
Gasping and wheezing with chocolatey breath, Doggett grinned at him.

"So you and this..." Mulder waved a hand at the throat-clearing 
Doggett.
"Eating machine are..." He winced.  "You know?"
Skinner reduced the pounding to a pat, and then a rub, looking at 
Doggett while 
he got his breath back. 
"Yes, Mulder. We are," he said softly, catching Doggett's eye and 
smiling. 
He looked up at Mulder. "Do you have a problem with that?"
There was a question. 
Doggett looked at Mulder, waiting for his answer.
Head tipping from one side to the other, Mulder regarded both men 
carefully. 
Whatever thoughts were going through his mind were hidden for the 
moment. 
He seemed to be considering the question in some detail.

"Well," he began. "I've always liked the concept of `extreme 
possibilities'." 
He shrugged. "And I'd say this definitely falls into that catagory."
"You won't be reporting this as a breach of conduct, then?" 
Doggett was glad Skinner asked that. He didn't think he was brave 
enough.
Mulder tilted his head. "What would be the point of that?"
Skinner shrugged. "I"m sure the DD would be interested."
Mulder laughed softly. "Well, that's a good enough reason not to tell 
him, then 
isn't it?" 
He spread his hands. "Look. It's cool. Really it is." He glanced over 
to Scully. 
"As long as you  realise it's open-season on bad-taste jokes and sly 
innuendo, 
then it's fine with me."
"No change there, then," Doggett said with a wry grin.
"Absolutely." Mulder grinned back. "If you two are going to be doing 
the nasty, 
then you gotta expect a hard time."  He snickered at his pun.
Skinner and Scully winced.

"Wouldn't expect any less of you, Agent Muldah." Doggett shook his 
head. 
He seemed to be handling it all remarkably well. Considering.
"Mulder," Scully sighed. "You could always show a modicum of decorum."
All three men looked at her. 
She looked back. "Well, he could."
"Yeah." Doggett snorted. "Let me know when he's gonna try that one, I 
wanna 
be sitting down when it happens." 
"I hear that," Skinner agreed, giving one last squeeze to Doggett's 
neck before 
moving his hand away. 
He missed the touch immediately.

Digging conscientiously in his bowl for a few minutes, Doggett 
concentrated 
on giving his dessert the attention it deserved. Might not look like 
much, but it 
sure tasted good.
A folded piece of surgical tape spun across the table to land in his 
bowl. 
Scowling, Doggett fished it out distainfully. Two guesses where that 
came from.

"Hey, Doggett - how come you kept your talents hidden?"
He looked up as Mulder slid himself back into his chair. That smart-
ass grin was 
back on his face again. Placing the tape on the pile of trash, he 
licked his fingers 
clean.
"What d'you mean?" he asked, wondering how bad the reply was going to 
be this
time. 
And tolerant of this new relationship or not, if he made one more 
crack about 
him sleeping naked... That had be  viewed in a whole new light, now.

"You never let on."
Rolling his eyes, Doggett sighed in resignation. Bastard was making 
him work 
for it.
"Let on `bout what?"
"That you could sing."
Doggett looked blank. "What?"
Laughing, Mulder waved a finger, conducting. "You know. Sing."
"When have you ever heard me do that?" The man was deranged.
Mulder waggled his eyebrows. "In the hospital."
Doggett's own eyebrows shot up. "I did not sing in hospital!"
"Yep. You did."
He shook his head. "When?"
Laughing, Mulder stole a fingerful of the ice cream left in Doggett's 
bowl.	
"In your sleep."

Outraged by both the suggestion and the theft, Doggett pulled his 
bowl 
towards himself and glared. "I did not."
"Did too."
He snorted. "Get outta here! No-one sings in their sleep." 
"Fraid you do, Agent Doggett."  Mulder chuckled. "Something in 
Italian, 
I think."
Doggett shook his head. "Bullshit."  The joker was just trying to 
wind him 
up again.

"Erm..." 
Incredulously, Doggett turned to look at Skinner.
"Actually," Skinner said, scratching the side of his head. "I didn't 
like to say 
anything..."
Doggett felt his mouth drop. "What?"
Smiling, Skinner shrugged. "Get woken on a regular basis, mostly 
humming, 
but I get treated to the occasional chorus."
"You've never mentioned..."
"Well, I thought it was sweet."
Doggett's hackles rose. "Sweet?" he said, pulling a face. "Gimme a 
break."
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good tenor."

Doggett glared. He didn't believe it. Not for a second. "Bullshit," 
he said 
again, a hideous sense of self-doubt rising in the pit of his 
stomach. His ex had 
never said anything about this. And she'd have loved to have thrown 
this one 
at him.
He looked from Mulder to Skinner.  "This is a joke, right?"
Two heads shook.
This was nuts.

"Really?" Scully looked fascinated. "In his sleep?"
Skinner nodded. "He's not bad, actually."
"What sort of things?"  
Doggett glared some more. This was gettin' out of hand.
"Oh, light opera. Sometimes rock. I like the Springsteen best."
"Any Abba?" Mulder asked, smirking.
Skinner gave him a stern look. "No Mulder. No Abba."
"Perhaps you could give us a little demonstration, John?" Scully 
suggested.
"No."  
A touch brusque, but he was feeling out-numbered and insecure.
"Oh, go on, Doggett." Mulder tapped the side of his dessert 
bowl. "Give us 
something from `South Pacific'."

Gripping his spoon tightly, Doggett glared and made a warning noise 
deep 
in his throat.
"Ohh! You hear that, Scully? He growled at me!" Mulder laughed 
delightedly. 
"He actually growled!" 
Skinner laid a hand on his arm. "Down boy." Something warm brushed 
across 
his cheek. 
He realised Skinner had kissed his bruise.
"Be a good Doggett, and you can have some more ice cream later."

Doggett gave him a sideways look. If he was going to be good and not 
knock 
Mulder into the middle of next week, then he had better have 
something more 
interesting than ice cream to give him.
Grinning, Skinner winked, telling him all he needed to know about 
what he was 
going to give him later.
He grinned back. Maybe they'd get that early night after all.





the end

lots of love, 
From Forbes XXX