Author's Note:  This is the second in a series of two.  I suggest you read 'Unless' before
  continuing on if you have not already done so.  But it's really not all that important to read the
  first part if all you're reading this for is to see Mulder and Scully finally getting together. 
       Insert the legal thingies here because I'm sick of having to write it all out and you know
  what I'm trying to say anyhow.  :)
  
  
  
                  Friday Night - Part One
               By Amber Kelsall  (EnglishYew)
                              
       Dana Scully stood in front of her closet mirror and nervously smoothed the front of her
  dress as she had done three times before.  She had chosen an elegantly styled blue velvet
  garment, and felt a bit over-dressed for a Friday evening.  Usually, Friday was reserved for
  sitting on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in her favorite sweats and waiting for
  the movies to run on cable.
       But tonight was different.  Tonight she and her partner of three years were going on their
  first date.  She momentarily dwelt in delight.  She had dreamed that this day would come for
  such a long time, it was hard to believe that it had actually arrived.  They had managed to fight
  the feelings for each other from the beginning, and last week they had almost given into
  temptation.  It was under this notion that Mulder had arranged everything for tonight.  It was
  going to be THEIR night.
       She observed herself in the mirror again.  She wanted everything to be perfect.  She
  had even gone shopping to find a gown that would knock Mulder to his knees.  In her opinion,
  she had done just that.  The skirt flowed like an ocean wave to the tops of her stylish heels, and
  the scooped neck revealed just the perfect amount of cleaveage.  The sleeves ran down her
  slim arms to her wrists.  The dress was form-fitting, and accentuated her body perfectly.  
       Dana began to check her make-up when a knock sounded at her front door.
       "I'll be right there!"  She made her way towards the front room.
       When she reached the door, she leaned against it.  "Who is it?"
       She knew full well who was behind the giant slab of wood, but she wanted to hear him
  say it.
       "It's Mulder."  
       She smiled to herself, and proceeded to open the door.
       He looked magnificent in his tuxedo.  Somehow Scully had never thought he could look
  this wonderful.  He had his boyish grin on his face and was trying to hold his composure as he
  eyed her over.  He felt weak at the knees with wanting at that moment.  He didn't know how he
  had managed to keep as much restraint as he had in the past week.  It had been pure torture for
  him, but he knew the moment that she had opened the door and he saw her in that dress that it
  had all been worth it.
       "You're taking away my breath, Scully."  Mulder offered her an arrangement of two
  dozen red roses.  "These are for you."
       "Mulder they're beautiful!"  She gratefully accepted them. "Please, come inside."
       Mulder stepped across the threshold and watched his partner as she fidgeted with the
  wrappings around the flowers.  He followed her into an impeccably clean kitchen offered to help
  her with the flowers.  
       "That's all right, it'll just take a minute."  Scully smiled at him.  "We won't be late, don't
  worry."
       "It's not the reservations I'm worried about, Scully."  Mulder ran a nervous hand across
  the back of his neck.
       "And what are you worried about?"  She raised an eyebrow and smiled devilishly.
       He watched her lips as she spoke, listened to her voice invade his soul.  Everything felt
  right.  It was in that moment that he placed his hand on Scully's cheek and kissed her.  It was a
  feather-light kiss that put the both of them at ease.  She placed her hand behind his neck and
  deepened the kiss for a moment, then pulled away.  Mulder smiled.
       Scully turned her attention back to the flower arrangement as she set it on the table in
  the center of the room, and looked back at him.  "I'm ready now."
       "Great."  Mulder lead her out of the apartment and into his car.
       "Where are we going first?"  She asked.
       "Dinner."  He replied.  "A little Italian place called 'Sylvia's'."
       The drive to the restaurant was a quiet one.  Scully spent most of the time studying the
  bone structure of Mulder's face.  She watched him in the rear view mirror, hoping that he hadn't
  caught on to her behavior.  She felt so childish admiring him in wayward glances.  He was
  concentrating on the road, but every now and then, she would meet his gaze and turn away as if
  she had been caught stealing.  She could almost compare it to her thr first date that she had
  ever been on.  There was a nervousness and tension in the air of what Mulder might think of
  her. 
       When they arrived, Mulder insisted on helping her out of the car.  As he took her hand in
  his, he lightly brushed his lips against it.  She looked up at him, not expecting the gesture, but
  welcoming it whole-heartedly.
       "Thank you."  Scully waited for him to shut the car door.
       "Nothing is too good for you."  He held out his arm to her and she took it gratefully.
       The resaurant was a cozy out-of-the-way place, dressed in rich red velvets and
  candlelight.  Despite it's size, it came across as quite elegant.  
       'Perfectly romantic.'  She thought to herself.
       Their table was located in the back where it was a bit dim and sparsely populated.  A
  rush of warmth ran over Mulder as he watched Scully move in the candlelight.  It was as if he
  was beginning to fall in love with her all over again.
       Mulder ordered a white wine to start with and dismissed the waiter.  
       He was happy to be alone with her in such small quarters and finally be able to show her
  exactly how he felt.  He felt possessed by her spirit when she was near.
       "I have something for you."  Scully took a pudgy box from her purse and set it in front of
  Mulder.
       "You didn't have to do that."  He fingered the package, then opened it carefully.  The lid
  came off easily, and he pulled the tissue paper away from the object it had been protecting from
  the elements.  He pulled it from the wrapping and held it up to his neck.
       "I figured a man like you could use another tie."  Scully quipped.  "The print is Escher. 
  My favorite drawing by him, as a matter of fact."
       Suddenly she found herself thinking about why she had actually purchased the article
  for him in the first place.  She had been entranced by a scene of she and Mulder going to dinner
  at her mother's house.  For the slightest moment she envisioned that the dinner would be held in
  celebration of their engagment.  Scully tossed that thought out of her mind.  She didn't want to
  jynx the relationship before it even got started.
       "It's great."  Mulder's attention was skewed when the waiter brought the bottle of wine
  that he had ordered.
       He watched as the stiff, uniformed man poured the bubbly liquid into long stemmed
  glasses, then left the two to their own devices.
       Scully accepted the glass that Mulder offered her, and took a sip.  
       "What do you think?"  He asked.  
       Scully reflected on that sentence for a moment.  She thought about other dates and
  other boyfriends.  Most had never asked what her thoughts or views on the world were.  That's
  where Mulder was different.  They respected each other, shared their views with each other
  whole-heartedly, and most of all they loved each other.
       "It's fine."  She replied.
       Fine?  Mulder was a bit upset that something had already gone wrong.  He wanted to
  make this night perfect and it had just hit a snag.  He thought for a moment about how to
  continue.  He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small package adorned with ribbons.
       "I got something for you, too."  He admitted.
       Scully's eyes widened.  She thought that her gift had been a childish whim.  It made her
  feel so good that he had done the same thing that she had.
         She unwrapped the package and placed the ribbons in Mulder's lapel.  "Those look
  good there."
       Mulder laughed.  It was a quiet laugh, and one that captured her attention.  The ribbons
  at his chest looked like a bouqet of circus colors, strewn haphazardly onto his dinner jacket. 
  Scully couldn't help but laugh with him.  She placed her hand at his lapel and fingered the bright
  strips.  Mulder brought his hand to cover hers and held it there.  She could feel his heartbeat
  beneath her skin and it sent an pulse of excitement through her.
       "Open your present."  He let go of her hand and watched her face as she opened the
  package.
       Her eyes began to sparkle when she caught sight of the beautiful necklace that he had
  bought her.  It was a simple silver chain with a specially carved celtic design on the pendant.  In
  the middle of the silver disc there was a small sapphire.
       "Mulder, it's gorgeous!"  She turned to him.
       "Not as beautiful as you are right now."  He replied.
       "Absolutely breath..taking..."  Her voice trailed off.  "Like...you..."
       They held a gaze into each other's eyes for a time.  Neither one knew where one began
  and the other ended.  The seam that had formed between them at work had managed to
  disappear in less than a minute.
       "I'd kiss you right now, but I don't want you to think that I'm kissing you because of this
  necklace."  Scully confessed. 
       "Well then, what would you say if I asked you to dance?"  Mulder loved it when she was
  honest with him.  It made him feel special.
       "I would love to."  She followed him to the dance floor.
       The piano music was light and romantic, just the right tempo for a slow sway.  They
  danced closely together, gazing into each other's eyes.     
       He held her so close to him that he could feel her breathe.  She set her head upon his
  chest as they moved, losing themselves in the music.  When it was all over, Mulder looked at his
  partner.  She didn't have to tell him how she was feeling at that moment, instead, she kissed him
  full on the mouth.
       "Let's get the dinners to go, Mulder."  Her voice was velvety and tempting.
       "Who am I to argue with the great Dana Scully?"  He released her, and began searching
  for the waiter.  
       
  
  -To Be Continued
  (Sorry, I have to think of other "date" things before I can go on.)