::  The Beach  ::

The four unexplained deaths had thinned the beach population considerably. Chincoteague Island should have been crawling with tourists this last week in August. The National Wildlife preserve, home of the famous wild ponies was a popular destination for tourists from Virginia, the entire eastern seaboard and the rest of the US.

Now there were perhaps 500 hardy or foolhardy souls determined that no nutcase was going to rule their lives. Well not really 500 tourists, more like 480, the other twenty only looked like tourists and the lifeguard – well at least one of the lifeguards looked damn fine, thank you very much.

Skinner, along with three other agents with enough Red Cross credits to qualify, were perched on the 10-foot high guard towers. The regular team was stationed up and down the beach and on boats out along the ‘warning’ line. Skinner prayed the news reports would keep most of the sunbathers out of the ocean. They had not released the information that the fatal stings were not coming from the water. "Sir, that’s just one less headache we can do without." Skinner had explained to the new Director, J. Wal at their last meeting.

Skinner gazed out and counted off the agents. It looked like he was keeping in touch with his ‘squad’ through a walkie-talkie and in a way he was. Gone were the days that anyone wearing an earpiece was automatically pegged as a law-enforcement officer. Today several agents appeared to be listening to CD players, a few looked like they were wearing cell-phone headsets. No, communication wasn’t the problem, though he had insisted that they keep their chatter to a minimum just in case someone could pick up their transmissions in error. The real problem had been their guns. All the lifeguards wore red Speedos with the National Park District logo. Damn, he was glad he worked out, but there was no place for him to hide his weapon. The minuscule t-top offered no cover at all. He had to be content to keep his Sig Sauer in the small bag he had carried up with him. The male agents had all opted for loose fitting shirts to cover their pieces at the waists of their loose swimsuits or shorts, the women had to go everywhere with whatever small purse/pack/beach bag they had brought. Spaced every twenty feet up and down the beach they hoped they could catch the eco-terrorist who had decided that this beach should be free of human beings entirely.

The first death had been attributed to an allergic reaction to a stray Man-of-war that had overstayed his welcome. The jellyfish season off the eastern seaboard varies in duration, but usually it is in mid to late July and lasts up to two weeks. And while there were always stragglers or even a few early arrivals, there were seldom attacks this late in the season. And they were rarely fatal. The second death was a little harder to explain away, but when Senator Abernathy’s kid had died and Abernathy insisted that his son hated ocean water with a passion, the FBI had been requested to look into the case.

The new Director had called Skinner in and said suggested that the X-Files would do very good investigating the case, particularly Dr. Scully. "Hell, Skinner, from the cases I’ve read, this is right up her alley." Skinner hadn’t protested, though Mulder did later.

It had taken Scully nearly two weeks to figure out that the cause of the horrible deaths on this incredibly beautiful beach in Northern Virginia was the sting of a jellyfish that couldn’t exit here in these waters, in this hemisphere. When she finally isolated the cause, she thought it best not to call it in.

She and Mulder sat across from Skinner but they all focused on Director Wal at the head of the table. This was their first meeting with the new Director and Scully really didn’t want to make her or Skinner’s life any more difficult that it had been in the past. Mulder would do what Mulder did and frankly she was tired of covering for him. He had come with her and done some nosing around and had done his usual good job, talking to witnesses, finding out a dozen facts that the locals had missed. They hadn’t lost any cell phones and the motor pool mechanic had walked around the car three times, scratching his head, "you guys actually drove it?"

Wal looked over the report and sighed. Skinner just sat there. He knew Scully had done her best and the facts were all there. They made no sense, but they were there. Wal grumbled, "Why don’t you just tell us what you found, Agent Scully."

"Well, it is just like the original autopsies showed. All three died from stings from jellyfish."

"But not jellyfish normally found off the coast of Virginia."

"Ah…actually, not by jellyfish ever found in the Atlantic Ocean." She looked at Skinner and found he was staring at her intently. His stare once again stirred feelings that she had fought all the years that she had known him. She shook her head and looked at the 60 year-old Director who seemed only to want the report. There was little of the hostility that she felt when faced with other members of the upper echelons of the Bureau. She cleared her throat. "The cubomedusae or box jellyfish is found in the Pacific, off the coast of Australian to be exact. According to my tests, the species we are dealing with is the Chironex, the most dangerous, perhaps the most venomous animal on earth." Skinner just nodded and never took his eyes off of her, but Wal whistled in disbelief. Scully softly continued. "Its sting is capable of killing a grown man in as little as 30 seconds. The sting of Chironex is also noted for its excruciating pain. While antivenom exists, the toxin acts with such extreme rapidity that it rarely has a chance to be used. You either get enough to kill you, or you didn't." She had shrugged sadly. "Mr. Forester, the first victim was stung on the foot. He was alone on his blanket when he started screaming. No one remembers him coming out of the water, but then he seemed to be a rather plain little man and no one remembers anything about him, period. His blanket was very near the water line." She looked over at Mulder to continue.

Mulder slouched back in his chair. He had not wanted to go with her. He had wanted to go to California to check out more sightings of Big Foot and Skinner had to threaten him with six weeks of wiretap detail to get him to go along. Of course, once he got there he threw himself into the investigation and actually found a possible solution. "Hiriam Gulliver was stung on the belly and both hands, though the hands were probably defensive wounds. His beach chair was very near the water line, in fact his feet were covered in water and sand as the tide came in."

Wal interrupted. "Wouldn’t it have made more sense for him to be stung in the foot?"

Mulder nodded and smirked, "Yes, but only if the jellyfish actually came from the ocean, sir."

"What is your hypothesis, agent." Wal snapped, letting the young agent understand his attitude wasn’t appreciated. Scully closed her eyes as if in pain but Skinner just grunted. <<<Welcome to my nightmare, Director Wal.>>>

Mulder suddenly sat forward, "Gulliver was found about 60 feet from where Forester was and about 80 feet from where the Senator’s son was found. Gulliver, like the other two, was surrounded by people, either lying down, or getting in and out of the water. No one noticed anything until he started screaming, clutching his stomach. There was a mother with three kids nearby who had rushed to his aid and poured a whole bottle of vinegar on him. All that did was kill the jellyfish. In the ensuing panic and rush to get him aid, the jellyfish was lost." He added, "Uhm, vinegar is used to ease the pain, that or urine, male urine preferably."

Wal gave him an exasperated look and sarcastically snarled. "I was born on the Cape, Agent. I know what vinegar is used for. So you’re saying that the jellyfish didn’t just jump out of the ocean and land on him?"

Scully took control again. <<<Lord, Mulder, just tell the damn story.>>> "There is no case of this species ever migrating this far. Plus, we know from both the Senator and young Abernathy’s girlfriend that he never went anywhere near the water. In fact, Director Wal, the couple was about as far away from the water line as you can get. They were sitting against one of the dunes, behind the lifeguard towers."

"Where was Mark Abernathy stung?"

Skinner spoke up, his deep baritone sending strange vibrations through Scully. "On the hand. I personally spoke to the Senator. He and I drove out to talk to the girlfriend, Zoey Martin. She swears Mark Abernathy was reaching into the cooler to grab a soft drink when it happened. Again, because of the rescue efforts we were unable to find any trace of the animal itself."

Wal nodded, picked up a cassette and walked over to the stereo on Skinner’s bookshelf. "I received this from Sylvie SaraDoro over at the all-news radio station."

The three of them listened intently and Scully watched as Mulder’s attention was finally grabbed. The man had a high-pitched nasal quality and he was obviously insane. He rambled for most of the 45-minute tape and touched on every ecological disaster that had befallen the world in the past 50 years. "People have got to leave it all alone. The world is better without the evil influence of man. Death to all despoilers of the environment! Leave the beach alone. People will continue to die until they close the beach!" Mulder stood up and went to stand by the stereo system. Scully and Skinner exchanged a rare smile as they saw the problem child turn into the best damn profiler that the FBI had. Even the Director looked impressed.

When the tape was done, Mulder reached for it. "Have you taken it downstairs yet?"

"No Agent, I assume you will know what to do with it."

That had been three days ago and with the last weekend before labor day here, the mayor and the governor wanted the problem solved, the Senator wanted it solved. So, the Director decided that the FBI would cover the beach. The meeting had been interesting but they got twenty agents to spend the day at the beach.

"You know Scully, I don’t think it’s appropriate that you should be checking out Skinner’s butt like that."

"I’m not checking out his butt, Mulder, he’s sitting down." Squinting over at him, his Raybans covering the smirk she knew was in his eyes, she was glad she could blame her red face on the sun. The cloudless sky blended perfectly with the azure blue of the ocean. It would have been a perfect day at the beach. A perfect day to read a trashy bodice ripper. A perfect day to check out the gorgeous hunk of lifeguard perched on his elevated chair, twenty feet away. <<<Damn he looks fine sitting up there with that skimpy little tank top on. Would you look at the way his muscles ripple every time he moves.>>>

"Yeah, G-woman of mine, sure. Man, I’ve never seen this many women agents, so…so…"

"So appropriately dressed for an assignment. Right, Mulder? That is what you were going to say wasn’t it?" She asked sweetly, rolling over to expose her stomach to the sun. The two piece suit she wore was certainly not the most daring that the women agents had picked, but the color of the tank-kini set off the blue in her eyes. Automatically she touched her beach bag where her gun was. Mulder had on the most hideous pair of long swim trunks. He was lying on his stomach with no shirt on, his weapon hidden under the small towel he was using as a pillow.

Mulder snorted. "What? I’m going to complain? Hell, no. What I was going to say was I’ve never seen so many female agents so determined to play their parts so well. I thought Agent Miller was going to have to go to hospital after she ran into Skinner’s watchtower. She was concentrating so hard on beach around her, above her really, wouldn’t you say?"

"I believe she was talking to him at the time, Mulder." Scully growled. She felt kinda of sorry for Tina. The entire Hoover would joke about the incident for weeks. Skinner had jumped down to make sure she was okay and had ignored the giggles from several of the women around them, none of them agents, fortunately.

"Yeah, well. After he helped her up and made sure she was okay, and then climbed back up to the tower you’d have thought it was the second coming." He snorted, "No pun intended.

"Right." She groaned at the double entendre and fought the urge to throw sand at him. <<<But God! It had been a sight to see>>> she thought to herself as she furtively rocked her hips on the blanket causing the latex of her swim suit bottom rub up against her clit. Damn this was too much. She had always known there was an attraction between her and Skinner, but shit, this was out and out lust. And it made it worse to know that every damn woman – and probably a couple of the men - on the beach wanted him just as bad. The ‘Big Dog’ baseball hat he wore kept his head from turning as red as her face and shaded his eyes so that it was difficult to see exactly where he was looking. Not that she could see his eyes. He wore reflective sunglasses. She thought he looked at her a couple of times but, so what? He was being more profession about the whole damn thing than anyone else on the beach. After all, he was the one who had to remain the most alert.

She kept her eyes roving up and down the beach, people-watching as she ‘listened’ to her small sport radio attached to the waist of her swim bottoms. She forced herself not to keep looking at him. That’s not why there were there and by God if he could sit perched up there being ogled by every lustful agent and civilian within 50 yards then she could do her job. Though when the two 18 year-old sluts had walked up to him for the third time in thirty minutes giggling and jiggling disgracefully she thought she might have a word with them. <<<Oh that would be a real wise move, Dana old girl.>>> Skinner had patiently answered them each time and had ended up each conversation with smiling and shaking his head no. <<<I never remember him smiling like that.>>>

A shadow fell on their blanket and Mulder smiled across her. "Hey, Morris. How’s it going?"

The pretty young agent blushed. "Okay, Agent Mulder. It’s my turn to check the women’s rooms. And your turn to check the men’s rooms." Finally tearing her gaze from the agent she had a crush on she smiled thinly at Scully. "Unless you want to take my turn, Agent Scully."

Scully sighed. "No, that’s okay. You two kids run along." <<<Good luck, Morris. You aren’t the first to fall for his little boy smile.>>> Mulder stood and with an ease that surprised her, threw on an equally hideous beach jacket with huge pockets. He held his gun so that it wouldn’t pull on the material as he and Morris strolled down the beach together. Scully had fallen in love with him the first year that they had worked together, but soon realized that he, while dearer to her than most of her family, was not what she needed. She allowed herself a quick glance up at Skinner and gasped audibly. He was looking at her. She knew it. Glasses or no, he was looking right at her and she felt her heart clench. He had the same stern look that he always wore, the lips so tight she wanted to kiss them until they relaxed. <<<Jesus, where is this coming from. He doesn’t want you. He would never jeopardize his career by screwing an agent under his command. Of course, how many times has he jeopardized it by help me, us.>>> She tore her eyes away from him and gazed at the other denizens of the beach. <<<This is stupid. He is never going to show up.>>>

The radio crackled in her ear. "Sir. It’s Straight. Look at this guy on the north end coming toward you. The one with the funny red cooler."

Scully stood and picked up her bag. She turned around and stretched. Looking up the beach she spotted the tall man still 50 yards away from them.

"Why are you suspicious, Straight?" Skinner’s growled caressed Scully’s ear.

"Well, sir. He came over the rocks by the preserve. No one is supposed to be there and I would swear he didn’t climb over from this side and then decide to come back."

"Sir, its Wolff. I’ve been watching this end. Straight’s right, sir, he didn’t come this way before."

"Feeley, you and Ball get between him and that group of little kids." Skinner ordered.

Scully watched as the man came toward her, studying the cooler as he got nearer. Something rang a bell with her but she could figure out why. The two women agents sauntered up to where a group of small children played in the sand under the careful eye of their mothers. Stopping next to them, they greeted each other like they were neighbors who hadn’t known the other was coming to the beach that day. Ball had a long beach jacket on, one hand in the pocket, Feeley had a beach bag slung over her left shoulder, her right hand appeared to be supporting her left elbow. As the man walked by them he looked at the children and grimaced. Feeley started to move toward the man, but a low growl in everyone’s ear stopped her. Scully looked up at Skinner and he had stood on the platform and appeared to be glaring out into the water, but she knew better.

The man continued on toward Scully. Licking her lips she looked down at the cooler she and Mulder had brought with soft drinks in it. Mulder had already finished the last one and had promised to bring some more back after his rounds of the bathrooms. She pulled it toward her and knelt to open it. "Oh Damn, I better go some more." She said to no one in particular but loud enough to be heard by the civilian couple next to her and the tall, thin, very pale man still approaching. Turning carefully, she started to walk toward the bathhouses, just as the man came abreast of her. She looked down at the cooler and realized where she had seen it before. When she had taken her niece and nephew to Sea World two years ago she had seen the park scientists transport specimens from tank to tank in such covered buckets. Her sharp intake of breath got the man’s attention. He at her and saw what she was staring at. He smiled and reached it out toward her. "Here take a look." She recognized the voice as just as he opened the bucket.

She stumbled back, fell but managed to pull her gun. Just then she heard Agent Feeley yell, "No." Scully watched in horror as the little girl run up between her and the man.

The lid was off and the man grabbed the little girl. "Honey, you want to see what I have here." The laugh was maniacal and Scully scrambled to get up. She couldn’t let the little girl come to harm. She managed to grab and yank the frightened child away from the man. Lashing out, she punched him hard, but rough nails dug into her wrist and the momentum pulled them toward the sea and the incoming tide. Falling forward, she saw that the water from the bucket carried a small, almost blue, sea wasp to hang on the edge right above her arm.

The bullet to the man’s shoulder caused him to spin around and release her at the same time. The bucket dumped into the surf and the next thing she knew she was flying backwards into the tide, Mulder landed on top of her, driving her into the sand. Coughing and choking she stood up, only to be pushed over by a large wave crashing down on them. By the time she managed to make it to shore, she was covered in sand. Her hair and her suit seemed weighted down. But she was alive. Mulder had saved her. She looked back and Agent Morris was helping Mulder to his feet. Stumbling over to him she fought to catch her breath. "Hey nice shot, partner."

Mulder draped his arm over Morris. "Not me, Scully." He looked up and pointed to Skinner who had jumped down and was helping three agents try to subdue the crazed man.

Scully ran up to the group, look around frantically. "Where’s the bucket?" Just then the man broke free and kicked Skinner in the knee, just right. As Skinner fell Scully looked down and saw the dying creature just below him. "NOOOOOO." She screamed but Skinner must have seen it too, because he braced one arm down, inches from the deadly creature and caught himself. The other agents rushed forward, but the eco-terrorist started laughing louder, louder even than the pounding surf, and reaching down, picked it up. Just as he started to fling it at the group of agents, he froze in rictus as the poison entered his system. He stood for a moment as his laughter died to be replaced by one long scream of agony before falling forward and landing on sea wasp, still clutched in his hand. She ran forward, pushing several agents out of the way. "Are you okay, s-s-sir."

Skinner got to his feet. He spared her only one look that she couldn’t read, but seemed to burn her, before turning to the others. "Ball, give me your radio." Scully watched as the mask fell back into place as he began shouting orders. "This is now officially a crime scene. Zehr? You read me? Take ten agents and start scouring the preserve. See if you can find anything. Feeley?"

"Sir, I’m right here."

"Good, clear the beach, get thess people out of here. I want to make sure there was only one of those damn things."

It was dusk before everything had been cleared up. Skinner looked at Mulder who was talking quietly to Agent Morris. "Go home you two."

Scully looked up from where she was picking up the last of the stuff she had brought to the beach. "Uhm…I want to shower off before we go."

Morris glared at her, and Mulder blushed. "Ah…Scully, here’s the keys. Take your time, Morris wants to show me something that she thinks might be an X-file."

<<<Yeah right! Like how she can hold her breath and still….>>> "Fine. No problem." She stalked off toward the cinder block building holding the showers and toilets for this end of the beach. The overhead light cast shadows across the Spartan room. There was little privacy here, just several cinder stalls containing the toilets and a large communal stall where you could rinse the sand off of you. Most people didn’t bother changing but she didn’t think she could stand to drive back to the hotel in the grit filled suit. Wearily, she found the shorts and top she had worn over her swimsuit and placed them on the bench by the wall.

"Scully?"

"S-sir?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, sir." The commotion of the afternoon had pushed all her feelings down as they had all done the jobs that needed to be done. Pendrell and his group of agents had found where George Andrews had hidden his supplies. The papers they had found would help track the man’s past and perhaps they could find out from where he was getting the deadly sea wasps. But that was for tomorrow or Monday even. Now she was just cold and alone and she was sick of it. Mulder had gone off and ditched her again. Though at least this time it was for woman. "Sir?"

"Yes, Scully?"

"Are we the last ones here?"

"Yeah. Pendrell took my car." She could here the hesitation in his voice. "Would you mind giving me a ride back."

"Sure, no problem." She pulled off her suit and stepped under the water and shrieked.

"Scully!" He was at her side before the echo of her shout had died. "What happened?"

"Cold."

"What?"

"The water is cold."

"Oh."

Brown eyes met blue and he suddenly realized that she was standing there naked. He started to turn away, his blush nearly the same red as his Speedos. He had thrown a windbreaker over his tank top. She would never be able to explain where she found the courage but she reached out and fisted the material of the windbreaker. "No. Please don’t turn away." She whispered.

That was all he needed. His lips were on hers, one hand cupping her head, his other arm around her, pulling her tight against his chest. Gently at first, his mouth played across hers but her sigh of pleasure opened her lips to him and he tentatively began to explore. Her hands caressed his broad back and she tugged at the nylon. Breaking the kiss he stepped back and rubbed his fingers together. "You have shampoo?"

"Yeah, in the bag back there." She breathed heavily.

"Can you stand the cold?"

"If you’re here with me."

He was naked before she could blink and he found her bag and pulled out the bottle. "Turn around." She obeyed and he began to clean her from the tip of her head, working the lather up until bubbles cascaded down her shoulders. He let his large hand follow them and used them to clean her skin, taking special care with her hardened nipples.

"Oh God, Skinner, please."

His deep chuckled sent a jolt straight to her core. "Please what, Agent Scully?

"Touch me some more. Please."

He stepped closer rubbing her back against his chest. Running his hands down her torso, squeezing her breasts, torturing her nipples before continuing south. Her knees were almost too weak to hold her upright and she let him take her weight. Rubbing her back against his straining erection.

"Oh yes, that feels so good." He groaned into her ear as he leaned forward to begin stroking her mound, washing the sand away. "Scully, are you sure you don’t want to go back to the hotel?" He pleaded.

She stepped away from him then and turned around. She growled, "We’re just fine here." She reached over for the shampoo and squeezed some into her hand. "Come here, Walter Sergi Skinner."

He gulped but stood before her and she began to work the lather into his chest hair. It was softer than she would have thought and she reveled in the feel of it. Scraping her nails across his hardened nipples, she was rewarded with a shudder that shook them both. Working her way down she allowed her finger to trace the darker trail of hair to his bobbing erection. She avoided touching it and whispered, "Turn around."

"No."

"Yes, I want all the sand off."

Reluctantly he obeyed and she caressed his back. Standing on tiptoe she lathered the ring of hair around his head and tickled his ears. When she began to trail her fingers down to his ass and began to clean him there he suddenly turned on her and pulled her back into a searing kiss. Moving them under the water, he held her tight as she squirmed trying to get away from the cold. The heat from his body soon made her forget her discomfort and she worked her hand between them. Grasping his huge cock with both hands, she began to stroke him, working up and down until he broke the kiss and held her at arm’s length forcing her to let him go. "You’re a tease, Dana Katherine Scully."

"Yes, sir."

Skinner looked around and pulled her over to the large wooden bench against the wall. "I want to be inside of you, Dana." He sat down reached out for her. She started to straddle him but he stopped her. "But first I want to taste you."

Her head swam at his demand. He lay back. The bench was wide and span the room and he started to pull her toward him, but she turned and faced away from him before settling herself over his face. "Like this? Oh, god. Oh yes." She purred as he began to lap at her. For a moment she just reveled in the sensations his tongue was sending throughout her body. But she finally lowered herself and began to lick his length. Taking him in her mouth she began to suck on the head, licking the pre-cum. Bobbing up and down, bringing her clit in contact with his tongue on each down stroke. She couldn’t take him all in, but she stroked the rest of his length with her hands. Playing with his scrotal sac, she felt the delicious tightening in her belly and she had to stop and release him as her climax overtook her. "Ohhhhhhh, yes! Walter, oh God! Yes."

Suddenly she found herself upright and in his arms. He was sitting up, his back against the wall, kissing her. Without breaking contact she positioned herself over his shaft and in one long, slow descent claimed him forever. They sat there for a moment, not moving.

"Dana?"

"M-m-m?"

"Baby? Are you okay? Am I hurting you?"

"M-m-m, no Walter, I don’t believe you could ever hurt me." She stared into his eyes and saw the look again. The look she had occasionally seen over the years and realized what she was seeing. She rested her forehead against his. "Make love to me, Walter. Now, tonight back at the hotel, tomorrow morning. Make love to me forever, Walter Skinner."

Slowly he began to rock up into her. She positioned her knees so she could meet him thrust for thrust, rotating her hips, bring long low growls of pleasure from him. <<<God, I’m doing this to him. Oh what he’s doing to me.>>> She reached down and bit his lower lip, tugging on it, teasing him until she felt her walls contract around him and he suddenly held her still as they both shuddered to their climaxes. Still buried deep within her he managed to stand and walk over and hold her under the shower, rubbing the cold from her back. Slowly he lowered her to the ground, both of them groaning at the loss of contact. He padded over to where her clothes were and found her towel. Walking into his embrace she allowed him to dry her off.

They walked across the empty parking lot, mostly dry, clothed but just barely, wrapped in each other’s arms. "There will be hell to pay for this, won’t there, Walter?"

"I don’t care, Dana. I’ve waited five years for you to see me and I’m not letting you go."

She started to giggle. "Well perhaps you should have taken me to the beach sooner, AD Skinner."

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