DISCLAIMER: The X-files and its characters belongs to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and Fox Entertainment. CSI Miami belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written for the cross_my_heart ZOMG Stealth Surprise Ficathon for IDF 2009. Pairing – Dana Scully/Calleigh Duquesne; Prompts – mine is bigger, the better shot. Special thanks to k_icker for the lightning fast beta! All mistakes are my own.
TIMELINE: Rather AU – imagine the two shows taking place concurrently. This is set roughly in the sixth season of both shows, though no real spoilers.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Catharsis
By Dhamphir
God! She was SO angry!! Not only was their case shot to hell, but Jake and Eric were acting like... like... like two juvenile, schoolyard bullies trying to prove who was the bigger assh– bully. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened and her knuckles turned white.
What in the hell made either of them think she was theirs to fight over?! She'd ended things with Jake several months ago. And if Eric was truly interested in her, he couldn't find a worse way of showing it. She had no interest in a childish, petty little boy. She wanted – needed – someone who was secure enough in themselves to allow her to be herself. Someone who didn't have to make themselves feel better by putting someone else down. Someone who didn't need her as a goddamn trophy... or worse yet, a babysitter. Someone who was a grownup! Someone who was a man.
She pulled her car into a parking spot, put it in park, and let out a frustrated, inarticulate growl. She'd been so livid when the results of Jake and Eric's childish attitudes manifested in a sloppy investigation and mishandled/contaminated evidence that she literally saw red. If it hadn't been for Horatio stepping in and calmly suggesting she take the rest of the day off – better yet, a couple days off – she honestly didn't know what she might have said or done. Horatio knew her well enough to know there was nothing he could have said to calm her down. She had been pushed beyond the limits.
She knew she needed to get a grip on her rage. She couldn't remember that last time she had been so angry. There was only one thing in the world that could possibly assuage her fury.
She turned the key off, got out and went to the back of her car. She unlocked the trunk and withdrew the locked, hard case. It was time to release a little steam.
"Hey, Calleigh!" Jeff Edwards, the owner of the civilian shooting range, cheerfully greeted her with smile.
"Hi, Jeff. Give me a box of 9mm and a box of .44 magnums."
His eyebrows climbed up into his hairline. "Bad day, huh?"
"You have no idea."
He set the boxes of ammunition on the counter. "There's only one other shooter, so you have your choice of lanes."
"Thanks, Jeff."
"Say, do you think you could do me a favor?"
"What?"
"Would you mind closing up after the other person leaves? It's Marie's birthday, and I forgot to get her a present."
"Well, you better get going then," she said with a smirk.
"You sure?"
"It's no problem, Jeff. I'll be here for quite a while anyway."
"Great! I'll turn the sign and lock the door on the way out so you don't have to worry about any last minute walk-ins. You've got your key, right?"
"Sure do. Now get out of here so you can save your marriage," she said with a smile. Calleigh picked up the ammo and headed into the anteroom that led to the shooting lanes.
Through the bulletproof glass window, she could see someone in the seventh lane, next to her favorite – the sixth lane. Or rather, she could see the barrel of a gun aimed downrange. Calleigh put on her earmuffs and pushed open the door to the range. She stepped into the shooting box of the sixth lane and set the gun case to the side. She wanted to warm up first, before using that particular gun.
Calleigh drew her 9mm from her holster, ejected the magazine and racked the slide to eject the bullet already in the chamber. Loading an empty magazine with the bullets from the box Jeff had given her, she found the routine already focusing her thoughts somewhat.
She slipped on her shooting glasses, checked the distance of the target, and brought her weapon up. With grace and control she emptied the magazine with fifteen evenly spaced shots. Without even reeling in the paper target, Calleigh knew her grouping was not up to her standards. Shooting was so much more than the simple act of pulling a trigger. It was a skill – one that she prided herself on.
It was a release... a catharsis.
And she had a lot of tension she needed to release. Two additional full magazines were emptied before she felt some of the twisting in her stomach begin to unwind. After the fifth magazine, and third target, she could finally breathe easily.
Ever the professional, she quickly field stripped and cleaned her service weapon before reloading it and slipping it back into her holster.
With a slight upturn of the corner of her mouth, she unlocked the gun case and opened it. "Hello, pretty," she murmured. The curl at the corner of her mouth became a smile as she removed the Smith and Wesson .44 magnum revolver. This was a gun. She lightly ran her fingertips along the stainless steel.
She loaded six rounds into the cylinder and snapped it into place. Raising her arms she sighted her target along the six and half inch barrel... and squeezed the trigger.
She hit the steering wheel with the heel of her hand. "Damn it!"
The bastard had done it to her again! Mulder had left a cryptic message on her answering machine about Big Foot and swamps. That was it. No other information. So when she'd arrived at FBI Headquarters and found a note from AD Skinner on her desk, she just knew it was going to be one of those days.
The meeting with Skinner had gone just as she had expected – Skinner asking if she knew where Mulder was; her answering no; him grilling her as if she were in on whatever it was Mulder was up to this time; and finally Skinner ordering her to find Mulder.
Back in their basement office she rifled through the mess on Mulder's desk to see if there were any clues to where he may have gone, while she waited for him to answer his cell phone. Getting only his voicemail, she left a message to call her immediately. Finding nothing on or in his desk to help, she grabbed her keys and left.
She used the key he'd given her to open the door to his apartment. She shook her head at the mess – newspaper clippings, take-out food containers, manila folders, pizza boxes and grainy photos were scattered over every flat surface. A pillow and dirty sweats were on the couch. She didn't even know where to begin to look; and doubted she'd even find anything relevant to her current objective.
She went to see the only people who might know where Mulder was – the Lone Gunmen. Fortunately they came through for her and tracked Mulder's credit card usage. He was in Miami.
So, Scully flew down to Miami, and picked up his trail at an airboat rental agency. From there she tracked him to a fleabag hotel. Still getting no answer from his cell phone or the room phone, she got the master key from the manager. She didn't know what she'd find, but she sure as hell didn't expect to walk in on Mulder fucking some skanky prostitute.
She'd been mad that he had gone off on some unauthorized investigation into something ridiculously implausible without telling anyone where he was going. But when she found him banging some whore while watching porn on the hotel TV, she ceased being mad. She became enraged. She didn't give a damn how Mulder got his rocks off, but when his thoughtlessness, carelessness and self-centeredness got her chewed out by Skinner and interfered with her job... She'd had enough.
"FUCK!"
She realized she needed to call Skinner. She pulled into a parking lot and parked the car. She took her cell phone out and called in. After informing her supervisor that Mulder was in Miami and alright (only because she'd fought the urge to shoot him again), she informed him she needed the rest of the week off for personal reasons. To her surprise, Skinner quickly agreed.
Scully hung up and took a deep breath. She then looked around. She'd been so angry she hadn't paid attention to where she was driving. She was parked at an indoor shooting range. She felt the press of her weapon at the small of her back, and realized just how strong her urge to shoot something – or someone – really was. Since it really wasn't a good idea to shoot someone, perhaps taking her frustration and anger out on a few targets would help.
She turned off the car and went inside. After purchasing some ammunition and borrowing some earmuffs, she entered the lanes. She was the only person present. Which was probably a good thing considering how she was feeling. She chose a lane at random and began taking her anger at Mulder out on the hapless paper target.
Scully wasn't alone in the lane for long. She was vaguely aware another shooter had arrived and taken up position in the lane next to hers. She paid little attention to what the other shooter was doing. She simply held her service weapon in steady hands, aimed at the silhouette fifty yards down the lane, and repeatedly pulled the trigger.
After reeling in her latest target, she was in the process of reloading when she heard a loud bang. Whoever was in the lane next to her had just fired something other than the gun they'd been shooting up to that point. By the time the sixth loud bang sounded, curiosity got the better of Scully. She slid the magazine in place, slipped her weapon in the holster at the small of her back, and stepped back out of the shooting box. She moved over so she could see the other shooter.
It was a woman with long, blonde hair. And she was reloading a very large revolver.
"Quite a weapon," Scully said loudly enough to be heard over their ear protection.
Calleigh heard the voice coming from behind and to the side. She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Smith and Wesson .44 magnum." Calleigh found herself staring into bright blue eyes and not wanting to look away. She set the gun down and extended her hand. "CSI Calleigh Duquesne, Miami-Dade PD Crime Lab. Call me Calleigh."
Scully was pleasantly surprised by the blonde's friendliness. She took the hand and returned the shake. "Nice to meet you, Calleigh. I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI – Dana."
"Are you from around here?"
"DC actually. Just down here for..." She trailed off, not sure how to complete that sentence. "Well, at the moment, to take some aggression out on some paper targets since I can't shoot my partner," she finally said. And suddenly she was practically blinded by a megawatt smile.
"Well, welcome to Miami, Dana."
Ooh, the way that soft southern drawl seemed to dance along her senses... "You're not originally from Miami, are you?"
The blonde smiled again. "Darnell, Louisiana. I was with the New Orleans PD before coming here."
"So how do you like it here?"
"Love it." Calleigh paused for a couple of beats. "Except for days like today."
"What happened?" Dana found herself asking.
"Men."
The disgust in the beautiful blonde's voice made Dana let out an unexpected and rueful bark of laughter.
"I take it you can relate," said Calleigh.
"Well, I am here taking my aggression out the targets instead of my partner."
"Is it helping?"
Dana reached for her latest target and held it up. "Maybe I should always visualize Mulder as the target. It seems to be helping my aim."
Calleigh's eyes widened at she took in the small gap right in the center of the forehead of the silhouette. She was very impressed. "Very good," she said with approval.
"How about you?"
"Mine is bigger," Calleigh said with a smirk as she held up her latest target, which sported a larger hole right where the heart would have been.
"You're using larger rounds," Dana countered as she eyed the large revolver.
On impulse, Calleigh held out her gun. "Want to give it a try?"
Dana surprised herself by saying yes.
Calleigh watched as the redhead loaded the revolver and took her position. Dana was obviously an experienced shooter, and her target proved she was a marksman as well. There was something... sexy about the look of her gun in Dana's hands.
Unaccustomed to the kick of the .44 magnum, Dana's hands came up after her first shot. She shot an arched brow at Calleigh, but there was a sparkle in her blue eyes.
"It takes a little getting used to."
Calleigh moved to stand directly behind Dana, using her hands on her hips to adjust the woman's stance slightly. She slid her hands up Dana's back, making sure her spine was straight, and then ran them along her upper arms, making a small adjustment. She removed her hands but didn't move from she was standing.
"Now try it."
This time Dana controlled the recoil of the weapon better.
"Good. Now fire the rest."
Dana was unaccustomed the weight of the revolver, but it wasn't too much for her. Even though she'd expected it, she was still surprised by the strength of the recoil.
Sparkling jade eyes twinkled at her. "It takes a little getting used to."
Dana almost jumped when she felt the blonde's hands on her hips. No one touched her casually, not even her mother, without her initiating it. Heat burned through her as Calleigh's hands slid up her back and then along her upper arms.
"Now try it."
She controlled the recoil better with her second shot, but wasn't as sure of her aim since she could feel the heat from Calleigh's body standing so close to her.
"Good. Now fire the rest."
How the hell was she supposed to hit the target when she could feel the blonde's breasts brush against her back through the thin material of her blouse? God... it had been so long since she'd slept with anyone. And even longer since she'd slept with a woman.
Somehow she managed to fire the four remaining bullets in the cylinder.
Calleigh inhaled the scent of Dana's hair. Even beneath the odor of cordite, she could make out the scent of vanilla. She knew she was playing with fire. She thought she had left behind her attraction to women. Well... no, she knew she hadn't. She just hadn't acted on it in a long time. But she found herself enjoying the sight, the sound, and the feel of such a beautiful woman firing her gun. She was more turned on than she'd been in a long time.
Perhaps it wasn't a man she needed after all.
"Reload," she instructed the redhead.
Dana did as she was told. She brought the weapon up to firing position again. However, there was a tremor in her hands.
"Relax, Dana," Calleigh said when she saw her hands tremble slightly. She reached around with her left hand and placed it on Dana's stomach, just below her ribs. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath – from the diaphragm. Let it out slowly. And another." With her right hand on Dana's hip she again made alight adjustment. "Now."
The feel of Calleigh pressed up against her, one hand on her stomach, and the other on her hip, was almost more than she could handle. But somehow, when Dana opened her eyes and fired, her hands were steady. After firing the six chambered rounds, she set the revolver down and quickly spun around.
Crystal blue stared into sparkling green.
Without spoken agreement, they met in a heated kiss. Calleigh pulled Dana's body against hers and Dana took Calleigh's face in her hands, then slid them back into her corn silk hair, knocking her earmuffs off.
Suddenly Dana felt herself turned and shoved against the wall of the firing box. Hands covered her breasts, fingers teasing and pinching her already hard nipples. Calleigh broke the kiss and began kissing and licking her neck and throat, zeroing in on a sensitive pulse point. Dana reached up and tore off her earmuffs. Suddenly she could hear more than just the roar of her own heartbeat and ragged breath.
Calleigh palmed the redhead's breasts. She drew in Dana's scent as she licked and sucked on her pulse point, feeling her pulse quicken beneath her tongue. She pressed her thigh between Dana's and felt hands drop to her hips, pulling her pelvis tighter against the agent. When she recaptured Dana's mouth and plunged her tongue into her mouth, Calleigh slid her hands down her sides and around to the small of her back. She deftly removed Dana's service weapon from the holster there and set it aside, next to her revolver. God, guns and a beautiful woman! What a hot combination!!
Dana missed Calleigh's hands when they left her breasts. She moaned into their kiss and liked the feel of knowing fingers removing her weapon. She realized it was probably a good idea to remove the potential for anything inadvertently going off. Dana followed suit and with her left hand removed the blonde's weapon from her holster. She also set it aside with the revolver and her own weapon. Calleigh hands were suddenly on her bare skin. She'd managed to pull her blouse free from the waist of her skirt. It felt so good to be touched!
Calleigh ran her hands along smooth skin. Dana reacted by pressing herself against her thigh. She could feel Dana's heat even through the material of her skirt and her own pants. Suddenly Calleigh felt herself shoved against the opposite wall of the shooting box. The redhead had just turned the tables.
Dana wasn't in the mood to be passive. She pushed off the wall at her back and shoved Calleigh against the opposite wall. She pressed her body against the blonde's and shoved her thigh between hers, grinding against Calleigh as she began unbuttoning her shirt. Dana nipped then sucked on her earlobe, enjoying the low moan that escaped the blonde's throat.
Calleigh felt so... so alive! She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so excited. Dana's hands felt hot against her skin, giving her chills. She reveled in the redhead's actions, but she wasn't going to be passive either. As Dana threw open her unbuttoned shirt, Calleigh used her hands to pull the material of her skirt up her thighs. She let out a gasp as a hot mouth closed on her achingly hard nipple. She banged the back of her head against the wall.
As soon as Dana got Calleigh's shirt unbuttoned she was pleased to see the blonde's bra fastened in front. She quickly released her breasts and took a coral nipple into her mouth. She suckled, and smiled when she heard Calleigh's gasp. She wasted no time and started on the button and zipper of her pants.
Calleigh almost lost control of her hands when she felt the redhead started to undo her pants. But she needed to touch Dana, now. She slid one hand up a smooth thigh, feeling the firm muscles beneath her touch. The redhead released her nipple and reclaimed her mouth in a deep kiss. But when she lightly ran her fingertips over the front of Dana's panties, she wasn't expecting her reaction.
Dana sucked in a gasp and pulled back when deft fingertips caressed her panties. What the hell was she doing? She fought to order her thoughts as she took in some much needed oxygen. She saw confusion Calleigh's green eyes. "Someone might catch u–"
Calleigh cut her off with a kiss and pushed her back against the opposite wall. She slid her fingers down and felt the dampness of her panties. As she gently caressed, she whispered in Dana's ear, "We're the only ones here. Jeff left and we're locked in." She then pushed aside the panties and slipped a couple fingers along slick heat.
It was Dana's turn to bang the back of her head against a wall. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened letting a low moan escape. She felt Calleigh pull her panties down and off. And then a velvety tongue pushed between her folds. She saw stars behind her eyelids as she fought to draw in oxygen.
Calleigh moaned as she tasted her. God, she'd forgotten how good a woman tasted... And Dana tasted exquisite. She sought out her clit with the tip of her tongue, teasing it. Hands clamped onto her shoulders. She circled it with her lips and sucked.
Calleigh's tongue felt so good! She was close, very close. When Calleigh sucked on her clit, she came with a cry. God! It had been too long! Dana reached down and pulled the blonde up. She tasted herself on Calleigh's lips and tongue.
Suddenly Calleigh was spun around by the redhead and pressed against the wall. Her pants and panties were pulled down and Dana's mouth was on her. She pressed herself against Dana's tongue and moaned. Her legs felt like rubber when she came. Calleigh found herself partially supported by Dana and laid her head on her shoulder.
After a few moments they parted. They replaced and straightened their clothing. Dana caught Calleigh's look as she slipped her weapon into the holster at the small of her back. Calleigh smiled and chuckled.
"I love a woman who knows how to handle guns."
Dana couldn't help but smile at the beautiful blonde. "Should we see who the better shot is?"
Calleigh locked the .44 in its case. "As much as I love shooting, I can think of other things I'd rather do." She paused for a beat. She leaned in and kissed Dana. "Want to see my gun collection?"
Dana smirked. "Lead the way."
The End