From: "marko" <majerski@faust.irb.hr>
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 22:15:47 +0100
Subject: Blue Moon   by Marko Doe
Source: direct

title: Blue Moon
author: Marko Doe (majerski@faust.irb.hr)
date: May 1999
rating: PG
spoilers: none that i can think of, though there are some vague
refferals to some events before the 6th season

classification: Mulder/Scully Vignette

summary: Just some Mulder/Scully interaction, their musings, thoughts...or
 is it?

Author's note: Feedback is, as always, very welcome but try to ease up on
language&grammar bashing, Engish is not my mother tongue.

disclaimer: Okay, you caught me. I borrowed the characters but the plot 
(if there is any in here) is mine. So, i hope no one will say i wanted to
 infringe
on the rights of 1013 roductions, 20th century fox television or Chris
 Carter...


     "Scully." Soft but decisive voice murmured through the cabin of
the new ford *****. A petite woman, a redhead, was behind the wheel,
alone, holding the cell phone with her right hand.

     "Yes, I'm coming, I told you I'd come." Slight harshness now colored
her voice, as if she didn't approve of things being said to her over the
 phone.

     It was late in the afternoon, sun was still fairly high but cause of
 the cloud
cover that was rippling through the skies it seemed darker and menacing.=
 There
was only some light traffic treading ahead of her with tired people dozing 
behind the wheel, invoking car accidents. She didn't care, not for that not
 for
the same, endless phrases that her phone transported from her partner.

     "Yes Mulder." She replied. "But are you sure? I mean, you can't be
 sure 
about those things. It could've been just some weirdo dressing around as
 one."

     Her partner's voice was fast and playful as ever, not letting her to
 finish her 
thoughts. "Yes, yes...I know. But Mulder..." She again had to wait for him
 to finish 
one of his countless monologues. "But it also could've been dozens of other
 things...
What?" She frowned, sighing. "No, it's okay...you do that." His last words
 how he'll
call her once again floated in her mind as they said goodbye and she hung
 up. She 
pouted lightly, putting both of her hand on the wheel.  

     A sign rushed by. Thirty five miles to go. Thirty five...The number
 kept 
flashing in front of her eyes, not wanting to get out of her mind. That's
 the next
big milestone. She'll be thirty five in several months. A feeling of
 discomfort 
rippled through her body. What had she done? Who had she become? She often
thought what would her life look like if she hadn't come to the bureau. Or
 if she
had married, had children... Sadness appeared in her gaze. She could never
 have
children. Her chin trembled for a second, giving away her emotions. The sad
 part
was that the reason for it, partly, was her job. If she hadn't gotten into
 the bureau
everything would've taken a different path. And she wouldn't have been here
 now,
driving to the middle of nowhere just because her stupid partner asked her
 to. No,
she apologized to herself. He's not stupid, he's one of the most wonderful
 people 
she ever met. Along with her father. They both cared about her, there was
 no doubt
about that. They were the only two men she ever felt really safe with.=
 But...God, can
Mulder be irritating sometimes. His blind faith in...in...things that
 aren't even...She 
pouted. She was angry with herself now. And that was exactly what she was
 angry
about. The conflict in herself. For she had doubts, doubts that were going
 against
everything her career, her family, her life had taught her. But the
 abduction was 
very real. Her cancer too...her sister, poor Melissa. Her sister didn't
 have to die...was
there someone to blame? Scully pondered about that before...even if Mulder
 was to
be blamed. That wasn't fair thing to think, she knew that...but she
 couldn't help 
wondering how her life would have looked like if she hadn't come to the
 bureau,
met Mulder. She could've had all of her family...maybe even start her own
 some day.
She made a painful grimace, slightly shaking her head. She would not be
 here, alone
in this car if she had thought that way. It's not like she felt she owed it
 to her partner...
it's...he understood her. Though he never really talked about it and often
 just joked
around she knew Mulder knew her. She knew he'd do anything for her. And
 that she
could not say for anybody in her life, sure her mother and brother...but
 that wasn't
it...Mulder wasn't family. Never tried to be... Suddenly she started
 feeling nervous.
She grinned and squinted as a car passed her by, flashing its headlights.=
 Darkness
was settling around, accompanied by the moonlight that casted creepy
 shadows of the
trees around the road. A small, uneasy smile danced on her lips as she
 looked at the 
full moon hovering above the horizon. Werewolf time. She pictured Mulder
 holding 
his gun, standing over a dead body of the hairy creature, then pictured him
 discovering
the zipper and  removing the fake fur revealing a little boy underneath.=
 She could almost
hear his words "Oh shi..." She swerved the car, letting a red Porsche
 overtake her. Loud
music was heard for the second, accompanied by the monstrous roar of the
 engine. It
disappeared from her sight in a matter of seconds.
	
     Mulder should've called her by now. She glanced at the watch. It's
 been over half
an hour. She pondered if she should call him but the sign "Moorefield =96 5
 miles" on the
side of the road averted her from that. She slowed down and took a left
 turn, following
Mulder's instructions. He said he found accommodation just outside the town
 so it 
didn't have sense to go through the town to get to him. She just hoped she
 wouldn't get
lost out here. This was all unofficial. Skinner didn't know a thing.=
 Actually, this was
supposed to be Mulder's day off. She smiled at that thought, knowing there
 is no such
thing as Mulder's day off. This was all coming out of his pocket.

     Trees passed by, thick and tall, The moon was in its full shine,=
 struggling with the 
clouds that occupied the skies. Scully wondered if that mattered to
 wolfmen. Can they 
do... their thing if the moon is behind a cloud cover. There was no point
 in calling him 
now, she thought about her partner as she stopped the car. This is it...He
 said there's 
a detour on the left side on the road, just when I pass the seven-eleven.=
 The store was
behind her, across the road but the detour was nowhere in sight. Just thick
 pine forest
by the road. She opened the door, getting out of the car but leaving the
 engine running
as if she wasn't sure what to do. I should go ask somebody at the store,=
 her brain told 
her. The light from the store across the street were soothing and
 comforting, just what
she needed at the moment in these dark and creepy surroundings.

     "Boo!"

     She jumped, her heart almost coming to a halt as she quickly turned
 around, seeing 
a familiar face. "Jesus Christ! Mulder!"

     The smile on his face was broad as ever, for he was obviously in one
 of his good, 
playful moods.

     "Don't you do that ever again!" She gasped for air, still recuperating
 from his
sudden appearance act. 

     "Sorry Scully, I just couldn't help it. Seeing a pretty gal like you
 all by herself...
in the dark, scary middle of nowhere like this..."

     Scully was a little startled by his remark, paused a second before
 continuing. 
"Yeah, I'll bet you couldn't. What are you doing here, weren't you supposed
 to call me?"

     "Yes, I know. But my cell phone croaked. Those batteries aren't worth
 the zinc 
they're made of. Anyway, I went to the store to buy something for snack and
 call you
from a payphone when I saw your car passing by."

     "So what do we do now? Where's that room you rented?"

     "Cabin. Let me show you, the road is just here, it's easy to miss."

     "Tell me about it." She grinned.

     They sat in the car, Scully behind the wheel, Mulder next to her
 holding a paper
bag with goodies from the seven-eleven in his hands. He pointed her to a
 narrow, 
bumpy dirt road on the right side of the main road. It was almost
 impossible to see 
it from the store, being surrounded with the tall pines from the both
 sides. 

     "How did you find this place anyway?" Scully asked.

     "Oh Byers' friend uses it from time to time. But lately it's become
 just another
Lone gunmen's secret hideout. Anyway, they let me have it for the weekend."

     "Wow."

     "What?"

     "I dunno what's more surprising, that you'd waste your whole weekend
 on 
something like this or that Byers actually was other friends than those two
 freaks."

     "Three freaks." Mulder frowned.

     His partner's smile was wiped out of her face. "I was just...um, so
 we're really
staying here the whole weekend?"

     "Yes. I am anyway. Especially now when there's not going to be
 anything out of 
this night."

     "What do you mean?"

     "Watch the road, Scully. It's pretty bumpy, we wouldn't want to
 endanger your
little four wheel pet."

     Scully furrowed her eyebrows, ignoring that remark and persisting with
 her 
question. "What do you mean?"

     Mulder sighed, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. "The guy I
 told you 
about on the phone, the one that supposedly knows who the lycantrope is got
 out of
the town. He just left a note it's a family emergency and that he'll be
 back tomorrow
afternoon."

     Scully's jaw was hanging a bit open as she stared in her partner for a
 second, 
then hitting the brakes hard. "Marvelous. So what do we do tonight?"

     "This is okay, you can park here if you want." Mulder grinned
 unfastening his 
seatbelt as the car came to a halt near a little, wooden cottage. 

     "Mulder?" Her voice was soft and calm as always but to a trained ear
 it was 
obvious she didn't like all this one bit. 

     "Ow, come on Scully. One night spent here can't be that bad."

     She flashed him a grin before she turned off the engine and got out of
 the car. 
"So...this is the cabin?"

     "Cottage, cabin...yes. Just follow me." He paused and winked at her
 before adding: 
"And be careful where you step."

     "What?"

     "Well, this is the Long gunman's hideout after all..." He chuckled,=
 carrying the 
paper bag in his hand. He was going first, Scully behind him looking
 around, examining 
the woods.
 
     "You're right, this is so them." She uttered. "I wonder what do they
 do in here." 
She could hear Mulder's chuckle as he was unlocking the door.
 
     "Believe me, you don't want to know."

     The door opened and the silhouettes of the scarcely furnished cabin
 were 
unrevealed. It was a small cabin, made out of one room with a small kitchen
 and a 
bathroom. There were no appliances visible, no ornaments, carpets or
 anything that 
would even remotely count in the luxury category. Just bare wood,=
 everywhere. A 
big, stone fireplace was the main attraction of the room, which seemed
 dwarfed being
crowded with three beds and a huge, oak table accompanied by several small
 stools.
Besides the electric lights only sign of come technology as a small
 electric stove in the
part of the room that was playing the ungrateful role of a kitchen.

     "Wow." Scully murmured, gazing upon the sight of their new living
 room. "Should I 
order the room service now or later?"

     Mulder ignored her remark with a smile, putting away the paper bag and
 taking off
his coat. "Here, let me..." He said as he helped Scully with hers.

     A bit surprised, she flashed him a thankful smile and let him take
 care of her coat 
before she settled in a big, robust armchair laying opposite the fireplace.=
 She felt 
tired, exhausted from all the trip and driving. Though still a little
 uneasy because of 
new, foreign surroundings she let her body relax, drawing a deep breath and
 closing 
her eyes.

     "Tea?"

     "What?" She uttered, being awoken from her doze by her partner. "Oh
 tea...yes
please." She sighed, settling her eyes on the fire, obviously courtesy of
 Mulder, that 
was devouring the last log in the fireplace and coloring the cold stone
 with a yellowish
glow. "Fire will go out soon. Mulder?" She waited for their eyes to meet as
 he walked 
to her, carrying a tray with hot, steaming tea. "I said that the fire will
 go out soon. Do 
you have any more logs?"

     "Oh yeah, I just lit the one that was already there, didn't want to
 wake you up. 
But I'll get some more now, just to..."

     "No, you don't have to. You finish that dinner or whatever you call
 it..." A smile
escaped her lips. "I see them, I can get them myself."

     Fire crackled with renewed strength as she threw in two more mid-sized
 logs. 
"That should do it." Her partner watched her in silence, pouring the tea in
 the cups. 
As she turned back to him he lowered his eyes to the tea cups, for a second
 seeming 
lost before he held out a steaming cup of tea to her. He was sitting in the
 only other 
decent chair in the whole room, but even that one showed its age letting
 strange 
sounds under his weight. A moment of silence passed, they both seemed a bit
 uneased.
Mulder couldn't remember when he last time saw his partner too uneased to
 speak. 
Maybe last Christmas...

     "So you said the guy is gone?" Scully interrupted his flow of
 thoughts.

     "Um...yeah, he's gone for the day."

     "Would you care to explain what really happened here?"
 
     Mulder frowned, searching for words.

     "Or what you believe happened here..." She added quickly. She played
 with the 
spoon nervously, stirring the tea. 

     "Well, I was told a...wolf man, as you like to call it, operated here,=
 in these woods."

     There was no answer from Scully who kept staring in the fire as if she
 wasn't 
interested in this conversation.

     "But we can't do anything" Mulder continued. "not without Barnett." He
 expected
a comment of some sort to that, a 'is that how you do your cases nowadays'=
 or at least
a 'how can you be sure the guy wasn't pulling your leg' but his partner did
 none of 
those. She just sat in her armchair, gazing upon the mesmerizing dance of
 fire which 
outlined her face in a creepy but sensual way. "Okay..." Mulder sighed.=
 "Maybe we 
shouldn't talk about the case without any facts."

     "Oh, you'd call this a case?" Scully smiled.

     "Well, you wouldn't?"

     "I didn't say that. I was just...well, you heard this many times
 before..."

     "Oh, the speech?" A chuckle followed his remark.

     "You can call it however you want Mulder. But those...speeches how you
 call them,
obviously haven't made much of an impression on you. You're still the same
 stubborn, 
egoistic..." His wide opened eyes interrupted her in mid-sentence. Scully
 bit her lip, 
avoiding his eyes.

     "You don't think of me like that." Her partner answered, smiling, not
 showing any 
sign that he is offended by her remark. "But I do know what are you saying.=
 And you 
should know that's jus..." 

     "Mulder?"

     "Nothing...I just..." He grinned. "I remembered when you walked in,=
 the first day
...um, you know, when we met. Anyway, I remember, when you first walked
 through 
that door I thought how I got another green, unskilled agent wanting to
 show off... 
but you were..." Mulder's face was visibly more red than hers.

     "Yes?"

     He looked aside, searching for an answer, then smiled and said: "But
 you were 
so fresh off the academy that the any other newbies that I could've gotten
 would 
seem as seasoned operatives next to you." There was no reaction from her
 but a 
forced grin. He could, however, swear he saw disappointment in her eyes as
 he 
pondered what would've happened if he said what he really meant. His
 partner didn't
speak, but was just sitting in her chair, looking around, not even trying
 to venture into
another conversation. "Scully?" He asked bot got no answer. "Scully?"

     "This is uncomfortable." She finally said, following a deep sigh.=
 Mulder raised 
his eyebrows in puzzlement but didn't comment. "How can they live here?"=
 She finally
turned back to him.

     "Who? The Lone gunmen?"

     "Yes."

     "Well, I don't think they care much about comfort."

     "You could say that..." Scully grinned. "But...what do they do?"

     "What do you mean?"

     "They are always there, in that apartment of theirs. I didn't know
=0 they had this 
cottage... I never see them going to work...how do they live?"
 
     "Be that as it may, but you forgot one important fact. They don't have
 lives."

     Scully's only comment was a small, sad grin.

     "I mean, you'd call that a life?" A broad smile danced on his lips,=
 but there was
also uneasiness visible in his eyes. His partner watched him, still not
 saying anything.
"Scully? What is it?"

     "Its' just..." she took a deep breath. "that I didn't know this..."

     "Know what, Scully?"

     "Well, that you think of that as worthless life."

     Mulder's jaw hanged opened before he composed himself. "No, no...I
 didn't say 
that. It's not worthless, not at all...What I was saying was that well, I
 know other 
people's lives look like...comparing theirs, or mine for that matter, it
 can just seem we
don't have any lives."

     Scully right eyebrow raised, as it often did when she was startled or
 confused.

     "Yes Scully, I know, we do have lives...but you know what I was trying
 to say."

     A soft, almost inaudible 'yes' was her only answer. She lowered her
 head again 
finding comfort in the sight of fire.

     "Wow, we really have to get you one of those...Look at yourself,=
 you're completely
seduced by it, like a little kid." Mulder's comment fell on deaf ears.

     "How do you do it?" She suddenly asked, still not facing him. She
 could sense his
puzzled look on the side of her face that was turned to him.

     "Scully?" His voice trembled slightly.

     "How do you do it?" She repeated herself. "How can you live like that
 and still 
joke around...like nothing's missing in your life." Her big, crystal blue
 eyes were now
probing his. It felt as she was looking straight in his soul. 

     "I don't know what you mean..."

     "Mulder, is this life? That you..." She paused. "That we lead? Is it?"=
 There was no 
answer from him. "Don't you ever wish for something else? Something more?"

     "I don't have a family." Was the only thing he said, frowning, before
 he got up 
abruptly and stormed away to the bathroom.

     Scully remained seated, biting her lower lip, pondering about his
 words. She didn't
mean anything bad...did she? No...she shook her head, she didn't want to
 mock him, or to 
make him believe she doesn't care about his sister, his cause. Scully heard
 the toilet 
flushing, followed by the sound of braking glass. That couldn't be right.=
 She rushed to
the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Mulder?" Her only answer was a sound
 of wood,
slamming into the wall. "Are you okay?" Still no answer...something was
 wrong. There was
no time to lose. She kicked the crummy door with her foot and it opened
 with a bang, hitting
the bathroom wall, revealing the empty room covered with glass debris. Wind
 howled, 
snowflakes were falling on the floor, coming through the opened window,=
 disintegrating
the moment they touched it. "Mulder...no." She murmured to herself,=
 climbing onto the 
window board. Her eyes frantically searched for her partner. "Mulder!" She
 yelled, looking
around. Visibility was bad, with thick forest blocking the view and the
 snow which continued
to rage with steady ferocity. There were footmarks in the snow. Lots of
 them. Scully didn't
hesitate for a second as she climbed through the window and jumped onto the
 white carpet
outside. Footmarks led to the north of the cabin, into the woods. They were
 strange, a mix
of human, shoe footmarks and animal ones. "Mulder!" She once again cried
 out, hoping for
some sign from him. Moonlight helped her a little, shedding light on the
 ground, helping her
keep track of the footmarks. A gunshot roamed nearby. Her body shuddered.=
 She forgot
about the footmarks and ran toward the source of the gunshot. She didn't
 feel the cold,
nor pain as she kept stumbling over roots and thick bushes that covered the
 soil. "Mulder,
where are you?!" Then she saw blood. She immediately stopped. Bright red,=
 almost shiny it
seemed, it desecrated the pureness of snow. She couldn't breath as she
 finally forced
herself to make another step towards the pool of blood and see where it was
 coming from. 

     "Hey Scully." A familiar voice was heard. "What's up? You look as if
 you've seen a ghost."
A small grin was all Mulder's face gave away. He was sitting on the ground,=
 leaned on the 
tree, his gun in his hand, staring at the motionless body of an animal that
 laid sever feet 
away from the puddle of blood.

     "Mulder? Are you okay? What happened?"

     "Nothing. I just killed an innocent creature." He sighed. "It was an
 ordinary wolf, 
nothing more. I was in the bathroom and saw something looking at me through
 the window...
and, well, it looked as a werewolf."

     Scully checked the animal, making sure it's dead, then knelt besides
 Mulder, holding 
onto his shoulder. "You're alright?"

     "Yes Scully...I am. He managed to bite me a bit here..." Mulder
 gestured to his arm. 
"But that's nothing serious. It's nothing serious I said!" He repeated and
 pushed her 
aside gently when she took his hand, trying to look at it. 

     "Okay...so you're alright..." She sighed, trying to get a glimpse of
 his wounded hand
without disturbing him.

     "Yes...I am, but this wolf isn't. And just because of my stupidity, my
 damn eagerness
to see things...that aren't there." He lowered his head, hiding his face
 from her eyes, his 
body starting to shiver.

     "Mulder, come on. It's below zero here. You can't stay here in this
 condition." She 
slid her arm around him, helping him to get up. Other than the bite he
 really didn't seem 
physically hurt but she could feel the weakness of his body, the
 disorientation and the 
confusion in him as he leaned on her and obediently followed every of her
 requests. They
weren't far away from the cottage and she took him to the bathroom when
 they got there. 
Taking off his shirt, she cleaned his wound. He seemed better now, as if he
 recuperated 
from the shock so she left him alone to wash up and change his clothes.

     Another hot cup of tea was waiting him on the table when he finally
 joined her on the 
floor, just beside the fireplace. Scully gestured toward a blanket, asking
 him if he's still 
cold but he shook his head. He was cold though, she felt the tingling under
 her skin as she 
reached for his hand.
 
     "What really happened there?" Scully's voice was calm and soothing.

     "I don't know...I just did a dumb, dumb thing...I..." He again turned
 his head away as 
his whole body shuddered. Scully reached for another blanket that laid on
 the armchair 
and wrapped Mulder in it before he finished his sentence. "I don't know
 what I was 
thinking..." His voice was now almost inaudible. "I don't know what came
 over me..." He 
reached for her hand once again, obviously finding comfort in her warm,=
 gentle grip. She
held his hand over her lap, caressing his palmtop with the other hand. "I
 don't know Scully...
I always seem to bring trouble...so many good people would still be alive
 if I hadn't pursued
what I did, and became what I am now." He snuggled up to her, again finding
 more comfort
and warmth in her body than from the fire that burned steadily in the
 fireplace. "But at least
you're okay...I couldn't..." Mulder stopped in mid-sentence, closing his
 eyes and letting his head
slide of her shoulder to her chest. Scully was calm and relaxed as she ran
 her fingers through
his hair and held his head steady near her heart. She looked downwards and
 saw his hazel 
green eyes probing her. His warm breath made her skin tingle as she kept
 her look focused on
him, seeing through his eyes, through his carefully maintained armor.
 
     "Scully..."

     "Shh." She put her finger on his lips...lips that felt so soft and
 warm, lips that were now
closing to hers, pressing onto her finger. Weather outside calmed down for
 a moment, clouds 
revealing the full moon in its eternal glory. And the kiss. Their bodies
 pressed tightly to one 
another, as their lips became one, their passion not letting them part and
 their smiles showing 
their enjoyment.

     Then his smile disappeared. Scully looked at him, her lips still glued
 to his, when a 
growl took place of the smile. He grabbed her with his hands, his fingers
 stabbing her hard, 
almost as knives. "Mull..d..." She tried to cry out in terror as his eyes
 turned yellow and his 
nose grew larger and hairier. She could taste her own blood trickling
 through her throat as 
his new grown fangs tore her tongue apart. One last growl he...it made
 before she saw a paw 
hurling for her face and everything went black.

     Scully screamed, gasping for air, sitting up on her bed. She was
 alone, as always. 
She drew one big breath, wiping the sweat off her face. The phone rang. It
 took her some 
time to calm down and pick up. 

     "Scully?" Her partner's voice was heard. "I hope I didn't wake you
 up...it's not even 
midnight yet...anyway, I'm just calling to tell you that you were right
 about the wolfman case
and you were smart to stay at home, it turned out to be just another
 hoax..."   

THE END