From: "Adrian.D.Ives" Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 19:48:30 +0100 Subject: SUBMISSION: The Copper-coloured Egg Author: Adrian.D.Ives Rating: NC17 for explicit sexual situations Category: F/F Slash Scully/Jadzia Dax, Crossover XF/STDS9 Spoilers: None Summary: Investigating the discovery of a mysterious woman, at the site of a crop circle near the small town of Trent, Maine, Scully discovers a new kind of partnership - with a non-terrestrial from four hundred years in the future. Title: The Copper-coloured Egg Author: Adrian.D.Ives E-Mail: AdrianIves@email.msn.com Rating: 18 (UK) NC17 (USA) for explicit sexual situations Category: F/F Slash Scully/Jadzia Dax, Crossover XF/STDS9 Disclaimer: At end of file Spoilers: None Cross-Posting: Anywhere Archiving: Anywhere Summary: Investigating the discovery of a mysterious woman, at the site of a crop circle near the small town of Trent, Maine, Scully discovers a new kind of partnership - with a non-terrestrial from four hundred years in the future. * * * The Copper-coloured Egg By Adrian.D.Ives (AdrianIves@email.msn.com) : The McKinley Farm : Trent, Maine : Tuesday, 3.22 pm They drifted relentlessly towards one another. Touching and merging to become one great billowing island of frozen water vapour. Cold, and grey as ash. A swirling blanket of sombre darkness that threatened to descend and engulf the towering pines, blurring the distinction between land and sky. Eradicating the horizon. Storm clouds. "There!" Billy pointed upwards, frantically jumping up on his toes, extending his hands above his head, as if he could hope to touch the sky. Above them, a solitary diamond-shaped fragment of cloth was being tossed helplessly amidst the turbulence, drifting, uncontrolled, just beneath the carpet of grey. A bright red kite. Lost and alone in the gathering storm. "I don't see it," said the other boy, squinting towards the dark sky. "There!" He jabbed his finger skywards again. For a second or two, the kite hovered, almost motionless, suspended high above them, remaining out of their reach. Taunting them. "Aw, come on," Jed thrust his hands in his pockets, and turned back in the direction of the farm. With eyes that were full of loss, a loss that seemed to go so much deeper than the moment, Billy looked up at the kite for awhile longer. Then, reluctantly, he began moving to follow his older brother. They reached the edge of the trees, just as a brilliant flash of blue- white lightning arced across the sky, discharging itself to earth with a terrifying crackle of raw power that made them clutch their hands to their ears. At any moment they expected their bones to be shaken by the deafening clap of thunder. After which, they would be soaked through to their skins by the inevitable deluge of icy rain that would follow. Billy and Jed waited with anticipation, sheltering beneath the branches of a tall pine. Instead of thunder, instead of rain, there was light. A swirling, racing, spiral of sparkling light that unfolded above their heads. A whirlpool of luminescence that churned and twisted as if alive, expanded and contracted like the beating heart of an unworldly beast. Erupting from its fiery heart, shafts of brilliant white light lashed out at the ground, setting the grass ablaze and forcing the soil beneath to bubble and seethe as if it were liquid. Eyes wide with disbelief and wonderment, the two boys stood and watched, as the very fabric of space and time folded and ruptured, and became that which defied all known physical laws. * * * : Trent Memorial Hospital : Wednesday, 8.07 am The receptionist squinted awkwardly at Scully's ID through a pair of pebble lenses, before peering over the top of them and regarding her with an expression of complete disinterest. "Oh, FBI," the woman noted disinterestedly, barely managing to stifle a yawn. On seeing the pair of ill-fitting and somewhat yellowed dentures, Scully made a mental note to arrange an appointment with her dental hygienist. "That's what it says." Scully smiled patiently. "Here to see our mystery woman, then?" The woman returned her attention to the sports pages of the newspaper spread out untidily on the desk in front of her. "Yes, I am." Dana's voice was measured and calm. The very model of patience and restraint. She was, however, starting to get just a little bit irritated by the general attitude of the residents of Trent, Maine. Scully folded her badge and returned it slowly to her coat pocket, counting down from five in her head as she did so. "Uh, Mabel. It is Mabel, right?" Scully indicated the ID that was dangling around the woman's neck on the end of a cheap beaded chain. Mabel nodded, and Dana leant forward, as if to draw the woman into an exchange of whispered gossip. "I've had a long journey, and I'm very tired," Scully explained, in a world weary voice. "It might interest you to know that I had a flat tire just outside of town, and that there was no spare in the trunk. On arriving, I found that the hotel had no record of my reservation, and no spare rooms available. And, on top of all that, the battery in my cellphone's gone dead just when I needed to make some important calls!" Actually the bit about the important calls wasn't true, but just saying that her phone had a flat battery didn't seem to convey quite the effect that Scully had in mind. "So, as you might possibly be able to guess, I'm not in a very good mood." Mabel stared back at her with a vacant expression. Scully found herself wondering if she would be able to get both of her hands around the woman's neck, given the excess of fatty tissue there. "If you *could* just see your way clear to pointing me in the right direction." With a nod of her head, Dana indicated the corridor that led to the wards, making it clear that it was where she wanted to go. And soon. The receptionist made a loud tutting sound with her tongue, before reluctantly dragging herself away from her newspaper. "If you'd like to follow me." "Thank you," said Scully, smiling pleasantly. She followed the overweight woman at a discreet distance, thinking through all of the possible ways that she could punish Mulder for losing the toss and getting the Alexandria assignment. Why was it, she thought, that even when he draws the short straw, it's always the one that's sticking out of a double vodka and lime? By contrast, she had cold coffee. Cold and sludgy. * * * The doctor looked up from the charts as she entered the room. He glanced only briefly at her ID, as she introduced herself as "Special Agent Dana Scully", and then hooked the chart board back over the end of the bed. As he turned to leave, he shook his head and tut- tutted. "Damnedest thing I ever saw," he admitted, running a hand through his unruly grey hair. Scully glanced over at the woman who was lying unconscious in the bed. "Exactly what *is* her condition?" "Oh, she's fine, Miss Scully," he shook his head again, in apparent contradiction, "if you can count having a fifteen centimetre long slug implanted in your lower abdominal cavity as normal." Scully raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but what did you say?" "Slug," he confirmed. "At least that's what it looks like. Damned if I know what the thing is, to tell the truth ... 'Cept it's alive." "Alive?" Scully looked skeptical. "I take it you ran some routine scans? Can I see them?" He scratched his head. "Well, I -" "I am a doctor," she added. "Yeah, guess that's OK. Hell, if you can make some sense out of it, I'd sure welcome a second opinion." He held out his hand, and Dana shook it. "Ben Parkes." He grinned engagingly. "Been the chief surgeon around here for more years than I care to remember. Damned sure I never saw anything like this before. Look, I'll go get the file." "Thanks, Ben. I appreciate it." She waited until Parkes had left the room, before cautiously crossing to the side of the bed. The first thing that struck her about the mysterious patient was how strikingly beautiful she was. Elegant, but with something of the rebel in her. Something feline and powerfully sensual. She found it unsettling. Unsettling and appealing. A strange band of skin mottling ran from just below her hairline, over her temples, down the sides of her face, and across her shoulders, to disappear beneath the crisp white cotton sheet that was draped over her. She leant forward to examine the markings, taking care not to disturb her. For a brief moment, Scully had the urge to lift the sheet so that she could examine the extent of the markings. Instead, she sat down beside the bed, and began to study some of the personal effects that were laid out neatly on the bedside cabinet. The first thing to catch her attention was an unusual gold badge, a stylish delta set over a rectangle. Scully picked the object up, and weighed it in the palm of her hand. "Nice, isn't it?" said the woman, "I have one for evenings too." "Sorry." Feeling slightly embarrassed, she put it down. "Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI." "Lieutenant Jadzia Dax." "You're with the military?" Scully shook her outstretched hand. She noticed that her fingers seemed to linger against hers for, perhaps, just a fraction of a second longer than was absolutely necessary. Or maybe she'd imagined it. She noted the fact that Parkes had re-entered the room, but her attention remained on the patient. Their eye contact continued, intense and unbroken, both returning the other's gaze with equal concentration. She felt her fascination being reflected back at her. Not rejected, but reciprocated. Dax shook her head. "Starfleet." "Starfleet?" She had a bad feeling about what was coming next. This sounded vaguely Mulderesque. Tactfully, the doctor placed a buff folder in Scully's lap. Still directing most of her concentration at Dax, she picked it up and began skimming through it, pausing to look more closely at the CT scan of the abdominal region. "I guess the closest thing you have to it in this time period would be the Navy," said Jadzia. "Only Starfleet doesn't represent just one power bloc, it's the exploratory and treaty enforcement arm of the United Federation of Planets." "In this time period?" Parkes was thoughtfully rubbing his bottom lip with the tip of his thumb. "And what exactly do you mean by that, young lady?" "Well," she glanced around her surroundings enthusiastically, like an archaeologist suddenly granted access to some long forgotten tomb, "this looks like the twentieth century. Am I right?" Parkes nodded cautiously. "Well, I'm from the twenty fourth." Scully and the doctor exchanged a worried glance. It seemed that they both agreed on the diagnosis. Some form of post-traumatic stress effect, Scully guessed, probably brought on by the shock of whatever had happened to her. "Lieutenant Dax -" Scully closed the file and handed it back to Parkes, nodding her thanks to him. Traumatised or not, there was no denying that the woman had some very unusual augmentations to her anatomy. "Jadzia." Dax corrected her. "Jadzia ... Your scans show a foreign body implanted in the lower abdominal cavity -" "It's a symbiont," she replied, without hesitation. "A symbiont?" Scully raised an eyebrow. "Yes, we Trill are a joined species. The symbiont is a vermiform that passes from host to host." Dana nodded her head slowly, the skepticism evident in her frown. "Jadzia, help us out here." She knew that she had to choose her next words carefully. After all, the delusion might be all that was keeping the woman stable. Dax smiled. "I'll try." Dana felt a slight tremble resonate through her body. That smile. Those gorgeous eyes. The long and silky dark brown hair. Without really knowing why, she knew that she was blushing. Jadzia saw it, and her smile deepened. Scully fought hard to keep her concentration. This was a new sensation for her. The inability to hold a clear train of thought. Normally she was focused and completely professional. Today all she wanted to do was to behave as unprofessionally as possible. And she wanted to discard her professionalism in the company of this beautiful, powerfully sexy, woman. It was disturbing. Disturbing, but, frankly, exciting. "Uh, are you able to tell us how it was possible for you to travel back in time from the twenty fourth century? How you happened to end up lying unconscious in the middle of a crop circle, here in Maine, in the year 1998?" In amongst the arousal that she seemed unable to control, two words kept repeating themselves in the back of Jadzia's mind: Prime Directive. You are *not* Jim Kirk, she kept saying to herself. So, don't even think about starting anything with this woman, and *don't* violate the Prime Directive. This is 20th century Earth. You've already disclosed too much about the future. But, damnit, this redhead just made her want to talk. And she wanted to tell it all. She could tell, just by looking at her, just by listening to her voice, that she would appreciate the twenty fourth century. The technology and the science. The worlds to be explored. The wonders of the universe that so fascinated Jadzia Dax would be so easy to share with Special Agent Dana Scully. Amongst other things. "1998? Really? That far back?" Dax considered the possibilities. There were a lot of them. Most likely some form of sub-space rupture, brought about by the accelerated chronoton particles that the wormhole had been emitting, just before she'd lost control of the Rio Grande. Interesting as the potential scientific explanations were, Dax decided that a detailed exposition, on the behaviour of faster than time particles during quantum sub-space events, was probably not going to advance the situation. Instead, she asked a perfectly innocent question to which she desperately wanted to know the answer. "Excuse me, but what's a crop circle?" * * * : Travelways Motor Lodge : 7.06 pm Dana became aware that she was staring. Staring and, she was forced to admit, starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Her pulse was up, her breathing irregular, and her face felt slightly flushed. Jadzia bit through the slice of pizza, pulling at the strands of molten cheese, that still joined the two halves together, with her teeth. "It's good," she remarked, with her mouth full. She was sitting on the end of the bed in Scully's room, dressed in the same blue and black jumpsuit that she'd been found wearing. Dana sat opposite her, on the only chair, a pizza box perched across her knees, and a limp slice of mushroom and tomato thin crust in her hand. The thought should have shocked her. Would have at one time. Perhaps just too much had happened to her over the last six years. Too much pain. Too much loss. And far too much time spent trying to preserve the Scully that she had felt so obliged to protect. It wasn't the first time she'd found herself attracted to another woman, and she wasn't averse to acting on attraction, towards a woman or a man, if the situation seemed viable. Strange that the word viable should cause her to think of Taylor Bowman. The beautiful, confident, and controlled Taylor Bowman. The woman whom she had admired and loved, thirteen years previously. Viable hadn't come into that relationship. No room for viable amidst the feelings that they had had for one another. She took a deep breath, wresting back control of her mind and body from the errant emotional tide. A visit to the McKinley farm, where Jadzia's unconscious body had been discovered by two young boys, had revealed little to shed any light on the mystery. Scully had been interested in the nature of the 'crop circle', though. Unlike the others that she and Mulder had inspected, this one seemed to have an obvious scientific explanation. It was perfectly *obvious* that somebody, presumably operating from a *very* precisely flown helicopter, had directed the flame from a thermic lance at the ground, thereby forming a perfect geometric circle exactly ninety two metres in diameter. Obvious. There were the statements of the two boys to consider, as well. Their remarkably consistent account of a whirlpool of lights in the sky. And of crackling tongues of energy that licked and tore at the ground, instantly converting the soil into a seething river of flame. And then there was the local US Meteorological Office report of inexplicable excess atmospheric turbulence and high levels of static electricity. The phenomenon had disrupted radio and television transmissions for a radius of twenty kilometres around the McKinley farm. The answer, Scully knew, lay with Jadzia Dax. Despite having a slug-like life form buried in her gut, and a body chemistry that he couldn't even begin to make sense of, Doctor Parkes had agreed that there was no good reason to keep her in for observation. Which was fortunate, because Jadzia had made it clear - very clear - that she would *not* remain in the hospital one nanosecond longer than was absolutely necessary. She'd also made it plain that her definition of 'absolutely necessary' did not encompass her serving as a laboratory specimen, for the advancement of twentieth century medical knowledge. Scully had watched the exchange with mounting amusement. She suspected that the doctor was quite relieved to be able to hand the problem over to the FBI. He'd muttered something about 'being too old for this' when she'd signed the paperwork. "Look, Jadzia, I think there's something we need to discuss." Scully put the uneaten slice of pizza back in the box. She had an appetite alright, but not for tomato and mushroom. "Yes?" "Well, it has to do with ..." she sighed, wearily. "It's this claim that you've come from the future. It may seem very real to you, but I believe you're suffering from the effects of stress, possibly brought on by a severe trauma." Dax leant across and hovered her hand over the pizza slice that Dana had discarded. "You want that?" Scully shook her head. "You don't believe me, then?" Jadzia bit off the tip of the pizza trangle, slicing mercilessly through more strands of molten cheese and sucking several large mushrooms between her lips. "You think I'm suffering from some form of delusion." "It seems the most likely explanation," Scully admitted. "Dana, do you understand the concept of a stable wormhole?" What a day, thought Scully, as she slowly shook her head with despair. I really *really* hate Maine. "OK, OK ..." she waved her hand about with frustration. "Fine. You say you're from the twenty fourth century. Fine. I mean, that's ... just absolutely *fine*. That's what I'll put in my report ... and tomorrow we'll go see if we can find a TARDIS or something to send you back home." Jadzia watched her get out of the chair and head towards the door. "Where are you going?" she asked. "To find some aspirin." Scully smiled sweetly. "I'm sure they have some at the desk." "Have you ever considered that I might be telling the truth?" "I don't want to consider it," she admitted. "It makes my headache worse. And I don't like having a headache." "No, I'm sure you don't," Dax reacted angrily, jumping up from the bed and coming to confront her. "In fact I don't feel all that great myself. After all, I'm the one who's been catapulted out of my own place and time and dumped ... here, in Earth's past -" "Present," Scully corrected her. "Your present. My past. Whatever. I didn't *ask* to come here. I don't particularly *want* to be here. And ..." At that point she seemed to run out of momentum. Perhaps it was Scully's expression, shifting from tiredness to mild amusement. Perhaps it was just Scully. There was definitely something fascinating about the red-haired Terran woman, something that seemed to connect with both her and the symbiont at a very basic level. Emotional, certainly. And, clearly, they shared a highly scientific background, but the principal fascination was very definitely a sexual one. Raw, simple, lust. Dax was certain that the feeling was mutual. Dana squeezed her shoulder. "Sorry. It's been a long day." "I might be able to help you with that headache," Dax suggested. "I know an old Vulcan remedy." "And what does this remedy involve?" She regarded the taller woman suspiciously. "Come over here." Her heart suddenly pounding in her chest, Scully allowed herself to be guided by Jadzia towards the bed. They both sat down, facing one another. Slowly, very carefully, Jadzia reached out with her fingertips and gently touched Scully's temples. As the tips of her fingers brushed against her face, Scully felt the warmth of flesh against flesh. She swallowed hard against the dryness of her throat. The warmth gradually became a soft tingling sensation, a flow of something intangible. Immeasurable. It was a sensation that both relaxed and excited her, a sensation that seemed to pass far beyond simple physical contact and extended into her consciousness. Their consciousness. Was that music? Harps and wind instruments? One of Vivaldi's beautiful oboe concertos, perhaps? Or Bach, or Telemann? Soft and soothing melodies ebbed and flowed like clear spring water, washing around and over the knots of tension and frustration, slowly melting them and clearing the detritus from her mind. When she opened her eyes, her vision seemed enhanced, sharpened; almost as if she had just cleaned the dirt from a pair of spectacles and could now see clearly again. Her headache was gone, and every breath that she took seemed to taste of fresh mountain air. "What did you do?" "Nothing that you couldn't do yourself with a little training and discipline." Jadzia smiled and let her hands rest on her knees. "I just helped you to focus, that's all." "That was wonderful." Scully took a long deep breath. "I feel ... wonderful." "There's another part to the remedy," said Dax, hesitatingly. "Oh?" Scully grinned. Tentatively, Dax leant towards her, reached out with her right hand and slowly ran her fingertips up the inside of Scully's pant-suited thigh. A tiny gasp of pleasure escaped Dana's throat and she covered Dax's hand with her own, urging it into her crotch. Already aroused, Jadzia's excitement was heightened still further when she discovered the dampness soaking through the crisp material. When her fingers found the woman's swollen clitoris through the same fabric, she groaned with anticipation. They leaned into one another, Dana's lips seeking out hers, as she cradled the back of Jadzia's neck with her free hand, pulling her closer. Their lips brushed together, at first lightly, fleetingly, then harder, and longer, as they both surrendered to the hunger for one another. Reluctantly, Scully drew back from the kiss. "Let's get out of these things," she suggested. "Oh," said Dax, feigning surprise. "I was beginning to think that staying clothed was part of your lovemaking ritual." "Right." Dana unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it off her shoulders, reaching behind her to unclip her bra. "Besides, I want to see how far down those markings go." "*Everybody* says that ," Jadzia grinned. "Here, let me." She slipped her fingers beneath the straps of Scully's bra and pulled gently, lifting the lacy white garment away and exposing her breasts. Dana allowed her to push her gently down onto the bed, where she lay quietly, staring up at the cream ceiling, listening to her own breathing, and the rustling of clothing as the woman peeled off her own top. She felt fingertips slide beneath her waistband, soft hands carefully pulling her pants and underwear down her thighs and exposing her damp crotch to the air. Once Jadzia had her naked, she removed what was left of her loose fitting jumpsuit, tossing it carelessly onto the pile of crumpled clothing that had formed in the corner of the small bedroom. Slowly, incredibly softly, Jadzia lowered herself onto the bed beside Scully. Dana twisted her head to meet the other woman's gaze, and they stared at one another for a long while without moving or talking, barely taking a single breath between them. It was Scully who finally reached out to trace her fingers down the side of Dax's face, following the path of the mottling from her temple to a point just below her ear. She let the tips of her fingers linger there, tracing small circles over the surface of her skin. Something about the markings fascinated her, struck a chord in her, reminded her of her own tattoo, and the circumstances that had led to it. Jadzia moaned contentedly, and Dana leant across to kiss her on the lips. It was a light kiss, little more than a fleeting touch, but one that sent a shudder of pleasure running down Jadzia's spine. Feeling the woman's reaction, she resumed the contact eagerly, sliding her hand behind Jadzia's head, working her fingers into her luxuriously long dark hair, and pulling her to her. As their tongues jousted one another, Dax locked her hands together behind Dana's waist, and pulled them closer together. They rolled over until Scully was straddling Dax, almost pinning her down against the hard mattress. She began anxiously rubbing her swollen clit against the top of the woman's thigh, while her mouth sought out each of Jadzia's nipples in turn, her teeth trapping the hard buds, pulling and teasing them towards new heights of stimulation. Seeing just how aroused the woman had become, Scully reluctantly relinquished her vice-like grip on Dax's thigh, so that she could better attend to the woman's needs. In slow circular movements, her fingers probed Dax's silky smooth pubic hair, each circuit moving closer to her sopping wet cunt, eventually sliding over her engorged clit and slipping between her lips. Jadzia cried out as Dana penetrated her, her pelvic muscles spasming violently, and the walls of her vagina contracting tightly around Dana's fingers. Awkwardly, but helped by an eager Dax, Scully managed to shift her body so that they were facing opposite directions, her own moist vagina now exposed to the attention of Dax's fingers and tongue. It had been a long time since she'd felt this good about herself sexually. Nearly thirteen years, since she'd allowed herself the freedom to push the bounds of her sexuality. To experiment with what made her feel good, instead of conforming to the comfortable stereotype which society had provided for her. Thirteen years of safe, predictable, behaviour. The last five spent in near celibacy. Too damn long. The soft touch of fingertips on the insides of her thighs brought her focus quickly back to the present, and to an eager acceptance of the fantastically heightened state of sexual arousal that extended to every fibre of her being. Jadzia's tongue flicked back and forth across her swollen clitoris, each fleeting touch triggering an even stronger wave of passion that surged through her body, urging her on and ever upwards, towards the tantalising plateau of her satisfaction. Dax was close too. Her breathing was rapid and her skin sheened with sweat. As Scully's lips closed around her clit, her tongue eagerly savouring the taste of her excitement, the muscles of her vagina contracted and threatened to trap Dana's fingers inside her like a vice. She responded by slowing her pace slightly, carefully co- ordinating the movements of her tongue and hand to control Jadzia's climax. She wanted it to happen at just the right ... time! It was the sudden sensation of penetration that finally destroyed her control, and sent her tumbling over the edge; Dax's thumbs pinning back her labia, as her folded tongue entered her passage with surprising, almost brutal, force. Their cries merged into a single expression of raw, primal, satisfaction. Bestial and uncontrolled. The consummation of the smouldering sexual tension that had been building between them since first their eyes had met. With their bodies locked together, their orgasms mingled to become an explosive gestalt of emotional and physical release. In the quiet aftermath that followed, Dana lay sprawled across Dax for a long time, completely exhausted and spent. Neither of them had the strength to move. She found herself thinking about all of the circumstances that might have conspired to prevent the incredible moment that she had just shared. In her mind, she began to compile a list. After a while, when the list got so long that she couldn't remember what was at the top anymore, she stopped herself. Eventually, she opened her eyes. The first thing that she noticed was her phone, lying useless and mute, on top of the crumpled pile of clothing. Thank God for flat cellphone batteries, she grinned to herself. It was then that she realised her cheek was resting on Dax's abdomen, very close to where the scan had indicated that the symbiont was embedded. She lifted her head, and gently pressed her fingertips into Jadzia's soft flesh, carefully probing for some sign of the strange organism. "Hey," Dax giggled. "I'm ticklish there." Scully pushed herself up on her palms and knees, twisted around, and flopped down beside Dax with a sigh. "What does it feel like?" she asked, after awhile. "Having the symbiont inside you?" Without opening her eyes, Jadzia replied. "It's so hard to describe it to someone who isn't Trill. It's ... not like you would think." "When you were making love to me earlier, was that you or the symbiont?" Dana's voice suddenly had a harsher edge to it. Something that Dax hadn't been expecting. Jadzia opened her eyes, turned her face towards Scully, and reached up to cradle her cheek with her hand. "It was me," she said softly, "Jadzia Dax. The combination of Jadzia and Dax. One person. One consciousness." Several long moments passed, before Dana kissed the heel of her hand. "I'm glad," She said, quietly. "By the way, Agent Scully, that was the nicest interrogation I've ever had," Jadzia admitted. Dana felt a blush spread quickly across her cheeks and neck, and a rising tingling sensation in her belly. "I'm starving," she murmured. A wicked grin suddenly came over Scully's face, and her fingertips sought out the site of the symbiont again. Delighted and aroused by the smile that Dax was trying to hold back, she began to stroke her silk-smooth skin, her touch as gentle as a butterfly's wing. "You've only just eaten -" Jadzia's voice broke up into soft laughter, as Scully continued tickling the sensitive spot that she'd found. Dana kissed her again, this time on the lips. "- but not for food." As their tongues met, Scully's fingers roamed the now familiar territory of Jadzia's crotch, seeking out and massaging her clitoris. "Besides, I haven't finished interrogating you yet." * * * : The McKinley Farm : Thursday 10:12 am They'd slept late. After the second bout of lovemaking, Jadzia had made a promise that she would make Dana come on the hour, every hour, until dawn. That had been at 9 pm, and she'd kept her promise. Oh, how she'd kept it. This morning they were shattered. While Jock McKinley told them all about the bad potato crop, his broken down tractor, and the rising levels of local taxation, Scully found herself wondering if an insatiable sex drive was a normal characteristic of the Trill species. While Dax charmed the middle-aged man with her winning smile, Dana was running through her appointments in her mind. Nothing that she couldn't cancel. Not until the following Monday. And this case was important. Very important. It definitely warranted an in-depth analysis. As McKinley showed them directions to the field where the mysterious circle had appeared, Dana leant over and whispered in Dax's ear, "Unless you've got a prior engagement tonight, I'm planning on fucking your brains out." Jadzia bit her bottom lip and grinned, turning serious again as the farmer looked back in their direction. They set off towards the field, leaving McKinley to stare at them, scratching his head. "So, what are we looking for?" Scully asked, as Dax's pace quickened. "The Rio Grande." "It's thataway." Scully jerked her thumb in a southerly direction. "The Rio Grande is a Runabout." "Uh, huh. And that would be what exactly?" "Actually it's a kind of generic term that we use to describe small starships for short-range interstellar travel." Jadzia continued, marching ahead. Scully stopped dead in the middle of the field, grabbing hold of Dax by her elbow, and bringing her to a halt as well. "What?" "A small starship?" Scully repeated, crossing her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow in disbelief, "for short range interstellar travel?" "Relatively." She shrugged. "Although a Danube class vessel has a range exceeding -" "Jadzia," Scully's expression was one of total disbelief, "have you any idea how large the distance between stars is?" "Sorry, I keep forgetting," Dax started walking again, forcing Dana to follow her in order to keep the conversation going. "No warp drive yet." "Warp drive?" Dax glanced over her shoulder. "Trust me. It really does take all the waiting out of space travel." They walked briskly for a further hundred metres until they came upon the ring of burned grass. It curved away from them in both directions, arcing around to complete the loop fifty metres on. It formed a perfect circle of grey ash, where once there had been tall lush grass. Dax knelt down and examined the soil. "There's never a tricorder around when you need one," she muttered under her breath. Dana knelt down beside her. "This is where I was found?" Jadzia asked. Scully pointed to a spot about ten metres away. "Just over there." "Then I don't understand." Dana looked at her quizzically. "The last thing I remember was setting the Rio Grande on standard flight for a passage through the wormhole. I passed through the event horizon, and then -" "You woke up in 1998." Scully observed, dryly. "The Runabout must be around here somewhere. Did you find any other evidence?" "No, I -" Dana's voice trailed off as something caught her eye. "Jadzia. Tire tracks. Over there!" Dax had to shield her eyes from the sun to make out the depressions in the grass that Dana had seen. As they crossed the circle to the other side, the tracks of what looked like a heavy transporter became more pronounced. It was clear, from the damage left behind, that the vehicle had entered the field from the east, where a dirt track led off the road. It had passed in front of the row of tall pines, and then made a wide turn to head back the way it had come. Several pools of black engine oil had soaked into the earth, indicating that, at the mid point of its journey, the truck had been parked up for some period of time. Scully pointed out the four deep rectangular imprints in the ground. She assumed that they had been left behind after some heavy lifting gear had been erected there. She consoled herself with the fact that it had been very overcast, the light poor, and the air laden with chilled drizzle. "Whatever *was* here," said the FBI agent, looking up at her friend thoughtfully, "I'm betting it left on the back of a transporter." "Dana, we have to find it," Jadzia pleaded with her. "Without Federation technology I'm trapped on this planet, in this time ... I can never go home." * * * Powerful arc lamps cast the hull of the Runabout in sharp relief. Every panel and plate, every marking, every grille and duct, every part of the vessel was exposed to their brilliant, probing, glare. U.S.S. RIO GRANDE NCC 72452 UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS Harrison Blake Tangent strolled the length of the small hangar one more time, admiring his latest acquisition like a little boy on Christmas morning. Claire remained by the door, nervously winding and unwinding a thick strand of her long black hair between her fingers. "Be honest, my dear," he said. "Isn't she the most beautiful craft that you've ever seen?" Claire nodded noncommittally. The vessel was about the size of a long wheelbase van. Slab-shaped, with a tapered nose and two large nacelles mounted on either side. She guessed that these were some form of motive power, although there were no visible exhaust ducts, nor any sign of a chemical reaction, to indicate how they operated. In fact, there were no obvious indications of wear and tear on the craft at all. It seemed almost surgically clean. Pristine. Like it had just come off the production line. "Claire?" Tangent looked over his shoulder towards her. "Uh, yes, father," she agreed. "Beautiful." "All these years our own government has been denying the existence of ships such as these." He walked slowly alongside the Runabout, reaching down and gently stroking the smooth duranium housing of the warp drive nacelle. "And now I have the technology here in my grasp." He beckoned to his daughter. "Come here, Claire. Come touch the prize that I have sought so long. "Come and touch our salvation." * * * Scully stayed in the background, while Jadzia once again applied her engaging charm. This time, the target was an old man whom they had found walking his dog along the bottom of the field, whistling tunelessly. "S'right. Every day," the man was saying. "Just can't do without the air, you see." "The air?" He breathed deeply, sucking in a lungful of the cool morning air and letting it out slowly. "Yep, the air. Used to live in New York. Couldn't stand it. Came here for peace and quiet." "And the air." Dax observed, with a wry grin. "Does Dexter good too." Jadzia looked down at the dalmation that was nuzzling its wet nose against her leg. She reached down and patted the dog, slipping her hand behind its ear and gently scratching. Lucky canine, thought Scully, as she smiled with amusement. "Have you seen any large vehicles come through here recently?" Dax asked, finally bringing the banter around to the subject in hand. "Particularly in the last few days?" He scratched his chin, and whistled through his teeth. "Well, funny you should mention that." Jadzia glanced at Scully and winked. Dana shook her head, trying to look disapproving, but she couldn't stop the grin that formed in response to Dax's easy going attitude. "Tuesday afternoon it was ... Late. After that dreadful storm." "You were out in that?" Scully took a pace closer to them, but she was careful not to intrude upon the rapport that Dax had so carefully established. He chewed his tongue thoughtfully. "Just after, actually. Funny one too. Sure was plenty of thunder and lightning, but no damn rain. No, ma'am, not one darn drop." "What did you see?" Dana cast a brief sideways glance, hoping that she didn't see disapproval on her acting partner's face. She could easily have allowed Dax to continue the questioning but, in truth, she was starting to feel a little redundant. And, anyway, she wanted to try and get some control back. What actually was this case she'd found herself investigating? Where was it going? Where were *they* going? She needed to be in control to get those answers. "Big eighteen wheeler," he said. "Flat bed. Churned up the grass over there real bad, too." He waved his hand in the general direction of the road. "What time was this?" "Darned if I know to the second. Somewhere around six pm, I guess." Scully nodded interestedly. "What happened then?" Dax asked, a slight hint of apprehension in her voice. "Well, they drove over there - over by the trees - and started loadin' up some kinda vehicle. We watched 'em for a while, Dexter and me. Then we headed back for a bite to eat. Wednesday mornin' they were gone." "Jack, did the truck have any markings? Any indication where it came from?" "No markings, but they weren't necessary. I seen them big bastards plenty of times. They come up from the Tangent plant over in Ardent Bay. They cut right through Trent to get to the interstate." "Tangent?" "The big electronics company. Seen 'em advertisin' a lot. You know the one: 'Tangent takes you where your imagination points you' ... c'mon you musta seen it." Scully nodded her head, even though she'd never seen any such commercial. Must be a pretty effective ad campaign if someone like Jack can remember the slogan word perfect, though, she thought. Jack didn't look like a particularly high-tech type of guy. She imagined him sitting at home in front of an open fire, listening to forties swing on a valve radio, and smoking a pipe. With Dexter lying at his feet, of course. They thanked him for his help and set off to find the car. During the long walk back up the hill Scully noticed that, every once in a while, Jadzia tapped her fingertips to the gold badge that she'd pinned above her left breast. "Frightened you'll lose it?" She finally asked. "What? Oh, it's a com badge. I'm trying to open a channel to the Rio Grande's computer." Scully arched an eyebrow. Time travel. Vermiform symbionts living inside a host body. Interstellar space vehicles small enough to be carried away on the back of a low loader. A cellphone in a badge! Well, she'd been wondering what to get Mulder for his next birthday. * * * : Travelways Motor Lodge : 2.08 pm When Scully came back into bedroom, wrapped in a damp towel and using another to dry her hair, she found Jadzia sitting on the end of the bed watching CNN. The reporter was explaining the latest findings of the international survey team based at the North Pole. "The hole in the ozone layer has now extended a further fifty two -" Jadzia twisted around and cast an appreciative glance over Scully. "Depressing stuff," Dana observed, nodding towards the television. "All civilisations go through their problem periods," Jadzia shrugged. Then, realising that she'd already said too much, she turned back to the TV. "What do you mean?" Scully came and sat down next her, circling her arms around her waist and drawing her close. Dax kissed her on the forehead. "Just that Earth is in for a few difficult years." "You're totally serious about this, aren't you? Time travel. The Federation ..." "It's hard to believe, I know." Dax reached behind Scully and started pulling at the makeshift knot that held the towel around her. "When we find the Rio Grande, maybe I'll be able to convince you." As Jadzia slipped the towel off her still damp body, Dana pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. The Trill responded by gently easing her tongue into her mouth, teasing her playfully, sensually, while her fingers traced lines of fire from her waist all the way up to her breasts. Reluctantly, Dana pulled away. "That was nice ..." She took both of Jadzia's hands in hers, held them to her lips, and kissed them softly. "But did you find out anything about Tangent?" Dax pointed across the room to where Scully's lap top was sitting on the dresser, powered up, and displaying a colourful Internet web page. Dana got off the bed, leaving the towel behind her, and went across to study what Jadzia had found. Dax watched her cross the room. Seeing her naked like that, her milky white skin glistening with moisture, and her red hair plastered to her neck; that sent her heart racing, and made the place between her thighs as damp as the shower that Scully had just come out of. She sent that thought packing. Consigned it to the back of her mind. For the moment the Rio Grande was safe enough. Even in the hands of an 'unfriendly' force, its technology was more than a match for primitive and savage twentieth century man. And right now, as she started to undo her tunic, she was more interested in primitive and savage twentieth century woman. Something very similar, relating to incredibly desirable female non- terrestrials from the twenty fourth century, was running through Dana Scully's mind. Despite all her best efforts, she just couldn't bring herself to concentrate on the computer screen. Hungrily, she studied Dax in the mirror. Her eyes stalked her, as she crossed the room, eagerly shedding her clothing as she moved. Jadzia was naked by the time her hands cupped Scully's breasts from behind, her thumbs urgently circling the swelling nipples. "Uh, Jadzia, we should finish looking into Tangent first." She shifted awkwardly on the chair, certain that the juices trickling from between her thighs had already started to stain the cheap cloth. "Just relax, Dana. I downloaded everything we need." Dax's tongue brushed against her ear, tracing along the length of its gentle curve, leaving a thin strand of saliva hanging from the lobe. "Besides, I think there's some *much* more important research that we should be doing." Scully tried to twist her head around to meet Dax's lips with her own, but Jadzia had already moved her attention to the base of her neck. She made a mock growling sound, half distorted by the schoolgirl laugh that she failed to suppress. Dana giggled too, as Dax tickled her neck with the tip of her tongue, carefully moistening an area of skin ready to accept her mark. "What are you - oh!" Dana let out a muffled cry as Jadzia's teeth briefly pinched the sensitive flesh. "I don't think we ever did establish just how many orgasms your body can manage, did we?" Dax rolled her nipples between thumb and forefinger, kissing her ravenously on the neck and shoulder. "Let's conduct some further tests," Scully gasped, grinding her hips together. "Well, I'm not sure," Dax hesitated, releasing her lover's swollen teats and moving her hands to her shoulders. She grinned towards the mirror. "It might be dangerous." "Guess that's a risk I'll have to take." Scully reached up and dragged Jadzia's hands back down to cover her breasts, pressing her palms hard against her erect nipples. "I want you inside me," she moaned, huskily. "Anything to oblige, Agent Scully," Dax said, "if you'll just come back to bed, where you belong." Scully didn't need any further encouragement. She watched, astonished, as Dax stripped the sheets and pillows from the bed, hurling them untidily into the corner of the room, leaving just the bare floral print mattress. "Well, we already ruined one set," Jadzia grinned. "You are so right," Scully agreed. Without warning, she grabbed Dax around the waist and pulled her down onto the bed. With a mutual hunger, a raw and fiery lust, their lips connected, and their tongues intertwined. They became a tangled bundle of limbs, a chaotic union of human and Trill. Scully ended up underneath, as Dax worked her way down her body towards her belly, urged on by Dana's hands gripping her shoulders, guiding her to where she wanted her to be. Pubic hair tickled her nostrils briefly, as her mouth continued its journey towards Scully's pulsating sex. Her tongue flicked out, connected with her swollen clit, circled it, lingered against it, teased it. Scully moaned and writhed, her fingernails digging into Dax's shoulders. Jadzia presented two fingers up to the moist folds of her outer lips, slipped them between, eased them gently into the warm dark passage behind. "Jadzia!" Scully's back arched involuntarily. "Oh, God!" Spurred on by the woman's reaction, Dax carefully inserted a third finger into Scully's passion inflamed cunt, pressing them deep into her, while her thumb and tongue alternated duty, attending to Dana's lust-hardened clitoris. By now, Scully's cries were unintelligible. Wild and savage expressions of the turbulent passions that inflamed her body. Her vaginal muscles contracted violently around Dax's fingers, dragging them deeper inside her, as her sweat-drenched body was wracked, again and again, with the shattering tremors of her climax. When her body finally went limp, and she lay panting with exhaustion and satisfaction, Jadzia gently withdrew from her. She kissed her sticky clit, lapping the nectar from it with her tongue, like a cat at the cream. Grinning wickedly, Jadzia used her index finger to chalk up a figure '1' on Scully's belly, marking her with her own juices. "Oh, God," Scully groaned, feigning despair. "I don't know how many more of those I can stand." "You'd be surprised at the resilience of the human body." Jadzia winked up at her. "In the meantime, Agent Scully, I may be a Trill, but I still have my needs." "Of course you do," Scully grinned. "Come here." * * * : Tangent Industrionics : Ardent Bay, Maine : 4:12 pm Harrison Tangent crossed the big hall at the exact same moment that Scully was about to summon up another blast of sarcasm, with which to despatch the off-handed receptionist. He got there just in time. "Is there a problem here?" Tangent stood with his hands clasped behind his back, rocking slightly on his heels. A tall man; roughly in his mid-fifties, Scully guessed. Distinguished. Handsome. A little bit enigmatic. "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, sir. FBI." She flashed her badge. "And you are?" Tangent turned to Dax. "Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, of the Federation station Deep Space Nine." Dana made a mental note of the fact that his face betrayed no surprise at her introduction. Instead, he held out his hand and shook both of theirs in turn. "And what exactly can I do to help the FBI, Agent Scully?" "If we could talk in private, sir?" He seemed to think about that for a moment, his face assuming a distant countenance, as if his deliberations were taking place in a different universe, somewhere very far away. "Of course, please come this way." Scully had been quick to compliment Jadzia on her research skills, particularly impressed by the way in which she had so quickly and effortlessly mastered the unfriendly Internet access software on her lap top. From the Tangent Home Page, Jadzia had ascertained that the corporate headquarters were right there in Maine, and that Harrison Blake Tangent was the CEO, founder, and principal shareholder. Some further research had thrown more light on the man. Now officially a widower, after the controversial decision of a Maine court, following the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Elspeth, sixteen years previously, Tangent was one of the richest men in America. He was also considered to be something of a recluse. Rarely seen in public, he had a reputation for spurning the social circles that his wealth would have otherwise afforded him access to. One daughter, Claire, now nineteen, helped to round out the picture of Harrison Tangent. As to Tangent Industrionics ... "It's meant to signify the close ties between successful industry and innovative technology," Tangent explained of his company's name. "Basically we buy disparate technologies and combine them in ways that benefit the nation's industries. We're a bit like magpies, really. Except we give back what we collect - a thousand times the better for our involvement." Scully had been studying the poster on the wall behind Tangent's desk. A perfect duplicate of the one in Mulder's office, down in the basement of the J Edgar Hoover building. I WANT TO BELIEVE "Sir, that poster -" He looked over his shoulder at it, stared at it for a few seconds, then turned back with an amicable smile on his face. He opened his palms towards her. "It's just a little ... fascination ... that I have." "May I ask you a question about your wife?" His eyes glazed over for a moment. Again, the distance was there. The remoteness of his intellect, like he had phased out of their reality to consult with an invisible partner. "What do you want to know?" "Could you tell me something about the circumstances of her disappearance?" "It's all on file, Miss Scully." "Please," said Jadzia, "it's very important, and it may save us valuable time with the - case - that we're investigating." He looked over her strange uniform, his eyes straying more than once to the golden badge above her left breast. Scully found herself feeling a pang of jealousy at the strength of his gaze, but it was a feeling that she quickly brought under control. He wasn't viewing her sexually. It was more like an appraisal of a valuable asset. A treasure to be sought after and possessed. And the treasure wasn't Jadzia Dax, she realised, but the com badge that she was wearing. I guess I might have a different opinion as to what constitutes 'treasure', she thought. Tangent cleared his throat. "I believe that my wife was abducted against her will by non-terrestrials." Scully's eyes widened with interest. "Where did this - abduction - happen, sir?" Something in Tangent's face told her that he appreciated her lack of overt skepticism, and felt that she, at least, would listen to what he had to say without the prejudice of preconception. "The field to the North of the McKinley farm," he said. "Sixteen years ago, almost to the day." Scully and Dax looked at one another. * * * He handed the artifact to Dax, while Scully looked on. Jadzia rolled it between the palms of her hands, fascinated by the shiny copper- coloured surface that returned her reflection, distorted so precisely, regardless of the angle at which she held it. "I call it the Egg," he said, hovering close to her, as if ready to catch it, should it fall from her grasp. Dax passed it to Scully. "And you found this at the scene of the disappearance?" From the weight of the object, Dana would have guessed that it was some form of metal, but the surface was warm, pulsating, like the trembling heart of a new born puppy. "Mr. Tangent, have you kept this object stored away ever since your wife's abduction?" Jadzia asked. He paused before replying. "No, not exactly." "What *exactly* have you done with it, sir?" This time it was Dana's question, but she already had an inkling of what the answer might be. "You'll think me ... strange," he slipped his hands into his pockets, and turned to stare out of the rain-drenched window. "Every year, at the precise time and day of her abduction, I go back to the field below the McKinkley farm, with the Egg." "For what purpose?" "I believe the Egg is a beacon. A transmitter for contacting an alien intelligence that has been visiting this planet for centuries. Since long before man walked upright from the swamps." Dana looked at Dax, and nodded her agreement that she should continue. "Actually you're not that far from the truth, Mr. Tangent," Dax said carefully. "The Egg, as you call it, is a long range sub-space distress beacon. I can't tell you exactly who created it, I'm afraid, but it's pretty old. Older than this planet. Those markings," she pointed to the artifact, "are from one of the ancient civilisations. The K'Taan or the Grey. The race that built this probably died out thousands of years ago." Tangent looked at her with something close to adulation, as if she had just spoken the words that reaffirmed every belief that he had ever held dear. "Did you have the artifact with you on Tuesday afternoon?" Scully asked. He nodded his head slowly. "Every year for the past sixteen years. Nothing. Not even a light in the sky ..." "But this Tuesday it was different?" "Yes. This time they answered my call." Dax stepped forward and placed her hands on his forearms. She stared into his increasingly distant eyes. "A ship came through, didn't it?" He nodded again, and his voice was hoarse when he continued. "A fantastic, beautiful, ship. A ship that can take me to the stars. They must have sent it back to me." Jadzia took a deep breath before continuing. "The vessel that you have in your possession is a Federation starship," she explained, "from the twenty fourth century. Brought here by accident when its computer automatically responded to the signals being sent out by the Egg." "From the future? But I don't -" Tangent looked shell-shocked, as if the confirmation of his beliefs had somehow stunned him into near catatonia. He seemed unsure what to say or do next. "Jadzia, you're gonna have to run that last bit by me again." Scully set the Egg down on Tangent's desk and folded her arms across her chest. "The markings describe the purpose and function of the artifact. I can't decipher all of it, but I can tell you that the Egg is more than a simple beacon. It has an intelligence. It's sentient. When it established a link across sub-space - a time transcending link - at the precise moment that the Rio Grande entered the wormhole, it saw the chance to bring the ship here. It overrode the main computer safety protocols, and altered the angle of intersection, sending the Runabout through a space-time shear." "But if its creators are long gone, why would it want to bring the ship here?" "Because that's what it was programmed to do." "And being a synthetic intelligence, a computer, it simply carried on following that programming." Scully tapped the top of the Egg thoughtfully. "That's the idea. For some reason it stayed dormant while Mr. Tangent kept it locked in his safe. Out in the open, it immediately reverted to following its instructions." "OK, don't ask me why I believe this, but, assuming that *is* what happened, how did you get separated from your ship?" "Automatic evacuation procedure. If a hard landing was inevitable, and the chances of the structural integrity field remaining intact were low, the computer would have transported me to the surface." Some of the truth was finally hitting home with Tangent. "This ship ... is yours?" "Not mine, exactly." Jadzia explained apologetically. "It belongs to Starfleet. And I'm very sorry, Mr. Tangent, but, as a Starfleet officer, I have to take back possession of that vessel." "But ... my wife ... I wanted to use the ship. Wanted to find her ..." His world was collapsing around him. Dax gripped his shoulders firmly, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Mr. Tangent - Harrison - I don't know *what* happened to Elspeth. I wish I did. But, please trust me when I tell you that having that Runabout won't help you. In fact, your continuing possession of twenty fourth century technology could have a devastating effect on the timeline." "*You* can help me, then. Help me search for her." She shook her head sadly. "I wouldn't know where to start." He turned away from her. Stared out towards the gathering storm clouds. "Let it go, Harrison." She placed her hands on his shoulders again. "Let *her* go. You've done more than enough for her memory. More than anyone could have expected. She'd be proud of you, and the loyalty you've shown her." When they left his office, he was still sobbing quietly. * * * "Can you fly that thing out of here?" Scully didn't stop to question her own acceptance of the fact that the thing *could* fly. It just seemed somehow self-evident. The hangar had been exactly where Tangent had told them it would be, over on the North side of the small airfield that served Trent and its surrounding towns. On their arrival, the private security men had gracefully relinquished their control of the building, leaving Scully and Dax alone with the Runabout. Jadzia glanced around the narrow hangar. "I don't know," she admitted, with a playful grin, "but I'll sure have some fun trying." Scully took that as a 'yes'. "What do you think happened to Tangent's wife?" Dana could feel herself slipping into a sombre mood, teetering at the edge of an abyss that she so desperately wanted to avoid plunging into. "We'll probably never know the answer to that," Jadzia mused. "It's possible that she *was* abducted. There are records of other races visiting Earth at numerous points throughout its history. Actually, I think it was quite common during this century." Dana found it hard to dismiss a mental picture of Mulder's 'I want to believe' poster. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe," Scully searched for some words, some way of expressing her admiration and respect. Some hint, however restrained, of the love that she felt. It was difficult to accept that she had developed these feelings towards her in the space of just two short days, but they were no less strong for that. She allowed her sentence to trail away. Incomplete. Like her life would now become once more. Dana Scully had never been good at putting emotions into words. They were not scientific. Not quantifiable, or measurable. No numerical scale existed to register the extent of emotional love. No set of physical laws, or mathematical constants, or equations that modelled the behaviour of the human soul. No blueprint from which the component parts could be reassembled. "It's your job not to believe," said Dax, stepping up to encircle her with her arms. "Mine too. We're scientists, Dana. Skepticism is in the job description." They kissed, and Scully knew that she was facing an ending. A line drawn across her life to that point. She had found a lover, a friend, and an extremely capable partner. Not a replacement for Mulder, but an alternative. A different kind of partnership. If she were truthful to herself, she could see how hard it would be to make such a partnership work in the long term. But, Christ, it had been fun while it lasted. Dana drew away. "Can we do this again sometime?" The words were not an expression of her thoughts, not even a close approximation of the feelings that churned anxiously within her. They were meaningless, casual, words. Totally at odds with the mounting feeling of loss. But they were the words that allowed her to keep control. The words that shored up the foundations, on which her so very fragile barriers were built. "I'd like nothing more ... but the Federation get awfully upset about gratuitous time travel." She shook her head apologetically, before making a counter suggestion. "Dana, why don't you come back with me." "To the twenty fourth century?" Scully looked taken aback. "You'd love it." "Doesn't that count as gratuitous time travel too?" "Things are going to get pretty rough here on Earth in the next few years," she confided, knowing that she was breaking the Prime Directive - yet again. "It's going to get a lot worse, before it gets better." "I sort of figured that." Scully shrugged her shoulders. It was a gesture of acceptance. Of the inevitability of a future that she knew she couldn't avoid facing. "Thanks, Jadzia, but someone has to stay around and help Mulder carry on the fight. Someone has to save the world." "Well, if you're sure ..." She hesitated, words refusing to form from thoughts that were incomplete and unfocused. "Look, Dana, I hate long goodbyes ... You take care of yourself." Scully managed a smile, swallowing hard to dismiss the lump from her throat. "You too." Dax picked up the Egg from where it had been lying at her feet, and tapped her com badge. "Dax to Rio Grande. Computer, one to beam aboard." When she vanished amidst a sparkling shower of coloured lights, Dana Scully was not in the least bit surprised. Nor did she even bat an eyelid, when the Runabout powered up its engines, lifted silently off the ground, hovered there for a few seconds, then shot out through the open double doors, like a bullet from a gun. Scully stepped outside to watch the tiny ship vanish into the upper atmosphere. She didn't doubt, for one moment, Lieutenant Jadzia Dax's ability to use the alien technology of the copper-coloured egg to return her to her home. Somewhere in the twenty fourth century. * END * v3 (22/07/1998) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to Radclyffe and Selena for their suggestions to improve the story, most of which I used. My special thanks to Hal, who gave me the best two reasons I ever heard why this story should be written. DISCLAIMER : "The X Files," Mulder and Scully are the intellectual property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Television. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is copyright Paramount Pictures. All other copyrights are acknowledged. This story is fan fiction and has not been produced to profit from the copyright owners, nor to deprive them of revenue. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is entirely unintentional. It may be archived provided that this disclaimer is included, the author is clearly identified, and the story is not altered in any way. It may not be distributed for profit.