From: "The Fox" Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 18:20:34 +1000 Subject: xfc: An Early Morning Case Continues by The Fox Source: xfc Title: An Early Morning Case Continues Author: The Fox E-mail: xmarksthespot8@hotmail.com Spoilers: none Rating: PG-13 for language (and maybe playful thoughts!) Disclaimer: What do you think? Summary: An early morning case continues and seems to have turned out to be an X-File. Author's note: This is a continuation of An Early Morning Case and in reply to Kimpa's great response in Scully's voice. I can never back down from a challenge! The ball is now in your court, darlin'! You may need to read the first two stories in order for this story to make sense. Thanks to Kimpa for the beta (and the challenge!) and for the website where my stories have their own den www.kimpart.com (www.kimpart.com/foxden.html) XXXXXXXXXX An Early Morning Case Continues by The Fox "Scully...?" It moaned! The cadaver on the autopsy table just moaned! Fuck! Now Scully should have a hard time explaining that this isn't vampirism or some other form of anomaly now! Scully moves back towards the table and we both stare at the body. It hasn't moved and we wait to see if we can witness this again. Nothing. "Scully...?" I repeat, wanting her confirmation. "Gas, Mulder." Gas? What the hell is that supposed to mean? That's her explanation? "Gas? Scully, if you hadn't noticed while you were performing the autopsy, he's dead. Are we talking flatulence from a corpse?" Scully's eyes wander over the body to meet mine on the other side of the table. "Mulder, corpses have been known to expel gases..." "Scully, he moaned!" "It only sounded like a moan. He is NOT a vampire." Damn her science! Her eyes sweep over the body once more before she turns back to her previous destination. "I'm going to change. You are NOT getting out of dinner that easily." After sampling her lips, why would I even think of getting out of dinner? But if that was just a sample, we could forget about dinner and dive into desert... Scully peers around the door of the back room. "Mulder, if he moves, there's some tongue dispensers on one of the shelves. You could construct a crucifix. Be resourceful, Mulder." Very funny, partner. She disappears back into the room before I can think of an apt reply. Whatever. I'm really anticipating tonight. I stare at the corpse a while longer while waiting for Scully to emerge dressed and ready to leave. No more moans or gases being emitted. I need to move away from the table. I've never been one for slicing and dicing at the best of times and with this guy's stomach contents placed in the kidney- shaped bowl beside him for the entire world to see, I'm liking it even less. Stepping over to the counter, I note Scully's circular handwriting and try to decipher the medical scrawl. Just as I think I've managed to confirm the contents of the stomach, I hear shuffling. I look up thinking my partner is now ready but am met with an empty room, bar the corpse. I think maybe I need to catch up on some rest too before our date tonight. I return to the file and try to concentrate on the notes Scully has written regarding the puncture wounds on the neck. More shuffling brings my attention back to scan around the room again. Nothing. Okay, now I'm hearing things? Great. Wait. Weren't the corpse's hands at his sides before? I try to recall the position that Scully left him in as I wander back over to the table. The hands are now on the chest covering part of the y-incision that Scully performed earlier. I convince myself that Scully must've placed them there and decide to go and see what's taking my partner so long. As I am almost at the door I hear the same shuffling noise coming from behind me. I feel like I'm in one of those B grade horror movies, as I seem to turn around in slow motion. Jesus, the fucking corpse is sitting upright! Its eyes are open and staring at me while drool is pooling on its chin. What the hell? "Scully?" I back up against the door, feeling my heart beating a little faster and rap on the door. "Hey, Scully!" I wonder if she can detect the panic in my voice. "Almost ready Mulder. Just a minute." Scully's voice is muffled behind the door. "Ah...I don't think I have a minute here!" Jesus, that sounded pathetic but I'm getting desperate as I notice the corpse is now grinning. Shit! What is she doing in there? "Mulder don't be so impatient. I'm almost done." Almost done? Christ, is it just me or is she taking her time? Okay, think man, think! What did she say before? Crucifix? Tongue dispensers! Somehow looking at this corpse coming to life, I may need something a little more substantial. I take a wide berth around the autopsy table and observe the head rotate, following my movements. Whoa! Trying to keep my eyes on the creature from the Night of The Living Dead, I rummage through some drawers looking for anything that might suffice. I'm not coming up with anything as the corpse swings one leg and then the other to the edge of the table. Fuck! Fuck! I can't find anything! As the thing stands I fumble for the tongue dispensers. What the hell, it couldn't hurt and I'm not that fussy at this particular moment. The jar falls as I grab a handful and it smashes into tiny fragments on the linoleum floor. With what I have in my shaking hands, I select two of the wooden sticks and form a cross in front of me. The corpse's grin widens and I can detect a couple of elongated teeth protruding now. Oh shit! The line from Little Red Riding Hood goes through my mind: "All the better to eat you with, my dear!" I shake my head, trying to dislodge the thought. I'm in definite panic mode if I'm thinking of children's stories at a time like this. "Hey, Scully! Get out here!" Oh yeah, now that sounded like a definite panic voice. I want her out here if not to be the last person I see before I die but just to witness this one particular turn of events; at least to prove me right about this case. "Jesus, Mulder! I'll be right there!" She answers in a very exasperated tone but she still doesn't appear. Shit! The vampire-corpse is now approaching me on stiff legs, closing the distance. I extend my arms directly in front of me, the tongue dispensers formed into a cross. I hope this is going to work as I stand my ground. I can feel sweat trickle down my back and my entire arms are now shaking, still holding the makeshift crucifix in front of me. The corpse continues his slow trek toward me. Nope, I guess this isn't going to work. Books dealing with vampirism are mainly fictitious, so I have to wrack my eidetic memory for anything I've read up on the subject and sift through all the bullshit. Somehow I think this is going to take more time than I have and in my panicked state, I'm not coming up with much. As the corpse descends upon me, I grope for my pistol and at first can't find it through the layer of coat and jacket. Where? Where? Finally, just as the thing stretches out its arm toward me, my hand grasps the handle and I whip it out just in time to see the rotting mouth open wider. I hardly hear the deafening blast of my gun as I observe the corpse clutch at its chest, fresh blood oozing from the gaping wound and through the clasping fingers. It staggers backwards and stumbles onto the autopsy table, the bowl with the stomach contents plummeting to the floor and splattering everywhere. "Mulder!" Scully rushes into the room, weapon held directly in front of her, turning left then right. Her eyes then focus on me, eyebrow raised in a silent question. "I'm okay." She bolts over to me and begins kneading and poking at my chest, pulling my coat and jacket aside. "Hey, Scully..." I try a teasing tone to lighten the mood and hide my shakiness. "Can't you wait till after dinner?" She sighs but continues her doctor-mode. "Mulder, I'm checking to see if you're okay." "Any excuse to feel me up, huh? I already told you I'm okay." Scully pulls away and I waggle my eyebrows at her. She releases another sigh, rolling her eyes. "He's the one that's shot, not me." Scully re-focuses her attention on the body splayed awkwardly over the autopsy table and moves tentatively toward the mess. She steps over the stomach contents and overturned bowl. "You shot him?" I move beside her, my pistol aimed at the corpse's head. I want to be assured that if the bloodsucker rises again I can put it out of action in no time flat. "Self defense." I state. "Mulder, he's dead." She raises an eyebrow again. "Damned straight! He is now!" What is she getting at? Does she think I get my rocks off from shooting corpses? "Mulder, he was already dead. I completed an autopsy just minutes ago." "Your point is?" "Mulder..." "Scully, he rose from the dead and came at me." "Mulder..." She shakes her head. "Too many vampire stories." "Scully, didn't you hear me call you? That thing sat upright, grinned at me with fangs and walked toward me! I shot him before he attacked me!" I think my voice has reached a pleading tone because Scully is now nodding instead of shaking her head. A sure sign that she's about to either disprove me, humor me or ignore me completely. "Listen to yourself, Mulder. 'Rose from the dead?' 'Sat upright?' 'Fangs?'" "Scully, just check his teeth." She purses her lips, grabs a pair of latex gloves from the counter, slaps them on and then hesitantly leans over the body, prying open one side of the mouth. I feel myself leaning further forward, fingers grasping my pistol a little tighter, ready. I also want to see her reaction to the teeth. Shit! They're normal. How the hell...? Scully turns her head toward me, fingers still pinching the top lip open. I receive another arched eyebrow. Whoa boy. "Scully, I swear..." "Mulder, are you seeing this?" She points to the teeth of the corpse with her free hand. "Do you see the size of the canine tooth Mulder? And how about we confirm some more..." She pulls at the lip on the other side as she talks. "No, Mulder. I see perfectly healthy canine teeth and incisors there. What do you see?" I re-holster my gun and wait to answer, considering her condescending voice. "Scully, why would I fabricate a story like that?" She tears off both gloves, leaving them on the table by the corpse, all the while her eyes never leaving mine. "I don't know, Mulder. Why don't you tell me?" Both hands are on her hips now, head tilted slightly up toward me, a slight flush on her cheeks. This does not look good. "I'm telling you, Scully, he stood and came toward me! He..." "Mulder, if you didn't want to take me to dinner, you should have just said so. There was no need to use that vampire story..." She turns and heads for the door. Ah shit! "Scully, why won't you believe me!" I hightail after her. She may be tiny, but boy can she set a fast pace. Maybe its all that practice keeping up with my longer strides. "I was looking forward to dinner too." She stops in her tracks, slowly facing me again. "Were you really?" "Scully..." I reach out, pulling her close to me. Tactile contact is always my best method of approach with Scully. Sometimes words -- and I admit I abuse my knowledge of vocabulary, more times than not -- just don't cut it with her. "I just don't understand you sometimes, Mulder." She emphasizes my name by tugging on my tie. "Scully, I really wasn't lying or imagining it. The body did move. How do you think it got in that position? An inanimate body just doesn't jump into that position after being shot. I wouldn't go to the trouble of rearranging it just to authenticate it either. Give me some credit." She raises her eyes. I can see questions lingering there now. "Well, you certainly wouldn't have had time to from when I heard the shot to my I entering the room." "So you believe me?" I imitate her usual facial expression by raising both my brows. I can't do the one eyebrow thing that not only can be cute on her but also as sexy as a verbal tease. "C'mon, Scully, why would I lie?" "Well..." She doesn't finish as she looks back around me at the corpse. I suddenly feel her hands around my waist, slowly moving under my coat and jacket. Jesus, what is she doing? I thought she was the one being shy in front of a cadaver! Her left hand seems to be the more active of the two around my waist and has begun tugging at my shirt and waistband. Shit, Scully, we've only just kissed the once! Maybe all that pent up sexual tension was not only one-way after all. I can feel my body reacting and as I'm hoping this is not going to scare her away, she pushes me aside with such force for her petite stature that I almost stumble. My first thought is that she's shocked or appalled at my reflexive response to her movements. The blast brings me back to reality and I see my pistol in Scully's hands. Small wisps of smoke rise from the barrel and Scully's knuckles are white as her grip is tight on the handle. The scene is almost surreal. I look from Scully's pale face to the body on the floor. The face is almost unrecognizable now as the bullet hit the face, splattering both bone and brain matter around what is left of the head and some of the floor around it. I notice a piece of brain matter has struck my coat and I quickly brush it off with a distasteful grunt. Scully 's eyes are wide either in shock or disbelief or both. Her pallor frightening in its whiteness. "Are you okay?" I'm positive that's not reassuring, but it's all I can think of to say at this moment in time as I'm still processing this situation myself, but I'm always in 'check Scully' mode after any predicament. "Mulder, I don't... What...?" Obviously she's having trouble comprehending the situation too. "What did you see, Scully?" "He... He... He was coming toward you. He... Fangs, Mulder... I don't..." She lowers the gun and I take it from her shaking fingers. I allow my own fingers to caress her hands, just to reassure her that everything is okay now. "Scully, you saw it. Now you have to believe me." I look back at the mutilated face on the ground in front of us. "That was definitely not a case of flatulence." In all this chaos, I have managed to coax a smile from her. She shakes her head. "Mulder, I have no explanation for this. As a scientist..." "Fuck science, Scully! For once, just go with it!" "Mulder..." "Let's clean up this mess and get out of here. You want me to stick a stake through his heart to make sure?" "No, I somehow think without a head, he's not going to be a threat any more." "Well, I see now that most of the vampire myths are wrong then." Scully looks at me as if I've gone completely mad but I continue. "He was stopped by a simple bullet. Well, for a while with the first bullet, but it doesn't look like he's going to be able to repair that face any time soon and it wasn't even a silver bullet." "Mulder, you are so full of crap." "What?" "Silver bullets are for werewolves, not vampires." I can't help but smile down at this wonderful woman. "Scully, you've been holding out on me! When did you learn to talk the way I like?!" She throws a latex glove at me. "If you want to hear more about what I know, get a move on so we can get out of here G-man." "Ooo Scully! Baby, you know what I like!" "Just go with it, Mulder!" Oh yeah! XXXXXXXXXX The End...?