From: "Valoree Killian" Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 19:44:08 EST Subject: new story: Gesalt Source: direct Gesalt Part 1/ 7 By Madam Zirinka Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, and Dana Scully don't belong to me, as much as I want them, they belong to Chris Carter and 1013 productions, some people have all the luck. Of course no copyright infringement is intended, so don't sue me I'm flat broke. FYI: Gesalt is another word for 'one' or part of a whole. I thought it fit. Classification: MSR Spoilers: "Small Potatoes", "Blackwood" This little product of too much time on my hands is dedicated to Sarah Kiley, a true friend who supported me through this. Thank-You. Just so you know, I wrote most of this story before "Two Fathers" and "One Son". In fact, the whole story takes place directly after the events of "Blackwood" --look at it as my season six. --Enjoy! Chapter One "I can't fight this feeling any longer And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow What started out as friendship has grown stronger I only wish I had the strength to let it show..." -"Can't fight this feeling" REO Speedwagon June 19, 1999 St. Mary's Church Canandaigua, New York He stood in the rear of the church. A dark man with a dark heart. Hiding in the shadows to avoid being noticed. Scully was radiant. Dressed in a long, white silk gown. The fire of her red hair barely hidden by the veil she wore. Her smile lit up the entire room. She looked at the man on her right with an expression of such love and happiness, the hearts of those in her presence couldn't help but be touched. Some smiled, some cried, one frowned. Her smile was a little to bright, like it was being forced, and her eyes not so much happy as something else. Mulder rubbed the side of his face, startled to find rough stubble that tore at his skin. When was the last time he had shaved? He asked himself. Hell, how long had it been since he was home? He mused. He again looked to the front of the church, and his heart lurched. She was an angel. Dana Katherine Scully. His Scully. His partner. His friend. His confidant. His- Not his, he amended. Certainly not after today. Maybe not ever. Now she was Karl's. "May I now present, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Maddox." The plump old priest finished the ancient ceremony, the pair kissed, and began to walk down the aisle. Mulder pressed further against the rear wall. Watching as bride and groom left the church. He closed his eyes. The nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right pushed to the back of his mind, making way for anger and frustration. "What happened to us, Scully?" he whispered. ***************** FBI Headquarters Mulder's Office He didn't know how long he'd sat there. Just thinking. Of nothing and everything. Of Samantha, of Phoebe, his mother, his father, Diana, and...Scully. Remembering not so long ago when the FBI shut down the X-Files again, how OPR had transferred Scully to Utah. When she resigned instead of leaving....Mulder didn't know what to think. He had been glad she wasn't going to leave him, but without the X-Files was there anything worthwhile between them? And God, how he'd almost told her, right there in that hallway how much she had come to mean to him. Fox Mulder hated bees. Scully's transfer was eventually revoked. But the X-Files were still being debated over. The two were still partners, but doing entry level grunt work. But there was something new between them. Mulder knew how Scully felt, how she thought he never really accepted her, and she knew that he couldn't complete his quest without her. He was so afraid she felt trapped by this need. Then it started. The fights, arguments over the littlest things. The result of too much tension, professional, and personal. She spent more and more of her free time God knew where. She wouldn't tell him. He had his suspicions, just didn't want to believe them. When it came to his private life, he trusted no one, and in the past several years he'd made damn sure he didn't have to. He'd never allowed anyone close enough to worry about trust and betrayal. That was the rule he lived by. That was the rule he understood. But with a few impassioned words and deeds the rules had suddenly changed. He wasn't used to someone picking up the torch for him, making his fight their fight, forging the way beside him. Scully had worked her way into his life, and his heart. He felt stronger and justified in his quest for the mythical truth, she'd become his port in the storm, his candle in the window. Today Mulder was ready to make his move. He was ready to pour his heart out to this woman, to hell with the bugs in the office, to start over with her, to erase their doubts. Mulder's heart skipped a beat when she walked into the office the duo shared with a handful of other agents. It stopped dead when he saw her expression. The hesitation, worry. He knew what she was going to say was going to be bad. "Mulder, I don't know how to tell you this." She began whispered awkwardly, sitting down in a chair in front of his desk. He held his breath, waiting for the ax to fall, knowing his head was on the block. "I'm getting married. Karl, the man I've been seeing for recently, proposed to me a few weeks ago." She peered anxiously into his eyes, looking for something. Acceptance, happiness, anger, jealousy? Mulder didn't know. He kept his face a controlled mask, so as not to show her how his heart had broken, how his soul was weeping. "Congratulations, Scully." He cleared his throat, wondering why she hadn't told him sooner. "Um, I've got...We've got-" "I can't Mulder. Karl and I are..." She sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I'm moving in with him, but he lives in New York. So I asked-" "Skinner for a transfer, and you're leaving. Right?" Mulder finished for her. "No, I just gave my notice about two weeks ago, I'm leaving tomorrow." She whispered, biting her lower lip and staring at her lap. "Mulder, I'm-" "Do you love him?" Please say no, Scully, I can't lose you not now... "What?" She looked up startled. "Do you love him?" He asked again. "I...I do. Mulder-" He shook his head suddenly, vehemently. "Then go Scully." "I still want to help you re-open the X-Files, Mulder." He shook his head, "No, Scully. This is my quest, you don't have to waste your life on it any longer. Go with him, be happy." She stood and down into his eyes, as if she was memorizing what he looked like. "Good-bye, Mulder." Scully walked out the door and leaving an empty void he hadn't realized needed filling until she had walked in for the first time almost six years ago. That had been the last time he'd seen her before today. He remained in shadow as the last of the guests filed out to attend the reception. He walked up to the alter and stared at the flowers, and candles still lit around him. He closed his eyes trying to envision what it would have been like to stand here with her. To look into her eyes and see his own feelings reflected in those shining blue orbs. To say the words that would bind them body and soul for the rest of their lives. He reached out and stroked the petals of a red rose partially falling out of a vase on the alter, imagining it was her silky skin he touched. He'd have had Skinner for his best man, he owed it to him. And maybe Scully would have chosen her mother as her matron of honor. It occurred to him then that Scully had no bridesmaids, and Maddox had no best man. Something was wrong, the feeling slammed into his gut with a vengeance. He was going to see her even if it killed him. His mind made up, he turned and walked out the door. Fox Mulder didn't look back. *************************** Canandaigua Inn on the Lake Canandaigua, New York He walked quietly into the reception area. The bride and groom were having their first dance. Mulder stepped out onto the terrace overlooking the lake, and waited in the shadow of the setting sun. The happy music wound around the enthusiastic celebrants. All but one lonely man cloaked in shadows. Chapter 2 "Through the years I've grown to love you Though your commitment to most would offend I stuck by your side, holding on with my foolish pride Waiting for you to give in You never tried or so it seemed I've had much more than myself to blame I've had enough of trying everything This time it is the end" -"Path of Thorns" Sarah McLachlan St. Mary's Church Father Mike's Office (Earlier that same day) Dana Katherine Scully had always thought of herself as an intelligent woman. Then why couldn't she have figured out a way to avoid marriage to this man she hated with a passion? About a month ago, Karl Maddox approached her and showed her documentation that would destroy Mulder's career. He wouldn't give it to their superiors, if she married him. A simple plan, with the same intent as many others. Only this one just might succeed. "But, why marriage? Why not money, or forcing me to spy on him again. I don't understand." She protested. The man merely smiled. "Let's just say it will please my employer immensely." "Why?" Dana asked again. The man did something Dana hated. He invaded her personal space as he spoke these next words, "Because this will destroy Fox Mulder more completely than these documents ever could, Red." He pushed a small jeweler's box towards her. Dana opened it to discover a small solitary diamond. "You will wear that tomorrow, and tell little Foxy that the man you have been dating proposed to you. Also tell him the fact you're resigning from the FBI, and moving to New York to live with him." "Who is the man?" The sun glinted off Karl's blond hair. A cold light shone in his blue eyes. He smiled as evilly as any devil and replied, "Why me, my darling." And she had picked up the box, and walked into Mulder's office the next morning and told him. "Do you love him?" He'd asked her. She looked deep into his eyes, pleading with him to call her a liar, to know she wasn't telling him the truth. Or even tell her that she couldn't marry this asshole, that he loved her and wanted her. But he didn't. All he had done was look at her with those large hazel eyes like a lost little puppy, and allowed her to walk out of the office and his life. Now she was standing in this church, about to marry a man she'd rather kill than look at. Damn you Fox Mulder for not saving me, for not fighting for me, she fumed. Yet she wished she could have told Mulder. To wipe that hang-dog look off his face. To take him in her arms and.... Stop right there, Dana. You know that will never happen. Especially not now. "Dana, are you ready?" Bill poked his head in the door. She turned and Bill's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his baby sister. She was a vision in white lace and satin. She looked almost as lovely as his wife had on their special day. The only difference, was Dana wore a look more befitting one who was waiting for the guillotine, not the altar. "What's wrong?" He stepped into the room and placed an arm around her shoulders. Dana buried her face into her brother's shoulder and tried not to cry. "Nothing," she sighed, "I'm just a little nervous." Bill hesitated. He wanted to press her further but wasn't sure how she'd react. Maybe it was just him. "Then, I guess it's time." he said. The two walked out of the room and down the hallway to take their place at the rear of the church. Bill tucked Scully's hand into the crook of his arm. "You know, I always thought Dad would be the one to walk you down the isle." The minute the words were out of his mouth Bill realized he should have kept it shut. Tears glistened in the depths of Dana's blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Dana. I know how much you miss him." "It's okay, Bill. I always thought Ahab would be here, too. I hope in a way he is." And that he would understand what I'm about to do. She added silently. They smiled at each other as the Wedding March began to play. Before Dana knew it she was at the alter facing her 'beloved'. Karl took her hand roughly in his. As the priest began to speak he whispered in her ear, "Smile, Darling. You mustn't look like you're going to a funeral. Besides, you need to put on a good show for you-know-who." Dana turned her head to look for Mulder, but was stopped by Karl. "Uh-uh. Don't look at him, just at me." The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Dana's heart was filled with pain at the lies she was forced to tell before her God. And Mulder. Lord only knows what he's going through, she thought. "You may now kiss the bride." The priest's words snapped Dana's mind fully back to what was going on. Karl leaned in towards her, a cold smirk upon his lips. Rather like the school yard bully tormenting a small kindergartner. Dana turned her head in time, so Karl's kiss fell instead on her cheek. "May I now present, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Maddox." As the two marched back down the aisle, Dana noticed a tall figure shrouded in shadows. Mulder. She tried to call out to him or to wave, but Karl dragged her outside to the waiting limousine. The ride to the reception was quiet. Dana sat lost in her own thoughts, while Karl spoke softly to someone on his cell phone. Try as she might, Dana could not make out the conversation. The reception party was crazy. With all her relatives there and Karl's, hired by the consortium no doubt, together witnessed the couple's first dance. Then, mercifully, Dana was free for a few minutes. No one to act happy in front of, and better yet, no Karl. Scully strolled out onto the terrace overlooking the lake. For a brief, insane moment she contemplated throwing herself off the ledge into the cold water below. She sighed and tilted her head back to capture the last lingering rays of the sun on her upturned face. She tried to block it all out, to focus on the quiet music the DJ was playing, when she felt it. He was here. She was sure of it. A hand settled softly on her back. SheWasDreamingSheWasHallucinatingMulder WasInDCNotHereWithHer "May I have this dance?" a soft baritone asked her. Scully's heart leaped into her throat. Mulder. He was here! He'd save her! They'd.... "Scully?" She turned and glided effortlessly into his arms. She sighed as he tucked her small hands around his waist. "I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled softly. Dana rested her head against his crumpled white shirt as the latest song from Kenny G drifted to them from inside, just enjoying being in his arms one more time. Maybe for the last time... They continued to sway to the music of the following song, wrapped up in each other's arms. Neither wanting to let the other go. "I've missed you, Scully." Mulder's breath teased her ear, as he bent down to whisper to her. "What have you been doing, Mulder? I've never seen you this...this...?" "Disheveled?" he smiled ruefully. "I've been busy the past few days trying to track you down, before..." "Before what?" Scully asked as her heart seemed to stop. "Nothing, Scully." He tried to turn away from her, not an easy task since he didn't want to let go of her. Scully placed her hand on his cheek, "Please tell me Mulder." "I can't." His tortured eyes bored into her own, "Not now, but maybe someday." Scully took a deep breath, "Mulder I have to tell you something. I'm not-" "Dana! There you are!" Karl strode out onto the terrace. His steely eyes raking over the pair as they split guiltily apart. He thought it perfect that Mulder was there. A wonderful opportunity to twist the knife a little deeper. Arthur strode to her side, taking her into his arms and kissing her passionately. It was all Dana could do not to gag, and kill the bastard with her bare hands. Standing there watching them Mulder's thoughts mirrored his former partner's. Only his were a little more violent. And unprintable. "Sweetheart, they're waiting for us to cut the cake." He said, one hand lazily rubbing her back. "Karl, could you give me one more moment to say goodbye to Mulder?" "But-" "Please, tell them I'll be right there." She stated very firmly. If Karl wanted her, he'd have to drag her back. Dana wasn't going to move. She had to tell him the truth. Karl nodded, and reluctantly walked back into the party. "Mulder, I don't have time to tell you now, but wait for me in my room. Ground floor, number 42. I'll explain everything there, I don't have time now." She reached up and caressed his cheek, "Trust me." With that look in her eyes how could he not? Even after everything they'd been through, how could he not trust her? He nodded his agreement, and watched as she walked back to the reception. A vision in white lace, and silk. While he was wearing the same clothes he'd put on two or three days ago. But only one who truly knew Dana Katherine Scully could see the way her spine was straight and true, how her shoulders squared themselves with military precision, and know this was because she was determined to see this through, as if her own wedding reception was no more than another case to be solved, no more than another bad guy to be taken down. Then and there Fox Mulder knew what he had suspected for quite some time. Scully was being forced to marry this son of a bitch against her will. And he was determined to find out why. Chapter 3 "I will always love you I would never leave you alone... I don't want to lose you I could never make it alone I am a man who will fight for your honor I'll be the hero you're dreaming of We'll live forever Knowing together that we did it all for the glory of love." -"Glory of Love" Peter Cetera Dana didn't know how she had gotten through the past several hours. Thank the Lord it was over, she thought. She fingered the small cross she wore around her neck as she made her way to her rooms, once again free, if only briefly, from the multitude of people that had surrounded her all day. She hoped Mulder had stayed, that he'd be waiting for her. She wasn't disappointed. Dana opened the door to see him laying on her bed, his tie and jacket on the floor, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, watching an old episode of Star Trek. It felt so good seeing him, Dana's stomach knotted up. He switched off the TV as she walked into the room. For the first time in her life since she was a little girl, she squirmed under another's gaze. He openly stared at her, not bothering to hide the hot emotion in his eyes. Dana felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks, damn her Irish skin, as she cleared her throat and debated what to say to him. "I-I'm going to go change out of this." She ruffled the full skirt of her dress. Then she bolted for the bathroom. As she locked the door behind herself, she realized she forgot her clothes which were resting happily in the bottom of her suitcase. A knock at the door made her jump. She opened it, peering cautiously out. Mulder thrust her suitcase into her hands. "You forgot this." He said. Dana colored even deeper. Why was she feeling like this around her partner, her best friend? "Thanks." She said and quickly closed the door. Mulder stared at the bathroom door for a moment before reclaiming his place on the bed. A permanent place for the image of Dana Katherine Scully took up residence in his mind and wouldn't leave. She looked like and angel. And a valkrie. A contrast that fit Scully to a 't'. Moments later, Dana reappeared, clothed in a black cotton shirt and jeans, her hair rumpled. She stood for a moment just looking at Mulder, looking at her. "I'm surprised that Mr. *Maddox*," he accented the name horribly, "Would allow his blushing bride to leave their happy party so soon." She sat down in a chair not far from the bed. "Actually, Mulder, that kind of surprised me as well." He raised his eyebrows signaling her to continue. "I'm not certain how to tell you this. I'm not even supposed to, if they found out..." She sighed. "But I can't continue this lie for another moment." Mulder rose off the bed and knelt down in front of her. He reached out and took her small hands into his much larger ones. "What is it, Scully?" Dana looked down into his hazel eyes, filled with trust and something else she couldn't name. She drew in a steadying breath, and began. "Last month I was approached by a man named Karl Maddox. He cornered me while I was eating lunch alone, and showed me something. Assorted documents pinning several unsolved murders on you, Mulder. And a statement from a psychologist stating that profilers after years of getting into the heads of serial murderers sometimes tend to fall into that same dark well. Those who once stopped the murders found themselves committing them instead. He had pictures, sworn statements... He threatened to leak it to the FBI bigwigs. It would have meant the end of your career, Mulder. Maybe even the end of your life. He said he wouldn't do this if I agreed to marry him. A little unusual, but after I realized it meant my leaving, I knew it was probably a ruse to get me out of the way, again. To prevent the X-Files from being re-opened." Dana paused and looked away from his direct gaze. "I knew I couldn't let them do this to you, not after all we've been through, so I agreed. They never doubted I would, so here we are..." She trailed off ending the whole story. "What do we do now, Mulder?" "Then they knew I would come running after you. They wanted to get us both here. But why?" Mulder resumed his pacing as the two tried to digest everything that had happened. Mulder mainly trying to cope with what Scully had done to protect him, Dana amazed by the fact that he came after her. Both afraid to uncover the reason why the pair had done these things. Mulder stopped, coming to a decision. "Dana where is Maddox's room?" Dana looked puzzled. "Right next door. What do you want in his room, Mulder?" "Well if these documents are so damned important, then wouldn't it make sense for Maddox to have them with him? As insurance if you decided to bolt?" She nodded, finally seeing where he was going. "So you want to break into his room, steal the papers, and destroy them so I don't have to spent the rest of my life with this asshole." Mulder shook his head, "Scully when you do that it's positively Spooky." Outside Room #44 Five minutes later... Dana stood peering around the hall way, making sure nobody was lurking around. Mulder had discovered that Karl had kept his window open, so he had decided to take the easy route. He was supposed to let her in, but she'd been waiting so long she was afraid he forgot. Or was having trouble. She shouldn't have worried. She heard a muffled curse, followed by a soft thud. A moment later the door clicked softly open allowing her access. Mulder was already searching through Maddox's clothes, so Scully began by looking under the bed. Nothing. She stood up and brushed herself off, making her way into the bathroom when Mulder called her over. "Scully look," he said holding up a discarded packet of Morleys. "I don't think Maddox smokes, does he?" Scully shook her head. She had never seen him, anyway. So that meant that Cigatette-SmokingSonofaBitch was involved in this. Scully watched Mulder drop the packet back into the garbage pail, and stared at it for a moment. Dana moved over to the table by the bed, and opened the single drawer there. Under the bible she found a slim manila folder. She held it up triumphantly, when a low beeping noise sounded. She peered into the drawer to see a small box flashing a red light at her. Shit. "Mulder, what is this?" He moved over to investigate. "Trouble. Miniature motion detector." Was all he said. "Scully, we have to get the hell out of here. Now." He grabbed her arm, and pulled her over to the window, helping her through. They almost made it. "Hold it right there." Karl said pointing his Sig Saur at the agents, one hanging halfway out the window, the other holding her arms. "Pull her back in, Foxy." Mulder turned back to the window and mouthed to Scully to drop the file into the bushes, and to run. She shook her head at him, if he wasn't with her she wasn't going to leave. "Now." Maddox moved closer to the window, putting his gun barrel against Mulder's temple. Mulder pulled Scully back in slowly, the manila envelope still in her hands. Dana sank to her knees, her abdomen aching. Maddox yanked the folder out of her hands, and tossed it onto the bed. "Hands on your head, Foxy. Move slowly over to the chair over there. Dana, darling, lay face down right here." Then Maddox did the worst thing possible. He turned his back on Scully. Karl pulled his cell phone out of his briefcase on the dresser. He dialed and waited for an answer. "Sir, I've got him." He listened for a moment, then hung up. "Better get comfortable, you're going to be here a while." Maddox sounded confident, but Mulder knew better. The man's body language was screaming out that he was scared, excited, and anxious. Not a good combination. It was good in that the man was more likely to make mistakes, but bad if he got a little trigger happy. Maddox whipped off his tie and used it as a makeshift rope to bind Mulder's hands together. He was so busy, or maybe too overconfident, to notice Scully quietly stand up and move behind him until it was too late. Before he knew it, Scully had kicked the Sig out of Maddox's hands and had him pinned to the floor, one knee firmly implanted in his back. "What the hell-?" He sputtered. "One thing I learned a long time ago, *Mr. Maddox*," Mulder said, struggling to remove something from his pocket with his bound hands, "*Never* turn your back on Dana Scully." He removed his handcuffs from his pocket, and tossed them at Dana as best he could. She snapped them onto Maddox, and stood up, tucking his Sig into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. Dana untied Mulder quickly, ignoring the snarled insults hurled by Maddox. Scully began to gather up the scattered parts of the file. Mulder stood up, rubbing his wrists, and preparing to kick Maddox's teeth down to join his lunch. Scully noticed them first as she glanced out the window. Several unmarked black cars pouring into the hotel parking lot. Not surprising the first man to step out resembled a chimney. "Mulder, we've gotta go." She said, pushing past him to run out the door, leaving Mulder to follow. "Where's your car?" She asked as she jogged into the stair well. "By now? Surrounded." He replied, "There's no way in hell we're going to get out of here, Scully. Where are you going?" She smiled. "You do realize there's a whole lake behind the hotel they can't block off." Mulder watched in amazement as his little partner jogged like hell for the docks, still clutching the file in her hands. It was just their luck the only boat there was about to leave, with a small family inside. "FBI!" Dana shouted, flashing her badge that had been tucked in the pocket of her jeans. "Sir, please stop the boat." A man with graying brown hair, and a bald spot suspiciously like Skinner's turned around in surprise. "What do you want?" He said with just a trace of a southern accent. "Special Agent Dana Scully, and Special Agent Fox Mulder. We need to borrow your boat, sir, to chase after an escaped felon." Dana hated herself for lying. "Ellen, help Stevie and Mike out." He turned back to the agents, "Do you know how to drive one of these things?" "Yes, thank you, sir." The man climbed out after his family, and held out his hand to Dana and Mulder. "No problem. Name's Ken Campbell, my wife Ellen, and our sons Steve and Mike. Good luck." Scully jumped in, and grabbed the controls. Mulder eased himself over the edge, images of doggie eating crocodiles filling his mind as the boat coughed and sped steadily off. The Cigarette Smoking Man had very little patience for fools. And that was what he considered the man before him to be. An incompetent fool who had ruined his plans to bring back...the prodigal son, if you will, to the family. He listened to Maddox's frantic explanation with no expression upon his face. He thought for a moment what course of action to take. The other members wanted him to leak the falsified records to the public, branding Mulder a murderer. And now as the man who had kidnapped his ex-partner, and killed her new husband. He withdrew a Morley, and lit the tip, drawing in a comforting breath. "Sir? Sir?" Maddox stood before him. He looked at the man briefly before nodding to one of his associates. He turned towards the window to glance out upon the lake in time to see a small boat and a flash of bright auburn hair. He didn't jump when the gunshot sounded behind him, signaling the end of Karl Maddox's life. The Cigarette Smoking Man left the room, trusting his underlings to plant sufficient evidence to incriminate Special Agent Fox Mulder. Dana spotted a deserted pier and pulled the boat up to it. She tucked the keys under the seat, and pulled herself over the edge. She noticed her partner huddled in one of the rear seats looking a little green around the gills. Scully smothered a smile and helped him onto the wooden dock. Behind them a dilapidated looking house loomed, dark gray and forbidding. But it was better than nothing. A place they could regroup, and find a change of clothes, hopefully. The pair slowly climbed the stone steps winding their way up the steep incline. The back door was locked, but Mulder made quick work of it by kicking it in. Scully shook her head and made a mental note to leave some money so the owners of the cottage could have the door fixed. The rooms were quiet and musty as if no one had been inside for years. Cobwebs hung in every corner, and a few in the doorways as well. Mulder and Scully made their way upstairs slowly, after their inspection of the downstairs reveled nothing they needed. Upstairs they found one bedroom with an accompanying bathroom. In one of the closets old tee-shirts and worn jeans hung, covered by plastic to keep them free of dust. Mulder found jeans and a shirt he hoped would fit, and while he went to shower and change Dana went downstairs and plugged an old black and white TV in to scan the news. She didn't have to wait long. The every local station had just begun to pre-empt their regular programs to bring the news of the murder of Karl Maddox, and the abduction of Dana Scully-Maddox. Ugh, they hyphenated her name with his. She felt no remorse he was dead, but felt as if her world was falling in around her ears as the newscaster announced the man responsible. Special Agent Fox William Mulder. "The FBI has issued a country wide warrant for his arrest. There is currently a $100,000 reward for information leading to his capture." The anchor droned into the camera lens. Scully stood and stopped dead when she spied her partner standing behind her watching. She didn't have to ask how long he'd been there. She could tell by the rage in his eyes. She stepped around the couch and drew him into her arms. He wrapped his around her and held on like a drowning man looking for salvation. "I'm sorry, Scully. I'm so sorry." He rocked back and forth, his cheek resting on the top of her head. "I never should have come here." "Shh...." She reached up and brushed away the lone tear that had escaped from his eye. "I was praying you would. I didn't want to leave you. It almost killed me walking out that last time. I-" She couldn't say it. Not now, not here, not like this. "Besides, I'm here now.... a widow," she said with a wry smile, "but I'm here. So lets decide what we're going to do." Mulder took a step away from her and dropped into an overstuffed chair. "Not us, me." He said firmly. "I'm sending you back to your family. Then," He drew in a shuddering breath, "I'll turn myself in." Dana turned a look on him that would have made Maggie Scully proud. "Fox William Mulder, I have never in the five years I have known you to be so....so imbecilic. Listen to me right now. You will *not* surrender to these bastards. You will not give up your life to them. You will fight. But, not alone. I was your partner, I *am* your partner and as long as I am breathing you will never have to do anything alone. Do you hear me?" She turned away so her next words were partially muffled. "This mess was mostly my fault anyway." Damn, Mulder thought. Standing there watching her, he could think of a million reasons to turn around and leave, but only one that made him want to stay. She was his only hope. She was his only port in a nightmarish storm. He realized that nothing he could say would change her mind. In truth he was glad she hadn't left him. But he was sorry that she had to be put through this, all because of him. This was all his fault, no matter what she said to the contrary. This was all a result of his insane quest for his sister Samantha and the truth. If he hadn't fallen in love with her five years before he would have five seconds ago. He just couldn't understand why she stuck by him... Chapter 4 "She waits for me at night She waits for me in silence She gives me all her tenderness and takes away my pain And so far she hasn't run Though I swear she's had her moments. She still believes in miracles While others cry in vain. It's all about soul It's all about faith and a deeper devotion It's all about soul 'Cause under love there's a stronger emotion. She's gotta be strong. There's so many things gettin' out of control Should drive her away Why does she stay? It's all about soul." -"It's all about soul" Billy Joel She should have her head examined, Scully decided, as she tried to walk unnoticed into the local Wal-Mart. The pair had driven there with Mulder hiding under a blanket in the back seat of a decrepit old Buick. Scully pulled her hair back into a pony tail, and wore an extremely large, not to meantion old, T-shirt and jeans. She looked, and felt, about twelve years old. Scully hurried through the aisles, picking up food, assorted articles of clothing, and toiletries. After grabbing a couple bottles of shampoo and conditioner, she spied several boxes of hair dye. Making a quick selection she tossed two into her cart. Scully realized too late she didn't have enough money to cover everything. She decided to risk using her credit card. The FBI already knew they were here, as long as she didn't use it again they would be safe. The young man at the checkout tried to act very suave, and flirted with her. When she handed him her credit card he smiled, "Your mom's?" Scully stared at him a moment in surprise. "Y-Yes, she didn't want to come in with me." And flashed him an overbright smile as she signed the slip. She got out of there quickly, then stopped at a gas station to fill the tank of the car. While she waited to pay she used the ATM to pull all the money she had in her savings account out. The FBI would probably know about that as well, but it would do them little good. Scully had found out, from the gas station attendant, about the police road-blocks on every street that lead out of the city. Looking for Mulder and herself. They left the gas station and sat for a few moments in a crowded parking lot, to discuss what they should do. "We can't risk it Mulder. We've taken too many chances already. I think we should head back to where we docked the boat, and hide out in that house we found until some of this blows over." "What do we do when the people you borrowed the boat from watch the news? The FBI will be searching every house on the lake. Sooner or later we have to make a run for it." Scully thought a moment, then remembered the purchases she had made. "Maybe we won't have to wait long, Mulder. Head back to the house." A couple hours later... "Hold still, or you'll be missing an ear." Dana tried to trim Mulder's hair as best she could with the rusted pair of scissors she had found. He still looked the same after Dana had dyed his hair black, so she cut as much of his hair as she dared. It was now shorter than it had been when she first met him. She'd also used a little of the dye to deepen the color of the stubble on Mulder's face. With dark blue contacts scrounged out of one of the drawers in the bedroom, she almost didn't recognize her partner. Unfortunately it was her turn now. She dyed her own hair a mousy brown, and put on make-up that washed out what little color she had in her face, making her look almost ill. She figured they could use it to their advantage, though, if they were stopped on the way. The pale color of her face emphasized the green color of her eyes, thanks to contacts. Scully wrapped the thread thin bath towel around her, and walked out into the bedroom to find Mulder there holding a dress covered in clear plastic. It was a deep red color Dana would never had considered before. But now as a brunette... She took it gingerly from him, noticing for the first time that he was wearing an old T-shirt in a faded gray, and beat up brown corduroys. He looked like a college professor on leave. Except for the stubble, and the earring. Earring? Scully stopped Mulder as he turned to go. Gently she touched the small gold stud in his left ear. "Gee Mulder, I never knew." she said with a soft smile. Seeing him like this was doing horrible things to her libido. But, there were worse ways to go. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, Scully it's against regulation." He pulled her closer, "But so's this." His lips brushed hers, ever so gently, as they had the last time. The pair tensed, each expecting the other to collapse. When it became obvious they wouldn't Mulder crushed her to his chest and claimed her lips in an embrace as old as time. Scully sighed, and opened to him, matching him stroke for stroke, caress for caress as her hands reached up to entangle in the strands of his hair. It was Mulder who finally pulled away, several minutes later. He looked into her eyes, into her very soul, as they stood there confused, scared, and uncertain. Finally he reached up to caress a strand of her hair, "What happened here, Scully?" "I let it dry naturally, Mulder. I've always hated the curl in my hair, at least now it has some use." She couldn't quite meet his eyes, stepping away to change into the dress he brought her. That wasn't what I meant, he thought, but decided to play it her way. He chuckled behind her, "I thought you had a fight with a curling iron, and it won." She turned back to frown at him from the doorway of the bathroom, "Ha-ha, Mulder. I'll be right out." Scully changed in record time, feeling terribly self-conscious in the body-hugging dress. She thanked God that chasing after aliens and mutants required she stay in top physical shape. When she emerged from the murky depths of the bathroom, she spotted Mulder hunched over the bottom drawer of the dresser. He didn't even blink when she awkwardly came to stand beside him. "What did you find?" "You'll have to see for yourself, Scully." He handed her two cards, rather like id's. She discovered they were licenses, for the state of New York. What was strange, however, was the fact that the woman's face staring out at her matched her own exactly, except her hair was longer and she wore glasses. Scully looked at her name, Melody Grant. She spoke it aloud. It had a certain....rightness to it. "Look at the other one." Mulder folded his arms across his chest and waited for her reaction. The man in the second looked exactly like Mulder, except he also wore glasses. "Leslie Michael Peterson. And I always felt bad about Fox." He said. "This is almost too perfect, Mulder. I mean, it was as if someone left these for us." "Trap or not, we have no other options. If we are stopped these are the only way we'd stay free. There's birth certificates, diplomas, degrees, and a huge stack of money, enough for both of us to start over." As he turned Scully cought sight of a folded paper in his hand. "Mulder, what's that?" She took it from him as he tried to stutter out a reply. It was a marriage license, and a second paper reveled itself to be a marriage certificate signed by a priest. Apparently, Leslie and Melody had married in Rochester, and had come here for their honeymoon. Several hours, and several packed bags later, Scully and Mulder were on the road. As her partner pulled away from the curb, Scully looked back at the house. It must have been a trick of the light but she swore she saw a figure standing in an upstairs window. **** They weren't even stopped once. A stroke of luck that Fox Mulder was sure to run out. As he drove, Scully lay slumped in the seat next to him, asleep. He didn't want to disturb her, so he kept the radio off, and just paid attention to the road. Too bad the only interesting things around were the cows. It was almost nine o'clock, and he had to stop someplace for gas soon. They'd been on the road for almost five hours. A sign to the right of the road proclaimed they were entering the town of Rose. A little ways into the town Mulder spotted a gas station. He was about to pull over when a police cruiser beat him to it. It wasn't a small town cop, neither. Nope. It had to be a state trooper. Mulder decided the car could wait to the next gas station. Unfortunately, the car didn't agree. They weren't lucky enough to make it into the next town. Nope, the boat gave up the ghost right in the middle of nowhere. Mulder groaned as he climbed out of the car, stretching tired muscles. "Scully?" He reached inside to nudge his partner awake. "Mmnn? What is it, Mulder?" She murmured still half asleep. "Car broke down, Scully. I'm going to see if I can find a gas station here. Or a place to stay the night. Do you want to stay here?" He asked. "Sure, fine....whatever." She mumbled and fell asleep. Mulder smiled, and began walking. Scully wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, until she was woken up by a knocking on the window. She sat up, and looked out, into the face of a young woman. "Is everything okay?" She asked. "Um, no. Uh, my husband and I were, uh, we ran out of gas. Mul-er-Michael walked into the town to try and get help." In the dimming light Scully could see the woman wince. "Well, uh, you guys are in trouble, then. The last gas station within fifty miles has closed up. I'd say you're stuck here for the night." She paused as if she was thinking. "Look, I'm up here to house sit for my grandmother while she's in Florida. You're more than welcome to stay with us, for a few nights, until you get the car fixed." She opened the door of the Buick, and held out a hand to Scully. "My name's Rachel Henry." Scully shook the other girl's hand, "I'm Melody Grant-er-Peterson." "Newlyweds, huh? Well, you guys sure picked the wrong place to take a honeymoon. Are your bags in the back?" "Yeah, they're in the trunk." Scully grabbed the car keys from the ignition, and took a good look at the girl. She was a few inches taller than herself, and had shoulder-length dark hair. As Scully went around to open the trunk, Rachel walked over to a blue Taurus parked behind the Buick. At her motion another girl climbed out. "Mrs. Peterson, this is Anna," "Hi." Anna held a hand for Scully to shake. The trio carried Mulder and Scully's bags, and placed them into the trunk of the car. Scully sat in the back, Rachel driving, and Anna riding shotgun. "What does your husband look like, Mrs. Peterson?" Rachel asked. "Um, tall, lanky, dark hair, beard. Probably wearing a leather jacket." From the back seat, Scully could hear Anna say, "Mmm, tall, dark and handsome..." "Kinda like him?" Rachel asked, pointing to a man walking along the road. Sure enough, it was Mulder, only a few miles down the road. Rachel pulled the car over a few feet in front of him. Mulder approached the vehicle cautiously, ready to run in the opposite direction, until he saw Scully emerge from the back. He jogged the few remaining feet to meet her. "Come on, Michael, we have a ride." She squeezed his hand, hoping he'd take the hint. They walked to the car where Mulder joined Scully in the back. "Michael, this is Rachel, and Anna." She said pointing to each of the girls in turn. "This is my husband, Michael Peterson." As the vehicle roared away from the curb Mulder leaned close to Scully so he could whisper into her ear, "What's going on? Are you okay?" She whispered back, breathing in the scent that was distinctly Mulder, "They stopped to see if I was all right, and offered us a ride and a place to stay. Just go along." He nodded. The ride was a quiet one, broken only by the sound of the radio tuned to an alternative rock station. Mulder half listened, and tried to watch the scenery in the deepening dusk. Scully laid her head down on the back of the seat, and half closed her eyes. Rachel was a good driver, but didn't obey the speed limits. She opened them a moment later when the girls began arguing for control over the radio. Apparently Anna won, and a softer rock song came on over the speakers. Exhaustion fought an interior battle with Scully's nerves, and exertion won easily. She couldn't even remember the last time she slept peacefully. Mulder smiled as Scully's head lolled against his shoulder in her slumber. The stress of the past day was beginning to tell on both of them. As much as he wanted to join her, it was a better idea to stay awake, and on guard in case something else happened. Chapter 5 "You're my piece of mind, in this crazy world You're every thing I've tried to find Your love is a pearl..." -"Beautiful In My Eyes" Joshua Kadison The next several hours passed slowly, interrupted occasionally by Anna and Rachel fighting over the radio. Mulder tensed a few times when the volume grew too loud. But, Scully slept on. Now, a little after midnight they were pulling up to a house, surrounded on all sides by trees. Maybe about a mile or so out of the tiny town they passed through just minutes earlier. Anna sprinted for the front door, as it had started raining in the past half hour and everything was soaked. Mulder looked up at the three story farm house. In the dark it's color was indistinct, but what he saw in the car's headlights amazed him. The place had to be at least a hundred years old, and still in perfect condition. Anna threw the door open and Rachel made a run for it. Mulder cracked his door open and shouted, "What about our clothes?" Anna shook her head, "Leave 'em 'till morning! Gram has some things we can borrow for tonight." Mulder sighed and turned to wake Scully up. He didn't have the heart, seeing her lying there so peacefully. He carefully picked her up into his arms and carried her into the house. Anna led him upstairs to a cozy room with, uh-oh, only a king sized bed with a lacy canopy. Delicately he lay Scully on top of the covers like she was made of spun glass. She didn't stir once. Anna left briefly and returned with an old, pale blue silk nightgown for Scully, and a pair of beat up sweatpants and T-shirt for Mulder. She tossed them on the bed. "I hope they fit, if not I'll be down the hall, first door on the left, right after the bathroom." She finished speaking just as the lights flickered and went out. Mulder swore silently and fluently. "Shit." Was Anna's contribution to his tirade. "Rachel! Can you find the flashlight? It's-" "Right near the bed, I know, I know." Ray appeared, following a beam of dim light. "Let's go." The pair walked slowly downstairs in search for some candles and matches. Mulder sat on the bed near Scully and waited for the girls to finish scrounging around. He didn't have long to wait. Soon, Anna reappeared with a gas lamp lit in her hands. It was small and cast an other worldly light around the room. Mulder sat and stared at Scully. Bathed in the candle light, she looked almost like a figure from the past, draped in white lace and satin. Funny, but the only times he ever realized how small and fragile his partner looked was when she was laying down. He lost count of how many times he saw her in the hospital and wanted to wrap his arms around her to cushion her from the blows life threw at them. Especially that last time. **** To everyone who looked at him, the man in shadows quietly drawing on a cigarette, he appeared calm. Inside he was a riot of seething emotions. Everytime, the plan failed. No matter what form it took, or how it was executed the plan failed. Mulder and Scully had been a thorn in his side for too long. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to figure it out. How Mulder had kept going against all odds. How he kept pushing through every road block thrown in his path. It was her. Even through her disbelief in his theories, she supported him. It was ironic that a skeptic had unwavering faith in a consummate believer. But, of course, everyone knew a building would fall if it's supports were destroyed. Destroy Scully, and Mulder's crusade for the Truth would crumble like a house of cards. First he had Dwane Barry kidnap her. Only returning her when they were certain she would die. Agent Dana Scully proved them all wrong. Then her cancer, a convenient tool to break her spirit and body at the same time. She had kept fighting. With Mulder right there next to her. When he finally thought he had Mulder, almost had him in their camp, for how better to eliminate your enemy than turning him into your ally?, he refuses. Jeremiah Smith had told him that his plans would not work. Why? "Simple." he had said, "They are soulmates. Two halves of the same whole. Unbreakable. You chose the wrong pawn to stop him." The man known only to a few as Luke Wills drew on the cigarette, and thought of his new plans. Chapter 6 "And truth was paramount..." -Don't Cry, Seal Scully awoke feeling warm, and safe. Two things, she was quite certain, she should not be feeling. Her eyes opened to see her partner dozing fitfully in a chair near the bed. She allowed her gaze to rest upon him briefly. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd actually seen him sleep. His features relaxed, long lashes brushing his cheeks, and the way he was trying to curl his long frame up in the chair reminded her of a young boy. She smiled appreciating the gift of being able to observe him unnoticed, then sighed, hating to wake him up but she needed some questions answered. She shuffled across the wide expanse of the king sized bed, and gently shook his shoulder. "Mulder. Hey, Mulder. Time to wake up." He peeked out at her from beneath lowered lashes. "Go 'way. 'M sleepin'." He yawned. Scully smiled mischiefly and socked him in the chest with a pillow. "Get outta that chair, or I'll use all the hot water in the shower." "You're bluffing." Completely awake now, he studied his partner--former partner--in the early morning sunlight. The knock at the door interrupted anything Scully was going to say. Anna poked her head through without being asked in. "Could you guys come downstairs soon? I've got a friend here who'd like to meet you." Scully smiled at the young girl she dimly remembered from the previous night. "Sure just give us five minutes." Anna nodded, "Breakfast is on the table, you better hurry, Rachel's cooking and it's going fast." "She's that good?" Mulder asked with a raised eyebrow. "She's attending some fancy cooking school in France after graduation." "Yeah, that's good." Mulder said. The duo showed and dressed in record time. Mulder decided to shave off the scratchy beginnings of his beard. Scully would never tell him, she barely allowed herself to think it, but the sight of Mulder unshaven had really shaken her equilibrium. Scully waited while Mulder donned a holy Rolling Stones shirt to go with the worn pair of jeans he already wore, she couldn't help but wonder what Langly would have said. Glancing down at her floral print skirt, and loose white blouse, she bet he'd think, and everyone else, that they were a couple of reject hippies from the sixties. But it was an excellent disguise. Special Agent Fox Mulder wouldn't be expected to look like this. Nor would Special Agent Dana Scully. They walked down the ancient stair case, and followed their noses to the kitchen. Anna sat at the table with another woman with a cap of faded blond hair. They couldn't see her face, as her back was to them. Rachel stood at the stove, putting the finishing touches on a scrumptious smelling breakfast. Anna rose with a smile. "Hey, I want you to meet--" "Agent Mulder and Agent Scully already know me." Scully stood with her mouth hanging open as Cassandra Spender rose with a warm smile to greet them. "Hello Fox, Dana. How was your trip?" End of part one. Questions? Comments? (I am also not adverse to praise!) Send them to me at MadamZirinka@Yahoo.com Flames? Send 'em to my cranky professor oldguy@NASTY.com