From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 9 Aug 2001 02:41:23 -0000
Subject: Hunger by Auburnished
Source: direct

Reply To: red@auburnished.com


Date:  August 7, 2001

Title: Hunger
Author: Kris 
Email: reyesfan@auburnished.com
Website: http://www.auburnished.com/reyes/
Rating: PG, some innuendo
Classification: XRH - X-File/Romance/Humor
Keywords: Scully, Mulder, Will, Reyes, MSR
this was not an x-file.' 
Spoilers: Season 8 through "Existence"
Archive: XFMU, Gossamer, Ephemeral, 
others are fine--please just notify me.
Disclaimers: Reyes, Scully, Mulder, Doggett and 
will are Chris Carter creations. Selden and Bart 
are mine, although their names were borrowed 
from Edith Wharton's _The House of Mirth_. 
The only original thought in my head would 
be the plot. 
Summary: '...the girl devouring Mulder's 
sunflower seeds was obviously delusional... 
but this was not an x-file' 
Story takes place in August 2001, after 
the birth of William. 
Feedback: This is my first fanfic not written 
in verse. Please be kind. And enjoy! 

-------------------

Death in all its shapes is hateful to unhappy 
man, but the worst is death of hunger.
- Homer, 10th-8th C. b.c

--------------------

On her way to the bureau, Reyes had stopped by Scully's 
apartment to deposit another of her popular vegetarian 
casseroles. Scully received it graciously, before handing 
it off to Mulder to be tucked into the 'fridge behind the 
dinner he'd prepared for just the two of them to linger 
over that evening, once Will had nursed himself to sleep. 
They might hope to enjoy up to three hours of gastronomic 
bliss before Will would awaken for his midnight feeding. 

Mulder rejoined the two women, both agents, but worlds 
apart in every other way. Much to Mulder's pleasure, 
they'd become unlikely friends. Reyes cared for Scully 
like a sister. And Scully had commented on more than one 
occasion that Reyes reminded her of Melissa, the sister 
Scully sorely missed. Mulder was thrilled that Scully had 
a girlfriend to laugh with again. She deserved the 
auspices of friendship, especially now that she was a 
mother.

"Any time you want someone to watch Will..." Reyes 
nodded, widening her eyes emphatically.

"Thanks, Monica," Scully smiled. 

"Scully's interviewing a girl today for some light 
baby-sitting. From a reputable agency." Mulder was 
struck by his need to reinforce his concern for Will's 
safety at every turn. Did all fathers do this? Or was 
his hypervigilance rooted in old fears? He shook off the 
thought with a slight twitch of his head.

"Of course." Reyes nodded sincerely.

"Sometimes I like to get Mulder out of the house and 
take him someplace nice for dinner," Scully interjected 
with a wry grin.

"I'm feeling really sorry for your fish, Mulder..." 
Reyes teased. 

"What? I stop by to feed them." Mulder had picked up on 
the implication instantly and shrugged defensively, a 
smile playing at the corners of his mock-pout.

"They're coming to live here as soon as he gets one of 
the Gunmen to help him move the tank." Scully arched an 
eyebrow Mulder's direction.

"Yeah, Frohike's bummed. He knows what it means when a 
bachelor moves his fish tank to the chic's place..."

"That he's going to raise his family in a respectable 
fashion?" Scully's eyebrow arched higher.

"Well, they're keeping my name!" Mulder retorted.

"You guys are too much," Reyes laughed loudly.

Mulder and Scully smiled, glanced at the floor and 
cleared their throats in stereo on either side of Reyes, 
who stepped back slightly as she sensed her intrusion 
on their game. Obviously, the idea of their living 
together was too new to suffer much scrutiny.

"Well, I'll stop by later, if that's OK. A case we're 
working has us stumped, as usual, and we'd love your 
input." Reyes was conscious of using too many "we's", 
but correcting the last one with "I" would only bring 
more attention to her error. Doggett and Reyes were a 
"we" in more ways than she was comfortable betraying, 
even to Mulder and Scully. 

As she looked up at the two of them, however, 
she noticed they seemed once again lost in their own 
world, telepathing behind the lead door of like minds. 
"Well, OK, then," she laughed nervously and leapt 
awkwardly toward the entryway.

Scully glanced at her absently, "OK, I'll see you later." 

As Will fussed from the bedroom, Mulder moved automatically 
toward his cry. So fatherly, so naturally, Reyes thought. As 
she closed the door to Scully's apartment, she glimpsed 
Scully's serene gaze and traced it to Mulder. 

Their adoration for one another was building a solid 
foundation for Will. He's a blessed child, she thought. 
She'd bring him something when she returned with the files, 
she decided.

* * *

Scully answered the door with slight hesitation. A stranger. 
To watch Will. So much about motherhood was only possible 
to fathom after frequent deep, cleansing breaths.

"Hi, I'm Candi. From Play Date?" A voice piped from beyond 
strawberry soda pop lips. Backing away from the buxom 
blonde girl, Scully observed her snug-fitting pink mini 
skirt with a sweater set that also hugged her body fiercely. 

Realizing she was holding her breath, Scully exhaled and 
mumbled, exchanging an ironic look with Mulder. "Right, 
from 'Play Date'... I'm Dana Scully and this is Fox Mulder. 
Won't you come in?"

"Thanks!"

Scully shot Mulder another disbelieving look. Amused by 
the sight of their unlikely guest, Mulder deadpanned to 
Candi, "You don't mind if we see some I.D.?"

"Sure, whatever..." Candi chirruped, thrusting a resume 
with an 8x11 black and white glossy head shot paper-clipped 
to the front. She smacked her overwhelmingly 
watermelon-scented gum animatedly.

As Mulder took the photo from Candi, she eyed him 
flirtatiously. Scully stiffened her neck and sniffed. 
"Looks like you," Mulder exclaimed, watching Candi in 
obvious amusement now as he handed the photo to Scully. 

Without looking up from the resume, Scully motioned to 
Candi, who sat obediently on the chair across from 
Mulder and Scully, who seated themselves on the couch. 
"Hmmm, The Ford Agency...? And mostly people in the 
world of modeling. You baby-sit for all of these people?"

"Um, yeah. You can call them if you want. They'll tell 
you, kids love me." Candi emphasized.

"I'm sure they do," Scully assumed the comfortable role 
of skeptic, ignoring the smile she could feel emanating 
from Mulder. 

He had not lifted his gaze from Candi since she'd walked 
through the door, and she could tell that Candi was very 
pleased with his undivided attention. Likely, she expected 
it. Scully rolled her eyes.

Candi preened for Mulder's shameless gawk, as Scully 
slapped the resume, with its seductive glossy image of 
Candi serving as a cover letter, onto coffee table. 

Scully had reached a decision not to hire Candi the moment 
she'd seen--and smelled--her, well, Candi-ness. "Thank you 
for coming by, Candi. We'll let you know."

"Wow, that's so weird! That's just what they say to you 
at a audition."

"So, you're 'a' actress?" Mulder asked slowly. 
He was loving this.

"A model, really. But I do a lot of commercials. 
Non-fat Tofrutti Rice Dreamsicle? That was me."

"Really? You're the Non-fat Tofrutti Rice Dreamsicle girl?" 
Mulder raised his eyebrows. "Scully, this is Miss Rice 
Dreamsicle!" 

Candi grinned, nodding excitedly at Scully.

"Well, in that case," Scully murmured, sarcastically.

"Look, I'm going to level with you," Candi intimated 
with a dramatic sigh, "I am an actress. And a model. And 
I don't even like kids. I came here to meet with you 
about another matter--"

"OK... Mulder?" Scully intoned tersely, rose, and moved 
toward the bedroom. She felt panic creeping over her. 
"I'm just going to check on Will." 

She was going to check on her son... then get her gun.

"My roommate, my best friend, Laurie Selden, is missing." 
Candi continued, lowering her eyes, then peering up at 
Mulder, her unnaturally long, ebony eyelashes brushing 
her brow bone.

Scully reappeared, her gun cold at the small of her back, 
concealed beneath a sweater she'd added. Wordlessly, she 
took her place beside Mulder, one firmly planted foot 
touching his, shoulders rounded forward, forearms on her 
knees. Her position would allow her to quickly gain control 
of any situation that may arise, she told herself. 

Taking her cue from Mulder--who also perched artfully at the 
ready, but wore a countenance of relaxed interest--Scully 
resigned herself to hearing Candi's story.

After a pregnant pause, in which Candi made eye contact 
with Scully briefly, while tucking her thick wad of flesh-
colored bubblegum into a torn-off corner of her fraudulent 
resume, she continued rapidly, "It's my fault. I killed 
her." 

Scully flinched at this disclosure, as Mulder's pupils 
widened with interest. 

"I didn't mean to--I was trying to kill myself. But we 
have this connection. See, Laurie is the reason I'm a 
success. Or at least she was the reason." Candi brushed 
away a tear and reached for a fistful of popcorn from the 
bowl on the coffee table. 

"Hope you don't mind," she said, her voice muffled as she 
stuffed her mouth with the entire contents of her hand.

"Help yourself," Mulder motioned to the bowl. But Candi 
was already reaching for Mulder's bag of sunflower 
seeds. "Hungry?" he asked with a snort.

"Ravenous," she nodded, "Always." She swallowed. "And that's 
just the thing, Laurie was the fat one. She was always on a 
diet. But I could eat anything I wanted and I'd never gained 
an ounce. Before Laurie's disappearance, I'd weighed exactly 
96 pounds since signing my first modeling contract. 

"That was around the time Laurie started getting fat... 
and drinking those diet shakes from the herbologist."

"The Mau Huang didn't take?" Mulder mused.

"No." Candi reached for another handful of sunflower seeds.

"You said, 'before Laurie's disappearance'--?" Scully 
frowned slightly.

"Right. I've gained 35 pounds in the month she's been 
gone!"

Mulder whistled in amazement, but leered at Candi supportively, 
communicating his approval of all the right places he imagined
Candi had added the weight. Candi sighed in practiced angst, 
her chest rising and falling in sympathy.

"Well, it's not so unusual for stress to cause a fluctuation 
in eating patterns, which can result in weight gain." Scully 
gave a dismissive blink, attempting to hide her annoyance with 
Mulder. 

While she knew his entire display was for her benefit--a playful 
tease aimed at eliciting marginal jealously--he had underestimated 
her current level of self-actualization. Although Scully's 
newly buxom figure excited Mulder beyond what he could verbalize, 
she remained frustratingly self-conscious.

"But I have been eating the same as always." Candi paused to 
deftly crack another seed. Mulder looked impressed. Candi 
added the hull to the small pile of debris she'd begun along 
the edge of the table. Scully itched to remove it.

"Besides," Candi continued, "I know why I'm gaining weight." 
Another dramatic pause. "I could eat anything I wanted because 
Laurie gained the weight for me."

Mulder's mouth formed an intrigued "o", as Scully, irritated by 
the revelation, leaned back against the sofa cushion slightly. 
She stole a glance at Mulder, who made a point of not looking at 
Scully.

"You pigged out, she porked out... interesting..." Mulder joined 
Candi in the bag of sunflower seeds. Scully crossed her arms. 

Mulder chewed thoughtfully. "So she took on your sins... In the 
obscure medieval ritual of sin eating, the sins of the dead are 
transferred to a living person, the sin-eater, who releases the 
souls of the dead." Mulder gestured with a sunflower seed. 

"The Appalachians practiced sin eating as recently as the 20th 
century. It's believed to be modeled after Christ. 

"Then there's motherhood. The mother chows down during pregnancy, 
gaining weight that nourishes her baby. Later, lactation returns 
her magically to her pre-pregnancy weight as the baby nurses 
away those unwanted pounds."

"Yeah, we'll see..." Scully mused aloud. Oddly enough, it eased 
her mind to know that Mulder could still spout arcane knowledge 
in a crisis. And even manage to annoy her with a few all-too-
pertinent facts. 

However, the girl devouring Mulder's sunflower seeds was 
obviously delusional. There was nothing remotely extraordinary 
about Candi, except perhaps her imagination. Candi's mind was 
a horrible waste. But this was not an x-file.

"It began when I got the modeling contract, like I said," Candi 
persisted. "I was discovered in a dance club--just like Claudia 
Schiffer. I got obsessed with my weight. The camera adds ten 
pounds, you know? 

"I've never had any will power, but Laurie found this herb lady 
who gave her all the supplements I needed to take to maintain 
my perfect weight.

"Laurie said we'd do the program together, but after one day, 
I was ravenous and gave up. She continued, though. I thought 
she was trying to set a good example for me. She'd always been 
supportive of my dreams, ever since I was a little girl."

"The wind beneath your wings?" Mulder offered.

"Exactly--I love that song! How did you know?" Candi had 
returned to eating popcorn.

"Lucky guess," Mulder shrugged, cutting his eyes to Scully, 
who stubbornly refused to validate his wisecrack.

"Anyway, she stayed on the diet, I scarfed everything in 
sight; she became 'morbidly obese' and I supported us 
through a successful career in modeling." 

Scully had been patient long enough. It was time for a 
little interrogation. "So, Candi, how did you find us?"

"Laurie. She was totally into, you know, the paranormal." 
Candi turned to Mulder again. "She idolized you, Agent 
Mulder, after seeing you on some cable show, and read 
every article you've ever written in all those UFO magazines. 
I mean, she was practically a stalker." 

Scully shifted uncomfortably on her cushion, leaning forward 
again. Dear God, not another one of those, she thought.

"After she disappeared, I went through her clippings and 
came across a birth announcement for your son. It was in this 
underground magazine... The Lonely Hunter? Beautiful story 
about the star over William's birthplace and all." Candi 
batted her eyes at Mulder, who chewed another seed.

Scully stiffened at the realization that Candi knew she 
and Mulder were federal agents, and wondered what other 
information about Will she had gleaned from the Gunmen's 
rag. Scully now regretted not actually reading the article. 

Her handgun was growing warm at her back. Her temples 
were beginning to throb. Scully was ready to end the 
interview. "Well, I don't see how we can help you," 
Scully began.

"Oh, but you're the only ones who can," Candi gulped, then 
spat desperately. "I killed my best friend. Once I figured 
out she was getting fat because of me, I was so creeped out 
I tried to kill myself. Then... that's how she died." 

As Candi momentarily surfaced from her discombobulated 
explanation, Scully cleared her throat and stared at Mulder, 
who finally glanced Scully's direction wearing his trademark 
look of intrigue. 

Scully took the opportunity to tighten her lips in disapproval. 
They'd been partners for eight years. They could communicate 
without words. And, as in so many interviews with suspects 
through the years, with one look Scully signaled, "she's nuts."  

Unaware of the exchange between partners, Candi continued, "I 
took a bottle of sleeping pills during a break in a photo shoot 
the morning of my discovery. I'd told Laurie over breakfast 
shakes--hers spirulina, mine McDonald's--that I'd figured out 
the secret, that she was gaining my weight. 

"She didn't say anything, but I could tell she was disturbed 
by the news. Later, as it started to sink in, she announced 
she needed some air. I know she went down to this pier on the 
river where she always goes to think. 

"Then when I took the pills and nothing happened, it hit me: 
I killed her. I attempted suicide, but the pills killed 
_her_! She probably fell into the river and drowned once 
the drug began to take effect."

"So, you were in a place with other people, at a photo shoot, 
when you attempted suicide?" Scully didn't bother to veil 
the irritation in her tone.

"Well, yeah--"

"So you knew someone would find you." Scully stated 
flatly.

"Yeah, I mean, no. Not until it was too late. I don't know. 
I was just upset. Maybe I really wanted to die. I just felt 
so bad..."

"Do the police in..." Scully began again.

"New York."

"...New York...Ah, you don't really live here... Of course 
you don't..." Scully muttered under her breath. "Do they know 
about this? You've filed a missing persons report?"

"Yes, and I told them what I'm telling you. But they thought 
I was crazy."

This time, Mulder turned to receive Scully's raised eyebrow. 
He could see she was fighting interest in the case with all 
of her strength. But suddenly she was asking a lot of 
questions.

"That's why I knew I had to find you." Candi licked the 
salt from a sunflower seed before slipping it between her 
teeth and cracking its shell.

"I still don't see..."

"You do see!" Candi pleaded, "You see this sort of thing 
all the time. I know that."

"Did Laurie do anything unusual the morning of her 
disappearance?" Scully persisted in her routine inquiry.

"Not really. Aside from throwing up after our little 
talk... Oh, and she did ask me a strange question out 
of the blue about whether or not a girl could get 
pregnant without having a boyfriend. As long as I'd 
known her, no guy had ever touched her, so I guess 
this was sort of strange. 

"But she asked a lot of strange questions about sex. 
She was pretty naive. So it really wasn't that strange 
for her."

"Was it possible that Laurie was pregnant?" Scully 
cocked her head to the side as she explored this idea.

"No. No way." Candi shook her head vehemently.

"Candi, I'm still not clear on how you found us, 
this apartment," Scully continued carefully. Candi 
was becoming agitated, and Scully did not trust her.

"Easy: You're a working mom. I figured you'd need 
childcare eventually, and you'd go with a professional 
service. So I called around. I said there was an 
emergency and I needed to find my sister who was 
baby-sitting for you. I had to try three agencies 
until Play Date spilled the beans."

"Trust no one," Mulder reminded Scully in a 
gutteral whisper.

"Then all I had to do," Candi shrugged, "was work 
up this phony resume and apply. They did a 
background check, but never called my references."

"Really?" Scully narrowed her eyes. Mulder muttered, 
"Refer to my previous statement."

"I got lucky. Call it fate. I do these 
visualization exercises, too--"

"Really?" Mulder munched.

"Mulder..." Scully hissed. Scully let out an 
exasperated sigh. "Look, I don't see how we 
can help--"

"I'm going to get fat! I cannot stop eating..." 
Candi reached for the popcorn. "Got any butter?"

Mulder offered, "Margarine work?" Candi's face 
soured at the suggestion. Mulder shrugged 
apologetically. "S'Okay," Candi whined in a small 
voice. 

The effect was adorable, but Scully ignored 
the exchange and insisted, "There are weight loss 
programs--" 

"How am I supposed to land modeling jobs? How 
am I supposed to support myself when I weigh a 
thousand pounds?"

"I am sorry that--"

"I killed my best friend. Now I have no one. 
This thing is ruining my life!"

Scully began again, "You keep saying you killed 
her, but if you really believe that-and if anyone 
found evidence of that fact... Do you understand 
that you might go to prison? Not that this case 
could ever come close to making it to trial, but--"

"I don't care about that. I'm handing you the answer. 
You can solve this case. Just drag the river. I'll 
show you the pier--"

"It's not that simple. We need evidence to 
justify ordering that sort of--"

"I need to be a hero. Heroes can be 'morbidly obese' 
and they'll still get invited to do talk shows. From 
there, I might be able to land a local cable show. 
Hey, I might even interview you guys." Candi 
gestured to Mulder, who piped up, "That'd be cool."

"I need this. Laurie's parents need closure."

Scully shook her head slowly, "But this is really 
up to the NYPD-"

"--And I need a cable show!"

Silence permeated the apartment for the 
uncomfortable duration of another dramatic pause. 

Momentarily, Mulder began munching again. Scully 
excused herself to check on Will. Let Mulder 
handle the nut case drama queen. 

His interest in her was waning, anyway. The cogs 
of his brain were turning over the mysterious 
aspects of the case, while Scully could not shake 
the disgust that a sociopath had entered her home 
under the guise of potential caregiver for her son. 

She just wanted Candi Bart gone. And Mulder was 
not cooperating.

Interrupting the shuffling and rustling of the 
munchies Candi continued to enjoy, someone knocked 
at the door. Scully leapt with a mixture of relief 
and alarm. 

She addressed Candi hurriedly, "We'll see what we 
can do. We'll talk it over and call you. Is that 
your real number?" Scully motioned to the resume. 

Candi nodded and stood up, smoothing her pink mini 
skirt, which had left a dusting of angora fuzz on 
the chair. 

"Thanks, you guys," she squeaked hopefully, offering 
a hand to Mulder and gazing one last time into his 
expressive eyes. 

"Alright," Scully answered politely, hoping to 
affect a finality in her tone. She sounded like 
her mother, she thought. Authoritarian as a warning 
bell, yet warm and unduly friendly.

Opening the door, Scully closed her eyes, thankful 
for the deliverance of Reyes' presence in the 
doorway. Reyes shot her a quizzical look, as 
Scully motioned her inside. 

Impulsively, Reyes reached for Candi's hand, holding 
it affectionately for a moment, beaming in her sunny 
way, "Hello," Reyes spoke at last.

"Um, hello, I was just leaving," Candi retracted her 
hand, staring at Reyes with a slightly pinched 
expression as she backed out of the apartment.

Scully groaned in relief. "She's a friend of 
yours?" Reyes inquired. "The agency sent her over," 
Scully threw up a hand in apathy. She waved away 
further explanation, exasperated.

"Oh, she get the job?" Reyes giggled.

"No, I don't think so," Mulder answered 
definitively.

"Oh, too bad. Did she tell you when she's due?" 
Reyes asked earnestly.

Mulder and Scully exchanged puzzled looks.  Then 
Scully succumbed to a satisfied smirk.

"No, I don't think so," Mulder stated obliquely.

* * * 

A few days later, as Mulder lounged at the breakfast 
table, Will in the crook of his arm, the newspaper 
before him, Scully poured him another cup of orange 
juice, then paused. "Oh, guess who called me at the 
office yesterday?" 

"Hmmm?" Mulder looked up and tucked his finger 
playfully into her suit pocket.

Scully took his hand and gazed into his eyes, 
batting her own, "Candi Bart. Turns out Reyes 
was right. She's due in April. Case closed." 
Scully's lip turned up slightly as she smiled. 
Mulder's eyes went soft with adoration. 

"She's naming the baby after Laurie--Laurie or 
Lawrence," Scully continued, "And she's gained 
10 more pounds. She's actually happy about it, 
now that she knows she's eating for two. 

"Apparently, Laurie was like a mother to Candi 
and Candi's finally ready to follow Laurie's 
example. Whatever that means."

"Means this is going to be one huge baby!" Mulder 
quipped.

"Well, I took pity on her and invited her to 
dinner Tuesday night. Reyes was intrigued by 
Candi's story and wants to bring over a casserole 
and join us."

"Better tell her to super-size it," Mulder replied 
in his trademark monotone, then kissed Will's bald 
spot, breathing his sweet cornbread baby smell, 
and returned to reading the paper. 

A moment later, he exclaimed, "Well, break out the
 scalpel, Scully."

"Why, what--?"

"The body of Laurie Selden was found in the 
East River last evening."

"No friggin' way..."

"Cause of death still unknown, but presumed an 
accidental drowning." 

Mulder paused. "You think maybe Laurie knew 
about the baby? Maybe she was having the morning 
sickness for Candi... Maybe she made the ultimate 
sacrifice of motherhood. 

"By some twist of fate--or shamanism--the circle 
is completed with the baby: Now that the sin of 
gluttony is paid in full through Laurie's death, 
Candi can enjoy a normal pregnancy complete with 
baby fat, maternity mini skirts and sweater sets 
with nursing slits." 

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder, can you get 
through one day without mentioning nursing 
clothing?" 

"No." His fingers brushed her blouse roguishly. 
Will grunted and chewed on his fist. " --And this 
is an x-file after all." Mulder licked a bit of 
orange pulp from his upper lip.

"Mulder, I don't think..." Mulder grinned impishly 
at Scully. "Oh, alright. I'll check it out. 
You're just not happy unless I'm slicing and 
dicing!" Scully grumbled, as she dissected a 
grapefruit with an emphatic whack of the butcher 
knife.

Mulder smiled contentedly, turning his attention 
to Will, and sang in a child-like voice reserved 
especially for his son--a voice that turned both 
Will and Scully to mush--"If we can't go to the 
x-files, the x-files will come to us."

END

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