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 This author's e-mail address has changed to: pindaran@hotmail.com
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From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: 15 Feb 2002 18:46:11 -0000
Subject: Just Strange (1 of 1) by Rhetta
Source: direct

Reply To: rhoannan@attbi.com


TITLE: Just Strange (1 of 1)
AUTHOR: Rhetta
RATING: PG 
CLASSIFICATION: Vignette
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere, just let me know.
FEEDBACK: rhoannan@attbi.com   
SPOILERS: 'Redux II'
DISCLAIMER:  Mulder, Scully, and The X-Files aren't mine.  They 
belong to Chris Carter, 1013, and Fox. You'd think they would treat 
them a little nicer.  I sure would.
SUMMARY: It sounds worse each time he tells it.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written for the After The Fact 'Redux II' Episode 
Challenge.  

**********

"That's when it came close enough that I could see it's red eyes and 
the blood that was dripping from it's teeth.  And I'm pretty sure it 
was the Sheriff's blood Scully.  Since I hadn't heard any screaming 
or sounds of a struggle I had originally thought he'd made it out 

safely." Mulder slipped his shoes off and put his feet up on 
Scully's hospital bed. He wasn't looking forward to telling her what 
had happened next, but at least he could be comfortable while he was 
doing it. 

"How were you sure it was the Sheriff's blood Mulder?  You said you 
hadn't heard anything."  Scully was sitting up with a couple of 
pillows behind her and an intent expression on her face. It had been 
almost a week since her remission began and she was making 
remarkable progress. She had already lost that pale, haunted look 
that had plagued his nightmares for more nights than he'd care to 
remember. 

Best of all, she'd gotten her temper back. And her tenacity. Mulder 
hadn't realized how much he had missed their debates or that eyebrow 
thing she did.  She'd done it twice already since he'd got there.

Not that he was counting.  Just an observation.

"Mulder?"  Scully said with a frown and a...OK, that makes three.

"Sorry Scully.  Where was I?"

"The Sheriff."

"Oh yeah." He crossed his feet and leaned back in his chair. "Before 
I had a chance to think too much on what had happened to him the 
creature made this low guttural noise and started advancing.  By 
then, of course, the gun was out of reach."  

"And out of bullets."

"What?"

"The bullets.  From earlier when it first attacked."

"Right, when the Sheriff first left to get help. A whole clip 
wasted." He grimaced. "I can't believe I forgot that."

"It was an extreme situation Mulder.  A lot of things were going on."

"I should have remembered Scully.  A mistake like that can get you 
killed."  He rubbed his left hand and winced. The cuts were fresh 
and still stung.  He wasn't looking forward to explaining them 
either.  She hadn't been happy when she'd first seen them.  It had 
taken him awhile to talk her out of having it bandaged.  The less 
things he had to remind him of what had happened the better.

"Mulder, it's not like you could have changed anything.  The whole 
thing was beyond your control."

"Doesn't make me feel any better.  It was a rookie mistake."

"Not only rookies make mistakes."

"I don't think I like your inference."  Mulder said with a slight 
grin.

"I didn't mean you Mulder."  She smirked. "Necessarily anyway."

Mulder nudged her leg with his foot.  "I'll get you for that when 
your better Scully."

"You've probably got a list by now."

"A long list actually.  You're cranky when you're recuperating."

Scully grinned.  "I'm even crankier when it's pointed out."

"Are you threatening me Agent Scully?"  

"I might be. Being stuck in this hospital bed all day has given me a 
definite violent streak."

"Scully, you just recently went into remission. You don't want to 
push yourself.  A few more days and you'll be back to your fighting 
form."  He leaned forward and squeezed her ankle.  "Tell you what.  
The very day you get out I'll pick a fight with you and let you yell 
at me all you want.  How's that?"

Scully nudged his foot back with her leg. "Mulder, I'm almost 
positive that when I get a look at what you've done to the office 
since I've been gone you won't need to 'pick' a fight with me.  And 
I don't yell.  I offer an alternative view decisively."

"Right. That's what it's called. I can't believe I actually brought 
you flowers."

"You didn't bring me flowers."

"Well, no harm done then."  He fished in his pocket for a moment and 
took out a handful of seeds.  "I'd offer you some Scully but the 
nurses here already hate me.  If they caught me giving you food that 
was off your diet they'd have me drawn and quartered. Judging from 
the looks they give me whenever I come in they're just looking for 
an excuse."

"And you always give them one."

"I hate to disappoint people."  Mulder said with a broad smile.

Scully sighed.  "Mulder, you keep changing the subject.  Are you ever
going to tell me what happened in the warehouse?  Visiting hours are 
only so long."

Mulder took a seed out of his hand and cracked it. "I'm getting to 
it. All those slurs you were throwing temporarily distracted me."

"Focus Mulder. You said it was an abandoned warehouse.  Wasn't there 
anything lying around that could have been used as a weapon?"

He grinned at her and cracked another seed. "It was a very clean 
abandoned warehouse Scully.  Not even any rocks or bottles lying 
around."

"That's odd.  You would think there would be a few things on the 
ground."

"That's what I thought.  Of course the creature started coming 
closer right about then so I didn't really have time to dwell on 
that particular mystery."  He stared out the window for a moment to 
gather his thoughts then looked over at her. "Scully, that thing 
just stood there smiling. Like it was looking forward to what it 
was going to do. And with the blood and the red eyes it wasn't a 
pleasant thing to see, believe me. Then it took another step closer 
and everything suddenly stopped."

"Stopped?" Scully frowned. "You mean like a time thing?"

"No, I mean like everything went black and then there was this 
really loud whirring noise."

"A whirring noise?"

Mulder shrugged. "That's the only way I can describe it."

"So what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could think of Scully.  I walked up to it, 
reached my hand in and yanked."  

Scully pointed at the small cuts on his hand.  "And that's where you 
got those."

Mulder nodded.  "Yeah.  Looking back I guess I panicked.  It was the 
first thing that popped into my head and I just went with it."

"Let me see your hand Mulder.  I didn't get a good look at it 
earlier."

"Scully..."

Scully raised an eyebrow.  "Hand Mulder."

He groaned and leaned forward in the chair.  She took his 
outstretched hand and stared at it with a look of concentration she 
usually reserved for a really difficult autopsy.

Mulder smiled and the reality of Scully's return to health hit him 
for the hundredth time that day.  She wasn't going to die.  She was 
healthy and she wasn't going to die.

Scully looked up.  "Why are you smiling?"

"I was just thinking of all the money I'll be saving in medical 
bills by having you around again."

Scully tugged at his hand.

"Ow!"  Mulder drew his hand back.  "Jeez, Scully!  Could you be a 
little less gentle there?" 

"Don't be such a baby Mulder."  She took his hand back and gave it a 
last look. "You need to put something on this when you get home, but
I think you'll live." 

"So speaks the forensic pathologist."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you just reached your 
hand in Mulder.  Do you know how stupid that was?  You're lucky you 
only got a few cuts."

He put his feet on the floor and sat up. "Scully, it was the timing 
that got to me."  He stared at her intently.  Willing her to 
understand.  "It was right at the point where I would have been able 
to find out the truth.  About what the creature was.  About the fate 
of the Sheriff.  About everything. Then that stupid machine just ate 
the tape.  And when I tried to reach in that slot thing to get it 
out my hand caught on something and...Scully it's not that funny."

Scully leaned back against the pillow with a smile on her face.  
"You just confessed to having a VHS-related injury and you don't 
think I'd find it even a little bit amusing?  Honestly Mulder, you 
were attacked by your VCR. One of your prized possessions. Think 
about it." 

Mulder smiled in spite of himself.  That was another thing he'd 
missed.  Scully's laughter. Even when it was at his expense he loved 
hearing it. And after all they'd been through the last few weeks 
they both needed it.  He took another seed out of his pocket, looked 
at it for a moment and then cracked it between his teeth.  "Hey 
Scully," he said finally, "Do you think there's a 12-step program 
for VCR withdrawal?"

Scully looked at him solemnly.  "You know what they say Mulder, 
admitting you have a problem is the first step."