From: "Lisa R. Colodny" <dr_lisa@gate.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 19:27:02 -0400
Subject: Resubmittal

KUNDALINI

 By Lisa R. Colodny 


Krishnamurti Inn
Mystique, Massachusetts

2AM

The old woman looked awkwardly down at the blank piece of paper lying on the 
table in front of her. With long slender fingers she tied her gray hair into a bun 
tight atop her head. She gently rocked her head from side to side as if she were 
working out the kinks and looked anxiously down at the paper again. Grasping 
the pencil, she closed her tired old eyes and waited. It was nearly time.

Her breathing became slower and deeper, as the tingling sensation began in her 
fingers and made its way up to her arms and shoulders. She began writing just 
as the tingling climaxed to a rapid series of tiny convulsions affecting only her 
arms and hands. The rest of her body remained motionless as if  her hands 
required all the energy.  She began writing at the bottom of the page and made 
her way quickly to the left side of the top of the page. With little more movement 
than the blinking of her eyes or the rise & fall of her chest, she filled the page 
with writing.  Once she finished she laid  the pencil down, rose from her table, 
and made her way upstairs towards her own private room. As she passed the 
first door on the left, she soundlessly pushed the pages under the door and crept 
silently inside her own room. Her door had barely shut when the first door on the 
left opened. The young man that stepped out into the hallway was concentrating 
on the pages that had been slipped under his door. He read betraying no 
emotion. He looked to be about 35 with dark unkempt hair. It hung loosely 
around his shoulders. His eyes were dark, hungry, and lifeless. They seemed to 
look through the door where the old woman had just disappeared. He buckled 
the strap of his overalls that hung loose by his waist. The overalls were probably 
blue once, but that was probably many years ago. He wasn't a big man, by any 
means, but what there was of him was lean and muscular. His face, arms, and 
torso tanned a deep golden brown. He finished reading the pages, placed them 
atop a stack of similar looking letters on his bureau, and closed the door as he 
stepped out into the hallway. 

He walked purposefully to the last room on the right and gently entered the 
room. As he passed through the doorway, the moonlight glistened on the steel 
blade of the knife he held in his left hand. The door closed silently behind him 
and in the distance the sound of a brief  encountered could be heard. However, 
it passed without incidence. The young man reappeared in the hallway. Once 
again the moonlight cascaded off his reflection and fell against the blood that ran 
down his face and hands. He returned to his own room, quietly closing the door 
behind him. All was quiet  as the light in the hallway was extinguished by the 
clouds that crossed menacingly in front of the moon's light, leaving only the 
sound of the rain slapping against the glass.


FBI Building
2 Weeks later
Midnight

The roomed seemed bigger in the dark. Its walls seemed to stretch endlessly 
into the shadows as they opened out into some unspoken abyss. It was almost 
impossible to make out the furnishings of his office. The American flag loomed 
ominously against the silhouette of the outer door into the hallway. With the aid 
of the moon, the outlines of the  seated figures were almost ascernible. There 
were three on the sofa, one behind the desk and him. His menacing figure the 
most clearly distinguishable beneath the flurry of cigarette smoke. One of the 
figures rose from the sofa. His face was heavy, rounded, tightly framed against a 
silvery sheath of hair. His eyebrows were dark, but not as dark as his eyes. He 
turned to the cigarette smoking man and asked in a low scratchy  voice, "So your 
man is in?" 

The cigarette smoking man exhaled another breath of smoke to join that already 
hovering around him like a halo, "Yes," he began as he smashed the cigarette 
into the nearby ashtray on the desk, "He's in place very deep."



Dana Scully's Apartment  
4 AM

She snuggled closer against the warmth of his chest, wrapping her arms tightly 
against his waist. He stirred slightly to accommodate her small hands around 
him and brought his arm down protectively against her bare back. His face was 
away from her, his dark brown hair matted against the pillow. She had just drifted 
into deep REM sleep again when the ringing of the telephone made them both 
jump. His hand made a gesture to quiet its ringing, but Dana pulled quickly atop 
his chest and answered it first. "Scully, " she announced into the phone.

His voice sounded nearly as tired and sleep deprived as hers. "Hi Scully, it's 
me", the caller began.

"Mulder, " she whispered, "what's wrong?"

He seemed amused and replied, "Why are you whispering Scully?"
She pulled the blanket from the bed, wrapped it around her chest, and rose as 
she answered, "No reason." She made her way into the living room, clicking 
lights on in the process. "What's up?" She repeated once she reached the sofa.

He paused momentarily, "Just wanted you to know. We have a new case. Our 
plane leaves in 4 hours."

She yawned and ran her hand through her auburn hair, "Mulder, where are we 
going now?"

He answered quickly, "Massachusetts, I'll fill you in on the flight up."  

Scully `s eyes focused on the clock, "Mulder, we aren't going back to 
Steveston?" 

Mulder tone changed at the thought of the Kindred and Brother Andrew. "No, 
Scully, not Steveston."

She  yawned into the telephone again, "Okay Mulder. I'll see you at Dulles". She 
switched the phone off and strode sleepily back to her room. She laid the phone 
into the cradle and fell into his outstretched arms, pulling as close against him as 
possible. 

He stroked her back and whispered into her ear, "Where to this time?"

She exhaled loudly and wrapped her arms back around his waist, 
"Massachusetts. I leave at  8 AM." 

He kissed the top of her head, "How long?" 

She replied, her lips brushing his neck as she spoke, "Who knows?" She looked 
up to face him and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "I'll call when I know for 
sure." She looked back to the clock and reported in a low voice, "I've got to pack 
and shower still" 

He removed his arms to let her up, then pulled her back against him as she was 
lifting herself from him and whispered, "I miss you already," She kissed him 
quickly and pulled away taking the sheet with her once again.

As the bathroom door closed behind her, he raised his arms over his head and 
rested his head on the upturned palms. He waited  until he heard the sound of 
the water splashing against the shower wall, then grasped the cellular  phone 
from the jacket that hung over the bedpost. He let it ring twice, then spoke 
quickly into the mouthpiece, "Massachusetts, she's packing."

08:25 (Day 1)

"Okay, Mulder," she announced as she sipped at the coffee." She glanced out 
the window and watched as the ground below became smaller and smaller, then 
suddenly was replaced by clouds. She took the file from him and added, `What's 
in Massachusetts?" 

Mulder fought back the urge to inform of the Orioles and the terrible year they 
were having, but declined. After all she didn't seem to be in a very good mood. 
He thought to himself maybe she didn't  get her beauty rest last night. But no 
way was he taking the blame for that. No, that attention could be focused  solely 
on Agent Chris Gates. 

His thoughts were interrupted, "Mulder, are you listening to me?" 

He nodded and looked to see her spreading out the contents of the file folder 
onto her lap and the surrounding area. Among the contents were 9 black & white 
photographs of various types of people. They varied in sex, race, and size. 
Scully picked up one of a young woman. She looked to be about 35 with long 
blonde hair. And intensely blue eyes.

 "Mary Glover, " Mulder began, as he spread strawberry jam on his toast. He 
snatched one of the butter packets off Scully's tray and went on, "37 year old 
housewife with 2 kids. She disappeared about 2 weeks ago during a buying trip 
for the clothing retailer that she is employed by."  

Scully asked innocently, " What was she buying?" 

Mulder's eyes narrowed as he answered, "Women's lingerie." He swallowed his 
toast and  looked intensely at Scully, "Speaking of which Scully, did you bring 
the warm & cozy or the `OH my God is it hot in here' pajamas?"  

She ignored him as usual and asked, "Where was she last seen? And why is this 
an X file?" 

He answered just as he finished his toast and began slicing the sausage on his 
plate, "She used her credit card at a gas station near  Adams. Massachusetts 
about 2 weeks ago. That's the last clue we have." He selected another picture 
from those scattered around Scully's lap, "John Eckhart, 47 year old divorced 
father of 4. He is co founder of one of the largest computer software companies 
in the United States." 

Mulder finished his sausage and began pushing the scrambled eggs unto his 
fork. "He was last seen near Lotus, Massachusetts. It's about 30 miles from 
Adams." 
Scully looked questionably at him as he went through the other 7 photos of 
missing men and women. When he finished she sat back against the seat and 
let her head fall back unto the cushion. She finished the half piece of toast she 
was eating and sipped at her coffee. "What else?" 

He smiled and began arranging himself more comfortably in the seat as if 
preparing to take a nap. "I don't want to bias your opinion Scully." 

She interrupted, "Since when?" 

He went on, "Look the file over, then tell me what you think, OK?" He laid his 
head against his shoulder and closed his eyes.


Nearly an hour had passed when Scully looked up from the file and nudged the 
sleeping Mulder. He straightened up and looked to where she had drawn tiny 
circles on the map of the Adams, Massachusetts area. She pointed to the area 
covered with 9 tiny circles, "All the disappearances seem to occur in this general 
area. " 

Mulder smiled and nodded, "Very good, Scully" he handed her another picture. 
This one, however, was of a house, a big house surrounded by trees on nearly 
every side. He pointed to the picture, "This is the Krishnamurti  Inn. It's a small 
bed and breakfast located in Mystique." Scully nodded and pointed to Mystique 
on the Massachusetts map. 

Mulder went on, " One of our victims actually occupied a room there."

 Scully arched one eyebrow up, "Bed & Breakfast, you think this Inn has 
something to do with this case?" Mulder's eyes grew wide like a child who was 
finally getting to finish a much anticipated story. She loved it when he got that 
look, then again, sometimes she really hated it.

"You see, Scully," he began.

She interrupted him, "Don't tell me it's haunted".

He shook his head to one side, "Not exactly. Haunted really isn't a good word for 
it."

"What is a good word for it?" she asked.

He held out another file for her to which she replied, "You don't own stock in the 
file folder company do you?"

He smiled and went on, `The Inn is owned and operated by an old woman, 
Helena Petrovna. She claims to possess certain abilities."

Scully interrupted again, "Not another channeler, Mulder?'

He went on, "You familiar with Automaticity, Scully?'

She smiled, "People who dictate for spirits. Mulder.."

He interrupted again, Scully, the proper descriptive definition would be 
communication with the spiritual world via a written medium as opposed to 
verbal." She gave him one of her infamous looks, but he added quickly, "I know 
what you're thinking, Scully, but.."

She broke him off, "Oh no Mulder, don't tell me now your psychic as well."

He went on, "Madame Petrovna has claimed to be a spiritualist for over 20 
years. Actually she's quite famous. She's well known for relaying certain 
information which proved to be correct."

Scully questioned, "Like What?"

Mulder held out the photograph of Madame Petrovna for Scully to inspect. She 
looked to be about 65 years old with long gray hair that hung in a loose braid 
over one shoulder. Her face was deeply tanned and as a result  her skin a 
dreadful array of wrinkles, some much deeper than others. Her nose seemed 
somewhat disproportionately large for the rest of her of face. Surprisingly her 
eyes were light, with an unknown intensity. She was dressed in a widely 
flowered patterned dress of drab color. The white winged collar, buttoned tightly 
against her throat.

Mulder smiled as if he had a secret no one else was privy to, usually he did, and 
answered, " She predicted both Kennedy assassinations and more recently the 
Oklahoma bombing."  

Scully replied as she gathered the photos us and placed everything back into 
the manila folder, "Could be she psychic Mulder, or maybe she was an 
accomplice." 

Mulder took the folder from her, "I don't think so, Scully."  

Scully clipped her seatbelt back together as the flight attendant announced the 
final approach for Boston International.

Scully awoke with a jerk when Mulder slowed the rental car  to a stop. She asked 
in a weary voice, `There already?" 

Mulder smiled and answered as he pointed towards the convenience store, "No, 
I just thought I could use some coffee." He smiled and added, "Just go back to 
sleep, Scully. I'll wake you when we get there." She shook her head negatively 
and followed him into the store. 

Once they were back on the road, he asked, "Gettin any sleep lately, Scully?" 

She bit her lip and looked anxiously at him, "Mulder, I  can't get into this with 
you, Okay?" 

He smiled at first, then his attitude turned serious, he touched her hand, "Dana, 
you know I care about you. I'm just worried. I don't want you to get hurt." 

She pulled her hand away from him, "Mulder, what makes you think I can't take 
care of myself.?" 

He paused for a second, "Scully, Believe me, I have no doubt of your ability to 
take care of yourself." His hand went to his gun as he continued, "I know you can 
handle yourself here." He  paused again and laid his hand against his chest, "I 
just don't want you to get hurt here." 

She sipped on the coffee, the red color returning back to her face.

 He smiled as if he were amused, "Scully, it's me, please. Talk to me."

She shook her head a number of times, exhaling as if in frustration. It took a 
number of attempts before she finally spoke to him. She talked without looking at 
his face, her attention focused down at the styrofoam cup she held, "Mulder, this 
is very difficult for me." 

He nodded, and squeezed her shoulder lightly, "I know, but you can trust me." 

She shook her head, "It's not that. I do trust you, with my life." 

He added quickly as if to lighten her load, "Just not the intimate details of your 
life, Uh?' 

She nodded and smiled, "Something like that." She waited a few more minutes 
then swallowed quickly and leaned in towards him.

"Mulder," she whispered, "He is unlike any man I have ever known in my entire 
life." Her face blushed a bit as she said it to him. 
He smiled knowingly, but gave her no reply. 

She went on, "He's the first man I've been intimate with who has asked me what 
I liked." Mulder nodded, fighting hard to control the smile that was evading unto 
his face. She sipped at the coffee and continued, "He actually asked me what I 
wanted him to do." 

Mulder cleared his throat and waited for her to look at him. He leaned in even 
closer and stated, "Dana, good in bed a relationship it doesn't make. You have 
to know that." 

She shook her head and interrupted him, "Mulder, it's not just that." She shook 
her head, "Our relationship only took that turn recently. After the thing in Florida, 
I was very upset." She paused, giving him a chance to understand. 

He nodded, "I know that, you were rattled. It was to be expected, you know." 

She agreed with him, "I know, but I needed to be with him." 

Mulder's jaw tightened, "I would have expected him to realize you were upset 
and not take advantage of the situation." 

She grasped his arm. "No, Mulder. It wasn't like that. He came me a number of 
chances to back out and stop where it was going, I didn't want to stop it. I 
wanted him."

"Besides, " she added as if trying to change the subject, "it isn't just that aspect 
of out relationship that I am happy about." Mulder sat back against the seat and 
allowed her to continue, "He's smart, well educated. He is very interesting." 

She glanced at her partner to gauge his reactions, "He is very nice looking.  He 
has a decent job." Mulder gave her no reply, "Mulder, " she asked, "You're not 
making this easy." 

He smiled, "I'm sorry, Scully. Just say what you're trying to tell me." 

She paused again, he went on, "Tell me that you think you love him." 

She smiled and shook her head, "Yes, I think I am in love with him. And that's 
what worries me." 

"Dana, " he asked, "Why does that worry you?"

She blushed again, "Because I'm waiting for the storm after the calm, you 
know?" He shook his head that he didn't understand. She went on, "I'm waiting 
for it to fall apart."

He pulled her chin up forcing her to look at him, "Scully, it might not fall apart, 
you know." He hesitated momentarily, "Gates, just may have the patience to deal 
with you in the long haul. You never know, time will tell."

She smiled and tossed the empty cup in the trash bag  and settled against the 
seat, letting her head fall back against the cushion. "So, " she began once she 
was settled, "What's you opinion about him? I know you have profiled him at 
least a dozen times, by now. So tell me, what's wrong with him?"

Mulder tossed a few of the recently purchased sunflower seeds into his mouth 
and looked to her anxiously. "Scully, " he began, To be honest. I didn't care 
much for him in the beginning." She shook her head as if she already knew 
where the conversation was headed. "However, " he added, "Over the last few 
months, I decided my profile was formed on a purely biased level." He looked to 
her awkwardly, "I `ve not been used to having to share you, Scully. I didn't like 
him intruding on my time." He reached out a stroke her cheek and finished, "But I 
decided if he is responsible for this glow, he can't be such a bad guy." He pulled 
his hand away and traced the steering wheel awkwardly, "I just want you to be 
happy, Dana. You deserve some happiness."

She smiled, "Thank you, Mulder. You know, I will always have time for you. You 
can still come over anytime you want you know." She smiled and added quickly, 
"Just call first, OK?"  

He laughed and nodded, "Deal."


The rest of the drive was pursued with little or no discussion. Scully found 
herself incredibly tired and dosed a time or two. She woke with a start as Mulder 
parked the car in the guest lot of the Krishnamurti Inn.


The agents climbed the steps up onto the porch of the historic old inn. They had 
made it nearly to the door when it was suddenly pulled open and Madame 
Petrovna emerged. She smiled warmly at the newcomers and reached out to 
grasp Scully by the hand. She smiled to them as if she'd been reunited with old 
friends, "Agent Scully, Agent Mulder. I am so glad you came." 

Both agents were too startled to reply. They looked questionably at the old 
woman, carefully surveying the room as they entered. It was a large room with a 
number of mismatched sofas and chairs placed conventionally around the room. 
There were a number of windows, but still the room seemed dark. A large 
wooden tabled occupied nearly the entire right hand side of the room. Once 
again a number of unmatching wooden chairs scattered around it.  Behind the 
table was a massive fireplace; its mantel covered with an assortment of stuffed 
owls and other small animals. To the far left  stood 2 of the largest bears either 
of the Agents had ever seen. The largest  was coal black, its massive paws 
reaching out as if offering a handshake. Its eyes, too, were black and it was 
these eyes that told Mulder the death had not been an easy one. The other bear 
was smaller, almost a grayish color. Its stance more solemn as if it knew defeat 
was inevitable. 

Scully glanced quickly around the room and counted mentally, 13 stuffed eagles. 
The largest mounted on a wooden platform over the fireplace. She mentioned to 
Mulder, "I think we found the cause of the impending extinction." 

Mulder smiled and nodded.  Finally Mulder asked, "Madame Petrovna, how do 
you know us? And who told you we were coming?" 

She smiled and looked devilishly at them as if she had a secret, "Your father told 
me you were coming." 

Mulder's mouth opened, his pulse quickened, "My father died over a year ago." 

She nodded and pulled them into the house, "Yes, I know. He told me all about 
it. And about you two."

Mulder started to reply, but she interrupted him and handed a folded piece of 
paper, "Here, " she began, "he sent you a message."

Mulder took the paper and opened it slowly. He made a disappointed  facial 
gesture and crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. 

Scully had remained silent, but suddenly her face flushed, "Maam, who told you 
we were coming? "

Madame Petrovna laid her hand against Scully's forehead. Scully flinched back 
away from her. The woman replied, Your spirits are here as well, child. You must 
be patient." She pointed towards the stairs, "Mr. Mulder, your room isn't ready 
yet. Miss Scully you are in the last room on the right." She headed towards the 
kitchen and said to Mulder, "Please put your things in Miss Scully's room. I'll 
have them moved when your room is ready."

Mulder carried their bags up the stairs  with Scully following close behind him. 
As he sat the bags down in the room he replied with sarcastic indiscretion, 
"You'd think if she really were knew we were coming, my room would be ready." 
Scully gave him one of her infamous  "looks" and motioned for him to follow her 
outside to look around. 


The Inn was situated against what Mulder would have described a wall of trees. 
It was an old 3 story structure with dark uneven stone walls. The porch ran the 
length of the entire house supported by gray circular stone columns. There were 
probably 3 windows visible at every level, each surrounded by aged wooden 
boards that were painted but weathered into a rough worn gray color. The right 
side of the house was the only side not enveloped by trees. Instead this side 
harbored a massive lake that began about 200 feet after the yard area. The right 
side of the house also played host to a massive fireplace that ran up the side of 
the entire house. It probably was a reddish color, but due to the foliage of ivy 
that clung protectively to it. The color was not distinguishable. The lake fell off 
into all directions until it came to rest, very far against another wall of trees.  

Scully nudged his arm as they inspected the area, "What was with the note?" 

He shook his head, pulled the crumpled paper from his pocket, and read to her, 
"The gray fox is watching the abode of the Gods."  

She looked questionably at him, "Sounds like Greek mythology." 

He shook his head, "It could be in translated to many ancient references." 

She walked toward the lake, "So I guess, I'm not going out on a limb by saying 
you don't think it's from your Dad?"  

He crumpled it back up and pushed it into his trouser pocket, "No,  I don't think 
that message has anything to do with my Dad." 

Scully was about to comment on the solitariness of the area when her cellular 
phone broke her train of thought. 

She answered it on the 3rd ring, "Scully."  She listened intently, paused 
momentarily, and then replied, "I understand. Yes sir.  Tomorrow, then." 

She clicked it off, rubbed her forehead as if irritated and looked to Mulder. "That 
was Skinner. I have to go back to DC." 

Mulder hesitated as if waiting for her to finish.

She looked towards the lake and bit her lip, "I have to report to Quantico 
tomorrow to teach the forensic path classes." 
Mulder shook his head, "You're kidding right?" 

She nodded, "No, you know last week one of the pathologists was killed in an 
automobile wreck?" 

He nodded, "Yeah, so.." 

She continued, "Well the other FBI pathologist was mugged lastnight. He's got a 
slight concussion, he'll be out a few days, maybe even a week."

Mulder tossed his hands up, "I can't believe this! We just flew 2 hours and drove 
nearly 2 hours to get here." 

She agreed, "Mulder, you have not been called back. Only me. Skinner said I 
could return as soon as the pathologist is back at Quantico." 

He nodded and led her back into the house. Once inside they were greeted by 
an old man of olive complexion. His short white hair cropped close against his 
face and neck. 

At first Scully thought he might be Mexican, but he had eyes of ice blue.  He 
handed both the agents a mug of warm tea and motioned for them to get 
comfortable in the living room. He smiled to Scully and in an action similar to that 
of Madame Petrovna earlier, reached out towards Scully as if to touch her 
forehead. In the same fashion, she flinched backwards against the couch 
preventing him from making contact. 

He smiled to her, making the tanned wrinkles of his face seem even deeper, "No 
need to fear, me. I mean you no harm." 

She smiled but  gave no reply. He indicated they should drink and explained to 
her, "Your spirits are strong here, child. You should not be afraid. They seek to 
protect you." 

Mulder exhaled as if running interference for her, "Sir, you are?"  

The old man nodded, " My given name is Bryan Hild. I am the caretaker here. I 
assist Madame Petrovna here at the Inn." 

Scully repeated, "Assist? In what capacity?"

Hild answered, his voice almost a cadence, "I try to right wrongs.  Beware the 
Kundalini."

Mulder's eyes lit up, "Kundalini, who is that?"

Hild's attention was focused on the fire that smoldered in the hearth, "The 
Kundalini is the snake that lies coiled in the grass and awaits to strike." Hild 
turned to the agents and smiled, "I must go. I have things to attend to."

Mulder looked curiously towards Scully, "Mr. Hild, how long have you been 
here?" 

He shook his head and walked to the fireplace, nodding in respect to some of 
the stuffed animals he encountered there. He hesitated for so long, Mulder 
thought the old man might be at prayer. 

Scully prompted him, "Sir?" 

Hild looked quickly around towards them, his face surprised as if seeing them for 
the first time. 

She repeated, "How long have you been here at the Inn?' 

He made his way back to them, "I have lived here at the Inn for over 30 years. 
Before that, I lived in the mountains there." He pointed out the window towards a 
number of mountains barely visible from the window. 

The old man  sat down close to Scully, leaned towards her, and whispered, "The 
spirits will be pleased you are here." 

She pushed away and rose as if uncomfortable, looking quickly towards Mulder. 

Mulder took her cue and asked, "What spirits would these be?" 

He answered methodically, his eyes never leaving hers, "The spirits of the 
dead."  

She stepped back, her thoughts instantly of Melissa, her sister. The sister who 
died in her place. The picture of her broken, bloodied body lying on the living 
room floor still haunted Dana's nights. She quickly sat the cup of tea down on 
the table and excused herself, disappearing quickly up the stairs.

Mulder looked anxiously at his partner as she made her way calmly up the stairs, 
her stance as she climbed revealing much to him. He knew she  was fearless 
against the mutants they chased, the serial killers they hunted, and the bright 
lights they sought. However, he was her best friend. He knew the only thing 
Dana Scully truly feared was the guilt and anguish  she felt every time she 
thought of her sister. After she disappeared into the hallway. His attention was 
once again, focused on the old man. He sipped at the tea and asked, " What 
makes you think the spirits of the dead reside here?"

The old man looked to Mulder, but he seemed to be looking through him to the 
eagles stuffed on the mantle. The old people, my ancestors in the mountains, 
used to call this land "Valhalla". It was written long ago. It is so still today." 
Saying nothing more the old man rose and disappeared into the kitchen. 

Mulder rose and walked towards the stairs, beginning to ascend. He had 
stepped on the 3rd step, when the old man suddenly appeared beneath him and 
presented another tray of cups and a blue tea pot. He motioned for Mulder to 
take the tray, "More tea for her. Please tell her I did not mean to make her 
unhappy. Her spirits are not unhappy, nor should she be." Mulder took the tray 
from him and smiled, "I'll tell her."

He tapped lightly on the door before he went inside. She was just coming from 
the bathroom. She smiled when she saw him. He sat the tray down, poured her a 
fresh cup, and handed it to her. He said, "Hild says he's sorry for upsetting you." 

She smiled lightly and sipped at the tea, "I'm not upset. I just wanted to freshen 
up a bit before we head out to look around." 

He nodded, "I see." 

She sipped again commenting, "I could really use some honey in this. It is a very 
bitter blend, don't you think?" 

He nodded in agreement and was about to reply when his cellular phone 
interrupted. He answered it quickly. Scully judged by his part of the conversation 
that they were about to meet someone, somewhere." She gathered up her jacket 
and waited by the door.

"What?" she asked as he disconnected the call. 

He opened the door for her and replied, "Local sheriff. A body washed up about 
15 miles from here. It's one of our missing." 

"Which one?" she asked as she followed him out the door and down the stairs.

He paused momentarily then answered, "John Eckhart, the computer guru." 

Scully exhaled and silently followed Mulder to the car.


They rode towards the crime scene rather quietly. Each pondering the events to 
date. To  an outsider, it might seem, problematic. But to these two who knew 
each other better than most of us seem to know ourselves. It was not; i t was the 
norm for them. This was the way they approached nearly every case they had 
ever worked on together. Allowing each the opportunity to formulate ideas and 
thoughts, then exploring the possibilities as consequence. 

It was Mulder who broke the silence first, "Scully," he asked, "Do you know what 
Vallhala means?"  

She looked at him, her mind searching through the files in her head, "Graveyard 
or something like that from the Greek period?"

He nodded, "Viking or Norse, I believe. It is the name given to the underworld or 
place where the dead reside." 

She nodded, "So?" 

He glanced periodically back & forth from her to the road, "The old man said his 
ancestors from the mountains used to call the land Vallhala..; 

She interrupted him "Mulder, you don't really think that this is  the hotel  where 
all our dead relatives go, do you?"

He shrugged, "I don't know Scully. You saw the place. There is a certain 
holiness, a certain tranquillity that you can feel." 

She shook her head, rubbing her temples as she replied, "Mulder, the only thing 
I feel is sleepy." She looked quickly to face him, "And since I had 2 cups of that 
super charged tea, that in itself  should be an X file."  

He began, "Scully." 

She put her  hand up as if in surrender, "No Mulder, I don't want to discuss it any 
further. Not until I have something in my hand that supports this spirit world 
theory of yours." 

He resided himself to silence, knowing when he had been defeated.


They arrived at the scene about 30 minutes later. A burly looking man dressed in 
a sheriffs uniform made his way to their car with 2 younger looking deputies 
following closely behind. The sheriff offered his hand, tipped his hat to Scully, 
and announced, "Sheriff  Henry Steele, Agents?" Mulder offered his badge, 
introduced them and looked anxiously around, "What do we got?"

The sheriff lead them over to the edge of the lake and knelt down beside an 
object covered with a yellow plastic cover. He lifted the plastic up to reveal a 
severed, decomposed head of what looked to be John Eckhart, or at least what 
was left of him. 

Mulder cupped his hand over his mouth and looked away, "Where's the rest of 
him?" 

Scully knelt down, pulled the latex gloves on, and pulled the head closer towards 
her, biting her bottom lip as she did so.

She inspected it as thoroughly as was possible, given the circumstances, "Well",   
she began, standing up and pulling the gloves off, "The head looks like if was 
severed cleanly." She pointed towards the noose that still hung tightly around 
the stump of the neck. "However, " she went on, "My first guess is that the 
decapitation was post mortal. I think he was hung until he died, then he was 
decapitated."  

Mulder chuckled and added, "Talk about overkill." 

She ignored him as usual, but asked the sheriff, "Who found the body?" 

Mulder interjected, "Haven't yet, Scully." 

She corrected herself, "Head, who found the head?" 

The sheriff pointed towards where an older fisherman and his grandson sat 
anxiously looking around. The sheriff replied, "Rue Olcott, thought he hooked a 
bass. He fought with it for along time. I guess it was hung on something down 
below."

The sheriff pointed to where a number of deputies were searching the nearby 
area for clues, "I got the boys searching 5 miles in all directions. Maybe 
something will turn up?" 

Mulder nodded and went to where Scully was questioning the fisherman and his 
small grandson. 

He was just finishing up when she saw him and joined him, "Well?" he asked 
hopefully. 

She shook her head, "They know nothing. They're fishing. That's all."  

The agents were distracted by the calls of one of the deputies. Quickly all the 
investigators ran towards the direction of the calls. Mulder raced ahead of Scully 
to find a young deputy kneeling over what looked to be an area stained by blood. 
The area was small, mostly clear of shrubbery or foliage. The ground below it 
was without grass, the dirt stained a rust color where the blood had dried 
untouched. There was  a large smooth, flat rock that looked more like a platform 
instead of the stone that it was. It, too, was stained with the rust colored 
substance believed to be blood.  Mulder looked directly above where he stood to 
the large tree branch that hovered above. It was a massive branch, thick, dark, 
shadowed by numerous other smaller branches that penetrated from it. His gaze 
followed the branch to his right until it met with an equally massive trunk. The 
trunk must have been 4 feet across in diameter. 

Scully followed him over to the tree and pointed as the beating of her heart 
accelerated, "Look!"  

The officers and Mulder crowded around to inspect where she indicated. About 3 
feet from the ground carved deeply into the trunk was the figure of what looked 
to be an eagle with full wing span. 

Mulder motioned to the sheriff, "Lots of pictures,  Okay?" The sheriff nodded and 
indicated for the deputy to do as instructed. Mulder led Scully back towards the 
car, "Eagles, again. Scully." She nodded in agreement and followed him back to 
the car.


The ride back to the Inn was uneventful as both agents struggled fiercely to stay 
awake. Scully, finally succumbed and let the peacefulness of sleep invade her. 
Mulder smiled and sipped his coffee thankfully as he watched over the form of 
his sleeping partner.


He woke her just as they pulled into the Inn for the night. She followed him 
clumsily into the Inn. Once inside, they discovered that Mulder's room was 
ready. And as promised, his things had been moved into the room next to 
Scully's. 

Once inside his room, he rapped lightly on the connecting door to her room, 
announcing to her he was opening it, as was customary for them.  She was 
laying face down against the bed, her feet hanging off the side closest to the 
door. He smiled, collected her small frame in his arms, and eased her closer to 
the top of the bed. He pulled at her shoes, tossing them on the floor, "Scully," he 
began, "You should really eat something." 

She made a sound he took to mean no, but continued anyway, "Scully, come on. 
They made a nice dinner for us." He pulled her up into a sitting position. 

She smiled and pushed herself up, "Mulder, I could really just use a shower, 
then hit the bed." 

"No, " he said pulling her up and out the door with him, "You need to eat first, 
then if you still want to shower, " He smiled to her, "We can."

She smiled, gave him one of her `in your dream' looks, and reluctantly allowed 
him to guide her downstairs to the dinner table. Once she was there and seated, 
she had to admit, she was glad. The Inn served  one of the best dinners she 
thought she had ever been privileged  to partake in. 

Scully wondered if Madame Petrovna usually dined with the guests or if Mulder 
and her were the exception rather than the rule. The woman ate quietly saying 
very little; moving only to glance towards the front of the room by the door  near 
the entrance where her 2 dogs sat humbly observing the dinner and the guests. 

The dogs were large and black, they sat without incident,  without movement. At 
first Scully wasn't even sure they were dogs. In fact they looked more like wolves 
than any dog she'd ever seen. If she hadn't seen them march in almost on cue, 
she'd had thought them to be stuffed as well. 

However, her thoughts  were distracted  by the spectacular dinner that was 
brought forth by the old man. And what a dinner it was. There was roasted duck 
with a fine tangy sauce, not lemon, though. She ate nearly everything on her 
plate, including rice pilaf, and a garden salad with a most astonishing dressing. 

During dinner both she and Mulder had a few more cups of tea, only this time 
she asked for a little honey. Hild seemed more than accommodating as he 
returned with the honey in a small bottle for her to add more if she so desired. 

After dinner, both retired rather early. Scully packed all her belongings so that 
the trip back to Boston and subsequently DC would be as easily facilitated as 
possible. She had to be in DC for a 3 PM forensic class. Therefore, most of 
Mulder's investigation tomorrow would be shortcoming as a result of her trip 
back. Sleep came quickly for her and for Mulder in the next room, separated only 
by the 2 inches or so allowed by the connecting door.


The corridor was dark and it smelled of must. Mulder ran his fingers over the 
stones of the wall and looked curiously up the hallway. Where was he? How did 
he get here and where was Scully? He pushed forward along the hallway, wiping 
the dust from the wall on his pants. He looked down at his pants. Where were 
the boxers he'd been sleeping in? His attire now consisted of black pants, 
drawstring pants at that,  He pulled curiously at the long white sleeve of his shirt, 
thinking instantly of Mercutio from a Shakespearean play. He looked around 
again searching for anything that offered explanation. He found nothing. He 
detected a sound from faraway, and paused for input to ascern its origination. 

"Scully?" he called out, "Scully, is that you?" 

The noise grew closer, however still unrecognizable. As the noise grew louder, 
he deduced it to be airborne. Within seconds 3 black ravens fluttered  irritatingly 
in front of him.  He noticed now their wings made no noise as they fluttered back 
& forth in flight.  The ravens led him through corridor after corridor as if they 
knew  what  or who he sought.  

He wandered aimlessly down the hallway following the ravens, stopping only to 
try the doors as he came to them. He knew Scully must be here someplace. 
They were keeping her in one of the rooms. His jaw grew tight  with anger, if she 
was hurt he thought. Well, there would be hell to pay. He wiped his brow, taking 
note of the perspiration that came away on his hand. It  seemed much warmer 
here, wherever here was. He walked behind the ravens  for what seemed like 
forever before finally coming upon an unlocked door. Without caution he opened 
it, let it fall loudly against the wall to which it was bound, and listened as the 
sound resonated throughout the room. 

Without reservation he, followed the ravens inside. Once his eyes adjusted to 
the light, he was amazed at what he saw. The room was huge. In fact its 
boundaries were indecipherable where the light suddenly turned into dark. 
Mulder counted about 8 large wooden tables. But these were no ordinary tables, 
they were lined with what Mulder thought  was gold. In fact the room was 
adorned with gold vases and statues unlike any accessories he had ever seen 
before. All around the room, great statutes of golden bears and wolves were 
placed, along with smaller likenesses of eagles and owls. 

It was now Mulder noticed other people had entered the room from the other 
side. In fact it filled with faces almost instantly, Mulder was confused. When did 
these people enter the room? His attention turned to shock as he took notice of 
some of the occupants of a nearby table. His breathing came in great gasps as 
he came face to face with own father.


Scully stirred slightly in the bed of  the darkened room, her senses barely 
detected a faint odor of fungus, of staleness. She tried to open her eyes, 
something told her she should. But she couldn't  her eyelids were too, heavy. 

She was aware, however, that she was not alone. Normally, this realization 
would not cause her to be fearful. Usually, not being alone, meant Mulder was in 
the room, either on the couch or in a chair nearby. This was usually a source of 
great comfort, even if she wouldn't admit it to him. However, she knew this 
presence was not Mulder. If it was Mulder she would know, she wouldn't be 
fearful. She heard chimes from faraway, outside her window maybe? She tried 
hard to remember if her room had a balcony, where one might expect a nice set 
of glass wind chimes to placed. No she reasoned, there was no balcony. And 
surely she would have heard the chiming earlier.  It was infuriating for her to be 
with such a loss of control. She tried again to open her eyes, but all she could 
manage was a thin slit of each eye before she fell back even deeper into sleep.


Mulder's eyes filled with tears as his father held out his arms inviting him into the 
embrace. Mulder fell against his father as if he were nine years old again. He 
wept openly, unashamed, and unembarrassed. He encircled his arms around his 
father's waist and held him so tightly that Mr. Mulder cried out for air. "Fox, "he 
began, "Let me look at you son." 

He pushed Mulder away to take in a good look at him. Mr. Mulder nodded in 
appreciation, "You look good, son. How is your Mother?" 

Mulder's tears fell freely down his face now, "She's fine, Dad."  

Mulder pulled completely free from his father and asked, "Dad, where are we? 
What did they do with Scully?" 

Mr. Mulder pointed Mulder to the nearest table, "Dana is not here, Fox. She is 
not dead." 

Mulder looked at him disbelievingly, "Did I die, then?" 

Mr. Mulder nodded, "No, Fox. You are merely a visitor in this place for a short 
while only". 

It was now that Mulder noticed other people were joining them at the table. He 
glanced quickly around the room, men dressed in what looked like golden battle 
armor began distributing various foods to the tables. Some delivered wine, 
others brought fruits, and still others offered meats. The guests ate greedily, 
some without aid of utensils. Mulder's  eyes grew wide when he saw Eugene 
Victor Tooms sitting peacefully alone at the table farthest away. 

Tooms  was dressed almost the same as the day  he and Scully had arrested 
him, his meek black pants and white button down shirt givening him uneasily 
`normal' appearance. Mulder was not surprised to notice that his plate was filled 
with what looked like livers, not human ones Mulder prayed. Tooms smiled to 
Mulder when he noticed Mulder's gaze. It took all Mulder's self control not to 
walk over there and  kill him again. Mulder's thoughts were interrupted as the 
man he knew as Deep Throat took the seat beside his father. 

Deep throat  smiled, his eyes grew calm, almost sad when they rested upon 
Mulder. He held out his hand for Mulder to take. Mulder did with no remorse or 
regret. Deep Throat began, "You were like a son to me. All those years I 
watched you, studied you, and waited for you to be ready for the work." 

Mulder's eyes tearred up again, " I know and I failed you. I'm sorry." 

Deep Throats face grew tense, "You never failed me, Fox. It was I who failed 
you." Deep throat looked to Mr. Mulder, "I failed you both. I was weak." 

Mr. Mulder handed a golden goblet to Mulder and instructed, "Drink, my son. We 
do not have much time." 

Mulder drank as he was told, "But Dad, what is it that you want from me?" 

His father looked anxiously around, "Fox, it is about your sister." 

Mulder's attention was at full command. He looked around, "Samantha is here?"


Scully felt the presence again, but much closer this time. She could feel it 
breathing close against her now. Encompassing every bit of strength she could 
she forced her eyes to open, even if just a little bit. She heard herself inhale 
sharply sucking in large amounts of air as a result. She struggled to sit up but 
her arms and legs cooperated even less than her eyelids had previously. She 
saw it move closer. It was then that she realized how big it was. As the moon's 
light from the single window fell upon it, she made out its outline. It was a bear, a 
very large bear, hovering close bye. 

She attempted to push it  away , but its hands fell atop hers and it pulled itself 
closer towards her. It was now  she noticed it was chanting, something low, 
something she couldn't make out. The bear pushed its face close to hers and 
forced her arms above her head to rest on the pillow. Scully closed her eyes and 
fought against it, struggling adamantly, but to little avail. It was a bear and it was 
much bigger and stronger. She opened her eyes and began to scream when 
suddenly right before her eyes, the bear transformed into Mulder. He was 
holding her, caressing her wrists where the bear had held her down. 

She stopped fighting and fell into the comfort of his arms, allowing him to pull her 
close and soothe her. "Mulder, " she cried, "How did you get in here?" Where did 
it go?" 

He stroked her hair, pulled her back towards the comfort of his chest, and 
pushed her back down against the mattress. "It's okay, Scully." He soothed, "it's 
okay." 
It was now she realized he was pulling himself atop her. "Mulder," she began. 

Her protests where cut short by the taste of lips atop hers forcefully. She began 
struggling again, harder this time. Being pinned beneath him seem to give her 
more strength and she fought harder. 

He was pulling at the nightshirt, "Don't fight me, Scully!" he was demanding, 
"Just hold still." 

She struggled even more, finally managing to bite him hard enough so that he 
loosened his grip for a second. She shut her eyes again and prayed. Upon 
reopening them this time, the figure had changed back into that of the bear. It's 
disguise proving useless as a decoy. It was now she was afforded the 
opportunity to cry out for help and she did when such force  the screamed 
reeked throughout the entire house.


Mulder sat straight up in his bed for a moment attempting to decide if the scream 
was also a part of his dream. He held his breath for a moment, wiped away  the 
sweat that ran down his face, and listened. There it was again. He sprung from 
his bed, grabbed his gun, and made his way into her room within seconds. He 
threw open her door and peered inside. 

Scully was obviously having a nightmare, she lay dangerously close to the edge 
of the bed, wrapped within the sheets and struggling with them at the same time. 
She was fighting and pleading, his heart  wept for her. He dropped the gun on 
the floor and went quickly to her side. 

He wrapped his arms around her, "Scully,"  he pleaded, "wake up. It's a dream." 

She wasn't hearing him, she was still fighting him.

"Dana, "he yelled, holding her arms down in attempt to stop them from flailing at 
him. He shook her gently at first, then more roughly, until he thought he saw her 
coming around. 

She hesitated at first, he let up on her arms. For a minute he thought she was 
over it, he began to push himself away from her. She panicked again and 
brought her knee up against his groin in a somewhat savage fashion. 

Instinctively he clutched himself and fell on his knees to the floor. Once he was 
down she leaped from the bed and went for his gun, "Dana" he whimpered, "It's 
me. It's Mulder. You were having a dream."  

She blinked at him a number of times, until the tears welled up in her eyes. 
"Mulder?" she whispered. 

He nodded and rose to his feet cautiously. 

She looked around at the room and dropping her shoulders in confusion, fell into 
the chair by the door. She began to cry again, he approached her cautiously and 
took the gun from her hand. He checked the safety and tossed it on the table. 
Once he was able he approached her and poised himself on the arm of the chair 
she was siting it, "Scully, " he whispered, "What happened? What was the dream 
about?" 

She shook her head, "It was so real, Mulder." 

He rubbed her shoulder, "I know. I had one, too. That was also very real."  

She wiped her eyes, "What about?" 

He ran his hand through his hair and looked around, "Scully, it's late. You need 
to get some rest." 

She shook her head, "No Mulder. I don't think I could. The dream.." 

He cut her off, "You are exhausted. You have to sleep." He pulled her up from 
the chair and put her back to bed, pulling the blankets protectively around her. 
He looked around as if in search of something. He looked back at the chair she 
had been sitting in and nodded to himself. Within minutes he had moved her 
night stand  away from the bed and pulled the big soft chair in its place. He fell 
into the chair, propped his feet on the bed, took her hand in his, and instructed, 
"Go to sleep. I'll be right here." She fell into a peaceful sleep as Mulder clung 
protectively to her hand. 

Sleep came quickly for him as well. And neither was bothered by dreams of any 
sort for the remainder of the night.



The next morning  (Day 2)
"So, you never found out what your Dad wanted to tell you about Samantha?" 
Scully asked him as they drove back to Boston. 

He shook his head, "No, your screaming woke me up." 

She bit her lip, "I'm sorry." 

He glanced back at her taking his eyes off the road, "I'm just glad you're okay." 
He sipped at the coffee, "You are okay? Right?" 

She nodded, "Yeah, just scared the hell out of me. Mulder it was you. One 
minute I was fighting this bear and then the next minute is was you. It even 
sounded like you. It called me Scully and everything." 

He nodded, "I know, my dream was so real too." 

She shook her shoulders as if she were chilled, "I hate dreams like that." 

He asked, "What if they were real?" 

She looked a him  inquisitively, "Mulder,  it was a dream. You said so last night." 

He nodded, "I know but what if this place is some kind of Vallhala, you know land 
of the dead. A place where you can go to make contact with the spirits of those 
you cared about." 

She shook her head, "Mulder, believe me. That bear wasn't trying to talk to me 
last night." She moved her hands in her lap, "It wasn't anyone I cared about or 
anyone who cared about me." 

He nodded, "I know. It is a puzzle. Your dream, I mean.

He looked to her again, "Scully, did you read much Viking or Norse history in 
college?" 

She nodded  that she had, "Some, why?"  

He directed the car into the far left hand lane, "Well, are you familiar with any of 
the Odin tales?" 

She shook her head and stated matter of  factly, "God of the Underworld.." 

He nodded, "I think that  someone or something created some sort of shrine to 
Odin. I think that's why the spirits are drawn to it. Hild said his ancestors called it 
Vallhala, they must have known even them of its power." 

Scully sat silent, refusing to spar with him, "I don't suppose you have any proof 
to support any of this?" He nodded, "Not yet, but." 

She went on, "Mulder, don't you think the clues are just a little to convenient? 
The house is full of Odin symbols, the wolves and the bears, even the eagles. 
And didn't you say you followed a Raven into that banquet hall." 

He nodded, "All true, but Scully.."

"No Mulder, " she protested, "Someone is sitting us up. I bet your father was 
going to either tell you Samantha is dead and you should stop looking or give 
you some address to find her. One that will no doubt be a trap, probably get us 
both killed."

He argued, sounding like a teenager who had just been grounded, "But Scully, 
the dreams, How could they do that?"

She answered, "I've been thinking about that tea. Remember when I said it was 
real bitter. And we were so tired after drinking it. It could have been a drug. We 
should have taken a sample for Danny to run."

He exhaled loudly, "Well, I still have a few more leads to follow up. You'll be 
teaching at Quantico, I'll be here. I guess we will have to wait and see, Uh?":

She nodded, "I'll be back on Monday, if you haven't given up and come to your 
senses by then." 

Mulder dropped her off at the airport, said his goodbyes, and then headed back 
to Mystique.


It seemed to take forever and a day to get back to Mystique. Mulder was sure 
the drive wasn't aided by the fact he was already tired when the trip began. The 
dream last night, Scully's nightmare, all of it was truly a puzzle. He thought back 
to what Scully had said earlier, `Someone is sitting us up, Mulder'. He replayed 
the events of Scully's nightmare. Even her experience seem to come right out of 
the old Viking ghosts stories. He thought back to his classes at Oxford. Wasn't 
there one about the woman, Rind, who Odin seduced by transforming himself 
into a leaf. He made a mental note to check on the details of the mythology later. 

He glanced at his watch as his stomach reminded him that he nor Scully had 
eaten lunch. He pulled off the interstate and into a truck stop for a bite to eat. He 
smiled and thought to himself that Scully was probably knee deep in teacher 
mode right now. He shook his head, admitting to himself for the first time that he 
would not like working without Scully. He was grateful that  her Quantico 
assignment was only temporary.

He pulled into the parking lot at the Inn just as the sun was sitting for the 
evening. He nodded cordially to Hild as he proceeded up to his room. Once 
inside he noted the room had been tidied up and prepared for the night. 
Curiously he opened the connecting door and stepped into the room Scully had 
previously occupied. Once inside a familiar scent assaulted his nasal senses. 
He looked curiously around, no it was definitely not Scully's cologne lingering in 
the room like a sweet memento. He inhaled deeper, anxiously looking around in 
investigation. Nothing else seemed out of place, nothing was disturbed. His 
concentration was interrupted by a knock on his door. He returned to his own 
room and answered the door to Hild. 

The old man handed him a tray with 2 cups and the tea pot stationed atop. 
Mulder shook his head and pushed the tray back towards the old man. "No 
thanks, Hild. I'm not really much of a tea man." 

The man took the tray back and returned back down the stairs as if defeated. 
Once he reached the bottom, he announced, "Dinner is nearly ready."

 Mulder made his way to the top of the stairs and  replied, "Sorry, Hild. I ate on 
the way back." 

Once again the man shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen to return the 
unused tray.


It was nearly 6 PM  when he decided to call Scully before she left Quantico for 
the evening. He pulled his cellular phone from his pocket and flipped carelessly 
through the pages of the book he was reading. He glanced around the library 
waiting for her to answer. He smiled when he heard her voice, "Miss me?' he 
asked. 

She replied, "I just saw you. Did you turn up anything yet?" 

He flipped another page and answered, "I'm in the library here now. You know 
for a Inn so small, it has a nice assortment of books."

 She answered, "That's nice and." 

He turned back to the page he had marked and explained, "Scully, you know 
your dream last night?" 

She indicated to him that she was still listening. 

He went on, "Well, it's an old story actually,  at least in one of many variations." 

She snatched her briefcase from the desk and buckled it, "Mulder, get to the 
point." 

He continued, "It's an old story, that's all. You know one of the Gods desires a 
woman who doesn't desire him. He offers, she refuses. He disguises himself as 
an inanimate object or someone the lady admires to  make her his conquest." 

She paused for a second, "What makes you think I admire you, Mulder?" 

He laughed, "Okay, trusts. He disguises himself as someone the object of his 
affections might trust."

She glanced quickly at her watch, "It was a dream Mulder. I `ve had bad dreams 
before. " She looked out the window to see the traffic already lined up on the 
Beltway, " I'm having one now." She pulled on her coat, "Did you get a sample of 
the tea for me to analyze?" 

He replied, "No, but  I will. I'm not eating or drinking anything here until I decide 
for sure." He flipped a few more pages, "Bye the way, did you break a bottle of 
men's cologne in your room?" 

She answered in a cool tone, "Why would I have men's cologne with me?"

He laughed, "That's what I was gonna ask you. Your room reeked of Old Spice." 

He heard her inhale sharply as he said it, "Scully?" 

She did not reply. He repeated, "Scully? What is it?" 

Her voice was strained, barely above a whisper, "Did you say Old Spice?"

He indicated that he had, "Why?" 

She buttoned her coat and replied in a much more casual tone, "No reason." 

Mulder's voice grew more insistent, "Scully, what is it?" 

She replied, "My father wore that brand. Every time I smell it I think of him." 

Mulder gave no reply except, "I'm sorry. I didn't  know." 

She answered, "Of course not. How could you have?" She looked anxiously at 
her watch again, "Mulder, I really need to go fight for my place in the traffic  jam. 
Want to call me later?" 

He answered, "Sure, you bet." 

She began to disconnect when he said, "Uh, Scully?" 

She waited, "Yeah Mulder, what is it?' 

He hesitated, "I just wanted you to know that I miss you. The case isn't the same 
without you." 

She smiled, "I feel the same way Mulder. Talk to you later." She added before 
she hung up, "Watch your back, partner." 

He replied after he heard the disconnected click of her phone, "You watch yours, 
partner."


He found Madame Petrovna in the main room  sitting quietly as if studying. He 
looked to Hild who stood off to the side and inquired, "What's she doing?" 

Hild replied, "Waiting for the spirits to summon her." 

Mulder nodded, "I see, they usually announce that they are coming, do they?" 

Hild nodded, "She knows, Mr Mulder. She knows many things." The old man 
turned his gaze to face Mulder eye to eye, "She knows much about you as well. 
You and the red one." 

Mulder's light expression changed serious, "What does she know about us?" His 
question became directed to Madame Petrovna, "What do you know about the 
dreams Scully and I had last night." 

Madame Petrovna remained silent as if she did not even hear his questions. 
Mulder looked back to Hild, "What's wrong with her?"  

The old man shook his head, "Nothing she's waiting for the message from your 
father."


Mulder's face flushed as he took a seat, sitting close on the edge of the couch 
with his elbows against his knees clasping his hands. They remained like that for 
nearly  30 minutes, until Madame Petrovna's hands began to shake. Once the 
shaking started, she pulled her self closer to the table and continued to wait. The 
shaking became more pronounced, until finally she grasped the pencil Hild had 
placed in front of her and began to write. Just as before she began at the bottom 
of the page and made her way towards the top.  

Mulder watched as perspiration began to appear on her forehead and cheeks. 
She wrote for nearly 20 minutes, never hesitating or stopping for any reason at 
all. Once she was done, she rose from her chair and made her way upstairs 
towards her own private quarters. She gave no words or actions other than 
putting one foot in front of the other.  Mulder's attention was drawn back only by 
the clicking of her door as she closed it away from his field of vision.

His thoughts were disarrayed by the movements of Hild as he gathered Madame 
Petrovna's papers and arranged them into a neat pile. Mulder stood and 
indicated towards the papers, "May I?" Hild nodded that it was allowed and 
handed the papers to Mulder before retiring into the kitchen.

Page after page, word after word, there were endless words of good versus evil 
and  right as opposed to wrong. Mulder returned back to his chair and read, 
every page, all 7 of them. He arranged the papers back into a pile and replaced 
them on the table where she had left them. He pulled stiffly at his tie and made 
his way up the stairs. He stifled a yawn as he climbed them and smiled to 
himself, "Looks like the Madame cured my insomnia." He retired to bed, fell 
asleep almost immediately, and partook in no dreams this night, good nor bad.

"Scully forced the key into the lock and pushed her door open. She'd forgotten 
how tiring teaching could be. Not to mention that drive from Quantico. It wasn't 
the most relaxing of trips that was for sure. She had tossed the keys on the shelf 
by the door and dropped her briefcase  when her senses were assaulted by a 
floral aroma. It took a few minutes for her to be completely overwhelmed by the 
sensation. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it at first. She must be more 
tired than she realized. She continued walking towards the living room in search 
of the floral source. No her senses corrected, it wasn't flowers she smelled. It 
was roses. She proceeded through the foyer and upon entering the living room; 
she discovered the source. She would have had to have been blind to miss 
them; they were everywhere,  wall to wall. White roses in large green vases 
everywhere,  even in the kitchen atop every counter surface that would hold 
them. She stood motionless, astonished, and not quite sure of what she should 
do. She was distracted by someone making an "Ahem", noise from farther inside 
the house. 

She walked forward and found him leaning against the door frame of her 
bedroom, holding a single red rose towards her. He smiled to her, "Welcome 
home." 

She went quickly to him and asked, "Chris, Have you lost your mind?" 

As she fell into his arms, he answered, "No, just my heart." 

He embraced her, then presented the rose to her, almost directly under her 
nose.  "I missed you," he declared, as his lips came down quickly atop hers. 

She kissed him back urgently, her hands occupying themselves in his hair. 

The kissing quickly became more passionate, his kisses lost on the silky smooth 
skin of her neck.  She placed her small hands against his chest and forced a 
breath of air between their faces. "Chris, " she whispered, "How'd you know I 
was coming home." 

He pulled away, took her hand, and led her towards the kitchen. He handed her 
a glass of red wine and led her back to the living room, " I was in Skinner's office 
when the travel agency confirmed your flight back." 

They drank their wine slowly and ate the dinner he had prepared. It was nearly 9 
o' clock when the dinner dishes were finally put away for the evening. Quickly he 
started the television and indicated towards the sofa, "You get comfortable. You 
gotta be tired after the flight back and all." 

She smiled to him and did as he asked. He pushed a video into the player and 
went on, "I picked some classics for you tonight." 

She folded her legs and tucked them underneath her as leaned against the arm 
of the sofa, "Ooh, I love old movies." 

He smiled and took the place next to her, "Me too."


The music began and Key Largo had barely started when the necking was 
initiated. Bacall and Bogert were just finishing their kiss when Dana undressed 
him. They had made love twice when the credits rolled across the screen. Gates 
pulled himself up and rested the weight of his body on his arms. Dana lay still 
against the plush carpet. He noticed the goose flesh that appeared on her skin 
when he had pulled away from her and asked, "You cold?" 

She smiled and nodded that she was. He pulled the soft, furry blanket from the 
back of the sofa and wrapped it around her. She folded the blanket across her 
chest and laid back against the bottom of the sofa. 

She accepted the wine he handed her and asked as he started the second 
movie, "What's this one?" 

He returned back to the place on the floor beside her  and motioned for her to let 
him under the blanket. He slid inside the warmth she offered and answered as 
he slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, "It's called Rebecca." 

She smiled as he told her and said, "By Daphne DaMaurier". He tossed a 
handful of popcorn into his mouth and offered a couple of kernels to her. 
He asked, "So you know this one?"  

She nodded, "It is one of my most favorite books."

He swallowed and chided her, "I thought you were more the science type?" 

She replied rising to the challenge, "I happen to enjoy many different things, 
Agent Gates."  

He clicked his glass against hers and nodded, "To challenges then, Agent 
Scully?" 

She nodded, watching his gaze as she drank from the glass. 


They spent the remainder of the night cuddled together under the blanket with 
the softness of the fur  tickling both their naked bodies. It was nearly 2 AM when 
he left her apartment and made his way to his own. Dana saw him out, then 
retired to her own bed with the most profound sense of completeness she had 
ever experienced. It wasn't just physical or emotional satisfaction. Simply put, 
she felt whole when she was with this man. With him, she was Dana, not Dr 
Scully or Agent Scully. She was Dana. 

She had forgotten how long it had been since "Dana" was around. It was 
relaxing to be herself for a change.  She enjoyed his attention, his passion, his 
interest. She enjoyed being with him and found herself more often than not, 
looking forward to their time together.

She was constantly amazed at this man's perception, especially when it came to 
her. In the past, more than once she had been accused of being hard, somewhat 
detached. It wasn't by chance she acquired the name "the Ice Maiden" at the 
academy.  However, with him, all her rules and  common sense seem to be 
abandon.

As she fell closer towards sleep, she thought of Mulder. Until now, only Mulder 
knew her thoughts and fears. Some she had verbally  told him, most she had 
not. He just always seem to know what she felt and what she needed. 

She wondered, worried actually, if her relationship with Gates would tarnish in 
any way, the relationship she shared with Mulder. He was her best friend, he 
had been there for her when there was no one else. Sleep came finally , as she 
reluctantly succumbed to the darkness and let it envelope her.



Gates Apartment 4AM

The bedroom was so dark he could hardly make out the fragile form in the bed 
beneath him. His breathing came in great gasps as he hovered above the young 
woman, pausing momentarily before falling unto his back and landing beside 
her. When his breathing had returned to normal the woman rose from the bed 
and began collecting the clothes that were thrown on the floor.  

The moonlight flooding through the window caught her in silhouette  as she 
finished dressing. She looked quickly to him and asked, "Tomorrow night?" 

He shook his head and answered as he took a handful of currency from his 
wallet, " It's hard to say for sure. Sometimes I  have to work late, sometimes I 
don't." 

She took the money from his hand and stuffed it into her purse. She was nearly 
out of the door when she hesitated and looked back to him, `You'll call then?"  

He made a sound she deciphered to mean all right. She waited for him to say 
good bye. But with one last look at his form on the bed, his back to her; she 
knew she had been dismissed. She left with no further inquiry or comment.


08:00 AM (Day 3)

Mulder awoke startled, unsure of his surroundings. He looked through squinted 
eyelids at the window  who betrayingly allowed the sunlight in at such an 
inhospitable time of the morning. He rubbed his fingers across his eyes and 
down his cheek, paused for a moment, then rose and made his way into his 
bathroom. After a quick shower and shave, he left to check on the progress of 
the Eckhart murder. He drove silently towards Sheriff Steel's office, his mind 
tracking all the pieces they had uncovered so far. 

He parked the car and made his way casually in. The sheriff greeted him 
suspiciously, "How did you get here so fast?" 

Mulder looked confused, "Pardon?" 

The sheriff repeated, "I just left a message at the Inn, not 15 minutes ago. It's a 
least a 30 minute drive here." 

Mulder smiled and indicated towards the coffee. The sheriff nodded for Mulder to 
help himself, "I woke up early. I was on my way already when Hild called me and 
gave me your message." 

The sheriff seemed upset, "First I called to give you the results of the blood work 
up on Eckhart. The ME confirms what you partner said. The decapitation was 
post mortal. He died by asphyxiation." 

Mulder took the folder and read as the sheriff continue to talk. Mulder glanced at 
the toxicology, "She was right about some other things, too." 

Mulder folded the file shut, sipped at the coffee, and asked, "The report says 
some as of yet unidentified drug or herb was in his system.?"

The sheriff shook his head, "How could she have known that?" 

Mulder crumbled the empty styrofoam cup in his hands and tossed it in the trash, 
"I have never been able to answer that in 4 years. I doubt I'll be able to this time 
either."

Mulder started to walk away when the sheriff caught his arm, "Agent Mulder, I 
just put another call out to you because we got another body. The FBI rep said I 
should contact you. She's one of yours, too."


Mulder followed the sheriff to an old farmhouse about 15 miles from where 
Eckhart decapitated head was discovered. Once there the investigators found 
the  rotting body of Mary Glover hanging by the neck from a large tree buried 
some 4 miles into the thicket  that surrounded the farmhouse. 

In addition her body played host to a number of what looked like stab wounds 
around her chest area. Mulder marched to the tree that held the body and 
examined it closely for any sign of drawings or carvings. He was not surprised to 
discover the scarred image of an eagle, once again with a wing span nearly as 
large as the drawing itself. 

He motioned to the young deputy, "I want this from every angle, as close as you 
can get, Got it?" The young man nodded and swallowed loudly. Mulder  smiled 
and thought to himself he should have checked the deputy's identification first. 
The young man didn't even look old enough to have graduated high school yet.

He approached the sheriff, "Can you get me the results as quickly as possible? 
Have someone drop them off at the Inn?" The sheriff nodded that he would and 
bade farewell as Mulder returned to his vehicle.

He stopped for lunch before returning to the Inn. He wondered for about the 
twentieth time what Scully was doing, probably at the office already or on her 
way to Quantico. He pulled out his phone and dialed her cellular waiting for a 
reply. She answered almost immediately, he noticed she sounded tired. "Hey 
Scully, " he announced. 

 "Hi, Mulder, how's the dead world?" 

He smiled, "Well it would appear that some of your theories have proven to be 
correct." 

She smiled attempting to sound confident as if it were no surprise, "Which 
theory?" 

He laughed, "John Eckhart's decapitation was after the fact, he did die from the 
hanging. And there seems to be some sort of unidentified drug or herb in his 
system. So your comment about the tea may have some validity about it after 
all." 

She nodded, "Anything else?"

He stuffed a handful of french fries in his mouth, "Found another body, about 5 
miles from where the head was found."  

She waited patiently waiting for him to give it all to her. He swallowed loudly 
causing her to ask, "Mulder, you're eating junk food again, aren't you?"  

He answered between bites, "No, I'm having a salad." 

"Mulder, " she went on, "Don't lie to me. Salads don't sound like french fries." 

He laughed, "Scully, how can you tell that I'm eating french fries." 

She replied, "I know you, Mulder." 

She added, "Anything usual about the Glover body?" 

He shook his head as if she could see him, "Don't know, it was still hanging 
about 30 minutes ago when I left the scene. It was decomposing badly." 

"We have an entire body this time?" she asked.

Again he nodded into the phone as he spoke, "Yeah, but I think she was stabbed 
as well. There were definitely penetrating wounds around the chest area." He 
took a sip of his soda and went on, "If your theory holds true, the stab wounds 
should also be after the fact, Uh?"

She smiled and looked at her watch, "You need anything from me?" 

He pushed the empty plate away and whispered into the phone, "A back rub 
every Tuesday would be nice." 

She made one of her infamous faces, "Mulder," 

He interrupted, "I'm sorry, Scully. It's just that sometimes, you're so easy. I can't 
help myself." 

She swallowed trying to sound hurt, "Well as long as I'm amusing you, Mulder." 

He laughed, "I'll fed ex the Glover stuff to you as soon as I get it, Okay?" 

She replied, "Okay, I'll be waiting." 

He asked, "How's Quantico?" 

She replied, "Still as tiring as ever. I could never teach full time now after being 
in the field. I think I'd be bored after a month or so."  

He nodded, "Well, I'm sure Gates is seeing that you don't get too bored, Uh 
Scully?"

She answered, "Yes, Mulder, I saw him last night. It was fun being home at a 
reasonable hour, eating dinner at the table instead of on our desks. You should 
try it, sometime." 

He smiled, "I will. I promise." He paid the bill for lunch and stood to leave, "Well, 
Scully I am going to talk to Madame Petrovna about the deaths, see if she 
remembers any of the missing or either of the victims."

Scully replied, "Good luck Mulder. And be careful."  He waited until he heard the 
line disconnect before he inactivated his phone. 


He made the drive back to the Inn in good time, parked the car, and went to 
interrogate the staff. He found Madame Petrovna in the main room, listening to 
an assortment  of opera selections and intently reading a small book. She smiled 
when she saw him approaching, "Agent Mulder, this is for you." 

She handed him a number of notebook pages written in the same large script 
and odd manner he had come to recognize as her spirit writings. He looked 
quickly at the first page, started at the bottom, and began to read, 

You are not alone, you never were. I am with you now as I have always been 
and as I will continue to be. You must forgive me and let go of the anger you feel 
if you are to ever discover those truths which you seek. 

He who is your enemy now, may not always be such. It  is as it should be for 
now, but this is not how it is to be for always. You, my son, seek truths, you seek 
justices both for you and those you care for. Their injustices, like yours, are not 
purely superficial. There are some wrongs you can not make right.  Wisdom lies 
in knowing the difference.

It is not yet her time, but soon it will be. These truths you can not alter. It is 
preordained. It was her destiny long before she made it such. 

As for my part  I am forever condemned. I stand idle and watch those I love on 
their way to another place and time. We, too, are in this place for only a short 
while. It is with much regret I must bid you farewell, my son. 

Mulder looked at the letter and read it again, "Why are you doing this?" 

She smiled to him, "He has things he needs to tell you. Things he didn't get to 
tell you while he was in this time."

Mulder folded the papers up and shook his head, "I don't believe these are from 
my father." 

She smiled to him, "I know that you believe, Mr. Mulder. I know that you do."

He opened the folder to her, "Madame Petrovna, do you recognize any of these 
people.?" 

She looked carefully at the photos, She pointed to one of  missing victims. A 
black man is his mid 40's. "I think he was a guest here, recently. I'm not sure I 
am not good with faces, Agent Mulder. Only their spirits."

He nodded and held up the picture, "Yeah, Madame Petrovna. His name is 
Kristian Hare. He's been missing for about 3 weeks. We traced his credit card to 
here. I knew he was a guest here before he disappeared." 

She nodded, "Sorry, I couldn't be of more help." He nodded and took the file 
from her. 

He started upstairs, "Madame, Would you mind if I looked around a bit?"

She nodded that it would be okay, but never took her eyes off the book she was 
reading.

Mulder started with the first room on the left. It was almost identical to his own 
room, except the furnishings were not as nice. In fact, he doubted this was a 
customer room at all. The bed spread and curtains were mismatched. And the 
furniture itself was older and worn. It looked almost like a storage room with a 
bed in it. He inspected every where that seemed appropriate and was about to 
exit the room  when he noticed the stack of letters piled orderly against the 
bureau. 

He knew instantly that they were more of Madame Petrovna's `messages' from 
the dead as Scully would have called them. He read them one by one, making 
mental notes of each of the contents and topics. He noticed that nearly all of 
them dealt with the evil and sins that society inflicted upon each other. For 
example one sermon seemed to abolish sins of the flesh. It made several 
references to adultery or being unclean. 

Another letter deal with the corruption of the youth and the weak, On and on he 
read, at one point he felt as if he'd accidentally switched into the religion channel 
and found the remote control was broken. After scrawling through all the 
messages, he replaced them on the bureau and continued his search of the 
house.

To his surprise all the other rooms seemed to be service rooms. With the 
exception of the first room, everything else seemed to be in order. Downstairs he 
found what turned out to be an elaborate sound system designed into the walls 
and surrounding area downstairs. When he questioned Madame Petrovna she 
insisted it was for musical purposes only. However, Mulder wasn't so sure. He 
thought her not above a good chain rattling or voice from beyond scam if needs 
be. 

Once he finished inside, his attention was turned to the outside area. He started 
with the woods nearest the house and quickly made his way farther away. He 
had gone a few miles when something caught his eye behind him. He turned 
quickly, saw nothing, and continued onward. 

The sun was setting and Mulder knew he should start heading back. After all 
Scully was the walking compass, not him. Infact he got lost going to the rest 
room sometimes at the J Edgar Hoover Building. He turned and began his way 
back to the Inn when he looked down in the mud at the foot prints he made on 
the way inside the thicket. 

He stopped suddenly, noticing the large boot print imprinted close against  his 
own dress shoe imprint. In a flash he had drawn his gun and scanned the 
circular area around him. It was now he saw the movement of the tree to his right 
as if someone had just fled away. He turned and gave chase, as quickly as he 
could. As he reached a clearing he could make out the figure up ahead, he was 
a younger with long hair. He looked to be shorted than Mulder, but built  in the 
same lean manner. The man ran faster than Mulder as if he knew exactly where 
he was headed. Then again, the way the man ran, he seemed to be very familiar 
with the area. This fact was made evident to Mulder as he cleared some brush 
and fell head first into a dried up stream. The mud hit him hard in the face, 
causing him to cry out in frustration. However, his detainment didn't last long. 
Seconds later, he was up and running, heading in the direction he'd seen the 
man before he disappeared back into the thicket.

It was nearly dark when Mulder ended the chase and made his way back to the 
Inn. He entered and found everyone else including Madame Petrovna had 
retired for the evening. There was no one else to be found. He showered quickly 
and retired to his room, making dinner on the snacks he's picked up earlier in 
the day. He smiled to himself as he chewed on the chips, `It  was good Scully 
wasn't here. She hated it when he ate like this.' He fell asleep, atop the blankets 
with the file folder lying atop his stomach.


Scully  pushed the lone strand of red hair back behind her ear and rapped 
impatiently on the steering wheel. Her cellular phone buzzed as she waited to 
exit the turnpike and head towards her apartment. She answered it on the 3rd 
ring, "Scully." 

Her expression turned softer as she recognized his voice. She listened patiently 
as she turned on the signal light and headed towards the suburbs. After listening 
quietly and offering simple replies like okay, yes, but Chris, and other assorted 
oddities. 

She nodded as if he could see her and replied into the phone, "But tonight was 
supposed to be at your place. We spend too much time at my apartment. I want 
to get some insight into the real Chris Gates." Whatever his reply was made her 
blush, "Chris, " she warned. Finally as she turned into her apartment complex, 
she surrendered, "Okay, then about an hour or so." She snapped the phone off 
and went inside.

She barely had time to change out of the beige suit she had worn to Quantico 
and into a soft blue sweater and jeans when he knocked lightly at her door. She 
answered it quickly, greeting him with a quick kiss and smile.

She took the bottle of wine from him and headed for the kitchen. He caught her 
around the waist and pulled her into his arms. "You know, " he began as he 
nuzzled her neck against his lips. "I could get used to this teaching thing." 

He pulled her around to face him and continued leaning in closer to her, "I mean 
home by 6, dinner by 7,  bed by 7:15." 

She smiled and pulled out of his embrace, " Don't get too used to it." She 
continued as she went into the kitchen, allowing her voice to become louder so 
that he could still hear what she was saying, "Once the regular pathologist is 
back. I'm on a plane to Massachusetts." 

She knew he had a disappointed look on his face even thought she could see it. 
She returned back to him, "Chris," She comforted, " this is a luxury we are 
afforded for only a short time." 

He nodded, "I know. We've talked about this before." He followed her into the 
living room, "I know how important your work is to you." He embraced her again 
but not as intensely as before and looked into her eyes, "I won't  ask you to 
choose, Dana, not ever." 

She kissed him gently on the lips, "I know." She pulled away and fell down 
against the cushions on the sofa, "What movies did you get for tonight?" 

His eyes lit up and he smiled, dropping the bag he carried unto the floor. "No 
movies, tonight. Something a little different." 

Her eyebrow over her right eye arched questionably, "Like what?" 

He pulled her up and towards the kitchen, "It's a surprise." He opened the 
refrigerator and instructed her, "Pull out all the fruit and make one big fruit 
platter." He smiled as if anticipating her question, "Dinner, " he motioned towards 
the refrigerator.

Dana went quickly to the task she was assigned. He retrieved the bag from the 
living room and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 
She pulled out a number of bananas, washed the pint of strawberries, and both 
white & red grapes from the vine, dropping them atop the platter. Then she 
washed a few apples and tossed two tangerines onto the pile.

She selected two wine glasses from the rack and pulled a chilled bottle of wine 
from the refrigerator. She tapped lightly at the bathroom and called, "Chris, you 
okay, in there?" 

He answered the door almost instantly, motioning her inside the bathroom. She 
smiled when she saw him, stripped down to gray thigh high underwear that clung 
tightly against his muscular frame. Her antique high walled tub was filled to the 
rim, a massive cloud of foam protruding up and over the edges. 

He had lit a number of  scented candles. He indicated for her to wait where she 
was as he disappeared back into the living room. Moments passed until she 
heard a low serenade of soft music from the living room. He returned carrying 
the fruit tray tucked under his arm.

He sat the fruit and wine down on the floor beside the tub and smiled to her, 
"Surprise". 

She returned the smile and fell once again into his arms. He undressed her 
slowly. Bending to kiss her neck and shoulders as he revealed them to his 
hungry lips.  He let her sweater fall to the floor, pulling her closer against him. 

She didn't even remember  him removing the rest of her clothes or his. She 
watched as he stepped into the tub, sitting back against the tub allowing his 
body to adjust to the water temperature. Seconds later he held out his hand for 
her to join him. 

She stepped in, settling her back close against his chest. Once again his lips 
caressed her shoulders and neck, causing her skin to tingle everywhere he 
touched.  He offered the glass of wine to her lips allowing her to drink slowly.
When she finished he placed a strawberry up against her lips. She bit into the 
juicy berry splitting it nearly in half.  He devoured the remaining piece himself,  
hesitating only long enough to kiss the berry juice where it ran down her chin. 
They made their way slowly and tenderly through each type of fruit, stopping 
only to devour whatever remnants that clung to the other's face.  

After a while, he let some of the cooled water  drain out and replaced it with  
warmer to reflect the atmospheric nature of what they were feeling.  He leaned 
close against her neck and nibbled delicately at  the fleshy part of her ear, 
presenting a handful of grapes to her at about the same time. He whispered into 
the ear he had been admiring,

 "When you came, you were like red wine and honey,
And the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness.
Now you are like morning bread,  smooth & pleasant.
I hardly taste you at all, for I know your savor;
But I am completely nourished."

She exhaled as he finished his whispers and closed her eyes as if it were too 
much to bear. She took in an extra breath or two, noticing how thick the air 
seemed to feel. She bit her lip and ran her hands up & down the outside of his 
legs that lie tight around hers, "Please, don't  tell me you didn't write that."  

He  pushed her forward, allowing himself access to her back. He paraded a trail 
of hot kisses down along her spine, causing her to arch forward as if he were 
burning her. He smiled in spite of himself and chanted, "Agent Scully, I do 
believe you are liking this." 

She ignored him, "Apparently, I am not  the only one enjoying it."

 He smiled to her with a boyish expression, "This is true, I confess."

She leaned back against him interrupting his seduction of her back and neck. As 
if disappointed he rested his chin on her  shoulder. "What do you want to do 
now?" he asked. 

She dropped her head against his shoulder, allowing him good access to her 
lips, now swollen by his kisses, "You really want to know?"  

He kissed her anxiously answering under his breath, "You know I do." 

She pulled her lips from his, and answered mischievously, " Quote some more 
literature to me?" 

He smiled as if contemplating some major recollection. He began caressing her 
back again, purring innocently against her neck as his fingers trailed delicately 
over her shoulder blades.  He began, 

"Beauty is a shell from the sea
where she rules triumphant till love has had its way with her
Scallops and lion's paw sculptured to the tune of retreating waves
Undying accents repeated till the ear and the eye lie down together in the same 
bed."

She shook her head as he finished, "Okay," she surrendered, "Tell me  who 
wrote these."

He smiled and pushed another strawberry into her mouth, pausing a second to 
trace the juices she expelled around her lips. He smiled to her wiping whatever 
was left on his finger against her tongue. "The first one, "he answered, " was 
called Decade by Hilda Doolittle. This one is by William Carlos Wlliams and is 
called Beauty is a Shell."

She pushed a slice of apple over her shoulder and into his mouth and 
announced, "I like them both, very much." 

He made a quick nod, more like a bow actually with his head, "I thought you 
might."  

She seemed  as if in thought for a moment, "What me to tell you one?"  

He made a gesture putting his hand near his heart, "I would be honored."

She hesitated for a moment,. Then began,
Through Chance,  we are each a ghost to all the others, and our only reality; 
Through Chance,  the huge hinge of the world, and a grain of dust; 
the stone that starts an avalanche
the pebble whose concentric circles widen across the seas."

He nodded, "I should have known you'd be a Thomas Wolfe fan." 

She laughed and finished the last drop of wine from her glass, "I  think if we stay 
in here any longer, we' ll look like prunes tomorrow." 

He nodded and pushed himself up and out  of the tub. He dried himself quickly, 
draping the towel around his waist. Once he was done, he opened another towel 
out to her. She stepped into it thankfully and began toweling herself off. He 
gently restrained her hands, "I'll do it." 

Slowly he dried her off, then wrapped the towel protectively around her. She 
followed him into the living room where he directed her to the sofa. He indicated 
she should get comfortable. He took her towel from her and handed her the 
blanket from the night before. 

She wrapped it around herself and curled up against his chest. He pulled a book 
from the  shelf that  stood nearby. "I thought," he began, "I'd read a little to you. 
You are always so stressed, so intense." He pulled her against him, " Just lay 
back and enjoy."

He opened up the book and began reading to her in a low, unrushed pace. He 
read continually, stopping only to periodically kiss her atop the head or take a 
sip of wine. He paid careful attention that was extent of his intimacy with her, 
casual kissing. He wanted to seduce her mentally this time, not physically. He 
had read nearly 29 chapters of Moby Dick, before he acknowledged any change 
in the plan. 

He closed the book and kissed her in he process. "Okay, "he announced, "now 
its my turn." He pulled her closer, "What to know what I want form you?" 

She made a face similar to the one she made when Mulder made his confession 
to her last year about his fear of bugs. You know the expression that said okay 
tell me quickly, before I change my mind.

He slid down on the floor on his stomach and announced before she could reply, 
"I want a sensual massage". He folded his arms and rested his face against his 
hands as he said it. 

She laughed and stood up, "Let me get a robe, first." 

He held her still, "Dana, you don' t have to get a robe." 

She looked awkwardly down to him, "Chris, I'm not as comfortable with it as you 
are, I'm sorry." 

He sat up quickly and pulled her down to him, " Dana, you have a beautiful 
body." He began pulling at the blanket directing it in a downward motion. 

She pulled away and warned "Chris. " 

He nodded and backed off, "Okay, if it that's what you want."

She returned a few seconds later, tying the belt on her white terry cloth robe. He 
laid back down on his stomach, tossing his wet towel at her as he did so. She 
poured some of the warmed oil into the palm of her hands and began gently 
rubbing it into his shoulders, back, and arms. 

She had been working on him about 15 minutes and so far he had not said a 
word. In fact she thought he was asleep. She paused for a second, "Chris." 

His only reply was a muffled, "Muh?" 

She answered, "It isn't as much fun when you're sleeping. Can't you talk to me 
while I do this?"

He laughed, "It's hard to concentrate. I am so relaxed." 

She nudged him, caressing his lower back. She hesitated, then asked, " Come 
on, talk to me.  You want your but done, too?" 

He nodded and reported back "Of course." 

She shook her head and began kneading his buttocks until he winced, "All right, 
you win. What can we talk about?" 

She smiled victoriously, "You know any more poetry?" 

He smiled and began quoting more literary works of art to her. After about 30 
minutes, he pushed himself up and into a sitting position, "Sorry, you have heard 
my whole repertoire."  

She smiled, "You must  really like to read."  

He leaned in closer and took her hands in his, Yes, I seem to find lots of things 
to read.  "Aren't  your hands getting tired," kissing them as he finished the 
sentence. 

She looked sheepishly at him, "A little."  

He traced the outline of her jaw with his forefinger and whispered, "You look 
beat." Without another word, he led her towards her bedroom and motioned for 
her to lay down on her stomach. She slid out of the robe and did as he indicated. 
He pulled the sheet over her buttocks, disappeared back into the living room, 
and returned to her minutes later, wearing his jeans unbuttoned and unbelted. 
He sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly began caressing her back. He 
kneaded her tired muscles methodically, worked away all the day's stress and 
anxieties.

He watched as her breathing became less shallow and her body more relaxed. 
Finally he smiled down at her sleeping form. He continued his ministrations until  
he was sure she was asleep. Then he rose, pulled the sheet up & over her bare 
back, laid her gun out on the nightstand  where he knew she kept it , and 
extinguished the candles in the bathroom.  Once this was all done, he turned off 
the music, collected the rest of his clothes, and locked the door behind him on 
his way out.


Gates Apartment 3AM

He sat up against the headboard of his bed and looked down at the gray 
underwear he worn earlier. He smiled and thought to himself that was a nice 
touch. He knew she was one of those more was less kind of woman. He could 
see the desire in her eyes when she looked at him. He took small sips of the 
gold colored liquor and  made a pained expression as he swallowed it down. He 
tossed the manila folder he was reading down onto the floor where it landed atop 
2 nearly identical ones. 

He looked back at the file and smiled, "1985  was definitely the best volume. 
After  all she  was 21 that year, Uh " He searched  through the  stack of papers 
scattered over the bed. He located the file he sought, it was entitled, Dana K. 
Scully. College Transcripts University of Maryland. He scanned it quickly, 
making mental notes here and there. He swallowed the last drink from his glass 
and laughed aloud, "I do seem to read a lot, UH?" He tossed the file on the floor 
with the others, it fell between the one marked Dana K Scully 1964 - 1974 and 
the one marked Dana K Scully 1975 - 1984. 

The volume titled Dana K Scully 1985 - 1996 fell over and off to the side, nearly 
under the bed. He tossed the  loose papers into the floor and switched the lights 
off.  He smiled to himself, hoping the weather would be pleasant in Alexandria 
tomorrow. He knew she would enjoy it.



08:00 (Day 4)
Mulder rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. He glanced curiously at the photos 
and papers that had fallen off of him and into the floor. As was usual he 
showered and made his way downstairs. He met  Madame Petrovna outside on 
the porch. "Madame, "he began, "What is the first room on the left upstairs used 
for?"

She replied calmly, "Storage mostly. But sometimes I let the less fortunate take 
shelter when needed." 

Mulder knelt beside her, "When needed?" 

She sipped at her tea, "Yes, you know when it is cold or raining."

His mind raced as he thought of the man he chased yesterday, "Who stays in 
there when it rains or is cold?" 

She shook her head, "Why?" 

He looked away towards the woods, "I saw someone yesterday in the woods. I 
tried to catch him but he got away."

"Why would you want to catch Edgar?" she asked. 

Mulder's expression changed, "Edgar?" 

She shook her head, "Edgar, we call him Eddie, Bryce. He's a young man who 
lives out in the woods." She paused, "Sometimes he does odd jobs to pick up 
money for necessities. Mostly he just sleeps upstairs whenever he needs to."

Mulder's heart raced as he made his way to his car, dialing his phone at the 
same time. Hey Danny, " he said into the phone, "I need a favor. Can you check 
the weather in this area when those missing victims were last around here." 

He started the car and headed for the sheriff's office, "Fax the results to Sheriff 
Steels's office, Okay?" He hung up and sped quickly towards the sheriff's office.

Bye the time he got there, the fax from Danny was waiting. Mulder's heart nearly 
stopped. During the time of each disappearance, the weather around the Inn 
was either rainy or cool, as Danny had broken it down. 

He turned to the sheriff, trying to control his excitement as he explained his 
theory. The sheriff repeated, "So you think this vagrant Edgar is responsible for 
the deaths of those people." 

Mulder nodded, "I think Madame Petrovna is involved as well, but I am still 
working on her part."

Mulder turned to the deputy, "What about the body from yesterday. Anything?" 

The sheriff nodded, "Just like the head we found. Hung first, then stabbed as an 
after thought. She also had  a large amount of the same herb in her system. It 
has been identified as Vallerian" 

Mulder nodded, "There are probably hundreds of  herbs and things growing in 
those woods. Isn't Vallerian a sedative like agent"

The sheriff agreed, "Let's run this Edgar Bryce and see what we can come up 
with?" 

Mulder nodded and helped himself to the coffee. About 20 minutes later the 
sheriff read the report to the investigative team on Edgar Bryce. 

The sheriff began, "He's 33 years old, stands 5 feet 9 inches and weighs about 
190 pounds. He has brown eyes. He dropped out of  high school after both his 
parents were killed during a bungled robbery attempt. It seems Mr & Mrs Bryce 
were patronizing a club in Boston, There was a robbery attempt, a number of 
customers including the Bryce's were killed. About 1 year later the boy lost his 
parents farm after the bank foreclosed on it." 

Mulder shook his head, "Gee, that's a pretty rough way to grow up. How did the 
parents die? " 

The sheriff nodded, "They were stabbed to death. Let's go pick him up, shall 
we?"


The investigative team arrived back at the Inn about an hour later. Within 
minutes the team had fanned out in nearly every direction. Mulder led the sheriff 
to where he had accosted the boy earlier. They hadn't been searching long 
when a gunshot broke the  silence. Everyone involved ran in the direction from 
which the shot had sounded. Quickly they encountered a young deputy with his 
rifle pointing upwards towards a massive tree. 

Mulder's pace slowed as he came upon the familiar hanging form. The man hung 
vicariously from the tree, his black face twisted in pain. Like the others there 
were a number of stab wounds in his chest area."

Mulder walked to the tree hosting the body and found the expected  open 
winged eagle carved into the trunk of the tree.

He made his way back to the Inn with the sheriff accompanying him to question 
Madame Petrovna. She seemed genuinely upset about the discovery of the body 
especially on what she considered to be `holy ground'. 

She also acknowledged that she knew nothing more of Edgar Bryce other than 
the fact that she occasionally let him seek shelter under her roof when the 
elements called for it.

She covered her eyes when the deputies pulled the gurney past her house and 
loaded it into the waiting hearse. She began to cry, "Eddie is just a gentle 
creature. I can't believe he would do this evil to complete strangers." 

Mulder comforted her, "Madame Petrovna, he needs help. He is sick." He looked 
her straight in the eye, "Where is he?"

She nodded, "I swear Agent Mulder, I don't know. He only comes around when 
he's hungry or cold." Mulder nodded and stepped off the porch to join the sheriff 
and his men.

Off in the distance, high up in the tree watching the scene unfold, the dirty figure 
of Edgar Bryce could barely be detected. The sky turned darker as the clouds 
gathered tormentingly about. Minutes later the silence was broken as the 
heavens opened up and the rain began to fall.


Scully walked eagerly to her car. It was Friday that meant no work till Monday; 
and it was still relatively early, especially for her. She glanced at her watch and 
swept the hair out of her face with a shrug. She made it to her car with keys in 
hand. She didn't even see his jeep pull up behind her. 

The horn that sounded made her jump, she looked quickly behind her and 
smiled when she saw him. He leaned across the passenger seat and rolled 
down his window, "Hey, " he called to her, "I was just coming up to see you. 
Done for the day already?" 

She nodded and walked to his jeep, shaking her head. He pulled his jeep next to 
her car and slid out, leaving the engine running. He kissed her quickly on the 
cheek, "I've got another surprise for you." 

She looked inquisitively and shrugged, "Chris, I'm so tired. I just want to curl up 
in the tub and read." She thought for a second then added quickly, "Alone." 

He smiled, taking her arm and pulling her towards the jeep. "Dana, you need to 
relax some. I have it all work out." Without any further ado, he guided her into 
the jeep, closed the door securely behind her, and climbed quickly back into the 
drivers seat. 

He guided the car unto the beltway and took the first exit marked Alexandria. 
She unbuttoned her jacket and asked, "Christopher, where are we going?"

 He indicated to the sign, "Alexandria, for the night." She interrupted before he 
could continue, "For the night? I don't have ." 

He broke in, "I got it covered. There's a bag in the back for you." 

She leaned over the console and pulled a blue duffel bag into the front seat with 
them. Inside she found a pair of jeans, a denim shirt, a pair of socks, and  her 
tennis shoes. In addition she discovered a set of bra & panties, along with a 
night gown. He had also picked up a new toothbrush, as well as her own 
personal toiletries from her place. She looked questionably at him, "What are 
you doing?" Have you gone completely insane?"

He smiled to her again, almost wickedly. "Dana, I know you gotta go back to your 
real life on Monday. Let us have this time, now. Please?"

If she was going to be angry, after his pitiful plea, she doubted  she'd been able 
to stay angry. Instead she tossed the bag in the back, shook her head, and 
announced, "You are amazing." She leaned in close and kissed him on the 
cheek as he drove. 

She snacked on the juice and apple he handed her and asked, "So exactly 
where are we going in Alexandria."

He looked casually at her, "A secret little place I love, Nolan's Harbor. Been 
there?"

She nodded that she had not, "What's there?"

He smiled to himself, "You'll see." 

She dosed off a number of times before the jeep came to stop. She straightened 
up and looked around sleepily, at first. Her eyes grew  wide and she smiled as 
she took in the site of it. It was nice. It looked like the typical cozy little New 
England Village. 

The houses and shops lined perfectly along the small road. It was a fishing 
village with the harbor hanging off in the distance for as far as you could see. 
The sun was still high and shining off the water almost making it look silver. It 
nearly looked like snow, it was so bright. 

There was a breeze coming off the harbor and it blew past them as they 
unloaded the jeep, bringing the fresh scent of salt along with it. She licked her 
lips as if to capture even more of the ambiance. Their cottage was right on the 
water's edge. It was a little 2 story place with a small balcony in the bedroom  
that overlooked the water. 

He helped her put her things away, allowing himself the opportunity to pull her 
by the waist into his arms as she finished, "Are you surprised?" 

She nodded, "Constantly." 

He kissed her deeply, allowing himself to fall with her atop the bed. He kissed 
her neck and was making his way down, when he hesitated and whispered to 
her, "This isn't what I planned for us." He kissed her again and added, "At  least 
not yet." 

She smiled, pushed him away, and sat up, "So what then?" 

He stood and pulled her up by her hands. He tossed the jeans and shirt to her as 
well as the socks and shoes. "You need to change, you look too much like a 
doctor." 

She laughed and  quickly changed into the clothes he handed her.

He led her outside and they drove for about 15 minutes until they came to a 
large farm house  surrounded by white picket fences. In fact every thing was 
white, the house, the barns, even the stables were painted a shocking white. He 
parked the jeep and led her down to the stable. 

Within minutes they were on the most beautiful horse Dana had ever seen. The 
horse was big, as in tall, not fat. It was a healthy tan color with a fiery red mane 
that hung loosely against her back. 
He wrapped his arms tightly around Dana's waist and pulled the reins he held in 
his hands even tighter. The horse slowed its pace as if  taking the hint. He 
leaned his chin against her shoulder, she leaned back against his chest and 
smiled. 

His lips came quickly atop hers, clutching her so fiercely she couldn't breathe. 
His kisses trailed down her neck and shoulder, until she arched away from him 
and whispered, "Chris, not here." 

He continued his ministrations, biting gently at her collarbone forcing her to 
exhale solemnly, "Chris, " she pleaded, "Stop." He pulled her chin to face him 
and kissed her lips again, smiling to her as he pushed in for one last kiss. She 
swallowed loudly, allowed her head to fall back against his chest, and breathed 
deeply, thankful he had retreated. 

After riding a while, he stopped and slid off, then held out his arms for her to slid 
off as well. He motioned towards the stream, "Let's get her some water, Uh?" 
The horse went eagerly towards the stream: Chris allowing her just enough rein 
to accommodate herself at the waters edge. 

He pulled Dana close again and asked, "What are you thinking about?" 

She looked guilty then answered, "Mulder." 

He shook his head, "I'm sure he's fine." 

She nodded, "I know but he's up there working on our case. And I'm here being 
frivolous with you." 

He pulled her close against him, continuing where he'd left off earlier, "You're 
not being frivolous with me. You're being seduced by me. There's quite a 
distinction." 

She pulled his face to face up to hers and looked intensely into his eyes, "Chris, 
Hate to tell you, but you been there, done that." 

He smiled, "You complaining, already?"

She returned his smile, "No, I'm just trying to figure you out." 

His expression grew serious, his eyes turned dark, "Dana, you think too much. 
Just go with it."

She closed the gap between them, smiled to him as she did so, and brought her 
lips down gently against his. The kiss ignited the last of his self control, his 
kisses intensified, trailing along her neck and shoulders. He reached to undo the 
denim shirt. 

Her hands restrained his calmly, she warned,  "No, not here." 

His hands fell down to her waist and he exhaled. Opening his eyes, he motioned 
towards the direction they come. They walked arm in arm, calmly, leading the 
horse back towards the farmhouse.

By the time they got back to town, their pulses had steadied some and things 
were much less intense, They parked the jeep and waited outside the cottage. 
He looked up to their cottage, then indicated towards town, "Want to sightseer 
for awhile?" She nodded and took the arm he offered.

They walked calmly through the town, taking in all the little idiosyncrasies that 
made the town unique. A number of times during the trip they paused to read the 
back & gold  plague posted on supposedly haunted housings. She smiled and 
looked up to him, he knew  she was thinking of Mulder. Honestly, he wasn't 
bothered, he understood.

They stopped for dinner a little while later. She leaned the rose he had given her 
up against the wine bottle and smiled to him. The sun was setting when they 
made their way back to the cottage. Neither could remember for sure how many 
times they made love before they finally fell exhausted, asleep in each other's 
arms.

She woke a number of hours later, the breeze from the open door into the 
balcony, calling her. She moved easily to glance over her shoulder at him as he 
lay sleeping. Gently she struggled from under his embrace and sat up, looking 
out through the balcony door. Her first thought was the denim shirt for cover, but 
on second thought, she declined. She rose soundlessly and made her way 
across the room and out unto the balcony. 

The breeze whipped through her hair and against her naked skin, causing her to 
inhale sharply. She may have even whispered a moan, she couldn't be sure 
anymore. This was so perfect,  this breeze kissing her body, making the flesh 
even more sensitive than it already was. She looked back into the bedroom 
where he lay sleeping, hoping he would remain as such. This was her time and 
she needed it desperately

Did she hear him wrong during the throe of passion? Did he really ask her to 
marry him or was it something else?" She closed her eyes and let the air rush 
over her face, making her hair fan out away from her neck. She bit her lip and 
looked across the water and tried to decipher when it had taken place. She 
needed to know exactly when she fell in love with this man. Was it in Florida? 
No, she knew. It was that night in those Kentucky woods. Sharing that blanket 
with him, half daring him not to touch her and the other half hoping that he 
would. She rubbed her forehead and smiled to herself, he was right. She did 
think too much. 

He woke to see her standing there naked on the balcony, looking off unto the 
water. The way the moon's light fell on her, made her hair seem almost golden 
and punctuated the paleness of her skin. God, she looked almost like an angel 
to him. 

His first inclination was to join her, to hold her against him, maybe make love to 
her again out there on the balcony. He made as if to sit up, but he didn't. She 
looked so relaxed with a peacefulness he never encountered. He settled back 
down against his pillow and continued to watch her. The knot in his stomach 
tightened, his expression turned solemn, and his heart raced. 

He sensed she would look his way. So, he closed his eyes and faked sleep, 
affording her  the luxury of this time. When she looked back at the water, he 
continued to watch her, and wonder what played so heavy upon her mind. His 
heart raced as he thought of the answer, his proposal. Apparently she had heard 
him after all. He had begin to doubt that she had  since she made no response. 
He drifted back to sleep with his thoughts filled with her. 

The wind became a bit too much and she rubbed her arms in response. She 
looked back to his sleeping form, now with his back to her and smiled. She knew 
she loved this man and she knew what answer she would give him. 

She looked up towards the night sky as if she required validation for her 
decision. She smiled to herself and thought of her sister. Yes, Melissa was 
probably arranging a celebration right now, wherever she was. She returned 
back to the bed and sat quietly down, attempting to disturb him as little as 
possible.

He stirred slightly when she eased back down against him. She was sure it was 
a result of her cold body agitating the warmth of his. He turned over and 
embraced her as soon as she was settled in near to him. He ran his hands up 
and down her forearms in reply to the sudden coldness he felt against him. 

He sighed and stated, "Dana, you're freezing." 

She snuggled closer against him, "No, not now." 

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, "Now I'm freezing." 

She giggled, "Sorry, but it's either you or me." 

He pulled her closer and wrapped the blanket tighter around her. She kissed his 
neck and whispered, "Chris, I love you." 

He nodded and replied sleepily, "I love you, too, Dana." 


The young man walked dutifully towards the room. His steps were large and 
purposeful, but yet silent and foreboding. The pounding in his head grew louder 
and louder, making him wince with pain. His eyes narrowed, he shook his head 
as if the movement would alleviate the pain he felt. He asked himself, why won't 
they stay dead?  He came here time and time again to this place of the dead to  
make the sinner redemptive. But every time the sinner's spirit returned with 
another disguise as decoy. 

Edgar Bryce made his way to the door and grasped the knob with only slight 
hesitation. He pushed the twisted rope farther into his pocket and grasp the knife 
handle with purpose. The door hinge was well oiled. It made no sound to warn 
the occupant as he made his way inside the room.


Mulder pulled the blankets tighter around his chest and rubbed at his nose. He 
looked curiously at the clock. He shrugged and complained to himself, `Three 
AM. It's only 3 AM.' He was about to turn over and face the wall, when his eyes 
interpreted the outline of a human silhouette against the darkness of his room. 

The intruder realized he had been detected, at about the same time Mulder went 
for the his gun on the night stand. Bryce wasn't fast enough and Mulder emptied 
his clip into the darkness before Bryce had even hit the ground.

Mulder made his way to the lamp and flipped it on, only to be met by the cold 
stare of Edgar Bryce as he lay dyeing. He made no words nor sounds as he 
inhaled his last breath, there on the floor of Valhalla.

Mulder watched as Edgar Bryce's body was loaded into the hearse and taken 
away.  He disappeared back into his room, attempting to reclaim whatever rest 
he was entitled to.

"Fox, " she pleaded, "Wake up. It's me."

Mulder stirred, "Scully, Is that you?" He sat up and looked around his room.

"Sort of," the voice answered, "It's me Fox. Melissa."
He opened his sleepy eyes to see Melissa standing beside his bed.  He wiped at 
his eyes and reopened them thinking she'd be gone. No, he thought, she's still 
there.

"Fox," she repeated, "Wake up. I need to talk to you. It's about Dana."

Upon hearing her name his attention was focused, "What about Scully?"

Melissa sat down at his side, "She's in danger, Fox." She put her hand on his 
forehead and repeated, "Dana's life is in danger. Mulder."

He nodded that he understood and mumbled, "Okay," before falling back asleep.
 

Next Morning (Day 5)

Mulder woke abruptly, nearly  jumping unto the floor. He pushed the covers 
away and started for the bathroom. His mind was cloudy, unfocused. He had that 
nagging feeling, like when he grocery shops and must return a number of times 
before getting all the items he required. 

He knew he must have dreamed, why else would he be so tired. However, the 
contents of the dream were gone, just like yesterday's breaths. He had nearly 
reached the bathroom when suddenly, the familiar scent of Old Spice filled his 
nostrils. 

He smiled and thought about what Scully had said about her father.  Instantly he  
remembered his dream and Melissa's warning. He packed his belongings and 
headed for Boston. The flight to DC was on time. This was good news to him. He 
desperately needed to be in DC, quickly.


Dana's Apartment  (Same Day)

He tossed the dishtowel at her, smashing it against her face in the process. 
"There, " he teased, pulling her down against the cold linoleum floor of the 
kitchen, " Were done with the chores you were so anxious to get back to."

She giggled and fought against him, protecting her stomach with her arms as he 
attempted to pull them away. He straddled her quickly and held her arms above 
her head with one of his hands, "Are you ticklish, Dana?" 

He made a number of tickling passes against her stomach, causing her to squeal 
out in protest. He laughed, commented on the redness of her face, and 
continued to torment her.
Her breathing became harder, her protests more verbal. She laughed between 
breaths and pleaded, "Get off, Stop." 

He continued his ministrations, celebrating in his victory. Neither one heard the 
approaching footsteps in the hallway or the urgency of the keys in her lock.


Mulder had nearly gotten to her door when he heard her from the hallway. He 
heard her cries for help, followed by the desperation in her pleas. With no 
hesitation he entered her apartment. Approached to where she was being 
accosted and demanded, "Freeze!"

Chris did as he was told and remained still, his hands up in the air as surrender. 

Mulder motioned for him to get up before she had even gotten a word out. At first 
she thought it was a dream, but reality kicked in and she exclaimed as she rose, 
"Mulder, what are you doing?"
 
He looked to her, "Are you okay?" 

She shook her head and looked at Chris who was trying hard to retain his 
laughter. She ordered, "Put your hands down, please."

Mulder repeated, "You okay, Scully?" 

Her hands went to her hips as she replied, "Mulder, put that gun down before I 
have to shoot you again."

He blinked a number of times before lowering the gun, "But, "he began, "I heard 
you screaming." 

She bit her lip, attempting to stop the red flush that was coloring her face, "We 
were. Ah, " she stammered.

Chris finally broke into laughter, "Wrestling, Mulder.  I was just playing with her."

Now it was Mulder who's face  flushed, "I'm sorry. I heard her. I thought."

Chris handed him a beer from the refrigerator and replied, "It's okay. She was 
losing big time, anyway."

He looked apologetically to Scully, "Really, I'm sorry. I thought.. You were. I 
mean it sounded like.." 

She nodded and motioned for him to join them, "No, he replied as he headed for 
the door, "I need to finish the report for the case. I'll see you on Monday, Scully."

He nodded, to Chris, "Gates." She shook her head and watched him disappear 
out the door.

Mulder typed silently in rhythm with the stereo. He hated doing these reports, but 
after how he had embarrassed Scully. It was the least he could do for her.  He 
had nearly the whole thing done anyway.  The plane ride back had been useful 
for something after all. He began laying out the facts of the case. He made a 
note that all the bodies had been recovered  in or around the lake behind 
Krishnamurti Inn. He indicated that  at the present time, the sheriff had 
uncovered nothing to indicate anyone else's involvement  in the murders other 
than Edgar Bryce. Bryce's body was buried in a small grave next to his parents 
in a cemetery outside of Mystique. He indicated with great relief that at this time 
the case was considered closed.

He printed out one copy of the report for Scully to review, clicked the computer 
off, and sunk back against the desk chair.

Gee, he thought, Scully had this one pegged from nearly the beginning. No 
spirits, no ghosts, and  no legends, just one pitiful psycho destined to rid the 
world of  its evils. He shook his head and pondered the uselessness of his 
theory. He nearly laughed aloud, Valhalla..., spirits feasting away, Yeah right.

He flipped his light out and retired for the evening, only slightly remembering the 
message he had received from Melissa. He fell asleep, weighing the futile 
possibilities of what she could have meant. Sleep didn't come easily for him that 
night. Then again, did sleep ever come easy for him.


The darkened room filled quickly this night. The banquet hall wept with noise, 
rejoiced with song. Mr.  Mulder glanced anxiously over to Deep Throat, who sat 
at his side. "Do you think, "he began, "he listened?'

Deep throat nodded and replied, "He always listens, sometimes he just doesn't 
hear."

Both shook their heads in dismay and looked over to the other table. 


Jack Willis was just joining the celebration, he sat down quickly and nudged the 
man who occupied the chair next to him, "Barnett, pass the wine, UH?' 

The other man seemed not to pay attention to Willis' request. His attention 
focused on the young eerie looking man at the end of the table. 

Willis repeated to him, "Hey Johnny, give me some of  that wine. " 

Barnett handed him the bottle and motioned for Willis to look where he pointed, 
"That Tooms guy is really weird, UH?' 

Jack looked toward Tooms and inspected the meal Tooms was devouring. 

Barnett leaned to Willis and reported, "That guy gives me the creeps!" 

Tooms looked inquisitively in their direction almost as if he knew what or rather, 
who they were talking about. His gaze locked with theirs momentarily until they 
looked intimidatedly away from his inspection.

Tooms quickly scanned the occupants of the room until his focus settled on a 
single  serving warrior resting against the wall towards the back of the room. 
Tooms looked longingly at the soldier and smiled as his eyes settled on his now 
empty plate. His smile grew wider as his eyes looked back and forth from his 
plate to where the warrior stood. The smile broke nearly into a laugh  as he  
realized he need never be hungry again. Suddenly he felt satiated realizing just 
how full his life had become.



1