From: RhiaRamsay@aol.com Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 20:57:33 EDT Subject: Lightening Shadows V-Starting Out On A Journey (1/1) Title: Lightening Shadows V-Starting Out On A Journey Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono Rating: PG (Language, some uh, non-safe things that SHOULD have happened in the movie. Aargh!) Category: Story, Romance Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance (Finally! It took me too damn long to get here!) Spoilers: Humbug(Very slight),Quagmire, Folie a Deux Summary: Mulder learns a few things about himself and begins a new journey. Started October 1, 1998 Well, now we've reached part five. I don't know how the other stories I've posted for this series have done, actually the first story I posted to Gossamer in June still hasn't been put up there yet. Anyway, this is part five. It would be extremely hard to explain the other stories in the series here so here's a basic synopsis-Mulder learned he was adopted through a series of dreams. The rest of the story? Well, read the other stories. I'll list them for ya. Oh, Yeah, Mulder does have a bedroom in this series. I found a spoiler for a season six episode that actually shows his bedroom, so I'm working it into the story here. I think you'll find it was necessary . Any feedback is greatly appreciated. The addy is RhiaRamsay@aol.com Disclaimer: Of course, can't forget that:P Mulder, Scully, and Maggie Scully ain't mine. None of my original characters appear in this story, unlike the others in the series, but some situations are of my own creation. Lightening Shadows Series Lightening Shadows I- Far Away, Long Ago Lightening Shadows II- Glowing Dim As An Ember Lightening Shadows III- What Child Is This? Lightening Shadows IV- Raindrops On Roses Lightening Shadows V- Starting Out On A Journey Lightening Shadows V- Starting Out On A Journey Elizabeth L. Iacono Fox Mulder opened his eyes and slammed them shut again. It was too bright out. Thank God it was Saturday. He rolled over and stole a glance at the clock. 8:23. Pretty late for him. He failed to notice the faint ripping sound the couch made when he turned over. It had been one of the strangest weeks in his life. Learning he didn't know who his true parents were pretty much topped the list of 'Most Shocking Things I've Learned In My Life.' Little did he know it was about to get stranger. Mulder rolled onto his back again. He heard the strange ripping, scratching noise this time, and lifted up to look at the couch. Where his back had laid was a mass of small rips in the leather. He felt the rips, wondering where they had come from. He didn't think he was that violent in his sleep. Mulder felt an itch on his upper back and hr reached an arm behind to scratch it. And then he stopped cold. His back felt strange. It was cool and dry, almost-scalelike? This was not normal. This was definitely not normal. Mulder got up and headed to the bathroom. He turned around and looked over his shoulder into the mirror, and his jaw fell open in shock. The skin of his upper back was now a mass of glittering green scales. When he shifted slightly the scales caught the weak bathroom light and turned iridescent. The patch ended right where his shoulder blades ended. Mulder could accept the existence of aliens, flukemen, and bigfoot, but when stuff like out of a fairy tale happened to him, he earned all rights to pretend it never happened. He shut his tightly for about a minute, praying that he was only hallucinating. He opened them again, and looked in the mirror once more. No such luck, the scales were still there. Maybe it's some sort of skin irritation, Mulder thought, hoping but not really believing that was the answer. He walked back into the living room and sat down on the other side of the couch that wasn't ripped. 'It's time to get a new couch,' he thought. Mulder picked up the phone and decided to call Scully, she was the doctor, not him. Before dialing, he looked at the clock. 8:30 on a Saturday morning she would probably be sleeping. Oh, well, he thought, this qualifies as a medical emergency to call so I'm perfectly within my rights to call. The phone rang once, twice, and finally Scully's sleepy voice echoed over the line. -Mulder, this better be important.- He grinned. "How'd you know it was me?" -Only you would be crazy enough to call on a Saturday morning at- she paused, obviously looking at the clock. -8:30. So what's up?- Mulder hesitated. This was another situation he was going to have trouble explaining. Oh, well, I'll just show her when she gets here. That should be explanation enough, he thought. "Uh, do you think you could come over for a little while? I need you to take a look at something for me." -Mulder, this better not have anything to do with work. It's Saturday, one of the few days we don't need to work...- Mulder quickly cut her off to pacify her. "No, no, nothing like that, just, please?" -Yeah, okay. Do you need me to bring anything over?- "Maybe some of your old Med school books." He could just picture the puzzlement on her face as she said -Sure, I'll be over in an hour.- "Great, thanks," and with that Mulder hung up. He now had an hour to put his apartment into some semblance of neatness, and get dressed. He ran a hand over his upper back once more. If those things could rip up his couch, forget about trying to get a shirt on. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Exactly an hour later, just as promised, the doorbell rang. Mulder looked around at his apartment, and down at himself. He was right, he wasn't able to get a shirt on; he'd ripped two in the process. 'Oh, well, time to face the music.' He opened the door to find Scully dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans, and holding a stack of thick books in her arms. "Morning, Mulder," she said. "What do you need me to look at?" He ushered her in, turning quickly so she wouldn't see his back. He was so nervous about this he didn't speak for a few minutes. "Mulder, what's wrong?" She in fact was getting a little distressed at the fact that he was standing thee without a shirt on. 'Why do I do this for the schmuck?' she said to herself. 'Because you love him,' a little part of her mind said back. Scully pushed both voices to the back of her head. "Mulder!" She waved a hand in front of his face, and he finally jolted back to her. "You said you wanted me to take a look at something?" "Yeah." Mulder took a deep breath and then turned around and revealed his back to her. He heard a slight gasp and then a "What the hell is that?" "I have no clue," Mulder said softly. He heard her put the books down on the floor, and then lightly touch the scales on his back. For all the roughness of the scales they were still sensitive to her touch. In all honesty he loved the feel of her hands. "So what do you think it is?" "I don't know." Scully went around to the front of him. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this, ever. Come over by the light, so I can get a better look at it." The two walked over to the window by Mulder's desk. "That's why I asked for the med school books. Maybe there's something in there," Mulder said hopefully. Scully raised an eyebrow. "Well, there are some diseases that cause a person's skin to take on a scale like appearance, we've seen that, but those have been genetic mutations, present from birth. When did this appear?" "Sometime in the night, I guess. It wasn't there when I went to sleep, but when I woke up, it was there and the couch was ripped." He turned around, displaying his back again to her. This time, rather than with shock, Scully viewed his back with a clinical eye. "It doesn't look like it's been attached to your skin in any way. It's almost like it just...just..." "Was always there?" Mulder suggested. "Exactly." Scully tugged his arm and pulled him over to the couch. They both sat down, Mulder careful not to let his back hit the leather. "I'll tell you, Mulder, it almost looks like..." Scully trailed off. Mulder noted she was biting her lip in nervousness. He leaned in closer. "What?" "Like...like snake scales, or lizard scales," Scully said. Something struck a chord in Mulder's head, something out of his dreams lately. "Dragon scales," Mulder whispered. "What?" Scully stared at him. He couldn't have said what she thought he said, could he? Mulder stared out the window nervously, this was going to be another hard one to try and explain. "Okay, Scully, just hear me out on this one before you dismiss it, please?" he asked, almost pleadingly. Scully put a hand on his bare shoulder. "Okay," she said nervously, not sure if she wanted to hear what he had come up with. Mulder took a deep breath and began. "I told you about those dreams I've been having lately. The ones about my past. Well, this same thing, the scales, it happened to a little girl in one of the dreams. Except she was able to control it. But it was the exact same thing. It was dragon scales." Scully stared at him. "How are you so sure it was dragon scales?" was the only question that she could get out that wasn't questioning to his sanity. "I really don't know. I remember hearing that there was a sort of dragon's blood within the family, that it was a part of all the family members..." Mulder trailed off, searching for the right explanation. "Mulder, I don't have to tell you that the existence of dragons is about as valid as the existence of the Loch Ness monster." Mulder stood up and began pacing. "I know, I know, but it just seems to fit in with the dreams!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't explain this, even scientifically, but this just seems to be the most likely explanation for what's happening." Scully stood up to face him. "This is why we have the medical books. We're going to go through every one and find out exactly what this is." Mulder stared at her and sighed. "You're right. It's just this whole week had been so out there, the dragon thing just came to mind as a possible explanation." Scully sat back down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Mulder sat down and leaned back, his head lolling back. Then he jolted forward, remembering the scales. Scully saw that some of the leather came forward with him. "It's time to send this couch to the scrap heap, Mulder," Scully said around a laugh. "Yeah, I think one of the cushions has a bad spring in it. It keeps poking me while I'm sleeping." Scully grabbed one of the books off the floor and placed it heavily in Mulder's lap. "Now start reading. We'll find out what's going on with you." "I always thought it was just simple insanity." "That wasn't the case, Mulder, they already tried to put you in the nuthouse, and it didn't work." Mulder aimed his pouty look at Scully and she countered with a pillow to Mulder's smirk. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX It was now two p.m. and almost all of the medical texts were exhausted. None of them had something mentioning symptoms like Mulder's. Scully flipped another book shut and sighed. She let her head roll against the back of the couch. "How many books was that?" she asked. "Nearly all. I think there's only one left. And it only took us four and a half hours," Mulder muttered, rubbing his forehead. The scales were still on his back, and besides for the problem of getting a shirt on without ripping it, there was no side effects. Something in the time struck a chord in Scully, and she looked at the clock. "Oh, no!," she moaned. Mulder pulled his head out of the book and looked over her way. "What's wrong?" "I'm supposed to meet my mom for lunch in a half hour. I'll never make it there in time." Mulder felt horrible for taking up her day with his problems. "Don't worry, go to lunch. You can call her in the car and tell her you'll be late. I'm pretty sure she won't mind." Scully looked at the clock. "You're probably right." She sighed and shook her head. "Okay, but I'll come back right afterwards. I want to find out what this thing is." "I'll have the Chinese food waiting," Mulder smiled at her. Scully grinned back, accepting his unspoken invitation to dinner at his place. She grasped his hand tightly for a moment. "Thanks." She got up and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a few hours," she said, and let herself out. "I'll be waiting," Mulder said to the closed door. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully tried to concentrate on what her mother was saying, but her mind kept drifting back to Mulder. He was right; those scales couldn't be explained in anyway, scientific or paranormal. She wondered about his dragon scales theory. It was so out there, it couldn't possibly be true. But there was something...she wasn't so sure that it wasn't the right answer. It just might be the truth, she thought. She wasn't going to tell him, but she could swear that the scales on his back looked like the scales she'd thought she'd glimped on his cheek that day they went up to see his...well, for lack of a better word, she thought, adoptive mother. "Dana? Are you all right?" Maggie Scully asked. She came back to herself with a jolt. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. Don't worry." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When Mulder didn't answer the doorbell, Scully let herself in with her key. She found the cartons of Chinese food on the kitchen counter. They had to have been freshly delivered; they were still warm. Mulder was stretched out on the couch (on his stomach this time) sleeping soundly. Scully hated to wake him. She knew his sleeping patterns of late had been disrupted. She sat down by his head and ran a finger down his cheek softly. She loved this man so much, sometimes she was scared of what she felt for him. Scully didn't have a chance to think much more because at that moment Mulder's sleepy eyes slowly opened. "Hey," he said, smiling. "Have a nice nap?" Scully asked. Mulder moved an arm under his head. "Yeah. I got you dinner." "I saw. Tell you what. You stay here, I'll dish up the food." "Sure." About a half an hour later, the plates that were filled with Chinese food were now lying empty on the table. Mulder was still in the same position on the couch, and Scully was on the floor with her head only inches away from his. At that moment she decided to take a chance. Mulder had stopped talking for a minute and was now staring into her eyes. Scully let her head fall forward and kissed him softly, but held it there. It wasn't like the kiss on the beach from earlier that week, but much more passionate. Oh my God Dana Scully is kissing me, Mulder thought elatedly. He was happy, shocked, and dizzy all at the same time, and had a little trouble returning the kiss. Scully pulled back from his lips. She saw the shocked look on his face, but mistook it for the wrong thing. "I'm sorry. I really ought to be going." Quick as anything she had gotten up and was getting ready to leave. "Wait!" Mulder called and jumped off the couch. He wasn't letting her go now. He caught up with her by the front door. Scully turned around and began to speak in a rush. "Look I'm sorry, Mulder, that was uncalled for." "Scully, wait," Mulder began, but Scully was too agitated to notice. "It's just been a very long day and..." "Scully," Mulder pleaded for attention, but still Scully was otherwise occupied. Time for plan B, Mulder thought, and swiftly brought his lips down on hers and kissed her. Scully froze in his arms, but then relaxed, and kissed him back. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Mulder said "Sorry, but that was the only way I could think of to shut you up." "Did you mean that?" Scully asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. With one word her fears were diminished. "Yes." She leaned up and kissed him once more. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The next Morning Scully opened her eyes when the sun hit them. She stared around the unfamiliar room. Oh, yeah, she thought, Mulder really does have a bedroom. She felt a heavy weight on her chest and was sure for a second that it was Queequeg. But, hold on, Queequeg had been gatorbait for over two years. She looked down and saw Mulder's dark head borrowing her for a pillow, and she smiled, running some fingers through his soft hair. She thought of a song she'd heard the other day on the radio, and how, especially now, it seemed to fit their lives perfectly. "We were strangers Starting out on a journey Never dreaming What we'd have to go through Now here we are And I'm suddenly standing At the beginning with you." The soft motion of Scully's fingers working their way through his hair brought Mulder to full consciousness. He looked up to find Scully smiling down at him. "G'Morning," he whispered, and reached up to kiss her. She kissed him back and kept a hand running through his hair. "Morning." Mulder stared into her eyes. "So what would be the best word to describe this situation?" he asked her. "Shock, awe..." "Love," Scully interrupted, smiling at him with her whole face. Mulder smiled back. "Love." He leaned in to kiss her again, mouthing the words 'I love you' against her lips. 'I love you too' she mouthed back. The kisses grew deeper until Scully ran her hand down his back, and then she pulled back. "What's wrong?" Mulder asked. "Your back. It's back to normal." Mulder ducked his head so that Scully could get a better look at his back. It was now just his smooth shoulder blades, tanned nicely from all those hours of playing basketball in the park. "I don't know how the hell to explain it, but it's gone." "Just as quickly as it came," Mulder muttered against her shoulder. Scully lifted his chin up with a finger. "But it's gone now, and if it comes back, we'll handle it then. But right now I think you have more important things to worry about." "Like what?" Mulder leered at her, knowing perfectly well what she was talking about. "Well, we can start with you kissing me, and then taking it from there." "With pleasure," Mulder said, and kissed her again. This part's over, but the story ain't. Part six is coming soon...as soon as I write it. I'm royally stuck, so it may be a while. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The song is "At the Beginning", and it ain't mine. I think that the whole song describes their relationship perfectly, and trust me, if you heard it, and you're a shipper, you'd think so too. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX True love, it's the greatest thing in the world. Miracle Max The Princess Bride XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Men will fight bravely and be heroes, but for a last ditch defense against any odds... get a mother. Lightbringer High Wizardry I think this phrase applies to Scully perfectly. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX