From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark Date: 10 Sep 1995 20:24:40 GMT Well, this is a little piece of fanfic that I've been working on all summer(a full time job and creative powers were often in conflict), but I'm finally finishing this. It's my first piece, so be kind. Praise is greatly appreciated, criticism welcomed, flames hesitantly accepted. Comments can be sent to the author at dettiot@strauss.udel.edu. No sex, not much violence, a little cursing. Warning: there are hints of a deeper connection between Mulder and Scully, but nothing more than a few thoughts-no action(sorry, just couldn't write it.) This story takes place in the future, but was written as if the whole boxcar thing never happened. Disclaimer: Since I'm not good enough, smart enough, or likable enough to have come up with these characters, I acknowledge that Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and everyone else is borrowed from Chris Carter(the Sadistic Genius) and 1013 Productions and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement is intended. Sam and Lois Capano are mine,though. Lost in the Dark Part 1 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) July 15, 1996 2:31 am The two teenagers ran, clutching hands. Fear was written on their faces and bodies. Their flight lacked direction: they ran as if the hounds of hell were on their heels. Darkness obliterated their tracks; they could not get far enough into that absence of light. Eventually, only thier screams were evidence of their existence. Soon, even that faded away. Washington, D.C. August 2, 1996 4:24 pm As Special Agent Dana Scully examined the photographs of the crime scenes, she could barely prevent the first rush of nausea that threatened to choke her. As a forensic pathologist, she had performed hundreds of autopsies on desecrated bodies, and she had never been scared by a corpse. But, she though, could she have performed an autopsy on any of these victims? The victims had been beaten, and often sexually assaulted, before they were killed. The killer had then slashed his prey to literally ribbons. Skin and organs lay in long, thin strips around each body. Scully felt bile at the back of her throat, swallowed it down, and turned to her partner. "My God, Mulder." "My reaction, too, Scully," said Mulder tiredly. Picking up a folder, he said, "According to the file, fourteen victims in three states have been positively connected to this murderer. From the way . . . " Mulder's voice broke suddenly. Looking up from the photos, Scully saw that his face was expressionless, but his eyes spoke volumes-fear, rage, and sadness combined. her mind immediately deduced. She went to his side and touched his shoulder. At her light touch, he tensed involuntarily, then sighed. Turning to face her, he tried to smile. "I know, Scully," he said. "There's no reason to think of her." "Yes, there is, Mulder." Scully interrupted. "It's okay, I understand. This case is enough to shake anyone up. I hate the thought that maybe my mom, or Melissa, or one of my brothers, could die this way. It's horrible that fourteen people have already died this way. It's human." She touched his shoulder again. "Hey, it's okay," she repeated. Mulder sighed again, and stood up. Stretching, he poured himself a cup of coffee and offered one to Scully. Taking it, she collected her thoughts. Mulder glanced at Scully's face. Despite the calm expression on her face, he could feel that she was disturbed by this case-so was he. It was bad enough being assigned to handle a serial killer case-but memories of Samantha just made it worse. But he could handle it-Scully, despite all she had seen in her three years with the X-Files, had never experienced anything this vio= lent, he was sure. Pulling himself from thoughts of his partner, he asked Scully, "So what do you think?" Scully gazed at the photos on her desk. Looking at Mulder, she shuddered. "I hope I never have to do an autopsy on a corpse like that," she said, her true feelings resonating in her voice. Despite his desire to protect Scully, Mulder's face fell. If Scully could examine the bodies, perhaps she could find something the other coroners missed-something that could help them build an investigation. With no witnesses and little evidence other than the remains, finding the suspect would be as easy as getting Skinner in a dress, he mused. Mulder had a feeling about this case. Although it wasn't necessarily an X-File, it intrigued him. His usual detachment was ignored, as he realized how unhinged the killer was. It was a disaster that was already happening, and bound to continue. Mulder wanted to stop it, but was it worth his partner's well-being? his mind answered. Quickly ignoring the voice that told him not to say it, he told Scully, "You know, you don't have to perform any autopsies, if you choose not to. They've already been done by local officials, but I was hoping you could examine the bodies and the reports on some of the later victims. But if you have a problem with any of this, you don't have to come." Scully felt moisture at the corners of her eyes; she quickly wiped away the small tears. she told herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At the expression on Scully's face-one of fear and confusion-Mulder felt horrible. he thought. Opening his mouth to speak, he was stopped by Scully's upraised hand. "Thanks, Mulder, but I can take care of myself. I'll be able to go-but give me some time, okay?" "Sure, Scully, no problem. Glad to have you along for the ride," he said, trying to sound casual. Moving to her desk, Scully sat down and stared at the pictures for a few moments, wondering how anyone could perform such violent acts on another person. Still thinking about the photos as she replaced them in their folder, she grabbed her coat and briefcase. Mulder and she had a 8:30 pm flight out of Dulles to Denver, and she still had to pack and run a few errands. Their final destination was Lawson, Colorado, the site of the latest discovered body. As she said her goodbye to Mulder, she again thought, Lawson, Colorado August 2, 1996 11:32 pm Lois stared at the walls of her room. Covered with posters and magazine ads, it appeared to be the room of a normal teenager. Yet she knew something was right: about the room, about herself. Turning over in her bed, she listened intently for sounds from her brother's room. Through the thin walls of their house, she could hear his soft breathing. she thought. After the Spells, he always had trouble sleeping. They affected him more than she-because she was the Channeler and he was the Performer. Because of it, her dear twin brother and she were caught in a web of murders. Ever since the first killing, Sam had desperately tried to fight it-but it was useless. They were trapped, and they would never have a normal life again. Lois rolled over and tried to sleep. On the other side of the wall, Samuel moved impatiently. he thought as he heard his sister fall asleep. Concentrating on the regular breaths she took, he was able to fall back asleep, and forget for a while, the horrors he had seen . . . Lawson Lodge Lawson, Colorado 10:30 pm "Best food in Lawson, Scully," Mulder bragged as they pulled into the small parking lot of the only motel in Lawson. "Meaning greasy and overcooked," Scully replied. "That goes without saying," Mulder chuckled as he turned the car off and opened the trunk. Scully sighed and rolled her eyes. Despite her best efforts, Mulder seemed determined to have bypass surgery by the time he was fifty-five. Pulling her bags from the trunk, she followed her partner to the motel office. After checking in, Scully and Mulder found their rooms and agreed to call it a night, and to begin fresh in the morning. As Scully was getting ready for bed, she couldn't help feeling like she was being watched. Trying to ignore it, she got into bed and turned off the light. Rolling onto her side, she gazed out the window until she drifted off to sleep. In the corner of the room, a large blue eye, staring unblinkingly, focused on Scully . . . =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 2/? Date: 11 Sep 1995 16:32:59 GMT See part one for disclaimer. . . Lost in the Dark Part 2 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) August 3, 1996 8:47 am Scully emerged from her hotel room. She was late-sleep had been patchy, with periods of dreams of wakefulness. Despite the few hours of sleep, her appearance was spotless. She quickly headed to the small cafe that Mulder and she had agreed on for breakfast. Sliding into the seat opposite Mulder, she smiled and grabbed for the cup of coffee in front of her. After taking a large gulp of the hot liquid, Scully said "Sorry, I had trouble sleeping." Mulder smiled, and waved her apology away. "It's okay, Scully-our appointment with the sheriff isn't until ten." Scully opened the case folder and looked at her notes as the waitress took their order. Closing the folder, she looked at Mulder. He, for once, looked well-rested. Scully thought as she tried to ignore the images from her dreams. The dreams had been disturbing-filled with a boy and a girl-and a large blue stone. She couldn't make sense of the visions. Pushing aside the dreams, she forced herself to concentrate on the case. "So, Mulder," she asked, "what do you think?" He looked puzzled, then said, "The Mets are a cinch to win the Series?" Scully rolled her eyes and shot him her Look. Mulder was glad to see it-she didn't look well. Obviously something was bothering her, but he didn't want to press the issue. Becoming serious, Mulder thought about the case. Taking a sip of coffee, he began to speak. "Scully, this killer is one of the most violent serial murderer that I've ever seen. He doesn't fit many normal patterns. All ages, classes, and races are his victims-from a prostitute to a corporate vice president. Sexual and physical abuse is involved in some, but not all cases. Victims are found in their homes or anywhere up to twenty miles away. The only constant is the way they're killed and treated after death. All the victims were decapitated, then thier skin-and some organs-were sliced into strips. He's already killed fourteen in Colorado, Nevada and Utah. The murders are occurring at the rate of about one a month. This guy is going to keep on killing unless he is stopped, because he is no longer sane. The guy's as crazy as a three dollar bill." Mulder stopped, chilled by his words. Scully shivered slightly. Hearing her own thoughts confirmed by Mulder, she knew that this case would be one of their toughest. Dealing with such an unpredictable, unknown killer was dangerous, but it could also prove to their advantage-maybe the killer would get sloppy. But still, they had no idea of where to go. Looking at her watch, Scully stood up. "Come on Mulder, time to meet the sheriff," she commented. Mulder nodded as he followed her to the counter. After paying for their breakfast, they headed for their car. Lawson Police Department 10:05 am "Agents Scully and Mulder, I'm going to be honest with you. Contrary to most local law enforcement, I know I'm over my head on this case. My people have never seen anything like this. Hell, I worked in Los Angeles for a while, and nothing I saw came close to these bodies. My people are good, but we need your help." Sheriff Jake Mattson stated. "That's what we intend to so, Sheriff," Mulder stated. "Agent Scully is a doctor, and she'll be examining the reports on the victims and possible the body of the victim found here in Lawson." Referring to the file, Mulder read, "Harold Allen, 53, married, no children." "That's right. Hal'd lived here his entire life-worked as a plumber. Wife's a real nice lady-terrible thing to have happened to her." Mattson, the image of a rural sheriff, paused before continuing. "We found the body about three miles from his house, near Golden Creek. Needless to say, most of the people who saw it lost their lunch in the creek. The coroner had a bucket with him during the autopsy-just in case, he said." "Well, fortunately, Agent Scully has a strong stomach. We're going to be talking to a few of the officers who found the body, and we'd also like to talk to Mrs. Allen," Mulder commented. "Sure, of course. The Allens' address is on the coroner's report. The body is in forensics. Coroner's working on another autopsy now, I think, but he'll be available later, if you want to talk to him." the sheriff added. Mulder and Scully stood, shaking the sheriff's hand. As they exited his office, Scully frowned. She'd been quiet while Mulder talked with the sheriff, unable to speak as the sheriff's voice spoke of the murder victim. It was just like in her dream . . . she told herself. Shaking her head, she suddenly noticed two teenagers standing nearby. A family resemblance between the boy and girl was clear; both had bright brown eyes and dark blond hair. The boy, a few inches taller and with a muscular frame, stood protectively next to the frail-looking girl. Scully glanced at them a few times as Mulder talked to different officers. She was curious-why would two teenagers be at the police station? her logic inferred. Yet a feeling in her gut told her that there was something special about the two young adults. Mulder glanced at Scully, then looked harder at her. her eyes were glazed over, as if she was concentrating on something elusive. He noticed that her gaze was directed towards two teenagers standing by the front desk. he didn't see anything special about them-just a striking resemblance and an unusual necklace worn by the girl. They seemed to be waiting for someone, he thought. Turning towards Scully, he place a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. She immediately looked at him, concern on his face. Pulling her aside, Mulder questioned her. "Scully, what's going on? Are you worried about something? You've been pretty quiet." Scully sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know Mulder," she said. "I just had a feeling . . . " "About those kids?" Mulder asked, wondering at her thoughts. "Yeah-for some reason, I just . . . " Her voice trailed off. Looking at the floor, she quickly looked back up at Mulder. "I can't give you a reason, I just had a feeling." "Let me guess-woman's intuition?" Mulder commented drily, then rubbed his arm, where Scully had lightly punched him. He glared at her before smiling. Then, studying his notes, he said, "Well, Scully, I think it's time we see Mrs. Allen. Unless you want to talk to Tweedledee and Tweedledum first." "Actually, Mulder, I would." But as she turned, Scully realized that during thier conversation, the two teenagers had left the station. She shrugged, and followed Mulder to their car. "Lois, we should have talked to them. We can't go on like this." "Sam, what are we going to say? 'Hi, my brother and I are under the control of this pendant, which makes us kill innocent people and slice them into ribbons.' We'd be committed-or arrested-quicker than a duck on a June bug." "Lois . . ." "We have to face the fact that there's nothing we can do, Sam." Lois's shoulders slumped dejectedly. She stared forward at the passing cars, as her brother drove their small car to their house. Sam broke the silence. "They looked nice, Lois-maybe they can help us." Lois shook her head quickly. "No way, Sam. We're in this by ourselves. No one can help us." Sam attempted to speak again, but one look at Lois's face convinced him to stay quiet. With that look on her face, any attempt at talking would be useless. Nevertheless, he wished they could let those FBI agents help them. As he pulled into their driveway, Lois turned to her brother. "Sam, I don't know what we can do. But I know the one thing we can't do is tell anyone." Her voice became bitter. "Those agents would destroy our lives. They would have to arrest us, put us on trial. Sam, we would be executed. Can't we just keep quiet?" she asked, her voice begging. "Lois, the Medallion has already destroyed our lives." Sam countered. Lois was silent. But he could feel her rage. "Sam, it's late. I'm going to go to bed and try to get some sleep. Okay?" Lois questioned her brother. He nodded, and followed her into thier house. As Lois entered her room, her thought were whirling. Sam really wanted to talk to those agents-he needed to. Lois thought suddenly, guilt overwhelming her. Laying on her bed, she made her decision. Lois reasoned with herself. Folding her hands on her chest over the Medallion, Lois concentrated on becoming calm and focused. Closing her eyes, she stretched out. Scully sat up in bed, her mind reeling from the images that had invaded her sleep. she reflected. Shame, guilt and confusion had attacker her, followed by a single thought, burned in her brain: "We tried to stop, but we can't stop the horror. Help." Scully laid back down, closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate on sleep. But she could only think of the dreams . . . =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 3/? Date: 11 Sep 1995 16:33:55 GMT See part 1 for disclaimer . . . Lost in the Dark Part 3 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Lawson Lodge August 4, 1996 9:30 am Scully awoke suddenly. She glanced at her watch, startled by the late hour. She hurriedly dressed, and knocked on Mulder's door. He opened it, with a concerned expression on his face. She smiled, trying to convince him that she was okay, but Mulder only shook his head and motioned her to come in. Turning towards Scully, Mulder's mind was working, trying to figure out what was bothering her. Ever since they had started working on this case, she had looked so tired-as if her brain was working so hard that she was physically exhausted. He was worried. Mulder made her sit down in a chair, and then sat down on his bed, facing her. "Okay, Scully, what's wrong? Something is, I know." Scully tried to collect her thoughts. She didn't want Mulder to know about the dreams-if he did, he'd only get on his big-brother kick and try to protect her. I t was more important for them both to concentrate fully on this case. However, sh knew that Mulder would not let her off the hook with that excuse. She had to tell him. Looking into his eyes and taking a deep breath, she quietly said "I've been having dreams . . . that are really disturbing. I get these intense feeling-guilt, shame. But above all, a feeling of helplessness. I can't deal with them," Scully said, her voice breaking. Mulder sat forward and took her hand. Having him close gave her new strength, and she continued. "They started about a week ago. It's because of the dreams that I reacted so strongly to the bodies. Mulder, I saw them in my dreams: all the victims, lined up in a row, looking so . . . " Scully's composure faltered, and she felt tears on her cheeks. She began crying slow, quiet tears. Mulder thought as he stared at his partner. How could he have pushed her like that? He was always deeply affected by his dreams, and Scully had been through hell in the last year. How could ha have ignored the signs that she wasn't sleeping. he told himself. Once again, he had allowed himself to remember . . . Pushing aside his own questions, he went over to Scully and put his arm around her shoulder. She looked at him, smiling to herself. Scully thought, until Mulder's fingers brushed the tears away from her cheek. When he had touched her, she felt a tingle. She kept her head lowered, and then took another deep breath and smiled at Mulder. "I'm okay-really," she said to Mulder. He nodded. He didn't want her to feel like he was getting too personal, but before they finished this conversation, there was one question he wanted to ask her. "You said they started about a week ago. . . why didn't you say anything when you saw the file on this case?" Scully colored, then answered slowly. "I guess I wasn't ready to deal with the thought that I was having these dreams-I didn't want to think that the murders were happening. I didn't want to think I was dreaming about something that might come true. And then I saw the reports and photos, and I knew the dreams were true. And ever since we got here, they've gotten worse. But at the same time, I've felt like someone is communicating with me-someone young, who only has one other person to depend on." "That's why you were so interested in those kids at the police station, right?" Mulder asked, already knowing the answer. Scully nodded her head, then stood. She stretched, sighing. Although telling Mulder had made her feel better, she was still worried that he would try to protect her. She was a FBI agent-she could and did protect herself. Scully felt stronger. Turning to Mulder, she smiled again, trying to reassure him that she was okay. He stared at her for a minute, then returned her smile. "Hungry?" he asked. "Yeah-I just remembered that I didn't eat much dinner last night," Scully commented. "So let's go find the best breakfast in Lawson. I saw a diner on the way back last night that would be perfect-greasy eggs, lots of butter." He smile as she made a look of disgust. Mulder led Scully out of his room, turning serious suddenly. "Scully, how do you feel about the autopsies?" he asked, remembering how her work would help the investigation. Then, he felt like kicking himself. Scully looked at Mulder for a moment, then sighed. She felt better about the case, but that didn't mean she felt like jumping into a dead body immediately. Plus, it didn't help that Mulder was counting on her to provide new information-information that could crack the case. With that thought, she straightened her shoulders. "Mulder, I'll do it . . . but I'd like if you were there," she answered, shyly attaching her own request to her confirmation. Mulder felt his stomach roll, but ignored it. If she was willing to do it, so would he. "Would you hold my hand if I toss my cookies?" he asked teasingly. Scully looked at him solemnly, and said "Sure, if you're not holding mine." Big Daddy Diner 10:50 am "My God, Mulder, I can hear your arteries hardening. I've never seen so much grease consumed by one person." Scully commented, awestruck. Even after working with Mulder for three years, she had never seen him eat like this. "Positive reinforcement, Scully." "What does positive reinforcement have to do with eating like a pig?" she asked as she slapped his hand away from the last bit of her bagel. "If I eat a lot, I won't throw up," Mulder said with a grin. Scully rolled her eyes, and quickly finished her breakfast. Taking the last sip of coffee, she signaled the waitress for the check. After paying it, she started to pull Mulder away from the last egg on his plate. "Come on, Mulder, we've got an autopsy to perform." She was rising from her seat when she noticed a familiar face coming in their direction. "Mulder," she whispered, "it's the boy from the police station." Mulder quickly looked at her, then sat back down, signalling that she was on her own with this one. The boy approached their table, and looked at both of them. Scully felt like she was being summed up-as if the boy was trying to figure out if he could trust them. The boy nodded to Mulder, and extended his hand towards Scully. Shaking it, she motioned him to sit next to Mulder. He slid into the booth and looked at both of them again. Then he opened his mouth. "My name is Sam Capano. I have a sister named Lois. We're both concerned about the murders that have been happening. You are FBI, right?" Scully nodded. "I'm Dana Scully, and this is Fox Mulder, my partner. We're looking for information about the killer." She looked at him, wondering. Why would two teenage siblings be so worried about a serial killer? Other than the fact that the last body had been discovered in Lawson, the FBI hadn't released many facts, including condition of the bodies. Seeing the look of confusion on the pretty agent's face, Sam continued. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to just you, Agent Scully." She glanced at Mulder, and he motioned Sam to move. Sliding out of the booth, Mulder left the diner with a quick backward look at Scully. With Mulder gone, Sam spoke again. "My sister doesn't know that I'm talking to you. She didn't want to talk to you about what's happening. She wants us to suffer in silence. But I can't deal with it. I need your help for myself and my sister." He paused, trying to read her face. The agent's face was blank, but expectant, waiting for answers. "You see, we know who the killer is." Scully's mouth opened, her eyes wide with surprise. recovering her clam, she quietly asked, "What do you mean, you know who the killer is?" her voice curious and probing. Sam looked around, with a scared expression on his face. "I don't want to tell you here and now. Besides, I need to talk to my sister again before I can talk to you. She won't like that I've even said anything to you-I promised her I wouldn't talk to you. I'll get back to you, maybe later today." With that, he slid out from the booth and left the diner. Scully stared into space, then sat back limply against the booth's backrest. Closing her eyes, she hoped that this lead was a real one-it would be a major break. Standing quickly, she opened her eyes. Mulder was standing there, looking at her, anxious for answers. "Come on Mulder. I'll explain during the autopsy. We're late already." "At the risk of sounding insensitive, I don't think the body's going anywhere," Mulder mumbled as they head to their car. Lawson Police Station, Forensics Lab 1:25 pm "I didn't think it would be this bad." At the sound of her voice, Mulder looked up. Her soft voice was filled with exhaustion and fear. Even though neither of them had used the bucket, it was unsettling. He had almost passed out as Scully was conducting her examination. But he had pushed aside the feelings and tried to support her as she worked. Still, it had taken a toll on her. Mulder stood, stripping off the surgical gown that Scully had insisted he wear. "Okay, Scully, let's get some lunch. Then we can talk about how to deal with Sam Capano." Mulder shook his head, amazed by what the kid had told Scully. Despite the claim that they "knew who the killer was," Mulder had a feeling that the two were hiding something from Scully and him. Scully looked dully at Mulder. "I don't know if I can eat, Mulder," she said, her voice tight with emotion. "Oh, yes you can. You're going to eat something-you can't get exhausted and not eat. You'll get sick. Come on Scully, you know I'm right." Mulder grinned as he finished his lecture, moving Scully towards the exit of the lab. "Mulder, all that doctor talk has rubbed off on you. All right, some food sounds good." She couldn't fight him-she was too tired. Actually, lunch did sound better than sitting in a forensics lab. she silently thought, as they left the police station. Capano House 2:45 pm "Shit, Sam, you did what?" Lois couldn't believe her ears. "I talked to the FBI agents-specifically, the woman. I didn't tell her anything really-I just said we knew who the killer was." Sam sat down on the couch, with his head in his hands. Breaking his promise to his sister had been the worst thing that he could of done-Lois had a horrible temper. "Jesus Christ Almighty." Lois cursed softly. "I can't believe you. We can't tell anyone. Can you imagine how suspicious they are of us now? It would have been better if you hadn't talked. We have to figure out how to deal with this by ourselves." Lois's voice was full of rage. "Lois, we're out of options. WE can't help ourselves-but maybe they can help us." "No they can't." Sam looked up at his sister suddenly. Her eyes glittered dangerously. She pulled the Medallion from beneath her shirt. She held it in her and, and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her eyelids began fluttering, and she muttered things under her breath. The spell lasted only a few seconds. Before he could stop her, Lois-the thing that was now Lois-had cast a spell on Dana Scully. =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 4/? Date: 18 Sep 1995 17:09:57 GMT Disclaimer: Since I'm not good enough, smart enough, or likable enough to have come up with these characters on my own, I acknowledge that Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and everyone else is borrowed from Chris Carter(the Sadistic Genius) and 1013 Productions and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement is intended. Sam and Lois Capano are mine. WARNING!!!!! Major sappiness and angst coming up. Turn back now if Mulder being miserable over Scully is distasteful to you. Lost in the Dark Part 4 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Lawson Lodge 4:30 pm Mulder awoke suddenly. he hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. The case folder and his journal had fallen to floor, scattering papers over a very large area. Mulder sighed, and ignored them as he rose off the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it. He stretched, then went to the connecting door between his and Scully's room. He knocked twice, but heard no answer. Mulder opened the door slowly, looking for Scully. His eyes widened when he saw her sitting on her bed, her eyes empty. Even though she faced the door, her expression did not change. he thought idly. He moved towards her, waiting for her to look at him. When she continued to stare into space, he gently shook her shoulder. Scully leapt to her feet, her arms raised to defend herself. She looked at Mulder with an expression of terror on her face. Mulder, shocked at her reaction, was then winded as Scully delivered a hard punch to his stomach, and then one to his jaw. Mulder grabbed her arms, wrapping his own arms around her. He couldn't believe what had just happened. She stood quietly now, letting him keep his hold on her. This was not Dana Scully. He let go of her and backed away slightly, waiting to see what would happen. When she remained standing stock still, he stared at her-the glazed expression had returned to her eyes. "Dana. . . what's wrong?" he asked, finally recovering his voice. Scully looked at him. Suddenly, she realized that she didn't know who she was, or who this man was. She looked at the floor, then looked at him again. "Who is Dana?" she asked, even though she guessed that it was her name. The man's face looked as if she had hit him again. His eyes became sad, lines deepened in his forehead and cheeks. He took a deep breath, then anohter. When he spoke, he sounded defeated. "You are Dana. Dana Scully. Something's really wrong-I know it. You have to see a doctor. Come on," he said, pulling her arm. "Wait! Who the hell are you?" she said. she thought, before continuing. "And how do I know that you're telling me the truth?" she added as the fear tried to take control again. "I can prove that you're Dana Scully-in the pocket of your coat is your I.D." She saw a black trenchcoat thrown on a chair. Walking to it, she saw that it would fit her. Looking in the pockets, she found a small black folder-like wallet. Opening the wallet, she saw a picture of a woman with auburn hair and no-nonsense blue eyes, with the signature of Dana Scully under the picture. Looking back at the man, she picked up a pen and a pad of hotel stationary. She quickly wrote "Dana Scully"-it matched the signature on the badge. She replaced it in "her?" coat. Seeing that she was satisfied about who she was, the man finished answering her questions. "We're both FBI agents-in fact, you happen to also be a doctor, too. I'm Fox Mulder"-he pulled out a folder like hers and opened it long enough for her to confirm his identity. "We've been partners for three years, working on cases called the X-Files. We're in Lawson, Colorado, working on a case. Now that you know a little bit, would you let me take you to a hospital?" She looked at him, assessing his statements. He had been very calm during the whole affair-even when she had hit him. But she thought she had seen some emotion flicker in his eyes when she had accused him of lying. She couldn't figure our this man-he was so strange. she thought ironically. He had told her the truth, and she did need to see a doctor-her head pounded with a horrible headache. Glancing back at him, she nodded her head. The man's shoulders slumped slightly, but he tried to smile at her. He opened the door to the room, and followed her outside. Lawson Community Hospital 8:55 pm Mulder felt like shit. He couldn't believe what had happened. He was used to being injured while working on cases. Scully had teased him about his high hospitalization rate once: "Mulder, you should sew your name, medical records and next-of-kin information into your clothes-on every case you'll need it eventually." But Scully-she always seemed so invincible. Even when she had come close to dying after her abduction, her scientific beliefs grounded her, making her seem more alive even when she was almost dead. When she had asked who Dana was, he felt as if fate was laughing at him. Once more, but in a much different way, Dana had been taken from him-his partner, his friend, his . . . Mulder shook his head. Dana needed him to be strong. But this hurt so much. Mulder lifted his head as Scully's doctor approached him. "Well, Agent Mulder, Miss Scully is definitely suffering from amnesia." Mulder grimaced-it was amazing how little weight a psychology degree from Oxford carried. "I thought as much," Mulder commented, his humor hiding his feelings. The doctor stared at Mulder for a moment, before continuing. "Agent Scully appearantly has no memory of anything that has occurred in her life. She does know social behaviors-innate and the ones we learn in childhood. Basically, she is like a teenager with no education. The only information she has about herself was obtained from you-she mentioned that she knew she was a FBI agent and a doctor. I feel that although we could accommodate Agent Scully here, it would be best for her to be treated by a specialist. I could recommend some well-known doctors, if you like. We were able to receive Agent Scully's medical records from Washington, and you-and her mother-are listed as next-of-kin. Her family has not been contacted yet-you may do so, or I will. Any questions, Agent Mulder?" Mulder stared at the doctor. Although he knew what the affects of amnesia were, he was amazed-and saddened-by what had happened to Scully. he thought blankly. Ignoring the thought as best he could, he turned away from the doctor. "I'd prefer to speak to Agent Scully's family. Can I see her? Is she conscious?" "No, we sedated her to let her sleep. Frankly, seh needs rest. She was on the line of a physical collapse. the eminent breakdown probably helped her mind forget. However, it's probably that stress and physical illness combined to cause Agent Scully's amnesia. Has she been bothered by anything recently?" the doctor asked innocently. At the doctor's questions, Mulder felt his control breaking. he thought wildly. Scully had so many bad memories of her time with the X-Files . . . and him. Mulder left the room quickly, muttering only that he would be calling Agent Scully's mother. Mulder strode down the halls, trying to control himself. He couldn't call Mrs. Scully until he was calm-otherwise, he was afraid he'd break down and start crying on the phone. He swore softly, under his breath, and collapsed on a chair in the reception area. It was his fault-Scully had been working in overdrive for weeks now-trying to keep up with him and his manic pace. She was so fragile-when she was in the coma, she had looked so small and helpless. Why did he always forget? Scully did not want mulder to protect her-she wanted to protect herslef. And she could; she had saved herself, and him, more times than he could count. He squirmed in the chair. He turned towards a bank of pay phones located by the elevators. Capano House 1:26 am Sam awoke suddenly. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes; the visions he had seen were heartbreaking. He felt a wave of anger towards Lois, but forced himself to redirect it towards the entity, not Lois herself. She could not help that the entity had cast a spell over Dana Scully, wiping out her memory. His dream had shown him everything: the fight between the two agents, the trip to the hospital, Agent Mulder's conversation with the doctor. The dream ended with the picture of Agent Mulder calling Agent Scully's mother-and coming close to crying on the phone. Sam was shocked by Mulder's deep sorrow and guilt. Agent Mulder's feelings were much like his . . . and Sam feared what would happen next. After the entity's demonstration of control, Sam knew that talking to Agent Mulder was his only hope. His and Lois's. Because if the entity was not stopped, Sam knew that amnesia would be the least of their problems. =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 5/? Date: 18 Sep 1995 17:11:17 GMT See Part 1 for disclaimer . . . WARNING!!!!!! Another sappiness alert. Turn back all ye who fear a deep connection between Mulder and Scully. Lost in the Dark Part 5 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Lawson Community Hospital August 5, 1996 11:21 am Mulder turned towards Mrs. Scully. "Hi, Margaret. She's doing better." Margaret Scully ignored his words and pushed past him. she thought rebelliously. She turned towards Fox, ready to lash out, when she stopped. her thoughts trailed off. She quickly hugged him, allowing him to forgive her. Mulder knew all too well what she was going through-and she knew that he was going through it as well. Mulder hugged Margaret briefly. She knew what he was feeling. The sterile halls reminded him so much of the last time Dana was in the hospital-oh God, he didn't want to remember that. Seeing her lying in her bed, knowing that she wasn't going to wake up . . . but she had, and she had jumped right back into work, without taking a leave of absence, or any time for her to deal with everything. And now this had happened. Margaret silently pulled away and walked to Dana's room. Mulder followed, his heart twisting as it did every time he walked into a room. Dana's face was pale. Her coppery red hair was a bright halo around her head. She slept peacefully, the medication allowing her hours of uninterrupted sleep. Bruises around the IV needles were bold splotches of color on her arms. Mrs. Scully halted his thoughts. "What's the prognosis?" she asked, her voice trying to maintain a calm exterior. Mulder could hear the depth of her despair. "They don't know yet. Her doctor says that she'll need some therapy sessions before they can determine whether she'll be able to get her memories back, or before they begin any pharmaceutical treatment." he replied. "Does the Bureau know yet?" Mulder smiled despite his dark thoughts. Trust Mrs. Scully to realize that Dana would have called the Bureau immediately. "Actually, if it's all right with you, I need to call Skinner now. Will you be okay?" he questioned. "Yes, I'll be fine. I called Melissa after I heard from you, and she'll be coming in on an early flight tomorrow. I asked her to call Dana's brothers, too. Go ahead and call Director Skinner. No good putting it off." "Yes, ma'am. I'll be back." With that, Mulder quickly moved towards the bank of phones at the end of the hall. Bracing himself, he picked up the phone and dialed Skinner's number. "Skinner." "Director Skinner, this is Agent Mulder. There is a serious problem with Agent Scully," Mulder said into the phone, trying to sound professional and failing. "What sort of problem, Mulder?" "She has an unusual form on amnesia. According to her doctor, she's like a teenager with no skills or education beyond social behaviors." Skinner was silent, then release an audible breath. "Well, Mulder, what's her prognosis? And how does this affect your case?" "Her prognosis is unknown at this time. As for the case, I suppose I could handle it by myself. Agent Scully performed an autopsy on the latest victim yesterday afternoon. After the autopsy, we went back to the hotel to rest before going to dinner. When I went to get her, she had apparently awoke from a nap with no memory of who she was. Her notes from the autopsy are available-plus, I was with her while she was performing her examination. I can carry on, sir." Mulder could barely think about the case, but he knew that even Skinner could not get another agent out here immediately to take over. Skinner confirmed this. "Good-we can't get another agent out there for at least a couple of days. I'll send someone by the end of the week. Until then, continue your investigation. And Mulder," Skinner's voice softened ever so slightly, "take care of your partner." "Yes, sir," Mulder answered as he hung up. Leaning back against the phones, he sighed. He needed Scully on this case-not just for her expertise, but simply to talk to, to help him find the facts to support his theories, to look at him with her blue eyes. he thought, shaking himself. He turned to join Mrs. Scully. She was floating in a sea of blackness. She still didn't fully realize that she was Special Agent Dana Scully, M.D. All she grasped was that she was adrift- her mind prompted her. She drew a blank, and for the first time, was not frustrated, but resigned to the lack of memory. She sighed, perceiving that she was waking up. she thought. she wondered. Dana's eyelids fluttered open. She was in what looked like a hospital room. The bright sunlight lay over her bed, and fell at the feet of the two people in the room with her. The man, she remembered, was her partner . . . she thought, his name coming to her in a burst of recognition. she thought. The woman, however . . . Dana noticed. The woman smiled, with the traces of tears on her cheeks. One of the woman's hands held her own, while with the other, she smoothed Dana's hair. "Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" Mrs. Scully held her breath unconsciously, hoping against hope that all this was a bad dream. "I'm okay, I guess . . . Mom?" Dana replied, with a questioning note in her voice. Mrs. Scully hid her grief and merely nodded her head and smiled at her youngest daughter. Mulder shifted slightly, and Scully turned towards him. "Hi, Mulder." "Hi yourself, Scully. Sleep well?" he said, trying to be patient. Dana nodded, and a brief smile flashed across her face. She stretched her arms over her head and replied, "I feel like I've been asleep for ages." Mulder nodded. When the smile had lit up her face, for a moment she looked like the Dana Scully he knew, and his heart leapt. He merely stated, "They gave you a sedative so you could sleep. You needed it." Dana nodded in acknowledgement, looking at her hands. She looked hesitantly at Mulder. When his hazel eyes locked onto hers, sh felt an incredible connection. She felt like she had known him forever; that she knew everything about him. But they had only worked together for three years. So why did she feel like her whole life was tied up with his? Dana shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She turned towards her mother and asked with forced humor "So, what's the diagnosis?" Mrs. Scully glanced at Mulder before shifting into a more comfortable position on her daughter's bed. Facing her, she began, "Dana, we don't know how this happened. We don't know what's caused it. The doctors don't know when you'll get your memory back. They've prescribed therapy, to determine what parts of your memory are affected, and to determine a way to help you. You'll be able to remember. We'll all be here to help you- Melissa and Bill, Jr. and Kevin and Mulder, and me. We'll all be able to help you." Scully's eyes widened as she realized what her mother had avoided. "Are you saying I might never get my memory back?" "No, no, Scully," Mulder interrupted. "It'll take time, but you'll be able to remember. And we'll be her to help." "No, you're lying to me. I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life. I don't have any education, any skills! How can I live like this for another forty years? What would I do?" Scully asked, sounding hysterical. Mulder grabbed Scully's shoulders and shook her once. "Dana, listen to me. I would never, ever lie to you. If I say you will get your memory back, I mean it. Think, Dana! The Dana Scully I know trusts me, and I trust her. So do you believe me?" Dana thought for a moment. From the beginning, Mulder had been totally honest with her. Her mother trusted him, as well; she could tell that much. She knew that he knew the answers to all her questions: his eyes looked so sad. Looking straight at him, she nodded. =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 6a/? Date: 23 Sep 1995 21:00:00 GMT Lost in the Dark Part 6 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Capano House August 6, 1996 10:30 am Sam paced nervously. After the entity had used Lois to place a spell over Agent Dana Scully, Lois had fallen into a deep sleep. But Sam had heard the sounds of the shower a few moments earlier-Lois must be awake. He had to convince her to talk to Agent Mulder. After what had happened last night, Sam was positive that it was only a matter of time before the entity would completely take over Lois. Her wild temper would serve the entity well-soon she would be warped by the power that would flow through her. Lois's footsteps were loud on the wooden stairs. She rounded the corner into the kitchen, and caught sight of her brother, pacing as if he was solving a difficult problem. She walked quietly to the refrigerator and was taking out the carton of orange juice when Sam realized that she had walked into the kitchen. He stared as she nonchalantly poured herself some juice and drank. In the middle of her second swallow, his voice, heavy with anger, stopped her. "How can you be so calm, after what you did? Agent Scully has no memory of her life. Because she knew what has happened to us, you let the entity take control. What's going to happen next? One day, will I wake up without any memories?" he snarled. Closing the gap between them, he spit out the words, "Or would I even wake up?" Lois was shocked. Sam had always been an easy-going person-he never got mad. But more than that, he should know that she would never, ever let the entity kill her brother. She needed him too much to let her control slip. But when he had told her about confessing to that FBI agent . . . Abruptly, her sadness was replaced with anger. "I told you we couldn't tell anyone! But you had to go tell that agent. It wasn't my fault, what happened to Agent Scully. If either one of us is to blame, it's you, for bringing her into our problem. We could have figured it out." "No, Lois, we couldn't have figured it out. This has been happening for over a year. We can't do it by ourselves. Agents Mulder and Scully were our best and only chance. We have to talk to Agent Mulder-explain everything, from the beginning, and hope that he believes us." "Sam, he won't pay any attention to us! He's probably more worried about his partner than the killings. Besides, what makes you think that he'd believe us-a couple of kids?" "Lois, we have to try." Sam paused, trying to think logically. He took a breath. "Lois, I'm scared for you. The entity knows that you can be used. One day, it's going to take over and never let you free. Do you want that to happen? Or perhaps one day, the entity will realize it doesn't need me anymore, since it has you? You know what would happen to me-you would kill me." Lois's eyes dropped. Too often she had thought about that, at night: the possibility that one day, one of them would be killed by the entity. She didn't want to think about that. Suddenly, she felt like crying. For over a year, she and her brother had carried an enormous burden of guilt, shame, and sadness. She wanted it to end. Looking at the floor, Lois slowly nodded her head, then looked at him. "Okay, we talk to Agent Mulder. Together. And we try to convince him that it's the truth. I just hope he can help us." Lois's emotions broke through then-tears began to roll down her cheeks. Sam quickly reached over and hugged her. "I know, Lois, I know. I hope so too." Lawson Community Hospital 11:00 am "Mulder, I wish I didn't have to see you under these circumstances all the time." At the sound of the familiar voice, Mulder turned. Melissa Scully stood in the doorway to Dana's room. At the sound of her voice, Dana also turned in the same direction as Mulder. Dana stared at the woman. It was almost like looking into a mirror-the same hair, the same eyes, the same features. she thought. Just by looking at her, Dana could tell that although their features were similar, this woman was very different from herself. Melissa walked over towards Dana, forgetting her travel-induced tiredness. Dana looked better than she had in ages. Her hair shone, and her eyes glowed. But in her eyes, Melissa could see the confusion, the loneliness. Dropping her bags, she hugged Dana fiercely. "Oh, Dana, I hope I can help," she said. "I know you don't know who I am, but I want to help." Dana hugged the woman back. She knew she was a relative of some sort-the resemblance was ridiculously evident-but who she was exactly was a problem. They released each other at the same time to draw back to arms-length. After staring at each other for a moment, Dana's face crinkled in concentration, Melissa opened her mouth and said, "I'm Melissa." Dana's face remained confused for a moment, then the wrinkles smoothed, and she smiled. "Of course. I should have known, I guess." "Hey, don't worry about it. Soon, you won't need to be introduced to everyone you used to know." "Well, it's nice to see you too, Melissa," Mulder interrupted sarcastically. "How are the auras?" Melissa grimaced. She knew that Mulder didn't like her very much-that was no reason to mock her beliefs. "Actually, the auras lately have been wonderful. Still looking for aliens?" Dana frowned. Obviously Melissa and Mulder did not get along very well. She wasn't in the mood to listen to any more of this childish bickering. Besides, this would be a perfect chance to ask her sister some of the questions that had been tormenting her. Dana turned towards Mulder. "Mulder, would you get out?" Melissa could barely contain her chuckle. Mulder's eyes widened, and his jaw hung slightly open. Seeing the expression on his face, Dana quickly added "Go get a cup of coffee or something. I'd like to talk to Melissa for a little while, if you don't mind," she finished hurriedly. =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark 6b/? Date: 23 Sep 1995 21:01:18 GMT Lost in the Dark Part 6b Mulder was still reeling-Scully had sounded so much like herself, it had given him a brief flicker of hope, until he realized that her eyes still held that aching confusion. He closed his mouth and nodded, before turning to go. With the quickest of glances back at the two Scullys, he left the hospital room. Melissa giggled after Mulder left the room. she thought. "I'm sorry Dana, but I've never seen Mulder like that. I just wish you knew how funny it was." She stopped, embarrassed. Dana quickly laid her hand over Melissa's. "It's okay. I know what you mean. I'm going to get better-I want to, and I know you're going to help me." Melissa nodded, and sat in a chair by Dana's bed. "So what did you want to talk about? Anything you need to know?" Dana sat up straighter in her bed. Lifting her chin, Dana stared very hard at Melissa and said, in a calm voice, "Tell me about Mulder." Melissa blinked-of all the things she'd expected Dana to ask, that wasn't one of them. Clearing her throat, Melissa said, "I don't know, Dana. Mom might be a better person to ask that. After all, she spent so much time with him while you were-" Melissa stopped suddenly. How much had Dana been told about her history? She didn't want to blurt out details of Dana's abduction. She couldn't imagine the effect a shock like that would have on a person. Standing quickly, Melissa said decisively, "You'd better ask Mom. I'll get her if you want-" "No-I want to talk to you. I wanted to ask you, because I'd like to know the truth." Dana sounded upset, like a child who wanted to know why she had to take a nap. She grabbed Melissa's wrist, holding onto it tightly. "I don't know what's going on. I need to know. Everyone's been treating me like I'll break if I know-Mom, Mulder, the doctors. But I'd really like to know something about myself," Dana said, her voice breaking on the last word. "Why don't you just ask Mulder?" Melissa countered logically. Dana's eyes dropped, and she released Melissa's arm. "Because I'm afraid of what he'd say. Because he isn't my sister, who can tell me the truth, because she knows that if she lies to me, it would hurt more when I did finally find the truth." Melissa stared at her sister, not for the first time that day. It was heartbreaking; Dana, her in control sister, was lost. The sadness that Melissa could feel made her heart ache. Melissa thought quickly, not without a smile. Melissa sat back down in the chair. "I have to warn you that I don't know very many details. What I'm going to tell you will be upsetting. If you want me to stop, tell me and it can wait." Dana nodded her head, and Melissa continued. "Mulder's sister vanished when he was twelve." Dana's head jerked up at that statement. "He believes that aliens abducted her. Anyway, he made it his life's work to find her. Working on the X-Files allows him to work on paranormal and unexplained events. You were assigned as his partner about three and a half years ago, I guess. Although you were sent to spy on him, eventually you developed a trust between each other. You trusted each other with your lives. Well, almost exactly two years ago, you were . . . abducted." Melissa paused, needing to stop. Dana's face wore an expression of astonishment. Melissa ran a hand through her hair, and rising, walked towards the window. Looking outside at the hospital grounds, Melissa tried to collect her thoughts. She continued. "When you disappeared, Mulder went a little crazy. You were gone three months, then suddenly, you showed up at a hospital in a coma. You almost died. Under the conditions of your living will, the respirator was turned off. The doctors didn't think you would live. But one day, you woke up. And you jumped right back into work. Mulder was very-he acted like a big brother a lot of times, you said. You thought he thought of you like-" "Samantha." "What? Why did you say Samantha?" Melissa whirled around in surprise. Dana looked puzzled. "I don't know. When you were talking about Mulder's sister, I had a feeling-I thought the name Samantha. What about Samantha?" Melissa looked confused. "Samantha is the name of Mulder's sister, Dana." At that moment, Mulder opened the door to the room. "Everything okay?" he asked, as he noticed the surprised expressions on both Melissa and Dana's faces. Melissa looked at Dana quickly, then turned to Mulder. "No, everything's fine, Mulder." Mulder frowned, then he went to Melissa. "What happened? What did you say?" he asked, his voice filling with anger. Melissa glanced at Dana, then pulled Mulder into the hall outside of Dana's room. "How much has Dana been told about her history?" Mulder stared at her for a moment before answering. "She knows that she's a doctor and FBI agent, that we work on the X-Files together, and that we've worked together about three years. What? Did she ask about herself?" Melissa debated for a moment, then, as calmly as she could, said "No. She asked about you." Mulder looked surprised. He hadn't expected Scully to ask about him-obviously, neither had Melissa. He looked at the floor, to prevent that little feeling of happiness from showing. Looking back at Melissa, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "How much did you tell her?" Melissa nodded her head, expecting that question. "I wasn't able to tell her much, but I did tell her about her abduction, and the X-Files, and . . . Samantha." Mulder felt his face fall. He didn't know that Scully had told anyone about what he had said about Samantha. He felt sad, then the grief changed to anger. How could she have betrayed him? It was his sister, his past, and Scully had given it to her ditzy sister. He quickly brushed away the thoughts, Looking up at Melissa, he replied, "So how did she react?" Melissa looked upset. "Mulder, all I said was that your sister had been abducted when you were twelve, and that you thought aliens had taken her. When I was talking about Dana's abduction, and what happened after it, she said the name Samantha'. But Mulder, " Melissa said, her voice shaking, "I never said her name. Dana remembered on her own." Mulder once again felt that little bubble of joy. He allowed himself a chance to enjoy it for a moment, before switching into his professional mode. "That's good-excellent in fact. I'll have to tell her doctors-um, tell Scully I'll be back later." Without another word, he moved down the hall. Melissa grimaced. Of course, Mulder would have to ignore the happiness he felt-she had seen it on his face, when she said that= Dana had asked about him. she told herself logically. But her mind could not help but wonder End Part 6 =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark Part 7/? Date: 23 Sep 1995 23:57:51 GMT Lost in the Dark Part 7 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Lawson Community Hospital 4:30 pm "Come on Lois, Agent Scully's room is on the second floor." "I don't know about this, Sam. Are you sure we have to do this?" Lois asked, feeling her stomach contract with nervousness. Sam turned to face his sister. He knew that she was scared-so was he, but he knew that it was for the best. Nodding his head quickly, he led his sister towards the elevator and pushed the up button. After a short wait, the elevator pinged and its doors opened. Sam was surprised when Agent Mulder walked out, with a woman who looked a lot like Agent Scully. When Agent Mulder looked at them, he quickly recognized him. "Sam, isn't it?" Mulder asked, extending his hand. "Yes, that's right, Agent Mulder. Sam Capano. This is my sister, Lois." Sam shook Agent Mulder's hand firmly. Mulder nodded at Sam's sister. She looked very scared-scared of what, Mulder wondered. His thoughts were stopped when he noticed Sam's confused face. "Excuse me sir, but I thought Agent Scully was still here in the hospital." Sam mentioned. "Yes, she is. This is Agent Scully's sister-Melissa Scully." Mulder quickly replied. he thought. He barely noticed the polite handshakes between Melissa and the two Capanos. After his lapse yesterday, he was determined to keep his mind on the case until another agent could relieve him. Allowing his mind to wander to his feelings for Dana Scully would only spell disaster. Mulder noted ironically. "If you don't mind, why are you here?" Mulder asked Sam. Since Sam had initially approached-and confided in-Scully, Mulder wasn't sure where he stood with the young man standing before him. As for the sister, she appeared to be extremely fragile-both in the police station and here today, Sam seemed to be protecting her. Sam cleared his throat, then looked at Lois. She slowly nodded, and he turned back towards Agent Mulder. "Actually, I was hoping I could follow up on my conversation with Agent Scully. Did she tell you what I said?" Mulder nodded, then motioned them to sit down in the small reception area by the elevator. Melissa muttered something about going to the cafeteria, and she quickly moved away, leaving Mulder alone with the two Capanos. Mulder noticed that the girl, who had seem perfectly normal when she and her brother had walked in, now seemed very groggy and lethargic. Sam began with a recap of what he had told Agent Scully. Then, pausing for emphasis, he started his tale. "About a year and a half ago, Lois and I were shopping together in this antique store, looking for a present for our mother. Lois found a beautiful necklace, and she fell in love with it. I bought it for her-it was perfect for her. Show him the necklace, Lois." Lois felt strange. It was as if she was underwater-words took a long time to get to her ears, and it took her a long time to respond to anything that was said. She knew it was the entity-keeping her from revealing anything more than what Sam remembered. Lois started-she realized that Sam had said something to her. Mulder noticed that she resembled someone who had been shocked into senselessness. With slow yet deliberate movements, Lois pulled at the chain around her neck, until a pendant was visible. Mulder leaned forward. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a pretty piece of jewelry. A silver circle, and in the middle was placed a large, blue stone. It was at second glance that Mulder noticed the writing surrounding the circle's edges, curving around. The writing was in black symbols that he didn't recognize. Before he could ask any questions, Sam continued. "Lois wore the necklace home. When we got home, she immediately went to bed. I'd noticed on the way home that she seemed different-quieter, restrained. I just thought she was tired. I went to bed later that night. Around one in the morning, I suddenly found myself outside with Lois. She grabbed my hand and held it tightly. Then, she spoke in a voice that was not her own. It . . . it cast a spell on me. We ran into the darkness. I don't know how long or where we ran to-it took just a few minutes, but we had covered at least fifty miles. We came across a camper, alone, in the woods. We . . .we . . ." Sam's voice broke, but he quickly wiped away the small tears at the corners of his eyes, and began again. "We killed him. I decapitated him with his own Swiss Army knife. Then, we both cut him into strips. We left the cabin, and we ran home. Then, I was back in my room. I thought at first it was a bad dream. Then, in the morning, when I woke up, I had blood all over my clothes and my hands. Then, I heard about the murder on the news." "About once a month, the same scenario would be replayed: Lois going to bed early, both of us getting outside, and the entity casting a spell on us. This last time, Lois was getting over a bad case of the flu, so we could only get to Lawson. That was when we killed Mr. Allen, and I knew that we had to come forward. I'm not saying it was okay when we were killing people we didn't know-it was just that murdering someone from our town, was the last straw for me. It was then that I knew we had to come forward. Lois didn't want to. This is where you and Agent Scully play into this." Mulder looked up, surprised that Scully and him were a part of this. When he had listened to Sam's story, his brain had been clicking-looking for similar X-Files, checking for any inconsistencies, wondering about the power of the entity. Now that he was involved-and Scully-his brain slowed, allowing him to listen carefully. "When Lois found out that I had talked to Agent Scully, she was furious." Mulder glanced at the now obviously catatonic girl, and wondered about her "temper". "The entity wanted to protect the secret as much as Lois did. You see, she thought that if we kept quiet, eventually the entity would get tired of us, and give us our lives back. But I don't think that's going to happen. Anyway, the entity used Lois's anger to enhance its powers. It's the entity that wiped away Agent Scully's memories in such a specific way-it wanted to make sure that she could still function, but would not remember anything that might allow her to discover us. The only problem is, Agent Scully told you what I said. That places you in risk, and Lois is in danger. And myself, of course. But my safety isn't important to me-Lois is. She needs for this to be over, as much as I do. I wanted to explain this to you, because I had a feeling about you. I thought that you would hear us, maybe even believe in us and help us. If you don't, I don't want you to help us. And of course," Sam said, with a sad smile, "not to say anything. But it's been nice to be able to get it off our chests." Mulder sat back, stunned. He stared at the two teenagers. They looked so normal, ordinary. He couldn't believe that the easy-going boy and fragile-looking girl could have committed such crimes. But . . . he thought it was the truth. Sam had been totally honest with him-he could tell. As for Lois, Sam was right about her; the entity, as Sam had called it, definitely had a grudge against the girl. Leaning forward, Mulder studied them both. Then, he nodded his head. "Sam, I believe you. I do have a few questions. Is it okay if I ask them now?" "Sure, go ahead. Anything to help. It's nice to have someone believe." Mulder thought. "Okay, now this happens about once a month. Have you ever thought about why only once a month?" Sam blushed, then glanced at Lois. "Actually, we once figured it was tied to Lois's menstrual cycles." Lois merely nodded her head slowly, her eyes fixed on the linoleum. Mulder nodded-that made sense. "Why do you call it the entity? Has it ever communicated with you?" Sam shook his head. "No, there's no communication, really. Not in words, anyway. Sometimes, we see images, but no telepathic transmissions. As for calling it the entity, it just fit. We couldn't call it 'Hey you!'" "True." Mulder paused, debating over whether to ask this question. But he had to know. "You mentioned that the entity is responsible for Agent Scully's amnesia. Do you know if she'll recover?" Sam looked at the tall agent. He knew that Agent Mulder had deep feelings for his partner: they were not only intense, but truly deep, in that Agent Mulder had buried them almost out of sight inside himself. Although Sam wished he could soften the blow, he had to tell Agent Mulder the truth. "I don't know. However, the entity did this once before, and that person . . . well, right now he's painting pictures in the state mental hospital. No doctor could figure out how to treat him." Mulder stared at the teenager once again. Trying to remain calm, Mulder looked at Lois. Temporarily pushing Scully to the side, Mulder leaned his head towards Sam. "What's wrong with Lois?" Sam looked at his sister, his brow creased. "She's acting the way she normally does before the entity emerges. But that's impossible-we, um, Mr. Allen died only two weeks ago. Any other time the entity emerged, it happened quickly-not this slowly. I think I need to take her home." Mulder nodded, agreeing with the young man. Handing him one of his cards, Mulder said, "Call me later tonight. I need to talk to Agent Scully's doctor, and I need some time to do a little research. Also, I want to know if anything happens to your sister. If you don't call by midnight . . . I'll assume something came up." Sam looked Agent Mulder straight in the eye, and saw the understanding there. Breathing a deep sigh, Sam simply said, "Thank you." Picking up his sister and half-carrying her, he headed towards the nearest exi= t. Mulder laid down on the couch, closing his eyes. He couldn't believe it. But he did. Now, what was going to happen? At first, he hadn't thought there was anything unusual about this case. But now, Mulder was faced with an invisible, powerful spirit, that was capable of casting spells and killing people. His brow furrowed, Mulder was still sitting in the reception area when Melissa returned from the cafeteria. Melissa was amazed at the change in Mulder. Although he was clearly exhausted, Melissa sensed an excitement, a tension. Walking over to Mulder, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey-everything okay?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet. Mulder swiftly looked up at Melissa and seemed to regain his calm composure. Standing up, he stretched a bit, before replying to Melissa's question. "Yeah, I'm fine. We just got a major break on the case. Now, I have to find a computer-I need to get some information from Washington. Plus, I have to talk to Scully's doctor-what's his name?" he said, trying to remember the doctor's name. "Her new doctor is Doctor Taylor, but you won't be talking to her tonight. She's already gone home-I saw her leave earlier. And you should follow her lead. Or at least get some sleep." She put up a hand to stop Mulder's protests. "Mulder, you have to work on this case, and you have to help Dana. You can't do either well if you're so tired that you can barely see straight. Don't worry, Dana will be fine. Right now, she's probably asleep-like you should be." Mulder silently groaned. he thought to himself. His thought was suddenly interrupted by a huge yawn. Grimacing, he looked at Melissa, knowing very well that she would have the Scully Look on her face. He allowed her to push him down on the small couch. Rolling onto his side, he could hear Melissa walking away-probably towards the elevator. Quietly, so tha= t no one could hear, he whispered "Sweet dreams, Scully," into the cushions of the couch, and fell asleep immediately. =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark Part 8 Date: 29 Sep 1995 22:07:55 GMT Lost in the Dark Part 8 By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Lawson Community Hospital 10:35 pm Dana Scully was not asleep, as her sister and partner had assumed. She laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't know what to think. After Melissa had left, all she could do was gaze out the window, wondering what was going on. She couldn't believe that she was remembering-the doctors had told her that she had a severe, almost total case of amnesia. But if that was true, how was she able to come up with the name of Mulder's sister? Thinking of Mulder, she had to smile a little. It had shocked the hell out of Melissa when she had asked about him. Dana thought wryly. At the thought of kissing, her mind immediately thought of Mulder. she thought worriedly. < Could we be having some sort of affair or something, and it hasn't been going well? Could the amnesia be an excuse for him to break it off with me?> Dana quickly shook her head. Melissa had given her no indication that anything like that was going on between her and Mulder. Even more convincing, neither had Mulder. He had been nothing but sweet and supportive of her since she had woken up. Obviously her condition had shaken him up, but most of his feelings he seemed to be hiding from her. Rubbing her eyes, Dana thought about Mulder's sister again. She had been as surprised as Melissa was when she had muttered the name Samantha. When she had heard the story about her abduction, she couldn't help thinking that Mulder must be a little crazy to believe that. With his grief, he could have hallucinated or imagined the aliens as an answer and an excuse: a way for him to spend his life searching. Dana frowned suddenly. Melissa had not been able to provide many answers to her. All Dana knew was that Fox Mulder and she had a very special, very unique sort of relationship. And until she knew every single specific of her life, she couldn't think about some aspects of that relationship. she thought sleepily as she rolled onto her side, and fell asleep. 11:45 pm Mulder rolled over on the narrow couch. His cellular was ringing insistently, refusing to be ignored. Giving up on any more sleep, he sat up and answered the phone at the same time. "Agent Mulder, this is Sam Capano. How are you and Agent Scully?" "Actually, Sam, both Agent Scully and I were sleeping. Hopefully, she still is." "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." "It's okay, Sam. Look, I'd like to set up another meeting with you and your sister. I need you both to tell me everything you can about your entity. By the way, how's your sister?" "Lois seems fine. Not long after we got home, she became her normal self again. I think that maybe the entity was controlling her, but, thank God, it decided not to do anything. She's asleep now." Mulder nodded, then continued. "Could you and Lois come to the Lawson Lodge tomorrow-around four? My room is number 3." "Yes-sure, Agent Mulder. See you at four." Mulder disconnected the phone, and after replacing it in his pocket, stood and stretched. Although mentally he felt better, sleeping on the small, narrow couch had given him several kinks. his thoughts trailing off when he realized who he would like to give him that massage. Rubbing his eyes, he walked towards the elevator and went to visit Scully. Capano House 11:55 pm Sam hung up the phone and went to check on Lois. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed. He sighed with relief, and went to bed. Lois tossed and turned in her sleep. Her thoughts were happening at the same time as her dreams: a part of her mind stayed awake, providing a frightening dual perspective on her dreams. With the entity controlling her, Lois was a savage, brutal force. In her dreams, she pushed her brother, prodding him while he performed the acts. But the true Lois was always watching her dreams: pale and fragile, unable to stop the other Lois. When the dreams had first started, she had tried to fight; she had tried to stop the killings, in the faint hope that if she succeeded in her dreams, maybe it would end. But the entity was always too strong. After a while, she had given up, and would just watch the dreams. But lately, it had grown harder not to resist. Shaking, she awoke from her dream. Swinging her legs to the floor, she pushed her hair out of her face. Gazing into space, Lois debated with herself. Then, with a jerk of her chin, she decided. She quickly dressed then walked outside, ignoring the lateness of the time. The blackness was overwhelming. She could hear the pendant clicking as it hit the buttons on her blouse. She reached up and touched it lightly, feeling the evil power vibrating. She could almost hear a savage voice, mumbling the words written on the medallion. Lois dropped to her knees in the middle of a field. She gazed at the stars, twinkling brightly-but coldly. Sudden tears blurred her vision. Bending her head, she touched the medallion again, then clasped it tightly in her hand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. She had only tried this once before-to purposefully contact someone with the medallion. The first time, she had come to Dana Scully in a dream. Now, she would try to contact the entity itself. With her mind, she imagined the entity to be a large mass, not unlike a cloud. Shapeless, it still harbored a malevolence. She tried to remain calm, despite the waves of evil that flowed off the entity. With her mind, she quietly besieged the entity with a single question: "How can I end this?" Her answer was quick in coming. "You cannot. Only one who has not felt my wrath can even attempt to stop me. You have no one to turn to. The FBI believes you, but I know him-he is worthless. The woman is destroyed. You have no one." Lois fought against the tears that were near. "Can Sam or I do anything?" she cried in desperation. Once again, the entity was surprisingly quick with its reply. "You can only support and encourage, if that much. If you have the courage." Suddenly, the entity disappeared, leaving Lois alone, tears cold on her cheeks. Wrapping her arms around herself, Lois leaned forward, her forehead almost touching the ground. Her stomach rolled with nausea. Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood. Wiping the tears from her face, Lois quickly walked to the garage, pulling the car keys out of her pocket. Lawson Community Hospital 1:35 am Lois pushed open the double doors to the second floor ward. To her left, she spotted room 212-Agent Scully's room. Walking towards the door, she paused. Lifting her chin, she quietly pushed the door open. When she entered the room, she saw immediately that Agent Scully was sleeping. A small, peaceful smile was on her lips, and the almost unnoticeable flickering of her closed eyelids told Lois that Agent Scully must be having a nice dream. Lois pulled a chair close to Agent Scully's bed. Leaning back in it, she gazed for a moment at the young woman-for it was undeniable that Agent Scully looked very young, lying in the hospital bed. Dropping her eyes to her hands, folded in her lap, Lois began to speak. "Agent Scully, we never had a chance to be introduced. I'm Lois Capano. I'm the reason-well, part of the reason-you're in that hospital bed. I wanted to come tonight to say that I'm sorry for what has happened to you. This happened once before, you know. There was a friend of Sam's . . . he had been flirting with me for years, but one day, out of the blue, he asked me out. I was so excited. Then, the night before our date, the entity took control of me, and I erased his memories." Lois stopped, feeling tears well up once again. Holding back her tears, she continued. "I guess the entity wanted to make sure I wouldn't tell anyone about what was happening. It never expected Sam to be the one to approach you. I know that it doesn't mean much, but I wanted to let you know how sorry I am for what has happened-for what is happening-and what will happen. Because I know it's going to continue, unless something can stop the entity. I don't think I can do it, but I'm out of options. I wanted to hide, because I was afraid. I know now that you can't hide from the truth, even if it scares you." Standing, she prepared to leave, but stopped suddenly. Bending down, she quickly whispered, "I know that you care for Agent Mulder. I hope he can help you find your answers." As Lois turned around, she gasped quietly. There stood Dana Scully! Glancing quickly back at the bed, she was reassured by the sight of Agent Scully, still in her bed. Turning back to the woman before her, Lois suddenly remembered her: it was Agent Scully's sister . . . Melissa? The woman looked at Lois quietly, her head cocked to one side. Then, she smiled, and placed a finger to her lips. Motioning with her hand, she urged Lois into the hallway. Then, with another smile, she extended her hand. "Lois, isn't it? You saw Fo-Mulder earlier tonight?" "Yes, I did-with my brother. You're Agent Scully's sister, right?" Melissa nodded, a quizzical look on her face. "Yes, I'm Melissa. Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes?" she asked impulsively. This girl's aura was so unusual-it was stained red with guilt and violence, yet the core remained a pale, almost washed-out blue. Lois looked confused and nervous. But what harm could come of it? Nodding her head, she followed Melissa to the small lounge past the elevators. Getting herself a cup of coffee, Melissa sat down at one of the Formica tables. Lois joined her with a can of soda. Melissa sipped her coffee slowly-she didn't drink it normally, preferring tea, but just this once, she was going to drink her coffee and enjoy it. While she drank, she thought about the young girl sitting in front of her. She had heard her confession to Dana, and at first, a surge of anger had ripped through her. But then, Melissa thought about how the poor girl must feel, and her own anger felt small and insignificant. She couldn't forget that Lois was the reason behind Dana's amnesia, but she couldn't hold anger against her. But her aura . . . It was obvious that this girl had done something horrible-but what? And how could she have done it-she was almost pathetically incapable of harming anyone. Lois stared into space, trying to forget for a little while. But it was hard, with Agent Scully's almost-identical sister sitting across from her. Shrugging her shoulders, she tried to release a little of the tension that was always present. Looking at Melissa, she asked quickly, "So, what did you want to talk about?" Melissa looked at Lois directly. "What can I do to help?" she asked in a quiet voice. Lois's face held momentary confusion. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask that sort of question?" Lois replied. Melissa shook her head. If they answered questions with other questions, they would get nowhere. "Let me be blunt, Lois. I know that something is going on. I heard you talk to Dana. I don't blame you, or your brother, or anyone. My anger is small. All I want to do is help." Lois sucked in a breath, surprised. Not only was Melissa not mad, but she wanted to help . . . Staring at Melissa, her mouth slightly agape, she easily confirmed what Melissa had said. Trying to regain her composure, she asked, "How did you know?" Melissa smiled slightly. "It was your aura. I could tell that you were going through something horrible. I don't care about the details, but I do want to do anything I can. Will you let me? I know that your brother trusts Mulder-will you trust me?" Lois was tired. It had been a long day, and the bad dreams had only allowed her a few hours of sleep. Suddenly, the thought of someone to help her sounded wonderful. Leaning across the table, she clasped one of Melissa's hands, and said, "With everything." =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark part 9 Date: 9 Oct 1995 00:18:48 GMT Sorry for the long periods between posts, everyone. Hope you all are enjoying this so far. Lost in the Dark Part Nine By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Capano House 2:45 am "Lois, where the hell have you been?" At the sound of her brother's angry voice, Lois turned quickly, almost hitting her hand on the front door. She had hoped that no one had heard her leave the house-obviously, she was wrong. Turning to face him, she held up her hand, trying to speak. "Sam, it's okay. Nothing bad happened. I went to see Agent Scully." At the soft note in her voice, Sam paused, his desire to give her a long lecture fading away. Lois sounded peaceful-less agitated. She sounded the way she had before the entity had taken control of their lives. "Something else happened, though? Right?" he questioned. Lois nodded her head, and a brief, ghostly smile lit up her face. "In fact, two things. I talked to Agent Scully's sister-Melissa. She knows, Sam." "What? She knows? How? And why aren't you bothered by that?" Sam was bewildered. Seeing the look of confusion on her brother's face, Lois motioned for him to sit on the couch in the small living room. Once he was sitting, she continued. "Sam, she is . . . spiritual, I guess. She could tell that something was going on by reading my aura. She offered to help us-in any way she can. Melissa said that though she knew it was because of me that Agent Scully has amnesia, she feels that her anger isn't important. What's important is to help Agent Scully and to defeat the entity. And I know how to destroy the entity, Sam." Lois paused, allowing her brother to understand everything that she had said. Shaking his head, Sam looked at his sister. "How? How did you find out?" Lois took a deep breath. "I contacted the entity, and it told me that only one who did not know it could defeat it. It told me that Agents Scully and Mulder were useless, though." Sam was awestruck. Not only did she know what to do, she had discovered that the people who were supposed to help them couldn't. Suddenly, something snapped. Sam stood quickly, running for the outside. He dimly heard Lois calling his name before he left the house. Lois stared at her brother. He was so calm . . . to see him lose it, to go wild, was unbelievable. She hurried after him, but paused when she saw him come to a stop. In the blackness, Sam ran a few yards from the house, until he could see the stars. Collapsing to the ground, he screamed, not thinking about the neighbors, his parents, or Lois. "Why? When does it end?" His voice broke, and he could only mumble, "No one to help. Nothing we can do. All for nothing." He curled into a ball. He could feel Lois near him. She bent over him, and touched his head, trying to calm him. "Sam, it's okay. It's going to get better. I know what to do." Lois felt pain-her peaceful older brother was rocking as she smoothed his hair. Sam still trusted the authority figures that Lois rebelled against. To him, telling someone was the equivalent to ending their involvement. But Lois knew that they would have to help in defeating the entity-no one else had as much invested in its defeat as they did. Sam had quieted. Lois pulled him into a sitting position, and held his arms. Sam looked at her, the traces of tears still on his face. "Lois . . . you were right. We should have never told anyone. It would have been better if we had let the entity kill us. No one can help us. We are lost." "Oh, no, Sam! I was wrong. I know what to do. I'm in control. We can do it, together, me and you and Agent Mulder and Agent Scully, and most important, Melissa." Sam looked upset and confused. "Lois . . . I thought the entity said that Agents Mulder and Scully were worthless. And what does Melissa have to do with this?" Lois looked at her brother. For so long, she had depended on him. He had protected her so much. But now, it was time for her to stand on her own feet. It was time for her to protect Sam. And to do that, he would have to be in the dark-at least for now. He needed to be protected, now. "You don't worry about it, Sam. I know what to do. I need to talk to everyone involved. We're seeing Agent Mulder this afternoon, right?" Sam mutely nodded his head, still confused. "Well, we will be setting part one into play this afternoon, when we talk with Agent Mulder. Now, come on. Let's get back in the house, and hope that no one woke up because of you. Good Lord, Sam, you should try out for the musical at school-you have such good lungs!" With a quick smile, Lois led her brother back into the house, and to bed. August 7, 1996 9:30 am Mulder started awake. For a moment, he thought he was back in his hotel room, waking up to discover that Scully was . . . but the bright rays of sunlight over the couch made him remember where he was. He was at the hospital. After being awakened by Sam's phone call, he had gone to visit Scully, but on the way to her room, had run into Melissa, who had nearly screamed bloody murder at seeing him, in her words, "still looking like crap." She had ordered him back to sleep with a manner that must have been an inherited trait for all Scully women. He had only meant to humor her by taking a short nap, but obviously, he was more tired than he thought. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he headed down the hall towards Scully's room. Pausing outside, he looked at her through the glass panel of the door. She was alone-neither Mrs. Scully or Melissa were in the room with Dana. She was dressed, and sitting in the chair by her bed. The jeans and over-large sweatshirt that she wore made her look small and helpless, but the straight set of her back made Mulder only think of the times she had saved his life, and her own. In her hand was the wallet that she normally carried in her purse. It laid open on her lap, and she was looking at the cards and pictures inside it with a look of concentration on her face. Suddenly, he noticed the tears on her cheeks. Without knocking, he opened the door quickly. He didn't want Dana to cry . . . Crossing the room to stand by her side, he waited for her to notice him. She moved her hand up to wipe away her tears slowly, then looked at Mulder, a small frown on her face. She tried to smile, and said "Hi, Mulder. Have a seat." Moving to sit on the freshly-made bed, he let her regain her thoughts. Then, motioning towards her wallet, Mulder asked, "Whatca doing?" Scully smiled at him. "Just checking to see how much money I had in my checking account. I think I forgot to post a check." Mulder smiled with her, but did not allow her to distract him. "Is your first session today?" Scully nodded, frowning. "Yes. I don't know what to expect." "Don't worry, Scully. Since it's your first session, basically there'll be some work with what you do remember, how powerful the memories are. You'll do fine." Scully nodded again, and commented, "So, you seem to know what's going on. Are you a psychologist?" Mulder was slightly surprised, but Scully was smart enough to have figured out something that easy. "Yeah, I have a degree in it and everything." After his statement, a silence fell. Normally, silences didn't bother Mulder-but it was different in this case. He could sense that she had questions that she wanted to ask, but she didn't know where to start. Moving closer to her, he took her hand. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?" he asked, keeping his voice soft. Dana looked up at him in confusion. She wanted to have him answer all her questions . . . but she knew that wasn't the answer. She would have to figure out her life on her own. But she could talk to him-he looked so lost. With that thought, she quickly asked, "How's the case coming? Any leads?" Mulder looked surprised. It seemed she had acquired a talent for asking off-center questions. "Um, yeah. Two kids are saying that they . . . " His voice trailed off. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her everything yet, but, she was his partner. Making up his mind, he said, "There's a lead, but I don't know what will come of it. I'm going to be talking to a few people this afternoon. However, I'm really just trying to hold ground until another agent can relieve me." Scully nodded, preferring not to speak. Her gaze returned to the wallet still clutched in her other hand. Moving towards Mulder, she pulled her hand from his, and pointed at a photo. Mulder followed her finger, and saw that she was pointing at a picture of the two of them. He didn't recognize it, but he was surprised that Scully had a photo of them in her wallet. Scully's finger moved forward, and she began flipping through the photos. With each photo, the frown on her face became more noticeable. Mulder couldn't bear to look at the sad expression on her face. He slowly slipped his arm around her shoulders as she continued to flip through her wallet, trying to find Dana Scully. Capano House 3:15 pm Lois opened the door quickly at the sound of the knock. Her eyes widened when she saw who was on the doorstep. Melissa Scully smiled at Lois. "I hope you don't mind, me coming to see you," she asked, concern in her voice. Lois regained her composure, and nodded her head. Beckoning Melissa inside, she led her towards the living room. Once inside, Lois turned towards Melissa. "Melissa, I'm not sure that now is the best time to see you. We're getting ready to go see Agent Mulder in a few minutes, and I don't know how productive a meeting it's going to be." Melissa smiled at Lois again. "No, Lois, it's going to a very important meeting. Because I'm coming with you, and together, we're going to discuss how we're going to defeat the entity." Lois's mouth dropped open. "No! I couldn't let anyone get willingly involved in this. Besides, the entity attacked your own sister!" Melissa shook her head. "Lois, my beliefs prevent me from assigning blame. Besides, the blame is not mine to place. I know that I can help-that I am possibly the only one who can. And I know that you believe I'm your best chance. I can feel it." Melissa stepped closer. "Let me help, Lois. If I can get your consent-and Sam's, of course-it'll be that much easier to convince Mulder. Not to mention Dana,"Melissa said, sighing as she thought of her stubborn sister. Lois was in shock. True, she had hoped that Melissa could help them, but not this much. It was too much to ask of anyone. Pushing aside her misgivings, she nodded her head, then looked at Melissa. "Okay, but we definitely need to talk to Sam first. And I'd like you to come with us when we visit Agent Mulder." "Who's coming with us?" At the sound of Sam's voice, Lois started. "Sam, don't sneak up on me like that!" Her annoyance, usually minor at such a prank, was heightened by the subject of Lois and Melissa's discussion. "What's the problem, sis? Nice to see you, Melissa." Sam crunched on an apple. "Sam," Lois took a deep breath, trying to find the words. "Sam, Melissa has offered to help us. She wants to face the entity." The teasing expression on Sam's face was wiped away. His eyes became darker, and he swallowed the bite of his apple quickly, before stating, "No way. I could never allow anyone to go in against it. You're Agent Scully's sister. How can you help the people who caused her condition?" Melissa was growing annoyed. "Sam, Lois, I came today to help. I want to help. I am aware of the risks. I know that I have the right to be mad as hell at you two. I have waived that right. If you won't accept my help, I will leave. I don't want to do that, but I don't want to be doubted and questioned. I'll get enough of that from Mulder and Dana. So please, let me help! Ever since Dana was hurt, this has become my fight too." Both Lois and Sam were warmed by the amount of passion in Melissa's voice. They looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to Melissa. With a quick nod of his head, Sam moved to the kitchen to get the car keys, while Lois impulsively hugged Melissa. "Thank you, Melissa," Lois whispered. "Save the thanks for later, Lois," Melissa warned, while hugging her back. Lawson Lodge 4:05 pm "Agent Mulder, it's good to see you again," Sam said as he shook hands with Mulder. "You, too, Sam, Lois." As he reached to shake Lois's hand, Mulder suddenly noticed the third person in the arriving group. "Melissa? What are you doing here?" Mulder asked, confused. "I'm here to help, Mulder," Melissa serenely stated. "How? I don't think the entity has an aura." Mulder shot back, his hands folding across his chest. Detecting some sort of situation beginning, Lois quickly placed her hand on Agent Mulder's shoulder, albeit with some stretching. "Agent Mulder, we want Melissa here. She's offered to help, and we'd like to accept it. Will you hear us out?" Mulder, a bit startled by the change in Lois, allowed the trio into the room. he told himself. "Okay, let's talk," Mulder said after everyone had found someplace to sit. "I want to know everything you know about the entity. Something's changed since we last talked, right?" Lois looked at Sam. Drawing courage from him, she turned to face Agent Mulder. "Yes, sir, it has. You see, last night I contacted the entity." "Hold it," Mulder said, holding up a hand. "First, just call me Mulder. Second, how did you contact the entity'? I don't know if your parents will like the phone bill this month." Lois reddened. Standing up quickly, she stood in front of Agent Mulder, her temper boiling. "Agent Mulder, I came here today with my brother and Melissa in good faith. You had questions, and so do we. I was hoping that we could arrive at some answers. Yes, I contacted the entity. What it told me wasn't good. If you choose to remain a patronizing ass, I will leave now. Nothing will change. You won't get any answers, the murders will continue, and Agent Scully will remain in her present condition. I'm sorry if I'm lashing out, but at this point, I'm too damn tired to care anymore. Now will you let me talk?" Lois paused, breathing heavily from her outburst. Mulder did a double-take. Gone certainly was the quiet girl he had met last night. He nodded, and sat on his bed silently. "Thank you." Lois sat back down in the chair she had vacated. From this vantage point, she could look at everyone in the eye. "Now, like I said, I contacted the entity last night. It said that only one who did not know its power could even hope of defeating it. I took it to mean someone who has not felt its power. Obviously, that leaves out myself and Sam-and Agent Scully, of course." "What about me?" Mulder questioned. Lois looked at him sadly. "You believe. That's as bad as having something happen to you." Mulder nodded, his breath suddenly taken from him. But a thought occurred to him. "You want Melissa to face the entity? That's impossible-Dana's her sister! How is she any better than me?" Lois nodded in agreement-she had this question as well when she had debated telling Melissa what had been happening. "The entity isn't aware of Melissa, though. He mentioned you and Agent Scully-but nothing of Melissa. I believe that it doesn't consider her a threat." "I don't think so," Melissa quipped. Mulder grinned. "Yeah, never want to get a redhead mad at you. Lesson learned from experience," his eyes darkening as he talked. Shaking away his own feelings, he turned to Sam. "What do you think, Sam?" Sam, who had been silent, spoke. "Agent Mulder, Melissa is aware of risks, and made her choice. Lois is willing to face the danger-so is Melissa. So, I figure all I'm needed for is to support their decisions, and be there for them. How about you?" Mulder grimaced. He didn't like this decision at all. "Melissa, Lois, what are you going to do? I mean, you can't very well just say, There's two of us and one of you, we win', can you?" Lois shook her head. "No, Agent Mulder. We're going to have to contact the entity again, and battle it. Together, hopefully, we'll be able to win. I don't really know what's going to happen-we'll just have to play it by ear." Mulder looked at Melissa. In the last few days, it had hurt a little, each time he looked at her . . . she looked so much like Scully. At times, he had been tempted to imagine that Melissa was Dana-to squint his eyes and listen to her voice. But the words were never what Scully would have said. He couldn't bear the thought of something happening to Melissa . . . but he had no choice in it. It was Melissa's decision, she had made it, and there was nothing he could do. Looking at the three people, Mulder simply nodded and said, "When?" A look of relief passed over their faces-the hard part was over. "I was thinking tonight-no use waiting, really," Lois answered. "Wait." At the sound of Melissa's voice, everyone looked at her. Her face was sad, but strong. Raising her eyes, she looked at the others. "I want to talk to Dana first. I'd like to go to the hospital and have a long talk with her . . . in case I don't have the chance another time. Besides, it'd be a good idea if we all ate and got some sleep. How about we meet in the hospital lobby at midnight?" Lois, Sam, and Mulder looked at each other, and quickly agreed to Melissa's plan. With their consent, Melissa turned, and with a deep breath, said, "Okay, see you soon. I'm going to say best of luck to Dana. Cause I'm not sure if I'll be coming back." End Part Nine =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark Part 10/? Date: 24 Oct 1995 02:45:53 GMT Disclaimer: Since I'm not good enough, smart enough, or talented enough to have thought this up all by myself, I admit that the X-Files, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Margaret and Melissa Scully, and anyone from the show I may mention are the creation of Chris Carter(the Sadistic Genius)and the property of Ten-Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting. Sam and Lois are mine, in case anyone was curious, which I doubt. Lost in the Dark By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Part 10 Lawson Community Hospital 9:30 pm "Dana, can I come in?" Dana Scully looked up. Her mother had just left, so she was expecting her sister to arrive. Nodding her head, she continued to look at the crisp sheets on her bed. Melissa entered the room and sat in the chair by Dana's bed. Dana looked so defeated. She sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, with her arms resting on them. After seeing Melissa sit down, Dana's face had returned to the circle of her arms. It hurt so much to see Dana like this-so sad, her hair messy and dressed in a pair of pajamas. It had taken hours for Melissa to work up enough courage to come see Dana . . . because she had the eerie feeling that it would be for the last time. Pushing aside her morbid thoughts, Melissa spoke. "Dana." Dana's head jerked up at the sound of her own name. "Dana, I want to talk to you. Do you remember how you lost your memory? Do you remember anything?" Melissa had a faint hope that if Dana could remember something, it might help her later . . . Suddenly, Dana jumped down from the bed. Standing in front of her sister, using the full extent of her height, she screamed. "NO, I DON'T. I don't remember anything!!! Nothing!!! And will you people stop asking me. When I know, I'll let you in on it!!!!" She stood still, her eyes wide with emotion. Melissa was shocked. Dana wasn't one to lose control like this. Standing quickly, she quickly wrapped her arms around Dana, calming her. The flash of anger cooled, and Dana began sobbing. "Oh, Melissa, it's so hard. Today . . . I had my first session. All the doctor did was ask me questions I couldn't answer. I felt like an idiot. I want to have my life back. But all I can do is try to remember. I don't have any control." "Shh, Dana, shh." Melissa smoothed Dana's hair. Moving back a step, she helped Dana get back on the bed. "It's okay, Dana," Melissa said, holding Dana's face. "Don't worry, something's going to happen tonight that will hopefully fix everything." "What?" Dana asked in a broken voice. "Shh, don't worry about what. I came here tonight to have a talk with you. Remember when I first came to visit you, and you asked me about Mulder?" Dana nodded her head. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about him, if you don't mind. Or we can talk about anything you want to . . ." "No, Melissa, it's okay. Why do you want to talk about Mulder? You said you didn't know that much about him." Dana was confused. When she had asked her sister about Mulder before, it had been like pulling teeth to get any answers. Now her sister wanted to volunteer information? Something didn't add up-and Dana was sure it had something to do with what was going on tonight. her mind realized quickly. "Wait, Melissa, go ahead. Why do you want to talk about Mulder?" Melissa looked at her sister. They looked so much alike. Yet Dana was in the dark . . . about so many things. Maybe she should tell Dana the things she had always meant to tell her. "Dana, when you were in the coma . . . Mulder never left your side. He barely ate, barely slept. And before, when you were gone-well, Mom said she was worried he was going to die. When I saw how he acted-and felt the your thoughts about him-I meant to talk to you about it, but . . . . things happened," she trailed off. Dana stared at her sister, confused. Now she knew something was going on-why else would Melissa want to talk to her, as if this was the last time they were going to talk? This talk' only confirmed her suspicions-something was going on tonight, something that worried Melissa enough to have a talk that she had always meant to have. "Melissa, what is your point?" Dana asked bluntly. "Are you trying to ask me if I remember anything about Mulder, something that I wouldn't want to discuss?" Melissa looked flustered. "No, Dana, no. I just . . . Look, I've made a mess out of everything, so I'm going to go now. All I want to ask you to do is to examine your thoughts. Now, and when you get your memory back. I think that if you explore your own feelings, you may find some surprising things. I'll see you later-I'm late for an appointment." With those words, Melissa left the room as quickly as possible. Dana followed her sister down the hall with her eyes. "I'll explore, Melissa, but tonight, I'm going to be with you," she spoke out loud in the empty room. Then, she quickly hopped out of bed and began dressing. Capano House 11:30 pm Melissa wiped a tear from her face as she pulled into the driveway of Lois and Sam's house. After talking with Dana, she had gone to the ladies room and cried for an hour. It had hurt so much-to know that she was walking on a dangerous path that could only lead to her death. But it was for Dana, the younger sister who she had never really understood but had always loved. After their conversation, she was more convinced than ever that this was the right thing to do. But it still hurt to know that she would be leaving . . Shaking her head at the time on the digital clock, Melissa quickly got out of her car. Hurrying across the lawn, she soon saw snatches of light that could only come from flashlights, in a large meadow behind the house. Walking towards them, she soon was able to see Mulder, Sam, and Lois. As she approached the group, she could see Mulder frowning, as if he was thinking about something unpleasant. She quickly moved towards Lois, who was standing quietly apart from Mulder and Sam. "Lois, how are you?" The girl was grimacing in pain. She looked up quickly at the sound of Melissa's voice. "Melissa! I was a little worried that you might not be coming. I mean, with you going to talk to Agent Scully, I thought that maybe you changed your mind . . . " her voice trailed off, embarrassed. "I know where my path leads me to, Lois. And I feel that I'm on the right track. Besides, this is for Dana." Melissa squared her shoulders, trying to look more confident than she felt. Melissa gazed at the preparations that had been made for this eerie ceremony. A number of blankets were spread on the ground, creating a soft mat for her to lay on. Although Mulder and Sam both carried flashlights, unlit candles were placed at the corners of the blankets. Lois sat pensively on the ground, while both Mulder and Sam seemed to be lost in their thoughts. Mulder thought to himself. His gut tightened slightly at the thought of Scully, but he pushed aside the thoughts with a perfection that had come out of long moments of practice. Moving towards Sam, Mulder quietly muttered, "I think we better get started, Sam. Okay with you?" Sam shook his head. He had been thinking about how everything could go wrong: the confrontation might lead to nowhere, the entity might harm Melissa, the entity could take control over him and Lois . . . He nodded to Agent Mulder, and moved to sit near Lois. Taking her hand, Sam smiled at his sister, trying to draw on some of her hidden strength. Lois smiled back, albeit rather unsuccessfully. Melissa, seeing the preparations move forward, grasped the crystal around her neck. She moved to the mat, then stopped, and quickly moved next to Mulder and grasped his arm. Mulder looked at her, surprised. She pulled him away from Sam and Lois, and beckoned for him to lead towards her. She obviously had something to say-something important. "Mulder, if I don't make it out okay, I want you to make sure Dana knows that I did this for her. I . . . I felt something the day she was abducted. I had a vision-she was surrounded by beings, separated from me. I tried to call to her, but she couldn't respond. I meant to call her that afternoon about it-I had never had such a strong vision. But I got busy, and I never got the chance. I've always felt guilty about that . . . so I want to do this. You can't stop me, no matter what you say. But I want you to tell Dana about all this-because I know that you care so much about her, that you can tell her the truth. And prevent her from feeling guilty. Please, do this for Dana," she pleaded, her eyes large in the half-light. Mulder sucked in a breath, impressed with Melissa. Despite his opinion of her, he had to admire her actions. He nodded, unable to speak. Melissa sighed, then moved towards the blankets. Sam and Lois had lit the candles, and in the cool night air, they flickered slightly. She smoothly sat on the blankets, and laid back, holding onto her crystal. Melissa breathed deeply, relaxing deeply. Sam and Lois had linked their hands again, and sat quietly by one of the candles. Mulder sat as well, behind the candle diagonally across from Sam and Lois. Their eyes were fixed on Melissa, as she slowly sank into a trance. //She was in a land of fog. No, not fog . . . just a blowing, floating mist that came and went. Suddenly, she saw it. It moved towards her. Even at this great distance, the evil and power emanated by the entity came at her in great waves. Suddenly, in a booming voice, it spoke to her.// "You are the woman's sister, but you are of little help here. Your thoughts cannot help her or anyone. Give up." "No!" she protested. Mulder, Lois and Sam started at the sound of the whisper coming from Melissa. She still laid quietly on the blankets, but while one hand tightened on her crystal, the other fingered her dress nervously. Her head moved slightly from side to side. //Her answer elicited no reaction from the entity. It moved closer-close enough for her to see its eye-a bright blue eye, beautiful . . The entity seemed to be concentrating intently on her. // "You have been misread. You have great potential, with the little power that you have. Maybe you could increase it with some assistance . . ." "I couldn't go with you. I do not seek personal gain. I want the freedom of Sam and Lois, the memories of my sister. You cannot tempt me with promises of power," Melissa replied strongly. "Perhaps, but maybe it would not be a temptation, but an exchange . . ." the entity trailed off, suggestively. Melissa groaned. She had been worried that she might be asked that . . . But before she could reply, a shout invaded her thoughts. She came back with a suddenness that made her head swim. The participants looked up in surprise at the appearance of Dana Scully. End Part 10 =========================================================================== From: Melissa Rabey Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New-Lost in the Dark Part 11-The End!!! Date: 28 Oct 1995 21:56:47 GMT Okay, I lied. Here's Part Eleven. This is the end. I promise. I swear!!!! Lots of thanks go to Amy for reading this over and giving me some great ideas. Disclaimer: Since I'm not good enough, smart enough, or likable enough to have come up with this on my own, I admit that Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and the whole gang from the X-Files belongs to Chris Carter(the Sadistic Genius) and that the X-Files are the property of CC, 10-13 Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. Lost in the Dark By Melissa(dettiot@strauss.udel.edu) Part 11 Capano House 11:45 pm Dana was tired. It had been a very long walk from the hospital to the small house where Sam and Lois lived. It had been a long shot, but she doubted that they would do anything in Mulder's hotel room. Dana ran up the driveway, adrenaline making her forget her aching muscles. She banged on the front door-no answer. Dana quickly checked the garage-only one car inside. As she walked around the garage, she caught sight of the flickering lights: obviously candles. As Dana silently walked towards the light, she saw Mulder, Sam, Lois. Within four hundred yards of them, she could make out the figure laying on the ground: Melissa. A loud gasp left her throat, followed by her shout. Her thoughts were jumbled, confused. At the sound of her voice, Melissa started, and then sat up slowly. Mulder, Sam, and Lois all had looked up, their heads jerking. Now, the four of them sat staring at her, silently. Her temper rising, Dana ran towards them. Halting, she drew in gulps of cool night air, looking from Mulder to Melissa to Sam and Lois. When she spoke, her voice was tightly controlled, barely showing the anger that made her shake. "What the hell. Why are you doing this without me? I needed to be here. I needed to be a part of this. Did it just slip your minds? Oh wait, I forgot: I'm the one with the problems remembering. You probably thought I might forget the date, right?" She swayed from side to side, her hands on her hips. Mulder looked at the other three. Rising awkwardly, he moved towards Scully, and placed his hand on her arm. "Scully, we didn't just decide not to include you. The less people here, the better. And besides, you should be int he hospital." Scully shot him a look that would have frozen boiling water. "I was only in the hospital to be watched. Can't you understand? Mulder, you say that we're partners-why didn't you have me come tonight? I don't have my memories-but I needed to know." Dana sank to her knees, her spirit fading. They had gone off to perform some ridiculous ceremony. Had left her out, thinking she didn't need to know. But she had lost her memories . . . and whether it was because of that entity or not, she was Mulder's partner-supposedly-and she should be there. And where did Melissa fit in? During her exchange with Mulder, Melissa had been silent, with a glazed look in her eyes. By the time Dana had stopped speaking, the spacey look had been replaced with one of utter determination . . . and a little fear. Melissa stood, and silently crawled over next to Dana. Speaking in a soft voice, she ignored the whisper of fear on the edge of her mind, thinking of Dana. "Dana, we honestly didn't want to involve you, for fear that something might happen to you again. It really was wrong on our parts to do that-but we were thinking of you." At that statement, Mulder nodded his head, agreeing with Melissa. "But Dana," Melissa continued, "we weren't sure what was going to happen, we have no control. Now, I'm going to try to contact the entity again-" Dana stared at her sister, shocked. "No, Melissa-it's not worth it. I'm not worth it!" Melissa smiled a sad, bittersweet smile. "It isn't just you-this is also for Sam and Lois. But Dana, you are worth it. I had a chance to save you another time, and I let it go. Please don't' prevent me from doing this. I have to, if I want to live with myself." Dana stared at the ground as her sister's words took hold. Melissa spoke suddenly. "Dana, you once told Mulder you had the strength of his beliefs to pull you through. Please, this time, could you let me use the strength of my beliefs to help you?" Dana glanced at Mulder, his expression sad, and turned back to Melissa. She couldn't stop her from doing this-and she hated that. But Melissa was determined to do this. She couldn't stand in Melissa's way. "Okay, Melissa. I hate this, though." Melissa smiled a little. Then, nodding to Sam and Lois, Melissa moved back to the blankets, and laid down. Sam relit the candles that had blown out, while Lois squeezed Melissa's hand quickly. Mulder turned to Scully. She obviously didn't like this, but it had been Melissa's choice. Scully looked at him for a moment, then she moved to sit by Melissa's head. Mulder resumed his place at one corner of the blankets. As Sam and Lois took their places again, Melissa closed her eyes and tried to relax. Suddenly, she felt her consciousness pulled into that fog-shrouded place. "You have returned. Have you a decision?" //Melissa turned at the sound of the entity's booming voice. Her heart leaped into her throat. As she prepared to tell the entity that yes, she agreed, a figure walked out of the mist, behind the entity, and stood next to it, facing her.// //Melissa gasped. It was Dana! Dana, who was so firmly rooted in science that she ignored her inner voice. She was listening now . . . . // "Melissa, I regret that things have come to this point. You want to help me-to atone for what you feel was your fault. It was no one's fault. I will help you now." //Melissa sucked in a large gulp of air. Her heart was going a million miles a minute-her stomach was doing flip-flops-her head was spinning. Somehow, she found her voice.// "Yes, Dana." //Dana moved away from the entity, seeming to float across the ground. She stood at Melissa's side, and with an airy movement, grasped Melissa's hand. Melissa sighed, and squeezed her sister's hand. Then, lifting her chin, she took a step towards the entity.// "You have taken my sister's memories. You have made innocent children kill. Fourteen people have died. Why?" //The entity's waves of evil became tinged with confusion.// "There is no reason. These events happened." "Then why are you here? If you didn't cause them, who did?" Dana asked strongly. "Merely as observer and representative. There is no one creature who caused these events, but a great committee. However, the committee is weak now. Weariness is overtaking." //Melissa frowned, almost afraid to ask her last question. Screwing up her courage, she quickly blurted out the question that had haunted her since the beginning of this ceremony . . . .// "If the committee and you are defeated, will what has happened be undone?" "Only for the living." //With those words, Melissa silently grieved for the dead and prayed for the living. Then, taking Dana's hand again, they moved forward. Both concentrated, their minds working in unison to create images of peace, contentment, and hope.// //The entity shuddered as the waves of joy bathed over it. The evil malevolence that had emanated from it suddenly felt bittersweet, with the entity's tenuous control over its powers shift, and the darkness became lighter and lighter. Discharges of lightning burst from the entity's shapeless cloud. They crackled, coming perilously close to Dana and Melissa. Melissa shuddered slightly as one almost singed Dana's shoulder, but Dana was oblivious to the heat.// Sam looked at his sister. The expression that flickered across her face was hope, tinged with fear. His heart contracted, unable to feel happiness-he could only remember the damage he had inflicted. Lois sensed her brother's unhappiness. Reaching down, she quickly grasped his hand. Sam looked at her again, and at her small smile, his lips stretched into his own smile, drawing some of her happiness into himself. Sam's thought broke off when he saw the mirrored image on both of the Scully sister's faces: pain and fear. //Suddenly, the entity began to press forward, the evil trying to overwhelm the positive energy. The lightning bolts became brighter and hotter. The force of the entity's power hit both sisters like a physical blow. Straining, they fought against the entity. A bolt suddenly struck Melissa. The evil power attacked both sisters, and they both fell to their knees, heaving with the effort of keeping control. // Mulder started when both Scully and Melissa's bodies began to jerk slightly. Leaning closely to Scully, he saw her eyelids fluttering rapidly, as if she had entered REM sleep. He couldn't prevent himself from taking her hand. His thoughts trailed off as Dana softly spoke. //Dana felt a brush against her mind, almost like a physical touch. With that brush, she suddenly remembered her tenth birthday party: the cake and the presents and the guests. With that memory, her hope and joy rose, and she renewed her struggle, forgetting the weakness that had been pulling at her limbs and her mind. The evil force seemed to recede from her mind. Melissa felt Dana's happiness, and it bolstered her sagging spirits. With the last of her strength, Melissa matched Dana's output of emotion.// "Go, and return to your home. Rest, and become strong enough to prevent this from happening again." //At Dana's command, the entity again seemed confused. Then, with speed that was faster than lightning, the entity drew itself into a small ball of glowing light, and slowly receded, until the sisters could no longer see it. As the ball disappeared, both sisters collapsed to the ground.// Dana moved a little. She felt someone pull her into a set of strong arms. As she rested, on the edge of unconsciousness, she realized who it was: Mulder. A million details about him crowded her mind. With a little smile, she allowed herself to go back to sleep: she was safe. Mulder looked over at Sam and Lois, who were tending to Melissa. With a nod to Sam, Mulder picked up Scully in his arms and moved towards his car. Sam, with Lois's help, slowly lifted Melissa and followed Mulder. Lawton Community Hospital August 8, 1996 12:30 pm Mulder paced a little outside of Scully's room. He thanked God that Melissa had not had to stay in the hospital-while in the car, she had revived, more or less-nothing that a lot of sleep wouldn't cure. When they had arrived at the hospital, Mrs. Scully had taken Melissa to her hotel, but not without giving him a lecture that he would always remember-along the lines of "leaving her out of something that involved her two daughters" and "never doing something like that again." Mulder had to grin at the memory. His grin faded as he chanced a look through the door. Scully was lying on her side, facing the window. While Melissa just needed some rest, with the long walk from the hospital, Scully had overexerted herself, and besides, her doctor-and Mulder- hadn't liked the fact that she had snuck out of the hospital. She would now have to stay in the hospital for observation and rest, although apparently her memory was fully restored. his mind reminded him. Dana turned in her bed. She could see Mulder outside her door, pacing. she thought wryly. She waited until Mulder was looking in her direction, then with a wave of her hand, told him to come in. As Mulder walked in, Dana braced herself for some sort of lecture on leaving the hospital. Instead, Mulder quietly sat on her bed, his hands folded together. At her confused expression, he smiled, and brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen across her face. "Hi, Scully. Remember me?" he teased. Dana frowned, knitting her brows together in concentration and rubbing her forehead. Then, snapping her fingers, she quickly said, "I know! You're my cousin from Peoria who's a real estate agent, married with six kids. Right?" Mulder's smile broke into laughter. Scully's sweet laughter joined his. As his laughter trailed off, Scully felt a mass of butterflies in her stomach. Now that the case was over, all those thoughts and emotions she had about him were bombarding her. Searching for a topic of conversation, she quickly asked, "How are Sam and Lois?" Mulder nodded, unable to prevent a little bit of regret from creeping over him. Now things would be back to normal . . . . "Sam and Lois are fine. They burned the pendant after the ceremony, and neither have them suffered any ill effects. Oh, and the boy who lost his . . . . who had amnesia as well will be released from the hospital he was in tomorrow. Lois apparently is quite happy," he concluded with a smile that Scully matched. Mulder's voice grew silent, and he couldn't help himself from staring at Scully. The case was over . . . Maybe now was the time to think about telling her how he felt. Touching her cheek fleetingly, he said simply, "I missed you Scully." Dana felt her face flush slightly, but she looked straight at Mulder, into his large hazel eyes. Feeling her face grow even redder, she dropped her gaze and said, "I missed you too, Mulder. It was like I was lost, and I couldn't find my way back. I was in the darkness, but with Melissa's help I was able to come into light. But Mulder," her voice cracked slightly, "I came back into the light because I knew I was coming back to you." At her statement, his heart leaped into his throat, before returning to his chest. He could feel his smile grow even larger. Taking Scully's hand, he longed to kiss her. Then, he suddenly thought, With both reluctance and determination, he slowly leaned down and kissed her lips, softly and gently. When he had leaned towards her, Dana had felt her body tense slightly. As his lips touched hers, she felt all the tension that stemmed from the case, from her amnesia drain away, and she gave in to the blissful sensation. With a sigh, Mulder pulled away slightly, and looked at Scully. All during this case, he had thought so many times about Scully . . . Dana. And now that she was here and whole and so beautiful, he couldn't prevent his emotions from coming through. Hugging her tightly to him, he whispered into her hair, "I love you Dana." At his words, she felt her eyes go wide. With a smile on her lips, she whispered back, "I love you too." As she said the four small words, Dana could feel his arms hold her even tighter. And she was no longer lost in the dark. End part eleven, end story. Hope y'all enjoyed it-comments can be sent to the author at dettiot@strauss.udel.edu.