From: jennyann@ix.netcom.com (Jennifer Lyon)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
Subject: "Magician" ch14/Pr1 (28/31)
Date: 1 Jun 1995 02:04:15 GMT


The Magician
An X-File Story by
Jennifer Lyon (Jenni10647@aol.com) and 
Suzanne Bickerstaffe (Ecksphile@aol.com)

Disclaimer: The X-Files, and the characters of Fox Mulder and 
Dana Scully, and all rights thereto, are the property of FOX 
Broadcasting Network. The remainder of this story is the 
property of the authors. All comments are welcome.

Authors' note: This story is a small departure from most X-Files 
fanfiction. At its heart, it is a fantasy, a slightly deeper trip into 
the 'realm' of make-believe. Sit back, relax, suspend your 
disbelief, and let us tell you a tale. Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen - Part One

     It had taken nearly a fortnight to clean up the battlefield 
and set the slow process of recovery in motion. After the vortex 
was closed by the still-exhausted mages Reinald and Mulder, the 
Uriin plains became one massive funeral pyre. Each race, each 
religion, each great house held its own sorrowful ceremony, 
releasing the souls of their dead from their mortal remains in huge 
blazing bonfires. For days the fires burned, throwing sparks and 
ashes up into the sky, visible for nearly a full-day's ride away. The 
smell of burning flesh and incense filled the air, painful and 
cleansing at once, washing away the stench of the Dark. Villages 
were reclaimed, fragmented lives resumes, late harvests begun.
     The surviving leaders of the various houses and races 
made their solemn way back to Fairwood Keep, their entourages 
barely a ghost of the flashy colorful displays that had first 
accompanied them there for Reinald's trial so many long weeks 
before. And yet, underneath the somber colors, the mood was 
brighter, the steps lighter than they had been before. A shadow 
had been lifted from the Realm, and despite their many sorrows, 
the people felt the first stirrings of hope for the future. As if in 
benediction, the sun broke through the clouds and shone in full 
glory upon the heads of the returning soldiers as they marched 
through the Fairwood castle gates.
     Mulder and Scully were grateful to settle back into their 
comfortable room with the big fireplace and large soft bed after 
so many nights spent sleeping in tents or caves. The most 
pleasant sight of all was the big tub, filled and waiting for them 
when they arrived dusty and tired from the long march. Lita 
straightened from pouring in another freshly heated bucket of 
water into the tub and turned to them with a glowing smile. 
"Welcome home Mage Mulder, Lady Scully."
     "Thank you, Lita," Mulder replied, draping his robe over 
the back of one of the chairs in front of the blazing fire and 
dropping into it with a sigh of pleasure. Scully simply walked 
over and gave the little elf a big hug, delighted to see her. Lita 
returned the embrace, then pulled away, saying brusquely, "Your 
bath is ready. I'll return later with dinner and empty it then." 
However, her eyes were bright as she bustled from the room.
     Scully went over behind Mulder and wrapped her arms 
around his shoulders. He leaned back into her embrace, reaching 
out to draw her closer. She played with the dark locks of his hair 
for a moment, then dropped a kiss on the top of his head and 
withdrew towards the steaming tub. "Don't know about you, but 
I'm not losing a second before taking a bath." She sighed, 
yanking her tunic over her head. "I can hardly remember the last 
time I felt clean."
     "Ummm, I'll join you in a minute," Mulder replied, 
staring absently into the fire as it leapt and crackled in the huge 
brick hearth. Sensitive to the darkening of his mood, Scully 
stopped after removing her leggings and stared at the back of his 
head. "Mulder?" she asked, coming around in front of him, 
dressed only in the long white shirt with tails that nearly touched 
her knees. "What's wrong."
     "Nothing, Scully." He stretched, yawning loudly. "I'm 
just tired." She continued to gaze down at him, hands 
unconsciously closing on her hips in a stance that he immediately 
recognized. "Scully," he insisted, eyes deepening to a dusky 
brown. "I'm fine, it's just been a long day." 
     "Uh huh," she replied, her face drawn and serious. 
"Mulder..." she sat down across his knees so that she could look 
straight into his eyes. His arms closed around her almost of their 
own accord, instinctively drawing her into his embrace. "Mulder, 
I don't want to go prying into your mind. If you don't feel like 
talking about whatever is bothering you, then I can wait until 
you're ready, but..."
     "No, no, Scully," he interrupted. "It's okay. I just felt a 
little, well, funny when Lita said 'welcome home.' We've been 
here for so long now, that this does feel like our 'home' 
sometimes, and yet I'm also well aware that we don't really 
belong here. I couldn't help wondering what was happening back 
on our earth."
     Scully nodded, reaching out to tenderly brush a 
wayward black lock of hair out of his eyes. "I know," she said 
sadly, "Sometimes I worry about my mother. After everything 
she's been through, to have me just disappear again like this - and 
you as well. I wish there was a way to let her know that we are 
safe and well."
     "Me, too." Mulder responded. "You're lucky to have a 
family like yours. They're good people," he managed a teasing 
grin, "even if your sister is a bit weird."
     Scully laughed. "You're hardly one to talk about being 
'weird,' 'Spooky.'"
     "Touché, Scully," Mulder said. Then his face fell. "My 
parents won't even notice I'm gone."
     "I'm sure..." Scully started automatically, then paused. 
She'd never met his parents, but she'd picked up enough during 
their years of partnership, and through the growing mind-link, to 
have a pretty good picture of his family, especially after sharing 
his nightmares.
     Mulder caught the edges of the hurtful images going 
through Scully's mind, and he grimaced in response. "The only 
person in my family who really cared about me has been gone 
much longer than I have." His voice was deep with sorrow.
     "Samantha." Scully whispered softly, feeling the knife 
edge of pain strike deeply into her own heart as it plunged 
through his.
     "Samantha," he echoed, and suddenly it was though the 
shadowy figure of a slender eight year-old girl with a waterfall of 
black hair and dark hazel eyes was standing beside them.
     Mulder and Scully were both silent for a moment, then 
Mulder spoke the thought in both their minds. "If I stay here, I'll 
never have a chance to find her."
     "I know, sweetheart," Scully said, trying to project as 
much love and reassurance to him as she could. "And as much as 
I've come to love the people here, I want to go home too. But the 
vortex is dangerous. It nearly killed you and Reinald..."
     "And you," Mulder interjected, unable to avoid a pang 
of guilt. Scully gave him a fierce look, not even bothering to tell 
him aloud to stop the guilt. He sensed her thought and nodded, 
his eyes apologizing for him.
     Scully smiled and leaned forward to brush his lips with 
hers, brushing his mind with love and reassurance. Then she sat 
back and picked up their discussion where it had left off. "At 
least here we have friends and what could be a good future. With 
the Dark Army gone, the Realm will be a peaceful and pleasant 
place to live. If we make a mistake with the vortex, we could end 
up anywhere, including the place those walking nightmares came 
from."    
     Mulder sighed. "I know. We can't even be sure of where 
it was we sent the monsters. God, I hope it wasn't to our world."
     "I doubt it," Scully said. "I don't think they'd fit all too 
well into Neumann's lab." 
     Mulder grinned. "No, probably not. Still, we don't know 
where they ended up, and I certainly wouldn't want to be there 
with them." He paused for a moment, his brow crinkling in 
concentration. "Nonetheless, Reinald did manage to bring Tarnor 
and us through properly, and he and I were almost able to control 
a much larger vortex than the one we fell through. Manipulating 
a smaller one ought to be feasible, especially if we work 
together."
     "Mulder..." Scully felt a whirlpool of emotion flood her. 
If only they COULD make it home. But what if they instead 
ended up in a far worse place - or dead? And it would be very 
hard to say goodbye to their friends in the Realm. She had never 
had very many close female friends, and she knew that she would 
miss Aldara terribly, as well as Jourdain, Tarnor, Reinald, and 
Andalor... Her heart warmed at how many wonderful people they 
had befriended here. Still, it would be so wonderful to see her 
family again. 
     "We don't have to make a decision tonight," Mulder 
suggested as with his emotions in a turmoil, he felt her 
uncertainty augmenting his own. "We're both exhausted, hungry, 
and very dirty. How about we take that bath, eat dinner, and 
sleep on it."
     Scully smiled.  Maybe some of her rationality was finally 
rubbing off on her impulsive imaginative lover. It was definitely 
about time. Standing up she took his hand and led him over to 
the still-waiting tub of steaming water.
                         - - - - -

     Two full days were spent in preparation for the victory 
celebration. The castle was filled to bursting with people, most 
running here and there on one errand after another. The 
courtyards were covered with brightly colored tents, the stables 
crammed with horses and other livestock. The gargoyles took 
possession of the dungeons, the elves spread out into the nearby 
woods. The Great Hall was stripped and scrubbed from floor to 
ceiling, the massive tapestries washed by long rows of women, 
voices raised in melodic song as they worked.
     The castle kitchens were like a furnace, all of the ovens 
working at once. The surviving villages all contributed food and 
grain, wine and meat, and a surfeit of expert cooks. When 
Aldara's security forces weren't breaking up brawls and drunken 
pranks, caused by huge quantities of rich, intoxicating ale that 
was flowing out of barrels and down thirsting throats, they were 
busy separating would-be chefs flailing at each other with iron 
pots, arguing over whose recipe for soup or stew was the best. 
Nonetheless, most of the fighting was done in a good-hearted 
manner, and even the Dordinal rowdies were in pleasant moods. 
The shadow was gone, and the sunshine streamed down on 
Fairwood Keep in bright and glorious streams of warmth.
     Despite the almost-exasperating amount of cavorting 
and merry-making, the castle staff still managed to get the job 
done in record time. The cleansed tapestries were re-hung on 
gleaming stone walls, rows of high-backed, satin-cushioned 
chairs were set up along each of the long walls. The throne-chair 
was carried down out of the storeroom by four large trolls, set up 
on a small platform at one end of the hall, and endlessly fussed 
over by half-a-dozen castle staff under the direction of  the castle 
steward - who seemed about ready to tear his hair out by the end 
of the second day. Nonetheless, the castle was fully prepared by 
nightfall prior to the day of celebration. Every square inch of the 
castle and its grounds had been scrubbed clean, with only one 
exception.
     "Get out!" Reinald stormed at the pair of elves 
scrubbing at the chalk marks on the floor of his workroom. Both 
squealed in fright, one dropping her brush as she attempted to 
scramble to her feet. But the floor was wet and she slid down to 
land on her little round bottom on the floor, brightly-shod feet 
knocking over a bucket of soapy water, red-ribboned yellow 
braids flying.
     "Now look at what you've done! I TOLD that idiot 
steward Rurvic to leave my room alone!" the infuriated magician 
raged. The carefully designed spell diagram on his floor was 
completely ruined. It had taken him hours to plan it out, and now 
he'd have to start from scratch. Even the most carefully-shielded 
mages can lose their tempers, and the air in the room began to 
grow heavy with moisture as Reinald moved to stand glaring 
fiercely down at the utterly terrified - and soaked - young 
servants.
     The one who had fallen stared up at the blue-robed man 
glowering over her like a terrified rabbit, the other cowered and 
sobbed beside her. Just as Reinald reached out to yank the 
yellow-haired one to her feet, an amused voice sounded from the 
doorway, "What's this? Terrorizing the staff?"
     Reinald turned to direct his glare at Mulder who was 
indolently leaning against the heavy oak doors, his arms crossed 
across his chest, ever so slowly shaking his head.
     "These fools ruined my spell - it was brand-new and I 
didn't even have the chance to write it down on parchment yet. 
Hours of work lost." Reinald was still blazing angry, though his 
friend's good humor was slowly breaking through to him.
     "Well, I doubt it's their fault," Mulder said gesturing to 
the frightened elves. "You know how busy everyone is. Someone 
just forgot to tell them to skip your room. Look, I got a good 
look at the diagram before she knocked the bucket over. I can do 
the basics, and you can fix the little bit the they had erased." 
Mulder grimaced. "I could use the escape from out there. 
Someone just tried to clean ME, clothes and all." The comical 
look of annoyed disbelief on the other Mage's face was too much 
for the usually even-tempered Reinald and he started to chuckle. 
     Mulder grinned, then didn't waste a second hustling the 
two elven servants from the room. As he was closing the door 
behind them he told them to pass the word to leave the Royal 
Magician's quarters alone. Both quite certain they had only barely 
escaped some horrible fate, they bobbed their heads and scurried 
away, brushes and pails in hand.
     "You gave those two quite a scare," Mulder noted.
     "I know," Reinald frowned. "But sometimes it's the only 
way to get some privacy around here, especially when Rurvic is 
on one of his cleaning binges. The last time I let him get his 
people in here, they decided to polish and wax the Oracle Cloud. 
It took a week to get the stuff off of it!"
     "I can imagine!" Mulder said. "They corralled me this 
morning to levitate a couple of gargoyles so they could scrub the 
kitchen ceiling. Apparently a pair of cooks got into a fight over 
which spice to use in a stew, and one threw the pot of boiling 
stew all over the room, including the ceiling!"
     Reinald shook his head and lowered himself into his 
chair, reaching automatically for the teapot. "I understand the 
need for a proper victory ceremony, but I wish I could just 
disappear for a few days before and after it." Pouring the tea into 
two mugs, he handed one out to Mulder who accepted it 
gratefully, perching himself on the edge of a small table.
     "Yeah. I don't know whether to offer to help, or just try 
to disappear. Scully is busy with Corvay trying to heal the 
recovering soldiers. I feel almost useless."
     "I'm sure she relies on you heavily," Reinald said 
reassuringly, focusing sharp gray eyes on his friend. "But 
something else is bothering you, isn't it?"
     Mulder nodded solemnly, then hesitated. "Reinald, 
I...uh, Scully and I... I know this is a bad time, but we've been 
thinking..."
     "You want to go home," Reinald finished for him, his 
expression saddened, but not surprised.
     "Yes," Mulder took a deep swallow of the tea, then met 
the other man's eyes directly. "We both have families. Well, 
Scully has a family, and I have a sister who...needs me. We've 
talked about it - about nothing else - for a couple days and while 
we both know how risky the vortex is, we both feel we have to at 
least try."
     "There's no guarantee we can get you to the right 
place," Reinald warned. "You could end up in a dangerous place. 
And that's even assuming you live through it again."
     "I know, I know," Mulder replied, setting down his tea 
and leaping up to prowl the room. "But this, the Realm, it isn't 
our home. We don't belong here."
     "You could belong here," Reinald offered. "You have 
both done us a great favor at risk to your own lives. I promise 
you we will repay you well, if you choose to stay. I've been 
thinking of retiring as Royal Mage, Mulder. I'm getting old, and 
tired of the politics. You could take the position. Andalor trusts 
and admires you. You would have a home here for as long as you 
wanted. Or if you wanted to settle in a quieter place, there are 
hundreds of villages that would compete for you to be their town 
mage. And Scully will always be needed, and welcomed, as a 
healer anywhere in the Realm."
     Mulder paused in his pacing and turned with a warm 
smile. "I'm glad we were able to help and we very much 
appreciate all the kindness you have shown us. Believe me, we've 
thought seriously about staying. We've made good friends here, 
some we would rather not leave behind." His face settle into a 
serious expression. "But we have to try to go home. We both 
have unfinished business there, as well as people who are 
depending on us."
     "I understand," Reinald responded. "and I'll do my best 
to help. But I would ask that you keep this between us until after 
tomorrow's ceremony. There will be enough intrigue going on as 
is. Andalor is young, and there are still factions of the nobles that 
would like to see him - and me - replaced. It is vital that 
everything goes smoothly. Afterwards, we can tell the Prince 
privately and then begin to make plans."
     Mulder nodded agreement. "WE certainly don't want to 
spoil the party. Afterwards is soon enough to tell people, and 
we'd rather not make a big production of this anyway. If we can 
slip away quietly after saying private goodbyes to our friends, 
that would be best."
     "Good." Reinald said, though he didn't feel happy about 
any of it. He was suddenly realizing just how much he'd come to 
like and rely upon this unusual young talent and his extraordinary 
life-bondmate. He knew he'd miss them terribly, however, he also 
understood their desire to return to their interrupted lives. 
"Come, come," he said briskly, masking his emotions. "We'd 
better get started fixing this mess." 
     Both men turned to stare down at the smeared, watery-
mess on the floor and sighed.
                         - - - - -

     The day of the Victory celebration dawned bright and 
warm, the sun rising in a clear blue sky. In the absence of the 
Dark shadow, the Realm had returned to its normal summer 
weather, hot days and cool  nights, lush greenery and a slightly 
tropical humidity in the air. Curled up against Mulder, her head 
pillowed on his chest, Scully stirred and yawned, her breath 
brushing against his skin. He shifted in his sleep, his arms still 
tight around her. Trying to disentangle herself without disrupting 
him, she managed to reach a sitting position, gazing drowsily out 
between the bed curtains just as Lita came into the room. 
     The little elf was dressed in bright red and green dress, 
her dark hair bound up in tiny, but elaborately swirling braids. 
Behind her came two more elven servants, both mirror images of 
Lita, the same decorative clothes and fancy hairstyles, their 
pointed ears framed in heavy black braids. All three were carrying 
clothes, Lita's arms filled with a bundle of shimmering blue and 
white silk, a small corner of black leather peeking out over her 
elbow. Between them, the other two were carrying a heavy load 
of emerald green velvet with gold fibers woven through the 
edges.
     Sitting up in bed, Scully gave them a friendly smile, 
clutching the heavy brocade coverlet up against her breasts, her 
auburn hair cascading down over her milky-white shoulders. "Are 
those for us?" she asked, unable to hide her excitement at the 
sight of the dress the two elven maidens were laying over the 
back of one of the chairs. Practical as she might be, Dana Scully 
still had weakness for beautiful clothes and she had been 
concerned about what she was supposed to be wearing to the 
ceremony. All attempts to question Lita on the subject over the 
last couple of days had been met with a mysterious smile and 
instructions to leave it to the elf. To Scully's eye, it appeared that 
Lita had outdone herself.
     Lita smiled broadly as Scully bounded from the bed, 
wrapping her robe around her shoulders. At the sound of giggles 
from the other two elves, Lita admonished them fiercely, setting 
them to work preparing the water for the tub. Once they were 
busy stoking the fire and setting iron buckets of water into the 
hearth, still exchanging grins and giggles, Lita relaxed and drew 
Scully over to show her the dress.
     "I made it myself," Lita said proudly. "The velvet is 
from my home village, and the embroidery is pure silk." The tiny 
woman's face beamed with delight as Scully fingered the soft 
fabric, exclaiming at its beauty.
     "It's stunning!" Scully brushed a tear out of the edge of 
her eyes. "Thank you so much. I just hope I can do it justice."
     "I have no doubt that you will," Mulder surprised her, 
placing his hands on her shoulder and leaning down to kiss the 
burnished top of her head. "No one will be able to hold a candle 
to your beauty," he complimented romantically, stirring a fresh 
round of giggles from the elves. Lita silenced them with a frown, 
then whisked them out of the room. "Be quiet, and go get Mage 
Mulder and Lady Scully their breakfast."
     Bobbing and grinning, they scurried from the room. Lita 
sighed dramatically. "My nieces are still very young, I'm afraid."
     Wrapped in each other's arms, Mulder and Scully both 
smiled in amusement.
                         - - - - -

     After enjoying a quick bath together, they downed a 
breakfast of fruit and fresh bread, supplemented by the 
stimulating tea. Then gathering up the clothes Lita had brought 
for him, Mulder shut himself into the small bathroom, leaving 
Lita and Scully to go on with a detailed discussion of hair styles. 
His one comment, that he didn't understand why she didn't just 
leave her hair down, netted him such a pair of  outraged glares 
that he decided that absenting himself from the proceedings was 
the safest course of action.
     He easily donned the black pants, white shirt, and long 
embroidered blue tunic. Cinching the heavy silver belt around his 
waist, he had to admit some satisfaction with the result. The 
clothes fit as they had been made for him, which they almost 
certainly had, and the deep blue suited his dark coloring and 
tanned skin well. He spun in front of the mirror once, then 
grinned unabashedly at his reflection. Not bad, but he'd still be 
better off leaving the fussing to the women.
     Lita was vigorously combing Scully's hair, the two 
chatting away easily, as he stepped out of the bathroom. Lita 
smiled appreciatively at him, then buried her attention into 
preparing Scully's auburn tresses, while Scully just stared at him.
     Seeing Scully's blue eyes widen at the sight of him, he 
automatically began to check himself. He hadn't thought he'd put 
anything on wrong, it wasn't that much different from their usual 
outfits. He'd actually thought he looked rather all right. "Is 
something wrong?" he asked plaintively, earning a snort of 
amusement from Lita.
     Scully recovered her composure and gave him a look of 
pure appreciation. "No. You look wonderful!" Better than 
wonderful, she thought. The tunic graced his lean figure 
perfectly, highlighting the broadness of his shoulder and his 
height, the blue color contrasting with the black of his hair and 
gleaming hazel of his eyes. She liked the slighter longer length of 
his hair, the way the bangs draped across his temples, the bottom 
strands curled against his neck. He looked both handsome and 
distinguished - and very sexy in an inutterably masculine way.
     "Oh, thanks," he replied with relief. "I thought that I'd 
go catch up with Reinald for a while you get ready."
     "That's a good idea," she said, her lips curling upwards 
in a smile. "Better give us a couple hours at least."
     "Women." he said, shaking his head as he escaped out 
the door, only just missing being hit in the back by her towel.
                         - - - - -

     The period of banishment had been worth it, Mulder 
decided as Lita finally allowed him to re-enter his room. Scully 
was standing by the edge of the bed, and the sight of her stole his 
breath away. Her hair was gathered up into a loose pile of 
brilliant curls on the top of her head, interwoven with gold 
strands that mirrored the shimmering embroidery on the sleeves, 
hem, and bodice of her deep emerald gown. A few copper-
colored tendril of hair settled against the smooth porcelain skin of 
her neck and shoulders. The bodice of the gown framed her 
breasts in warm velvet folds edged with white lace, dipping 
precariously between them. The shoulders of the gown were 
settled just off the tops of her shoulders, the sleeves ending at her 
wrists in froths of white lace. The thick green velvet fit her figure 
like a glove, accentuating her chest, gathering tightly in a gold 
clasp at her waist, flaring over her hips and down to her feet, 
which were shod in matching slippers with gold twine wrapped 
around her ankles.
     "Scully," he gasped her name, all of his emotion 
flooding out from him, washing over her in waves of loving 
admiration. A smile of pleasure brought her reddened lips into a 
gentle upwards curve, as her eyes sparkled, the green of the dress 
altering their color to a deep sea-like aqua. She stretched out her 
hands to him, shyly asking him aloud if she looked all right.
     "Scully, you look incredible." He finally found the words 
to speak aloud, even though their bondlink was already being 
flooded with the intensity of the feelings she aroused in him, and 
the answering waves of emotion from her. As he took her hands 
into his and stepped closer to her, to gaze deeply into her eyes, 
Lita grabbed her nieces and yanked them from the room. Mulder 
and Scully never noticed the sound of the door closing.
                         - - - - -

==========================================
Chapter Fourteen - Part Two A


     Noon. Horns blared into the midday sun, announcing the 
start of the festival. Already, the dignitaries were in place for the 
procession into the Great Hall, the courtyard filled to bursting 
with people of all the four races, each dressed in their best finery. 
Humans wore the bright colors of their houses, red and green, 
orange, yellow and purple. The trolls were dressed in shining 
copper and iron armor, the gargoyles in multi-hued tunics, but 
the elves outshone everyone, their clothing shimmering like spun 
silver and gold in the sunlight, shade upon shade of yellow and 
white, augmented by encrusted jewels and glittering ceremonial 
daggers.
     Another blare of the resounding horns, and the doors to 
the hall opened, allowing the procession to move. Slowly, by 
order of customary precedence first the Head Priests of each sect, 
then the elders of each house marched into the hall, down toward 
the dais on which sat the small figure of Andalor, looking young 
and frail in the huge throne, and yet gravely regal. Each 
Representative bowed to the boy Prince, then led his retainers 
aside to their appointed place in the hall, creating a patchwork 
sea of colors.
     Once the Great Houses were in their places, the non-
human Representatives followed, Mavor of the Elves, Kergidor 
of the Trolls, and Beerak of the Gargoyles. The final part of the 
procession was taken by castle staff and villagers, filling into the 
end of the hall in muttering, excited clusters, until the entire 
massive room was crammed, leaving only a small aisle down the 
center.
     Andalor rose slowly from his throne, using a small 
footstool carefully placed at the bottom of the giant wrought gold 
and iron chair. Once he was on his feet, he stood and waved out 
towards the crowd. In an instant the room fell silent, except for a 
few murmurs from some of the nobles, who fell swiftly to 
disgruntled silence when faced with the disdain of their fellows. A 
hushed expectancy fell over the room as the eight-year-old Prince 
took a deep breath and began to speak, his voice amplified by 
magical aids and the natural echoes in the hall.
     "People of the Kingdom of Fairwood, Races of the 
Realm, Travellers and citizens alike, welcome to Fairwood Keep. 
Its people are your friends, its fruits are yours to share. Come in 
peace, stay in peace, depart in peace. A time of great celebration 
is us upon as the Great Dark has been driven from the land. By 
joining our hearts and strengths as one, we have cleansed our 
homes of the shadow that threatened them. The Time of 
prophecy is over, and we are victorious!"
     Cheers rang out thoughout the room, accompanied by a 
nearly deafening stamping of feet on the stone floor. After a 
moment, Andalor again raised his hand, and silence returned.
     "The victory has not come without losses. Too many of 
our peoples are dead, and far too many wounded, suffering, 
homeless. Now the time has come to turn our great energies to 
healing the injured, rebuilding the villages, planting our harvests. 
Just as we fought and won, together, so too can we build 
together."
     "But that is for tomorrow. Today is a day of celebration 
and joy. Henceforth, this day of the year will be a day of festival, 
a day to put aside the chores of daily life and reflect upon the 
bounty of the land, to be grateful for our families and homes, to 
remember the Darkness that came so close to stealing it all away. 
Remember always and cherish the pleasures of our lives. The 
Time of the Prophecy has passed, and we are at last triumphant." 
Andalor again raised his delicate hand for silence, as another 
outbreak of cheers and foot-stomping rippled through the hall.
     "Before we begin the festival, there are a few who must 
be recognized for their courage and dedication to the Realm." 
The boy Prince nodded to the side, and a group of soldiers came 
forward, each carrying a a draped object in their arms. The first 
knelt beside the Prince and handed him a jeweled chain. Andalor 
took it from him, then turned to face the assembly.
     "Reinald, Regent of Fairwood, Royal Magician, step 
forward and be recognized." A ripple of color shimmered as 
Reinald threaded his way from the right corner to make his way 
onto the dais. Halting in front of the Prince, he dropped to his 
knees.
     "In recognition of your loyalty, and the great risks to thy 
health and safety taken to defend the Realm, I, Prince of the 
Fairwood Demesnes, do declare thee a hero of the Realm." 
Andalor chanted ritually as he dropped the glittering gold chain 
over the mage's bent, white-haired head. Reinald smiled proudly 
up at the boy as he bowed over the Prince's hand, then stood up 
and returned to his place.
     The same procedure was repeated three times, for 
Karvan of the Elves, Gytural of the Trolls, who had been the troll 
leader who had kept his troop fighting even when the vortex had 
gone wild, and Tarnor of the gargoyles. From their position in the 
back of the room, having taken places beside Jourdain and 
Aldara, Mulder and Scully exchanged delighted grins at seeing 
their little friend's ears twitch in excitement as the heavy gold 
chain was draped around his neck. "No one deserves it more," 
Jourdain whispered in Mulder's ear,. Mulder nodded in 
agreement.
     After the four Heroes had been recognized, Andalor 
next took a  pair of silver daggers from the next soldier in line. 
"Bravery takes many forms, some are found in battle, some in 
self-sacrifice, some with a man's sword, some in a woman's heart. 
It has come to the attention of the crown that two of my finest 
officers, whose bravery on the battlefield have been a shining 
example to us all, have exchanged the vows of betrothal. There 
can be no better way to celebrate the return of the life and light to 
the Realm than to sanctify a marriage. Captain Jourdain, Sword-
Master Aldara, please step forward."
     "What?" Jourdain exclaimed as Aldara gasped in 
surprise. Mulder gave him a slight push, and Scully winked 
brightly at Aldara. "Go on!" she said.
     Aldara was still leaning on a cane, her leg recovering 
slowly from its injuries. Knowing how painful each proud step 
was for her, about half-way down the aisle Jourdain scooped her 
up in his arms and carried his shocked, but smiling, betrothed up 
to the Prince amid rousing cheers and raucous laughter. Setting 
her down carefully in front of the Prince, they both bowed.
     The Prince inclined his head towards them, then 
gestured towards a tall, white-robed woman, wearing a heavy 
wrought iron necklace and a heavy lace veil, standing on the edge 
of the platform. The Priestess came forward to take the silver 
daggers from Andalor, then turned to stand silently facing the 
betrothed couple while Andalor climbed back up onto his throne. 
As the boy wriggled into his seat, the Priestess raised her hands 
high in the air and proclaimed in a commanding voice, "before all 
assembled, before the all-seeing eye and heart of the Mother and 
all the lesser Gods, we bring this man and this woman to be 
joined as one for now and all time forward." 
     She pointed the two silver daggers at Jourdain and 
Aldara's chests. "Two as one you shall be, husband and wife. 
Bring forth children to grace your union, be strong in support of 
the land, never break this bond sworn to this day. Do you 
Jourdain, Captain of the Guard swear your faithfulness to this 
woman, of your own free will."
     "Yes," Jourdain responded gravely.
     "Do you, Aldara Sword-Master, swear your faithfulness 
to this man, of your own free will."
     "Yes," Aldara replied, her cheeks flushed and red, her 
eyes glittering as she turned to smile up at the tall man by her 
side.
     The white-clad Priestess held the two daggers out to 
Aldara and Jourdain. Each took one and staring into each other's 
eyes, made a quick slice on their palms, then pressed the cuts 
against each other, letting their blood mingle as it dripped into a 
chalice held beneath their clasped hands. After a moment, the 
blood stopped flowing and the Priestess spoke again.
     "As Priestess to the Goddess, the Mother of All, I so 
bind these two as husband and wife. May SHE bless you with 
children, may the Gods smile upon your path." Bringing the cup 
up to her mouth she took a swallow, then offered it to Jourdain, 
who drank, then gave it to Aldara, who did the same, then 
handed the cup back to the Priestess who gave it to a servant. 
Jourdain and Aldara turned to the crowd and held their hands up 
in the air. Those in front who could see the healed scars where 
the cuts had been broke out into loud cheers, which were soon 
were echoed throughout the room. Standing in the back, Mulder 
eyed his hand, then sent a thought down their mindlink to Scully. 
"If you don't mind, I think I'd rather wait until we get home to 
get married." 
     While Jourdain and Aldara returned to their places in the 
back, Andalor reclaimed the stage from the Priestess, scrambling 
back down from the throne far less ceremoniously than he had 
before. Mulder thought with amusement that the boy must be 
getting rather bored by now; but as Scully pushed around Mulder 
to give Aldara a hug, the Prince resumed his regal bearing and 
gestured for silence. His child's musical voice rang out over the 
sounds of the crowd. "The last debt the Realm owes could never 
be paid in full. Any offering I could make would be an 
insignificant return on the sacrifices they have made for us. 
Travellers, come forward."
     It took Mulder and Scully a moment to remember that 
meant them, then Scully took Mulder's hand and led him forward. 
She knew this kind of thing embarrassed him, but she knew how 
important this was to Andalor. Solemnly they walked the length 
of the small corridor and up to the dais, then kneeled down in 
front of the Prince.
     "You have both offered your lives for the Realm, even 
though it is not your home. In recognition of your loyalty and 
bravery, you are hereby granted full rights and citizenship within 
the Fairwood Kingdom. Visitors you no longer are, here will be a 
home for you for as long as you wish it, for any and all time you 
wish to remain or return to this demesne. As a symbol of your 
status, I give you each a sword." At Andalor's words, two 
soldiers stepped forward, each bearing a shiny iron sword with a 
silver handle, encased in a wrought leather holder, the smaller 
one dyed brown and green, the larger one a deep rich blue. 
Mulder and Scully each took the appropriate sword and bowed 
to the Prince. "Thank you," they said in unison, blue eyes bright 
with unshed tears, hazel eyes clear and gleaming.
     As the two Travellers stood to face the assembly, 
thousands of voices rang out in one thunderous cheer.
                         - - - - -
     
     The celebration went on throughout the day and deep 
into the night. Mulder and Scully had eaten until they were 
stuffed, danced until they were exhausted, and drank enough 
foamy ale to make them both giddy. After a fumbling start, full of 
good-natured laughter and slight embarrassment, they had both 
learned the elaborate line and circle patterns of the Realm's 
formal dancing. More than once, Jourdain had swept Scully 
away, leaving a blushing, but lovely Aldara to lean against the 
strength of Mulder's arm. The early tension between the half-elf 
and the foreign mage was long gone, replaced by a an easy and 
comfortable friendship. Sometimes they just stood and chatted, 
Mulder's dry wit picking at the various dignitaries until Aldara 
was laughing so vigorously she could hardly take a breath. Or he 
would mimic her new husband, picking up her small frame into 
his arms and carrying her across the floor.
     Scully saved a dance to drag the sputtering Reinald out 
on the floor, the mage disclaiming the entire time that he did 
NOT dance. But after the first few steps, and a good shove in the 
back by a very amused Mulder, he gave in and danced quite well, 
enjoying himself immensely, even though he refused to admit it. 
Mulder winked at Scully as he retrieved his life-bondmate from 
her reluctant partner, getting a peal of laughter in return. 
     Even the old Healer Corvay was not completely immune 
from the festivities, Mulder and Scully both delighted to see him 
lead Lita in one of the dances. One look at Scully's happy, but 
thoughtful, face and Mulder teased her silently, through their 
bond-link, "Now, Scully, don't even think about it." Her face was 
purely innocent, and breathtakingly beautiful, as she turned to 
look up at him, the question in her wide, clear blue eyes and 
slightly parted lips. He grinned and leaned down to whisper in her 
ear, his breath hot against her neck, "No matchmaking!" She 
leaned back to look gravely up at him, "I wouldn't dare!" she said 
gravely, then bust out into laughter. "Come on, Mulder. Let's 
dance." 
     After several hours, it was with a sense of relief that 
they finally escaped into Reinald's workroom, along with Reinald 
himself, Aldara, Jourdain, and Tarnor. Scully sank gratefully into 
the heavily-cushioned chair in front of the fireplace, her dress 
fanning out around him a rich folds of green velvet. Her cheeks 
were blooming with color from the dancing, her eyes were 
brilliant sapphires, gleaming with laughter and a bit too much 
wine. Mulder settled himself at her feet, long legs splayed out 
across the floor, leaning his head back against her lap. She rested 
one hand on his shoulder, using the other to gently caress his 
hair. He crossed his hand over his chest to hold hers and closed 
his eyes in pleasure.
     Jourdain took over the neighboring chair lifting his bride 
up into his lap. Aldara wrapped her arms around his neck and 
shoulders, resting in the security of his embrace, the bright 
yellow-green of her flowing silk dress spreading over Jourdain's 
cradling arms. Reinald eyed the two couples with unconcealed 
amusement, and when the customary offer of tea was refused all 
around, he pulled a third chair towards the fireplace, joining them 
while Tarnor got the fire started. Once it was blazing in the big 
hearth, throwing out streams of light and warmth, Tarnor 
squatted down on the floor beside Mulder with a sigh, rubbing 
his belly.
     "Ate too much, Tarnor?" Mulder teased.
     As the little gray gargoyle nodded, Scully grinned. 
"You're one to talk about over-eating. After today we may need 
to have poor Lita take out a seam in your clothing." Mulder shot 
her an exaggerated pout while the others laughed. Then he 
smiled, too, rubbing his own stomach. "You may be right."
     Once the laughter had died down, Scully turned to 
Aldara and Jourdain. "So what are your plans now? In our world, 
a marriage is usually followed by what we call a 'honeymoon' - 
the couple takes a trip together."
     "That's an interesting custom. Usually here, the newly-
married stay at home with their families. In fact its customary that 
a member of both families is present at the first union." Aldara 
explained. "But our situation is a little different. Jourdain doesn't 
have much family still living, and mine has no interest in me." 
Mulder gave her a look of intense sympathy as Jourdain tightened 
his arms around his bride at the sadness in her voice and kissed 
the dark top of her head. "Your family is right here," he 
whispered. She angled her head to give him a glowing smile, then 
looked back at Scully. "Actually, I really like your custom. How 
long do these journeys usually last?"
     "Depends on the people involved, a couple of days to a 
couple of weeks. The idea is to give the newlyweds time alone 
together away from responsibilities."
     "I like the sound of that more and more," Aldara 
responded. Jourdain sighed, then grinned. "Why not? My men 
can handle cleaning up any stray creatures without me. And I've 
always wanted to visit the ocean."
     "Oh, yes, please!" Aldara said, her hair rippling down 
her back as she hugged Jourdain tighter, getting a snort from 
Reinald, mutual smiles from Scully, Mulder and Tarnor.
     "There's one thing I don't quite understand," Mulder 
commented. "Corvay explained to Scully about the rites of 
validation for a life-bond, in which the couple is left alone in a 
special house. Why is it so different from the marriage ceremony? 
After all, they're pretty much the same thing."
     "Marriages and life-bonds are often shared by the same 
two people, but not always," Reinald explained. "Most marriages 
do not involve a life-bond, though most life-bonded pairs do get 
married. Still, these are considered quite different events. A life-
bond is a special joining of two individuals, private and unique to 
them. But a marriage is often far more than that, usually it is a 
joining of families and properties, involving questions of land 
rights, political alliances, and inheritances. Often the parents or 
siblings of the married couple have much more at stake than the 
new husband and wife. Also, its an ancient custom to have 
members of both families witness the...unh...proof of the 
bride's...ummm...innocence on her wedding night." He came to 
halt, his cheeks flushing bright red. Aldara and Scully both 
grinned at the mage's embarrasment, while Mulder looked 
thoughtful, absorbing the information.
     "What about you, Mulder, Scully?" Tarnor asked. 
"Marriage may be something of a formality with a life-bond, but 
have you thought about it?"
     "I think we'll wait until we get home," Scully replied, 
then added teasingly. "Mulder doesn't like the idea of cutting 
himself." 
     "Home?" Jourdain and Aldara both stared at the 
Travellers. "You're not planning to try to go through the vortex 
again?" Jourdain asked worriedly.
     Mulder, Scully and Reinald exchanged glances, then 
Scully spoke softly. "I'm sorry. We meant to land the news on 
you later, in a better way. If there is a better way. It's just that I 
miss my family, and Mulder does too, at least..." she hedged, 
looking down at Mulder's darkening face.
     He spoke up quickly, deciding to tell them the full truth, 
however much it hurt to say it aloud. "My sister disappeared 
many years ago. I think she's still alive - somewhere. I swore that 
I'd never give up trying to find her. I can't do that here, I have to 
go home. And Scully's mother and sister and brothers must be 
frantic, not knowing what happened to her."
     Jourdain nodded, he understood about keeping oaths, 
especially the ones you made with yourself. But there was still 
the question of the vortex. "Manipulating the vortex already 
nearly killed you both once. Can you be certain that you can 
control the vortex enough to end up in the right place, and still 
alive?"
     "No, not for certain." Mulder admitted.  "But this vortex 
will be much smaller than the one we created for the war. So it 
should be easier to control. Reinald was able to bring Tarnor, 
Scully and me through one alone, with my help, and the 
additional experience we've had, it should be easier this time."
     "Are you sure you don't want to stay here?" Aldara had 
to ask. She knew it was selfish of her, but she hated the thought 
of losing her friends, she had few to start with and Scully was as 
dear to her as any sister could be. "With your talents you could 
make a good life here. With the Dark gone, the Realm really is a 
pleasant place to live." 
     Scully saw the pain in her friend's eyes, even through the 
alcoholic haze, and reached out to take her hand. "I don't like the 
idea of leaving our friends. You have been wonderful to us, and 
we've come to love you all very much. We thought very seriously 
about staying.  But we have to at least try to get home. I'm 
worried about my mother. My father died recently, and having 
me just disappear like this will be very painful for her. I'm sorry 
Aldara, but we don't really belong here."
     "I understand," Aldara said tearfully. And as much as it 
hurt, she really did understand. "I'm going to miss you both a 
lot."
     "We're going to miss you, too," Scully replied, her blue 
eyes growing bright with unshed tears. "All of you." Her voice 
broke on the last word, and Mulder pulled her hand in his to his 
mouth so that he could kiss it, his mind sending waves of love 
and comfort through the life-bond. 
     "Well, it's not like we're leaving tonight. It will take a 
while to make plans. No need to spoil tonight with good-byes." 
Mulder suggested. 
     "That's right," Reinald agreed. "The spell will probably 
take days to work out. In the meantime, this is supposed to be a 
celebration. Anyone for another glass of wine?"
     "Sure," the men exclaimed, eliciting mutual sighs from 
the women. Tarnor had been silent up to this point, his ears 
twitching with emotion. Now he bared his alarming teeth in a 
wide grin and stood up. "I'll go see if there are any sober servants 
around," he offered, bobbing towards the door. When he didn't 
quite make it, coming to a confused halt then plopping to the 
floor with a loud burp, the others burst out laughing. 
     "Forget the wine," Scully observed between giggles. 
"Better get Tarnor into his bed."
     "And me as well," Aldara responded. She hiccuped, then 
giggled again, as Scully couldn't resist commenting, "I don't think 
you'd fit to well into Tarnor's bed. Besides, I think Jourdain has 
other plans."
     "I think it's time to get YOU into bed," Mulder 
responded, standing up and scooping her up into his arms. She 
wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled against his 
shoulder. As Mulder carried her past the dazed figure of Tarnor, 
Scully leaned her head backwards to wink upside down at 
Jourdain and Aldara.     "Enjoy your wedding night!" She 
dissolved into another fit of giggles as Mulder carried her 
through the door and down the hall, the room echoing with her 
mirth.
                         - - - - -

==========================================
Chapter Fourteen - Part Two B


     As a teary-eyed Lita left the room, Scully ran into the 
welcoming shelter of Mulder's arms. He clasped her against him, 
leaning down to kiss the tears from her eyes. She reached up to 
grasp onto his shoulders, letting his love wash over her in 
soothing waves. They remained standing in their embrace for a 
few moments, then Scully tilted her head up so she could meet 
his eyes.
     "I'm going to miss everyone here so much," she said.
     He leaned down to brush her lips with his, then nodded. 
"Me, too." He sighed, his eyes turning black. "I hated seeing 
Andalor so upset. He really wanted us to stay."
     "Yes, he's very attached to you," she said, remembering 
all too clearly the boy-Prince's unhappy response to their 
goodbyes that morning. It had been difficult for all involved, but 
especially for Mulder. He may not admit it, even to her, but she 
knew her life-bondmate well enugh to know that he was just as 
fond of the young Prince as Andalor was of him.
     "Just as Lita is attached to you." He whispered, catching 
the essence of her thoughts, even as he rested his forehead 
against the top of her head, breathing in the fragrance of her hair. 
"I wish there had been an easier way to do this."
     "Me, too," she echoed, presing her face into the 
muscular strength of his chest, the place just below his shoulder 
which she felt was made just for her. Lita, too had been deeply 
upset by the news they were leaving, though she had attempted 
to hide it. Scully wished there was a way she could have avoided 
hurting her friend's feelings.
     "How did Corvay take the news?" he questioned, 
sending a mixture of concern and suppport down their mindlink 
in response to her pain. 
     "Well," she replied, her voice muffled by the fabric of his 
tunic. "I think he understood best of all. He wished us both well, 
and gave me a packet of his medicinal herbs." She angled her 
head up to look at him, a tentative smile on her face. Corvay had, 
as was usual with him, been very philosophical about the whole 
thing - and obviously unsurprised. "I think he knew somehow 
that we would need to leave once the battle was over, so was 
prepared for it, though I think he would have prefered for us to 
say." Her smile grew warmer. "He was gruff about it, but I think 
he'll miss me some."
     "I think he'll miss you a lot." Mulder responded, 
returning her smile.
     "I'll miss him too," Scully responded. "But I have to 
admit that I'm delighted with the herbs he gave me. I can't wait to 
be able to get them analyzed."
     His smile widened as he teased her. "Why am I not 
surprised, Doctor Scully?"
     "Beast!" she accused in a more lighthearted voice than 
he had heard from her in a while. He kissed her forehead, then 
looked down into her eyes, his expression becoming more 
serious. "I know saying goodbye to out friends here is hard, 
Scully, but I think we're doing the right thing. We belong in our 
world, not here."
     "You're right," she responded, her face saddened but 
certain. "All the training and then the trial and the war kept me 
too busy to think much about it, but now...now I just keep seeing 
my mother's face. Finding out we disappeared must have been 
devastating for her."
     "We'll get home, Dana," he reassured her, tightening his 
arms around her. "I promise."
                         - - - - -
               
     The day Mulder and Scully left Fairwood dawned clear 
and bright, the sun beating down in shimmering waves of heat. 
Scully was already sweating by the time she had finished saddling 
her horse. The packs containing clothes, food, and the medicinal 
herbs Corvay had given her a a goodbye-gift were carefully 
secured to the back of the saddle, the sword that Andalor had 
given her was hanging down her back. She was dressed in a light 
green tunic over brown leggings, her feet encased in soft leather 
boots. As usual her hair was bound in a bright red, braided knot 
on the crown of her head. One final check of the girth and the 
bridle, and she knew there was no more reason for delay.
     She turned to Mulder who was standing by his horse, 
staring up at the castle, a somber expression on his face. He was 
dressed in a bright blue tunic, his matching mage cloak draped 
over the back of his saddle. The silver-gilded sword was hanging 
down his back, as crooked as ever, and she only barely resisted 
the temptation to reach out and straighten it.
     "Ready to go?" she asked. He turned to face her. "Yes, I 
guess there's no point in waiting."
     "I'll miss this place, too," she said sympathetically.
     "I know, Scully," he smiled softly down at her, his eyes 
bright as they looked into the beauty of her face. 
     "Well, maybe this will help you remember us," Aldara's 
voice interrupted them as she hobbled into the courtyard, leaning 
on a silver cane. Behind her, Jourdain was carrying a large cloth 
bundle, tied with a bright red string. 
     "What is it?" Mulder asked, curiosity lighting his eyes.
     "It's a tapestry. We had it commissioned the day after 
the celebration. Reinald set the spells himself, and Lita did most 
of the design work." Aldara explained with a hesitant smile.
     "That's wonderful!" Scully exclaimed, taking the heavy 
wrapped cloth from Jourdain. "We'll treasure it always." Mulder 
nodded agreement, his mouth curving upwards in a smile.
     "Are you sure you don't want company on the ride?" 
Jourdain offered, as he done repeatedly over the few days.
     "No, Jourdain, thank you. Tarnor will guide us well. 
You belong here with your bride. We wish you both the best." 
Scully replied, handing the tapestry over to Mulder, then reaching 
out to give first Aldara and then Jourdain a tearful hug. "Take 
good care of each other!"
     "We will," Jourdain promised, putting his arm around 
his wife's shoulders. 
     Just as Mulder had finished securing the bundle to his 
saddle, Reinald rushed over to join them, his blue robe askew, his 
white hair sticking out in all directions. "I'm glad I didn't miss you 
before you left. I have something for you," he said, holding out a 
small pouch to Mulder.
     Mulder accepted it and opened the drawstring, pouring 
the contents out into his hand. It was a tiny version of the Oracle 
Cloud suspended on a thick gold chain. "It's beautiful," he said, 
eyes bright with pleasure. 
     "I THINK it may allow you to contact me if necessary, 
even from your world. It will only work once, so be careful of 
when and how you use it." Reinald explained with some pride. 
Mulder's mage-trained eyes could see the blue strands of the spell 
on the tiny crystal, and he smiled gravely. "I will treat it with 
care, Reinald. Thank you." He pulled the chain over his neck and 
dropped the crystal under his shirt so that it rested against his 
chest. 
     "Goodbye, dear friends," Reinald said sadly. "I hope you 
find your way home safely."
     "Goodbye," Mulder said reaching out to clasp his 
friend's shoulder. "We'll never forget you, all of you!"
     At that moment Tarnor led his small pony out of the 
barn and came up beside them. Mulder gave one more long look 
around at the place that had been their home for close to a year 
and sighed. "I guess we'd better get on the road." Scully agreed, 
turning to mount her horse with the ease of long practice.
     Once all three were mounted and ready to go, they rode 
silently to the edge of the courtyard, then turned and waved. 
Standing by the door to the stables, Reinald, Jourdain and Aldara 
waved back, watching together as the three riders guided their 
horses in a steady trot to the castle gates, then waving back once 
more, urged them out onto the road, breaking into a smooth 
cantor.
     "Gods go with you," Aldara whispered, leaning against 
her husband's shoulder. "May the Mother watch your path and 
guide you safely home."
     "Amen," Jourdain responded, still gazing out at the 
dusty road. "Amen."
                         - - - - -

     The ride through the woods was quiet and peaceful. 
Except for the occasional deer-like animal and the ever-present 
chattering birds, they did not encounter another living soul once 
they left the Forest Edge Village where they had stopped for 
dinner and a good night's sleep. The last day of their three-day 
journey was spent mostly in silence, each caught up in his or her 
own private thoughts. Mulder and Scully were not shutting each 
other out, they simply gave each other the space they each 
needed to start putting the past behind them and begin the 
process of focusing on the future.
     Tarnor guided them easily through the woods, closing in 
on the vortex site hour by hour. They stopped for lunch on the 
banks of a small stream, refreshing themselves with the clear 
water and a meal of bread and fruit. Then they continued along 
their journey, in places having to dismount and lead the horses 
through the dense forest, in others having to use their swords to 
cut the heavy brush back from the heavily overgrown path. But 
Tarnor's gargoyle sense of direction was just as exact here in the 
deep woods as it was in the rambling mines and caves of his 
people's homes, and he brought them into the familiar clearing by 
late afternoon.
     A wide grin broke over Mulder's face as he gazed up at 
the massive oak he had fallen into on their first trip through the 
vortex. "Well, at least I know I won't get stuck up in a tree in the 
lab," he commented wryly.
     "That's if we actually end up in the lab," Scully reminded 
him. "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked Mulder 
anxiously. Now that they were actually here, her fears over 
stepping into the unknown vortex were rising sharply.
     Mulder swallowed, the instant reassurance dying on his 
lips. "I...I THINK so, Scully," he replied honestly. "If you want 
to call this off, I'll understand," he said, sharing her concerns. 
Though he thought he could handle this, he couldn't be certain 
until he tried it, and he was hesitant to put Scully in danger.
     "No" Scully said, her chin jutting forward in 
determination. They had come this far, she was not going to give 
up now. Not when they could be home in a matter of minutes - 
well, at least in the right dimension. She slid down off her horse, 
then glanced up at her partner, blue eyes bright as she insisted 
firmly. "Take us home, Mulder!"
     He nodded, accepting her decision. Dismounting from 
his horse, he took Scully's reins and handed both horses over to 
Tarnor. As he and Scully both removed the packs from the 
horses, he told Tarnor to take the horses out of sight. "The last 
thing we need is the horses bolting from fright."
     Tarnor bobbed his head in understanding. He looked 
anxiously at the couple standing on the forest floor in front of 
him, his ears twitching. "Good luck to you both. I hope your 
journey home is both quick and safe."
     "You, too, Tarnor," Scully responded, knowing she 
spoke for both Mulder and herself. Smiling she reached to tap the 
little gargoyle on his leg. "Take good care of Reinald, and watch 
out for Jourdain and Aldara."
     "I will," he promised, giving them one last glimpse of his 
toothy smile. Then he turned to lead the horses back through the 
woods, leaving Mulder and Scully standing alone in the fading 
light, small leather bundles piled at their feet.
     "Ready?" Mulder asked, throwing one of the packs over 
his shoulder by its straps and hefting the bundle containing the 
tapestry in his left hand.
     "Yes," Scully answered tensely, looping the other two 
packs over her shoulder, then reaching out to take his right hand. 
He threaded his fingers tightly through hers, then closed his eyes 
and began to concentrate.
     Scully felt the now-familiar power grow in him, blue 
strands of fire lancing up and down their clasped arms, filling the 
small glade with brilliant blue light. Quickly grounded and 
shielded, so as not to create too much of a Mage-storm, Mulder 
centered, then focused the power, slowly building the vortex spell 
step by step.
     Scully shuddered and moved closer to him as the wind 
began to pick up and the air darkened. Mulder's chant was silent, 
but it echoed in both their minds as it increased in intensity, the 
power leaping up around their bodies, then swirling out at his 
command to form a pinpoint of light a few feet in front of them.
     The small center of the spell wavered and expanded, 
seemingly drinking the very air itself. Concentric black and white 
circles formed one upon another, rippling in a mesmerizing flow 
of light and darkness. One shouted command escaping from 
Mulder's clamped lips and it burst into outward into a shimmering 
whirlpool nearly six feet wide. 
     Wind whipped around it, making Mulder and Scully 
fight for their footing as they stepped cautiously toward the 
mouth of the vortex. Right at its edge, the paused and looked 
deep into each other's eyes.  
     "I love Dana!" Mulder's mindvoice echoed in Scully's 
mind.
     "I love you Fox!" she sent back, grasping onto his hand 
so tightly her fingers turned white. Minds melding in one last 
exchange of affection and commitment, they simultaneously 
closed their eyes and stepped forward into the vortex...

End Chapter Fourteen

==========================================

Chapter Fifteen - Part 1

     ...and the Vortex spat them out into that cold, sterile 
room, five feet from the surface of the floor.
     "Aaaagghhh!  God damn it!"
     "Mulder, are you all right?  Oh, gods, my head!"  Scully 
rubbed her temple where it had struck the counter.
     The room was dark, but certainly looked like the place 
they had left precipitously so long ago.  The windows looked out 
on a night sky and rain spattered against the glass.  The room 
was chilly, with a strange, foreign, metallic smell to it.
     "Yeah, I just twisted my knee.  Not even back thirty 
seconds and I'll need to have x-rays.  Incredible," growled 
Mulder.  He dragged himself and his bundles over to the closest 
wall and sat leaning against it.
     Still dizzy from the trip through the Vortex, Scully 
grabbed her sack and crawled over on her hands and knees to 
where Mulder was sitting.  "Let me see it.  You're going to have 
to take your pants down, Mulder - they won't roll up and I need 
to examine your knee.  It's going to be hard enough in the dark."
     "Just don't take advantage of me in my weakened 
condition,"  said Mulder.  He did as she asked and grimaced in 
pain when the movement jarred his leg.
     "You should be so lucky,"  murmured Scully, examining 
his knee with her now curious mixture of conventional medical 
knowledge and Realm healing practices.  She was quiet for a 
while, obviously trying very hard to concentrate.  "Well, you did 
a nice job, Mulder - it's definitely badly sprained, with maybe 
some ligament damage thrown in for good measure."
     "Can you fix it, or are you going to make me go to the 
hospital and then I'll have to fill out all those insurance forms.  I 
can hardly wait until I get to the space where it asks how the 
accident happened - "Well, I was returning through a vortex from 
another reality when -"   They'll lock me up for sure."
     "In view of some of your other injuries and how they 
were acquired, I wouldn't worry about it."  Scully looked at him.  
"Well, it will be interesting to see if psychic healing works in this 
reality.  I was able to examine your knee the "Realm way", but it 
was more difficult to do and the results were less clear than they 
would have been in the Realm.   Okay, hold still, let's see what I 
can do."
     She laid her hands on his knee and concentrated as hard 
as she could, reaching in with her mind to find the injured cells, 
help them heal, stop the small amount of bleeding in the tissues, 
and soothe the inflammation away.  She was trembling with the 
effort when she felt Mulder's hand on her cheek.
     "Scully, it's all right, come out of it."    Mulder's 
expression was concerned and he sought her eyes anxiously.
     She took a deep, tremulous breath.  "Evidently, these 
powers don't travel well.  Did I make any difference?"
     "Yeah, the pain's not so bad now.  I got a feeling of 
warmth when you were in there.  It's still pretty swollen, though."  
Mulder pulled up his leather breeches.
     "Do you think it's the same with all the extraordinary 
things we could do in the Realm?  Do you think we're losing 
everything?"  Scully asked, suddenly alarmed.  "Mulder, our 
link!"
     Almost in a panic, his mind reached out to hers, and she 
caught and held it gratefully, caressing it in relief.  She put her 
arms around him.  "Oh, thank the gods, Mulder.  It seems like 
we've given up so much to come back home, but that's the one 
thing I didn't want to lose - that feeling, that closeness.  I don't 
think I could stand being 'alone' in there again."
     Mulder smiled gently, tracing her hairline, her eyes, her 
lips with his fingertips.  "I guess life-bonds travel better.  No, I 
couldn't stand it either."  He kissed her slowly, sweetly, his 
gratitude for that special bond evident in his touch.  They held 
each other close for some time, celebrating the survival of that 
most precious souvenir of the Realm.
     "I wonder what the date is?  Too bad there's no calendar 
in here,"  Mulder said.   "Everything looks exactly the same as 
when we left, but I suppose this lab hasn't changed substantially 
in years.  I'm just assuming that the door is locked, of course.  
Uh, Scully, you wouldn't want to walk over there and check it 
out, would you?  In view of my weakened condition?"
     "That's going to get old real quick, Mulder."  Scully 
cautiously got to her feet, holding on to the wall for support until 
the dizziness had abated.  Then she walked the length of the 
room and tried the doorknob.  "Locked."  She felt the walls near 
the door.   "Evidently the light switch is on the outside of the 
room.  So we're going to stay locked in the dark for a while.  She 
walked back again to Mulder and sat down next to him on the 
floor.  "Now what?"
     "Well, we'll see when it gets light.  Kind of depends on 
what day it is.  If we've had the lack of foresight to come back on 
a Sunday, we could be in here for a while.  If it's a weekday, 
someone will be around, either next door or below us or 
somewhere.  Hell, we can heave a piece of equipment out the 
window to attract attention if we have to.  Or, I could try to 
unlock the door."
     "Too bad you don't have your burglary tools with you,"  
Scully commented.
     "Well, you had the opportunity to see if your powers 
still worked, let me see what I can do with mine."
     She sensed him concentrate and go through the now 
automatic routine of centering, grounding and shielding.  Scully 
saw the doorknob turn marginally, heard a metallic clicking 
sound from time to time.  Sweat stood out on Mulder's brow 
from the effort he was exerting.  
     "Mulder, stop.  It doesn't matter.  Not at this point, 
anyway,"  said Scully, concerned.
     "I see what you meant, Scully.  It seems like it's harder 
to focus, harder to see what you're trying to do."  Mulder sighed.  
"Well, it was nice while it lasted.  Too bad, I was kind of looking 
forward to levitating a few bad guys."
     "Just as well, Mulder.  Try explaining THAT to 
Skinner."  Scully smiled up at him.
     They were quiet for a while, locked in their own 
thoughts.  Scully sighed and opened the sack.  She took out the 
tapestry and sat touching it wistfully.  Mulder entered her mind 
very gently and sensed her melancholy.
     "I know - I miss them already too."
     "Mulder, did we make the right decision?  It seems we 
left just when things were going to be at their best - the Prince 
back in good health, the Dark Realm forces defeated, that little 
wart Drellor in prison.  Maybe we should have stayed around for 
a while, to enjoy it while we could, without the training and the 
fighting and the blood and the horror."
     He held her closer and stroked her hair.  "The longer we 
stayed, the more attached we would have gotten and the harder 
transition we would have back here."
     She nodded.  "I know that.  I guess I'm just being 
selfish, but if it hadn't been for my family, I would have been 
happy to stay there.  If it hadn't been for your search for 
Samantha, you would have wanted to stay, too."  She felt his 
mind flinch, recoiling slightly at the mention of Samantha's name,  
and she communicated an apology.
     "No, that's all right,"  Mulder said with a sad smile.   
"You're right, Dana, a large part of why we came back was 
because of my work and your family.   But it's not like we had a 
horrible existence here.  I think that you're tired and reacting to 
the effects of the Vortex and the transition back.  Give yourself 
some time.  Besides, there's some good things about being back."
     "Like?"  Scully was getting a perverse pleasure out of 
her depression, and was not about to give up on it easily.
     "Okay, how about coffee?  As wonderful as their tea 
was, there were times in the Realm I would have killed for a cup 
of coffee.  And sunflower seeds.  Of all the plants for the Realm 
not to have!  And tacos and burritos and pepperoni pizza.  Uh-
oh, probably not a good subject to raise, sitting in a locked room.  
I know we have bread and jerky, but somehow it's just not quite 
the same."
     Scully smiled.  "You know what I missed the most?  
Showers!  Tubs are great, and sometimes even fun," she said with 
a sidelong glance at Mulder.  "But  I want a nice hot shower so 
bad..."
     "Showers can be fun, too,"  said Mulder, and he looked 
so hopeful that Scully laughed in spite of herself.  They were 
quiet for a few seconds, just enjoying being in each other's 
presence.
     "Thank you," she said.
     "For what?"
     "For being you.  For loving me." She took hold of his 
hand as it rested against her shoulder and threaded her fingers 
through his.
     "Mmmm.  Any time."  He sighed and lay his cheek 
against her hair. 
     "That's going to be something else to get used to."
     "What?"
     "You and me.  Here."  Scully snuggled into his chest.  
"Maybe that's another reason why I miss the Realm so much - I 
kind of associate the Realm with you and me being, you know, 
together and life-bonded. I associate our world with having to 
hide feelings and being unaware of our life-bond and being so 
alone."
     "Never again,"  he said firmly.  Mulder thought for a 
minute.  "We're still life-bonded and we'll always have that, it's 
undeniable.  And because of that, we'll never be alone again, for 
which I, for one, am incredibly grateful."   He hugged her tighter 
and she returned his embrace.  "But about the 'hiding our feelings' 
part - there's still the Bureau."
     "I know - Mulder , what are we going to do?"
     "I don't know, we'll figure it out.  I think as long as 
we're discrete, it will be alright.  Maybe business as usual at the 
office, and we'll figure out something with the living 
arrangements.
     "How are we going to explain all this Vortex and 
gargoyle business to Skinner?"  asked Scully.
     "Now that is definitely something I'm too tired to think 
about right now.   I don't know, let's wait until we've talked to 
Professor Neumann.  We might as well get some rest.   Nothing's 
going to happen until it gets light out, at the earliest, and it 
doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon."
     They closed their eyes, not counting on sleeping, but the 
effects of the trip through the Vortex and their attempts to use 
their powers had drained them more than they knew.  They slept 
leaning against the wall in each other's arms for several hours.
                         - - - - -

     The thud of a closing door nearby awakened them with 
a start.  They had just opened their eyes to the murky dawn light 
when the overheads came on suddenly, and they involuntarily 
closed them again.  They heard the sound of a key in the door, 
and forced their eyes open, squinting in the bright light.
     "My God!"  Professor Neumann stood silhouetted in the 
doorway against the dark of the prep room.  "Where did you go 
to?   God, look at you!"  He stared at them, disbelief, wonder, 
and fascination passing in turns over his face.
     Mulder and Scully rose to their feet, Mulder with some 
difficulty.  "It's a very long story,"  he said.  Suddenly, his 
attention was focused on the vinyl tile floor.  Either they had very 
poor custodial services, or...
     "Professor Neumann, how long have we been gone?"  
Hearing the tension in Mulder's voice, Scully looked up at him, 
and started to touch his mind.  Coffee stains?
     "It's Wednesday morning - you disappeared Monday 
evening."
     Scully stared at him.  "That's impossible," she said flatly.
     Mulder was staring out of the window, then he turned 
around to face her.  "No, he's right.  I noticed those stains on the 
floor where someone had dripped coffee and they're the same, 
exactly the same.  The trees are still in bud, exactly as they were 
when we left.  And more proof - our rental car is still in the same 
place we parked it, except it appears to have a small collection of 
parking citations on it now.  No, Scully, he's telling the truth.  I 
just can't explain it."
     Neumann continued to stare at them as they talked, his 
eyes dilated with amazement. Thirty six hours ago, he had met 
two professionally dressed and coifed agents, in good physical 
shape but nothing special, with the pallor of a long winter on 
their skins.  Now - God, now!    They both wore leather 
breeches, soft white shirts and some kind of leather vest or tunic, 
and were shod in boots.  The clothing was certainly a departure, 
but the Professor had been around Cambridge long enough to see 
everything in terms of bizarre clothing choices.  It was the 
physical changes which were so striking.  The young man's 
physique was different - leaner, stronger, the shoulders and chest 
broader. He had a hardness, an edge to him, a presence or sense 
of self that simply hadn't been there before.  The woman, too.  
Gone was any sense of softness.  Her appearance almost 
screamed that this woman was a force to be reckoned with.  She, 
too, was much leaner and stronger looking, her arms like 
whipcord.  With both of them, there was something in the eyes - 
knowledge, horror, peace; just a hint of more substance.  Both 
were tanned and windburned, the kind of changes to skin that 
occur only over long periods of living or working out of doors.  
Both had long hair, several inches longer than it had been, 
definitely not FBI issue and a change that could not occur in a 
day and a half. 
     "Wherever you've been, it's obvious you've been there 
for more than thirty six hours," he finally said, his voice calmer 
than he felt.  "I'll put on some coffee and we can talk about it."
     "Could we talk somewhere the recovery team did not 
have access to yesterday?  I don't like to sound paranoid, but I 
think you have to at least consider the possibility that some bugs 
may have been left behind."
     "A very good point, Mr. Mulder.  I will have some 
people I know do a thorough check later today.  Meanwhile, we 
can go into a conference room that has been in constant use for 
the past two days for a meeting."
     They  walked down the hallway, or hobbled in Mulder's 
case, to the conference room where they were unlikely to be 
disturbed, at least not for several hours.  A stunned silence was 
maintained while the professor fired up the Mr. Coffee, and then 
poured out a cup of the strong brew for each of them. 
     "Why don't you tell us what went on here after we 'left'.  
You don't have quite as much time to fill in as we do,"  suggested 
Mulder.  He sipped the coffee as if it were ambrosia.
     Professor Neumann nodded.  "Well, I'm assuming you 
heard the arrival of the recovery team?"  Mulder and Scully 
inclined their heads. "They kicked in the door and were not 
pleased when they found nothing.  They interrogated myself and 
my assistant for several hours, including lie detector tests.  It 
perhaps worked to everyone's benefit that we did not have a lot 
of time to talk and exchange ideas prior to your disappearance.  
Since I had no idea where you might have gone, passing the 
polygraph was not a problem."
     "They really forced you to take a polygraph?"  Scully 
asked, astounded.
     "Well, no one put an actual gun to my head,"  replied 
Neumann.  "They just threatened to pull strings and have my 
grants withdrawn - a fate worse than death, as any research 
scientist will tell you.  In fact the gun may be preferable - only 
one life is snuffed out, not a huge body of research."
     Mulder looked a little guiltily at Scully, then at 
Neumann.  "Anything else?"
     "They searched the place pretty thoroughly yesterday, 
looking for hidden panels, anything that could explain how you 
had managed to elude them.  They seemed especially diligent 
when they learned - not from me, by the way - that you, Mr. 
Mulder, were the agent in charge of the case.  They left 
midafternoon yesterday.  Evidently the official line is to be that it 
was a student prank.  They were not amused by the incident."
     "Did they leave you with the impression that they might 
be coming back?"
     The Professor shrugged.  "Anything's possible, I 
suppose, but I honestly didn't get that feeling.  I got the idea that 
they felt they had wasted enough time here and were only too 
happy to go back to Hanscom.  Now, Mr. Mulder, I think you 
two have a story to tell, do you not?"
     Mulder nodded.  "You might want to use those tape 
recorders over there,  and make an audio record for each of us.  
For our own private use, right?  I'm warning you in advance, a lot 
of what you are going to hear is going to sound crazy. As far as 
physical evidence goes, there's our appearances, which show 
changes that can't have been accomplished in thirty six hours.  
We have some things here in the sack which we brought with us, 
but I'm not sure how much they prove.  And we have the fact 
that you saw us go into the locked room with Tarnor, and not 
come out."
     "Tarnor?"
     "Oh, yes, sorry.  That was the name of the gargoyle."  
Mulder looked at Scully - this was going to be very difficult.  
Scully looked at him sympathetically and shrugged.  If Mulder 
had come to her with this story, she would have been very hard-
pressed to believe it, and she knew and respected him.  What was 
this complete stranger - a physicist, no less, used to masses of 
quantifiable data - going to believe?
     As if he had read their minds, he said, "I want to assure 
you - I'm a lot more openminded than you may think.  Space/time 
continuum experiments open up a lot of areas that have only been 
explored in science fiction.  Often, there is a sense of unreality 
about what we do."
     Mulder smiled.  "The irony is, Dr. Neumann, that it isn't 
a case of a lack of reality - it's more a case of too many realities.  
Start your tape recorders."
     When the machines were running, Mulder quickly gave 
a summary of how the Bureau had been notified,  the history of 
X-File involved, the telepathic communication with the creature, 
and their fall through the Vortex.
     "We were in a reality that had multiple species of 
intelligent lifeforms - humans, gargoyles, trolls and elves, which 
lived together in towns but also had separate settlements.  
Interspecies bigotry was not unknown but neither was it 
institutionalized or encouraged.  All spoke the same language and 
participated to varying degrees in the same culture, government, 
and so on.  Certain species had particular gifts, talents and other 
attributes, which we can talk about in more detail later.  There 
was a feudal/agrarian kind of economy and a parliamentary 
monarchy politically. Technologically, the Realm was at a par of 
say, Europe in the 13th or 14th century, with some exceptions - 
anachronisms, I guess you'd say.  However, certain of their 
institutions showed an amazing degree of sophistication; for the 
most part, these were areas in which paranormal or supernatural 
forces were harnessed and used.  I can speak directly to the use 
of magic."  Mulder then went on to explain about how he was 
trained as a magician, the language spell that permitted them to 
communicate,and some of the feats of which he was capable in 
the Realm, up to and including building the Gate and the Vortex.  
Professor Neumann's eyes grew wide with fascination and 
delight.  Mulder then handed the microphone to Scully.
     "I can speak to the use of what would be considered in 
this reality paranormal forces in the diagnosis and treatment of 
disease and injury."   Scully then went on to describe her training 
as a Healer, the use of herbal remedies and the use of psychic 
healing for everything from abrasions to Mulder's poisoning, from 
broken bones to ruptured organs.  She handed the microphone 
back to Mulder, her chest constricting with something very like 
homesickness for the Realm that was so far away.
     "This is all sounding very dry and clinical,"  Mulder said.  
"Actually, it was anything but.   The people and other beings 
there were wonderful, with just as many heroes and villains, just 
as many clowns and tragic figures as we have in our reality.  We 
really became totally integrated into their world in an amazingly 
short length of time.  We left behind a lot of good friends."  
Mulder felt his throat tightening with emotion as he thought of 
them.
     "How long did you perceive you were there?"  inquired 
Neumann.
     Because of the professor's involvement with time 
experiments, Mulder gave the question serious consideration and 
tried to be as accurate as possible in his answer.  "It's difficult to 
tell - they did not appear to have very sophisticated processes in 
place for measuring time - it was mostly by natural phenomena - 
moon cycles, seasons, things like that.  As far as I am aware there 
were no clocks, and I never heard dates referred to.  It was all 
rather vague.  Our watches stopped when we went through the 
Vortex , not that they would have accurately measured time in 
the Realm in any case.  To answer your specific question, we 
were under the impression that we were there 9 to 12 months.  
I'm sorry I can't be any more specific.  We weren't really keeping 
track."
     "I can understand why Scully was trained as a healer, 
because she's a doctor here.  Why in the world were you trained 
as a wizard?"  asked Professor Neumann.
     "Actually, she was a warrior first and a Healer second,"  
Mulder explained.  "It has to do with auras.  These people 
believed that some things are destined to be, and it's indicted by 
an aura of a certain color or quality.  The aura might indicate 
certain talents or in some rare cases, couples who are predestined 
to be together.  My aura is a bright clear blue, considered to be 
indicative of magical ability.  In a way, that's how we ended up in 
the Realm, because of our auras."  Oh god, he's never going to 
believe this, thought Mulder.
     "That's right,"  said Scully.  "They had an ancient 
Prophecy that told of a powerful magician who is bonded to a 
warrior/Healer who come from far away and save the Realm 
from an unspeakable evil.   My aura, warrior's green and Healer's 
brown, is unique - it doesn't exist for anyone else.  Tarnor acted 
as a conduit, our auras were noticed and we were - not prevented 
- from being sucked into the Vortex."  Scully paused.  "Which 
brings me to the important thing we must discuss - "
     "Just a minute.   First tell me what you mean by 
'bonded'."
     "That's something personal.  In any case it can wait,"  
said Scully.
     "Well, what about this unspeakable evil?"
     "That's what we're trying to explain,"  said Mulder.  
"The Vortex is not a natural occurrence in the Realm.  It has 
appeared on an irregular basis for a very long time now.  At one 
time they were conducting experiments with it, but none was 
successful.  When Tarnor and Scully and I travelled through, it 
was the first time anyone had been retrieved successfully from 
this world back to the Realm.  We believe strongly that there is 
be a correlation between the experiments you perform on an 
irregular basis and the appearance of the Vortex in the Realm."
     Professor Neumann nodded.  "Based on what I know of 
the experiments that were performed before my time, and 
certainly the ones I've been performing, I'd say that is surely a 
possibililty."
     Mulder sighed.  "If it were merely a case of an 
intermittant link between our world and the Realm, I would not 
be quite so concerned.  I still wouldn't rest easy, knowing some 
of the types like the recovery team that could go in there and 
wreak havoc, but it wouldn't be as horrible a situation as the one 
that existed."
     Neumann frowned.   "Was there a problem?"
     Scully took up the story.  "The problem was that the 
Realm and our reality were not the only ones involved.  There 
was at least one other, what the people of the Realm called the 
Dark Place. It was -"  Scully shuddered a little and forced herself 
to continue - "it was a place populated by hideous nightmare 
creatures that slaughtered whatever got in their path wherever 
they went.  They used the Vortex to enter the Realm.  They killed 
tens of thousands, between the villages they wiped out, and the 
men and women killed on the field of battle, trying to drive them 
out.  That was the unspeakable evil the Prophecy talked about.  
For us, the war ended just a couple of weeks ago.  You can't 
even begin to imagine how horrible it was."
     "And you think that our experiments created the Vortex, 
allowing these other creatures to enter the Realm,"  said the 
professor thoughtfully.
     Mulder's face reflected the horrors that he and Scully 
had experienced.  "Well, it's extremely unlikely that these Dark 
Realm creatures would have any form of culture which would 
support a science sophisticated enough to have a Vortex that 
originated with them.  These beasts were just killing machines, 
they didn't even have an organized army, just packs of vicious 
things running amok.  And we have no idea what other realities 
may have been linked."  He paused.  "We had no certainty that 
we would emerge here when we came back, we could have 
ended up anywhere, including that nightmare place.  There may 
be forces at work here we're not aware of that direct where 
something exits from the Vortex."
     "God, it would be fascinating to be able to find out what 
those forces are, to control them, to have a limited transportation 
back and forth,"  Neumann's face was illuminated with the 
wonder of it all.  "Can you imagine how fantastic it would be?"
     "Forgive me if I don't share your enthusiasm,"  Mulder 
said drily.  "Don't get me wrong, I would love to go back to the 
Realm someday;  we nearly chose to stay there.  But not if there 
is any risk of again exposing the innocents of that place and time 
to the nightmare we were forced to deal with.  And there's 
another reason.  We couldn't be sure that those creatures weren't 
coming through to our world.  As far as I know, nothing but 
dumb luck prevented it.  In brief, Professor, if we're going to 
open doors, we'd better know what's behind them."
     "What are you going to do?" Neumann asked, his voice 
tinged with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
     Mulder bent over and rested his arms on this knees.  He 
shook his head and stared at the ground,  then looked up at the 
physicist.   "I don't know, I honestly don't.  How likely do you 
think it is that anyone will believe our story?"  The professor 
smiled and shook his head.  "Exactly.  No one is going to believe 
it.  If we were believed, that might be worse. The next thing you 
know the NSA or some organization like it  would be in charge 
of the project, and those 'Gestapo types' you mentioned, 
Professor Neumann, will be trying to take over the Realm.  I 
would personally blow up this lab and take the consequences to 
prevent that from happening, or to prevent another catastrophe 
like the one we saw with the Dark forces."  Mulder looked 
Neumann directly in the eyes.  "The Realm is a living, breathing 
culture, as rich or richer than our own in many ways.  We have a 
lot to learn from them.  For one thing, there was quite a bit about 
their practice of medicine that was more effective and much more 
humane than our own.  But while I would hate to see the door to 
the Realm shut forever, it would be preferable to contamination 
from another reality." 
     "Is there any way that the experiments could be 
controlled to eliminate the risk of opening up another Dark 
Realm?"  asked Scully.
     "Possibly," said Neumann.  "You see, we were just 
working on theory before, merely  hypothesizing that other 
realities existed.  By your evidence, we now know that they do 
exist.  Knowing that, I think some safeguards can be built in 
that...just give me a minute here."  He grabbed a  pencil and pad 
of paper from the conference table and rapidly began scrawling 
some complex mathematical formulae.  He worked intently for at 
least fifteen minutes. 
      Finally Scully said, "Professor?"
     "Oh, sorry, I forgot that you were here,"  he said with 
an apologetic smile.  "All right.  Yes, theoretically, it is possible 
to build in a 'directional factor'.  I can't explain the physics of it
to 
you, and there's a lot of data correlation I would have to do to be 
certain, but I believe that it is possible."     
     "You're saying that you think there's a way to continue 
the experiments that would guarantee that other 'doors' would 
stay closed, and you could open the door to the specific reality 
you wanted to explore,"  Mulder said.
     Neumann nodded.  "Theoretically, yes."
     "Professor, how many people are involved in your 
experiments?"
     "Myself and my assistant, Dr. Karen Mather, are the 
only ones with complete knowledge.  I bring others in as I need 
them to run certain equipment, record results, that kind of thing. 
They're usually grad students, looking for either money or 
academic credits.  Actually, it's possible for me to perform most 
of the experiments with just my assistant."
     "Could you please excuse us, professor?  Just for a 
minute?"  Mulder asked.
     "Certainly. I 'll arrange for that electronic surveillance 
sweep.  I'll call from my office."
                    - - - - -

===============================================

Chapter Fifteen - Part Two  - A

     They watched him leave.  "Mulder, what do you-", 
Scully began.
     //No, Scully, like this//  Mulder's thoughts came through 
to her mind clearly.  //What do you think?//
     //I think he means what he says, Mulder.  I think he'll try 
to eliminate the risk of opening another door like the one to the 
Dark Realm.  But just because he has good intentions doesn't 
mean it's possible.//
     //I know.  The safety of the Realm has to be the number 
one priority, that goes without saying.  But I hate the idea of that 
door closing forever.  And there's the practical aspect.  I think  it 
is very unlikely that we could convince Professor Neumann to 
just drop his life's work, and that of Dr. Mather.  Short of 
blowing up the building with everyone in it, I think the best we 
may be able to hope for is to convince him of the need to protect 
the Realm from contamination by other realities, our own 
included.  Limited exchange is one thing, contamination is 
something else.  Do you think we can trust him to take the same 
care we would?// 
     //Well, I certainly think he's not likely to bring in the 
NSA  or any other government organization, which is to his 
credit.  As to the safeguards to prevent undesired 'leaks' between 
realities, I think he'll do his best.  His fascination and curiosity 
could get the better of him, though. He might decide to go ahead 
with an experiment even if the safety factors are not all that they 
should be.  He reminds me of you a little, Mulder - I think he 
sometimes lets his fascination come before good sense.  Don't 
you think he might tend to let his enthusiasm run away with 
him?//
     Professor Neumann knocked and entered the conference 
room to find Mulder and Scully silent and looking at each other 
intently.  He carried Scully's purse, left behind when they tumbled 
into the Vortex.
     //I don't think so, Scully.  First, I might risk my own 
skin, but I wouldn't risk anyone else's, and I think he's the same.  
I don't know why, but I trust this guy.  I'd like to know a little 
more about his assistant, though.//  Mulder smiled.  //This way of 
talking is going to come in real handy, Scully.//
     Scully smiled back. //Yes, well, right now Neumann is 
looking at us like we just arrived from Mars, so you'd better say 
something.//
     "Sorry, Professor, just thinking,"   Mulder said.  "What 
can you tell us about your assistant, Dr. Mather?"
     "She's in her early fifties, has been here since she was an 
undergraduate.  She's been like a daughter to me and I'd trust her 
with my life.  She, too, has had her share of grief from 
government sources.  I had mine in Germany as a young man 
under the Nazis; she had hers when her father was hauled up 
before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 
fifties.  She continued in the family tradition by being arrested 
frequently during anti-war protests here in Cambridge in the 
sixties and early seventies.  She has an almost pathological 
reaction to government control.  In other words, Mr. Mulder, I 
think you'd like her.  You will forgive me, the chief of the 
recovery team yesterday went on in some detail about you."  
Professor Neumann grinned.
     Mulder grinned back.  "All very complimentary, I'm 
sure."  He looked at Scully, felt her mind.  "All right, Professor, 
we don't really have much choice other than to trust you. Just 
remember - the people of the Realm are like family to us. We will 
not take it kindly if they get hurt."   The necessary warning given, 
he crossed to where the sack lay on the table.  "If it helps you to 
make them more real, look at these."   
     He pulled the tapestry and swords and some of the other 
gifts from the bag.  Scully joined the men at the table, and Mulder 
and she explained the gifts, their use, their significance, to a 
fascinated Neumann. At times in their story,  one or the other 
would be overcome by the memories and have to stop to regain 
control, while the other went on.
     Eyes shining with wonder and emotion, Professor 
Neumann looked at them when they had finished, and spoke with 
sincerity.  "I give you my word, the Realm will not be placed in 
any further jeopardy by my experiments.  I am only sorry for the 
damage caused by our ignorance.  Rest easy, Mr. Mulder, it will 
not happen again.  Dr. Mather will agree."  He offered his hand, 
which Mulder and then Scully solemnly shook.
                         - - - - -
 
     The  rest of the day went by in a surrealistic blur.  They 
collected the rental car and drove back to the hotel.  It had taken 
Scully a moment to remember how to operate the car, and 
driving, like everything else - sounds, sights, smells - seemed both 
strange and familiar.  When they got to the hotel, they changed 
into sweaters and jeans, rediscovering the most mundane things 
with a momentary flash of surprise - zippers, running water, flush 
toilets.  Then, Scully finished packed their belongings while 
Mulder put in a call to Skinner at the Bureau.  He gave a quick 
summary of the status of the case, hoping Skinner would not ask 
too many questions until he had had a chance to think up more 
plausible answers.
     "I'd like you and Agent Scully to report to me in person 
on this matter, Agent Mulder,"  said Skinner in his typically 
closed manner. "I'll be in meetings for the rest of today and a 
good part of tomorrow.  Be in my office with Agent Scully on 
Friday morning at 9 a.m. sharp."
     "Yes, sir.  By the way, I injured my knee.  I'm just going 
to have it checked out up here before returning."
     He heard Skinner's sigh of impatience.  "Agent Mulder, 
do you have a death wish?  Is there some reason that you are 
unable to complete a case without ending up in a hospital?"
     "Just bad luck, sir."
     "Alright, just follow Bureau protocol.  You should be 
familiar enough with it."
     "Yes, sir." Mulder hung up with a sigh of relief. At least 
now they had some time to think.
     Checking out of the hotel was next, and doing so as 
though they had only been there for a couple of days added to 
their disorientation. But they made it to Mass. General and then 
on to the airport without mishap.  Mulder was not happy about 
squeezing onto a plane with his damaged leg, but luckily their 
flight was relatively empty.  A flight attendant, taking pity on 
Mulder with his knee now encased in a Velcro splint and being 
impressed by the FBI ID, showed them to some empty seats in 
the nearly deserted first class section where he would be able to 
stretch his leg out more comfortably.   Scully shot him a dirty 
look when he gave more than passing thought to using the device 
every time they flew.
     The entire flight and the drive back to Mulder's 
apartment was the same bizarre mixture of familiarity and 
strangeness.  On one level, flying in a jet and driving a car were 
things that were accepted, that they did every day.  But in a way, 
their minds were still very much in the Realm.  Every stimulus 
brought a sort of double-take of response - the first response 
from the mindset of the Realm, one of wonder and surprise and 
newness; and the second one, almost of tedium, accompanied by 
a depressing suspicion that their whole stay in the Realm had 
been a figment of their imaginations.
     On their arrival in Washington, Mulder's eidetic memory 
was, not for the first time, invaluable.  After the passage of nearly 
a year in Realm-time, Scully had no idea where they had left the 
car in the multilevel parking garage.  After finally locating the 
car, they found themselves facing the massive culture shock that 
was Washington traffic during rush hour,  resulting in a long and 
frustrating drive to Mulder's apartment.  After Scully drew up to 
the curb outside his building, they sat motionless for some time, 
then looked at each other and smiled, both a little uncomfortable.
     "I know it's stupid to feel like this," Scully said.  "I guess 
this is kind of what I meant when I said that I don't associate the 
places in this reality with our being together."
     "You can go back to your place if you want, Dana.  If 
you don't feel ready for this here."
Mulder's eyes were calm but he had pulled down a light shield, so 
Scully knew he was not quite as equable as he appeared.
     "No!  No, I'm just being silly," she said firmly, as if 
trying to convince herself.  "Anyway, I'd have to drive your car 
home and I don't think it would be a good idea to have your car 
parked outside my apartment all night."
     "It's been there before, when we've been working on a 
case, and your's has been over here all night.  Let's not get 
morbidly sensitive about all this."  Mulder smiled.  "Discretion is 
one thing, paranoia is something else.  Besides, I'm the one that's 
supposed to be paranoid enough for the both of us."
     They got out of the car, Scully carrying the sack and 
bundles, Mulder leaning heavily on his crutches as they slowly 
made their way up the walk and then up the steps to Mulder's 
building.
     "Better use your keys, Scully.  Mine were in my jacket 
pocket and I think they fell out when I was fighting with a soul-
eater."  They looked at each other, trying to make sense of the 
concept of battling one of those hideous creatures, while standing 
in the middle of Washington D.C.  "This is going to take some 
getting used to,"  admitted Mulder.
     Scully used her key to open the outer door, and when 
they got upstairs, the door to Mulder's apartment.  Once inside 
she put the bundles down on the floor out of the way.  He hung 
his jacket on the coat rack, then took hers and did the same.  
Then he hobbled into the living room, fed his fish and tapped on 
his computer to check his e-mail.
     "Mulder, what are you doing?"  Scully stared at him.
     "I - I'm sorry, Scully.  What?  I'd carry you over the 
threshold, but in my weakened condition -"
     "I don't mean that.  How can you do that?  How can 
you just go around doing what you normally do when you get 
home?"  The tone of her voice was strained, the pitch high.
     He crossed to her, caressed her cheek with his hand, and 
motioned her over to the couch.  His expression was a mixture of 
sympathy and amusement.  "Sit down, Dana. Tell me what's 
bothering you."     "After all that's happened, how can you act 
so...normal?  Things happened to us that have never happened to 
anyone else!  Ever!  There's a whole other world out there, and 
twenty four hours ago, we were in it!  How can you just come in 
and feed your fish?" She felt the sense of disorientation, of 
strangeness, threatening to overwhelm her. Her eyes filled with 
tears as she stared up at him.
     He shrugged helplessly, it was hard for him to explain. 
Now that he was back in his apartment, he just found himself 
doing the things he was accustomed to doing in these 
surroundings.  "I always feed them on Wednesdays.  What would 
you like me to do, Scully?"
     "I don't know.  Something - I don't know."  She was 
trembling now, a single tear dripping down her right cheek. 
     "It's all right, love,"  He smiled tenderly, reaching out to 
wipe away the tear, then gathered her close.  "It's a lot of changes 
to absorb all at once.  I can understand how you feel."  He held 
and rocked her, letting his understanding flow through their life-
bond until he felt her start to relax a few minutes later.
     "Better now?" he asked gently.
     She nodded.  "Sorry."
     "You don't have to apologize." He assured her lovingly.
     "Mulder, if you trot out that nauseating line from "Love 
Story" about love meaning never having to say you're sorry, so 
help me, I'll sprain your good knee,"  Scully said grumpily, then 
sighed.  "I am sorry, though.  I don't usually become a basket 
case.  Why are you dealing with it so well?"
     Mulder laughed.  "Is that an implied insult, Scully?  
Like, why isn't Spooky being spooky?  I've been wondering about 
that myself.  I don't know.  Maybe it's because the abnormal 
seems more normal and less threatening to me than it does to 
you. I'm used to living with the idea that there are strange things 
out there."
     "There's strange, and then there's what we've been 
through, which is way, way beyond strange," she reminded him.
     "Yeah, I know," he responded. "Beats me.  It's not often 
I get yelled at for being normal.  Maybe it's something in the 
bond that won't let us both be crazy at the same time."  He smiled 
at her and gently smoothed her hair.  "Are you staying?'  he asked 
quietly.
     "Yeah, I'm staying."
     "It's up to you.  Only if you want to, if you feel ready."
     //I love you.//
     //I know, I love you, too, but you don't have to stay to 
prove it.//
     Scully looked into his eyes as she brought her lips to his.  
She kissed him tentatively at first, as if he were new to her 
instead of the man who had been her lover for months.  Her 
hands lightly traced his face, his hair, his neck.  Mulder sat very 
still, his arms around her.  Gradually her lips became hungrier, 
demanding and receiving more of a response.  His hands twined 
in her hair, his mouth covering hers until he wrenched it away to 
nibble on her neck.  Scully's hands were in constant motion, now 
flying to his sweater and under to trace his ribs, to feel the skin of 
his chest.
     "I wish I could sweep you off your feet and carry you 
into my bedroom," he murmured.  "But in my weakened 
condition..."  His eyes twinkled.
     Scully's hands never stopped their exploration.  She 
smiled.  "Apparently not all that weakened..."
                         - - - - -

     "Mom?" Dana tried hard not to let her voice shake.
     "Dana, hi!  You don't generally call on a Thursday, 
especially not at this time of the morning.  Is everything all right?  
You're not sick, are you?" Mrs. Scully's voice deepened with 
concern.
     "No, Mom, everything's fine.  What's new?"  Scully's 
hands trembled as she listened to her mother babble on about 
Melissa's new boyfriend and the latest adventures of her brother's 
kids and all the other things that she usually only half-listened to 
while entering a report into her PC.  Today, Scully listened to her 
mother's rich voice, picturing her in the cozy kitchen of her 
house.
     "Look, Mom.   What are your plans for this weekend?  I 
was wondering if Mulder and I could come up for the weekend, 
if there's nothing going on at work and you're not busy."
     "Of course, dear, you know you're both always 
welcome."  Her mother's voice took on a cagy tone.  "One or 
two?"
     Dana chuckled.  Her mother's usual question.  "One, 
Mom."  Not her usual response.
     "Oh!  Oh, okay, I'll see you late Friday night, then, all 
right?  Bye, Dana, I love you." Dana could almost see her 
mother's smile through the phone.
     "Love you too, Mom.  Bye."  Scully laughed out loud.  
She had to hand it to her mother.  She had really tried to play it 
cool, but there was just no hiding the delight in her voice.  She 
wandered back out to join Mulder in the kitchen.
     "How's your mom?" he inquired.
     "Fine.  I think I scared her, calling on a weekday 
morning."
     "Is it okay for this weekend?"  Mulder looked up from 
buttering toast to meet her eyes.
     "Yeah, fine," she replied, sitting down at the table.
     "Does she know...uh, is it going to present a problem 
that..." He couldn't hide the anxiety in his voice or his mind.
     "She's thrilled!" Dana grinned.  "You have no idea how 
long she's been making my life miserable.  Every time we'd visit, 
she would always call ahead of time and ask me if she should 
prepare one room or two, becoming increasingly disappointed 
every time I said 'Two.'  I think I just made her day."
     Mulder smiled with open relief.  "Good, I'm glad she 
approves.  Your mom means a lot to me, and I wouldn't want her 
to think I was corrupting her baby girl.  So what are our plans 
now?"
     A slow smile spread over Scully's face.  "It occurs to me 
that I still haven't had that long-overdue shower,"  she said 
provocatively.
     Mulder dropped the toast he had been munching on, and 
reached for his crutches. "Who's corrupting whom?"
                         - - - - - 
     
     After a long, and very pleasant interlude in the shower, 
they got dressed and drove over to Scully's apartment.  She was 
grateful Mulder was with her when she went inside, for stepping 
back into the apartment which looked exactly as she had left it 
brought another rush of tears to her eyes.  The same pile of dirty 
clothes was sitting in the same basket by the bathroom door, the 
same pile of bills sat on the living room table, right next to the 
novel she'd been reading.  She felt simultaneously like she'd been 
gone forever and hadn't been gone at all.
     Mulder caught the edges of her emotions and wrapped 
his arms around her from behind.  "You okay?" he asked.
     "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, taking a deep breath.  Mulder 
knew she wasn't feeling 'fine' but he also knew this was 
something he was going to have to let her deal with it her own 
way. "Why don't you go ahead and unpack," he suggested, "while 
I borrow your phone."
     "Who are you calling?" she questioned, picking up her 
suitcase and walking towards her bedroom.
     "The nearest beauty salon." At her arched eyebrow, he 
smiled and fingered his hair. "Want to try to explain THIS to 
Skinner?" he asked.
                         - - - - - 

     "Why do I always feel like I'm Daniel, stepping into the 
lion's den?"  asked Mulder softly, his hand on the doorknob to 
Skinner's office.  "You ready?" 
     Dana nodded and took a deep breath.  "Here goes 
nothing."
     He opened the door and let her precede him, 
encumbered as he was by the crutches.  They took their 
accustomed seats in front of the desk.
     Skinner looked at them - and looked again.  "Have you 
two taken some vacation time lately?  You look different, like 
you've been working out in the outdoors and gotten a tan.  Did 
you ski while you were up in New England or something?  Is that 
how Mulder hurt his knee?"  Skinner's eyes narrowed, trying to 
pin down exactly what it was about them that appeared so damn 
different.  They were dressed as usual, Scully in a neat red suit, 
Mulder in a well-tailored blue suit, disgraced by one of his 
horrendous ties.  Scully's bright hair was bound professionally in 
a neat knot, Mulder's was sheared to bureau-standard length; and 
their expressions were calm.  Other than the apparent suntanning 
of their skin, there was nothing he could put his finger on, and yet 
he knew instinctively, that SOMETHING was different about 
them.
     "No, sir," Scully said blandly, eyes guileless, just as she 
had practiced.  "The only day we took off was yesterday, and we 
called in per protocol."
     "I only ask because Colonel Frost, the head of the 
Recovery Team from Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, 
Massachusetts, spent a day and a half up at that lab at MIT and 
never once saw you."  Skinner's gaze was piercing.
     "We were pursuing various lines of inquiry, sir.  We did 
speak extensively with Professor Neumann,"  responded Mulder.
     "Yes, I know, he mentioned it."
     "Have you been checking up on us, sir?" demanded 
Scully, nettled.
     Skinner gave them a long look.  "I had a question about 
something on Tuesday.  I was trying to get ahold of Mulder to 
get an answer, and couldn't.  In view of the fact that Mulder has a 
habit of disappearing from time to time on projects that have little 
to do with his assignments, I think I was justified in being 
concerned, Agent Scully."
     "It's all in the report, sir,"  Mulder said, passing him the 
file.  "I believe we spent much of Tuesday at the Chi Phi 
fraternity house, tracking down the group of pranksters that 
perpetrated this little stunt."  The report was a masterpiece of 
distraction and subterfuge and half-truths that had taken them 
hours to put together the previous afternoon.
     Skinner skimmed through the report, then closed it and 
gave them a fishy stare.  "So it's your opinion that this whole 
thing was a student prank then?"
     "Not opinion, sir,"  stated Scully.  "It's borne out by the 
facts as we have presented them in the report."
     "So I see," said Skinner, sounding rather dubious.
     "Is there anything else, sir?  Anything new come up 
while we were away?" asked Mulder.
     Skinner looked at him, still at a loss to explain the 
change in the agent's appearance.  Perhaps it was the way he held 
himself - but was he more relaxed, or more tensed, or even more 
confident? Unable to identify the difference, Skinner forced 
himself to concentrate on the discussion. "No, Agent Mulder.  I 
sent back a couple of reports to your office that need some more 
exposition.  Other than that, I don't have anything for you right 
now." He paused, appearing that he wanted to say something, or 
ask something.  Instead, he said,   "All right, you may go" and 
pressed his lips together in a disapproving line.
     They were almost out of the room when he said "Agent 
Scully?"
     The two of them froze, and slowly turned around.
     "Agent Scully, have you lost some weight or 
something?"  Skinner looked so puzzled
that she was hard-pressed not to laugh.
     "Yes, sir, a few pounds.  Thanks for noticing!" They 
turned and fled before Skinner could think of any more questions.  
     Leaning back in his chair, the Assistant Director stared 
at the closed door for a few long moments.  He had little doubt 
that he had just been lied to, but their story matched the official 
reports from the military recovery team.  Nonetheless, he knew 
those two agents well enough to know that something had 
happened - something they obviously weren't willing to talk 
about.  That fact, in and of itself, was enough to make him 
worried.  It was far more Mulder's style to shout the 'truth' from 
the rooftops, the more bizarre the better.  If MULDER unwilling 
to report it...Skinner sighed and, removing his glasses, rubbed his 
eyes...then he was quite certain he was better off not knowing. 
Not that he wouldn't keep a close eye on those two agents. But 
then again, he always did.
                         - - - - - 

     Entering their basement office, Scully tossed her coat 
and briefcase onto her chair and turned to face Mulder as he 
plopped himself down in his chair, leaning back to place his feet 
on the corner of the desk.
     "Do you think Skinner believed us?" she asked, pushing 
his feet aside to give herself space to perch on the edge of the 
desk.
     "No."  Mulder said bluntly.  "But he HAS to accept our 
report.  It matches the official story, and there's hardly anything 
objectionable in it."  They both grinned with amusement, it had 
been - deliberately - the most 'ordinary' field report they had ever 
written. 
     "I wonder what he would have said if we'd tried to tell 
him the truth?"  Mulder spoke pensively.   For all the pleasure he 
usually got out of being outrageous, this time he felt the need to 
keep their unusual experiences private, if only to protect their 
life-bond - and the friends they had left behind. 
     "He'd probably have had us both thrown into a rubber 
room," Scully replied with characteristic practicality.
     "Yeah," Mulder agreed.  "In straight jackets."  They 
shared a moment of silent laughter, then sat quietly.  Mulder let 
his eyes wander around the room, feeling much like he was 
slipping into an old, but very comfortable pair of shoes.  Much 
more than his apartment, this room really felt like home.  A smile 
flirted with the edges of his mouth as he glanced up at his favorite 
poster, the one of a flying saucer with the big bold slogan, "I 
want to believe." 
     "What is it?" Scully asked aloud, even as her mind 
reached out instinctively to brush the edge of his.
     "I'll miss our friends," he said, his smile widening into an 
engaging grin.  
     "But it really is good to be home."
                    
End Chapter Fifteen

==========================================
Epilogue
Two months later

     The late spring heat wave and the boats on the Charles 
were just two of the changes they noticed in their drive from the 
airport to the MIT campus.  But the stark, utilitarian complex 
where Neumann's lab was located looked no different than when 
they had last seen it two months earlier.
     Mulder took the steps two at a time, waiting impatiently 
for Scully to catch up.
     //I'm coming.  You really don't have to run, you know.//
     //I know, I'm just anxious to find out what's going on.//
     They found the prep room door without difficulty, and 
Dr. Mather answered their knock immediately.  No need for ID's 
this time, they solemnly exchanged handshakes and went into the 
lab, closing the door behind them.
     "When was the last time you saw him?"  asked Scully 
sympathetically.
     Dr. Mather smiled.  "The day before he left.  He 
preferred to have no one here when he went so he programmed 
the equipment in advance."
     Mulder and Scully exchanged long looks, and then he 
turned to Dr. Mather.  "The FBI was notified by the authorities at 
here at MIT that Professor Neumann had disappeared, and that it 
was possible that foul play was involved.  Are you saying that 
that isn't the case?"
     "That's exactly what I am saying, Mr. Mulder.  When 
was the last time you heard from him?"
     Mulder thought.  Ever since he and Scully had returned 
from the Realm, they had communicated regularly with Professor 
Neumann.  He frequently asked questions about the people and 
places of the Realm, and they would regale him with stories of 
their experiences, or painstakingly explain various facets of the 
culture.   They had even provided him with crude maps, and 
diagrams of the castle and the layout of their room.  The 
Professor was always eager and grateful for the information, and 
it was very cathartic for Mulder and Scully to be able to talk 
about the place they still missed so much with someone who was 
interested, understanding, and who didn't think they were crazy.
     "We exchanged e-mail about a week ago, and we spoke 
on the phone three or four days ago.  Why?"
     "He went through to the Realm, didn't he, Dr. Mather?"  
Scully said it quietly but with a sureness that Mulder had never 
known to be misplaced.
     She nodded.  "About a month ago he found the 
'directional factor' he had been looking for.  Well, he can 
probably tell you better than I."  She handed Mulder an envelope 
and went out to the prep room, closing the door behind her.
     Mulder turned the letter over in his hand. It was 
addressed to him and Scully in Neumann's tight scrawl. 
Exchanging concerned glances with her, he tore open the seal, 
pulled out the letter and began to read:

     Dear Mr. Mulder and Dr. Scully,

     "I've left instructions with Karen to give you this after 
I've left.  I'm sorry I couldn't share my plan with you.  I don't 
think I finally decided to do it until a couple of days ago, and then 
I was afraid you'd try to talk me out of it.
     The directional factor is a reality - on paper.  There's no 
way to test it without sending a human through the Vortex.  Ever 
since I first saw Tarnor, I've been obsessed by the prospect of 
visiting the place where such a creature could come from.  I can't 
describe how envious I was of you both when you returned from 
your adventures in the Realm.  And in a few moments, I shall 
begin my own adventure.
     I have kept my word.  All possible safeguards have been 
built into the system.  An aside that you may find interesting, 
even comforting - some of my experiments have shown time to 
be fluid (actually, 'gel' might be a more accurate expression).  
Based on this, I believe that the time factor you experienced, of 
thirty six realworld hours to approximately one Realm year, 
almost surely is not a constant.  Thus, in spite of the passage of 
time since your return, it is my belief that I will find your friends 
much as you left them.
     I wish there had been another way to do this without 
attracting the suspicions of some of the groups we would just as 
soon avoid.  When you receive this, Karen will begin to construct 
a very elaborate paper trail which should allay the fears for my 
wellbeing and any questions as to my whereabouts for several 
weeks to come.  She has also been instructed to provide you with 
whatever documentation you need for your reports.
     I'm bringing some gifts from our world, carefully chosen 
to avoid contaminating their culture.  When I return, we shall get 
together and I'll bring you news of your friends.  I shall give your 
love to Jourdain and Aldara, to Reinald and Andalor, and of 
course to Tarnor and Corvay, and tell them how much you miss 
them.   

     Wish me luck.

     Gunther Neumann



The End
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THE PROPHECY:

Long past the years of Poor Harvest
When peace has returned to the Realm
And the People no longer cry out in Sorrow and Unrest
There will be a time of Great Plenty and Calm.
Cherish the Grace of the Land,
For when the moons have turned ten score and ten,
The End will be near to hand;
And Darkness awaits for the children.

Upon the Land a Dark Shadow will feast
Upon the hearts of men a sickness will lie.
Mothers will scream in the mouth of a beast. 
And their children will sicken and die.
And the fruit will rot on the branch, 
And the fields will run red with blood.
And the grain will wither upon the stalk.
And the waters will rise in a flood.

No man shall hold Kingship alone or in part.
Divided the Council shall stand.
Treachery will turn within a noble heart.
And sudden storms will sweep the land
Deep within the Great Woods the Beasts will roam.
No longer shall innocents call this their home.

Yet, even as the Dark takes hold upon the Realm
Deep, deep within the great woods,
>From that same source the evil floods,
The Travellers will come.

Travellers who seek the truth.
Travellers whose hearts are pure.
Travellers whose strength will bind the right.
And bring salvation to the light.

Mage to mage, the power draws.
Blue to Blue, together fight.
Brown and Green, the Healer's art
is found within a soldier's heart.

Mage of Realm and Mage Beyond
Join your powers in the night.
Woman, born to be a Mage's bond,
Soldier, Healer, lead the fight.

Night will fall before it's done
Shadow grow and death be strong
Only when the two are one.
Will the Dark be gone.
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