From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 18:10:34 -0500 Subject: Mulder and Scully\'s Revenge by Source: direct Reply To: echonymph11@netscape.net ^^^^^^^^^ Hmm. . . Loyal readers, I have a confession. I haven't touched Seven Stages for quite a while, and while it's not due to lack of effort to write, the mental block is killing me. So I decided to go back through the older sections of this story to try and figure out what the hell my original inspiration (delusion, whatever) that led me to write this was. And this was what I found. Apparently the characters don't like it when you leave them to rot for three months. Eek. Oh, with that thought in mind, I better go check on Regret, yikes. #Echo ^^^^^^^^^ ^ You know, this officially blows. I can't believe that she's screwed us like this. ^ ** Shut up, Mulder, you know she's going to get back to us eventually ** ^ Right, like she got back to those people in that #other# story of hers. ^ ** That was uncalled for. ** ^ I just think a little revenge is in order. ^ ** Mulder . . . ** ^^^^^^^^^ DISCLAIMER: I do not own the X#Files or any of its characters or plot lines either in part or in whole. They belong to Twentieth Century FOX, 10#13 Productions, and Chris Carter. ^ Duh, damn, why does she even bother? And is this not the #most# generic disclaimer she could have possibly given? Damn, you'd think that twisted mind of hers could come up with something better than this. ^ ** Stop being mean, Mulder. ** RATING: R ^ Hah, with the torture I go through in here, she might as well have called it a snuff#flick.^ ** I think you're overreacting. She's just borrowing us for a story, none of this really happened. ** ^ Oh yeah? In her continuity and #her# reality this happened. ^ ** She's right, there's no real reason #other# than love I would put up with you. ** SPOILERS: I hate trying to figure these bloody things out... You know what? I'm gonna cheat. Everything up to Triangle. ^ Just like that little hussy, cheatin' in everything. ^ ** Mulder, you know, she's going to see this eventually, I would watch my language if you don't want her to get the idea into her mind to write a Krychek rapes Mulder story. * ^ Don't even say that! ^ ARCHIVE: Anywhere, just give me credit ^ She's the only person who would take credit for this piece of sugar-coated crap. ^ ** Jesus, this is sugar-coated to you? Where did you grow up? Kazakhstan? ** SUMMARY: We all have secrets, and while the truth may be Mulder's ultimate goal, it might be in his best interest to have kept it to himself. ^ See, that's even a crummy summary. ^ ** Like you could do any better? ** ^ A dark secret, a twisted past, read the rantings of a psychotic teen bent on destroying the lives of two innocent people. ^ ** Nah, I like hers better. * Seven Stages of Human Madness ** I like the title. ** ^ You would, it's not you losing your mind. ^ ** Um, Mulder, have you actually read this story the whole way through? ** ^ No, I've gotten to halfway through part one. ^ ::Scully looks nervous:: ** Maybe you ought to finish reading it while I comment on this first part. ** ^ Hey, good idea, Scully. ^ ::Pages flipping:: ** You owe me one, echonymph ** Disclaimer: PG, Mulder and Scully say some boo boo words, and think about sex. ** HEY! We are not completely horny, we think about stuff other than sex! All the time in fact! ** ^ Give it a rest, Scully, she's got you pegged. ^ ::Grumble:: But since I'm an omnicent third person writer, and have to elaborate... I used a song in here called Free Falling by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Please don't sue!! By the way, I don't own the X-files either, and DDL is completely made up. PROLOGUE In an apartment in Uptown Manhattan, somewhere south of heaven and north of hell, a darkened TV erupted into life, flashes of colored light dotting the screen in the midst of simplistic black and white commercials selling everything from health insurance to the latest baking soda gum. A weary worker rubbed his head, and changed the channel to the ten o'clock news. It was already halfway over, and the top stories, a church bombing, a ten-car pile-up, and the President's sex scandal were already mentioned and ground to the bone. The leftovers were mere remains of the events that had happened that day. Some woman in their community made a very large cake to feed the needy. If the worker had felt a sense of humor at the time, he might have quoted Marie Antoinette, and gone along with it cheerily, instead, he glared at the glowing box, as if seeking more than mere dribble at this twenty minutes after the hour. ** See, I have to admit, that's pretty vivid ** ^ Vividly boring! ^ ** Mulder, stop being juvenile! ** ^ Juvenile like a FOX! ^ ** Lord give me strength ** The last story that the worker laid eyes on before turning off the TV in disgust was a ten second job about a man that the FBI had finally apprehended after a long and exhausting search. The man had killed children, many of them. The worker had sneered at the clean cut and healthy looking murderer on the screen, feeling insincere sympathy for the haggard investigators that had worked so hard to catch him. ^ HEY! Every single time I've been on TV, I've been impeccable! I've looked #suave#, #brave#, G-manly! None of this #haggard# crap! ^ ** In case you didn't notice, Brave#Suave#G#man, she wasn't talking about you. ** ::Mulder sits stunned:: ^ That is totally #beside# the point. ^ ** Yeah. ** This scene was repeated in thousands of homes throughout the United States, some news channels made a bigger deal out of it than others, but all in all, no extra information was released about the killer. Mulder might have seen it, had he not been out of town and nearly out of his mind on a last minute profiling job, and Scully might have told him about it, had she not been with him acting as a lifeline to humanity. ^ Why does everyone assume that I can't hold onto an iota of sanity once I profile? I mean, come on, I existed before you started to work with me. ^ ** Barely. ** ^ What's that supposed to mean? ^ ** It means that she's got you pegged, too! You can barely remember to feed yourself when you profile someone, what the hell makes you think that they haven't noticed that? Oh, and don't put on that defensive, I'm so great I can handle everything expression. Everyone knows that's crap. ** ^ Great, bad to worse. ^ ** You know, sometimes I wish you'd let me know what the #hell# you're talking about. ** ^ It's none of your business. ^ ** Great, oh, that was mature. ^ ::Mulder makes raspberry noises and Scully rolls her eyes:: ** Can we just get on with this? ** ^ I can if you can. ^ ** Mulder, you are going to be in a world of hurt if you don't start acting your age. ** ^ That brings up another point, why does this stupid echonymph chick always think that #you're# the dominant one in the relationship? Huh? I'm the guy! ^ ** Don't tempt me into trying to explain it, Mulder, I'd bust something in the process. ** ^ What are you talkin' about? ^ ** Obviously, you don't read a lot of her stories about you and me, do you? ** ^ No. ^ ** Oh, this is going to be good . . . ** ^ Hey, I don't like that smile on your face, Scully, tell me, Sculleeeeeeeeee. ^ And one of the three wealthiest and most powerful women in the world might have also seen the report on the TV had she not been at the hospital receiving news that her life expectancy had just been reduced to a year and a half. ^ How cheerful. ^ ** Pot calling the kettle black. ** ^ Bite me. ^ ** Don't go givin' her any ideas. ** And had anyone cared to follow up on the story, the following might have never occurred, the Twilite case might have been buried deep within the books, another put in jail by our ever faithful justice system. ^ Was she dissing us? ^ ** Shut UP. ** But no one mentioned the report, and no one thought to share. Mulder and the woman stayed in the dark for far too long. Time, pressure, and heat are the essential elements for creating an explosion. It seemed as if a replay of Mt. St. Helen's was going to occur in the next year. ^ What's with this stupid POV thing she's got goin' here anyways? ^ ::Scully smacks Mulder upside the head with a printed version of Seven Stages, subsequently knocking him unconscious with the 387 (and counting) volume:: ### PART ONE: DISCOVERY The Capture: Mulder's acting bizarre. ** He always acts bizarre, lady. ** ^ #That# was uncalled for! ^ ** You're supposed to be reading Oh- Eccentric-One ** A successful businesswoman in New York who should have been at the top of the world is beyond misery, but what do they have to do common with one another? And where does a serial killer fit into this picture? The saga begins with the capture... ### ** Oh, that sounded good, I have to admit. ** ****** New York City DDL Law Supergroup; 20th floor Thursday, December 10, 1998 8:10 am The woman clutched at the arms of a luxurious leather office chair like they were the last pieces of driftwood in an unfriendly ocean. She held a telephone receiver in one hand, staring at it as if it were the Holy Grail. Her mind wondered at what the woman on the phone had so quickly and passively told her. How could anyone, even a disgruntled secretary, especially with twelve sets of bleeding hearts behind her, mention something so offhandedly? ** Is 'offhandedly' a word? ** ^ Knowing her, it's not. ^ ** Go back to reading you bum! ** ^ Hey! No shouting, my head still hurts from when you smacked me. ^ ** Sorry. ** ^ No you're not. ^ ** You're right, I'm not. ** ^ HEY! ^ So carelessly? ^ Not a sentence. ^ ** I'm not going to say it, it's too easy a shot, I will save it for later when it's better earned. . . ** As if whatever she was doing, or would ever do, could be more important the message conveyed in the simple, arrogant conversation relayed through that phone line. How could they not tell her? How could they quietly try to settle the case in court without her? Without even leaking a word that he had been caught? How could they have robbed her of the chance to slap him in the face, spit in his eyes, scream about how he had taken everything away from her, ruined her marriage, and slaughtered her spirit? ^ Slaughtered her spirit like a hog. Slit its throat and let it writhe around for a while, squealing and oinking and screaming like a hog-slaughtered spirit that it was. ^ ** Mulder, SHUT UP, and read. ** How dare they hide the truth because they were ashamed? But then again, who was she to cast a stone when she was a sinner just as wretched? She blinked slowly, and everything came into perspective, all the images reflecting off of everything looked so much....clearer. And all the wisps of wind that blew through the vent above her desk a little colder, the light that filtered in through the wall-length window just a bit too bright, as if she had finally emerged from a dark, underground cocoon. In a way she had, and just like a child might see the city with eyes of wonder, she looked at herself and the room around her. The lush richness that flowed from her fingertips and spilled like channels of liquid gold and silver through her veins, replacing the life-giving blood, turning her into a memorial of wealth. ^ An ugly gauche memorial that the French had sent, covered from head to toe with cultural slang and innocent- looking hand-gestures that meant the bird in assorted languages. 'Yes,' the French thought, 'just wait and watch, mon'amies, soon, someone from Pakistan will ride into Ellis Island, and see only the middle finger, and then, hohoho, then, those stupid Americans will no longer be our problems! Freedom! No more deodorant for anyone!' ^ ** Okay, that's it, no more caffeine for you. ** And that was all she was. A memorial to a memory that had been forgotten and disregarded. Neglected for so many years by herself and all those around her that it shamed her to the core to even wander into those daydreams when she was staring out at nothing. Shame for herself, shame for her weakness, her fragility, and most of all, the way she had run away from it all. ^ What in the hell is she talking about? ^ ** Something deep, and painful, and beautiful, something that creatures possessing a phallus would not understand, now would you just finish reading this and shut up? ** ^ Geez, I'm to the part where we're at the bar, and, ^ ** Save your comments for when we get there. ** ^ Ai ai, cap'in. ^ ::SMACK:: ^ Owwwwwwwwww ^ For years, she had run away, and just like a lab mouse on a wheel, she was endlessly headed towards nowhere personally, but for the sake of science, or her case, finance, she was going sky-high. For the first time, she realized that she had been living in a dark blur this entire time, cameras and flashbulbs be damned, all the light that had surrounded her outer core, had in no way penetrated her titanium wrap of despair. Through one phone call, her senses had grown Sharper, the lump in her throat and the black butterflies fluttering at the edges of her vision all became more intense. So strong that the sudden clarity was blocked out as she started to loose the delicate grip on reality she had maintained for so long. ^ And suddenly, all the colors in the room flowed like a psychedelic flower power merry-go-round, 'Damn,' she thought to herself, 'I have go to easy on the LSD next time, I might not be able to count that bump off as the beginnings of a hunched back next time,' she glanced around the room suspiciously, wary of the purple elephants and pink monkeys that were doing a suggestive dance in the corner.^ ** Mulder. ** ^ Some would call it interpretive, others, blatantly sexual, but #irregardless# of the terminology, Deborah found it distinctly arousing, she decided to join in." ::Scully pulls out an interdimensional hammer, and pulls a Babe Ruth with it, Mulder is up, up, and outta there:: ** Ahem, now, back to the story. ** Another woman watched her curiously, set down her pad and pencil and asked, "Are you okay?" The woman across from her glanced over and teetered, she grasped for the corner of the cherry desk, missed and collapsed on the floor. The last thing she remembered as the Earth blacked away was her secretary trying to revive her. ::Mulder crawls back into the room, flops down next to Scully, and eyes the hammer suspiciously, Scully in turn, just ignores him and hits 'Page Down' to read the rest of the story:: ***** Washington DC Hoover Building; Basement Thursday, December 10, 1998 8:15 am ** Hah, she got that wrong. Since when are you ever there before nine or nine thirty. ** ^ Oh, like you're the queen of punctuality. ^ ** In fact, ** ^ In fact every twenty-nine days, you're late for exactly five days, I don't know Scully, maybe it's just me, but it seems like someone's 'friend' is causing her some problems-OW ^ ::Sniffs:: ** That oughta teach him. ** A lone figure sat at a desk in the basement office of the Hoover Building. He stared at the phone cradled in his hands. A confused whirl of thoughts danced madly through his head. He had been there since last night thinking about the fax he had received, and now the phone call was on his mind. Something in him snapped. ** It snapped a long time ago, honey. ** ^ Hey! That's unfair! ^ ** Yeah, so is #you# being the focus of all her stories, but you don't see me whining about it.** It had ruined his life. It had ruined so many people's lives... And Marley in VC had just announced it like yesterday's weather. ^ Which by the way was slightly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. ^ ** Really? ** ^ Yeah, I thought it was weird, too. Wait, lets get back to this story. ^ They tried to nail him for twelve counts of sexual assault and first degree murder, without his help, without his input, without even telling him until the man had been left off. They only felt it necessary to enlighten him now that the angry victims came crying for a civil suit against the killer, and only then mention it because the victim's were crying for the agents on the case. How could they not tell *him*? ** Him who is so eternally special that they revolve the entire world around him. 'Zounds,' he bemoaned, 'I suppose I'll have to do something else stupid in order to turn the focus of the FBI back to me, now, should it be going off the deep end, or getting abducted, decisions, decisions. ** ^ HEY! That is like, TRIPLE unfair. ^ A noise caught his attention. He saw his partner enter the room, start to say something, but stopped abruptly at the look on his face. Thought after thought hit him hard on the facade, evidence of his ultimate deception, he wouldn't be able to wear the mask any longer. Fear clutched at his heart, feeding off of the constant pounding, reveling in the perverse release that he felt at this revelation. The lies would stop, and in that pause, so would the rest of the world, the sun would stop shining, the clouds would stop moving, and people all around would be held under a magic spell until his partner's breath broke the silence with either forgiveness, or good-byes. ** Aw, I didn't know you thought so highly of me, Mulder, that's so sweet. ** ^ She wrote that crap! It's not as if #I# care what you think of me! ^ ::Scully narrows her eyes at him dangerously:: ** Is that so? ** ^ Um, no, strike the previous comments from the record. That echo chick got this one right, heh. ^ ** I thought so. ** It was too much. He stood to face her, but his knees buckled, and he slid down along one of the filing cabinets and collapsed in a heap on the floor. He vaguely remembered Scully trying in revive him before the darkness swallowed him whole. ^ Okay, she's implying that I fainted. ^ ** She's outright #saying# that you fainted. ** ^ Look, Fox William Mulder does #NOT# faint. ^ ** Ah, you do, too. ** ^ NEVER! ^ ** Right, just like you don't sing the theme to Shaft. ** ^ That never happened. ^ ** What, no plausible denial, Mulder? ** ***** "I'm fine!" The dark brunette pouted while being forced to lie down on a sofa. After she had been roused from her blackout state, she had made a hurried phone call accepting the job offer that had presented itself on the line. Now, after the call had been made, Deborah was getting woozy again. Her secretary was forcing her to lie down, to stop, to rest. ^ To touch her. See, the blonde had loved the brunette for years now, and she knew the brunette reciprocated her feelings, she was just afraid, unfamiliar with the homosexual pull of her body. The blond smiled seductively, pushing her hand up the hem of the brunette's skirt, and fingering the lace edge of her panties. "Let me show you, kitten." The brunette bit her lip to keep from screaming at the pleasure of it all, and murmured, "Oh, Love#Master, teach me, oh, OH, TEACH ME! AHHHHHHH AHHHHH!" she screamed as a roaring multiple orgasm made her body shudder and buck at the woman's touch." ** MULDER, YOU PERVERT! ** ^ "Oh, please, educate me in the ways of looooooooooove, oh Love#Master! ^ ** Mulder, I'm warning you. ** ^ "I want to touch your dark places, show me what it's like to be with a woman, please, I need it, oh oh oh." ^ ** Mulder, I swear to God, if you keep this up, you're going to regret it. ** ^ "Oh, teach me so that when I die I'll have no regrets of us never making love!" The blond smiled, grabbing the brunette's hips, she pushed the skirt all the way up, "Don't worry kitten, I'll show you# OW, AHHHHHHHHH! ^ ** I warned you, I gave you three chances, and you didn't listen to me. ** ^ AHHHHHHHHHHHH! ^ ** Now, let's move on. ** As if it was humanly possible with for the woman at hand to rest. 'What was in a person's life,' Deborah thought, 'some money, a little power? And to have all their high brow sophistication blown out of the water with one simple phone call.' The words kept ringing in her head, the nonchalance of the lazy feminine voice that had announced her undoing. ^ Yes, the #gasp# seductive way that her 'L's had rolled of her tongue. It made her hot. She looked at the blond again, determined now to be ashamed, ripping her blouse open, buttons popping all over the room, she cried: "Oh, Love- Master, TAKE ME, TAKE ME NOW! Teach me in the ways of your polka dance of passion! ^ ** Man, Mulder, you are going to be in a world of hurt when we get to the office tomorrow. ** Society had dulled the razor sharp edge of empathy for victims of crime and the people who observed their horror. The blade had been rounded, so when it did cut, it just merely grazed the surface, never drawing blood or real emotion into the mix. No one had time for that anymore. They were always running one place or another, trying to get something done. No time to feel bad that twelve little kids were raped and beaten to death. No time at all. Absolute apathy because whoever had carried the message was too far away from the tragedy to truly understand what it would feel like. The woman probably didn't even have kids. ^ No, no children, they'd never have children, if only women could fertilize each other, then they wouldn't need to seek outsider males to disturb the rumba of their lusts. The brunette ignored the unhappy thought, and wholeheartedly lowered her head to the blonds mouth again. ^ ** Oh, Jesus, Mulder. . . ** "Like hell you are! You just passed out on the floor in front of me! What did the guy on the phone say anyway?" The strawberry blonde shoved her employer back onto the old sofa. The woman attempted to get back up again, Terri didn't think she should. ^ "Terri? You still think of me as Terri, don't you? I'll teach you not to defy your Love-Master! Thirty lashes with the whip! And you get gagged next time we have a lesson, kitten!"^ ::Mumble, Scully disappears from the set in search of something, Mulder doesn't pay much attention and continues his commentary:: "Let go, Terri! I will be fine. If you don't let go," she trailed off, searching for something to persuade the woman with. And finally came up with the lamest threat ever, "I'll fire you," she yelled, knowing that it was completely untrue. Terri knew that Deborah needed her just as much as her right arm, and that without her assistant, Deborah would be so lost knee-deep in appointments that she would probably commit suicide and get it over with. Finally breaking free, Deborah ran to her extensive legal library. ^ And pulled out a book that opened a secret panel, revealing what looked like a German Dungeon-porn set, with a horny look in her eyes, she turned back to her Love-Master. "Oh, Master, please, chain me to this wall and PUNISH me for my crimes." The blonde grinned evilly. "Oh, yes, kitten, I'll punish you until the sun comes out." She pulled of her clothing hurriedly, revealing an outfit of black leather, wielding a whip and an artificial tool of love, she approached the brunette. "For your insolence, kitten, you will have to suffer, A REAMING!" ::Scully suddenly jumps Mulder from the back and ties his hands together:: ^ Hey! Scully! Oh, I see, you're getting' hot from my little story, well, you needn't go to such extremes, all you'd have to do is ask. ^ ** I see. ** ::Scully pulls out another rope and ties Mulder's feet together:: ^ Oh, she likes it rough and tumble. ^ ** Oh, yeah, Mulder, you know me. ** ::Scully pulls out a roll of duct tape and promptly tapes Mulder's mouth shut:: ^ MMFEHASDHOHOEHFMFHFMFMF!!! ^ ** Like I said, Mulder#baby, you know me. ** Terri threw her arms into the air, knowing it was useless to stop her boss when she was like this. "Debbie, what the hell are you doing?" Without looking, she answered, "Getting even." ***** "I'm fine," Mulder insisted as Scully made him sit down again. ** See, that's perfect characterization if you ask me, you're too testosterone#y to admit when something bothering you. ** ::Sullenly:: ^ Mfmhphm. ^ ** Oh, I'm sorry, Mulder, I didn't get that. ** ::Mulder sighs, and starts rubbing the ropes that bind his hands against the corner of a filing cabinet:: "Like hell. You just fainted. I've known you for six years, and you never faint. What was that phone conversation about anyway?" She felt his forehead and smacked his shoulder lightly when he wouldn't settle down. He wanted to get back up, she thought that was a load of bull. "Scully, let me go! I'll be fine, I'll let you poke and prod me to your heart's content later." He finally achieved his goal and went over to his computer. He logged onto the FBI's information archives, the blue database screen lighting up his hazel eyes and tinting them an unnatural hue of navy. ** Oh, I love it when she talks about your eyes, she makes them sound so pretty, almost makes me want to untie you. ** ::Hopefully:: ^ Mphfffmy? ^ ** Hmm. . . nah. ** "Mulder, what is going on?" Scully let her hands fall by her sides, knowing there was no stopping him now. Without giving her a second glance he answered, "They're putting out a civil suit against John Darryl Twilite." ** Oh, nice suspense and pacing. Don't you think Mulder? ** ::Mulder glares and keeps on trying to free rubbing the ropes against a corner, planning ways to make her life miserable in his mind:: ***** This was the first twenty-one of #many# pages like this that I found on my hard drive. If you want to read more of it, I'd recommend emailing me and letting me know about it at echonymph11@netscape.net. Slightly confused but always there, echo