From: Don Durham Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 14:16:21 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Out of the Frying Pan 01/07 by Don Durham -- Reposting due to Mail Title: Out of the Frying Pan Author: Don Durham Email Address: CousinDon@innocent.com Date: September 1998 Distribution: Gossamer. All others please ask. Spoiler Waning: Zero Sum and Redux II Rating: NC-17 Content Warning: Mulder/Scully Sex, no romance Classification: T,A Summary: After Redux II, Scully takes a vacation that takes a life changing turn. This story was beta-read and critiqued by my very supportive and insightful wife. Without her help and patience, it would not have been possible. Additional beta-reading was provided by the FanFic Writers Critique List. E-mail: CousinDon@innocent.com This story can also be found at: http://www.io.com/~arthurd/fanfic/xf/ootfp.html DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations of The X-Files are the property of Chris Carter, the various studios, et al. No copyright infringement is intended. However, the characters and situations introduced in Out of the Frying Pan are mine and may be used only with my express written permission. Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 1 of 7 I awoke to the pounding of my head. It was 3:05 a.m. and I felt absolutely terrible. Unfortunately, I knew the symptoms better than I'd like to admit -- the precursor to a grade A hangover. As I sat up, I noticed the room felt wrong -- too bright; too noisy. Still dazed, I stumbled out of bed and toward the bathroom. Maybe a drink of water, or at least some on my face, would help. I'd drunk pretty heavily the evening before, and I expected a certain amount of penitary pain for my troubles, but this was a bit much. I groped my way into the bathroom and up to the sink. I looked better than I felt, but that wasn't saying much. My hair was red straw around my head, from swimming almost every day. Between the ocean and the pool, it didn't know what hit it. Water didn't help. The cold wasn't nearly cold enough and the faucet was way too noisy. Resigned to dig in my luggage for ibuprofen, I grabbed the towel and turned to get my makeup bag. Just then, I saw him. There was a man in the bathtub. I almost started to scream reflexively when I realized he was dead. Not only that, but there was blood all over him and, worse, it was all over me! I'd been too groggy to notice it as I walked in, but I was covered in it! Dana Scully, calm down. You see more dead bodies in a week than most people do in a lifetime. Screaming will do you no good. Be calm. Wash off your face. Go into the next room. Think. I took a deep breath and hurriedly cleaned myself off. Most of the blood probably ended up on the towel, but at least it was off me. I glanced again at dead man in my bathtub. He looked to be local, and very, very dead, but I checked anyway. Yep, dead alright. I sat on the edge of the bed. What do I do now? Who do I call? My first instinct was to call the police, a lawyer, the American consulate, or maybe all three. But why was there a dead man in my bathroom? Something was wrong here. Very wrong. Weird. After that realization, there was no question. I dialed the Virginia area code without further thought. "Mulder, it's me. I'm in terrible trouble." ------------------------- The phone rang at exactly 4:23 a.m. I checked, because I expected it to be Frohike. He'd been having insomnia lately, and since he knew I was regularly up, he felt he had free rein to call me. I swung myself off the couch and snatched up the phone. "Frohike! It's 4:23 in the morning. I'm going to rip your arms off and beat you to death with them." I couldn't have been more wrong about who was calling? "Mulder, it's me. I'm in terrible trouble." "Scully. Aren't you still in Mexico?" "Yes, and I'm in trouble. I don't know what to do. I was asleep and when I woke up; I went to the bathroom and there was this dead man in the tub. Now I'm in here with a dead body, and no way---" "Scully. Calm down! Are you sitting?" "Yes." "OK. Now start at the beginning." "It's just like I said. I woke up to go to the bathroom, and when I looked in the tub there was a dead body in it. Mulder, I've got blood all over me!" "Scully, is it your blood? Are you hurt?" Could her cancer have come back? Was she right now bleeding from her nose? "No. It's not mine." "Good. At least you're OK." "But what about the body? I've got to call the police. There'll have to be an inquiry. Mulder, I haven't got an alibi or anything!" Her voice was taking on a hysterical tone. "Scully. Dana. Stop. You can't call the police." "Why not? There's been a death. I have to report it to the authorities, Mulder." "You're not thinking straight. You're a foreigner. The police aren't going to be nearly as understanding as they are here. The system's not the same." "Then what am I going to do?" "First, you're going to get the body out of the tub --- wrap it in a sheet or something, and clean everything up. Then you're going to turn the A/C down as cold as you can and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as possible. Probably before nightfall. Don't let anyone in the room until I get there. "OK." "Good. I'll have my cell on the whole time. Call me if you need to." "All right. I'll wait here." "Dana. Stop worrying. Everything's going to be OK." In all the times had I assured her of that, this was the first time I really thought I might be lying to her. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "Fox?" God, she sounded like a little girl. How could this tough-as-nails person seem so small some times? "Yes?" "Thank you." She regained her composure --- back to Dana Scully, G-Woman. "Haven't you taken care of me often enough? Get some sleep, I'll be there as soon as I can." "Bye." She seemed to loose the confidence she'd gained - the little girl was back. I tore through the apartment, grabbing the first set of clothes I could find and stuffed them into the nearest thing that would carry them --- a cheap backpack I'd gotten at a law enforcement conference several years ago. I looked at my guns forlornly. There was no way I'd take them this time. It wasn't worth the risk. I'd take my FBI ID, and hope I didn't have to flash it. I threw my passport in my bag and stuffed the ID into my jeans. Once in the car, I had to work on plane reservations. Shit, I didn't want to fight airlines and drive. Langley. He owed me. I could trust his skill, and his silence. The phone rang at least eight times on the other end before Langley finally answered. "Hello." His clipped voice answered. Langley hated to talk on the phone. He was convinced his conversations were monitored. He was probably right. "Langley, its Mulder. I need a favor." "Mulder. It's 5:30. I was about to go to bed. Can't it wait?" His voice added, 'and I'm too tired for any of your crap.' "No, it can't. Scully's in trouble, and I need to get to Puerto Vallarta ASAP. I'm on my way to Dulles right now. Can you create me some reservations?" Langley's attitude turned around in a hurry. "Sure. You want first class or coach?" "I don't give a crap if you have them strap me on the wing! Just as long as it's fast." "OK, OK. You don't have to get testy. It's going to take me a few minutes. I'll call you back in ten. You're heading to Dulles, right?" "Yeah, Dulles." Langley'd better hurry, at the rate I was driving, I'd be in the parking lot by then. The minutes sped by, punctuated by high speed turns and prayers for the police to be snuggled in their beds or at donut shops. Finally, my phone squealed. "Mulder." "Hey, it's me. How are you about running in airports?" "Langley, for this, I'd leap out on the tarmac and catch the outbound flight while it was taxiing." "Fine. You're on CheyAir 354, leaving in 40 minutes, gate 18. You change planes in Atlanta to Latania 222." "Thanks, Langley. I owe you. Not a word to anyone about it, OK?" "Sure. No problem." I closed the connection. Decision time. Leave the car at the curb? It'll get towed, but I could probably get it waived via the FBI. Of course, that'd mean getting Skinner involved? Leave it at short-term parking. It'll cost an arm and a leg, but almost as quick and easier in the long run. Sprinting into the terminal, I used my trusty FBI badge to get to the front of the line and to hurry the agent along. Sometimes working for the government is a good thing. Once on the plane, I checked my tickets. Now I understood why Langley had asked about running. I had about 35 minutes to get across two concourses and to international departures. Great. At least I wasn't carrying anything. Skinner! I'd better call him. Should I tell him about Scully? Ever since the night in Skinner's apartment, when he admitted he'd bargained with Cancerman for her life, I had been convinced he was in love with her. But her with him? Until I saw her gazing at him at the hospital, I'd have bet money on her disinterest. But something passed between them as I sat there watching. Not that it mattered, neither of them would do anything about it anyway. Well, time to be creative. Skinner shouldn't be at work yet, so it'd be safe to leave a message there. "Sir, this is Agent Mulder. Something's come up, and I'm going to have to take a few days vacation. I'll call in later if it's going to be more than a week." This will confuse the hell out of him; me asking for vacation. Maybe enough so he'll not think to call Scully. I sat in utter confusion. Was this another plot of Cancerman's? I didn't believed he was dead for a minute. '...Too much blood...' It was just too pat. What was the plan? Plant the body, get me out of the country to rescue Scully, kill us both? Maybe, maybe not. I realized nothing would be solved here on the plane. Might as well sleep. Planes were one of the few places I always could. ------------------------- Crouched in the darkness of the bedroom, I tried to figure out how this had happened to me. Sure, trouble followed Mulder around like an underfed dog, but for the most part I'd been left out of it. The abduction and subsequent cancer withstanding, Mulder was the one who attracted this crap. By the time I'd been given the all clear on my cancer, I hated attention. My mother, wouldn't let me out of her sight - she I could excuse. It was the rest of them that drove me crazy. Bill thought he now had the right to act as de facto father. Mulder and Skinner both treated me like I was made of glass! Neither wanted me to come back to work, and both of them seemed intent on checking up on me every single day. One afternoon, I swear I caught Skinner mooning at me. That was the last straw. It only took a 45-minute _conversation_ with my doctor for him to see I was just fine, and a vacation would be the perfect thing for me. Why Puerto Vallarta? Probably because I was watching _Night of the Iguana_ when Skinner apparently lost his mind. It seemed like a good place. Warm, peaceful, and best of all, no one there to harass me about 'being just out of the hospital' or 'what I needed was a good long rest, not to be at work'! It had been perfect, postcard perfect, right up until this morning. I spent the days exploring, and the nights dancing. Then I woke up with a body in my bathroom. I know Skinner said he was dead, but could it be Cancerman? They never found his body, and this was something he'd do. Trap me here, and then offer to help me. My soul for my freedom. Easy. Fast. Permanent. It was getting too much to deal with, and the light stabbing through the curtains was beginning to hurt my eyes. Oh joy, a migraine! It wasn't like I had any problems. Why not? I grabbed the pillow, and blankets. I'd hide in the bathroom. It was creepy, but at least it was dark. ------------------------- This was definitely turning out to be a nightmare trip. The sprint though the Atlanta airport had taken almost exactly the amount of time before the flight left. I'd had to use my bloody badge again to get an agent to hold the plane. Now, every person who'd seen me remembered me, and my 'I'm a G-man' badge. Great. Getting into Mexico was supposed to be easy. Not this time. Since I had packed in five minutes, my worldly possessions could just about fit in a mayonnaise jar. I guess I set off some sort of profile in the custom agent's mind. I spent fifteen minutes proving I wasn't a drug dealer. At least I kept my ID out of it. That would have insured a quick return trip to the States. Slipping past the timeshare shills, I walked outside into the warm late afternoon sun. The sharp contrast from the Washington gloom only served to make it more idyllic. It was hard to believe that anything sinister happened here. But I didn't have time to be gaping at the scenery, I had to get to Scully. I grabbed a random taxi from the long line at the curb and gave the driver the hotel name. God, I hoped nothing had happened while I was in flight. I thought about calling but it was only a few minutes away. Better just to get there. The driver must have sensed my urgency. He took off like the proverbial bat out of hell. Although Scully's hotel was one of the resorts about 30 minutes north of town, it took half that time. He wound through the traffic with a vengeance; only slowing down for the border crossing into Jalisco. We screeched to a stop in front of the hotel, and I threw him two twenties - a good deal more than the fare, but I didn't want to waste time talking about it. He was very happy with me. Unfortunately, he'd probably remember me as well. I walked up to room 1306 and knocked. No answer. I knocked again. This was starting to get scary. Could Scully have been arrested? Finally, I heard her voice through the door. "Mulder?" She was whispering so softly, I could barely hear her. "Yeah, Scully. It's me. Open the door." "Mulder. I'm going to unlock the door. You count to twenty and then come in. Lock the door behind you." She sounded strange. Not hysterical, but really hyper or something. The lock turned. I counted my required twenty and rushed through the door. It was pitch dark. "Scully?" I hoarsely whispered. I cracked my shin against a coffee table as I ran in. "Shit!" Grabbing my leg, I hobbled further inside. "Scully? Where are you?" "In the bathroom, Mulder." The bathroom? What was she doing in there? "Just a minute. I've got to turn on the lights." "No!" Her voice was panicky. "Leave them off!" She was starting to loose it. I rushed toward the back where I heard her voice. Just as I was about to call her again, my eyes adjusted enough to make out the door to the bedroom in the gloom. Once inside, I felt, more than saw, the door to the bathroom on the left. "Scully? Dana?" I called softly. "In here." I turned the handle and opened the door. ------------------------- Finally, Mulder was here. Clumsy and crashing into everything in sight, but here. Eventually, he opened the door. I yanked him inside before he turned on the damnable lights. I guess he was off balance because he went across the room and into the towel bar. "Scully!" He screamed loud enough to wake the dead. "Why'd you do that? I think you broke my shoulder." "Mulder. I did no such thing. I was just trying to get you inside. It's not my fault you're a klutz. Now stop screaming and let me look at it." God. A little tug, and he starts whining. "What? In the dark?" He scrambled to the door, and turned on the light. I knew I should have unscrewed those bloody bulbs. The light drove into my skull like knives. God, it hurt. I leapt at the switch and turned if off before he blinded me permanently. ------------------------- "Scully," I tried to be as calming as possible, "can I please turn on the light? I want to make sure you're OK, and I can't do it in the dark." I was sure Cancerman was in on this somehow. They've drugged her. The light sensitivity must be a side effect. "OK, Mulder. Let me unscrew the bulbs first." I could hear the hint of hysteria in her voice. It was amazing; she didn't fumble at all. How in the hell could she do that? I indexed through all the drugs I knew. Did any of them give night vision? "There." She turned on the one remaining light bulb, and I finally got to see her. How in the world could this woman be trapped in a hotel room with a dead body and still look stunning? I forgot my shoulder for a moment and stared. "Mulder!" She snapped. "Quit mooning and get over here. If _I'm_ going to look at you, you need to be in reach." I stepped up to her. Her hair was wild, and there was a strange glint to her eyes, but she was still my Scully. "Nothing." She probed around. Just a tiny little cut. Doesn't even rate stitches. Nothing? She throws me across a room, and isn't even the least bit concerned about it? Calm down. She's probably in shock or something. After all, it's not every day she finds a body in her bathroom. "OK, thanks. Are you all right? Tell me everything. From the start." Scully stared at me. Kinda like she was looking at me for the first time or something. "Mulder? Are you wearing a new cologne? It smells wonderful." Scully sidled up next to me. I'd forgotten just how sexy she could be in these past weeks. It's hard to think erotic thoughts about someone who's at death's door. "Not unless you count _Eau de Unwashed FBI Agent_ as a fragrance. You're probably just relieved to see me." "Yeah. That must be it." Her voice was a bit wistful. She didn't sound like she believed it, but what else could it be? Scully was almost pathologically clean. She certainly wouldn't be turned on by an unwashed Mulder. "Scully, this is nice and all, but we don't have time to dawdle. Where's the body?" End Part 1 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 2 of 7 "... body?" Suddenly, it all came back to me. Mulder's extravagant entry, and my impending migraine, had made me forget the body. The dead man in the closet. I hadn't realized how wired I'd been waiting for him. I sagged into his arms and held on for dear life. Mulder was here. He'd know what to do, and how to get me out of this. The tears I'd been holding back since he had told me he was on his way flooded. "He's dead Mulder. What am I going to do? They'll think I killed him. I don't have an alibi. I don't even know who he is." I wrapped my arms around him and hung on. "Scully. You're freezing! I'm going to look at the body, and turn up the A/C. I'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you wrap yourself up while I'm gone." Cold? More Mulder-mothering. I wasn't even chilled. I sagged to the floor as he went into the bedroom. ------------------------- I know I should've spent more time comforting her, but I was scared the _Federales_ would be breaking down the door any second. Shit, she was like ice. Shock, maybe? Whatever it was, it would have to wait until I saw the body. I shut the door behind me and turned on a light. I had to squint against the glare for second. Scully had it really dark in there. I went to the closet. Yep, one dead local. The cause of death was easy enough. His throat had been ripped out. But there wasn't nearly enough blood on his clothes for it. Had the body bled into the tub, and she hadn't noticed? Not likely. I looked closer. Scully should be doing this, but she'd decided hiding in the bathroom was more important. I'd seen this type of wound before. Where? While being eidetic was usually a pain in the ass, every once in a while it was useful. It might take the next hour or the next week, but eventually I'd remember where. Ah! Not a body. A photo, or a picture. No, a painting... from the 16th century... Augustine Paul... yes! He'd written a journal chronicling his battle against a demon which decimated both his monastery and the surrounding village. The monster had all sorts of magic powers: flight, immunity to injury, incredible strength, etc, but was afraid of sunlight. He had finally beaten the monster through divine intervention. Divine intervention? I had problems with the concept. Scully! Had she been attacked as well? I had to get back to her. I tore open the door to the bathroom, and Scully almost went through the roof! "Mulder! My eyes! I told you to keep the lights off!" She snarled. ------------------------- Good Lord! The pain was unbelievable. This was going to be the mother of all migraines, I could tell already. All I could do was hide my eyes, and hope he shut the door fast. "Scully. The man in there was killed by a vampire! I need to check you for wounds. You could have been bitten, too." He rushed over to me and tried to get me to raise my head so he could look at my neck. "Not until you shut off that God damned light!" I pushed him away. He backed away quickly, and shut the door. I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Mulder, I'm sorry. It's just that I've got a massive migraine coming on, and bright light really hurts." "Sure." He went back to the door and closed it. "Look, I need to check you out. Let me see your neck and throat." He moved back to me. I could still smell him --- despite what he said, he had something on. He lifted my chin and looked at my neck. "You're sure you weren't bitten?" I could hear the panic in his voice. Why was he was getting hysterical? I'd found the body, not him! Ranting at him wouldn't help. "No, Mulder. I haven't been bitten. There aren't any bugs this time of year." Then I realized what he'd said a minute ago. Obviously, Mulder'd been letting his rather extensive imagination run away with him. A vampire? I took a deep breath. "Mulder. What are you talking about? Vampires?" I knew as far as he was concerned, this was a simple, logical explanation. "OK, Scully. You explain it. The guy out there's had his throat torn out. You're sensitive to light, and threw me across the bathroom when I came in." He stood there staring at me. Challenging me to prove him wrong. It took me a second to respond. "One, just because someone dies in an unusual way, does not immediately mean it's an X-File. Two, I have already told you I'm getting a migraine. Three, have you ever heard of adrenaline? Four, there are no such things as vampires!" ------------------------- '...vampires!" At first I was hurt. Why couldn't she believe me on this? She had to know I was right. I don't mistake this kind of stuff. But of course, she was in denial. She had to know she had been attacked, but it was just too incredible to believe. That I could understand. "Scully, I'm sure you're just blocking out the attack. What happened last night? Who were you with?" I had to find this vampire before he came back and finished her. Could she already be one? "Mulder, you're crazy. Antonio's no more a vampire than you are. Than I am. Can't you see someone planted a dead body in my room to trap me? Probably Cancerman or his successor. Why aren't we out there trying to find them? What are we going to do about the body?" Finally, a name. "Scully, it doesn't matter if you believe me or not. The fact remains that Antonio was one of the last people you saw last night. We need to talk to him, and see if he can give you an alibi." I paused, praying this wasn't a one night stand. "Do you know his last name?" "Garza, Antonio Garza. We met at a party a few nights ago." Finally we were getting somewhere. "OK, give me details. How many times did you see him? Where does he work? I need anything that might help us find him." I could see her relax. She must be thinking I've dropped the vampire angle - at least she might start cooperating. "I met him Saturday night at a party at the Sheraton Bougainvilleas. We danced a good bit, and then I, uh, went back to his place." Scully finished the last phrase so quickly I almost had her repeat it until I realized what it must have meant. Back to his place? My stomach flip-flopped. I was resigned to the fact she was Skinner's, but hit with the idea she might be dating in her own right, I almost threw up. My voice shook just a little. "How many times did you go out?" I should be asking about his 'place' but right now I didn't want to know. "Three times. The past three nights, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Then I woke up this morning and called you." Scully was back in FBI mode. She wouldn't be shaken now. "Scully... Dana. I know this is going to sound rude and nosey, but it's important. Did you sleep with him any of those nights?" Was I jealous? Was it OK for Skinner to want her, as long as no one really had her? "WHAT?" I could see her eyes narrow. She was about to tell me to drop dead. "Please. I need to know how comfortable he was with you. How sure he was he knew you. I'm looking for anything that'll give me a way into his head." Good save, Mulder. She looked a little chagrined. "OK. I want you to know I don't normally do this, but he was so sexy and charming I just forgot myself - Mulder if you tell anyone about this, I will shoot you again." I shook my head. "I slept with him all three nights. God, that sounds so sleazy." So, Mulder. What parts of the legend are true? If she slept with him those three nights and he bit her each night, is she a vampire already? Or can she be saved? ------------------------- What is with Mulder and my sex life? Is he jealous? He's never shown any real interest before. Now all of a sudden he's acting weird, even for him. I thought he was going to throw up when I told him I'd slept with Antonio. I can't believe it myself, but I blindly went back to his place Saturday night, and by Sunday noon, I was desperately hoping he'd call again. I'd never considered myself that interested in sex, but Antonio was really good. I sat there on the edge of the tub, mesmerized by the memory of it. "Scully?" Mulder's voice broke my reverie. "What?" I hated to admit it, but I was more than a little annoyed at his interruption. "Where does he live? Where does he work?" Back to the interrogations. I sat there trying to remember where he lived. We'd been there both Saturday and Sunday nights. I could remember getting into the cab, but then things got hazy until well after we were in his bedroom. "Mulder. I hate to be a bad witness, but I can't remember where he lives. I think I was really drunk both times we went to his place." "Both times?" "Yeah. The first two nights we went to his place. Last night he came here." "Then tell me what you do remember. Did you walk? Take a taxi? Does he have a car?" "We took a taxi. I remember getting in, but things get pretty blurry until much later." "How much later?" "Well, just until I got into his bedroom. Do you want those details as well?" Suddenly, Mulder got very quiet. I swear I heard him mutter, 'No, I'd really rather not go there.' "What? I thought I heard you say something." He was not going to mutter at me and get away with it. "If you don't want to know then say so." ------------------------- "...so." I hadn't said a word. I had been praying she would spare me the intimate details. "So where does he work?" My stomach was churning. I couldn't get the image of Scully and some stranger out of my mind. "He told me he was the curator of antiquities at the museum in town." Scully stared at me, "Are you OK? You look sick." "I'm fine. Just a little queasy from flying that's all." That and your being with some strange man, I thought. "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Scully gave me the strangest look. Like I'd just admitted some dark secret. Get the topic changed. "Are you sure the blood you found on yourself wasn't yours?" "Mulder. I think I'd know if I were bleeding." She stared at me, as daring me to contradict her on this point. I was suddenly terrified her cancer had returned. My voice shook. "Scully. You're sure the blood wasn't from... you know..." Scully's gaze softened. "No, Mulder. My cancer hasn't returned. I'd definitely know that. Other than abject terror, I've never felt better in my life." "Are you sure?" How could she be sure? She looked at me with utter calm. "Trust me, Mulder, I'd know." So she'd know. How do we find Antonio? "Scully? Where would he be tonight? Any idea?" "I don't know. We could look for a party. Maybe we can pick up his trail..." She stood up. "I'll go get dressed." Scully left without a backward glance. I could hear her muttering in the bedroom about me and my irrational need for bright lighting. Still, she seemed normal enough. Maybe this was just what it seemed. Maybe Scully was OK. ------------------------- I didn't know why, but I had an almost overwhelming need to get out of here. Out with people, and activity. I couldn't have told Mulder why I knew the blood wasn't mine. It hadn't smelled right. I knew the smell of my blood and the stuff on me this morning wasn't my blood. I tried on three or four outfits before I found something I wanted to wear. Bracing myself for the light, I opened the door to the bathroom "Mulder, I need in here to put on my makeup. Either move to one side or leave." "Scully! Aren't you going to get dressed?" "What do you think this is?" I gestured down at myself. He looked dumbfounded. "You couldn't be dressed yet, you just went out a minute ago." "Are you implying I take a long time to get ready? Is this one of those typically male comments the you blurt out from time to time?" He must've fallen asleep waiting. "Scully." He whined. "I didn't mean you take a long time to get dressed. It's just you stepped out less than two minutes ago. No one dresses that fast." He was obviously desperate to get out of the hole he'd dug. "You probably fell asleep. You're tired from flying all day." "That's not it, Scully. I may be tired, but I certainly know when I fall asleep, and I was wide awake the whole two minutes you were gone." He was getting excited and annoying. I glared at him, "Mulder. Drop it." His eyes glazed a bit. "Drop it." He monotoned. "Come on. We are going out to look for Antonio." "Going out." He was still really out of it. The trip must've taken more out of him that I thought. "Mulder! Wake up." He finally looked at me. "What? Scully why are we standing here? We need to be out looking for Antonio." He seemed to be very excited about it. "Well, come on." I had no idea where we'd go, but anywhere was better than this. ------------------------- Scully was holding us back. We were walking along the street, and she kept stopping and looking toward the houses. "Scully. I thought we were looking for a party. Why stare at the houses?" "I don't know, but whatever they're cooking smells great! I'm starving!" "Come on. I'm sure there's restaurant nearby." Cooking? I couldn't smell anything. I was afraid I was losing her again. Suddenly, she perked up. "There's a party up ahead. I can hear it!" "Where?" "About five or six blocks. Can't you hear the music?" "In a word, no." As I stared at her, she started dancing to this imaginary music. "What are you doing? You'll get us arrested!" "You are absolutely NO fun. There's a perfectly good party up there, and you're hanging back." She picked up her pace until I had to run to keep up with her. She was right. After a couple of minutes, we came on a party ---- at someone's house, but a party nonetheless. "OK, you've found your party. Let's rest before we go in. It'll look strange to be winded when we walk in." As I leaned against a wall and caught my breath, I looked at her. First of all, she wasn't even breathing hard. Secondly, she was gorgeous. There wasn't any one thing I could point out that had changed about her, but somehow she'd become more alive than alive. She didn't seem real. I tried not to stare. "Aren't you even a little tired? We ran at least half a mile." ------------------------- Ran? Walked fast, maybe. But ran? "You've got to give up cheap diners --- you're getting soft. All we did was stroll over here, and you're about to drop." There was that odor of food again. "C'mon. Whatever they've got cooking in there must be great!" "Scully? We don't know who's throwing the party. And we certainly aren't on the guest list. How are we going to get in?" "Easy. Watch." I walked up to gate. "Looks like you're having a party," I said as I walked up. The man at the gate gaped at me. I guess he was particular to redheads. "Y-Y-Yes." He stammered. "Could my friend and I join in?" I gestured at Mulder. "Sure. Why not? Come on in." He beamed at me and waved us in. End Part 2 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 3 of 7 I watched in amazement. Dana Scully, who to my knowledge had never even had an overdue library book, was crashing a party. And doing it with the casual grace of someone who did this almost every day. "Scully," I whispered. "What are you doing?" I expected to be pounced on and ejected at any point. "Looking for Antonio. What else?" It was incredible. She danced into the party, like she'd known everyone there for years. In addition, all eyes were on her, and I do mean ALL eyes. Men AND women. I realized this roller coaster wasn't going to be letting me off. Might as well hang on as best I can, I mused, and trailed her into the melee. "Scully, hold up." I vainly called. She flowed into the crowd and disappeared from sight. Great, now I've lost her, and Antonio 's probably in here looking for both of us. If I was a vampire, where would I be? Off in the bushes? Maybe. I squeezed toward the back of the courtyard and the darkness. Jackpot, there was someone crouched at the edge of the light. I crept closer. Scully! She was bent over the body of what appeared to be a waiter. I grabbed her shoulder to pull her off. She snarled and tossed me away like I was nothing. Sailing away, I realized she had blood on her mouth! Then I hit the ground. Luckily, my fall was broken by a bush - the bush was not so lucky. It took me a few seconds, but I ran back to her. This time, I was more careful, and knocked her back with my foot - I wasn't taking any chances. Off balance, Scully fell back and away from her dinner. She seemed dazed. With one eye on her, I checked her victim, he was still breathing, but it was obvious he had lost a good bit of blood. It was amazing. A classical vampire wound down to the twin punctures at the jugular. I must have been transfixed a little too long, Scully shoved me away and began licking at the wound. Here we go again, I braced myself and lowered my shoulder. I hit her at a dead run, knocking her back and away from her victim. This time I stood between her and her intended. "Scully!" I called as loud as I dared. "Scully!" I paused. "Scully!" The third time was the charm. "Mulder, what happened? Who's that guy on the ground?" She looked genuinely confused. "That guy? That guy was your dinner! You were sucking his blood!" Calm down, Mulder. Getting excited is just going to get both of you in hot water. Not that Scully wasn't already in deep shit. She gave me one of her 'you are crazier than anyone has a right to be' looks. "I WAS NOT DRINKING HIS BLOOD!" "Stop shouting!" I rasped. "If anyone comes back here the next thing you feel will be a stake through your heart." My throat was getting sore from all this forced whispering. "If you won't believe me, come over here and look for yourself." I readied myself to throw her off again. She walked over to me like nothing had happened, definitely unhurt by my flinging her to the ground a minute earlier. She knelt down by the supine body. "Mulder, this man's been attacked! It looks like an animal bit him." If there was any question as to who was standing in front of me this answered it. It was 'Dana Scully, Forsenic Pathologist.' "Scully. It was no animal. I watched you. You did this. I came out of the crowd and found you over him, with your mouth at his neck." God this hurt to say. Every word seemed to condemn her. But Scully was Scully after all - she wasn't going to have a word of it. "Mulder. That is pure hogwash. I was probably trying to check the wound." "And the blood on your mouth?" She reached up to her face; her hand came away red. "Simple. I was applying mouth to mouth." "To his neck?!" I lost it. ------------------------- "...neck?!" "Mulder, I thought you wanted us to be quiet." The man's lost it. That's all there is. He's lost it. He thinks I'm a vampire, and now he thinks I attacked this man. I reached over to Mulder's jacket and stole his handkerchief to clean up. "OK, then how do you explain the fact you threw me across the yard?" He just stood there and stared at me. One of these days, I'm going to slap that silly 'Well, what do you think of that?', look off his face. "How many times do I have to explain adrenaline to you?" "You're not going to believe me, are you?" He stared at me. "OK, then I've got a question. Are you still hungry?" My turn to stare. "What does that have to do with it?" Hungry? Thinking about it, I wasn't - probably due to the scare. "Just answer question. Are you hungry?" Don't get snitty with me Mulder. "OK. No. I'm not, but I still can't see what it has to do with anything. It's a side effect of the adrenaline." "Of course, from the scare." More disbelieving looks. I could swear I heard him mutter 'Bullshit. It's a side effect of nearly sucking that guy dry!' That did it. "Mulder. If you're going to say something, then say it. Stop muttering!" I turned and threaded my way through the party and onto the street. I could hear him scurrying to catch up. "Scully! Wait!" He got closer. "Look I'm sorry. I guess this has got me a bit jumpy. This is the second attack you've been near. I'm just afraid you'll be next." He acted sincere, but he didn't seem it. But he _had_ flown down here at a moment's notice to help me... ------------------------- At last, she was starting to listen to me. Whatever was wrong with her, it'd sure come with a hair trigger temper. And what the hell was with her hearing? I wasn't positive I'd even vocalized the 'sucking him dry' comment, but she reacted like I'd shouted it. This was the second time she'd _heard_ something I was almost certain I hadn't said. "OK, Scully. Where to now?" I'd better stay at her side. She was a danger to the community if not to herself. "Let's go to the museum. I'm sure Antonio is there. He said he often worked into the night cataloging new acquisitions." "No! That's the worst idea." Think Mulder. If we go to the vampire's lair at night we're dead. Or worse... "Let me talk to him first. If he's in on this, we wouldn't want to tip him off." "Alright, then where?" My stomach was growling in spite of my fear. I hadn't eaten since the plane, and that probably shouldn't be considered food. "Well, you may not be hungry any more, but I am. Let's go find a restaurant." "Sure. Like I said, I'm not hungry, but I'll watch you eat." How could a woman who was willing to crash a party for a meal a few minutes ago not be hungry now? "Come on. I see something ahead." Ahead on the right, I could see the patio of a small restaurant opening onto the street. I grabbed Scully's arm to direct her to it. I might as well have pulled on a statue. Her skin was as cold as marble and she was just as pliable. I tried again, and she deigned to come with me. I wasn't more than three steps inside when the owner pushed us toward seats. "Hello. Welcome." He wrapped his arm around Scully's back to usher her inside, and then stopped. His eyes went wide, and he started trembling. For a moment I thought he was going to run, but he took a deep breath and stood his ground. He didn't get anywhere near Scully though. As the owner left, I could swear I saw him crossing himself. The waiter came shortly. He was friendly and attentive, but was definitely keeping his distance from Dana. He seemed to expect it when she didn't want anything to eat. This was another test. Could she eat? Would she? I needed to gather up a case to prove her condition to her. It had to be ironclad, nothing else would even begin to convince her. I decided to push her into eating. "This is the best Arroz con Pollo I've ever had. Sure you don't want any? Not even a bite?" She looked decidedly green. "No. Thanks. Like I said, I'm just not hungry right now." Proof number five, I thought. Scully stared at me. For a second I thought she was going to come over the table at me. Unconsciously, I backed away. "Fine," she snapped. "If it will get you off my back, I'll take a bite. Will you shut up then?" "Sure. Take a bite, and I won't say another word." I smiled sweetly at her. I took a fork full of chicken and handed it to her. She spent several seconds staring at it before taking a deep breath and plunging the fork into her mouth. ------------------------- OK, Dana, you just have to take one bite. One bite, and Mulder'll quit raving about vampires and you can get on with finding the bastard who's framing you. Taking a deep breath, I put the chicken in my mouth, bit down on the fork and pulled it out. It looked nasty on Mulder's plate, but its appearance was nothing compared to the way it tasted. I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't. I yanked the napkin off the table and spat the vile goo into it. "Mulder! This is just about the last straw! What did you do to that?" I pointed to the blob within my napkin. That jerk! He put something on it while I wasn't looking. My stomach was still roiling from it. Innocent as a babe, "Scully, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't put anything on the chicken. See?" He shoveled three or four bites into his mouth. One thing about him, he could always eat, no matter what it was. I tried to calm down, "Mulder. There are two options. Either this is the worst restaurant on earth OR you intentionally tried to poison me!" My voice rose at the end of the sentence, I just couldn't help it. That was the most disgusting substance I'd ever had in my mouth. The waiter must have heard my ranting. He rushed over to Mulder. "Is everything OK, sir?" He didn't even glance in my direction, it was if he was intentionally ignoring me! Mulder gave him a bunch of soothing comments and hurried him away. Her returned his attention to me, "OK, now do you believe me?" I gritted my teeth, there was that look again. "Believe you about what? That you can sneak something nasty on the food you gave me? That you've got some sort of twisted need to see me toss my cookies in public? Of course, I believe you." God, I was mad at him. It took several seconds before I could stop shaking. End Part 3 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 4 of 7 "... believe you." I sat there in shock and terror Her eyes had started glowing! Two amber coals where her eyes should be. "Scully. I'm sorry. I don't know what was on your bite of chicken. It wasn't intentional." I used my most soothing tones, and softest voice. Whatever was happening to her, it couldn't happen here! She seemed to be evaluating me for something. "Of course, Mulder. It was an accident." Her voice was cool. What the heck is going on? I had to get her out of public view. "I'm not very hungry anymore. Are you ready to leave?" "Sure. Do you want to head back to the room?" "Sounds great." I almost sighed out loud. I'd probably had a thousand meals with her, but tonight, being out with Scully was giving me an ulcer. The trip back to the room was deliciously uneventful. Scully didn't go grazing at any parties, or attack anyone on the street, and we made it back to the hotel without incident. Back in the room, we had another problem. Our third guest would start making his presence known soon. I figured we had a day or so, and we still didn't have a suspect. I couldn't bring myself to believe Scully had done it, but the evidence was beginning to mount up. I put it to the side. The first thing was to figure out what if anything could be done about her condition. Both curing it, and getting her to admit it. In the room, I dropped to the bed exhausted. I just lay there trying to collect some sort of thoughts about how I was going to get her out of the country and back to normal. I closed my eyes and must have dropped off to sleep. The next think I knew, Scully was sidling up next to me on the bed. Had she ever been this beautiful? This desirable? I couldn't remember, but I knew no matter what, I wanted to make love to her. To hell with partnership. To hell with consequences. To hell with Skinner. I stripped off my clothes, I had to have my skin next to hers. She seemed to be more than interested. She was naked in seconds. God, her skin was more gorgeous than I imagined. It literally shone in the soft light of the room. I started nipping at her breasts with my lips, she moaned and thrust them to my mouth. I'd fantasized about this, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined just how firm she'd feel to my tongue. She started running her hands across my back and thighs. Her fingers probed and then ran down my groin. Her touch was cold fire. I was beyond the point of no return. I moved my hand down to those copper curls I'd pictured. She gasped and moved her legs so I could stroke her more fully. Even there she was cool, but oh so wet. Scully moved against my hand, forcing my fingers deep inside her. She kept riding my hand. I could tell she was moving close to orgasm, but not quite reaching it. Suddenly, she twisted, and was on top of me in one motion. I'd never thought of her as the forceful type, but she reached beneath and plunged down on me. In one move I was inside her. It was delicious. She ground herself against me at the bottom of each stroke and drove me crazy. Just as I was about to explode inside her, she dropped her mouth to my neck. I felt her teeth pierce my throat. At almost that moment I came like I'd never come before. Seconds after I came inside her, Scully flung herself to the other side of the bed and started sobbing. "Scully?" Had she not realized it was me? Was she already regretting what she'd done? Probably. My heart sank with each sob. ------------------------- "Scully?" It was true! Every thing Mulder had said! Not only was I a vampire, but I had used sex to feed on my best friend. Why couldn't I just die right now? As I lay on the bed next to him, curled up, sobbing my misery, I replayed the event in my mind. I could remember each detail. It was like it wasn't me doing it, but some horrid monster. I tried to think about what had happened and how. Maybe if I analyzed it scientifically it wouldn't seem so horrible. It had been _so_ easy. Mulder was sleeping there. He smelled so delicious, and I was so hungry. I started nuzzling him, and he woke up. He gazed at me with obvious lust, and I just followed through. His skin was hot and exciting against mine. Before I knew it, we were both naked, and he was nibbling my breasts. It was wonderful, but I wanted more. I gripped his firm butt and stroked his groin. He graciously followed suit. His fingers had been wonderful, but I just couldn't quite come. Frustrated, I flipped on top, and drove myself onto him. I kept riding; bringing his orgasm closer. Then some instinct took over as he started to come. I plunged my mouth to his neck and bit him. The orgasm I had was electric, but it was nothing compared to the taste of his blood. Now I knew what I'd smelled earlier, it was the blood of the people at the party. The blood was more than nectar; it was divine. What was worse, I wanted more. I could hear Mulder breathing next to me, his heart beating. I could smell his blood fresh on his throat. It was all I wanted right now - to drink from that fountain until there was no more to drink. It took a long time before I could speak. I was trapped in the knowledge that not only had I attacked my partner and my friend, but most likely the man in the closet, and the boy at the party as well. How could I live with this? "Mulder?" I dreaded to hear his voice. The recrimination and the hatred. Hatred for his once friend, now enemy. "Yes, Scully?" His voice was timid. I knew he hated me now, but was probably too petrified to admit it. "I'm sorry. You were right. Right about everything." My voice broke. Admitting it to him brought the tears back. I started sobbing uncontrollably. ------------------------- I heard Scully's admission, but I didn't understand. We'd never discussed having sex. How could I be right about that? "Scully, right about what?" She fought back the sobs to answer. "About my being a vampire. You're right. I'm a monster." "Scully, we made love. That hardly makes you a monster." I moved to hold her. "No. Don't touch me!" "Dana. Please don't shut me out now. I need to know what you're feeling." Regret I could deal with. Our friendship would weather this as long as we admitted what had happened and dealt with our it. "You don't understand. I bit you. I sucked your blood." She started sobbing again. Finally what she'd been saying broke through. I reached to touch my neck. My hand came away damp with blood. "Dana. Look, it's OK. I know you didn't mean to do it. I'm sure you couldn't help it. Besides, it's not like you killed me or anything. You realized what you were doing, and you stopped. Come on. Let's talk about this." Was I really happier she was upset over biting me rather than bedding me? "But, Mulder, I'm a vampire. A murdering, bloodsucking, damned for eternity vampire!" There was definite hysteria in her voice. "Dana Scully, sit up and look at me." I tried to put as much command as I could in my voice. Slowly she turned to face me, using the sheet to cover herself. "Now. We've been friends and partners for going on six years, right?" She nodded. "If you think because you've changed a little, I'm going to back out, then you've lost your mind. If it wasn't for you, I'd have been dead or worse a long time ago. We are going to get through this together." My lecture seemed to get through. At least she wasn't crying anymore, and she'd look in my direction. "What do I do now? I'm pretty sure I killed guy. We both know I attacked the boy at the party." That little girl who had phoned me in the darkness was back. "I'm not sure. Tomorrow, I'm going to find out all I can about Antonio Garza." I reached up to touch my neck. Yep. Blood. She'd really bitten me. She looked so pitiful as I reminded her of her transgression. "Mulder, at least let me look at it. You might need to see a doctor. She wrapped the sheet around herself and moved to my side of the bed. Suddenly, I was painfully aware of my own nudity. I pulled the bedspread up and around my waist. His fingers were freezing, but I forced myself not to flinch. She moved my head to one side to expose the wound, "Mulder, this is amazing.." The clinical Doctor Scully was back. She probed my neck, and as her fingers touched me, I thrilled at the memory of her mouth on my neck. I'd never thought of vampirism as erotic before. I could see her running her finger over her smooth teeth, and felt her fingers probe the punctures. It was crazy, but I wanted her to bite me again. She got very quiet. I could feel her breath on my neck, and then her tongue across the bite. It wasn't as good as the bite. I pushed my throat up to her, but she wouldn't take the bait. "Oh my God! Mulder, I've done it again, haven't I? I bit you!" I could hear the hysteria coming back. "Calm down. You haven't bitten anyone." Remember your training, soft voice, soothing tones. "Everything's all right. I'm OK." She seemed to calm down. "Then what did I do? I was looking at your neck, and I kinda got lost." Now it was my turn to calm down. "I think you licked the spot you'd bitten. I have to admit I'm not too sure." ------------------------- I stared at Mulder's neck. I could see the place where I'd _bitten_ him. The thought still sent chills down my spine. Both of disgust and longing. "Mulder? I didn't faint or something, did I?" This couldn't be right. The marks were hours old. It was already half healed. "No. Why?" I could see the confusion on his face. "This wound is half a day old. It's already mostly healed." As I watched, I swear I could see it knitting closed. "This isn't possible." Nothing could heal like this. "Why?" he chimed. Good old Fox Mulder. Never one for denying the obviously impossible. "If vampire wounds healed like anything else, how could you feed and not get caught?" You? Was I already in the you group. "So this could be a defensive adaptation?" Amazing. If it could be synthesized, it would revolutionize medicine. "Why not? It would explain a great deal. Scully? There's something else." Mulder was blushing. Blushing? This had to be really something. "What else?" Some additional sin? Worse than trying to kill him? "W-When you bit me. It felt incredible. I mean, we were making love, and it was great, but when you bit me, it was like nothing I've ever felt before." He was perspiring, I could hear his heart pounding. "Probably just a fear response." Yeah, like your own --- not! "No. Not a fear response." He took several deep breaths. His heart beat a staccato accompaniment. "When you bit me, I came. It wasn't like any time I've ever come before. It... it... it was worth dying for." Mulder collapsed after he finished his admission. It was as if he'd admitted some dark sin, and in a way I guess he had. He had confessed he was willing let me kill him for that instant of pleasure. I was stunned. I had almost divorced the sex we had from the violence I had done him. I remembered the dual explosion of my own orgasm and the taste of his life, and shuddered. "Mulder." I started. "Fox." I continued more tenderly. "I don't know what to say. I've thought about us together, but I never intended anything like this to happen. I mean, we're partners, letting our relationship get physical could only end in one of getting hurt and both of us in Skinner's office. How could I do that to my dearest, closest friend?" At the mention of Skinner's name, Mulder's whole body jerked. I heard him mutter, "Oh God! Skinner. How in the world am I going to tell him about this?" "Mulder. What do you mean, 'tell him', tell him what?" Why is he mumbling so much? "Scully, I didn't say a thing." He was back to sweating. He had calmed a bit, but now his heart was back to triphammering. "So you're saying I imagined you talking just now?" I guess it could be so, there's no telling what this change has done to me. ------------------------- "...now?" She can read my mind! How can it be possible? But it only seems to be loud thoughts she hears. I've got to keep myself calm and away from Walter Skinner. "Scully, I want to talk about what's happened, but later. Right now, we need to take care of something else." I paused. "I think we can agree it's very likely that you killed the man in the closet, but we both know you couldn't help it. Now we need to get rid of the body." I can't believe I'm going to cover up a murder, but no matter what, she's still my partner. She sighed and I almost jumped at the sound. I hadn't realized just how quiet she was now. "Do you have any ideas?", she said. I shook my head. "Then I have one. We carry our drunken friend down to the beach, and then go swimming. If we do it right, and weigh him down a little, he'll not surface for a couple of days, and by then the forensic evidence will be negligible." I opened my mouth to argue, but she continued. "Look, if you help, you'll be an accessory. Just stay up here, while I take care of it. Okay?" "Scully. There's no way I'm going to let you do this alone. We're in this *together*. Why don't you go get dressed, and I'll prepare our _friend_." I turned away and she went into the bathroom. After getting my clothes on, I checked in on the body. Although gross, it wasn't as bad as being held down under chicken wire while alien viruses entered your body. Scully must've been waiting for me to make 'I'm dressed' noises because she came out of the bathroom wearing a bathing suit and a wrap over it as soon as I opened the closet. She had her professional face on. "I guess I'm not allowed to complain about how gross this is, am I?" I smiled as best I could. "Not really. Would you like _me_ to?" She grimaced. "That's OK. I can probably do without it." She moved to the far side of the body. "Did you check him for identification?" I realized that in my shock at seeing the marks of a vampire on him, I'd completely forgotten to check the body further. We both quickly checked his pockets. "You know, Scully, this is amazing. He's not got one piece of ID on him. Not even a matchbook. I think someone prepared him for you." "What do you mean, prepared him?" I could hear the gears turning. "OK, for the moment, let's presume Antonio is a vampire. Let's further presume he intentionally made you one as well. Wouldn't it be logical to leave you a first meal? A nondescript person who wouldn't be missed to insure you entered your new life cleanly?" I was rather proud of my deductions. They made perfect sense, and tied everything up neatly. "If this is someone's description of a 'clean entry into my new life' then I really can't wait until I get to meet them! The thought this poor person was selected because of his expediency is at least as horrifying as the thought I killed him. Maybe more so!" Her eyes were glowing again. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I was getting scared, and I didn't know why. "Scully, calm down. We'll find the guy. Right now, we need to take care of this. Please, you're scaring me." "Sorry. It's the injustice of it all. This man's death. My being made into this monster. You being dragged into it. When does it end?" I sympathized with her, but right now it didn't matter. "Do you think you can take half? It'll look better if he's walking between us. "I guess so." She lifted, and almost yanked the body out of my hands. "Maybe I'm stronger than I thought." "Yeah, maybe so. Now do you believe me when I said you've been throwing me around like a rag doll?" ------------------------- "...doll?" "Mulder. I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" Here he'd been trying to help me, and I'd been nearly killing him! "I'm fine. It was only my pride that was hurt anyway." He chuckled. "Actually, I'm glad you're finally admitting to this. I was getting a bit of a complex." We moved out of the room and into the open hallway. It was about three a.m. and the place was empty. We moved to the elevator and out the hallway to the beach. A perfect time, I heard no one other than ourselves out there. Mulder was not so sure. "Are you sure no one's watching?" "I'm sure. Trust me." I didn't know how to prove it, but I was sure we were alone. "This would be based on you new skill set?" He was taunting me. I swear he was the most adaptable person on earth. Once he's decided to believe in something, then anything is possible. How we made it to the beach without my strangling him, I don't really know. Once there, we had a new problem. How to keep my guest from ending up on this same beach tomorrow morning. Mulder offered to swim out and look for a suitable mooring point, but I quashed that. "How long can you hold your breath?" "A minute maybe?" "OK. On the count of three take a deep breath and hold it. The first one to breathe loses." Mulder grinned at me. Mister I-run-five-miles-a-day thought he had this one won hands down. "One. Two. Three." We both gulped in air. I stood there watching him. He was making a valiant effort to win through, but he finally spit out a lungfull of air and gasped for breath at about a minute-and-a-half. End Part 4 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 5 of 7 I was stooped over in front of Scully gasping for breath, and she still hadn't taken a breath that I could tell. After about four minutes, I was starting to panic. I could see her calm face in the moonlight. She wasn't in *any* distress. At six minutes, I decided the display had gone on long enough. "OK. You win. Breathe, before I faint in sympathy." "So it's agreed. I'll take him out?" She wasn't even winded. Did she even need to breathe? "It's agreed." I answered glumly. "So were you just showing off? Do you even need to breathe?" She Shrugged. "I didn't seem to need to just now. Obviously, I need to breathe in order to talk, but I really don't know if it's a biological need." She seemed to be strangely comfortable with this new revelation. I started to watch her strip to her suit, but turned away after I realized how aroused I was getting. Blushing, I offered to hold her clothes. "Thanks. I hate getting sand in things. You know?" She added. "You're really cute when you blush. It makes your whole face shine." I looked up --- she stood there gleaming in the moonlight. "Y-You're not supposed to be able to see that." Of course, the fact she saw me blushing just made me blush more. She reached over and stroked my cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes." In the cool of the night, her hands were freezing. I reached up to touch her fingers, but she was gone, only a splash in the surf marked she'd ever been there. Sitting on the beach waiting for Scully to return, I tried to figure out just why she'd affected me so. Yeah, I'd been attracted to her since I first saw her, but I'd have to be dead, I winced inwardly at the word, not to. Was she actually more attractive as a vampire? Possibly. It could be more of the adaptation. Like the extreme pleasure of her bite, her very presence might be an aphrodisiac. How could these creatures not rule the world? Impossibly strong. Blindingly fast. Able to read minds. She could stop the consortium single-handed. Or did the vampires control the consortium itself? An unseen force among the humans that were their prey? The thoughts started racing out of control until I forcibly stopped them. Calm down, Mulder. You're being too paranoid, even for you. The ocean was beautiful, as long as I could forget why I was here. I sat here mesmerized by the soft crash of the wavers against the beach. The next thing I knew, Scully was dripping water on me. "Hey! Just because I said I'd do it doesn't mean you get to sleep!" I didn't quite leap into the air, but almost. "Scully! You almost gave me a heart attack." She stood there, looking like some sort of water nymph. "Then don't fall asleep." She gave me a smirk. Lord, but she was distracting. I'd forgotten what she'd gone to do. I swallowed. "Did you find somewhere for _our friend_ to stay?" The thoughts of dragging a dead body around made me a little queasy. "Yeah. There's a buoy about a mile or so off the shore. I tied him to the base. He won't be showing up anytime soon." She seemed positively chipper about the whole thing! "Come on. I want to get into the hot tub. I hate being cold." "So you get cold?" It seemed so bizarre. She was 'room temperature'. Why would she be affected? "Yeah, I get cold. It's not like I've become some sort of invulnerable superwoman. Come on. Maybe we can sneak in after hours." She trotted up the beach like it was the middle of the afternoon, and I followed her like a lost puppy. ------------------------- I turned to see Mulder picking his way up the beach. It was easy to forget he couldn't see in this light, and probably was a bit more concerned about hidden glass than I was. He sure was taking his time. Well, I certainly wasn't going to wait for him before I got in. As I started to get into the tub, I realized I had sand everywhere. It's late and Mulder was still nowhere to be seen. So I stripped off the suit to get clean. The water was wonderful --- hot, bubbly and strong. I relaxed against the side. Although I didn't hear anything, somehow I knew Mulder, or some threat, was near. I was instantly alert and on guard. I could feel my fangs lengthening, and my senses reaching out to reveal the intruder. "Scully?" Mulder called timidly. "Is that you?" "Of course it is. Why?" His pulse was pounding. Why was he afraid? I was the one being sneaked up on. He paused, I could hear him murmuring a calming mantra. Deep breath. "Your eyes are glowing." Another deep breath. "Do you mind if I turn on the pool light?" I grunted my approval. It was already hard to remember he couldn't see as well as I could. "Sorry, you startled me. The eyes must be part of a fear response." He turned on the light, but stood off to one side. "Are you going to get in or what?" "Yeah. Just a second." He sounded distracted. Finally. He slipped into the water. "Doesn't this feel heavenly? I hadn't realized how cold I'd gotten in the ocean." "It's great." Now what the hell was wrong with him? Back to monosyllables. "OK. What's wrong? I really didn't mean to scare you." After all he's seen, why get skittish now? "It's... just that you're naked." The end of the sentence tumbled out. "So? Is that a problem?" Hadn't we made love earlier? "No. I guess not." He paused. "Scully, I don't know how to say this." I tensed. He was about to brush me off and run for the hills. "Just tell me. No matter what happens. We're friends. Right?" The practical side of me was planning how I was going to get back to DC without him. The emotional side was screaming. "Right. Here goes... Not that it would have ever have been easy to be around you naked, but... it's... really difficult now. I mean... You're even more beautiful than ever. And I have a hard time not thinking of tonight when we... made love." He sounded like a fifteen year old. The Fox Mulder who'd unblinkingly tell the Attorney General that UFO's were responsible for the downing of a civilian airliner was nervous around me. "I'll get my suit." He put on a stern voice, "No, that's ridiculous. I can be an adult." He moved to the far side of the tub. Yeah, sure, I thought. "Fine. I'm going to rest for a few more minutes." ------------------------- "...minutes." I sat there in the hot tub with a naked Dana Scully and tried to calm my pounding pulse, which I'm sure she could hear. How the heck could I tell her my only thoughts were how her body felt next to mine. After a bit, I succumbed to the swirling water, and dropped off as well. Scully was shaking my shoulder. "Mulder wake up!" There was real fear in her voice. "What? Is it the police?" Somehow Scully being in trouble always brought me to instant consciousness. "No. We've overslept. It's almost dawn." "So. The staff's used to finding people in the hot tub. They'll ignore us." "Oh? They'll ignore me as I burst into flame?" I'd forgotten that minor problem. "Then why are we even discussing this?" I grabbed my towel, and handed it to her, and ran to the room. I wasn't even slightly surprised when she was waiting for me at the door. "Come on. We've only got about two minutes until sunrise." She yanked me inside and shut the door. Two minutes? "How do you know it's two? Maybe it's three." "I know. It's just over one now." Her voice said it all. 'If you doubt it, go outside and look.' She headed toward the bedroom. I followed. "Scully. We need to talk. If we're going to take on Antonio, then we need to know just what you can and can't do. I mean you've already proven you're faster than I can see. You can read my mind." She gasped, and then nodded. "You're way, way stronger than I am, and you don't seem to need to breathe." "OK, later. Right now, I need to sleep." She went into the bathroom. I busied myself with the couch. It did pull out, but there wasn't a single sheet in the place. Well, I could sleep in my clothes. Scully walked in, wrapped in a towel. "Get in here. You're not going to sleeping on the couch." "I'll be fine out here." Please, leave me alone. I can't say no. "There are no sheets and no blankets. No way are you sleeping out here." Beaten, I followed her in the bedroom. How was I going to keep from begging her to bite me again? Especially when I wanted it so badly? When I walked in, she was in a nightgown, and on the far side of the bed. "Goodnight, morning, whatever, Scully." "Night, Mulder." I wrapped the blankets around myself and tried to sleep. ------------------------- I was sure Mulder didn't really want to sleep out on the couch, and for some reason I thought it would be a very bad idea for him to walk in on me sleeping. He rolled over, and I heard his breathing shift into sleep in spite of himself. I didn't have quite so easy a time gaining release. What did all this mean? Horrible as it was, I was becoming comfortable with what had happened to me. Still questions loomed. What would I tell my family? Could I stay with the FBI? Why was Mulder so concerned about Skinner? Did I want to face Antonio ? The questions whirled through my head. Finally, I dropped off to a fitful sleep. I kept dreaming of Mulder in my arms; his blood in my mouth; the ecstasy of it all; the guilt I felt afterwards. I awoke sometime during the day. He had moved from the far side of the bed to wrap his arms around me. Strange, I'd never even thought of him as the cuddly type. Still, it made me feel normal. This is very nice, I thought as I returned to sleep. Late afternoon. "Scully? Are you awake?" One of the classic stupid questions. "Yes, Mulder, I'm awake." He snuggled closer. He smelled disturbingly good. "Mm... mm... It's a nice afternoon isn't it?" The dancing was getting annoying. He woke me to mumble at me? "Did you want something?" I think I kept the annoyance out of my voice. He raised up on his elbow, and looked down at me. He looked quite sheepish. "Would you bite me again?" He punctuated his question with a stroke of my thigh. I gasped. His touch seemed too hot; too intense; too intimate. "Are you sure? I mean, I can't say how much control I have." The unspoken, I might kill you hung in the air. "We'll be careful." He whispered. His hand continued its exploration, seemingly unbidden by its master. I lost the battle. I turned to face him. He wrapped one hand behind my head, and the other over my hips, and pulled me close. He trailed a line of burning kisses down my throat to my breasts and beyond. His tongue teased me, but I couldn't find release. I twisted around and on top of him. Thrusting down, I enveloped his erection. It's fire spread through my belly, rising inside me. I pinned him to the bed by his wrists, and stared into his eyes. I could feel my fangs extending, growing out of my gums. "Please. Please bite me." He pleaded. He lifted his shoulders and pushed his throat to me. "Please." His whimper faded. His pulse called to me. It's regular pounding whispered of the rapture within. The siren would not be denied any longer. I screamed and plunged my teeth into his flesh. If the first time I had bitten him had been divine, then this was a taste of the gods themselves. A current arced from my groin to my mouth. The circuit completed in him and back to me. I felt him convulsing and the heat pouring inside. He kept orgasming as I drank. I realized he'd let me drain him, and never even fight it. It took almost all my will, but I broke away. "No. Please." He twisted up to me. "A little more. It won't hurt me." Bullshit, I thought, you're already pale. "We both know we've had enough." It was hard enough to stop the first time. I wasn't going to tempt fate. I hid my eyes and tried to quell my need. ------------------------- "...enough." I knew she was right, but I didn't want to admit it. The first time she'd bitten me, I hadn't known what to expect, but this time I had been waiting for the jolt as her teeth struck. I knew the danger - it added to the thrill. The knowledge this might kill me upped the ante. I'd never been a thrillseeker, but I began to see bungee jumping in a new light. "Dana? Are you OK?" Would she collapse into tears like last time? "Fine. A little rattled, but fine." She seemed to collect herself. "I still have a hard time believing how it feels." She seemed embarrassed at the mention of her biting me. I hadn't even considered she might enjoy it. "Why? How does it feel?" "How does it feel?" She echoed dreamily. "Imagine your whole body is tied up in your sense of taste. Imagine you can taste starlight and mountain air. Imagine the nectar of the gods is flowing into you." She paused. Her eyes went blank. It looked like she was remembering the experience. "That is the palest shadow of it. I wish I could describe it better, but I can't." "So, to put it crudely, it was good for you too?" I smirked. "You are horrible!" I ducked as she threw a pillow at me. Strange, is spite of all that happened, I felt closer to her than ever, but at the same time I realized there was a gulf between us I might never cross. "Scully? Will you be all right here while I do some scouting?" If I was going to look for vampires, I was doing it in the daytime. "Sure." She looked concerned. "You are going to be careful, aren't you?" "Of course. I'm always careful." A lie if I ever told one. "Sure. Right. And I'm not a vampire." She smiled. "OK. I'll be back before dark. I just want to see if I can find where Antonio works, and maybe where we might find him tonight." "Just remember. I can't come help you until sunset. If you get in trouble you're on your own." "Scully. I'll be fine. It's daylight. What could happen?" "Anything. Vampires aren't the only danger around here." "I'll be careful, mom." I flinched from an expected pillow. "Mulder? One more thing. Get something to eat while you're out. Drink at least a quart of OJ, and I want you to eat beef, not chicken." "Yes, Doctor." I left her in bed as I went out to find out more about the man who'd done this to my best, and some would say only, friend. End Part 5 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 6 of 7 I watched Mulder slip out the door into the forbidden sunlight. That was going to hurt. It wasn't that I was much of a sunworshipper, I burned much too easily, but never to see it again? Well you don't know for certain you can't go out in it. You have a reflection. You don't sleep in a coffin. Maybe that's a myth too. I filled the sink with water in case I burst into flame. Moving to the window, I carefully slipped my left hand past the curtains into the afternoon sun. If anyone had told me how much it was going to hurt I'd not have believed them. The moment my hand entered the light, it felt like it was on fire. I yanked it back expecting to see a charred stump at the wrist. The stench of burned flesh engulfed me. No, I still had a hand; the skin was blackened and charred, and I could see the smoke rising off it, but there was still a hand, and it *hurt*! Great, Scully. Now you've got third degree burns to face as well. I rushed to the sink and plunged it into the water. The coolness quenched some of the pain, but it was still intense. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I could have at least waited for Mulder to return. Suppose I'd kept burning? How would I have stopped the flames? The shower? I'm lucky the smoke detector didn't go off. As I stood there yelling at myself, I realized my hand had stopped hurting. Probably destroyed the nerves. I carefully lifted it to my face. The charred skin was peeling away. Incredibly, there was fresh, pink skin emerging underneath. The skin was regrowing before my eyes! From third-degree burns to new skin in minutes? This was more than a minor impossibility, closer to a miracle. Something else to warn Mulder about. This went way beyond fast healing, I seemed to be able to regenerate the damaged tissue. I wondered if any of the ways to kill a vampire were true. Not that I was willing to try. Maybe Mulder knew. Hoping to pass the time until he returned, I saw down to watch television. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was crouching behind the couch as I heard steps at the door. "Scully?" He must have realized how paranoid I'd be. "Yeah. Come on in." I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure how I'd react to the maid. He stepped in and quickly shut the door. "Well, I found out the curator of pre-Columbian antiquities is one Antonio Garza. He works only at night, and is very secretive about his living arrangements." "Did you get a description? He could have just appropriated the name." "Yeah. Tall. Shoulder length black hair, somewhat curly. Light complexion. Good English." "Sounds like him. You didn't get a picture?" I grinned at him. "You know, I asked if they had any autographed, but they were fresh out." He grinned. "You are some comedian." "Sorry, couldn't resist." "I also made an appointment for Mr. and Mrs. Mulder to have a piece authenticated this evening at ten." "Tonight?" I could feel the terror rising. "Mulder, I don't think you know what you're up against!" Suppose the fiction was right? Suppose he was stronger than me? How could we face him? "Scully. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." There was his 'know-it-all' smile again. "No. You don't. I tried an experiment this afternoon. The sun burns me. I stuck my hand outside the curtains and got third-degree burns all over it." I held my hand up. "And look at it now. Not a mark on it." I turned it so he could see. "It took less than two minutes from the time I pulled it in to the time it was healed. How in the world can we fight that?" I was becoming hysterical. I had to calm down. "I've done it before." He said quietly. "What?" I couldn't have heard right. ------------------------- "...what?" I'd always pretended I had just closed up shop while she had been gone. It felt like I'd cheated on her - working while she was? God knows where. "A few years ago. In Los Angeles? While you were gone." I gritted my teeth. "I helped kill three of them." "You killed three vampires?" There was shock in her voice. "Yeah." I shuddered at Kirsten's sacrifice --- would Scully have to do the same? "Scully--- I---" I couldn't tell her. Was she was the only one who could kill Antonio ? "Mulder! Spit it out. How did you kill them?" "I didn't kill them. Kirsten did. Only a vampire can kill another vampire." Was this true? Scully just didn't seem like Kirsten. What the hell was I doing, anyway? "That's great; just great. Why are we even going there? What's the point?" I sighed. "Dana, there are some big differences between what happened in Los Angeles and what's happening here. I think we've got a good chance of winning this." I tried to sound more positive than I felt. "Why? What's different? I'm shorter? It's in Mexico?" I winced as her voice rose with each sentence. I tried to be my most calming. "No." I took another deep breath. "You're different. Kirsten had to choose to become a vampire. She didn't just wake up as one. They didn't have fangs. They didn't fly. They didn't read thoughts and," I blushed, "from what I could tell, they didn't have your _special_ skills." She paused. "You mean. You." I nodded shallowly. "With one of them..." It suddenly seemed that my feet were very important. "Look. It's OK. There's no reason for you to be embarrassed." "I don't know whether I'm more embarrassed about working when you were gone, or sleeping with Kirsten." I really hated admitting this to her. "Mulder, it's OK. I'm not mad." She looked me in the eye. "You and I are partners first and foremost. That's why I called you. That's why you're here." She seemed to gather herself. "If this is different than Los Angeles, then what do you know about other vampires? Why were you so sure I'd become one?" Back to the ultra-rational Doctor Scully. "I read a journal of a 16th century monk. He beat a vampire, or demon as he called it. The similarity of the body to those in his drawings convinced me a vampire killed the guy in the hotel room. His journal told me how vampires shunned the light, the cross, and garlic. "That's why I was so certain when I saw the body. It's also why I knew you'd become one before you did." It felt good to get this off my chest. "OK. So what else do you know?" I almost asked her why she was believing one of _my_ wild stories, but then I realized she was trusting the word of the four-hundred-year-dead monk, not mine. More of Dana Scully's religious faith in action. "Well. I think you can fly. I know you have reflections. We found out you can feed without killing. We know you can move faster than I can see. What else?" Finally we were to the planning stage. Now we could get this bastard. "What about him? Is he stronger? Faster? A lot? A little? Does it have to do with age?" "Whoa. I said I'd dealt with a few, not written the _Encyclopaedia_ Vampirica." Trust her to take the scientific tack. I'm surprised she only put her hand out once. Once I heard she'd done it, I half expected to find a twenty-five page report with graphs of healing rates versus damage techniques. "I'm sorry. It's just there is so much lore, and I no way to know what's true and what's fiction. How are we supposed to stop him if we can't tell the difference?" "Well, I'm not going to try to kill you to see what works, if that's your idea. Let's go outside and see what you can and can't do. OK?" She stopped for a second, "It's dark enough now. Let's go." "How'd you do that?" She hadn't opened the curtains, looked at a clock, or anything. I shrugged. "I just knew the sun had set. Kinda' like I knew it was about to rise this morning. Or you were at the door this afternoon." I shuddered. How the heck was this going to work? "I don't know. How is it?" She responded to my unspoken question. "You know, it's very rude - listening in on people's thoughts." I smiled to soften the complaint. "How do you do that?" "I'm afraid it's another 'I don't know'. If you're thinking about something clearly enough, I _hear_ it. Otherwise it's just noise." Great, another dark gift, I sighed. "Let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover before ten." ------------------------- "...ten." We left the hotel and went down the beach until the hotel lights had faded into the distance. "Time for tests." He reached into his pocket, and drug out a ziploc bag. Handing it to me, he told me to open it and sniff. It stank as bad as sunlight hurt. I threw it away as fast and far as possible. "What the *hell* was that? Are you trying poison me again?" "Garlic." He said smugly. "Garlic? That was not garlic! I may have changed, but I know garlic when I smell it. That was some kind of poison, not garlic." "Nope. Ordinary garlic. Remember your senses are different now. Maybe it doesn't smell the same." He looked a bit triumphant. "OK, ok. It was garlic. Now what?" I dreaded the next of his tests. Probably dunk me in holy water. Instead, he pulled out a cross. "How about this?" "Nice. Did you forget this one?" The tiny, gold cross at my neck glittered. Until he held up his talisman, I had forgotten it myself. It was pretty much a part of my skin. I held it up to match his. He looked a bit crestfallen. "Didn't work. Damn!" He fumbled in the bag. "Silver?" I shook my head. "I suppose you're not going to let me drive a stake through you heart are you?" I laughed. "Only if you let me do it first." "Yeah. I guess a stake through the heart would kill most anyone." He paused. "Fine. Fly." "What? How?" Like flying was something they taught in grammar school, and I was just being obstinate. "How should I know? Jump. Think up." He looked like that was all there was. Then he added, "Think happy thoughts or something." That sense of humor was going to get him throttled one of these days. "Where's my fairy dust?" "Cute. Just try it." I closed my eyes and jumped. I pictured myself leaping into the air. When I opened my eyes, I was flying! Violating at least a half-dozen laws of physics and flying! How to get down? I reversed the thought process, and almost skewered Mulder with a heel for his trouble. It took a great deal of control not to immediately leap back into the air! I stood in front of him giggling. "Mulder, I CAN FLY!" Nothing had prepared me for this. "Yeah. I saw. Will you stop gushing and do it again?" He almost looked annoyed. It took a few seconds to calm down. "What's wrong?" "I don't know, a little jealous I guess." He smiled. "I mean, you can fly. How many other people do you know can do that?" We spent the next hour experimenting with flying. Mulder got over his jealousy and quit pouting. I might have felt less weird doing it, but it was going to take a lot of practice before I thought I was 'good' at it. "Ready?" He dropped the question out of the blue. "Ready for what?" My stomach knotted at the thought. "It's getting on to ten. We need to go." How could he be this calm? Of course, now he's made the decision, he no longer concerns himself with it. More of his infamous fatalism. My stomach knotted more. I realized it was from more than fear. "We're going to need to stop somewhere first." I hoped he'd get the point, and not make me explain. Of course not. "Why? We've gone over everything." I sighed. "Well, you stopped to eat before you came back." I trailed off. End Part 6 of 7 Out of the Frying Pan -- Part 7 of 7 "...back." I was an idiot. Here she was trying to get around pointing out the obvious, and I refused to get it. "Why not stop on the way? I'm sure we'll find something." God, but this was weird. 'Yeah, Officer, we're fine. I'm just taking my vampire partner out for a bite.' She seemed relieved. "OK. You first." I lead her to the car I'd rented and we headed back into town. It was disturbingly easy for her to feed. We stopped outside a bar, and she smiled at a guy who was leaving. The rest was left to my imagination. "Everything OK?" What the heck do you ask in this situation? "Yeah. Fine." She looked puzzled. "Do you think it's possible for sick people to smell bad?" I'd started driving. Bad idea, I almost ran off the road. "What?!" "Well, a couple of the people I was thinking about smelled _wrong_. Kinda' off. I was wondering if that was because they were sick." She looked thoughtful now. "Scully, you're the doctor. What do you think?" Another disturbing avenue of thought. They could cull out only the healthy ones if they wanted - ignoring anyone who'd effect them. "I'd never thought of it before, but yes, I think it's very likely. It's just we haven't the technology to detect the difference between the healthy and sick yet." Ah, yes. Scully's law: 'Any and all magic is merely sufficiently advanced technology.' "You're right. There's certain to be a logical and scientific explanation for all of this." I smirked at her. I was going to miss this. That thought cemented my fears, she wasn't ever going to be able to com back. At least not as my partner, and maybe not at my friend. The idea of a future without Scully made me woozy, almost nauseous. There had to be a way out of this... We reached the museum way too soon. Suddenly, this all sounded like a bad idea. What if Antonio took her away and I never saw her again? Suppose he killed her? No. He had to be faced. He had to be stopped. "You wait outside. I'll go in and see him first." I intended to keep her safe as long as possible. "Forget it. We go in together." Cool and controlled. We were met by a guard who verified our appointment with Senor Garza, and directed us to his office. I'm not sure what I expected, but this certainly wasn't it. The office was cluttered with the debris of half a dozen civilizations. A tall man was standing with his back to us. He seemed to be studying two virtually identical figurines in his hands. Without turning he said, "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Mulder, my ten o'clock." What a voice! Dark and richly resonant. It put any actor I'd ever heard to shame. He turned, and stopped in mid-motion, a look of surprise on his face. He recovered in an instant. "Well, my dear. I certainly didn't expect to see you so soon. And, you---" Scully pounced. Her voice wasn't shrill, but low and menacing. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean? What'd you expect? To hear about me being beheaded and burned?" "Please, my dear. You were in no danger, and I certainly didn't intend to harm you." Smooth as glass, this one was. "No danger? Maybe I'm confused. I certainly don't consider to be waking up with a corpse in my bathtub to be 'no danger'! And I certainly don't consider being turned into a murdering monster in the process not being harmed!" Scully's voice was starting to carry. "Dana, you might want to hold it down." I urged. "Murder?" He actually sounded concerned. "Whom have you murdered?" "The man in my bathtub for one. Who knows who else?" "Oh. I thought you'd actually killed someone." His voice regained its soft melody. "What do you call killing a innocent human being?" "My dear, when you were mortal, did you call eating a steak murder? Of course not. You are a superior creature now. You cannot murder humans. You can only feed." Scully stared at him in horror. "What---" He continued, looking me over. "As I was about to say. Did you bring us a snack? He looks quite delicious..." She stepped between us. "Leave him alone. He's my friend. At least he helped me, and didn't just leave me to fend for myself." "Help you? He is a mortal. He is food. Nothing more, nothing less." "No. He helped me. He's the one who helped me understand what I had become." "He did?" I didn't like the look I was getting. Not in the slightest. "Well, Mr. Mulder, if that is your real name, you bear re-evaluating." He turned back to Dana. "Now, my dear, there are some things which must be taken care of. The bodies, what have you done with them?" Such a conversational tone. He truly sees this as commonplace! "The bodies? There's been only one." "Please. You've been starving yourself since Monday?" He looked more closely at her. "Hardly." "I hid the one in the bay. It's unlikely to surface before all forensic evidence is ablated. Other than that, to my knowledge, I haven't killed." She looked quite triumphant. Antonio seemed to be torn between two lines of questioning. "You are telling me you've only killed once? How have you been feeding?" Scully started ticking off the incidents with her fingers. "The man you left for me. The boy at the party - Mulder stopped me from killing him. Mulder twice. The guy at the bar tonight. Nope. Only one killing. Disappointed?" She taunted. "On the contrary," he paused, "quite impressed. It usually takes months or years to learn what you seem to have picked up in a few days." "I had a good teacher." She seemed to intentionally not look my direction. Antonio scowled at me. "We'll get back to that." He stared at Scully. "Now. Why are you so sure the body will not provide the police evidence? This is not as backward a country as you Americans seem to believe." "Well... As a trained forensic pathologist with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I have an intricate knowledge of both body decomposition rates, and the information available after prolonged submersion in saltwater." I couldn't quite keep the smugness out of my voice. "You have heard of the FBI, haven't you?" He slammed his hand into the wall, liberating several pieces of plaster. "You? You are with the FBI? You're a woman!" He looked a bit forlorn. "Yes." Scully spat. "I'm a woman. So nice of you to notice." "And I suppose he's with the FBI too?" He gestured at me. "Yep." "Wonderful. Just wonderful." "We must talk, Dana Scully. And you," he looked at me, "must..." ------------------------- "...sleep." I stared at Mulder as he slumped to the ground. I started to catch him, but Antonio was faster than I could see. So much for that question. "Why'd you do that?" Mulder was my last line of defense. "It would be better for your over-informed friend if he did not know everything." He propped Mulder in a chair. "So now you're going to kill me?" I could feel my fangs extending, my eyes were probably glowing as well. "Calm yourself. I have no intention of killing you. I merely wanted to converse with you without a second set of ears annotating my every act." He certainly didn't act as dangerous as I knew he must be. I calmed a bit, but didn't let down my guard. "OK. Talk." "You seem to have learned a great deal, but you are still a child. There is much you must learn to survive." "I did just fine without you so far." Patronizing bastard! How dare he? "Yes. I must admit I am impressed. You passed the test with flying colors." Test? "What do you mean test?" My fangs were extending again. "How else does one select those worthy of this gift? A lottery? My dear, I deemed you worthy of the test, and you succeeded beyond my imaginings. I expected you to come crawling to my door eventually. But it is rare that I have had a fledgling to have done so much on their own as you." He smiled. "So now what? Now that I've passed the test, do I learn the secret handshake?" "No. Now that you've passed the test, you are worthy to learn the true secrets of this life. Flight; reading the thoughts of the prey; controlling their actions; luring them to their eternal reward." He looked at me expectantly. "So? I've already flown." With Mulder's help. "This reading minds thing is cake, and it's harder to keep them away than to bring them. What do I need?" Antonio studied me silently for a minute or so. "You've learned to fly?" I nodded. "You hear their thoughts?" I smiled, and he continued. "Of course they'd come to you. You are beyond merely beautiful. But, the mastery of these skills is not something done in a week. It takes time and patience." "And I suppose you would be my tutor?" Arrogant bastard. "As your sire, to whom else would the task fall?" I might claim to know all, but I was wrong. I was not prepared for this. "How long?" "For most, I would say ten years at best. For you, who knows? One such as you will know when you're ready." For once I did something Mulder would do. Made a decision without bludgeoning all the options to death. "Fine. There are things I need to do first. I can't just disappear, there would be questions and inquiries." I could get a leave of absence from The Bureau, but what the heck would I tell mom? "And him?" He pointed to Mulder. "Would he be missed? He knows much more than any mortal has the right to know. That knowledge is dangerous; both to him and to our community." Oh my God. He's deciding whether or not to kill Mulder. Think fast. "He would be missed more than I would. He is important to the politics of the US in ways I dislike imagining." "And?" "He has powerful friends, and even more powerful enemies. All of them would want to know where and why he vanished. This country would be gone over with a microscope several times over. I doubt you or any other of your kind want quite that level of notoriety." "Agreed. But," he cautioned, "by tradition, your life is forfeit for his actions. You will be held accountable for him." "I owe him that and more." Much more. He brought me to a window. "Tomorrow night, as soon after nightfall as you desire, meet me at the mission on top of that peak." He pointed to a mountain in the distance. "I'll be there." ------------------------- "Mulder!" Scully was shaking me. We were back in the hotel room. "Scully? What's going on? How'd we get here. The last thing I remember we were in the museum. Are you OK?" I sounded like some sort of caricature. Of course she was alright, but how'd she get _me_ here? "It's a long story. Antonio put you to sleep so you didn't have to hear things which would put you in danger." She smiled reassuringly. "We're both fine." She punctuated the last sentence with a stroke of my head. There was a sad, resigned look in her eyes. Suddenly it hit me. "You're leaving. Aren't you? You're going away with _him_." How in the hell could she do this to me? To Skinner? "Yes. Not permanently, just while he schools me. A year; two, tops." "And then you'll come back to The Bureau?" There was real sadness in her eyes. "No. Probably not. I can't see how I could fit in. How can you be an agent if you can't be in the sunlight?" "I'm sure we can do something." The nausea of last night came back with a vengeance. "We'll talk later." That was a stalling tactic if I'd ever heard one. "I need you to keep my mom and anyone else from deciding to look for me." "There are going to be questions." God, are there going to be questions. "I know, I know. As far as work's concerned, I'm taking a few months off to recuperate from things." "That should work. You can take a sabbatical." I wondered if there was a special form for vampirism sabbaticals. "For the hard part." She continued. "I'm going to tell mom I met a man. That's not really a lie. She's going to want details. If she asks you, will you cover for me?" "No problem." I didn't want to lie to her mother, but it wasn't like the she'd ask me if Dana's new beau was a vampire. She stared at me. "Now. What's going on with Walter Skinner." "Dana, I can't. It's not mine to tell." And he'll kill me to boot. She smiled softly. "I think I know. He's in love with me, or so he thinks. Right?" I almost fainted with relief. I don't know if she lifted it from my mind, or she just put two and two together. I was just thrilled not to have to break Skinner's confidence. "Yeah," I whispered, "something like that." "And you?" She stared into my eyes. "Me?" I squeaked. "I- I- I don't know. You're my best friend. Closer than any family I've ever had. I don't know what I feel." I will not cry here. "Me, too. Mulder, I couldn't tell you how I felt about you if I had an eternity." She smiled. "Then again I do, but you don't." There was a tear at the corner of her eye, I wiped it away. "I could. Would you?" What was I asking? Would I give everything up for her? "I can't. Not until I learn to take care of myself, and I won't let you make a decision like this so quickly." She sighed. "Why not? I've already given it more thought than you got to." "That's not my way. I won't argue with Antonio's way of doing things, but if I make you, it will only be after you understand what you're giving up. You know me. I never make a hasty decision." "And I never make a considered one." I hugged her for all I was worth. "When do you leave?" I knew it'd be too soon. "Tomorrow night." "I guess I need to make arrangements." I held on as long as I could before letting her go. ------------------------- I stood in front of Skinner's door with a knot in my stomach the size of Montana. Scully'd warned me about revealing what had happened -- like I would have anyway. But that left the question, 'What did I tell him?' She'd called Kim and had the sabbatical forms faxed to her. I had them in my hands. Lost in reverie and fear, I didn't even hear the intercom buzz, or Skinner's voice approve my entrance. The bell tolled: "Assistant Director Skinner will see you now, Agent Mulder." End Part 7 of 7 Please send feedback to: CousinDon@innocent.com