From xangst@frii.com Sun Apr 13 19:30:02 1997 Subject: NF> The Promise 1/1 From: Myth Patrol -------- Here's a short one- I'm very attached to that moose. :-) Laura The Promise DanaDrives@aol.com Insert your favorite disclaimer here. Post anywhere, itÕs all the same to me. This is a short post Leonard Betts thing- I didnÕt send it out because, well, there seemed to be a plethora of the things. Nothing here to concern anyone- just general angst. ******* Mulder pulled away from the curb into the darkness with only one thought on his mind: Scully. *What had happened to her? She wasnÕt in there that long, itÕs not like her to be so upset about something like this. What she did was justified- anyone would have done the same thing...* His mind churned slowly, deliberately at the aura of despair that had come from her in waves during the brief drive back to her apartment. She hadnÕt wanted to go for her own car- ÒJust take me home.Ó Those words had been her only response to his gentle probing- she didnÕt even bother with the typical ÒIÕm fineÓ. It was obvious she wasnÕt ÒfineÓ, and this time she showed no inclination to pretend. She was deeply concerned about something- almost paralyzed with fear. And that shook Mulder to his very core. **** Dana Scully rose from her bed, her hands shaking and tears welling in her eyes. Cleaning the blood from her face, washing the stain from the pillowcase- each movement was mechanical, automatic, and without thought. ÒI suppose IÕm in shock,Ó the sound of her own voice was comforting though she wasnÕt prone to hearing it in the middle of the night like this. ÒItÕs only natural. IÕve been through a traumatic experience tonight. This is probably just a delayed response to the fight with Betts- I was hit fairly hard,Ó the line of one-sided conversation continued until the pillowcase was hanging from the shower rod and she was about to return to bed. Then the denial she practiced so completely became impossible. Turning to face the dresser, reaching for the light, pulling her nightshirt over her head, facing the mirror, looking for signs... Lost weight, so much...it was too easy, wasnÕt it? No exercise, eating the junk Mulder ordered for her... and that bruise, and that one... where did they come from? When did her skin get so pasty, so grey.... Dear God, how could she have ignored it this long? ÒHail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women...Ó ***** The realization awoke him, the television the only light in the room. She was sick. HadnÕt Betts been able to diagnose cancer just by looking? And why would he attack her rather than just escaping? He was going to feed off of her. Dear God... Those women... the oneÕs whoÕd shaken her up so... werenÕt they sick? He was sure of it as the sleep cleared from his brain. That was the only solution. Without a thought to her pride or his own fear, he reached for the phone- for her. ***** ÒHello?Ó ÒScully, youÕre going to be ok. I promise.ÓÓMulder, how can you promise that? You canÕt- you donÕt know that,Ó the questions, the denials, were immaterial. She needed and he knew- and for once the games werenÕt important. ÒI can promise because I know. And I just know. IÕm not going to let you go.Ó The finality of the statement didnÕt surprise her as it should have- it was comforting in the way that her motherÕs promises had- ÒYour dad and I will always be here, honeyÓ But they hadnÕt been. CouldnÕt be. And now Mulder *needed* to promise- to promise both of them that her life would go on, with him, with her work, with the promise of a future. And she silently accepted the promise. **** ----------------------------------------------------------- If you're going to have delusions of grandeur, you may as well go for the really satisfying ones. --Marcus (oh, *baby*!), B5 ----------------------------------------------------------- xangst@frii.com http://members.aol.com/TheDeanXF/XA.html ----------------------------------------------------------- Queen of Angst Mysterious & Suspicious EX-Smoker for Scully Extreme Possibilities Skinner Chick Genteel Ladies Writing Guild X-Patriot Defender of Moose Intubation NoRomo-and proud of it! Stubborn Millennium Fan ----------------------------------------------------------- Now I think the world is a dark place full of run-down buildings and weird people who can squeeze into small places. --A newbie X-Phile ----------------------------------------------------------- Subbasement supporter--"We're down here, and we *like* it!" *********************************************************** _ _ \ / For information \ / X A N G S T please see our website: / \ Anonymous / \ http://members.aol.com/TheDeanXF/XA.html - - ***********************************************************