********************************************************************* This author's e-mail address has changed to: rainydays@softhome.net ********************************************************************* From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Angharad=20Wade?= Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2002 21:21:18 +0000 (GMT) Subject: Rising Moon (1/1) by Angharad Source: direct Title: Rising Moon (1/1) Author: Angharad E-mail: sweet_roses_2000_uk@yahoo.co.uk Distribution: The X-Files Improv Archive only. Rating: PG Classification: SR Spoilers: General knowledge, post FTF Keywords: MSR, 3rd POV Summary: While on the road, Mulder and Scully witness a spectacular sight, which in turn, leads to a spectacular event between them. Improv: #5 myth ~ early ~ swirl ~ stranger Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the X Files; they are the property of Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. Author's Notes: I've tackled this one in 3rd POV for a change; I think it works well. This little story also seems to be a little 'mood' fic :) This is dedicated to Ro, for being my sounding board when I was a little stuck for ideas. Thanks Ro. And thanks to Ryen for betaing. See more notes at the end. Rising Moon (1/1) A black sedan is traveling on a dirt road, surrounded by thick forest on either side, the only source of light being the sedan's headlights. With the coming of night, the stars have yet to shine and the moon yet to rise. Scully lets out a tired sigh as she leans her head against the headrest of the passenger seat, tiredly watching the road passing by under her. Mulder steals a glance in her direction when he hears her sigh, feeling guilty that he'd dragged her on yet another wild goose chase. To chase away the tired atmosphere in the car, he flicks the radio on, trying to get a decent station other than rock and static. In the end, the radio conks out before he switches it off, aware of Scully's annoyed gaze on him for having disrupted the 'quiet' in the car. Mulder thinks, feeling irritated. He sighs, running a hand through his hair. Scully looks over to Mulder again, having heard him sigh. "Hey. You okay? Want me to take over for the last stretch?" Scully asks, in a gentle tone. Mulder briefly glances at Scully before turning his attention back to the pale brown road and the blackening night ahead. "No, it's okay Scully. I'll be fine." Mulder answers. "You sure, Mulder?" Scully asks, a hint of worry in her voice. "I'm sure," he answers, a note of conviction heavy in his voice. Taking the hint, Scully falls silent, unsure of what to say in the slightly tense atmosphere that has now fallen, too tired to try defusing it. The recent case has taken a lot out of her, out of them both, Scully reflects. It was just another wild goose chase. Most cases often turn out to be just wild goose chases but sometimes Mulder just can't see that- he can't see past his own nose sometimes when we're on these cases, she thinks tiredly. Scully turns her tired head slightly to study his profile, as much as she can, in the shadows of the moving car. Oh Mulder, Scully thinks, as she realizes why he's pushing himself - he feels guilty for having dragged her on a wild goose chase. He does seem to be trying hard not to upset me; the radio is proof of that. He's been like that ever since we came back from Antarctica, Scully muses. Scully sighs again, this time at the complexity that is her partner and best friend. "You okay, Scully?" Mulder asks, worried that he's heard her sigh again. Scully turns in her seat so that she's properly facing him without her body being twisted to give her unnecessary back ache. "I'm fine, Mulder. Why do you ask?" "Well, you seem to be sighing a lot," Mulder answers, uncertainty filling him. "I'm just wondering if you're okay. We can take a break from the road if you want," he adds. "No, it's okay," Scully answers, without hesitation, but she then pauses, seeming to be thinking. For some reason, Mulder feels coils of unease growing in his stomach, making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. "Actually," Scully reconsiders, "maybe it would be a good idea." "Why the change of mind, Scully?" he asks out loud, deciding that she wouldn't be offended by his question. "We both could do with a break," Scully answers, adding, "I'm tired and I need a break from this continuous momentum. This uncomfortable, tedious momentum, I might add." wonders Mulder, slightly surprised by her answer. "We'll stop at the next pit stop." Stealing a glance at Scully out of the corner of his eye, Mulder tries to gauge what she's thinking, or feeling. I never should have taken this case in the first place. I should have seen it for the hoax it was, Mulder thinks, feeling guilty for his partner's present state of well being. It isn't long before the pit stop arrives - a small dirt track, leading off the main road they're traveling on to an area large enough for several cars to park and rest. The purpose is obvious. Pulling into an empty space, Mulder switches off the engine and sits there, wondering what to do, partly waiting for Scully to talk or to get out of the car to stretch her legs, and partly wondering why the hell he took this case and dragged Scully along with him. She's your partner, his conscience reminds him; she'll follow you wherever you go. Mulder briefly wonders as he stares at Scully's profile in the near dark, the near dark being colours of dark grays with mixtures of blue black shadows surrounding them inside and outside the rapidly cooling sedan. Scully sits there for a few moments, listening to their breathing, watching the window in front of her misting up with the condensation before opening the car door and getting out to feel the cool breeze drifting past. She closes the door and leans against it, looking up at the sky. It is a mixture of dark blues and blacks, with a net of bright stars becoming visible as they shine from behind the moving clouds. Mulder too gets out of the car, but instead of looking up at the sky with Scully, he leans against the open doorframe, watching her profile, wondering what's gotten into her tonight and hoping it isn't entirely his fault. "How are you feeling Scully? Better now that we're out in this glorious, cold night? This glorious, cold, dark night?" Mulder asks, trying to inject a lighter atmosphere. It seems to work when Scully turns to face him, away from her stargazing, and answers, "It isn't that cold Mulder," a small smile on her face, a sign that she's accepting his teasing banter. Mulder grins, feeling happy all of a sudden. Walking round to her side he says, "Let's go for a walk. We'll freeze to death standing around out here stargazing." Adding, "But at least we've got the body heat to keep us warm." "In your dreams Mulder," Scully replies, walking off. Mulder thinks, still standing by the car. "You going to stand around there all night Mulder?" Scully calls back, some distance ahead of him. "Would you miss me if I did, Scully?" Mulder answers back, enjoying the banter flowing between them. "No comment," is the reply Mulder hears, prompting him to grin. Chuckling to himself, he imagines the possible meanings that Scully's answer has given him. Catching up to Scully, Mulder finds her sitting on a grassy knoll atop a small rolling hill, the trees not so far away and the blades of grass around her. He notices her expression, deep in thought, and wonders what she could be thinking about so strongly. "Hey Scully," he says, as he plops down besides her, a smile on his face. "Hey Mulder," Scully answers back, the tiredness evident in her voice. "Did you know that thinking is bad for you?" Mulder asks with a grin. Scully turns her head sharply to look at Mulder for a moment before turning back to the view ahead her - the view of a forest, the trees outlined against the blue-black night, the black shadows amongst the trees seeming to give a warning, causing her to shudder. "Hey, you cold?" Mulder asks, having noticed Scully's slight shiver against the night. He puts an arm around her shoulders, without waiting for an answer. Scully smiles to herself as she feels Mulder put a gentle arm around her shoulders. She turns to face him, meeting his eyes, his intense hazel eyes, but she can't decipher what they're trying to say. It's too dark - the night is swiftly descending upon them. A silence flows between them, reminiscent of the hallway, seeming so long ago now yet always in the back of their minds. "Mulder..." Scully starts to say, but the moment between them is broken as the last of the clouds are pushed away by the cool breeze, to reveal moonlight falling over them. "Hey Scully, look at that," Mulder says, a hint of awe in his voice as he looks up at the sky. "It's a harvest moon. Did you know that there are various legends associated with this moon?" Mulder asks excitedly, turning back to Scully's questioning face, which he can now see more clearly. Scully thinks. She's about to ask him, but seeing the excitement shining in his hazel eyes which seem to have a touch of green in them at the moment she decides to go along with him and asks, "What is the harvest moon, Mulder? I've heard of blue moons but I'm sure I haven't heard of harvest moons." Still facing Scully, Mulder answers her question, "Harvest and hunter moons are the brightest moons of the year and they only occur close to the autumnal equinox." Turning to glance at the sky, he adds, "They're the full moons, giving the brightest nights of the year. They also rise earlier than normal after sunset and they continue to rise early for several days after, shining brightly for most of the night." He turns to face Scully again, a grin on his face. Scully briefly thinks, a faint smile on her lips. "Dare I ask what the legend behind this moon is?" Scully asks, a teasing tone in her voice, a broader smile now playing around her lips. Mulder thinks, noticing her smile and the teasing tone in her voice. "It's not a legend per se, but the extra moonlight in the successive evenings following the rise of the harvest moon aided harvesters as they worked late into the evening, hence the name," Mulder finishes, a smile on his face. "So what's the difference between the harvest moon and the blue moon? And the hunter's moon come to that?" Scully asks, enjoying Mulder's storytelling as they sit in the dark under the sky, the full moon and stars shining brightly. "I was waiting for you to get to that," Mulder says, still smiling. "There isn't much difference between the harvest moon and the hunter's moon except for the fact that the harvest moon usually rises on October 2nd and that the hunter's moon, which is usually in October, falls on November 1st this year." "And the blue moon?" Scully prompts. "Is completely different," Mulder replies with a smile. "This year it will occur on November 30th. Basically, the general definition for a blue moon is that it's the second full moon in a season, though an older definition is four full moons in a season, which only occurs in February, May, August, or November, about a month before the equinox or the solstice. This little moon is reckoned according to the seasons." "I can't believe that's what you're interested in, Mulder," Scully says, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "There has to be something else associated with these moons." Mulder's response is to grin, prompting Scully to smile and say, "I might as well hear it." "Werewolves," Mulder simply states. "Werewolves? They don't exit, Mulder," Scully answers, disbelief evident in her voice. "They're just myths and legends." "But Scully..." "And don't tell me that case we investigated had werewolves in them, Mulder, because they can't be proved, not scientifically. It's likely the people suffered from lycanthropy, and not from the curse of the werewolves," Scully cuts in, as Mulder starts to protest. "You've heard about strange happenings during a full moon," Mulder answers. "It's common for a werewolf to change its form during a full moon." "Maybe so, but we have no proof Mulder," Scully retorts. "We have to keep an open mind Scully," Mulder answers back. Scully then chuckles to herself, causing Mulder to ask, "What's so funny Scully?" "I was just thinking. We're arguing over the existence of werewolves when we should be making our way back home. We should have been back yesterday." "Which do you prefer? A bit of stargazing for a little while or going back on the road to that 'continuous, tedious momentum,' as you put it?" Mulder asks, a touch of humour in his voice. Scully smiles. "Maybe we should take this chance and watch the moon for a little while." "Atta girl, I knew you'd come round to my thinking." Scully rolls her eyes at him before turning her head to watch the bright, full moon, the thin wisps of cloud dancing across the luminous orb, making her feel strange. Scully wonders. Mulder steals a glance at Scully leaning against his shoulder, her arms around her drawn up knees, before turning to watch the moon with her. He can see the particles of dust swirling, caught by the moonlight which has spread across the surroundings around them. A silence falls between them as they continue to watch the moon shining brightly. Something catches Scully's attention out if the corner of her eye. Glancing further to the right, she says out loud, "Mulder, look. It's a shooting star." Mulder catches the happiness in Scully's voice and turns to look. There it is. A fountain of stars moving across the sky. Bending low to her ear, he whispers, "Make a wish, Scully." Watching her face, he sees the happiness sparkling in her blue eyes. When the shooting star has faded out of sight, Scully asks, "Did you make a wish Mulder?" As Scully turns to face Mulder, she finds herself staring into the depths of his hazel eyes once more. They stay that way for several moments. But this time, Mulder leans forward to place a gentle kiss on Scully's lips. She finds herself kissing him back. When they part, Mulder is smiling. Scully smiles back, feeling happier and more at peace with herself for a long while. Together, they make they way back to the car, holding hands, giddy with happiness under the light of the full moon. The End Author's Notes: Go to http://www.factmonster.com/spot/harvestmoon1.html And http://www.factmonster.com/spot/bluemoon1.html if you want to know where I got all this information on the moons- you didn't think I knew all that did you? *g* http://members.tripod.com/alam25/ gives you information on werewolves and their background. Feedback is always welcome at sweet_roses_2000_uk@yahoo.co.uk :) ===== A Little Corner - http://littlecorner.bravepages.com/ Visit my other X Files sites there too :)