From: Megan Graham Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 17:01:55 -0500 Subject: Stream of Consciousness, Part 1 Source: direct Reply To: "megraham@mts.net" RED TAPE SECTION: INTRO: Hi. SUMMARY: Telepathy, drama, and unbelievable amounts of mushiness. Yeah. I knew you'd like that. CONTENT WARNING: There's some necking and the f-word. PG 13, maybe, same as the movie. Also, being Canadian, I tend to spell 'color' as 'colour'. If this bothers you, turn back now. ARCHIVE: Anywhere you want, but tell me when you want to archive it, keep my name and other paraphernalia attached, and don't bungle my carefully constructed fanfic. END OF RED TAPE. PROCEED. Stream of Consciousness By Meg Graham. An Abandoned Factory 9:25 p.m. "Drop it! I said drop it!" The young man hesitated, looking from person to person. The two agents had him covered. He didn't want to go to jail. He was scared. In anger, he lifted his left hand, which was holding his gun, toward the female agent. Before he could touch the trigger, two bullets rang out simultaneously, one hitting him in the left shoulder, the other hitting him in the chest. He fell. The agents ran up to him, still not putting away their guns although his was now on the other side of the room. In a dying effort, he tried to think of someone to give his fortune to. He could think of no one. At last, with both his wounds and his mouth gushing blood, he willed it to *her*. //she'd better use it// was his last, dying thought. As the young man let out his last breath, Scully dropped to the floor. Beyond rational thought, she let go of her gun and put her head between her knees in pain. Her partner abandoned the corpse and went to her, slinging an arm under her shoulders and asking alarmed questions in her ear. At the sound of his voice, she straightened up. Her face was contorted with pain. Her hands were unconsciously clenched into fists, her sensibly short nails biting into the tender skin of her palms. As he examined her face, Mulder saw two tiny trickles of blood coming from the corners of her eyes. Alarmed, he helped her limp out towards the car. Before he got her there, she straightened up, putting a hand to her head and blinking away the blood. She backed away from him and sat down, heavily, on the curb. "Jesus, Scully, what's wrong? What happened?" She shook her head as if to clear it, then winced as the motion brought the pain back. "Scully, what happened?" he was beside her on the curb now, hands on her shoulders. //god no she can't die she better not be dying mulder get a hold of yourself and help her she better not die// "I don't know...stop babbling, Mulder, you're hurting my head." "Babbling, Scully?" //damn she must be hearing things now did she hit her head or something no not that i know of jesus she better not be dying// "I'm not dying, Mulder, shut up!" He sat back in amazement. Without speaking a word, he channeled his thoughts into one clear question. //CAN YOU HEAR ME, SCULLY?// She winced. "Of course I can hear you! Quit yelling! God, my head hurts..." Mulder gaped in amazement. //scully look at me// She looked. "What?" //notice my mouth isn't moving?// "Oh my God, Mulder. I'm hearing things..." "No, you're not. I think you've somehow inherited Ross' ability to read minds." "What?! Mulder, that was conjecture...and pretty unfounded conjecture, at that!" //then how is this possible// "Then how is this possible? You're hearing me, Scully. You're in my head." She closed her eyes. //this is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening// she thought. This time Mulder winced. "You're projecting, Scully. And it is happening." Suddenly, Mulder's mind was filled with nothing. A pure, blank, nothingness. It didn't take long to figure out where it was coming from. His partner sat, staring, on the curb. He shook her. As he did so, the image in his head became swirled with reds and greys. He blinked, trying to shut it off. "Scully? Scully, you're gonna have to get in the car. We have to call an ambulance to come and take Ross' body. And then we have to figure this out." She nodded. And got in the car. Mulder called the ambulance, then drove her home. ********************************* Dana Scully's Apartment 10:57 p.m. Mulder led his partner in her door. She was in shock. He didn't have to be a doctor to tell that. He led her to the couch, and she sat down. An expression of supreme calm took over her face, enhancing the beauty that was created by the soft lamplight. She looked up at him, cocking her head, and he smiled, slightly embarrassed. This could get very difficult very fast. Consciously locking down his thoughts, he went into the kitchen and poured them both a glass of water. "You know, life really is like a building." upon hearing her voice, he turned toward her. She would have looked perfectly normal and calm if not for her eyes. They were haunted looking, and very deeply blue. He walked back into her living room to hear her better. "You base your life on a belief. Or a series of beliefs. Religion. Science." She looked up at him. "Aliens. And then one day, someone puts a teeny little crack in the foundation of your building. And all of a sudden, that crack spreads, and the building collapses, and there's nothing you can do about it. And dear God, Mulder, stop it with the worrying, you're driving me nuts." She laughed. It was a bitter, scary sound. "Assuming, of course, that I'm not already. That would be the greatest of ironies, wouldn't it? That after all this time, with all those people thinking that you're the one who's insane, it actually turns out to be me." He crossed over to the couch she was sitting on and knelt beside her. She squinted, as if trying to see through a heat haze. He realized what it was and, with the ease of practice, shut down his conscious emotions. "Scully, you're not crazy. You know that and I know that. Now, you've seen things that challenged your foundation, things that you had no explanation for. You were open to the possibility of telepathy, and you saw the evidence with Ross back there. That it happened to you...is just right place, right time coincidence. You've somehow *inherited* a psychic ability, Scully. That's another thing that we both know. So you might as well get over it. You're going to have to deal with it sometime, and the sooner the better." he blinked at the sudden rush of colour in his head. "And, you're projecting again." She looked down at the carpet. He was right, and she supposed that she would have to do something. She couldn't go around projecting like this, it would make her job impossible. Projecting your emotions in a career that runs on politics would be professional suicide. Grimacing, she looked back up to meet his eyes. "And I suppose you know what to do?" One eyebrow was raised in the familiar manner, challenging and questioning him. He smiled. "Yup. I've read about cases of inherited psychic ability before. And the mechanism for locking down empathic transmissions is so cliched that it shouldn't be that hard to do. Imagine a wall around you. It's made out of...what?" "Steel." She had closed her eyes. "Yeah, steel. And the steel is so high that you can't see the top of it, and it extends all around you. It's solid and thick. You have absolute confidence in that wall, knowing that it will protect you from anything." "Mulder?" her voice sounded as if it had come from far away. "Yes?" "What's the foundation of the wall?" He grimaced. She didn't see; her eyes were closed. "Whatever you need it to be, Scully. Whatever you believe in the most." She smiled, then opened her eyes. "Better?" "Yes, much. It's just like normal." At her once more downcast eyes, he asked, "What? What's the matter?" "But I'm not, am I? I'm not normal. Is that what I'm going to become, Mulder? A freak who's pursued and badgered by truth-seekers and people who wanna believe?" He smiled slightly. "Dr. Scully, you of all people should know that instinct rules our subconscious minds. Maternal instinct, reactions to stimuli, telepathy....they're the same thing, really. It's just....exaggerated. A completely normal, if rare, instinctual ability. Besides....if you don't want anyone else to know, that's fine. We'll keep it to ourselves. No reason for you to become another x-file in and of yourself." She chuckled. This time, it sounded sane and real. "Guess this'll make those abandoned warehouse tours easier, huh? Better than shortwave-radio." she closed her eyes. //Mulder? Come in, Mulder, can you read me?// echoed in his mind. He laughed, gently kissed her forehead, then got up and said his goodbyes. After all, he said, they had work the next day, and an endless mountain of paperwork to file. ************************************** The Next Day Fox Mulder's Apartment 8:25 am While getting dressed, Mulder decided to put his partner's shortwave radio to the test. He channeled a thought, fairly loudly. //Hey, Scully, you wanna car pool?// An amused thought came back, almost right away. Just like talking on the telephone, he thought. //Sure. And stop yelling! Just think at your normal volume, if that makes any sense. With me in mind. I can't believe I'm doing this....come by at about quarter to, okay?// He tried sending a wordless feeling of agreement, and she answered it with a similar feeling. This was turning out to be pretty good, he thought. He didn't realize that she had heard him until he felt her chuckle in his head. It wasn't really a chuckle, though...it was more the feeling you have when you chuckle. Amusement? Something like that. //like a kid with a new toy// came her thought. He smiled, both literally and in his head. ************************************ Assistant Director Skinner's Office 9:25 am. Agents Mulder and Scully were playing a game. And the loser would be the one of them who laughed first. "So, Agent Mulder, your angle on this case...psychic ability, empathic transmissions...were they in any way proven?" Skinner's expression was impassive, as always. "Not in any direct way, sir." //Do you want to add to that statement, Agent Scully?// "Do you want to add to that statement, Agent Scully?" Scully smiled. "No, sir. While I found no evidence against it, I also found no evidence pointing to any such abilities in Ross." //except for maybe the way that my head is now a portable CB...// "According to your statement at the crime scene, he was preparing to shoot when you two simultaneously shot him." Mulder nodded. "Yes, sir." //Sir, yes sir! Anything else, sir? An ass-kissing perhaps, sir?// "And Gerald Ross was the one perpetrating these killings." Scully took her opportunity, going for the kill. "Yes, sir. We found conclusive evidence, as you'll see in the report." //And you know, sir, it'd be really cool if you waxed your head.// Scully's face was serene, the only evidence of her last comment a little Mona Lisa smile. Mulder, however, couldn't help but grin. He could feel the laughter bubbling up inside him, but he didn't let it out. Skinner noticed anyway. "Something funny, Agent Mulder?" "No, sir." //alright, you won. I can't top that.// "All right, you two are dismissed." The two field agents got up and left Skinner's office, leaving him slightly confused. The smiling, happy pair were nothing like his usual agents. For just one second, his brain screamed, //they're clones!//. He then quelched the thought, told himself he was hanging around Mulder too much, and asked Katy to send in his next appointment. **************************** In the corridor, Scully all of a sudden made a face. She ran to the end of the hall, entered a mostly untrafficked hallway, and started laughing hysterically. Mulder looked on, bemused. He sent her a wordless feeling of inquiry. She sent back the last few thoughts that had gone through Skinner's head, and he began to laugh, too. They would have made quite a sight to anyone who saw them; the two most serious agents in the building laughing uncontrollably for no reason. Fortunately, no one did see them, and eventually the laughter passed. ***************************** Office of Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully 11:22 am. Mulder walked into the office he shared with his partner, holding two cups of lukewarm coffee in his hands. He was still smiling, and felt light...buoyant, somehow. His partner, the ever flexible and thinking Scully, had accepted what she had quickly, quicker than he would have dreamed. His paperwork had been filed. And now he could look forward to a good afternoon made up of reading new x-files and laughing with his partner. He turned the corner towards her, and the image there was one that shattered his good mood. Scully was sitting in her chair, an unseen file opened in front of her, looking down at her feet. She looked depressed, disappointed, and hateful all at once. Setting the coffee down, Mulder went over to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" "Know what, Mulder? I violated Skinner's right to privacy. His thoughts should be his own. I'm doing exactly the kind of thing that we were after Jerry Ross for doing. And do you know what the sad part is, Mulder? I didn't even know I was going to do it until I heard his thought. It's like eavesdropping. Constantly, without anything like soundproof walls to take the strain off. And I don't think I can handle doing it. Hell, I don't think I should be doing it!" It sounded almost rehearsed, and she held her breath after saying it, as if awaiting judgment. Now Mulder understood. He took her hand, pulling up gently. She stood up without thinking about it, looking at him. "C'mon, Scully." "Where are we going?" "To see an old friend." *************************************************** 932 Beaumont Street Washington, DC 1:08 p.m. "You've got to be kidding." Scully glared at her partner in a manner that could only be called malevolent. "Nope. I've worked with this woman before...she's about as genuine a psychic I've met. Besides you, that is. Now, are you coming in or not?" Sighing, Scully got out of the car, waiting for the hundredth time that day to wake up and realize it was all a dream. They went up the sidewalk together, and Mulder rang the bell. The door opened immediately. Whatever Scully had been expecting of a genuine psychic, this wasn't it. The woman was middle-aged, probably in her late forties or early fifties, wearing a tailored grey pantsuit that Scully herself might have picked up had she seen it on the rack. Her salt and pepper hair was twisted into a rather indifferent ponytail at the back of her head. Her eyes were dark brown with short lashes. Although she wore no makeup, she seemed to exude a genuine beauty that could not be tracked down to any one feature. The woman raised herself up to her full 5 feet eight inches and said, "Get in, please, before you freeze to death." Once they were in, the woman looked them both over quickly, then said in a quiet, thoughtful tone, "I'm glad you came. You've been keeping me up nights." "Sorry?" Scully was still getting over the woman's easy acceptance of two strangers into her living room. "No, I'm sorry, should've introduced myself first. You," she glanced at Mulder, "I know, but I don't believe this young lady and I know each other. Miss, my name is Carol Bilcowski, but don't bother with the last name." "Carol, I'm Dana Scully. My apologies for coming without calling, but..." "No need. I could feel you two coming a mile away. And don't bother explaining why you're here; I'm not inclined to wasting time. I'm very glad you came when you did. Your freehand method of psychic transmission has been giving me the most godawful headaches. And if you keep it up, you're going to have every psychic, major or minor, breathing down your neck. But that's why you're here, isn't it. Damned Ross, that idiot, I told him he should quit with the amphetamines. Come over to the sofa, make yourself comfortable. Fox, I'd like you to wait in the kitchen, please." Mulder, who hadn't spoken since they'd arrived, nodded and walked down a hallway that seemed familiar to him, supposedly heading for the kitchen. "Carol....I don't know think I quite follow you." Scully said from her seat on the sofa. Carol looked annoyed. "You're not quite an avid believer of psychics, are you Dana?" Scully smiled. "No. No, I'm not. Or I wasn't." "Well, that's your first step. What you're able to do now is a legitimate, perfectly reliable ability. And when you start believing in that, we'll be able to move on." "I'll try." "Good. Now, Fox taught you his version of basic shielding, but either didn't tell you or doesn't know that when you project to one another, you're broadcasting all over the place. Psychics all over Alexandria were woken up this morning with you two discussing your transportation. So. You've got your wall, and that's good. It'll work against most low-grade psychics, and all non-gifted people. You're gonna have to learn how to shield against all people...and how to shield outgoing thoughts." "Carol?" "Yeah?" "Is this real?" "Yup." "Alright, how do I start?" *************************** Mulder was seated complacently on a large chair in the kitchen, flipping through an old Reader's Digest when his partner came to get him. She looked slightly tired, but happier than she'd been since they had blown apart Ross's innards in that old warehouse. "Carol says that you can come in now. We're done with the individual stuff." "Individual stuff?" "Yeah, Mulder, looks like it's your turn." Mulder grinned and followed her into the living room, locking down the idle part of him that tracked the progress of her hips into the next room. Having a beautiful psychic for a partner was going to take some work. "Alright. Fox, you sit here on my left. Dana, other side. You two have to learn to work together without letting everyone else know about it!" "What do we do, Carol?" Mulder asked quietly. "I've just taught Dana how to channel a shielded thought. Meaning she can talk to someone without a third party...everyone in Virginia...overhearing. So now you're going to learn how to get her to establish a link without having to shout her name across town. Dana, shield up. Just like before." Scully closed her eyes. "Alright, it's done." Carol glanced at her protégée quickly, nodded, and turned to Mulder. "Fox, imagine a hand. Deep green in color. Reaching towards Dana. Believe in it, know it, feel it. And don't worry about feeling vulnerable; I've got this place shielded to a fair-thee-well." Now Mulder closed his eyes. He made the picture, put his faith behind it, and sent it out towards his partner. "Dana, imagine a hand of your own, pale blue, and make it reach out and clasp Fox's." Dana did so, and all of a sudden there was a bright kind of momentary flash as the two hands seemed to reach for each other and miss. Then, finally, there was an almost audible snap! And then it was still. But Dana felt different; there was a feeling of openness and vulnerability where there hadn't been before. A... *link?* ...line going towards her partner. And suddenly she understood. "Carol...did you just...link us?" she asked softly. "No. You did. Now, if either of you needs the other, you can simply send messages down that line. It's like a permanent shielded link. Fox, I wouldn't advise sending much through there; you aren't psychic, and all it will do is put strain on your friend. It would be best if, when you needed to talk to her, you just sent a one-word message down that line. She can then open a different channel that's not so restricted. Get it?" "Got it. Is that all?" Fox asked. Carol smiled. "Yes. For now. But Dana..." "What?" "I want you to come back here for about an hour a week. You've learned a lot, all the basics, but the good stuff is yet to come. And you need to practice, so it's best if you two just used this," she tapped her temple, "to talk for a little while. It'll get tiring, and if you push it too hard you'll get a hell of a headache, but you should be alright to start. Call if you need me." With that, Ms. Carol Bilcowski let them out of her house, shut the door, and turned her mind to other things. *************************** //Mulder?// //Yeah.// //Is this real? Am I going insane?// //Are you still on that? No, you're not insane, yes, this is real, dear god you// //What?// //What, what?// //What was that last part?// //This is real.// //No, after that.// //Nothing after that.// //Oh. Okay.// Scully shut down the line, seeing it as a deflating air hose or constricting blood vessel, and sat quietly in the car, deep in thought. Mulder's own mind was racing slightly, and he knew that, had Dr.Scully taken his pulse, it would match. The thought that had come unbidden was, "dear god you're so beautiful when you're vulnerable." With the open line, Scully was picking up on all his conscious thoughts. And, considering that they were supposed to use mostly her ability to chat for the next few weeks, that was going to be a problem. He blinked twice, quickly, and tried to concentrate on the road. ******************************* Dana Scully's Apartment 3:04 a.m. Dana Scully was awakened by a light brush on her mind. It reminded her of the time her brothers had tickled her with a feather until she woke up sneezing. The feelings coming down that line were getting more impatient. Worried that Mulder was in danger or something similar, she opened up the line. And was cast into his nightmare. *********************************** //Run run run run run run run run run!!! Run....// Something was chasing her. It was huge. Inescapable. Horrible. So she ran. Her stomach seemed twisted into knots, panic and fear of a level she'd never known before chasing around inside her. She closed her eyes and kept running. Suddenly there was no ground beneath her. She was falling. She opened her eyes in the dream to find the ground rushing up to meet her. Just a few more feet and she would hit... Then she felt strong arms pulling her up. But something was wrong; the arms were too big, she was tiny in comparison. She looked up at her benefactor to see the very thing she'd been running from. It was nothing but darkness, and the arms were not arms but giant tendrils spinning off the original darkness in a way that grotesquely imitated the way star clusters branched off galaxies. She tried to close her eyes again, but couldn't, she was forced to look into the depths of the darkness and oh they were so deep and cold and she would never get warm again oh god was there no light left? She sat up, a scream dying on her lips. So did Mulder. //Scully?// his thought was still drugged by sleep and terror of his nightmare. //Yeah.// //God, Scully, were you there?// She sent him a wordless yes. //I'm sorry, Dana, I didn't mean to pull you in...// //It's okay, Mulder, I opened the channel. I thought you were in trouble.// Her concern echoed along the line. He saw what had happened through her feelings. He shut his eyes. //Try to sleep, Scully. Just don't link with me...// //I don't wanna leave you alone to face that...// //You should// Stubbornly, she didn't collapse the line. Ignoring his protests, she suggested that he try to sleep. Moments later, she was herself asleep. Sleep for her partner was a lot longer in coming. It was, in a way, the first night they'd ever spent together. ********************************************** Brian paused outside of the basement office, about to knock. Suddenly, he heard a loud chorus of laughter. Which was odd, because he knew that he hadn't heard anyone talking beforehand. Nothing funny had been said. He would've heard the voices if someone'd just been talking, wouldn't he? Brian shook his head. He raised his hand, about to knock, when the door opened. A redheaded woman stood there, and he knew by reputation that this could only be Dana Scully. He smiled crookedly. "Uh, you asked for someone to come fix the modem?" "Yeah. Come right in." Brian walked in slowly. A man //Fox Mulder// was sitting there. He had slight tear tracks on his face. He was still chuckling slightly from whatever it had been that was so funny. Brian didn't know quite what to say. Agent Scully saved him. "He's here to fix the modem." The man nodded, lost the grin, and moved around to the other side of the desk. "It just keeps giving me the message that it's not plugged in or doesn't exist....I'll be damned if I can figure out what's wrong with it." he said. "Probably just bad wiring. Let me see." Brian proceeded to plug and unplug cords, checking for frayed wires. He bent down under the desk and, a few seconds later, heard what sounded like choked laughter. The man was struggling not to spit out his coffee. Which was odd, since he was facing away from both Brian and the woman. The woman was directly behind him, but hadn't made a noise. Mulder grabbed a napkin and cleaned the beverage off of his face. Brian rolled his eyes and looked even harder for the bad wire. He could understand why these two had trouble fitting in. ********************************* //I can't BELIEVE you would say that!// //I didn't! You eavesdropped!// //Oh, come on..... 'he's got a nice ass' came down the line as clear as day!// //Well, he did.// Mulder smiled and chuckled slightly. It was getting harder and harder to drink a good cup of coffee these days. //I heard that.// //So?// //So, you wanna go get some coffee while the modem guy finds his wire? I promise not to make you snort it again.// //You didn't make me snort it the first time.// //Whatever.// To Brian's amazement, the two agents then walked simultaneously out of their respective corners, grabbed their coats, and walked out the door. Without saying a word. Brian just shook his head once more and went on working. ********************************** //So the modem guy has a nice ass, huh?// //Not really, I was just saying that to see if I could get hot Jamaican blend to come out of your nose.// //Is this the same Scully I know and love?// She looked up at her partner. //What?// Not trusting his head, Mulder said, "The Scully in here," he touched her forehead, "Is very different than the one out here," he made a vague gesture at about the level of her navel. //Everyone's different inside their heads. Mr. Psychologist. Don't talk, I need the practice telepathically.// //What's it like in there, Scully?// //Mulder, only you could be jealous of a curse like this.// //Curse?// //It's a pain in the ass.// //Yeah, but it's kinda cool. Like Superman.// He conveyed the image of her in a Superman costume, flying through the air, shading her eyes with her hand. She giggled. //I didn't know you could do that.// She looked up at him with a puzzled expression. //Giggle. You giggled.// //So what if I did, Coffee Boy? C'mon, we're here.// She gestured at the small cafe they had trekked to. He smiled, hoped to get some of his own back, and followed her inside. This was proving to be quite interesting. ********************************* Judy, the waitress, was wearing tight jeans, an even tighter t-shirt, and her nametag. Mulder tried not to stare. "What can I get you?" she asked indifferently. Scully seemed slightly shocked. She blinked twice. "Coffee. Two, please." she said. Judy wrote it down dutifully and left. //That was very impolite.// Dana sent to her partner. //What?// Mulder had pulled a stir stick out of a nearby container and commenced to chew on it. //You just broadcasted your feelings about Judy's breasts.// //I didn't broadcast, Scully, and that's just the way the male mind works. Give us some credit, we've become civilized enough not to jump up and make hooting noises every time a pretty girl walks by. You want I should curb my thoughts, too, boss?// //No. You're right....I wasn't thinking again.// The thought was accompanied by a feeling of indecision. //What's up?// he asked. "We'd better start using the vocal cords, Mulder. Apparently people aren't supposed to just come in and start staring at each other." her tone was slightly hushed. She glanced over at the counter, where Judy and another girl were standing, staring at them. "Vocal cords from now on in public places?" Mulder asked. "You got it." Mulder felt more than just a little bit of relief. ********************************************************* //I'm gonna shut the line down, Mulder, I'm going on to the freeway.// //Kay. I'll....// whatever his thought was, it was cut off by the stream of panicked feelings that came towards him. He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, and pulled the car over to the side of the road. He was breathing quickly, his heart was pounding.... //Scully!// //I'm okay, I....dammit!// Unable to articulate, she sent him the images that accompanied the minor car accident she had gotten into when the man in the grey pickup had neglected to check his mirrors. //You're not hurt.// he knew that much. //No. My car's okay, too....the other guy looks fine. I'm gonna go check. Call me later.// She shut down the line. And left Mulder to wonder at the physical condition that his partner's car accident had left him in. ********************************* 7:32 p.m. //Scully?// //Yeah.// She opened the line. //When you hit the truck, I got an adrenaline rush.// //What?// //I got the same physical sensations as you. It's lucky I was able to pull my car over, or we might've had two accidents.// //Well, I guess....if you're sharing my thoughts, then....// //Yeah. So physical feelings are shared, too. Hold on.// She felt a stab of pain at her right finger, and looked down. A tear of blood had formed on the tip. //Feel anything, Scully?// //I'm bleeding. Right forefinger. Ouch.// //You're BLEEDING?// //Yes, I'm bleeding. You stabbed yourself?// //Yeah. Right forefinger. With a safety pin.// //You know what this means?// //That you need a bandaid?// //That if one of us gets shot, so does the other.// her thoughts had taken a serious turn. //Partners, then.// She smiled. //Partners.// Mulder felt absurdly like he was becoming someone's blood-brother. ************************************ Two Weeks Later Carol Bilcowski Residence "You two were due in here last Wednesday." "Sorry, ma'am. Won't happen again." "See that it doesn't. Tell me what you've discovered since you were last here." Fox looked at the floor momentarily, then looked back up at their mentor. "We share pain." Carol nodded knowingly. "And pleasure. And other physical experiences. How did you find that one out?" "I was in a minor car accident," Dana said, "Mulder shared my adrenaline rush." "So you know that, as long as this link is active, you two have the equivalent of one life?" They looked at each other. "Yeah. I guess so." Mulder intoned quietly. "Carol?" Scully asked, also quiet. "What, Dana?" "Not that I would want to do this, but....is there any way the link could be severed?" "Not from outside. Only you can do that. Most of psychic ability is in imagery and belief, so if you see and believe in that cord getting cut, then it will be." She frowned. "But I wouldn't recommend it. You two make a good partnership. Anything else?" The two agents shook their heads. "Then we'll begin." ************************************************* Morris 13 Warehouse 10:25 p.m.. Mulder held up three fingers. He counted down to zero. The other agent, Kreski, rolled in, shouldering the door open, holding up his gun. Mulder followed. Despite perfect procedure, a silver blade came raking out of the darkness to Kreski's right and sliced a long, jagged cut across his chest. Mulder turned and shot in the direction of the blade. He heard the would-be assassin run and knew he had missed. He gave pursuit, his eyes now getting adjusted to the dark. He saw the woman's knife flash again in the darkness and fired. This time, he heard a soft thump as her body hit the ground. He checked to make sure she was dead, then ran back to help the fallen agent. //Shit, Mulder, what's happening?// his partner's voice echoed in his head. //Kreski's cut. Bad.// his thoughts were ragged, halting. Scully felt the adrenaline start to flow in waves. Why hadn't she gone with him? //Dammit! Okay, look at him, tell me what you see.// //Chest wound....about five inches....Jesus, Scully...// //I'm calling medical assistance...put pressure on it// There was quiet in his head. He pulled open the man's shirt to see a wide gash in his chest. He ripped off his own trenchcoat and used it to put pressure on the wound, but it was bleeding heavily. Worse than that, it was making a ghastly, almost imperceptible whistling sound that Mulder didn't like at all. //I'm back. EMS is twenty minutes away, Mulder, you have to help him.// //Right. What do I do?// Scully bit her lip in frustration. She didn't know. She had to see the wound. And suddenly, she could. She understood, somehow, that she was seeing through Mulder's eyes. Not wasting any time, she assessed Kreski's condition. //Shit!// she said again. //His lung is punctured. Grab your coat and put more pressure on the wound// //I'll break his ribs if I...// //Screw his ribs! He's dying!// Mulder rocked forward on his knees and brought his full weight down onto the bleeding gash. Finally, the unearthly whistling sound stopped as a full seal was made over the man's wound. //Take off your belt, but maintain pressure on the wound.// He pushed as hard as he could with one hand on the trenchcoat, already soaked in blood, and with the other hand undid his belt. He pulled it off in one smooth motion and, as Scully directed him, pulled it under Kreski and around him. He cinched it as tight as he could, using it to maintain the pressure on the wound and hold down his bloodied coat. //Now, push down on that coat as hard as you can.// Mulder did. Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance arrived. ********************************************** "Scully!" Mulder cried out, seeing his partner from across the parking lot. She smiled and walked towards him. They joined in a brief hug. "It's a damned good thing for Kreski that you have me," Scully said, "How is he?" "The paramedics said that he was doing okay, but he might be in the hospital for a while." He chuckled. //What?// she asked. //They told me that I should become a doctor, I did so well// She laughed. The other agents looked at her, not understanding. Mulder smiled. //C'mon, let's get outta here. I need some coffee.// They turned and walked together towards the car. ************************************************************ The Following Wednesday Carol Bilcowski Residence "Sight-sharing?" "I guess so." "Wonderful!" Carol looked supremely happy with her students. "Is that not common?" Mulder asked. "Common? I've only ever met three partnerships before that could do that." Carol did not add that all of those partnerships were life-bondings. "So....is it safe? We won't....get stuck or anything?" Scully asked tentatively. "No, no. This is perfect! I wondered about you two, whether you'd be able to do this..." "So, it's just sight?" Mulder interjected. "No, not at all. Sight is usually the first sense shared, but with practice you two can share hearing, taste, smell...all the senses, at will. It is a huge energy drain, though, so it's best not to rely on it." They looked at each other and nodded. "We understand." Scully intoned. ********************************************** Scully laughed and brought another spoonful to her mouth. //Carol did say that we shared pleasure.// //I didn't know you were such a fan of chocolate, Scully// A feeling that could only be described as a purr came down the line to Mulder. He laughed. //Can I have a taste?// he asked. //You sure?// //Yeah, let me try some.// //Okay.// She pulled him into her mind, letting him taste the ice cream in her mouth. Then she let go, sending him back to himself. //Wow. Not bad, and with no calories!// //For you. I'm practically soaking in them.// //I wouldn't worry, Scully// //About what?// //Losing your girlish figure. You're gorgeous// Scully was speechless. Sure, he had said such things before, out loud, but this thought was accompanied by a completely male appreciation for her body. She hadn't known that she was Mulder's type. //You are// His thought was quiet and honest. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. To kiss this man she had loved for so long and to show him that she felt the same way. But he was miles away, sitting in his apartment. And across those miles she felt his want to kiss her echo her own. //Scully?// Mulder's thought came. //Yes?// //Do you want to come over?// She couldn't believe that this was happening. //No, Mulder, I don't think that I should.// She felt his dismay. //I want you to come over here.// And she felt his love, a glowing feeling of wonder that filled her with joy. ***************************************** Dana couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous. Not during prom, not at graduation from med school, not even in joining the FBI. The one person in the world who had ever understood her, who had ever given her his complete trust was on his way, and their relationship was going to be determined forever in the next few minutes. Mulder's slight, tentative knock came from the other side of the door. Scully closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and decided on her course of action. Without even glancing in the peephole, she flung open the door, wrapped her arms around her partner's neck and kissed him. He was shocked at first, but soon softened into the kiss, responding to her passion with his own. It seemed to last forever. When they finally pulled apart, Mulder grinned at her. "Good thing I'm not the pizza man." he said, his voice slightly breathless. "Hi." she intoned quietly. "Can I come in?" his voice sounded grave and serious. Scully couldn't help but giggle. "...Or were you just going to leave me here on your doorstep?" his voice had a playful tone to it now. "No, you can come in." she smiled and led him by the hand into her apartment. He watched as she shut the door behind him. He couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous around a woman. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when she shook her head. //like this.// her thought came into his mind. Along with it came a deluge of emotions; tension, excitement, and worry, yes, but more than those, almost drowning them out with its power and clarity, was love. It was like a light that exploded behind his eyes and raced its way into his heart. Without thinking, without so much as consulting his conscious mind, he closed the small gap between then and grabbed up his Scully in a hug. He buried his face in her shoulder. Tears of joy and tears of love began to stream down Dana's cheeks. //I'm so glad// Mulder answered. And he was. The emotions behind his thought were as deep and pure as hers. He almost burned with love and joy. And behind that, rooted in that, was a sense of fierce devotion and trust. Mulder gave his trust to no one and his love to none at all, but he had given them both to her. It was the most precious gift that Scully could ever have received. They pulled apart again, and Mulder saw the tears in his love's eyes. He brushed them away gently with his thumbs, holding her face in his hands. Scully smiled the most radiant and beautiful smile he had ever seen. He thought he might get lost in that smile. Then they kissed again, and this time it was impossible to tell who had kissed who. It was a kiss that their hearts had agreed upon long before their minds could ever have decided. As their lips met and caressed, Mulder felt his mind and Scully's do the same. The pleasure and the love he had been feeling became doubled, if that was possible. His passion and desire were intertwined so inextricably with his partner's that he felt that he would never again be whole without her. Their minds met and mixed, creating colours and feelings never before experienced by either of them. Moving, he kissed her throat gently, experimentally. As he did so, he could feel not only the gorgeous sensation of her skin under his lips, but the raw, burning heat that she felt at his touch. Ever kiss, every caress, was multiplied, not twice, it seemed, but a hundred times, a thousand times. She moved her head around to his ear, suckling the tender flesh behind it. Soon it was difficult for either of them to tell where their own pleasure ended and the other's began. No one said the words or made the decision. They didn't need to be said. The decision was made by one mind, one heart, one life. Their bodies joined their minds in a union of love. Together, they reached the sky. ********************************************** Scully woke and gently pulled her mind away from Mulder's. She had never experienced such a height of pleasure or passion before. Now they lay together in her bed, bodies pressed close together as the morning sun smiled on them from her window. //morning sun...// her sleepy mind nagged. "Oh, shit..." she said softly as she gazed at the digital clock on her nightstand. 10:14, it read. //Mulder!// she sent into her partner's mind. //wha...// "Mulder, get up, our meeting with Skinner was fifteen minutes ago!" His eyes opened and he sat up. Looking at the clock, he said, "Let's call in sick." "Both of us? Now?" "Yeah. We wouldn't be able to be there before 11:30 anyway." "Don't you think it would look a little suspicious?" "Fine. You call in sick, I'll....take a leave of absence." "What?! Are you serious, Mulder? That would be even more suspicious!" "Okay, okay...ummm...." he licked his lips. "Just get up, Mulder, and get dressed. We'll think of something on the way." she moved to get up, then stopped, noticing for the first time that they were both still naked. She kissed him deeply. "And hurry it up." She smiled, got up, and threw his clothes at him on her way to the bathroom. Mulder grinned and got dressed. ******************************************* 11:22 am Assistant Director Skinner's Office. "Pneumonia?" "Yes, sir." Scully answered seriously. "Brought on by what? He was fine three days ago." Skinner asked from behind his desk. "Sir, it is my hypothesis that Agent Mulder's water supply has been tampered with again, filled with harmful chemicals that have weakened his immune system. This weakening undoubtedly caused the pneumonia." "Why? Have you been pursuing a sensitive case without authorization? According to this," he glanced down at the paper in front of him, "you two haven't requested an assignment since last week." "No, sir. Agent Mulder has been looking into a case unofficially. There was evidence that needed to be obtained." "And did he obtain it?" "No, sir. He might've, had he been in better health, but the suspect ran before Mulder could question him." Skinner seemed to weigh this in his mind. "Alright, Agent Scully, you're free to go. Tell Mulder that he has one week mandatory sick leave. Take a couple of days off yourself, and make sure he rests. Get his water supply fixed." "Yes, sir." Scully stood up and turned to leave. "And, Scully?" Skinner said. "Yes, sir?" Scully turned around to face her superior. "You have my blessing." the Assistant Director did not look up from his paperwork. Scully was speechless. Her father had always called the way she was feeling now 'flabbergasted'. Finally she smiled and managed to stammer out a, "Thank you, sir." Without another word, Skinner returned to his work. Scully left, still in a state of shock. **************************************************** Mulder sat in the car, reading The Magic Bullet and waiting for Scully to come back. Finally, he heard the sound of her door opening. "You know, Scully, if this was the plan all along, I don't see why I had to get up." he looked up at his newly-found love. And was shocked at the expression on her face. "What is it, Scully?" he asked, dropping his newsletter without a second thought. "I just...spoke to Skinner..." "Scully?" //you won't believe this, Mulder...// she sent. And proceeded to replay the meeting she had just attended. It didn't take long. By the end, Mulder was flabbergasted, too. *************************************************** After another session of incredibly heated lovemaking, Scully and Mulder lay intertwined once more on her bed. Their limbs were locked together, almost tangled, but their minds were also brought together. Not in passion, now, but in deep thought. It seemed to Scully to be a version of the brainstorming-thought processes that had so often accompanied a difficult case problem, only so increased in power and speed that they seemed to think as one being. The part of her mind not entangled with her partner's decided that they were the first real human think tank. //We'll have to go on now. We can't give us up.// The Mulder/Scully think tank proclaimed. In reality, it was each of them asserting that they couldn't give the other up, but it came out as one thought, one piece of the puzzle. A series of images fleeted in and out of their minds. Marriage was the first, and so was the first one to be thought out by the two intertwined agents. //Yes! No. Skinner said....but no. Separated.// That last thought was so painful that marriage was dropped momentarily. //We want the x-files to continue. What's the price? Can we pay it?// //No price// was the next thought to surface. //We stay together, no advertising, but no cloak and dagger.// //And we keep the x-files. They need us.// The identity of 'they' didn't have to be thought out. 'They' were the thousands of people dying each year silently, falling to the machinations of the government. 'They' was also the x-files themselves, both the fabric of the truth and the pathway to it. Then the souls of each person, man and woman, spoke up loudly, deciding without doubt their next course of action. //Marriage.// Scully wasn't sure if it was her mind or Mulder's that brought up the image of the impressive speech-impaired clergyman from The Princess Bride. Laughter spread over their minds for a moment like cool green water, and then melted away. The next thought was almost pure feeling. It is best translated as: //Fuck the system. I love you.// Physically, Scully nodded, and gently disentangled her consciousness from Mulder's. Mulder cleared his throat. He had to say it out loud. The confessions of his mind were one thing, but he had to admit it. "I love you, Scully. More than I would've ever thought possible. If I'd known earlier..." She nodded again. "I love you too. So much it hurts, sometimes." She shook her head a little, smiling. "I feel like I'm in a bad romance novel." He smiled at her, a slow, dark, secret smile that she had never seen before. "Funny," he said, "I've felt that way for years now." The pure joy of being with him filled her again, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing with it, to keep from shouting out her happiness with it. She smiled broadly. "I think," she intoned slowly, "that this is going to be fun." ****************************************************** THE END (for now....insert Twilight Zone music here....) Well, this story is shorter than it was originally going to be, but I felt like it had reached a plateau. I would love to make it a series, but like most fanfic writers and ill-treated puppies, I need a lot of petting and encouragement. So please tell me if you liked it and would like to see a series, or tell me if you think that I should be drug out into the street and shot. I'm not guaranteeing that either one will be accomplished, but we'll see what we can work out. What do you think, sirs? Meg Graham. megraham@mb.sympatico.ca ; mymango@yahoo.com http://www.geocities.com/mymango/