From: Melissa <katjr@twcreations.net>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 21:10:54 -0800
Subject: "Tropical Dreams" Part 1

Title:  "Tropical Dreams" (1/2)
Author:  Melissa Locke (katjr@twcreations.net)
DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to the almighty Chris Carter, 1013, and FOX
network.  Just because I'm making million$ off of this doesn't mean I actually
own the rights to it...just kidding!  Scully and Mulder belong to GA and DD
because they are the ones who made these characters come alive.
Rating:  R
Message from Author:  Please, I'd like to get any and all feedback of this
story.  Feel free to send any comments to me at katjr@twcreations.net.
Thursday, February 11
10:15 a.m.
Dana Scully looked out of the window of the airplane.  Here she was, once
again.  It seemed that 95% of her life was spent in a car or on an airplane. 
She sighed to herself.  She half laughed then.  The one constant she could
rely
on was that Mulder was always by her side on these trips.  She turned to look
at her partner.  His head was resting on her shoulder and she could hear his
shallow breathing; telling her he was asleep.  She reached her hand up and ran
her fingers through his dark, spiky hair.  He stirred slightly and she quickly
put her hand back in her lap.  She turned to look out the window again and
lost
herself in her thoughts.  For six years, she and Mulder had been partners. 
She'd grown so accustomed to the endless road and air trips in search of the
little green men, the phone calls in the wee hours of the night, his insane
theories, and she truly couldn't imagine her life being any other way.  It
seemed right.  Sure, she and Mulder argued incessantly, but they agreed, a
long
time ago, to just disagree.  Sure, she got agitated with him when he'd call
her
at 3 o'clock in the morning.  But wouldn't anybody?  But she loved him.  He
was
her best friend.  He was her partner.  A lot of times, he was her shelter from
the cruel world.  And, yes, he was the root of most of her troubles.  She
smiled at that thought.  She wouldn't give any of it up for anything!  When
she
was first assigned as his partner, it was done in hopes that she'd be able to
discredit his work.  Instead, he'd discredited a lot of her scientific
knowledge and reasoning.  She'd always held fast to her belief that everything
had a scientific explanation.  Now she wasn't so sure.  After the bombing in
Dallas and her almost being transferred to Salt Lake City, they had been
removed from the X-Files and stuck in an office doing background checks.  That
had almost bored them to death.  They were slowly being put back into
fieldwork
now.  Which is what they were in the midst of doing at the moment.  They were
on their way to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to investigate the disappearances of
nine young women from the Ft. Lauderdale Beach area.  There weren't very many
clues to the disappearances, but the local authorities had contacted the
F.B.I.
because they were stumped.  There seemed to be no common connections between
the women, except fpr the general area of their disappearances.  Dana was
almost grateful for the assignment because it was taking her from the snow
encased streets of Washington to the warm, almost tropical, climate of
Florida.  She had become tired of the bitter cold and was ready for some
warmth
and sunshine.  
11:45 a.m.
Dana and Fox were walking to their respective hotel rooms at the Days Inn.
Fox
was walking along the corridor in front of Dana.  He turned to look over his
shoulder at her and asked,
"How about some lunch after we put our things in our rooms?  I'm starved!"
Dana chuckled.
"Sure.  Gee, Mulder, you just ate three hours ago!"
Fox stopped in front of his room and slid the key card through the slot.
"Exactly!  Three hours ago!"    
She laughed at him again as she slid her key card in the slot of her door. 
Dana was putting her things away when Fox opened the door to her room.
"Hey, Scully!  You think we should dress like tourists?  I mean, don't you
think it's a bit hot here for these stuffy suits?"
He saw the twinkle in her eye as she smiled.
"I was just thinking the same thing!"
Fox smiled at her and sprinted from her room.  Dana pulled out a white
t-shirt,
a pair of khaki shorts and her white leather sandals.  Just as she was
buckling
the sandals across her ankles, Fox entered her room again.  He was donned in a
dark blue Polo shirt and white shorts.  
"Let's eat!"
She laughed at him and followed him from the room.
1:15 p.m.
Broward County Sheriff's Department
Dana and Fox walked into Lieutenant Jose Morales' office.  They showed him
their badges and introduced themselves.  Lieutenant Morales rose from his
chair, walked around his desk and shook their hands.
"We expected you two to come in earlier."
Fox smiled and said,
"Sorry.  We were unavoidably detained."
Dana smiled and thought to herself...yeah, by Mulder's stomach!  Lieutenant
Morales began to go over what details they had on the case with them.  There
wasn't much there, but Dana knew, from experience, that if there was a
connection, Mulder would find it.  Whether it involved extraterrestrial
biological entities or not...he would find it.  He always did.  Dana
half-listened to what was going on around her and she realized that she was
doing this and chastised herself for it, but there was something...something
drawing her into a fantasy world of sorts.  She was losing herself in her
thoughts.  She walked over to the window to look out.  She could see herself
running on the beach, the waves lapping at her feet, hear the seagulls above
her, smell the salt-air...she was lost.  Fox looked up and saw Dana at the
window.  She looked so peaceful with her thoughts.  
2:07 p.m.
Fox and Dana got into their rental car.  As Fox started the engine, he looked
at Dana and asked,
"Hey, Scully?"
She was still very quiet.  She buckled her seat belt.
"Yes?"
"What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean,...I mean, you were very quiet up there.  Almost uninterrested."
"It's nothing, Mulder.  There's nothing going on."
As they drove for a little while, Dana began to see the beach come into view. 
She looked at Fox and asked,
"So, what are we doing now?"
"We're going to survey the area."
"Do you know what we're looking for exactly?"
"Not exactly, no."
"Then what are we looking for?"
"I'm not sure.  Don't really know."
"But you have an idea?"
"What makes you say that?"
Fox turned to look at Dana and smiled.  She smiled back at him.
"Because I know you, Mulder, and because of that smile you just gave me.  So
what is it?"
"It may be nothing."
"And then again, it may be something.  Tell me, Mulder!"
Fox just smiled at her as he pulled the car into a parking space, along A1A,
that ran parallel to the beach.  Fox got out of the car and Dana soon
followed.  Once they reached the sand, Dana stopped to pull off her sandals. 
Fox continued walking.
"Hey, Mulder!  Wait up!"
She quickly caught up with him.  He was walking, continually surveying the
ground around him.  They walked in silence for a few minutes.  Dana didn't
know
what he was looking for.  She felt as though Mulder was intentionally leaving
her in the dark about this, but...why?  Bored and having no clue as to what
she
should be looking for, Dana began to look out at the vast ocean.  And it began
again.  She felt herself slipping away...out...out into the ocean.  She felt
almost as if she were in a trance...being drawn into the ocean itself.  Fox
glanced up, looked around for a minute, and finally saw Dana.  She was
standing, knee-deep in the water, looking out at the ocean.  He watched her
for
a minute.  He recognized that far-off look in her eyes.  It was the same one
he'd seen on her earlier at the police station.  Something was going on here,
but he wasn't quite sure what it was.  He began his search of the ground
again.  A few minutes later, he looked up again, in search of Dana.  When he
saw her, his heart stopped.
"Scully!"
Dana was chest-deep in the ocean and still going forward.  Fox took off
running
towards her, yelling her name.  He splashed into the ocean after her.  Just as
he reached for her, her head went under the water.  He grabbed her around the
waist, pushing her up so that her head was above the water.  Her eyes were
closed and she was limp in his arms.  As he carried her up on the beach, he
noticed a certain sereneness about her unconscious face.  He laid her down,
wiping the wet tendrils of hair from her face.  He leaned down, placing his
ear
close to her lips.  She wasn't breathing!  He quickly grabbed her wrist,
feeling for a pulse.  He felt it, although it was very faint.  He began CPR on
her.  Within seconds, she spit and sputtered and began to take in breaths.
Fox
gathered her up in his arms and held her close to him.
"What happened out there, Scully?"
She looked up at him.
"Nothing.  Why?"
He looked down at her, amazed.
"You almost drowned, Scully."
She glanced out toward the ocean.
"Oh."
"What were you doing out there?"
She was quiet for a moment.
"I don't know.  I...it..."
"What?"
She looked up at him.
"It was calling me.  Why did you stop me?"
Fox sat her up, placed his hands on her shoulders, and asked,
"What was calling you?"
Dana glanced out at the ocean again.
"It...I don't know.  But why did you stop me?"
Fox shook her gently; she was slipping back into that far-off look again.
"Scully!"
She looked at him and he saw the look fading from her eyes.
"Why do you keep asking me that?"
"What?"
"Why did I stop you?"
"I don't know.  I just feel like I should go there."
"Where?"
"I don't know!"
Dana struggled to get to her feet and Fox stood up beside her.  She was
staring
out into the ocean again.  Fox had his hand around Dana's waist.  They stood
there in silence for a few minutes.  Slowly, Dana began to walk toward the
ocean, but Fox grabbed her by the arm.
"Uh-uh!  Let's get out of here!"
He turned her toward the direction of the car and with his hand on the
small of
her back, led her up the beach.  Dana turned to look over her shoulder at the
ocean once again.  Fox muttered under his breath,
"This is too weird."
4:20 p.m.
Days Inn; Dana's room
Fox had started the shower running and was ushering Dana into the bathroom. 
She was still very quiet and still had that strange look in her eyes.  He was
afraid for her.  Something had taken control of her...probably the same
something that had taken the other women.  He wasn't quite sure what it was
though.  Once he was satisfied that she was safely in the shower, he began to
rummage through the drawers to find some clothes for her to put on.  After 15
minutes and Dana had still not emerged from the bathroom, Fox knocked on the
door.
"Scully?  You okay in there?"
There was no response from her, but the water was still running.  He turned
the
door knob and opened the door.  Through the steam, he saw her.  She was
slumped
in the corner of the tub with the shower beating down on her.
"Damn!"
Fox turned off the shower, grabbed a towel from the rack, grabbed her up,
wrapping her in the towel at the same time, picked her up and carried her to
the bed.  She was unconscious.  He laid her down on the bed.  She was
breathing, thank God!  He began to dry her off and dressed her.  Then he
tucked
her under the sheets and sat down beside her.  She looked so peaceful.  What
was going on here?  This was getting weirder by the minute!  
8:45 p.m.
Dana was running on the beach, laughing, joyous, carefree.  She danced in the
sand, playing keep-away with the waves coming in to shore.  She was so happy! 
More happy than she'd been in a long time.  She had no worries, no stress, no
grief in her life.  Nothing bothered her.  There was no weight on her
shoulders.  Then there was the voice.  The voice that told her it could be
like
this forever, if she would just join him.  She wanted to.  God!  How she
wanted
to!  But something was holding her back...preventing her from leaving.  She
wanted to live in this tropical dream; she longed for it!  But there was
something...no, someone...holding her...back.  Dana began to stir from her
deep
sleep.  She opened her eyes slowly as consciousness slowly descended upon
her. 
She blinked in the darkness around her.  The feelings in her arms, legs and
body slowly came back to her.  That's when she realized someone was lying
close
to her.  She turned slowly to look over her shoulder.  It was Mulder.  She
could feel his long, hard body pressed intimately against her.  His arm was
draped over her waist.  She was under the sheet and blanket and he was
lying on
top of them.  She felt safe there...but not as safe as....  She couldn't form
the rest of the thought.  As safe as where?  She struggled to clear the
cobwebs
from her mind.  Where?  Where had she been?  Where had she wanted to go so
badly?  She couldn't think.  She turned herself over quietly so she could face
Fox and whispered,
"Mulder?"
He didn't stir so she called out his name again.  He awoke with a start and
then smiled as he noticed she was awake.
"Hey, there, F.B.I. woman!"
She smiled at him.
"Hey."
He propped himself up on his elbow and asked,
"Are you okay?"
She thought for a moment.
"I'm fine, Mulder.  Why?"
His mind raced into overdrive.  She didn't remember!  Maybe that was a good
thing.
"No reason."
Suddenly dawning on her, the intimate situation they were in, she sat up
quickly.
"Mulder?"
He rose from the bed.
"Yeah?"
He stretched as he walked to turn on the lamp.  She struggled with herself on
how to pose the question to him.
"Why...why are we...why were we...lying here...together?"
Fox thought for a minute.
"We fell asleep."
Dana glanced around her room, unsure of why she felt so embarrassed.
"But, why?  How..."
Determined not to refresh her memory of what had happened earlier, Fox said,
"We were talking and, I guess, we were both more tired than we realized,
and we
fell asleep.  What's the big deal, Scully?"
Assuming her rational, professional, Special Agent Scully persona, Dana
removed
herself from the bed.
"Mulder, you know just as well as I do, that it is against Bureau policy for
agents to share close quarters while on assignment."
Fox chuckled.
"Relax, Scully!  I didn't take advantage of you or anything!"
The thought came to him then of how good she'd felt in his arms.  So right.
 So
small and so perfectly fitting into him.  He shook the thought from his mind. 
Dana, too, was having the same thought.  Suddenly, she felt very awkward
around
him.  She began making up the bed; trying to busy herself to keep from having
to look at him.  He watched her.  As he did so, he thought back to their very
first meeting.  She had walked into his basement office, looking so fresh and
new, but, at the same time, so sure of her scientific knowledge that she knew
with every fiber of her being, everything could be explained scientifically. 
He remembered, too, her coming to his room, so afraid.  She had stood there in
front of him, wearing only her bra and panties...deathly afraid of mosquito
bites!  He smiled to himself then.  But then he remembered his first
thought of
her at that moment.  And he remembered his thought the moment she'd thrown
herself in his arms as relief had washed over her.  It had felt right
then...holding her.  That was six years ago.  So much had happened and so much
had changed since then, except one thing.  He still wanted to hold her and
protect her.  He looked at her now.  She looked so awkward, unsure, ashamed,
embarrassed.  Why?  She had been first assigned as his partner to debunk his
work.  But from their very first case, she'd stuck by him, not entirely
convinced of his theories, but not entirely convinced otherwise, either.  And,
so, they had remained partners; seen and done much together.  After all that
she'd seen and been through, she still hadn't been convinced to give up her
rational, scientific theories.  He respected her for that.  Just as he
stood up
for his convictions, so did she.  She was more apt now, to accept
unconventional theories and paranormal activities beyond the realm of
scientific explanation, than she was six years ago, but she still held on to
them...those rational scientific explanations.  He was saddened though at the
thought of how, through everything, she had been changed from a vibrant, young
woman, full of hope and safe in her knowledge of science, into a hardened,
more
unsure, woman who had lost so much in the events that had been her life.  He
felt responsible for that and wasn't sure he could ever forgive himself for
it.  All he'd ever wanted to do was to protect her and he'd failed.  Dana's
voice broke into Fox's silent self-torture.
"Mulder?"
He looked at her.
"Yeah?"
She smiled at him.
"I'm starved!"
They both laughed; the tension fading easily away.  And that was the way it
had
always been.  No matter what happened between them, they overcame it
together. 
Fox wanted it to remain that way.
9:35 p.m.
Fox and Dana sat on her bed, in her hotel room, eating pizza, looking through
their files of their current case.  Dana was still acting as if she were
unaware of what had happened to her earlier in the day at the beach.  Though,
still unsure of exactly what it was, Fox was certain it was the same thing
that
had happened to the other women.  Being careful not to voice that opinion,
they
discussed the case.  He hated keeping secrets from her, but, this time, it was
for her own good.  This time, he would be able to protect her.  
"I don't understand, Mulder.  I don't understand how these women could vanish
without a trace.  Nothing just vanishes!"
Fox glanced at Dana, forming the lie in his mind.
"Me, either.  Looks like we've come to a dead end, Scully.  Pardon the pun."
Still studying the files in front of her, she bit off a mouthful of pizza.
She
looked up at him.
"I think we should go back to the beach.  There's got to be a clue out there
somewhere!"
Fox shuddered at the thought of replaying the scene earlier in the day.
"I don't think so.  I think...I think we need to look elsewhere."
"Where, Mulder?"
"I don't know."
They continued discussing their very limited options when Dana suddenly got an
idea.
"Hey!  What about finding an old site map or something?  An old landscape
map?"
The twinkle appeared in Fox's eyes.
"You know what, Scully?"
She smiled at him.
"What?"
"I think you're on to something here.  I think, my insane theories are
becoming
your own!"
They both laughed.  Dana continued,
"Maybe, sometime long ago, there was something there, on that area of the
beach...something...I don't know...something strange.  Something that still
lingers after all of the time and development has occurred there."
"Well, we can't do anything tonight.  First thing in the morning?"
Fox rose from the bed, helping to gather all of their files together.
"It's a date!"
She smiled at him.  Just as he was about to leave her room, she said,
"Good night, Mulder."
He smiled at her.
"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Scully."
In an instant, Dana's mind flew to the night, so long ago, when she'd insisted
on him inspecting her mosquito bites.  She smiled.
"No chance of that!"
Dana was lying in her bed, still not asleep, and not really sure why.  She
glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table...11:21 p.m.  Then she heard
someone...someone calling her name.  She slowly crawled from under the covers
and sat up in the bed.  She looked around the dark room.  The voice was faint,
but audible.
"Mulder?"
She stood up and walked to the window, peeking through the blinds.  She saw
nothing...just the stillness surrounding the hotel.  She heard it again.  It
sounded as if it were in the room with her!  She turned around quickly,
flipping on the light switch.  She grabbed her gun from the table beside her,
removing it from the holster in one swift movement.  
"Mulder?"
She walked quietly around the room.
"Join me, Dana."
Dana felt her body drifting away from consciousness as she slumped to the
floor.
Friday, February 12
8:27 a.m.
Fox knocked on Dana's hotel room door.  No answer.  No sounds.  No nothing.
 He
knocked again.
"Scully?  It's me!"
Still he heard nothing.  He knocked again.  He tried the door knob, but the
door was locked.  He began pounding on the door, calling her name.  After a
couple of minutes of getting no response, he ran to the office to get an extra
key card to her room.  Within a few minutes, he was back at Scully's room,
sliding the key card through the slot.  He pushed the door open quickly and
that's when he saw her.  Dana was lying on the floor, on her stomach.  He
raced
over to her, rolling her onto her back.  She was breathing...she just looked
like she was sleeping.  He patted her cheeks, calling her name.  He noticed a
slight smile dancing across her lips and how young and carefree she looked. 
That took him back to the first moment he'd seen her six years ago.  That was
how she looked back then.  Slowly, Dana began to rouse from her deep sleep. 
Her eyes fluttered open and as she recognized him, she smiled.
"Hey!  Is is morning already?"
Fox helped her sit up.  He was very concerned now.
"Where were you, Scully?"
She brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"When?"
"Just now."
Fox sat down, cross-legged, on the floor beside her.  Dana thought for a
minute.
"I'm not sure.  The memory of it is fading quickly.  But, Mulder...it's so
wonderful there!"
"Tell me about it."
Dana stood up, walked over to the sink and filled a cup with water.  She
took a
sip.
"I can't really remember now.  Not any details.  It's like...I don't know! 
Like a dream almost.  I'm there...but not really."
Fox was searching his brain for clues, but could come up with nothing.  Dana
sat down on the bed, still drinking the water.
"Oh!  We were going to find a landscape map this morning, Mulder!  I'll get
dressed."
She quickly got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to dress.  
11:40 a.m.
Fox and Dana had been exhausted by looking through the landscape maps and
still
found nothing out of the ordinary.  On an instinct, Fox thought of going to
the
Seminole Indian Reservation.  Since this was Seminole Territory, maybe the
mysterious disappearances had an Indian flair to it.  He was hoping there
would
be someone on the Reservation that could give them some answers.  Fox and Dana
hadn't spoken much since getting back into the car.  Dana was getting "that
look" again.  Fox was getting worried.  He needed answers and fast.
Once on the Reservation, Fox and Dana only had to speak to a couple of people
before they were given a name.  The name of the person that could give Fox all
of the answers that he needed.  Running Blackfoot.  They were given directions
on how to find him.  
12:10 p.m.
Fox pulled up in front of a small, wooden house and sitting on the porch, in a
rocking chair, was a very, very old man.  His long, gray hair was blowing
gently in the small breeze.  His small, penetrating, black eyes seemingly
caught every detail of the things going on around him.  His dark reddish skin
was wrinkled and looked like tough leather.  Fox was the first out of the
car. 
He was almost to the porch before Dana got out of the car.  Fox spoke to the
old man.
"Are you Running Blackfoot?"
The old man looked him over quickly and said,
"I knew you'd be coming to see me."
Fox introduced himself and Dana as she walked up behind him.  The old man
looked at Dana intently.  Fox addressed Blackfoot again.
"You said, just now, you knew I was coming.  How's that?"
Blackfoot looked at Fox again as he stood from his chair.
"I knew you'd be coming.  They always do."
He turned to walk in the house and Fox and Dana followed him.  Fox asked,
"They who?"
"The government's white men.  They always think they have all of the answers."
Fox glanced at Dana as she was surveying the room.  Fox spoke to the old man
again.
"But I don't have the answers.  That's why I've come to you."
"Yes, I know.  You are different from the others."
Blackfoot turned to look at Fox.  He studied him intently for a few moments.
"You are not the normal white man.  You do not assume you know everything.
You
realize there are things in this world in which you cannot explain.  You are
intent in your quest to locate the truths of our existence here."
Blackfoot then looked at Dana for a moment.
"She, on the other hand, has been programmed to rely solely on the
knowledge of
the white man.  She sees many things that which she cannot explain by her
knowledge, and yet, she cannot let herself believe otherwise."
Dana's mouth flew open.  She didn't know how to react to that.
"She is afraid to let herself believe in things other than what the white men
taught her."
Fox glanced at Dana.  She looked back at him.  She felt very odd here with
this
man who was telling her things about herself that she knew to be true. 
Blackfoot tilted his head and looked at Dana at angle.  A small smile
enveloped
his lips.
"She also is hiding feelings that she holds in her heart.  She is denying
them.  Afraid for them to surface."
Dana couldn't keep herself from blushing, though the two men couldn't see it's
effects in the dimness of the house.  Surely...surely he was not talking
about....
Blackfoot continued looking at Dana at an angle and speaking.
"I do not think she even is fully aware of those feelings.  For so long, she
has kept them hidden."
Blackfoot took Fox by the arm and led him away from Dana's hearing range.  He
whispered to Fox,
"She is in danger.  You must help her find the way back to you.  You are about
to lose her."
"I know.  That's why I'm here.  I need your help."
The old man regarded Fox warmly.
"I will help you."
12:30 p.m.
Fox, Dana, and Blackfoot sat down in the living room of the small house. 
Blackfoot spoke.
"What I am about to tell you is a legend of my people.  What you are
experiencing now is not something that has not happened before.  True to the
legend, many, many, years ago, when my people roamed this land freely, there
was a young warrior called Lightfeather.  Lightfeather was very different from
his fellow warriors.  He was not satisfied in being a warrior.  His heart and
soul were not in it like the others.  He became a warrior only because that
was
what he was expected to do.  Personally, he would rather stay in the village
with the women.  Now, he was not what you would call today, homosexual, but he
was truly a gifted man.  He held the ability to soothe the soul's torments.
 He
fell in love with one young girl, in particular, but she was very troubled. 
Also, they could never be together because she was already promised to another
warrior.  This warrior was called Big Bear.  This was one of the reasons her
soul was troubled.  One day, while the warriors were out hunting, Big Bear
confronted Lightfeather.  He was aware of Lightfeather's devotion to his
bequethed.  He was also aware of her devotion to Lightfeather.  A struggled
ensued and as Lightfeather's soul left his worldly body, mixing into the deep
water of the ocean, he made a solemn promise to the Gods that he would forever
gather the troubled souls of the female inhabitants of this world."
Blackfoot took a moment to look at Fox and Dana.  Fox was listening with
intensity, but Dana...she was not so convinced.  Blackfoot continued.
"So now what is happening, and what has been happening for many years now, is
that Lightfeather is gathering the world's troubled female souls.  Every 20
years, Lightfeather will surface from the deep to call to those in need.
Every
20 years because he was 20 when he left this world.  He always takes 10
women. 
10 because he had been in love with the girl for 10 years.  Legend has it that
his world is called the Tropical Dream World."
Fox interrupted the old man.
"How are these women troubled?  In what ways?"
"They are all different, yet they are all the same.  They all mirror the
troubles of the soul of the girl he loved.  They are unhappy in their life,
but
not because of material things or despair.  Their souls simply want to grow
beyond their normal existence, but they can see no opportunity.  By all
accounts, they seem happy, but, on the inside, in their hearts and souls, they
crave much more.  Maybe because of their personal situation, their class,
their
own accord, they cannot achieve these goals.  Lightfeather will call to
them...and they go to him willingly."
Fox thought for a moment and then said,
"There have been nine so far."
"Yes.  The tenth has been summoned...several times.  She has been stopped each
time."
Blackfoot looked directly at Dana as he said,
"She has been stopped."
Then he looked quickly back at Fox, sending the unspoken message that
became so
clear to Fox.  Dana was the tenth and last one.  That was what had been
happening to her since they had arrived here.  Quietly, Fox asked Blackfoot,
"How do I stop it completely?"
Blackfoot glanced at Dana.  Dana was hearing everything that was being said,
but the last portion of the conversation, the part about her, was being
blocked
from her conscious mind.  Blackfoot looked at Fox again.
"You must discover, on your own, what it is that her soul is craving."
Fox was searching his very being for the answers.  Blackfoot continued.
"You must discover that intregal part that will make her soul complete."
Fox looked down at the floor, his hands were clasped together.  Moments later,
he looked back up at the old man.
"You know what it is, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
"You have to tell me!"
"I cannot.  You must find it yourself, in order to save her.  To keep her with
you.  Otherwise, she will go to him."


Title:  "Tropical Dreams" (2/2)
Author:  Melissa Locke (katjr@twcreations.net)

Friday, February 12
4:05 p.m.
Fox and Dana were entering Dana's hotel room as she asked,
"So, Mulder, I guess you believe that old man's story?"
Fox sat down on the bed, watching Dana's every move.
"Yes, I do."
Dana half-laughed.
"You are so gullible, Mulder!  You'll believe anything, won't you?"
"Yes...when all of the facts lead to it.  Yeah.  I will."
Dana sat down on the bed beside him.
"Mulder, by now, you should be uncommonly wary of unconceivable ideas."
"Scully, by now, you should be uncommonly certain that all lies lead to the
truth."
They sat in silence for a moment, just looking at each other.  Mulder was the
first to break the silence, as he stood up.
"Get cleaned up and we'll go get some dinner."
Dana said nothing as he left her room.
5:30 p.m.
Fox knocked on Dana's door and within seconds, she opened it.
"You ready, Scully?"
"Yes."
Dana walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.  As they walked to
the car, Fox asked,
"What are you in the mood for?  You want to go to a restaurant or do you want
to get something fast?"
"Um...something fast.  I'm unusually tired.  I think I'll turn in early."
Fox became alarmed.  In all the time he'd known Scully, she'd always been
ready
for anything.  They had trapsed off into the unknown together in the middle of
the night more times than he could remember.  
5:45 p.m.
Fox drove into the parking lot of Miami Subs.  Dana marveled at the beautiful
display of colorful teal and fuschia neon lights that were made into a palm
tree and the name, Miami Subs.  Everything was so beautiful here.  She guessed
that all of the landscaping and bright colors were for the benefit of
Florida's
millions of tourists.  
They went inside, both ordered turkey subs, and sat at the table in silence
for
a few minutes, eating.  Between bites of her sandwich, Dana asked,
"So what do we do now?"
With a mouth full of food, Fox sputtered,
"About what?"
Dana grimaced at Fox's indignant misuse of etiquette.  She should be used to
that by now.
"About the case."
Fox took a long drink of his soda.
"I'm not sure."
"Mulder, we're not any closer to solving this than when we first arrived."
"Maybe we are."
Dana raised her eyebrow and gave him her best questioning look.
"In what way?"
"Maybe what Blackfoot told us is true."
Dana sighed heavily and in a voice slightly tinged with agitation, said,
"Mulder, we can't submit a report based solely on Indian folklore.  We have to
have tangible evidence!"
"But, Scully, there is no tangible evidence."
Dana sighed again.  She knew she was losing this battle with Mulder.  She
always did.  Fox smiled his lop-sided grin and said,
"Look, Scully, maybe you can reword the report in a way that the Bureau will
find it an acceptable explanation.  The case will remain unsolved.  One of
life's great mysteries.  It's not the first time and it definitely won't be
the
last!  Besides, there is no way to solve this case."
"Oh, alright, Mulder!"
7:20 p.m.
Dana opened the door to her hotel room, turned to look at Fox, and said,
"I think I'm going to sleep now."
Dana was speaking to him in a voice he could barely recognize.  It had a
sleepy, trance-like quality to it.  Fox had noticed, in the car, on the way
back to the hotel, Dana had become quiet with "that look" washing over her.
 He
had decided then that, that night he would stand guard at her door.  He
knew he
couldn't insist he stay in the room with her without getting her worked up.
"Okay.  Sleep well."
She smiled faintly at him and said,
"I think...I think I will."
She closed the door between them and Fox sat down in the corridor beside her
door with his back against the wall.  He wasn't quite sure what would happen,
if anything, but he knew he couldn't screw this one up.  Dana, now fully
engulfed in the beautiful dream state, unconsciously changed into a light blue
sundress.  She continued preparing herself for the meeting with him by
applying
fresh make-up, brushing her hair, and spritzing her neck and wrists with
perfume.  She walked towards the door, unsure of her exact destiny, but being
drawn there willingly.  With the promise of no more worries, she became
excited
and anxious to finally get there.  
Fox had drifted off to sleep outside, in the corridor, but was immediately
awakened by the sound of the door opening.  He looked up and saw Dana walking
out of her room, looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her look before. 
He jumped up quickly.
"Scully?"
She kept walking away from him.  He sprinted to her side, taking her arm
gently
in his hand.  She turned slowly to look at him.  She still held that far-off
look, but she smiled the sweetest smile at him.  She spoke softly.
"I'm leaving now.  I'm going to the Tropical Dream World where nothing can
hurt
me and life is eternally beautiful."
It almost sounded as if she were reading from a script.  Fox immediately knew
what he had to do.
"Scully, will you give me just one more minute before you go?"
Dana looked off into the distance for a moment and then turned back to him.
"Okay, but just a minute.  I must go to him."
Fox led her back to her room.  Once inside, he grabbed her by the shoulders,
not so gently, but not entirely rough either, and pushed her up against the
back of the door. 
"Scully, I want you to stay here...with me."
Dana thought for a moment.
"No, Mulder, I can't do that."
"Yes, you can!"
"No...I have to go to him.  I..."
"No, you don't, Scully!"
Dana licked her bottom lip.
"You don't understand, Mulder.  I must go to him!"
"Why?"
Dana thought for a minute.
"Because."
"Because why?"
Dana looked perplexed for a minute.
"I'm not sure."
"Please, stay with me, Scully."
In Dana's mind, she could see herself standing on the beach.  Rising out of
the
deep was this beautiful Indian God, beckoning her to join him.  He promised
her
an eternal life of happiness and enjoyment.  She turned and saw Mulder
standing
on the beach, a ways from her.  He simply stood there, silently pleading with
her to stay with him.  He was allowing her to make the choice, of course.  He
could promise her nothing.  Deep from within her heart, a thought was sent
through her mind.  She loved him.  As that thought went through her mind,
Mulder sent the same sentiments to her silently...just between the two of
them.  Was she correct in assuming he loved her, too?  Suddenly, she heard the
words in his voice, coming to her.  She could actually hear him!
Fox pulled Dana closer to him.
"Did you hear me?"
Dana blinked away the mental vision from her mind and was able to see Fox
standing in front of her a little more clearly.
"What?"
"I said, I love you, Dana."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.  She was no longer able to tell what was real
and what wasn't anymore!  Was this really happening?  Fox pulled Dana up
against him, lowered his head and gently brushed his lips across hers.  He
opened his eyes and looked at her for a second.  He could see the fog clearing
from her eyes slowly.  He kissed her again.  This time, it was a long, deep,
passionate kiss filled with all of his love for her.  She was tense, at first,
but slowly she relaxed against him and began to return his kiss with more
fervor than she knew she had.  Suddenly, the beach, the ocean, the Indian
God...all of those memories were gone.  Lost forever.  The only thing she
knew,
at the moment, were the hot feelings of lust, desire and love for this man
that
she was molded into.  Finally, she broke away from Fox, breathless.  She
looked
at him, her blue eyes bright and clear.  He smiled softly.  She hugged him. 
Still breathless and almost too softly for him to hear, she said,
"God!  Do you know what you do to me?"
He smiled as he hugged her tightly.  His lips brushed her forehead.  She
looked
up at him and continued.
"Do you?  When you come around?  When you touch me?  When I hear your voice?"
He smiled down at her and said,
"Yeah, I think I do.  It's probably the same thing that you do to me."
They smiled at each other and kissed again.  Between kisses, Dana said,
"I've always loved you."
With their passion escalating, their bodies burning with desire, they began to
explore one another.  Fox slowly unbuttoned the front of Dana's sundress,
sliding the straps over her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor. 
Before he could take a very long look at her, he felt her fingers tugging at
his t-shirt that was tucked in his jeans.  As she pulled the shirt up, her
fingernails dragged across his skin unbearably sensually.  He shuddered with
the delight.  Once the shirt was on the floor, Dana closed the small distance
between them to kiss his neck.  The soft satin of her bra against his bare
skin
was enough to drive him wild.  Reaching his hands to her back, he deftly
unsnapped the bra, removing it in one quick movement.  His hands cupped her
breasts for a moment, before his fingers started rubbing her nipples.  Dana
sighed in utter ecstasy.  Fox bent down to tease her nipples with his tongue. 
In an instant, her hands flew to his head, her fingers urgently pulling his
hair, telling him she wanted him closer...she wanted more of him.  He rose
again and pulled her to him, his hands kneading her buttocks.  She wrapped her
arms around his neck, pulling him into a passionate, explosive kiss.  At
first,
her lips teased his, her tongue teased his lips, finally taking him wholly,
she
began a passionate battle with his tongue with hers.  Slowly her arms
descended, her fingers finding the button of his jeans.  She unbuttoned them &
slowly worked her way down the zipper.  She rested her hands on his hips just
above the waistband of his jeans for a moment.  Slowly, she slipped her hands
between his skin and the course fabric of his jeans and passed under the
waistband of his boxers.  She slipped the intruding fabrics from his hips and
let them fall to the floor.  He stepped out of them, leading her toward the
bed
at the same time.  He sat down on the edge of it as she stood in front of
him. 
He pulled her closer to him and began to rain small kisses on her stomach.
His
tongue darted in and out and around the edges of her belly button, driving her
wild with ecstasy.  His fingerstips reached inside the waistband of her lace
panties and pulled them down slowly, raining kisses on her on the way down. 
Once they were both completely naked, he pulled at her as he laid back on the
bed, pulling her on top of him.  She straddled him as she felt his growing
need
pushing against her.  Slowly, she descended down upon him, taking him in her
completely.  They began to move together slowly, at first.  But, as the
intensity grew, so did their movements.  As Fox exploded inside her, so did
she
release her climax on him.  She collapsed on top of him.  As their breathing
slowed to normal paces, Dana raised her head to look at him.  Neither of them
had to speak a single word.  They both knew, instictively, they'd reached
their
own, private tropical dream world.
Monday, February 15
F.B.I. Headquarters
9:05 a.m.
Dana walked into A. D. Skinner's office and laid her report on his desk.  It
simply stated that neither of the agents had been able to come in contact with
conclusive evidence to solve the case.  Her recommendation:  close the case as
being unsolved.