xXx
THE HOOVER BUILDING. WASHINGTON, DC.
Dana Scully yawned as she poured coffee into her FBI issue mug, her second cup that morning. She purchased a latte grande on the way into work, but that was long gone. After the night she'd had, she found herself needing a second hit of caffeine to focus. Not to keep her awake...no she was wide-awake despite her lack of sleep. No...she wanted something to focus her thoughts on what to do about a two-fold problem.
The first part of the problem was Mulder. Last night during their conversation she had been annoyed and eventually angry with him. She had to marshal all her tact to keep her anger under control, although his apologies had helped somewhat.
She knew he was upset but some of the things he’d said hurt her. In addition to hurting her personally it hurt her to hear him sound so defeated…so affected by his treatment by the locals in Milwaukee.
She also couldn’t get it out of her head that some of the things he said to her about giving up on the case were said because he thought she wanted to hear them. She feared he was still trying to decide for himself whether his possession theory was valid and merited further investigation. Maybe he was even convinced the case was an X-File.
He'd been afraid of his past with Barbara Sutcliffe. So afraid that he balked at going to Milwaukee because of it. Last night was he trying to conquer that fear so he could follow up on the case? Prove he wasn't afraid or prove there wasn't a reason to be afraid? He hadn't said. She had to admit the fact that he didn't share that with her made her very sad as well as irritated.
Finally he gave in because she wanted him to come home. She expected him to argue more about why the case was an X-File. His whole demeanor just wasn't adding up in the end, instead of being angry with him, she worried about him. It made her feel as though something was seriously wrong in Milwaukee and she'd tossed and turned about it all night.
She hoped he’d call soon about his flight. She had resisted calling him because she didn’t want to pressure him and add to the tension between them. But it was nearly one o’clock and she’d expected he would have called before now. They really did need to talk when he got back. There was too much between them and they needed to get a lot of issues out on the table.
And then there was the other part of the problem...Walter Skinner. Every time they mentioned Skinner in their conversation last night she felt the need to defend him...to take his side. As she and Mulder discussed him she felt a fluttering in her stomach and tension between her legs that was undeniable. God...she had to stop thinking of Skinner in such an unprofessional manner. It was bad enough that he made those references...what amounted to a confession...in his office yesterday.
Maybe he sensed her attraction to him. She just wasn't sure she wanted to go there at all. She sighed. She supposed that whole situation was something she and Skinner had to either discuss or bury. She wasn't sure which option she wanted to have happen either. It was nerve-wracking and not a little scary to think about dealing with their feelings openly given their circumstances. But it bothered her to have yet one more thing stand unspoken between herself and her supervisor. It bothered her to have a good many things remain under their respective radar for that matter. She'd done more tossing and turning last night over that whole business as well.
A ringing phone interrupted her musings and she quickly put the coffeepot back on the burner. Hurrying out of the break room, she rushed down the hall toward the basement office. Her clicking heels echoed in her wake.
"Mulder...that had better be you," she grumbled as she juggled her coffee cup. A few drops sloshed onto her blouse and she grimaced as she reached the door to the office.
The phone was still ringing. She ran to Mulder's desk, put the coffee mug down, took a seat in his chair and picked up the receiver.
"Agent Dana Scully."
"Agent Scully, it's Danny."
"Oh...hi, Danny. What can I do for you?"
"It's more along the lines of what I can do for you," he chuckled. "I have those figures on my testing costs that you guys need. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you but we had the GAO guys up here yesterday and well...you know how that goes."
'The GAO report? Screw the GAO report,’ she thought. ‘Where's Mulder?' She gritted her teeth, put a smile in her voice and replied.
"That's ok, Danny. AD Skinner and I have a meeting set up at three o'clock to finish up our report. Just send the figures down...I'll plug them in."
"Great, I'll send them right down."
"Thanks."
There was a slight hesitation on the other end of the line and then Danny spoke again.
"Say, did Mulder get back yet?" he asked.
The second Danny mentioned Mulder's name; a cold chill ran up Scully's spine.
"No...Why do you ask?"
"Well the news came over the wire that his UNSUB was found dead in the Milwaukee River out in Wisconsin. I just figured he might like to get in on a little b-ball tomorrow so I was gonna ask him."
Scully bit her lip. For some reason her 'Mulder worry meter' was creeping into the red zone. She felt goose bumps rising on her arms.
"He said he'd be flying back tonight. I can leave him a note if you'd like."
"That would be great, thanks...we need a good guard so we'd be glad to have him."
Scully tapped her foot anxiously. She came to a sudden decision.
"On second thought, Danny...I need to get out of the basement for a few minutes. I'll come get those figures from you," she said.
"Oh...well, sure. Come on up," Danny replied.
"All right, I'll see you in a few minutes," she replied. "Bye."
"Bye."
Scully pressed the hook switch on the phone. She dialed Kim Cook's phone number. After a few seconds, Skinner's executive assistant picked up.
"Office of Assistant Director Walter Skinner."
"Kimberly, this is Dana Scully. I need to see him before our scheduled meeting. Is he free?"
"Let me check for you, Agent Scully, just a moment," Kimberly replied.
Scully leaned forward, propping her elbows on the desk, intent on listening for Kimberly to come back on the line. A warm shiver ran through her when Skinner's rumbling voice reached her ear instead.
"Agent Scully...this isn't a good time...." he began.
Without thinking she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind, interrupting him.
"I don't want to talk about yesterday..."
'Shit, shit, shit,' she cursed inwardly. What made me say that of all things?'
His answer was quiet.
"Yesterday?" he cleared his throat. "Are you referring to the GAO report...or something else we discussed in my office..."
She sat back and shook her head emphatically.
"No, sir. I'm sorry. What I mean to say is I wanted to know if you'd heard from Mulder?"
There was enough relief in Skinner's voice when he answered to make Scully realize he wasn't any more comfortable than she in talking about what had passed between them.
"Yes, last night. He reported to me on the outcome of the Sutcliffe case."
"No, I meant since then," she replied.
"No."
Scully hesitated a moment before she spoke again.
"Sir...I know this sounds...well it probably sounds odd...but I have a feeling something's wrong with Mulder. I talked to him too last night and he...well he seemed off is the only way I can put it."
Skinner cleared his throat again.
"Can you hold on a moment, please?"
"Yes, sir," she said.
The line went mute and she chewed at her lip. Then Skinner came back on the line.
"Sorry...I needed to get the GAO rep out of my office. We were done anyway." Scully took a breath and expelled it. But before she could speak again, Skinner beat her to the punch. "Listen...Mulder sounded rather disappointed last night in the outcome of the case. I also believe the agents in the local office were...uncooperative or critical of his work on the X-Files and that bothered him as well. Perhaps that's what you were picking up on."
Scully wrinkled her brow.
"I know he was disappointed, sir. But...I don't know if that's what I was hearing. I got the feeling that something else was wrong. He usually argues more if he believes a case is an X-File and he gave in way too easily last night and agreed to come back to DC..."
"He thought the case was an X-File?" Skinner interrupted.
Scully noticed an undertone of alarm in Skinner's voice.
"Yes. I got the idea he did but he was giving in because he thought I wanted him to...or for some reason, at any rate. It made me worried. It just didn't seem like him, sir."
There was silence on the line for a few seconds. Then Skinner's rumble made her shiver again...but for a totally different reason.
"Maybe you'd better come up here, Scully," he said.
"I'm on my way, sir," she replied, slamming the receiver down.
xXx
TOWNSHIP OF CONCORD. WISCONSIN.
Mulder was standing next to a river; on a walkway along the Milwaukee River. The water looked cool and rippled in patterns of green and dark blue. A breeze brushed over the fine hairs on his body, tickling him. He glanced down and saw he was naked.
There was a sailboat floating in the river with two people in it. It was Scully and Skinner. He could see them clearly in profile sitting in the stern of the boat. Both of them were naked too, and Scully was straddling Skinner's thighs, facing away from him. It was obvious he was fucking her. Scully's back was arching and her ass plunged up and down as Skinner's large hands gripped her hips, helping to move her on his erection. Her creamy, white breasts fascinated Mulder as they bounced up and down.
A voice whispered in his ear.
"Would you like to join them?"
He sighed.
"Yessssss"
The voice chuckled.
"I think not yet."
He felt a profound sense of loss at the voice's denial and moaned their names, as Scully and Skinner's groans of ecstasy sounded loud in his ears.
"Scully...Walter."
He'd never called Skinner by his Christian name in all the time he'd known him and when he uttered it now, it distracted him enough to tell him that something was wrong here...hell yeah, something was wrong...way wrong...
Someone grabbed him from behind suddenly and he yelled out in surprise and fear. He was pulled close against what he could tell were the breasts of a woman. She ground her crotch against his ass and held him tight in a full nelson. He couldn't move.
The voice he heard earlier was close, hissing in his ear.
"Do you want to know what I did to her...how I did it?" she said.
"Dddid what?" Mulder asked, trying to crane his neck around to see the woman behind him.
"This..." she answered and Mulder felt a terrific pain in his head. His hand jerked up into his field of vision.
He had a knife in his hand.
"No," he whispered.
"Oh yes...I made what was left of her cut her own throat," the voice hissed, and then it laughed.
Mulder's hand flashed across his throat...and he woke up screaming.
He cried out for a few seconds and then a woman's soft voice calmed him.
"It's all right, I'm here."
"Scully?" His hoarse voice sounded odd and his head was splitting. He struggled to focus through vision blurred by the ache in back of his eyes.
"Shhhh," she said. A woman's hand stroked his brow and his headache faded to a bad memory. He slowly opened his eyes to see Scully bend down toward him.
"Close your eyes, lie still as death."
Scully's lips touched his and he shut his eyes again. He tried to raise his hand to cup the back of her head but found he couldn't. In a moment...as she deepened the kiss and their tongues warred, he found he didn't care he couldn't touch her...didn't care that his body felt as leaden as one dying.
'Oh my God,' he thought...'she tastes like warm honey.' He felt his cock swell and the lips on his grew thinner, but just as warm and eager. A larger tongue probed his mouth; Mulder twisted in pleasure under the onslaught. A hard, muscular chest pressed down against him. A man...he could feel a man...and smell...Old Spice aftershave. His eyes flew open. Skinner was kissing him. Startled, he cried out. Skinner released his mouth. The AD stepped away, tilted his head back and brayed his laughter.
But then...it wasn't Skinner any longer...it was a naked Laura Massey and she was laughing at him. 'Fuck,' he thought. 'I know what's way wrong now...and I'm in deep shit.'
"Welcome back, la mia volpe piccola," Laura said, chuckling.
Mulder stared down past his half-hard penis and over his toes toward the woman standing at the foot of the table he was lying on. He carefully shifted, testing his arms and legs to confirm that he was manacled to the table. He glanced around. The walls of the room were festooned with occult symbols. There was a large smear of blood on one wall, but no sign of Ross Lyon's body. He swallowed hard.
Laura smirked at him. Her grin was feral. She was insufferably pleased with herself at his predicament.
Mulder took a breath and gathered together every ounce of bravado he had. He was scared shitless...but he was determined that as long as he had his wits about him he wasn't going to let this...this bitch know it.
"Nice trick," he commented, gesturing with his chin at her.
She chuckled again.
"I'm glad it pleased you."
"I wouldn't go that far," he replied.
She inclined her head in acknowledgment and glided gracefully back up to the head of the table to look down at him. She smiled into his upturned face. Her eyes were riveting.
"You know, I can't decide whom you want more...the bald man built like a bull or that red-headed bitch," she said. She fingered one of her nipples, circling it and then rubbing it. "Mmmm. I know if I had to choose I'd pick that exquisite stud and slit the cross wearing cunt's throat."
Mulder felt his face flush in anger. He tamped it down and dug for a means to deflect the conversation away from any discussion of his hidden desires.
Laura's words stung because he'd been keeping his feelings for Scully and Skinner hidden even from himself. The fact he'd been in denial upset him for a lot of reasons, the least of which was that it might prove fatal. The fact that Laura had been able to get at his thoughts so easily both angered and frightened him. The emotion kicked his libido in the head; his cock grew flaccid again. He preferred it to stay that way so he spoke quickly and with only a hasty idea of what he wanted to say:
"So...I take it I'm not having the pleasure of Barbara Sutcliffe's company at the moment. But I wonder...is she still here...or am I addressing Laura Massey? Or perhaps instead I'm meeting..."
Laura laughed again, shaking her head.
"Don't make me think I've overestimated you, Fox. I have a high regard for your intelligence and perceptiveness. I have had for years, ever since we first met in New York. You can't possibly go all psychologist on me now. I'm not Laura Massey doing a 'Sybil' or even an 'All About Eve'. I'm not having some kind of schizophrenic episode, il mio uomo piccolo. And neither are you."
And while Mulder watched, her features shifted into the dead face of Barbara Sutcliffe and back to the youthful features of Laura Massey again.
"How did you do that?" he whispered before he could help himself.
She stepped forward and tapped her index finger on his forehead.
"I'm not doing it, my little man...I'm making you do it, that's the whole point," she replied. Mulder clenched his jaw and stared her down. She giggled. "So resolute. You look just like him...your luscious, jaw clenching Assistant Director."
"Did you make Varelli do it too..." Mulder began.
Laura laughed in delight and clapped her hands, interrupting him again.
"Oh yes...that is more like it, la mia volpe piccola handsome. I just knew you'd rise to the occasion and start connecting the dots."
Mulder managed a head tilt and ironic half-smile. His hands shook a little both with suppressed fear and anger but also with the excitement of the chase. Ironic that at this hopeless juncture he had regained his joy in his work.
"The Italian was rather a dead giveaway. I don't speak it fluently but I know enough to translate 'la mia volpe piccola handsome' as 'my handsome little fox'. And by the way...I'm glad my looks please you."
"I wouldn't go that far," Laura Massey said.
Mulder gave her another small grin.
"Touché'."
"But to answer your question...Varelli was merely an instrument. Granted, he was a finely tuned one...but only a tool...a means to an end. You could say he saw to it that we were all housed in the style we were accustomed too."
"We?"
"Yes...myself and my...sisters."
"Housed in Rome?"
Laura looked past him for a moment, her eyes unfocusing as she spoke. Her voice was softer, lost in memory.
"In Rome, New York and Freiberg, Germany. Have you ever been to Frieberg, Fox? It's quite lovely," she said.
"No...I haven't had the pleasure."
Laura's eyes refocused. Her head swiveled down, and she gazed at him again.
"Ah yes...pleasure...now there's an interesting subject." She grinned and then licked her full lips. Mulder felt his guts jump as she sidestepped down the table until she was even with his hips. He craned his neck watching her nervously.
"Where's Laura Massey?" he inquired, seeking to distract her again by an abrupt change of topic.
"She was here," she said. "But I regret to inform you she's...left the building, as they say. Isn't that the current pop-culture term for it?"
"You...you did possess her then," Mulder said. He'd already known it in his heart; the verbal confirmation was only a formality.
"But of course...I took her mind just like a lover would take her body...just like I took Barbara in Rome before her. For a time Laura thought of me as a lover...until I tired of the charade and melted her soul as we melted metal in that forge over there. I watched her scream, Fox. Watched her soul go up in steam. It was glorious!"
Before Mulder could answer, Laura touched his thigh and then trailed her fingers to the space between his thigh and balls. He grimaced and flinched, as a sweat broke out and the hissing of many seas flooded his ears. He knew she was going into his head.... Probing his mind...and although he was really, truly terrified he could feel arousal building in his groin as Laura stroked his skin.
"I know you hate me...and you should, my little fox. But perhaps you would find this easier to take if I looked like this," she murmured.
As Mulder watched, a replica of Scully stood next to the table. A very naked Scully who smiled lovingly at him. He could clearly see the freckles on the tops of her breasts. Her fingers moved onto his balls and then onto his cock caressing him.
He shut his eyes and ground his teeth together. He would not let this make him get it up, he vowed. With every fiber of his being he rebelled against the Scullything's tender and tantalizing touch. He jerked his hips away from her hand and snarled, spit flying from his mouth.
"All right, cut the crap," Mulder said. 'What do I have to lose,' he thought. 'I'm a dead man...I might as well get some answers before I end up shooting my wad and being tricked out as sculpture in this thing's bronze bestiary.'
"I know you can read my thoughts and influence me...but what the hell for...what's the ultimate plan here besides pulling my pud and making me a member of your bronze 'Beast of the Month Club'?"
The Scullything morphed back into Laura Massey and her hand left his wilting hard-on.
She raised an eyebrow and walked back up to the head of the table. She bent close and hissed into his ear.
"Defiant aren't we? But I like that. It'll make your capitulation to my will even sweeter. I also like your renewed vigor to find truth at all costs. You know, Fox...your search for the truth was something that attracted me to you. I knew if I put you on the scent that you'd come to me. I also knew that once you came I could influence you and take you...do you know why?"
Mulder played along...anything to buy him a few more minutes. She was right...the truth was important to him...and if this was the last truth he'd ever hear then he wanted to know it.
"No, why?" he replied.
"Because you were in danger of losing your faith. Oh, you had just enough left to get you here...but you were rapidly losing it...losing your faith in yourself, your work...in everything. You didn't even have faith in yourself as a man to admit your most hidden desires. You wouldn't admit your lust and your love for two people who might just bring you happiness and return your love, faith and trust in kind. You didn't trust yourself or them to reciprocate. And that made you susceptible, Fox. Ripe for the picking and oh *so* delicious."
Mulder swallowed and stared into her eyes.
"Who are you?" he finally said.
"You said you knew Italian?" she asked. Her grin made shivers run up his spine.
"Yes, some."
"Then you may call me, 'La Mia Madre di Nerezza."
"My Mother of Darkness?" Mulder whispered.
"Yes, my little fox...and this is who I am," The Mother replied.
She touched his forehead and the sound of a thousand seashells hissing grew into what it really was...the sound of thousands upon thousands upon thousands...millions of souls screaming in torment...and Mulder saw. He saw and he knew what she was...and then he cried out in horror...and then he knew no more.
xXx
THE HOOVER BUILDING. WASHINGTON, DC.
Scully pressed her cell phone closer to her ear as she watched the elevator numbers ascend toward Skinner's floor.
"Come on, Mulder" she whispered.
She'd tried Mulder's number twice now, once just before she got to Danny's office and once in the hallway on the way to the elevator again. She'd gotten his voice mail both times. Getting it a third time made her disconnect and stuff the cell phone in under her jacket and next to her weapon.
"Damn it," she said.
The elevator finally dinged, signaling she'd reached Skinner's floor. The doors opened onto several people waiting to get on. Scully squeezed past them quickly and hurried up the hallway to Skinner's office reception area.
Kimberly Cook was typing but looked up as soon as she heard Scully's footsteps.
"He's expecting you," she said, with a nod at Skinner's closed door.
"Thank you."
Scully strode over and pulled Skinner's door open, entered his office and shut the door behind her. He stood behind his desk, his phone to his ear. When he saw her, he hung up. His face was tense.
"I can't reach Mulder. I left him a message," he said. His fingers pushed his glasses up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Any thoughts that Scully had entertained about discomfort due to what transpired between them yesterday got shoved to the back of her mind. The expression on Skinner's face told her he was definitely worried about Mulder.
"Neither can I...and with all due respect, sir...you're making me more worried by the minute."
Skinner removed his hand and indicated Scully should sit down. She took her customary seat in front of him. He remained standing and proceeded to prowl back and forth behind his desk as Scully watched in apprehension. When he spoke he hesitated and then struggled with his words.
"In...In all honesty, Scully...I don't want to believe you have anything to be worried about..." he said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"But you think something's wrong as well?"
Skinner pulled a disgusted face.
"Well...Mulder being out of contact isn't atypical..." Scully bent her head and took a breath, letting it out slowly. Skinner stopped pacing and focused on her.
"He usually contacts me, sir...unless..."
Skinner ran his hand over his mouth.
"Unless he can't," he said, lowering his hand.
"Yes."
Skinner's lips thinned to a line. He was silent for a moment and then inclined his head slightly.
"All right...as much as my logical mind wants to deny it....Yes...*now* I think there's something wrong. But last night...hell...last night I didn't want to entertain the thought."
"Sir?"
"Do you really think Mulder felt Barbara Sutcliffe's case was an X-File?"
"Yes. And permission to speak honestly, sir?" Skinner nodded. "Mulder was afraid of Barbara Sutcliffe and that fear went back to his original experiences with her."
"Because?"
Scully searched Skinner's face. The AD had never been very open to extreme possibilities before...but now he looked like he was hanging on her every word.
"Because he felt she was...possessed by something evil. I've only seen him affected that way over cases a handful of times, sir. He was really afraid....that was one of the reasons...maybe the primary reason he didn't want the Milwaukee assignment."
Skinner ran his hand over his mouth and then shook his head.
"Damn it," he said. "I tried to get him to...to feel like he could come to me if he had any concerns. And I meant that...any concerns whatsoever."
Scully avoided his eyes as he looked at her. The implication was heavy in the air that Scully should have clued Skinner into what was bothering Mulder too.
"Well...with all due respect again, sir...you've never been very open to the paranormal...."
Skinner's brow wrinkled.
"And you have?" he asked.
Scully looked down at her hands. She knew she'd been skeptical. As much as Skinner...but at least she'd been willing to listen to Mulder even as she debated his theories with him. And she'd seen enough over the years to know her skepticism shifted into belief at times.
Skinner often wouldn't listen, and what galled her was sometimes she sensed he was willing to believe and avoided it. When he was willing to help she was beginning to suspect now that it was mostly due to his feelings for her and not an innate respect for her and Mulder's work. She didn't want to think that of him...but now she couldn't help it. It was just one more reason she had to distrust him...one of many reasons. And one more reason her attraction to him disturbed her even more. How could she possibly want a man who she thought she couldn't trust? She tried to push that thought away and focus on what she wanted to say.
She cleared her throat and spoke without looking into Skinner's face.
"Perhaps I was just more open...or more to the point...I've become more open...perhaps Mulder trusts..."
She knew the words were wrong the minute she uttered them but she hadn't been able to shake the thought that Mulder didn't trust Skinner enough to confide in him. She heard Skinner shift and looked up. He walked over and sat on the corner of his desk closest to her. His large hands folded into his lap as if in prayer. Her eyes met his. She could see pain in his eyes. She felt a twinge of guilt and sympathy.
"I know it seems like I don't listen or I'm not open to the X-Files a lot of the time. But I told Mulder last night that I don't automatically discount his theories. I respect your opinions as well. I hope you could at least try to believe that too," Skinner said.
Scully's brow wrinkled and Skinner looked at his hands for a second. Then he sighed and looked up again. Their eyes met. Skinner's eyes were suddenly much softer and Scully realized maybe for the first time what a deep brown they were...like warm, dark chocolate.
"Look...I know both of you distrust me," he murmured. "I haven't done a lot to inspire your trust. But right now...Scully...right now I'm hoping you can trust me just a little...because I need your help to make sense of this...this situation. I think...I think I may have made a mistake last night and if I did...I'm partly responsible for Mulder being in danger."
Scully was no longer teetering on the edge of fear...now she was truly frightened.
"Go on," she whispered, watching his eyes.
Skinner nodded and straightened. He walked around to the back of his desk and started to pace and talk at the same time, pivoting on the balls of his feet as he turned within a small space.
"I had a visit from an old friend last night...he's a priest," he said. "He presented me with some information that I...well, quite frankly, that I thought was unbelievable."
"Information about Mulder?"
Skinner ran his hand over the back of his neck, as if gathering his thoughts and deciding how to word them again.
"It ended up being about Mulder but, it started out being about...about...an entity."
"An entity?"
Skinner gritted his teeth and plunged on.
"Yes...some kind of demon who's working to institute the downfall of mankind."
Scully raised an eyebrow.
"Believe me, Scully...this isn't easy for me to swallow," he sighed.
"Well...I have to admit, it does sound hard to believe, but in my experience..."
Skinner gave her an acknowledging tilt of his head.
"I realize that you and Mulder have shown me incredible things over the years. And believe it or not, I do acknowledge that some of those things defied scientific or logical explanations. But I couldn't wrap my mind around my friend’s assertions even though he insisted that Mulder was in danger," he replied.
"Because it sounded...delusional?"
"Last night I'd almost convinced myself he was borderline delusional despite the fact he's my friend and I have no reason to question his sanity or his bona fides. And despite the fact I had a gut feeling that something was wrong."
Scully shifted a little and replied.
"Maybe you should have followed your gut feeling."
Skinner stopped pacing and fixed her with an intense look.
"I realize that...even I can learn to admit my mistakes, Agent Scully. And maybe we both should have gone with our gut feelings for that matter."
Scully flushed a little and nodded.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said.
Skinner frowned and made a dismissive gesture.
"No, *I'm* sorry...my comment was out of line."
They started at each other and there was a moment of awkward silence. Then Skinner cleared his throat.
"I thought it was just Mulder's disappointment or the fact the locals were riding him and that's why he sounded off. I ignored the possibilities my friend was presenting me because I found them so outlandish. Today...maybe today I need to confess I might have been wrong to doubt him."
Scully's reply was cautious and quiet.
"You talk about your friend as if you're referring to Mulder," she said.
Skinner twitched his lips in a short ironic smile.
"That's what I told Dimitri...he reminded me of Mulder and that's how Mulder's name came into the conversation."
"And possession was mentioned as well?" Scully asked, looking at Skinner.
"Yes," Skinner said. "My friend called this demon a sorceress. He said she had a name...." Skinner stopped for a second, searching his memory. "Dimitri called her 'The Mother of Darkness', and said she's able to possess women and use them to..."
"Possess women? You mean possess women like Barbara Sutcliffe..." Scully whispered.
Skinner's mouth thinned to a tight line.
"I should have been more willing to believe in extreme possibilities last night," he admitted. Scully felt a cold chill course through her body. There was another awkward silence between them for a few heartbeats. Then Skinner turned toward his phone. "Listen...I'm going to call the Milwaukee field office and see if they've heard from him," he added.
Before Scully could answer, Skinner's phone rang. His eyebrow went up.
"That's my private line," he said. "It may be Mulder."
Scully watched silently, her stomach clenching and unclenching with worry as Skinner picked up the receiver.
xXx
THE DULLES AIRPORT HILTON. WASHINGTON, DC.
Kneeling, he recited the end of the Lord's prayer.
"I ne vvedi nas v iskushenye," Dimitri Yvashko whispered. "No izbav nas ot lukavogo. Amin."
He bent his head under the cold shower spray, staring down at his now flaccid, uncircumcised cock. He'd just been able to drag himself into the bathtub, shaken, his thighs covered in his own cum to pray for God's guidance while he used the frigid shower water to shock him into focus.
"Please.... Help me to be strong," he said as the water raised more goose bumps along his spine.
He lifted his shaking right hand through the cascade of cold liquid. His thumb and first two fingers of his right hand joined at the tips with the third and fourth fingers closed at the palm, as a symbol of the Trinity. He touched his brow, his chest over his heart, his right shoulder and his left.
"Vo Imya Otsa, i Syna, i Svyatogo Dukha, Amin. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Finally he stood and turned on the hot water in the shower, soaped up and scrubbed the remainder of his earlier wet dream from between his legs.
He sighed and shook his head as his hands lathered his whole body. He wasn’t bothered that he'd been tempted by his attraction to Walter Sergei Skinner...a man he'd loved for years. Celibate gays had been allowed in his order for years now. It was the fact he'd given in to his sexual impulses at all that disturbed him. He could not afford to grow weak now. Not when he was so close to defeating the enemy.
He rinsed, watching the soap wash away his dried cum. He felt like his sins were washed away as well. He had faith that God would both forgive him this trespass, strengthen him and not abandon him at this crucial juncture. After all, in his moment of extremis this afternoon, God had answered his call and awakened him.
Dimitri exited the shower, turning his thoughts again to his conversation with Sergei the night before...but more particularly to Agent Fox Mulder. He hurriedly dried himself and pulled on a clean pair of boxer briefs. Grabbing his deodorant, he applied it under his arms as he left the bathroom.
By the time he reached the phone in the hotel room he was tossing the deodorant container into his small suitcase. The anti-perspirant landed next to the loaded Glock and plane ticket laying on top of his underwear as he reached for the telephone receiver.
He had to warn Sergei about Mulder. He had to make him listen and believe now. Dimitri placed the receiver to his ear and dialed a number he'd been given years ago but never used before.
xXx
THE HOOVER BUILDING. WASHINGTON, DC.
"Skinner"
Scully adjusted the hem on her skirt, fidgeting as Skinner spoke into the phone.
"Dimitri!" he exclaimed, glancing at Scully. Scully leaned forward. "Yes...yes...no...look...listen...Dimitri...Dimitri, it's all right...I know I should have been...I should have been more receptive." Skinner listened intently for a few moments and then nodded. "Yes, something's happened here that has Mulder's partner, Agent Scully and I...concerned. She's here with me now...we...what?" Skinner listened again, looking at Scully as he did. "Brown hair and hazel eyes...right, late thirties. Yes...I'd say he was..." Skinner cleared his throat..."I'd say he's similar in build to you, but my height." He raised his eyebrow. "I haven't seen it but that's my understanding...uh...all right. Yeah. Hang on."
Skinner hit the hold button on his phone, his face closed off.
"He wants to speak to you."
"What is it?" Scully said, her brow furrowing.
Skinner extended the receiver. "It would be better if he explained. His full name is Dimitri Yvashko, he's an Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church." Scully stared at Skinner for a second in surprise. Then she stood, walked over and took the receiver from his hand. Skinner pushed the phone toward her, stepped back and Scully depressed the hold button again.
"Archpriest Yvashko, this is Agent Dana Scully."
"Please...Dimitri is fine. Or if you prefer more formality...Father Dimitri. Even I have trouble getting Archpriest Yvashko out when I'm in a hurry."
"Father...Assistant Director Skinner told me a bit about the situation. He said you could explain further..."
"Yes, Agent Scully. I will make this short and pray that you believe me. But regardless of whether you do or not...or can help Sergei to believe or not...I am going to Wisconsin...it is a matter of life and death."
Scully's eyes opened a little wider.
"Mulder's life or death?"
"The life and death of mankind, Agent Scully...all of mankind."
Scully glanced at Skinner. The AD was studying her face, his forehead creased with concentration.
"So Assistant Director Skinner said. Please tell me what you're talking about," she said.
"I am a member of a secret brotherhood, Agent Scully. We have been tracking the creature I spoke of to Sergei for centuries. She is in Wisconsin and she intends to make Mulder her final victim...turn him into the key, a sacrifice to open the gates of hell."
Scully rubbed at her temple. She could tell by the priest's voice that he was utterly sincere and believed every word he said. She glanced at Skinner again. He raised an eyebrow. The AD said he thought this man was genuine and not disturbed, but...
"You have to realize how that sounds..." she said.
"Insane. I know," the priest replied quietly.
Scully took a deep breath and tried to keep an open mind. After all...this man was a priest and Skinner's friend. He at least merited a chance to state his case.
"Well, for what it's worth...I've learned that insanity is a relative term in some instances."
"I was hoping that was the case given the nature of your and Agent Mulder's work."
Scully cleared her throat.
"All right...how do you know Mulder's in danger...how did you..."
"I'm a sensitive. I have visions. I had one earlier that showed me Agent Mulder in peril."
"And that's why you asked AD Skinner what he looked like?"
"Yes...I saw him quite clearly and I was trying to confirm his identity. I even saw the bullet wound scar on his shoulder. Are you familiar with it?"
Scully removed her hand from her temple, and raised her eyebrows at Skinner.
"Yes...yes, I am. But, Father...even so...you're asking me to believe a lot without direct empirical evidence," she whispered.
"I'm asking you to have faith, Agent Scully, just as I asked Sergei to have faith last night."
Scully's hand fell to her cross. Faith. Something she'd been warring with in her mind for many months. She bit her lip. But in this case, she couldn't take a chance at not believing...for Mulder's sake and if the priest was correct...for the sake of a lot more.
"What do you want me to do?" she said.
"I want you and Sergei to come to Wisconsin with me. I know it will be very dangerous but I also know that both of you are supposed to do battle with me against the forces of the apocalypse."
Skinner was shifting on his feet, impatient to know what Dimitri was saying but trying to contain it.
"Yes...I can do that but....just a moment," Scully said. She took the phone away from her ear and extended it to Skinner.
"He wants us to go to Wisconsin," she said.
"Both of us?"
She nodded. Skinner gave her a dour look and took the phone from her.
"Dimitri?" he said. He listened, frowning. "I don't think that's necessary. Agent Scully is quite capable of handling....what?" Scully watched Skinner's jaw tighten. "I know I said I'd be more receptive. I consider allowing Agent Scully to accompany you being more...Dimitri...look...no...that's just not easy for me to accept."
Skinner walked behind his desk, shifted the receiver closer to his mouth and turned his back on Scully. She struggled to hear what he was saying as he whispered into the phone. She caught the word 'friendship' and then 'anything but jeopardize the jobs of those under me by stepping out on this GAO audit'. Then he turned back around with a muffled 'Shit,' and slammed the receiver down. "He hung up on me. He's going to Wisconsin. He said he'd meet you at the United counter at Dulles with a plane ticket for the 5:38 flight to Milwaukee."
"And you're not going?"
"Scully...I can't."
"Or won't," she said, her face clouding over.
Skinner straightened, pulling himself up to his full height.
"Can't. Scully...you have no idea what the GAO is trying to do. If you and Mulder want an X-Files department you'll have to grant me some understanding here or..."
Scully stuck out her jaw and interrupted him.
"It won't matter if Mulder's dead, sir." Skinner shut his mouth on air and stared at her. "It won't matter if we're all dead on top of that."
"You believe it, then?" he sighed, looking down.
"I've discovered over the years, sir, that at the very least it doesn't pay to not check it out...and besides...why hasn't Mulder checked in? How did Dimitri know what he looked like right down to the bullet hole I put in him?"
Skinner looked up again.
"I don't know."
"And you don't want to know."
"That's not fair..."
Scully felt her face flush. She walked forward and placed her hands on Skinner's desk, facing him where he stood behind it. Without really considering her words, she spoke. Her voice was soft but intense.
"I think it's fair when you consider you've gone to bat for us before. I've appreciated that and so has Mulder...but now I'm beginning to wonder if it was on your terms only and you really don't care about the work."
Skinner's face went completely stony, but Scully could see his eyes flash.
"What are you trying to say, Agent Scully?"
She took a deep breath and let it out.
"I'm trying to say that I wonder if you only helped us because of...because of what you said yesterday...what you implied here yesterday. If you..."
Skinner held her eyes.
"If I did it only because of you," he whispered. "If that was my agenda?"
Scully nodded.
"Yes."
Skinner's eyes slid away. He glanced at the door to his office as if to confirm it was closed, turned away and looked out the window. His back was ramrod stiff, his hands balled on his hips.
"I won't lie...I think you deserve the honest truth. That was part of it...but not all," he mumbled. "Like I said...I can admit my mistakes and I've tried to be receptive. I respect the work...maybe more than I can ever explain or even comfortably acknowledge."
Scully swallowed and stepped away from Skinner's desk.
"Then come with me, sir. If you respect the work...you'll want to know if any of this is really possible...you'll want to know the truth."
She watched as Skinner unclenched his fists and turned around. He cleared his throat, looked down and spoke in a subdued voice.
"You know we're going to have to discuss...the personal ramifications of this at some point, Scully. I know you're not comfortable with...the issue. I'm sorry."
"Yes...I know, and yes, you're right, but..."
Skinner looked up and captured her eyes for a second.
"But now is not the time," he replied.
"Right."
Scully watched Skinner's face and then his body relax. He nodded. When he spoke this time, he was all business.
"Dimitri said this will be a very unofficial investigation...which I'm sure doesn't surprise you. So, I'm going to tell Kimberly that I have a family emergency and have to go out of town immediately for several days. I'll work out something with the GAO. I still have a few favors I can call in. I suggest you leave and meet Dimitri at the airport. I'll join you as soon as possible, but if I miss that flight, I'll arrange to take another as soon as possible.
"Yes, sir," Scully said, squaring her shoulders. "And thank you."
Skinner gave her a terse smile.
"Thank me when we prove this is all bullshit and Mulder's cell phone battery is just dead."
Scully gave him a quick smile of understanding and he gestured toward his office door.
"I'll let you out...I need to talk to Kimberly anyway."
Scully preceded Skinner to the door. She could feel his warmth behind her...he seemed to radiate it. She felt the hair on the small of her back stand up and knew he was ushering her forward in precisely the way Mulder did...his hand hovering just above her waistband. Her nipples tightened and she caught her breath shakily. Then Skinner was stepping ahead and quickly opening the door. She ducked her head and hastened out.
She gave Kimberly a quick "nothing's wrong" smile and hurried away. She barely heard Skinner addressing his executive assistant as she ran to catch an elevator to the basement.
xXx
TOWNSHIP OF CONCORD. WISCONSIN.
There was an echoing in his ears. A hollow, tinny sound...the sound of distant music. He struggled up out of the darkness of unknowing and back into the here and now...to perceive the muted whine of electric guitars and someone...someone singing. Shit...the voice sounded familiar...
Your momma told you that you're not supposed
to talk to strangers
Look in the mirror tell me do you think your
life's in danger here ya
No more tears...
I know...that's Ozzie Osbourne, Mulder's wakening mind thought triumphantly. That's Ozzie yowling in the distance. And then the words prompted full awareness to crash back down on him and he realized several things at once. He had to take a piss very badly, it was as hot and hell; sweat was stinging his eyelids...and someone was bending over him. He could just hear muffled breathing over the distant music.
His eyes flew open.
There was a welding mask above him, candlelight flickering over its dull gray metallic surface. The mask tilted up to reveal the face of a little girl. Samantha was staring down at him. He let out a choking sound of protest.
"Surprise, big brother!" Samantha crowed.
Mulder cried out in panic and felt his bladder release. His urine sprayed out and trickled down to puddle beneath his ass cheeks. His mind went temporarily blank with terror and he thrashed in his chains as Samantha's face melted and became Laura Massey's face again. She was naked except for the welding helmet. She pulled the helmet off and tossed it aside. The Mother's mocking laughter rang in his ears. Finally Mulder found his voice, if not his composure.
"You bitch!" he yelled, drool running out of the corner of his mouth.
"Now, now...is that a nice thing to call your mother?" The Mother said, grinning. "Then again...from what I saw in there..." she tapped his head, "...maybe that's the right term for la vostra madre."
Mulder sucked up the drool that was dripping down the side of his chin and spat it into The Mother's face.
She smiled and wiped it off.
"How rude considering I've brought you a gift."
Mulder's vision blurred for a moment and then became crystal clear. He swallowed hard and threw his head from side to side, looking around at the graffiti covered walls of the room. He squinted at them in the guttering candlelight. The symbols were glowing slightly...and not from the candles' reflection. The door to the room was closed and it was stifling hot. His whole body was slick with sweat and he was suddenly dizzy from the heat and from something else besides.
The Mother glided to the end of the table.
"I see you feel it," she said, licking her lips.
And he did...he sensed it...energy...something almost alive and electric crackling over his skin. His eyes widened.
"What is it?"
"The power...but only the power generated from il piccolo lavoro...the small work. Just wait until you feel the grand work."
"My fifteen minutes of fame," Mulder said between clenched teeth.
"Oh yes, la mia volpe bella...your moment of divine, unholy grace."
The Mother bent down at the end of the table and scooped something off the floor. Mulder's eyes were drawn to her.
"And now for my gift," she said.
There was a clanking and she held her hands up, displaying what was in them over her head. She held a metal cowl, the fur engraving in the bronze quite plain, the fox ears pointed and distinct. Attached to the cowl was a chain link cloak and attached to the chain link were fish hooks and what looked like dozens of fox pelts, the heads still attached. Mulder's eyes roved over the combination of sculpture and garment, and tracked down to the long hem, and the fox tail with it's glinting cock ring and ball spreader hanging there. The inside of the ring and spreader were studded with needles. Mulder gritted his teeth and felt even more sweat drench his armpits.
"Like it?" she asked.
"Fuck you," he hissed.
The Mother chuckled.
"I'll take that as both a compliment and a request," she replied.
Mulder pulled against his bonds again as she turned away and walked gracefully over to the hooks that were imbedded in the wall to his right. She carefully hung her metal work on the hooks and then turned and walked back to his side. Mulder felt a hissing, searing pain in his head and jerked harder on the chains.
"Get out of my skull," he hissed, sliding away from her.
The Mother grabbed his chin and pulled hard, yanking him nose to nose. Her eyes blazed, the centers like the blue event horizon descending into a black hole.
"Oh, but why? It's such a fertile place to be...so full of need...so full of lust."
"Jesus..." Mulder choked as her fingers squeezed his chin.
"If you say that bastard's name one more time, I'll make you cut out your tongue," she whispered.
Mulder clenched his mouth shut as she bent to kiss him. He felt his will bleeding away as her lips touched his. He tried to focus on something, anything as her fevered lips roamed over his. He concentrated....and let the wetness below him jerk him back to reality.
"You're leaning in my piss," he mumbled under her mouth.
The Mother's lips stilled on his and then she drew back. Her eyebrows were raised high.
"Well, so I am," she said. Then her eyebrows lowered and she smiled. "Not that it bothers me...but if it bothers you..."
Mulder had just enough time to breathe in before the Mother dropped out of sight, came up with a bucket and pitched the contents over his crotch. The ice cold water nearly sent him into shock and he cried out as it sluiced the urine that was on and under him off onto the floor. She laughed as she tossed the bucket into a corner. It clanked loudly as Mulder sputtered, choked and writhed in front of her.
The Mother, a look of satisfaction on her face, vaulted up onto the table and straddled Mulder's thighs in front of his cock and balls. She placed her hands on either side of his head and bent close to his face.
"Now, you figlio bastardo di un whore...it's time for *you* to cut the crap," she hissed.
Mulder shuddered all over. His voice croaked when he answered her.
"Vada al hell, you slut," he said.
"Oh we will go to hell eventually...but right now we're going someplace else entirely," she replied.
Mulder moaned as something that felt like a psychic ice pick shoved itself into his skull. He thrashed once, hard. And then he lay like a pinned insect.
"Nnnno!" he groaned.
"Yessss," The Mother said, and Mulder felt the protest in his mind begin to dissolve. He watched as The Mother's skin undulated, rippled and melted again. Her body changed and it was a naked Scully straddling him.
"Scully," he smiled.
"Yes, Mulder. Do you want me?"
"Oh yeah," he sighed. He was saying it, but deep down in his mind he was screaming objection. No...he didn't want this...this thing. This thing wasn't Scully...he didn't want...
But something stroked his brain, massaged his will, pushed hard again and his protests were silenced. He could only watch in horror as part of his mind was totally lost to the Mother's influence.
That part said, God yes, he wanted Scully. He could feel heat pooling in his groin and his cock twitch as it swelled between his legs. The Scullything smiled at him and bent forward, capturing his mouth.
He opened his lips eagerly, drinking her in, laving her tongue with his, moaning as she grasped either side of his head and pressed into him. When she broke the kiss, he grabbed for her. A part of his mind told him he was manacled and chained but it didn't seem to matter really. He dropped back and smiled stupidly at her.
She slid away, her well toned thighs carrying her over his hardening cock.
"Mmmm...beautiful," she cooed, eyeing him from a kneeling position.
"You're beautiful," he heard himself say.
"Thank you...lover," the Scullything replied.
Mulder watched as she arched her head back, exposing her throat. She touched herself at her throat and then skimmed her hands down over her breasts, massaging and rubbing. Mulder realized distantly that 'his' Scully...the Scully I love he told himself resolutely, wears a cross. The Scully fingering her nipples before him displayed no sign of one. She arched her back further, making small sounds almost like a cat purring as she pleasured herself. Mulder became fascinated with her agile, dexterous fingers as they tweaked her breasts.
"You like to watch, don't you?" she asked.
Mulder nodded and the Scullything smiled.
Her hands trailed down between her legs and she gathered the moisture that was flowing from between her folds onto her fingers.
"Oh," Mulder groaned and arched up as she started to rub her clit.
"Oh yes, Mulder...this feels so good," she murmured. "I love it when you watch," she added, licking her lips and pumping her hips.
"Fuck," Mulder grunted, half in pleasure but part of him wanted to make it a protest as well. The Scullything grinned at him and bent forward over his cock. Her warm, damp mouth sucking down over the head drove the protest away again.
"Uhhhh," he groaned as she deep throated him. He jerked his hips and rocked up and down spastically as she pulled up with her lips and then pushed down again. She sucked hard, and the sensation was so good it was almost painful. He cried out. In a few quick minutes he was massively erect and the Scullything released his bobbing hard-on with a wet sliding smack.
"Mmmm...wonderful," she smiled and Mulder watched openmouthed, part of his mind dreading what was coming next as the creature straddling him shifted forward over his erection.
"Fuh...Fuh..." Mulder choked. One last bit of free will tried to battle past her control.
"What, my love?" The Mother said, her mocking grin taunting him.
"Fuck me," he hissed, a tear trickling down from the corner of his eye.
"Oh yes," she laughed.
Mulder couldn't turn his head and he couldn't look away as the Scullything grasped his cock, squatted over him and then lowered herself.
"Ohhh," he moaned as her warm, tightness enveloped him. He gritted his teeth, and the tears trickled down uncontrollably. Please...I never...never like this...he thought.
The Scullything bent down close, his cock tipped up inside her. She whispered in his ear.
"Just remember la mia volpe piccola...lust and despair is what drew you to me...what drew me to you...lust and despair are what feed me...and right now you are my feast."
Mulder wanted to vomit but he felt arousal flood his body and wipe his mind in a flare of white, hot heat. He arched up into the Scullything and grunted in pleasure as she sat up and started to ride him. And then he couldn't feel anything but bright, burning pleasure as he pumped his hips again and again. The Scullything rocked her head back, moaned and laughed, her right hand tugging between her legs. Her hips rose and plunged, rose and plunged, her ass slapping Mulder's balls on every downstroke.
He blinked back stinging sweat and when he could see again, it was the Skinnerthing above him...his muscular ass and cum heavy balls slapping against his thighs. The pressure on his erection was exquisite. Oh my God, Mulder thought...oh...shit...he's tight. The Skinnerthing's huge, erect cock dripped pre-cum in front of him. Mulder's eyes narrowed in on it as his hips pistoned under the monster.
The creature chuckled in pleasure.
"Go on...you can touch me," he rumbled.
Mulder felt his hands come up and out of his bonds. He gripped the things hip with one hand and grabbed his cock with the other.
"That's it, man...oh yeah, you're good," the Skinnerthing panted as Mulder started to stroke him.
Sweat poured off them both and Mulder strained, crying out in ecstasy even though part of his mind was shrieking in agony. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as his hand and hips moved up and down. The thing flashed above him like an obscene human chameleon. First it was Skinner and then Scully, then Skinner again...hot, wet, tight and then incredibly tighter. He couldn't stop this...it was too much...he was going to come. Jesus Christ, he was going to come inside this thing, he thought. A spike of intense rapture boiled up out of his balls and arced though his entire body like a lightning bolt. As Mulder ejaculated he roared, and Ozzie Osbourne brayed in counterpoint out in the sanctuary.
I never wanted it to end this way my love
my darling
Believe me when I say to you in love I think
I'm falling here
No more tears...
xXx
A UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT TO MILWAUKEE, WI.
Scully woke and shifted her shoulders against the seat back. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but had been unable to prevent it. The headlong rush to the airport, meeting Father Dimitri, trying to concentrate as he conveyed his information, the hurried upgrade of their tickets to first class (at Skinner's expense), and the dash to the gate added to her existing sleep deprivation had left her utterly exhausted.
She glanced across the aisle. The plane was almost empty. The first class cabin contained only the three of them. It was quiet on board. Well, relatively quiet. Skinner had succumbed to the inevitable before she had and was still gently snoring in the window seat across from her. Dimitri, seated next to him on the aisle, smiled at her.
"Would you like to move over here?" Scully offered, smothering a smile.
'Skinner's 'wood sawing' would make it difficult to fall asleep if you were right next to him.' Her mind stuttered over the implications of that particular thought and she felt her face flushing slightly.
"If you don't mind?" Dimitri replied, studying her face.
She shook her head, rose and scooted over a seat, covering her slight loss of composure with her efficient movements.
"No, not at all."
The priest unbuckled his seat belt, levered out of his seat and carefully crossed the aisle. He sat down next to Scully and stretched his left leg into the aisle to get comfortable. But he didn't put his head back to rest. Instead he stared at Scully's cross. Her hand went involuntarily to her throat. Dimitri looked away from her hand and into her eyes.
"I'm sorry...but I've been admiring your cross and I was just curious. Do you mind me asking if..."
"Yes, I'm Catholic," she said, hastening to alleviate both their discomfort.
"Ah. Sergei is as well."
Scully raised an eyebrow. Skinner had listed 'no religion' on his hospital forms when he was wounded by Luis Cardinale.
"You didn't know?" the priest added.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't."
Dimitri nodded. "Well, that doesn't surprise me. He doesn't often acknowledge it any longer," he whispered with a slight sigh.
Scully looked down.
"I'm sorry...if talking about Sergei makes you uncomfortable...breaches your professional protocol..." Scully looked back up and Dimitri studied her face. "Or perhaps it is talk of religion that makes you uncomfortable," he concluded quietly.
Scully's eyes dropped to her lap again.
"I have questioned my faith, Father. Especially over the last few months," she murmured.
The priest's hand came into her field of vision and took hers in a gentle grasp.
"My child..."
Scully's eyes rose again and she stared into Dimitri's face. She had trusted the priest almost immediately on meeting him. Maybe it was because he was a holy man...maybe it was because the laugh lines around his eyes served to offset the deeper lines of worry on his forehead and those evident even through the beard around his mouth. But maybe it was also because his intelligent hazel eyes and gentle smile reminded her of Mulder. There was a resemblance between the two men, right down to the notable nose, a distinctive feature on both their faces. In any event, she wanted to believe in Father Dimitri Yvashko...and his touch was comforting.
"Questioning isn't a bad thing. And in my experience, God has a way of eventually answering those questions."
"But you need us to have faith *now*, don't you?" she whispered, searching his face.
"Yes...but Agent Scully...*I* have faith that you will. I know what I've told you is difficult to believe...but I have faith that when it's necessary, God will be in your heart."
Scully nodded and he released her hand. They sat in companionable silence for a moment and then Scully cleared her throat.
"You've known Assistant Director Skinner for a number of years?" she asked, seeking to move the subject away from discussions of religion for the time being.
Dimitri sat back and the corners of his eyes wrinkled up in good-humored remembrance.
"Oh yes...I have known Sergei since we were twelve years old. I was a skinny, scrawny Russian immigrant boy and he became my big, strapping American defender. He also became my friend, Agent Scully. We were very close." The priest's smile dimmed a bit. "We are very close," he amended.
"I'm sorry..."
Dimitri turned to catch her eyes again. He shook his head a little.
"No...no, it's all right. We really are close. It's just that...well the war changed him, you see."
"Vietnam," Scully stated, her brow furrowing.
"Yes...it distanced him...from everyone, I think. His wife, me, his faith. From himself as well. I think...I think Sergei's biggest lack of faith is faith in himself actually."
Scully bent her head.
"But he searches for faith in himself?"
"Yes, I believe that's the case. He lost his faith in himself first and foremost but I think he still searches for it. Still hopes he can find it again."
Scully felt her ears turning red. 'Do I really want to know this,' she thought. Part of her mind shrank from hearing such personal information about Skinner. Another part wanted more to better know him. She cleared her throat.
"Do you think he'll find it?"
Dimitri captured her eyes.
"Yes," Dimitri replied, gazing deeply into them. "And you think so too, don't you?"
Before Scully could answer however, the priest's eyes slid away from her suddenly and rolled up in his head. He shuddered...his whole body shook violently.
"Father!" she exclaimed. Dimitri fell back against the seat, his arms flopping about. "Dimitri!" She shifted sideways and tried to steady him.
Skinner jerked awake across the aisle at the sound of Scully's voice. His eyes grew wide and he got up quickly, looming over Dimitri's shaking leg in the aisle. He bent forward and tried to help steady his friend as well.
"What happened?" he asked.
"He's having some kind of seizure," Scully said, all business. Her hands checked the priest's vitals as best she could. She tried to loosen the collar of his black shirt. Skinner grimaced.
"I can see that," he said. "What did he do or say just before..."
A blonde stewardess came hurrying into first class from coach, her face was a study in compassionate concern.
"Do you need help?"
"I'm a doctor," Scully said, then frowned at Skinner. "He was just talking...and he suddenly started to convulse."
A chime sounded in the cabin and the overhead seat belt and no smoking sign came on. Another stewardess was on the intercom instructing everyone to prepare for landing.
"I'll get the first aid kit," the stewardess said. "And please be careful...the approach to Mitchell field could get a little bumpy."
Scully and Skinner nodded briskly as the women bustled to the front of first class.
Skinner bent close to the priest's ear. "Dimitri!" he called. "Can you hear me?" He glanced up at Scully where she was still trying to steady the priest's other arm so he wouldn't hurt himself or them. He cleared his throat and gripped the arm he was holding tighter, then he placed a hand gently on Dimitri's forehead. "Come on, Dimmie...we're here for you. Come on back."
The priest's shaking slowed and then stopped. He sagged in the seat, gasped once and then began to breathe normally. He opened his eyes and looked around in confusion for a moment. Scully and Skinner released his arms and Skinner took his hand from his forehead. Dimitri placed a hand over his eyes.
"Are you all right?" Scully asked.
The priest nodded and Skinner gave him a brief pat on the shoulder. He glanced at Scully and swallowed hard.
"Was it a...a waking dream?" he whispered.
"Yes," Dimitri replied.
"A waking dream?" Scully asked, puzzled.
"Yes...of The Mother. She knows I'm hunting her...knows I'm close."
Scully looked at Skinner over the priest's head, her expression still questioning.
"Does she know we're here?" Skinner hissed, his lips compressed.
"No...With God's help I'm blocking her. But we must hurry. I can keep her from knowing...but Agent Mulder is running out of time...we all are."
Skinner stepped back. Scully shook her head, half in denial but half in the knowledge Dimitri might be all too unfortunately correct.
"Fasten your seat belts," Skinner ordered. The voice of authority served to steady them all and with a sense of renewed if grim purpose, they took their seats and prepared to land in Wisconsin.