Before The War...Part Four
Ch 20
The previous day’s events should have taken their toll but Scully was an expert at ‘it never happened’ burying her feelings far below the surface and locking them where her soul had no access to them. She was in route to meet Skinner at headquarters. The car came to a stop and she let her feet hit the pavement with little regard. Her white blouse draped off her ever thinning figure, delicately accenting her ever present golden cross. She seldom remembered it adorned her neck; it was an extension of her, an outward symbol of her complex faith yet she paid it little attention. She continued to walk toward the J. Edgar Hoover building hopeing Skinner had more good news than she did. Mulder had left before the sun rose and she knew not of his ware bouts. This didn’t surprise her since he was the same lone wolf he had been when she first met him.
When her eyes lifted themselves from their downward track they meet Monica’s. Her darting gaze gave way to a worried expression, as she saw Monica quickly approaching. The brunette’s arms swung in time with her stride letting her grace be know. The parking lot was all but abandoned and fall’s characteristics tainted every aspect of nature. The women soon met near the brick walkway leading to the entrance.
“Scully, I’m not sure if this is anything of consequence but I have a message for you. When John and I raided the lab Gibson led us to, a scientist by the name of Hermes approached me .”
“Hermes as in Dr. Jacques Hermes. Monica that’s impossible, Jacques Hermes died in ’93 of a coronary embolism.” Scully rustled in the case file she was keeping under her arm for the picture Mulder had found of him.
“Is this him?” Scully asked. The man pictured was completely grayed with a high cheek bones and a receding hair line. His glasses took up most of his face, while his smile was broader than his features could handle.
“Yes but how can that be? He seemed in perfect health.”
“No it makes perfect sense. What did he say to you?”
“He was very vague in his questioning and offered little to go off of but he did make it very clear that you should look ‘where the birch meets the meadow’. Does that mean anything to you?”
“What did you say?” Scully froze feeling her chest constrict.
“Where the birch meets the meadow.”
“Oh my God, I know where he is.” Scully turned and was in a full sprint toward the car before Monica could finish or ask where she was headed. Heart pounding, she searched franticly through her pockets for the car keys. Mulder pulled up to the building just as she rushed past . The ignition rumbled and she peeled out leaving skid marks throughout the lot. Mulder made his way toward Monica in confusion.
“What happened? Where is she going?” He asked.
“I’m not sure, I mentioned something that was brought up in a questioning and next thing I knew she was gone.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Look where the birch meets the meadow.”
“Where did you hear that?!”
“A witness John and I apprehended. What’s going on?” She asked.
“Hop in and I’ll explain on the way.”
Ch 21
Scully’s knuckles were white with intensity from gripping the wheel. Twenty miles prior she had crossed the Vermont state line giving little notice to the speed she was traveling. The trees became thicker as she approached her destination. Where the birch meets the meadow. She had only heard the saying once before in her life. She searched her memories for its details.
It was twilight; the sun gave way to colors of fuchsia and deep oranges. Stars peaked from the corners of the navy blue that lined the horizon. She remembered trying to calm her shaking hands by shitting on them. She and Mulder had begun their journey into oblivion; they drove in every direction until he felt a certain amount of ease. They had seen most of the coastline and eastern states until he found a quaint town near the Vermont/New Hampshire border. He had decided that this was a safe enough place to lay their heads to rest. For now their lives were in constant danger. Mulder had narrowly escaped a false allegation of murder and she was a wanted fugitive for his assisted getaway.
Though she’d felt the strain of their scattered existence, Scully would have followed him to the depths of hell itself never wavering in her devotion.
Early the next morning, Mulder awoke Scully from the first restful sleep she had had in weeks to drag her to a nearby forest. He had used jogging as an excuse but she knew he wanted to feel free amongst more than motel walls and remote diners. He lead her like a child does a toy with delight and enthusiasm to the adventure that lay ahead. She was relieved to see there was still a soul within Mulder’s gloomy exterior; life on the road was eating at his resolve. However, she would later learn that her sheer presence had been enough for him, no matter the destination or circumstance, her nagging skepticism was his lifeline.
They made it to a clearing from the dense foliage that framed the rolling hills of the countryside. Upon entering the meadow, Mulder took her hand in his, placed his other hand below her jagged jaw and united their lips in a comfort both dearly craved. He held her for longer that he had intended. He was grateful for her loyalty and though they rarely spoke the words, her love. As they continued to explore the rural landscape, a small cave came into view, just big enough to spend an afternoon in and so they did. Quiet and secluded they began to heal from nine years of tragedy. Neither felt remorse for the lives they had led, just the need for time to comprehend their new venture without the FBI.
As the evening wore on they returned to the little motel they currently called home. Mulder ventured into the manager’s office to pay for another night, Scully close behind.
“Sir, can you tell me what the name of the cave near the forest clearing is called?” Mulder asked.
“You mean the one where the birch meets the meadow? It’s called Gazer’s
Point.”
Scully shook the memory off and returned her focus to the road. She hadn’t paid particular attention to the men’s conversation that day but she had stored the phase among the thoughts that floated into her consciousness. Over the years following their first visit, Mulder and Scully returned to the cave a few dozen times. It was their escape from the realities of constant running. The one place they felt the world wouldn’t find them.
She rounded the last curve before the entrance to the sleepy town that housed their cave. She passed the local mart and drove the gravel road to the forest entrance. She turned off the egnition and exited the car with vigor. She began to run, her heels pounding against the rocks that made up the roads structure. She could fell her breath become staggered as she increased her speed, quickly closing in on the cave. Its surroundings were just as she had remembered them, this seemed to be the only place that time hadn’t taken hold of. The outline of the cave became more distinct as 300 yards became 200 and 200 became 100. She paused fearing for what she might find in her place of serenity.
She placed one foot in front of the other slowly easing her way into the cave’s entrance. A small pile of fall leaves were clumped in the farthest corner. The air assaulted her nose with smells of humidity and potent foliage. An outline of a petite figure was nestled in the make shift bed of leaves. His sneakers were caked in mud. He wore torn jeans and a striped shirt. He didn’t move as she approached. Scully’s fingers dug into her palms in preparation for what she might have to endure. Her voice was faulty and could barely utter a whisper.
“William?”
The small boy rustled the leaves as he began to move. Scully released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She inhaled with such force her chest reacted in pain. She rushed to his side turning his face over toward her. His features were smudged with dirt and his lip dry from dehydration. Her tear ducts overflowed with emotions long overdue. She swept the hair from his face getting the first good look at the child her baby had grown to be. She lifted him into her arms and resting his head along her shoulders, exited the cave in search of the medical assistance her son required.Before she could move more than a few yards, the loading of a pistol rang as clear as day. Fearful for who could be behind her she turned slowly never exposing William.
“Dana Scully, I have waited many years to see you in the flesh.”
Scully turned and meet the black eyes of a man whose face she knew only from newspapers. Senator Masterson had a beaming stature and in this moment the insane glare of a killer. She backed up defensively keeping the unconscious William tucked behind her shoulder.
“I figured if I watched you long enough you would lead me straight to him. Hand the boy over and no one will get hurt. He is far more valuable to me alive than dead but that is your choice.”
Before Scully could form a response, a shot rang out hitting the Senator in the right shoulder. Blood immediately immerged and he hit the ground soon after. Scully looked toward the direction of the shot and was surprised to see Mulder accompanied by Monica and Marita Covarrubias.
“Mulder what the hell is going on?”
“We don’t have much time.” He lifted William from her arms and brought him to the car.
“Damn it Mulder this is our son we’re talking about, don’t keep me in the dark!”
“Scully get in the car!”
The senator began to groan from the pain of his wounds. He propped himself up on his elbow and was close to standing when Mulder grabbed Scully by the arm and ushered her to the car. More shoots pierced the silence as they bounced off the metal exterior of the car. The Senator was now in full pursuit. All four agents piled into the sedan with the injured boy. Scully checked on William as his breathing became regular again. She checked his arms and legs for ligature marks or any sign of how he might have gotten to the cave from Wyoming. His arms were riddled with small scrapes and bruises and his hair laced with twigs and leaves. Once she was sure her son was stable, she redirected her focus to Mulder and the scene that had just taken place.
“This isn’t the time for secrets Mulder. If we’re all going to die in a high speed chase, I sure as hell want to know why!”
“Give me your hand.” Marita asked.
“What?”
Marita grabbed Scully’s hand much to Scully’s distain. Scully struggled to gain control of it as Marita put great pressure on her wrist. Marita pulled a small knife from her pocket and moved it toward Scully’s pale flesh. Scully yanked her hand away faster than she knew she could. She immediately looked for some piece of understanding in Mulder’s eyes.
“Please, Scully do as she says.”
Marita once again took Scully’s hand in her own and began to slit the flesh from one end to another. Scully groaned in discomfort and pain. Her blood immediately began to pour beyond the edge of her palm. Marita dug in the wound, causing Scully to scream out. After only a few moments, Marita recovered the treasure she was in search of. With the tweezers she had used to search among Scully’s veins, she held up a remarkably small metal square. Monica tore off part of her sleeve and covered Scully’s bleeding hand. As she continued to lose blood, her concentration became irratice and unfocused
“Somebody better start talking!” Scully grew increasingly impatient.
“He has been tracking you. The chip in your neck wasn’t the only one that these men implanted when you were abducted. This device is used to monitor your vital signs, heartbeat blood pressure and so on. It is also completely undetectable on any medical scan. It transmits its findings to a server where these men can access it from anywhere around the world and track your location to within meters. They only use these particular chips for their most priced test subjects and when the appearance of two heartbeats was proven, you were there number one priority.”
Scully turned to Mulder expecting a look of complete bewilderment but his temper was even. He already knew. He knew how she hadn’t trusted him with such an intimate secret, one that only they should have shared joy in.
“Mulder…”
“You once told me that all you were fighting for was you and me. You and me. There is nothing that is more you and me than this.”
“From the minute I realized I was pregnant, all of the feelings of grief for William came rushing back to me. The loneliness and fear I associated with being pregnant crept back into my mind. Mulder one miracle though implausible is understandable even in great instances expected but two. I didn’t keep this from you to alienate you. I did it to protect you.”
“Did it ever occur to you that for once in our lives there could be a light on the horizon that something unexpected could be good?”
Mulder swerved the car to miss an embankment only to skid past a passing car. The Senator was gaining on them with every mile they sped. His irrational driving caused the other drivers to crash into a guard rail and pile up along the intersection. Amidst the camotion, Marita grabbed Scully’s shoulder length hair and before she could object cut a good three inches from the bottom.
“What are you doing?”
“Scully, trust me.”
Marita continued cutting pieces of Monica, Mulder and William’s hair, all the while communicating nothing of what she was doing. She finished by taking a strand of her golden locks in her hands and adding it to the other’s. Mulder continued to swerve narrowly missing numerous crashes. A large corner approached adorned with a yellow speed sign indicating that the corner should be taken at forty miles an hour. Mulder gazed at the odometer and shivered at the appearance of a ninety next to the yellow speed indication line. Marita began to undress.
“Give me your clothes.” Marita demanded.
Scully though unsure of what was happening complied. As Mulder took the next corner the car’s wheels gave way to gravity and slid to the right. The left side of the car began to lift as Mulder lost complete control of the car. It tipped more with every second that the wheels had contact with the asphalt. The Senator turned the corner and caught the tail end of the image of a car in a full roll and eventually colliding with the several trees in front of it. The flames began almost instantly, engulfing the entire car within seconds. It was now an inferno that yielded no survivors. The Senator exited his car moving closer to the decimated vehicle. He came as close as the flames would allow and stood for a moment in triumph and defeat. Before leaving he spit on the fire quietly thanking it for doing his job for him.
Ch22
The newspaper were plastered with the devastating images of the accident claiming it was a tragic incident caused by an out of control driver. The head line was bolded and stated “FBI agent and UN delegate die in fiery crash with civilians. The post hung off of the edge of Skinner’s desk haunting him with its very presence. Its black lettering was smudged from wear. He had reread the article more times than his stomach could handle but he thought perhaps if he continued to absorb the information he might find a strand of reality in it .Skinner had almost lost them thousands of times before and the feeling s were always the same.
He punished himself for letting his personal feelings interfere with his professional duties but this time he wasn’t the only one grieving. John entered the office door without a knock. Skinner had given him full access after the news broke late Friday evening. Though they never admitted it, Skinner knew that John had loved Monica and his heart was wounded from the loose. Both men sat in the dark not speaking a word for more than an hour. There was to be a memorial service that afternoon and both men had been asked to speak. John drew circles along the seam of his dress pants trying to distract his mind from the images it continued to conjure. He wore his best suit and made sure to part his hair the way Monica always said complimented him.
Though he had never told her, he knew that she knew his feelings were genuine. His regret for never having the courage to tell her would haunt him in his every waking moment. Skinner made his way out of his office, John trailing not far behind. The two men entered the parking garage and began the walk to the SUV that would take them to St. Patrick’s. John reached for the door handle when he felt a prick on his upper neck. By the time he turned to see what had caused it, his vision had begun to fade and darkness took its hold on him.
…
Incessant pounding greeted John as he gained consciousness. It took him more than a moment to realize what had happened. When he finally opened his eyes he saw a sight that he thought could only mean he too was dead.
“Monica?”
His response was so laced with emotion that his feelings were palpable. She sat over him as a vision; her long brunette hair draped over her shoulder and framed her ageless face. He had seen her every day for the past ten years but in that moment she was more striking than all the world’s wonders. She traced her hand along the side of his face and lightly kissed his temple.
“Don’t speak… This might be difficult for you to understand. I never meant to hurt you but there was no other way to ensure his safety.”
Her voice was cautious and she chose her words with great precision. John slowly came to a sitting position and realized he was surrounded by all those presumed dead. He rubbed the confusion from his eyes praying that if he looked with clearer vision he wouldn’t awaken from a dream. Scully sat to his right with Mulder hovering above the chair she sat in. A child could be heard playing in the background. Skinner stood to John’s left with as serious a face as he had ever seen.
“John, our deaths were staged. It was the only way Scully and Mulder could ensure the safety of William, at least for the time being. “Monica answered.
“But the forensics team found bodies that matched your dental work and the clothing you were last seen wearing? Assistant director were you in on this?”
“This is as new to me as it is to you. I recovered from the drug twenty minutes before you did. I’ve had just a while longer to deal with the situation. John, just listen there’s more.” Skinner said
Monica took his hand and led him to the other end of the room where privacy was slightly more possible. She held his hand in hers and rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. She knew the lines on these worn hands better than she did her own.
“According to the public, we don’t exist anymore. We are mere shadows that they vaguely recognize. I can’t come back to my old life, to our life. But you can come with me. I’ve spoken to Skinner and he thinks he can pull it off. You will be out on assignment and be killed in the line of duty. He can have the paperwork completed by night fall. The question is are you willing to leave all of this behind?”
“Monica…” He stuttered slightly. As his nerve returned he continued.“There is nothing here for me without you, none of this means anything if you’re not here to share it with me. I’ve loved two women in my life. My ex-wife and…”
She grabbed his jaw and brought him into a long awaited kiss. Her lips were supple but forceful in their passion. Shocked he quickly gave way to her advance. His hand rested on the small of her back and drew her closer as time wore on. Within this moment they were infinite, unbound by time or circumstance.
Mulder caught a glimpse of their private realization and nudged Scully directing her attention to Doggett and Reyes. She flashed her coyest smile, rubbed his forearm and continued to play with William. Skinner rubbed the bridge of his nose no doubt wondering what about his unit caused all of his agents to fall for each other. John made his way back to the group, Monica trailing behind; he placed his hand on Scully’s shoulder as they passed and gazed at William then redirected his attention to her. She touched his hand ever so slightly to acknowledge his presence. Though the words went unspoken a conversation of gratitude was passed between them.
Epilogue
Years pass with the swift destruction that seconds are born with. They exist as if they were never wasted until the realization that far too many have passed, stares you straight in the face. There are decisions we make that are far bigger than we are and when given time will grow to become more than we ever could believe. The truths we seek are often situated directly within our gaze, sitting waiting for us to take hold of the moments in which they exist, not the ones we wish we had been promised.
The radio hummed with strumming from a major chord and a familiar melody. While the music lifted throughout the air, corn and hay fields lined each side of the moving car causing the golden tones to stream together in an endless array. The rearview mirror carried the lives they had left behind. Scully let the gentle breeze that crept into the passenger side window make her hair unruly. It was comforting, the open road. She felt a freedom wash over her that had been seldom experienced. She held on to it for all that it offered for she knew that one day, perhaps tomorrow or years in the future it would be taken from her and the darkness she had so fiercely battled would find her family. But for now her precious son lay fast asleep sprawled along the back seat of the sedan, his bags packed awaiting the next city that would shelter them.
Mulder lightly drummed his thumbs along the steering wheel completely oblivious to his surroundings. Scully reached for the stray hair draped along his ear and brushed it into place. He took a moment to take in her expression then lifted her ivory hand and lightly kissed the back of it. She intertwined her fingers with his and felt the subtle presence of peace. She turned to their slumbering son and saw in him his father. As his chest rose and fell, she breathed with him and wondered what fate had in store. Almost immediately, she banished the thought knowing that for now the road was all that lay ahead.
“How long do you think we have?” Scully asked.
“It doesn’t matter.”
And it didn’t.
THE END