From: Lola <lolabeegood@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 22:45:38 -0400
Subject: Amish Country by Lolabeegood
Source: direct
****************************************
Later that day, Scully found herself again, bumping along a
dirt road towards the Fisher farm. Agent Cowan was going to
try and set up an interview with Annie Glick and find out
more about Beulah King. He was also assigned with the task
of digging up information on Silas Miller and deciphering if
he was somehow involved in the case. They were scheduled to
return to Canton and meet up with him again in 9 days.
"So, how did it feel to be English again?" Abram smiled over
at the pair.
"It was odd at first," Mulder answered. "But then we started
pulling apart the case and it all became normal really
quickly."
"It was great to have files and computer access again, so we
could look up the information we needed," Scully added.
"You English and your computers," Abram laughed as they
pulled into his driveway. "It's like the world didn't exist
before them."
"It certainly makes investigating easier," Mulder smiled at
him.
"And, did you find anything?" Abram asked.
Mulder and Scully exchanged glances. As much as Abram was
helping them with the investigation, they didn't want to taint
his view of other community members with the information they
were privy to.
"We're getting closer, but no, Abram, we don't know who did
this to Fannie and the other women," Mulder answered for
them.
"But, you will know?" Abram asked, slightly nervous.
"As soon as we know, we'll make an arrest," Mulder assured
him.
Abram smiled at the two agents as they pulled up in front of
his house. Fannie and Ruth greeted them from the front door.
"How's your Aunt Clara?" Fannie asked Scully as soon as she
got to the top of the steps.
"She manages just fine," Scully smiled at her. "I think she
was glad for the company though, Samuel did some repairs
around her house for her."
"That was nice of you, Samuel," Ruth smiled at him.
"She needs the eaves troughs replaced and I've ordered the
parts," Mulder said to the group. "They should be ready in
the next week or two and then we'll go back so I can
replace them for her."
"You are keeping busy," Fannie smiled at him.
"Idle hands..." Mulder noted as he lifted off their bags
and carried them into the house.
"You're late getting back," Ruth said to Abram.
"I am," Abram agreed as he looked at the setting sun. "And
I'm also hungry. Any food left?"
Ruth smiled at him and walked ahead of him to put out his
plate.
"After you," Abram gestured to Scully and Fannie.
They entered the house as the world around them quickly
darkened, and lit the lamps inside the house.
"Miriam, do you and Samuel need to eat still?" Fannie asked.
"No, we're fine," Scully said taking her arm. "Just tired
from the journey."
"You go and unpack," Fannie said as she patted her hand.
"I'll keep them company."
"Thanks," Scully smiled as she released Fannie and walked
towards the stairs.
When she got to their room she found Mulder massaging his
sore shoulder and fighting his drooping eyes.
"You look tired," she said as she walked into the room.
"I couldn't sleep past four and we weren't in bed until
midnight..." he trailed off as he continued to wearily
rub his shoulder.
"What's the matter with your shoulder?" Scully asked as
she walked in front of him and stood between his long
legs.
"I pulled it or something, in the shower this morning," he
sighed as he dropped his hand from it. "It wasn't so bad
until the bumpy buggy ride and then I think it got
inflamed again."
"Let me see," Scully said as she started to unbutton his
shirt. She lowered it over his shoulder and down his arm.
She started to tap certain spots and poke them with her
thumb asking which areas hurt the most. Mulder winced
through the exam and found himself pulling away from her
touch before she even got to a certain spot.
"You've strained your trapezius muscle," she ascertained.
"Probably from all of the labour-intensive work you have
been doing without proper stretching before and after."
"It's not like Suzanne Somers is leading a warm-up out
there," Mulder winced as she kneaded the muscle.
"Have you tried stretching it?" She asked as he rested
his forehead against her stomach and let her rub his
shoulder.
"It helped a little," he winced into her.
"Have you tried cold?" She asked and felt him nod his
head 'yes' against her.
"I can make you a salve of chamomile and mint, that'll help
a little," she sighed as she continued to rub. "Maybe Ruth
has some..."
"Miriam, are you sure you and Samuel don't want..." Ruth
stopped short when she saw the two agents before her.
Scully stepped away from Mulder and turned to face Ruth who
was now standing at their doorway.
"I'm sorry...I..." Ruth stumbled over her words as she looked
at a half-naked man and his police partner before her.
"Ruth," Scully began. "Samuel has injured his shoulder, do
you have any salve that would..."
"I do," Ruth said as she pulled back from the door. "If you
want to come with me, I'll get you some."
She left their doorway abruptly and Scully turned to look at
Mulder who was pulling on his blue shirt. Scully quickly
followed her downstairs and into the pantry.
"Use this," said Ruth as she handed Scully a jar. "I'll boil
some water and you can get him tea that will also help."
"Thanks," said Scully.
"Shut the door too," Ruth said as she met her eyes. "I don't
want Fannie to see that and then find out later..."
Scully nodded her head in agreement. Ruth was worried her
granddaughter's purity would be further compromised by the
fact that one day she would know they weren't married and
behaving as such.
She returned to Mulder and carefully shut the door behind her.
"Everything okay?" Mulder asked when he saw her return.
"Yeah, everything's fine," said Scully as she took the lid off
the jar and smelled the salve inside.
"What is it?" Mulder asked as he looked at her scrunched up
face.
"Smells like mint and possibly wormwood," Scully said as she
stuck her fingers inside and took out a glop of it.
She climbed up on the bed and kneeled behind him. He lowered
his shirt and she immediately started to rub in the ointment.
If he hadn't been so sore, this would have been a highly
erotic moment.
"How's that feel?" She asked Mulder as she rubbed.
"Sore," he winced. "But a good sore."
Her soft but strong hands kneaded his skin as her hair gently
whisked over his skin every once in a while. Despite the
strong smelling ointment he could still smell her sweet scent
behind him and feel her breasts brush up against his back
occasionally as she leaned in to rub a little harder.
"Good," she said softly as she continued to gently work the
muscle.
After ten minutes of massaging she pulled her hands from his
shoulder and climbed off the bed. "I'll go and get you that
tea. Lie down and relax the shoulder in the meantime."
Mulder watched as she walked from the room to wash the salve
off her hands. He laid back on their bed and starred at the
ceiling above him. His shoulder ached less, but the lower
half of him ached more. He shifted himself and tried to will
his erection to dissipate before she returned.
****************************************
The next day, instead of going for a buggy ride with Martha
under the guise of showing her the community, Scully found
herself at Martha's house setting up for a church picnic.
It was supposed to be at the Zook farm but Mrs. Zook was
under the weather and, at the last minute, it was changed
to Martha's farm.
Scully and Fannie found themselves labouring at the house
for most of the day getting everything set up. Tables
needed to be put out, chairs placed around, activities for
children set up, table cloths laundered, lemonade made...the
list went on. Scully found herself doing most of the labour
so Fannie could rest. No one knew she was pregnant outside
the Fisher family, so no one was aware how this heat could
affect a pregnant woman.
Finally, at three in the afternoon Fannie agreed to go back
to the farm and rest. It was a particularly hot and humid
day and Scully found herself worrying a lot about Fannie's
health. Scully had hardly eaten or drank anything herself
throughout the day, always finding herself too busy to stop
until, at around supper time, she started to feel dizzy.
Scully sat heavily on a nearby rock and waited for the
feeling to pass.
"I just need a drink," Scully said to herself as she rose to
walk inside.
She found Martha and several other women frantically boxing
goodies on the kitchen table.
"Oh, good Miriam," one woman called to her. "You can help
bring these to the cold storage."
Scully nodded at her and then walked to a jug of water sitting
on the counter. She poured herself a large glass and gulped
it back wiping sweat from her forehead. It must have been a
hundred degrees outside and the sun had been blazing down from
the cloudless sky all day.
"Miriam are you okay?" Martha asked as she grabbed Scully's
elbow and looked her in the eye.
"Just a little hot," Scully smiled wearily at her.
"And a little burnt," another woman noted as she passed them.
Scully looked up at Martha who nodded in agreement. She had
been out in the sun all day without any sort of sun block, she
was probably quite red. Immediately Scully felt the skin tighten
across her cheeks.
"Rest for a minute," Martha said as she gestured toward a chair.
"I'm fine, really," Scully said as she refused the chair and put
her glass in the sink. "What needs to go to the cold storage?"
"These goodies," said a woman pointing toward a pile of boxes.
"Before they melt in this heat."
Scully reached for a pile of boxes and walked outside to the
door that lead to cold storage. When she walked down the stairs
into the basement, she immediately felt a shiver run down her
spine; cold storage seemed more like a freezer than a fridge to
her. It was dark, but with the open door, she could make out a
table with a similar set of boxes sitting on it. Scully set the
boxes down and again and felt a little dizzy. She clutched the
table in front of her and waited for the spell to pass. Then she
heard a stair creak behind her.
She turned swiftly and tried to focus on the shadowy figure that
was coming down the stairs towards her. It was a man and he was
also carrying something in his hands. Her vision was slightly
blurred by her quick turn and the harsh sunlight streaming in
through the open door, so she couldn't make out who it was.
"Hello?" Scully called to the man from her place in the dark.
"Hello, yourself," the familiar voice said as he approached her.
"Who's there?" Scully asked, somewhat unnerved.
"You know who it is," he said slyly as he walked toward her. "I
saw you look towards me when you came down here."
"Excuse me?" Scully asked and she felt behind her for something
she could hold herself up with as a wave of dizziness washed over
her again. Her stomach lurched and she used all her concentration
to resist the urge to throw up.
"Miriam, you looked right at me," he said as he came up to her
and she saw the face of Jacob Lapp in front of her. "I know you
wanted me to join you down here."
"I'm sorry," Scully said confused. She didn't remember seeing him
all day and was now wondering why he was at his brother's farm and
now, down here in the cold storage with her.
"I somehow don't think you are," he said as he reached around her
and placed a brown package in the table behind her. When his
hand came back, it landed on her hip and stayed there. She
shuffled slightly away from his grip but his hand stayed glued
to her hip. His body was pressed up against her and she had to
arch her neck at a steep angle to look him in the eye.
"Jacob, I have to go," she said confidently. But as she went to
let go of the table, her legs started to give out beneath her
and she had to grab back onto the table.
"No one is around, Miriam," he said softly as he leaned into her
frame, his breath hot on her face. "It's just you and me."
"I...I have to go," Scully willed her legs to work as she let go
of the table one more time. She managed to take a small step
forward, pushing him slightly away from her body.
"No, you don't," Jacob said as he forcefully pushed her back
against the table so hard she could feel the bruises already
starting to form across her buttocks.
"Jacob, I..."she started and then stopped when she heard voices
outside the cold storage.
He must have heard them too because he immediately backed away
from her and walked quickly towards the stairs without looking
back.
"Jacob, what are you doing here?" A woman asked with a sing song
voice.
"Just delivering some more cold cuts for the picnic," he said
gruffly.
Scully heard the woman wish him a good afternoon and then start
to come down the stairs.
"Miriam, you're still down here?" She asked when she noticed
Scully.
"I'm...I'm just enjoying the cool air," Scully stammered, still
thrown off by her light-headedness and the forcefulness with which
Jacob pushed her.
"You've been working hard all day," the lady smiled at her.
"I'll take you home on my way. I'm just about to leave."
"Thanks," Scully smiled weakly at the woman. She then let go of
the table and shakily walked up the stairs and out to the buggy.
She couldn't wait to get home and lie down.
****************************************
Fox Mulder walked into the Fisher's kitchen and was
surprised to not find Scully chopping vegetables alongside
Ruth and Fannie.
"Ladies," he said as he craned his neck to see if she was
setting the table in the dining room.
"She's not feeling well," Fannie said, noticing what he
was doing. "I think she got too much sun today at the
Lapp farm."
"She did?" Mulder asked.
"Her face is as red as a lobster," Ruth confirmed as she
pulled something from the oven.
"Is she upstairs?" Mulder asked.
"Lying down," Fannie said to him.
"I better go and check on her," Mulder said as he exited
the kitchen and walked upstairs to their room.
When he walked inside he was greeted by Scully's small
form lying under an afghan with her back to him.
"Miriam?" He asked softly.
There was no response. He walked around to look at her.
Her face was beet red, but her eyes were closed and she
appeared to be resting.
"Scully?" He whispered softly next to her ear.
He watched her chest rise and fall and realized she was out
for the count. He looked at the side table and saw another
jar of ointment sitting open next to her. He screwed the lid
on it and put it back on the table. Mulder pulled the
afghan a little higher around her shoulders and smiled
softly down at her sleeping form.
He changed his clothes and joined the Fishers for dinner.
When Mulder returned to their room later that evening, he
expected to find her at least awake, but had no such luck.
Mulder lit the lamp in the corner and leaned down to look
more closely at her face. The skin across her cheeks and
nose looked tight and sore. Mulder reached for the ointment
and put his two fingers in the jar and place a glop on her
skin. He rubbed it in gently and noted that she slept
through the entire process.
"You are exhausted," he smiled down at her now shiny face.
He lifted the afghan at the bottom and discovered that she
was still wearing her shoes. He pulled them off her feet
and eased her stockings down so her feet were bare and
probably, more comfortable. He then undid the back of her
apron and eased it over her head, gently placing it on a
nearby chair. He reached for her blouse and undid the top
two buttons so it wouldn't be so tight around her neck
while she slept. Then, he undid the back of her skirt at
the waistband so it wouldn't cut into her if she rolled in
her sleep. Finally, he pulled the blankets up from the
bottom of their bed and covered her with them.
Mulder stripped down, to his underwear and slid into bed
next to her. He reasoned that she would feel better in
the morning as his eyes drifted shut and his body
relaxed.
****************************************
Mulder woke at 4 am to find himself in strange circumstances.
Scully was not lying on top of him or against him for the
first time since they had started sleeping together. He
looked over at her body, lying in almost the same position as
he'd left her, and panic set in.
"Scully," he whispered as he roughly shook her shoulder.
"Scully."
She moaned and rolled toward him, her eyes drifting open slowly.
"Mulderrrr?" She asked groggily.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," he smiled over at her.
"How do you feel?"
"Why are you in bed with me?" She asked, confused.
"What?" He asked, also confused.
"What time is it?" She asked as she sat up in their bed.
"It's 4 am," he said, sitting up as well. "You've been asleep
since yesterday evening."
"What?" She asked, confused again.
"I think you got too much sun yesterday," he said as he ran a
gentle finger down her burnt nose. "You hardly moved all
night."
"Oh," she said shaking her head slightly. "I came up to bed to
have a quick nap and..."
"And you didn't wake up until now," Mulder finished for her.
"So, that's why my bladder is screaming," she said as she heaved
her legs over the side of their bed and went to stand.
"Thanks for not making this an Amish waterbed," Mulder smiled at
her as she grabbed her bathrobe and scurried out of the room.
He got up after she left and started to get changed for the day.
Saturdays were a little more relaxed; they milked the cows, did
some chores in the barn, and then had the rest of the day to
themselves. There was a church picnic today and he relished the
idea of talking with both Saunder Miller and Jacob Lapp again.
He was standing bare-chested and bare-assed putting his first
leg into his pants when Scully re-entered the room.
"Sorry," she said as she averted her eyes from his naked body.
"No problem," Mulder said casually as he pulled on his pants and
did them up. Abram was right, working without underwear was
always more comfortable.
"I was really out for that long?" Scully asked dumbfounded as
she sat back down on the bed and watched him continue to dress.
"I even put salve on your face, took off your shoes and undid
some of your clothing so you'd be more comfortable," Mulder said
as he did up his shirt. "You didn't even know I was here."
"I was so busy yesterday...I guess I got dehydrated," she mused.
"Are you okay for the picnic today?" He asked as he pulled up
his suspenders.
"Yeah," she said looking at her lap. "I promised Martha I would
run the children's games so, red complexion or not, I need to
be there."
"You don't look as red today," Mulder said looking closely at
her face.
"It just feels really tight and sore," she said touching her
cheek. She then reached for the jar of ointment on the bedside
table and started to dab it on her cheeks. "Maybe we can go for
a bit, long enough for you to run the games, and for me to talk
with Jacob and Saunder." Mulder pointed out.
Scully played with the lid to the jar. She wanted to tell Mulder
about her encounter with Jacob yesterday in the cold storage, but
she was worried his temper would get the better of him and
compromise their investigation.
'No,' she thought. 'I am a big girl; he doesn't need to know
yet.'
"Scully?" Mulder asked as he leaned down to look at her.
"Yeah?" She muttered, her thoughts no longer distracting her.
"You okay?" He asked, slightly worried. "You look a million
miles away."
"Apparently Bertha Kitzen is going to help with the children's
games as well," Scully shook herself slightly to come back to
the present. "I'll try and get a better read on her."
"Good," Mulder said as he leaned down to kiss her.
His soft lips met her chapped ones and she briefly returned his
kiss. It had been soemthing he had been doing lately; a kiss
in the morning, sometimes a kiss before they went to bed. It
didn't seem odd or strange to kiss him goodbye anymore;
something she wanted to think about a little more when she had
the time.
"Take it easy this morning and we'll get you a straw hat for the
picnic," he smiled at her before he walked toward the door, then
out of the room.
Scully was left alone in their room, wondering if she'd regret
keeping the information about Jacob from Mulder.
****************************************
Dana Scully had not been enjoying her time at the picnic. Bertha
Kitzen had proven to be a bad conversationalist and a generally
mean-spirited person. Scully reasoned it was because she was a rape
victim who had not received proper counselling, was dumped by the
man she may have loved, and forced to live in a community where
everyone knew everything about her and what happened to her. Scully
figured, given the circumstances, she would also be a fairly surly
person.
"That last group really liked the bean bag toss," Scully noted as
she picked up the scattered bean bags off the ground.
"They were quite demanding," Bertha noted as she too grabbed a
couple of stray bean bags.
"They're just little kids," Scully smiled as she put a hand to her
brow. It was a hot day and, like yesterday, she had been fighting
dizziness on and off throughout the afternoon. She had, at first,
worn a hat until it seemed to make her hotter and began to itch.
The hat had been the first thing to go. She longed for a pair of
shorts, a tank top and a pair of sandals but knew that was not part
of her Amish wardrobe.
"Children need to know how to behave at any age," Bertha said
scornfully.
Scully winced at the remark. As a child she had gotten into a lot
of trouble with her brothers over the years and, although her
parents expected politeness, she was sure she wouldn't have met
with Bertha's approval.
"Were you always so good?" Scully asked, smiling at her as she took
a seat on a nearby chair.
"Always," Bertha replied as she crossed her arms and sat next to
her; almost daring Scully to ask more.
Scully dropped the subject. She had tried, quite unsuccessfully, to
get Bertha to talk about her history and Bertha had not budged an
inch. She knew she could get information out of her if she
interrogated her but that was not part of her cover as an Amish
woman. The Amish don't interrogate.
"Maybe you should put your hat back on?" Bertha asked Scully as she
noticed her reddening nose.
"It just makes me feel even hotter," Scully said dismissing Bertha's
suggestion as she pulled at her collar.
The two women sat in silence for a while. All the kids were more
interested in the ice cream at the moment. It was a nice break;
they had been busy engaging the kids in activities for most of the
picnic and the heat was starting to bother them.
"Do you want to take a break Bertha? I can watch the games while you
go and talk..." Scully asked.
"Talk to who?" Bertha snapped. Apparently the heat was getting to
her as well.
"Maybe your friends, or your family or a young man..." Scully
ventured to bridge the subject, yet again.
Bertha scoffed at her suggestion. "No one wants to talk to me."
Scully looked at the woman and felt sorry for her. She was in a
horrible situation; one no one should have to be in.
"I do," Scully offered.
"That's because..." Bertha stopped short and looked closely at
Scully. She seemed to be examining her, as if she was a specimen
under a microscope.
"How long will you and your husband be staying with the Fishers?"
Bertha changed the subject. Scully could see that Bertha was
watching Mulder as he stood across the yard talking with Isaac
under a tree.
"Until Abram doesn't have his heart problems," Scully answered, not
sure why Bertha had changed subjects. "Probably through the harvest
when they need us the most."
"Would you like to come to my sister's wedding shower in one
week?" Bertha asked, still wary of Scully.
"That would be nice," Scully smiled at Bertha. "Will Ruth be...?"
"No, just younger women...maybe Fannie, I'm not so sure,"
"Are you two friends?" Scully asked, thinking that getting two
rape victims together could be the beginning of their healing.
"No, she's a few years younger than me and...and we...we don't
have a lot in common," Bertha said softly.
Scully thought that was quite the understatement. She spotted
Fannie carrying a pie across the yard and yelled for her. People
were now packing up the tables and chairs as guests were leaving
to go home. Several heads turned; apparently one woman calling
another was no usually done in Amish society.
Fannie put the pie on a table and scurried over to join them.
Scully rose from her chair and found herself grabbing onto the
back of it to steady herself. A wave of nausea washed over her
and she quickly grabbed her stomach. No one seemed to notice,
which relieved Scully.
"Hi Miriam," Fannie greeted them. "Bertha."
"Bertha's sister is getting married and there's a shower next
Saturday..." Scully started, hoping Fannie would pick up on the
rest of the sentence. She didn't.
Bertha sat behind her on a chair, Fannie stood looking at her
expressionless. Another wave of dizziness passed over Scully
and she closed her eyes trying to stave off the feeling that
she was about to hit the ground. She could hear her heart
beating in her ears and she felt her legs begin to shake once
again.
"I thought," Scully swallowed hard. "I thought we could maybe
go together."
Fannie's face changed and she took a step closer to Scully,
reaching out an arm to grab her elbow.
"Miriam are you okay?" Fannie asked, her voice filled with
concern.
"I'm...uh..." was all Scully got out before everything went
black.
****************************************
Mulder watched across the open field as Scully pulled again
at the straw hat covering her head. She had easily accepted
the hat Fannie had found for her, citing the need for her to
not get any more burnt. When they got to the Lapp farm they
had separated, each assigned to their task. He helped set
up a hay ride for the younger children, and she started the
toddlers on a bean bag toss game. Ruth and Fannie relegated
themselves to the kitchen and Abram sat with some older men
from the church under a tree talking.
After loading the hay, Mulder stepped back under a nearby
tree, away from the heat of the sun, and was quickly joined
by Isaac Lapp. Isaac talked with Mulder for over an hour
about chickens while Mulder watched Saunder stalk Rebecca
Hillar. She was operating a table with lemonade and other
punch-like drinks and seemed unaware of the attention
Saunder was paying her.
He stood back from her, some twenty feet, watching her every
move for over an hour. A couple of people came up to him and
engaged him in what looked like idle talk, but at no time was
his attention diverted from Rebecca. He looked like a man
studying his prey. Saunder was, in fact, so focused on
Rebecca; he failed to notice someone intent on him. Mulder
was free to watch Saunder leer at Rebecca without fear of
being caught.
Mulder wondered if Saunder was recalling the attack on her,
using his proximity to Rebecca to recall details about her
voice, her smell, and how scared she was. Many serial
rapists liked to relive the moment again and again, sometimes
using a memento from each attack to pleasure themselves. It
was hard to tell, at the angle Mulder was at, if Saunder was
getting excited by Rebecca.
Mulder noticed people starting to pack up to leave; he didn't
want to lose this opportunity to get more information about
one of his suspects.
"I'm going to go and see how Saunder Miller's fence is holding
up," Mulder said to Isaac.
Isaac walked with him across the yard, apparently having
nothing better to do. Mulder glanced at Scully, who was
currently without her sunhat as she stood in the middle of
the yard unshaded. He was tempted to go and speak with her
about taking a break, but thought she would see his suggestion
as invasive.
"Saunder!" Mulder called to him as he approached.
"Samuel," Saunder grimaced as he saw the men approach.
"How are you?"
"It's a hot day, but I am good," Mulder said as he shook
the man's hand.
"Isaac," Saunder said as he looked at the younger man. "Are
you looking for Sarah?"
"Me? Uh, no," Isaac stammered and blushed.
"She was helping in the kitchen," Saunder smiled at him,
almost enjoying how uncomfortable he was making the young man.
"But you would know that already, wouldn't you?"
"I...uh," Isaac stammered.
"Did you manage to finish the fence?" Mulder asked as he turned
to look at Rebecca.
"Yes, I did," Saunder looked at Mulder strangely, wondering why
he was looking at Rebecca.
"Isn't that Rebecca Hillar?" Mulder asked as he gestured toward
her.
"Yes, it is," Saunder smiled slyly at him. "But you already know
that."
"Is it hard being around her?" Mulder asked with confidence.
Isaac practically spit out the lemonade in his mouth. Mulder
absently slapped him on the back while he waited for Saunder's
response. He was trying to shake Saunder up a little and see
what happened.
"No, no it's not," Saunder said as he gave Mulder a tight-lipped
smile.
"She's a nice looking woman, I can see why it might be
difficult," Mulder ignored his comment.
"I have no difficulty," Saunder said straightening himself so he
was as tall as possible next to Mulder. "Perhaps you should ask
yourself why you are looking at her?"
With the last comment Saunder wandered away from them, no longer
wanting to speak.
"What was that about?" Isaac asked, astonished at Mulder's
behaviour.
"He had some harsh words for me last time we spoke, and I wanted
him to know I...I...I don't know what I wanted, Isaac. I was
just being stupid." Mulder said as he acted humble. In reality,
he had carefully calculated his remarks to see if he could get a
reaction out of Saunder.
Mulder glanced at his pocket watch; it was almost 4 pm, the
picnic would be wrapping up any minute and he hadn't once seen
Jacob Lapp. He scanned the yard one more time to make sure he
hadn't missed him. Many families were loading their children
onto wagons and others were carrying plates inside so there was
less work for Martha later.
"Your brother Jacob was not able to make the picnic?" Mulder
asked Isaac.
"No," Isaac said kicking the dirt at his feet. "He didn't feel
like coming ever since word got out that Marike Janz was getting
married this fall."
"Who's that?" Mulder asked, trying to get more information from
Isaac.
"Jacob was engaged to her a year ago and she called it off,"
Isaac volunteered.
"Why?" Mulder asked astonished.
"It's not right to gossip," Isaac said softly.
"It was just a question Isaac...I'm not going to tell everyone,"
Mulder said as he patted the young man's shoulder in
reassurance.
"Jacob came home really angry that night, the night they broke it
off," Isaac started. "Apparently he'd taken liberties with her
ever since they became engaged and..."
"What kind of liberties?" Mulder asked, interested.
"More than kissing but...but not making babies," Isaac elaborated.
"And Marike was agreeable?" Mulder asked, worried they had another,
even earlier, rape victim on their hands.
"According to Jacob she was," Isaac blushed as he spoke. "But
then her brother found them and told her father...he forbade
Marike from seeing Jacob anymore and the engagement was called
off."
"Didn't Marike have anything to say about all of this?" Mulder
asked.
"She...she was too embarrassed to say anything," Isaac continued.
"Her father said that Jacob should have known to protect her
purity if he loved her."
"He should have," Mulder agreed.
"Tell that to him," Isaac groaned. "The way he sees it, everyone
is against him."
"So, he's angry?" Mulder clarified.
"He's always been...not so nice," Isaac conceded. "But this
last year...he's...he's been downright mean."
"For the last year?" Mulder asked.
"Well, since the fall," Isaac explained as he took a bite from
an apple.
Mulder nodded his head. Jacob's change in personality coincided
exactly with the first attack. He was a man who tested the limits
of Amish sexual sensibilities and he blamed others for his problems,
possibly Marike, for allowing them to get into the situation
where the engagement was called off. Maybe he took out this anger
on other women he saw as a threat in the community.
"Samuel," Isaac interrupted his thoughts. "Did things change for
you and Miriam when you became engaged?"
"Changed how?" Mulder asked the young man.
"I know a lot of couples who...who take liberties with each other
before...before vows are exchanged, because they say an engagement
allows them to."
Mulder looked over at the nervous young man; he obviously looked
up to Mulder. He knew he needed to say the right thing because
this question was important to Isaac.
"No, Isaac," Mulder said as he leaned in to speak more
confidentially with him. "We held hands, she let me kiss her,
and that was all, until our wedding night. A good man protects
the woman he is going to marry."
Isaac closed his eyes and nodded. Mulder's words had obviously
meant a lot to him.
"Why Isaac are you thinking of..." Mulder started but his words were
cut short by someone yelling his name across the yard.
"Samuel! Samuel! Come quick!" Fannie called to him.
It was then that Mulder noticed the person at her feet being fanned
by another woman. Scully was lying across another lady's lap,
unconscious.
"Miriam!" He yelled as he took off in a sprint.
****************************************
"Miriam!" Mulder yelled again as he got closer to her.
He kneeled down on the ground before her and touched the
side of her cheek. She was very hot, but not sweaty or
clammy in any way. Except for the sunburn across her cheeks
and nose, she looked drained of any colour. She'd been out
in the sun all afternoon running around after children,
and then yesterday, she had come home sick, tired and sun
burnt. It had been hovering around 100 degrees the last
few days, and the humidity had been high. Mulder suspected
she was suffering from severe sunstroke.
"Miriam!" He called to her again as he pulled her closer
to his body.
Scully's eyes briefly opened, then rolled back into her head.
Her body was limp in his arms.
"Fannie go and run a cool bath for her upstairs, make it
deep and cool, not cold," Mulder ordered as he gathered
Scully in his arms and lifted her from the ground.
Fannie ran ahead into the Lapp's house. A few others
gathered around them, out of concern, but most stayed back,
giving them room to move. Many families had already left,
and only a handful of people were still remaining in the
yard.
"Samuel, what is it?" Ruth asked as she walked next to him
onto the porch.
"I think she has sunstroke," Mulder said as he carried her
through the back door.
"How do you know?" Ruth asked as she followed him through
the living room.
"I've seen it before," he said as he shifted his arms to
hold her without hurting his shoulder any more. "Her body
can't cool itself anymore, so we have to do it for her."
He walked up the stairs with Scully lying limply in his
arms. He followed the sound of fast running water into the
bathroom where Fannie was getting a bath ready.
"What can I do?" Fannie asked when she saw them enter.
"You can help me get her out of these clothes," Mulder said
as he looked around the room for a spot to prop Scully up.
"Why take her clothes off?" Ruth asked, unsure of what was
about to happen.
"The clothes trap heat close to her skin, we need to allow
her skin to get cooled by the water and clothes stop that
from happening." Mulder explained.
"What happened to Miriam?" Martha asked breathless from the
door to the washroom.
"Sun sickness," Ruth explained as she watched Mulder sit on
a chair in the washroom with Scully in his arms.
"Get her shoes, Fannie," Mulder ordered as he undid a few
buttons at the top of her blouse and started to pull it
from her skirt.
"We...we can do that," Ruth said to Mulder, wanting him to
stop and knowing he was not married to the woman he was
currently undressing.
Martha reached around her and shut the door behind her,
wanting to protect Miriam's privacy from others who may
wander upstairs to see how she was doing. The washroom
was now closed, and crowded with the three women, Mulder
and an unconscious Scully in the small room.
"Open a window to let some air in," Mulder ordered as he
pulled Scully's limp arms from the sleeves of her blouse.
Martha rushed to open the window and Ruth walked over to
Mulder and took Scully's blouse from him. When Mulder
started to roll Scully towards him and undo her skirt,
Ruth got more and more anxious. Fannie had her shoes and
socks off and was helping Mulder shimmy her skirt down her
legs.
Scully moaned at one point and all movement stopped.
Mulder pulled her face closer to his.
"It's me," he said softly to her.
She made no response and within moments Mulder and Fannie
had Scully down to her Amish underwear. At that moment
Mulder was glad Scully had decided to not shave her legs,
now three Amish women would know she was a closet shaver
if she had. When he rolled her back in his arms her
undershirt shifted and he caught a glimpse of her tattoo
at the small of her back.
'Shit' he swore to himself. Amish women don't have
tattoos and there was no way Ruth could handle getting
Scully undressed and into the tub on her own.
"Samuel, maybe you should go," Ruth said nervously. "We
can take it from here and make sure she's in the bath."
Fannie reached over and turned off the water that had now
filled the claw foot tub.
"No, I can do it from here," Mulder said as he swallowed
hard.
"But surely she would rather other women..." Ruth began,
pleading with him to not do this.
"I'm her husband," Mulder said assuredly.
"But you're..." Ruth began then stopped herself from
finishing. He was not her husband.
"Please," Mulder pleaded. "I have to get her in the
bath."
"Do you want one of us to...?" Martha started to ask,
astonished at this man's need to care for his wife.
"No, just leave us," Mulder said as he pulled Scully
closer to him. It would just be easier if it was the
two of them, and he couldn't stand the way Ruth was
looking at him right now. He already felt guilty
enough, but, he also knew what he had to do.
The three women all silently exited the washroom and
shut the door behind them.
Mulder looked down at Scully who was now moving her
lips, but saying nothing. He hoped she would forgive
him for this intrusion, but he had no choice.
He quickly divested her of her undershirt and
underwear and slowly lowered her into the tub. She
started to slip under the water, so he had to hold
her up from behind by her armpits for a while until she
was more aware of her surroundings.
Her body reacted to the cool water almost immediately.
She began to shiver and her teeth started to chatter.
Her temperature failed to lower for a while and she still
had not begun to sweat, but she at least seemed to be
able to stay conscious, although somewhat confused.
Finally, Mulder heard the first understandable words
come from her mouth.
"What happened?" She asked through chattering teeth.
"You fainted," Mulder explained as he put a cold cloth
on the back of her neck. "Now you're in a cold bath to
regulate your temperature...you're burning up."
"I have hyperthermia," she said softly.
"I don't think so, seeing as there is no snow and it's
about 100 degrees out there," Mulder joked as he dipped
a cup in the water and dumped it over her exposed
shoulders.
"That's hypothermia," she said as her teeth chattered.
"Just testing you," Mulder said as he continued to dump
cool water over her shoulders and chest.
She didn't speak for a long time but remained conscious
and aware of him changing cool cloths on the back of her
neck and across her forehead.
"Why didn't you let Ruth and Fannie...?" She started to
ask.
"Amish women aren't usually tatted up," Mulder explained.
"Shit," she muttered.
"That's exactly what I thought," Mulder smiled down at
her.
She shook her head back and forth, silently admonishing
herself once again for her foolish mistake.
"I can't promise I didn't look," Mulder smiled down at
her, trying to make light of the moment.
She opened her mouth to say something but was overcome by
an urge to vomit. Scully sat up quickly, immediately felt
dizzy, and fiercely gripped the side of the tub.
"What?" He asked anxious. Then he saw a look wash over her
face and he reached for a bucket under the sink.
She vomited her stomach contents into the bucket and started
to cry.
"I feel so awful," she wept as he put down the bucket and wiped
her face clean with a washcloth.
"It's okay, it's okay," he reassured her again and again as he
held her head against his shoulder.
Her body still felt extremely hot and, except for the water on
her skin, hadn't started to sweat and regulate her own body
temperature.
He held her naked body close to him for a long time while she
hiccupped into his chest and fought moments of dizziness
followed by a feeling that she was going to again lose
consciousness.
He kissed the side of her head and ran a cool washcloth over
her back in an attempt to cool her off as quickly as possible.
"you do too much, and you don't take breaks," Mulder mumbled
into her hair.
"Is everything okay?" Ruth called from the other side of the
door.
"Can we get some water for Miriam?" Mulder asked.
"I'll be back with some," Ruth said softly.
A minute later Ruth quietly entered the room and found a
completely naked Scully in the tub clinging to Mulder who
was kneeling on the floor next to her. His shirt and pants
were completely soaked and he looked very worried.
"She should drink this instead of water," Ruth said as he
handed Mulder a large glass of liquid. "It'll help with the
salt she's lost."
"Thanks," Mulder smiled up at her.
"She was sick?" Ruth asked as she eyed the bucket in the
corner.
"Uh, yeah," Mulder said as he held the glass of liquid to
Scully's lips so she could drink.
"I'll be back," Ruth said as she picked up the bucket and
left the room.
"Come on, you need to drink this," Mulder urged her as she shut
her eyes and turned her head away.
She laid her head against his chest instead, and pulled at
his shirt, seeking out his warmth even though she was burning
up.
Mulder set down the glass for the moment and went back to
dipping a cloth in the cool water and running it over her
shoulders, back and limbs.
Ruth walked back into the washroom with the empty and clean
bucket.
"How is she?" Ruth asked.
"Still burning up but she thinks I've put her in a freezer,"
Mulder said distractedly as he rubbed her back with a cloth.
"It'll come down soon, but she shouldn't move much. She needs
her rest," Ruth began. "Martha and Luke want you both to stay
here for at least the night, if not a couple of days, until
Miriam is better."
"That's very nice of them," Mulder said thoughtfully. "We'll
stay the night, so I don't have to move her."
"Do you want me to stay here with...?" Ruth asked, concerned.
"No, thanks Ruth," Mulder smiled up at her as he dumped water
over Scully's shoulders. "We'll be fine. You and Abram go
home."
"I'll come by tomorrow to see how you both are doing," Ruth said
before she laid a fresh white nightgown on the chair and walked
from the washroom.
Eventually, Scully lay back against the tub and relaxed as her
body started to cool. Mulder ran a cloth over her shoulders
and chest as her breasts bobbed on top of the water. He watched
her, looking for signs she was going to lose consciousness but
happily it didn't happen again. When he felt her brow almost an
hour later she was no longer hot and there was a fine sheen of
sweat across her forehead. He smiled down at her, and, although
here eyes were closed, Mulder sensed she knew things had gotten
better.
She stayed in the tub for another 15 minutes before Mulder helped
her stand and towel off. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering
as he towelled off her beautiful thighs, her nice ass and her
gorgeous breasts. She was so tired, she didn't seem to mind being
helped at the time; he hoped her vanity wouldn't come back to
haunt her later. He pulled the white nightgown over her head
and realized that, without underwear, it was quite thin and
revealing.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," she smirked up at him. It was
the first sign from her that she was feeling normal again and
Mulder relished in the thought.
"You've been naked for the last hour and a half," he smirked at
her. "Forgetting the circumstances of your sunstroke for the
moment, bathing you was pretty hot."
"Even with the vomit?" She asked groggily.
"It's been a while," Mulder admitted as he pulled the plug on
the tub and cleaned up the clothes he had earlier stripped her
out of.
Scully leaned heavily against the wall, all her strength sapped
from her body.
"Come on," Mulder said to her as he gripped her by the waist and
helped her from the washroom.
She limped along beside him, leaning heavily on his frame as
they entered the hallway.
"Martha?" Mulder called.
Martha scurried to the bottom of the stairs and ran up them to
meet him.
"I've got a room ready," she said as she looked at Scully's
grey complexion. "It's just over here."
Mulder followed her, while holding up Scully, to a bright blue
room at the back of the house. He helped Scully lay down on
the bed and carefully tucked her legs under the sheet before
turning to thank Martha for all her help.
"Thank you for letting us..." he started.
"I'm just glad she's okay," Martha whispered as she looked down
at Scully's curled up body. "I had no idea she was in the sun
so long."
Mulder turned to look at Scully again and noted that she was
close to falling asleep.
"Would you like something to eat Samuel? I can stay with her,
if you want to go..."
"No," Mulder said softly. "I need to stay with her."
"I can bring you something," Martha offered.
"Maybe later," Mulder said as he took a seat on the bed next to
Scully and carefully watched her breathing.
"I'll check on you in a while," Martha nodded at him before she
left the room and closed the door behind her.
Mulder placed a hand on Scully's hip, feeling her body rise and
fall rhythmically under it; willing her to feel better soon.
****************************************
Martha brought Mulder some supper later in the evening and he
thanked her quietly before eating it next to Scully's sleeping
form. Her temperature had fallen and her breathing was even.
Things seemed to be getting better for her, health-wise. Later,
he stripped off his still-damp clothes and finally laid down
next to her in bed, happy he had worn underwear to the picnic.
In the middle of the night he was roused from his slumber by
Scully thrashing in the bed next to him. He twisted to see her
and, as he caught her hand to stop her from hitting him, he
realized she was hot again. He sat up in bed and felt her
forehead as she struggled against him. Her body was on fire,
her skin was dry and she was mumbling incoherently.
"Scully," he whispered softly, trying to pull her from whatever
dream she was having.
He whispered her name again and again into her ear but she
showed no signs of acknowledgement. She thrashed against him
whenever he was near and managed to hit herself several times
in the process. Mulder rose from the bed and pulled off the
sheet that was covering her, hoping it would cool her slightly
until he could get her in the bath again.
He ran in his underwear to the bathroom and immediately started
to run cool water into the tub. He grabbed a few towels and
threw them on the floor for later, moved the bucket close to the
tub and filled a glass with cold water for her to drink.
"What's the matter?" Martha asked anxious from the door of the
washroom.
"It's me, Martha," Mulder answered quickly her as he checked the
water's temperature.
She then noticed that Mulder was in his underwear and diverted
her eyes. "I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered.
"Her temperature is up again," Mulder said unaware of her
awkwardness, as he walked past her to their room. "I have to get
her in the bath, again."
"Let me help," Martha said as she followed him, trying to keep her
eyes pointed upwards.
She walked into the room and saw Scully thrashing on the bed, her
nightgown drawn up to her thighs, mumbling and swinging her head
from side to side.
"What's the matter with her?" Martha asked, stunned.
"She's hallucinating," Mulder said as he gathered her in his arms
and she thrashed against him. "It's from the fever."
Martha followed Mulder as he carried her into the washroom and
watched as he pulled her nightgown easily over her head, revealing
the naked form underneath. Martha turned off the water and waited
for further instructions. Mulder was careful to keep one hand
on her lower back to cover Scully's tattoo as he carefully lowered
her into the tub. Later, he realized the coverage was very
unnecessary as Martha was on the other side of the room and it was
fairly dark.
"I'll get her something to drink," Martha said before she walked out
of the washroom and shut the door behind her. She had seen more of
her friend then was right, and she wanted to give her some semblance
of privacy.
When Scully hit the water she immediately started to flail her arms
and legs, attempting to climb from the tub in the process. Water
flew everywhere and waves washed over the side of the tub. Her
wrists banged against the side of the tub and her knees smashed
forcefully against the tub walls. Mulder tried to hold her down
in the water but her wet body now made it more difficult for him
to get a grasp on her.
Scully's head smacked hard against the back of the tub and Mulder
held his breath for a moment, hoping she wasn't going to add a
concussion to her list of medical issues. She barely paused
before she began to scratch at his arms again. Mulder's head
started to reel, how was he going to keep her from injuring
herself?
Without hesitation, he climbed into the tub behind her and
provided the necessary cushion for her body so she smacked
against him instead of the edge of the tub. He cooed soft words
into her ears as he attempted to hold her hands and keep her from
hurting herself or him.
Mulder heard a man and a woman mumbling outside the door, and
realized that their middle of the night bath had woken up both
Martha and her husband Luke. The door opened quietly a few
moments later and Martha walked into the dark washroom carrying
a lamp. Until that moment, Mulder realized, it was just the full
moon that was lighting up the
room.
"Oh," Martha said, startled to find him in the tub with Scully.
"I needed to keep her from..." Mulder started but didn't finish
as the back of Scully's head smacked up against his chest and he
winced in pain.
"How can we get her to stop?" Martha asked as she walked a little
closer to the tub.
"Once her temperature starts to drop the hallucinations should
go away," Mulder said as he held onto Scully's wrists to keep her
from smashing them against the side of the tub.
"But she was fine earlier," Martha noted.
"I thought she was over the worst too," Mulder said as Scully
elbowed him in the stomach.
"She seemed so weak earlier...she could barely stand," Martha
said as she brought a glass of liquid closer to Scully's mouth.
"You'd be surprised at the strength Sc...my wife has," Mulder
caught himself.
Scully settled for a moment and Martha brought the class to her
lips. Scully took a small drink and then turned her head away.
Martha retracted the glass and put it on the floor next to the
tub.
"You go back to bed, Martha," Mulder said, feeling guilty for
waking everyone up. "Tell Luke, I'm sorry we woke him, but she
should calm down soon."
"He's just worried about her...as am I," Martha said as she
took a step towards the door. "I'll leave you to your wife,
but I will check on you in a bit."
Martha left the room and Mulder struggled with Scully for
another twenty minutes before her resolve, and her strength,
started to weaken. Mulder thanked the heavens when she relaxed
in his embrace and finally stopped assaulting them both. He
finally left go of her wrists and winced when he thought of the
bruises that would soon be forming on them from the death grip
he had held her with.
He placed his hand over Scully's forehead; she still felt
incredibly hot. Her naked body also felt very warm pressed up
against him. Her skin was wet, but probably from the water
splashing about, rather than any sort of cooling her body may
be doing. He took a cloth off a nearby shelf, dipped it in the
water and brought it up to rest on the back of her neck. Her
head immediately settled against his chest and her body relaxed
against his.
"That's more like it," he whispered softly as he took another
cloth, dipped it in the water and ran it over her shoulders and
the top of her exposed chest.
She murmured softly, words he couldn't understand, but that
sounded like she was content. The skin on her back was soft
against his chest, and her legs finally settled in the tub,
lying peacefully next to his. Her ass was wedged up against
him but he ignored anything that was going on in his lower
half, so he could focus on helping her feel better.
He dipped the cloth again and ran it up her arms, which were
now resting on the edge of the tub. The cool water washed
over her skin. They lay like that for some time, she relaxed
fully against him, and he dipping a cloth and running it over
the parts of her body not immersed in the water. Her
temperature wasn't dropping as quickly as last time and he was
growing more and more concerned with each passing minute. He
spoke softly into her ear as she lay reclined against him.
He reached over and brought the cup of water to her lips, she
took small sips and then turned her head away. Mulder figured,
if he did this every couple of minutes he would get the full
glass into her in no time. If her temperature wasn't going down,
at least he would keep her hydrated.
The door opened quietly almost an hour later and Martha slipped
inside again. She smiled when she saw that Scully was no longer
thrashing about.
"She seems better," Martha noted.
"Well, she's finally relaxed," Mulder said as he ran a washcloth
up her arm again. "But I'm sure we're both going to have some
pretty big bruises and sore muscles tomorrow."
Martha nodded her head in agreement and watched as Mulder dipped
the cloth again and ran it gently over the top of Scully's chest.
Martha's face began to redden, she felt as if she was an intruder
in a very private moment between a husband and his wife.
"Do you need...?" She asked as she shifted her feet.
"No, we're fine," Mulder mused as he placed a cold washcloth on
Scully's forehead and she let her head drop further back into his
shoulder. "Her temperature seems to be dropping finally, so once
it's down I'll put her back in bed."
"Well, just leave all this," Martha said as she gestured around
the room. "You just take care of her and I'll clean this all up
in the morning."
Mulder smiled at her and thanked her for all her help. Martha
slipped quietly out the door and he was left alone with Scully
again. Within a half hour, her temperature seemed normal so he
decided to put her back to bed. She had gone from mumbling
incoherently to sighing against him; this, he felt, was an
improvement. She was much more talkative last time, explaining
to him that she had hyperthermia, Mulder mused. The fact that
she was more 'out of it' this time seemed odd and bothered him
a great deal.
"I'm going to get you back to bed," he said as he leaned her body
forward and started to slide himself out of the tub from behind
her.
She grabbed at his hand as it held on to the edge, "Thank you,"
she whispered.
Mulder stopped himself from getting out of the tub and looked
down at her face more closely. Her eyes were closed and she
looked very pale, but she swallowed hard when he came close to
her.
"You're back?" Mulder smiled at her as he touched her shoulder.
She nodded her head slightly and then put it down on her arms
against the side of the tub.
Mulder could tell she was exhausted and that he needed to get
her into a bed so she could finally rest. He leaned forward
and softly kissed the back of her head before heaving himself
from the tub. He looked down at his soaked underwear and
realized he couldn't go to bed in them or he would end up sick
as well. He took them off his body and wrung them out in the
toilet before wrapping a towel around his hips and then reaching
down to pull Scully from the water.
He hauled her slight form from the tub and sat her on a nearby
wooden chair so he could dry her off. He gently rubbed down
the front of her body, trying to not pay too much attention
to the fact that she was naked and in front of him. Then he
wrapped his arms around her and helped her lean against a wall
so he could get her back, butt, and legs.
It was then that he noticed a long dark blue bruise that spanned
the top of her ass. He looked at the bruise closely and noted
that it was even and long and new. He looked at the tub and
quickly ran through the course of events this evening. In all
her thrashing, she had never once banged her ass against
anything.
"How did you get this bruise?" Mulder asked her as he touched it
gently with the pad of his thumb.
She didn't respond and he figured he could get an answer
tomorrow. He pulled the borrowed nightgown over her dry naked
body and carried her back to their room. He laid her down on
the bed and covered her with a light sheet. He then lay down
next to her, clad only in a towel, and promptly fell asleep.
It had been a long night, and he hoped that was the end of her
fever.
****************************************
Dana Scully's eyes slowly opened to look at the bright room
she was lying in. They eventually focused in on the fact
that this room was not familiar to her. She glanced at
the walls, the furniture, and tried to move her head as
little as possible. Her head was pounding and her body
ached. Honestly, she felt like she had been rolled over
by a steam truck. Then she heard a familiar sound to her
left.
She carefully rolled onto her side to see Mulder lying next
to her, on his back, shirtless and snoring softly with his
mouth open. She immediately relaxed when she saw she was
with him, but her mind tried to re-count where, exactly,
they were. She opened and closed her eyes several times,
trying to adjust to the bright light and stave off the
piercing feeling of a knife jabbing her in the back of her
head.
It was the sight of the unfamiliar nightgown on her body
that caused her to have brief flashes of memory. She
remembered worrying about Fannie in the heat...setting up
the children's games...carrying boxes of cookies into the
cellar...Jacob slamming her back against the table...standing
in the sun and feeling sick at the picnic...throwing
up...Mulder drying off her naked body...Mulder covering her
tattoo with his hand...fighting Mulder in the tub...the feel
of his body against hers...him gently washing her with a wet
cloth across her chest as she laid against him...
Dana Scully sat up abruptly, the realization that Mulder had
been stripping her down and bathing with her at the forefront
of her thoughts. She had been vulnerable and naked and
he had cared for her, cared for her in the most intimate of
ways. Her stomach lurched, and despite her sore muscles,
Scully launched herself from their bed and ran out of the
room in search of a washroom to vomit in.
The washroom was the second door she went to and Scully
slammed it before heading for the toilet in this strange
house. She expunged all of the limited contents in her
stomach and then started to throw up acid and bile.
Moments later, she heard Mulder rapping on the door and
calling her Miriam. She wanted to answer him, to tell him
she was fine, but she couldn't speak. The door opened and
there stood Mulder, clad only in a white towel and a worried
look.
He walked over to her and crouched behind her, rubbing her
back as she lurched against the toilet again and again. He
said soft words on encouragement and drew circles on her
back as she waited to make sure she wasn't going to be sick
again. He reached around her and flushed her vomit while
she gathered her strength to stand.
He grabbed a nearby cloth, put some water on it and brought
it to her so she could wipe her face. Scully wished she
could hide behind the cloth forever, but had no such luck.
Scully stood up on shaky legs and walked over to the window,
hoping she could say what she wanted to say and have him
understand.
"At least you can move on your own, now," Mulder smiled
lazily at her as he stood and leaned against the sink.
"Yeah," she said softly. She turned to face him and her
skin immediately went from white to pink to red. "Mulder,
I don't know what to..."
"I know," he interrupted her. "I know you would have
preferred someone else take care of you, a woman maybe.
That the last thing you wanted was to be hauled around,
bathed, and dressed like a rag doll by me but...but I had
to protect our cover, and I was worried about you." He
paused to collect his thoughts. "I was really, really
worried."
She saw him run his hand through his hair; he was almost
as worried about what her reaction would be in this moment.
He was worried she would be angry; that she would hold this
against him.
She closed her eyes and willed herself to not let personal
embarrassment get in the way of what she needed to say to
him.
"Mulder, I...I was really sick and you...you took care of
me and did whatever was necessary. Thank you." She smiled
weakly at him.
"Scully, I..." he started.
"I'm not done," she interrupted him as she gathered all her
courage. "You did more than take care of me Mulder. Anyone
could have dumped me in a tub, forced me to drink liquids,
or...or left me to the care of someone else."
He looked down at his feet, humbled by her comments.
"I don't remember everything from yesterday," she paused
to lick her lips. "But I remember that I felt safe and
loved. When I was out of it, when I didn't know where I
was, I knew without a doubt that you would take care of
me. That you would...that you would take care of me
because you loved me."
Mulder's eyes snapped up to meet hers. She knew. He
swallowed hard.
"And, and even though I am quite embarrassed by the
circumstances..." she said closing her eyes. "It was
those circumstances that made me realize how much I am
loved."
When she opened her eyes, he was before her, as she knew
he would be. He pulled her body towards his in a fierce
hug. She gripped onto his back, and, despite her weak
knees, pounding head, and aching body, she felt amazing.
"Is everything okay?" A voice came from the other side
of the door.
"We're at Martha's?" Scully asked as she looked up at
Mulder.
He just smiled down at her; he could care less where
they were.
****************************************
Scully watched herself carefully in the mirror as she
brushed her teeth. It felt good to be clean, to be back
in her own clothes and to have clean teeth. She still
felt weak, her head still pounded, and her body ached in
places she didn't know she had...but she felt like
herself again.
She had bruises around her wrists. Mulder had described
in detail the events of the afternoon and evening that had
all been a blur to her. He wanted her to know exactly
what happened so she would know the circumstances herself.
He didn't want her to have any questions that she didn't
have answers for. When he told her about climbing into the
tub behind her in his underwear, she couldn't help but
laugh. Only Mulder would do that for her.
She had marks and bruises up her arms and down her legs
and a goose egg on the back of her head. She must have
put up quite the fight. And he had weathered it all with
her. And she had, despite her embarrassment and
trepidation, managed to actually tell him what she knew
was in his heart.
Mulder had embraced her in that moment and then, he began
the story of what had happened to her. Thirty minutes
later, he left her alone in the washroom to clean herself
up. She had taken a bath, washed her hair so it didn't
smell like vomit, brushed her teeth and put on something
other than a nightgown. Martha had knocked on the door
several times to ensure she hadn't fainted again, but
she gave her privacy, which Scully was grateful for.
Now, she had to face Mulder, Ruth, Fannie and Martha.
She had to not let the knot in her stomach get the better
of her. She had to resist the message in her brain that
told her to 'flee' the scene so she could process it
first. In short, she had to just suck it up and deal
with everything that was before her so they could get
on with their investigation.
She exited the washroom and walked downstairs into
Martha's kitchen. Mulder and Luke were sitting at
the kitchen table eating, what appeared to be, lunch.
"Miriam," Martha greeted her, having spotted her first.
"Are you hungry?"
Mulder rose from his spot at the table and took a step
toward her before Scully shook her head in the negative
and he sat down again.
"I don't think I'm ready for any sort of food, yet,"
Scully said as she walked to the table to take a seat.
"Well you should at least drink some apple juice or..."
Martha said as she grabbed a glass off shelf.
"Apple juice would be great," Scully said through a
scratchy voice. "Thank you so much for allowing us to
stay here with..."
"Nonsense," Martha interrupted.
"I'm sure we must have woken you up," Scully addressed
Luke directly. "I know you need your sleep and..."
"It's Sunday Miriam," Luke said with a kind smile. "Our
day of rest, so lack of sleep is not a problem. We're
all just glad you're feeling better."
"Thank you," Scully nodded as a glass of apple juice was
placed before her.
"Speaking of rest," Mulder began as he put down his fork,
"you should lay down for a while before I take you back
to the Fisher's."
"You're going back so soon?" Martha asked, surprised.
"You have been more than kind," Mulder started. "But we
can't burden you any further."
"Stay for dinner," Martha said, anxious to keep their
company. "I'll make it early so you have time to get
back and settle in for the night."
"Luke, do you need anymore help with...?" Mulder began.
"You already helped me with the lambs this morning,
Samuel," Luke said with an easy smile. "You're going to
need a nap too after the night you had. Stay for dinner
and I'll drive you both back afterwards."
Mulder had forgotten that he didn't have a means to
transport Scully back to the Fisher farm. He would have
to talk with the Bureau about a buggy if they were going
to stay in Amish Country much longer; not having your own
transportation was a pain.
"Sounds great," Mulder smiled across the table. "Thank
you for all your generosity."
"It's Gott's way," Luke said as he shovelled another
forkful into his mouth.
Mulder looked across the table at Scully, slumped in
the chair. She looked tired and weak. Her complexion
was as close to the colour of paste as you could get.
With the sunburn on her nose, forehead and cheeks, she
sort of looked like a new kind of zebra.
He smiled softly at her and garnered a gentle smile in
return. He had been floored by her observation. But
this morning, in the Lapp's washroom after she had just
been sick, somehow his feelings for her had come to
light. Scully was full of surprises.
A horse and buggy, it appeared, had just pulled up in
front of the Lapp farm.
"Who could that be on Sunday?" Luke asked as he rose
from the table to check it out.
When he came back to the kitchen he was followed by
Ruth carrying a canvas sack and looking worried.
"Glad to see you are up," Ruth smiled at Scully as she
entered the kitchen.
"Thank you Ruth," Scully stood weakly to greet her.
Ruth motioned for her to sit back down and Scully
followed without argument.
"I told Samuel I'd come by to check on you," she
offered by way of explanation. "I thought you both
may need some clothes, so I took the liberty of
bringing you some."
"Thank you, Ruth," Mulder said as he took the sack
from her and smiled. "That was very thoughtful."
"I wasn't sure how Miriam was doing and if you were
coming back tonight or..."
"Luke and Martha have kindly asked us to stay for
dinner and then they'll take us back to your place."
Ruth nodded her head in acknowledgement of the plan.
Luke excused himself from the table and left the
kitchen to go and have a bath upstairs.
"Did you get some sleep?" Ruth asked Scully as she
took a seat at the table and looked at her closely.
"She had to go in the bath again last night," Martha
offered.
"You got hot again?" Ruth asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I was hallucinating, apparently," Scully
offered.
"If it wasn't for Samuel, you would have hurt
yourself, I'm sure," Martha offered as she cleared
the table.
"But you settled down quick enough," Mulder
re-assured Scully.
"How long did it take you to cool?" Ruth asked,
interested.
"About forty-five minutes," Mulder offered.
"That's longer than the first time," Ruth noted.
"Anything since?"
"I was sick this morning," Scully offered, interested
in Ruth's bedside manner.
"Was there any blood when you were sick?" Ruth asked.
"No," Scully said with even greater interest.
Ruth racked her brain for a moment while everyone sat
in silence.
"We need to get you back in bed right away," Ruth said
rising from her chair. "You need to lay down with your
feet up for at least a day."
"What?" Scully asked, astonished.
"Martha, do you have any nettle for tea?" Ruth asked.
"I do," Martha nodded. "I'll make some."
"Samuel, can you help me get Miriam into bed?" Ruth
asked as she looked at Mulder.
"Wait," Scully said softly. "I feel fine, I'm a little
weak but..."
"Your second time was worse than your first," Ruth said
to her. "You have to prevent another attack. If
another one happens it'll surely be even worse."
The kitchen fell into silence. Mulder exchanged looks
with Martha; last night's attack had been frightening,
they couldn't imagine how much worse it could be.
"You're going to bed," Mulder said as he took Scully by
the elbow and helped her rise from her chair. Before
she could protest he had her lifted into his arms and
was walking from the kitchen and towards the stairs.
"He's a very determined young man," Ruth said to Martha
with a smile.
"He loves her very much," Martha replied as the two
women left the kitchen to go upstairs after the couple.
****************************************
"I feel ridiculous," Scully said with a grimace as Mulder
entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him.
"You do look a little ridiculous," he snickered as he set
a tray down on the dresser. "But, really who is there to
impress?"
Scully made a face at him and pouted. She looked like a
red and white striped zebra laying on a downward slope.
"You know, keeping my feet raised like this for extended
periods of time will just..."
"Doctors do make the worst patients," he smirked as he
brought her another cup of tea.
"At least all this tea allows me the opportunity to walk
to the bathroom," she said with a sigh, "otherwise my
limbs will become atrophied."
"Atrophied after three hours?" He snickered.
"I'm sure there have been case studies where..."
"You know we do have a bedpan," he smiled deviously at her
as he sat next to her on the bed.
"Don't even suggest it," she said in all seriousness.
"It's not like I'm looking for another job," Mulder yawned
as he leaned against the headboard.
She quietly drank her tea and listened to his breathing
slow. "You should lay down for a bit."
"I'm fine," he groaned. "Ruth said you need to stay like
this for at least 24 hours."
"So you don't plan to sleep for the next day?" She asked.
"I'll sleep when you sleep," he offered as he rubbed his
eyes.
They sat in silence in the bright room as the mid-afternoon
sun warmed it.
"How does Ruth suddenly know all about hyperthermia?"
Scully inquired.
"Mrs. Hilty is apparently a retired midwife and local medical
guru," Mulder informed her as he yawned again. "Ruth stopped
by to visit her after they left here. Mrs. Hilty gave her
some advice to follow."
"So the nettle tea and the raised feet are care of Mrs. Hilty?"
Scully asked.
"I convinced them you didn't need onions rubbed on your feet,"
Mulder said, his speech slurring.
"Onions on my feet?" Scully asked stunned.
"Ruth wanted Martha to do it, but I said we'd wait on that
treatment...see if you got worse before we rub onion juice
into your skin," Mulder said as he folded his arms over
his chest and settled into the bed a little further.
"Well, thank you for that," Scully replied, relieved. "And,
I'll be back in a minute."
She swung her feet over the pile of pillows and slowly lowered
them to the floor. With a great heave, she hoisted herself up
from the bed and winced with the pain of the action.
"You need any help?" Mulder asked, leaning toward her.
"No, I'm fine, thanks," she said as she slowly walked from the
room.
A few minutes later, she walked back into the bright room to
find him sitting up sound asleep on the bed, his arms were
crossed over his chest and his head slumped slightly to
the side.
"You needed a nap," she smiled down at him as she walked
toward his side of the bed.
She looked down at his beautiful and relaxed face. He was a
handsome man when she met him, but he grew more and more
beautiful with each passing year. The more she knew him, the
more she respected him, the more attractive he became. She
loved him with all her heart, today even more than yesterday.
Scully walked to the closet in the corner and grabbed a quilt
off the shelf. She placed it over his body and pulled it up
around his shoulders. As hot as the day was, sleeping
without any sort of covering would leave him chilled when he
woke. He snuggled further into the bed and she tried to
shift his body into a semi-lying position. He moved with
ease and seemed to settle into a comfortable spot.
She placed a palm on his cheek and took a moment to take in
all that was wonderful about him.
"I love you," she said in a whisper as he began to snore
below her.
Dana Scully walked over to her side of the bed and climbed
back in on her pillow slope and promptly fell asleep.
****************************************
Mulder stirred when he heard a knock on the bedroom door.
He was feeling groggy and trying to sort out when he should
do about the knock, when he felt Scully lifting his arm
off her. She dropped it gently at his side and scurried
over to answer the door. He lay now in a state of neither
wakefulness or sleep, listening to Scully assure Martha
that she and he would be down for supper.
The door shut and Mulder's eyes closed again; his lids too
heavy to remain open for another second. Then he felt a
soft kiss on his forehead followed by another, more
lingering kiss in the same location.
"I'm having the greatest dream," he said with a gravely
voice.
"Are you?" she smirked as she watched his eyes begin to
flicker behind his lids.
"It involves you naked in a tub...then you
uncharacteristically talk about feelings...then I wake up
to you undressing me so we can make mad passionate love
in a small squeaky bed."
"That's some dream," she said softly.
"Parts of it are," he said with a smile as he opened his
eyes slowly.
She leaned down and kissed him slowly and methodically on
his lips, stirring feelings and muscles he didn't realize
had the energy to wake up. He wrapped his arms around
her and pulled her against him, deepening the kiss as
their bodies made contact. His hands roamed down her back,
feeling the indent where her ass began and her back ended
and wondering if he should keep moving lower. He hesitated,
and while he was considering what to do, felt her weight
shift heavily onto his sore shoulder.
"Owww!" He called out reflexively.
She immediately pulled back and placed her weight on his
torso and off his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, quite flustered. "I forgot
about your shoulder."
"It's okay...it's just I think I strained it again carrying
you up here earlier," he said rubbing it.
"You shouldn't have," she said sitting up more. "It won't
get better if you keep doing stuff like that."
"I was more concerned about you then me," he said lowering
his arm and letting it fall against her lower back.
She was straddling him and he couldn't think of a more
perfect position to find himself in.
"Now, where were we?" he asked with a smile as he tried to
pull her forward by pressing his hand against her lower
back.
"Ahhh," she yelped as he put pressure on her bruised upper
buttocks.
Mulder let go of her immediately and looked at her confused.
His photographic memory kicked in and he remembered the
large bruise running across the top of her ass.
"How'd you get that bruise?" He asked as he lightly ran
a finger across where he knew it was.
She looked away from him and shifted her body on top of
his. He knew she was hiding something.
"I know you didn't get it in the tub, it was there already,"
he explained to her, hoping she'd let him in on what
happened.
"Two days ago," she began softly. "When I was helping
Martha get ready for the picnic I was not feeling well."
"I remember, you came home and slept for the rest of the
day. Did you fall?" he asked confused.
She let out a breath before continuing. "I was helping
take sweets down to the cold cellar when I had a dizzy
spell. I was trying to get my bearings, but I felt like
I was going to faint. So, I grabbed onto a table and
leaned against it."
"You didn't get that from leaning against..."
"Mulder, let me finish," she interrupted. "As I was
letting the dizzy spell pass, Jacob Lapp came down into
the cellar after me."
"He what?!" Mulder snapped, sitting up and causing her
to slide down his frame.
Scully pulled herself off him and sat cross-legged with
her hands folded in her lap beside him. She intently
starred at her hands, knowing he was going to have a
big problem with the fact that she kept this from him.
"He said I looked right at him and beckoned him to join
me in the cellar," Scully said swallowing hard. "I was
still feeling quite nauseous and dizzy and I tried to
tell him that wasn't the case."
She watched Mulder swallow hard as he listened to her
story.
"He backed me against one of the tables, and when I
finally thought I could walk without fainting, I went
to leave and he pushed me back really hard into the
table. That's how I got the bruise."
"So you left?" Mulder asked softly.
"Someone was just outside the cellar and about to come
down. Jacob bolted as soon as he heard the other
woman."
"What did he do to you?" Mulder asked through gritted
teeth.
"Nothing. Mulder," she said looking right at him to
assure him. "He had a hand on my waist and used his
body to press himself against me and corner me...that's
all. If I wasn't so scared I would pass out...I would
have had more control of the situation."
"But you didn't have control of the situation," he said
standing and starting to pace. "If that woman didn't
come down..."
"But she did," Scully said rising to walk into his path.
"If you had passed out, he could have loaded you into
his wagon under some blankets and taken you away to..."
he said, panicked.
"But, he didn't," she said softly as she stood before
him, blocking his path. She reached out and grabbed his
hand, but felt him not return the hold."Mulder, I..."
she started to whisper.
"Almost got yourself raped or killed," he finished for
her, his jaw set in a harsh line. "Why didn't you just
sit down? Admit you were sick? Take a minute to assess
the danger of going down stairs to a cold cellar on your
own? You could have fallen and cracked your head open."
"Now, you're just inventing..." she said as she dropped
his hand and started to turn away from him.
"You need to take a break...maybe you need to be taken
off the case, go and..." he whispered.
"You will not take me off this case...you don't have the
authority to do..." she hissed.
"If I tell Skinner about this," Mulder paused, "you'll be
visiting your Aunt Clara for a while."
"You wouldn't," she said crossing her arms, angry at his
suggestion.
"For your health and safety...I would," he said crossing
his arms over his chest.
She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it,
thinking better of the words that were on the edge of her
tongue.
"Supper!" Martha called from downstairs.
Both heads snapped toward the closed door and the call
from the kitchen. Scully marched past him and out the
door, without a word.
Mulder stood for a moment, looking at the rumpled bedding
where, not twenty minutes ago, they were making out like
teenagers and on the cusp of becoming intimate. Now,
she might not ever speak to him again.
****************************************
Dinner with the Lapps had been an exercise in politeness as
Mulder and Scully each fumed about the other. He was angry
she had not been alerting anyone to her sickness and had put
herself in harm's way, and she was angry he had the audacity
to consider pulling her from the case. They tried to portray
the happy couple but both agents feared their sour mood was
showing. After dinner Scully offered to help Martha with the
dishes but was relegated to the bedroom to lie down. Mulder
took the opportunity to help Luke close up the barn for the
night.
"Thanks for having us another night," Mulder said as he filled
a bucket with feed.
"Martha likes the company, I think," Luke mused as he piled
some hay up. "She's lonely with me working all day and no
children to care for."
"They'll come," Mulder said, assuredly.
"If Gott wills it," Luke agreed.
"Luke, can I ask you something?" Mulder inquired. "And, you
can tell me it's none of my business if you like."
"Okay," Luke said uneasily as he stood and leaned against his
rake giving Mulder his full attention.
"Miriam was telling Martha that your brother Jacob was going
to take her out in his buggy and show her around the county,"
Mulder ventured into the water. "But Martha told her not to
go with him; that he can't be trusted. Why would she say
that to my wife?"
Luke shifted his feet uneasily where he stood. He let a large
breath out his nose, squared his shoulders, and looked Mulder
straight in the eye.
"My brother was not always a good man," he began. "When he
was engaged to Martha..."
Mulder nodded and waited in silence for the man to continue.
He was obviously uncomfortable with the topic, and Mulder
wasn't even sure if he would say more.
"He thought he had the right to do certain things...with her.
She was naive and, I think, a little shy about everything..."
"Did he...?" Mulder asked as he too shifted his feet,
attempting to look as uncomfortable with the topic as Luke.
"I caught him trying one night," Luke said softly. "Martha's
family was over for dinner and they went for a walk, alone.
Martha seemed uneasy and not wanting to go...but, Jacob
insisted. It didn't sit well with me. After a while, I had
to check on her and that's when I found them."
"Was she...?" Mulder asked.
"She was very upset and I don't think...I don't know if
he..." Luke said wiping his brow. "I'm not proud of the
fact that I hit him...more then once."
Mulder nodded his head. "I can see why...and I'm sure Gott
could too."
"She...she was hysterical and he ran off for a few weeks. I
don't know where he went,and I don't really care. When he came
back, I had married Martha. He apologized saying he didn't
know why he acted that way. We've put it behind us...but we
don't see him much."
"And Martha?"
"She doesn't go to my parent's house often," Luke said picking
up his rack again. "I think he only tries these things with
girls he's involved with. He's not a danger to your wife,
but I can see why my Martha would say that."
"Thank you for being truthful with me. I won't say anything
to Miriam, or anyone else about Martha." Mulder said. "I'm
sorry that happened to her."
"So am I," Luke agreed. "She's better now, but...but it took
a long time for her to trust me."
"You're a good husband," Mulder said honestly.
"I love her," Luke said shyly as he turned his back to Mulder
to continue raking hay.
Mulder thought about how simple those words were coming from
this man. There was no doubt, no complication; just love.
****************************************
Mulder went to bed that night next to Scully, who was either
asleep or pretending to be asleep. He wanted to talk to her,
but guessed she was not thinking the same thing. He was not
going to get her taken off the case, but he wanted her to know
how serious her lapse in judgement was.
Also, after hearing about Jacob's history with Martha, he was
more upset than before about what could have happened to her,
had she fainted. Jacob had shown an obvious interest in
Scully and they could use that to their advantage, but it
needed to be planned so he could supervise.
Mulder found himself being roused in the middle of the night
as Scully shook his shoulder.
"There's an unmarked police car sitting across the road with
their lights off," she said cryptically.
"What?" He stirred, unsure he had heard her correctly.
"Shhhh," she said as she leaned over him and glanced out the
window. "It looks like someone is sitting in the driver's
seat."
Mulder raised himself up on his elbows and followed her
sightline outside to a car sitting in the shadow of a tree.
"Someone's either doing surveillance or there's an English
couple in that car who are going to get the surprise of their
life," Mulder said as he rose from their bed.
"I'm coming with you," she hissed as she reached for her
clothes.
"You need to stay back," Mulder agreed as he shoved his legs
in his pants. "We don't want anyone to be suspicious."
"Fine," she agreed as she brought her dress over her head
on top of her nightgown.
They quietly crept down the hallway and noted that both Luke
and Martha were soundly sleeping in the room across the hall.
Mulder carefully opened the back door and he and Scully
scurried out onto the porch, out of the car's line of vision.
They walked quickly up the side of the house and into a bunch
of bushes that ran up the side of the property next to the car.
As they approached the car, Mulder noted that it was a single
white male sitting in the driver's seat. He grabbed a nearby
branch and heaved it over his shoulder. Scully too picked up
a good sized branch and followed him. She watched as he walked
from the bushes and towards the car; ready to help Mulder if
needed.
"Can I help you?" Mulder asked loudly as the man startled in
his seat.
"Jesus Christ!" Agent Alex Cowan snapped as he turned to see
Mulder standing next to him. Mulder was also startled by the
identity of the man in the car.
"Agent Cowan, why the hell are you running surveillance on
us?" Mulder hissed.
"I found out you were staying at the Lapp farm from someone I
interviewed," Alex Cowan offered by way of whispered
explanation. "I thought I wouldn't see signs of you until
the morning."
"Why are you looking for us?" Scully asked from behind Mulder.
"There's been another rape," Agent Cowan said sadly. "Get in."
Mulder and Scully got in the car quietly, not shutting the
doors so the sound couldn't be heard.
"Who? When?" Mulder asked immediately as he sat in the back
seat.
"Marike Janz was raped 2 days ago after a community picnic
at this house. She reported the rape just yesterday."
"Shit," Scully swore as she took the file from Agent Cowan.
"Was she raped at the picnic because Jacob Lapp didn't come
and..." Mulder began.
"No," Agent Cowan interrupted him. "She was raped in her
living room later that afternoon. She was..."
"Reading a book," Scully read from the file. "When she felt
someone come up behind her and force her face down into the
couch. She said her attacker said nothing during the attack
but held her down so forcibly that she sustained a neck
injury. She bathed after the attack and went to bed early.
When her parents came home later that evening she said
nothing of what happened until the next morning when they
questioned her odd behaviour and her physical injuries.
She was taken to the hospital, x-rayed and fitted for
a neck brace before the police showed up and she reported
the crime."
"And she didn't do a rape kit either?" Mulder asked, already
knowing the answer.
"Nope," Scully scowled.
"Oh, shit," Mulder said as his face dropped into his hands.
"She was engaged to be married, but before that, she was
engaged to Jacob Lapp. She broke it off after someone
from her family discovered her and Jacob pleasing each
other and forbid her from seeing Jacob again."
"She was involved in a prior sexual relationship with
Jacob?" Agent Cowan asked.
"It was described as 'more than kissing but less than
making babies'" Mulder explained.
"She was probably performing fellatio," Scully noted. "Do
you think Jacob did this?"
"He does seem to be linked to many of the women who have
been raped. Isaac explained that the reason Jacob wasn't
at the picnic was because he found it difficult to be around
Marike now that she was going to marry another man. I
think he took the break-up pretty hard, and maybe he's
feeling in the mood for some revenge." Mulder noted.
"He wants to have her before her husband does," Scully
continued his thought.
"Bingo," Mulder said.
"How would he know she was alone? Where were her
parents?"
"They were over visiting a..." Agent Cowan paused as he read
from his notes. "Mrs. Hilty when Ruth Fisher showed up and
explained what happened to you. You lost consciousness?"
"She had a severe case of sunstroke," Mulder explained.
"Anyway," Agent Cowan continued. "It was in my interview
with Mrs. Janz that I discovered that you two were staying
with the Lapps for a couple of days while Agent Scully
recovered. Which is how I came to be here."
"Is she okay?" Scully asked softly.
"She's upset, blames herself for being home alone, was
asking why God would do this to her," Agent Cowan explained.
"Her parents seemed equally upset...her father seemed a
little embarrassed by the whole situation."
"Did they offer up any suspects?" Mulder asked.
"They think it's an English," Agent Cowan said with a roll
of his eyes. "None of them seem to believe it's one of
their own."
"It's a tight knit community...it would be like believing
a member of your family was capable of rape." Scully
offered.
"Luke Lapp shared some interesting history about Jacob
with me tonight," Mulder offered.
Both Scully and Agent Cowan nodded for him to continue.
"Apparently, Jacob may have sexually assaulted Martha
Lapp while they were engaged," Mulder said. "Luke found
them while they were out walking and he said Martha didn't
seem agreeable to the act. He doesn't even know if
penetration occurred, but it was enough to scare the shit
out of Martha, and I sense it took a long time before they
became intimate as a couple after marrying."
"When did you hear this?" Scully asked him.
"When I was out in the barn with him, I asked him why
Martha would warn you about Jacob and he told me the
story," Mulder explained.
"Oh," Scully scowled.
"You two too busy to communicate with each other?"
Agent Cowan asked.
Both agents looked at each other then down at their
laps.
"Scully hasn't been well and I've been busy," Mulder
offered by way of explanation.
"Have you been able to interview Beulah King or Annie
Glick, yet?" Scully asked, changing the subject.
"Mrs. King has agreed to see me tomorrow, so hopefully
I'll have some news for you on Wednesday," Agent Cowan
explained. "Annie Glick has not returned my calls."
"Anything else we need to know?" Mulder asked.
"Your car isn't at the golf and country club anymore,"
Agent Cowan explained. "Silas Miller is a member and,
although he wasn't there when we last met, Wednesday
is his day off."
"So he could be there," Scully elaborated.
Agent Cowan nodded.
"Your car is now at a cottage outside of Walnut Creek,"
Agent Cowan explained. "I rented it for the month, so
we'll be meeting there from now on. Apparently lots of
people rent cottages to be near the Amish but they still
like to have air conditioning, the internet, phones and
cable."
"How Amish," Mulder shook his head as Agent Cowan handed
him the printed directions.
"Well, it's off the beaten path, so no one will see us
there, it's got all the bells and whistles we need to run
an investigation, and it's close enough that Abram can
drive you there."
"Speaking of which, I think we need a buggy," Mulder
added.
"We do?" Scully asked.
"It would be a lot easier to investigate if we could
move around more easily on our own without feeling we
were putting our hosts out," Mulder added.
"I'll see what I can do," Agent Cowan said.
"Thanks for letting us know," Mulder said as he got
out of the car. "We'll be there by lunch on
Wednesday."
"Thank you Agent Cowan," Scully said softly as she too
got out of the car.
"Hopefully I get something more from my interview,"
Agent Cowan noted.
"We'll have more for you by Wednesday," Mulder said
with determination.
They both snuck back into the bushes before Agent
Cowan's car quietly rolled down the dirt road. Mulder
watched and saw that he didn't start his car until it
was well past the Lapp farm. When he turned back to
say something to Scully, she was gone.
****************************************
"Scully!" He hissed as he raced through the bushes. "Scully!"
"I'm fine," she said softly from the edge of the clearing.
He found her sitting on the grass wiping her eyes with her
skirt.
"What's the...?" He started.
"It's my fault that girl was raped," Scully said as she
sniffled.
"What?" He asked astonished as he sat next to her.
"You were right," she said quietly. "If I had taken better
care of myself, noticed the signs, even told you about what
happened with Jacob...maybe she wouldn't have been raped."
"Scully, there's no way you could have..."
"No, Mulder," she stopped his speech. "If you hadn't have
been distracted by caring for me...if I wasn't dizzy when I
encountered Jacob...I don't know, I may have been able to
trap him, to get him to..."
"You can't do this to yourself," Mulder said as he wrapped
an arm around her.
"I have played that scene over and over again and again in
my head. Things I should have said or done, ways I could
have got him to..."
"We can't go back in time," Mulder said as he rubbed her
shoulder. "Who knows if any of those things would have
prevented this rape from happening? All I know is that I
am determined to figure out who the bastard is that's
doing this to these women."
She nodded her head in agreement.
"Come back to bed and get a few more hours of sleep and
then tomorrow, you and I are going to see if we can trap
one of our suspects."
"You have a plan?" Scully asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm formulating one," he smirked. "Give me a little
more time and I should have something to offer."
Mulder stood from his spot and offered her a hand to help
get up.
"Mulder, I'm sorry about what I said." She offered as she
stood. "You were right, I deserve to be pulled from this
case...but I hope you won't do that, because I want to
catch this rapist."
"Scully I wouldn't pull you," Mulder explained. "But you
can't keep anything from me anymore, deal?"
"I was just worried you'd..."
"Lose it and kill Jacob Lapp myself?"
"Something like that..." she smirked.
"You don't want to know what I've done to him in my
imagination," he grinned down at her. "But in reality, I
want to see him serve some hard time if he's our rapist.
At the very least, I want to find out if he sexually
assaulted Martha and have him pay for that. If he's
not a rapist...I'll have to have a nice chat with him
about what's considered respectable behaviour with
women."
"A chat?" Scully inquired.
"Man to man," Mulder nodded as he draped an arm over her
shoulder and started to walk her back toward the Lapp
house.
"I am sorry," she said honestly as they approached the
house.
"I know you are," he said back softly as he kissed the
top of her head.
****************************************
"I heard about Marike," Scully said to Ruth and Fannie as
they cleaned up from supper that night. "Does anyone know
how she's doing?"
"She has a neck brace," Fannie offered as she cleaned off a
plate.
"She needs to rest," Ruth said defensively, as if she knew
what Scully's suggestion would be.
"Maybe we should go by tomorrow and bring..." Scully began.
"No, she needs her rest," Ruth interrupted.
Fannie chanced a look at Scully that said she believed
otherwise.
Scully said nothing in return and instead concentrated on
packing up the leftovers.
Later that night Scully and Fannie sat on the porch enjoying
the cool night air and talking about fairytales from their
youth.
"I would like to visit Marike," Fannie whispered to her.
"How do you think she'd doing?" Scully asked quietly.
"Right now, she feels all alone and bad and dirty," Fannie
said as she leaned back into her rocking chair. "She could
use a friend."
"How can we go and see her?" Scully asked conspiratorially.
"Grandma is going into town tomorrow with Mrs. Miller and
will be gone for the afternoon buying material for the new
wedding quilts we need to make. We could walk over to the
Janz farm and visit with Marike." Fannie whispered.
"Are you okay with being dishonest about this?" Scully
asked her.
"I know my grandma has good intentions," Fannie paused to
look over her shoulder, "but she doesn't really know..."
Scully nodded her head in agreement. Fannie knows exactly
what Marike is going through and she would be the best
person to help her right now.
Just then the back door opened and Mulder appeared.
"So this is where everyone is," he smiled at them.
"I better go to bed," Fannie said as she rose from her
seat.
"Stay, Fannie," Scully implored.
"No," she smiled down at her. "I'm tired and I've had
a long day."
"Okay," Scully returned her smile
Fannie stopped in front of Mulder before going inside.
"Don't let her stay up too late. Grandma said she really
should have been lying down for 2 days ideally."
"I'm fine," Scully assured everyone.
Mulder and Fannie exchanged knowing glances.
Fannie went inside and Mulder sat heavily in her vacant
rocking chair.
"Tired?" Scully asked.
"My body's not looking forward to my 4 am wake up call,"
Mulder said as he leaned his head back against the chair.
"We should go to bed," Scully said as she gathered her
glass of water."I'm making a delivery to the Miller's
again tomorrow," Mulder sighed.
"You'll get another crack at Saunder?"
"Yep," he said softly.
"Fannie and I are going to visit Marike tomorrow," she
said in a whisper. "Ruth won't know about it."
"I think it'll be good for Fannie," Mulder noted.
"You mean Marike," Scully corrected him.
"Well, her too, but really...I think it will be most
beneficial to Fannie," Mulder continued quietly. "Studies
show that victims of sexual assault feel happier and more
empowered once they begin to help others in the same
situation."
"I can see that," Scully yawned.
"Come on," he said rising from his seat and offering her
his hand. "I'll tuck you in."
"That all I get?" She said sleepily.
"Between your bruises and mine, the sun stroke and my
pulled trapezius...that bed ain't seeing no action
tonight." He snickered.
She snickered at his joke and walked ahead of him toward
the door.
"But I'm not making any promises about any other night,"
Mulder whispered softly into her ear.
"I may hold you to that, you know," she turned to look
at him.
He swallowed hard; she was serious.
****************************************
Mulder and Abram bounced along the dirt road making milk
deliveries to the neighbours. It was a beautiful summer
day without a cloud in the sky.
"So Miriam is feeling better?" Abram asked, thoughtfully.
"Yes, she's still a little pale looking but she's herself
again," Mulder smiled back at the older man.
"Ruth told me what happened upstairs at the Lapps..."
"Miriam has a tattoo, Abram," Mulder interrupted the man
with an explanation. "It's at the small of her back
and...and I needed to protect our cover. Ruth couldn't
possibly handle her on her own and...and Amish women
don't have tattoos."
"No, they don't," Abram said as he shifted on the seat.
Mulder looked at his hands. He felt as if he was being
admonished by his father for something he did wrong.
"Ruth was...she was quite upset on the way home. She
was concerned about Miriam's...about her privacy."
Abram said delicately.
"Abram I would never take advantage of..." Mulder said
adamantly.
"Samuel, that's not what I mean," Abram said as he placed
a hand on Mulder's arm. "I know you are a good man."
"Thank you," Mulder nodded and exhaled for the first time
in a minute.
"I mean as an unmarried woman being cared for in that way,
by an unmarried man...she was without clothes, yes?"
"Yes," Mulder nodded.
"And then she had to face you...to work with you
afterwards. That must be very difficult for her. Very
embarrassing." Abram said softly.
Mulder thought better of telling Abram that he had been
Scully naked before. That the image of her naked body was
burned in his memory long before this incident. It was not
the time or place, and really, it was not Abram's business.
"She seems to be okay. Embarrassed but fine," Mulder noted
instead.
"We should all be extra kind to her. You especially." Abram
said softly.
Mulder nodded his head. He had not been particularly kind
to her after finding out about Jacob. Maybe Abram was right,
he needed to be more aware of the situation he had placed
Scully in. They continued in silence for a few minutes until
Abram broke it with a question.
"How do you know she has a...? Wait, I don't need to know
that," Abram smiled quietly to himself.
"I've seen her in a two-piece bathing suit," Mulder answered,
trying to preserve some of Scully's good character in this
man's eyes. "Her tattoo is high enough that it's not covered."
"You English and your two piece suits!" Abram laughed,
relieved the answer was innocent.
Mulder laughed along with him. He had seen things and known
people in his life that would make Abram's toes curl. It
hit Mulder suddenly how truly innocent this community was,
how even someone as old as Abram, had no idea how the
English world worked.
****************************************
Scully didn't get the access to Marike she had hoped for.
When they got to the Janz farm with their preserves
Marike's brother had kindly told them no one was
available for a visit. Fannie had tried to tell him
that she thought Marike would want to see her, but Matthew
had said that it wouldn't be possible. He seemed very
on-edge and angry. His sister had been violated and he
wanted revenge; Amish or not, Scully could read that in
his eyes.
"Let me drive you home, it's hot and..." Matthew said as
he escorted them off the porch.
"That's okay, we can walk, we're..." Fannie started.
"You shouldn't in your condition," Matthew interrupted.
"My condition?" Fannie asked as she swallowed hard.
"Uh..." Matthew stammered.
Scully stood between the two of them in silence. It was
like watching a train wreck; she couldn't take her eyes
off them, and she also could think of nothing to do to
help.
"Matthew?" Fannie asked softly.
"I, uh...I overheard my father and yours talking. He
said we should check Marike for a baby as soon as possible
because of what happened to you."
Fannie's face reddened and she looked at her feet.
"We better go," Scully finally came to her senses and
pulled at Fannie's arm.
Scully started to turn Fannie away when Matthew grabbed
her arm as well.
"Fannie, you aren't respon..." Matthew started.
"Good day, Matthew," Fannie said quietly and took a step
away from him.
"Fannie..." he called after her as she walked briskly
from his yard.
Scully watched as the tears slowly started to fall from
Fannie's eyes. Scully held Fannie's arm more tightly
against her frame.
"It'll be okay," Scully said again and again, hoping it
would help.
"No it won't," Fannie said as she gulped back tears.
"It never will be again."
Scully stopped her at the side of the road and faced her.
"You are a strong person Fannie, you will get through
this. If you keep the baby you will love it. If you
give it up, you will still love it. You and this baby
will be fine, trust me."
Fannie crumbled into a sea of tears before Scully's
eyes. Scully held her tightly against her frame, willing
some hope to come into the life of this young girl.
Horses came up beside them and Fannie buried her face
in Scully's shoulder.
"Fannie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Matthew said
kindly. "Please let me drive you back...it's the least
I can..."
Scully pulled Fannie's face away from her body and looked
to the young girl for guidance. Fannie nodded her head
'yes', and then Scully found herself sitting between
Matthew Janz and Fannie Miller as everyone kept awkwardly
silent.
"How is your sister, really?" Scully asked, breaking the
silence.
"She cries a lot, and I think she's still in some pain,"
Matthew said thoughtfully.
"Does she know who...?" Scully asked softly.
"No, she doesn't," Matthew said through gritted teeth.
"I know we are supposed to forgive but I find it...I find
it really hard."
"I know," Fannie mumbled from the other side of Scully.
Scully turned to look at her tear-streaked face and sighed.
If there was some way to get these women together, maybe
the healing process could begin.
"Maybe when Marike is feeling better, she would like to
talk with Fannie," Scully said, trying to broach the
subject.
"It's up to Marike," Matthew said, non-committally.
"But...but, I think it sounds like a good idea."
The pulled up in front of the Fisher farm and the group
again, found themselves silent.
"Thank you for the ride, Matthew," Scully said as they
both got out of the buggy.
"It was no..." he paused and thought for a moment.
"Fannie, I'm sorry that I said that. I sometimes don't
think before I speak and that was..."
"It's fine," Fannie said tersely before she turned to
leave.
Scully looked at Matthew and smiled warmly. She felt
badly for him; it was a terrible situation for everyone
and no one knew what to say.
"Thanks again, Matthew," Scully said before she turned
to join Fannie inside.
When she got to the door she turned to see that he was
still standing there, staring off into the distance.
For a moment, Scully saw her own brother's face; he
would want to murder any man who did that to her.
****************************************
Mulder and Abram pulled up to the Miller farm and the first
thing Mulder noted was the man waiting for them on the front
porch. Saunder Miller was sitting casually on a chair,
reading in the afternoon sun.
"Saunder!" Abram called from the buggy as they came to a stop.
"No work for you today?"
"You caught me cheating," Saunder said with a laugh. "Father
is gone for a couple of days and mother is with your wife in
town. I took advantage of the break."
"There's no crime in that," Abram said with a laugh.
"Unless you did something besides read," Mulder said slyly as
Saunder caught his eye.
Abram looked between the two men and kept silent.
"I'll get the milk, Abram," Mulder said as he walked toward
the back of the buggy.
"Let me help you with that," Saunder said as he reached for
the other handle on the milk jug Mulder was hauling.
"Thanks," Mulder smiled at him.
Mulder and Saunder carried the jug up the steps and through
the door away from Abram.
"How's your Miriam?" Saunder asked as they walked though the
front hall.
Mulder smiled. "She's...uh...she's good."
"You don't sound so convinced," Saunder said, interested.
"She had that spell at the picnic," Mulder said. "And since
then...she's been talking about strange things. Things she
hasn't brought up for a while."
"She's still sick?" Saunder inquired.
"No, she's...she's different." Mulder stammered.
"Different?" Saunder asked as he helped Mulder heave the jug
up onto the counter.
"She told me she wanted to work, to try writing children's
books and put off having babies. She had been saying that
before, but since the picnic she's...she's determined."
"She wants to do that?" Saunder asked, interested more.
"She has always had these ideas...but I thought they were
sort of childish and really...children's books?" Mulder
laughed. "She's never been very good at school."
"That is a little...odd," Saunder smiled at him. "What have
you said?"
"I said that I waited long enough to have her as my wife and
make babies, that this career she wanted was out of the
question," Mulder said with authority.
"And?" Saunder leaned in.
"And...and I don't know," Mulder conceded. "She's angry
with me and says I'm not being supportive. It's...it's
just too much."
"So this trip to Abram's was to help out but..."
"But also to get her away so I could talk some sense into
her," Mulder smiled up at Saunder. "But, it doesn't seem
to be working so far."
"So that's why you seem so..." Saunder said.
Mulder looked at him oddly and Saunder stopped talking.
"It's just that you seem a little edgy," Saunder admitted.
"A little guarded."
"Samuel!" Abram called from outside.
"I have to get going," Mulder said as he started to walk
out of the kitchen.
"Samuel," Saunder called to him. "You are the head of your
household, and you need to let Miriam know her place."
Mulder nodded towards Saunder and then left to re-join
Abram.
"Everything okay?" Abram asked as Mulder got into the
buggy.
"Perfect," Mulder said quietly as he sat next to Abram.
Abram snapped the reins and the buggy launched itself
forward.
****************************************
"So you didn't get anything else about Marike?" Mulder
asked as he lay down next to her in bed.
"No," Scully sighed as she turned on her side to face
him. "Her brother was fiercely guarding her and...and
rightfully so."
"But he said she couldn't identify her rapist?" He asked
as he lay looking up at the ceiling.
"No, she couldn't," Scully sulked. "I think that getting
these women together would be...therapeutic."
"I agree," Mulder said softly. "A support group for the
women who have been assaulted would be a step forward for
them."
"Maybe once the case is done, you could..."
"I will," he said softly as he met her gaze and reached
out to hold her hand.
"Thank you," she smiled softly down at him.
"On a good note," Mulder sighed. "Everything went perfectly
with Saunder. He bought it hook, line, and sinker."
"So the career as a writer?" She asked.
"I added in the fact that you wanted to put off having
children too," he smiled up at her again. "For good
measure."
"Why not?" She asked with a grin. "In for a dime, in for
a dollar."
"But, you know...we could practice," Mulder said as he
turned to face her and the mattress beneath them squeaked.
"Practice what?" She asked, confused.
"Practice," he said slyly as he put a hand on her hip and
pulled her towards him.
"Oh, practice," she smiled over at him. "On a squeaky
mattress, while working a case, and living in an Amish house?"
"When you put it that way," he said in a sexy voice as he
leaned forward and slowly kissed her.
"Mulder!" She hissed in admonishment when their lips parted.
"What?!" He laughed at her.
She turned to lay on her back and he towered over her lying
form. The bed squeaked loudly.
"I need to get some oil," he whispered to her.
She giggled beneath him as he leaned in to softly kiss her
lips.
"Good night," he said softly.
"Good night," she said back as she watched him settle in on
his back next to her.
She pulled herself toward him and rested her head on his
shoulder as he wrapped and arm around her small frame and held
her tightly against him.
"Saunder said you needed to know your place," Mulder
continued their earlier conversation. "I don't want you going
anywhere alone, not the barn, not the fields, not in the house
by yourself, okay?"
"Mulder, I..." she started to whisper.
"I know you can handle yourself," he pre-emptively began. "But,
these women were caught off guard, held from behind...sometimes
training isn't a factor."
"And..." she began again.
"And there is no MO for the location chosen. Inside the house,
in the barn, in a field, he doesn't have a place he prefers so
anywhere can be dangerous if you are alone."
"I get that," she yawned from beside him. "I promise I'll stick
with Fannie or Ruth."
"Thank you," Mulder said as he gripped her shoulder a little more.
"We'll catch this guy Scully...but by being smart."
"Well, he'll have to wait a couple of days. Aunt Clara calls,"
Scully said as she yawned again.
"Agent Cowan seems on the ball," Mulder noted quietly. "Hopefully
he got some information from the interview he had."
"Let's hope," Scully said wearily.
"Go to sleep," Mulder said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"We have a long day tomorrow."
Within minutes Scully was asleep, but Mulder found himself awake
and on guard for a long time after that.
****************************************
Mulder walked around the exterior of the cottage looking for
signs of Agent Cowan.
"Should I stay?" Abram asked Scully as she stood next to the
buggy.
"No, no, Abram," Scully smiled at him. "We'll be fine. The
Agent we are meeting up with should be here anytime."
"Are you sure?" Abram asked.
"Yeah, we have the car in case we need to go anywhere," she
said as she craned her head to look for Mulder.
Mulder re-appeared at the side of the cottage and looked
over at the two of them.
"He's not here yet, but I'm sure he won't be long," he said
as he approached them.
"Do you want me to stay?" Abram asked again, unsure.
"No, I'm sure he's on his way," Mulder smiled up at him.
"We'll see you at suppertime tomorrow."
"Okay, good luck," Abram said as he jostled the horses
into duty.
"Thanks for bringing us," Scully called to him as he
started off.
Abram tipped his hat toward them as he started down the
lane.
Mulder appeared at Scully's side and looked over at their
car. "It's the right place because that's our car."
"Agent Cowan must be delayed," she said as she looked
toward the car. "Do you think he left the keys
somewhere?"
They both walked toward the car and began a cursory exam
of the area.
"Bingo!" Mulder called as he pulled the keys out from under
the wheel well of the car.
"Keys to the cottage too?" Scully asked.
"No, just the car," Mulder said as he unlocked the doors.
They sat for a few minutes in the car, looking it over for
any notes left for them. They found none.
"If we have cell phone service here," Mulder mused. "We
could call him."
"Remind him of our clandestine meeting," Scully said with
a grin.
"Is there something about this overnight stay with Agent
Cowan that I should be privy to?" Mulder asked with a
wicked grin.
"Mulder!" she said as she smacked his arm.
Just then, a cell phone in one of their bags sprang to
life. They scurried to find it until Mulder flipped it
open and answered.
"Hello?" He asked, out of breath.
Scully watched as he nodded his head and agreed with the
person on the other end of the phone. She saw him get out
of the car and start to walk toward the cottage looking at
the ground. She followed behind him and watched as he bent
over and unearthed a small rock, revealing a key underneath.
"Okay, let us know as soon as you do," Mulder said as he
hung up the phone.
"What?" Scully asked.
"That was Agent Cowan," Mulder said as he pocketed key.
"He's still in Westfield New York and may not be able to meet
us until much later today."
"Why is he in New York State?" Scully asked confused.
"He went there to interview Beulah King yesterday evening,
they spoke for a while and he got no new leads from her. Then,
last night as he was driving back to Cleveland, he got a call
from her husband...she attempted suicide and was at the
hospital. Agent Cowan turned around and went back. He's
still waiting to see her."
"How is she?" Scully asked concerned.
"She wasn't successful," Mulder said quietly. "We'll know more
when he calls back."
"I wonder if something set her off from the interview...recalling
the events of her attack," Scully mused.
"Possibly," Mulder said. "But we shouldn't speculate until we
hear more from Agent Cowan."
"Until then..."
"We don't have files or food or a computer," Mulder said with
a groan.
"We may as well be back on the farm checking out our suspects,"
Scully groaned as well.
"But we can't drive back, and Abram's not here until tomorrow
evening," Mulder noted as he looked around.
"We can run through the information we know," Scully said
thoughtfully.
"After we hit a store for a few food supplies," he said as he
stepped from the garden.
"I knew that would be your first priority," she said.
"Wanna come along or get settled here?" He asked.
"I'll stay," she said putting out her hand for the house key.
"Just try and buy some actual food...food that's fresh."
"Yes, ma'am," he said tipping his hat toward her and handing
her the house key. "I want to get in and out of town as
quickly as possible, before anyone recognizes me."
"Sounds like a good idea," she said as she walked back toward
the car to grab her things. "Maybe Agent Cowan can buy a few
supplies to stock the cupboards in case this happens
again."
"I think," Mulder said as he opened up the driver's side door.
"By the time he gets here, the last thing he's going to want
to do is get back in a car again."
"True," Scully agreed as she lifted her bag from the car.
Mulder started the engine and slowly backed out of the long
laneway while Scully entered the cottage.
****************************************
They had run through all their information by lunch time, and
still had not heard from Agent Cowan. They had come to no
new conclusions but were in agreement that they had suitably
set a trap for Saunder, if he was the rapist. Mulder was
going to make it known that he, Abram, Fannie and Ruth were
away from the farm on Saturday and Scully was going to be
alone. In reality, he would be protecting Scully while
Ruth, Abram and Fannie were gone for the day visiting distant
relatives two towns over. Abram had reluctantly agreed to the
plan and sent word to his cousin that they would be coming for
an overnight visit. Fannie complicated matters slightly, but
Mulder was sure she wouldn't be suspicious; she had too much
on her mind already.
"Too bad this place doesn't have a hot tub," Mulder said as he
gathered up their plates.
"Mulder, I can't think of anything else we can do for the case,
not without files, or a computer or..."
"Aunt Clara's is turning out to be a big waste of time," Mulder
noted.
Just then, the cell phone sitting next to them on the table
rang. Agent Cowan was on his way there and would be in around
three o'clock with some new information.
Mulder looked at Scully as she sat uncomfortably in a chair
across from him.
"Seeing as there's nothing we can do until he gets here,"
Mulder noted. "What about enjoying the afternoon?"
"What do you propose?" Scully asked.
"Well, we could make out like horny teenagers for a few hours
or..." Mulder began.
"Or we could go for a walk, watch some TV..." Scully
suggested.
"I guess your idea is better," Mulder said begrudgingly.
"Agent Cowan might notice the hickeys."
Scully giggled at his suggestion. "I'll get my shoes on."
Mulder carried all their dishes over to the sink and waited for
Scully to get her shoes on.
They both left the cottage and started to make their way down
a small trail that ran into the forest behind the house.
"I miss all this," Scully said as she stepped over a rock.
"As kids we used to play outside all day but as an adult...I'm
only outside when I walk to the car."
"Or, when I take you on cases in the woods," Mulder mused.
"Yeah, that too," she smiled at him.
"Maybe I should take you into the woods more often," Mulder
said as he reached to hold her hand.
"Maybe," she mused as she squeezed his hand in hers. "When
therearen't any mutants hunting us."
They walked for a long while, holding hands and not speaking
as they meandered through the woods. The temperature was
cooler in the woods and the heat from the day, almost
unnoticeable.
"I remember when I was a teenager, we used to hold bonfires
in the woods and it was so...easy. Everyone was accepted,
there were no jocks or babes or nerds...it was a perfect
little moment in time in the life of a teenager."
"I was a camp counsellor one year and we held a bonfire
party for the kids at the end of every week, sort of sent
them out with a bang. There is something about a bonfire."
She mused.
"Well, we also used to smoke pot around the bonfire, I'm
sure that was not encouraged at camp," Mulder joked.
"No, we tried keep the kids from getting hooked on grass
while they were at camp," she laughed.
"What about the counsellors?" He asked as he nudged her
shoulder.
"I tried it a couple of times in high school and college,"
she said with a smirk. "It just made me all giggly and
then I felt really sick the next day."
"A giggly Scully..." Mulder pondered.
"What about you?" She asked, interested.
"It was pretty much a given at the bonfire," Mulder smirked
at her. "I was far from a pot head but...but it was sort
of a coping mechanism I used as a teenager."
"How so?"
"My sister was gone, my parents were miserable, divorce was
looming over our house, I was smart but unsure of myself,
I was athletic but had a bit of a temper on the court..."
"And you...?"
"And I wanted to fit in, to just be normal," Mulder
explained. "Maybe I wanted to disappear for a little bit,
take a break from my mind."
"I can see that," Scully said as she looked up at him
thoughtfully. "I can't imagine how you got through all
that."
"It's kind of why I went to Oxford," he explained. "I
didn't like the future I saw for myself, so I chose a
different path."
"What was the future you avoided?" She asked, interested.
"Getting a business degree and working for one of my
father's friends helping him invest his hoards of money.
Marrying a girl from town, with just the right social
connections so my mother would be pleased. Having 2.5
children, taking golfing vacations and buying a boat..."
"Oh, yeah," Scully smiled up at him. "It sounds horrible."
"It wasn't me and...and I knew it even then." He said
assuredly.
"And...and is any part of you sad you didn't choose that?"
Scully asked quietly.
Mulder thought for a moment. A moment longer than Scully
was comfortable with.
"Maybe I would have played along for a while...wanting
to please my parents and all, but, at some point, I would
have stopped and looked at my life and changed it."
"You're sure of that?" Scully asked doubtful.
"Scully, I wasn't meant to live that life, you know it,
and I know it. It looks good on paper compared to living
on my own in a small apartment, chasing down cases,
getting shot, having my ass raked over the FBI's coals
every once and a while but..."
"But?" She asked interested.
He stopped and looked at her thoughtfully. "But my life
would be incomplete. I wouldn't be the man I am today
without all that. I wouldn't be here with you. And, I
can't imagine not being here with you."
She swallowed hard and couldn't help the watery look
that took over her eyes.
"Mulder, you amaze me," she said simply.
He smiled down at her uncomfortably and looked around.
"Maybe we should head back so you can get in a chick
flick in before Agent Cowan arrives."
"Who said anything about a chick flick?" She joked.
"Oh Scully, even you can't hide the fact that your
itching for something like that," he joked as he guided
her back towards the cottage.
****************************************
Agent Alex Cowan was tired from the long drive into Walnut Creek.
He had been up all night waiting to talk with either Beulah or her
doctors; neither had been forthcoming. Then, when he had finally
spoken to her, she had revealed enough information to push their
investigation forward. Now, after three hours of driving, he
wanted nothing more than to sit on his ass in air conditioned
comfort and let two other agents do some work.
He parked at the back of the house and walked up the back porch
steps to get inside. He looked inside the window and wasn't sure
for a minute if he was at the right house. Inside, he spotted a
woman lying partially on top of a man on a couch while a Meg Ryan
movie played in front of them. Alex walked back around the side
of the house to look at the plate on the car. It was the right
location.
He went back the same way and knocked on the back door. The
woman's head snapped up and looked around, in that moment, he
saw that it was Agent Scully. She quickly jumped from the couch
and ran to the front door to answer it. Mulder rose more slowly
and, when he sat up spotted Alex at the back door waiting. A
slow smile spread across his face as he called to Scully and then
walked to the back door to give the Agent admittance.
"Come on in," Mulder said to the Agent.
"Thanks, I wasn't sure if I had the right place when I saw you
two," Alex Cowan explained as he dropped his laptop bag on the
counter.
Scully blushed and starred at the floor; Mulder puffed out his
chest.
"Long drive?" Mulder asked.
"Three hours and after a night of sitting in uncomfortable hospital
chairs..." Alex Cowan started to explain.
"Have you had lunch yet? We have..." Scully started to offer.
"I had a burger while I was driving, thanks," Alex Cowan explained.
"How's Beulah?" Scully asked.
"She's recovering well, her husband is with her," Agent Cowan said
as he walked toward the living room where the Agents had just been
asleep.
"She tried to kill herself?" Scully asked, interested.
"She slit her wrists in the tub," Agent Cowan said as he shut off
the Meg Ryan movie. "Her husband found her and called 911."
"How much blood loss?" Scully asked as she moved some pillows to
sit on the couch.
"Enough that is was a long time before a doctor would talk with
me," Agent Cowan said as he threw himself heavily into a chair.
"Were you able to interview her?" Mulder asked as he sat next to
Scully.
"Yeah, later this morning," Agent Cowan said as he undid the top
two buttons on his shirt. "She said that Jacob Lapp had been by
the school earlier on the day she was assaulted and he'd been
acting strangely."
"Strangely?" Scully asked.
"She said he hadn't come by before and that, having no kids in the
school, it was strange for him to just drop in like that," Alex
Cowan explained as he crossed his legs.
"What else?" Mulder asked.
"She said he came by at lunch time and started talking about things
they used to do when they were kids, silly names they used to call
all the other kids they went to school with as children," Alex Cowan
explained. "She said at the time she thought it was odd, but that
after the assault she felt strangely about it, and then she didn't
put it all together until she spoke with me."
"Put what all together?" Scully asked as she leaned forward.
"She said when they were 11 or 12 she and Jacob called another boy
in their class Pumpkin Head. She said they were relentless in their
teasing until one day that boy tackled her in the coat room and sat
on her back yelling for her to take it back as she lay on the ground
helpless before him."
"And she was raped three months ago on the coat room floor, right?"
Scully clarified, as she looked at Mulder.
He nodded that she was correct.
"She said she remembered Jacob just standing there and watching that
boy on top of her, yelling at her, while he did nothing to help.
She said she remembered Jacob rubbing himself...arousing himself, as
this happened to her."
"Really?" Scully asked, interested.
"She said she bucked the kid off her back and then told the teacher,
but then she stopped being friends with Jacob," Alex Cowan explained
further. "She said that at the time, she knew what Jacob was doing
was wrong, but she hadn't really thought about the incident from her
childhood until she spoke with me."
"What did you ask her to cause this revelation?" Mulder asked.
"I said that I noticed she and Jacob went to school together and
that I wondered if they were ever friends. Who knew it would lead
to that!" Agent Cowan said surprised as he sat back further in his
seat.
"It's a very interesting piece of information about young Jacob,"
Mulder said thoughtfully. "He was aroused by a woman being held
down and chastised before him. She was the bottom."
"What do you make of it?" Scully asked as she turned to face him
more fully.
"Well it could be tied to early sexual fantasies related to bondage
or something known as erotic humiliation. He became aroused by
watching her get humiliated in front of him; it's a type of sexual
fetish. And, it happening in the coat room in front of others could
tie it to exhibitionism as well. He knew that Beulah saw him
aroused as she was being chastised and he wanted her to know that
he liked it."
"And then she ceased being his friend," Scully added.
"And then after a surprise visit from Jacob, she was raped on that
same coat room floor," Mulder said as he rose from his seat.
"What?" Scully asked.
"I need to do some research," Mulder said as he walked toward Agent
Cowan's bag. "That okay?"
"Be my guest," Agent Cowan yawned as he waved his hand in Mulder's
direction.
"Why don't you grab forty winks," Scully said to Alex Cowan.
"We'll do some research and have more when you wake up."
Alex Cowan nodded at her and pulled a quilt off the back of the
chair he was sitting in and threw it over himself. "I won't put
up a fight."
Scully walked over to Mulder who was booting up the computer.
"So what are we looking up?" She asked as she leaned in.
****************************************
"So the fetishism could be directly tied to the places he
raped the women?" Alex Cowan asked between bites of his
stir fry.
"It could be, but we'd have to find out some information
from each of the women about their earlier experiences
with Jacob. If each of them has a link like Beulah..."
Scully began.
"Then we have a pattern," Mulder finished. "And with a
pattern I can hone my profile better and then we can either
bait him or be one step ahead of him next time."
"So we're going with Jacob Lapp as our rapist?" Agent
Cowan asked as he took a drink of his water.
Mulder and Scully exchanged looks.
"I still don't want to rule out Saunder Miller," Mulder
said hesitantly. "Despite the evidence that's mounting
against Jacob there's just something that doesn't sit
right about Saunder."
"So we're going to still investigate them both?" Alex
Cowan clarified.
"Yes," Scully answered for them. "Mulder has been successful
at setting me up as an independent and non-rule abiding
woman in the eyes of Saunder and I think we should see what
he does with it."
"And how are you going to do that?" Alex Cowan asked as he
got another forkful of food.
"I'm going to ask him to keep an eye on the Fisher farm for
the night on Saturday; I'll explain that Ruth, Fannie and
Abram needed to come with me to visit a very sick relative
but that Scully couldn't go because she was still recovering
from her sunstroke. I will let him know that if it's late
we may just stay overnight and come back early the next
morning."
"He'll think that I'll be alone for at least the evening
and, if he's our rapist, he'll seize the opportunity." Scully
said as she reached for her glass of water.
"But you'll be...?"
"Hiding in the house, out of sight." Mulder explained before
he ate the last bit of food on his plate.
"Do you want me to...?"
"If he suspects anyone is around he won't try...I think you
better leave this one to us."
"You should take the cell phone back with you and hide it
somewhere, that way if he is our guy you can call it in and
get the police there right away."
"Good idea," Scully noted as she sat back in her chair. "We
can keep the phone off and in a drawer unless we need it."
"Do you need anything else?" Agent Cowan asked.
"No, I think we're good," Mulder said as he sat back in his
chair a little more.
"Then, I'm off," Agent Cowan said as he pushed his chair back.
"I've gotta get home and see the kids before they're off to
bed."
"I thought you were staying?" Scully asked, confused.
"Originally I was going to," Alex Cowan explained as he reached
for his jacket. "But after being away all of yesterday, last
night, and all day today...I think I need to show my face at
home."
Both agents nodded in understanding.
"What about the..." Scully motioned towards the laptop.
"I can leave it here, just make sure you lock up the cottage
before you go," he said as he looked absently for his keys.
"There are almost no break-ins in this area so I wouldn't
worry about leaving anything here."
"That's good to know," Mulder nodded as he stood to see Alex
Cowan out.
"You know, no one told me you were an actual couple when you
took on this case, I thought you both were just playing roles."
Alex Cowan said as he pocketed his found keys. "I guess it
makes it much easier to use people who are already
involved...it makes it more believable."
"We don't advertise," Mulder said clearly. He didn't want
their relationship to become water-cooler banter in Ohio.
"And I don't gossip, so we're all good," Alex Cowan smiled
over at them. "Have a good night. And I'll see you Monday
or even earlier if Saunder is our guy. "
He walked out the back door and closed it behind him.
"We shouldn't have fallen asleep on the couch or he wouldn't
have..." Scully started as she picked up their plates off the
table.
Mulder helped her clear the table. "Scully you can't turn
back the clock. Besides, who would have thought that souls
swapping bodies would put us to sleep?"
"Too much of the real thing, " she muttered as she started
to rinse off their plates.
Mulder watched her back stiffen at the sink. The case was
making her tense and the newness and ambiguity of their
relationship was adding to that tension. He wondered
absently if there would ever be a time when they could just
be themselves and have time together instead of stolen
moments with various cases as bookends. The work was what
drove them both and, as much as he loved her, it would always
be somewhere lurking in the background when they were together.
They would need to define their relationship despite the cases;
the work couldn't be the reason they weren't involved.
"What's done is done," Mulder said as he gently grabbed her
wrist as she lifted a new plate to be rinsed. "Besides, now
we have one less person we have to put on a show for."
"What do you mean?" She asked as she met his eyes and lowered
the plate back down onto the counter.
"For the people at the Bureau, we're just partners. For Abram
and Ruth we're partners and friends. For all the other Amish
people we're a subdued married couple...I guess I'm
just tired of acting."
Quiet descended over the kitchen. She turned to face him more
fully and felt her heart leaping out of her chest.
"What do you want Mulder?" She asked quietly.
"You," he said softly as he captured her lips with his.
****************************************
Scully hesitantly responded to his heated kiss. She felt his
full beard tickle the underside of her nose. Her mind kept
racing, wondering what exactly it was that they were doing.
His passion caught her unexpectedly and she didn't have time
to process her thoughts and feelings.
She found herself asking 'do you want this?' as his tongue
slid across her teeth and 'are you in love with him?' as his
hand dipped down to the very small of her back and finally
'is this going to work?' as his mouth trailed kisses down her
neck.
She pulled away from him for the briefest of moments. He
looked into her eyes and she knew that her answer was a very
clear 'yes' to all of her questions. She leaned forward
and took his mouth in hers kissing him with all the force her
body could muster. He responded in kind and she began to moan
softly as she reacted to his unfiltered desire.
Their kissing deepened and she felt her body being pulled
towards his, her hips gyrating against him on their own. She
was drawn into this man like no other.
He trailed kisses down her neck, pushed her shirt outward and
kissed her soft shoulders. She felt as if he was making love
to her, one body part at a time.
Her head dropped back and he seized the opportunity to kiss
down her neck and over the top of her chest as his hands reached
under her shirt and softly caressed the bare skin at
her waist.
She reached for his jeans and started to undo the buttons, one
pop at a time until they were undone and easily shifted off his
hips. They dropped to the floor quietly as she immediately
lifted up his shirt to feel the soft hairs of his chest stand
on end. She ran the pads of her fingers over his nipples and
felt them grow erect and sharp underneath her skin. She was
doing this to him and he liked it.
He lifted her cotton shirt over her head and tossed it off to
the side before immediately reaching to unclasp the back of her
bra to release her encased breasts. The bra let go with a snap
and he reached around to cup her breasts as the bra fell away
and his hands held her instead.
It was the most erotic sensation, to be standing in front of
Mulder only half dressed and have her breasts in his gentle
hands. He looked at her reverently and she almost collapsed
onto the ground because her knees suddenly felt weak.
"I love you," she whispered softly as her chest heaved in and
out in anticipation of what was to come next.
He looked at her, surprised she would say the words out loud,
but obviously touched that she had.
"Thank you," he said quietly as he began to run the pads of
his fingers back and forth along her sensitive nipples.
She leaned forward and kissed him softly as he held her breasts
and she placed her hands on the warm flesh around his waist.
His skin was warm and palpitating under her touch.
He carefully let go of her breasts and they bobbed between
their two bodies momentarily before being crushed against
his hairy chest. The sensation of his bare skin, in contact
with her own, was unbelievable. He continued to kiss her as
they slowly backed up towards the bedroom. He pulled his
bunched up shirt over his head and she undid her own pants
as they made their way to the desired destination. When they
finally got to the bedroom they were both only wearing
underwear and their lips were swollen from all of the kissing.
He guided her body down onto the mattress and slowly climbed
up next to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he fingered the lace edge of her
panties.
She responded with a soft smile and pulled him into a kiss as
she ran her hand along the edge of his boxers and pulled them
down. The kiss deepened and his hands lowered her panties as
his mouth kissed every part of the upper half of her body. He
rolled nipples in his mouth, sucked on the tender skin under
her breasts, and nibbled on the flesh that covered her ribs.
She lay back, taking in all the attention, hoping she would
have some ability to reciprocate at some point. She felt
worshipped by this man. Her body was responding in kind; with
every suck, kiss and caress her entrance grew moist.
Then she felt his fingers tentatively circling her vagina.
She sighed as he drew a wide circle around her entrance, and
moaned when fingers carefully drew her open. She looked up
to see the tip of his cock circling her entrance, dipping
tentatively into her as he braced himself above her body.
He was asking permission.
She pushed her hips up against him without warning, and he
found himself fully submerged inside her.
"Oh, god!" He moaned as realization hit him.
She rolled her hips below him as he got his bearings.
"You're sooo..." he said softly as his body started to react
to hers and move in time with her hips.
She smiled and reached up to push the hair out of his eyes so
he could see her more fully.
What Mulder saw was beautiful. Scully's breasts bobbed up and
down as he pounded into her. Her skin was a beautiful shade
of pink, her eyes radiant, her mouth wanton, and her desire
apparent.
"God, I love you," he moaned as they continued to gyrate
together.
He could feel his cock pulling almost completely out of her
before slamming it back inside. She linked her ankles behind
the small of his back and joined him time and time again as their
bodies met and then pulled away. Their lovemaking was not smooth
like that of old lovers, but they sought to please each other
like only two people in love could.
He grabbed her backside and pulled her up off the bed and
towards him, making their contact even deeper than before. She
smacked herself against him and he hunched his back over her,
bringing his lips down for a kiss.
She kissed him back but, he felt her pause several times, as
waves of pleasure passed over her intoxicating body. She came
below him with a red flushed face and a look of awe as her mouth
formed a perfect 'O' and her eyes glimmered below him. Mulder
couldn't help but smile broadly; he had wanted to see that look
on her face for a number of years and now he had witnessed it
first hand. It was more beautiful than he'd ever imagined.
When she came back to herself, she smiled up at him; and act
which did him in. He came inside of her with great force,
yelling out her name as his essence passed from his body to hers.
She rode out his orgasm with him, sapping the last of his juices
as he shuddered inside her. The smile that danced across her
lips in that moment caused Mulder's heart to squeeze tighter
in his chest. He had done the right thing in pursuing this
tonight.
She pulled his body towards hers and allowed him to lay
completely on top of her. His cock still twitched inside her
as his body melted into hers. Her soft skin against his
seemed to cause every nerve in his body to react.
"That was incredible," Mulder mumbled from her shoulder region.
"Shhhh," she said softly. "Just relax."
He sloppily kissed the side of her face and felt all the life
drain from his body. She had tapped the last of his energy and
he needed to rest.
"I'm so tired," he mumbled next to her.
She gently rubbed his back and kissed the side of his head. She
was exhausted as well. All of the early mornings had taken some
time to adjust to. Between that and the sunstroke, investigating
the case, and now making love to Mulder, her body was sapped of
all it's energy as well.
He let his body go and felt his penis slowly slip out from inside
of her as his mind and his body felt like they actually belonged
to him for the first time since this case began. He loved this
woman and she loved him, the rest they would figure out.
He felt Scully draw a quilt up and over their naked bodies as he
slid down next to her, pulled her close, closed his eyes and let
sleep overtake him.
****************************************
Mulder woke to find a very naked Scully lying next to him and
drooling on her pillow. A grin spread across his face when he
thought about them making love yesterday evening. His head
shifted to the side, and he caught the time on the clock.
"Christ, four am," he muttered to himself.
He turned back to look at her and couldn't help but smile again.
They had been heading toward last night like an out of control
train and the destination, it turned out, had been even more
fulfilling than he'd expected.
'You are beautiful,' he thought as he looked at her soft face in
the moonlight.
He realized that for the first time, they did something for
themselves. That despite the case, they had been able to also be
in a relationship; one that extended beyond the work. He was not
going to screw this up. He vowed to himself that he was not going
to take what they had for granted; that he was not going to be an
ass when it came to this. She was singularly the most important
person in his life and he wasn't going to do anything to destroy
that.
He placed a hand on her bare hip and felt her body breathing in
and out. He had gotten very used to her presence in his bed, and
he wondered silently if their encounters would become a regular
part of their lives one day. He didn't fool himself into believing
that they would live together, or that she would be over every
night. That wasn't them. But he quietly hoped, it would not be
long until he was able to be with her again.
He retracted his hand from her hip and rolled onto his back and
starred up at the ceiling. There was something that he was missing,
something that he needed to look at closer in the files. He
mentally flipped the pages of the files and scanned the
information.
It had to do with Fannie, he remembered that at least. Fannie
who was assaulted in the barn while checking on her hens. Mulder
racked his brain and came up empty. He could clearly see the
pages in her file but nothing was popping out at him as odd. He
turned his head to look at Scully sleeping next to him and decided
that although it wasn't the best idea to get up and look into the
case, she would understand.
Mulder carefully retracted himself from the spot next to her and
slid from the bed. He walked buck naked from Scully's room and
over to his own to find some clothes. There was something that was
bothering him about the case and he needed to figure out what.
****************************************
Dana Scully's eyes slowly opened to the morning sun that
was beaming into her bedroom. She looked to her left where
Mulder had been laying and saw a very empty bed with
rumpled sheets. She softly yawned and stretched her arms
out to either side.
Mulder's disappearing act was not something that surprised
her. He had probably got some thoughts on the case and had
been up since the middle of the night working on it.
In past relationships, waking up alone had been an insult,
with Mulder, she knew already, it was just part of the deal.
Not that she didn't want to wake up with him, she just didn't
expect to.
She took a moment to lay there and contemplate the enormity
of what happened last night. Immediately her stomach
retracted and turned into a ball of worry. She was three
seconds away from making lists of what was good and what was
bad about this new type of relationship with Mulder, when she
caught herself. She was not going to be that way. She was
not going to over-think this and screw it up. Mulder was
Mulder and things were not going to be like Ward and June
Cleaver with them. The sooner she stopped compartmentalizing
him into something he wasn't, the better.
They would take it slowly, not place pressure on each other
to conform to an archetypal role. He would come over when he
wanted to, and she'd do the same. If work was busy they would
place their own personal needs on the backburner. They would
give space and not...
"Christ," she muttered as she stopped herself again. Already
she was making up terms and conditions.
'No', she thought to herself. 'For the first time in your
life Dana, you have a chance to be in a relationship with
someone you love and that, is enough.'
Scully rose up to a sitting position and looked around for
some type of clothing to wear. She quickly spied Mulder's
shirt that had come off last night and reached over to take
it off the ground. He was either still walking around naked
or had gone to his suitcase for clothes.
She pulled the shirt over her head and was immediately
surrounded by Mulder's scent; a mix of musk, aftershave with
an undertone of something sweet. Scully walked over to her
open suitcase and donned a fresh pair of panties. Sliding
them up her legs she was reminded of how he slowly had hooked
them down her legs the night before. Then, in the middle of
the night when they had made love again, panties her were no
longer around.
The second time they had made love, it was slow and sweet.
He had crawled on top of her and, unlike the first time, their
lovemaking had been less awkward and more rhythmic. His whole
body had been pressed against her the entire time and they had
kissed and nipped at each other playfully. That second time,
it had taken much longer for the two of them to climax and they
both had enjoyed every last minute of extra time he had spent
inside of her. While their first time was passionate, their
second time was intense. He had not looked away from her eyes
the entire time and the connection they had experienced was
beyond anything she had ever had happen before.
Scully walked toward the washroom, an unfamiliar stickiness
was making it's presence known between her legs and she needed
to wash up before seeing Mulder.
****************************************
Fox Mulder poured her a cup of coffee when he heard the toilet
flush and the taps turn off. He carried it over to the table and
sat it in front of the croissant he had just placed on a plate.
He thought the lest he could do, after abandoning her in the bed
after they had made love, was to provide her with a nice breakfast
to go along with his apology.
He sat down at the table and nervously watched the door she would
appear through. When she wasn't there right away, he picked up his
own cup of coffee and took a sip. It was then that she decided to
come out and he nearly burnt his tongue on the hot liquid. She was
wearing his shirt and little else. He pulled the offending mug
from his mouth and placed the cup on the table.
"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.
"Morning," she said softly as she took in the table before her.
He rose to greet her and apologize for his disappearing act.
"Scully, I'm sorry for..." he began.
She touched his arm lightly and looked up at him. His speech
stopped and he knew she understood why he wasn't there when she
woke.
"This is lovely," She said as she took a seat across from his
spot.
Mulder sat back down and smiled at her across the table. She
looked beautiful and almost glowing in the morning light. Her
hair fell beautifully around her face and curled up slightly on
the ends.
'So this is what a post coital Scully looks like,' Mulder noted
to himself.
She quietly pulled apart her croissant and buttered it lightly
with her knife.
He sat and watched her intently, not missing a moment of her
movements.
"If you're going to stare at me like that all the time," she
said as she raised her eyes to greet him. "Things are going to
get even more awkward."
"Sorry," he said as he shook his head. "It's just...I'm still
sort of still not believing what happened actually...happened."
She smiled shyly up at him. "I believe we were both very much
present."
"Scully, I'm sure you must be thinking about all the
ramifications of..."
"Mulder, that's exactly what I'm trying not to do," she said as
she put down her butter knife and looked at him intently. "What
we did, what we're shared was wonderful and special and so
amazing..."
Mulder couldn't help but grin at her analysis of their coupling.
"But if I over think this, if I do what I usually do, and weigh
the pros and cons of continuing with this...we wouldn't."
"What?" Mulder asked shocked.
"I love you," Scully said as she clasped his hand across the
table. "But that still doesn't change the fact that getting
involved with each other might be the stupidest thing we
have ever done."
Mulder sat looking across the table at her dumbfounded.
"It doesn't make it wrong, and it's not something I regret
but...but I'm trying to not think about it too much. Because
if I do, I can't help but conclude that we shouldn't continue
on this path."
Mulder took a deep breath and was about to argue the point
with her, when she continued.
"But my brain isn't the only organ that gets a say in this
decision," she said with a sly smile. "My heart...Mulder, my
heart would break if I could never touch you or kiss you
or feel you again. I can't allow my brain to make a decision
that would break both our hearts."
She squeezed his hand and he looked up into her shimmering
eyes.
"So, if you'll have me..." she began.
Mulder leaned across the table and kissed her thoroughly on
the lips. She returned the kiss in kind and he slid out from
his chair and kneeled before her on the floor kissing her
and caressing her bare thighs as she ran her hands through his
hair.
She slowly started to stand and he raised himself to join her.
Her bare legs swished next to his as she guided him back
towards her bedroom. The growing erection in his sweat
pants bobbed up against her stomach as his hands reached around
and grabbed onto her ass. He felt her muscles tense and then
relax as his hands kneaded her and slipped under her panties.
"I'm going to have trouble walking," Scully joked as her knees
hit the edge of her bed and he yanked her panties down her
body as she pulled off his shirt.
"You don't need to walk right now," he murmured into her ear
as he pulled his own pants down and his member, now completely
hard, got even harder when it touched her bare skin.
She sat down carefully on the edge of the bed and came face to
face with his red, palpitating cock. He was just about to
guide her back into a lying position, when she took him in her
mouth. He gasped in surprise and then felt himself hunching
over her body looking for support. Her mouth sucked hard on
him as her tongue ran his length.
"Oh my god," he moaned as she continued to pull him in and out
of her sweet, wet mouth.
He watched as her red hair cascaded around her face and, with
her eyes closed, she slowly and sensuously sucked him like the
most delicious popsicle she had ever encountered.
As he felt his climax building, he firmly grabbed hold of her
shoulders and stopped her from any further action. He wanted
to give her pleasure too and if they stayed this course any
longer that possibility would diminish.
She released him from her mouth and then looked up longingly
into his eyes. He laid her back slowly and crawled up her naked
length. He took a perfect nipple into his mouth and sucked hard
on it, knowing that the act was bringing her both pleasure and
pain. She squirmed beneath him and he climbed further on top
of her. She smiled below him, knowing exactly what his intent
was.
He entered her in one swift movement and his piercing caught her
a little off guard. She gasped below him and watched a smile
tease its way across his mouth. He was enjoying this new aspect
to their relationship.
His pumping was cadenced and she felt herself quickly building
toward climax as she wrapped her legs around him and dug her
heels into his lower back. She felt his hand reach around and
hold her by her knee as he slowed his motion and brought her
one leg up higher so her foot rested on his shoulder. He
repeated the same action with her other leg and she felt her
butt rise up off the bed.
Mulder then leaned forward and Scully suddenly had her knees
on either side of her head. He was very deep inside of her
and hitting her G spot time and time again with the head
of his cock. Words failed her as her powerful orgasm washed
over her body and she pulled at his back, one nail breaking
in the process. Her body quivered below him as she rode out
the long intense orgasm and he watched every second of her
pleasure.
"Oh, my god," she gasped as her orgasm ended and she came
back to him.
Mulder slowly lowered one of her limp legs at a time down onto
the bed as she wiped the fine sheen of sweat from her brow.
Her skin glowed a distinct hue of pink that Mulder attributed
to her sexual satisfaction.
"You liked that," he whispered as he slowly began to move in
and out of her again.
She smiled broadly and he took that as his answer.
She pushed against him as he pumped into her and sucked hard on
her other nipple. Scully helped Mulder work toward an orgasm
for quite some time before he came inside of her. Apparently,
coupling three times since yesterday had taken it's toll on
him as well. His orgasm was rewarding but less intense than
the others, as his body was taxed and every bit of energy
after a short night's sleep was sapped from him.
"You look exhausted," she said as she wiped his hair from his
face. "How long have you been up?"
"Since four," he groaned as he pulled out of her and lay next
to her on the bed, his arm around her waist.
Scully could feel the raw skin between her legs and knew that
she would be sore for a day or two. She had not had sex with
a man in years and her body was not used to this kind of
repetitive rubbing and intense pumping.
"What did you find?" She asked as she stroked his back.
"Saunder Miller was over at the Fisher farm the night of
Fannie's rape," Mulder said as he looked into her eyes. "In
her testimony she said there was a family dinner that night
and Saunder was listed as one of the guests."
"How could we miss the fact that he was at the farm during the
rape?" Scully asked, her body suddenly alert and angry.
"He wasn't there at the time of the rape," Mulder said placing
a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "He was there earlier in
the evening, not at the time of the attack. He went home with
his family in a wagon and was actually probably en-route home
or just arriving there when Fannie was attacked."
Scully looked at him confused. How was this information
relevant then?
"Fannie said she had sick hens, right?"
"Yes," Scully nodded.
"She also testified that she wasn't alerted to their illness
until supper time...suppertime with Saunder."
"Okay," Scully responded, still unsure of where this was
going.
"What if, Saunder did something to make the hens sick? What
if he set up the situation where he knew his cousin would
be concerned for her hens and possibly alone in the barn
later that night. What if he is the one who sets up the
situations and Jacob performs the assault?"
Scully was silent for a moment, her eyes slowly widened with
the realization that Mulder was onto something that could
break their case.
"So Saunder is the brains behind the assaults?"
"Jacob assaults the women because he's angry and thinks he
has the right to take these women against their will. And
Saunder is the sadistic bastard that plans everything so
these women get what they 'deserve'" Mulder noted.
"But the two men don't seem to associate with each other,"
Scully poked a hole in his theory.
"It wasn't until this morning that I thought of them in this
sort of relationship. Maybe we just didn't see it." Mulder
stifled a yawn.
"True," Scully agreed as she starred at the ceiling.
"We'll know if they are working together if Jacob shows up
at the Fisher farm when he thinks you're alone. He would
have no way of knowing unless Saunder alerted him to
this."
"So, Saunder picks the women?"
"Saunder picks women he thinks are not fulfilling their role
as a proper Amish woman, and then he sends out his errand boy
Jacob, to 'teach them a lesson'" Mulder said as he yawned.
"Have a nap," Scully said as she leaned over to kiss his
cheek. "I'm going to look into this a bit more."
She rose from the bed and walked bare-assed toward the
bathroom where a shower awaited. Mulder watched the view of
her hips swaying and thought he could get used to that.
****************************************
The ride back to the Fisher farm had been a little agonizing.
Abram had arrived later than expected and the two agents,
although they enjoyed their time together, were anxious to
get back to the case. Mulder felt well- rested having napped
for most of the morning and Scully had slept in this morning.
Even though their sexual encounters had been exhausting, the
time spent together and away from others had also been
rejuvenating. Now, with clear suspects in mind and some
information they had gathered that afternoon they felt prepared
to take them on.
"So you and Ruth and Fannie are okay with going away on
Saturday?" Mulder asked as they bumped closer to the house.
Abram just nodded his head in acknowledgement. "We will visit
my cousin Rachel."
"Who is Rachel?" Scully asked, interested.
"An older cousin of mine who lives a couple of hours away,"
Abram explained. "She can always use the help around the
house and likes some company. We usually visit her once
every couple of months like the rest of my family."
"But she still lives on her own?" Scully inquired.
"We Amish don't do retirement homes like you English," Abram
laughed. "We live in our homes and we die in our homes. The
community takes care of each other."
"That is something I quite admire about your religion," Scully
noted. "Everyone pitches in."
Abram nodded and turned down his driveway.
"And I've booked Fannie in for an ultra sound Saturday
afternoon at 4pm," Scully clarified for them. "Just so you
can make sure everything is okay with the baby."
"I'm not so sure she needs these medical scans," Abram said.
"Abram, please?" Scully asked. "At the very least, having this
ultrasound will allow Fannie to begin to bond with her child."
"Okay," Abram agreed softly. He wanted what was best for his
grand daughter and if this would help, he would agree.
"So Saturday I will ride away with you, in case anyone is
watching, and then double back to the farm and somehow sneak
back inside."
"How do you plan to do that if someone is watching?" Abram
asked, interested.
"We haven't figured that out yet," Mulder explained. "Maybe
I'll wait outside until its dark."
"That would be smart," Abram agreed. "We could also set up
some farm equipment near the house so you have things to hide
behind as you make your way inside."
"Would it not look out of place?" Scully asked.
"On the west side we have the most sun," Abram noted. "It
would not be unusual to move a bunch of equipment to that
side of the yard to wash it and let it dry in the sun. Or
treat the rust spots and paint them so they can dry in the
sun."
"Maybe we can start to place everything there tomorrow after
morning chores," Mulder said as his mind worked on the plan.
"I think that would be best," Abram agreed as the wagon came
to a stop in front of the farm house.
"Welcome back!" Fannie called from the porch, happy to have
Miriam back for company.
"Hi Fannie!" Scully called over to her, equally happy to see
her again too.
"How's your Aunt Clara?" Fannie asked as Mulder helped Scully
down from the wagon.
"She's good," Scully said with a smile. "She was happy we
could come."
Mulder walked past her with their bag and Scully walked in to
the house, her arm linked with Fannie's.
"Come on and eat, before its cold!" Ruth called from the
kitchen.
Abram walked directly to the kitchen, obviously hungry; leaving
Scully and Fannie alone in the living room.
"Fannie," Scully asked, trying to seem casual. "That night in
the barn when your hens were sick...how did you find out they
were?"
Fannie looked at Scully puzzled for a moment.
"My aunt Clara had some hens behaving strangely and I was
wondering..." Scully explained.
"Well, they had seemed fine up until Saunder told me he'd been
in the barn and one hen was pecking so forcefully at itself it
was bleeding. When I went outside to check during dinner, I
discovered he was right. Except at that point it was four hens
and I had to put cones on their necks so they wouldn't harm
themselves. It was the strangest thing..."
"Why?" Scully asked, interested.
"They only acted that way for the night. The next day, my
brother checked on them for me while I rested and he said they
were completely fine again."
"That is strange," Scully noted.
"Come and eat," Ruth ordered from the edge of the living room.
"Coming," Fannie replied. "Is that how your aunt's hens were
acting?"
"No," Scully said. "They were bumping into walls."
"Oh," Fannie said as she guided Scully towards the kitchen.
"Must be something else."
"Yes, it must be," Scully agreed as she walked into the kitchen.
****************************************
Mulder woke at his usual early morning hour and, naturally,
felt sad that he had to extract himself from Scully's warm
body which was lying curled up next to him. She hardly
stirred as he got out of bed and dressed and, when he kissed
her softly on the cheek before he left the room, she mumbled
something incoherent and rolled over.
He spent the morning with Abram doing his regular milking
chores before joining Scully, Fannie, and Ruth for breakfast.
Everyone seemed a little ornery and spoke little before
he returned outside once again. He suspected his and Scully's
attitude was related to the early morning hours, and that Ruth
and Abram's had to do with the trip and ultrasound tomorrow.
Isaac Lapp was happy to see him back and even more contented
when Abram said the two of them would be making deliveries
together today. Mulder helped Isaac load the containers onto
the wagon and heard Isaac instruct other men to move some of
the heavy equipment to the west side of the house for rust-
proofing.
"So Abram said something about you already going away again?"
Isaac asked as they bumped down the road.
"Yes," Mulder answered as he shielded his eyes from the glare
of the sun. "Our cousin Rachel needs some work done at her
farm. Abram wanted to go with just Ruth and Fannie, but I
insisted I go as well, he shouldn't be climbing ladders and
moving heavy things on his own."
"No, it's not good for him," Isaac agreed. "He seems to be
doing better since you have been at the farm."
"Good," Mulder smiled over at Isaac.
"But you are leaving Miriam?" Isaac asked, interested in this
odd way of doing things.
"She needs to take it easy since her sun sickness," Mulder
explained. "She just got back and that little trip exhausted
her. I don't want to make her go on another so soon, but
Abram promised Rachel he'd come so I must go too."
"I see," Isaac said thoughtfully. "She was very sick. How is
she now?"
"She does well for most of the day, but needs a nap halfway
through," Mulder explained. "She sleeps heavily at night and
should stay out of the sun as much as possible."
"I see why you are leaving her at home," Isaac nodded. "Why
not see if she can stay with Luke and Martha again? I'm sure
they..."
Mulder chuckled next to Isaac. "Luke and Martha have been more
than good to us, but Miriam already thinks she's imposed on them
enough. No, she'll be fine on her own for the afternoon and
hopefully we'll make it back by the night."
"You may stay away?" Isaac asked, surprised.
"Abram promised Rachel some roof repairs. I don't know how much
needs to be done or how long it will take so..."
"I see," Isaac mumbled.
"It is not how I would like it to be but..."
"I know," Isaac agreed.
They pulled into the Miller's driveway as Saunder was exiting
in his wagon. Isaac slowed their wagon next to his.
"Good day Saunder!" Isaac called cheerily.
"Good day," Saunder said flatly back.
"You off for a visit?" Isaac inquired.
"No, I have to go into town for some errands," Saunder explained.
Mulder knew when he looked at the bag next to Saunder on the seat,
that by its shape and size, he was headed into town to visit the
library and return books. Saunder had been doing this regularly
for years, but had kept it quiet from the Amish community.
"Nice day to be out," Mulder called over from his seat next to
Isaac.
"Yes, it is Samuel," Saunder greeted him. "How is your wife
doing?"
"She's still recovering but better each day," Mulder explained.
"Good," Saunder said non-committally.
Mulder could tell he was anxious to get on his way.
"Saunder, speaking of my wife, I was wondering if I could ask
you a favour?" Mulder inquired.
"Uh, sure," Saunder answered.
"I have to accompany Abram on a trip to see our cousin Rachel
and do some repairs to her roof. He wants to go alone, but with
his health I want to go as well. Miriam can't travel again with
her sun sickness and will be alone on the farm tomorrow afternoon
and evening. Can you keep an eye out for her? Maybe check in on
her?"
Saunder shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Uh, sure, but where
will Fannie and Ruth be?"
"They are going with Abram and we hope to be back by nightfall but
if the repairs are more than I expect...we may stay the night with
Rachel. And seeing as you are the closest farm without your own
family to care for..."
"I will help," Saunder smiled at Mulder. "I'll check on Miriam and
keep an eye out for anything on the farm."
"Thank you," Mulder smiled back at him, grateful he had caught him
before he left so the plan wouldn't be wasted. "We won't keep you
from your errands."
"Good day!" Saunder called cheerily to them as he coaxed his horses
forward.
They continued down the driveway toward the main house where Sarah
Miller waited for them on the front porch.
"You know we are a close farm too," Isaac pointed out. "I could
have watched out for your Miriam."
"I'm sorry, Isaac," Mulder apologized. "I guess I forgot about down
the road, I was thinking of the farm we can see from the back porch."
"I hadn't thought," Isaac said, seeming to apologize. "They do have
a clearer view."
Mulder nodded in agreement. He hoped Isaac didn't feel too left out.
"Sarah, how nice of you to meet us!" Isaac called as the back of his
neck blushed.
Mulder looked between the two infatuated people before him and felt
horribly out of place.
****************************************
Friday night Mulder and Scully sat in the living room with
Ruth, Abram and Fannie.
"So, why are we visiting Rachel?" Fannie asked.
"I promised her I would help around the farm," Abram
explained. "And I thought you and your grandmother would
be good company for her."
"So Samuel and Miriam are staying back?" Fannie asked,
still unsure.
"Miriam is," Mulder interjected. "I don't want your
grandfather climbing ladders and hauling equipment."
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Abram complained. The complaint
seemed genuine in nature and Mulder applauded him for his
acting skills.
"And I will make sure you are," Mulder smiled at him.
"So Miriam will be alone?" Fannie asked.
"I'll clean out the pantry," Miriam explained.
"I can stay and help Miriam," Fannie volunteered.
"There's another reason why we are going," Abram explained.
"Why?" Fannie asked.
"Fannie, we want you to see a doctor about the baby...have a
test to make sure everything is okay," Ruth explained.
"Why would everything not be okay?" Fannie asked as her hand
immediately went to her belly.
"It's just with how you got pregnant..." Ruth began. "I
just think we should check that the baby is okay."
"What kind of test?" Fannie asked.
"Just a scan," Scully explained. "They will rub some
liquid on your belly and then put a camera over it. When
I...when I lost our baby, I had to have one. It doesn't
hurt."
"Okay," Fannie said softly.
"Good," Ruth smiled. "We should all get off to bed; we
have a long day tomorrow with the bridal shower and then
the trip to Rachel's."
Everyone got up from their chairs and turned down the
lamps before they walked upstairs. They exchanged wishes
for a good sleep and went to their respective rooms.
"That went well," Scully said quietly as they shut the
door to their room.
"Fannie wanted to stay back with you," Mulder said as he
removed his shirt.
"Yeah, she did," Scully smiled as she started to undo her
dress.
"She's really going to miss you," Mulder said, warning
Scully of the consequences of their undercover work.
"I know," she said sadly as she pulled her dress from her
body. "I don't know what I can do..."
"Maybe you can offer to visit," Mulder said as he stepped
from his trousers and folded them.
"If she'd want me to, I'd like that," Scully said as she
reached for a nightgown in a drawer.
"I think she'll understand," Mulder said as he climbed
into bed in his underwear.Scully turned from him and
carefully removed her undershirt.
"Trying to remain mysterious?" Mulder chuckled. "Isn't
the cat out of the bag?"
"Ha Ha," she said in an exaggerated voice. She then
pulled her nightshirt over her head before turning to
face him.
"So why the mystery?" He asked, interested.
"I don't know it's just..." she stammered. "It's just
we're on a case and...and we're at Abram and Ruth's."
"I get it," he smiled at her then rolled to turn out the
lamp on the bedside table.
She climbed in bed next to him and turned to face him
more fully. "Am I being ridiculous?"
"No, you're not," he said with a soft smile.
"Thank you," she said softly as she lay down.
He lay on the pillow next to her and wrapped an arm
around her back, pulling her closer to him. "Are you
ready for tomorrow?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," she sighed as she snuggled
into his body.
"As soon as it gets dark I'll get into the house, before
that, I'll watch it."
"I don't think he'll try anything until it's later,"
she said.
"He has struck in the daytime so there's no precedent to
say otherwise." He explained. "I want you to lock the
doors and windows until you get the signal from me that
I'm watching the house."
"Isn't that very un-Amish?" She asked.
"It's safer is what it is," Mulder said with authority.
"Once you see I'm there, you can unlock them."
"Fine," she agreed.
"And you have the shower beforehand?"
"In the morning," she said. "It'll be interesting to
see what games Amish women play at these things."
"There are games?"
"Very silly ones," she smiled.
"Well, enjoy," he said with a yawn.
"Goodnight," she said as she manoeuvred herself to
kiss him on the lips.
He returned the kiss, a little startled by her
action.
"What happened to professionalism?" He asked with a
chuckle.
"Lighten up, Mulder," she whispered.
She then felt his hand riding up her thigh under her
nightgown.
"Mulder!" She quietly chastised.
"Oh, now you bring out the rules again," he chuckled
as his hand moved back down her leg and lifted off it.
"Good night," she sighed as she laid her head on his
chest.
"Good night," he snickered as he kissed the top of
her head.
****************************************
Dana Scully sat amidst a group of young women playing party
games filled with sexual innuendo and was surprised no one
else seemed to notice. She couldn't get over the sheer
number of party games that involved pegs and holes, or
holding a long cylindrical object between a woman's teeth,
or pumping an object. If the women around her had not been
taking the party games so seriously, she would have burst
out laughing.
"Miriam, do you want a turn with the cucumber game?" Bertha
Kitzen asked her, harshly.
"No," Scully smiled, trying to contain her silliness, "I'm
fine, thank you."
"Are you okay?" Bertha asked, suddenly full of concern.
Scully smiled warmly at her, knowing that Bertha's concern
was genuine. Bertha was there when Scully had collapsed at
the picnic.
"I'm good Bertha, thank you," Scully said softly. "I feel
like myself again."
"I wasn't sure if you and Fannie would be here," Bertha
admitted with a smile. "I'm glad you were well enough to
come, I..."
"Bertha, can you get some more lemonade?" a young woman
asked as she approached them.
"Uh, sure," Bertha said sadly.
Miriam could tell Bertha had wanted to talk more, but had
been pulled away by her duty to her sister.
"Congratulations," Scully smiled at Jane Kitzen. "Are you
excited?"
"I am," Jane smiled at Scully. "Joel is a good man and
he'll continue to work in his father's business."
"What's his father do?" Scully asked as she watched a bunch
of women gather presents into a common area near a chair.
"He makes furniture," Jane said distractedly as she looked
at the women working busily to get her chair ready.
"That is good work," Scully said nicely.
"Jane!" A young woman called to her. "You need to open
your gifts."
"Sorry, I have to go," Jane smiled at Scully.
Scully watched as she walked over to her haul and sat in
the chair awaiting her first gift. Ruth had been kind
enough to help Scully prepare a table cloth that had some
simple stitch work along the edge. It wasn't nearly as
pretty as some of the other gifts she was sure Jane would
receive, but it was the first gift Scully had made for
someone since she was ten years old.
"Miriam," Martha smiled at her as she walked up beside her.
"Martha, so good to see you," Scully smiled warmly at her.
"Good to see you too," Martha said as she looked over at
Jane starting to open her gifts."Fanny said you'll be by
yourself for most of the day."
"Yes, Samuel doesn't want Abram taxing himself too much
so he's decided to go with him and help," Scully explained.
"You can stay with us, if you like," Martha offered.
"Thank you Martha, but I'll be fine," Scully assured her.
"I just think," Martha said ain a whisper. "With everything
going on...you might be safer at our house."
Scully nodded, wanting to get out of this invitation so
that their plan to trap the rapist would work. "I'll be
fine Martha."
"I just think..." Martha started again.
"Thank you Martha!" Jane gasped as she held up a beautiful
cross stitched picture.
"God bless!" Martha said loudly back.
Scully took that moment as an opportunity to slip away.
"Excuse me, Martha," she said as she walked toward the
washroom.
"Oh, of course," Martha smiled at her and lowered her head.
Scully paced for a while in the washroom, hoping Martha was
still not waiting for her on the other side. It would be
hard avoiding her invitation, considering the sexual
assaults that had been happening in the community, but
Martha didn't know it was her job to catch this man.
Scully wondered silently if Martha and the other women she
had met would understand when they found out she had been
an impostor. She hoped she would have an opportunity to
explain herself at some point in the future.
When she exited the washroom Martha had left the area and
Scully let out a sigh of relief. Many women were still
focused on Jane opening gifts, while others were busily
preparing some pies in the kitchen.
Fannie approached Scully looking very pale and sick.
"Fannie?" Scully asked as she approached the young women.
"I don't feel so well," Fannie said softly.
"Is it the...your stomach?" Scully asked.
"It's that and my back," Fannie said softly. "I just
need to lie down."
"Let's get back to the farm," Scully said softly as she
helped Fannie outside to the buggy.
Scully carefully helped her into the buggy and then took
the reins herself. Within minutes Fannie was doubling
over in pain.
"Fannie?" Scully asked, startled by her sudden change in
demeanour.
"Owww," she screamed.
Scully pulled the buggy to the side and immediately
reached to feel Fannie stomach.
"Is it a sharp pain or a dull pain?" Scully asked.
"Dull, it's a...a dull pain from my back all the way to
my stomach," Fannie said while catching her breath.
"I need to get you lying down," Scully said as she looked
around them and spotted Ruth and Abram's farm just a few
miles away. "Are you okay until we get home?"
"Hurry," Fannie said softly.
Scully snapped the reigns and the buggy took off down the
road, the horses trotting quickly and kicking up dust all
around them.
Within minutes they were at the Fisher farm and, spotting
Mulder, Scully yelled for help.
Mulder ran beside the carriage to Scully's side, ready to
help her when he noticed her hovering over Fannie.
He ran around to the other side of the buggy and reached to
pick up Fannie.
"Ahhhh," Fannie yelled.
Mulder backed away and looked at Scully for direction.
"She has pain in her back and stomach, she needs to lie
down," Scully said worried.
"Fannie, I need to get you to your bed," Mulder explained
as he reached under her to pick her up.
Fannie slumped against him and held her stomach tightly as
he carried her upstairs.
"What's going on?" Ruth asked as she appeared at the side
of the house with a basket of vegetables. "Fannie?"
"She's having some pain," Scully explained as she followed
Mulder inside.
Ruth ran to the back of the house and called for Abram.
Scully and Mulder went upstairs and she watched as he
carefully laid Fannie on the bed. Immediately she saw
some blood on the back of Fannie's skirt."Thank you Samuel,"
Scully said softly as she indicated toward the door with a
nod of her head.
"I'll...I'll be outside," Mulder said worried as he backed
away from them.
"Fannie, I need you to trust me," Scully said as she walked
toward the bed.
****************************************
Scully stood next to Mulder and watched the ambulance pull
away from the Fisher farm. Mulder had, wisely, used his
hidden cell phone to call an ambulance for Fannie. Ruth
and Abram both rode in the ambulance with her and the
paramedics to a nearby hospital. Scully was sure Fannie
was miscarrying and, despite the circumstances of her
pregnancy, felt very sorry for Fannie.
Scully had revealed herself as a medical doctor, quickly
divulging her status as an undercover FBI agent as well.
Fannie was shocked, but her current circumstances
allowed her to ask few questions as the pain and the
imminent loss of her child was at the forefront of her
thoughts. She trusted Scully enough to allow her to
examine her and determine that the blood was indeed coming
from her vagina.
The ambulance had arrived quickly; apparently they had
responded to a call in town about an elderly person in
distress and were in the area. Fannie was whisked off
by surprised paramedics who heard Scully, Amish woman,
spouting off medical terminology like a doctor.
"Has she lost it?" Mulder asked grimly.
"Not yet," Scully said coolly. "But she will."
Scully turned to walk back in the house, suddenly tired
from all the action. Mulder followed her inside.
They both sat heavily on the sofa, silence enveloped the
room.
"Maybe it's for the better," Mulder finally said.
Scully turned and starred at him, incredulous. After
everything she had gone through with Emily a year and a
half ago, how could he say something like that to her
of all people? She groaned and got up to leave the
room before she said something she would regret.
"Scully? Where are you...?" He asked, surprised.
"I'm leaving," she said angrily as she walked into the
kitchen.
"Leaving for where?" He asked as he got up to follow her.
"Leaving your general vicinity," she fired back.
"Did I...? What did I...?" He asked, his mind searching
for the answer before he asked the question. When he
entered the kitchen she was just standing looking out
the window above the sink, her hands clenched at her
sides.
She turned to look at him, red-faced. He stood looking
at her open-mouthed.
"Mulder, that young girl is going through something
horrific right now," she said angrily. "No matter how she
got pregnant...that was going to be her child and that
loss is very real."
"I...I didn't say it wasn't," he responded haughtily.
"I'm just saying that given the circumstances, her age,
her upbringing, her community...that this, as bad as it
is, gives her a chance to start again."
"Not everyone gets to start again!" She snapped back.
He starred at her; realization hitting him suddenly. She
was sad for Fannie but this loss of an unexpected child
was also hitting her very close to home. Emily.
"Scully," he said softly. "I don't mean to imply that
this is not a loss, a very real loss."
He saw her shoulders relax slightly.
Silence again filled the space between them. He didn't
know what he could say to make her believe he didn't
think her loss was real. So he did the only thing he
could think of; he crossed the room and held her against
him. At first she resisted, but not enough to cause him
to stop. Then, she melted into his embrace.
"Mulder," she mumbled against his chest.
He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. The
loss of Emily was something she guarded closely, something
she kept him and everyone else in the dark about. She had
been stoic, closed, quiet the whole time; never wanting to
talk about Emily.
"Do you want to talk about her?" Mulder asked softly.
He felt her nod against him in the negative.
"Okay," he cooed as he rocked back and forth with her.
Not a tear was shed, but it was the first time she had
opened herself up to him about the loss of Emily. He
hoped she would feel confident letting him in again, once
this case was done.
"You better get going," Scully said as she pulled away
from his body.
"Scully, I don't think the plan is..."
"Mulder, who knows if he's already watching the house,"
she noted. "If he is, then he's waiting to see if you'll
leave. If he isn't then he doesn't know about Fannie
leaving with Ruth and Abram in the ambulance. Either way,
you need to leave me alone."
Mulder nodded, agreeing with her conclusion.
"So either way, I need to make it look like I've left and
you're alone," he said as he rubbed his chin.
"So you better get going,' she said as she looked up at
him.
"You'll lock the doors until I get back?" He asked.
"I promise," she said.
"I'll throw some rocks at the kitchen window when I'm back
and you can open up the side door so I can slip in," he
said.
"Sounds like a plan, but what are you going to do with
the buggy?" She asked.
"I'll have to figure something out," he said as he donned
his hat. "Someplace safe for the horses for the night,
but out of the way so no one spots them."
"I'll get some stuff done around here while you're gone,"
Scully said eyeing the pantry.
"I'll hitch up the horses and you'll lock the doors?" He
asked, re-assuring himself.
"Mulder," she murmured.
"Just making sure," he said as he leaned down to kiss her
softly on the lips. "I'm sorry I was insensitive."
"I know," she said softly back to him when she returned his
kiss. "Be careful."
"You too," he said seriously before he walked out the back
door.
She shut the door behind him and turned the latch to lock
it. She walked to the front door and did the same. Now,
she just had to wait.
****************************************
Scully was up to her armpits in pickled vegetables in the
pantry when she heard someone tapping on the kitchen door.
She brushed her hands against her apron and stepped
outside the pantry closet to see Saunder Miller standing
at the back door. The sun was just starting to set and
Mulder was probably still making his way back to the Fisher
farm.
Scully plastered on a soft smile and eyed the knife block
in the corner of the kitchen, knowing that would be her best
weapon if Saunder made a move. Making yourself known to your
victims didn't fit this rapists MO but if Scully had learned
one thing in all her years with the Bureau, it was that
criminals are unpredictable.
"Saunder Miller," she said as she opened the door for him.
He took a step inside and took off his hat.
"Miriam, Samuel asked me to check in on you and make sure
you were okay," Saunder explained as he looked around the
room.
"I'm good," she smiled warmly at him. "I thank you for
your kindness."
"Mother thought she heard a siren earlier this afternoon,
but she wasn't sure," Saunder said as he walked around
the room.
"Fannie became quite ill and Samuel went to the Briggs
farm to call for one," she explained. "Abram and Ruth
went with her."
"I hope the baby's okay," he said clearly.
Scully was taken aback by his knowledge of Fannie's
pregnancy; information she thought no one else knew except
Fannie's parents and Matthew Janz.
"Baby?" She tried to ask innocently.
"No need to lie Miriam," he said as he picked up a jar of
picked beets. "I know she is with child from her rape."
"Saunder, I don't know what to..." Scully began.
"Everyone will know soon enough," he explained as he peered
into the living room. "That is, if the child survives."
"Saunder, how do you know?" she asked as she inched toward
the counter where the knives were housed.
"My father and her father are close friends," Saunder
explained as he put down the beets. "He came to us to
ask for advice."
"Us?" Scully asked.
"My father relies on me a lot in matters like this one,"
Saunder explained as he puffed out his chest.
"So, what did you advise?" She asked, interested.
'That's man's business," Saunder said snapping his head
to look at her. "You'd do well to remember that."
"I'm sorry?" Scully asked.
"Work, making these kinds of decisions...Samuel should
be making them for you," Saunder said as he walked
toward her.
"Saunder I don't..." Scully started.
"He told me that you don't want to have children and
that you have these silly notions of writing children's
books," Saunder explained.
Scully lowered her head, trying to appear embarrassed.
"Miriam, I am only speaking so plainly because I will
be the next Bishop and I see the pain you are causing
Samuel with these unnatural ideas," he explained. "You
would do well to listen to your husband. Gott made him
the head of the household for a reason."
Scully merely nodded her head.
"If a man wants children Miriam, you'd do well to oblige
him lest he not wait for your permission," Saunder said
and Scully's eyes snapped up to look at him.
He looked sternly down at her. She felt that strength
of his conviction that he saw nothing wrong with a husband
raping his wife.
She merely nodded her head again as she swallowed hard.
"So Samuel went on his own?"
"Yes," she answered, barely audible.
"I'll keep an eye on you Miriam," he said with a smirk.
"Thank you," Scully smiled nervously up at him.
Saunder walked back towards the kitchen door, pausing
before he opened it.
"You'd do well to take my advice," Saunder said with
authority. "A man can only wait so long before the need
overpowers him. Children are Gott's blessing."
"Yes," Scully agreed, but then realized she'd been too
agreeable throughout their meeting and she needed to show
her independence before he left. "But the gift of writing
is also Gott's blessing and I'm not going to deny that
as well."
Saunder turned on his heel and eyed her carefully.
"It's a woman's job to please her husband," Saunder said
through gritted teeth. "Maybe you have to learn that your
needs and wants are secondary to his."
Scully swallowed hard. She worried suddenly that he would
try and attack her on the spot, despite his MO.
"I think that's something between me and Samuel," she said
with a lifted chin.
Saunder huffed loudly and turned quickly, walking out the
door and slamming it harshly behind him. She had set the
stage.
****************************************
It had taken Mulder much longer to get back to the Fisher
farm then he had hoped. It was dark now and he moved
easily, but stealthily, toward the piles of farming
equipment next to the house. Mulder was so confident
they were going to catch the rapist tonight that he
had driven the buggy as far as the cottage where he and
Scully had stayed, changed into his casual clothes, shaved,
holstered his weapon, and driven back in a car to the Amish
community. He knew the car would be a good cover because
no one in the Amish community would even look at him. He
would simply be English.
He hid the car amidst some trees and then had to walk back
to the Fisher's through the woods to stay hidden. The woods
proved to be more of a challenge then he wanted them
to be. He had to cross many creeks, go through barbed wire
fence from one property to the next (used to keep out
coyote-like predators) and had lost his direction at one
point and doubled back. The whole time he cursed himself
for not having a better plan in place. He hoped Scully had
done as he asked and kept the door locked.
When he finally got a good view of the kitchen, Scully was
no where in sight. He edged his way around the house toward
the living room and saw her sitting next to a lamp reading a
book. She looked calm to any outside person, but he saw the
strain in her face; she was wondering where the hell he was.
Mulder picked up a bunch of small stones he'd left near the
equipment and threw them towards the house. They rained
down on a living room window and Scully jumped at the noise.
Then, a small smile formed over her lips and she got up to
unlock the front and back doors.
Mulder followed her towards the kitchen, swiftly dodging
around the farming equipment and he watched her turn out the
lamp in the kitchen, getting rid of all light at that end of
the house. He could easily get inside. He was just about
the slink towards the back door when someone grabbed him from
behind and whacked him over the head, causing him to fall
unconscious to the ground.
****************************************
Over five minutes passed with Dana Scully standing in the
dark kitchen, her eyes adjusting to the complete blackness
around her while she waited for Mulder to come inside. He
was taking a long time, and she wasn't sure if that was
because he was being extra cautious or if he saw someone
making their way towards the Fisher farm and didn't want to
be spotted. Either way, her heart pounded in her ears and
every noise she heard caused her to startle.
She thought she heard something at the front of the house
and quickly made her way towards the living room. There was
a low light coming from a lamp she had been reading at, and
Scully quickly turned it out, thinking that Mulder wanted
access through the front of the house instead of the back.
It seemed odd that he wanted to change their plan, but
something must have spooked him. She sat on the living room
couch as her eyes again adjusted to the change in light.
She heard the front door slowly open and a heavy foot
stepped inside. She almost said his name until something
caught her about his figure. The man coming in the door was
shorter than Mulder, slightly brawnier than her partner.
Scully's eyes widened in realization and her heart began to
pound even quicker than before. Whoever was in the house with
her was definitely not Mulder, it was the rapist.
She inched her way along the couch, hoping his eyes were still
adjusting to the darkness of the room and that he hadn't
spotted her there. The movement caught his ears and he
immediately snapped his head towards her.
"Why are you sitting here in the dark Miriam?" The voice asked
from across the room, almost teasing. "You knew I'd come for
you, didn't you?"
Scully swallowed hard and decided in that moment she couldn't
hide from him anymore.
"Jacob, why are you here?" she questioned.
"I came because I heard you would be all alone." He said as
he moved toward her. "I thought that maybe you would need
some company."
"Jacob, you know coming here when no one else is around is
not right," she said as she thought of how many paces it would
take to get to the butcher block of knives in the kitchen.
"Miriam, stop playing the good Amish girl," he said as he took
another step forward.
She rose off the couch and inched her way toward the kitchen.
"I'm sorry?"
"I saw it in your eyes when you got here," he smiled at her.
"You need a real man in your life. Your husband is not enough
for you."
"Jacob, I think..." she started.
"Miriam, you are going to be special," Jacob said as he took
a large step towards her. "The others, I now realize, were
just practice for you. I want everything to be perfect for
us tonight."
"Perfect?" Scully questioned.
"It's why I've shown myself to you," Jacob said softly. "We
have something special between up Miriam."
"Jacob, I am a married woman and..." Scully said as she took
another step towards the kitchen. Jacob was closing in on her
more quickly now.
"And you need to know what satisfaction is," he smirked. She
could see his white teeth gleam in the darkness, he was that
close.
"I think you should leave," she said forcefully. "There has
been a misunderstanding and..."
In that moment, Jacob pounced toward her like a cat, grabbing
her arm and wrenching her whole body towards his. "You and me
are going to have some fun tonight and, I hear we have the whole
night."
Scully pulled against him and noticed that his eyes were cold,
like a shark's. As much as his words said he felt there was
something special between them, his eyes said he saw her as
an object. A woman, that he was going to rape and take great
pleasure in hurting and degrading for many hours. She needed
to get to the knives.
****************************************
Mulder woke to find someone shaking him and telling him
to get up. He opened his eyes and saw Isaac Lapp
panicked before him.
"Scully!" He snapped as he sat up quickly and grabbed
his head.
"Samuel, what are you doing dressed as an English?"
Isaac asked, worried.
"Why did you hit me?" Mulder snapped.
"I was watching over Miriam for you," Isaac said
panicked. "I saw an English man creeping around
the house and..."
"And you hit me over the head," Mulder concluded as
he strained to look inside the dark house. "How long
have I been out?"
"What?"
"How long?" Mulder snapped.
"I've been trying to wake you for about fifteen or
twenty minutes," Isaac mumbled. "I was just about to
go back to my house and..."
"Fuck!" Mulder swore as he tried to look into the
house. "Has anyone else been around?"
"What?" Isaac asked.
In that moment, Mulder realized Isaac had been so
pre-occupied with his unconscious and English state
that he probably didn't notice anything else.
Mulder made a decision to enter the house as quickly
but as quietly as possibly. If their rapist was in
the area, he didn't want to spook him. But, if Scully
was in danger, he needed to get to her as quickly as
possible.
"Why do you look like an English?" Isaac asked.
"Because I am," Mulder said as he started toward the
house, keeping low. "I'm FBI Isaac, now stay where
you are."
Mulder pulled his gun from his holster and crouched,
inching toward the house. He was sure Isaac's eyes
were wide at this moment, but right now all Mulder
could focus on was getting to Scully.
He entered through the unlocked kitchen door and
noticed that all lights were off in the house. His
eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness of the house
and he didn't spot her in the kitchen. He made his
way along a wall and into the living room and didn't
spot her there either.
He heard some noise upstairs and his head snapped
towards the stairs. He inched his way up the stairs,
his gun drawn. He hoped he would just find Scully
busying herself in their bedroom and then they could
laugh about the circumstance Mulder woke up to.
Then he heard a low male voice, he couldn't make out
what was said, but Scully responded and then a piece
of furniture was shoved across the floor.
Mulder quickly made his way up the stairs and towards
their bedroom, the only place there appeared to be any
sort of light.
"Let go!" Scully yelled.
"Miriam, you need to settle down so this is nicer for
you," Jacob Lapp said with authority.
"Stop!" Scully yelled loudly as Mulder banged open the
door and caught Jacob in his sightline.
Scully was tied to the bed partially naked, only one
leg was free and she was using it to kick at Jacob Lapp
who was trying to climb on top of her with his pants
down to his ankles.
"Hands up!" Mulder called with authority as he walked
into the room.
Jacob turned to look at him, astonished. He actually
froze in his spot above Scully, obviously stunned he
could be caught.
Mulder grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back off
Scully and slammed him against the wall.
"What...?" Jacob asked stunned.
Mulder slammed his body up against the back of Jacob
and further rammed him into the wall. "You have the
right to remain silent, asshole."
He grabbed a nearby set of suspenders and tied Jacob's
hands behind his back. He pushed him hard into a
corner of the room and Jacob went head first into a
wall.
Mulder immediately moved to Scully's side, not taking
his eyes off Jacob, but was satisfied when he saw the
man visibly slump. He undid one of her hands and then
pulled her skirt down over her exposed parts.
"Scully," he said softly as he sat down next to her.
"Thanks," she mumbled softly.
"Did he...?" Mulder asked, as he met her scared eyes.
She nodded her head in the negative and reached to
untie her other hand. "He had chloroform on a rag and
when I woke up I was tied down."
"So you don't know if he..."
"He said he was waiting for me to wake up so I could
enjoy myself," she mumbled, disgusted.
He patted her head and then reached to undo her leg.
"I'm so sorry; I was knocked out and..."
"Jacob knocked you out?" She asked astonished.
"Isaac," Mulder said as he undid the knot and massaged
her ankle.
"Isaac was in on it too?" Scully asked, astonished by
the turn of events.
"No," Mulder shook his head. "Isaac was trying to keep
an eye on you because you were alone and he saw an
Englishman sneaking around the house and..."
"He attacked you thinking he was saving me," Scully
smiled at Mulder.
"Something like that," Mulder smirked back. "Are you
okay, really?"
"I'm f..." she stopped herself; she was going to be
honest with him. "I'm...I'm shaken up and a little
embarrassed that I was knocked out so easily, but
physically I'm fine Mulder."
Jacob groaned in the corner, starting to wake up.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get back, I..."
"You got here," she said as she placed a hand over
his. "You got here."
"Did he say anything else?" Mulder asked as he saw
Jacob's bare hairy ass shift to the side.
"He admitted to raping the other women," Scully said
quietly. "He didn't say anything about Saunder's
involvement but when Saunder was by earlier..."
"He was what?" Mulder snapped.
Scully pulled his hand with her and guided him out
of the room and Jacob, who was slowly coming to.
"He came by to check on me around sunset. He seemed
to be casing the joint, looking to see if no one
else was around. Then he talked frankly with me about
my writing and denying you children. He basically
said that if I don't start giving in to you, that you
as my husband, had the right to rape me."
"He said that to you?" Mulder asked astonished.
"He creeped me out, Mulder," she said with a shiver.
"I have no doubt he's in on it."
"Maybe Jacob will give him up," Mulder said as he
started toward their bedroom again.
Scully caught him by the arm. "By the book, Mulder.
Don't let what you saw in there cloud your role. We
need this done cleanly."
Mulder let out a heavy sigh and the tension in his jaw
eased. She knew him so well. He wanted to make mince
meat of Jacob Lapp for what he had done to those women
and what he had done to her. He closed his eyes and
took a step back towards her. He hugged her tightly
against him and kissed the top of her head.
"I'll get the phone out of the room and you call it
in," Mulder said softly. "I don't want you around him,
so stay downstairs. I'll be a good boy, I promise."
Scully nodded and waited patiently for him to return.
Jacob groaned loudly and a shiver went involuntarily
down her spine. She was moments away from becoming his
latest victim. Although he hadn't penetrated her, he
had touched her, undressed her, and ogled her while she
was unable to do anything about it. She had still been
assaulted.
Mulder returned with the cell phone in his hand and
gave it to her.
"You okay?" He asked when he noticed the far-off look
in her eyes.
She nodded and tried to hide her watery eyes from him.
"Scully, you need to talk with someone, what he did to
you and the vulnerability you feel right now is..."
"I will," she said softly as she turned to go
downstairs.
He watched her walk down a stair before he called out
to her. "Call for Isaac to come in the house, he can
maybe keep you company while we wait."
She nodded her head in the affirmative and walked down
the stairs.
Mulder turned and with a pained expression, walked back
into the bedroom. Jacob was going to give him some
answers.
****************************************
Mulder hauled Jacob up off the floor and sat him down
heavily in a chair. His pants were still around his ankles
but his exposed penis was no longer erect. Mulder offered
him no opportunity to cover himself.
"Sorry I interrupted your fun," Mulder said as he took a
seat across from Jacob. "I guess a man like you is so
disgusting he feels he has to take women by force."
Jacob looked at him and straightened slightly in his chair.
"You are a police officer?"
"I am an FBI agent Jacob," Mulder said as he popped open
his badge. "So is Miriam."
Mulder then proceeded to mirandize Jacob, keeping to the
promise he made to Scully, but hoping he wouldn't clam up
and ask for a lawyer.
"I don't know what that FBI woman said, but she asked me
to come here tonight," Jacob said, cocky.
"Did she?" Mulder asked, interested.
"She's been attracted to me from the start," Jacob said,
rationalizing his actions.
"She was so attracted to you that you had to drug her and
tie her up to have sex with her?" Mulder asked, plainly.
"I could tell she wanted it that way," Jacob said as he
jutted out his chin.
"You could, could you?" Mulder asked. "Like those other
women asked to have you hold them down and have sex with
them in a ditch or their bed or the barn?"
Jacob made no reply.
"How did you choose these women to have sex with, Jacob?"
Mulder went a different direction.
Jacob made no reply again.
"I know you are a very robust man, Jacob," Mulder said,
trying to stroke his ego. "Many women must have wanted to
have sex with you. How did you choose the ones who
would?"
Jacob smiled a creepy smile. He bowed his head in
contemplation and then raised it to look more closely at
Mulder. "You looking for some advice, Englishman?"
"I..." Mulder started and then stopped when he heard
stomping feet running up the stairs. Isaac appeared in
the doorway, out of breath.
"Jacob you?" Isaac asked as he starred at his brother.
"You have been hurting these women? Fannie? Marike?
Beulah?"
"They are liars," Jacob said with authority. "And you are
so dumb you believe these stupid women. No wonder you are
going nowhere."
"You bastard," Isaac shouted as he lunged at his brother.
Mulder jumped from his seat and separated Isaac from his
brother's throat.
"Isaac!" He snapped. "Isaac!"
Isaac pulled back, huffing and puffing.
"I need you to help Miriam, keep her company until the
police arrive, Jacob tried to attack her tonight." Mulder
said as he held the young man back.
Isaac's eyes flashed in sudden awareness. Scully had
obviously not shared this detail with him.
"Did he...?" Isaac asked as he swallowed hard.
"No," Mulder said softly. "But she needs to feel safe and
you can help with that while I talk to your brother."
Isaac nodded his head mutely and relaxed under Mulder's
grip.
"I need you to do this for me," Mulder repeated again.
"Okay," Isaac said as he went to leave. Suddenly, he
turned back and looked at Jacob with rage and tears in
his eyes. "You are not my brother!"
Mulder watched as the younger Lapp brother walked
painfully downstairs.
"He's so stupid. He'll end up some woman's lap
dog," Jacob said snidely.
"But you won't?" Mulder asked.
"Never, I am my own man," Jacob said proudly. "Dignity
consists not in possessing honours, but in the
consciousness that we deserve them."
"Who taught you that?" Mulder asked.
"What do you mean?" Jacob asked, astounded.
"The quotation about dignity, where did you learn
that?" Mulder asked.
"I read it," Jacob stammered.
"You read Plato a lot?" Mulder asked.
"He is one of my favourite authors," Jacob smiled at
him snidely.
"And you read that quote in one of his mystery books?"
Mulder asked, setting the trap.
"Yes," Jacob said with authority.
"That's funny because he doesn't write mystery books and
the quote, the one about dignity, that's from Aristotle.
So why don't you tell me who taught it to you, was it
Saunder?"
"I don't need to be taught I..." Jacob muttered.
"Tell the truth Jacob! You are too stupid to do this on
your own!" Mulder yelled.
"No, I'm not stupid!" He yelled back. "I know more than
he thinks, he doesn't..."
"Then who thinks?" Mulder snapped as he leaned over Jacob's
frame.
"Saunder, he thinks I'm stupid but I know he's learning just
like me," Jacob explained.
"Learning what?" Mulder asked, not backing off.
"We will be the leaders of the community soon, we are
setting things up so the women are in line for when we
are in charge."
"Who is going to be in charge?"
"Saunder!" Jacob snapped. "He's going to be bishop and
he's making me his advisor."
"So he tells you which women need to be taught a lesson?"
Mulder leaned into Jacob's face.
"He knows more about these women because of his dad and his
uncle and..."
"What do his dad and uncle have to do with it?" Mulder
tried to not look surprised.
"Nothing," Jacob clammed up.
"Tell me!" Mulder shouted as he grabbed Jacob's shirt.
"I want to speak with my father," Jacob said.
"You have the right to a lawyer, not to your parents,"
Mulder said as he backed away from Jacob.
"Then I want one of those," Jacob said as he looked
Mulder square in the eyes.
In the distance, Mulder heard some police sirens
approaching. He wasn't going to get anything more out
of Jacob. But, he did need to order the arrest of
Saunder, his father and his uncle until more information
came to light.
****************************************
"How'd you know?" Mulder asked Agent Cowan shortly after
they arrived at the local precinct.
"Remember how Saunder went into town each week to the
library?" Alex Cowan asked. "Well, I tailed him this
week and got some ears on the conversation he had with
his uncle. We put two and two together and were in the
middle of arresting them when the call came in from the
Fisher farm. It was my next stop."
"And Jacob?" Mulder asked.
"The patrol unit that I sent over to his house arrived
just after he left." Alex Cowan hedged. "It took a lot
longer to put my people in place then I would have liked,
but with Silas Miller on local PD..."
"Say no more," Mulder waved his hand in the air.
"How is she?" Alex Cowan nodded his head in the direction
of Scully, who was sitting down at a desk writing out her
statement.
"She's...she's Scully," Mulder surmised. "I want to get her
out of here as soon as possible."
"I get that," Alex Cowan nodded. "After a whole summer
living like you have been, it'll be nice to be in your own
home, with TV and computers and all the conveniences."
A look of sadness crossed over Mulder's face. "Uh, yeah."
"I better get back in the interview with Silas," Alex
Cowan noted.
"His motivation was power," Mulder said bluntly. "Power
over his nephew. It was because he wasn't chosen for
bishop. That pain was deep and he wanted to regain some
measure of the authority he thought a bishop would have,
but it was misplaced."
"I heard you were good at your job," Alex smirked at him.
"And Saunder," Mulder continued. "He was in it for the
same reason, like in a family where abuse occurs each member
preys on the weaker ones. A father beats his son, the
son beats his little brother, and the little brother kicks
the dog."
"Except this time they thought they were also being
righteous," Alex added.
"Silas preyed on Saunder, goading him with promises of
power while he stroked his ego so he thought he was smarter
than everyone else. Silas used his intelligence and
research into psychology to convince Jacob that the women
deserved to be raped. And Jacob was such a misogynist
meathead he thought he was doing the community a favour
by putting these women in their place."
"And now we are going to put all three of them in the right
place; behind bars. Good work Agent Mulder."
"On a case like this, with all these victims," Mulder
starred off at Scully as she wrote. "There is no good
outcome."
He watched her put her pen down and sigh, she had finally
finished her statement. He grabbed her shawl off a nearby
chair and walked toward her.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said softly as he
touched her shoulder lightly.
She nodded and stood silently before him. He carefully
wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and tied it at the
front over her chest. They walked, wordless, out of the
station and across the street to the Best Western. As he
checked them in, he couldn't help but notice the stares
they were getting. An English with an Amish woman,
checking into a hotel together was obviously something
that didn't happen around her. For all intents and
purposes, Scully was still Amish in everyone's mind,
including her own.
"Is there a 24 hour store around here?" Mulder asked.
"There's a 24 hour Target across town," the clerk
explained.
"Thanks," Mulder smiled at her and took their key.
They spoke little, mostly about what had to be done
tomorrow, before she showered and went to bed wearing the
bathrobe supplied by the hotel. Mulder knew she needed
time. Scully had to process everything in her mind before
she would open up to him. He would give her all the time
she needed. He loved her too much to push. Mulder watched
her sleep for some time before he called the front desk
and ordered a cab. He needed to help her feel like Scully
again.
****************************************
Dana Scully slept fitfully that night. Her sleep was
continuously interrupted by visions of Jacob Lapp over
her and penetrating her. She had nightmares about him
doing vile things to her over the course of many hours
while they were alone in the house. She had horrible
images of Mulder finding her half dead the next morning
tied to the bed and bleeding.
She woke with a start over and over throughout the
night, sometimes yelling, sometimes panting. The first
few times she woke, Mulder wasn't there and she was
filled with a sense of dread, that he had chosen to work
the case instead of being with her. But then the next
time she woke he was there with a soothing voice, calming
her fears and easing her back to sleep.
In the morning, as the sun's rays made their way into
their room Dana Scully got up from their bed and saw a
sight that warmed her heart. Mulder was slumped in a
chair nearby with a mass of shopping bags surrounding
him. She walked the two steps to get beside him and heard
the soft snore emanating from his nose. He looked beat.
She peered into the one bag sitting at his feet and saw
what looked to be women's clothing. Without touching
the next bag she looked inside to see what amounted to
women's toiletries and makeup. Then, she looked into
the third bag and saw what appeared to be shoes.
When she reached into the last bag it rustled and Mulder
suddenly woke up.
"Scully?" He asked softly as he noticed her next to him.
"You went shopping?" She smiled at him.
"Once you fell asleep," he said as he rubbed his eyes and
sat up more fully. "I went to a 24 hour Target and
picked up some things for you. I figured you might want
to un-Amish yourself."
"Why didn't you just get out stuff from the car?" She
asked.
"The car was parked off the road near the Fisher farm and
getting there and back would have meant I'd be away from
you for too long. The Target was closer; this is Charm
Scully, across town means a five minute drive."
"So this little shopping spree of yours took...?"
"In and out of the store in 25 minutes," he said proudly.
"I can't wait to see what you managed to buy for me in
that time," she said ominously, wary of what she may
need to wear from Mulder's choices.
"I wanted you to feel like yourself again," he said,
touching her arm.
"Thank you," she smiled softly. "I want to feel like
myself too."
Scully took the bags and disappeared into the washroom
to shower and dress. Mulder watched her go then
immediately ordered some food to their room.
He went to the phone and called the station and got a
report from Agent Cowan. Jacob had confessed to all
the rapes but one, Fannie's. He said he had nothing
to do with that one but suspected Saunder could tell
them more. Jacob's family had refused to help him
with legal counsel so he was being represented by a
public defender.
Silas had lawyered up and was not saying a word about
his involvement. The FBI had enough on tape that they
could still convict him in the planning of the attacks.
He was the ultimate mastermind behind the attacks,
without him planting the seed in Saunder's mind, none
of this would have happened.
As for Saunder, Agent Cowan informed Mulder that he
refused to talk to anyone but him and he hadn't. Alex
was wondering if Mulder could come in as soon as
possible so he could possibly get a confession out of
him.
Mulder glanced toward the washroom and heard the shower
running.
"I can be there in about an hour," Mulder said. "Has
he requested a lawyer as well?"
"No, just you," Agent Cowan said cryptically.
Mulder swallowed hard. He would have a hard time keeping
his emotions in check when dealing with this psychotic
man, but he would have to for the sake of Scully, Fannie
and all the other women. They needed a confession out of
him to put him behind bars.
Twenty minutes later some cereal and toast arrived and
Scully emerged from the washroom wearing the navy blue
suit he had bought for her. The skirt was a little longer
then she usually wore, and the shoulders seemed a little
large for her, but to the untrained eye she looked
polished and pulled together.
"Nice choice, Mulder," she said with a small smile as she
turned in front of him to show him the whole outfit. "I
like the shoes."
"I had to guess at the clothing sizes," he admitted. "But
I think I was pretty close."
"The skirt's a little tight in the waist. Probably from
eating pie for dessert almost every day," she noted.
He smirked at her. She had a slight pie addiction now and
it was going to be a battle for her to let that one go.
"You look great and I have nice taste," he smiled.
"It was nice to shave my legs and put on a real bra and
underwear," she admitted.
"I liked shopping for those," he smiled.
"Did that take up twenty of your twenty five minutes of
shopping time?" She smirked at him.
"No, the makeup and facial cleansers took up the most
time," he explained. 'I don't know how you do it...sensitive
skin, waterproof, aloe, foaming, UV protection..."
She laughed at the image that immediately came to her head
of Mulder up to his armpits in women's toiletries and
looking completely baffled.
"Thank you for this," she said honestly.
Mulder walked toward her slowly, he didn't want to
intimidate or scare her in any way. But, he noticed she
visibly relaxed as he got closer.
"I think that this is just the first step," he said
softly. "You need to talk with Dr. Kossoff when we get
back. You can't do this alone."
"I know," she sighed as she leaned her head onto his
chest. "But I'm not alone."
"And you won't ever be," he said quietly as he wrapped
his arms around her.
They stood and swayed for several moments before she
broke the silence.
"I want to check on Fannie's condition," she said as
she pulled back.
"Uh, there's something I need to tell you about Fannie's
assault," Mulder began. "Jacob admitted to all of them
except hers. He left the police with the impression
that Saunder did it."
"Saunder?" She asked, astounded. Why would he rape his
cousin and Jacob all the other women?
"Has Saunder...?"
"He'll only speak to me so I should get over there to..."
"Mulder, I think you need to find this out from him, for
the sake of not only the investigation but Fannie. That
poor girl has been through enough and..."
"I'll find out why," Mulder said with conviction. "You go
and see if she's okay."
Scully nodded. The two agents reached for a piece of
toast before hey walked out the door of their hotel room.
****************************************
Mulder gazed into the interrogation room and watched
Saunder Miller closely. He sat at the table, a smug
expression on his face. He wanted only Mulder, so he
could play a game with him, then brag about what he
had achieved.
"You ready?" Alex Cowan asked from somewhere behind
him.
"As I'll ever be," Mulder said as he launched himself
toward the door.
Saunder's face lit up as soon as Mulder entered the
room. He was happy the agent had given in to his
request, he thought he had the upper hand and Mulder
wanted him to think that.
"You called?" Mulder said nonchalantly.
"Agent Mulder, not Samuel?" Saunder smirked. "You
look different without the beard and the clothes."
Mulder just gave him a small smile in return.
"We all believed you two were the real deal,
congratulations," Saunder again tried to start
a conversation.
Mulder sat across from him, he didn't say a word.
Saunder sighed, he was not happy with the way this
conversation was going.
"You're not at all curious?" Saunder asked, a smile
teasing it's way across his lips.
"I'm only here because they said you would only speak
to me, I'd rather be with my partner who was almost
raped by your puppet," Mulder said, seeming visibly
upset.
"Almost?" Saunder raised an eyebrow. "No one has
said whether he was able to complete the act or not.
Too bad."
Mulder flinched at his last words.
"She's more than a partner, eh?" Saunder said. "So,
it wasn't all an act."
"Why don't you just tell me what you want, so I can
get the hell out of here," Mulder retorted.
"Touchy," Saunder said softly.
Mulder didn't reply.
"Maybe she needed to be put in her place, Amish or
not. Ever think of that?"
"Why Jacob?" Mulder countered quickly.
"Jacob...he fit what I needed, he was a means to an
end," Saunder said as he sat back in his chair. "He
had a history of harming animals, taking liberties
with women when alone...it was only a matter of time
before he became what he was meant to be. I just...honed
his skills."
"Is that what you call it?" Mulder asked. "Did you
like to watch as he held them down and forced himself
inside them? As they screamed and begged? Was that
how you got off?"
"You think this was for sexual gratification?" Saunder
laughed at him.
"I know it was," Mulder said as he sat back and
crossed his arms over his chest.
"I didn't get aroused by watching them," Saunder
defended himself.
"But at one time you did," Mulder said forcefully. "When
did you first feel that rush of adrenaline when you
watched a woman powerless?"
"When I was younger," Saunder leaned forward
conspiratorily. "I saw Jacob hold down Beulah on the
coat room floor. She screamed to be let go. It was
the first time I..."
"You reached orgasm," Mulder finished. "And you liked
watching the other women get raped?"
"What kind of sick...?" Saunder began indignant.
"You watched them all Saunder, didn't you?" Mulder stood
from his seat and yelled.
"No, you pervert, I didn't..."
"You watched them beg, didn't you? You got off on them
crying and being helpless!" Mulder snapped again.
"No, after Sarah, I stayed away to protect them!" Saunder
lashed out.
"You protected them?" Mulder asked, dumbfounded.
"He hurt Sarah really bad when he saw me there. He was
performing for me and I agitated him. I stayed away after
that one. I made it less painful for them!"
"But you continued to set up the rapes?" Mulder eased back.
"It didn't change the fact that they all still needed to
be taught a lesson," Saunder smiled, his composure quickly
restored.
"But then it got to be too much, Jacob having all the fun
and you, not even watching anymore," Mulder went on. "So
you decided to rape Fannie on your own."
A smile spread across Saunder's face and he crossed his
arms over his chest.
"Why Fannie?" Mulder asked, hoping he had not lost the
momentum with Saunder.
"Is she still with child?" Saunder asked, playfully.
"You mean, your child?" Mulder pushed forward.
"I hear she was a lose woman and I would have to wonder
if..."
"The child your cousin now carries because you raped her
Saunder!" Mulder snapped again.
"She's a disgrace to her father now, he can't hold his
head up in the community with a whore for a daughter."
"This is about her father?" Mulder asked, interested.
"Righteous bastard," Saunder said snidely.
"How so?"
"Father was going to appoint him the next bishop!
After everything I've done, all the sacrifices!"
Saunder yelled.
"And he needed to be taught a lesson?" Mulder added.
"He did!" Saunder yelled.
"Raping his daughter was a good start," Mulder
continued.
"Yes! And then Gott smiled on me and she was with
child! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect
circumstance! He knew what I was doing was right!"
Saunder yelled, his face beat red.
"Gott knew?" Mulder asked. "Gott knew that you
raping Fannie was the right thing to do?"
"He gave me his blessing when he gave her that child, my
child, don't you see?" Saunder asked.
"No, Saunder, I don't," Mulder said rising from his
chair. "And neither will a jury."
"Gott is the only judge I fear," Saunder said, pious.
"I'd fear my new roommate in prison more," Mulder said
as he stepped out of the room.
****************************************
Mulder pulled up in front of the Fisher farm and noted
that another car was in the driveway, he guessed it was
Scully's but couldn't be sure.
"Samuel!" Abram called from over by the barn.
Mulder smiled at his continued use of his Amish name and
walked toward the man, smiling "You don't have to call
me that anymore, Abram."
"You will always be Samuel to me," Abram said good
naturedly.
"I will miss the time we spent together milking the cows,
out in the fields..." Mulder said with some sadness.
"But not the early morning hour?" Abram asked with a
mischievous smile.
"Let's just say that I'll never complain about an 8am
meeting again," Mulder laughed with him.
"So the community knows about us?" Mulder asked,
interested.
"Word is spreading," Abram said as he rubbed his chin.
"Martha was by earlier to see Miriam."
"Is anyone angry with you for lying and having us
here?" Mulder asked.
"No, they are just happy their daughters are now safe.
I think they'll realize that you English needed to do
this for us."
"Why is that?" Mulder asked, curious.
"Because we would never be able to see this evil in
each other, we are too close to see."
Mulder nodded his head in agreement. "How's Fannie?"
"Resting," he said quietly. "She lost one of the
babies but one is still hanging on."
"She was pregnant with twins?" Mulder asked, shocked.
"Yes, the scan showed one baby still inside and healthy,"
Abram said as they started to walk towards the house.
"Only time will tell, but she's convinced she can will
this one to stay."
"So she wants it?" Mulder asked.
"Once she started to lose the baby, I think that's what
convinced her she really wanted it."
"I have some information about the father that maybe I
should share," Mulder said softly as they came to a stop
outside.
"Jacob?" Abram asked with a scowl.
"No, Saunder. Jacob raped all the others but Saunder
raped Fannie," Mulder said with sadness. "He did it so
her father wouldn't be bishop. He said Gott blessed the
rape because he gave Fannie a baby."
Abram looked at his feet for quite some time.
"Gott did bless it," Abram said softly. "If he hadn't
have given her the baby it would just be a horrible
thing she suffered through. But the baby, somehow makes
it better, it gives her something that is good that came
out of all of this."
Mulder had a hard time agreeing with the man's reasoning,
so instead he just remained quiet.
"I'll tell her in a few days," Abram said quietly. "Once
all the worry about the baby has passed."
Just then, Scully appeared on the porch with their bag in
her hands and Ruth following close behind with a pie.
"I just spent some time with Fannie," she said softly.
"And Ruth wants us to take one of her peach pies."
"Ruth, you know you have got her quite addicted to your
baking," Mulder smiled up at the older woman.
"I don't know why she says it's one of my pies, she made
half of them herself, she's a good Amish woman afterall"
Ruth smiled back. "And she's become quite the baker so
she'd do well to stay in practice."
"Sounds like a great idea to me. I'm sure my stomach
will agree with you," Mulder smiled as he took the pie
from her and gave her a hug.
"But your waistline won't," Scully chided.
Ruth and Abram laughed at her joke.
"Thank you for all your hospitality," Scully began.
"I'm sure it wasn't easy having strangers in your
house but you always made us feel right at home."
"Thank you for being so good to Fannie," Ruth said
honestly. "We'll take good care of her and the baby."
"I hope she and the other women take the police up
on their offer of group counselling," Scully added.
Ruth and Abram were both silent. Counselling wasn't
the Amish way.
Scully gave them a tight-lipped smile; she knew exactly
what they were thinking.
"Here's my contact information," Mulder said as he
handed Abram his business card.
"When Fannie has the baby, will you let us know? We
may want to send something or come by to offer our
congratulations."
Abram smiled at him and took his card. "I will write
you when the baby arrives."
"Thank you," Scully smiled at him.
Mulder placed the pie in the back seat and walked
around the driver's side of the car. Scully got in the
passenger's side and the two of them waved to the
Fisher's before pulling out of their dirt driveway.
They drove in silence all the way down the Fisher's
road.
"You know, Alex Cowan said the cottage is rented out
for another week and a half, if you wanted to stay
there for some R&R you could, or we could," Mulder
offered.
"Mulder, as much as I loved most of my experience in
Amish Country, I think I need to get back to DC and
my real life," Scully said sadly.
"You sound so thrilled," Mulder said under his breath.
She sighed heavily.
"I wish they would get counselling," she finally
relented. "I plan on getting some and my ordeal
wasn't nearly as..."
"Don't minimize what happened to you," he said as
he placed a hand on her knee.
"I'm not saying that," she said forcefully. "I'm
saying that what happened to that community, what
happened to those women, can't just get swept under
the rug because it's not the Amish way."
"Why do you think I want to check back in a few
months when Fannie has that baby?"
"You think it will just take time?" She asked
hopeful.
"Scully, they are a community that doesn't have
electricity." Mulder said succinctly. "Time is
relative to experience. For you, counselling
needs to be immediate because you are a modern
woman living in modern times. For them...they
probably need to mull it over for a bit."
"I hope you're right," she said quietly.
"I hope so too," he said as he patted her knee.
"Mulder, take me home," she said as she got more
comfortable in her seat.
"Whatever my lady wants," Mulder smiled over at
her as he drove down the dirt road and past a
buggy going slowly along the side.
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