All copyrights belong to Ten Thirteen productions and Chris Carter, no
permission was given to use them, yatta, yatta, yatta.....
Melissa Etheridge's song "Come to my window" is used in part, without
permission as well....

                  _Past Secrets: Part One_
                     by Siobhan Gormley

Washington D.C.
Wally's Bar
Monday, 5:30 pm

Scully sat in a corner booth waiting on Mulder.  She couldn't believe
how things had changed so much in the last few months since everything
that had happened in L.A.  She and Mulder had gone out a couple of times
socially, but nothing as intimate as what had *almost* happened in L.A.
had transpired during those dates.  He had been sweet and funny, the
perfect gentleman.  Not that he didn't still tease the hell out of her,
it just was with a bit more obvious affection.  So far no one had commented
on the change in their relationship, but maybe no one had really noticed.
Scully was glad of that because she certainly didn't want to be transferred
and have to start all over.  She and Mulder had this unspoken language that
had taken over three years to establish, she didn't know if she could
imagine being able to duplicate anything like that with anyone else.

Suddenly two perfect roses appeared in front of her face, one yellow, one
red.  Scully looked up to Mulder's smiling face, a genuine smile, not the
usual wry smile he gave.  She took them out of his hand and smelled them
both, surprised at the lovely smell that emanated from them.  He sat down
across from her.

"They're lovely, where did you get them from?"

"I found this little florist shop where they cultivated their own flowers.
They swear by them."  He smiled as she sniffed them again, enjoying their
fragrance.  She lay them gently down on the table next to her half
empty glass.  A waiter brought over a beer for Mulder, placing it in
front of him.  He smiled in thanks and the waiter walked over to his
next customer.

"So, what was *so* important that it couldn't wait until I was able to
get home and make myself look decent?" Scully queried jokingly.  

"You always look decent," Mulder commented affectionately, placing a hand
over hers.  She blushed slightly.  Mulder deftly pulled out two plane tickets
from his inside pocket and placed them in front of Scully.  "Guess
what these are?"  She looked at them suspiciously.

"Our next case?" she wondered.  He shook his head, a huge grin forming.
"Then what?"

"Two tickets out of this country," he stated simply.  Scully looked at
him with raised eyebrows.

"So Skinner finally decided to lose the two of us?"  Mulder rolled his
eyes in slight exasperation.

"No.  He decided to allow us to go on vacation."  Scully now looked at 
him in disbelief.

"And how did you manage this?"  He went to answer her, but she stopped him.
"On second thought, I *don't* want to know." She paused, trying not to get
angry with him.  "And where exactly am I supposed to be going?"

"To England."  She stared at him, open-mouthed.  He pushed her mouth closed
with his hand.  "Don't you know it's impolite to stare open-mouthed at
people?" he joked lightly.  Scully mouthed a 'ha-ha'.  "So, are you
mad at my assuming you'd *actually* want to go to England with me, or
do you want to give me a nice big kiss for being so kind and generous?"
Scully began laughing at him, causing him to put on a fake hurt look.

"Hard choice.  Just one question, was there any particular reason you
chose England?"  He put on that innocent puppy dog look that made alarm
bells go off in Scully's head.

"No *particular* reason.  I have some friends there that I haven't seen
in a few years, it might be nice to visit them, as well as some of my
old haunts, so to speak," he replied, bringing an ironic smile to both
their faces.  Scully breathed a deep sigh.

"Well, I suppose that might be nice."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic there Scully," he said sarcastically.  She
tried to placate him.

"C'mon Fox.  You know me, I don't really get into something until I get
into the thick of things."

"Always the skeptic," he commented.

"And always the believer," she replied, causing them both to smile again.

*******

Scully's apartment
Tuesday, 5 pm

Scully ran furiously around her apartment throwing things toward her
suitcases which were lying on the ground.  She had intended on having 
this all packed the night before, but by the time she and Mulder had 
returned to her apartment, she was too tired to drag everything out.
In the morning she had woken up, again intending to getting to the
packing, but there was a message on her machine from Skinner asking her
to come in.  When she had appeared at his office he had asked her to
get two reports to him, ones which she was sure she had already given
to him.  By the time she had found them it was already 3 pm.  Traffic
was backed up by an unforeseen thunderstorm for the next hour and when she
finally arrived, Mulder was sitting in her living room, patiently waiting
for her.  He was now sitting there, an amused look on his face.

"I'm *so* glad I amuse you Mulder," she commented sarcastically.  She ran
out of the room again.

"Well Dana, you have to admit, this is rather a stereotypical thing you're
doing."  She returned to the room with, what she hoped, were the final things
she wanted to pack.

"Oh really?  And what is that?"  she asked as she began to neatly pack
everything.

"The stereotypical woman who keeps the man waiting and who overpacks
for a short trip," he replied.  She glance up at him, slightly annoyed.

"You *really* want to go on your own, don't you?"  He sat down next to
her, caressing her hair.

"Now, now.  You know what I mean," he placated.  She rolled her eyes
at him.

"*Please*.  I'm not some overwrought dog that needs to be calmed down.
Now make yourself useful and help me with this stuff or we'll *definitely*
miss the plane."  He raised his hands in surrender, knowing it was better
to give up now or suffer the consequences.  This made her smile slightly,
bringing a sigh of relief from him.

*******
Flight to England
Tuesday, 10 pm

Scully and Mulder sat in their seats.  Scully was slowly dozing off as she
looked out the window. She had a pair of headphones on her head, the
songs playing softly into her ears.  She soon found herself singing
along quietly with a song.

"I don't care what they think
 I don't care what they say
 What do they know about this
 love anyway"

Mulder watched her as she stared out the window at the dark sky.  He
smiled when he heard her sing.  He thought about all their time together
in the past few months, ever since their return from L.A.  That time
had been very special to him, he didn't want to ruin it, so he had
been very careful about how he had expressed himself.  He realized that
he hadn't been totally in control when they were in L.A., but on the other
hand, circumstances that were beyond both their control had taken hold there.
Circumstances named Mic.  Mulder now realized how foolish he had been, not
careful enough.  He knew Scully had blamed herself, but he felt he should
take most of the responsibility because if it hadn't been for him...well,
he didn't need to beat himself up over it.  Despite Scully making light
of Mic's disappearance, he knew she was still worried about Mic making 
a return engagement to finish what she had started.  That's why Mulder
had decided to get them out of the country for a while, to try and alay
her unspoken fears.  After all, she wouldn't go to the length of crossing
the ocean, would she?  He wondered about it, but he shook this thought
out of his mind.  

Scully looked away from the window and over at him.  She saw the slightly
perplexed look on his face and wondered what he was thinking about.  She
hoped he wasn't worrying unnecessarily about something.  She was amazed
he didn't have ulcers, he worried so much.  She caught his eye and his
expression changed to a wan smile, which she returned.  She took her
headphones off and put her head on his shoulder, feeling sleepy again. 
As she finally began to drift off, she felt his head lie gently on top
of her own and his fingers entwined with hers.  They both fell asleep with a
smile on their face.

*******
London, England
Gatwick Airport
Wednesday, 12:30 pm GMT

Scully and Mulder wandered out of the customs office, stiffling yawns.
They had gotten some sleep, but not enough to constitute real rest.
They headed for the exit when Mulder stopped Scully.  She looked at him,
a bit annoyed and getting crankier by the minute.

"What?" He motioned toward a chauffeur standing near the entrance who
was pointedly looking at Mulder and Scully.  Scully looked at the man.
He was around middle age, not bad looking, but not great looking either.
The man walked towards them.

"Excuse me, sir.  I believe I am to take you and your lady friend to the
Earl's home," he stated simply with a 'proper British accent'.  Scully began
to feel amused when she saw a look of confusion on Mulder's face.

"I think you have the wrong people."

"Oh no, sir.  I am quite certain it is you.  You are the American friend
of the Earl of Verulam." Noting the continued confusion on Mulder's face,
the man decided it was best to clarify.  "Perhaps it would be best if I
called him by his Christian name, Ian Bacon."  Mulder's face lit up in
instant recognition.  He went to lift up his bags, but the chauffeur
signalled to a young woman to come over with a baggage cart.  She fairly
bounded over behind it.  She was a slight young woman but she heaved their
heavy suitcases onto the cart with the greatest of ease.  She smiled widely
at Mulder and Scully, causing them to smile back at her.  "If you would
follow me, sir, madam," the man requested.  He headed to the doors, the
young woman not far behind and Mulder and Scully bringing up the rear.
Scully leaned toward Mulder.

"I should vacation with you more often," she said jokingly.

"Anytime Dana, all you have to do is ask," he replied, making her blush
slightly, which brought a sly smile to his face.

*******
District of St. Albans
Gorhambury House
Wednesday, 2 pm GMT

The chauffeur driven car pulled up in front of the Georgian-style
mansion.  Scully and Mulder couldn't believe the sight in front of
their eyes.  The door on Scully's side was opened and she got out,
Mulder right behind her.  The young woman from the airport proceeded
to take their luggage from the trunk as the two of them walked towards
the mansion.

"Fox, I never knew you had such high-class friends," she teased.

"Neither did I," he replied, either not noticing or ignoring her teasing.

"Well, I wouldn't consider myself *too* high-class," an English-accented
voice said from behind them.  They turned to face a good-looking man in
his mid-thirties, comfortably dressed in a beautifully patterned
sweater and a pair of precisely creased pants.  

"Ian!" Mulder exclaimed.  The two men hugged heartily, then proceeded
to comment on the changes each had gone through since they had last seen
each other.  Scully couldn't help but smile at this exchange.  Ian saw
her smile and turned his attention to her.

"And who is this *lovely* creature that I am so fortunate to be in the
presence of?"  Mulder rolled his eyes.

"Never give up, do ya Ian?"  he questioned, bringing a fake hurt look
to Ian's face.  It was the exact same look Mulder gave Scully.

'Now I know where he gets it from,' Scully thought.

"Dana Scully, this is Ian Bacon, an old friend of mine from Oxford," he
finally introduced, "Ian, this is Dana, my partner."  Ian raised an
eyebrow in interest.

"Pleased to meet you Dana.  Is that what they're calling them now,
'partners'?"  Ian asked while he took her hand in greeting.  Scully
choked back laughter, much to Mulder's chagrin.

"I believe you're a slight bit mistaken Ian.  Fox and I work together
at the FBI."  A look of recognition dawned across Ian's face.

"Ah.  Well, don't I feel the fool.  I just assumed..."

"Yes, well, don't assume too much with Fox Mulder.  I know I don't,"
Scully replied, a teasing grin appearing on her face.  Mulder made
a face at her.

"Well, I suppose we should go inside.  It's a little less damp in
there," Ian commented lightly.  They followed him into the house
and were greeted with the sight of beautiful Chippendale furniture.
Ian saw their amazed looks.  "It's nice to have around, but it's
a pain to sit in," he joked.

"How can you afford all this, if you don't mind my asking?" Scully
wondered.  He smiled congenially.

"I can't really.  I have a small allowance, but I'm afraid I had
to give into the tourist trade to ensure the upkeep of the old place."

"That's too bad.  I'd hate to have everybody and their mother tramping
through my house," Mulder commented.

"Oh, it's not all that bad.  They're limited to certain areas of the house,
I'm still able to enjoy some peace and quiet."  He paused and sighed deeply.
"Well, I suppose you two must be exhausted from your trip.  I'll get
Marguerite to show you to your rooms."  The young woman appeared from
behind them, favouring them with a huge smile.

"If you'll come with me, Mr. Mulder, Miss Scully."  They followed Marguerite
up the stairs after thanking Ian.  Marguerite stopped in front of a heavy
wooden door and pushed it open.  "This is your room, Miss Scully.  Mr.
Mulder, yours is next door."  Marguerite pointed to another heavy wooden
door on the left side.  They both thanked her and she left them with one
of her now patented huge smiles.

"I guess we should get some shut eye, even if it is just a nap," Mulder
suggested.  Scully nodded, just now realizing how tired she really was.
He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then headed to his own room.
He looked back toward her room and smiled at her before he disappeared
into his room.  Scully did likewise.  She shut the door and turned the
lock.  She looked at her suitcases sitting at the end of the bed.  She
didn't even contemplate unpacking anything yet, let alone her
nightclothes.  She fell on the soft-mattressed bed and quickly fell asleep.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: REPOST: _Past Secrets_ (2/9)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:36:19 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...


                   _Past Secrets: Part Two_
                      by Siobhan Gormley


Gorhambury House
Wednesday, 7:02 pm GMT

Scully stretched luxuriously under the covers.  She groaned slightly
at the light shining on her from the bedside table.  She didn't remember
turning it on, but right now, she wasn't much into thinking about the 
reasons why it was on.  She reached over to turn it off and her arm
met with an impediment, a soft one that protested.  She opened her eyes
carefully and was greeted with the sight of Mulder sitting on the bed
next to her, pillow propped up behind him, a book on his lap.  She
nearly shot out of the bed but then thought better of it, not having
seen yet what she was wearing.  She moved carefully away from him to
the other side of the bed, pulling the covers around her.

"How did you get in here?  I thought I locked the door," Scully wondered.

"You probably did," he answered cryptically.  He slid down to be face to
face with her, making her slightly more uncomfortable.

"You didn't answer my question Mulder."

"I suppose I didn't.  Well, you see, these old English mansions have these
neat little secret passages.  I couldn't sleep after a while so I
decided to explore a little, but I ended up at your room.  I hope you
don't mind," he said, getting that innocent puppy dog look that made so
many women weak in the knees.  Scully grumbled a little, but relented
slightly.

"As long as you didn't try anything," she conceded, making him give her
a mock shocked look, as if to say 'Would *I* try anything?'.  She chuckled
quietly.  He smiled broadly, glad that he had regained her favour, for the
moment.  "What time is it?"

"About five minutes after seven."

"In the morning?"

"No, evening.  You've slept about five hours."

"And how many did you sleep?" she queried, even though she already
knew the answer.

"You know, the usual," he answered mysteriously.  She just nodded
knowingly, giving him a look of slight disappointment.  He hopped off
the bed.  "So, are you going to lie in bed or are you going to enjoy
your first real meal in England with me?"

"I suppose I should get up for a while."  She looked down at her
wrinkled clothes.  "I think I should get changed first though."

"Okay, I'll leave you to it.  I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."
Scully nodded her agreement and watched as he unlocked her door and left.
She got out of the bed and relocked the door.  She looked around the room
in the vain hope that she might find where this secret door was, but there
was no sign of it.  She'd just have to trust Mulder, as she always had
before.  She had no idea why she was so suspicious of him all of a sudden,
it wasn't like they hadn't shared accomodations before.  But as she thought
it over as she changed, she realized it wasn't just the fact of possibly
sharing accomodations from time to time, innocently or not, but the fact
that it wasn't for a case.  They were far away from everything she knew
and felt 'safe' with.  They were in his territory, so to speak.  She shook
her head at her foolishness.  She knew Mulder was trustworthy, he had
proven it time and again.  She decided that it was high time she stop 
acting like an naive school girl and start behaving like the grown woman
she was.  With that thought in mind, she headed downstairs.

**

Wednesday, 8:35 pm

Mulder, Scully, and Ian sat in front of the fireplace in the living
room, laughing over old school stories.  Each one of them was trying
to top the other with the most outlandish story imaginable.

"Well, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with a sheep story," Ian
said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

"Yes, but mine isn't as bawdy as yours Ian," Scully replied, wiping her
eyes as well.

"I have to say I'm amazed at you Dana, I never knew you had it in you,"
Mulder commented, prompting a smack in the arm from Scully.  

"Save your other stories for Friday night, I'm having some people over
who would be quite interested in hearing them, and they might even have
some to rival yours," Ian stated.  Mulder and Scully looked curious.

"Who are these 'people' you're having over?" Mulder asked.

"Just some old school chums from Oxford.  When they heard you were 
*actually* crossing the pond again, well, they fairly insisted that
I invite them."

"Are you going to tell me who you've invited?"

"No, I want it to be a surprise."

"Hopefully it'll be a pleasant one," he muttered.  Scully and Ian
both understood what he meant without him explaining.

"I'm not sure if she's going to show, you know.  I haven't heard anything
from her since I sent off the invitation."  Mulder gave Ian a pained look
and Ian gave Mulder an apolegetic look.  "You know I had to invite
her, she would have found out through Mary and she would have shown up
anyway.  You know what she's like."

"More than I care to remember," Mulder commented.

*******

Heathrow Airport
Wednesday, 9 pm GMT

The security guard looked casually around the area as people milled
about, either having gotten off a plane recently or were waiting on
someone who was coming in.  His gaze fell upon a young woman in her
late twenties, early thirties.  She certainly was a looker, at least
in his eyes.  Her sandy blond hair was frizzy and went down to the
center of her back.  She was of average height, but that didn't bother
the guard.  As he looked her over, she glanced his way and saw him
looking at her.  She smiled pleasantly, her hazel eyes seeming to
light up.  She walked toward him, the smile still on her face.

"Excuse me, I was wondering who I could talk to about getting transportation
out of London," she queried.  It was not a question, more like a statement.
He noticed her obvious American accent, but that didn't stop him from
liking what he saw.  She seemed quite polite actually, and she certainly
talked quiet enough compared to some other Americans he had been in
contact with in the past.

"Of course, miss.  Were you looking to drive yourself or did you
want some other form of transportation?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind driving myself."  He smiled congenially.

"Are you familiar with standard gear shifts?  There are automatic
cars, but they are a touch more expensive to rent," he informed her.
It was her turn to smile congenially.

"I don't mind spending a bit of money.  If you could just show me..."

"Oh, of course, miss!  I don't want to hold you up if you've got better
things to do!  It's just through that hall, follow it until you see the
signs for the rental agencies.  Just so they won't try to pull one over
on you, just tell whoever you go to that Sam sent you, they all know me,"
he replied, feeling a bit slighted.

"Thank you very much Sam, you've been a great help."  The woman held out
her hand and Sam took it eagerly.

"No problem, no problem at all Miss..." he trailed off, hoping she would
give her name to him.

"Mulder, Samantha Mulder," she finished for him, to his pleasure.  She smiled
broadly at him and took her hand out of his.  She walked away with Sam
watching her leave.

"Nice to meet you, Samantha," Sam said quietly to her departing figure.

*******

Gorhambury House
Thursday, 8:10 am GMT

Mulder opened his eyes slowly.  He had forgotten to close the drapes
after looking at the stars late last night, and now the sun was streaming
through unimpeded.

"I seem to remember it being cloudy and rainy a lot," he complained 
aloud.  He pulled himself out of the bed, not really wanting to leave the
warm, comfortable confines of it, but he felt it would be best to not
waste all his time in bed.  "Well, not alone," he thought aloud, smiling
slyly.  He walked over to the dressing-table. "If Scully knew what you were
thinking..."  He looked at himself in the mirror.  He certainly looked
a sight.  Bags under his eyes, stubble growth, tossled hair...he'd definitely
have to do some fixing.

Half an hour later Mulder wandered down the stairs toward the dining room.
He heard laughter emanating from the room and walked in to see Scully and
Ian laughing over something.  Mulder drank in the sight of Scully.  Her
reddish hair seemed to shine in the morning light.  Her red-tinted mouth
was spread wide into a full grin, her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and
tiny laugh lines around her mouth and eyes finished the picture.  She and
Ian turned toward Mulder when they realized he was standing there. 
Mulder walked to a seat across from Scully.

"So, are you telling Dana horrible lies about me and my days at Oxford?"
he joked as he sat down.

"More like he's telling me horrible lies about him and his days at Oxford,"
Scully replied, the grin still there.

'God she's beautiful,' he thought.  His thought must have shown on his
face because Scully's face suddenly flushed red and she quickly looked
away from him to Ian. 

"So what's all this stuff about Roman ruins you were talking about last
night?" Scully asked Ian, changing the subject.  The faint shade of red
remained in her cheeks, but it was not as noticeable as before.

"A little something from the old days when Romans ruled the island.  It's
not much to look at now, unfortunately, but it must have been quite a
site back then.  If you'd like I could take you around and give you a tour,"
Ian replied.  

"Sure, that's if you don't have anything planned Mulder?" Scully responded,
looking at Mulder again.  He shook his head, his mouth full of English 
sausage.  "Good.  We'll go out around eleven?"

"Sounds fine to me.  In the meantime, if you want to explore the house
or look around the library, go right ahead."  Scully smiled her thanks.
"I think I'll go for a little walk, need to work off that good cooking,"
Ian said, getting up from the table.  Scully too got up from the table.

"I think I'll go check out the library, there were some interesting books
in there," she said as she passed Mulder.  Mulder just nodded, a little
disappointed that she hadn't stayed with him.  He had hoped to straighten
some stuff out with her, but she seemed to be avoiding him.  Well he'd 
just have to bring it up some time.

**

Thursday, 11:05 am GMT

Scully sat in a large leather bound chair reading.  She was so
engrossed in what she was reading that she didn't hear Mulder
come up behind her.

"Hi there," he said, making her jump with shock.  

"Jeez Mulder, you might want to give some warning next time," she
replied, breathing heavily from the shock.

"If I knew this was all it took to get you breathing heavy because of 
me..." he started, but was cut off by a smack upside the head from Scully.
He grimaced from the pain.  "That's it, you're in for it," he said,
reaching toward her.  She quickly jumped out of the seat and ran for
the door, laughing the whole way.  Mulder barely beat her to the door
and stood in front of it, grinning madly.  "You think you can get away
so easily, do you?"  Scully stopped laughing and started thinking of the
best way to get him out of the way.  A slow grin spread across her face.
She put her arms around his waist, smiling seductively now.  He went to
say something, but she quickly put a hand over his mouth.  He kissed her
palm and she moved it away to behind his neck, pulling his head down.
Scully's lips brushed across Mulder's eliciting a deep sigh from
him.  Their lips quickly pressed together in a passionate embrace. Scully's
hand travelled down Mulder's back toward the door handle.  She
went to grab for the door handle to open it when it suddenly opened and
Ian entered.  They pulled apart, Scully grinning, Mulder slightly 
perturbed.

"Oh, sorry.  I seem to have this habit of coming in at the wrong moment,"
Ian apologized.  

"That's okay Ian.  Is it eleven already?"  Scully responded.  Ian looked
at the two of them, unsure what to make of it all.  

"Ah, yes, just after as a matter of fact.  But if you're busy..."

"Busy?  Nope, I'm ready to go, how about you Mulder?"  Mulder scowled at
Scully, feeling a bit more confused than he had been earlier.  Scully just
continued grinning.

"Sure, I guess it could be interesting," he replied.  With his reply, Scully
headed out of the library and Ian and Mulder followed behind her. Ian leaned
toward Mulder.

"I thought you two were 'work partners'," he stated, a sly grin appearing
on his face.

"I'm never sure what we are half the time anymore," Mulder responded,
causing Ian to raise an eyebrow in interest.

=========================================================================== 

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: REPOST: _Past Secrets_ (3/9)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:37:08 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply....
"Every Breath You Take" by The Police is borrowed in part without 
permission as well....


                 _Past Secrets: Part Three_
                     by Siobhan Gormley

St. Albans
Thursday, 12:20 pm GMT

Samantha Mulder sat at a table alone eating her lunch.  She still
didn't like the English's idea of food.  Still, it was better than
some stuff she had had to put up with in the past.  She looked up
from her plate as the waitress came her way with a huge coffee pot
and smiled congenially.

"I know how you Americans like your coffee," the waitress commented
as she refilled her cup.

"I don't mind tea though, you don't have to go out of your way for
me," Samantha said.  The waitress smiled.

"It's part of my job to do so, and anyway, you're so nice it doesn't
seem like much trouble at all."  Samantha thanked the waitress
and the waitress went back to her conversation with one of her regulars.
It amazed her how this American was so quiet and polite.  Sure there 
had been others that weren't that different, but many she had met were
usually pretty loud, sort of like the Irish when they were drunk.  

Samantha listened in on snatches of the conversation, trying not to
laugh aloud upon hearing the stereotypical comments.  People just liked
to pigeon-hole others, no matter how hard everyone tried to fight for
being thought of as equal.  No one had ever been able to pigeon-hole her
though, and she was quite happy to keep it that way.  She got up from her
chair and put a few of the huge bills down, certain it was more than enough.
She waved good-bye to the waitress as she left.  The waitress went over
to the table and smiled at the huge tip left for her.  That was one good thing
about the Americans, they always knew how to tip.

Samantha unlocked her car and slid into the driver's seat, closing
the door just as rain began to fall.  Turning the car on, the tape she had
shoved in earlier on began playing again.  Samantha sang along with
it as she drove out of the lot and back onto the road, the windshield wipers
going full speed.

"Every move you make 
 Every vow you break 
 Every smile you fake
 Every claim you stake

 I'll be watching you..."

*******

The Roman Theatre of Verulam
St. Albans
Thursday, 11:30 am GMT

Mulder was singing to himself, obviously not very interested in what
Ian had to say.  This bugged Scully a bit, but she supposed that she
would have to put up with his attitude.  Scully listened to what Ian
was saying, but couldn't help but hear what Mulder was singing slightly
off key behind her.

"Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
 I dream at night I can only see your face
 I look around but it's you I can't replace
 I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
 I keep crying baby, baby please..."

Mulder stopped singing when he realized that Scully was staring at him
with a considerable amount of amusement.  He made a face at her, prompting
her to roll her eyes at his childishness and she turned back to Ian who had
not noticed this exchange.

"It's amazing to think that the Romans got this far out in the world,"
Scully commented.

"Well they were certainly hungry to conquer, that's for sure."

"Speaking of hunger..." Mulder hinted.  Scully looked at him in amazement.

"Mulder, you only ate a couple of hours ago, how can you be hungry again
already?"

"Must be all this English air," he replied.  Scully sighed.  Ian looked
at the two of them in amusement.  They certainly acted like an old
married couple at times, he thought.

"Well there's not much more to show, and anyway, it looks like it's going
to start raining soon," Ian said.

"I guess you win this time Mulder," Scully stated.  Mulder grinned as
they all headed back toward the house.  It wasn't often Scully conceded
so easily to his whim.  He knew his attitude had been slightly childish
for the past half hour, but he was confused and a bit angry at Scully's
sudden brush-off when they had been in the library.  He tuned back in to
what Ian and Scully were discussing when something Ian said caught his
interest.  "What was that about ghosts Ian?"

"Well, lately there have been some reports of ghosts here at the ruins,
but most people think it's some young people having some fun."

"What do you think?"

"I'm not totally sure, but I did see something last month, and when I
checked it out, there was no one there."

"Could someone have gotten away out of sight before you got down here?"
Scully questioned.  Mulder grinned, noticing she was in skeptic mode.

"No, it's not possible.  I saw the 'apparition' up until I was about
20 feet away.  There's no way any one could get away that quickly," Ian
answered.

"You know Ian, if you want us to check it out for you..."  he began, but
Scully silenced him with a look.

"Mulder, we're supposed to be here on vacation, not to do 'ghost-busting'."
Mulder gave her a hurt look.  "No way, I'm not giving in on this one," she
said, answering his look.  He sighed deeply, slightly disappointed.  He
still had another week and a bit to change her mind, he thought positively.
They continued on their way conversing on several different topics, but
tried to keep away from anything paranormal, much to Scully's delight.

**

Gorhambury House
Thursday, 12:06 pm GMT 

Scully came out of her room after having changed into some dry clothes.
Despite their having rushed back to the house, they ended up getting 
wet all the same when the rain had started just before they entered the
house.  Scully walked over to Mulder's door and knocked.  She pushed the
door open when she leaned on it, not realizing that it was slightly ajar.

"Mulder?" she asked, but there was no answer.  She went to go downstairs,
but curiousity got the better of her and she wandered into the room.  Mulder's
room was similar to hers in set-up, but it had a more 'manly' look.  She
stopped in front of the bedside table and looked at the books that sat there.
"UFO: The Complete Sightings", nothing surprising there.  The next few books
certainly intrigued her though.  She quickly looked at the titles:
"Sexual Hauntings Through the Ages", "Erotic Power", and "The Learning Annex
Guide to Driving Your Woman Wild in Bed".  This last one made her chuckle
and she went to pick it up to see what it had to say when she heard
the creak of someone coming up the stairs.  She quickly but quietly went
across the room and opened the door, pulling it closed behind her.  

"Find anything of interest in there?" Mulder asked, again scaring her.
She turned around, trying not to look guilty, but not doing a very good
job of it.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she stated, trying to sound confident.  

"Oh really?" he responded, a smug look on his face.

"Yes.  I'd say you definitely have some interesting reading material Mulder," 
she replied.  His look of smugness was quickly replaced with one of slight
embarrassment and discomfort.  She walked away from him, satisfied that
she had wiped that smug look off his face.  He quickly followed after her.

"Scully, Dana..."

"Don't worry Fox, your secret's safe with me," she replied, a sly grin on
her face.  The guilt she had felt earlier was now gone.  He shook his head.

"I just don't want you to think the only reason we're here is...well..."
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and couldn't help but be amused
by his fluster.  He gave her a sheepish look.

"Fox," she said, her voice low, "whatever happens happens.  I know
what type of guy you are, and you're certainly not the type to go to this
length to get me into bed."  She took his hand, entwining her fingers
in his.  "Now come on, you're holding up lunch."

*******

Black Lion Hotel
St. Albans
Thursday, 8 pm GMT

Samantha Mulder walked back into the hotel after a long day of preparations.
She wasn't sure what day he would be there, but she had everything planned,
right down to the last detail.  She knew some would think it was best to
directly confront him, but she preferred to make it seem like chance.  Yes,
it was rather convoluted, but she really didn't know anything but that.  
She walked past the front desk and smiled politely at the desk clerk.  

"How're you doing this evening miss?" the clerk asked.

"Fine, yourself?" Samantha replied, stopping in her tracks.

"Oh, not too bad.  Had a busy day of it I suppose?"  Sure these
people were polite enough, but sometimes they were too damn nosy
for her liking, she thought.

"Yes, I did.  I'm awful tired."

"Well, you have a good night then."  Samantha just nodded and
continued on her way to her room, glad to have escaped the possible
barrage of questions from the inquisitive clerk.  The last thing she
needed was someone finding out what she was doing.

*******

Gorhambury House
Thursday, 11:20 pm GMT

Scully lay in her bed, not able to sleep.  Mulder's insomnia seemed to
be rubbing off on her again.  All during lunch and the rest of the
day Mulder had seemed rather careful around her, seeming to try and not
to say the wrong thing or look the wrong way. It was kind of silly, she
had thought she had been clear with him, but obviously not clear
enough.  They'd definitely have to have a proper talk.  Anytime they'd
even attempted to have a serious conversation about their relationship
either something would happen to interrupt it or it would not stay
serious for long.  She looked over at the clock.  It read 11:21.  She
sighed deeply.  Maybe a bath would help, she thought.

**

Mulder lay in his bed, unable to sleep.  Unlike previous times though,
it wasn't nightmares that were keeping him awake.  He was having a hard
time figuring out the best way to go about having a proper serious 
conversation with Scully.  He glanced at the clock.  It read 11:21.
Maybe he'd go for a little walk around the grounds, it might clear his
mind.  He pulled himself out of bed and put on some sweatpants and a
t-shirt.  He padded softly over to the door and left his room, heading
down the hall.  Just as he passed Scully's door, it opened and Scully 
came out in her bathrobe and a towel over her arm.  She looked at him
in surprise, and he at her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.  She nodded.  They stood there in the hall
feeling a bit awkward.  "Do you think we could talk, I mean, if you want
to?"  Scully didn't say anything, she just nodded again.  She left her
towel in her room and walked silently with Mulder downstairs.  They ended
up in Ian's private study, a comfortable, homey room.  They sat on the
large overstuffed couch.  "Dana, I think we need to figure out exactly
where we stand.  I like to think that we are at least best friends, maybe
more than that, but I wouldn't want to push my 'needs' on you.  I just,
I'm not sure our relationship is very clearly defined anymore."

"I know exactly how you feel.  Ever since LA, it's all been kind of
like a whirlwind.  I used to know exactly how I felt, but I've been
feeling a little insecure lately.  It's nothing really that you've done
or said, it's just, I suppose it's because I'm in your 'territory'. 
Everything I know and feel 'safe' with is thousands of miles away and
I'm truly alone with you, there's no case, no Skinner to make sure we
keep ourselves in line.  I guess it makes me a little afraid, not having
that feeling of control.  I had felt that way a bit in LA, but I was
still able to regain my self-control.  Here, I'm afraid I'm going to do
something I might regret.  It's probably stupid..."  she stated, looking
down at her hands.  Mulder took her hands in his own.

"No, it's not stupid.  Do you think it's been easy for me?  You may
think of this as my 'territory', but I'm no more in control of things
than you are.  Coming here was a big step for both of us, one I wasn't sure
you'd want to take, but I'm glad you were willing to take the chance."

"I'm still willing to take the chance.  I just don't want to lose you if
things don't turn out the way we want them to."

"You won't ever lose me, we'll always be best friends and partners, no
matter what happens."

"Easy enough to say..." she began.

"And easy enough for us to do," Mulder finished.  He ran his hand down her
face, tracing it's outline.  Scully looked at him softly.  'She looks so
vulnerable,' he thought.

'He looks so vulnerable,' she thought.  He pulled her into an embrace,
holding her close.  Scully closed her eyes, enjoying being so near him.
He pulled away from her to look her in the eye.

"I don't know about you, but I could do with some sleep," he suggested.
Scully nodded, realizing how tired she was.  They walked upstairs together,
holding hands.  They stopped at Scully's door.  "Goodnight Dana."  He kissed
her softly on the lips.  He went to take his hand out of hers, but she held
tightly onto it.  He gave her a questioning look.

"Could you stay with me, until I fall asleep?"  she asked.  He simply 
nodded and she led him into her room, closing the door after them.
They lay on her bed, facing each other.  He put his arms around her and
she snuggled into him.  Mulder listened to her breathing change to a slow
steady beat and soon found himself falling asleep as well.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: REPOST: _Past Secrets_ (4/9)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:38:00 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...
Pete Townshend's "A Friend Is A Friend" and "A Fool Says" used without
permission as well...

                    _Past Secrets: Part Four_
                       by Siobhan Gormley


Gorhambury House
Friday, 5:36 am GMT

Scully was walking down a corridor.  It seemed familiar, but at the
same time it wasn't.  As she passed a door, hands reached out and
grabbed her, pulling her through the door.  She tried to fight but
found that she was being held in place by an invisible force.  She
was placed on a metallic table.  She tried to yell, scream, anything
to try to fight whatever this was.  Laughter began to emanate
from the air around her as she tried to struggle.  She looked around,
her eyes still able to move, and her eyes fell upon a being.  It was
shadowy, but it moved toward her and finally it formed into none
other than Mic.  'Oh my God,' Scully thought.  Mic had a hypodermic needle
in her hand.  The terror in Scully's eyes was obvious, and this made
Mic grin widely.

"You really didn't think I was finished with you, did you?" she asked, just
before plunging the needle into Scully's arm.  Scully finally found the
voice to scream...

...and sat up in bed, screaming and thrashing in terror.  Mulder woke up
immediately and grabbed her by the shoulders.  She fought him momentarily,
but then she realized it was him.  She began shaking violently and Mulder
took her into his arms, holding her tightly and rocking her back and forth.
He kissed the top of her head and kept whispering over and over that
everything was alright, that he was there.  A few seconds later, Ian came
rushing into the room with his servants not far behind.  Mulder turned his
head to look at Ian.

"It's okay, I've got it under control," Mulder stated.

"Are you sure, maybe..." Ian began, but Mulder immediately interrupted
him.

"No, I can handle it."  Ian just nodded, knowing better than to challenge
Mulder when he was being this protective.  He ushered the servants out and
quietly closing the door behind him.  Mulder turned his attention back to
Scully who was only shivering slightly now.  He pushed the hair out of her
face and began to wipe away the wetness that her tears had left on her face.
"Do you want to talk?  I promise, no shrink talk," he said, joking slightly.
His final comment brought a wan smile to her face.  She breathed deeply, 
as if she could gain courage from it.

"It's a dream I've had a couple of times before.  I'm walking down a corridor,
it's familiar, but it's also not.  Then a pair of hands grab me and pull me
into some room and I'm put on a metallic table.  I'm being held down
by some invisible force.  I can't move, scream, nothing.  I hear laughter. 
My eyes are able to move.  I look around and then I see a shadowy figure.
It approaches me and I see that it's Mic.  I try to get away, but I can't.
She has a needle in her hand.  She says something about her not being done
with me and shoves the needle in.  That's usually when I wake up," Scully
replied.  She looked down at her hands which were now twisting the bed sheets.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?  You know I'd want to help,"
he replied, feeling a bit hurt.  She looked him in the eye.

"I knew you'd become even more protective of me than you already are,
Fox," she answered, her voice becoming soft when she spoke his name. "I
guess I was worried that you'd smother me, and I don't want anything to
make me despise you.  If you got too protective, I fear that I would
start to feel that way."  She bit her lip anxiously, unsure how to
gauge his expression.  

"I'm sorry if you felt this way ever,  I never mean to be that way, I just,
I..." he replied.  Scully put her hand over his mouth, silencing him.

"I know you never mean to, but I guess it's just in your nature to be
protective of the women in your life.  Just make sure you try to keep
it in check, that's all I ask."  He nodded.  Scully slid back under the
covers and Mulder did the same.  He took her into his arms again and lay
his head on top of hers.  Scully closed her eyes and she eventually fell
asleep.  Mulder was wide awake though.  He was worried about her, she had
been through so much in this past while.  He had seen the effect the
Pfaster case had had on her, but he had thought she was over that.  Obviously
she had more fears than he had thought.

*******

St. Albans
Friday, 9:15 am GMT

Mulder watched Scully as she talked with one of the shopkeepers.  She
had insisted that she was fine enough to go out, and he had to accept it,
no matter how much he didn't believe her.  They had decided to go into
St. Albans proper and check out the 'local flavour'.  Scully seemed to be
enjoying herself, despite her obvious discomfort of having Mulder watch
her every move.  Scully thanked the shopkeeper for her advice and walked
over to Mulder, who attempted to look like he was checking out something 
on the table in front of him.

"Didn't know you were the baking type Mulder," she teased.

"There are many things you could learn about me yet Dana," he replied,
equally teasing.  The two of them grinned at this comment.  They walked
away from the shop and up the street to the next one.

Samantha Mulder stared after them.  It had been so long, or so it
seemed, but he still looked the same.  The same hazel eyes, full of
mischief.  The same soft, teasing smile.  God she had missed those!
But she'd soon have his full undivided attention, and she'd just
have to patient until then.

"That'll be two pound fifty," the clerk stated.  Samantha shook herself
out of her reverie and paid the clerk, taking her purchase and change
from him.  She nodded her thanks to the clerk and left, heading back to
her hotel.  "Strange one, that woman," the clerk commented to his co-worker.

*******

Gorhambury House
Friday, 6:13 pm GMT

Mulder and Ian sat in the living room, waiting for the first of their
Oxford friends to appear.  Scully had disappeared into her room not
long after they had gotten back from St. Albans and had not come out
since.

"This should be a good evening," Ian commented idly.

"Could be," Mulder said.  Ian looked curiously at him.  "Well, it all
depends on the company, and how they behave."  Ian nodded in agreement.

"True.  I'm still not sure that she's coming."

"But you're not sure that she's *not* coming.  Hell, I don't care anymore,
I'll just deal with it.  Come hell or high water, I'm going to have fun."
Ian smiled.

"That's the spirit!"  The doorbell rang and Ian and Mulder got up to greet
the first arrivals.  They got to the door just as the butler opened it. 
What followed for the next few minutes was a chorus of hellos and squeals 
of delight with each new arrival.  By the time everyone had arrived, there
was no sign of Phoebe Green, but one other person was missing, Scully.
Mulder was about to go look about her when he heard the sound of someone
clearing their throat from the stairs.  Everyone looked that way and
were greeted with the sight of Scully, looking like something from a
magazine.  She was dressed in a skin-tight hunter green satin dress that
went to just above her knee and matching pumps.  Her normally demurely
coloured lips were now a vibrant red.  Her hair hung down loosely, looking
slightly wavy.  Every man there stared open-mouthed, but none more so
than Mulder.  

"Well Fox, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to introduce
me?"  Scully asked teasingly.  Mulder finally moved from where he was
standing in awe to the foot of the stairs.  He took her hand a little
nervously, not sure what to say, almost afraid the wrong words would
come out.  She smiled at him reassuringly and his nervousness seemed to
evaporate.  He then proceeded to introduce everyone.

"Dana, this is Jim Vance, his wife Mindy; Mary Stewart, and her husband
Phil; Oliver Crisp; Cynthia Queen; everyone, this is Dana Scully, my, uh..."
he paused, suddenly unsure what to call her.

"His partner," Scully finished, grinning at the looks of curiousity that
everyone present gave them.

"Well then, why don't we head into the living room," Ian suggested, breaking
the silence.  Everyone moved toward the living room, leaving their coats
with the butler and Marguerite, who had appeared a short time before.  As
Scully and Mulder passed her, she gave Scully a huge grin and a thumbs up,
prompting Scully to chuckle quietly to herself.

** 

Friday, 11 pm GMT

"When eyes meet in silence
 A pact can be made
 A life-long alliance
 That won't be betrayed
 Be friendly, befriend me now

 A friend is a friend
 Nothing can change that
 Arguments, squabbles
 Can't break the contract
 That each of you makes
 To the death, to the end
 Deliver your future
 Into the hands of your friend..."

Music played softly in the background as Scully listened to the stories
flying around the room about old Oxford pranks and recent events in the
lives of Mulder's friends.  They were quite engaging people, not at all
the stereotypical snobbish Brits she had been brought up to believe in.

"So Mulder here goes to the tutor and says, 'I'm afraid what you've
written here on my paper is incorrect.' He then goes on to *lecture*
the tutor on what the *real* truth of the matter was," Jim said, causing
everyone to laugh over his impersonation of Mulder.

"But was I right?"  Mulder questioned.  

"Are you challenging me Baldrick?" Jim replied.

"You're avoiding my question, Percy.  Was I right?"

"Well, yes..."  Mulder smiled smugly at Jim's answer, causing everyone
to start laughing again.  Scully looked a little confused at the last few
comments. Cynthia caught the look.

"It seems Dana is a little lost.  I think an explanation is in order."

"You see, Mulder and Jim here always had this little competiveness between
the two of them.  That's why we called them Baldrick and Percy.  It's from
a television series called _Black Adder_ that started around the early
eighties.  The characteristics of these two fit perfectly with the characters
on the show," Mary explained.

"Ah, but Ian was our Black Adder, with many a 'cunning plan'," Oliver
reminded everyone, and they all chuckled over memories.

"I had many a 'cunning plan' in my time, or have you all forgotten?"
a voice asked from the doorway.  Everyone turned and saw it was none
other than Phoebe.  She was dressed in a simple black dress, but with
Phoebe, nothing every seemed simple.  Mulder's formerly merry
expression quickly changed to one of tense disappointment, as did Scully's. 
There was a tense silence before anyone said anything.

"Phebes, always the last to arrive, aren't you darling?" Mary said, getting
up from her seat to greet Phoebe.  She steered Phoebe over to an empty
seat near her.  "You know everyone, don't you?  Oh, maybe you don't..."
Mary wondered, indicating Scully.  Phoebe looked Mulder's way and smiled
almost predatorially.  His tension did not diminish in the least.  Scully
put a hand on his arm, as if to say 'He's mine'.  Phoebe looked at her
curiously.

"Why Agent Scully, I'm surprised to see you here.  It has been a while,
hasn't it?"  Everyone looked suddenly very interested.

"Only a couple of years," Scully replied, the sound of her voice indicating
that it wasn't enough.  Phoebe smiled.

"Oh yes, you're right.  Time does seem to pass so quickly for me these
days."

"Yes, it does for us all," Ian responded, attempting to break the still
palpable tension in the room.  Sounds of agreement came from everyone
else.  They all began talking about other things, trying to steer the
conversation away from possibly dangerous topics.  After a few minutes,
Scully leaned over to Mulder.

"I'm going outside for some air."  He looked at her curiously, but just
nodded his head as she got up.

Half an hour later Scully had not returned, so Mulder decided to go find
her.  He excused himself and went through the French doors leading to
the back patio.  He saw her sitting in a chair on the patio and walked
over to her.

"This seat taken?"  he asked as he pulled out a chair across from her.
She smiled.

"If I had a dime for every time some guy asked me that..."

"But I'm not just any guy," he responded.  She laughed.

"That's putting it mildly," she said, teasing him.

"Are you okay?  You had me worried for a while there."

"I just felt like the air was a little stuffy in there."

"Yeah, there was definitely a lot of hot air in there," Mulder commented,
making her chuckle.  They sat there for a moment, listening to the sounds
of everyone in the living room and the soft sound of the music coming over
the outdoor speakers.  Mulder got up from his seat and put his hand
out to her.  "Would you care to dance?"  She looked at him with amusement,
but decided to play along.  She took his hand and he pulled her close to
him.  Scully closed her eyes, enjoying their closeness.

"A fool
 Says love is like a melody
 Or something like a symphony
 But this love is cacophony
 Never changing key

 We
 We can't fool our audience
 We put up such a poor pretence
 Don't hide a shred of evidence
 We have no defence

 A fool says
 Love is foolproof..."

"So this is your real reason for not liking me when we first met Scully,
you wanted Mulder for yourself."  Scully and Mulder pulled apart to
see Phoebe standing in the doorway, a lit cigarette in her hand.  She
took a drag and let out a long slow cloud of smoke.  Scully walked over
to her.

"On the contrary, I thought you were a using bitch then and I still do,"
Scully replied.  She walked away from her and back into the house, Mulder,
a grin on his face, not far behind.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: NEW: _Past Secrets_ (5/9)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:39:02 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...


                     _Past Secrets: Part Five_
                        by Siobhan Gormley


Gorhambury House
Saturday, 12:37 am GMT

Ian, Mulder and Scully said goodbye to the last of their guests.
The rest of the evening had gone by well.  Phoebe had behaved quite
well, despite what Scully had said to her.  Ian said his goodnights
to Mulder and Scully as they went to their rooms.  Mulder and
Scully walked to their rooms, fingers entwined.

"This evening wasn't so bad after all," Mulder commented.  Scully
looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  "What?" he asked.

"It was interesting, I suppose."

"You didn't like my friends?" he questioned.  They stopped in front
of her bedroom door, Mulder with a look of disappointment on his face.

"That's not what I mean Mulder.  Your friends, for the most part,
are interesting people.  They certainly gave me a better insight
into you."  His look of disappointment changed to one of amused
interest.

"Oh *really*, Dr. Scully.  Please, do explain."  Scully grinned.
She took his hand and opened the door to her room.

"I'd rather show you, *Dr.* Mulder."  Getting no complaint from Mulder,
Scully led him into her room and shut the door after them.  Without a
word, Mulder pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard and passionately
on the lips.  All the months of holding back from any kind of sexual
contact seemed to come out in that kiss.  Their lips parted and Mulder began
kissing down her bare neck, eliciting a groan of pleasure from Scully's
mouth.  He stopped, looking at her with a smile.  She smiled back, looking
at him through eyes filled with desire.  He went to kiss her on the lips
again, but something out the window caught his attention out of the corner of
his eye and distracted him momentarily.  He shook his head, thinking
he must be seeing things.  "Is something wrong Mulder?"

"I just thought I saw something out there," he replied, pointing to the
window, "but it's gone now." He turned his attention back to her. "Now,
where were we?"  He pulled her into another embrace, but stopped short
of kissing her.  He looked out the window again.

"What is it Mulder?"  Scully asked, starting to sound annoyed. He didn't
say anything, he just lead her over to the window.  She sighed impatiently
and looked out.  There was a bright light in the distance, coming from the
direction of the Roman ruins.  Scully looked at Mulder.  He had that
look on his face, the one that said he saw a mystery afoot and he was
going to solve it, come hell or high water.  Scully shook her head.
"Oh no you don't Fox Mulder.  I'm not chasing after some phantom in
the middle of the night."  He shrugged his shoulders.

"Your loss," he commented before leaving her room.  Scully growled in
aggravation, but soon followed after him.  She came across him leaving
his room with a flashlight in hand.

"Do you take those things with you everywhere?  No wonder we lose so
many of them."  He made a face.  

"You're coming?"

"Fool that I am, yes," she replied. They walked together out of the house
and in the direction of the ruins.  As they got closer, the light got
brighter, so Mulder turned off his flashlight. The light kept shining
until they were about twenty feet from the ruins.  It went out abruptly
and Mulder instinctively turned the flashlight back on. Their eyes slowly
adjusted to the darkness.  There wasn't a sound around them.  They stood
still for a couple of minutes, listening intently for anything.  Scully
sighed quietly and put a hand on Mulder's shoulder.  He jumped at her
touch, nearly hitting her with the flashlight.

"Jesus, Scully, I could have hurt you!" he exclaimed.  Even though they
were in darkness, Mulder could tell Scully was really angry with him.

"I'm going back inside, there's nothing we can check properly until 
morning, Mulder," she replied with quiet fury.  Just as she turned 
back in the direction of the house, a scrabbling sound emanated from over
by the admission office.  She faced Mulder and they looked at each other
in agreement, they should go check it out.  'What I wouldn't do to have
my gun right now,' she thought.  

They quietly approached the admission office.  There was the sound
again, coming from the northern side of the building. Mulder indicated to
Scully that he was going to go around the other way while she came
up front.  He handed the flashlight to her and went around the building.
She headed for the area of the noise.  As she got closer, the noise stopped.
Scully put her back against the brick wall, the flashlight held tensely
in her hand.  She inched toward the corner, preparing to strike with the
flashlight if necessary.  She heard the sound of twigs crackling underfoot.
She quickly went around the corner and flashed the light in the person's
eyes.

"Ah jesus!  You trying to blind me now?"  Mulder complained sarcastically.
Scully lowered the flashlight.  Mulder rubbed his eyes, seeing stars.

"You didn't find anyone?" Scully asked.  He shook his head.

"No, but I did find this," he responded, holding up something in the
beam of light.  Scully looked at it curiously.

"Looks like a remote control of some sort."  Mulder nodded.

"Yep.  Seems like our phantom was no phantom at all."  Scully shrugged.

"Guess we can go back to the house now, I don't think whoever it was will
be back again for a while," Scully said.  They walked back to the house in
silence.  Once they got inside, they found Ian up.  Mulder explained what
happened, omitting some details, and suggested that Ian have someone look
around the ruins in the morning to find where the lighting device was.
Ian seemed relieved that it truly was some bored kids pulling a prank.
They all said their goodnights again and headed up to bed.  

Scully opened the door to her room and Mulder went to follow her, but
she shut it in his face.  He stood there, slightly surprised.  He tried
the door, but it was locked.  He knocked, but Scully didn't respond.

"C'mon Scully, what did I do wrong now?"  No sound came from the other
side.  He knocked halfheartedly again a couple of times, then gave up
and went to his own room.  "I'll never understand that woman," he said
aloud to himself.

**

'The nerve of him,' Scully thought.  She heard Mulder knock a couple
more times, then nothing.  She sighed deeply.  'He has some nerve
asking what he did wrong.  He's much more interested in solving some
mystery than my feelings.'  She stood over by the window, trying to calm
her anger.  'God, I'm turning into one of those stereotypical bitter
women who haven't gotten any in a while.'  She chuckled sardonically
at that last thought, her anger at Mulder diminishing.  She should
know better that all things paranormal tended to take a precedence with
him, and that led him to hurting some people without realizing it.
Once he did realize it, he was forever trying to make up for it.  If he
hadn't figured it out by morning, she'd have to subtly bring it to
his attention.  She went to bed, satisfied that things could still work
out fine, despite the little intrusions from time to time.

**

Saturday, 3:43 pm GMT

Scully sat in the library, reading the book she had been engrossed in a
few days ago.  Mulder had awoken late in the morning and had asked to
talk to her privately.  He had then asked her if it was his running out
to chase down this phantom that had angered her.  Scully just smiled,
and replied that yes, it was a *little* frustrating to be kissing him
one minute and to have him wanting to run around chasing ghosts the
next.  It didn't exactly make her feel very wanted.  He then had
proceeded to apologize for being so thoughtless and that he'd never
do it again.  She had just laughed at that.

"What's so funny?"  he had asked, bewildered.

"Mulder, *never* say never.  I know you too well.  I know that I'll
never be your number one priority, but I'm willing to accept that, no
matter *how* frustrating it may be at times," she had answered, bringing
a smile to his face.  He had then taken her into his arms and held her
close, revelling in his luck at such a truly understanding woman.  He
may not understand her much sometimes, but that's what made her that
much more special to him, he had so much to learn about her yet, and
he certainly looked forward to every minute.

The rest of the morning and into the afternoon, he had been practically
waiting on her hand and foot, something she was enjoying to the nth
degree.  He had rubbed her feet, brought her drinks and food, basically
he was at his most affectionate and attentive level he could be.  She
was now having a brief respite from his attentions.  He had run off
with Ian to the Roman ruins to find out where the lighting source was hidden.

Scully was reading up on the history of St. Albans and its surrounding
area.  She couldn't help but be intrigued by this place.  She had always
had a passing interest in history, and all the intrigue of this old
house and its surrounding environs was enough to keep her interested for
a good while.

The sound of voices came from the hallway.  Mulder and Ian were talking
with someone she didn't notice.  The door to the library opened and Mulder
said he'd be back in a minute to whoever was in the hallway.  Scully turned
and smiled at him.  He was covered in dirt from head to foot, but he seemed
to be quite happy, not even noticing his state.

"Looks like you've had quite a time of it," Scully commented.

"Yep, it took a little bit, but we were able to find it.  Quite a complex
little gizmo with a triggering device to shut it off when people got too
close."

"Sounds a little high tech for just a prank."  Mulder shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so.  You never know what kind of people are pulling
pranks these days."  He paused, obviously wanting to tell her something,
but not sure how to bring it up.  She caught his hesitation.

"Is there something else?" she queried.  Mulder was looking at his feet
at this moment.

"Well, the guy who helped us out with this offered to take us out for
a few drinks.  He seems like a really interesting guy and he had quite
a few stories to tell.." he trailed off, looking up to gauge her 
expression.  She was shaking her head and he thought she'd be getting
mad at him again, but he then heard her chuckling quietly.

"Mulder, do you truly see me as this horrible shrew who would deny you
some fun?  I thought you'd know me better than that."  He sighed relief,
almost seeming to let out a held breath.  Scully got up from her chair
and gave him a quick peck on the mouth.  "Now get going, don't want to
keep your playmates waiting," she joked, turning him toward the door.

"Playmates?" he questioned with mock hurt as she gently pushed him
from the room.  They both grinned.  She waved goodbye as she closed the
door and sat back in the chair, picking up from where she had left off
in her book.

**

Sunday, 6:10 pm GMT

Scully and Mulder came back from a long day of travelling around the
countryside tired but satisfied.  Things seemed to be going smoothly
between them, which was a welcome change.  Scully went to go upstairs
to put away her purchases when Marguerite stopped her.

"Miss Scully, a letter came for you today," Marguerite stated, holding
out the letter for her.  Scully took a hold of it and thanked Marguerite,
who graced her with one of her patented smiles.  She continued on her
way upstairs, wondering who had written to her.

She entered her room and placed her bags on the ground.  She looked the
letter over, but couldn't find any indication of who it was from, it
just had her name on the front.  She opened it and a look of surprise
and a touch of fear creeped across her face.  She immediately left her
room and ran downstairs, nearly bowling Ian over.

"Sorry Ian.  Do you know where Mulder is?"

"That's alright.  I think he went out back.  Are you okay?"  he asked,
but she was gone before he had gotten the question fully out.

She went through the open French doors and was relieved to see Mulder sitting
there on the patio.  He smiled at her, but then got a concerned look
on his face when he saw how upset she seemed to be.  He got up from his
chair and met her halfway.

"What is it?"

"I..I got this letter today," she said, stammering slightly.  He took the
letter out of her hand and read it over, a look of dismay crossing
his face.

"'I'm not done with you yet.'" he read aloud. That was all it said.  There
was nothing to indicate who it was from or where it had come from.  He
looked at Scully who was trying not to be upset by this one line, but
she was not doing a very good job of it.  "You don't think..." he started.

"Who else Mulder?  I know Phoebe's not too keen on me, but she wouldn't
do something like this."

"So you really think it's.."

"Mic," she finished, shuddering noticeably at the mention of her name.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: NEW: _Past Secrets_ (6/9) NC-17
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:40:07 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...
Rated NC-17

                    _Past Secrets: Part Six_
                       by Siobhan Gormley


Oxford, England
Monday, 3:20 pm GMT

After the shock of receiving the letter, Scully had been on edge.
She seemed to watch over her shoulder every five seconds, much to
Mulder's dismay.  He was very concerned for her, but he purposely
kept it in check, he knew she would not appreciate him being even 
more protective than he already was toward her.  They had both 
agreed there wasn't much that the police could do, especially with
no identifiable suspect, they would just stick together as much as
was possible without driving each other up the wall.  They decided
just to continue with their plans of visiting Oxford and then London.

As they walked around the streets of Oxford, Scully seemed to relax
a bit.  There was something about this place that made it seem so
non-threatening to her, and she told this to Mulder.

"I'm glad you feel that way.  This place has a *lot* of memories for
me," he replied, a faraway look in his eyes.  Scully couldn't help
but chuckle.  This brought Mulder's mind back to the here and now.
"Dana, you have *such* a dirty mind!" he exclaimed in mock horror.
This only made Scully laugh outright, Mulder joining her.

"You don't know the half of it Fox Mulder," she responded, a mischievous
glint in her eyes.  

**

B&B, Oxford
6:47 pm GMT

Scully looked at herself in the B&B bathroom mirror.  She wore a
white poet blouse and blue dress pants.  She had put on a minimal
amount of makeup, just a soft pink lipstick and a quick brush across
her cheeks of blush.  She smiled, contented with how she looked.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, breaking Scully away from her
final inspection of how she looked.

"Scully, can you help me with something?"  Mulder asked from the other
side of the door.  She opened the door and was greeted with the sight 
of a huge bunch of fresh flowers.  She took them out of his hand,
smiling and shaking her head.  She gave him a peck on the cheek and
moved past him to find something she could put them in.

"Hopeless sentimental, that's what you are, Fox Mulder."

"Not hopeless, hopeful," he replied, a smile on his face.  "So, you
ready to go?"  Scully nodded and Mulder offered his arm for her to
loop hers through, which she did.

They walked out of the B&B, happily looking forward to a nice, quiet
evening alone.

**

6:50 pm GMT

Samantha Mulder watched them leave the B&B.  They looked so happy 
together.  That would soon change, that was for sure.  Dana Scully
had ruined things for her one too many times before, she wasn't
going to again.

**

Thompson's Pub & Restaurant, Oxford
8:30 pm GMT

Mulder and Scully sat back in their seats, contented and full from
an excellent meal.  Mulder rubbed his stomach, causing Scully to
grin.

"Tummy ache?" she asked, with very little sympathy.  He nodded.

"I think I ate too much."  She just shook her head, still grinning.
The waiter came over and asked if they wanted anything more.  They
both said no, just to bring the check.  The waiter disappeared, in
search of the check.

"Maybe we could go for a walk before we go back to the bed and
breakfast, walk off some of that food you ate too much of," Scully
suggested.  

"Sounds like a good idea, it's a nice night..." Mulder trailed off
as the sound of rain began to clatter against the window next to them.
"Spoke too soon."

"You didn't happen to take an umbrella, did you?"

"Unh, unh," Mulder replied negatively.  The waiter returned with the
check and Mulder thanked him.  Mulder took out his wallet to pay the
whole thing, but Scully stopped him.

"We agreed, we'd pay equally."  He shrugged.

"I lied," he said, smiling impishly at her frustration.

"Then I'm getting the next one."

"Sure," he responded, the smile still there.

"Ooh, I only wish I could hold you to your word, Mulder."

"You can hold me anywhere, but it might be a good idea to wait,"
he whispered jokingly, causing Scully to swat him in the arm.
Mulder feigned being hurt, but this only made Scully roll her eyes.

"Be good Mulder, or you won't have any dessert," Scully commented.

"But we already..." He didn't finish the sentence, finally realizing
what she meant.  A boyish grin crossed his face, seeming to go from
ear to ear.  Scully couldn't help but smile back.  His hand covered
hers, his fingers caressing it.  They sat like this until the
waiter returned for the check.  Mulder thanked the waiter again and
got up from the table once he was gone with the money.  Scully
stood up from her seat.

"My, we're eager," she commented playfully.  Mulder went to respond,
but stopped.  He was looking intently out the window, so Scully
looked out as well.  All she could see was the rain pouring down and
some people running up and down the street outside.  She looked up
at Mulder who was still looking out the window, confusion on his face. 
"What is it, Mulder?"

"I thought I saw...There!  There she is!"  he exclaimed, suddenly
running out of the restaurant.  Scully quickly glanced out the 
window before running after him.

The rain was coming down in sheets now and Scully could barely see
three feet in front of her.  The wind picked up, drowning out any 
sound.

"MULDER!  MULDER, WHERE ARE YOU!" she screamed futily.  "Damn,
where the hell did he go?" she asked herself aloud.  She had just
decided to go back into the restaurant and wait until the rain
petered off when Mulder suddenly appeared in front of her.  He
grabbed a hold of her, a look of elation on his face.

"SCULLY, I SAW HER!" he yelled over the wind.

"SAW WHO?"

"MY SISTER, SAMANTHA!"  A look of surprise and disbelief crossed
Scully's face.

"LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS SOMEWHERE DRIER!" she shouted.  He nodded his
agreement and they headed as quickly as possible back to the B&B.

**

Samantha Mulder watched them running back toward the B&B from the safety
of a doorway.  She swore silently to herself, so close and yet so far.

**

B&B
9:05 pm GMT

Scully walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair off.  The two of
them had changed into their bathrobes for the moment, wanting to
warm up a bit.  She lay the towel on the chair by the desk and then
sat down beside Mulder on the end of the bed, pulling her legs up
underneath her.

"So, do you want to tell me about it?"  

"I swear I saw her, Dana.  She was right there, across the street from 
the restaurant.  Then I lost her," he replied, his voice mournful.
Scully put an arm around him, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"If she's really here, she'll find you.  I'm sure of it," she comforted.
He leaned his head on her shoulder, letting out a sad sigh.

"It's the not knowing that's the worst, Dana.  I'm starting to wonder
if it's all just an elaborate construct in my mind, all this
abduction stuff."  Scully pulled away slightly, surprise written
across her face.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, Mulder.  We've been
through so much, seen so much and you've always had faith to
continue on, even in the hardest times.  In a way, I rely on
that faith."  He smiled softly at her.

"Thanks," he replied simply.  They looked into each others eyes
for a moment and then Mulder leaned into her, kissing her softly.
He pulled away, and both of them let out a happy sigh.  Scully
took his hand and lead him around to the side of the bed.  She 
got up onto it and sat on her legs in the middle of it.  Mulder
stood at the side of the bed, facing her.  Scully ran her hands
over the bathrobe, sensing his arousal at her touch.  She brought
her hands up again and this time ran her hands over his bare skin
under the robe.  He sucked in his breath, trying to contain his
need for the moment.  Her hands reached the belt and slowly loosened
it.  It fell open, revealing Mulder's well-muscled form.  Scully
sucked in her breath this time, but admiringly.  She caressed his
skin softly, seeming to barely touch it, sending waves of pleasure
over him.  As she laid kisses on his chest, her hands moved further
down, causing Mulder to groan in pleasure.  She ran her fingers
teasingly over his penis.  Mulder started to sway dangerously
as her lips went further down his chest.  His mind reeled
at the amount of sensory input that was coming at it. Suddenly, Scully
stopped, looking up at him.  He looked at her with heavy lidded eyes, full
of desire.  When she didn't do anything, he grabbed her by the
shoulders, pulling her into an agressive kiss.  Scully responded
eagerly, her own desire mounting.  His hands moved from her shoulders 
to her robe's belt, yanking it off.  He pushed her gently, yet
firmly, backwards onto the bed, lying on top of her.  They pulled 
apart briefly to catch their breath.

"Do you...?" Scully asked breathlessly.  Without her finishing it, 
Mulder knew what she meant.  He reluctantly got up from the bed
and went into his suitcase and pulled a couple of condoms out. He
knelt down beside her on the bed, trying to get the package open.
She started to giggle as he struggled with it.

"You think this is funny?  I'd like to see you open it."  She sat up 
and grabbed it out of his hand, opening it with ease.  "I loosened
it for you," he joked.  They both grinned at this joking comment.

Mulder leaned down and kissed her passionately and she responded with
equal passion.  They discarded their robes and Scully put aside the
condom for the moment.  They began exploring each other's bodies.  

Mulder lay hot kisses upon Scully's upper chest. She squirmed with
delight as he took one of her breasts into his hand and proceeded to
gently suck at her nipple and flick his tongue over it from time to
time.  He moved to the other one and did the same.  He moved down
her body, flicking his hot, wet tongue over her skin, causing her
to moan from the sensation.  He pushed her legs slightly apart to
allow himself access to her. He kissed her softly on her inner thighs,
making her gasp.  Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly as he began
to flick his tongue over her clitoris.  As soon as her hips began 
doing a gentle thrusting motion, Mulder pulled away.

"Not yet, love," he whispered.  Scully kissed him ferociously, and
he reciprocated.  She pulled away, then began to flick her
anxious tongue across his salty skin.  She playfully nipped at his
nipples, eliciting a gasp of pleasure.  Her eager mouth moved
down his body again, but this time it did not stop.  She put wet
kisses on his inner thighs, then she moved her mouth to his erection.
He groaned quite audibly as she proceeded to flick her tongue over
his penis, while at the same time caressing his inner thighs with her hands.
He felt like he was going to come, but held it back as she continued.
She ran her tongue along the tip of his arousal, then took him inside
her mouth.  She began to suck gently and continued to use her tongue,
bringing him to the brink.  She took him out of her mouth and reached
for the condom, taking it out of the package. She slipped it on him,
letting her hands linger momentarily.  

He lay her gently back on the bed, and then thrust quickly into her,
causing her to gasp with satisfaction.  They moved together in unison,
no longer two people, but one body, one mind.

They began to come, one right after the other, building on the other's
sounds of pleasure, until they both let out a loud yell of orgasmic
proportions.  Mulder's body slumped slightly from the release. He pulled
out of her and lay beside her, tired but satiated.  He looked at her
and smiled.  She smiled back, then snuggled into him.  He held her in
his arms and they both fell into a satisfied sleep.

**

11:21 pm GMT

Scully sat in the window seat of the room, her legs pulled up to her
chest.  She had a contented smile on her face.  It had been so long...
Well, no sense dwelling on the past.  She looked over at her partner
(now in more ways than one) who lay quietly asleep on the bed.  The
rain had stopped and now the moonlight shone brightly through the
window, playing gently across his sleeping form.  She couldn't help
but smile broadly at the unbidden thoughts that creeped into her mind
as she watched him lying there in the moonlight.  She took a deep
breath and looked back out the window.  Those thoughts could wait a
bit, he needed the sleep.  She chuckled at this last thought, then
sighed.  She hadn't been this close to someone since Jack Willis.
She just hoped this relationship turned out better than that one had.
She shivered slightly, remembering Jack's final moments.  A hand 
touched her shoulder and she looked up to see Mulder at her side.

"Mind if I join you?"

"If you can fit," she replied, moving to give him room.  He sat down,
then pulled her into his arms, enveloping her with his body.  She 
leaned back against him.

"I can always fit," he said, causing both of them to smile.  "So what
deep thoughts were you thinking here?"

"Deep thoughts?  I wouldn't exactly call them that.  I was just thinking
back to the last time I was in a serious relationship with someone."

"Ah, I see," he commented.  He knew that she and Jack Willis had been
involved for a while, but he didn't know much about it.  He had let
her have that part of her life secret, just as she had let him have
his time with Phoebe Green kept secret.  Some things were better not
talked about.  They sat there quietly for a few minutes, both lost in
their own thoughts.  He kissed the top of her head.  "So, would you
care to join me in a slightly more comfortable place?"

"Do you have the energy?" she asked, grinning mischievously.  He looked
at her with mock disgust.

"Do *I* have the energy?  More like do *you*!"  

"Ooh, you're gonna get it for that one!" she exclaimed playfully.  He
grinned.

"I certainly hope so!" he replied.  He pulled her into an embrace
and removed them both from the window seat, heading for the bed.

He lay her on the bed, then pulled apart from her briefly.

"I love you, Dana," he whispered.

"I love you too, Fox," she whispered.  They kissed again, losing sense
of everything but each other.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: NEW: _Past Secrets_ (7/9) 
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:41:50 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...
Lyrics borrowed from Pete Townshend's "Was There Life" and Van Morrison's
version of "You Don't Know Me"...

                    _Past Secrets: Part Seven_
                        by Siobhan Gormley


London, England
Thursday, 12:43 pm GMT

Mulder and Scully had spent the Tuesday travelling some of the
countryside before finally heading to London on the Wednesday.
They had arrived at their B&B in Chalfont-St. Peter that same
day.  Mrs. Wren, the owner, had greeted them warmly.  She was a 
woman full of stories about her travels and they enjoyed listening 
to them their first night over a cup of tea and freshly baked
scones.

The next morning, the Thursday, they had taken the train in to
London in order to do some sightseeing.  They now sat in a restaurant,
tired out from their morning.  Scully was poring over the sightseeing
guide she had insisted on buying, planning their next couple of days
here.

"Mulder, I was thinking about seeing the Tower of London tomorrow
and maybe take a look at some of the stores that I might want
to get some stuff from. How does that sound?"  She looked up from
the guide to see him staring absently out the window.  "Mulder,
you in there?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face.  He
jumped a little and turned to look at her, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, just a little preoccupied."

"You still thinking about seeing your sister?" she questioned.  He
hadn't mentioned anything after that night, but she knew it still
weighed heavily on his mind. He nodded solemnly.  "Well if anything's
to come of it, I'm sure it will," Scully said, trying to reassure him.
He just smiled wanly, not too sure himself.

**

Bally's dining room
7:50 pm GMT

Scully watched the people glide by on the dance floor in the center of
the room.  Mulder had insisted on taking her here for dinner, and she was
sure this place didn't come cheaply.  She had decided to let him spoil
her every once in a while, it was easier than trying to fight with him
over it.

Ever since Mulder had left to find them something to drink, several men
had approached her, asking her to dance.  She politely refused and
couldn't help but be amused at their obvious disappointment.  'Nice little
ego boost,' she thought.

Mulder returned and placed her drink in front of her, sitting in his seat.

"So, what's your count on men asking you to dance?" he asked, grinning.

"About ten, I'd say.  You?"

"Men?" Scully groaned at his comment, making him smile wider.  "I'd say
about six or seven women have attempted to lure me to the dance floor."

"Well, can this woman lure you to the dance floor?"  Scully queried.

"With pleasure," he replied.  They got up and walked to the dance floor.
One song finished and the next was cued up.  Mulder pulled her into his
arms as the lilting sound of a piano began.

"Was there life before this love
 Was there love before this girl I can see
 Was there ever love for her before me
 And if I look will she
 Look back at me
 Is fantasy
 Enough?

 Was there heat before this flame
 Were there flames before this fire in my heart
 Was I wrong about it from the start
 Am I in ecstasy
 Or next to see
 That fantasy
 S'to blame
 Was there life before this love...."

Mulder kissed the top of her head, making Scully look up.  He leaned
his head forward and gently kissed her.  Their lips parted and she let out
a happy sigh, then lay her head back on his chest, a smile on her face.

"If I look up will she
 Look back at me
 Is fantasy
 Enough?

 If this scene is in a dream
 Then I'm perfect for the part I play
 You can count on me to stand and say
 "Was there ever life before this wonderful day?"

 Was there heat before this flame
 Were there flames before this fire in my heart
 Was I wrong about it from the start
 Am I in ecstasy
 Or next to see
 That fantasy
 S'to blame

 If this dream's within a dream
 Then I'll never swoon quite deep enough
 No hypnotic trance quite sleep enough....

 If in this sweet dream I'm flying
 I will never fly quite high enough
 You will hear me crying high above
 "Was there ever life before this wonderful love?"

The song faded away to be replaced by a waltz.  They headed back to
the table, hand in hand.  Scully took her hand out of his.

"I'll be right back.  I need to go to the powder room."  Mulder just
nodded and sat at the table.  He watched her as she walked away, and
noticed the amount of admiring glances from some of the other men in
the room.  This made him smile.

"Glad to see you in a good mood, Mulder," a voice said from behind
him.  He turned to see Phoebe Green standing there.  She wore a 
sleeveless black dress that accentuated her thin frame.  

"You look well, Phoebe.  Caught any prey lately?" he commented snidely.
Phoebe laughed at this.

"You've definitely regained your sense of humor, Mulder."

"Can I ask you what you're doing here, or is that top secret?"

"No, it's not.  I just finished heading up a security detail for
some foreign dignitary.  She and her husband insisted that they 
take me out.  Normally I don't do those type of things, and now
I remember why.  The husband was a total lech, wouldn't keep his
hands off me the whole time.  I got out of there as soon as I could
and ended up here.  I had always wanted to come in here."  She
looked around the room appreciatively, catching the eye of a few of
the men.  One of them headed toward her through the crowd.  "Say,
Mulder, how about a dance, for old times sake?" Mulder looked at
her warily.

"I don't think it would be a good idea, I'm here with Dana..."

"Oh Dana won't mind.  Please, come on," she responded, a plaintive
sound to her voice.  Mulder looked around and didn't see Scully 
anywhere.

"Well, it couldn't hurt," he replied, reluctantly getting up from
his seat.  He followed her to the dance floor.  He held her a safe
distance from himself without trying to be obvious about it.

"You know, you're allowed to dance a little closer.  I promise I
won't bite," she joked. He smiled wanly at her.

"That's okay, I'm fine where I am."  They were quiet for a moment,
listening to the lyrics of the song.

"No you don't know the woman
 Who knows how you expect
 And longs to kiss your lips
 And longs to hold you tight
 You know I'm just a friend
 That's all I've ever been
 You don't know me..."

"Mulder, I know that we haven't got on the best since our breakup,
but I was hoping we could put that behind us.  I'd really like to
be friends," Phoebe said, shocking Mulder.  He certainly wasn't
expecting to hear this from her.

"I don't know..."

"I'm not expecting us to become best friends or anything, just at
least let's be civil to each other."

"I suppose I could handle that."  Phoebe smiled radiantly.

"Good.  Now, tell me something.  Is it me, or is that creepy man
staring at me?"  Mulder turned to look where she was indicating.
There certainly was a man staring intently in their direction.
He nodded his agreement, and couldn't help but chuckle at the
way she wrinkled her nose.

**

Scully dried her hands, then straightened her skirt while looking
in the mirror.  She couldn't help but smile at her reflection.
She was glowing and extremely happy.  Everything was finally 
beginning to work out for them, there hadn't been anything to
slow them up.

She left the powder room and headed back to the main dining room.

As she walked to the table, she was surprised to see Mulder not
sitting there.  His drink was finished, so she just assumed that
he had gone to get another.  As she sat down, she glanced at
the dance floor and did a double take.  She hadn't seen things.
There was Mulder, dancing with that..that *woman*, if she dared
to think of her as that.  They were both smiling and chatting as
they swirled around the dance floor.  It was like Boston all
over again, but this time they had much more than their professional
relationship at stake.  Mulder looked her way, a worried expression
on his face.  Scully felt sick and decided to get some fresh air. 

**

Mulder and Phoebe continued to dance, chatting about things in
general.  Mulder found himself relaxing a bit, Phoebe didn't
seem like such a threat any more.

"Oh look, Dana's back," Phoebe commented.  Mulder looked toward
the table, a worried expression on his face when he saw how
ill she looked.  Scully got up from the table and headed outside.
Mulder disentangled himself from Phoebe.

"I'll talk to you later," he told her as he went after Scully.

He went outside and looked down the street both ways.  There was
no sign of her and he feared that the worst had happened.  He
decided to start walking one way and if he didn't find her, then
walk back the other way.

As he got further down the street, he realized that she couldn't
have gotten this far, so he decided to turn around.  He turned on
his heel and was suddenly greeted by the face of his sister. He
stood there aghast, unable to find any words.  Samantha smiled.

"Hello, Fox."  She placed a hand on his forehead. He went to reply, 
but found himself falling into unconsciousness instead.

**

Scully returned to the dining room, her face streaked with tears.
It had begun to get cold and she realized that she had forgotten
her coat at the coat check.  As she approached the desk, she saw
a familiar tall, thin woman in a black sleeveless dress standing there
retrieving her coat. As Phoebe turned around, Scully couldn't hide
the contempt on her face.

"Get all you wanted, Phoebe?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her
words.  

"I have no idea what you mean, Dana," she replied, causing Scully
to flinch as Phoebe said her name.  Scully snorted derisively.  "Look
it, Dana, I know you don't like or trust me much, but believe me,
I know not to fight a losing battle."  Scully looked at her warily.

"A losing battle?"

"It's quite obvious that he's fully over me and that he's in love
with you.  That's why he went running after you when you left.  Didn't
you see him?"  Scully stared at her, surprised.  She just shook her
head negatively. "Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon, looking to
reassure you.  I have to go, but I do hope we can talk some time." 
Scully nodded dumbly and Phoebe left.

'God, I've been *such* an idiot!' she thought, chastising herself.
She decided to sit and wait for him in the lobby.

*******

somewhere in England
time unknown

Mulder woke up, his head aching.

"Gotta cut down on those ales," he said aloud to himself.  He slowly
opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of an old warehouse.
He could hear the sounds of water and gulls in the distance.  When
he tried to move, he found he was tied to a chair.  "Hmm, this could
cause a problem."  There was a sound of a door opening and heels
clacking across the floor toward him.  He strained to see who it was
but couldn't see very well since the light was dim.  Finally, the
person approached him and he saw it was his sister, or was it?  He
hadn't been sure before when he had found out that it was a clone
that had contacted him and his parents, and he still wasn't too
sure this was the true image of her.

"Glad to see you're awake, Fox, we don't want you to sleep through
everything," she said, a smile on her face.  The smile was not
gentle, more ironic.  

"What are you doing, Sam, if that's who you are," he questioned.
She shook her finger at him.

"Ah, ah, ah.  Can't be letting you in on everything right away, 
now can we? Don't worry though, Fox, you'll know what you want
to soon enough, and trust me, it'll change your life forever."
She squatted down on her haunches and caressed his cheek, smiling
seductively.  Mulder shivered at her touch, more in disgust than
attraction.  Samantha suddenly got a far-away look in her eyes
and nodded, as if in acknowledgement of something.  She looked
at him seriously.  "I need to go away for a bit, but I'll be back
soon, with some company.  Now just relax and this shouldn't hurt 
a bit."  He didn't get a chance to ask her what she meant before
she put her hand to his forehead again.  This time he felt a slight
pinch in his head, then he was unconscious again.

*******

Bally's dining room
9 pm GMT

Scully sat in the lobby, still waiting for Mulder to return.  She was
worried that he had gotten lost or worse, someone had attacked and
robbed him.  She pushed the bad thoughts to the back of her mind, it
wouldn't do any good torturing herself.  She checked her watch and
saw it was after nine.  She would wait a little longer.  The last train
left around 10:30 pm, so she had time.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: NEW: _Past Secrets_ (8/9) 
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:42:45 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...


                  _Past Secrets: Part Eight_
                      by Siobhan Gormley


Bally's dining room
Thursday, 10:59 pm GMT

"Miss, Miss!  Are you alright?"  the maitre d' asked, shaking Scully's
shoulder.  Her eyes flew open.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she reassured him.  She rubbed her eyes, embarrassed
at having dozed off.  The maitre d' nodded his head, a little unsure what
to think of this woman.  He had seen her earlier in the evening with
a man, but obviously she had been left in the lurch.  It was a shame really,
she was a good looking woman, he thought.

"Well, we're going to be closing up soon.  Would you like me to call you
a taxi?"  Scully looked at him with surprise.  She pushed back her blouse
sleeve to look at her watch and swore to herself when she saw it was 
eleven o'clock.  She sighed deeply.  There was nothing more she could do
right now, so she'd just find a room for the night and try and get some
help in the morning.

"Yes, I'd appreciate that."  The maitre d' moved away to the phone at
the desk.  

After a couple of minutes he came back and informed her that he had
called one for her.  She asked him where was the best place to get
a room and he suggested a couple of places.  He helped her on with
her coat which she had left at the coat check earlier on.  He 
obviously was a very observant man to remember that this was her coat,
she thought.

A few other couples came out of the dining area and the maitre d' 
turned his attention to them.  Scully walked outside and found the
taxi sitting there waiting.  She got into it and asked the driver
to go to the nearest hotel the maitre d' had suggested.

Scully sat back as the driver started down the street, feeling very
tired.  She was worried about Mulder, but she knew that she should
wait until morning before going to the police.  She just hoped they
would take her seriously.

They arrived at the hotel and Scully paid the driver. She got out
of the taxi and walked through the door opened for her by the 
doorman.  She walked over to the desk and got a room for the night.
The clerk handed her a key and asked if she had any baggage.  She
replied negatively and left the desk for the elevator.

She arrived at her floor and got out of the elevator, turning in the
direction of her room.  Scully shivered slightly, suddenly feeling like
she was being watched. She got to the room, opened the door and
closed it swiftly after herself.  She then looked through the peephole,
seeing no one.  She admonished herself for being so paranoid.  'I'm
just tired, that's all,' she thought to herself.  She quickly undressed
and got under the covers, attempting to fall asleep.  No such luck. 
Her mind kept running through various scenarios of what could have
happened to Mulder.  After a while, she was able to calm herself enough
to finally fall into a restless sleep.

**

Samantha Mulder went down in the elevator, satisfied with her work for
the evening.  The final parts of her plan would be put into effect in the
next couple of days.

She exited the elevator at the lobby and walked over to the front desk.

"Excuse me, could you put this in Miss Dana Scully's box for me?" she
asked the clerk, putting a letter on the desk.

"Certainly miss," the clerk replied, taking the letter from her.

"Thank you."  She left the hotel and headed down the street to another
hotel to wait until the next morning.

*******

Metropolitan Police Force
Friday, 10:15 am GMT

Scully felt like she was going to scream.  She had gone down to the
police station with hopes that she would get some help.  Unfortunately,
they treated her like she was some over-anxious woman when she first told
them about Mulder's disappearance.  Even when she informed them of her
and Mulder's credentials, they still seemed to treat her with little
concern.  They did the usual placating by taking down a report and 
reassuring her that they would look into it as soon as they could.  In
all actuality, they probably figured the guy must have gone on a bender 
and would turn up safe and sound, if not a little worse for the wear.

Now she was stomping out of the station, in a very foul mood.  She bumped
into someone as she headed down the stairs to the street.  As she went
to quickly excuse herself, she was surprised to see it was Phoebe. Then 
an idea dawned on her.

"Hello Dana, I'm surprised to see you here.  Are you and Mulder checking
out the facilities?"

"Actually, Mulder never reappeared last night.  I have no idea where
he is."  Phoebe seemed a bit concerned.

"That certainly doesn't sound like Mulder.  Did you make a report?"

"Yes, but those guys in there seemed to take it lightly.  I was
quite frustrated by their lack of concern, to put it nicely," Scully
commented.  

"Well, why don't you come up with me to my office.  Maybe we can get
something going."  Scully smiled appreciatively at her.  They both
headed up the stairs together and through the front doors.  The officers
to whom Scully had talked to earlier were surprised to see her coming 
back in.  They were even more surprised to see her walking with and 
talking to Inspector Green.  As the two women passed by them, Scully
couldn't help but grin at their expressions.

The two women arrived at the 14th floor and got out of the elevator,
heading for Phoebe's office.  Phoebe unlocked her door and held it
open for Scully to enter first.  Scully couldn't help but admire the
spacious office and the great view she had.  Phoebe noticed her 
admiration and smiled congenially.

"This is a great office," Scully commented.

"It's nice, yes, but I don't spend a lot of time in here.  I don't
like to be tied down to my desk if I can help it," Phoebe replied.
She walked over to her desk and put some papers on it, then sat
behind it, indicating to Scully to take the seat on the other
side, which she did.  "So, why don't you tell me the whole story."
Scully then proceeded to tell her the same story she had told the
officers downstairs.  Phoebe just listened, nodding every once in
a while, never saying a word until Scully was finished.  "So you
haven't seen or heard from him since last night.  Have you gotten
any notes or letters that might indicate some sort of kidnapping?"
Scully thought about it for a second.

"Well, nothing like that...Wait a minute!  Before I left the hotel
the desk clerk gave me a letter.  I never read it because I was too
preoccupied at the time."  She reached into her coat pocket and 
pulled out the letter.  She stopped for a moment, recognizing the
style and color of the envelope as being similar to the one she
had received at Gorhambury House.  She opened the envelope carefully
and pulled the letter out.  Unfolding the paper, she began to read
it aloud.

"I am old surrounded by new.  Look for me by the sea, that's where you'll
find me." Phoebe looked puzzled.

"What in the world could that mean?"  Scully didn't respond immediately,
she was trying to figure it out.

"Has there been any new development anywhere near water around here
lately?" she asked.

"Well, Canary Wharf just got finished lately, but I don't see how that..."

"Is there any old buildings still around out there?"  Phoebe shrugged.

"There might be, I couldn't say for sure though."  Scully got up from
her chair quickly.

"Then I think we should go check that out.  Can you get some people 
together to head down there?" 

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any promises.  We have a lot
of people out for the latest foreign visit." 

"Thanks.  I'll talk to you later."  Scully rushed out of the office.

"No problem," Phoebe replied, a little belatedly.

*******

Canary Wharf
1:07 pm GMT

It had taken a while for Scully to get down to the wharf, but she
had finally arrived.  She had done a cursory check of the buildings
in the area.  Nothing unusual, but it had only been a hurried look.
There were only a couple of older buildings she hadn't gotten a
good look into, so those were the ones she wanted to check first
when Phoebe and her officers arrived. She now waited to see if Phoebe
would come through for her, she didn't want to go running in without
any kind of protection.

Her mind began to wander, thinking about Mulder and all they had been
through.  She loved this man so much, it scared her.  She just hoped
he felt as strongly as she did.  Oh sure, he had told her he loved
her, but she wondered if it ran as deep as her love for him did.  
That was something they would have to discuss if...no, *when* she
found him.

"Excuse me, Agent Scully?" a voice asked from behind her.  She turned
quickly and found she was facing a London bobby.  She sighed with
relief.  "Could you please come with me, Inspector Green is waiting
for you over this way," he said, indicating in the direction of the
warehouses.  Scully nodded, and walked past the bobby to precede him.
As she passed him, she noticed a slight bulge in his jacket.  When
she turned to ask him about it, she was whacked at the base of her 
head with his billy club, swiftly falling unconscious.

*******

Warehouse
time unknown

Mulder faked being unconscious as Samantha came in and out of the room
with various instruments.  He wasn't sure, but when he had briefly
opened his eyes to look, he swore he saw a syringe, but it didn't look
like your average everyday one.  He was beginning to wonder what she
was up to.

He heard the door open again, but it wasn't just Samantha who had come
in.  He listened as they approached him, and then stopped.  He heard
the sound of something heavy being dumped on the floor.

"Careful with her you idiot!  I want to be sure that my experiment will
working properly!"  Samantha exclaimed angrily.  The person just 
grunted and Mulder heard his/her footsteps fade away, then disappear
as he/she went out the door.  He could feel Samantha's presence close
to him and he fought the urge to pull away from her caress.  He felt
a slight pinch in his head again and whipped his head up, then opened
his eyes.  "I brought you a surprise, Fox," she said, smiling.  She
moved out of his line of vision and Mulder was shocked to see Scully
lying unconscious on the floor, evidence of a nasty bump at the base
of her skull forming.

"What the hell are you up to!  She's done nothing to hurt you..."

"On the contrary, she's done all sorts of things.  She's ruined
every chance I've ever had to be with you.  She's a pesky nuisance,
Fox.  She just doesn't know how to stay out of the way.  And now,
she's gone and polluted you.  She has to pay for her sins," Samantha
replied.  A look of horrified realization began to cross Mulder's face.

"You're not Samantha at all, are you?  My god, it's you, isn't it Mic?"
She chuckled and clapped her hands in mocking applause.

"I was wondering how long it would take you, Fox.  How do you like my
new look, tres chic, n'est-ce pas?" she questioned, turning on the
spot as if she was demonstrating the clothing she was wearing.  

"How...?"  She didn't get to answer him because Scully began to stir
on the floor.  Her eyes opened and she was shocked to see Mulder 
sitting, tied up in a chair.  She was even more shocked to see the
young woman standing beside him.  She looked just like...

"Hello Scully, how're you feeling?  Sorry about that little bump,
but Rolf was never one for subtlety.  I keep telling him that my
test subjects have to be totally healthy, but I can't seem to
get it through that thick German skull of his," Mic said.  Scully
just sat there, not knowing what to say.  She looked questioningly
at Mulder who was looking with undisguised anger at the young woman.

"What do you mean by 'test subject'?"  She rolled her eyes as she
approached Scully and easily lifted her to her feet.

"Sometimes this guy can be *so* thick, don't you think?" she asked
Scully.  The door opened again at the other end of the room and there
was a clattering sound as well as that of someone walking.  Rolf
approached them with a metallic table and placed it near the instruments.
The fear Scully felt was obvious on her face.  She looked at Mulder and
back at the young woman holding on to her.

"Oh my god," she finally said, realization dawning in her mind.

"You know, Fox, I'm beginning to think that Scully's the more
intelligent one of the two of you.  She's certainly able to figure
things out faster than you," Mic commented as she and Rolf hauled
Scully onto the table.  Once they undid her bonds, she attempted
to fight, but Rolf held her down easily as Mic tied her to the table.
With that done, Rolf left the room again. "Just relax, this shouldn't
hurt much, at first."  Mic turned away and began preparing the 
instruments.

"You won't get away with this, people know where I've gone," Scully
said.  Mic chuckled sardonically.

"You don't think I didn't already know about your little trip to
Scotland Yard, Scully?  You underestimate me. I've prepared for
all contingencies." Scully looked slightly defeated.  

"What are you going to do to me then, I'm not exactly the type
that'll keep his mouth shut," Mulder questioned, trying to
goad her.  Mic looked at him with a smile.  She walked over to
him and placed a hand on his forehead.  Mulder flinched away from it,
making Mic grin.

"Oh, we have plans for you, Fox, don't worry."  She patted his cheek
heavily.

"Who's this 'we', or have you become schizophrenic on top of being
psychotic?"  Mic laughed aloud, causing Mulder and Scully to
wonder how far gone she really was.

"Oh hell, let's be cliched, shall we?  It's not like you'll remember
any of this soon enough, and you won't be around to remember it,"
Mic replied, looking at Mulder, then Scully as she spoke.  She 
grabbed a chair and sat comfortably in it.  "We all nice and cosy?
Good.  Now, I work for what you guys like to call a 'shadow'
government.  I started out as a normal operative like the rest of
them, but then they decided that they wanted to do something new,
have a stronger, faster, more intelligent operative, so I volunteered.
My DNA was mixed with an alien one and I soon began to feel the effects of
the combination."

"They used the Purity Control on you?"  Mulder asked.

"Not the stuff you know, something a little more advanced. What they 
didn't realize was that there would be some side-effects, like my
enhanced psychic capabilities, as well as my control of
electromagnetic fields.  They put me through various test assignments
until they felt I was ready to go for the big assignment, to eliminate
you two.  I had heard about you and I kind of liked your style, even
though you were working on the opposite side.  It took all my
convincing powers to get them to agree to keep you alive, Fox.  They
agreed with me that it was smarter to keep you alive and just wipe
your memory again, allowing us to rebuild it for you. We're just
going to use Scully here as a test subject for our newest biological
weapon."  She got up from the chair and walked over to the instruments,
picking up the strange-looking syringe.  "This was supposed to be
tested on you back in LA, Scully, but some complications arose before 
I had a chance to finish.  Actually, you'll be the first subject to 
have the new, improved version tried out on you.  The old version took 
far too long to come into effect, a couple of hours, easy, but this one
only takes a half hour, an hour tops.  Don't you feel honoured to be
a part of medical history, Scully?"  Scully looked at Mic with disgust.
"Hmph, I guess there's no pleasing anyone.  Might as well get on with it,
I've wasted enough time already."  She checked over the syringe and went
to put it against her arm when she got that faraway look in her eyes again.
She nodded and walked back to the instrument table with the syringe,
putting it down.  "Have to take care of someone, don't go anywhere,"
she said as she walked away.  She laughed ironically at what she had
said.  There was the sound of the door opening then closing.

"Scully, are you alright?"  Mulder asked.

"I could be better," she commented sardonically.

"Do you think you could get out of the ties?  I'm trying to get out
of mine, but I think Mic must have been a Girl Scout."  Scully
began to laugh wearily, making Mulder worried.  "What's so funny?"

"Just picturing Mic as a Girl Scout," she replied.  Mulder couldn't
help but laugh with her, it was quite a bizarre picture to imagine.
Suddenly the door opened loudly and Mic came running back toward them.

"That bitch is not going to mess things up for me," she muttered as 
she picked the syringe up.  She checked it again quickly and went to
push it into Scully's arm when a shot rang out and Mic's back arched.
She dropped the syringe on the floor, then soon followed it.  Scully
and Mulder strained to see who their benefactor was.  Phoebe approached
them cautiously, holding her gun in Mic's direction.  They had never
been so glad to see her.  She proceeded to untie Mulder and kept an
eye on Mic at the same time.  As soon as she had him untied, he went over
to Scully and released her.  She threw her arms around him and began
to weep happily.  They then heard Mic from the ground.

"Fox," she whispered.  He squatted down next to her.  She gasped loudly,
trying to get some air. "You...should...know...<gasp>...your sister..."

"What about her?"  Mulder demanded.

"She's...alive..."  Mulder looked at her in disbelief.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because, she was...there...with...<gasp>...me...I'm...not...the...only
one..."  With those last words, she let out her last breath.

===========================================================================

From: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca (Siobhan Gormley)
Subject: NEW: _Past Secrets_ (9/9) 
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 00:43:31 GMT


Usual disclaimers apply...

     
                      _Past Secrets: Part Nine_
                         by Siobhan Gormley


FBI Headquarters
A week and a half later, 11:21 am

*Dana Scully's personal diary

 After all that's happened, it's hard to believe we made it out
alive.  Mic was almost fanatical about achieving her goals.  Fortunately
she didn't achieve all that she was intended to.  We checked out
everything we could on her, but we couldn't link her to any organization
or even to a name.  This reminds me of Deep Throat's murderer, and it
is not a reminder I enjoy.  
 I was able to do get an autopsy done on her, and they did find
oddities in her DNA structure.  Her blood, though, unlike other alien
hybrids, was human, with only some abnormalities. 
 As for whether she was telling the truth about Mulder's sister being
alive and at the test facility with her, we won't know the truth of
that unless Samantha, the *real* Samantha, would approach us.
 God only knows when we'll find out who exactly is involved in this
'shadow' government, and in all actuality, I don't know if I really
want to.  Somehow it seems safer not to know.
 Mulder and I spent the rest of our time, after a stop at the hospital,
in London at the expense of Scotland Yard.  I have a feeling Phoebe
had something to do with it.  I'm surprised at how she seems to have
changed.  Maybe she was telling me the truth when she said she
knew when not to fight a losing battle.  I don't think I'll ever
understand that woman.
 As for mine and Mulder's change in relationship, it's a work in
progress.  I do love him, and he has said he loves me, but I
don't want us to get too dependent on the other.  I like having
our friendship, and I don't want to lose that, or our good
working relationship.  I brought this up to him on the plane
ride back, and he's agreed, but god only knows if he'll not let
his emotions get in the way of a decision, but of course, I shouldn't
talk.  I could become just as susceptible to overprotectiveness as he is.
We'll both just have to watch ourselves. *

The door to the office slammed, causing Scully to jump slightly.  She
closed the personal diary file and walked over to Mulder's desk where he
now sat, an angry look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Everything we took from that warehouse, every bit of evidence,
*conveniently* lost!" he exclaimed, punctuating it with a slam
of his palm against the desk.  

"Everything?"

"Yes, *everything*!"  Scully walked behind him and began to massage
his shoulders, trying to release some of the tension building in
him.

"Mulder, there's no point getting upset.  We should have suspected
this might happened," she said, trying to reason with him.  He
soon found himself agreeing with her.

"You're right, Scully.  They're out to make sure we don't stop them
from their little tests.  I just get so mad..."

"I know, I know."  Mulder sighed, laying his head against the back of
the chair.

"You should get those hands of yours classified as lethal weapons."
Scully couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Any man would be putty in your hands.  You could get them to do
whatever you wanted."

"Hmmm, that has interesting possibilities," she joked.  Mulder
looked up at her to see her grinning mischievously.

"Don't you even *think* about it!" he exclaimed, making her laugh.

"Whatever *do* you mean, Agent Mulder?" she asked between chuckles.
He just shook his head. She leaned down and was now face to face with 
him.  "Don't worry, I can wait," she whispered seductively, running
a finger over his mouth.  She straightened herself up and walked back
to her side of the office, giving Mulder a huge grin before she sat
down to work.  Mulder finally exhaled, having held it for the past
minute.  He turned toward the papers on his desk.

"Gotta remember to breath, gotta remember to breath..." he chanted
quietly to himself as he began to look over the next case.

THE END





----------------------------------------------------------------------
Siobhan Gormley
Carleton University

*********************************************************************
     Mulder: Hey Scully, do you believe in an afterlife?
     Scully: I'd settle for a life in this one.
****************************X-FILES**********************************

Email address: sgormle2@chat.carleton.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------