Title: Lightening Shadows V-Starting Out On A Journey
Author: Elizabeth L. Iacono
Rating: PG (Language, some uh, non-safe things that SHOULD have
happened in the movie. Aargh!)
Category: Story, Romance
Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance (Finally! It took me too damn
long to get here!)
Spoilers: Humbug(Very slight),Quagmire, Folie a Deux
Summary: Mulder learns a few things about himself and begins
a new journey.
Started October 1, 1998
Well, now we've reached part five. I don't know how the other
stories I've posted for this series have done, actually the
first story I posted to Gossamer in June still hasn't been put
up there yet.
Anyway, this is part five. It would be extremely hard to explain
the other stories in the series here so here's a basic
synopsis-Mulder learned he was adopted through a series of
dreams. The rest of the story? Well, read the other stories.
I'll list them for ya.
Oh, Yeah, Mulder does have a bedroom in this series. I found a
spoiler for a season six episode that actually shows his bedroom,
so I'm working it into the story here. I think you'll find it
was necessary .
Any feedback is greatly appreciated. The addy is
RhiaRamsay@aol.com
Archive-No Problem, just e-mail me and tell me where
it is, and I already sent this to Gossamer.
Disclaimer: Of course, can't forget that:P Mulder, Scully,
and Maggie Scully ain't mine. None of my original
characters appear in this story, unlike the others in the
series, but some situations are of my own creation.
Lightening Shadows Series
Lightening Shadows I- Far Away, Long Ago
Lightening Shadows II- Glowing Dim As An Ember
Lightening Shadows III- What Child Is This?
Lightening Shadows IV- Raindrops On Roses
Lightening Shadows V- Starting Out On A Journey
Lightening Shadows V- Starting Out On A Journey
Elizabeth L. Iacono
Fox Mulder opened his eyes and slammed them shut again. It
was too bright out. Thank God it was Saturday. He rolled over
and stole a glance at the clock. 8:23. Pretty late for him. He
failed to notice the faint ripping sound the couch made when he
turned over.
It had been one of the strangest weeks in his life. Learning
he didn't know who his true parents were pretty much topped the
list of 'Most Shocking Things I've Learned In My Life.' Little
did he know it was about to get stranger.
Mulder rolled onto his back again. He heard the strange
ripping, scratching noise this time, and lifted up to look at
the couch. Where his back had laid was a mass of small rips in
the leather. He felt the rips, wondering where they had come
from. He didn't think he was that violent in his sleep. Mulder
felt an itch on his upper back and hr reached an arm behind
to scratch it.
And then he stopped cold.
His back felt strange. It was cool and dry, almost-scalelike?
This was not normal. This was definitely not normal. Mulder
got up and headed to the bathroom. He turned around and looked
over his shoulder into the mirror, and his jaw fell open in shock.
The skin of his upper back was now a mass of glittering
green scales. When he shifted slightly the scales caught the
weak bathroom light and turned iridescent. The patch ended right
where his shoulder blades ended.
Mulder could accept the existence of aliens, flukemen, and
bigfoot, but when stuff like out of a fairy tale happened to him,
he earned all rights to pretend it never happened. He shut his
tightly for about a minute, praying that he was only
hallucinating. He opened them again, and looked in the mirror
once more. No such luck, the scales were still there.
Maybe it's some sort of skin irritation, Mulder thought,
hoping but not really believing that was the answer. He walked
back into the living room and sat down on the other side of the
couch that wasn't ripped. 'It's time to get a new couch,' he
thought.
Mulder picked up the phone and decided to call Scully, she
was the doctor, not him. Before dialing, he looked at the clock.
8:30 on a Saturday morning she would probably be sleeping. Oh,
well, he thought, this qualifies as a medical emergency to call
so I'm perfectly within my rights to call.
The phone rang once, twice, and finally Scully's sleepy voice
echoed over the line. -Mulder, this better be important.-
He grinned. "How'd you know it was me?"
-Only you would be crazy enough to call on a Saturday morning
at- she paused, obviously looking at the clock. -8:30. So
what's up?-
Mulder hesitated. This was another situation he was going
to have trouble explaining. Oh, well, I'll just show her when she
gets here. That should be explanation enough, he thought. "Uh, do
you think you could come over for a little while? I need you to
take a look at something for me."
-Mulder, this better not have anything to do with work. It's
Saturday, one of the few days we don't need to work...-
Mulder quickly cut her off to pacify her. "No, no, nothing
like that, just, please?"
-Yeah, okay. Do you need me to bring anything over?-
"Maybe some of your old Med school books."
He could just picture the puzzlement on her face as she said
-Sure, I'll be over in an hour.-
"Great, thanks," and with that Mulder hung up. He now had an
hour to put his apartment into some semblance of neatness, and
get dressed. He ran a hand over his upper back once more. If
those things could rip up his couch, forget about trying to get
a shirt on.
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Exactly an hour later, just as promised, the doorbell rang.
Mulder looked around at his apartment, and down at himself. He
was right, he wasn't able to get a shirt on; he'd ripped two in
the process. 'Oh, well, time to face the music.'
He opened the door to find Scully dressed in a casual T-shirt
and jeans, and holding a stack of thick books in her arms.
"Morning, Mulder," she said. "What do you need me to look at?"
He ushered her in, turning quickly so she wouldn't see his
back. He was so nervous about this he didn't speak for a few
minutes. "Mulder, what's wrong?"
She in fact was getting a little distressed at the fact that
he was standing thee without a shirt on. 'Why do I do this for
the schmuck?' she said to herself. 'Because you love him,' a
little part of her mind said back. Scully pushed both voices to
the back of her head. "Mulder!" She waved a hand in front of his
face, and he finally jolted back to her. "You said you wanted me
to take a look at something?"
"Yeah." Mulder took a deep breath and then turned around
and revealed his back to her. He heard a slight gasp and then
a "What the hell is that?"
"I have no clue," Mulder said softly. He heard her put the
books down on the floor, and then lightly touch the scales on his
back. For all the roughness of the scales they were still
sensitive to her touch. In all honesty he loved the feel of her
hands. "So what do you think it is?"
"I don't know." Scully went around to the front of him.
"Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this, ever.
Come over by the light, so I can get a better look at it."
The two walked over to the window by Mulder's desk. "That's
why I asked for the med school books. Maybe there's something in
there," Mulder said hopefully.
Scully raised an eyebrow. "Well, there are some diseases
that cause a person's skin to take on a scale like appearance,
we've seen that, but those have been genetic mutations, present
from birth. When did this appear?"
"Sometime in the night, I guess. It wasn't there when I
went to sleep, but when I woke up, it was there and the couch
was ripped." He turned around, displaying his back again to her.
This time, rather than with shock, Scully viewed his back
with a clinical eye. "It doesn't look like it's been attached
to your skin in any way. It's almost like it just...just..."
"Was always there?" Mulder suggested.
"Exactly." Scully tugged his arm and pulled him over to
the couch. They both sat down, Mulder careful not to let his
back hit the leather. "I'll tell you, Mulder, it almost looks
like..." Scully trailed off. Mulder noted she was biting her
lip in nervousness.
He leaned in closer. "What?"
"Like...like snake scales, or lizard scales," Scully said.
Something struck a chord in Mulder's head, something out of
his dreams lately. "Dragon scales," Mulder whispered.
"What?" Scully stared at him. He couldn't have said what
she thought he said, could he?
Mulder stared out the window nervously, this was going to
be another hard one to try and explain. "Okay, Scully, just
hear me out on this one before you dismiss it, please?" he
asked, almost pleadingly.
Scully put a hand on his bare shoulder. "Okay," she
said nervously, not sure if she wanted to hear what he had
come up with.
Mulder took a deep breath and began. "I told you about
those dreams I've been having lately. The ones about my past.
Well, this same thing, the scales, it happened to a little girl
in one of the dreams. Except she was able to control it. But
it was the exact same thing. It was dragon scales."
Scully stared at him. "How are you so sure it was dragon
scales?" was the only question that she could get out that wasn't
questioning to his sanity.
"I really don't know. I remember hearing that there was a
sort of dragon's blood within the family, that it was a part of
all the family members..." Mulder trailed off, searching for
the right explanation.
"Mulder, I don't have to tell you that the existence of
dragons is about as valid as the existence of the Loch Ness
monster."
Mulder stood up and began pacing. "I know, I know, but it
just seems to fit in with the dreams!" He ran a hand through his
hair. "I can't explain this, even scientifically, but this just
seems to be the most likely explanation for what's happening."
Scully stood up to face him. "This is why we have the
medical books. We're going to go through every one and find
out exactly what this is."
Mulder stared at her and sighed. "You're right. It's
just this whole week had been so out there, the dragon thing
just came to mind as a possible explanation."
Scully sat back down on the couch and patted the seat
next to her. Mulder sat down and leaned back, his head
lolling back. Then he jolted forward, remembering the
scales. Scully saw that some of the leather came forward
with him. "It's time to send this couch to the scrap heap,
Mulder," Scully said around a laugh.
"Yeah, I think one of the cushions has a bad spring in
it. It keeps poking me while I'm sleeping."
Scully grabbed one of the books off the floor and placed
it heavily in Mulder's lap. "Now start reading. We'll find
out what's going on with you."
"I always thought it was just simple insanity."
"That wasn't the case, Mulder, they already tried to put
you in the nuthouse, and it didn't work."
Mulder aimed his pouty look at Scully and she countered
with a pillow to Mulder's smirk.
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It was now two p.m. and almost all of the medical texts were
exhausted. None of them had something mentioning symptoms like
Mulder's. Scully flipped another book shut and sighed. She let
her head roll against the back of the couch. "How many books
was that?" she asked.
"Nearly all. I think there's only one left. And it only
took us four and a half hours," Mulder muttered, rubbing his
forehead. The scales were still on his back, and besides for
the problem of getting a shirt on without ripping it, there was
no side effects.
Something in the time struck a chord in Scully, and she
looked at the clock. "Oh, no!," she moaned.
Mulder pulled his head out of the book and looked over
her way. "What's wrong?"
"I'm supposed to meet my mom for lunch in a half hour. I'll
never make it there in time."
Mulder felt horrible for taking up her day with his
problems. "Don't worry, go to lunch. You can call her in the
car and tell her you'll be late. I'm pretty sure she won't mind."
Scully looked at the clock. "You're probably right." She
sighed and shook her head. "Okay, but I'll come back right
afterwards. I want to find out what this thing is."
"I'll have the Chinese food waiting," Mulder smiled at
her. Scully grinned back, accepting his unspoken invitation
to dinner at his place.
She grasped his hand tightly for a moment. "Thanks." She
got up and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a few hours," she
said, and let herself out.
"I'll be waiting," Mulder said to the closed door.
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Scully tried to concentrate on what her mother was saying,
but her mind kept drifting back to Mulder. He was right; those
scales couldn't be explained in anyway, scientific or paranormal.
She wondered about his dragon scales theory. It was so out
there, it couldn't possibly be true. But there was
something...she wasn't so sure that it wasn't the right
answer. It just might be the truth, she thought. She wasn't
going to tell him, but she could swear that the scales on his
back looked like the scales she'd thought she'd glimped on
his cheek that day they went up to see his...well, for lack
of a better word, she thought, adoptive mother.
"Dana? Are you all right?" Maggie Scully asked.
She came back to herself with a jolt. "Yeah, I'm fine,
Mom. Don't worry."
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When Mulder didn't answer the doorbell, Scully let herself in
with her key. She found the cartons of Chinese food on the
kitchen counter. They had to have been freshly delivered; they
were still warm.
Mulder was stretched out on the couch (on his stomach this
time) sleeping soundly. Scully hated to wake him. She knew his
sleeping patterns of late had been disrupted. She sat down by
his head and ran a finger down his cheek softly. She loved this
man so much, sometimes she was scared of what she felt for him.
Scully didn't have a chance to think much more because at that
moment Mulder's sleepy eyes slowly opened.
"Hey," he said, smiling.
"Have a nice nap?" Scully asked.
Mulder moved an arm under his head. "Yeah. I got you dinner."
"I saw. Tell you what. You stay here, I'll dish up the food."
"Sure."
About a half an hour later, the plates that were filled with
Chinese food were now lying empty on the table. Mulder was
still in the same position on the couch, and Scully was on the
floor with her head only inches away from his. At that moment
she decided to take a chance.
Mulder had stopped talking for a minute and was now staring
into her eyes. Scully let her head fall forward and kissed him
softly, but held it there. It wasn't like the kiss on the beach
from earlier that week, but much more passionate.
Oh my God Dana Scully is kissing me, Mulder thought
elatedly. He was happy, shocked, and dizzy all at the same
time, and had a little trouble returning the kiss.
Scully pulled back from his lips. She saw the shocked
look on his face, but mistook it for the wrong thing. "I'm
sorry. I really ought to be going." Quick as anything she
had gotten up and was getting ready to leave.
"Wait!" Mulder called and jumped off the couch. He wasn't
letting her go now. He caught up with her by the front door.
Scully turned around and began to speak in a rush.
"Look I'm sorry, Mulder, that was uncalled for."
"Scully, wait," Mulder began, but Scully was too agitated
to notice.
"It's just been a very long day and..."
"Scully," Mulder pleaded for attention, but still Scully
was otherwise occupied. Time for plan B, Mulder thought, and
swiftly brought his lips down on hers and kissed her.
Scully froze in his arms, but then relaxed, and kissed him
back. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Mulder said
"Sorry, but that was the only way I could think of to shut you up."
"Did you mean that?" Scully asked softly, almost afraid of
the answer. With one word her fears were diminished.
"Yes."
She leaned up and kissed him once more.
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The next Morning
Scully opened her eyes when the sun hit them. She stared
around the unfamiliar room. Oh, yeah, she thought, Mulder really
does have a bedroom. She felt a heavy weight on her chest and
was sure for a second that it was Queequeg. But, hold on,
Queequeg had been gatorbait for over two years. She looked
down and saw Mulder's dark head borrowing her for a pillow, and
she smiled, running some fingers through his soft hair.
She thought of a song she'd heard the other day on the
radio, and how, especially now, it seemed to fit their lives
perfectly.
"We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you."
The soft motion of Scully's fingers working their way
through his hair brought Mulder to full consciousness. He looked
up to find Scully smiling down at him. "G'Morning," he
whispered, and reached up to kiss her.
She kissed him back and kept a hand running through his
hair. "Morning."
Mulder stared into her eyes. "So what would be the best
word to describe this situation?" he asked her. "Shock, awe..."
"Love," Scully interrupted, smiling at him with her whole face.
Mulder smiled back. "Love." He leaned in to kiss her again,
mouthing the words 'I love you' against her lips. 'I love you
too' she mouthed back. The kisses grew deeper until Scully ran
her hand down his back, and then she pulled back. "What's
wrong?" Mulder asked.
"Your back. It's back to normal." Mulder ducked his head
so that Scully could get a better look at his back. It was now
just his smooth shoulder blades, tanned nicely from all those
hours of playing basketball in the park. "I don't know how the
hell to explain it, but it's gone."
"Just as quickly as it came," Mulder muttered against
her shoulder.
Scully lifted his chin up with a finger. "But it's gone now,
and if it comes back, we'll handle it then. But right now I
think you have more important things to worry about."
"Like what?" Mulder leered at her, knowing perfectly well
what she was talking about.
"Well, we can start with you kissing me, and then taking
it from there."
"With pleasure," Mulder said, and kissed her again.
This part's over, but the story ain't. Part six is coming
soon...as soon as I write it. I'm royally stuck, so it
may be a while.
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The song is "At the Beginning", and it ain't mine. I think
that the whole song describes their relationship perfectly, and
trust me, if you heard it, and you're a shipper, you'd think
so too.
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True love, it's the greatest
thing in the world.
Miracle Max
The Princess Bride
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Men will fight bravely and be
heroes, but for a last ditch
defense against any odds...
get a mother.
Lightbringer
High Wizardry
I think this phrase applies to
Scully perfectly.
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(
geocities.com/rhiaramsay)