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The Four Corners Cycle Feedback- Who wouldn't love some? spookey247@msn.com http://www.oocities.org/spookey_247/ Kaya sits by the window, watching the sun rising over the tennis court. She watches Elise's daughters feeding the cooking fire, starting to get breakfast. She knows she should get dressed and go lend them a hand, but she's not ready to be with people yet. She rubs the back of her hand across red-rimmed eyes, trying to get a decent breath. She holds her pillow on her lap. Now and then a surge of anger makes her twist it violently. She wishes this stinking pillow was Dana right now. It was hard enough, last night, to have to share a room with Dana in the first place. Kaya would have been glad to sleep in the truck, but Elise has a way of insisting about things that's hard to get around, especially when you're fifteen and you're supposed to show respect for elder People. Dana hadn't been too happy about the arrangement, either. She made it very plain to everyone that what she really wanted was to be with Will. She acted like she didn't even care that he had a job to do; like she was incapable of understanding that the dead have needs, too. Kaya gets up from her chair and flings the pillow on the bed with a curse. How could anyone be so selfish, she thinks. Kaya is mad at herself. She should have told Dana the way things were. She should have delivered a warning, the very first day, along with that stupid dress. You keep your hands off my father, she should have said. He's not for you and you're not for him. It's completely against the rules. Kaya wipes a fresh round of tears off her face and paces back to the window. I can't believe it, she thinks. I can't believe that last night, when Will was supposed to be praying for that poor guy's soul, when he was supposed to be doing his duty, speaking to the spirits, showing reverence for the dead and for our ancestors, Dana had enough disrespect for him and everyone else to go to the fire and talk to him. And then, she thinks, temper surging again, *then*, Will just got up from the fire and followed Dana into the house like a pet dog. All she had to do was crook her finger and *Bam*. The dead now know how to take care of themselves. No problem. Kaya sits down on the bed, slamming her feet into her boots, jerking the laces taut with trembling fingers. She doesn't want to think about what must have happened between Dana and her father after she watched them leave the fire together. I wasn't born yesterday, she thinks, blood rushing in her head. I've been a woman three years now. From the way they were touching each other it's easy to see what they were thinking of doing. She takes her scarf from the bedside table and wraps it over her long brown hair. Moments later she is headed for the hallway. Kaya feels the weight of responsibility; it balances like a boulder on her slender shoulders. She feels her mother's hand guiding her, as she always has, ever since the day that Maia passed. If Will isn't going to do what's needed to protect the family, then she will. Kaya knows her mother would want things set straight. ~~~~ Dana closes Mulder's bedroom door behind her and collapses against the wall. She wonders when she's going to wake up from this dream. Their parting kiss was overwhelming; it filled her with joy, like a strong river current. He promised her he would sleep for at least an hour, but she doesn't believe that he actually will. Suddenly, a door opens nearby. Dana freezes, dazed and unsure. The door is just around the corner and several feet away, down a narrow hallway. "Be back in a minute, Pop." Elise. Dana presses against the wall and tries not to move. Soft footsteps echo away down the hardwood floor. Dana makes a beeline for the stairway at the end of the hall. Passing the open door of the room that Elise left earlier, she glances quickly to the right, hoping the occupant won't notice her slipping by. What she sees there stops her in her tracks. He looks smaller than he did on the rock by the river, lying half-submerged in a pile of pillows that are clearly intended to prop him up. Dana draws nearer, waiting for him to look her way, but he continues staring fixedly at the window, where a riot of morning sunbeams threatens the heavy drapes. "Morning, Dana." Dana jerks in shock, spinning around to find Elise standing behind her. Her hand flies instinctively to her chest, where her heart is frantically propelling extra blood through her body. "God, Elise, you startled me." "Sorry." Elise's expression is unreadable. She holds some folded clothes, which she sets on a chair by the bed. "I forgot my father's clothes." The old man's gaze does not stray from the window. "I see you've met." "Um, yes," Dana says, feeling slightly faint. "We've met." Elise turns back to the chair and separates a few garments from the pile. "These are for William," she says. Elise towers over Dana. She proffers the neatly folded clothes. "Maybe you'd like to take them to him," she says, evenly. Dana takes the clothes, wondering if there might be a scorpion or some other nasty surprise concealed in this stack of worn cotton and sharp creases. "Thanks," she says warily. "I think he's sleeping, but I'll leave these for him." Elise smiles politely. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that." She turns toward the bed. "Come on, Pop," she says in a cheerful, robust voice. "It's Clean Underwear Day. Time for your bath." The bowl of soapy water on the bedside table has escaped Dana's notice until this moment. Elise unbuttons the old man's pajama shirt and wrings a washcloth into the bowl. She begins swabbing the old man's body briskly, with sharp, almost casual motions, as if her father is of no more consequence than a crumb-covered table-top. The old man does not seem to notice her rough ablution. Dana waits for him to exhibit signs of consciousness, do something to convince her that he could conceivably be the man she spoke to by the river yesterday, but he continues to stare, motionless, like a mummy in a luxury crypt. "Elise..." she murmurs as Elise strips the sheet back to reveal the shriveled body. "Hmmm?" "Could your father have been down by the river yesterday afternoon?" "Dana, one of my daughters is usually here for this...could you help me roll him?" Setting Mulder's clothes aside, Dana takes hold of the bony legs and they roll the inert form to one side. She averts her gaze as Elise peels away her father's boxer shorts, like the skin from an overripe fruit. Elise matter-of-factly scrubs the mottled, hairy flesh. "I'm sorry, Dana. What was your question?" "Nevermind. It's not important." "Oh, well. So, now that you know the master of the estate's most intimate secrets, would you like to be formally introduced? This is my father, Dana, Miles Solomon. He had a lot of money before the Bugs ate everyone for breakfast. Pop, this is Dana. She's Doc William's friend." Suddenly the grizzled, elliptical head swings Dana's way. Watery blue eyes lock onto a spot somewhere just above Dana's head. "Oh look," Elise laughs. "Movement. He must be totally in your spell." ~~~~ Kaya stops at the top of the stairs as she hears Dana's footsteps ascending. The head is the first thing to surface. That's a good target, Kaya thinks, clutching the banister tightly, like she's ready to rip it loose and start smacking. When Dana sees the look on Kaya's face she starts climbing the steps more forcefully, as if she means to clear a path to the bedroom any way she can. Reaching the top step, she tries to shove her way through. Before she knows what she's doing, Kaya lunges, locking the fingers of her right hand around Dana's arm. "You're ruining my father's life." Dana stops and looks down at Kaya's hand, then lifts her face to stare defiantly. If this comes to blows, Kaya thinks, then so much the better. She knows she's stronger than Dana, taller and younger and in perfect health. She'll mop Elise's floor with all that red hair. There's something in Dana's glare that unnerves her, though. Something that saps her confidence. She prays that her voice will not shake. "There are things you need to understand." "We seem to be having our usual argument. You can let go of me now." Dana wrenches her arm loose, turning her back and stalking toward the door of their bedroom. Kaya follows, grabbing her by the shoulder and spinning her around. "I know what you made Will do last night." A sharp sound of surprise leaps from the back of Dana's throat. "*Made* him? You think I'm *making* him do things? Kaya, no one can make your father do anything he doesn't want to do." "What did you say to him last night, to make him leave the fire?" "I don't have to tell you what goes on between us. But he left the fire because he wanted to. It was his choice." "I don't believe that. Will's a good person. He cares about things. He wouldn't have done that unless you threatened him somehow. Or charmed him." Dana's hands fly into the air. "Charmed him? I don't believe this." Kaya pushes Dana against the wall, pinning her in place with both hands and spitting words into her face. "You're making him risk everything. I want to know what you did." Dana squirms under the pressure of Kaya's hands, lowering her voice. "I haven't done anything to him," she hisses. "I knew him a long time ago and we still care about each other. That's all there is to it." "You think you can have him all to yourself." "Why are you doing this, Kaya? You're acting crazy. This doesn't make any sense." "It will when you hear what I have to tell you." "Okay, look. If I listen to what you have to say will you calm down?" Kaya drops her hands to her sides, taking a deep, quivering breath. "We should go into the bedroom," she says in a low voice. Dana frowns and looks back down the stairs. "You don't want him to know that you're telling me this." "No. If he wanted you to know he'd have told you himself. But I have to make you understand. You have to leave him alone." Dana nods slowly and opens the bedroom door. ~~~~ "The land where my family lives belongs to the Hopi tribe," Kaya begins when the door has closed behind them. "I didn't know that. What has that got to do with anything?" "It's my Grandmother's place; my mother grew up there. She and Will had a house in Tuba for a while, but they moved back in with Grandmother after they had Sam, and the rest of us were all born in that trailer. We've always lived there. It's our home." "Okay, so?" "So, we're not leaving, no matter what anyone says." "Why should you have to?" Dana leans against the door and folds her arms across her chest. Kaya sits down on the edge of the bed. "Because the Hopi have rules about people like you and my father." "What do you mean, people like me and your father?" "People with the Marks." "I don't know what that means." "Will hasn't told you anything. I don't understand it." Kaya shoves herself up off the bed with a heavy sigh and paces to the window. "I would think if he loved you so much he would want you to know things." Dana sighs. "No, not necessarily." "My mother told Dru that people with the Marks aren't really human. The Bugs changed them somehow. She said that's why every year we get older but Will doesn't. She said that one day we'll be old and wrinkled and people will think Will is our son instead of the other way around." Kaya stares wistfully out at the tennis court, trailing her fingers down the smooth glass of the window. "We used to make jokes about it, but now that I'm older I know it's true. My father knows lots of people with the Marks. He was in prison with them at the Labs. He visits them and they visit him and they all talk together in their heads so no one else can hear. And years have gone by and I've become a woman, but they don't get old. They all stay the same. Will stays the same. You'll stay the same." "Your father has told me as much. I still don't see what this has to do with anything, Kaya." Kaya's head jerks toward her. "For such an old person, you're not very patient," she snaps. "Quit being stupid and listen." Dana's mouth drops open. For a minute Kaya feels guilty for talking so disrespectfully, but the feeling passes quickly. Dana's not like other old folks. Someone needs to teach her some humility. Kaya wraps her fingers around the back of a chair, massaging the upholstery to ease her vexation and trying to think what to say. This kind of talking is Will's job, she thinks. I'm not used to telling stories. But there's no going back now. This story has to be told. She stares down at the seat of the chair and begins. "My mother told Dru that when the People shut down the Labs, the Elders of the Hopi tribe heard all kinds of stories about things that had been done there. Some of them went out to see for themselves. They saw what the Bugs had done to those people, and they saw the children that had been born whose bodies were still kept there. They saw that those children weren't human. My grandmother's people are really worried about the Earth and keeping things in balance. The Elders decided that no more babies like that ought to be born. They met with the Navajo elders, and they all got together with the people who'd been saved, people like my father, and Wynn the blacksmith, because a lot of them still lived around this area. They told them that for the good of everybody it should be taboo for them to marry or breed together, and those people, including my father, agreed to that." Dana gets very quiet. Kaya can tell her words are sinking deep. "So you're saying that what your father and I are doing is..." "If anyone finds out what you and Will have done he'll lose everyone's respect. And if he pisses the wrong people off we could lose our home." Dana covers her eyes with her hand. She stays quiet for a very long time. Finally, she speaks. "Your father's not breaking the rules out of disrespect or recklessness, Kaya. I think he sees them as unnecessary. And he loves me." "You think I don't know that he loves you? That's not the point. If you were someone else I'd be happy for him, but you're not. You're like him, so you can't be with him." "I'm sure those babies at the Labs were engineered. They were the products of irresponsible experimentation. They weren't created through any natural process." "Look, I don't know anything about stuff like that," Kaya says, venomously. "It's not up to me to decide if the Elders made a right or wrong decision before I was even born. I just know how it is now." "I can't give your father up because of a rule that was made without any real evidence. Kaya, he and I have been separated a long time. We need to be together." "You haven't heard a word I've said. None of that matters. You can't be with him." "But I'm going to be with him anyway." "What's going to happen if you have a baby, Dana? You don't know what kind of monster is going to come out. Do you want to die having his children? My mother did." "Kaya, tragic as it is, sometimes women die in childbirth." "No shit, of course they do." Kaya falls silent, petrified by the memory. "They don't die like my mother did, though," she whispers. Dana moves nearer. Her face is on fire. "Wait a minute. There's something about the twins, isn't there? Something that's not quite right..." Kaya feels her lips beginning to tremble. "There's nothing wrong with my brothers." "Tell me what you know, Kaya. Tell me the truth." "I don't want to talk about it." Kaya wishes she could lay down and die. She had planned to tell Dana the truth, but not all truths. Not this truth. "Some people in Tuba say Will and Maia just got lucky with the rest of us," she whispers hoarsely. "Some people say her belly burst open because it was worn out with having his babies." ~~~~ Dana and Kaya approach the gazebo together. Will and Elise are poring over an old map at the breakfast table. "So we're going to need packs, rope, blankets, food and water..." "What about guns, William?" "Yeah, I suppose you've got a point. Guns. Got any spares?" "I'll see what I can scare up." "I don't know exactly how long this will take us," Will says. "Stephen showed me the trail, but it's hard to remember exactly what the terrain was like." He turns to Ben, who sits to his right, eating a bowl of rice. "We're going to need a ride up to Desert View, Ben." "Of course. You sound like you think you're going without us." "I can't ask you two to go into the Canyon, Ben." "I know," Ben says, chewing calmly. "But I'm going." "Me, too," Matthew says. Will puts his hand on Ben's arm. "These people are dangerous." "Yeah, and they suckered us," Matthew says. "We're coming, Will." Everyone looks up as Dana and Kaya come into the gazebo. Will's eyes go straight to Dana; his face lights. "Good morning," he tells her, extending a hand. Dana takes his hand, but her eyes dart to Kaya's before she returns his greeting. "Good Morning." Kaya can feel the air thicken. Everyone knows what happened last night. She sends a prayer of gratitude skyward; silent thanks that everyone here is a dear friend. They'll forgive him because they love him. She knows they'll never tell. "Good Morning, Kaya," Will says, getting up from the table and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Morning, Will," she mumbles, turning abruptly. She's never felt like slapping her father before, but the urge is so strong she can barely suppress it. Now would be a good time to go help Nina at the fire, she thinks. When Kaya comes back to the gazebo with a stack of fry bread on a plate, Dana is snuggled down cozily in a chair at the corner of the table, right between Will and Ben. They are all staring down at the same old map, trying to make sense of color-coded canyons and drainages, trying to find the trail that will take them to Dru. "See, this bluff here comes right up to the river," Will is saying. "The trail must go up into the cliffs. We're going to be doing some climbing." Kaya sets the plate down in the middle of the table with a resounding thump. She watches Will's fingers trailing absently up and down Dana's forearm as he studies the map. Dana's eyes meet hers with a soft, sympathetic expression. Will looks up, grabbing a piece of bread off the plate. "Thanks, daughter," he tells her. Kaya stands by the table, not sure what to do next. She feels someone touching the back of her hand. Matthew looks up at her shyly. "Hey," he says. "Eat something." ~~~~ Dana and Kaya are alone in the gazebo, washing breakfast dishes. "Kaya, I've been thinking about what you said to me this morning," Dana says. "That's good." "I don't know what to tell you. But I want you to know that I *do* care about you and your brothers. There's got to be a way that this can work out for all of us. Can we call a truce while we find it?" Kaya doesn't see where there's any room to compromise. But she's tired. Anger has been sapping her energy and draining her soul for days. She's ready to rest. "Okay. Time out for now, I guess. But only until we find Dru." "Okay. Deal." "What kind of deals are you two making out here?" Both women freeze. "Hey, Will," Kaya says casually, ignoring her father's question. "When are we leaving?" "Well, that depends," he answers, stepping into the gazebo and wrapping his hands immodestly around Dana's waist. "On when someone decides to answer my question." Dana gives him the strangest smile. Shit, Kaya thinks, what are they up to now? Ben and Matthew aren't far behind Will, and Kaya can see Elise crossing the yard with some blankets. Dana pulls away from Will gently as the gazebo fills with people. "I think we're good with supplies, Will," Ben reports. "We need water." "Here you go, folks," Elise says, setting the blankets on the table. "One for William and one for Dana. I put two rifles in the truck. They're old as hell and there's not much ammo, but it's better than nothing, I guess." "We need another blanket," Matthew says, sullenly. Will shoots him a dirty look. Then he glances at Kaya and frowns. Kaya feels her blood pressure rising back into the red zone. "Will?" His face goes blank. "You're staying here. Elise is going to have someone take you home." Everyone gets really quiet. They all knew, Kaya thinks, he's been talking about this to everyone but me. "You're sending me home? After everything that's happened?" "Yes. Sam doesn't know what's going on. Someone needs to tell him. And the twins need you." "Sam can take care of them and you can send someone to tell him what's happened. I'm going with you." "No." "I'm going, Will." "No, you're not." "I'm old enough to decide and I want to go." "It's not safe for you. I can't allow it." "It's my decision." "It's not up to you. I'm not taking you and that's the end of it." "But you're taking Dana." "Yes." Kaya slaps her father as hard as she can. There is a long silence. Will's raises his hand to his jaw, blood rushing to his face. "Get out of my sight," he whispers. ~~~~ She sits by the riverside, watching the water that rushes like her tears. When Kaya was eight years old she stood with her brothers near the door of her mother's bedroom. In her arms was a slippery bundle that sucked its fist and screamed while her mother writhed and bled to death on the bed before their eyes. Sam had his own bundle to tend. Grandmother and Will didn't know how to save Maia that night. It all happened too fast, they said later. Will and Grandmother's uncle, Edward, performed the funeral rites together. Folks came from far-off places like Coal Mine Mesa and Sand Springs. With so many members of Maia's family present, Kaya really should have stayed with Grandmother and not bothered her father during the ritual, but she needed him that day. As she always has, every day since then. When the funeral fire began to blaze, Kaya broke free from her Grandmother's embrace and ran to her father's side. He picked her up, even though he had told her just a few days earlier that she was too big to be carried anymore, and held her against his chest. They watched together as the fire transformed Maia's body and released her soul. Kaya claimed her father that day. Grandmother took care of them for a few years after that. When her health began to fail, Kaya became the woman of the house. She tended her father's fire. She raised his children. Now she knows she's lost him. He'll never be hers again. ~~~~ Will settles himself on the rocks. His energy is so familiar that she doesn't even have to turn her head to know that he's sitting beside her. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "I'm sorry, too." "You're not a child." "No, I'm not." He stares out at the river. "I don't want to lose anyone else," he says, sounding choked. "I know." She lays her hand on the ground next to his. He takes it. "Seems like I've been outvoted, daughter. Everyone thinks I should let you come to the Canyon." ~~~~ Dana passes Kaya on the path to the river. She slows her pace as Kaya approaches and offers a hand. "Did your father find you?" Kaya stops. "Yes," she says calmly. "He found me." "Are you coming?" A quick nod. "I'm glad." "Why?" Dana grabs hold of Kaya's hand. "Because we're all in this together." ~~~~ Dana picks her way down the rocky riverbank, looking for Mulder. He left everyone behind at the house over an hour ago, presumably to locate Kaya and tell her about his change of heart. Dana met Kaya on the path some thirty-odd minutes ago, then came down to the river to find Mulder, just to check on him. But Mulder is nowhere to be found. A huge outcropping of rocks interrupts her northward path along the bank. The river looks too deep to cross. No choice but to turn back. Coming back upriver, she catches sight of him. She's not sure how she missed him before. He is standing chest deep in swirling water somewhere near the center of the riverbed. When he sees her, he beckons for her to join him. "We'll be in the desert the rest of the day," he calls. "Enjoy it while you can." Dana notices his clothes and specs, stashed in a neat little heap under a ledge near the bottom of the wedge-shaped rock. She adds her garments to the pile and wades toward him, picking her way gingerly across the treacherous river bottom until she's close enough to fall into his arms. The water swells up and over her breasts, threatening to lift her off her feet. He pulls her against his body. Rushing water and passionate kisses. She feels she could drown in both. "Okay, Miss Scully," he says softly in her ear. "What's it going to be?" "Mulder, you already know what my answer is." "Yeah, but humor me. I want to hear it. Mulder, yes, I'll marry you." "Mulder, yes, I'll marry you..." "God, Scully," he murmurs, bending to kiss her again. "I like the way that sounds." She laughs. It would be easy right now, she thinks, so easy, to pretend this is all there is. "I'll tell Elise," Mulder says, tracing the curve of her cheek. "We can get everybody together and do it before we leave." "Mulder, listen." "Uh-oh. Here it comes." "I think we should wait." He heaves a deep sigh but doesn't seem surprised. "Killjoy." "I know. It's just...I think you know how hard this has been on Kaya. We need to include your children in the planning of the wedding, if this is going to work long-term." His eyes flit skyward. "You're right. I'm not thinking straight." She reaches up to run her fingers through his wet hair. He pulls her closer. "And this is the reason why," he growls. "When we've found Dru," she murmurs. "When we go back home. I know we'll work everything out." Cool water slips between their bodies. Suddenly, Mulder's face grows deadly serious. "You know what?" "What?" "I can't wait, Scully. I waited once and look how it turned out. Who was it that said 'we have no idea what will happen tomorrow'? I think that was you, wasn't it?" "Yes," she answers sadly, "It was me." He lifts her off her feet, one hand holding her tightly to protect her from the current while the other caresses her face. "We'll have a ceremony for the family when we get home. But I want you to marry me. Right now." "You mean, right now? Right here?" "I've been waiting thirty years for you to be my wife. I'm not going to lose my chance again." ~~~~ "Tunatya," he murmurs tenderly. "That means 'hoping', Scully. You are every hope I've ever had." Dana breathes in. She fills herself with his essence. What an amazing gift you are, she tells him silently. He draws her slowly through the water, until they both face downriver. "North," he whispers into her ear. "White Mountain Standing. The place where we purify ourselves." To have and to hold, Dana thinks. A slow quarter-turn in the rushing water. "East. Star Before the Light of Morning. The place where our spirits are joined to our bodies." Dana exhales slowly. Forsaking all others. From this day forward. A delicious glow is building at the center of her soul. "Let me be inside you, Scully." Oh, Mulder. Yes. Please. He enters her from behind. She gasps as he slips inside her. Somehow the river no longer seems cold. They flow through the water together, inseparable. Another quarter-turn. "South," he whispers. "The Ancient Red Pathway. The place where we surrender." In sickness and in health, she thinks. He thrusts into her smoothly. Another quarter turn. "West. The Terminus. The place where the sun lies down to die." Until we are parted by death, Mulder. But we've proven that death cannot part us. "Oh my god," she gasps, as he pulls out of her body. He turns her to face him. She wraps her legs around his back and he drives into her with a soft cry. "Tunatyava," he whispers, closing his eyes in ecstasy. "That means 'coming true'." They dance together in the coursing water. "I will always be true to you, Dana Scully." "I will always be true." Dana feels herself tighten around him. Swept up by currents moving faster than sound. "Oh my god." Eyes burst open. She is flying. Flying. Flying. Impossibly fast over pine forest and red earth. Streaking like a comet over majestic buttes and rose- colored canyons. She sees with the eye of a bird of prey. Suddenly she understands how to navigate the air currents that rise off the hot earth and finds herself soaring effortlessly over two rivers that flow together. An eerie song echoes in her head. You'll find her here. You'll find her here. The Terminus. The End of Seeking. End Book Three, Chapter Five End of Book Three
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