Elysian Fields
Part 3
From: Amy Schatz <risamy@epix.net Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: ELYSIAN FIELDS - 3/7
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 96 11:06:59 PDT
See the non-existent disclaimer and the existent story notes in part one...

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Elysian Fields - 3/7
by Amy Schatz

Scully placed the bills in her hand, and left without waiting for her receipt.

* * *

Mulder sighed as Pamela laughed at one of her own jokes, but didn't stop to take a breath. She continued to babble on about meaningless things, thinking that she was being entertaining and coy. Mulder was wondering how long it took to cook a hamburger, and was seriously contemplating telling Reese to take him back to the hotel. He kept picturing Scully sitting alone in her room, and he wanted to be there with her. Finally, Reese stopped talking, noticing that his attention was elsewhere.

"Mulder, is something wrong?" He looked back at her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"No. I was just wondering if they had to kill the cow themselves." Reese laughed at his cynical remark. She had been doing that since he met her, and it was really grating on his nerves. He decided that now was as good a time as any to let her know that he wasn't interested in the slightest.

"Pamela, look, there's something I want to tell you."

"Sure, but first let me ask you something." He sighed again.

"What now?" She leaned forward, her eyes sparkling, thinking that she was reeling him in.

"Do you like Hawaii?"

****

Scully rushed into the hotel room, and headed straight for the bathroom, dropping her purse to the floor again. She stood before the sink, and took a deep breath. Surprising herself, she calmly opened the box, and took its contents out, setting them on the counter. <Okay, Dana, just take this one step at a time. Gathering everything together, she disappeared into the inner bathroom, closing the door. A few minutes later, she came out, and set the indicator down near the sink. Then, taking a deep breath, she lifted herself up onto the counter, crossed her arms, and settled in to wait.

****

Their orders had finally arrived, and Mulder found that the hamburger was quite good. He just wished the company was better. He looked across at Reese and noticed that she really was quite pretty. He also noticed that a few years ago, actually quite a few years ago, she would have been the type of woman that he might have taken back to his hotel. He wouldn't have found her any more interesting, but he might have done it - just to try and assuage some of his terrible loneliness.

But those were days before the X-Files, and before Scully. Scully. That one name aroused so many emotions in him, that he had to take a deep breath. She was everything to him. Even before she had become his lover, she was so much more. She was his best friend. She accepted his search for his sister, his obsession with his work, and most amazing of all, she was just as invested in it as he was. She *wanted* to help him find the Truth. Now that they were together, all his feelings for her had amplified to astronomical heights. He couldn't see his life without her, and he was even afraid to contemplate it. If she left him, he knew he wouldn't last very long. He wouldn't want to.

"Mulder?" Reese's voice brought him back to the present, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you finished?" she asked, a strange glint in her eyes. He nodded.

"Good. Let's get you back to the hotel, then. The night is still young."

Mulder smiled faintly, but he didn't like the tone of her voice when she had said that.

****

The voice inside her was screaming at her, and she knew it was right. Whatever the outcome was, she would deal with it. She had never asked for help and she wasn't about to start now. She had always taken care of her problems on her own, and she would continue to do so. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, not sure what she wanted to see. A large, black plus stared back at her.

****

Reese had followed Mulder to the front door when he stopped and turned around.

"Thanks, Reese, but I think I can take it from here." She laughed again, and Mulder barely stopped himself from strangling her. He really couldn't stand this woman.

"Can I come up with you?" she asked, her voice low and sultry. Mulder was amazed at how quickly she could change. One minute she was a silly school girl, telling all these ridiculous stories, and the next she was a grown woman. He shook his head.

"I don't think so, Agent Reese. I'm tired." She stepped closer to him, and reached forward to bring his tie in between her thumb and index finger.

"But I have to ask you something about the case."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No. I think I made a connection, and I want to talk about it while it's still fresh in my mind." Mulder suddenly realized that if he agreed to this, he could get rid of her quickly, and be with Scully before eleven. He pulled his tie out of her hands, and said,

"All right, Reese. But this better be good." As he opened the door, she smiled and looked after him hungrily.

"That's what I'm hoping for," she said to herself.

****

Scully was pacing around her room like a caged tiger. She still had her suit on, her hair looked a bit wild, and her face was flushed from the constant motion. She had been pacing for nearly fifteen minutes. Scully was having a hard time accepting the results of the test. They simply couldn't be true. She and Mulder had always been so careful to use protection. a voice inside her said.

"Damn it!" she cursed, turning swiftly to start another lap. "Why did this have to happen now?" she asked aloud, not really sure who she expected to answer. "I'm a doctor, for God's sake!" she cried. "I should have been more careful!" Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, she sank onto the bed.

Sighing, she lay down on her back, and closed her eyes. She didn't know how to feel about this news. It was certainly the wrong time for it. She and Mulder were still deep into the X-Files, and he couldn't go back to not having a partner. It was far too dangerous. Making matters worse, Scully had no idea how Mulder would react to this news. Would he be happy or furious? She didn't have a clue. She did know that she dreaded telling him.

He might get so scared that he would leave her, and she simply couldn't go through that. Scully had always worried that she wasn't good enough for him, and maybe this would make him realize it a lot sooner. She envisioned a scenario where after she had told him, he would tell her to get out and never come back. It scared her to death.

"No," she said out loud, "Mulder's not like that. He would never do that."

But the fear was still there, lodged deep inside her. Pushing herself up, she opened her jacket, and looked down at her stomach. It was still flat, but she knew that in the ensuing months, it would swell to an unbelievable size. Placing her hands over her stomach, she took a deep breath. It was quite humbling to think that a small life was inside her now - that she was part of its creation. She smiled, liking the idea that a part of Mulder was inside her. Wrapping her arms around herself, her mind began to wander, painting images of Mulder holding their child, cooing to it, loving it. the voice scolded, chasing the dreams away as the sun does fog. <Mulder's not a family man. He won't want this. He'll leave you. You're not good enough for him, anyway. Scully's smile faded, and her hands fell from her middle, as she realized that that was probably the truth.

****

"I think that this woman probably knew the victim. I think we should question her tomorrow," Pamela said, standing very close to Mulder. Mulder felt his anger color his cheeks.
"This is what you wanted to tell me, Reese? This is what couldn't wait? I think you should be leaving now." Pamela's eyes fell and she nodded, walking back to the door. She opened it a few inches, then turned back to him. She could take one more shot, or leave. Not one used to being rejected, Pamela decided on the former. Leaving the door open, she walked back to Mulder.

"Why don't you stop this act, Mulder." He looked at her, his eyes wide.

"Act? What are you talking about?" he said, as he took his overcoat off, and threw it onto the bed. Pamela slipped her coat off as well, and opened her suit jacket.

"I know you want me. Why don't you just admit it?" she said, opening the buttons on her blouse. "Is it because your partner's next door? Don't worry. She looked tired. She won't hear anything." Mulder was truly mad now.

"You're right. She won't, because nothing's going to happen." Pamela looked as if she hadn't heard that comment. She moved closer to him, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"We'll see about that..."

****

Scully's head snapped in the direction of Mulder's room, which was right next to hers. She had heard a door open. She looked into the mirror that hung above the dresser, and took a deep breath. She couldn't put this off. It was too big to keep secret, especially from him. She had to know how he felt about this. So, she took a deep breath, and rose from the bed, heading for the door. Even if he threw her out of the room, she had to tell him. He had a right to know. And maybe, if she was lucky, he wouldn't be too upset.

****

Mulder backed away from Reese, his eyes wild with fury.

"I'm going to say this one more time, Reese. Get the hell out!" She shook her head, and moved closer, pinning him against the wall.

"You don't have to pretend anymore," she said before she leaned in close, and covered his mouth with hers.

****

Scully stepped out of her room, and walked the few feet to Mulder's door. Seeing that it was already open, she assumed he was waiting for her, and she pushed it open. The scene that was before her, shook her to her core. She pushed the door against the wall so hard, that she saw splinters fly.

"Mulder!" she exclaimed, her voice thick with pain. She had pushed the door open, and found Mulder in what looked like a passionate embrace with Agent Reese. And in that instant, her heart broke into a million pieces, and blew away in a fierce wind. Mulder and Reese broke apart, and Mulder roughly pushed Pamela away from him. She lost her balance and fell back onto the bed.

"Scully!" said Mulder, looking frantically from her to Reese. "This isn't what you think." Scully looked at him, and he had never seen her eyes so cold. They looked like blue ice.

"Oh really, Mulder? It's not? Then what is it?" Mulder moved towards her, but she immediately backed away. He stood still, and shot an angry glare at Reese.

"She came on to *me*! She practically attacked me!" Scully looked at Reese, who was standing again, her blouse half open, her hair disheveled, and all Scully saw was Detective White. She remembered walking in on Mulder and the detective, seeing the woman sprawled atop Mulder, and she remembered the anger. It filled her now.

"Mulder, *that* excuse only works once, and you've used it already." She turned her gaze back to him, and the urge to strangle him almost overwhelmed her. "I can't believe you did this, Mulder. I trusted you." She took another step backwards, feeling the nausea rise again. "I trusted you," she said again, in a voice so low and soft, and full of pain that it made Mulder want to cry. He looked at her, at the horror in her eyes, and he knew that this was the end. She would never understand, and she would never forgive him. She was leaving. That realization made his heart twist inside his chest.

"Scully, please, let me explain." She shook her head, and the tears fell.

"You don't have to, Mulder. I know why you did this. I was never good enough for you. I should have realized it sooner." She lifted her eyes to him. "I should have known I could never compete with someone like her," she said, gesturing towards Reese. Mulder looked at her, his mouth open.

"God, Scully, that's the furthest thing from the truth! You have to believe me!" Meanwhile, Pamela looked from Mulder to Scully, and finally, she realized that they were involved. How had she missed it? Perhaps because she hadn't wanted to see it. Scully took another step away from him, feeling like she was dying.

"And to think I was coming in here to tell you....to ask you..." her voice died away, and she looked down at the floor, unable to continue. Moments of silence passed before she looked up at him again, her decision made. "This is over, Fox," she said with a voice that no longer held any emotion. It had all died when she had seen him with Reese. "I never want to see you again." She turned from him, and stepped into the doorway. She looked back one time, trying to memorize everything about him in an instant: the color of his hair, his hazel eyes, the way he spoke to her when they were alone. "I hate you for doing this to me. I hate you." Then she turned back, walked out the door, and was gone.

****

The instant she was, Mulder turned back to Reese.

"Get out of here before I do something I'll regret!" he said in a voice so full of venom that Pamela was sure she felt it sting her. She said nothing, just stood there. "I said GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" he screamed, not caring who he woke up. She did not hesitate. Grabbing her coat, she ran from the room, and hoped to God that she never saw Fox Mulder again. When she was gone, Mulder slumped against the wall, and to the ground, cradling his head in his hands. He couldn't believe what Scully had said. He couldn't believe that she was going to leave him, that he would have to go on without her. He simply couldn't do it. He would die. As salty tears fell from his eyes onto his cheeks, he hoped he would.

****

Scully threw her clothes into her suitcase, grabbed her coat and laptop computer, and rushed from the room, leaving the test on the bathroom sink, long forgotten. She couldn't believe that he had betrayed her like this. If he didn't love her anymore, the least he could have done was told her. Then he could have chased after Pamela Reese all he wanted. But to do this - to tell her that he just wanted to explain to Reese that he wasn't interested - and then to bring her back to his room, it hurt Scully so much that she could barely breathe.

All she had ever wanted from Fox Mulder was a few months of happiness. She never expected him to stay with her forever, but she had always thought him a gentleman. Tonight he had killed whatever they had together. But even so, nothing could ever truly destroy the love she held for him. That would go on forever. As she passed his room, she barely noticed that the door was still ajar. She didn't stop, didn't look back. She couldn't, it would kill her. And she wanted to have some part of herself left.

****

Mulder heard her walk by his room, and he scrambled to his feet, calling
her name. He ran out into the hall, calling to her, begging her to stop.

"Scully, wait! Please! Scully, don't go!" he cried, but she didn't stop, and she never looked back. He leaned against the wall, tears freely flowing down his cheeks, his heart breaking. And he knew, with certainty, that he would never see her again. A line from a song came, unbidden, into his mind.
<<< End part 3...

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