Wambli-Part 4/18 Summary and Disclaimers in Part 1 ***** "Ooh, walk on the wild side." Episode 5x20-The End ***** Wambli was waiting. About an hour after the two cops had left her, two young men had appeared. One had been carrying a long, leather glove that came to his elbow and several pieces of leather that Wambli recognized. He had slipped the glove on his left arm, entered the flight cage, and held it out like a perch. Wambli had watched him with amusement at first, but then she had heard what the man was saying to his companion, who waited outside. "The Sheriff said that he thought she might be trained. If not, we'll have to catch her up." "Which one is she?" the other one asked. "I'm not sure. I was hoping that she would see the glove and connect it with food and just come over." He had paused, then whispered to himself, "this is crazy." In a louder voice, he spoke toward the eagles, all who had become nervous at his entrance. "Come on, girl. We want to get you out of here and safe." He didn't speak as if he thought one of the birds would understand; he simply spoke in a manner that animal handlers have for ages, with a calm voice and a steady manner. Wambli realized that the sheriff he had spoken of must have been the wasichu, and that these men wanted to help her. The man outside the cage had begun to shift his weight back and forth on his feet, nervously mumbling to himself. "Come on, Billy! Before someone shows up!" The man called Billy had sighed and looked to put his arm down. Taking a giant leap of faith, Wambli had hopped down from her perch in the corner and landed lightly on the glove. Billy's eyes had widened almost comically, but he wasn't afraid. With careful movements, he had snapped two leather straps around her ankles, and attached those straps to a longer rope. These temporary anklets would keep her from flying off as he carried her out. She had worn more permanent ones years ago. Slowly, Billy had taken her out of the cage and walked with her to a van that had been backed up behind the building holding the parrots and other show birds. They had tied her inside on a perch, and driven away. Now, two days later, Wambli was starting to get frustrated. The temporary anklets had been removed and exchanged with more permanent ones. Attached to these soft leather binders were removable jesses, straps of leather that fit into the grommet of the anklets and allowed her to move about freely, though she was kept tied on a long leash to a comfortable perch. She had been fed and had a pan of water to soak in if she so desired, but she was still a captive. She knew with a little work she could untie herself and fly off, worrying about removing the anklets later, but she was waiting for the wasicu. Why he hadn't appeared yet, she did not know. That evening, he finally appeared. Only, he wasn't alone. The Indian cop was with him again, as were two women. Both were small, especially seen next to the two tall men. The younger one was a bit taller, around 5'5", her long blonde hair flowing down her back. The shorter one also wore her long hair down, but it was a fiery red in color. They both kept back as the men approached her. "Hello, Marlene," Wasichu said with a smile. At first, Wambli had no idea who he was talking to. But as he continued to stare at her, as if he expected a response, the meaning of the name 'Marlene' became clear. She shook her head and stiffened the muscles that caused her head feathers to rise, giving herself the appearance of a much larger head. With her mouth open, she cackled. It was as close as she could come to a laugh. The blonde girl came forward then, and both Wasichu and the cop stood back. Wambli let her feathers flatten as she made eye contact with the young woman. The woman didn't speak, and after a while, she closed her eyes. Wambli felt confusion fill her for a moment, then something else indescribable grabbed her attention. She felt it come upon her slowly, the feeling of not being alone. A sense of wonderment and fear combined to make her nervous, but she sat still, watching the woman as she fell into a trance. With sudden clarity, she realized the woman was in her mind. At first, Wambli tried to fight against her, feeling as if her head was being invaded in the worst of ways. But she felt more than heard the woman speak to her in her head, comforting her, telling her there was nothing to fear. With a deep breath, Wambli opened her mind and allowed the witch woman inside. ************************************************************ "Her name is Bambi?" "Both of her parents were naturalists." Pause. "Her name is Bambi?" Episode 3x12-War of the Copraphages ***** "It was absolutely incredible!" Moira gushed later that evening. She had come back to the house with Ian and Sara after meeting with Wambli, and she could not stop talking about it. "It was like being in the mind of an eagle, but she thinks like a human!" "How, exactly?" Sara pressed. Though her friend hadn't stopped speaking of the experience, she hadn't given them much detail, either. "It's hard to explain," Moira said. "She 'spoke' more in shapes and visions, like other birds, but they made more sense. It's like...well. In a normal bird, and in most animals, I just feel what they feel and see what they see. But in the smarter animals, I can actually view memories. Like in some dogs, and parrots, or in the dolphins at Sea World. They think more like us than other animals, therefore, they remember details better. But it's like viewing a slide show without any description of the pictures I'm seeing; I don't know where or when the images happened. With Wambli, I get almost a running commentary on what I'm seeing. I can hear her, and yet I hear no words." She shook her head. "I can't explain it! It's something you have to experience to understand, I guess." Ian nodded. He was sitting on the sofa next to Charlie, who sat with an astounded look on his face. Moira sat across from them in the rocking chair, and Sara walked the floor, trying to get the overactive Marisa to slow down for bed. Like her brother, who sat on the floor playing with his toy airplanes, Marisa was feeling the high that Moira's excitement had brought into the house. Sara was afraid that it would be a long while before either of the children were ready for sleep. "What did you find out?" Ian asked quietly, his voice holding the same undercurrent of excitement Moira's had. "This Fort Marlene you mentioned?" Ian nodded. "She was there for almost 10 years, but she wasn't born there. From what I could gather, she was captured here in South Dakota when she was barely a year old, along with several other raptors. They all died during the experiments; she was the only one to survive." "Experiments?" Charlie spoke up. Moira nodded. "They were doing some kind of genetic tests on her and the others. Introducing some kind of DNA. It made them smarter." She smiled. "Kind of like in 'The Secret of Nihm'. You know that movie? The one with the rats and mice that got smart?" She recieved blank looks from both men. "Anyway, she got away almost ten years ago, and she came back here. Unfortunately, the band on her leg is metal, so she couldn't get it off. She also has an implant of some sort, but it doesn't work anymore. If it did, they would have found her by now." Sara looked at her husband, who had turned to her upon mention of the implant. She had one as well, and they both knew that is was possible someone could find her by using it. But, they had been promised by CGB Spender himself that that would never happen. Ian leaned forward and looked at Moira closely. "Does she want us to help her in any way? Or does she just want us to let her go?" Moira sighed. "She thinks that they'll manage to find her anyway, even if we let her go. They know where she is now, and that she's still alive. They'll start catching every wild eagle they can in order to find her." She shrugged. "But I don't think she thinks we can help her in any way." Sara felt Ian's gaze on her again, but she wouldn't look up to meet it. She heard him sigh. "When we go back tomorrow, tell her we will try our best to help her." "How?" Sara thought her voice sounded far too rough in her ears. She still wouldn't look at him. "We go in. Get as much information as we can. Then make a deal." Like we did with our own lives. Sara heard the unspoken sentence as clearly as she had the spoken words. She finally met his eyes with his own. "We?" She watched as his breath caught. She saw his eyes widen in understanding. She stood still as his let his gaze fall to the child in her arms, then over to the boy playing noisily on the floor. Then his beautiful green gaze rose to meet hers again. "We. Me and Charlie. Right, Charlie?" He turned to the man next to him. "Huh?" Charlie looked stunned. He had listened to Moira's story, and he had also noticed the exchange between his two friends. "Yeah. Sure." With a sigh, Sara turned away. "I'm going to put Marisa to bed." As she headed up the stairs, her heart heavy, she heard Charlie demand of Ian, "You got some explaining to do, man!" She smiled slightly, but the smile didn't last long. For five years, she had been living in heaven. But despite the wonderful life she lived, there had always been an underlying fear. Fear of discovery. Fear of losing what she loved most dearly. Fear that her soul mate and best friend would leave, not content with this sedate, happily-ever-after life. And now it was happening. Adventure was indeed calling him. But it wasn't calling her. Once again, Fox Mulder was ditching her. Only this time, it was with her blessing. ************************************************************ "Scully, I've been thinking - I know that's dangerous, but just bear with me." Episode 4x11-El Mundo Gira ***** It was almost midnight before Charlie finally left the house for his own home. Moira had taken a tiring Fox upstairs to his mother well over an hour ago, then had come back down to settle in the office, where they kept a hide-a-way bed, for the night. Now, Ian set about locking up and checking that all was well. He wandered about the house, his eyes roaming the familiar furniture and appliances. He looked at the little dogs, who lay in their bed watching him with curious eyes, and the cats, one who slept on the couch, the other perched on the mantle of the fireplace. Without thought, he walked over and started to stroke Solomon, who lay amidst the pictures on display. His eyes scanned the framed images. Pictures of the kids from the time they were born to the present; pictures of himself and his wife, including one taken on Starbuck Island almost five years ago at their wedding. A small picture of Scully's mom and an even smaller one of his sister Samantha. Their old life intermixed with their new. With a sigh, he turned away and headed for the stairs. Tomorrow, he would be leaving this haven of peace and happiness. He was willingly heading into the unknown once again. He felt anticipation and a hint of fear flow through his blood. He loved his home, no doubt about it. And he loved his family more than anything; but something inside told him he needed to do this. He needed to help this special creature who called herself 'Wambli'. He only hoped his wife understood this. Her response this evening hadn't been a surprise; she never wanted to go back to the life they had lead before becoming Ian and Sara. And she would do anything to keep her children safe. But, it had still be somewhat of a shock when she reminded him in her oh-so subtle way that she was not participating in this adventure. His first thought had been 'how in the hell can I do this without her?' He trusted Charlie, and knew he could get the Indian to help. But he knew he would miss her presence the entire time. He peeked in on both his kids, who were sleeping finally, then entered his own room. She was still awake. She was standing in front of the dresser mirror brushing her long hair. She had on one of her night-shirts (all which had started their life as one of his tee-shirts), and a pair of socks, which made her look exceedingly cute. She seemed thoughtful, off in her own world, as she brushed. "Scully." She jumped at his voice and turned to him, her expression looking as startled as he felt. Her name, that name. It had been years since he had used it in such a definitive way, as if he was talking to his partner, not his wife. Her blue eyes widened as she realized what it meant. He was no longer Ian Zweifel. He was Fox Mulder. She sighed and turned back to her brushing. He moved behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "Did you tell Charlie everything?" she asked. "Not everything." Her eyes questioned him, but she didn't say anything and continued brushing. "I didn't tell him who you really were. No one needs to know that." She stopped and turned to face him, her mouth open in a little 'oh' of surprise. "Mulder," she whispered. He reached over and took the brush from her hands, setting it on the dresser. Then he grasped her shoulders. "This is your life now. No one needs to know any different." She lowered her eyes and he could tell she was fighting back tears. Though she had softened in recent years, it was still rare to see her cry. "It's your life, too," she said softly. "What do you want me to do?" he questioned, squeezing her shoulders gently. "Do you really want me to ignore what's going on? Do you want me to just hand over this eagle to those monsters? Because that's what they are, and we both know it!" "Mulder..." She stopped, unable to go on. "What?! Come on! Yell at me! Tell me you hate me for doing this! Tell me not to ever come back!" She started laughing, but tears streamed down her face. "Is that what you want?! To never come back?" He pulled himself away from her. "Of course not!" he yelled. "I just..." He sighed. "I love...Ian loves it here. But..." "But you're not Ian," she finished for him. He turned to face her, his eyes haunted. "It's like I just woke up from a wonderful dream. And now I have to go back to work." She nodded. "Do you think you'll ever want to come back to bed and dream some more?" He moved back over to her and wrapped his arms around her small form. "Without a doubt." Neither of them mentioned the hope that he would be able to return. That he would be alive to return. "They'll never even know it's me," he whispered. "And I'll be back in no time." She nodded again, but didn't say anything for a while. "I do understand, you know. It's like an addiction. An addiction to adrenaline." "You are a stronger addiction," he said. "I'll always find my way back to you." She lifted her head off his chest and smiled at him. "Promise me something." "Anything." "Promise you'll not do this alone." "Charlie-" "Charlie doesn't know what he's in for, I'm sure. No matter what you told him. Get the Gunmen to help, too. And Skinner if you can." "Do you have such little faith in my abilities?" His expression was stern, but his voice was teasing. She shook her head. "Are you kidding? Without me there to watch your back, you're gonna need all the help you can get." He laughed, then lowered his head and took her lips with his. No more words were spoken as he lead her to the bed. Their bed. And one more night together. When Marisa's fussing woke her in the morning, he was gone. ************************************************************ "Why don't you file them under 'u' for unsolved?" "I did...until I ran out of room." Episode 5x15-Travelers ***** Two miles northwest of Lincoln, SD The rental car cruised along the highway at about 80, though the speed limit was only 65. The woman at the wheel didn't care if she got pulled over by the local sheriff, since that very man was who she was here to see anyway. But the sooner they got to Lincoln to see him and back home to the city, the better. "How anyone can live out here..." She sighed. "Crazy. All it is is wind and grass and in the winter wind and snow. Ick." "I don't know," her companion responded. "I kind of like it." Cat O'Neil looked at her partner in astonishment. He just grinned at her, his blue eyes flashing. "Well that figures," she said. "We already know you're crazy. So I guess you belong." "Hey!" Justin Monroe was completely unaffected by her censure; he just liked to pretend otherwise. After five years of working together, the two of them knew each other better than they knew themselves. "I resent that! Do you know what these old ranchers would do to a guy like me?" Cat couldn't help but smile. "I just don't know why Nick is so certain there is something mysterious going on out here." Monroe grunted in response and continued to read the file in his lap. After a minute of quiet, he asked, "So, is Agent Remington single?" Cat bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling again. "Yes. He is. He's also straight, so keep you wandering eye to yourself." "He is, huh? And just how do you know this?" For a moment, she was speechless. "Not because of what you're thinking! He was my first partner after I got out of the Academy, just before I was put on the X Files and he came out here. He's like a second father to me." "Father? Good god, Cat. He's not that old, is he?" Instead of answering, she nodded her head toward the town coming into view ahead of them. "There it is. Lincoln. Not much to it." They quickly found the Sheriff's station, which wasn't hard seeing as it was located on Main Street, and parked in front of the building. They went into the box-shaped, red brick building, enjoying the cool air that was being pumped out of the little air conditioner in the front window. A woman sat behind the front desk, efficiently typing away on a computer. "Can I help you?" she asked. Cat pulled out her badge. "Hello. I'm Special Agent Catherine O'Neil with the FBI." She nodded to Monroe. "This is Special Agent Justin Monroe. We're here to see Sheriff Zweifel. Is he in?" "No, I'm sorry," the woman said with a frown. "He's out of town on business." She glanced over to her left where an Indian man was emerging from an office. "Deputy LittleElk is in charge in his absence." "Can I help you?" Cat was a tall woman, and rarely wore heels because of this fact. But even in the low pumps she was wearing today, this man towered over her. "Uh, well..." What the heck was wrong with her? Why couldn't she think of something to say? "We really need to speak to the Sheriff specifically," Justin said, moving to stand at her side. He had to look up, too. But he wasn't nearly as intimidated as she was. Or was it intimidation she was feeling? "Do you know how we might get a hold of him?" The deputy and the woman exchanged glances, then turned back to face the agents. "He's away on private business. We don't know how to reach him." Cat found her tongue. "At all? Isn't that kind of odd?" "Well..." The deputy looked at the woman again. "Sara?" The woman shrugged. Suddenly, the door behind them swung open and a little ball of energy with dark hair flew through it and ran right into Justin, falling smack onto his behind. "Whoa, partner!" Justin reached down to set the little boy to rights. A tall, dark haired woman came rushing in behind him, a baby girl in her arms. "Will you please slow down?" She sighed when she saw the boy was okay. "I'm sorry, Tricia. We were out for a walk and he wanted to see his father. He didn't believe me when I told him Ian wasn't here." She smiled at Cat and Justin. The deputy went over to the little boy and squatted down to his level. "Hey, Fox." Cat gave Justin a sharp look. "You're dad's not here, remember? He's on a trip." The little boy stuck out his full lower lip and whined, "When's he comin' home?" Cat was startled by the boys appearance. His hazel eyes, more green than brown, were very familiar. The deputy shrugged. "I don't know, cowboy. He just left yesterday. Probably not for a while. Which means you're the man of the house, now. Right?" The little boy sniffed, wiped his nose, then nodded. "I guess." "Your name is Fox?" Cat asked the little boy. "That's a neat name. Kind of unusual, isn't it?" She directed her question at the adults. "Not around here," smiled the receptionist. "We're right next to an Indian reservation, after all." She looked at the little boy. "Maybe you and your sister and Susan can walk down to your mom's clinic and say 'hi' to her." The other woman, Susan, Cat guessed, bit her lip. "Sara's not at the clinic. She took the afternoon off to go horseback riding with her friend from Washington. She was going to pick the kids up around 5." "Sara?" Justin asked Susan. "Is that the sheriff's wife?" He gave her his best boyish smile. Susan was entranced. "Yes, she is." "Is there any way we can talk to her?" A little warily, the deputy nodded at Susan, who proceeded to tell Justin how to get to the Zweifel's residence. As the agents started to leave the building, Cat turned back to the baby-sitter, nodding at the girl in her arms. "Her name wouldn't happen to be 'Samantha', would it?" "No," the woman shook her head. "It's Marisa. Why?" "Just checking." Cat turned and walked out the door. With one last smile to Susan, Justin followed. ***** End 4/18