Dedication: for Michele

ON AND ON AND ON

Fox Mulder sat in a semi-darkened alcove sipping
non-chalantly at a strawberry dacquiri. When he'd
received a call about a multiple UFO sighting, he had
quickly arranged for Ben -- his husky voiced contact
-- to meet him at the tucked away little club. Never
did Mulder imagine he would be attending an impromptu
birthday party.

The garish pink umbrella brushing against his face, he
looked through the swell of people to find a short,
stocky young man searching the room. From his
description, that must be Ben, he thought. Waving him
over to the alcove, Mulder offered Ben a seat. The
table was rickety and Mulder steadied it to prevent
his drink tipping over.

After a lightning fast introduction, Ben glanced
around the dancing bodies nervously. Mulder could tell
this fellow was the uptight sort.

"So Ben," he began, clearing his throat. "Just where
exactly did you see a UFO?"

Ben turned back. "I see them flying over my house.
Several of my cattle have disappeared. Wanna know what
I think?"

Mulder nodded.

The man leaned in and whispered conspiratorially,
"Them aliens are carting them off to cut 'em up and do
experiments."

"Have you actually found the inviscerated remains of
your cattle?" Mulder pressed, hoping for some physical
evidence.

"No, no," Ben shook his head. "That's the thing. They
take them off into space!"

Mulder sighed heavily. Kook. A grade-A 100% kook. How
did he keep falling for dead end leads?

"Something's bad happening, don't you agree?" Ben
asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Mulder replied. Something bad like me
sitting here listening to this load of crap. I could
be at the gym shooting hoops, or home watching "These
Bases Are Loaded" and shooting off... He took another
strong slurp of his drink, sucking so hard that he
nearly emptied the glass.

Ben glanced back at the dancing crowd as they reveled
in the merriment of rock music, good times and beer.
"Just look at 'em. I wouldn't fancy cuttin' them open
to see what's inside. They don't care for nothing, no
respect whatsoever! Evil times are a'comin'!"

Mulder registered the fanatical gleam in the man's
eyes, and drained his glass. He was seriously on the
brink of giving himself a ice headache. "Come on,
they're just having fun," he muttered. He didn't care
for the man spouting impending doom.

Ben became a little wary. "Sir, I'm a minister and I
don't care for their kind of fun," he retorted. "Nor
do I care for meeting you in a place like this."

Oh boy, Mulder groaned to himself. "If you'll excuse
me, I need to freshen my drink."

"Hurry back or they'll draw you in," Ben warned.

Mulder rolled his eyes heavenwards. I just can't
believe it, he thought. Me and my luck.

"You've got to hear the rest of my story," continued
Ben.

"Oh yeah," he smiled with enthusiam phonier than a two
dollar bill. "Boy, I think it's great!"

Glad to be away, he strode through the gyrating
bodies. Who is that guy to tell me what is right and
what is wrong? Ugh! That's the last time I ever do
this, he promised himself. He grinned faintly knowing
what a lie that was. He'd travel to the ends of the
earth to find the truth.

While the bartender refilled his drink, Mulder cast
his eyes around the room's red velvet walls. Over in
the corner he could see a rather striking man with
auburn hair. Mulder shifted his weight a little when
the stranger lifted his glass and winked, the flirt!
Oh yeah, he was definitely giving him the eye.

Well, Mulder could play the same game. Shaking his
head, he ran a hand through his dark hair and took a
casual stroll round the bar. Leaning against it, he
grinned at the view he must've been giving in his
favorite tight jeans.

And it didn't take long for Mr. Flirty to notice! As
sure as hell, the guy was coming up to him. Setting
his own drink on the mirrored bar top, he smiled
crookedly.

"Hi, I'm Malcolm," he introduced himself.

"Mulder," he replied, thinking that 'Malcolm and
Mulder' sounded like a bad sitcom title.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Malcolm asked.

"When?"

"When you fell from heaven."

Oh geesh! Mulder could've kicked himself for falling
right into that one.

Malcolm looked him up and down, and Mulder could feel
his eyes peeling off his clothes faster than a monkey
with a banana skin. His next line made Mulder groan
aloud, he said, "What's going on? Do you think we
could find some time for us?"

No way, nada, forget it. He thought of a good
comeback. "Well, I'm not exactly waiting for the bus."

Mr. Flirty actually found this funny and chuckled,
slapping Mulder so hard on the back that he nearly
fell over the bar.

"If you're going somewhere, can I come along?" Malcolm
asked, pressing in close.

"Keep looking, buddy."

"You need to loosen up!"

Mulder arched an eyebrow and nodded across the room to
Ben. "Do you see that big butch guy over there? I'm
with him."

Malcolm raised his hands in defeat and started to back
away. "My mistake. But let me give you a piece of
advice. A hot guy like you should be shared."

"'Night, Malcolm," Mulder said, taking a long sip from
his drink.

Alone once more, he actually began to ponder what he'd
said. What the hell was he doing? Here he was in a
club full of hot guys, and he'd come here to track
down aliens! This was really no surprise. He was
following the same pattern, on and on and on. Ever
since things went downhill with Alex, he'd become
obsessed with work. Scully had commented just the
other day how all he did anymore was sit in his
basement stewing 'til all hours of the night.

I've been sitting, burying myself from getting hurt
again, he realized. But standing up and opening your
heart was scary if you thought you were going to fall.
Yes, that's me -- ol' Humpty Dumpty afraid of falling
off a wall. Well, he could just crack to pieces. If he
ever wanted to move on, he'd have to get out there and
try again. Yeah baby, just gotta keep on rockin'!

His eyes settled on an adorable younger man, dancing
in the middle of the floor. As a new, thumping rhythm
broke into his thoughts, Mulder headed into the
unknown. There was a new objective on his mind. He
wouldn't be lonely tonight. He'd find someone to
ravage his desires, on and on and on.

======
*The Lyrics*
ON AND ON AND ON
(B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus)

I was at a party
And this fellow said to me, "something bad is
happening, I'm sure you do agree. People care for
nothing, no respect for human rights. Evil times are
coming, we are in for darker nights."

I said, "who are you to talk about impending doom?"
He got kinda wary as he looked around the room.
He said, "I'm a minister, a big shot in the state."
I said, "I just can't believe it. Boy, I think it's
great. Brother, can you tell me what is right and what
is wrong?"
He said, "keep on rockin' baby, 'til the night is
gone."

On and on and on
Keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
Keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
'Til the night is gone

Over in the corner I could see this other guy
He was kinda flirty
He was giving me the eye
So I took advantage of the fact that I'm a star
Shook my hair and took a casual stroll up to the bar
And as sure as hell this guy was coming up to me
He said, "who am I, and who are you, and who are we?
What's our situation? Do we have some time for us?"
I said, "I was not exactly waiting for the bus."
He said, "if you're going somewhere, can I come
along?"
I said, "keep on rockin' baby, 'til the night is
gone."

On and on and on
Keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
Keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
'Til the night is gone

Standing up is scary
If you think you're gonna fall
Like a Humpty Dumpty afraid of falling off the wall
I say if you ever wanna know what's going on
Gotta keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone

On and on and on
Keep on rockin' baby
'Til the night is gone
On and on and on
'Til the night is gone...

© 1981 Polar Music International AB