From: Red Title: THE ANIMAL AWAKENS: FIRE AND RAIN Author: Reddi @ Red1401@btinternet.com Spoilers: Upto end of season 6 Rating: ?? ***ssssslash-tastic baby*** Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Also included are ickle song lyric quotes - in this case, the titles. I don't own them either. In fact, when you really think about it, I own very little, except maybe my weird and wacky imagination. Summery: Samantha is found. Scully is lost. "The Animal Awakens: Fire and Rain" August 16th 00:04 Fox Mulder's Apartment Sweat soaked, he sat bolt upright. "Samantha!!" He called out into the darkness. August 16th 01:14 Dana Scully's Apartment "I *saw* her Scully. She's alive. I can feel it. And he knows where she is." Scully watched Mulder carefully, certain that her next word would mean everything to her partner. She considered his coming to her in the middle of the night. He *hadn't* ditched her. He wanted, no, he needed her to be involved in this. Her eyes met his. "Then how do we find him?" A glimmer of something touched his features. Was that hope? "I tracked him down once before,... we can do it again." Scully reached over and let her fingers rest against his. Ever since she found out she had been guarded to him. Unreadable. Her iron walls had held firm against his new-found sense. It was only at times like this that she ever let those walls lower, that she ever let anyone in. He felt her thoughts. August 18th 16:04 Tunisia Gibson Praise shielded his eyes from the relentless sunlight. Beside him a cigarette fell to the ground. A simple black leather shoe extinguished the orange glow. The figure was strangely silent. *He* was usually the most vociferous of them all. Gibson grinned at the irony. 'Men whose trade is in keeping secrets', he thought, 'Often betray the very thing they seek to protect'. Gibson raised his sheltered eyes to meet those of the man. A wrinkled, somewhat timeless half grin greeted him. The boy's attention turned to the two huge white domes that occupied the centre of a large crop-clearing. A woman sat outside. She was staring up into the sky, almost ... yes, she was praying, but not to God. She was thinking of ... Suddenly all the pieces began to meld. An overall image began to appear. He understood. He understood who this woman was, what it was she most desired. He understood the smoking man, and the role he had chosen to play. He understood it all. Gibson turned to face his captor. He heard the question. Outside the dome, the woman's head snapped around, her gaze penetrating Gibson's soul. He heard the question again, this time in echo. Two voices, one question, one answer. His attention returned to the man at his side, but his thoughts remained with the raven-haired woman who was inside his mind. He spoke only two words. "He's coming." August 18th 17:30 The Smoking Man watched as two small figures, each dressed in black, appeared. He watched as the man broke into a sprint. He watched as the man embraced the raven-haired woman. He watched as the female, the redhead, paused as though unsure. He watched as she scanned the area. He looked at the brunette, his eyes softening almost imperceptibly. He watched her,... and he saw his daughter. Three figures moved stealthily through the corn, but Gibson knew exactly where they were. The man had been changed. He was no longer unknowing, now he was *one*. He heard a thought ... "He is *one*". He saw the images. Blood. The man had seen so much blood. And she... she had seen it too. She must have, yet her emotions bubbled under, never reaching boiling point. Even he, as strong as he was, could not get a complete reading of her. The other woman though, she... she knew. She was one too. Gibson felt the deceit emanate from the man next to him. It hung as heavily around him as the ever present cigarette smoke that accompanied his every move. He sensed danger, victory, entrapment and... was that?... yes... remorse. The man regretted his actions, but his belief in the work never faltered. A phrase repeated over and over inside his brain. "It's for the greater good". 20th August 9:35 Scully's Apartment "Morning." Scully smiled slightly as Samantha rubbed her eyes. "I slept all night?" Samantha seemed surprised. , Scully mused. . Scully noticed as a small smile played across Samantha's lips. She wondered at the source of her amusement. "How do you feel?" The concern in Scully's voice was genuine. Yes, she had her fears. She feared Samantha was not who she appeared to be. She feared that this was all a part of 'their' game. She feared for Mulder. For her Mulder. She feared that this was another hoax. She feared for herself. How far can she let herself believe in this. Her questions, both verbal and otherwise, remained unanswered as Mulder nudged open the door. The smile on his face was genuine, but it too was tainted. He was sceptical. He had wanted this for *so* long, for it not to be real,... It may just kill him. He was much less guarded than she was. Samantha's cursory probe had revealed much about her brother. She saw what he saw. She saw the files, the loss, the longing, the pain, the agony, the abduction ... no ... she saw more than one, but that area was too close to him, she couldn't read it. She longed to allow him into her mind, to share with him the secret they both were keeping. Instead she smiled back, and hoped her expression helped to quash any fear inside of him. "Hey", he sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey", she welcomed his hand into her own. An eternity of silence passed between them in just a few seconds. "How're you feeling?" He echoed Scully's earlier question. Samantha breathed in deeply. "Alive." The smile was shared by each of the three people in the room. Scully excused herself and allowed Mulder his time. She would need to talk to him, but now wasn't the right time. Let him enjoy his moment. Let him feel his joy today, for who knew what tomorrow would bring. 23rd August 11:53 The Office "Penny." "Excuse me?" Scully lifted her silver rimmed glasses from her eyes. "Penny. For your thoughts." "That's all they're worth?" Scully smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. Mulder remained silent. It was time. "Mulder, don't you wonder why we were allowed to find her? I mean, we were practically led right to her. And since that time, there have been no abduction attempts or," She swallowed, realising the weight of her words, "Any other attempts to *regain* her." , she added silently. "Scully, It was just time." "But Mulder..." "No Scully. Whoever or *whatever* it was that led me to Samantha understood it's role. Understood her role. She has so much to offer us Scully, she has so much to offer the X-Files. She is the key. But more than that, she's my *sister*." Scully sighed. This was going to be much harder than she had imagined. "It's just faith Scully. Pure and simple faith." He regretted it as soon as he had said it. He felt her walls build up. He knew she hated it when he did that. Memories of that case flooded her. Her pain at his incarceration. His pain at her turmoil. Scully was his soul-mate. She deserved to be heard. He crossed the small space to where she sat, her eyes would not meet his own. Gently, he took her chin in his hand and looked at her. His eyes conveyed his sorrow and his love. He reached for her hand tenderly. Scully felt his fingers enclose around her own. She allowed him in. She lowered her guard. Mulder nodded. His face darkened instantly, it was as though the thought had never occurred to him before now. Or if it had, he had dismissed it with the optimism that simply was not a part of Fox Mulder's everyday life. His stoic expression betrayed nothing, although he begged for Scully not to put up those walls again. He could feel them building. Brick by brick. She sat there. Unsure. Scully didn't even want to consider the ramifications. August 23rd 19:34 Dana Scully's Apartment Mulder stormed through the door, almost knocking Scully from her feet. He found Samantha in the kitchen. She span around as he roughly grabbed her by the arm. Her look, however, was not one of surprise. "Mulder what the hell do you think you are doing ...." He thought he heard Scully's voice inside the cacophony of noise inside his brain. The noise grew in volume... seemingly pushing against the sides of his head. *Pain* Without another thought Mulder grabbed the knife that had rested at the side of Samantha. *blood* he was relieved, overjoyed, and ashamed. Scully's eyes were wide in horror. He had *cut* her. And it was her fault. She should never have expressed her fears to him, not in such an intimate way. Their eyes met... he turned to Samantha. "I'm sorry...I..." "Get out Mulder." "Samantha..." "Now!" Scully's voice was steel. Her anger was so controlled, so restrained that Mulder was almost afraid to leave. But he knew what he had to do. He backed slowly from the room, watching as Scully went into full doctor mode. She had retrieved a med kit from her lounge and was busily addressing Samantha's wound. As the apartment door closed, he leant against it and fell to his knees. And he cried. Tears of joy. * * * "Samantha, I need you to hold this in place very firmly. Can you do that for me?" Samantha merely nodded. Scully assumed. "Lets take a look at that cut... hmm ... I don't think it will need stitches. It's really not that deep. I'm gonna clean it up some more and then reassess, okay Samantha?" Samantha blinked a few times. She had expected Mulder. Expected his need for proof. She had steeled herself to allow him to do this. To do what he thought necessary. What she hadn't been prepared for... what she had never allowed for, was the strength of emotion that radiated from Scully. The fierce protective streak that had surfaced as soon as her brother had wielded the knife. All of her doubt about Samantha had evaporated, in it's place was something much stronger. Dana Scully cared about her. Samantha became vaguely aware of a voice. She tried for a read, but once again Scully was the epitome of calm. "Ok that should just about do it. I'll want to be changing the dressing quite often, but stitches are not necessary. You're lucky." Scully paused and reflected on her choice of words. She was about to amend her statement when Samantha reached for her hand. The connection was immediate and unlike anything Scully had ever experienced before. A strange sensation. She was reminded of the Kindred,.. no... not like that,.. more subtle... more intimate even. Samantha sensed the conflicting emotions within Dana and felt she should do something to assuage them. Scully's eyes grew wide. She recoiled from Samantha as though burned by a flame. "Oh my God..." Scully's mouth hung open. Samantha was telling her that ... "Oh My God..." Scully almost forgot to breathe. "You... How?... How can you... You..." Scully made her way slowly into the lounge, she sat slowly, carefully, on the couch. Taking her time to regroup her emotions and replace them with control. The connection broken, she no longer heard any thoughts. "Samantha ... does he know?" A small smile caressed Samantha's lips. "No. No he doesn't. But I do. I know that he has been altered..." The smile dissipated. "I know that he has been changed. I know who orchestrated this. And I know why." Scully took a moment to centre. She had to tell Mulder. Why did it feel like Samantha was asking her to conceal something from him. Why did it feel so wrong but yet so right? "You have to tell him." Samantha nodded. * * * He had never before had to deal with the torrent of emotion that he had just sensed. It was like the destruction of a dam, thoughts and feelings engulfed him like water, clinging to every part of his body and soul. These were the emotions of the women he loved. And, clearly, of the women who were growing to love one another. Outside the door, Mulder wept. Continue ? ,... U choose xXx Red xXx "We're children, needing other children And yet letting our grown up pride, hide all the need inside.... ...A Feeling deep in your soul says you were half now you're whole.. No more hunger or thurst , but first be a person who needs people... People who need people.. are the luckiest people.. in the world..." Red @ http://www.btinternet.com/~red1401/Red.htm