TITLE: Conhouse - Chapter Fourteen e-mail Address: ErinStone1@aol.com RATING: NC-17 CATEGORY: Scully/Slash SPOILERS: None Keywords: Scully Slash/Other Romance Archiving: You bet - just let me know where. Disclaimer: Fox, Chris Carter and 1013 own them ALL, ***except Lena Conhouse, she's mine, and of course, Wanda, who is mine in the literal sense.*** Comments are welcomed. Please send them to ErinStone1@AOL.com _______________________________________________________________________ Monday evening - 8:47 p.m. Lena sat in the chair, still holding her arms around what was now simply air. She let them fall to her lap. Her chin dropped to her chest, her eyes closed. Scully watched her carefully for a few seconds, not knowing what she needed. She wondered if trying to comfort her would be futile considering what had just happened. She walked slowly to the chair, leaning over when she got near Lena to try and read her features. There was nothing there to read. Lena looked as if she were sleeping. There were no more tears, no evidence of the rage that had gripped her prior to sitting. She was quiet. Mulder had come to his senses and was pushing back a small throng of Georgetown policemen. The uniforms let themselves be shushed back outside, they being as confused by what they had seen as the agents were. Mulder noted that everyone who witnessed Danny had the same look of wonder and disbelief on their faces, everyone but Lena, that is. He walked back into the dining room and found Scully crouched on the floor next to Lena's chair. "She ok Scully?" "I can't tell. She hasn't moved. I think we need to get her out of here Mulder." Scully brow was considerably furrowed; worry clearly lined the features of her face. Lena lifted her head slightly. Scully turned back to her. She brushed a strand of long dark hair from her face, "Lena?" Lena seemed to be waking from sleep. She stretched her neck back, opening her eyes to look at the ceiling, then noticed Scully crouching next to her she sat up straighter, "Did you hear that? Cook. Danny said it was Cook." Scully breathed a loud sigh of relief. "We heard him." Scully grasped her hand and squeezed lightly, then let go. "Are you alright? You seemed to be out cold." She was checking her forehead as if for a fever. "I'm fine, I think. A little woozy." Lena pressed her fingers to her forehead and seemed to be pushing on it, "·little headache·". She scooted forward in the chair, signaling to Scully that she wanted to try and stand up. Mulder leaned over and grabbed her elbow and soon she was upright on wobbly legs. They didn't hold long, however, and she fell against Mulder. He held her up, putting his arm around her waist. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea Conhouse." She regained her strength quickly and took a few tentative steps toward the front door, "Get me outta here, please." She shot Scully a pleading look. That was all it took, and the red head was at her side along with Mulder, guiding her toward the door. A policeman near the front door saw them coming out and quickly opened the door for them. He looked at Lena as if he had never seen a woman before and she knew immediately that he had seen her interaction with Danny. "They saw it happen?" She whispered into Scully's ear. Scully looked at her for a second; afraid of how she'd react, "Yes." "Shit." Lena whispered, sighing heavily. "I'll talk to them." Scully offered it up in apology. "No, don't. I think it's better to let them wonder. Don't confirm or deny Dana, please." Scully nodded mutely. Mulder helped Lena sit down sideways in the driver's seat of Scully's car. "I think one of the uniforms has a thermos, you want some coffee?" "That would be great Mulder, thanks." Scully stood staring at her, her mind a tangled mess of love and terror, wonderment and denial· "It's still just me." Lena was staring back at her now. "Just me Scully, not anything else. Just me." "Has that happened before?" Lena stared at her, not speaking. "So it has." Dana shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket, looking back toward the house, then back down at Lena. Mulder was back, hands filled with cups, three to be exact. He handed one to Scully and another to Lena. "I gave the name Cook to the GPD, they're canvassing the neighborhood. We're going on the assumption here that Cook is the perp's last name." He looked at Lena for confirmation and she shrugged. "I'm not sure. Other than Danny's account of what happened, I got very little in there. I never saw the guy, only gloved hands, and a large kitchen knife, like a butcher knife or something. I really need to see the mother. Is she still despondent?" Scully became agitated. "I think you need a break Conhouse." Lena's head snapped up to look at her. "I appreciate that, I do· but Ruth is still alive Scully. I know it. I can't afford a break, none of us can." Mulder looked from one woman to the other. "Conhouse, I agree with Scully." Lena squinted her eyes at him. "Let us talk to the mother. You can go back to Scully's and regroup." "I'm not ungrouped Mulder." Lena's voice raised slightly. Scully looked at him, "What do you mean by 'back to Scully's'?" Mulder tilted his head and gave her a 'give me a break' look and she dropped it. He looked at Lena again and she sighed. "You're right, I know you are. I don't know who I'm kidding, I can hardly walk." Lena closed her eyes and let her chin drop to her chest. "I don't know why that wipes me out so much, but it does." Mulder put his hand on Scully's shoulder, "Take her home and I'll see you at the Georgetown PD in about 20." He walked off briskly in the direction of his car. "Scoot over." Dana tapped her leg and Lena scooted across the middle console into the passenger seat. Dana hopped in and started the car. She pulled out and they made their way out of the neighborhood. "Are you feeling any better?" She stole a quick glance at her passenger. "Some, the coffee helps." They sat in silence for a moment. "There are some nerds in the glove box," she paused, "if you need them." Lena smiled over at her, "You stashed nerds in your car for me?" Dana kept her eyes on the road, saying seriously; "It's my angel bait." Lena laughed out loud, "Now what did I tell you about that? Just me, remember?" "I'm not buying that line anymore Conhouse. I know an angel when I see one." Lena was laughing again, but stopped when she realized that Dana wasn't. "You can't be serious?" She stared at the redhead. "I think the lady doth protest too much." Dana looked over at her, a brow raised. Lena stared back at her for a moment, then out through the windshield. Neither of the women talked for the rest of the short trip to Dana's apartment. She pulled in to her parking space and handed her apartment key to Lena. "I'll have to get one of these made for you." She held onto Lena's hand when Lena reached for the key, rubbing it softly for a moment, trying to work up her courage. "I know you don't want to talk about this right now Lena." Dana looked down at their clasped hands, "And I know that you've already explained to me what you think it is that gives you your abilities." She looked into the exhausted woman's eyes and sighed. "But I think that it's a little more than mere brain function, and I think you know it." Dana watched the other woman's expression carefully. She knew there was something else there, not just a lame medical explanation that had no basis in the Celestial. People just didn't lead the recently deceased to heaven; they =just didn't=. All of the stories of angels' interventions had come alive when Danny had looked at Scully. He had looked =right at her=, and it was at that moment that she realized. It was at that moment that she knew Lena was more than just a medical anomaly, a mere human product of increased brain activity. She had watched Danny glow and soften in Lena's arms. Lena had been the conduit through which he had broken out of his immobilizing terror to move onto his father. Lena's jaw clenched and she looked down a their entwined fingers. " 'Angel' ... is such a loaded word," She said in a strained whisper, "there should be another term for it." Dana's hairs prickled slightly, she felt chills rise up her back and over her scalp. She tried not to show Lena that she was stunned, in shock. She swallowed hard, keeping her eyes cast down. She had no idea what to say to Lena, none. She was trembling uncontrollably. "Don't shut down on me now Scully." Lena's voice was soothing, but it raised Dana's hairs even more. "It's still just me·" Dana looked cautiously up at her. She wasn't glowing. Wings hadn't mysteriously sprouted on her back. It was just her. Just her Lena. "I was right." Dana whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Lena bowed her head slightly, "In a way, yes, you were right." "Oh my god·" the words faded on her lips as they came out. "There are all kinds of angels Dana, I happen to be the earth bound, human-ish kind." "I can't believe this." Dana's mouth trembled and tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "But the brain function thing, well· that was true. That's the medical part of the angel bit. I'm sorry that I lied to you Dana, I shouldn't have." Lena's hands clenched hers tighter; "It's just that I fell in love with you. I didn't want to scare you away." Dana couldn't speak. "I know it's a lot to take in." Lena sighed, tilting her head and trying to get Dana to look at her. "Look at it this way, it sure makes the lesbian thing pale in comparison, eh?" Scully let out an involuntary 'HA' at the comment. This was all so incredible· "You know, things aren't any different that they were a few hours ago. I'm the same person Dana, and I assure you that I am, for the most part, just a person. I can explain it to you a more later, but suffice it to say that I love you, regardless of my many labels." Dana nodded a little. She was thinking, 'I have questions·'. "Well, I get left in the dark a lot darlin· I'm not sure how many I'll be able to answer." Lena shook her hands a little. "You should go to Mulder. He's probably wondering where you are." Dana nodded numbly at her. "You okay to drive?" "Wh· yeah· I think." She stared at her. "Hurry back, ok?" Lena got out of the car and walked slowly to the front door of the apartment building on unsteady legs. Soon she was through the door and out of sight. Dana sat staring after her from the car. She finally pulled herself together enough to pull out of the lot. Her mind spun as she drove· ___________________________________________________________________________ 11:30 p.m., Georgetown Police Department "Scully, what took you so long?" Mulder looked irritated. "And why didn't you answer your phone?" He started toward her down the hall, pulling her with him as he made his way out of the building. "I· uh·" She just stared at him, unable to complete her thought. She patted her pockets and realized that her phone was missing. 'Must have left it in the office' she thought, more than a little angry with herself at being so scatter brained. "They moved the mother, she's at Bethesda. She was in shock and the EMT's missed it. I have no idea why they think she wouldn't be in shock, after what happened. One of the officers here told me that she was mumbling at the scene. She told them that the killer made her pick which of her kids would die· and then she just· she shut down. They brought her here hoping she would be able to tell them more, but she never came back around." He looked pissed. "We need to get to the hospital. Follow me over there." ______________________________________________________________________________ ___ They walked into the hospital side by side. Mulder approached the desk flashing his badge and a nurse showed them to a room at the end of the hallway. They peered through the window of the room's door. The woman on the bed was gazing lifelessly at the ceiling. Her eyes were vacant and she wasn't blinking at all. The agents opened the door slowly and approached her bedside. Scully picked up the woman's hand and squeezed it, getting no response. "Mulder she's catatonic." "Shit, maybe we should have let Lena come Scully. This woman isn't going to be able to tell us anything." He turned and walked out of the room. They stood together in the hallway. "Has the GPD come up with anything on 'Cook'?" "No. No one in the neighborhood saw anyone enter or leave that wasn't a part of the family, and no one seemed to know who 'Cook' was either. They're trying to get a hold of the victim's extended family now. Hopefully one of them will know who this guy is. The trail on Ruth is cold, no idea where he may have taken her." Mulder's phone rang and he quickly answered it, "Mulder." "And she's the sister of the father?" "Ok, what's the address?" "Thanks, we're on our way." He hung up and started walking; Scully had to trot after him to catch up. "They've located the father's sister in Georgetown, let's go." ______________________________________________________________________- Marsha Tinstel's residence - Georgetown "Mrs. Tinstel, I realize this must be awful for you, but we need to ask you some questions." Scully stood in the entryway of the small home, looking sympathetically at the woman who had just been told by two uniformed police officers that her brother's family had been devastated. "Sit down, please." The woman was wiping tears from her face. "We need to know if you ever met a Mr. Cook at your brother's house, or possibly someone who goes by the name of Cook?" "No," she shook her head, searching her memory. "No, I never heard any of them talk about a Mr. Cook. Is that who did this to them?" "We think so Mrs. Tinstel." "I can't believe this." The woman sobbed. "Things were going so well for them. Bob had just gotten a huge raise, they moved into that house· he worked so hard all of his life to get to where he was, and finally he could relax a little and enjoy life, the kids·" she paused, "He always wanted to be well off, you know, have the better things in life? But he was willing to work for it, and he did, that man worked like a dog." Scully looked down at the floor, waiting for the woman to recover some. Mulder looked over at her, shaking his head. "Did your brother have any enemies that you're aware of?" "NO! God no. We had a birthday party for him about a month ago and finally had to shut the doors of the banquet hall because it was full! People loved him· he had no enemies." Mulder took a business card from his wallet and handed it to Mrs. Tinstel. "We'll leave you alone now, we're very sorry for the intrusion. Please call me immediately if you think of anything else." "I will. Find Ruth, please." "We're doing everything we can." He said. And they left. __________________________________________________________________________ "What now?" Scully asked as they walked to their cars. "We need Lena." Scully nodded at him. "Let's go." __________________________________________________________________________ Lena heard the door open and looked toward it from her spot on the Dana's couch. "Anything?" Her face was hopeful. Mulder looked at her, defeated. "No." Lena punched a fist into the palm of her hand. "I should go see the mother." Mulder smiled at her, "I was hoping you'd say that. I'll drive." He wagged his eyebrows at Scully as she reached for Lena's jacket, handing it to her. Lena winked at Scully behind Mulder's back, "Thanks." Scully smiled in spite of herself as she closed the door behind them. End - Chapter 14