"BOKOR HOLIDAY"
or
(So, How was *Your* Weekend?)
by: CAC
(alias, The Stinker)

***********************************

Tom Colton was still stinging from the fact that Spooky Mulderhad solved
the Tooms case and had made him look like an incompetent fool infront of
his superiors and worst of all.....Scully. He had reveled inbrief
contentment when after Spooky's last escapade, the X-Files were
unceremoniously taken from him and he was given every shit casethat came
along...That is until they buried him in personnel. What amonumental
day, he thought!!! Now, out of nowhere, the X-Files arereinstated,
Mulder has Scully back, and Asst. Director Skinner is retiring.Life is
not fair. Who does that guy know? His thoughts became dark as hesucked
down another scotch and with each drink, his anger andfrustration grew in
proportion. How many drinks did that make, he wondered....he'dlost
count. Hell, the retirement party had been going on for a coupleof hours
now. He couldn't be expected to keep record of his alcohol
consumption...could he? He looked across the room for thehundredth time
and spied them yet again....smiling, laughing....even Spooky washaving a
good time. Well, "why wouldn't he," he grumbled tohimself. Spooky
seemed to be Dana's "second skin" all night...they wereinseparable, in
the literal sense. They danced by him again, if you'd call whatthey were
doing...dancing, he pondered disdainfully. Why don't they justdrop the
pretense and do the "wild thing" right there in themiddle of the floor?
He snickered to himself at the imagined event and suddenlyrealized that
the music had stopped and Mulder had left Dana alone to walk overto the
bar to refill their glasses, stumbling slightly along the way.Well
that's a wonder...seems he was not the only one who had imbibed alittle
too much this night. Mulder seemed to be treading shaky ground aswell.
He decided this would probably be his last chance at getting Danaalone
and made his move.

Colton carefully picked his way through the crowd ofpartygoers until he
had placed himself directly behind Scully's left elbow. Seizingher upper
arm, he spun her around roughly and demanded obnoxiously,"About time you
danced with a *normal* guy don't ya think?" Dana, realizingthat he'd had
one too many, decided to be diplomatic and tried to redirect his
attentions to someone else. "Really Tom, I don't want todance right
now...but thank you...perhaps one of the other....""I'm not intersted in
one of the *others* he growled obstinately, I want to dance with
you...NOW." He jerked her toward the dance floor as shetwisted in his
grip to try and free herself. Now *she* was becoming angry.

Tom took several steps with his unwilling partner in towbefore he
realized that someone was blocking his path. He could only guesswho that
might be. Looking up, he saw Mulder standing before him holding a
delicate crystal drink glass in each hand, glaring down at himwith barely
contained fury. Mulder spoke through clenched teeth in a lowcontrolled
voice that belied the anger that he suddenly felt. "Colton,the lady said
she's not interested. I suggest that you release her arm and findsomeone
else."

Colton violently dropped her arm and stepped up to Mulder in athreatening
stance, angrily spitting out his words. "Why, Spooky? Haveyou staked a
claim? Huh, Spooky? Is she that good a *lay*? Huh? Oh, I
forgot...you're only interested in mutants, aliens, and shit like
that....probably wouldn't know what to do with a *real*woman...would ya,
Spooky?"

A crowd gathered around listening intently with thegossipmongers at the
head of the pack as Mulder studied Colton with disbelief, hishazel eyes
seething with dark contempt. Scully sensed disaster and steppedin to try
and diffuse a rapidly deteriorating situation. "Come onMulder, you're
both drunk...it's not worth it." Tugging on his sleeve sherepeated in a
pleading tone, "PLEASE." He considered her words, butColton just
wouldn't let it alone and repeated mockingly, "Yeah, Spooky,PLEASE....bet
she likes it doggy-style."

Even Scully was taken aback at this last remark and her mouthfell open
soundlessly. She watched helplessly as Mulder's grip tightened
explosively around the glass in his right hand in an effort tocontain
himself. The delicate glass suddently shattered under thepressure about
the same time as his cool and he flung the other glass to thefloor.
Snatching Tom's suit lapel with his now bloody right hand, hewrenched him
forward until they were face to face. He glanced briefly atScully.."I
may be three sheets to the wind, but I can still recognize anasshole when
I see one and Colton....You're a fucking asshole. Do you comefrom a
family of fucking assholes? I mean....is it genetic?....or do youhave to
work at it? As for knowing how to treat a *real* woman...upyours. Any
relationship that I do or don't have with my partner is none ofyour
goddamn business or anyone else's. Gee, call me old-fashioned butif you
ever insult her again, I will rearrange your fucking face. Nowget the
hell out of my way before I plant this size thirteen up yourgoddamn ass
and put you into orbit over Arlington as a fucking UFO."

Mulder grasped Dana with his left hand and turned to leave butColton,
filled with resentment, called out acidly. "Fox."Mulder spun around just
in time to see a fist headed in his direction which with someeffort, he
was able to avoid. He in turn fired off a right with the injuredhand
that caught Colton square in the face and sent him to the floorin a
slide. Scully smiled sweetly at Tom as he sat up awkwardlyagainst the
wall. "I once said that I wanted to be there when you fellon your
ass....this isn't exactly what I had in mind, but it just goes to
show...wishes can come true."

Scully put her arm gingerly around Mulder's waist and gentlysupported him
as he walked unsteadily to the door.

"Mulder, just what in the hell did you think you weredoing?"

He looked at her with feigned innocence. "Coming to theaid of a damsel
in distress?"

Scully glanced at him ruefully. "Oh great, my knight inshining armor, my
hero, my prince....."

Uh oh, he thought uneasily...wrong response. What'd I do now?OK Mulder,
back up and review the situation.
Number one: First off, ya got slightly polluted....that's *not*gonna
work in your favor.
Number two: So you made a scene in public....So what? YOU didn'tstart
it.
Number three: Then you hurt yourself and punched somebody in the
face....Well goddamn it, the bastard deserved it...so why is shepissed?
Number four: You're still bombed, so even though this makesperfectly
logical sense to you, she's not gonna but it.......
Out loud he merely offered with resign, "Dana, you know Iwould never let
anybody hurt you."

Oh shit. The look on her face told him that he should bracehimself for
another Scully lecture. Yep....she's gonna jump your ass for
sure.....Well, fool, better sit back and shut up before you digyourself
in any deeper.

She looked at his hand with concern in her eyes. "Don'tmake promises
that you may not be able to keep...I know it's *Difficult* buttry to
remember....You are *Not* Captain America, O.K.? YOU can gethurt. Let
me see your hand." He tried to give her the uninjured one."No, Mulder,
the other one....you know the one with the handkerchief wrappedaround
it..(God, is he messed up)" He held out his right hand forinspection and
she gently unwrapped it. "Good going, Mulder, looks likeit's gonna need
stitches."

Mulder studied it with detached interest. "It's OK, itdoesn't hurt."

Scully smiled slightly and shook her head. "It will whenyou're sober.
Get in the car and try not to get sick or pass out. We'll have togo to
my place so I can clean the cuts and stitch them up because thereis no
way I'm going to spend the rest of the night in the Emergencywaiting room
and watch you bleed all over the floor."

"That's disgusting," he whispered groggily as hesettled down in the car
seat.

She reached over, fastened his seat belt and stroked a waywardpiece of
hair from his eyes. They were beautiful eyes, soft and gentle,and right
now...slightly blurry and a little red. He looked at herquizzically and
then just smiled. She started the car and pulled away from thecurb. He
was the most complicated man she had ever known...God, it wouldtake a
lifetime to figure him out, if she ever could...She smiled at the
prospect.

*****
Part2
*****

Scully glanced at the clock on the dashboard as they pulled upin front of
her apartment. Oh boy, she thought, 1 AM...No sleeptonight..er..today.
She reached over to Mulder to unfasten the safety belt andnoticed the
handkerchief had come undone while he slept and a dark red spothad formed
on his clothes. "Well Mulder, guess you've bought atux...they're
certainly not gonna want it back now." She shook him gentlewith no
response except a low moan. "Come on Mulder....wakeup...you're gonna
have to help with this. You're too big to carry. Alright big guyyou
asked for it." She took her fingers and mightily flicked hisleft ear,
immediately producing the desired effect. His eyes flew open inconfusion
until he was able to focus on her face. "Are we thereyet?" he asked
hoarsely.

"Yeah, we're here," she said, as she got out of thecar and walked around
to the passenger side. Mulder opened the door and emerged swaying
slightly while leaning heavily on the car door for support.Suddenly the
color seemed to drain from his face and he mumbled hastily,"Excuse me,"
as he turned and made a bee-line to the corner of the buildingwhere he
promptly threw up everything he had eaten in the last twodays....at least
that's how it felt.

"Mulder, you OK?" Jesus, she thought, how many timeshas she had to ask
that question? Too many.

"I'm fine....just fine," he murmured,unconvincingly.

Once inside the apartment, she ushered him quickly into thebathroom,
washed the cuts, wrapped his hand in a clean towel and seated himin a
chair at the dining room table. "Stay there and don'tmove," she said
with authority. He looked up at her with his best *puppy dog*eyes and
meekly replied, "yes ma'm."

She left the room and returned carrying a black bag, fromwhich she
produced a menacing looking syringe.

"What's that?" Mulder asked with growingapprehension.

"It's a syringe, Mulder, you must be out of it more thanI thought."

"I know it's a needle....why do you need it?"

"It's just Novocain to kill the pain while I'm sutcheringyour hand. Due
to the amount of alcohol in you blood, I'm kind of limited fromgiving you
any of the *good* drugs."

"Can't you just butterfly em or something...it reallydoesn't
hurt...much."

"No, I can't."

"Dana," he whispered softly, "I hate needles. IReally do hate them."

She'd heard that tone before and it usually worked...but notthis time.
If she gave in, it would definitely not be in his best interest."I don't
*Believe* you, she countered. You've been shot, stabbed,poisoned, beaten
up and God knows what else and you're afraid of a littleneedle?"

"LITTLE," he stammered, "That thing looks likethe Alaskan Pipeline."

"I'm not discussing it any more...it's got to be done, sobe quiet, don't
move, and take it like a man."

"Dana, why do people always say things like that beforthey intend to
inflict great bodily pain?"

"To embarrass people like you into submission. Now holdstill. I have
work to do."

He gave her a gorgeous smile and with mischievous eyes, hereplied in a
low, sultry voice, "Dana, you don't have to embarrassme...I'd submit
willingly....."

She shook her head slowly. "What am I going to do withyou?"

He looked hopeful. "I could think of a lot of things,none of which your
mother would probably approve."

"You're not gonna make this easy...are you?"

He grinned, "Nope."


************************************

She awoke to the sound of music playing in the other room andthe space
next to her empty. Rolling over, she stared at the alarm clock onthe
night stand. Oh God, 6 AM.....Did he forget that we're on
vacation?...Where in the hell was that music coming fromanyway...I don't
remember having that in my CD collection she thought foggily.Besides, he
should be having the mother of all hangovers at thispoint...sometimes I
think that man's not human. Then she remembered the piano. Thegift from
her brother had arrived yesterday and she felt guilty that shehad totally
forgotten about it and had not even called to thank him. Danapadded
quietly through the hallway and peered out into the living roomand was
more than a little surprised to see the incongruous sight of herpartner
sitting at the piano, clothed in nothing but a pair of light blueboxers.
He didn't notice her, so she remained silent and just listened tothe
soft, melodic voice. He played beautifully.

"In every heart there is a room
A sancturary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you I suppose

But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes...
And you're the only one who knows......"

Dana moved up quietly behind him and place a hand on hisshoulder. "I
didn't know you could play."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me,Dana," he said with an
air of mystery.

He held up his bandaged hand and said jokingly, "It'skinda hard to play
like Liberace when your wrapped up like a mummy."

She smiled, "Well, it was still beautiful."

"Thanks, Mother always believed in a "well-rounded" education.

"You never cease to amaze me."

"Really? Think we can figure out what I'm gonnawear?" She conducted a
quick appraisal and stated enthusiastically, "What you haveon looks
pretty good...blue's your color." He rewarded her with apained
expression and got up. It was then he noticed something wedgedbetween
the piano and the wall. "Hey Scully, there's something stuckbehind you
piano." Mulder reached into the space and pulled out theobject, holding
it up to the light. It appeared to be a human bone with Dana'snamed
scrawled on it in red. He glanced over at her with eyebrowsraised and
remarked in dryly, "momentos from your first autopsy? Ididn't realize
you were into collecting souvenirs."

"Mulder," she said shakily, "I've never seenthat thing before in my life.
I hope this is somebody's idea of a sick joke.

All humor left his eyes, "Has anything else turned uparound here that
you don't recognize?"

"Well", she contemplated for a moment, "I didfind a gold medallion
outside my door the other day."

His brows knitted with concern, "Where is this"medallion" now?"

She favored him with a questioning stare, "I left it withMr. Woodworth,
the landlord. I assumed someone in the building had lost it.

"Dana, where are my clothes? I've got to getdressed."

Oh no, she despaired, she'd seen that look before and it meantnothing but
trouble. "Where are we going?" she ask warily.

"To see a man about a piece of jewelry."

"This is VACATION, Mulder, remember....relax , nowork...have
fun...Etc....... This is *not* and X-File....Just someones *bad*joke."

*****
Part3
*****

"Oh wonderful, Mulder, this just peachy. It't our firstday of vacation
and here we are spending it hassling*my* landlord about an objectthat
isn't even mine....I *know there has to be some unfathomableexplanation
for this foray into the realm of jewelry, so if you don't mind, Iwould be
most appreciative if you would let *me* in on why in the hellwe're here."

Mulder pressed the buzzer with renewed zeal and began toanswer her, when
the door cracked open and a bedraggled middle-aged man in abathrobe
peered out from beneath the door chain.

"Sorry to bother you so early in the moring Mr.Woodworth. I'm special
agent Fox Mulder with the FBI and I was wondering if I couldspeak with
you for a moment?"

Mr. woodworth glanced at Scully and said in recognition,"oh, it's
you...sure, come on in." He made his way to the couch, satdown heavily
and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Now, what canI do for you
Mr. Mulder that couldn't wait till later?"

"Well, it seems that you have a medallion that belongs tome and I've just
come by to pick it up."

Scully snapped her head in his direction at this unexpectedrevelation and
opened her mouth in surprise, then shut it suddenly when she sawMulder
shoot her a look that demanded silence.

Luckily, Mr. Woodworth didn't catch the by-play and merelystated gruffly,
"The damn thing is on my desk and you're welcome to it...itgives me the
creeps."

Mulder ambled over to the desk and nonchalantly retrieved theamulet
between his thumb and forefinger, studying it briefly, beforedropping it
into his pocket. He thanked the man for his assistance, collectedScully,
and left Mr. Woodworth to his couch, coffee, and TV.

As they left the building, Mulder tossed Scully the keys."You drive."

She caught the keys in mid-air with a gesture tht betrayed hergrowing
annoyance. "OK, where to?"

He smiled sheepishly. "My place first so I can changeinto "something a
little more comfortable"(He didn't like tuxedos and being inone this long
made him ansy), and then to see Mamma Lorina. The address he gaveher was
definitely not in the better part of town.

Mulder leaned back in the seat, pulled out the talisman andbegan
scratching at it with his pocket knife. "I knew it!",he said with
satisfaction. "It's lead underneath."

Scully, who had been driving in silence, hit the brakes out offrustration
and brought the car to a screeching halt along the shoulder ofthe road.

"Damn it, Mulder, are you gonna tell me what the hell isgoing on or am I
gonna kick you butt out of this car right now and make you walkhome?"

"Jesus, Dana, he said with genuine surprise, "Ididn't want to say
anything until I was sure."

"Sure about what?"

"Have you been missing anything lately? You know, evensomething small?

"Yeah, I lost my brush again, big deal. I lose it atleast once a week.
So what's a lost brush have to do with this *great mystery* thatyou won't
tell me about?"

He appeared to be indecisive and mumbled, "If I tell you,you'll think I'm
nuts."

"Mulder," she said evenly, "*That* is aforegone conclusion....Now spill
it."

"I think".....he paused for a moment...."Ithink someone is trying to put
a curse on you."

"A what?" She managed a crooked smile until sherealized that he was dead
serious.

"A curse.", he said quietly. The lead medallion, thehuman bone with your
name on it....I"ll bet you ten to one if it's analyzed,you'll find that
the name was written in human blood. These are all items commonlyused in
the practice of *bokor* or black magic. I fear your life may bein
danger."

"My God, I think this time you may really have gone offthe deep end.",
she said with concern. First of all, who would want to curse meand
secondly, I don't believe somebody can hurt you just by willingit."

"Good," he replied with relief.

"Wait a minute...Mulder, aren't you gonna try andconvince me to *open* my
mind and consider the possibilities?"

"No", he state matter-a -factly. "This is onetime where you're better
off *not* believing...in this instance, *Belief* can kill. I knowyou
don't believe and that's OK, but please listen to me. Someone hasbeen in
your apartment, someone has been watching you. Now you'll have toadmit
that whoever that someone is can't be up to any good. When I wasinvolved
in the "Process" cult murder investigation in 87', Iwas made painfully
aware of what evil and perversions these monsters would inflictin order
to fulfill their satanic doctrines. Their horror was worse thananything
the X-Files could ever chronicle. They were an abomination ofnature, a
grotesque evil, not only of the body but of the soul as well.*You* may
not believe, but *they* *do* and in the end, that's what counts.Please
don't take this lightly...these people are dangerous and must bestopped."

She knew that she did not believe in black magic, but she alsoknew that
she *did* believe in Fox Mulder and if his instincts told himthere was
danger, she would listen.

She placed her hand gently on top of his and patted it lightlyin
acknowledgment, started the car and drove.

He relaxed a little. At least he'd won this round as he knewhe would.
The presentation of his argument had been logical and after all,she *was*
a very logical woman.

Mulder bounded form the car as it came to a stop in front ofhis apartment
building and leaning across the passenger side, he winked aScully and in
a bantering tone quipped, "Keep the engine runnin'...I'llthrow on some
jeans and be back in a flash."

He dashed across the hall into the bedroom, quickly strippedand pulled on
a pair of jeans. There was a noise outside the door. "HeyScully, I
thought you were gonna wait in the ca....." He felt the blowbefore it
actually hit, he tried to turn but it was too late. He heard theloud
crack inside his skull as the pain exploded and engulfed his mindwith
darkness.....

Where is he?, she wondered, silently. It's been a good fifteen
minutes....and they say women take a long time. "That's itMulder," she
said out loud, "I'm not sitting out here in this damn carall day. I'm
giving you to the count of ten, then I'm commin' in."

She climbed the stairs to his floor and noticed that his doorwas standing
open, which was unusual to say the least. Mulder would *never*leave the
door open. The hair on the back of her neck stood up...this justdidn't
feel right.

Knowing that Mulder seldom carried a weapon when he was offduty, she
instinctively drew her own and cautiously crept through thedoorway and
into the room, clearing each area as she went.

"Oh Sweet Jesus," she gasped as she knelt beside thestill form sprawled
face down on the floor. A small trickle of blood ran down hisneck as a
large purple lump began to appear on the back of his head.Satisfied that
they were alone, she holstered her weapon, reached down and feltfor a
pulse. "Thank God," she breathed with a sigh ofgratitude. He could
still be in trouble...at the very least, a concussion. She probedthe
discoloration gently with her fingers then carefully rolled himover on
his back and checked his eyes and vital signs. In her opinion hewould be
alright, but boy he would have one hell of a headache.Still...she'd have
to watch him for a while, just to make sure.

Someone was calling his name....Sam? He opened his eyes veryslowly and
tried to turn his head toward the sound. That was a big mistake.The
light was painful and the movement assaulted his brain withdizziness as
he fought down waves of nausea. He heard the voice again, muffledand far
away, yet he knew it and knew that he must find his way back toit.
Finally, the voice had a face and the facewas..."Dana?" he rasped
breathlessly. "How long? What happened?"

"The answer to your first question is about an hour andas for the
second...I was hoping that you could tell me."

"Somebody hit me," he relpied facetiously.

"Great deduction, Sherlock, ever think about becoming anFBI agent?"

He smiled painfully and shut his eyes. Scully pulled the quiltshe'd
taken off the bed tighter around him and stroked the side of hisface with
the back of her hand. Just lie still for a little while and rest.

*****
Part4
*****

Later, against her protests, he staggered to his feet andshakily made his
way to the sofa and sat down. The effort drained him. He thennoticed
the doll on the table. "Where did this come from?", heasked, picking it
up as though just touching it would burn him.

"I found it at the end of the hallway...I thought it wasyours. You do
have some strange things in here you know."

"It's a voodoo doll," he said with loathing."The hair and pieces of
cloth probably belong to you." They were here,Scully....they were here."
He pulled on a loose fitting shirt over his still throbbing headand
walked slowly toward the door. "Come on Dana, I'm gonna getto the bottom
of this. Let's get this stuff analyzed and then go seeMamma."

"Who is Mamma?", she asked, her curiousity piqued.

"Only about the most unusual person you'd ever want tomeet."

"Can't be," she stated wryly, "I've already methim." She stared at him
with a smirk that made him chuckle.

"No, really, she's about the best authority on anythinghaving to do with
witchcraft, voodoo, the occult, etc. She's a mambo, that's avoodoo
priestess and she's also plugged into cult activities in thearea. She's
really *out there*.....You'll like her."

She felt silly walking to the lab carrying a voodoo doll and abone.
Perhaps she should let Mulder take this stuff in there, after allthey
were all used to getting weird things from him. Nah, thatwouldn't be
fair....it was just a thought. Oh hell and damnation....What'sColton
doing here? Just what I need to round out a perfectly gloriousday.
Maybe Mulder won't see him. Too late...

Mulder crossed the room to where Colton was standing and theyeyed each
other briefly. Mulder obviously came to some sort of decision and
addressed Colton calmly. "I hear that you cracked the TonTon Ma Kut drug
ring. I'm glad to hear there is one less cult-based crimesyndicate for
us to contend with....good work. I would also like to apologizefor
punching you in the face last night. Granted, you really pissedme off,
but resorting to violence is not my usual MO. I hope any further
altercations will be unnecessary. However, should the situationpresent
itself again in the future, I only wish that I am sober enough toremember
how much I enjoyed it."

Dana watched in disbelief, trying to comprehend exactly whatshe thought
she heard. "Mulder, did I just hear you apologize to thatjerk? I think
that blow to your head has affect your brain."

"It wasn't quite an apology, just almost." Hegrinned broadly, "Sometimes
the need to mess with their heads..." He chuckled,"God, I love this
place!" He gingerly followed Scully through the labe doorsand proceeded
to be a general pest as usual, looking over everyones' shoulderand
questioning every aspect of each analysis. Various technicians,over the
years, had gotten used to him being under foot and when he wasn'taround,
they actually missed the attention that he afforded them.

Scully took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Most ofthe tests are
inconclusive, however, the blood present on the bone is A+ andhuman and
the genetic make-up of the blood also matches the genetic codefound in
the cellular structure of the bone, thereby indicating that bothitems
came from the same individual. This person either died or waskilled,
dismembered and his blood was then used to write the script.Mulder, this
is insidious. Did you have any luck with the other items?"

"Not much. There are no usable fingerprints except ourson anything. I
sent the amulet to the crypto guys to try and figure out thesymbols and
writing. The doll, however, was filled with a rich type of soilusually
found near riverbeds and farms." "Hey Scully," hetapped the end of her
nose with his forefinger, "how's about us doin' a littleslummin'? I
think it's time to call on Mamma Lorina."

This was indeed a very seedy part of town. What could hepossibly expect
to accomplish here? They arrived at the tiny herbal/apothecaryshop and
went inside. Mulder led her down the narrow passageway and partedthe
beaded curtains at the end. "Ah...., memories ofWoodstock," he purred
with a nostalgic air.

"Mulder, you were never a Woodstock."

"Yeah, well, I saw the movie!" He began to bellow atthe top of his
voice, "Mamma Lorina, Mamma Lorina.....you in here?"

A large, black woman appeared from a back room, wearingtraditional Island
dress and speaking with an equally traditional Island accent.

"Is dat ya, Fox? Come here ta mamma ya unruly boy. Dareis no need ta
bring ta house down bout our ears wid all dat noise." Shereached up
placed both hands firmly on the sides of his face and forcefullybrought
his head down to plant a kiss on his forehead, then released him,smacking
him playfully on the cheek.

"Ya not come ta see mamma in long time ya naughtyboy...an now I see
perhaps why dis be so. Who is dis lovely young girl, mon?"

"He blushed and cleared his throat. "Ah..this is mypartner, Dana
Scully."

"So ya be keepin' dis one outta major trouble?", sheasked laughingly as
she glanced in his direction.

Dana's eyes took on a peculiar glint as she looked at thejovial woman
standing before her. "I try, Mamma, I *do* try."

"I know ya not come jus to see Mamma, so what be taproblem dis time, ma
Fox?"

He told her in great detail about the objects and events thathad occurred
in the past few hours and asked for her opinions and advice.

"Tell me, Mamma, what do you hear about cult activitiesin this area
lately?"

"I hear dat when da "Ton Ton Ma Kut" syndicatewas broken, ta "Process"
took da control to ta drugs, child prostitution and pornographyin dis
area. I also tell ya, Fox, ta Voodoo be bo longer pure. It now bemixed
jus like America. It be harder to tell where ta Voodoo end and taudder
magic begin. Ta doll, bone, and blood could be ta work of a*houngan* or
Bokor Priest...it is powerful mojo, but the charm...dis is not
Voodoo...dis is ta evil magic like dat used by ta"Process"..ta worship ta
Evil One. Often times ta name of ta sacrifice in in some way hidin ta
markins'"

"Thanks, Mamma." He smiled and hugged her tightly."I will try ta be a
good boy an com see Mamma mor dan one time in ta year," hemimicked in his
best Island voice.

"Miss Scully," Mamma handed her a card. "Dis bema numba, if ya be
needin' any ting at all."

"Thank you, I shall keep it handy."

"Let's get back to the Bureau, Scully, I want to getanother look at that
medallion..I think it's still in crypto."

"Mulder, she eyed him with amusement, "You certainlyhave some *strange*
friends."

"I know," he countered, appraising *her* from headto toe.

*****
Part5
*****

They made it back to the Bureau about 6:00 PM and most of thebuilding was
deserted except for a few employees and agents catching up onpaperwork.

They parted at the elevator. He went to the office in thebasement and
she went to crypto to retrieve the medallion.

Mulder, files in hand, returned to the main office area todiscover
Colton, of all people, working at a desk. "Colton, hasScully been by
here yet?"

Colton looked somewhat annoyed, but answered, "Yeah, shewas here...got a
phone call, something about an abandoned farm out by Old RiverRoad."

Mulder suddenly remebered the soil composition they had foundin the
voodoo doll and he came to a very alarming conclusion."Quick Colton, she
may be walking into trouble, I'm leaving now...call for backup." He ran
for the door and out of the building. He *had* to catch her.

Scully walked into the main office area and was startled tofind Colton
busily working at a desk. "Tom, have you seen Mulder?"

Tom looked up from his work, "Yeah, he got a phone callabout a lead or
something and said to tell you to stay here and try to figure outthat
medallion."

That's odd, she thought. It was not like hm to leave her alonewithout an
explanation, especially if he believed her life to be in danger.It must
have been *some* lead. She sat down at an empty desk and turnedthe
object over with her fingertips. Well at least crypto hadtranslated the
symbols into letter she could understand.

Mulder drove up to the old barn, quietly with the headlightsout. If Dana
was in there, he didn't want to startle them into any irrationalbehavior.
He got out of the car, drew his weapon and silently crept up tothe
building. There was no moon and seeing anything was nest toimpossible so
he felt his way along the wall, listening for any sound ormovement. In a
sudden flurry, a heavy weight fell on him from above and hecrashed to the
floor, the impact jarring the gun from his hand. He searched forit
frantically as many pairs of hands grabbed at his body and heldhim
immobile, while someone stripped him to the waist and removed hisshoes.
His hands were manacled and a piece of duck tape was placed overhis mouth
as he was hoisted toward the ceiling and left suspended severalinches
above the dirt floor.

How long had he been hanging here? Where was his back up? Whatthe fuck
was going on? This was one party he decided he didn't want tostick
around to attend but the more he struggled to try and freehimself, the
deeper the metal dug into his wrists....he could feel the warmliquid
trailing down his arms....his arms, God they ached and it wasgetting
harder and harder to breathe...

Scully looked at the object for the umteenth time and sighed.OK, Dana,
let's try a different approach...pretend that you're doing theanagrams in
the newspaper. So, write down all the letters in the order inwhich they
appear as you go around the circle. "Here goesnothin'," she said out
loud. She wrote them down one by one. SEIDREDLUM. She stared atthe
letters with sudden comprehension. It was so simple! Why in thename of
heaven hadn't she seen it before? "It's not me..It's notme.," she said
in a raised voice...".Oh my God, they're after Mulder."

A clerk who had been working late came into the room at thesound of her
outburst. "Is everything alright?, she asked.

"No, Peggy. Where's Colton?"

"He left about a half hour ago. I was kind of surprisedto see *you* here
since I overheard Tom tell Mulder that you had gone toinvestigate a lead
at some deserted farm on Old River Road.

"Peggy, call the local police and have them meet me atthat location...It
could be a matter of life or death....Hurry!"

She sped off in the car, hoping all the way that somehow shecould be
wrong.

*****
Part6
*****

A fire sprang up behind him and cast eerie shadows on thefloor and on the
wall before him, towered an inverted cross above a large,waist-high table
of granite. An ordinary barn had suddenly transformed into avision of
hell.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Where was his damn back upand where
was Dana? He got a sickening feeling that perhaps they had harmedher.
Panic and sorrow gathered within him like an approaching stormand its
raging tempest made him physically ill.

The doors opened slowly and a long line of hooded figures,carrying
lighted candles filed into the building,chanting,"Soul-ti-bon-ange," in a
low monotonous tone. The lead figure carried with him a threefoot length
of cane. He had heard of "scourging" during certainrites but had read
that it was a symbolic gesture and never actually performed.Somehow he
knew there would be no symbolism here....Goddamn it, he was aboutto die
at the hands of beings who he despised and was denied even theability to
fight back. Anger filled his entire being.....anger and something
else....regret. Dans...There were so many things he'd wanted totell her,
so many things that he'd *needed* to say....so much left undone.He was
afraid. He did not want to die.

One by one they struck him and he shook involuntarily witheach new pain
that they inflicted. Their chanting echoed in his head and madehim
dizzy. He felt numb.

The high priest stood before him, ceremonial dagger in hand.Mulder
wrestled with his own demons to face the terror that confrontedhim and as
the blade pierced his side, the primordial scream that filled hismind was
never allowed to escape his lips.

Dana willed the car to go faster. A sense of dread surroundedher and an
anxiety that she could not explain tied her stomach in knots.Tears
filled her eyes. Hang on...please hang on.

The blood dripped freely from his wound into the small, silverchalice
which was then held high above the priest's head. The high priest
sanctified the offering, raised it to his lips and passed itaround the
circle. Mulder watched in horror as they drank his blood. Thiscould not
be reality, he thought, yet this was more hideous than anynightmare he
could ever have imagined on his own.

With the circle completed, the high priest placed a strangewhite powder
into the remaining liquid, chanted some words in a language thatMulder
did not understand, and force the contents down his throat. Thespasms
convulsed him at first and then gradually lessened as theparalysis claim
his body. He could hear the beating of his own heart. His mindwas aware
yet the messages it sent were ignored by his body. His senseswere intact
even though he could not respond. They released him from hisshackles and
laid him upon the granite alter. The chanting increased in pitchand
fervor as the high priest raised the dagger high above his chest.He
wanted to look away but his eyes were open and he did not possessthe
power to close them.

A shot rang out, followed by bright lights and mass discord.The police
had arrived and he found himself staring up a what appeared to be
emergency medical personnel who discussed him like he wasn't eventhere.

"No respiration, no pulse, eyes fixed andunresponsive...we're too late
for this one...he's dead." They pulled a sheet up over hisface. "Leave
him for the coroner."

Coroner? Oh fuck, they think I'm dead...I'm not dead you sonof a bitch.
He screamed at them in his mind, but they could not hear and hehad no way
to tell them.

*****
Part7
*****

[Does not exist as it duplicates text in part 6]

*****
Part8
*****

Dana pulled up to the flashing lights. There were police carseverywhere
and she noticed, one ambulance. She ran to the officer in charge,showed
him her ID and was told exactly what she did not want to hear.She held
on to her grief and entered the building, hoping beyond hope thatthey
were mistaken. She reached over and pulled the sheet away fromhis
battered body, brushed a stray hair from his eyes as she had doneso many
times before, and gently kissed his lips. She caressed hislifeless hand
and pressed it to her cheek. Unable to contain herself anylonger, she
wept openly and without reservation.

Seeing her plunged him into a depth of despair that he had notknown to be
possible. She was so close. He felt her breath on his face andthe
warmth from her body next to him, yet she might as well bestanding on the
moon for he could not reach her. In hopeless anguish, he criedwith her.

*****
Part9
*****

Seeing her plunged him into a depth of despair tht he had notknown to be
possible. She was so close. He felt her breath on his face andthe
warmth of her body next to him, yet she might as well be standingon the
moon for he could not reach her. In hopeless anguish, he criedwith her.

She looked down at him one last time and saw it....a singletear traced
its way down his cheek. Dana stared at it momentarily inamazement, then
rushed to the door.

"Get an EMT in here NOW!," she yelled. "I wantthat equipment in there."
She pointed to the barn. "And HURRY!"

The technician was slow to respond and looked at her withpity. "I'm
sorry, but the man is dead."

"Listen, I am a doctor. I have seen hundreds of deadbodies. I've seen
them shake. I've seen them open their eyes. I've even seen themsit
up...but I have NEVER seen one cry. Now get your ass inthere."

On the way back into the building, she cornered one of thefollowers as he
was being led away. "What did you give him?" "Tellme what you gave
him!!!, she snarled.

"Zombie poison."

"What the hell is that?" She frantically searchedher pockets and pulled
out Momma Lorina's card and gave it to the sergeant. "Callthis woman and
tell her Fox was given "zombie poison". I don't knowwhat the hell it is
but you can bet that she does. I want to know what's in it andwhat to
use as an antidote. Got that? I want it copied down verbatim...NO
mistakes and then
I want the information sent to the toxicology lab at the hospitalSTAT. I
want the antidote ready for him when he gets there."

"Dr. Scully, "You were right. The EKG is recording aheartbeat. It's very
faint but it's there."

"OK, put him on 2 liters Oxygen and start an IV...normalsaline. Hang
on...
You're gonna make it. Let's get you out of here."

******
Part10
******

Sitting by the bed, she watched him sleep a deep, peacefulsleep and
shuttered. She'd nearly lost him....between the injuries, theshock and
the poison, it had been a long, rough night.

The warmth of the sun shining through the hospital window wokeher and she
opened her eyes to find that he had been watching *her* sleep.

"Good Morning," she ventured cheerfully. " Niceto see you're still among
the living, Sherlock."

He motioned weakly for her to come closer, then reached out,pulled her to
him and kissed her soundly on the lips. He whispered in her ear,"I was
unable to return the gesture last night." Quietly, he added,"Thank you."
She stepped back and saw the twinkle was back in his eyes whereit
belonged.

"Tom Colton was picked up today and taken intocustody," she said without
preamble.

Mulder questioned her with his eyes and she continued.

"He put a contract out on you, Mulder."

Now she really had his attention.

"It's true that he broke the "Ton Ton Ma Kut"drug ring but his success
was based on information given to him by the "Process".He made a deal
with them that he would concentrate all the Bureau's effortsagainst the
Ton Ton Ma Kut, giving the "Process" free reign to pickup the slack while
he turned the other way when it came to *their operations* ifthey would
do one thing.....get rid of you. This way he felt that he couldkill the
proverbial two birds with one stone. One: He could get therecognition
that he felt he deserved and a rung up the infamous ladder andTwo: He
could get you out of his hair for good, thereby fulfilling somekind of
perverse revenge that he felt he owed to you. Momma Lorina wasright when
she said that the amulet didn't belong with the other objects. Itwas Tom
who put those things in my apartment and Tom who hit you and leftthe
doll. He wanted to throw you off and jerk your chain and itworked.
Mulder, he read you like a book. All you could see is that *I*might be
in danger, so it never occurred to you that *you* could be thetarget.
Dropping the amulet by my door was an accident, in fact it wasthe one
thing that tipped me off that you might be in trouble."

"So, I can be *read* that easily, huh?" He sounded alittle disappointed.

"Now, where do you want to go when you get out of here?We still have a
week of vacation left you know."

"I dunno," he said languidly. Where do *you* wannago?"

"I don't know," she smirked, "Where do you wantto go?"

"I think I'll go to work," he mumbled, "It'ssafer. OK, how about a visit
to my Aunt Carol's ranch in Vermont? Lots of fresh air, sunshine,horses,
trees, me.......Hey Scully, we could go for a walk in theforest."

She looked at him in mock horror.

"Whaaat? he asked with angelic innocence.

"I was remembering the *last* time you asked me to go fora walk in the
forrest."

"Oh, right....Do I know how to show a girl a good time orwhat?" He
yawned
and drifted lazily back into his dreams.

She paused and said a silent prayer and thanked whateverdevine power it
was that kept Fox Mulder safe. She was beginning to realize justhow
*much* she would have missed