Ahab's Funeral

Part 7

by Trycee

Timeline: Season 1, Missing Scenes of Beyond the Sea

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files, this is written for fun not profit.

Scully sat at the edge of Mulder's hospital bed, trying to explain to him what had happened in the past few days after he'd been shot by the suspect, Lucas Henry, the kidnapper of the couple, Jim Summers and Elizabeth Hawley. Scully had been reeling, not only had she just recently lost her father and the gravity of it was finally sinking in, but she was still getting updates on her mom who was barely eating or sleeping well, in between Bill's rants at her continued absence. But the past few days with the entire Bogg's situation and then Mulder's shooting had caused more trauma for her personally, more than she could tell anyone. Her mind kept drifting back to a few days before in her hotel room, the day of her father's funeral, when Mulder had pulled her close to him and she had felt so safe. She needed to focus on that to get through all the pressure she had carefully hidden within herself.

Both Mulder and Scully had gone to the prison to try and trap Bogg's calling his accomplice after receiving a specially made newspaper Mulder had made up that stated that the couple, Jim and Elizabeth had been found alive but somehow Bogg's had known the newspaper was a fake. Scully had told Mulder that they needed to strike a deal with Bogg's or else they would never catch the kidnapper and might end up losing the two victims, and then Bogg's would be executed the very next day. Mulder had agreed and so they went back to the interrogation room to talk to Bogg's. Bogg's had warned Mulder not to go near the white cross...He told him that he could see Mulder's blood spilled at the white cross. Scully felt a momentary feeling of panic as she listened to Bogg's tell him that. She looked at Mulder's face and saw that he hadn't reacted and so she pushed the thought in the back of her mind. This visit though she made sure that she walked out with Mulder in case Bogg's shaped shifted into her father again. After that, they had spent the time getting the clearance to surround the Boathouse on Lake Jordan. They'd found Elizabeth tied up lying on the ground, and then Scully heard the crack of the gun and she whispered, "Mulder!" and ran over to his side. She found him lying on the ground, bleeding badly. She had pulled off her jacket and laid it over him and turned and to see the white cross with his blood spilled, just as Bogg's had predicted. It had felt like an eternity for the ambulance to get there but when they did and they wheeled him down the hospital hallway, Scully was frozen in place as she stood in the hall, closing her eyes. It was all too much. She couldn't lose Mulder too...She'd just lost the most important man in her life, her father, and then couldn't lose the man that was quickly becoming a large part of her life, a man she secretly had feelings for, a man she trusted with her life, a man that was quickly becoming her best friend.

She had been lead by someone, she didn't know who into the waiting room but after sitting there in shock for a few hours, she found herself back in the hall, waiting. That is where a fellow agent came up to her and asked her to speak with the victim, Elizabeth Hawley. The agent was trying to see if she could identify her kidnapper. Scully walked in just as Elizabeth had turned her face away from the photo of Lucas Henry. The Agent gave Scully the file and tells her that the police in Durham believed that Luther Lee Bogg's partner had in fact been Lucas Henry. Rage settled suddenly in Scully's face. She knew what she needed to do. She excused herself and ran to her car as quickly as she could. She raced over to the prison and then walked into Bogg's cell and let fly a savage verbal beating, letting Bogg's know that if he was setting Mulder up for sending him to prison and that if Mulder died that 'no one would be able to stop her from being the one that throws the switch to gas him out of this life for good'... along with a few other choice words. She had turned her back waiting for the guards to open the cell when she heard Bogg's call her name, 'Dana'...and then she turned back to see Mulder sitting in the orange jump suit. 'You're the one that believed me,' Bogg's as Mulder had said.

Scully had covered her ears and closed her eyes, 'No, no I don't believe you,' she said, desperately to herself. She opened her eyes to find Bogg's sitting in front of her. He had told her that 'maybe she should believe herself'...He then started acting out a moment from her life, a moment no one on earth knew of from when she snuck down the stairs and snuck and smoked one of her mother's cigarettes. She was frightened but she told Bogg's, 'It could be a moment from any kids life'. Bogg's had told her that he knew who she wanted to talk too. She'd told him, nearly in tears, that she would believe him if he let her talk to him. Bogg's took on Ahab's mannerisms and called her Starbuck. She had said, 'yes', slightly, grateful for that last moment to talk to Ahab but it was ruined with Bogg's screaming out about being afraid to die, that he wouldn't let anyone talk as long as he faced the gas chamber again. Then he told her about seeing his victims, his family members, as he was lead to the chair. And how he had felt the souls of thousands rush into him during that moment right before he was granted a stay from execution. He told her that death was a cold dark place and that Mulder was looking in on it. That had enraged her and Scully told him that i't may be a cold dark place for him but not for her father or for Mulder'. Bogg's told her that her father would like to tell her where he was but that he wouldn't let anyone speak unless he got a deal. Scully had responded that she didn't believe him. But Bogg's had told her 'that there was plenty of room in that cold dark place for liars too'. Scully had called to the guard, and turned her back to Bogg's but he stood up behind her and told her that if he died the boy, Jim Summers, who hadn't been found yet would go to that cold dark place. The door had opened and she stepped through and when the door closed behind her. She closed her eyes telling herself to get control over her emotions, telling herself not to let Bogg's or anyone else get to her. She recounted the events to Mulder and he listened without reacting.

"There's still no sign of Lucas Henry or Jim Summers. The Raleigh police said," looking at Mulder.

"No matter what, don't believe him. Boggs created this whole charade to get back at me for putting him on death row. You'd be the next best thing."

Scully looked nervous. "Mulder, I never thought I'd say this... but what if there's another explanation?"

She could see Mulder tense up. His voice became slightly harsh. "Don't... deal with him! He could be trying to claim you as his last victim."

"But Mulder...", she began.

"Scully!", he said cutting her off as he sat up to look at her.

Scully dropped her eyes. She took in a breath. "Okay, I won't..."

"Good...", he said, laying his head back on to the pillow.

"I've got to go," she began.

Mulder looked surprised. "You're leaving?"

Scully felt a pang in her heart. "I'll stay until you fall asleep..."

Mulder nodded. "Okay...", he said, licking his lips.

Scully reached out and touched his arm briefly. Mulder closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingers against him. Just as quickly though, she removed her hand and then crept over to the chair. She pulled up close to him and sat listening to Mulder's soft breath as he began to drift off to sleep. After he was asleep, Scully reluctantly stood up. She took one last look at Mulder sleeping peacefully. She said a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn't lost Mulder too. She kissed her fingers and then placed her fingers on his forehead. She turned and slipped through the door, heading back to her hotel room for a hot bath and to get a few hours of rest before heading back to the prison to talk again with Bogg's in the morning. After arriving at the prison, Bogg's had been lead back into the room where Scully had told him that he'd gotten his deal preventing him from being executed but somehow Bogg's had known that it was a lie. He knew that she'd tried to get a deal for him but couldn't. He'd told her to 'Avoid the devil. Don't follow Henry to the devil. Leave that to me.' Scully had left Bogg's and headed back to the field office. With a little investigation, she'd found the Blue Devil Brewery Factory in Morrisville, North Carolina. After being granted the O.K. to move on the clue she'd gotten from Bogg's, Scully lead a team into the brewery. They rushed into the deserted brewery and found Lucas Henry about to strike his victim, Jim Summer's with an ax. When Lucas Henry refused to drop the ax, Scully fired shooting him in the hand. He ran off and Scully and a few other agents ran after him. He struck one agent knocking him down but they continued after him. Lucas Henry ran onto a catwalk with Scully not far from him but directly behind Lucas Henry was a Giant Blue Devil. He looked horrified as he turned back at Scully when he realized that the structure was cracking just as he fell to his death. She sat down a little shaken up and then looked back at the devil, just as Bogg's had warned. Scully then returned to Bogg's cell. She told him she thought he'd saved her life. He told her that if she wanted her father's message, he'd give it to her if she was his witness at his execution. She looked back at Bogg's. "Okay...", she said, as she left.

Scully walked into Mulder's hospital room and smiled at him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself... How are you feeling?", she said, cheerfully.

"Tired...", Mulder answered, rubbing his eyes.

He looked Scully over carefully. "What's going on with Bogg's Scully? I was just watching the news...He's to be executed in a few minutes..."

Scully sighed. "Okay...I need to tell you something...But don't get mad..."

Mulder nodded. "I won't..."

Scully then told Mulder all about what she'd seen...the visions of her father, how Bogg's had called her Starbuck along with everything else he'd known about her. Scully sat down at the foot of his hospital bed. "I was considering Boggs. If he knew that I was your partner, he could have found out everything he knew about me. About my father...", she said, trying to rationalize her experiences.

"Scully!", Mulder said, surprised.

She stood up and walked over to his side. "Beyond the Sea" was playing at my parents' wedding. Visions of deceased loved ones are a common psychological phenomena. If he knew that my father had..."

"Dana," Mulder said to get her attention. "After all you've seen, after all the evidence, why can't you believe?"

Scully sighed and then sat down on the side of his bed, facing him. "I'm afraid," she admitted. "I'm afraid to believe..."

Scully could tell that Mulder already knew that.

"You couldn't face that fear?", Mulder asked. "Even if it meant never knowing what your father wanted to tell you?"

"But I do know..."

Mulder looked amazed. "How?"

"He was my father..."

Mulder nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. Scully leaned into his touch, enjoying the feel of his hand resting on her shoulder. She was afraid Mulder would remove his hand but he didn't. Neither of them mentioned the intimate way in which he was touching her. Scully could almost believe there was something more than to his touch than just friendship but she had to push that thought out of her head.

"You taking me home, Agent Scully?", he said finally.

"Yes...", Scully smiled. "If you mean home as in your apartment, than yes..."

"Ouch!", Mulder joked. "You going to your mother's as soon as we get back?"

"You think you can handle it if I do?", she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm a big boy, Scully...", he huffed.

She smiled to herself but Mulder caught her smile. His own eyebrows raised but he kept his thoughts to himself. "Seriously though Scully, don't worry about me...You need to be with your family..."

She swallowed hard. "Okay...but for any reason that you think you need me, just call..."

"I will...", he nodded.

Just then the nurse came in with Mulder's discharge papers. "Here you are, Dr. Scully...", the dark haired nurse said with a smile. "He's your problem now..."

Scully grinned but Mulder looked offended. "Well, " he said, as the nurse walked off. "I thought I was a perfect patient..."

"Only when you're drugged, Mulder," Scully said, rising up and gathering Mulder's clothes. "Come on...let me help..."

"Oooh Scully...I didn't know we were gonna see each other naked..."

Scully shot Mulder a look and he shut up. She laughed inwardly at the way Mulder responded to her death glare but outwardly, she remained stoic, as she helped Mulder pull up his pants over his boxers. She carefully helped him button up his shirt as well. A wheelchair was brought in and she helped Mulder into his chair, with his medicines and papers in a bag, placed on his lap. The nurse wheeled him towards the door with Scully very close to his side. When Scully pulled her car up to the hospital entrance, she stepped out and assisted the nurse in helping Mulder into the back seat, with a pillow positioned behind his back and head. Mulder was stretched out in the back of her car, he looked uncomfortable but she knew he was healed enough to go home. When she got back into the drivers seat, she turned back to Mulder. "I'll have them deliver your car tomorrow...Let's get you home...", she said, handing him a bottle of water and one of his pills.

Mulder smirked and took the pill, gulping the water down. "If you wanted to get me home Scully, you didn't have to drug me...", he smiled.

Scully shook her head. "Ah, Mulder...At least your sense of humor's in tact..."

"Yeah...", he sighed. "Promise me though Scully, the moment we get back to D.C. and you help me to my apartment...you'll take off to go see your family..."

Scully nodded. "I promise you..."

"I don't want your family thinking I'm keeping you away from them...especially during this time..."

Scully could feel Mulder's eyes on her. "Okay...Let's go...", she said, pulling off from the curb.

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