Title: Transference

Author's Notes: Oh. My. Gosh. It's me! Well, sailors, long time, no see. I apologize for the lengthy hiatus. Life happened, and for those of you with careers, families, and babies, you know how that goes.

Anyway, I have had this chapter started for a long time, and the events of last night's episode, just lit a fire under my behind. It's short, and I promise to add more soon. I will say that there are actually heavy spoilers relating to Scully's origin novel (Devil's Advocate) in this chapter -which is canon, by the way- so if you aren't interested in knowing about that, then turn back now. When I first listened to that book, it was so satisfying for so much about her character that intrigued me during the series, but was never quite addressed until -a little bit- during the Season 11 premier, which obviously doesn't exist in my newly formed universe. I just knew it was sort of the missing link I was looking for in how I see this all developing.

I hope you are happy to see me back. I am happy to feel inspired again and have just enough time to hammer these out on occasion. However, probably not enough time to proofread appropriately, and for that (and errors of the past) I apologize, as always.

-Luna

Chapter Nine

US Highway 51

Hazelhurst, WI

March 14, 1992

2:34 PM

The plan had been for Scully to submit her report to Blevins early with the request to take the entire next week off for her brother's wedding, at her family's request, since she was to miss the day after with them, due to their meeting. Missy was to spin a tale to their family about how she and Dana wanted to spend some uninterrupted "sister time" exploring Chicago and the surrounding areas, before they were due in on Wednesday evening for wedding duties. To everyone's relief, both stories were accepted without questions, and Missy had also done a fantastic job sweet talking their airline into not only moving their outbound flight without charge but upgrading the sisters' seats for free as well. Mulder had forgotten how much easier flying and changing flight arrangements had been before 9/11.

Meanwhile, he and Byers left early Friday night in order to make the almost twelve hour drive from D.C. to Chicago, where they picked up Scully and her sister at O'Hare International when their flight arrived the next morning. Frohike and Langley had cautiously tailed them in a rental, with before checking into a Chicago area hotel under the names "Dana and Mel Scully." There they would intercept and redirect any incoming calls from the hotel to a "mobile phone," that the Gunmen were quite proud of, but Mulder and Scully both found themselves trying not to break into laughter upon seeing.

For the last eight hours Mulder, Scully, Byers, and Missy had been on the road driving north out of flat farmlands to the rolling hills and woodlands of a snow covered, northern Wisconsin, posing as two couples heading to the Northwoods for an off-season, backpacking trip through the UP. It was Mulder's turn to drive and lookout for a place stay for the night, before they backpacked into the Porcupine Mountains early the next morning.

To his left was yet another roadside motel with a "No Vacancy" sign lit and a slew of snowmobiles lined up across the front. He sighed. He did not anticipate that in March they would still have compete with winter recreationists for a place to stop. If he was being honest with himself, the lack of sleep was certainly wearing on him, and he could feel himself fighting "highway hypnosis." As they passed under a railbridge with the phrase "T-Bird Country" graffitied across its side, in large sloppy letters, he heard one of the sleeping passengers in the back of the rickety VW wagon rouse and make their way to the front.

"How are you hanging in there?" said the soft yet raspy voice of Melissa Scully, as she moved long, nimble legs between the center counsel to settle herself into the passenger seat. "Ready for a break?"

"Mmmmm," Mulder moaned in defeat, "Are you offering to take over? I am not sure how much longer I can force myself to stay awake to take in the sights of 'T-Bird Country'."

Missy furrowed her brows in confusion.

Mulder snorted and shook his head, "Never mind."

Melissa shrugged and looked at her sister's sleeping form behind her, "I am glad she is getting some sleep. She needs it."

Mulder nodded his head in agreement, "Scully has always been a great car sleeper."

He saw Missy crack a smile and look out the window next to her, "Yeah, she has. I remember when we made the big move from California to Maryland during high school, everyone was covered in Dana drool at some point. Maybe she was just storing up for the sleepless nights to come."

Mulder sensed a change in Missy's mood and in his peripherals saw a mood change swim over Melissa's face.

"When Dana brought up Dad dying, I thought it was happening to her again," her voice was quiet and filled with an emotion that was a mix of sadness, concern, and sympathy.

Mulder felt her eyes studying him looking to see if he knew what she was talking about. He searched his muddied memory for anything he knew about teenage Scully. Despite their long, personal relationship, it was something he realized she had never really talked about. They surely had shared stories of awkward and embarrassing moments of their adolescence sometimes on long car rides later in their work relationship, or at dinner in their home much later, if the conversation meandered that direction. However, in typical Scully style, she had shared little from that time in her life which was truly personal or overly remarkable. There had been times and topics that Mulder would push on, out of his own curiosity, but he also knew when to back off.

Missy had piqued his interest, and he took the bait. Perhaps there was something that she could share that could be useful in their current situation. "What happened, Melissa?"

"She never told you?" He could see her roll her eyes, "I am not surprised. She probably has the whole thing buried so far back she probably doesn't even remember it herself. Typical Dana: repress anything that would need her to open up and accept things about herself that she doesn't want to accept."

Mulder felt himself nodding. He knew the Scully Missy spoke of well, and while Scully had certainly changed over the years, that guard was still there, ready to go.

"When we were kids, Dana would have these dreams that would often uncannily match things that would later happen in real life. I mean, I feel like that happens to everyone, every now and again, but to Dana, it was more frequent. Sometimes eerie," Mulder caught her pause as she bit her lip and leaned into the passenger window, "But when we moved to Maryland it all changed. Some students from our high school had been killed, and she had visions of them. They would speak to her. She had nightmares about their deaths. She said the devil came to her as an angel in her dreams, maybe when she was awake as well. Honestly, I try not to think about it too much either. I was terrified for her. She was hell bent on helping these kids, but we were just kids ourselves. She was in over her head, and when we tried to get help from our father, to tell him what happened, it just…"

Melissa stopped, and he could tell that there were tears in her eyes. He could tell that this was painful for Missy to recount, hence the lack of detail. He didn't want to push her, but she was right, he didn't know this story. He swallowed, "What happened next?"

Missy shook her head. Her voice sounded mournful as she began to speak, "It all just imploded. He acted like he didn't believe her, but I know he did. I think he knew what was happening, but he didn't want to accept what his Starbuck was... Anyway, Dana ended up getting attacked by the same person who killed the other kids in our town. He was someone we had trusted -just like our father- that had tried to help her hone her abilities. Obviously, she survived, but she was never the same. She shut herself in, closed herself off from her feelings, and I think just tried to do what she thought would make it feel like our father loved and trusted her again." Missy sighed deeply and looked at Mulder with the intensity he expected from a Scully, "She acted like the visions and dreams stopped happening and never came back, but I don't believe her. I know she just uses her logic and science to satiate her denial and lock away her potential. It's too hard and hurtful to face her reality, I think."

The silence seemed to extend as far as the forests they were driving through, as Mulder mulled over the story in his head. He thought of all of the times that Scully had opened up to him that she had witnessed something spiritual or seen someone that had passed only to be just as dismissive as she was to him, and just like that another piece to the mystery of Scully seemed to fall into place for him. If she could deny and explain away the incredible in this universe, than she wouldn't have to accept the incredible about herself. Especially if those traits were ones that brought trauma and were met with heavy disbelief from those she felt she needed to prove herself to most. His heart floated and sunk all at once.

"I think you might be right about her seeing things still, Missy, and maybe it does fit into all of this. I don't know...but hopefully we can find some answers soon." Mulder said quietly breaking the silence.

He watched as Missy reached her hand across the counsel to give him a sympathetic pat on the leg and an understanding smile, "How about at the next gas station you let me take over, and you can keep her company while you both rest? I think it is well needed."

Mulder nodded and felt himself push the accelerator down a bit more as a station sign rose up over the horizon line on the highway ahead.