24 Hours to El Rico

Everyone's heads looked up to the clock as the hand moved to show 11pm. Twenty-four hours remained until the meeting at El Rico Air Base and the house was now filled with activity. Almost two hundred vampires had arrived over the past week, far exceeding Scully and Mordecai's expectations regarding how many friends they could gather. A good number of them were now camping in the woods to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to the group. Everywhere Mulder went he found himself watched by red eyes and as a result he spent more and more time outside on the freezing cold beach wrapped up in dozens of layers. He spent every moment he could spare reading over the leaked documents they had managed to find, absorbing every last piece of information he could on the off-chance that something might be useful. Byers often joined him reading through the research that had been conducted on the Roswell ship, familiarising himself with schematics of the computer wreckage, trying to decipher fragments of code coaxed from the alien hardware, and memorising every last detail of the computer systems of El Rico. Frohike usually stayed inside tinkering with the devices that they hoped would disable the ships. Of everyone there Frohike had been the least bothered by the increasing presence of vampires. He mingled with them easily and Mulder had even found him teaching Leyla how to tango late one evening in the large wooden floored studio that ran the full length of the northern side of the house.

Tonight however everyone had gathered inside; squeezing themselves into the house to commemorate the moment and answer any final questions. Everyone seemed happy. Each person knew their role; and so for the last five minutes they had sat in silence and watched as the clock hand crept upwards until it finally hit the top of the circle and silently announced the final day of preparation.

"Well that's it," Mordecai said, his deep voice rumbling across the room, "twenty-four hours to go. I'd suggest that those of you who can go and get some sleep but I'm guessing that won't be easy."

"Not a chance," Mulder concurred, stretching out his stiff shoulder muscles that ached with a cold he now thought might never shift. All around him the other humans murmured in agreement.

"Well some of us are heading out to Jack's," Harrison began, "if anyone wants to tag along."

"You mean One-Eyed Jack's?" Byers questioned instantly. A few people stared at him.

"Yeah," Harrison replied, "you've heard of it?"

"Only by reputation," Byers answered, "I kept wanting to ask Scully about it but the time never seemed right."

"Am I the only one out of this loop?" Skinned asked, Mulder shook his head.

"No, what are you all talking about?"

"One-Eyed Jack's is a club, kind of a private bar in the woods outside Providence," Byers explained. "It has a reputation online that there's more to it than meets they eye. That it's a club for vampires to pick up humans." Mulder instantly looked around curiously.

"Is it?"

"Sort of," Harrison agreed, "before a human can get in they have to prove they have knowledge of our world, normally that means being invited along by a vampire."

"The humans who are allowed in, do they..." Mulder paused as he tried to get his words in order, "do they leave again?"

"Of course!" Scully laughed, "trails of bodies aren't so good for maintaining secrecy in case you didn't know."

"But they do get bitten?" Mulder pressed.

"Only if they ask for it, although most humans going to those places go there just for that purpose."

"Why would anyone want to be bitten by a vampire?" Frohike asked.

"It's meant to be a high," Byers muttered quietly, "I did some research on it," he added as the others looked curiously at him, except for Scully who nodded.

"Yes, we can release a substance in our venom that is designed to subdue a victim we don't intend to kill but it has the effect of a narcotic like high, similar to a heavy dose of morphine only there's no addictive quality to it. It makes a good trade. The bars charge humans to come in so they can make money, we get a good feed without leaving any potentially dangerous evidence behind, and the humans get high without fear of addiction. Everyone wins." The room fell silent again and Scully stretched out on her chair, noticing from the corner of her eye the way Byers was watching her, a strange nervous tension lingering in his eyes.

"So who's coming?" Harrison asked after a few moments, "we all need to be well fed so we're at our peak strength tomorrow night." At least a dozen vampires stood up including Scully. She was heading to Mulder to say goodnight when Byers spoke loudly.

"Can I come?" Scully looked around at him, her brow furrowed deeply.

"To Jack's?" she asked. Byers nodded. She looked around but the other vampires in the group all shrugged their indifference or nodded. "Erm sure, we can take my car."

"I'm coming too then," Mulder announced from behind her, "I think we need to let off some steam before tomorrow."

"Me too," Frohike agreed. Scully rolled her eyes and spun to look at Skinner.

"Are you coming as well Sir?"

"I may as well," he grinned, "I've never been one to turn down a new experience."

"Guess I'll be taking the Jeep then," Scully sighed before turning to Harrison and the others who were waiting by the doors. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"How are they all getting there?" Mulder asked.

"They're running," Scully told him as she dug out a car key from the box in a nearby cupboard.

"All the way to Providence?" he continued, sounding surprised. Scully turned back and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Have you been paying any attention to what we can do?" she asked irritably, "now follow me to the garage, if I'm going to have to drive down there then I wanna get on the road."

Two hours later Mulder found himself on an old leather couch in a corner of One-Eyed Jack's, squashed between Skinner and Scully. Frohike and Byers shared a second couch beside theirs. The only light that illuminated the group shone from a tea light on the battered wooden table in front of them, reflecting off Mulder's half-drunk beer bottle. He looked around at his friends and saw that Byers had the same look of abject fascination that had been stuck on his face since the moment they walked through the door. Skinner and Frohike seemed simply curious at the scene before them but Mulder had sensed Scully becoming increasingly tense as the minutes wore on. The other vampires in their group had arrived long before them and were now spread between the lower dance floor across from them or entertaining human guests at equally dark tables scattered around the room. Mulder sensed that he knew why Scully was tensing up but found himself unsure of how to broach the subject.

"You know there was something I've been meaning to ask," Frohike announced to Scully, who snapped out of her reverie and nodded at him to continue, "if vampires have been living among us all this time, how come nobody famous has ever been turned? I mean surely some vampire has taken a shine to a celebrity at some point?"

"Well changing celebrities doesn't exactly fit with our 'keep a low profile' mentality," Scully explained as Byers finally dragged his attention away from the room and back to their table, "people tend to notice when they disappear and it makes it very hard for us, both in keeping the circumstances of their disappearance secret and also for them. They would have to stay out of sight until their celebrity had waned completely, someone would notice if Marilyn Monroe suddenly appeared on the streets looking as young as she did on the day she died wouldn't they? Of course that hasn't stopped it entirely, it has happened a few times."

"Really?" Mulder's voice rose an octave, "there are celebrity vampires? Please tell me you can introduce me to Elvis!" Scully laughed.

"Not Elvis I'm afraid, but there are some. I mean Amelia Earhart for starters."

"Amelia Earhart is a vampire?" Mulder asked slowly, wanting to make sure he was hearing correctly.

"Well it's Amy now and she works for United flying 747s but yes, she is." The group was silent for a long moment as the others digested this.

"Have you met her?" Byers asked.

"Once, very briefly," Scully told him, "we met at a bar in New York several months ago. Edwin introduced us."

"A bar?" Mulder asked curiously, "you mean like this place?"

"Exactly. Most operate under the guise of private member's clubs. Gives us somewhere to socialize outside of human scrutiny, we can't really spend much time in human social haunts, people notice us not eating or drinking." Byers nodded.

"They're popular rumours on the underground circuits I monitor. I'd never actually found proof, although 1313 in Adams Morgan has long been regarded as a front for something strange."

"Yeah 1313 is one," Scully confirmed, "there's generally a few in every major city. They're great places for us to meet each other and you know, grab a bite to eat." She grinned momentarily at her own pun. At that moment Thea appeared at the table, an attractive yet clearly human young man on her arm.

"Hey Dana," she grinned, "Eddie here has a cute friend on the dance floor who's looking for a little high. You wanna help him out?" She pulled Eddie down onto a nearby armchair and proceeded to bite his neck softly. Mulder saw the man's mouth fall open and his eyes roll up as the paralysing venom hit his system, he looked practically orgasmic. Mulder looked over at Byers who was staring open-mouthed at the scene and swallowing hard.

"I think I'm gonna get another drink," Frohike muttered.

"I'll help you with that," Skinner announced quickly, following the shorter man away from the table. Mulder felt Scully trying to control her breathing beside him and noticed that her fists were balled up on her lap. Byers was lost in his own private world watching Thea so Mulder stroked Scully's forearm gently, making her jump as her eyes met his.

"You're hungry," he told her, "you can feed here. Why deny yourself?"

"Because of how it would look to you," she answered, looking back at Thea and Eddie. Mulder followed her gaze and saw the way Thea was stuck to the man's neck, it looked as though she was kissing him passionately. He felt his stomach twist uncomfortably as an image of Scully in that position flooded his mind, her lips on some stranger's neck.

"What about if it was me?" he asked. He noticed Byers briefly look their way but Scully appeared oblivious.

"You?" she asked dumbly.

"Yeah," he agreed, "I'd let you bite me any time, surely you know that?"

"I couldn't dare," she whispered, staring at him nervously, "the rush I'd feel drinking your blood, I don't think I could stop." As she spoke, Mulder remembered his conversation with Edwin two nights previously.

"Drinking blood is more powerful if you have an emotional connection to the...?" he stopped before he accidentally said victim.

"Yes," she agreed, "whether it's a positive or a negative connection, it's always powerful. I experienced it with Scanlon, Krycek and Spender, this incredible rush because of the power of the hatred I felt toward them, but with them I intended to kill. I could never risk you that way."

"How about me?" the voice was so small Mulder wasn't sure if he had heard it. He looked up to see Byers watching them, his eyes flicked across to Scully. "Could you feed off me?" Scully looked a little nervous.

"You'd want me to?" she asked.

"Yes," he swallowed and nodded. "Ever since I first heard about these places it's something I wanted to experience. I don't know why. I mean I'm hardly the live dangerously type, I've never even smoked a cigarette. There's just some connection here that I can't understand, something that draws me to it. It's something I have to try." He looked up at Scully plaintively. "If I'm gonna do it it'd be nice to have it be a friend, that is if the emotional connection isn't too strong?" Scully shook her head fractionally then turned to look at Mulder who nodded at her.

"You need to eat Scully," he told her gently, stroking his fingers up and down her arm, "I don't mind, in fact I'm curious. Go on." He gently pushed her off the sofa and she stepped across to where Byers sat and sank down beside him before leaning in close.

"You're absolutely positive about this?" she asked.

"Yes," he choked out. Scully brushed her fingers across the side of his neck, feeling for the exact location of the vein before she brushed her teeth up against the flesh and bit through. Mulder saw Byers gasp out and his back straighten before his body seemed to crumple into the couch and his eyes closed, the lids flickering wildly.

"Oh!" Mulder heard Frohike's gasp as he and Skinner returned from the bar but he couldn't move his eyes from Scully and Byers. He watched in fascination as Scully drank, Byers staying utterly motionless.

"Attagirl!" Thea laughed as she passed by their corner, heading back toward the dance floor. Mulder didn't know how much time elapsed before he saw Scully pull away, the two pinprick wounds on Byers' neck healing over almost instantly. She turned suddenly toward him, her top lip curling up fractionally to reveal the razor sharp teeth he had only glimpsed before. She breathed heavily and for the first time, Mulder saw what he knew Langly visualised every time he looked at her. Her eyes practically glowed red from the fresh infusion of blood into her system, her nostrils flared in time with her shoulders which rocked her body as as she coiled inwards looking ready to pounce. Mulder felt a hand on his forearm and realised Edwin was standing beside him.

"Dana?" he asked gently. Scully's eyes blinked rapidly as she looked around, suddenly appearing deeply confused and not truly seeing anyone around her. Her breathing slowed and became shallower but her eyes were still wild.

"Hey Dana!" Thea called from across the room, clearly having noticed the situation, "dance with us!" She beckoned Scully over toward the dance floor. Scully took one look at Mulder and shot past him toward Thea and out of sight into a crowd of moving bodies.

"I should probably have warned you about that," Edwin chuckled. Mulder was amazed at how calm he appeared after what in his mind had been one second away from becoming a bloodbath. "After we feed we get an incredible rush of energy and emotions. We lose all focus and become purely instinctive for a while, having you so close to her at that exact moment probably wasn't the best move." Mulder looked toward the dance floor, Duran Duran was pumping out of the speakers and Mulder recognised the song.

"Hungry Like the Wolf?" he asked, "really?"

"If there's one thing we vampires all seem to share it's a pretty twisted sense of humour," Edwin laughed. Mulder caught sight of Scully dancing with Thea in the centre of the floor, as with all her movements now she was exceptionally graceful. When the tune ended the DJ melded it seamlessly with the next record as Scully, still wild eyed but now grinning widely ran over to him.

"Dance?" she asked, holding out her hand. Mulder's eyebrows shot up for a second but he nodded and stood to follow her. As he followed her, he recognised that the song now playing was the Pet Shop Boys cover version of one of his favourite Elvis songs, a song that had plagued him throughout his first year in Violent Crimes back in 1988. They reached the dancefloor and Scully turned to him, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Scully?" he asked as she smiled and looked up at him.

"We're always more emotional and instinctive after a feed," she breathed, swaying to the music and dragging Mulder's body along with hers, "more inclined to act on our desires." She pressed herself up against him close and Mulder smiled down at her. She began to mouth the words and Mulder joined her, the pair of them swaying together in the darkness, repeating the words to one another. "You were always on my mind," she whispered in his ear. Mulder looked back at her and she suddenly kissed him deeply. After a moment she pulled away looking shocked at her own courage, but Mulder grinned at her and she began to laugh in his arms, leaning in for another kiss that Mulder willingly reciprocated."

"Is this safe?" he asked quietly.

"Who cares?" she replied and two of the laughed, intermingling kissing with more mouthed lyrics, "I guess I never told you, I'm so happy that you're mine," Mulder whispered in her ear as the song drew to a close. They pulled apart and Mulder tried to cover up a yawn. Scully looked over to a clock by the bar.

"Oh my God Mulder, it's past 2am."

"No wonder I'm tired," he joked.

"Come on, I'll drive you all home," she said as they walked back to the others who were sat around the sofa grinning at them like Cheshire cats.

"What?" Mulder asked innocently as they approached.

"Oh nothing," Frohike replied nonchalantly, "we just wondered what took you two so long."

"Come on," Edwin said, trying to suppress his amusement, "let's get you guys home. I'll carry Byers to the car." He scooped up Byers' half-conscious form and headed for the doors, followed by the group with Mulder and Scully at the rear, their arms around one another as they walked.


Author Notes:

Happy 20th Anniversary X-Files!

Title comes from Augie March's One Crowded Hour which felt like a good fit for this one; go listen and you won't be disappointed. This chapter got a bit cheesy by the end but I figured Mulder and Scully needed to let off a bit of steam before what I'm about to subject them to!