Mulder's first week as a vampire was far more frustrating than he ever anticipated. More than anything he wanted to move to the large house near Syracuse where most of the other vampires and his friends were living, but until he could get his thirst under control he couldn't risk being anywhere near humans. He spent his days alternating between learning to hunt in the forests with Scully and doing as much research as possible on the current state of affairs, finding himself increasingly grateful for the Internet. Edwin would visit them daily bringing with him the latest from the house. Unfortunately he also brought with him the sweet smell of human blood which permeated his clothes and made Mulder salivate in a way that continually frightened him despite Scully's assurances that one day he would be able to tolerate it easily.
One night, after Edwin had left, Scully found Mulder sitting cross-legged on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the ocean. She climbed up beside him easily and sat down, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I hate this Scully," he whined, "there's so much I could be doing if I didn't have this stupid problem. You and the others manage, why can't I?"
"It's only been a week," Scully reminded him calmly, "a week after my transformation Edwin still had me shut in his basement with about thirty locks on a solid steel door to keep me from killing his next door neighbours. I didn't get to see daylight for almost three weeks. I thought I'd go mad, I actually ripped an entire couch apart with my bare hands after the first week because I was so frustrated. Edwin wasn't especially pleased about that." Mulder chuckled softly at her.
"You never told me much about when you woke up from the transformation," he said, "what was it like for you?"
"I was frightened," she replied thoughtfully, "Edwin had done his best to prepare me for what it would be like but we didn't really have much time. I woke up in a strange room and the scent of human blood was everywhere; not that I immediately recognised it for what it was, I just knew it was something I had to have and I was locked away from it. Edwin said it took almost an hour before he could even speak to me, I was practically rabid." She looked embarrassed at the story but Mulder felt nothing but sympathy as recalled his first moment scenting blood. Scully had washed everything in the house as he transformed to dull the smell as much as possible; her attempt at making his early days more bearable. When a jogger ran along the beach on his first night the smell had attacked him viciously and he had bolted for her. Scully had fought him back and stopped him from killing the poor girl and he then spent the entire evening trying to cope with the weight of guilt he had experienced as he realised what he almost did. Scully assured him constantly that it was normal. Mulder snapped back to her story, nodding reassuringly at her.
"What did you do while you were locked in the basement?" he asked, fighting the images in his head of his partner pleading with Edwin for freedom. Scully hated being confined, she had too many bad memories entwined with the sensation. Mulder couldn't begin to imagine what three weeks in a single darkened room had done to her.
"I read a lot," she began thoughtfully, "Edwin had cable down there so I tried watching TV but it was too slow so I would get annoyed at it. At least with the books I could go at my own pace. Edwin showed me a lot of stuff too, tricks and things like how he could jump the width of the room and somersault over the furniture. I think that was the first time I laughed after the transformation. Edwin comes across as such a normal, human man that it was hilarious the first time I watched him flip over the bookcases we'd moved to the middle of the room. Learning to do that kept me occupied for a whole day, I had to completely re-learn what my own body was capable of which was really interesting. I remember trying to stab myself with various objects to see if any of them could penetrate my skin." Scully paused as she saw Mulder wince at her description. "Sorry," she whispered.
"It's ok, I guess I just find it hard to deal with the image of anybody trying to hurt you, even if that person is you," Mulder replied.
"I think Edwin thought it was funny," Scully laughed, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes, "I did discover that if I whacked myself hard enough with a meat cleaver I could split the skin, and it made a funny fwang-ing sound when the metal reverberated." Mulder winced even more at the mental picture she had just drawn. "I was very, very bored," she explained.
"Clearly," Mulder drawled, "if I ever get bored enough to start experimenting on myself with kitchen implements please do me a favor and suggest we go for a run or something will you?"
"Noted," Scully grinned for a second before her face became serious again. "Those weeks were the longest in my life," she told him sadly, "I was so scared Mulder, I wanted you so badly but I knew I couldn't see you, not even when Edwin finally decided I was controlled enough for him to get me out and up here. It hurt so much." She looked tiny as she spoke and Mulder put his arm around her, pulling her toward him. She snuggled up against him, feeling his chest rise and fall as he practised his breathing movements.
"You never have to be away from me again," he whispered into her hair, "never again, nothing can keep us apart now." He felt her nod against him and they sat in silence listening to the ocean waves as it grew darker.
"What do you smell?" Scully asked him a little later. He took a few deep breaths and focused on the information he could gather from them.
"Mostly you," he began, not adding that half the reason he kept up his breathing practise so diligently was so he could sense Scully and keep track of her even when she was out of sight. "I smell the ocean, the seaweed and the wet sand. I smell the chlorophyll from the forest and the damp moss and the saturated earth. I smell..." he paused as a new, sharp smell intruded. He focused on it but was unable to place it. "I'm not sure," he admitted, "but it smells good."
"It's coyote," Scully told him, "judging by the direction of the wind and the strength of the smell I'd say there's at least three of them and they're ten miles or so west of us. Hungry?" Mulder shot her a smile.
"Lead on partner." Scully rose from the rocks and jumped down into the underbrush, not pausing before taking off in a run for the woods. This had become a game between them over the past few days. Scully was faster than Mulder and more nimble, she could change direction rapidly and could also spring up the trees without warning. Mulder on the other hand was tougher than her. Rather than darting around obstacles he simple powered through them and so the pair were evenly matched in their races. Mulder chased after her, Scully's red hair giving her position away in the surrounding green. She was banking toward the right, leading them away from Buzzard's Bay as she followed the curve of highway six but stayed well out of sight of the traffic. She knew these woods well now after spending months running through them either hunting or just for fun, which is why it surprised her when she realised she had somehow lost Mulder. She froze and listened carefully, unable to her his movements anywhere.
"Mulder?" she called into the forest which stayed silent around her. "Mulder!" her voice rose an octave as nerves got the better of her. He was a vampire now she assured herself, but if any man could get himself into a scrape even after becoming immortal and practically indestructible it was Fox Mulder. She began slowly back tracking, following the route she had come down into a patch of thicker, older trees. His scent was here meaning he must have passed through, so where the hell was he now? The forest was silent and she paused in her movements, listening closely. There was a faint noise behind her and she spun on the spot just as the heavy weight landed and knocked her onto her back on the ground. She screamed as a hand pinned both of hers to the soft, mossy ground above her head; a strong hand that was powerful enough to still her movements. She looked up and came face-to-face with Mulder who was leaning over her, grinning madly as she struggled beneath him.
"Gotcha!" he whispered, lowering his free hand to tickle her stomach just above her right hip, a spot in which he had recently discovered Scully was extraordinarily ticklish. She squealed and tried to pull her hands away to fight him off but he was much stronger than her and continued to hold her in place without any apparent effort as he tortured her.
"Please, please!" she begged, "please!" He relented and stopped tickling her but kept her hands pinned to the ground knowing full well that if he freed her she would try for revenge. "Dammit Mulder you scared me," she hissed angrily. Mulder looked at her in amusement thinking how funny she appeared shouting at him while he still held her in the soft ground, leaves and moss strewn into her hair. He was reminded of a snake lying in the grass; beautiful to look at but utterly deadly if angered. He decided it was probably not a good idea to share this observation with her.
"I'm sorry," he replied honestly, "but I saw this place and it was beautiful, I wanted to see you in it." Scully quelled her annoyance enough to look around. The little patch of forest was lit by moonlight and the mossy ground was very soft, so much so that she felt strangely comfortable. She looked back up at Mulder who was smiling sheepishly at her.
"It is beautiful," she agreed, "but you know that I will have my revenge for this don't you?"
"I know," he agreed, finally releasing her hands. Scully didn't try to get up, instead she rolled her shoulders and relaxed back into the moss, looking up into the stars. They reminded her of a night she had run through Canada alone. She would never forget that night and one day she would share it with Mulder, but not tonight. She clamped down the memory and buried it, not wanting Mulder's growing psychic powers to latch on. Mulder was sat watching her, his red eyes reflected the starlight and she smiled at him. For the first time in years she felt safe. "Still hungry?" Mulder asked her quietly, sniffing the air to try and detect the direction in which the coyote pack had moved.
"Yeah," she murmured, "but not for coyote." She reached up and grabbed him around the neck, dragging him down on top of her. She kissed him eagerly and Mulder realised he didn't care much about coyotes anymore either.
Author's Notes:
Wow, it's been over a month, sorry to have left you all hanging so long! On the plus side I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time and that has resulted in two brand new X-Files fics for you all to read one day. They need a lot of editing first though so right now they've been put to one side to allow Dana's Choice to finally be completed. There's a new "cast" photo link up on my profile so if y'all wanna know what Edwin looks like then take a look. Mulder IS coming but he's being awkward (as usual). One final thing; this chapter's title comes from an awesome song by Pulp - go check it out.