His blue eyes had telltale wrinkles around them, and his gaze held more wisdom than idealism, but the lopsided grin, the aura of restrained passion that surrounded him was just as she remembered.
"Loren...."
He leaned against the wall next to her. "Long time no see, Day....you look beautiful." He smiled. "But then, you always did."
She still hadn't found coherence. "How...?"
"Do you still like Hawaiian pizza? I know a great place just down the street." He held out his hand as if she hadn't spoken, as if ten years of life didn't separate then from now. "We can catch up a bit, and maybe I can help you with your search for the young man."
Despite her shock, she felt herself reaching for him as if it hadn't been ten years since she'd seen him, touched him....she jerked her hand back. "How did you know I was here?" What was he doing here?
His smile didn't waver, but he withdrew his hand, slipping it into his jacket pocket. "Moonshadow called me from the police station and told me where you were." He chuckled. "Imagine my surprise when I found out who'd come to town." He glanced down the hall, then back to her. "Come on, let's go eat. Your patient is well-guarded, and this isn't the place for us to talk."
Her mind stopped it's crazy reeling long enough for her to blurt out the first excuse for her not to deal with this. "Mulder...I have to--"
"We'll both go see Mulder soon," he said, interrupting gently, "But before we do, you have to hear what I have to say." His expression grew serious. "There are things you have to understand. Your case depends on it."
"What do you know about this case?" What could he possibly know about it?
"Please come with me, Dana....please, you have to come if you want to understand, if you want to see young Aidan face justice for what he's done." His voice had an earnest, pleading tone this time. "If you don't come with me now, it will never be over for you."
He met her gaze, and she knew he could still see the shock at seeing him, mingled with suspicion at his knowledge of what had happened. How did he know what happened? How could he expect that she'd follow him into a possible trap? How could she feel herself wanting to trust him after six years of ingrained wariness of anyone offering help?
He sighed, his expression of gentle urgency fading to resignation. "I'm sorry....I wish I could help you see past your suspicion. I suppose you've changed more than I'd expected." He withdrew his hand from his pocket and dangled a friendship bracelet from his fingers. "Here...I made it when I found out you'd come to visit." The woven threads were deep green on green, and were patterned in a line of diamonds. "A gift, if you like, for times remembered."
She reached for it slowly, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks as memories struggled to resurface. She pushed them back hard; she had to try and explain. "Loren, you have to understand--"
As she touched the bracelet, she felt a plunge, as if the floor had suddenly dropped away from her. She flailed out for something, anything to hold onto, and two strong hands caught her, held her tightly, held her steady. Soft voice in her ear. "You always did have to see to believe, didn't you?"
She looked up into his face, saw those merry blue eyes, the amusement of his smile, the horns jutting from his curly hair....and fainted dead away.
**********
Mulder was glad that he'd let Moonshadow drive.
Not only did she weave in and out of traffic with the confidence of a local, but she was right on the money when she said she would be more used to what they would see on the road. When a group of bikers roared up beside the sedan, and the leader of the pack turned and glared through the window, he'd nearly jumped out at the sight of him. A huge, shark-toothed maw jutted out from the grey mottled face, deep-set yellow eyes glinting within. He'd swerved the motorcycle towards the car, and she'd just laughed and eased over to let them by.
"That's Grudge and his gang...you should see me when I'm in the wagon." She grinned for a moment. "I would have given him a run for his money."
Mulder just nodded and watched the bikers rumble off ahead of them. She glanced at him with a smile. "You seem to be taking this rather well, or am I just not noticing you're catatonic?"
He gave a little half-laugh that seemed to mollify her, and he was able to turn his mind inward, away from what was just outside the car windows. He couldn't look at it for long, the brighter colors, the one-step-removed feeling to it all, without feeling dizzy and disoriented. "Just stay cool," she'd said as they walked through the police station. "Nobody else can see what you're seeing, so just act natural."
Sure, act natural when the patrolman that he'd seen in the bathroom now towered above him, his skin a sky blue and small ridged horns protruding from his forehead. When the patrolman grinned, and he saw teeth that looked more at home in a wolf than a cop, he barely managed to make it out of there without bolting as if the devil himself was after him.
He gave another crazy little laugh. Not the devil, remember?
Moonshadow kept her eyes on the road as she wove the car around cars, horses and machines he couldn't even name. "When we get back to campus, you can't say anything. You will speak when you're spoken to, and that's it." She cut over to the right and made a quick turn onto the campus thoroughfare. "You and Dana shouldn't even be a part of this, but it can't be helped."
His curiosity finally overcame his confusion. "A part of what? What's back at campus?"
She pulled into an empty space; Mulder noted that it was the same space where he and Scully had parked when they'd first met her She killed the motor, her lips pressed into a tight line. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "A tribunal. Please don't ask me anything more. Just remember what I told you *and remember your Oath*. Do you understand?" The last was said with familiar urgency, and as if by magic he heard the words he swore to her back in the lockup.
"I swear that I'll listen, I'll hear you out, and I'll help in any way I can to see justice served..."
The sound of the car door brought him back to reality. *Well, relative reality* he thought as he got out, then quickened his pace to follow the girl. She led him across the quad, past an old gazebo that seemed to glow softly in the moonlight, and into a wooded area beyond.
Mulder was amazed at the change in the small wood since he last saw it. Where it had been just a small thicket of half-dead trees, it was now a lush expanse of green. What he thought were fireflies flickered in and out among the trees, until a tiny winged woman swooped and giggled in his face. He couldn't help but laugh at the...insect? Pixie?...and the wind of his laughter swept her away. He looked back to see Moonshadow smiling up at him.
"You really do believe," she said, and he laughed again. How could he not believe when it was right before his eyes? He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when she paused outside an arch of greenery from which a faint golden light shone in the darkness. Her smile faded to seriousness, and when she spoke, her voice was somber and heavy.
"What you are about to see has nothing to do with the world of Man, and as such I must ask that you remain silent unless spoken to, and to treat this tribunal with the respect due to the highest court of the mortal world." She met his eyes. "Will you do so?"
He looked into her eyes and found that words had left him, his mouth dry. He nodded silently, and she took his hand and led him through the arch.
"Loren...."
He leaned against the wall next to her. "Long time no see, Day....you look beautiful." He smiled. "But then, you always did."
She still hadn't found coherence. "How...?"
"Do you still like Hawaiian pizza? I know a great place just down the street." He held out his hand as if she hadn't spoken, as if ten years of life didn't separate then from now. "We can catch up a bit, and maybe I can help you with your search for the young man."
Despite her shock, she felt herself reaching for him as if it hadn't been ten years since she'd seen him, touched him....she jerked her hand back. "How did you know I was here?" What was he doing here?
His smile didn't waver, but he withdrew his hand, slipping it into his jacket pocket. "Moonshadow called me from the police station and told me where you were." He chuckled. "Imagine my surprise when I found out who'd come to town." He glanced down the hall, then back to her. "Come on, let's go eat. Your patient is well-guarded, and this isn't the place for us to talk."
Her mind stopped it's crazy reeling long enough for her to blurt out the first excuse for her not to deal with this. "Mulder...I have to--"
"We'll both go see Mulder soon," he said, interrupting gently, "But before we do, you have to hear what I have to say." His expression grew serious. "There are things you have to understand. Your case depends on it."
"What do you know about this case?" What could he possibly know about it?
"Please come with me, Dana....please, you have to come if you want to understand, if you want to see young Aidan face justice for what he's done." His voice had an earnest, pleading tone this time. "If you don't come with me now, it will never be over for you."
He met her gaze, and she knew he could still see the shock at seeing him, mingled with suspicion at his knowledge of what had happened. How did he know what happened? How could he expect that she'd follow him into a possible trap? How could she feel herself wanting to trust him after six years of ingrained wariness of anyone offering help?
He sighed, his expression of gentle urgency fading to resignation. "I'm sorry....I wish I could help you see past your suspicion. I suppose you've changed more than I'd expected." He withdrew his hand from his pocket and dangled a friendship bracelet from his fingers. "Here...I made it when I found out you'd come to visit." The woven threads were deep green on green, and were patterned in a line of diamonds. "A gift, if you like, for times remembered."
She reached for it slowly, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks as memories struggled to resurface. She pushed them back hard; she had to try and explain. "Loren, you have to understand--"
As she touched the bracelet, she felt a plunge, as if the floor had suddenly dropped away from her. She flailed out for something, anything to hold onto, and two strong hands caught her, held her tightly, held her steady. Soft voice in her ear. "You always did have to see to believe, didn't you?"
She looked up into his face, saw those merry blue eyes, the amusement of his smile, the horns jutting from his curly hair....and fainted dead away.
**********
Mulder was glad that he'd let Moonshadow drive.
Not only did she weave in and out of traffic with the confidence of a local, but she was right on the money when she said she would be more used to what they would see on the road. When a group of bikers roared up beside the sedan, and the leader of the pack turned and glared through the window, he'd nearly jumped out at the sight of him. A huge, shark-toothed maw jutted out from the grey mottled face, deep-set yellow eyes glinting within. He'd swerved the motorcycle towards the car, and she'd just laughed and eased over to let them by.
"That's Grudge and his gang...you should see me when I'm in the wagon." She grinned for a moment. "I would have given him a run for his money."
Mulder just nodded and watched the bikers rumble off ahead of them. She glanced at him with a smile. "You seem to be taking this rather well, or am I just not noticing you're catatonic?"
He gave a little half-laugh that seemed to mollify her, and he was able to turn his mind inward, away from what was just outside the car windows. He couldn't look at it for long, the brighter colors, the one-step-removed feeling to it all, without feeling dizzy and disoriented. "Just stay cool," she'd said as they walked through the police station. "Nobody else can see what you're seeing, so just act natural."
Sure, act natural when the patrolman that he'd seen in the bathroom now towered above him, his skin a sky blue and small ridged horns protruding from his forehead. When the patrolman grinned, and he saw teeth that looked more at home in a wolf than a cop, he barely managed to make it out of there without bolting as if the devil himself was after him.
He gave another crazy little laugh. Not the devil, remember?
Moonshadow kept her eyes on the road as she wove the car around cars, horses and machines he couldn't even name. "When we get back to campus, you can't say anything. You will speak when you're spoken to, and that's it." She cut over to the right and made a quick turn onto the campus thoroughfare. "You and Dana shouldn't even be a part of this, but it can't be helped."
His curiosity finally overcame his confusion. "A part of what? What's back at campus?"
She pulled into an empty space; Mulder noted that it was the same space where he and Scully had parked when they'd first met her She killed the motor, her lips pressed into a tight line. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "A tribunal. Please don't ask me anything more. Just remember what I told you *and remember your Oath*. Do you understand?" The last was said with familiar urgency, and as if by magic he heard the words he swore to her back in the lockup.
"I swear that I'll listen, I'll hear you out, and I'll help in any way I can to see justice served..."
The sound of the car door brought him back to reality. *Well, relative reality* he thought as he got out, then quickened his pace to follow the girl. She led him across the quad, past an old gazebo that seemed to glow softly in the moonlight, and into a wooded area beyond.
Mulder was amazed at the change in the small wood since he last saw it. Where it had been just a small thicket of half-dead trees, it was now a lush expanse of green. What he thought were fireflies flickered in and out among the trees, until a tiny winged woman swooped and giggled in his face. He couldn't help but laugh at the...insect? Pixie?...and the wind of his laughter swept her away. He looked back to see Moonshadow smiling up at him.
"You really do believe," she said, and he laughed again. How could he not believe when it was right before his eyes? He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when she paused outside an arch of greenery from which a faint golden light shone in the darkness. Her smile faded to seriousness, and when she spoke, her voice was somber and heavy.
"What you are about to see has nothing to do with the world of Man, and as such I must ask that you remain silent unless spoken to, and to treat this tribunal with the respect due to the highest court of the mortal world." She met his eyes. "Will you do so?"
He looked into her eyes and found that words had left him, his mouth dry. He nodded silently, and she took his hand and led him through the arch.