She climbed into the passenger seat and quickly fastened her seat belt before taking a deep breath and glancing over to him.  He sat with one hand on the wheel and his body half turned towards her as he watched her intently.

"Are you okay Scully?"

"I'm fine."

"You seem a little…shocked." He reached one of his hands up to his forehead to wipe away the wet rain that clung to his skin, threatening to spill over his eyes.

"It's all so…science fiction but it makes sense."

"Two more empty graves…they've got to be hiding something."

"But Billy Miles has been in that comatose state for nearly four years."

"I'm not sure I can explain it exactly Scully," he admitted as he pulled away from the graveyard and onto the road.  "But something is a foot in Bellefleur."

            The short journey to the motel was silent as they both pondered their individual l thoughts.  Mulder could almost feel her struggle and caught the small shakes of her head as she went over and over the information in her head, still trying to grasp the meaning and logic of it all.

"Scully, one thing I've learned on the X-Files is I have to trust my instincts," he said as he pulled into the car park.  "You can see all the pieces now just let them fall into place."

"Mulder my instincts are telling me that…that some supernatural forces are summoning those kids into the forest for some kind of experimentation."

"Okay so if you won't trust your own instincts…will you trust mine?" he argued as they left the car and went to the reception to sort out the new rooms.

"What are they telling you Mulder?" she said with a half smile and he was amazed at how quickly she had started to anticipate his jokes.

"That we should relax for the evening and enjoy a meal in relative normality…with no mention of extraterrestrial activities…I promise!" he added as he signed for two more rooms and handed her the new key.

"Okay, let me get some more dry clothes."

"Come round to…" he checked the key number, "213 when you're ready."

            They parted ways and he closed the door with a thud behind him.  As he discarded his clothes he noticed the manager had let his baggage on the bed beside a small fruit basket with an apology card.  Smiling Mulder grabbed an apple as rummaged through his case for another pair of jeans and a dark blue long sleeve.  He was just fitting on his socks when the small knock came to the door.

"If that's you Scully come in," he called as he reached for his boots.  "If it's not, go away."

            He turned at the sound of the door scraping the carpet and saw her standing just inside its frame.

"Only me."

"I'm just tying my laces. Should we order in or venture out with the locals?"

"Let's go out, I think I've seen all of this motel I want to."

            He finished with his laces and stood as she turned to go out the door and over to the car.  She climbed into the passenger seat without a second thought loving the opportunity of being driven.  She was usually abhorrent to the chauvinistic mentality in most men she met, but Mulder seemed to react to her as if it were natural to open doors for her, allow her to enter rooms first and more than once she had felt his hand lightly touching her lower back as if dancing with her across a room and leading her in the right direction.

"I saw a lovely place just of the interstate," he said as he stepped into the car and fastened his belt with a smile in her direction.

            As he drove through the small town and she watched out the windows a comfortable silence enveloped them and neither of them made an effort to break it.  He nudged her with his elbow and pointed with his head out the window.  Glancing at her reaction he delighted in the crack of a smile that broke through her lips.

"Big Ronnie's Steakhouse?" she said her voice full of mirth.

"Nothing like a plate of red meat to make you feel alive," he said, as he pulled off the main road and onto a dirt track that lead to the restaurant.

"And soon dead."

"You're not a vegetarian are you? " he said in mock horror.

"Oh god no," she said laughing.

"Great," he said unlatching his seat belt and hers.  "Let's go."

            The restaurant was loud and crowded, a noise level that stung upon first entry but as they were walked through the large tables they slowly became accustomed to it and as they sat down it was hardly noticeable.

"Just your kinda place Mulder?"

"I love it.  God bless the man who invented meat," he said with a laugh as he looked down to scan the menu.

            After she chose she placed the menu onto the table and glanced around the room.  As much as she tried to relax she couldn't help but run through all that had happened that night.  The fire, Peggy O'Dell, Detective Miles and finally the empty graves.  It was so much and as they pieced the clues together everything did point to Billy Miles.

            Mulder watched her over the rim of his menu and noticed how her hair had curled from the rain and heat, and her face was all but free of make up save for a light brush of lipstick across her lips.  He could see her eyes and the clouded confusion that floated in them and he wondered how she was coping.  Even he had to admit that the case was intense for her first one.

"So what are you gonna have?" he asked determined not to answer the questioning look in her eyes and delve into the depths of the case with her over dinner.

"Steak…big steak."

"I love a woman who loves her meat," he said laughing and held up his glass for her to clink to. She smiled another enigmatic smile and touched her glass to his before they both took a sip.

"Mulder I want to talk to you about the case," she said after the waiter had taken their order and removed the menus.

"I thought we were going to forget it for tonight."

"I cant, I cant substantiate the notion of-," she began.

"Of Alien technology in our lives being used to manipulate a boy who been residing in a medical coma for four years?"

"Mulder we don't know where that implant came from."

"Which is wore Scully? Aliens manipulating the children or our own government?"

            She spluttered on her water and looked up at him intently.

"The government? Where did that come from?"

"Okay lets just suppose that the implant is man made…who do you think would have the power to infiltrate such an operation and cover it up when it's through?"

"But-."

"This is not a one man operation.  We're talking about six kids…being controlled by the forest," he said making air quotes with his fingers as his eyes stared into hers and never left.  "Which do you believe?"

***

            Scully charged ahead of him down the hospital corridor the excitement in her blood bubbled causing unfamiliar sensations as she saw the cautious gleam in his eye.

"This kid may have killed Peggy O'Dell.  I don't believe this," she admitted her mind still obviously racked with conflict.

"Scully…" Mulder said as he caught up with her.

"It's crazy! He was in the woods."

"You're sure?" Mulder countered needing to hear her say it, needing her to hear it.

"This is the same stuff that I took a handful off in the forest," she argued back holding up the small vial of dirt she had just scraped off Billy Miles' foot.

"Okay then, maybe we should take it out and run a lab test."

"We lost the original sample in the fire.  What else could it be?" she asked incredulously stopping in her tracks and making his take a step back to rejoin her.

"Alright, but I just want you to understand what it is you're saying."

"You said it yourself," she said back to him unable to believe his scepticism.

"Yeah…but you have to write it down in tour report," he said quietly letting the words sink in and have the affect he knew they would.  She visible calmed down as the words broke through her initial excitement and she searched for the right words.

"You're right.  We'll take another sample from the forest…and run a comparison before we do anything."

            She started to walk again and Mulder followed her silently, careful not to tread on her thoughts.  But as they reached the car her mobile rang loudly.  She didn't seem to notice the noise until Mulder touched her shoulder and pointed to her pocket.  Fumbling into her pocket she switched it on and held it up to her ear.

"Scully," she answered curtly her mind elsewhere.

"Dana, it's Shane."

"Oh...hi," she said glancing up to see Mulder climbing into the car as he afforded the what little privacy she could.

"It's been a while since you called.  Is everything okay?"

"I've just been really busy, actually Shane I can't talk right now."

"Dana, I just wanted to call and say hi, you know…talk to my girlfriend."

"I can't right now, I'm in the middle of a case."

"A case? Doing what?" he asked angrily.

"Shane…goodbye," she said and hung the phone up as she opened the car door.

            Mulder noticed the mood she wore as she buckled in beside him and he chose not to ask about the phone call that obviously instigated it.  She chose not to offer the information so they drove back to the motel in silence.  By the time they changed and met back at the car it was dark.  A light rain had begun to fall and Mulder felt the chill.  A shiver of exhilaration shimmered down his back and he glanced at Scully unable to hide the smile he was wearing only to see a hint of it on her lips.

"I sent the sample from Billy to the lab already," she said as they pulled out into the street.

"And we'll get another one now.  You still have the implant right?"

"Yes.  It's all that's left," she said fishing it out of her pocket and showing him. 

"So after we get the sample from the forest, we'll get it tested and then we'll have to talk to Detective Miles."

"We might need to get a warrant…it wont be easy."

"Welcome to the X-files Scully!" he said with a laugh as he pulled onto the forestry road.

** I know it's quite hard to follow but I think it reads okay.  I could probably put in a few more chapters in between but too much will cloud it over…I think so anyway!  Hope you think so too! **