Candy Mulder, The Vampire Slayer: Something Vampire This Way Comes (6/6)
"FBI! Don't move! Don't move!"
I hurriedly tucked my stake away and put my hands in the air - just like any properly-trained daughter of federal agents. *Ex* federal agents, or so they had claimed. But it was definitely my mother leading the way into the underground sacrificial lair, gun drawn, followed by my father, who, although he had his firearm out, might just have well have had nothing for all the attention he was paying to it. He was too busy looking around, taking in the candle-lit scene, and I knew, from experience, already figuring out what had gone down.
"Easy, easy, they're just kids," said my mom. She was talking to the troop of FBI agents who were rounding up the teenage would-be Nothla (aka Nasty Vampire God) sacrifices. She hadn't seen me yet, but it wouldn't be too long...in fact, it would just about...NOW. "Candy?" She must have been really shocked, because she never calls me that. As if sensing my thoughts, she quickly corrected herself, "I mean, Samara, what are you doing here?"
At this time, my father had walked up and joined her. He cocked his head to one side and gave me a questioning look - not as inquisitive as my mom's, just curious. I had to hand it to my father; anyone else who have been freaked. But not *my* dad, the world's most renowned expert on the paranormal. It gave me strength just looking at him...the strength to lie to my mother. Okay, okay, so I maybe shouldn't have, but I could tell from the way she was looking around, with this huge mask of incredulity on her face, and the gears in her head already cranking out some kind of scientific explanation, that "saving kids from a vampire god coz it's my sacred duty" wasn't go to swing it. So I went for the next best thing. "Robbie and I were working on our biology, and we just wandered in here by accident. We were just about to sneak out and call the police when you guys showed up." Mom didn't look like she was buying it so much. I tried to make my eyes wide and scared-looking. I reached up and pretended to wipe sweat off my forehead. "Whew."
She looked like she was going to say something, but I guess something in her - maybe all the years with my dad - stopped her. "Well, the next time you come across a crime scene, get out as fast as you can, all right? We never taught you to be careless in the face of danger." She delivered this line like an addendum. The mandatory parental warning for an event that well...defies parenting parameters. Like, it isn't every day your child almost ends up as a bloodsucker's appetizer. Guess that's just the way moms and dads have to do it; turn everything into a life lesson.
"Sure thing, mom." She nodded and started to turn away to direct the agents milling around. "Uh, mom?" She stopped. I don't know what made me do it - or maybe I did - but I wrapped my arms around her tightly and said, because I meant it, "Thanks."
The Scully Signature Raise. She patted my head, then went off to see if the feds were doing a good job finding out what had happened. Which left my dad standing there, hands in his pockets and a playful light in his eyes. "Thank you, too, daddy."
My dad's face was the picture of nonchalance. "For what? It was your mother who asked for a stakeout of this area tonight. I just...tagged along." He grinned. "We always have each other's backs."
Right. My dad rubbed his thumb along the bottom of my chin. "You're going to do all right, Sam. You have what it takes. And don't worry about your mother...she'll just explain it all away. Hallucinogen, mass hysteria...mildew. She's got her pick." He chuckled. Robbie was walking up towards us. "I'd better go see if these agents need any help."
Dad nodded slightly at Robbie as they passed. Weirder McAfee had a few scratches on his face, and one arms seemed a little more black and blue than it should have been, but other than that, he looked intact. "My God, your parents are incredible. How'd they get the cavalry out like this?"
I shrugged. "They've got my back."
Robbie looked confused. "Huh?"
"Nothing." I looked around. "Where's Winford?"
"Snuck out the back. It'd be kinda hard for him to explain what he was doing here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that's true. Well, I think my folks have got everything covered here. I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I think one or both of my parents have the authority to order an agent to drive us home." I gave him a sidelong glance to see if he'd object to that. He was nodding.
"Sounds like a plan, Mulder."
The first thing I did when I got home was take a long, hot, relaxing shower. Dad had gotten someone from the LA field office to drive Robbie and me home. It turned out Weirder McAfee lived in a comfy-looking one-story house not far from my own humble abode. He'd been almost pleasant, even saying good night as he exited the car. I realized as I watched him go up the path that he'd saved my life tonight.
After toweling off, I checked my e-mail and found a short note from Maureen. She seemed to be having a blast in Belgium, where her CIA father had been transferred. I didn't know how to summarize my adventures for an email so settled for a brief account of the rest of my life in general. That easily accomplished in less than a hundred words, I went on to another mail, this one from Uncle Langly, one of the Lone Gunmen, the one I've secretly always called "Sweet Mullet". He'd sent me some statistics on the use of the word "dark" in the video gaming world and an explanation of what it all meant. I found it vaguely interesting, and on an impulse, printed it out.
My parents arrived home then, and since I didn't feel like talking, I turned off my computer and the lights and jumped into bed.
The next day, I woke up early and went to the school library. Winford was already there. He didn't look too bad, although he'd dislocated a shoulder. He gave me a short debriefing. "The vampires have all dispersed. Your parents saw to it that all the sacrifices were returned safely to their homes. The mausoleum has been closed off. I also suspect it will be a long time before any more attempts to perform the ritual are repeated."
"Well, thank goodness for that." I breathed, perched on the circulation desk. I crossed my legs. "This is one slayer who most definitely appreciates just your good old vampires, hunting day by day. Or is it night by night? Whatever. Just give me your workanight vamp who picks up one or two bites for dinner. No more of this ritualistic anorexia!"
"I agree whole-heartedly." said a voice from the doorway. It was Robbie.
"McAfee, what are you doing here?" I couldn't keep the utter shock from making my voice squeak.
"Can I talk to you, Mulder? Alone?" He looked at me earnestly. I glanced at Winford, who waved me off.
I grabbed my bag and leapt off the desk. "See you at lunch, Winford." I tossed over my shoulder as we left the library. Outside, I headed towards my locker. A few students had arrived, but not enough to be much of a bother. "What did you want to talk about?"
Robbie suddenly looked shy. He stared down at his shoes, which he shuffled back and forth. "I...I realized I never got to thank you for saving my life."
A-ha! "No problem. A slayer's gotta do what a slayer's gotta do." I paused. "I guess I should say thanks, too. For last night."
There was an awkward silence then. "So, how'd you get yourself embroiled with vamps in that first place?"
I distinctly saw red flush his tan skin. "Uh, well, it was a girl..."
"Say no more." I said. "We're good."
I guess he took this as a dismissal because he started to walk away. But, as though touched by something inexplicable, he turned back. "I think we're good as partners, Mulder."
I was in the process of routing through my locker. "Lab partners?"
He shook his head. "No...I mean, yeah, that, too. But, you know...partners in combat."
"Huh?" The slamming of my locker was its own exclamation point.
He was totally red at this point; it was noticeable even under his tan, but he was on a roll. "You know, I've always had the distinct impression that nobody gets me, nobody even comes closer to getting who the heck I *am*." He stopped for a second, then, softly, "Not even me sometimes. But...but I think you have the potential. Uh, I mean that...what with your lifestyle...I'm not saying...I just think we can be..."
His speech came to an end. I couldn't help laughing a little. Then, the invisible hand of fate nudging me, I reached into my bag and pulled out the email from Uncle Langly I'd printed out last night. "Here," I said, shoving the papers at him.
"What's this?" he asked, peering down at the print-out.
"Just a little something that says, I get you. Scratch that - that I *can* get you. And in answer to your question, the question you didn't really manage to get around to asking..." I took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eye. "Yes, I'll be your friend."
At that moment, I felt as corny as I ever felt, but I was saved from having to reflect on that because the first period bell rang. Robbie fell into step beside me, reading the email. "Who sent you this? This is gold!" he exclaimed after a few seconds of silent scanning.
I smiled, basking in the feeling of knowing I was safe from a vampiric deity invasion, for the moment, and, from now on, I had a partner to watch my back. "It's from a man called Langly, and I bet you'll get to meet him soon enough." I said. "He'll love you. Weird, weirder, weirdest - all of that's right up his alley."
"Why do I get the feeling, Mulder, that it's also up your alley?" Robbie asked, tucking the printout away.
I shrugged. "Maybe because it is. And you've just signed on!" So, okay, not the wittiest thing I ever said, but it was witty to me. Give me a break - I just saved the world!
"FBI! Don't move! Don't move!"
I hurriedly tucked my stake away and put my hands in the air - just like any properly-trained daughter of federal agents. *Ex* federal agents, or so they had claimed. But it was definitely my mother leading the way into the underground sacrificial lair, gun drawn, followed by my father, who, although he had his firearm out, might just have well have had nothing for all the attention he was paying to it. He was too busy looking around, taking in the candle-lit scene, and I knew, from experience, already figuring out what had gone down.
"Easy, easy, they're just kids," said my mom. She was talking to the troop of FBI agents who were rounding up the teenage would-be Nothla (aka Nasty Vampire God) sacrifices. She hadn't seen me yet, but it wouldn't be too long...in fact, it would just about...NOW. "Candy?" She must have been really shocked, because she never calls me that. As if sensing my thoughts, she quickly corrected herself, "I mean, Samara, what are you doing here?"
At this time, my father had walked up and joined her. He cocked his head to one side and gave me a questioning look - not as inquisitive as my mom's, just curious. I had to hand it to my father; anyone else who have been freaked. But not *my* dad, the world's most renowned expert on the paranormal. It gave me strength just looking at him...the strength to lie to my mother. Okay, okay, so I maybe shouldn't have, but I could tell from the way she was looking around, with this huge mask of incredulity on her face, and the gears in her head already cranking out some kind of scientific explanation, that "saving kids from a vampire god coz it's my sacred duty" wasn't go to swing it. So I went for the next best thing. "Robbie and I were working on our biology, and we just wandered in here by accident. We were just about to sneak out and call the police when you guys showed up." Mom didn't look like she was buying it so much. I tried to make my eyes wide and scared-looking. I reached up and pretended to wipe sweat off my forehead. "Whew."
She looked like she was going to say something, but I guess something in her - maybe all the years with my dad - stopped her. "Well, the next time you come across a crime scene, get out as fast as you can, all right? We never taught you to be careless in the face of danger." She delivered this line like an addendum. The mandatory parental warning for an event that well...defies parenting parameters. Like, it isn't every day your child almost ends up as a bloodsucker's appetizer. Guess that's just the way moms and dads have to do it; turn everything into a life lesson.
"Sure thing, mom." She nodded and started to turn away to direct the agents milling around. "Uh, mom?" She stopped. I don't know what made me do it - or maybe I did - but I wrapped my arms around her tightly and said, because I meant it, "Thanks."
The Scully Signature Raise. She patted my head, then went off to see if the feds were doing a good job finding out what had happened. Which left my dad standing there, hands in his pockets and a playful light in his eyes. "Thank you, too, daddy."
My dad's face was the picture of nonchalance. "For what? It was your mother who asked for a stakeout of this area tonight. I just...tagged along." He grinned. "We always have each other's backs."
Right. My dad rubbed his thumb along the bottom of my chin. "You're going to do all right, Sam. You have what it takes. And don't worry about your mother...she'll just explain it all away. Hallucinogen, mass hysteria...mildew. She's got her pick." He chuckled. Robbie was walking up towards us. "I'd better go see if these agents need any help."
Dad nodded slightly at Robbie as they passed. Weirder McAfee had a few scratches on his face, and one arms seemed a little more black and blue than it should have been, but other than that, he looked intact. "My God, your parents are incredible. How'd they get the cavalry out like this?"
I shrugged. "They've got my back."
Robbie looked confused. "Huh?"
"Nothing." I looked around. "Where's Winford?"
"Snuck out the back. It'd be kinda hard for him to explain what he was doing here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that's true. Well, I think my folks have got everything covered here. I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I think one or both of my parents have the authority to order an agent to drive us home." I gave him a sidelong glance to see if he'd object to that. He was nodding.
"Sounds like a plan, Mulder."
The first thing I did when I got home was take a long, hot, relaxing shower. Dad had gotten someone from the LA field office to drive Robbie and me home. It turned out Weirder McAfee lived in a comfy-looking one-story house not far from my own humble abode. He'd been almost pleasant, even saying good night as he exited the car. I realized as I watched him go up the path that he'd saved my life tonight.
After toweling off, I checked my e-mail and found a short note from Maureen. She seemed to be having a blast in Belgium, where her CIA father had been transferred. I didn't know how to summarize my adventures for an email so settled for a brief account of the rest of my life in general. That easily accomplished in less than a hundred words, I went on to another mail, this one from Uncle Langly, one of the Lone Gunmen, the one I've secretly always called "Sweet Mullet". He'd sent me some statistics on the use of the word "dark" in the video gaming world and an explanation of what it all meant. I found it vaguely interesting, and on an impulse, printed it out.
My parents arrived home then, and since I didn't feel like talking, I turned off my computer and the lights and jumped into bed.
The next day, I woke up early and went to the school library. Winford was already there. He didn't look too bad, although he'd dislocated a shoulder. He gave me a short debriefing. "The vampires have all dispersed. Your parents saw to it that all the sacrifices were returned safely to their homes. The mausoleum has been closed off. I also suspect it will be a long time before any more attempts to perform the ritual are repeated."
"Well, thank goodness for that." I breathed, perched on the circulation desk. I crossed my legs. "This is one slayer who most definitely appreciates just your good old vampires, hunting day by day. Or is it night by night? Whatever. Just give me your workanight vamp who picks up one or two bites for dinner. No more of this ritualistic anorexia!"
"I agree whole-heartedly." said a voice from the doorway. It was Robbie.
"McAfee, what are you doing here?" I couldn't keep the utter shock from making my voice squeak.
"Can I talk to you, Mulder? Alone?" He looked at me earnestly. I glanced at Winford, who waved me off.
I grabbed my bag and leapt off the desk. "See you at lunch, Winford." I tossed over my shoulder as we left the library. Outside, I headed towards my locker. A few students had arrived, but not enough to be much of a bother. "What did you want to talk about?"
Robbie suddenly looked shy. He stared down at his shoes, which he shuffled back and forth. "I...I realized I never got to thank you for saving my life."
A-ha! "No problem. A slayer's gotta do what a slayer's gotta do." I paused. "I guess I should say thanks, too. For last night."
There was an awkward silence then. "So, how'd you get yourself embroiled with vamps in that first place?"
I distinctly saw red flush his tan skin. "Uh, well, it was a girl..."
"Say no more." I said. "We're good."
I guess he took this as a dismissal because he started to walk away. But, as though touched by something inexplicable, he turned back. "I think we're good as partners, Mulder."
I was in the process of routing through my locker. "Lab partners?"
He shook his head. "No...I mean, yeah, that, too. But, you know...partners in combat."
"Huh?" The slamming of my locker was its own exclamation point.
He was totally red at this point; it was noticeable even under his tan, but he was on a roll. "You know, I've always had the distinct impression that nobody gets me, nobody even comes closer to getting who the heck I *am*." He stopped for a second, then, softly, "Not even me sometimes. But...but I think you have the potential. Uh, I mean that...what with your lifestyle...I'm not saying...I just think we can be..."
His speech came to an end. I couldn't help laughing a little. Then, the invisible hand of fate nudging me, I reached into my bag and pulled out the email from Uncle Langly I'd printed out last night. "Here," I said, shoving the papers at him.
"What's this?" he asked, peering down at the print-out.
"Just a little something that says, I get you. Scratch that - that I *can* get you. And in answer to your question, the question you didn't really manage to get around to asking..." I took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eye. "Yes, I'll be your friend."
At that moment, I felt as corny as I ever felt, but I was saved from having to reflect on that because the first period bell rang. Robbie fell into step beside me, reading the email. "Who sent you this? This is gold!" he exclaimed after a few seconds of silent scanning.
I smiled, basking in the feeling of knowing I was safe from a vampiric deity invasion, for the moment, and, from now on, I had a partner to watch my back. "It's from a man called Langly, and I bet you'll get to meet him soon enough." I said. "He'll love you. Weird, weirder, weirdest - all of that's right up his alley."
"Why do I get the feeling, Mulder, that it's also up your alley?" Robbie asked, tucking the printout away.
I shrugged. "Maybe because it is. And you've just signed on!" So, okay, not the wittiest thing I ever said, but it was witty to me. Give me a break - I just saved the world!