TITLE: Parlez Vous Francais?
Author: Skinfull
Classification: Fluff? Does that Count?
Author's notes: In Ireland there are parts of the country that speak only Irish. I know parts of Canada speak in French and maybe it's not to the extreme I've written here but...it's fiction and I just wanted to have a little fun! This fic went of on so many tangents it was scrapped and continued a load of different times...sorry if it gets confusing. Oh and I put some of the dialogue in French (thanks Stellar!) just to add to the overall confusion!
Parlez Vous Francais?
By Skinfull 2004
International Bank of Canada
Somewhere in Canada
"I can't believe it took a gun pressed to your head to get you to lie down with me."
"Shut up Mulder!" Scully hissed through gritted teeth and pressed her cheek next to the cold tiled floor. Small puddles of water from the snow that had melted from her boots, were wetting her jeans as she lay flat but closing her eyes to the sight of the sawn off shotguns she tried to melt too. Mulder was lying just as still next to her but she could feel his eyes boring into her willing her to look back at him.
The men who burst in and forced everyone to the floor were carrying many weapons and one of them had a suspicious bulge around his waist. They shouted orders to the scared personnel but she couldn't understand the angry French.
"So much for speaking English in the international bank, Mulder," she whispered opening her eyes in time to see a quirk of a smile disappear off his lips.
"My idea had good premise...my timing wasn't great though!" he admitted with a shrug.
"Tais-tois!" one of the men shouted approaching the two of them and cocking his gun menacingly on the way.
"Sorry...Jai un American!" Mulder said looking up to him but keeping his chin on the floor trying to seem meeker than he was feeling. "Jai non parlez fraincais?" He winced at the echo of his own voice the unfamiliar language sounding terrible.
The armed man looked down at him unconvinced and pointed his gun between the both of them before walking away.
"Fermez la bouche!" he said laughing. Scully let her forehead rest on the tiles and let out the breath she had been holding.
FBI Basement Office
24 hours earlier
"Scully, get packed we're leaving in two hours."
The statement she was hoping for was a simple hello, good morning, how did you sleep. Not orders to turn around go home and pack. Dana Scully continued to take her coat off and leisurely hung it up on the coat rack inside the door of the basement office. Slowly she made her way around the desk to sit down and sip her hot coffee.
"Sorry Mulder what did you say?"
"We gotta get packing. Flight leaves in an hour." He was rolling down his sleeves and buttoning his cuffs, a little gesture that told her he'd been here for long enough to roll them up.
"What flight? Where?" Blowing softly over her coffee she let the steam curl before her eyes and took another sip.
"Canada. Don't forget your Passport."
"Canada?" This time the surprise filtered through and she sat forward setting her drink on the table and crossing her arms as she fixed him with a curious stare.
"Skinner signed the case over this morning so we gotta get out there right away."
"What case Mulder? An Xfile?"
"Of sorts." His evasive answers were almost intriguing but her interest wasn't peaked enough to make her rush out and pack a case.
"C'mon Mulder what's going on?" she urged.
"I'll tell you on the way," he teased loving the challenging look in her eyes and the thin line of her lips when he fed her titbits. "But the flight really does leave in an hour."
"You could have called me at home and let me know we were leaving."
"I only found out two minutes ago. Kim called me with the flight details." They both rushed side by side up the small stairwell to the parking garage. "I'll meet you at the check in desk."
"Where are we going?"
"Canada. Well Quebec. Well Montreal"
Her surprise was obvious but he sat into his car and drove past her offering her only a vague smile. Scully took a deep breath as she sat into her car, resisting the urge to follow him at break neck speeds and force him to tell her she drove slowly out of the garage and made her way home as quick as the traffic would allow.
Packing was always an adventure when given such a short notice but she managed to fit in four different outfits and all her personal stuff before she saw the clock and rushed out the door. Her passport was secured in her bag with her badge and she checked it one last time before she started the car. Parking in the long-term car park she hurried to the right check in desk only to find Mulder at the top of a long queue.
"There she is, I knew she'd make it."
"Dana Scully?" the steward asked as Scully approached.
"Yes, sorry I'm late."
"Not at all, your partner was beginning to worry though."
Scully spotted the appreciative smile the steward aimed at Mulder but he wasn't looking instead he seemed to be fishing for something in his bag.
"Okay if you could go straight through to departures your leaving from gate seventeen. Amusez-vous bien."
Handing his bag through the carousel and taking back his ticket Mulder smiled oddly at the steward then hurried to catch up with Scully who was buying a packet of mints at a newsagent by the departures lounge entrance.
"French. Hmmm," he muttered aloud and she took her change from the cashier and turned to him.
"You speak any French?" she asked.
"Voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?" he said with a wide grin as they passed into the lounge and made their way to the gate.
"I don't think that's gonna help us much Mulder."
"You never know Scully, you never know."
The flight was under an hour and with a smooth ride in comfortable seats on the half empty plane Mulder stretched out in the row behind her. His feet stuck out into the aisle and after one to many bangs from the trolley he drew them up onto the seat and tried to relax. She itched to ask him about the case during the flight but he feigned sleep. Usually by know she was reading the case file but the fact that Mulder accidentally packed it in the back that he checked in meant she had to wait.
"So, you gonna tell me about this case at all?" Scully asked finally as they took their bags from the collection depot and bee lined for the Avis car rental desk.
"All in due time Scully."
If it hadn't been for the public setting Scully would have dropped her bag and refused to move any further unless he explained the case to her. His baiting was quickly becoming tired and she wanted to be out of the dark where this case was involved sooner rather than later. Mulder took the rental keys with a warm smile at the eager receptionist then led the way to a large blue pick up truck.
"It's all they had!" he said with a shrug when he spotted her arched brows. Tossing the bags into the back they climbed in and Mulder gunned the engine switching the heating on full blast before moving. From the glove compartment he pulled a map and handed it to Scully.
"Navigator." He said smiling.
"We're not staying in Montreal?"
"No. A small village out side it called Milean."
"That's only about a hundred miles away Mulder!" Scully exclaimed when she located it on the map. "Okay Mulder. What's going on?"
"Milean is a small village out side Montreal."
"Yes I gathered that."
"Skinner signed off on this case!" Mulder jumped in putting the car into gear and pulling out of the carpark. Sensing the disapproving tone in her voice he immediately jumped on the defensive and mentally prepared himself. "It's a valid FBI Investigation."
"So you said. What's going on? Why the rush to fly out to Canada? Why not send agents who might have a fluency in French?" Her rapid-fire questions were ignored until he made his way away from the airport traffic and onto the main stretch of road.
"Scully all these signs are in French?" he said pointing to the large black and white signs that were posted along the road.
"Mulder, if you don't tell me about this case straight away I'm jumping out and going back to DC."
"Okay, okay..." he hesitated a moment longer then spotted a truck stop and pulled in. "Lets get some coffee and I'll tell you all about it."
"No Mulder tell me now. No coffee. Talk." Her voice was stern and she crossed her arms across her chest turning slightly towards him to hit him with the full force of her glare.
"Adam Tyson, son to Michael Tyson who is a good friend to Walter Skinner." From the back seat Mulder pulled out his folder and opened it on a photo of a healthy looking young man who Scully guessed was in his mid twenties. "Michael Tyson is currently living in Texas where he is up for re-election this year for governor and his son is studying in the University of Montreal."
"The kid is missing?" Scully said reading from the private letter addressed to Skinner from Mr Tyson.
"The kid is a twenty four year old male who finished for the Christmas holidays a week ago. He was expected back in Texas on the 16th but has yet to turn up."
"Twenty four?" Scully was sceptical at the rush for the missing persons case but let him continue with minimal interruption.
"He's a post grad student finishing a thesis on the possibilities of light travel. He was last seen leaving the campus with a girl in a truck much like the one you are in now Scully."
"When?"
"Last day of college on the 14th."
"Who was he with?"
"Colleen Murphy. His girlfriend who has been at home since the 15th, without Adam and swears she dropped him off at the train station."
"So why are we going to Milean? Why aren't we taking up our investigation in Montreal University? Talking to Colleen?"
For a moment Mulder said nothing but he turned down the heating and smiled at the way Scully didn't question the validity of the investigation, knowing she would do anything for Skinner too.
"Because a phone call was made." He said deliberately as if it would be enough information.
"A phone call."
"To Adams parents house two days ago."
"From?"
"Adam."
"Mulder you've danced around this for way too long. What's going on and give it to me straight."
"There is a cult in Milean called Salvation."
"Adam has joined a cult."
"Not just joined a cult. Started a cult all of his own."
"In a week?" she said unconvinced.
"Well that's why we are here. To check it out. Make some discreet observations." He started the car again and pointed towards the coffee stop with his head. When Scully refused silently with a shake of her head he drove back out onto the highway.
"Discreet being the operative word."
"Not something a would be Governor wants on his record. That's why we are here and not a field agent from Montreal." He got to a roundabout and looked up at the signs puzzled wondering why there wasn't an English alternative.
"Okay Mulder but why all the secrecy? Did Skinner think someone would over hear us talking about it?"
"No. That was just me!" He spotted the sign for road 57 and followed it smiling. She slapped his arm with the map but couldn't help the small smile. "Sorry Scully but I love to see you squirm like that!"
A/N: just a bit of MSR fluff I wrote...if you like it I'll keep adding more.