The snow started to fall at around lunchtime in light flakes that melted against the window almost instantly. The heater was providing enough warm air to keep them both comfy and Scully had to admit the extra space was comfortable even though her legs didn't usually feel cramped.
Mulder had pulled his puffy coat off over an hour ago and was wearing just his shirt and tie but she admired the starkness of the deep red tie against the crisp white shirt until she glanced down and saw the milk stain on the end of it.
"We should have been there by now Mulder," she said tearing her eyes away from his crotch where the end of his tie reached.
"Yeah I know. Where are we?"
"Canada?"
"How about something a bit more specific?"
"On the 364 highway," she said after glancing at the map blankly then seeing a road marker pass by.
"364? Should we be on that?" he slowed the car down and pulled up on to the verge.
"I have no idea Mulder, this map is in French," she answered with a giggle that was bubbling a little louder than she intended.
"Let me see!" He reached for the map but she held it out of his grasp.
"Why will it suddenly be in English because you are reading it?"
"Scully! Show me the map!" he asked but the twinkle in her eye and the curve on her lips robbed him of his tone.
"Do you speak French Mulder? Parlez Vous Francais?"
"Non!" He snatched the map but she let go and let him have it having made her point. "Right...364...3...6...4...oh crap."
"What?" sliding closer to him on the wide seat she peered over at the map he had spread out over the steering wheel.
"Highway 364...and Milean." He pointed them both out on the map and Scully looked on in dismay at the four inches that easily marked the distance between them. "We've taken a wrong turn."
"Well we could be on the other side of the highway," she suggested glancing at the long stretch of road the highway took up.
"I don't think so...we came off the 327 heading east but to be honest I dunno what we were doing on that road either."
"We've taken a couple of wrong turns?"
"Yes."
"Well let's keep going and stop at the next town and get directions. We don't want to get lost out here in this weather," she added after seeing the snow was falling heavier now.
Mulder nodded in agreement and started the engine again. Scully took the map and folded it in a way so they could see the road they were following. After struggling to get the car in first gear Mulder released the clutch and revved the engine but nothing happened. He revved it more and the truck shook beneath them but didn't move forward.
"What's happened?" Scully asked looking out the window at the ever-increasing snowfall.
"I dunno." Opening the door Mulder stuck his head out and revved the engine more. The wheel spun in the slick snow and he noticed that in the short time they had been sitting there the tyres had almost been buried. Slamming the door shut and shaking his head free of fallen snow Mulder reached into the back seat for his coat. "The back tyres are buried in snow, I'll need to dig them out. You slam on the accelerator when I bang on the car."
Zipping his coat up to it's fullest and fitting on the heavy gloves Mulder got out of the truck and Scully slid over to take his seat. Listening tentatively for the bang on the car her foot hovered over the large pedal.
Cold wind whipped around Mulders bare face and he suddenly wished he'd thought to bring a balaclava or ski mask. His gloves weren't sufficient to keep the cold wet snow from finding its way up to his cuffs but he hurriedly dug the snow away from the tyres scooping it out between his legs like a dog. When he thought he had cleared it enough he banged on the boot and watched the wheels spin around on the slick ice again. Back to digging he dug deeper and freed it totally then with both hands pushing the truck hoping he'd make the difference he banged on the boot with a frozen fist.
Scully heard the thumping and pressed her foot heavily onto the pedal gritting her teeth as she pressed harder when it still didnt move. Then suddenly the truck lurched forward, propelling her back against the seat. She gripped the steering wheel and drove it back onto the road to stop it on tarmac for Mulder to get back in. Looking back in the rear view mirror Scully tried to spot Mulder but the snow was falling thick and fast now making visibility slim. Rolling down the window she called out his name then the shadowy figure of a weary man walked along side the truck. Sliding back to her own seat Scully watched Mulder climb back in, his clothes soaking through and his lips having turned blue.
"Roll up the window Mulder!" she said switching the heat up full and turning all the fans to face him. His shaking hands weren't strong enough to roll the window up so Scully reached across him and quickly did it. Pulling his gloves of she rubbed his hands in between hers to get the circulation back in them. "Take your coat off Mulder...I think you'll need to change your clothes."
He struggled with the zip his numb fingers unable to grasp the elusive metal tug. Too cold to care he let Scully pull it down and drag the coat off his shoulders. His tie was stiff with the cold and she struggled to loosen it but got it low enough to pull over his head; his shirt sodden and cold was all but ripped open by her sure hands. From his bag in the back seat she got him a jumper and a towel, patting him dry as best she could before slipping the jumper over his head.
"How do you feel?"
"Bbbetter! Thankkks."
The cab was roasting hot now and she could see the colour back in his cheeks. Looking down at his trousers she noticed they were soaking through from the mid thigh to the ankle so she pulled him out a fresh pair and a pair of grey boxer shorts.
"Think you can do the rest your self?" she said smiling holding out the clothes to him.
"Yeah, I think I can manage from here!"
He climbed over the seat and into the back as Scully slid over to the driver's side. Putting the truck into gear she drove out onto the road keeping her eyes on the little bit of tarmac she could see rather than the glimpses of bare Mulder leg that was lurking out over the seat as he struggled to change out of his wet clothes.
"You okay back there!"
"Eyes on the road G-Woman!"
"Oh Mulder you know how I like to see you squirm!"
A wet sock flew at her from the back seat but it hit the windshield without getting her. Soon after it was followed by Mulder who claimed the passenger seat. He wasn't wearing his shoes and explained that they were still too wet to wear.
"I left them to dry up on the floor."
"Don't you have your sneakers? You're toes will freeze."
"I'll be fine. So where are we going?"
"We're following the 364 until we see some signs of civilisation and then we'll either get directions to Milean or find a hotel."
"Motel," Mulder corrected idly looking at the map trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong.
"No Mulder, H-otel! After dragging my up here...HO-tel!" Mulder looked up and saw her glare tainted with only a small smile so he conceded the point and nodded his head.
"Okay, okay a HO-tel."
Finally the dimness of the snowstorm let up enough for the cool lights of the town ahead to shine through. Scully increased the speed a little gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as Mulder reached into the back and slipped into his still damp shoes. Driving slowly through the deserted streets of the town Mulder pointed out a bar that had a flashing red neon light announcing it was open.
"Shouldn't we look for a hotel or something? It's getting late."
"Any port in a storm Scully."
Reluctantly she pulled up at the curb outside the pub and killed the engine. Mulder dragged their coats from the back seat and they both zipped up before stepping out into the heavy snowfall. The stiff heavy wooden door of the bar opened up with a big push and Mulder ushered Scully in quickly before stepping in himself.
Soft country music was played in the background and two elderly men held up the bar, an even older one standing on the other side pouring out a shot of whiskey for himself. Approaching the bar Mulder unzipped his coat and claimed a high leather stool with Scully standing at his side.
"Hello."
"Allo," the barman replied turning towards them and placing a napkin in front of each of them.
"We were wondering if you could give us directions? We're trying to get to Milean?" Mulder said reaching for the map he's slipped into his pocket.
"Pardon?" the heavy accent poured through.
"Oh...right...French..." glancing at Scully he shrugged.
"Parlez vous l'anglais?" Scully said her pronunciation lacking any French accent.
"Non, je ne parle pas anglais. Parlez-vous de français?"
Mulder and Scully exchanged a confused glance and shrugged at eachother. Unfolding the map out wide on the bar Mulder pointed at the highway 364 and then made wide gestures with his hands.
"We are...here...somewhere," he said then pointing at the village Milean then at himself and Scully he said, "We want to go here."
"Ah, je vois, vous avez complètement pris la mauvaise route. Vouz devez prendre le 364 a l'ouest vers 30 milles, puis le 322 et à travers au 316."
"Yeah I didn't get any of that how about you Scully?" Mulder asked a sharp feeling of dread creeping around his belly.
"No."
"Pardon me...I speak un peu English. You need to get to Milean?" One of the men who were drinking at the other end of the bar spoke up and walked over towards them holding his glass of wine in his hand.
"Yes, yes, yes we do."
"Very far..." he muttered looking down at the map and pointing to the exact spot of the small town."Saint de Martin. That's where we are."
"That's not quite where we thought we were," Scully said softly a brief thought fluttering through her head as to why she was whispering when no one hear could understand what she was saying.
"No but we can still make it tonight I think."
"Ce soir? Tonight? No you can't leave here tonight."
"Why?"
"Les routes ...the roads they are fermies...closed."
"But we just came from there."
"Snow storm. Roads closed."
"Is there a hotel in town?" Scully asked eagerly.
"No. No hotel. Pierre has rooms upstairs for visitors." He turned to the barman and Mulder and Scully watched in awe as their sleeping arrangements were made. Both men spoke in quick French loudly and waved their arms about animatedly. "Oui, oui, he says you can use the room. It's on top of the stairs first door on left."
"Room?" Scully said glancing at Mulder and looking up to a suspicious staircase that led to a darkened hallway.
"Yes scully, room." Mulder stood and brushed his hands together as if cleaning them of dust. "I'll go and grab our bags if you call skinner."
He left before she could argue and she was forced to make the awkward call to their superior. Trying to explain that they had gotton lost, were stranded in a small town 150 miles away from where they were supposed to be and that the roads were closed wasn't easy with three men watching her and sipping whiskey. Even though they couldn't understand her she kept her voice low and curt.
"Yes sir I'll call you as son as we get on the road in the morning," she was saying as Mulder appeared by her side and dropped their luggage to the floor.
"I hope you didn't tell him that his two favourite agents would be cavorting in the same room tonight."
"No I left that out and as far as I know that man said nothing about cavorts of any sort."
"He was speaking French Scully you couldn't tell." He lifted their bags and they made their way to the room they were renting.
"Neither could you."
"I'm a man Scully, of course I can tell!"
She slapped him on the back and he pretended to stumble forward falling through the door they had been directed to. The room was dark and musty the air stale and warm. One large bed was pressed against the wall opposite the window that was covered in a threadbare curtain. The walls were bare save for a small painting of a dog next to the door.
"How lovely," she said glancing around and testing the bed with an uncertain hand.
"C'mon Scully it's only for one night."
"That's if the snow lets up."
"Oh my god! We could be stuck here forever, forced to learn the language and procreate, forcing our kids to celebrate Bastille Day!" Slapping the back of his hand onto his forehead he fell backwards onto the bed and sighed. "Woe is me!"
"Alright Mulder. Let it go. Lets go down stairs and get a drink."
"I knew there would be cavorting!"
Down in the pub they found the three men sitting where they had left them. Mulder stepped up to the bar as Scully claimed a seat across the room in a small worn out booth that was boxed in with a juke box on one side and a poker machine on the other. Glancing at what was on offer Mulder let his eyes skim over he numerous bottles of wine but didn't recognise any of them. Finally out of the need for simplicity he pointed at the draught tap and held up two of his fingers.
"Deux Bierre sil vous plais?" he said nervously hoping his meagre French would get him the drinks but then the bar man let out a whoop of laughter grabbing his portly stomach.
"Très bien," he said laughing as he poured out two pints of Stella Artois and passed them to Mulder. Mulder fumbled in his wallet reaching for the right notes then took the change and brought the drinks over to Scully.
"What's this?" she asked taking the glass and eyeing up the murky liquid suspiciously.
"Beer."
"What kind?"
"I have no idea!" he said laughing taking a deep sip and swallowing hard. "Hey it's not bad." He took another mouthful and watched Scully do the same.
"Tastes like Miller," she said as she licked her lips free of the white froth.
"Maybe it is."
"Maybe it's not."
"So what's the plan of action?" Mulder said changing topics so suddenly it took a moment for her to realise.
"Well if the roads are down, it's getting quite late anyway so I suppose it's a matter of waiting till morning and assessing the situation then."
"Hold up here, in the bar, sleeping upstairs in that room."
"It was your idea Mulder. We're both armed FBI Agents...what could possibly go wrong?" she tasted her beer again and found herself liking the tangy bite to the golden froth.
"Famous last words."
"Rocky horror picture show," she said suddenly.
"What?"
"A couple whose car breaks down go into a strange house for shelter and assistance..." she glanced around the room significantly as she spoke.
"Only I don't see any transvestite surgeons, I can't see that guy launching into song and we're not a couple."
"We should be safe then." Glancing at him over the rim of her glass under hooded eyes she waved her brows and he saw the smile. "Okay lets go over the case and get a head start on the morning."
With a curt nod Mulder raced up to the room and grabbed the case file. The evening quickly turned into night as they spread the sheets out before them researching what little they could about Adam Tyson from the interviews the local authorities had done. Mulder had ordered another round of drinks and they finished them quickly talking animatedly about thoughts and theories of the disappearance and the cult he'd started.
An ornate clock over the bar stuck ten pm loudly with an off tune song and small figures dancing. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and watched the clock finish its chime.
"How often do you think they've seen it...and yet they seem riveted," Mulder whispered leaning over to her and speaking from the side of his mouth.
"Yeah I noticed but then it's not like there are a wealth of alternatives around here."
"There could be a city outside that door we missed."
"Well if we did-"
Scullys words were cut short as the room plunged into darkness the clocks eerier tune still ringing out. She heard and felt Mulder arm reach to hover over his gun and the other hand grasped her arm.
"Scully?"
"Yeah."
"Il y a un autre putain de coupure de courant!" they heard on of them say but understood nothing. "Saisez les bougies, et les allumetres."
Mulder tensed as the voices got nearer and he shuffled out of the booth taking Scully with him and standing before the table.
"Hello?" Mulder called out.
"Attendez-là, monsieur, nous venons." Mulder recognised the barman's voice and listened as he crashed into tables as he crossed the room. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and Mulder jumped back, fumbling for his gun.
"Ici monsieur, ici." Mulder felt something pressed into his chest and he reached up and took hold of two candles and a box of matches. Just then over at the bar a match was lit and four candles were sparked up. Feeling like a fool for jumping so nervously Mulder snapped his gun holder closed and set the candles on the table.
"Scared of the dark Mulder?" Scully mocked as he scrabbled with the matches before finally lighting the candles.
"I wasn't expecting it."
"Ça va, monsieur? Je regrette cela, mais le générateur devrait s'allumer pour le chauffage. Je crains que nous serons sans lumière pour le reste de la nuit, cependant, si pas plus longtemps. Vous trouverez les couvertures supplémentaires dans votre chambre dans le bureau."
Mulder and Scully looked back at him blankly and then towards eachother. The barman smiled then walked off and took his normal position behind the bar with one hand resting on the counter the other on his hip.
"Does he realise we don't speak French?" Scully asked softly.
"I don't think so!" he answered unable to keep the laugh out of his voice.
"Pardon...Mr Jordan said that the lights are off." The customer who had spoken a broken and confused English to them earlier had seen their exchange and recognised their confusion. "He said you find blankets in the cupboard in room."
"Oh Okay, thanks." Scully smiled warmly at him.
"I guess we should call it a night, we're not going to get anything else done tonight."
Fixing up the files and slotting hem back into the appropriate folders Scully held them under her arm and followed Mulder to the staircase. She turned to wave to the men and smiled at them as she bid them goodnight. They called out the same to her or at least she hoped they did as it was in French.
Thinking the room looked bad before Scully suddenly thought it looked worse. She slipped the file into her bag and put them both against the door as Mulder rummaged in the cupboards and pulled out two brown heavy woollen blankets. He tossed them onto the bed and spread them out and smiled at his handy work.
"That should keep us warm."
"Where is the bathroom Mulder?" Scully said hoping he might have heard directions...and translated them.
"I don't know. I presume one of the other doors up here."
They both ventured out into the dark landing and Mulder took the lead over to the door opposite them. Opening the door he found a small hotpress with a water tank and empty shelves. The next door was locked but finally the third door was a small but functional bathroom.
"Just like home!" He said as he handed her the candle and scuffled his way back to the room.
When she arrived back in the room she had changed into a black pair of silk pyjamas and her hair was loose about her face. Mulder was lying in the bed against the wall with the blankets pulled up to his chin nothing visible except his head.
"You better be wearing something under there Mulder or I wont be impressed." She stored her toilet bag into her case and walked over to the bed.
"Oh I dunno about that Scully!" he said laughingly.
"In these low temperatures?" she cocked her eyebrow as she pulled back the covers and saw he was infact wearing a pair of grey sweat pants and a black long sleeve top. "I thought so."
"Bit too cold!"
Small puffs of visible air floated before their faces as the cold seeped into the room and coloured their breath. They lay in silence staring at the ceiling and listening to the sounds of the men down stairs continuing their night of drinking.
"I'll blow out the candle." Scully leaned over the side of the bed and shivered against the cold.
"Goodnight Scully."
"Night."
The first thing Mulder did when he woke up was look out the window to see if the snow had cleared during the night. He pulled back the threadbare curtain and glanced at the snow-covered roads but thought the truck would be able to drive over them as long as the weather wasn't worse the further out of town they got. Having done all this without lifting too much Mulder closed the curtain again and pulled his arm back into the considerable heat of the bed and lay still.
Scully had rolled over to him during the night and rested her head on his shoulder. Her hand had made its way to his chest and she settled in against him sleeping soundly comfortable in the warmth he was providing. Her brow was creased in a gentle frown and he knew she would rouse soon to the unfamiliar surroundings. Breathing deliberately slowly he let his eyes close over and tried to relax.
He knew the moment she realised where she was as he body stiffened against his, her toes curled against his bared leg and her hand clenched on his chest. Her breathing became shallow and slow and he expected her to pull away slowly any moment, but to his delighted surprise she let out a sigh and relaxed her pose. Mulder risked opening one eye and glanced down to see her watching him.
"You're awake." Her voice was husky and low and it was killing Mulder to reply so nonchalantly.
"Just."
"What time is it?" she asked stretching her limbs and rolling onto her back, letting her head fall onto the cold pillow.
"It's a little before eight."
"Right. Well let's get this show on the road."
The glimmer of hope he felt pressing against him was dashed quickly in the freezing cold gust of air she let in by pulling back the covers and stepping out of the bed.
"Oh god Scully give a guy a little warning!" he called out against the abrasiveness of the cold.
"Oh get out of bed!" she tossed his bag onto the bed. "The sooner your up and dressed the sooner you'll be warm."
"Yeah well when you put it like that!" he rolled his eyes at her and was rewarded with a bright smile before she left the room to use the bathroom.
It was close to an hour later before they got back onto the road. Scully wasn't surprised to still see the four men in the bar and after a confusing conversation about payment for the room Mulder left fifty dollars on the counter and refused to take it back. They all helped dig the car out and get it started and they waved them off as they took the only open road out of town.
"That was surreal."
"To say the least. So do you know where we are going?" Scully asked looking down at the map and trying to decipher the directions the barman had drawn for them,
"Yes."
"You do?"
"Well I know where we want to go."
"Mulder."
"Look this is the only open road. We'll take this until we find a bigger town and get proper directions. In English."
"Okay, you're driving but if I end up in another room like that one last night..."
"Oh it wasn't all that bad!"
"Yah well thanks for sharing."
"Sharing?"
"The heat."
"Anytime Scully."
Driving slowly through the lightly falling snow Mulder watched the roads as Scully followed the road map carefully making sure they didn't veer off course again. So little traffic was coming against them that Mulder feared that the road would be closed up ahead and that they would be forced to turn back to the bar. Determined to make it through he said nothing to Scully but continued to drive.
His delight was almost palpable at the sight of civilization up ahead. The roads became cleared and he increased the speed eager to get there and get some food, a map in English, a drink of strong black coffee. He nudged Scullys arm and nodded up ahead at the sight of the tall buildings. She smiled in relief and shoved the confusing map into the glove compartment with relish.
"Where do we go?" she asked as they drove gradually through the streets of the town looking on in dismay at the French signs and foreign shops.
"Well it's a fairly big town, I'm sure there is English spoken here. Park up and we'll take a walk around."
Eager to get out of the car too Mulder pulled into a free space and they climbed out into the cold wind. Zipping their coats up tightly they went into a café and sat at a small formica table and waited to be served.
"Puis-je vous aider?"
"Parlez vous l'anglais?" Scully asked tentatively.
"Non, je ne le parle pas ... disoli."
"2 Coffees, please," Mulder said pointing at the items on the menu and smiling. She wrote their order down and left a receipt on the table before rushing back to the kitchen and preparing their drinks.
"This is bizarre."
"I saw an episode of the Twilight Zone where The Germans won the war and had taken over the world and everyone everywhere spoke German."
"I don't think the French are that ambitious."
"I dunno Scully, they have the nuclear power now, who knows what they are planning."
Their drinks arrived in small white cups and Scully added two sugars to hers and a small amount of milk. Mulder left his without both and sipped it gingerly as he gazed out the window.
"You don't usually take sugar Scully," he observed as she stirred her coffee vigorously.
"I think I'm going to need the extra energy today."
"Look," he nodded out the window with his head, still holding his drink with both hands up to his face as if he could drain more heat from it that way. "See across the street?"
"What? The bank?"
"The International Bank of Canada." He took another big drink of his coffee and revelled in the warmth it spread through his chilled body.
"Yes I see it."
"If anyone around here will speak English and be able to give us directions..."
"It'll be at the International bank of Canada."
"Sounds plausible."
"That's you problem though Mulder, you always make it sound plausible no matter how far fetched it may in reality be."
"Well it's a theory I'm willing to test." He drained his coffee and took the receipt up to the counter to pay while Scully finished her own drink. Meeting at the door they quickly crossed the road and went into the bank. An elderly security man held open the door and smiled warmly as they entered.
Nine people worked busily behind the tall counters separated with thick Plexiglas and wooden strips for strength. Another five people made up a small queue in front of the counter with a mixture of young an old. Joining the back of the line Mulder smiled proudly at the signs in English of lower interest rates and better mortgage deals pointing them out with a self-righteous smile to Scully.
She was leafing through a brochure and trying to ignore his silent smugness when the door opened and the deafening sound of a gunshot went off. Automatically reaching behind her back under her jacket for her gun Scully felt only an empty space there and cringed at the mental image of her gun lying in its holster beneath her seat in the car.
The look she saw on Mulders face told her he was feeling the same sense of dismay. Turning towards the door they saw two men racing in brandishing shotguns and while one of them shouted at the crowd the other grabbed the security man into a chokehold and pressed the gun into his side. With her eyes riveted on the scene Scully missed the first gunman walking closer and waving at her to lie down. Mulder was already on the floor and surprised not to see her lying next to him.
"Scully!" He hissed at her.
"ALLONGEZ-VOUS MAINTENANT VOUS SALOPE IDIOTE!" he shouted as he stood next to her and held the gun up to her face. Without understanding the words Scully knew what was asked of her and slowly she lowered her body to the floor immediately feeling the wet floor soak her jeans.
"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.
Finally a third man walked in holding no weapons but with a bigger jacket on than the others, a strange and irregular bulge shaping his midriff suspiciously.
"So much for speaking English in the international bank, Mulder."
"My idea had good premise...my timing wasn't great though!"
"Tais-tois!"
"Sorry...Jai un American! Jai non parlez fraincais?"
"Putains d'Americains!"
A/N : Confused yet? LOL Still like it?
And BTW hat was the weirdest feedback (and most delightful) I received in a long time! Thanks Sisters!