SEARCH PART THREE

Later, a brief interlude of Peace and Gossip in the Spring

Elspeth lay sprawled comfortably on her belly, staring lazily through the new grass towards the frisbee tossing Serenity and Lil, and the five dogs running around them. Scully looked down at her from her cross-legged position next to her on the picnic blanket and suppressed a sudden surge of envy at Elspeth's affectionate half smile. The other woman was utterly, overwhelmingly in love with Serenity, and while not a particularly demonstrative person, her joy in her partner was very evident in her expression and manner whenever she was around her. Scully didn't think she'd ever had anyone care for her that much, and she knew she herself had never loved anyone like that.

Thinking about Else and Wren made her think about Liliana's relationship status. She swallowed a bite of her egg salad sandwich, and fed the last bite to the great white Medea, panting eagerly on the blanket next to her.

Elspeth rolled to look up at her, saying with a smile," You're going to spoil her, you know."

"I know. Hey, Elspeth?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Tell me about Liliana's lover, the one that went off to Antarctica? I mean," she said hastily in answer to Elspeth's raised eyebrow, "she told me it was awful at the end, but that was years ago. Why is she still so gun shy? She always avoids the topic of relationships, except to tease me."

Elspeth looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, then sighed. "Well, you heard us talking about the miserable bitch a bit earlier. She probably wouldn't mind, I know the two of you have gotten close the past few months, and I know she trusts you. She's always afraid and embarrassed to talk about it. Liliana fell in love with that... that person when she was still in graduate school. She was ten years younger, and sort of vulnerable. Naïve, you know? And feuding with her family a bit, so she was kind of disconnected. They're good people, but they're second generation Mexican Catholic, and they didn't know what to think when their beloved daughter pulled WAY out of what they'd expected. I've known her since undergraduate days, and I knew ole' Caroline before she did." Scully started slightly, and then nodded slightly to herself. She'd sort of suspected, ever since she'd noticed Lil's avoidance of specific pronouns, though she wondered why the woman would hide it, with her obvious acceptance of Elspeth and Serenity.

"She seemed okay at first, a little wild, and really for the first five or six years it was alright. Caroline was possessive, and she encouraged Lil to express her reckless side, but only with her. They were always together, the only time we spoke alone towards the end was online or on a rescue. Caroline got Lil to do some pretty risky, dangerous things, like free climbing type fives and chasing tornadoes, stuff like that, and worse, things dangerous in other ways. She was always after the next thrill, in EVERY way, and she dragged Lil along." Elspeth paused, staring sightlessly at the hot blue sky, the sounds of dogs and laughter in the background.

Finally deciding how to go on, she said, "Lil did things I don't think she'd have done, otherwise. Got hurt all the time, it's just luck she's totally fit and healthy now. Anyway, the last two years, Caroline was constantly picking at her, trying to get her to drop her creative writing and focus on techie stuff - she's good at that, but she hates it --, to drop the dog stuff, things like that. It didn't matter what it was, if it wasn't something she controlled, she wanted it changed. Then she stopped all that, made up with Lil, seemed to change, but... In the end, she turned out to be having an affair with that bird guy and just took off for the great beyond. It devastated Lil - she still maybe loved her, had lived with her most of her adult life, and she'd trusted her. It took a few years, but she got over that, I know she's not in love with that old bitch - excuse me Medea - but she's definitely not anxious to try again. I think she's decided on celibacy, and she's stubborn and cautious enough to go for it. Anyway, why, did you want to set her up with somebody?"

Elspeth's visible eye had a distinct glint to it as she spoke, though Scully missed it, looking away towards the frisbee players.

Scully was scowling, having gotten angrier and angrier as she'd listened, both to what Elspeth said and didn't say. "If I ever meet Caroline, point her out so I can plot damages," she said, not even registering Elspeth's last comment. 'I wonder what I could get Frohike to do, if I wasn't so law abiding and all. The IRS, perhaps? '

She dropped back onto the blue and yellow blanket, resting on bent arms, brooding on someone who could be cruel to the friendly, generous, and gentle Liliana. The fact that that cruel person was a woman somehow made it seem worse.

She didn't even notice that she didn't worry about her friend being a lesbian, as she might have done years before. Years on the X-Files and as a forensic pathologist had given her a different perspective on sin, and some of the proscriptions of her Church and childhood seemed superficial, worthy of little consideration in real life.

Elspeth had snorted in agreement, and rolled back over onto her belly, this time looking speculatively through her lashes at Scully. 'Hmmm. This could be fun, if it's what I think it is. Lil's a bit too cautious any more, and definitely too stubborn about ignoring her own wants and needs. Dana would have to do most of the work -if she even realizes what she's doing.'

Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly as Wren and Lil reappeared from over the hill, walking back towards them slowly, dogs darting back and forth underneath. Elspeth smirked at the sight of her partner, wishing they were alone and could speculate about their newest friend's feelings for one of their oldest. Serenity dropped down next to her, smiling back, and grabbed her sandwich, cheerfully pirating her partner's lunch. "So what have y'all been talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Scully a shade too quickly. "Nice game?"

"Yeah, it was fun. I think Flounder here might make a decent frisbee dog," replied Lil, happily oblivious to any odd nuances. "Any left for me?"