Mirrors on the ceilings

The pink Champagne's on ice

And she said

We are all just prisoners here

Of our own device

And in the Master's chambers

They gather for the feast

They stab it with their steely knives

But they just can't kill the beast

The Eagles

Agent Starrling had opted to drive back to the motel, the book that the agents had found at the home of the victim had taken a lot out of Mulder, he had gone white at the site of it. She knew that his specialty was ritualistic fetishes, and for a man with that background to be shaken, she knew the pictures in that book were something that may even make Lector want to puke.

Maybe.

"Mulder," he answered his ringing phone, happy when his silent wish had been answered.

"Mulder I just got done going over the body." Scully had smiles in the back of her voice; she must have gotten the candy he mused.

"Find anything good?" Your Royal Highness, he thought biting back laughter.

"Mulder there are some curiosities about this case that lead me to believe it may be an X-File." She couldn't believe she was telling him this, maybe it was the candy talking, but she still made a mental note to have her head examined at some point.

"Yeah, Scully," he agreed. "I feel you there, but..." he trailed off looking at the woman driving.

"You are afraid to tell her aren't you?" Scully almost had to cover the phone to keep from literally guffawing. "What's wrong Mulder; scared your new buddy will lose respect for you?" She stopped in the middle of the tirade. "Mulder, I think I may know what these marks on the legs are, I want to check against the other markings first, but it may shed some light on the motives of the perp."

"You do that Scully, and let me know when you get something hammered down ok?" he was surprised she didn't mention anything about his little joke, though he figured she would rather kill him in person than warn him of his death over the phone.

She agreed and they hung up. "Starrling…" Mulder began shuffling his feet against the floor of the rental car.

"You think," she began smirking. "That there may be something more than just odd about this case right?"

"Would you think any less of me as a man if I told you I was afraid to mention it to you?" he looked out the window for a minute. "That book, Agent Starrling, " he choked. "That book is for serious satanic worshippers. There were pictures in that book of actual animal sacrifices. It was like a book of Shadows…" he cleared his throat and fell silent for a while.

"You think they were all into it don't you?" she asked picking up on his quiet mood.

"Yeah, and I think our perp knew all about it. It explains a lot of the staging Starrling." He absently placed another sunflower seed in his mouth. "I think he believes he is actually doing the Lord's work here."

"Maybe he is Agent Mulder." She threw out, flooring him with her remark.

He sighed and went on. "Let's run over to the field office and have them fax over a completed file on all the girls. We may have to go back and retrace some steps here, you up for it?" he asked smoothly.

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Mulder and Starrling sat in the back of the local field office, waiting for the fax on the info they had requested. "I gotta tell ya Mulder," Starrling whispered over to Mulder, "The last thing I expected on this one was to be thrown into an X-File." She grinned.

"Agent Starrling, I am surprised at you, I thought my reputation preceded me," he smiled at her in earnest. "Hey, you come down to the basement, and you take your career into your own hands…"

"So, much like Super Chicken, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it?" she was almost in tears laughing. She hadn't had this much fun since college. Mulder had a way of bringing that out of people.

The fat agent from last night dropped the thick case files unceremoniously on the table between them before grunting and slumping away from the odd couple. "Starrling," Mulder purred as he began to sort through the papers. "I think you have a fan…"

"Aww Mulder, and here I was thinking he could be your Valentine."

"Ouch Starrling, " he grinned. "Hey, look at this." Mulder hopped up and began pinning papers onto the empty bulletin board.

Agent Starrling rose and followed the suddenly hyper man as he arranged photos on the board. "They are all the same." She flared. "It's like a mark, a signature maybe?"

"These were done post mortem, I think," he began fishing for his phone. "That these are some sort of protection symbols."

"Protection from what Mulder?" it seemed a little odd for her that the murderer would be trying to protect the girls he had killed.

"Not from Agent Starrling, for." He hit the speed dial to try and reach Scully before she left out. "He's not trying to protect these girls from anything. He's trying to protect humanity from them.'

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Dana Scully parked in front of the building that housed the Lone Gunmen; Frohike's glee at her arrival was more than just passing.

"Agent Scully," he sang, guiding her into the building. "I wish we knew you were coming we would have straightened up a bit." He ran his fingers through his wild balding head as Langley tried to turn off the monitors that displayed nudity.

Byers stepped out from the kitchen, "What's up agent Scully?" he smiled.

"I have something I need your expertise for." It was always good to stroke their ego a little; they worked faster and less grumpy that way.

She showed them the pictures, as they busied themselves scanning the images into their computers to be cross referenced, her phone rang.

"Scully,"

"Scully, it's me." Well duh Mulder, she thought. "I think these are some form of talisman etchings. What do you know or remember from Catechism in grade school?" Why did he always make her feel like it was test day and she forgot to study?

"Not a whole lot Mulder, I tried to block that all out, all those plaid skirts and knee socks…"

"Not now Scully," she could hear his voice crack slightly, "I am on to something here. " He paused before going on. "I think our vics were into some pretty nasty stuff. Agent Starrling and I are out here at the Pittsburgh field office looking over some of the older cases. Scully I think these girls were into serious satanic rituals."

"Mulder," she had that admonishing tone in her voice that she always got when he got too excited over something. Usually something weird and bizarre. "This isn't like that case we went on where frogs rained on us is it, because that was just gross."

"They were toads Scully, and besides, those people were amateurs, these girls…" he took in a deep breath. "Have not just networked, I think they have franchised. Are you over at the guys'?"

"Yes I am, can't you here Frohike panting?" she grinned

"Hey," Frohike pouted, "I could make you pant if you want…"

"Have them do some searching for occult news groups and internet chat groups we are looking for serious Satan loving teens here, so you might want to steer clear of the porn sites."

"Mulder," she whined.

"Hey Scully,"

"Hmm?" she asked trying to sound disinterested; she had caught the non work note in his voice.

"You didn't get anything for Valentine's day huh?" he asked in almost a hushed tone.

"No, why?" she grinned. Oh yeah buddy your gonna twist, and wait till you get yours…

"No reason." He sighed, afraid of what was coming.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day had become a tedious excursion in eye strain. Mulder and Starrling poured over each case, stacks and stacks of documents, stopping only long enough to ingest something that was similar to lunch.

"Agent Mulder," Starling began, "I don't see how these girls could have managed to get into all of this occultism without anyone knowing about it…" Ok, she thought, so I am still trying to reel this one in, so what? She still hadn't decided how she felt about working an actual X-File.

"Starrling, we are looking into the possibility that these girls not only all knew each other, but got together to perform cult sacrifices and rituals."

"Do you think they had a purpose in this? I mean they all seem to be from decent backgrounds, great grades..."

"Maybe that is part of it Starrling," he mused eyeing a photo of the fifth victim. "Maybe this is about getting a bigger piece of the American Dream than what they had to start with."

Starrling in a way understood what he was trying to say here. "You think this is about ambition?"

"It was, at least it started out that ay, but somewhere along this path, and either they got drawn in or…'

"They jumped into something they were not supposed to" she took another bite of her sub,"Mulder, this does go along with your theory…"

"The priest thing? Yeah, he found out about all of this, it is the only thing that fits with the profile Starling. Look at the crimes, they are almost offertory. We assumed he was trying to make a statement, as most of them are. But this one is different, even my perversely skeptical partner has her doubts on this one." He grinned

"You two are very close aren't you?" she knew she was hitting a touchy subject here, but she had opened up to him first, now it was his turn.

Tit for Tat, Clarice, he purred inside her head.

Fox Mulder blushed, ducking his head a little not wanting to meet Clarice Starrling's knowing glare, "We get along really well." He offered as vaguely as possible.

"Agent Mulder, I have spent a lot of time around you in the past few days, and I can say honestly that the two of you are unnaturally close." she smiled so sweetly at this that Mulder had to grin back.

He had taken on the look of a boy with a crush, he wasn't aware that this happened every time he had a not so casual discussion where Agent Scully's name came up. "If the Bureau knew half the conversations we had…" he stopped here, shaking his head. "I need her Agent Starrling, professionally she is my perfect partner, do you get that? I can't run the risk of losing her because of…hormones. Beyond that Agent Starrling, whew that is a tough one. We have been through more together in five years than most partners see in a lifetime. She always has my back."

"So you two just go along torturing each other? That doesn't sound very healthy to me Mulder," She placed her hand on his shoulder in solidarity. "Have you considered what might happen if she decides she wants more?"

"Pretty much, yeah, always skirting the issue, dodging the proverbial bullet, all to keep the X-Files going. We dance around that office like two people who have been married for years, and yet I can tell you that we have never taken anything to a level that would threaten our positions. We are so close to the Truth…"

"Yeah," she frowned. "Closer to the Truth than either of you realize."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dana Scully sat at the computer rubbing her burning eyes for the millionth time that afternoon. They had been at it all day, trying to find any group on the internet that would cross reference the names of the girls that had been murdered. Scully wasn't sure about if they would find anything, that perhaps wither the perp, or the girls themselves had shut the whole thing down once they realized what was going on. She had stopped her own searching to make one short visit onto a web site, and a purchase. Rush delivery was happily paid.

"Scully," she answered her phone.

"Agent Scully," Skinner spoke in his usually authoritative monotone voice. "The case that you two are working on, there has been some new developments. I've already called Mulder and Starrling to return to DC immediately. I need for you to come to my office as soon as you can get here."

"May I ask what this is about Sir?"

"Not over the phone Agent Scully..." he warned.

"I'll be there in an hour."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mulder entered the basement office with Clarice in tow, they had hopped the first flight back to DC, and had made it to the Hoover building in record time, mostly thanks to Starrling's souped up death mobile. Man he swore to himself never to complain about Scully's driving ever again.

The phone call from Scully had informed them to meet in the basement; she had been cloaked and vague about what information could be so important to drag them off of the case in mid stroke. Once he entered their office, he realized there was more to this than he had even guessed at.

There were two girls, roughly the same age as the other victims, and guessing from the looks of their dress, they were roughly from the same background as the other girls.

"Agent Mulder," she began, "Agent Starrling, I would like for you to meet Frannie Holmes, and Reesa Morgan" she walked closer to where the two agents were standing, looking Mulder in the eye. "They came to offer some information on this case, and to ask for protection."

Mulder eyed the two teens suspiciously, aware of what these girls were up to and had gotten away with. "I need to ask you girls some questions."

The taller one, Frannie, looked at the blonde, Reesa as if to say 'I told you so," They spoke wordlessly to each other before either one would answer. "What do you want to know?" Reesa asked.

Mulder hopped up on top of his desk, pulling something out of his briefcase. "I want to know about this." He said shoving the book from Jordana's room in front of them.

They shuddered visibly at the sight of the book, Frannie began to sob and shake bad enough to elicit Scully's attention. "You ok Ms. Holmes?" she asked, though not terribly concerned.

"This was all Jordana's idea in the first place, that's why she had the Book." Frannie sobbed.

"Shut Up Frannie, don't be such a Nark." Reesa warned.

"No" Mulder began "You are both gonna talk cause fourteen of your friends are dead, and silence isn't going to help on this one."

Frannie looked like she was going to shatter into a million pieces at any time; Reesa maintained her tough outer appearance, but Mulder's keen senses saw something in her eyes akin to absolute fear and panic. "Jordana said this would really get us set for life." Frannie whined. "She said we would be able to go into what ever field we wanted to, as long as we kept up our…games."

"She called this a game?" Starrling asked a little sickened by eh cavalier nature this was all taking from the girl's' part.

"Yeah," it was Reesa's turn to speak. "The rest of us wanted to get into college, but Jordana, man she took to it like a duck to water. She just went off to community college, said she wanted to stay close to the hunting grounds back home.'

"I think," Scully came around and seated herself next to Mulder on the desk, "That you girls had better start at the beginning, and if you want our help on this, don't leave anything out."

I gotta tell you guys this is TOO much fun...