Four Pines Cemetery
October 27th
9:30 a.m.
"The dates on some of these headstones, Scully," Mulder said as he stopped and looked at a very old one, wiping it with two fingers. "1822. It's amazing to think of people living here then. What they would think if they came back for a day."
"Or if we were transported back," she said, a few feet ahead of him.
"Oh, talk about time travel some more, but use bigger words," he said, grinning as he looked up and she flipped him off over her shoulder. He laughed and continued trudging through wet leaves as he followed her.
"You might notice," she said and stopped walking to look at him as she gestured to the surrounding area. "There are no beautiful leaves on the trees."
"Well, because they're on the ground. That's why it's called fall, Scully. The leaves fall from the trees and collect on the ground. I'm surprised you didn't know that," he said, grinning as he brushed past her.
"You should be more surprised that I didn't punch you as you walked by, smart ass," she said and he laughed.
He suddenly slipped and caught himself on the edge of a headstone, managing to not fall completely, as his hand pressed hard into the old stone.
"Oh, look at that, nature took care of you for me," she quipped, placing a hand on his back and waiting until he had his footing before letting go. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Gotta watch out for all the fallen leaves," she said and he gave a fake laugh at her corny joke.
He was more careful with his steps, paying attention to the heavy foliage on the ground, not wanting to repeat his actions, his hand stinging from the force he had placed upon it.
"Here," she said and he flexed his hand with a slight wince as he turned toward her.
There was a raised plinth behind a large headstone upon which sat a collection of empty bottles of beer, tequila, and vodka.
"Some of these have been here for a while," she said, looking at them closer. "The labels are peeled away on the ones in the back."
She shook her head and kept walking as he searched the grounds for any signs of recent activity.
"There's more here. Oh, a condom wrapper… and the condom. Lovely," she said and he joined her, finding her squatting near the condom. "Darcy was right. They're partying out here and having sex. Leaving behind their trash and DNA. Can't think of a less romantic place for a tryst."
"Most likely not about romance at all," he said. "Just people blowing off steam or succumbing to the alcohol and chemicals in their systems. Or both."
"Speaking from experience?" she asked with a teasing smile as she stood up and he glanced at her before looking away. "Oh… things got a little rowdy out there on the vineyard?"
"Could have, but I wouldn't know," he said with a tight smile as he looked at the ground. "For me it was at Oxford."
"Oh," she said after a beat.
"Yeah," he said, meeting her eyes for a brief second and then staring at the bottles on the headstone. "Put a bunch of broken young adults together, despite their intelligence, they're still broken. Still searching for… for something."
He smiled tightly again and his gaze landed on the condom wrapper.
"Probably what these people are doing too. Searching for something, but not sure what it is or how to find it." He shrugged and let out a sigh as he looked at her. "I was different back then, someone I wouldn't recognize today, if I'm completely honest. But, I can sympathize and understand why they would meet out here and…" He gestured to the condom and she looked at it before turning her attention back to him.
"It's a… well, not romantic in the common definition of the word, but… considering death and life, and rebirth, there is a sense of that kind of romance." He smiled sadly and she blinked twice before she nodded.
"Yeah," she said, her voice catching. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah. I understand what you're saying."
"Good," he said. "Keep looking?"
She nodded and they separated, searching the area for any further evidence.
Standing at the tree line to the forest, he paused. Scully was less than twenty feet away, but suddenly it felt as though she was miles from him.
The forest was dark, despite the sun shining overhead, and the air around him felt thick and heavy. He put a hand out and moved his fingers slowly, almost believing that he could feel them pushing through the air and slicing it.
Taking a breath, he stepped forward, a branch breaking beneath his feet. His hand that had gripped the headstone throbbed and he made a low noise of surprise. Rubbing it with his other hand, he took another step into the forest, the air seeming even heavier.
"You see something?" Scully asked and he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Fucking hell," he said, breathing hard as he turned to face her.
"Whoa," she said, her hands up at chest height. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't. You just…"
He drew in a deep breath and let it out as he looked back at the forest. The air felt different now and when he heard a bird chirping, he realized there had been an absence of noise before Scully had joined him.
"You okay?" she asked, stepping to stand beside him, her arms crossed as she looked into the forest. "Did you see something?"
"No," he admitted, shaking his head. "I just thought I'd take a look. See if there was anything."
"You wanna go in further, see if-"
"No," he said quickly and she looked at him in surprise. "I don't want… you didn't feel that?"
"Feel what?" she asked, looking around as the branches blew gently. "The wind?"
"No. It wasn't the wind. It was…" He put his hand out again, moving his fingers slowly, but it no longer felt the same. "…something."
"Mulder?"
"I don't know, Scully. But I think it would be better to come back with more people. More eyes around to… keep an eye out. So to speak." He smiled at her and she raised her eyebrows in reply.
"Okay. It's not a bad idea considering the size of the place."
"Yeah," he said, turning around and placing a hand on her elbow to guide her back to the graveyard.
"Mulder, you sure you're okay?" she asked, laying a hand on his arm. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Not that you believe in them," he murmured with a forced smile and she squeezed his arm.
"Seriously though, you're okay?"
"Yeah. I'm…" He looked toward the forest and then back at her. "I'm okay."
"Hmm," she hummed, her eyes roaming his face. "Should we head over to the sheriff's office?"
"Yeah. Good idea."
"Alright."
They started walking back to the car, neither speaking, though she kept glancing at him, obviously concerned by the way he had been behaving.
"Are you trying to scare me about the forest?" she suddenly asked and he frowned.
"What? No. Why would I do that?"
"Because," she said with a sigh, stopping him with a touch on his arm. "You talked about a creature that lives on the edge of a graveyard-"
"Scully," he said tersely, taking her arm and continuing to walk towards the car.
"Mulder, what are you doing?"
"I just… get in the car first."
"What?"
"Please, just get in."
He opened her door and then hurried to the drivers side, getting in and closing the door. He let out a deep breath and looked over at Scully, as she stared at him, searching his eyes.
"Okay," she said quietly. "You have my attention. Tell me one more time."
He nodded as he started the car, not wanting to discuss it until they were safely away from the graveyard.
His hand twinged again as they drove down the road and stopped at a stop sign. He glanced down at it, wondering why it hurt as bad as it did. It looked normal, a little red, but otherwise it was fine. He rubbed at it as he pressed on the gas, leaving the graveyard behind.
A rabbit darted around the headstones and birds flew from the trees, as heavy silence began to fall upon the forest once again, the swish of a cloak the last thing that was heard.
