Chapter 4 - Heart and Soul
February 2016
All day, Cathy had Mulder and Scully in her heart and mind.
Since the departure of the agents -who had eaten the whole made-with-heart comforting breakfast- Cathy had been unable to concentrate on her usual tasks. She was upset and sad, and had no idea of what she could do to alleviate her low spirits, as well as Mulder and Scully's deep sorrow.
She had gone to Old Swedes in the morning, prayed and lit a candle, but what could she have hoped for, using these humble means? Time and Love would eventually heal Mulder and Scully's pain, and these two powerful forces were way beyond her grasp. Besides, Love wasn't lacking for the handsome couple -she had never doubted it- and Cathy liked to imagine it as a vivid spring, wildly pouring out of Mulder and Scully's souls whenever they were close to each other, and that would never ever run dry.
When crossing the lobby this morning, the two agents had held hands tight for a few seconds -as to give each other strength for their workday- then had stepped out with resolute faces and steps. Cathy, who had witnessed the scene, had been admirative of their braveness.
Though, how would and could they cope with their brutal loss and grief while investigating a gruesome murder case? Of course, they were FBI Special Agents, but, to that point, one would wonder if they weren't some genetically modified Super Agents, or, even, from another planet.
At least, these last thoughts made Cathy smile; surely, she was watching too much sci-fi series to imagine such absurdities. And, really? The two agents, even if unbelievably gorgeous and aging without aging so well, even if skilled investigators and seemingly fearless, were far too human and sensitive not to be mere mortals.
As the sun had begun to set and as Cathy was setting her heart at rest, Agents Mulder and Scully entered the lobby, heading toward the counter with indecipherable faces. For a few seconds, Cathy felt a little embarrassed; how was she supposed to behave and what could she tell them, when they had been in her thoughts all day?
She decided to keep it simple and mundane, as usual.
"Good evening, Agents. Hoping the day has been fine," Cathy said.
"Good evening, Mrs Gold. We're finished with our investigation, and, even though it's still so early that we could make it back to Washington DC, we'll stay for the night," Mulder replied.
"I understand. You surely need to take some rest and not take the car."
"That's it," Mulder said.
"Mrs Gold, could you recommend a pretty quiet church downtown?" Scully asked, while twiddling both her necklaces.
Cathy noticed the extra necklace completing Scully's usual cross, easily guessing it might be somehow related to her loss. Cathy swallowed and cleared her throat.
"In nice and quiet surroundings, so to settle down outside for a little while," Mulder added.
"Oh, yes, of course. I'm used to attending Old Swedes' Church, the oldest church in Pennsylvania. There's so much history in this place, yet still so simple. There's even replicas of the ships that carried the Swedish settlers, hanging from the ceiling. And the graveyard surrounding the building is pleasant, green and peaceful; there are benches, and squirrels coming to you when you're seated," Cathy suggested.
"Ships and squirrels, I'm in," Mulder said.
"And, nearby by foot, there's the Washington Avenue Pier, where you could stroll and sit along the river," Cathy added.
"Plus real ships and waters. What do you think, Scully?" Mulder asked.
"Seems perfect to me, Mulder. You could bring some sunflower seeds to connect with squirrels, while I'm communicating with God. Many thanks for the tips, Mrs Gold," Scully said.
"You're welcome. Have a nice serene evening, hoping you'll find peace."
Scully nodded then stepped away, heading toward their rooms. She only walked a few steps and stopped, as Mulder wasn't following her; he was standing still, lost in thoughts.
Scully stepped back and grabbed Mulder's hand.
"Come on, Mulder. Let's go shower off our day, then talk to God and squirrels."
Mulder turned around, slightly lowered down his head, then, facing Scully, squeezed back her hand and softly replied:
"Scully, as much as I'd love to tame wild squirrels on my own, if your God and yourself don't bother my presence, I'd like to come with you inside the church."
Scully stared back at Mulder, taking in his words.
"I'd really want to stay by your side and… I might also need to... to meditate. You know that... that she mattered a lot to me, too," Mulder added, almost whispering.
Scully lowered down her head, her eyes watering, her lips shivering.
After a few seconds of complete stillness and silence, Mulder moved and grabbed away Scully, leading them to their room.
"And, Scully, it would be so much fun to fool around together with the squirrels," Mulder said cheerfully.
Cathy watched them go away, her right hand on her chest, her heart beating so fast she could hear it. The two agents had been completely oblivious of Cathy's presence during their last exchange, not afraid to exhibit their intimate conversation, and their heart and soul, in plain sight.
What on Earth had she done to deserve such trust?
August 1996
Cathy jerked awake in her bed. Checking the alarm clock, she was surprised to discover that she had switched off the light only one hour ago. She wasn't even remembering a nightmare or a noise that could have awakened her, and her Bill was quietly sleeping beside her. That wasn't usual and Cathy feared that something bad had happened, something sad and painful to loved ones.
Cathy tried for a while to find sleep again, but, when she couldn't bear to endlessly turn around -physically in the bed, and emotionally in her mind- she got up and dressed. She would go chat with the night porter, then go outside to breath gulps of the warm summer night air, and, maybe, she would find peace and sleep.
Inhaling, exhaling, and pacing the parking lot of the inn, Cathy observed a sedan coming in then being parked hastily and boldly askew. Cathy stopped her movements, feeling irritation building up -as if the parking lot wasn't crowded enough, who dared wasting a place?- and got ready to lecture the bold driver.
A petite redhead left the impudent car and headed toward Cathy's position, innocently smiling.
"Good night, Mrs Gold. Still out at this late hour?" Scully asked when facing Cathy.
"Good night, Mrs Scully. You know, insomnia. The bother comes every now and then," Cathy replied.
"Don't let sleep disorders creep into your nights, Mrs Gold. Advice from a MD," Scully said, pointing to her own chest.
"You? Aren't you a Special Agent with the FBI?"
"And a Medical Doctor."
"Oh! When I say that to my Bill, he won't believe me… I guess you've had a long day, coming back from work so late. You're still on your own? Agent Mulder didn't join you?"
"Oh yes, he had. But I'm afraid he has to spend the night at the hospital. He'd have preferred to come with me to your charming inn, but I've insisted he'd be kept for observation."
"Oh! Hoping he's not badly injured!"
"Don't worry, he'll probably make it without any aftereffect... Mrs Gold, wishing you a good night."
"Good night, Mrs Scully."
Cathy watched the petite agent walk toward a well-deserved rest and disappear into the building. Then, giving a last look at the impudent rental car, Cathy smiled -MDs were sacred and they could park as badly as they wanted, especially when they were also FBI Agents- and was now ready to resume her night.
Cathy slept like a baby after her encounter with the gorgeous MD/FBI Agent, and her mood was light and joyful the whole morning. It wasn't yet noon when she saw both Mulder and Scully entering the lobby.
"Good morning, Agents! How are you, Mr Mulder?" Cathy cheerfully said out loud, while coming forward to meet the agents.
"Good morning, Mrs Gold. Seems I'm okay, though still lightly dozy," Mulder replied.
"Oh! You're willing to rest at the inn for the day and night? Room 13 is available, if you want. I've managed to keep it free, despite the crowd we had these days."
"You're so nice Mrs Gold, but I'm afraid we're returning to DC. I just came in with my partner because she's my driver. Actually, she's checking out and we're leaving. But I really would have wanted to stay. You know how much I love the Adams Inn and its nice and charming host."
"You're flattering me, Mr Mulder. So, you've solved the case you were on? If I may ask."
"We stopped a murderer, but there's still some work to do on the hows and whys. Yet, we'll do that from our headquarters, mostly," Scully said.
"I guess it's the most important thing, stopping the murderer. You make me feel so safe when you're my guest in Philly, Mrs Scully. Even more now that I've learned you're also a MD," Cathy replied.
"Me too, I'm feeling safe when she's around me," Mulder said, staring intensely at Scully's face. "All those skills in that petite shape. Would you believe, Mrs Gold, that tonight she saved my life and dragged me through vents? And I can assure you that she'd saved my endangered ass many times before."
Scully lowered down her head, cheeks blushed.
"Come on, Mulder… That's just part of our jobs," Scully said.
"Don't listen to her, Mrs Gold. Scully is just the best partner you would ever dream of to watch your back. Do you know she had also been able to read me as I was paralyzed and could only move my eyes? I suspect she even has some psychic powers."
"Mulder… Don't listen to him, Mrs Gold."
"Let's see if it works again. Look at me, straight in the eyes, Scully," Mulder said to Scully, facing her.
The two agents, staring at each other's eyes, didn't move for a couple of seconds.
"No, Mulder, we won't stay. Maybe you need to exclusively rest but I have work to do in DC," Scully finally said.
"See, Mrs Gold? She reads me."
"Come on, Mulder. I have to pack," Scully said, grabbing Mulder's arm and pulling him forward.
Cathy watched them step away, wondering how on Earth two handsome/tall and small/FBI Agents could be so cute together, so hot without even trying to be, and emanate so much spontaneous and unintended sexual energy in the most mundane situations.
A moment later, the agents came back in the lobby, both Scully's hands taken by her bags -she certainly didn't want Mulder to carry any of them. As Scully was finalizing her check out with Cathy at the counter, Mulder was scanning the tourist flyers displayed on a shelf in a corner of the lobby.
"Scully!" Mulder shouted suddenly, "I'm sweating cold and I'm feeling dizzy... I have to sit down."
"Mulder!" Scully shouted back, hurrying to her partner who had found a seat near the shelf.
Cathy followed, panicked. Was Agent Mulder so badly and insidiously injured that he would have a heart attack without warning?
"Do you need something, Mrs Scully? Should I call 911? Does he need some water? What can I do?" Cathy said hastily.
"A glass of water would be nice, Mrs Gold, thanks," Scully said, unperturbed.
Scully was already checking Mulder's state, putting her hand on his forehead then on his neck to sense his pulse -all gestures done with both expertise and tenderness. He was obviously in good hands, MD hands, thought Cathy; no reason to panic, Agent Scully was a professional.
Cathy left the lobby in search of a glass of water. She was glad to be useful in such a moment, yet she was sorry to leave the two agents, even for a couple of seconds. She didn't want to miss how Agent Scully was handling her partner's health problem -it seemed so instructive about their relationship.
When Cathy came back, Scully was squatting between Mulder's legs, holding his hands in hers and whispering soft words. Mulder had his eyes closed and was inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply.
Cathy almost hesitated to break the intimate bubble they had created by stepping in, but she had a mission and Mulder might really need to be rehydrated.
"Uh… Here a glass of water," Cathy said.
"Thanks," Scully replied, picking up the glass and giving it to Mulder.
Mulder drank, gave back the empty glass to Cathy, then said to Scully :
"I'm better now. Thanks, Doc. I guess I'm not completely off the hook from this poisonous seed."
"It would be safer to have you under my watch during the next 24 hours, Mulder."
"What about all the work you wanted to do?"
"I'll have to go meet Skinner at some point and pick up some files from our office, but I won't be long. I'll stay with you at your apartment, Mulder. For the rest of the day and the whole night. By the way, we have a report to write, and I need you for that."
"Oh, Scully, I thought I had to exclusively rest."
"Come on, Mulder. I won't let you lie down and doze off the whole day on your couch, watching your usual dirty stuff on screen, and eating junk food. At least, you'd have to make room for me on the couch, so… so we can discuss the case."
"If you say so, Doc."
"Then, let's go," Scully said, standing up, then pulling Mulder from his chair.
"Goodbye, Mrs Gold. See you next time in Philly," Scully added when grabbing back her luggage.
"Goodbye Agents, and safe travels. Mr Mulder, I hope you feel better soon," Cathy said.
"Thanks Mrs Gold. I hope I'll have better luck next time I'm in Philly," Mulder said.
And then the handsome/hottest/tall and small/FBI Agents couple was gone, leaving Cathy with an empty glass in her hand, and questions, certainties and fantasies in her mind.
Three years since Mulder and Scully's first visit at the Adams Inn, and their love was no more dawning but blooming.
The two agents were the archetype of a modern couple, obviously living separately and so dedicated to their demanding jobs -also, they had this subtle way of blurring gender stereotypes, so modern, too.
They didn't have wedding rings, they didn't use honey words, they didn't kiss, yet Cathy wasn't doubting at all they were an established couple -all the evidence had been there for Cathy's standards, and, by the way, it would be a crime if they weren't romantically involved.
Cathy wondered if they had already planned to have kids and how they would reconcile it with their dangerous jobs -it would really be a waste of genetic material if they didn't plan to. Cathy hoped to one day host their whole family, visiting Philly while staying at the Adams Inn -a bunch of red-haired, black-haired, tall and small cute little children laughing and running across the lobby.
However, Cathy would also be happy and grateful if they just remained the two of them, hands in hands against the ugliness of human nature, never afraid to fight the darkness, finding and bringing light from their shared love, and healing the whole world till they get too old -Cathy, as many people on this planet, needed romantic action heroes.
And then, Cathy let her mind wander into sensual territories -it would be a crime not to imagine both their bodies dancing, playing, sliding, mingling, and tracing new and beautiful lines of love in the book of the universe. She wondered how they were behaving at the FBI headquarters, in front of all their fellows; whether their boss or bosses -Skinner maybe was one?- had noticed their singular relationship; whether they had an office just for the two of them -Scully had said 'our office'- and, if so, how they could prevent sexual desire from messing up with their minds during long paperworks days. Also, what about the couch Scully had mentioned? She seemed to have pronounced the word with a peculiar tone, full of suggestive lore.
Clearly, Cathy could go on and on, fantasies endlessly flooding her brain like a spring that would never ever run dry.
She sighed heavily, looked down at the empty glass she was still handling, and, then, realized that she was now really thirsty, heart and soul.
