Goodwill
Sherman Oaks, California
4:12 P.M. Sunday
"Do I look like a Rob?" Mulder asked, worrying a seed between his teeth.
"What do you mean?" she asked, checking for the third time in ten minutes if anyone was coming down the road.
"I was Rob on the last case, and now I'm Rob again," he explained, looking at his reflection in the Goodwill window.
Scully chuckled at him before leaning against the white painted brick. "May I remind you that you chose our names last time, and you don't have to be Rob. You could be Robert or Bob or Robbie," she mused.
He made a face before shaking his head. "I'll take Rob."
She was reminded of that case, not all that far from where they were now, and the slightly embarrassed look that had passed his face when she'd called him out on the Dick Van Dyke Show reference. He hadn't chosen anything outrageous or made a joke of it like she would have thought. Mulder had endearingly chosen a married couple on television that he liked. She pretended that was all she knew - as if her mother didn't always watch repeats of the show lamenting how intense the chemistry between Rob and Laura was.
"Just be thankful your alias isn't actually part of your real name," she replied, playing with the diamond wedding ring on her finger. "Katherine. It's going to feel like I'm getting in trouble every time someone says it to me."
"You? In trouble?" he teased. "Now that I don't believe."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly before checking the road again. "How did we meet?" she quizzed, changing the topic abruptly. They'd spent all night studying their new identities at her apartment over a feast of chinese, but she couldn't help but want to make absolutely sure they were on the same page. There was no room for mistakes on this case.
"High School," he replied immediately, having grown accustomed to the spontaneous pop quizzes she'd been springing on him. "I was failing biology and you, Katherine," he emphasized with a suggestive lowering of his voice, "-were my tutor. But instead of sticking to biology you taught me some human anatomy, and we've been together ever since."
"Ha. Ha," she replied evenly. "When did we get married?"
"March 6th, 1993," he replied. "Seven years now."
The fact he'd chosen the actual date they became partners wasn't lost on her, nor was the fact that he knew it instinctively without even blinking. He'd shrugged and told her that it would be easy to remember, but the sentimentality still struck her.
"Where do we work?" he asked, popping another seed into his mouth.
"I was an elementary school science teacher, but I quit so we could move. You used to be a bus driver, but you weren't paying attention and there was an accident. No one will hire you anymore," she recited. It was a dark story, but the file Skinner had complied for his backstory stated that if they used substance abuse or alcohol as a reason for his life's failings, Mulder would have to act like he was experiencing withdrawals and he might have to imbibe if pressured. The bus driver cover story didn't require as much nuance while still being clear of why it would be hard to find a job.
"Are you still comfortable with us answering our own information if something mundane is asked?" he replied.
They'd agreed last night that it would be easier to rely on their own friendship for answers rather than try to make a cover story for every pedantic thing. Small things like Rob being more of a morning person than Katherine, Rob preferring autumn to spring, Katherine enjoying baths instead of showers. Small, stupid things that likely wouldn't come up, but if the stars aligned and they both mentioned it to someone, it would be easier for their stories to stay straight than them both making up things completely opposite from each other.
"Yeah, I think that's good. Just no identifying information that could get us traced," she nodded, picking at her fingernails again.
There was a moment of quiet before he asked, "Are you nervous?"
She sighed. According to Neil, they were going to be welcomed to a strip search when they entered the compound under the guise of 'searching for drugs.' Because of that, they weren't able to smuggle in a phone, it would be up to Halloran to get that to them. Their supposed agreement with the Hallowed was that they were coming to start their new lives, so they were only permitted one small bag each which would be searched upon entry. They were going in relatively naked.
"I'll feel better when we find the rendezvous point and pick up the phone," she answered.
"That's not what I meant," he replied.
She looked over at him and caught him staring at her nails, a nervous habit he no doubt noticed. She put her hands into the pockets of her jeans and nodded. "It's going to be uncomfortable, but I'm more worried about you," she replied honestly.
"Me?" he repeated.
"Yeah, women may be treated like objects, but as far as Neil made it sound, the women are beaten by their husbands, which I won't have to worry about," she said, gesturing to him.
"Damn straight," he nodded.
She continued without acknowledging him. "The men on the other hand are subjected to what sounds like ritualistic torture and eventually death," she deadpanned as if to imply obviously.
"It won't come to that," he reassured.
"I still don't like it," she murmured out of concern. It irritated her how flippant he was about his own safety, yet how overbearing he could be about hers.
After a moment, Mulder blurted: "We should have a safe word."
"Excuse me?" she asked.
He turned his body so that he was facing her fully. "A safe word. Something we can say in front of each other to indicate we need to get out or if something awful happens. In case we're near other people and can't openly blow our cover, but we can let the other know that we need to fake something to get us away from everyone else."
It sounded a bit dramatic, but she could tell he was trying to put her at ease. It would make her feel better too. "Okay, like what?" she nodded.
"Alien," he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Oh yeah, because that word just slides so easily into conversations. Hi Juliette, can you pass the butter? Also, did you see that alien last night?" she teased. "Sounds good."
He smiled and rolled his eyes. "It has to be something that won't come up on accident and confuse us."
She licked her lips as she tried to wrack her brain. "Queequeg." He grimaced and before he could contest it, she added, "It's unusual, and it would be easy to formulate a question and drop it in there without it being obvious."
"I saw a rat the other day and it reminded me of your old dog, Katherine. What was his name? Queequeg?" he mused, smiling at her blank expression. "You're right, that is easy."
"Good, so it's settled. If we feel we are in danger or have learned something awful, say Queequeg," she nodded.
"Let's hope we don't have to," he stated, nodding in agreement.
She was about to pose another pop-quiz question when she saw an old looking red car driving down the road. Mulder let out a low whistle and stated, "That's a Plymouth Fury. We're getting picked up in style."
She stared at the car making its way towards them as if it was a harbinger of evil. She didn't know when they'd get out of this, or what would happen to them while they were in there and it made her anxious. Mulder must've noticed because she felt his hand slide across her shoulder blades as his warm breath hit her ear. "We're going to be okay, Scully."
Turning to look at him, she was met with his face only a few inches from her own, his hazel eyes boring into hers. "I'm holding you to that, Mulder," she whispered.
They broke apart as the car pulled up in front of them. Scully was surprised when a scrawny, teenage boy popped out. "Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thorn?" he asked.
"That's us," Mulder exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder enthusiastically.
"I'm here on behalf of the Hallowed. I will be escorting you to the community," he stated.
"Thank you so much," Scully beamed before asking, "What's your name?"
There was a moment of silence where Scully wondered if he hadn't heard her before she realized he was actively choosing not to look at her or acknowledge her. She didn't expect it would start this soon, but she knew this was foreshadowing of what was to come. Scully shifted her weight from one foot to the other self-consciously as Mulder restated her question, an obvious annoyance in his tone.
"Isaac Chroner. Nice to meet you, sir, you have a lovely wife," he replied with a small nod, as if the compliment was sufficient payment for ignoring her.
"That I do," Mulder replied, walking towards the car.
"Here, I can take your bags," he hurried, grabbing the two bags Mulder had in his hand before rushing to put them in the back seat on the passenger's side.
"No room in the trunk?" Mulder asked, his tone implying he'd been intending for them to sit in the back together.
"Afraid not sir," he replied, shutting the door before walking around to the driver's side door. "I apologize if it's cramped."
"I'll manage," Mulder smiled, walking to the backseat and winking at her.
Scully wanted to laugh at the kid's face when he realized he'd have to sit next to her for the whole ride, looking at her -or more accurately, her direction- before looking back at Mulder as if he wanted to contest but couldn't because Mulder was older.
Sending a beaming smile at the boy, she slid into the passenger's seat. "Are we far from the compound?" she asked, testing the waters again when he was settled and pulling out of the lot.
There was silence, but she saw Isaac look into the rear mirror to glance at Mulder who offered no translation. "It's somewhere in the valley, right?" she tried again.
He slowed to a stop at the light and pulled something out of his side console. He unfolded the paper, revealing it to be a map, drawing two dots before wordlessly handing it to her, careful not to brush fingers.
"Thank you," she replied sweetly, noticing his face was bright red.
She felt Mulder scootch up closer so that he was looking over her shoulder. "Looks like we're here," she pointed. "And the compound is about...here."
"So… just twenty miles away?" Mulder asked, his tone flat. The fact the kid couldn't just say that was a bit aggravating to both of them..
"Yes, sir," he nodded. "We should be there in about thirty minutes."
She folded up the map and handed it back to him. "Thank you," she said tersely.
He took it and stuffed it back without saying a word. "Isaac, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but is there a reason you won't talk to her?" Mulder asked.
"Um, at the Hallowed, women aren't allowed to speak so freely to men," he replied.
"But you're still a teenager," Mulder remarked.
"Passed puberty," he said proudly, causing Scully to lock eyes with Mulder in the rearview mirror and suppress a smirk at the clear denial of the boy.
"So she shouldn't be speaking to you, but why can't you speak to her?" he asked.
"B-because I'm an eligible bachelor, and she's a claimed woman. It's distasteful," he replied.
Scully felt her brows furrow and couldn't help but remark, "Eligible bachelor? How old are you, sixteen?"
She watched as he looked out of the corner of his eye at her before nodding once sharply. "And you're allowed to get married that young?"
Another nod.
She looked over her shoulder at Mulder whose mouth was in a thin line. They were sent here to look for illegal activity that could give reasonable cause for the feds to get involved, and they hadn't even gotten to the lot yet and they had a report of a crime.
"Victor says it's okay," he whispered, as if speaking in full voice to her would be worse.
"And Victor is the leader of the group?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, seemingly willing to break the rules since he hadn't faced criticism from them.
"How many people do you think live there?" Mulder asked from in between them.
"I think 52," he responded before adding, in a much more somber tone. "Wait, no. 51."
"What hap-" Mulder began before being cut off.
"But 53 now that you two are here," he said with so much enthusiasm it was clearly a cover.
"Do you like it there?" she asked, watching his face.
He looked over at her, his gaze falling to her collarbone before snapping back to the road. "Y-yeah. I was born there. It's home." he replied unconvincingly, his voice cracking while speaking.
"What other rules should we know before going? I don't want to mess anything up," she asked kindly, hoping that framing it like he was helping her would make him more inclined to reveal more. This was a teenage boy after all, surely a chance to buck against authority, even under the influence of a cult would be tempting.
It worked because he sat up straighter, nodding as he thought. "You're going to hear more at the welcome meeting, but we do abide by pretty strict rules. Um, women shouldn't look or talk to men outside of the household, especially not to a man that they don't belong to."
"Yep. Got that one," Scully stated pointedly.
"Women are expected to be in their homes after dark, no exceptions and it does change with the seasons. Men have a mandatory nightly meeting at eight o'clock that lasts about an hour," he added.
"What happens at the nightly meeting?" Mulder asked.
There was a pregnant pause in the car after Mulder asked that. She saw the boy's grip tighten around the steering wheel as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Scully risked a glance at Mulder who looked equally as aware of the boy's shift in demeanor. Neil had mentioned in the case reports that the nightly meetings were where most of the violence happened, and she was starting to wonder if the boy deemed it too disturbing to actually mention.
"Are you okay, Isaac?" Scully asked softly, leaning her head forward to try to see his face better.
"Imntodengh," he mumbled too fast to make out.
"What was that?" Mulder asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"I-I'm not… old enough yet to go to the meetings," he mumbled, disheartened.
Scully and Mulder both deflated as they let out a long sigh, Isaac adding, "You can only go after pledging your life-long devotion which can happen after you get married or after you turn eighteen, whichever comes first."
That didn't make much sense to her, but she knew from the case report that the Hallowed often arranged marriages. In their warped view they probably saw their gift to men of women as incentive enough for the men to stay. That, and it seemed like there wasn't opportunity to refuse.
"Anything else we should know?" she asked as she watched him go further into the mountains, turning onto a long dirt road.
There was another pause before he softly, but firmly, stated, "If I were you, ma'am, I would try to stay away from two men in particular: Jason and Tobe."
"Why?" she replied.
"You're very beautiful, ma'am," he replied. At first it seemed like a random declaration before she realized that was his answer to her question. She didn't want to think too hard about what he meant by that.
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"Is that it?" Mulder asked, referencing the tall wooden gate looming up ahead.
"Yes, sir," he responded before straightening up in his seat. "C-can you two not tell anyone I said anything? Or that I spoke to you, ma'am?"
"Your secret is safe with us, and we really appreciate it," Scully replied sweetly with a smile, making him blush again.
They were greeted by two gruff men opening the gate for them, both leaning down to look into the car and get a good look at the newcomers. If Scully didn't know any better, nothing would have seemed off about the community. It honestly reminded her of Little House on the Prairie meets suburbia. The compound seemed to be several acres large with several, modern looking houses scattered all about. However, she didn't see anyone except for a gray haired man and a younger looking woman standing side by side.
"That's Victor and his wife," Isaac whispered, not moving his mouth.
The car pulled into a dirt version of a parking lot and Isaac got out quickly to grab the bags and lead them over to the pair.
"Robert and Katherine Thorn, I presume?" the man asked pleasantly.
"That's us," Mulder replied.
"Nice to meet you," Scully remarked, testing the waters.
Victor looked her way as Isaac stared at her wide-eyed. "It is nice to meet you too," he replied shortly. "My name is Victor and this is my wife, Sally."
Isaac handed their bags to him and Victor dismissed him before turning back to Mulder and Scully. "I apologize for the invasion, we just have to make sure nothing unsavory makes its way into the community."
"That's okay," Mulder replied as Victor opened the bag that was hers. "We got your email where you said to leave everything behind except small trinkets. We're so grateful for your hospitality."
"Of course," Victor replied, pulling out an empty journal Scully had brought so they could record anything they saw. It appeared that anything that passed was given to Sally to hold. The journal, the bible she'd brought to make them look good, and a deck of cards in case they got bored. She'd also brought a stock photo of a family, not wanting to bring a personal one but wanting to give off the impression she'd be missing her family. Victor set the frame on the ground and handed the bag to Sally to re-put everything back in. "I apologize, but that will not be permitted."
"The family photo?" Scully asked, confused.
"We are your family now," he said dismissively, opening Mulder's bag.
They repeated the process and, of Mulder's belongings that passed: a photo of just the two of them, a first aid kit just in case, and his remaining bag of sunflower seeds.
The thing that caused him to bump was a pair of binoculars Mulder planned to use when they were in the home to check the compound. "What are these?" Victor asked, holding them up as if they were revolting.
"I'm a bird watcher," Mulder boasted with fake pride.
"Nothing flies around here," Victor said before letting the binoculars tumble onto the picture frame, cracking the glass carelessly.
Sally repackaged Mulder's belongings before handing him the bag, careful not to make eye contact with him.
"The last thing we need of you two before the Welcome Ceremony is for you to disrobe so we can make sure you aren't hiding anything on your persons. We'll take your clothes and dispose of them, and give you the traditional clothing of the Hallowed," Victor stated.
"Right here?" Mulder asked.
"It will only be me, your wife, and Sally," Victor replied with over-enthusiastic chivalry. "I will only look at you, and Sally will only look at Katherine."
Scully didn't like this, but they'd been primed about a strip search happening. Mulder let out a low breath and she knew he felt the same. Knowing there was little they could do and wanting to get this over with, she started unbuttoning her jeans, the sound of her zipper lowering deafening in the silence.
Disrobing outside and in front of strangers wasn't something she'd ever anticipated doing in her life, but Sally was being kind about it, doing quick sweeps before averting her eye to somewhere innocuous on Scully's body, like a shoulder or the crown of her head. She held out her arms and collected each article of clothing Scully was taking off. In her periphery, she saw the same occurring with Mulder.
After removing her outwear, she was left in just her bra and panties, trying to avoid looking as self-conscious as she felt. She reached around and unclasped her bra, the straps sliding down her arms as the cups fell forward, exposing herself to the elements. She looked up and saw Sally was staring at the ground to respect her modesty, glancing to the side, she immediately met Victor's gaze and was struck by his brazenness. Based on the case file, she'd expected to see something lascivious in his eyes, but his stare was blank, emotionlessly raking over her body as if taking inventory, which was somehow even more peturbing.
Scully curved her shoulders inward and tilted her body away so that her back was facing him, hoping to discreetly shield her breasts from his view. She heard him emit a tsk noise and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes when her blood ran cold.
She felt the burn of his eyes on her lower back as he sighed: "A whore. It's always hard when they ink the scarlet letter into their own flesh."
She wanted to turn around and slap him, but she knew just seeing her reaction would give him what he wanted. This was as transparent as could be, he just wanted to embarrass her. Belittle her. A weak man intimidated by a strong woman. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking he mattered.
She should have known Mulder wouldn't be able to just let it slide.
"I like it. It was for me," she heard him reply.
"And the navel ring? Was that for you too, or another man she marked herself for?" Victor asked, the judgement barely concealed behind curiosity.
Scully felt her cheeks burn despite herself. As far as she was aware, Mulder had never seen her belly button piercing, or at least never told her he had, and having her body discussed so openly to him while she was right there made her uncomfortable. They were speaking in locker room talk that had become the public standard.
"For her," he stated with, what sounded like, pride in his voice.
"Can you remove it, Katherine?" he asked, though it sounded far more like a demand than a question.
She glanced over her shoulder, furrowing her brow at him and stated, "I'm not going to."
She watched as his jaw clenched, but before he had a chance to respond, Mulder interjected with an awkward laugh. "What happened to eyes on me, Victor?"
"I apologize for overstepping, Robert," he stated lowly, turning back to Mulder. "Just know I meant nothing lewd by it. You all are my children, there is nothing perverted about my actions," he justified, only making himself sound more perverted than the action alone.
Scully turned back around and, as quickly as possible, slid her underwear down her legs, handing them to Sally who swiftly gave her her new clothes. They were the same as Sally's: a thin, white babydoll dress with long sleeves and an above-knee hemline. She let it fall out of her hands onto the ground as she stepped into her underwear, trying as hard as possible to avoid bending over. She then leaned slightly to pick the garment up, shaking it slightly with a furrowed brow upon seeing nothing fall away. Turning to Sally, she whispered, "I didn't get a bra."
Sally leaned forward and gently murmured, "We don't believe in bras at the Hallowed. Those are a societal construct."
Scully felt her lips purse in dissatisfaction. Funny how when men make the rules, bras are a social construct yet oppressing women isn't, she thought to herself.
Taking a deep breath, she figured there was no use in fighting and slid the dress over her head, trying to look down and make sure it wasn't too thin as to be sheer. "You look lovely, Katherine," Sally reassured.
Scully looked over and smiled, turning to check on Mulder, only to shoot her eyes away upon seeing he was still fully nude. "It's just your husband, Katherine. You should feel no shame looking upon him," Victor stated.
She realized that was very un-wifely of her, but she just politely smiled and chose to look around the perimeter instead, looking discreetly over Sally's shoulders rather than back at Mulder. There were a few homes not too far away and as she looked at them, she saw the curtains fluttering - as if someone had just been staring at them only to retreat when they thought they'd be seen.
Apparently lack of privacy was a standard here.
"Strapping, Rob," Victor boasted, after another minute. She turned over and saw Mulder was wearing a white henley shirt and some jeans that complimented him well.
He looked at her, his eyes roaming down quickly, as if he didn't want to be rude, before meeting her gaze. They shared a look that was broken apart by the clapping of Victor's hands. "Well now, I believe the others are waiting. They are very excited to meet you."
They followed behind Victor and Sally, trying to look around as much as possible, but only seeing grassy fields and houses. The only thing out of the ordinary was the tall barn-looking structure they were walking towards. "What's that?" Mulder asked.
"It's the Great Hall," Victor boasted. "That's where we all gather together as a community."
Scully couldn't remember the last time she'd walked on grass without shoes, and the blades tickled the soles of her feet. It added to the fake sense of innocence that the community seemed so desperate to maintain. She startled a bit as she felt something brushing against her fingertips only to realize it was Mulder entwining his fingers into hers to hold her hand. He squeezed her hand lightly as if to say We've got this.
Without Victor even having to say anything, the doors to the large entryway opened up, revealing line upon line of rudimentary pews full of people. Isaac's estimation seemed about right in terms of numbers, as there were enough people to almost fill the large space. "Follow me to the front," Victor instructed.
Sally stayed behind, staying in one of the rows as they followed Victor to the front. With every row they passed, the members stood up wordlessly without having to be instructed, none of them turning to face away from the front of the hall where a mock-stage made out of plywood stood.
They followed Victor as he motioned for them to climb up with him. They turned awkwardly and saw a mix of emotions on the faces of the crowd - everything from what looked like worry to beaming enthusiasm. Their attention was drawn back as the leader began. "Thank you all for joining us here on such a special day. I am pleased to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thorn." The sound of thunderous applause broke out and they shared a nervous glance before turning their attention back to Victor.
"Robert comes to us like many of you, broken and shamed by society. A former bus driver whose negligence caused the fatalities of several children," he explained. It was a cover story that wasn't based in any truth, but she still felt indignant at the man so openly sharing something so intimate in front of this crowd.
"As many of you know, the world can be cruel and unforgiving. Here we pride ourselves on giving second chances and showing our men how fulfilling life can be," he continued, resulting in several men making sounds of agreement.
Turning to them, he stated, "Robert, are you and Katherine ready to devote yourself to our community, agreeing to abide by our rules and all that it entails?"
"We are," he replied with a nod.
"I will now lay out the rules and expectations, if you feel that either you or your wife are not ready to submit yourselves fully, you will be escorted off the property," he implored. He turned to Mulder first, "You will be expected to do physical labor on the farm, doing whatever duties you are instructed to complete. You will also be required to attend a nightly meeting with all the men of the Hallowed."
Mulder nodded before adding, "What are the nightly meetings?"
Victor smiled, baring all of his teeth, "All in due time, Robert." Then, turning to Scully, he added, "Katherine, you are to do all of the housework, cooking, cleaning, tending after the Hallowed children, and you are to abide by everything your husband tells you."
"Okay," she replied with a nod.
A gasp emitted from the audience, causing Mulder and her to look over their shoulders. Everyone was looking at Scully in abject horror, the room so deathly silent a pin drop would have been deafening. Scully even noticed one of the women had placed her hand over one of her child's eyes, shielding his view. Turning back to Victor, he was smiling at her like a lion whose fangs missed biting a lamb. Furious, but confident.
"The other expectation of you, my dear Katherine, is that you are never to look at nor speak to a man in the Hallowed unless you are in your own home. You didn't know better earlier," he soothed with malice.
She made eye contact with Victor until he lifted an eyebrow at her cautiously. She lowered her gaze to look at his tie and he cooed, "Much better."
Turning to Mulder again, he asked, "Do you agree to obey these rules, Robert?"
"Yes," he replied shortly. Victor extended his hand out to Mulder and the room erupted in applause.
Victor clapped Mulder on the shoulder like a proud parent as the applause died down and he turned his attention to Scully. "Katherine, as you are tied with Robert, you also are expected to abide by these rules. All you need to do is follow his lead and stay on the path of purity."
She wasn't quite sure what to do since she couldn't look nor acknowledge him, so she just nodded her head.
"Good, now kiss his feet," he stated resolutely. "Demonstrate your obedience."
Tension filled her body at the ridiculous request, she felt her hackles raise and everything in her wanted to look up and glare at the man.
"Vict-"Mulder began, likely ready to insist that wasn't necessary.
"No. Robert. If she's as subservient to you as she should be, she should be grateful for the opportunity," he barked, leaving no room for questions.
Scully could feel the palpable indignation radiating off of her and had no doubt Mulder knew it. They'd barely been there and she was having to degrade herself in front of several dozen strangers after the verbal harassment she'd already endured. She'd likely pissed Victor off during her short time here and this was his retribution. She settled her face into a mask of complete indifference, rage settled underneath her facade of consent.
She turned so she was in front of him before lowering herself to her knees. Leaning down on her hands, she felt the ends of her hair tickle her cheeks before brushing the tops of Mulder's feet, and she pressed her lips to his warm skin, her breath exhaling through her nose. She moved onto the other foot before easing herself up so that she was sitting on her heels, making loaded eye contact with Mulder. She could tell he wanted to look away, not wanting to see her in this vulnerable position she hadn't put herself in voluntarily, but he must've known looking away would have been a bigger insult.
Mulder held out his hand to her and she took it gratefully, standing up with his assistance. She was about to let go when she got up, but he squeezed her hand, keeping them connected - a comfort she needed.
She didn't need to look to know Victor was beaming, in his mind thrilled he'd embarrassed the wife of a man whose last option was joining this place. Mulder squeezed her hand again before Victor boasted, "Now that you are both pledged to the community, the men shall take Rob out into the field to learn the tricks of the trade as the women stay behind and do the same with Katherine. As in the past, on this day only, you ladies are permitted to speak outside the home, as long as you are doing so to help Katherine."
The wooden pew seats squeaked as everyone nodded in affirmation, causing Victor to beam, "Good. Now let's all give a friendly welcome to the newest additions to the Hallowed!"