The Thorn Residence
Sherman Oaks, California
6:36 A.M. Monday
It took him a moment to orient himself and remember where he was. If it weren't for the unfamiliarity of the bed or the lack of the ambient sounds of his neighbors telling him something was off, Mulder would have known instantly from the fact that someone was holding his hand.
As he gained his bearings, the memories of last night came flooding back. He remembered falling asleep holding hands, but somehow, during their sleep, Scully had pulled his arm to her and was hugging his forearm against her chest protectively - his hand coming to rest underneath her jaw. The thought hadn't occurred to him until now, but he remembered vividly that whenever it was getting late when they would watch a movie at his place, she'd usually grab a pillow or blanket of some sort and hug it while slowly reclining until she was nearly asleep. He hadn't thought much of it then, but now he saw the true implications of it: Scully was a cuddler in her sleep.
The thought made him smile as he felt her chest move against his arm with her steady inhalations and exhalations. He'd seen her sleep so many times over the years that he'd lost count, but never in a bed with this proximity. Never from the perspective of a man waking up in bed next to the woman he loves.
He swore she'd never looked as beautiful as she did to him in this moment. Her hair was fanned out across the white sheet like licks of fire, her lips were gently parted in her sleep, and she had a look of serenity that he so rarely got to see on her face. Her arms were crossed like she was assuming a safety position, creating an 'X' across her chest as her fingers delicately wrapped around his arm.
He leaned up to the best of his ability to look at the alarm clock and saw he only had about twenty minutes before he was expected out on the field. Mulder felt every cell in his body screaming that he'd sooner die than leave this bed, but he knew it would look bad if he wasn't there on the first day. As much as he could, he tried to slide his arm out of her grasp, attempting miserably to ignore the fact he was brushing against the swell of her breasts.
She let out a sigh of discontent and he watched her brow furrow as her fingers spread out, as if looking for his hand. He nearly pouted at how cute the action was before her eyes slanted open. "No," she mumbled, not fully awake.
He chuckled lightly, not wanting to fully wake her up if she wanted to sleep some more. "Go back to bed," he whispered, easing himself up so he could lean over and press a small kiss to her temple.
She moved towards his touch before rolling onto her back, arching upwards like a cat and creating an elegant curve in her spine. She made a little sleepy stretching sound as she did this before falling flat onto her back and trying to blink away the sleep. "What time is it?" she murmured.
"6:40. I have to be in the field at 7:00," he answered. "What time do you have to be up?" he asked.
"Laundry duty is at 8:00, but I was told that I need to wake up earlier than my husband to tend to his needs and make him breakfast," she laughed, wiping her eyes as she sat up, her hair sticking out every which way.
"Too bad we only have time for breakfast this morning," he teased, slipping out of bed and flipping on the bathroom light.
He could have sworn she murmured "Too bad," but he'd turned on the faucet so her voice was drowned out. She appeared by his side a moment later and croaked, "I'm just going to brush my teeth, then it's all yours."
"No problem," he mumbled around his own toothbrush.
They stood in front of the mirror, both just mindlessly doing their morning routine, but it was an image that made him smile. The perimeter of the mirror framed the scene like a picture and he wished he could put it in his pocket: A visage of domesticity featuring Mulder and Scully. The thought made him happier than it probably should have.
She finished up and he listened as her feet padded down the hardwood of the hallway and the stairs. He wanted to be able to talk to her a little before leaving, but he was short on time. Mulder was midway through rushing through his morning routine when the sound of a knock at the door broke the silence.
He listened as Scully opened the kitchen door and he could hear the distant sounds of their conversation as he tried to scramble to get dressed.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Katherine- it's Katherine, right? I was just hoping that Robert was here? I was going to ask him if he wanted to walk to work with me," he heard from down below. If memory served him correctly, that was Randy's voice and he felt his worry dissipate dramatically.
"Yes, Katherine. It's nice to meet you. I can get him for you…?" she trailed off.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it's Randy, Randy Meeks. I'm not sure if you've met Laurie, but she's my wife," he replied.
"I have," she replied, her tone shifting to something Mulder didn't recognize. "She's a lovely girl."
There was a pause before he heard the sounds of the wood at the base of the stairs creaking and her voice calling up, "Rob! Your friend, Randy, is here for you!"
He quickly hopped out of the bathroom, sliding his jeans up his legs, working his zipper as he bounded down the stairs. "Coming!" he replied, nearly crashing into Scully on the way down.
"Woah there," she laughed, bracing herself on his arms.
"Sorry," he replied, placing his hand on the small of her back as they returned to the kitchen.
Randy was standing awkwardly in front of the screen door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he played with the rim of his baseball cap, Arizona Cardinals reflecting in worn letters. Apparently one of the few things Randy must've brought from the outside world. "Your breakfast is on the counter, sorry it's late," Scully replied in a performatively wifey tone.
"Thanks honey, I'll be back for lunch," he said, grabbing the apple Scully had so thoroughly prepared for him.
As he moved towards the door, he caught Randy look from him back to Scully and he realized he was forgetting something. "Oops," he said turning on his heel, making a beeline towards her.
"Almost forgot," he murmured before cupping her face. They still hadn't kissed here yet and it was something they hadn't spoken of since it sounded like all intimacy was to be kept away from the public eye - but now they had to and he wasn't sure what she was comfortable with. He liked Randy, but he still wasn't sure how much he could trust him and figured he needed to keep up appearances.
He cupped her mouth so the 'kiss' would be shielded from Randy's view, and he placed his mouth next to hers, moving to just kiss the corner of her mouth for performance sake. Scully however, also was apparently unsure of what the plan was, so she turned her head and met his lips, only to immediately retract them when she realized he'd been trying to be chivalrous.
She let out a rare Scully laugh at their own haplessness and he couldn't help but join her, only to be silenced by her leaning up on her toes and kissing the side of his mouth, as best she could reach without shoes on. He beamed down at her and she met his gaze, a slight redness in her cheeks.
They were really no better than awkward teenagers.
Though, turning back to Randy, he was the most uncomfortable of all, having completely turned his back on the scene as to give them privacy. In other words, that little show had all been for naught. Scully noticed this too and started giggling again, only to be reciprocally stopped by him leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips, a proper kiss.
He loved the way the fullness of her lips complimented his own, but he had to stop himself from trying to deepen it. He was glad because it meant as he pulled back, he got to see the bliss on Scully's face as her eyelids fluttered open, giving him that same shy smile she had at the new year. "I'll see you in a few hours," he murmured lowly.
"See ya," she replied sweetly as he walked towards the door.
"Sorry about that, Randy," he apologized, clapping the man on the back and slipping on his shoes.
"No, no, I'm sorry for intruding," Randy stammered, opening the door.
Mulder took one last look back at Scully to share a look at the man's bumbling tendencies, but instead he caught her looking at the place he just stood while pressing her fingertips to her lips, touching her smile - he felt his heart threaten to burst from his chest. He turned back around, not wanting to interrupt the moment she was having and bounded down the porch steps with Randy.
"I'm sorry I saw your wife while she wasn't fully dressed, I wasn't even thinking," Randy apologized, holding his own breakfast bag with both hands.
"It's okay, Randy. I didn't take any offence," he replied before taking a bite of the apple.
"It's nice, seeing people truly in love around here," the man remarked softly.
Mulder looked over at him and saw he was staring off in the distance, looking a million miles away. "How about you? How did you and your wife meet?"
Randy turned towards him and shrugged, "Arranged after a year of me being here. I'd never even spoken to her before we were set to be wed."
"Are you happy though?" Mulder asked.
There was a pause before Randy murmured, "Our wedding took place on her sixteenth birthday. She's a child."
Mulder felt his blood run cold as he made a note of this for their report. "Have you-," he began only to be cut off.
"Of course not," Randy assured. "We get along well enough, but our relationship is more of a protective older brother to a kid sister than a married couple. I told her that first night in our home that I was never going to lay a hand on her, we just have to pretend in public if anyone asks, but it's obvious to everyone that we're different and we get treated as such."
Then, suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned to Mulder with a deer in headlights look on his face. "Please don't tell anyone. Actively choosing not to procreate is a punishable offense here. I just- You seem so-" he rambled, stopping when Mulder held a hand up.
"I won't tell anyone," he assured, making the other man sign in relief. "Are child brides normal here?"
Shaking his head, Randy explained, "No, I was the first. I think it's because I'm on the sex offender registry for a technicality. Victor tends to hold onto things, like how he outed your story to the community. It's as if he listens to all the stories you have in your soul, and he picks out which one he thinks is best and formulates his whole opinion of you around it. I've won chess tournaments around all of Kentucky, I collect stamps, I used to call my mother every Saturday, but none of that matters anymore because those aspects of my personality weren't interesting enough. To him I'm just Humbert Humbert when in all reality I just chose a shitty place to pee."
"Is anyone else here on the sex offender registry?" Mulder asked, trying to keep mental note of all the details Randy was telling him. The guy seemed desperate to talk to someone, so it was overwhelmingly easy to get information out of him. Child brides, torture, and sex offenders living amongst children - he needed to find the rendezvous spot today so he could tell Sheriff Halloran immediately.
"Not that I'm aware of, but probably," Randy replied before switching subjects. "How long have you and Katherine been together?"
"Seven years as of March," Mulder replied, not even having to fake the pride in his voice.
"Can I ask why you haven't had children?" he asked.
Dread settled in Mulder's gut, if he was being asked this, he had no doubt Scully was and the thought made his heart ache for her. "I-um, timing hasn't been right," he replied. Now he was nervous that if Scully told the women about her infertility they might face backlash or them being insensitive to her, but he didn't want to bring it up himself either.
Why couldn't anything be simple?
"Hm," the other man nodded, having no idea how loaded his question had been. "Is your back okay, by the way?"
"Uh, yeah. It stings, but Katherine has some medical training so she bandaged me up," he replied before adding, "Hey, what-what was that?"
"A branding iron. It smarts bu-"
"No, what was that place I went to?" Mulder clarified.
Randy was silent for a moment as if figuring out how to explain it. "Um, it's called the other side."
"Was I hallucinating? Was something in the drink?" Mulder asked, knowing he needed to get the technicalities out of the way.
"No, not like that. Victor puts some muscle relaxant in the drink, but that's just to loosen people up and prevent them from feeling pain...as much pain. It just tastes bad because it's shitty off-brand Kool Aid," he shrugged.
Mulder suppressed making a cult joke with the Kool Aid, instead asking, "So, it's real? Does everyone go there?"
"You're not going to believe me," he sighed.
Mulder grinned. "Try me."
Randy took a deep inhalation before exhaling, "It's something Victor does. I don't know how, but he can just focus on someone and transport them there. He always does it with new recruits because it gives them a chance to see their dead loved ones and then people crave going back there so much they devote themselves to him."
Mulder felt his heart sink slightly at Randy's words, looking off in the distance only to be met with the burial plots. "Is it always people who've died?" Mulder asked solemnly.
"As far as I'm aware," Randy shrugged, oblivious to the sting of his words. "Someone asked if he was controlling the people, but Victor said he was just setting a meeting space, not puppeteering."
"Is it acceptable to ask Victor stuff like that so openly?" Mulder questioned.
He turned when Randy didn't answer and he caught him staring at the burial plots before snapping his attention back to the road and stating: "It's frowned upon."
Mulder wanted to ask who Randy saw, but he didn't want to explain or make something up if he asked in kind. They ended up walking together in silence, Mulder eating his apple while Randy snacked on some errant, dry Cheerios. When they arrived, they were told they'd both be tasked with fence duty, fortifying sections that were wearing down.
"By the way, Robert," the man in charge of doling out the tasks stated, not bothering to look at him.
"Yeah?" he replied, turning.
"Word has gotten around that Katherine revealed herself to two of the men here. I think it would be wise of you to remind her of the rules, lest she develops even more of a reputation," he stated before telling another man what his task was.
"Excuse me?" Mulder replied, irritation evident in his tone. "What are you talking about?"
The man looked over at Mulder in irritation. "Apparently when you were dropped off last night, she ran outside in her slip to meet you."
Mulder hadn't remembered that part since he'd been so out of it from the time he passed out from over exertion in the basement to when Scully was tending to him. Part of him was mad she'd put herself at risk, but the rational side of him knew it was out of worry and that his frustration should instead be at the men for making something as simple as her being in her pyjamas a dangerous situation.
"Maybe they should learn to keep their eyes to themselves," he spat.
"Maybe you need to remind your wife that she isn't allowed to leave the home after six o'clock, she's not allowed to speak to men that aren't you, and flaunting herself is just asking for trouble," he replied, puffing up his chest.
Mulder took a step forward and seethed, "What do you mean by 'asking for trouble'?"
"I mean that others may not be as inclined to spare the rod as you seem to be," he replied, the double meaning not lost on Mulder.
Mulder was about to grab the man when Randy stepped in between them. "Hey, hey, hey," he implored. "I think we're getting a little tense here. I think we all just need to breathe and try to-"
"Get to work," the man finished.
"Uh, yeah," Randy agreed, taking the opportunity to leave. "Come here, Rob. I'll show you the fence," he stated awkwardly, grabbing Mulder's elbow and dragging him away.
"I thought the bond between a husband and wife was sacred or whatever," Mulder whispered to the redheaded man.
"It is, but some people aren't as apt to follow rules," Randy replied.
Mulder felt worry start to gnaw at his gut. He'd thought pretending to be married would grant them immunity from the cult's perversion, but now he was worried they weren't being convincing and painting targets on themselves. "You said people know something isn't usual with you and Laurie, do you worry about her?"
"I guess I'm lucky in that regard," Randy said. "The community places a strong emphasis on keeping children safe. Laurie grew up here, so most people still know her as a little girl so they're less inclined to do anything. Now if she were an outsider-" he explained before abruptly stopping. "Sorry."
"I appreciate your honesty," Mulder deadpanned.
As they were walking, Mulder saw the hollowed out tree and raised his hand up. "Hey, I'm so sorry. I was running late this morning and I haven't taken a leak yet. Do you mind if I-?" he asked, pointing to the tree.
"No, no, go ahead," Randy assured. "I'll just wait for you and, uh, look at the sky over here."
Mulder smiled as the man awkwardly turned around and Mulder quickly scanned to make sure no one was watching before running to the trunk. He squatted down and saw they'd spared no expenses and gotten them a new Nokia and a charger. He quickly stuffed them into his underwear, not wanting them to be visible in his pockets before stuffing a yellow legal pad note in his front pocket.
He then peed for good measure, not knowing how good Randy's hearing was before boasting. "Let's build ourselves a fence."
The Washing Area
The Hallowed Compound
7:58 A.M. Monday
Unsure of what the proper protocol was for bringing the clothes to the morning wash, she arrived with a few minutes to spare, carrying the small hamper from their room containing her and Mulder's clothes from last night and the day before. It appeared she'd made the right decision as everyone seemed to be sitting next to their own, very similar hampers in front of a bucket of soapy water.
Scully took the open spot in between Lorraine and Laurie and greeted them both with sweet smiles. Across from them, facing their direction, were three other women she hadn't been introduced to yet, one of whom was the mousy woman who'd spoken first yesterday and been snapped at.
"I haven't forgotten what you said," Scully greeted softly. "I'll try to switch hands to avoid cramping."
The woman's eyes lit up with a smile at Scully's remembrance, but she quickly looked down as someone shushed Scully. She glanced over and saw a man had been running late to work, passing by them with a long stare.
Scully bit her lip and watched as Laurie started pulling the clothes out expertly, dunking each piece to wet it before rubbing it against the washboard. Reaching into her hamper, she tried to hide her initial embarrassment at having pulled out Mulder's boxers. She followed the lead of the people around her, only slightly slower than everyone else. She could hear whispering start up and she realized the women were more inclined to break the rules than she'd initially believed. Apparently the only stringent rule was to not break any around the men.
She let out an audible sigh when she pulled out Mulder's shirt from yesterday, letting it rest in her lap as she ran her thumb over the dried blood. "Oof," the mousy woman whispered. "That's going to take a lot of scrubbing."
"Yeah," Scully admitted with a sigh, disturbed at how ruddy the water became as soon as the shirt touched it.
"Wait, wait," a woman diagonal to her whispered. "Pull it out."
Scully did as instructed as the woman walked over to her. She pulled out some extra liquid soap she had in a small cup and poured it over the blood. "Let it sit for a few minutes on the grass. Make sure to wash it last so your other clothes don't turn orange."
"Thank you so much," she replied with a smile, appreciative of the kindness. "And, I'm sorry. I'm not sure I've caught your na-"
"Are you alright after Robert came home from the ritual, Katherine?" a different woman asked, interrupting her.
"I'm alright, Robert has soft feet," she joked.
"Not that, I mean after his ritual, when he came home," she reiterated. "Are you alright?"
"I-um," Scully stammered, looking around and noticing everyone was fixated on her, yet she wasn't sure why. "I don't know what you're asking. Robert came home injured from the ritual."
"Was he riled up?" a woman further down Scully's line asked.
"He was, yes. He seemed to be excited by whatever it was that happened down there," she replied honestly. Scully had to bite back a gasp when she saw one of the women rolling up their sleeves to wash the clothes. All along their arms in various shades and shapes were bruises and other markings, and, glancing at the other women, that was the norm. Instantly, she knew what they were asking.
She looked down at her own, unmarred forearms, and the movement caused the other women to notice, their faces turning from empathetic to slightly hardened. "I, um, he was tired soon after coming home."
"Hmm," one of the women murmured.
Scully looked over to Lorraine and saw she was one of the few without any marks. She met her eye as if to say told you so before continuing to work. Scully felt shame start to burn her chest, partially because she felt like she'd failed a test and lost their trust, but also because she'd had such a peaceful night with Mulder while these other women weren't so lucky. A perverted sense of survivor's guilt.
"Do you like your home?" Laurie asked from next to her.
She turned to the girl and felt a swell of protectiveness come over her. She didn't need to ask to know there was no way this girl was over eighteen. She thought Mulder's friend from this morning was nice, she was glad he had someone to talk to, but knowing that he was married to such a young girl made her blood boil.
Smiling as sweetly as she could she nodded, "I do, thank you."
Her eyes focused on the girl's hands as she washed a pair of boxers before flitting back to her face so as to not let her irritation show. "Where do you live? I think your husband stopped by my home this morning. Randy?" she asked.
"Mhm," she nodded with a smile. "That's him, we're your neighbors, actually. We live at 0408."
Scully's brow furrowed in confusion at the numbering system of the houses. "I'm 1408, how does that work?" she asked.
"If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord," the girl reiterated.
The sudden transition shocked her and she didn't realize that was the atmosphere of the women. "Um-" she started.
"Your address is Romans 14:8. Mine is Matthew 4:8 'Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor,'" she explained. "Our house numbers are similar, but many others appear random."
"Must be hard trying to navigate the place," Scully replied with a chuckle, unsettled by the quotes themselves and their implications.
"We get by," another woman whispered.
"Mommy," a familiar child's voice called out from beside her.
For a moment, as she tended to do, she had a momentary flash of Emily. The warmth of her tiny hand in her own as she asked "Mommy, let me go."
Scully blinked away the thought and turned to see Annabelle climbing onto Lorraine's lap. There were about ten or so children playing in the empty field next to them, but Annabelle had been sitting off to herself the whole time.
"Annabelle, mommy's working," Lorraine reprimanded, helping the child up regardless.
"I'm tired," she mumbled, resting her face against Lorraine's neck.
"She's so calm for a toddler," Scully praised.
Lorraine looked at her with a polite smile. "Thanks, usually she's a lot more active, but she hasn't been feeling good lately."
"Have you taken her to a hospital?" Scully asked, looking at the girl.
She heard chairs creaking as the people around her shifted uncomfortably. "We aren't allowed to leave," she replied.
"Not even if-"
"No," she shook her head, irritation at the fact evident in her tone. "We don't leave."
Scully felt a frown tugging at her lips. The men seemed to like it here, and they were in a place that socially privileged their position, but she couldn't understand why the women chose to stay here. Why more didn't attempt to escape, especially when so much mistreatment was happening.
The only thing she could think of was that the threat of death was stronger than people were letting on.
Glancing down the line of women, she saw Rosemary sitting by herself, her arms arguably the worst of all. She was half curious if an example was made of her, when your husband messes up it is a reflection on you, or something to that extent. Not wanting to stare, she turned back to her washboard.
Clearing her throat, Scully stated, "I used to help the nurse at the Elementary School I worked at. I have decent medical experience from that. If you ever want, I'd be more than happy to take a look at her."
Lorraine smiled at her. "Thank you, if she doesn't start getting better, I'll definitely take you up on that. Also, I didn't know that about you. It makes sense why you're so good with kids."
"Thanks," Scully replied softly, finishing Mulder's shirt.
"Why haven't you had any of your own?" Laurie asked.
Scully felt an uncomfortable tension settle over her. "Um," she started, remembering that she and Mulder agreed to use their own lives as best they could. "It's a little hard for me," she shrugged.
"I'm sorry," Laurie replied with a frown.
"It's okay," Scully whispered before standing up. "I'm going to go take these and hang them up on the clothesline so I can start Robert's lunch."
She turned with her hamper, walking away from the women as she let out a slow breath. This couldn't be over soon enough.
The Thorn Residence
The Hallowed Compound
12:04 P.M. Monday
Bounding up the steps of his and Scully's place, he was greeted with the sound and smell of something cooking. "Honey, I'm home," he greeted while opening the door.
Scully was standing in front of the stove, her hair pulled back into a bun, but the length causing a few strands to wisp out in various, haphazard directions. She looked over her shoulder at him and sent him a beaming smile before turning back to the meal she was preparing. "How was work?" she asked.
"Let's just say I could use a massage later," he teased. He turned his back away from her and reached into his pants, pulling out the phone and charger that had been stabbing him all morning.
"Mulder, what're you doing?" she asked in confusion.
He turned his face over his shoulder and showed her the phone in his hand before wetting a paper towel with soap and water and cleaning it gently. "No where else to put it," he replied in chagrin.
Knowing that they had a connection to the outside world made him feel exponentially better, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.
"Can you lock the windows and doors so we can call Halloran and give him an update?" she asked.
"Sure thing," he replied, doing as she said before hopping on the counter to sit next to the stove, facing her. "That smells really good. I didn't know you cooked," he added.
A smaller, shyer smile graced her lips and she replied, "I like to cook. I just don't usually have a lot of time for it."
He leaned over, looking into the pot, and saw she was making some Italian dish. "It's just spaghetti with some sauteed vegetables," she responded to his unasked question.
"Scully, did you know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" he teased.
"Maybe wait until after you try it to declare your love, Robert," she emphasized with a smirk.
Deciding not to get too comfortable while they still had work to do, he switched back to the matter at hand, going around and closing all the windows. "What about you? How is it going with the women?"
She shook her head before turning the burner down and grabbing two bowls from the cupboard. "Not great," she replied. "They don't trust me and I only have two friends."
"Two? No need to gloat Scully," he chuckled. "Why do you think they don't trust you?" he asked, hopping down to help her.
"Thanks," she murmured, handing him the bowls so he could portion out the food. She leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her hands while looking out the window to make sure no one was outside. "Lorraine, one of the moms married to the group's mouthpiece, said it was because people are jealous we have a good relationship," she answered.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"It seems there's a sort of hierarchy of privilege. Women who were married before hand seem far luckier than those who were in arranged marriages. The only arranged marriage wife who seems less emotionally jaded is Laurie, your friend's wife, but she's a child so she may not even realize the abuse happening to her," she explained.
Shaking his head while bringing the bowls to the table, he explained, "No, he doesn't touch her because he isn't comfortable with it. They've made a pact with each other to keep up appearances, but it's a façade. Randy said he thinks people know though and treat them differently."
Scully looked visibly relieved and nodded, digesting his words. "I can see that. A lot of the other women seem to snap at her."
"And the men treat Randy like a dud." He turned to look at her and was met with her offering him a fork. "Thanks," he replied, smiling at the ease in which they domestically danced together.
They sat down and began eating, putting a temporary pin on that conversation.
Scully had made him a few miscellaneous things over the years, a sandwich here and there, sometimes he nibbled on scraps of the food she'd make and bring to work - but he'd never had anything properly cooked by her. He didn't know what to expect, preparing to be polite no matter what, he brought the fork up to his mouth and couldn't help the smile that erupted.. "I petition that from now on instead of takeout, you cook for us during movie nights. Scully, this is delicious," he beamed.
It seemed she couldn't look him in the eye when he paid her a compliment because her gaze fell into her food, but even so, he could see the straining of her cheeks to repress a smile. "That's kind of you to say," she replied softly, before looking up with her mask of indifference. "Only if you bring the beer," she quipped.
"Deal," he nodded with a smile.
They continued to eat their meal while just filling each other in about miscellaneous things they'd learned through the day. "The house numbers are bible quotes?" He asked, licking the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah," she nodded. "All about devotion and sacrifice."
"Why do you think they call themselves the Hallowed?" He asked, figuring she might know better than he because of her background. "Do they just consider this Hallowed ground or something?"
"Maybe," she replied through a mouthful of food. Swallowing, she added, "Or, it's like 'hallowed be thy name.' Maybe indicating that those in the Hallowed are chosen or sacred and should be revered. I'm not sure though."
He nodded before sliding his hand into his pocket and pulling out the piece of paper he'd stored there. "What's that?" She asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"It was in the tree trunk," he replied, unfolding it.
Dear M&S,
Be safe.
2074042604
Mulder grabbed the phone and dialed the number, moving around the table to sit next to Scully so they could both listen and talk. She pressed her temple to his, her hair tickling the side of his face as they listened to the phone ringing.
"Is it you guys?" Halloran's voice cashed from the other line
"Yeah," Mulder replied looking around to make sure no one was looking through the windows.
"Thank god, we were worried when we didn't hear from you yesterday. Find anything out?" He asked.
Scully turned to look at him and he looked back, trying to ignore how close their faces were. "You go first," she replied.
He nodded and they resumed their earlier position. "The men are violent, I've seen most of them display severe aggression. They branded me last night while I was passed out."
Mulder wasn't as focused on Halloran's reaction as he was Scully's. She inhaled deeply in irritation and he could feel her jaw clench against his. "I know there's one guy here officially on the sex offender registry, though on a technicality, but they were fine letting him in here with children here. I'm not sure about the others. I also have one confirmed instance of the cult arranging a marriage with a sixteen year old girl. But what I find really disturbing is that there seems to be a mass grave here, possibly spanning over a few decades. Some of the graves even have fresh soil, as if they were recently dug."
"Did anyone mention anything about it?" Halloran asked, disturbed.
"No, no. They're covering something up. They claimed it was for composting, yet I've seen no one tend to it," he explained.
Halloran let out a long breath of frustration before asking, "What about you Agent Scully?"
"A lot of the women here, as expected, are being physically assaulted by their husbands. Maybe more. I also learned that they aren't allowed access to medical care if they are ill. But the biggest piece of news I have is that Rosemary is still alive, but she's been given as a bride to another man in the cult against her will," she explained.
Mulder felt his heart go out to Neil. He was sure to find comfort in knowing she was alive, but he was undoubtedly going to torture himself with imagining what she was going through.
"I'm glad to hear she's alive," Halloran stated on the other line. "This is good information, Agents. This gives us a lot to go off of. Now, since you know where the tree is, what I'd appreciate you two working on would be trying to find out the first and last names of some of these people so we can run them through the missing person's database so we can find out if there have been any kidnappings. If you're able to get anything with DNA that's even better," he explained.
"Okay, we'll try," Scully nodded.
"We can't express how much we appreciate this, Agents. They need to be shut down. Do you need anything? Especially for the brand?" He asked.
Mulder was about to reply in the negative when Scully spoke up. "There's a little girl who's sick here. Can you get me some children's aspirin and possibly some amoxicillin?"
Mulder's heart went out to Scully. He knew seeing a sick child had to be hard for her, especially a little girl.
"No problem," Halloran said. "It will be there by tomorrow morning."
"Sounds good," Mulder said before ending the call and stashing the phone in the cabinet above the refrigerator with a sigh, his back burning at the movement.
There was still a lot of work to be done.