The Vineyard
The Hallowed Compound
11:08 A.M. Wednesday
Mulder had been feeling uneasy since they arrived, but after seeing this blatant disregard for the life of a young child, he knew they needed to move fast. He assumed Scully felt the weight of the clock, but, before they parted ways, he just wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
The idea struck him as he watched her walk back towards their house. "Katherine, before I go, I was just hoping you could clarify something that's been bothering me," he called out, causing her to stop and turn around.
"Hmm?" she hummed in response.
"What was the name of your old dog? Queequeg, right?" he stated slowly.
She hadn't looked at all surprised by the use of the safe word. She almost appeared relieved he was the one to say it first. "You're absolutely correct," she stated firmly, before adding for good measure, "Queequeg."
It wasn't for their own safety, as they'd originally intended it to be used, but that little girl looked severely unwell. He was no doctor but he was proficient in the art of reading Scully's mannerisms, and if the look in her eyes was any indication, Annabelle should have been at a hospital days ago.
Mulder was glad he only had a little less than an hour of work before he could go and see Scully again. They could call Halloran and let him know there was a serious case of child endangerment and they could begin preparation to shut the place down and get everyone to safety. The tricky part was not causing a mass riot while being time sensitive.
He sighed before continuing to prune the grape vines. Mulder distantly recalled being told working with the grapes was the best job here, and the thought of what he was potentially being rewarded for made him want to be sick.
Though he didn't have to wonder for much longer as Victor gallivanted up to him.
"You did good, Robert," he mused, sniffling grotesquely.
"What do you mean?" Mulder replied, not even bothering to look at the man.
Victor chuckled before patting him on the back. "Katherine looked like she learned a valuable lesson last night."
Mulder felt his jaw clench even though he had a sinking feeling this was coming. "Wait," he paused before turning to ask, "When did you see my wife?"
Victor pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose into it before stuffing it into his back pocket with a shrug. "I see everything others see," he replied ominously.
Mulder presumed that meant he saw everything through his spies, but that phrasing coming out of a weirdo with a God complex was still unsettling. "She knows what's expected of her," he replied.
"I hope that's true," Victor replied, scanning Mulder up and down. "You look to be in good health. I'm glad because I wanted to personally let you know that we are expecting you tonight at the gathering."
He stopped mid-pruning to turn to the man. "Really?"
Victor nodded once with an unsettling grin. "I know it must've been hard being forbidden to go the last few nights, but just know it was for your own good. Now that we feel confident in your commitment, we're thrilled to have you."
"Will it be like last time?" Mulder asked.
The older man threw back his head with a laugh before clapping Mulder on the shoulder. "Yes, my boy. You can see the other side." That was all Victor said before he just walked off, going to talk to some other member of the cult whose name Mulder couldn't recall ever having known.
With an anxious sigh, he turned, only for his attention to lock onto a disturbance in the grass.
Victor's handkerchief.
DNA.
Mulder did a quick sweep before bending down and pulling out a plastic baggie from his pocket. He'd had two plastic baggies on him at all times since coming here, but this was the first time he'd ever had need to use it. He pushed the inside of the bag outward so he could grab the handkerchief without touching it directly before sealing it and putting it back in his pocket. He waited a good twenty minutes, until he was certain Victor was gone, before retreating to the tree. He'd developed a reputation for having a tiny bladder, and it was a reputation Mulder tried to feed into to make his routine visits to the tree trunk seem inconspicuous. He quickly stashed the handkerchief within the hollowed out base before pretending to relieve himself.
As he whistled and looked around, he caught sight of Randy, who was still on fence reinforcement duty. Mulder hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Randy in a while and he wanted to find out more about how the Hallowed treated their ill and if there was any precedent to what was going on with Annabelle.
"Hey Randy, how's it going?" Mulder greeted, walking over to the man a few yards away.
Randy looked back up and him with a callous expression before shrugging. "Fine."
A sense of awkwardness settled across Mulder's chest and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. He'd never been received so indifferently by the man and his coldness took Mulder off guard.
"Are you okay?" Mulder asked, trying again.
The man chuffed out a humorless laugh before murmuring, "Like you care."
Mulder bent down, assisting Randy with the task he was doing. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Mulder replied.
Randy's movements halted, his hands gripping the wood of the fence tightly. Mulder remained silent, waiting for him to say his piece. He almost jumped as the man locked eyes with him, his gaze as intense as it was full of resentment. "How could you do that to her?"
Embarrassment coursed through Mulder's veins like hot lead. Their display had been done in the hopes of making them appear better to the group, but they hadn't taken into consideration how it would look to the respectable people here. Randy, Laurie, Lorraine, Ed, they all saw him as a monster now. "Randy, I-" he began, only to be cut off.
"No," Randy seethed. "Katherine is a kind woman. Laurie adores the piss outta her. I saw what she looked like when I was running late to work. You brutalized her, Robert. For what? To impress these people? I thought you were one of the good ones."
Randy started standing up, but was halted as Mulder grabbed his arm. "Randy, you don't understand-"
"I understand more than people think," Randy replied, his face becoming as red as his hair. "Just because I don't wanna hurt anyone doesn't mean I'm weak. I've seen so many men come around here and fall privy to the culture here; men who when given free reign will use it for evil. I'm sick of it."
"Then why do you stay?" Mulder asked, not removing his hold on the man in fear he'd bolt.
Randy looked at him and took a big sigh. "If it were just me, I might've, but I'm the only thing keepin' Laurie from marrying someone like you," he spat. "As long as I'm here, she's off limits."
Mulder sighed in sympathy for the man, letting go of his arm. Randy was stuck between a rock and a hard place and he was letting himself get crushed just because he thought it would protect a woman he's close to. Mulder could sympathize.
"It wasn't me, Randy," Mulder admitted.
"What?" Randy replied, seeking an answer in Mulder's eyes.
"Victor hit her in front of me, that's why her jaw is black and blue. She was scared it would happen again so she asked me to help bruise her. She has that medical training from, uh, the school she worked at, so she knew how I could administer them without causing her anything more than momentary discomfort. I swear to you, Randy, I hate it more than anyone," Mulder explained.
"V-Victor hit her? Because you weren't?" Randy asked nervously, unquestionably thinking of Laurie.
"Because he said Katherine was insubordinate. He caught her outside the house after curfew and that compiling onto all the other things we had been doing that pissed him off caused him to lash out," Mulder explained. "But you said everyone here likes Laurie right? Since she grew up here? I doubt the same would occur."
"Maybe," Randy replied, seemingly unconvinced. In that moment, Mulder realized maybe it would be better for Randy to be on edge. That discontent in the community might make it easier when everything came down in the next few days.
"I'd be careful though, Randy. I don't know how much all the men respect the marriage claim," he warned.
Randy looked shocked at this. "Whaddya mean?"
"I think Tobe tried to assault my wife," Mulder admitted, feeling guilty for revealing something personal about Scully even though he knew she'd understand.
"W-what? Is Katherine all right? Did he-" Randy rambled, his worry for Scully endearing him further to Mulder.
"She's fine. Katherine is very resourceful. She was able to prevent anything happening until I got there," Mulder replied. "At least that's what she tells me. I think the situation made her really uncomfortable, and she doesn't want to seem weak. I just have to trust she's telling me everything or I'll go insane thinking of what he might've done. Just thinking he so much as looked at her wrong makes my blood boil."
Randy let out a low sigh. "Tobe's one of the rotten apples whose bad attitude spoils the bunch. He doesn't need permission to be a primitive brute." He turned to Mulder and lamented, "I'm sorry I thought you were one."
Mulder shook his head. "You don't need to apologize for being a good man, Randy. It puts me at ease to think someone else is concerned for Katherine's safety."
"Oh it's not just me, the women apparently think the world of her," Randy chuckled.
Mulder smiled as he cocked his head to the side. Scully hadn't mentioned having any other friends other than Annabelle's mom, Randy's wife, and this new woman she was with today. "What do you mean?"
Randy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know it's not my place to say this, but I think a lot of the women are just docile because they know it'll be easier than being themselves. A defense mechanism of sorts. I know Laurie's quirky but quiet out in public, but at home she's funny and never stops talking. Laurie says your wife is kind and, in her words, 'takes no shit from those awful men.' Laurie has a lot of friends around since she was raised here, and she says everyone she's talked to has become captivated by the way Katherine carries herself."
Mulder felt a smile of pride threaten to tear his cheeks. That's his Scully. "What else did Laurie say?" he asked selfishly. Mulder so rarely got to openly talk about how amazing Scully was, and he'd be damned if he didn't take this opportunity.
"Apparently yesterday one of the older women, one of Victor's spies, was giving her a verbal lashing and Katherine wasn't having it. She made a sex joke in front of everyone and then told the lady something I can't remember, but it made Laurie happy," he explained, trying to wrack his brain for details.
Mulder laughed at the fact Scully was being such a shitstirrer when he knew she was trying to be on her best behaviour. It appeared Scully simply refused to bend to the will of injustice, just as he'd expect.
As much as he wanted to hear every little detail, he knew he was on a case and needed to focus on the other information being given. "How many spies would you say Victor has?"
"I dunno. It seems like-" he started before being interrupted.
"Too weak to mend a fence by yourself, Randy?" one of the men joked off in the distance, causing them both to jump slightly.
"It looks like they were having a moment. Apparently there's more fruit in the vineyard than just the grapes," another teased, resulting in surrounding chuckles.
"Yeah right," Mulder called out, not wanting to indulge the rude comments nor come across as standoffish. "I was just trying to convince him that baseball is the true American sport," he deflected.
The Thorn Residence
The Hallowed Compound
12:06 P.M. Wednesday
Scully was too nervous to make anything impressive for lunch, so she just threw together some ham sandwiches and chips while waiting for Mulder to come back. She knew they were in a bad situation, but hearing Mulder use the safeword just cemented how bad things actually were.
She turned to the door when she heard a knock and smiled weakly when she saw Mulder standing on the other side of the screen. Walking over, she undid the latch before letting him in and closing both doors behind him. Ever since the Tobe situation, they'd been trying to be a little more cautious.
"Hey," he greeted with a sigh, walking over to the cabinet above the refrigerator to grab the phone. "How did things go for you today?" he asked as he turned around and sat at the table.
"Good, I can tell the women view me as one of them now," Scully replied, taking a seat across from him. "Sorry," she murmured as her foot knocked against his.
He let his foot tap against hers in jest as he began wolfing down his food. "The men trust me again too, though I had to spend twenty minutes getting back into Randy's good graces," he replied in between bites.
Scully's brow furrowed as she looked up at Mulder. Randy was the most reliable source of information Mulder had and Scully felt more comfortable with him being out there since he had a friend. She didn't like the thought of him not having someone to turn to if he needed. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"He saw you, that's what happened," Mulder replied. "He had the same reaction Lorraine did, abject horror. He was ready to shun me for laying a hand on you."
"He was worried about me?" Scully asked, a small smile tugging on her lips at the thought of the dorky man being concerned for her.
"From what he's told me, you're a fan-favorite among the cult women," Mulder answered with a smile. "Can't blame them."
There was a warmth in her cheeks that she wanted to hide from him, but she was trying to resist the urge to be shy. She cleared her throat and deflected the subject away from her, "So, how were you able to convince him to like you again?"
"I'm sorry, I told him the truth," he admitted with chagrin.
She put some chips into her mouth and shook her head. "Don't be, I told someone too."
"You did?" he replied, sounding surprised but relieved he wasn't the only one to break cover.
"Yeah," she nodded. "That woman you saw me with, Norma, she invited me over and tended to my bruises. She was so open and kind, and, um-" Scully paused, remembering that it was her confession about Mulder that caused her to admit the truth. "I, uh- I didn't feel good lying to her. I just said this was Victor's doing."
"I didn't anticipate the small benefit of being able to judge who to trust and who to be wary of based off how they react to you," he admitted with a sigh. Even though their plan worked for the best, she could see it was still bothering him.
She leaned over and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing it lightly and drawing his attention to her. "I'm sorry you still feel bad about it, but it was worth it, Mulder," she reiterated.
His hazel eyes bore into hers as his thumb stroked the skin of the back of her hand. "I am just excited to get out of here," he whispered before raising her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
"You and me both," she smiled, leaning back and withdrawing her hand to grab their empty plates, setting them in the sink.
Those small gestures of affection still made her heart race despite last night. If anything, last night just made her more acutely affected by Mulder's overtures. The graze of his lip against her skin just reminded her of how good his lips felt elsewhere on her body. When she looked in his eyes, she just remembered how they looked filled with passion. She was feeling a whirlwind of emotions in a place that required she feel none.
"Are you ready to talk to Halloran?" he called from the table.
"Yeah," she replied, walking back from the sink, maneuvering her chair next to his.
The dial tone lasted only a few beats before an enthusiastic voice emitted from the other side. "Mulder? Scully?" he asked.
"It's us," she confirmed.
"That written testimony was a goldmine, you guys," he praised. "Those names came back with so much info. Those men are convicted felons."
"We knew that though," Mulder replied quizzically.
"Not to this extent," the Sheriff replied. "Over seventeen of those men have warrants out for their arrest. Murder, aggravated assault, serial rapes, the list goes on and on. This isn't a community, it's a safe place for violent criminals evading the law."
"Oh my god," she whispered, terrified of the vulnerable situations Mulder'd been in surrounded by those types of men.
"That's not all. Some of the women's names come up with missing person's reports. A lot of the children too," he replied. "Families have been looking for these people for years, and I want to help bring their loved ones back."
Scully was reminded of Norma, who was under the assumption no one cared about her, and a smile broke out across her face. "Me too, and we need to work fast, Halloran. There's a little girl here who's really sick. She needs medical attention."
"Is there anything I can do?" Halloran asked. "Anything I can bring?"
"We still have the antibiotics, but there's nothing you could bring that wouldn't raise suspicion. She needs an IV, a humidifier, oxygen," Scully sighed. "She needs a hospital."
"Do you think she'll be okay through the night?" Halloran asked.
Scully let out a low sigh, "Yeah. I plan on going over and checking on her before nightfall. If it's too bad I'll call you and we can arrange for an emergency intervention."
"Okay," Halloran agreed. "I'm going to organize a plan with my team tonight and we'll be in position tomorrow. You just give us a call around this time and we can plan how best to approach everything alright?"
"I don't know if it's worth anything, but I got a handkerchief with Victor's DNA on it. I put it in the hollow of the tree, but if you're coming tomor-" Mulder explained, only to get cut off.
"That's perfect, Agent Mulder. Rosemary didn't have any strong details about him, and we haven't been able to find any information on him. It's like he doesn't exist. I'll go pick up the sample before meeting with my team and that'll give us an even stronger case," Halloran boasted enthusiastically.
They wrapped things up before hanging up, Scully taking the phone from Mulder before walking to the refrigerator.
"That's great you were able to find DNA," Scully replied, hoisting one of her legs onto the kitchen counter.
She smirked to herself as she felt Mulder's hands gently grab her hips, helping her up and steadying her as she put the phone away. "Yeah, I think everyone thinks I have a bladder infection with how often I pretend to pee at that damned tree," Mulder chuckled.
Scully set the phone upright before checking that both of the guns were still there. A shiver ran through her body as she felt one of Mulder's hands snake up her skirt, toying with the elastic band of her underwear on her hip bone. "We're so close," he murmured.
It made her heart speed up at the thought. As soon as they were off the property, what would they do? Would they just go to their separate apartments, as if nothing happened? Would it change everything? It made her nervous, but she wanted him and whatever that entailed.
She closed the cupboard before turning her head with a smile. She locked eyes on him for a moment before something in her periphery caught her attention. She looked over at the window and her heart sank when she saw a figure standing at the window, just the top of their head visible. She gasped and sank onto the counter, putting her hands on Mulder's shoulders as he helped lift and slide her off the counter.
"What?" he asked, immediately on edge.
"Someone's watching us," she whispered, pointing to the window.
Mulder turned around, causing her arms to fall away from him, and stormed over, putting his face to the screen to look around. "I don't see anyone," he replied over his shoulder.
"Was the window open the whole time?" she whispered, a sense of dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
"I-I don't know," he replied, failing to keep the frustration out of his voice.
"Damn it," she seethed. They'd been careless and now it might cost them.
"Are you sure it was a person you saw?" he asked.
Scully rolled her eyes before sighing, "Yes."
"I didn't mean it to be rude, I just wanted to make sure," he replied defensively.
She put her hands up, as if to stop them from taking their frustrations out on each other, "I know. I know. This was just the last thing we needed."
He walked over and grabbed her hands, clutching them between his own. "Hey, with how they act, I'm sure we'll find out if they're suspicious. I'll go back to work and see if anyone is treating me differently. If something feels off, we can just call Halloran during dinner, okay?"
She was about to agree before she remembered what Norma told her earlier. "I'm worried about you going to that meeting tonight," she stated firmly.
"I'll be fine, Scu-" he started, but she didn't want to hear it.
"Norma's first husband died because he was so excited to go to this other side thing that's nothing but Victor's smoke and mirrors," Scully lamented.
Mulder looked hurt by that and took a step back. "I told you, it's real, Scully."
She sighed and pulled her hands away so she could wipe her face. "I know it feels real, Mulder, but whatever it is causes you to lose your capacities. You were put in a position where they could brand you, and they weren't suspicious of you back then. Who knows what they might do to you this time? Who's to say they won't take the chance to kill you and marry me off to Tobe like they did with Rosemary?" She knew it was a low blow, but she was banking on him taking his safety more seriously if it meant ensuring hers as well.
"I won't let that happen, Scully," he stated firmly.
"I don't know if it's only your choice," she replied.
"Randy's there, he won't let anything bad happen to me."
She exhaled a humorless laugh, "Oh, I'm so glad our safety rests in the hands of Randy."
"Hey, Robert, wanna walk to work together?" a voice called from the front door, accompanying a knock.
"Look, he already knows when he's needed," Mulder attempted to joke lamely.
He wasn't taking this seriously and it was making her anxious. This was serious, but he was so blinded by his desire to get answers that he was putting himself in danger. Again.
"Hey," Mulder whispered, putting a finger under her chin to coax her to look at him. She could tell he felt as conflicted as she did, clearly not wanting to upset her but wanting to get closer to this evasive 'truth'. "I know you're worried. I am too. Please trust that I'm being careful."
She'd seen Mulder in enough hospital beds over the years to know they had different definitions of 'careful', but she didn't want to fight with him anymore. "Okay," she whispered, leaning forward as he pressed his lips to her forehead.
He pulled back before pressing another kiss to her lips, only pulling back as Randy knocked again. "I'll see you later, okay?" he murmured.
She nodded in response and smiled as he implored, "We'll be okay."
Scully just hoped he was right.