Corner Diner
December 16, 2017
7:30 a.m.
Scully sat in the diner the next morning, yawning before taking a drink of her coffee, the mug warming her hands. She sighed as she held it, looking up at Mulder outside, paying for a paper, opening the door and taking it out. Smiling, she shook her head at the old habits that did indeed die hard. He walked inside the diner and smiled, sitting down beside her and setting the paper to his left.
"You know, there is an app on your phone for the news," she said, glancing at him and pushing his cup of coffee toward him. He nodded with a smile as he picked up the mug and took a drink.
"I do know that, yes," he said, licking his lips. "I used it this morning, but I obviously don't get the local news, the heartbeat of the area if you like." He grinned and she shook her head, drinking a little more before setting down her mug.
The waitress brought over their food and Scully thanked her as she walked away. She heard Mulder exhale a breath as she glanced at him. He looked at the plate before nodding as he pulled it towards him. She picked up her fork and the fruit bowl from her plate.
"Am I so predictable?" he asked, gesturing to the meal on his plate, as he reached for the syrup and poured it on his pancakes.
"Predictable? I wouldn't use that word," she said, eating a piece of cantaloupe and smiling at him.
"Boring?"
"You?" she asked with a snort.
"Obvious? Unsurprising?" He licked his finger as he wiped the syrup bottle, and grinned as he picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite.
"No. I just know what you like." He looked at her again and her breath caught as she realized what she had said and how it sounded.
Memories of the taste of his skin, his hands on her body, and the way he felt inside of her, rushed to the forefront of her mind, and she felt her face flush. But then he started humming Chantilly Lace and she shook her head as she rolled her eyes, the tense moment passing.
"Mulder, I've known you for almost twenty five years," she said softly. "I know what you like to order." He nodded with a smile and she smiled back.
He placed a piece of his bacon on her plate as she ate one last piece of fruit before setting the cup beside his plate, leaving him the blackberries. His knee bumped hers under the counter and she bumped back with a smile as they continued their meals.
All Saints Memorial Hospital
9:30 a.m.
"I can't give you more information than what has been steady since they were all brought here," Doctor Audrey said with a shake of his head, as they stood in the hallway outside the room of Farrah Francois. "There were so many of them. Five dead and three in a coma-like state, nothing we did could bring them around. And the other two…" He shook his head again and Mulder looked at him.
"Why do you suppose the other two weren't affected the same way?"
"Honestly? Medically? I couldn't tell you," he said, looking at Mulder with troubled eyes. "They were both really out of it, babbling incoherently about angels, graveyards and screaming, both hearing it and doing it sporadically, as we attempted to sedate them. And they constantly said they were cold. So cold." Mulder caught Scully's eye and raised his eyebrows. She nodded slightly and pointed to the room.
"Could we see her?" she asked.
"Yes, but…" Doctor Audrey looked through the glass and sighed. "I would advise you to ask any other questions you may have out here, or save them for after we've seen her. There was an officer here a couple of weeks ago, asking a different doctor questions about her and she began to seize. It was the only time she responded… in any capacity, in nearly two months. It took a long time before we were able to calm her and she has remained that way since."
"Understood," Scully said softly and the doctor opened the door.
The beeping of the machines was the first thing she noticed, a sound she was accustomed to hearing, having spent many years in a hospital. The next thing she noticed however, was the quiet of the room, aside from the sound of the machines. It was a stillness that was foreign in a hospital room and it left her feeling unnerved.
Stepping closer to the bed, her eyes already assessing Farrah Francois as she lay in the bed. She was pale, but unsurprisingly so considering the amount of time she had been in the bed. She was hooked to an IV, bags of medication hanging from the pole. Reaching up, Scully touched the largest one, the bag of sodium chloride and found it to be warm. Shocked, she looked at the doctor and he nodded, a finger to his lips.
Letting go of the bag, she glanced at the other bags of medication, taking note of what she was being given. Mulder cleared his throat and she turned her head, finding him at Farrah's left side. He had taken her hand out from the bed and was holding her wrist gently, presenting her arm to Scully.
As she stepped closer, she saw it. Lifting her eyes to his as she gently touched her arm, he nodded at her unasked question, placing Farrah's arm back under the blankets. Staring at Farrah's face, Scully took a deep breath, imagining how much pain she had been through and the road to recovery she would be on when… if she woke up.
Turning her head, she nodded at the doctor and he sighed with relief. They walked back into the hall and once the door closed, Scully crossed her arms, ready to ask him some questions.
"The fluids you're giving her are warm, she has multiple blankets, and her arm was cool to the touch. Far cooler than a patient should be- even in a hospital." She stared at him and he nodded looking at her curiously. "I'm also a medical doctor." Doctor Audrey nodded, looking back through the window and sighing.
"We're treating her, and the other patients, as though they have hypothermia."
"Hypothermia?" Scully asked, frowning at him, her mind racing through the signs of hypothermia and how it would apply in a temperature controlled hospital room.
"Yeah." He shook his head and sighed again. "When she came in, all of them, they were freezing. Shivering and cold to the touch."
"But it wasn't cold enough, nor long enough for hypothermia to set in," Mulder asked and Scully looked at him, nodding in agreement.
"You're absolutely correct," Doctor Audrey said with a slow nod of his head. "I… like I said it was confusing when they were brought in. Five were DOA, three were comatose, and two were raving like lunatics. It was… I'd never experienced anything like it."
"But," Scully said, glancing at the room again. "She's still cold to the touch. That was nearly two months ago and hypothermia, especially if treated right away, would have dissipated by now."
"I know." She looked back at the doctor and he shook his head. "As a medical doctor, I know you understand the signs, treatments, and risks of hypothermia. But… this is unlike anything I've ever witnessed. She was freezing and we began treating her immediately. Once she warmed up, we thought she would start to come around, but she didn't. None of them did. Once we stopped active measures as they began to maintain, they crashed. Their heart rates slowed, they began to shake as though they were seizing, but it was from being cold. As soon as we gave them warm fluids, warming air, heating pads and blankets, they evened out again. If they are not on a round the clock routine, they fail." They both stared at him and he sighed tiredly.
"But even after all those measures, she's still cold.," Scully stated.
"And she has goosebumps," Mulder added.
"I know," Doctor Audrey sighed. "The goosebumps… that's one I can't understand or explain. It's been like that since she came here. I… I don't…" He shook his head and closed his eyes briefly. "She's cold to the touch yes, but without the care we're giving her, it's much worse. It's as if..." He stopped, looking away and licking his lips, appearing nervous.
"As if what?" Scully asked softly. He turned his head and looked back at her, taking a breath before opening his mouth to speak.
"It's almost as if she were dead."
Scully sighed as she looked out the car window, thinking about what the doctor had said and how she would treat the kids if she were their physician.
They had seen Tyler Landry, Jonathon Breaux, and Regina Wallace before they left, finding them in the same state as Farrah, though not as sensitive to questions being asked around them. All of them had persistent goosebumps, were cold to the touch, and had not woken since they had arrived at the hospital. Seeing so many of them, with no immediate answers to be of service, made her feel inadequate and impotent.
Zara Hebert had been moved to a private hospital, her parents, her father in particular, had felt the care she was receiving was not enough. Her father had screamed and shouted, Doctor Audrey had said, telling the doctors they were jealous and did not care for Zara as they should have because he knew the mayor and could rain hell upon the hospital.
"We sent over her records, telling them of her diagnosis and prognosis," Doctor Audrey had said as they left, his posture slumping in defeat. "I truly hope they were able to help her."
"You okay?" Mulder asked quietly beside her and she turned her head, giving him a small smile.
"Honestly?"
"I find it's the best policy," he said with a smile, parroting her words from a couple of days ago. Her smile grew and then she sighed deeply.
"I was thinking about the kids at the hospital, of course, but I was also thinking about my mom."
"Hmm."
"I was just thinking about… how hard it is to watch someone you love slowly die in front of you." She turned her head and looked out the window again. "When I was told she had changed her advanced directive…" He reached over and covered her hand with his, squeezing gently and she squeezed back. "I was angry, but I understood. I just needed to… get there."
"It's hard to be on the other side of that hospital bed," he said softly and she let out a breath, squeezing his hand and then letting go.
"Yeah… it is," she agreed, thinking of days and nights beside his bed over the years. Sighing, she closed her eyes, the world passing by in a blur starting to make her feel dizzy.
Home of Arielle Durand
1:30 p.m.
"Just… just to get it straight, I don't want to talk to you," Arielle said, pulling her thick black cardigan around herself, and rocking back and forth slightly on the couch. She wiped at her eyes and looked back at them defiantly.
She was a dark haired young woman with caramel colored skin and dark brown eyes. She looked tired and older than her twenty one years, her vast amounts of hair piled messily into a bun, her clothes hanging on her small frame.
"I understand and we thank you for speaking with us," Mulder said kindly and she shrugged, looking down at the floor. Scully fanned herself, hoping it was not too obvious.
It was incredibly hot in the Monroe home, the heater running on what seemed to be full blast, causing her to sweat excessively. Mulder caught her eye and gave her a slight nod.
"Arielle," Scully said softly, watching her as she saw Mulder in her peripheral, looking around the room. "I know you've given a statement to the police, that they have questioned you since, but we were hoping you could tell us what happened that night, what you remember?"
"If you have my statement, then you know," she said, not looking up, pulling her cardigan even tighter around herself.
"Sometimes it helps to tell someone new. To talk it out again. Maybe there was something you forgot, or that-"
"You think I could forget that?" she asked, raising her head, her dark eyes full of fire. "I wish I could forget. I wish I didn't think of it every second. I…"
She began to cry, covering her face with her hands. Her mother came into the room, rubbing her back and murmuring in her ear. Scully stared at her, flicking her eyes to Mulder as they waited for Arielle to calm down.
"I'm sorry," her mother said, looking at them, smiling softly with a sigh.
"Don't apologize for me!" Arielle said with a loud sniff. "Five of my friends died and I don't know if the others will ever wake up!" She cried again, her mother wrapping her arms around her, and holding her close.
Scully wanted to leave, let Arielle be and come back later to speak to her. But then, she saw Mulder lean forward and she knew he would be taking the lead on the questioning.
"Arielle, please take your time. But when you're ready, I have some questions I'd like to ask you." His tone was gentle, one Scully had heard many times in investigations and in their personal life, and every time it touched her. Arielle's mother looked at him, relief on her face as she nodded, still holding her daughter.
It took a few minutes, but eventually Arielle calmed down, Mulder handing her the box of tissues from the coffee table in front of them. She whispered her thanks and wiped her eyes.
"Mama, could you get me a… my jacket hanging behind my door?"
"Of course, my love," she said lovingly, stroking Arielle's hair before she walked out of the room.
A clock ticked loudly, chiming on the forty five minute mark when Arielle took a deep breath and looked up at them. She shook her head, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, as she took several more deep breaths.
"Here you go, honey," her mother said, helping her put on the jacket she had asked for.
"Thank you," Arielle whispered and her mother kissed the top of her head before leaving the room. She zipped up the jacket with a shiver and shook her head once more. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Mulder said softly and she nodded. Looking at him, she took another deep breath and began to recap the night.
After they had arrived, they danced and drank, having a fun time, laughing with their friends. The night was warm and as they danced, they were glad for the ruins of the church as it kept them all cool, in spite of the humidity around them.
"When we went outside…" She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's there that things get a little more fuzzy. I could blame the alcohol, and the pot we smoked, but it's not that." She looked at them and they both nodded.
"Did you see something when you were out there?" Mulder asked, and she nodded and then shook her head.
"I don't know," she said softly. "I feel like I do, but… it's hazy."
"I understand."
"You do, don't you?" Arielle whispered, tears filling her eyes as she stared at him.
"I do." She nodded and dabbed at her eyes.
"I remember… Davis, he was with me. I remember him squeezing my hand. I remember…" She gasped in a ragged breath, holding tightly to the neck of her jacket. "It was so cold. So… so cold. I thought… I thought I had died. The screaming. Jesus Christ…" She sobbed, bending at the waist and crying into her lap.
Scully took a deep breath and wiped quickly at her cheeks, removing any evidence of her tears. This was not about her and she needed to get her shit together before Arielle saw her, it simply would not do.
As Arielle's sobs once again subsided, she began to rock back and forth, sniffling loudly and blowing her nose. She sat up, pulling the hood of the jacket over her head, shivering as she did. Keeping her eyes closed, she began to speak.
"It was so cold. It wasn't… before. We were hot from being inside with everyone else. It was sticky outside and… Zach had gone out to pee, Zara said but he didn't come back so we went to find him." She took a few deep breaths, her eyes still closed. "The grass was… I remember my shoe got stuck so many times and Davis… he would laugh and help me pull it free." She smiled and then her face contorted and tears leaked from her eyes.
"It was… was like… I can't describe it. A feeling, a heaviness… but it went quiet. So very quiet, I could hear everything and nothing at the same time. My friends voices calling for Zach disappeared, the air felt thick, like we were underwater. And then…" She rocked back and forth, swayed side to side, her lips moving, but no sound coming out.
"Arielle?" Mulder said softly. She froze and nodded.
"Yes. That's what happened. I heard my name, but not from Davis or any of my friends. It was a voice I'd never heard. It was beautiful and terrifying all at once. And then it was just terrifying." She shook her head, whimpering softly. Scully looked at Mulder and shook her head, silently asking him to stop.
It was too much. For all of them.
He opened his mouth to say something, when Arielle took a deep breath and nodded her head.
"There was someone, or something, in the graveyard. I said before it was an angel, or something like it… but I… don't know anymore. I saw a woman, or person, in a white dress, seeming to float by us, as it made no noise. Then… it was like I was pushed to the ground, forced to lie on my stomach in the grass. I heard screaming and I was so cold. I remember Davis squeezing my hand as the screams got louder, not just outside, but inside my head, and then they all fell silent. I thought we all had to be dead, because it was so dark and I couldn't move. I was frozen." She opened her eyes, but she did not seem to be seeing them, her thoughts somewhere else.
"It was quiet for what felt like forever, and I remember shaking uncontrollably. Then there were shouts, girls screaming and crying, and then someone was standing beside me, asking if I was okay, if I was hurt. I couldn't answer them, just kept shaking. They put something on me, a coat or something, which was nice, but it didn't help, not a bit." She wrapped her arms around herself again. "Davis gently squeezed my hand and I knew he was okay. Or at least alive."
Scully shook her head slightly, closing her eyes briefly as she imagined the fear she must have felt. What they all must have felt.
"I remember… a friend of ours Leann… she said Becca was dead. That… she wasn't breathing and she was cold as ice. I started screaming, just screaming. I don't remember stopping." She shook her head and then looked at Mulder, seeing him this time. "I woke up in the hospital two days later. They'd kept me sedated because if I woke up, I would scream and cry, lashing out at myself and anyone who came near me."
"You'd been through an ordeal, a terrifying experience. It's understandable," he said, his voice low and kind. She nodded and let out a breath.
"The police didn't believe me, I know they didn't and I know how crazy it sounds, but I know what I saw. I may not be sure if it was a man or woman, but I know I saw a person in a long white dress, walking soundlessly through the graveyard. Maybe they weren't glowing, like I had thought, but there was someone there." She stared at him and he nodded.
"I believe you."
"Well, you're just about the only one."
The air outside was a welcome change after being inside the warmth of the Monroe house. Scully fanned her blazer as she walked down the porch steps and to the rental car.
Mulder hung back, talking to Arielle's mother, giving her their business cards, making sure they had access to either of them for any concern that may arise. Scully saw her mother nod and clasp Mulder's hand in both of hers as he offered it in a goodbye handshake. The relief in her posture was evident; she had faith in them being able to help her daughter.
He walked down the steps and to the car, unlocking it with the key fob, and taking off his suit jacket. As she got in, he opened the back passenger door and laid it on the seat before getting in the driver's seat. As soon as he started the car, he blasted the air conditioner, tugging at his tie and unbuttoning the top button.
"Christ, I'm sweating in places I never knew were able to sweat," he said, putting the car in reverse and backing up. She smiled slightly as she aimed the vents her way, fanning her shirt to let in the cool air.
"Seriously though, Mulder," she said softly and he nodded.
"I know, Scully." He glanced at her as they slowed to a stop at a four way stop sign. He waved the other driver ahead and looked at her again. "We need to talk to Davis and the others from the other party."
"Whatever happened… right now, I don't know how to explain it."
"Me either." He sighed and she attempted a smile. Instead, she lightly squeezed his hand where it rested on the gear shift and he squeezed back.
"Well," Mulder said as they walked back to the car after attempting to speak to Regina Wallace. "I'd say this day has been… it's been a really rough fucking day." He said with a small smile over the hood of the car and she nodded.
"It has indeed."
They got in the car and put on their seat belts, both of them sighing as they looked out at the Wallace home. Her mother was still watching them, yelling and throwing her arms in the air, though they could not make out her words.
It had been the same at every home, aside from Davis's, where his mother had cried and told them he was sleeping and to please come back tomorrow, grasping at both of their hands desperately.
"He's not my same boy," she had cried, taking their business cards and pressing them to her chest.
"What do you say we head back to the hotel, call it a night? Decompress and discuss what we've learned?" Mulder suggested with a tilt of his head, and she sighed as she nodded in agreement.
"I think maybe I'd like to get a drink first. I feel it's needed after this afternoon." He let out a breath and nodded. "Also, some food would probably be a good idea, seeing as how we skipped lunch."
"Okay," he said, starting the car and backing up. "I saw a place… O'Brien's, I think it was called.
"No, Mulder," she said, shaking her head. "I may not know everything there is to know about New Orleans, but I do know that if we're going anywhere, it's not O'Brien's."
"Is that right? Well then, do you have a place in mind?"
"Yeah, I saw it in the paper this morning," she deadpanned.
"See? The local newspaper is good to have-"
"I'm obviously joking," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Did you see me reading it this morning?"
"No."
"No. Because I know how to use the apps on my phone. We're going to Tropical Isle to get a Hand Grenade."
"A hand grenade? That sounds… messy," he said, cutting his eyes her way.
The tension of the afternoon melted away as she heard the sexual innuendo under his seemingly innocent remark. Not wanting to give him any hint that he had aroused her in any way, she shrugged as she programmed the address into her map app.
"I suppose it can be," she replied nonchalantly, not looking his way but knowing how he would understand her implication. "But always worth it, right?" She looked at him then and watched him swallow before shaking his head and muttering under his breath. She smiled as the navigation began to give them directions.
Tropical Isle
5:15 p.m.
Tropical Isle was busy with people out and about looking for a drink during the holiday season. It was warm inside, with far too many bodies pressed close together, which added even more heat.
Taking off her jacket as they found a seat at the bar, she hung it on the chair and caught the bartender's eye. He nodded and came over with raised eyebrows.
"Two Hand Grenades, please," she said, smiling as she fanned her shirt a couple of times, the top few buttons undone. She saw his eyes flit down for a second and she felt both annoyed and slightly happy she could still elicit a look.
Especially at my age, she thought with a depressed sigh.
"So, I see you're not above using your womanly wiles to get our drinks faster," Mulder teased as he sat beside her and she bit back a smile.
"I have no idea what you mean," she replied and he gave her a look.
"Uh huh," he said, his own eyes glancing down at the hand still fanning her shirt.
"It's hot in here," she said with a shrug. "I'm not the one sexualizing my desire to not be so damn hot." He shook his head and she raised her eyebrows.
"I'm sorry if that's what I did, I just meant-"
"Mulder, I'm just busting your balls," she said with a shake of her head. Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows, a smile creeping across his face.
"You know I've never said no to you doing anything to-"
"Here you go," the bartender said, interrupting his sentence, but she knew what he was going to say. Her heart pounded as she swallowed and reached for her drink. He exhaled and thanked the bartender as he took his own cup.
"Whoa," he said, looking at her and she nodded with a smile.
The Hand Grenade was served in a green plastic cup aptly shaped like a hand grenade with a long neck, nearly like a beaker. It was filled to the top, where a small plastic toy hand grenade floated beside a green plastic straw.
"Well, this is uh…" He cleared his throat and she laughed before tapping her cup to his and taking a long drink.
Her eyes widened as she licked her lips. She looked at him and he raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded and took another drink.
God, that was good. Fruity and exactly what she needed after the day they had. She could feel the warmth of the alcohol burning her chest in the most wonderful way. Taking another drink, she closed her eyes and let out a breath.
"Oh, that's really good," Mulder said, smacking his lips together. He took the small grenade from his cup, squeezing out the liquid from inside of it. She followed suit and set the grenade onto the bar. They were quiet as music played and people laughed and conversed around them. Halfway through her drink, she looked at him and sighed.
"So, let's decompress. Let's hear your theory. I know you have to have one by now," she said, stirring her drink with her straw. He shook his head and moved his own straw around.
"Right now… I'm not entirely sure."
"What? No more Doctor Who episodes to try and reference?" she teased and he looked at her.
"Oh, I can always find an episode for reference. Always." She nodded, feeling the effects of the alcohol in her drink. "The ever present goosebumps, the inability to stay warm, what the doctor said about those in a coma… plus that thing with the figurines."
"What are you talking about?" she asked with a frown.
"You didn't notice?" She shook her head and he nodded. "It could have been a coincidence, but I noticed the little figurines around the room at Arielle's were turned toward the wall."
"I didn't even see that," she said, frowning deeper as she felt it should have been something that drew her attention.
"It wasn't that many, just something I noticed. Again, it could have been a coincidence, but…" He shrugged, his palms up.
"Hmm," she hummed, thinking about it as she took a drink and nodded her head.
"Maybe it's… you know, people believe items can be haunted, a soul trapped inside and left behind. Dolls especially have been known to be a conduit of evil forces."
"Yeah, Mulder, I know," she said, giving him a look, taking a deep breath and then a big drink. "I witnessed that in Maine."
"Would that be the weekend away when you were on vacation and definitely not working? When you most definitely did not help solve a case involving a possessed doll?" She stared at him, saying nothing as she narrowed her eyes and let out a breath.
"Oh ho!" he shouted. "She finally admits it." He clapped his hands twice and gave her a smirk.
"Shut up," she laughed, pushing against him and he chuckled. "I admitted nothing."
"Your silence spoke volumes however," he said with a shrug as she took another drink, surprised to find it nearly empty.
"Well, that was fast. Thirsty?" he teased, moving his straw around his own drink.
"I was. As you said, it's been a rough day," she said, sticking out her lip in a pout as the straw hit the massive amounts of ice in the cup. "And now my drink is gone." She sighed and looked at him sadly.
"Let's get another." He signaled to the bartender and she shook her head.
"No, that's okay. Well, at least not that one or you'll have to carry me out of here."
"Wouldn't be the first time. Remember New Year's at your moms?"
"Ugh… vaguely. What I do remember is the hangover and vomiting a lot the next day. And that Bill had been an asshole."
"Yeah well, that's almost always a given," he mumbled and she bumped his shoulder. They both laughed quietly and he shook his head. "You and Tara were drinking those purple drinks, and then champagne, giggling away most of the night."
"Those drinks were good- going down, not coming back up the next morning."
"Hmm, no, it wasn't." He chuckled as she moaned, remembering that day: the cool of the bathroom floor as she had lay beside the toilet, the world spinning as she had emptied her stomach repeatedly, and the soft cool washcloth Mulder had rubbed across the back of her neck.
"You ready for another?" the bartender asked, cutting into her thoughts as he eyed her empty cup.
"Not of the same," Mulder said with a smile, looking her way. She closed her eyes as she smiled, the alcohol making her feel happy and light, a stark contrast to the rest of the day. "What else you got? Maybe something that's perhaps in a bit of a smaller cup?" The bartender laughed as he looked at Scully and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Got just the thing. Do you want the same or two different drinks?" he asked, nodding at Mulder's cup.
"Different sounds good. We can share," Mulder said and Scully smiled.
"Coming up," the bartender said, tapping the bar and walking away.
"Do you want the rest of mine while we wait?" he asked, motioning to his drink.
"Jesus, no. New Year's Eve, remember?" He laughed and finished off his drink, pushing both of their empty cups forward, but putting the two small hand grenade toys into his pocket. She glanced at him and he shrugged.
"You never know when it could come in handy." She snorted and dropped her head onto her arms that were resting on the bar, the alcohol doing its job quite nicely.
A bell rang and whistles were blown and her head snapped up as she leaned back in her chair, staring in horror at the group of bartenders who had gathered around. She looked at the cup set down in front of her, a plastic frosted cup with light colored liquid inside, and wondered why they had felt the need to cause a stir for such a drink.
"Shark Attack!" their bartender yelled, and a plastic shark was thrust repeatedly into the drink, creating a mess on the bar as it turned the drink red, as though the shark had truly attacked someone or something. "Holy shit! There's so much blood!"
Scully put her hands up and sat back a little further, not wanting to get the alcohol on her. The bartender stopped, leaving the shark upside down in her cup, and she looked up at him, finding him grinning.
"Be careful, ma'am, that's one aggressive shark." He picked up a towel and wiped off his hands, winking at her as he stepped back, the patrons laughing and hollering as the other bartenders clapped and moved away.
"Well," Mulder said, looking at her drink and touching the plastic shark laying atop the now very red drink.
"He called me ma'am," she said with a pout dipping her finger into her drink and licking it clean. "Oh, it's grenadine."
"Did you think it was real blood?" he asked with a laugh and she glared at him.
"Do I look like an idiot?" she asked, picking up the drink, the straw missing her mouth, her tongue chasing after it until she caught it and took a big drink. She tilted her head, her eyes closing of their own accord.
"I'd say you look a little drunk," he said with another chuckle and she opened her eyes, his face slightly blurry.
"Horny Gator."
"Excuse me?" Mulder asked, both of them turning to look at the bartender who grinned and set a drink in front of Mulder.
"Horny Gator, sir. Enjoy." He nodded and walked away.
"He called me sir," Mulder said, taking the small plastic alligators out of his cup and setting them aside.
"Pssh… as if sir is the same as ma'am." She shook her head and set her drink down, taking the shark from her cup. She squeezed it, grenadine dripping slowly from it, before she dried it with a napkin and handed it to him. "For your collection." He grinned and set it with the other items.
"How's your drink?" he asked, taking a drink of his own.
"Good, how is your Horny Gator?" She smirked and he pumped his eyebrows.
"Pretty stiff," he replied and she snorted. "Do you want to taste it?" She looked at him, so many comments coming to mind, but she chose to keep it clean.
"Sure," she said, handing hers to him and they switched. Taking a drink and finding they liked the others better, they did not switch back.
The bar was becoming louder as people traipsed in from the street, calling to friends and laughing loudly as they discussed gifts being purchased for Christmas. Whistles went off, bells rang, and a mix of regular and Christmas music played over it all.
Scully felt the alcohol nearly to her toes, and she hummed as she stirred the straw around the plastic alligator cup and she licked her lips.
"Anything else I can get you two?" The bartender asked and Scully turned to look at him, feeling slightly dizzy. He winked at her and she raised her eyebrows, even as her eyes closed.
"No." She heard Mulder say and she nodded in agreement. "We'll just take the check."
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at her drink, deciding if she wanted to finish it considering how she was feeling. One more drink and she pushed the cup forward and away from her. Best not to tempt fate.
"Done?" Mulder asked and she nodded with a hum. He smiled and she rested her head on her hand. He drank the rest of his and took out his wallet, handing his credit card to the bartender as he walked back with their check.
"I think we should get some food in you before that alcohol joins the others and well…" He looked at her and smiled. "We've already mentioned New Year's Eve."
"Pffft," she responded, sticking out her tongue and he laughed. The bartender brought his card back and they gathered up their things. He scooped up the plastic animals and put them in his pockets, along with the plastic grenades.
Scully put on her jacket, the room spinning as she stood still, grabbing onto Mulder's arm for balance.
"Yeah, food isn't such a bad idea," she agreed, holding his arm as they walked out of the bar.
Deciding on a quick slice of pizza, they ate as they walked back to the hotel, it not being far, leaving the car where they had parked it earlier, planning to pick it up later.
They passed a different bar, music playing loudly inside. Scully stopped walking and started dancing, slowly turning and swaying her hips in time to the beat of the music.
"Hey, come on, dancing queen," Mulder said and she once again stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. He took her arm and led her toward the hotel, the beat of the song still playing in her ears, calling to her like a heartbeat.
Distracted with her continuing to dance, and Mulder preoccupied with keeping her walking steadily and staying on the sidewalk, neither of them noticed that they were being watched.
A mannequin in a shop window turned its head slightly, staring at them as they waited for the light to change. They stood close together, the woman happy and smiling, the man's eyes watching her intently.
Anger filled the air around the mannequin, the window vibrating from it.
"Please, no! I don't want to die! No! PLEASE!"
The vibrating stopped and the anger slowly abated, as the mannequin continued to watch the couple, the sound of a steady continuous beep bringing a smile to the previously blank and expressionless face.