Disclaimer: I OWN nothing & CLAIM nothing!
Scully awoke & was startled to find the handsome, youngish face of a man leaning over her, she couldn't help but stare as he helped her to her feet standing before her was an honest to goodness centaur, a creature she had previously dismissed as a myth. "My name is Michael, now please, get on, we don't have much time." He said as he bowed before her, she clamored on awkwardly & they were off. "Ah, it seems that our other guest has arrived, wait here, please." Angie said to Mulder as she rose from the table. "Mulder…" Scully trailed off as they embraced one another. "Now that you're both here, we can start the training." Angie said. "Training?" Mulder said as they followed her. "Alchemy training." Angie replied.
"The first thing you must learn is the law of equivalent exchange, to create; something of equal value must be lost or given up. For example," She said as she presented Mulder's broken cell phone, placed it on the ground in front of her, clapped her hands together & closed her eyes. Mulder & Scully watched in awe as the phone repaired itself. "That's amazing!" Mulder said as he picked it up & looked it over. "It's got to be some kind of trick." Scully said as she looked it over as well. "No tricks, Miss Scully, alchemy is in a class all its own & not everyone can do it, but it is still governed by the laws of physics."
"Those who ignore the laws of physics & life, their bodies get taken to the other side." She said as she patted her pegged leg. "When I was ten, my sister was killed in an accident, I tried to… to bring her back with a forbidden form of alchemy called human transmutation & I lost my leg as a result. I'm lucky, most lose their lives." She said. "I have read that there is a kind of stone that allows one to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange, is that true?" "Ah yes, the philosopher's stone, but to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange, you first have to obey them one… last… time. A mass sacrifice is needed to conjure a philosopher's stone, only the truly evil or truly desperate ever attempt it." "You still haven't explained what we are doing here." Scully said. "You have been chosen to help us defend against a great evil that has descended upon our world, you must help us, & the survival of your world depends on it." Angie said.
"What do you think, Mulder?" Scully asked him later that night as he wallowed around in the wicker rocking chair next to her bed in Angie's spare bedroom. "I think we should do all we can to help, because I don't know about you, but I want to have a home to go home to." Mulder replied as he stood & stretched the kinks out of his muscles. "Look, I want to show you something." He said as he drew a transmutation circle on the table in front of a dead rose in a vase. Scully watched, astonished as he was returned to its former glory & beauty. "I did some studies in alchemy back in college, its weird, everything that I learned in our world works in this one." He said as he returned to his chair & pulled the blanket around his chin, Scully sighed as she moved to the edge of the bed & pulled the covers back. "Mulder, you're never going to get any sleep in that chair, why don't you share the bed with me." "But… it's barely big enough for you." "I'll manage." She replied.
Angie opened their door just before dawn the next morning & smiled at the sight that greeted her, Mulder & Scully were sleeping soundly in each other's arms. Scully head was against his shoulder, they looked so content. "Almost hate to wake them, eh Jack?" Angie said to a rather homely medium sized dog with a long, black shaggy coat. "Let's leave them." She said with a smile.
After weeks of intense training, both Mulder & Scully had progressed swimmingly. "I have to say, you two are the most gifted students that I have ever taught. I suppose that it helps when you've done some reading on the other side." Angie said. "We investigated a case that I thought had to do with alchemy a few years ago, I just never thought I'd get to use any of it." Mulder said. Suddenly, the sky began to darken & the people of the village screamed in terror as they took refuge inside their homes. "He has arrived." Angie whispered.