Disclaimer: I'm loaning the handsome agent Mulder and the beautiful agent Scully from Mr. Carter, thanks.
Memories from a Lost Time
Chapter two
Within three days, she was married to Walking Proud and Running Wild was married to Coyote, there had been nothing to do to avoid it, her father was a respected elderly in the village and Running Wild's father just a hunter.
She had met with Running Wild the day after her future had been settled, sneaking out in the earliness of the dawn with her brother's pipe she had gone to their special place to pray. She had the rights to pray with her brother's pipe because he wasn't married yet. When crying with the loaded pipe in her hands Running Wild had found her, holding her in his arms, he had cried with her.
Fiercely, Running Wild had kissed her and she had responded as fiercely, he had claimed her as his wife with his burning desire and she had whispered yes over and over again. When their bodies had become boneless from making love, she had picked up the pipe again, and together they had prayed for a way to be together, in this life and the lives to come. They had committed their love to the pipe, always wanting to be together.
"Singing Bluebird, I'll come for you when the moon lights up the night and the fires have died out this night. Will you be ready?"
Locking eyes with him, she softly said, "I'll be ready. I love you." She was ready, ready to face a hard life with him, the man she loved. It wouldn't be easy, they would have to find another village that would accept them, they would be poor and had to work for everything but they would have each other. Choosing the path less travel was never easy, but maybe with time her father would forgive her and they could come back.
On her way home Singing Bluebird met her brother, he came looking for her and his pipe. Looking at the smoked pipe in her hands, he quietly asked; "what have you done, sister?"
Proudly, meeting his eyes she had told him the truth, "Running Wild and I committed our love to the pipe."
Inhaling sharply, he studied her for a while. "How did you do it, sister?"
Calmly, she explained. "We committed to be man and wife in this life and that we always will want to be together, always keeping our love alive."
Troubled, he asked, "sister, did you used the word wanting? Or did you say always be together?"
"Wanting, brother. Why?"
"I was afraid of your answer, sister. It will not be easy for the two of you. Your commitment will give you many hard times before you'll be together as wife and husband. I've compassion for you, sister. I'll pray hard. Come, we will tell father we have prayed together. You will be safe for now."
Late that night, she had rested under her blanket fully clothed, waiting for Running Wild to come for her. She hadn't thought much about her brother's words, just believing he meant they would have a troubled life together, and she already knew that. A hard but wonderful life together. Her father was still visiting a friend's tepee with two of her older brothers and maybe it was for the best, she would rearrange her blanket so it looked like she was sleeping underneath it.
Turmoil outside the tepee disturbed the silence of the night and harsh words too hushed to be understood filled the air. The blood ran from her face when she recognized two of the voices, her father's and Running Wild's. With cold hands, she untangled from her blanket and crawled to the door, but her way was being blocked by her oldest brother. He held her tightly and refused to let her go, for the longest time he rambled about the family's honour and respecting her parents. When her brain bolted back to working her mouth opened in a heartbreaking scream, before her lover's name could leave her mouth it was covered with a big hand. It was over.
Her oldest brother was the cancer man!
The next day, she understood that it was completely over, Coyote had moved into Running Wild's tepee before the sun was up and her wedding started right after sunup. Her father refused to listen when she tried to tell him about the pipe. Within four hours she was leaving her life and Running Wild behind her.
She never knew if Walking Proud ever realised he had married an expecting mother, he hadn't said anything on their first night together, perhaps her crying and groans of pain had convinced him that she was a virgin. He wasn't a bad man, Walking Proud, but his gentle hands would always be rough compared to the gentleness of Running Wild's hands, and his need to share her body would always be unwelcome. Fortunately, her pregnancy ended his desire for her body and she didn't need to come up with more excuses. The birth of her twin sons was difficult and something broke inside of her, she wouldn't be able to carry more children. Walking Proud married a second wife to share his blanket. At last, Singing Bluebird was free and could visit her mother as often as she pleased.
It was bittersweet to visit her mother with her two sons, Running Fast and Horse Rider, each visit drained her emotionally but she kept coming back, until she slept more in her father's tepee than in her husband's. Coyote gave Running Wild three daughters, and each birth tore Singing Bluebird's heart apart and made it more and more difficult to tell her secret to Running Wild. How could she tell him, that he already had two sons, when he obviously enjoyed sharing his blanket with his wife?
Maybe he guessed it, neither of her sons resembled her husband, or maybe he remembered his commitment, either way the frequent pregnancies of Coyote stopped when Singing Bluebird settled into her father's tepee and only sporadically left to visit her husband.
Shaking from cold Scully awoke abruptly in the bath. Confused, she bolted up into a sitting position, her heart beating with anger and betrayal. The dream had been vivid and it was still crystal-clear in her mind, and if she didn't know better, she would have denied ever falling asleep. The ringing of her cell phone disturbed any further lingering on the dream, throwing a towel around her body, she rushed into the room trying to locate her phone in the running. It was on the bed, picking it up she answered immediately without checking the number.
"Scully" She breathed heavy into the phone.
"Scully, are you ok?" Mulder sounded concerned.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, you sound like you've been running and I've been banging on your door for five minutes. I was beginning to worry."
Sighing, she delayed her answer.
"Scully?" He wasn't fooled.
"Yeah, Mulder, I just fell asleep in the bath. It's not a big deal, it happens all the time."
"It does?"
"Do you know how many people drown in their bathtubs each year?" She asked in her doctor voice.
"Yeah, well, but you are not other people. Can I come in or do you prefer talking through your door or over cell phones."
"Yeah, why not?" Stalking to the door, she unlocked and opened the door so he could get in. "Mulder, what's matter?" Trembling from cold she closed the door behind him, the towel offered no protection against the cold water or the mildly cool room.
"Scully, are you ok?"
"Mulder, I'm fine, just a little cold." To stress her words she trembled again, wondering how long she had been asleep, her eyes searched for the clock on the bed table. God, she had been bathing for an hour, no wonder she was cold.
"You know there are ways to get you warm, Scully. I'm offering my humble services to you."
Meeting his eyes she saw the mischief, "oh, I'm sure you do, Mulder, and I'm positive it will cost you great pains to help me!" Her mouth twisted in a smile that enlightened her eyes.
Moving closer Mulder loosened the small towel barely covering her most intimate parts. "A man gotta do what a man gotta do to keep his woman sound and safe." Placing his hand at the small of her back he pushed her towards the bed, and with his other hand he uncovered the bed and helped her in. After tucking her in, he started to remove his t-shirt and jeans.
Fascinated, she watched him stripping out of his cloth, her pulse already increasing. "Your woman, huh?"
Locking eyes with her, he calmly stood in the glory of his nudity, "yeah, my woman. That means you, Scully, don't tell me you didn't know?"
Licking her lips, she pondered the question. "We never really discussed it, Mulder. Friends were the word we used."
A puzzled look crossed his face, "friends?" Pausing, he stepped closer to the bed and stared into her eyes with an odd intensity, "how many friends do you share your bed with, Scully?"
She saw the same insecurity, she felt during the regression hypnosis session flicker in his eyes. "Only one" she answered and lifted the bedcover for him to get in.
"One?" He slid into the bed, facing her.
None of them had touched the other yet, both feeling like they were walking on thin ice.
Frustrated, she exhaled through her nose, "Mulder, it's you."
"Oh, I'm the friend." He snorted.
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "Mulder, this afternoon you had no problem with the term friends, what changed?"
"Obvious we're more than friends, don't you think? I mean friends don't sleep together, it's not like I even have been tempted by the very idea of exploring the bed sheets with Langly, Frohike or Byers. I can only guess if you've ever played with any fantasies of getting involved with any of them?"
Still shivering, she raised her eyebrow. "I'm sure glad I don't have to compete with the guys. No, so far my sexual fantasies haven't turned into nightmares."
The answer cracked a smile on his face, "Come here, you're still cold."
Willingly, she moved into his arms and resting her head against his chest, she breathed his scent in, realising he had showered recently and sprayed her favourite eau de toilette on. Breathing in again, she closed her eyes and rested deeper into his body.
"Mulder, are we just friends?" It was impossible to shake the strong sense of loss off that had surprised her when Melissa had revealed her connection to Mulder. It was the same sense of loss and betrayal from her dream.
Running his fingers up and down her arm, he whispered into her hair. "No, we're so much more, partners in every terms. Do you see us as only friends?"
"No, it's just that we never talked about our relationship and today you easily accepted that Melissa was your soul mate and we would always just be friends. I don't know, Mulder."
"Yeah, I been wondering about that part too, Scully. What changed, why are we opposite sexes this time and why lovers? I've booked an appointment for another regression hypnosis session tomorrow."
"What? Our flight leaves at 9 in the morning, Mulder!"
"Yeah, I rescheduled our reservations. It won't matter, it's Saturday. Our flight leaves at 3 p.m."
God, it was so much like Mulder just to arrange their lives as he saw fit, never one to stop and ask her how she felt first. For a moment, she felt irritated and disappointed she had looked forward to a weekend at home, for once. Her annoyance faded when she remembered her dream, it was still so vivid and emotional, maybe, Mulder's idea wasn't so bad, after all.
"Are you mad?" He pushed her hair away from her eyes.
"No. Mulder, but I had the strangest dream in the tub, I don't know what to think."
His warm lips brushed her forehead. "Um, you smell nice. What dream, Scully?"
"I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Lifting her head she caught his lips with her own, and suddenly her body was warm and tingling with desire. Closing her eyes, she found it impossible to reopen them her eyelids had become unbelievable heavy and her body
wouldn't respond. Sighing, she whispered, "Mulder, I'm so tired."
"OK" He whispered back before both gave in to Morpheus' claim. They had been on their feet for the past 24 hours and through an emotional ordeal, it was only logical they were tired and needed sleep.