"Did I happen to mention that sea travel usually makes my breakfast give an encore performance?" Mulder clutched at his churning stomach. The sea-sickness pills obviously didn't carry a money back guarantee.
Cat briefly looked up from her hold on the small boats steering unit at a very green looking Mulder. "Did I tell you I've only actually driven a boat twice in my whole life?"
He held his stomach with his hand trying to avoid over jiggling it when he laughed. "Maybe we should have thought this through a bit more." He said and then excused himself to vomit over the side of the boat.
Cat cringed the sound making her own stomach flip flop. "It's isn't far now." She called to him.
"You said that forty five minutes ago, Cat." He replied in between heaving. "Are we lost?"
"No. Look." She killed the engine slightly and the boat slowed. Mulder recovered from his latest belt of sickness and looked up to see a growing land mass.
"Thank God!" He squinted against the bright sun until his eyes adjusted and he could make out the approaching island. The first thing he noticed was the giant structure that took up over half of the east side. "Can you see this?"
"Yeah. Wow! What do you think it is?"
"Scully said it's an aquarium." He used his hand to hood the sun from his eyes. "I think we can dock up there." He pointed towards the large building where he could see a small wharf and one other vessel, much more expensive looking than theirs. They were only a few miles from the dock when the engine of the moored boat came to life and headed towards them at speed. Mulder waved at Cat motioning her to kill the engine. "Slow down" he called out "let's try keep this low key."
She did as he asked killing the engine as the much more extravagant boat closed the gap between them. Mulder clutched at his stomach again as it turned in on itself. The boat slowed as it approached its sharp nose curving towards their bow dangerously closely. There were two men on the boat. One sat at the steering unit and the other was standing with one foot up on the starboard side. He was dark skinned with a thick moustache and white shirt that flapped loosely in the wind. It was just a little too Miami Vice for Mulder. If he wasn't concentrating on supressing the urge to vomit he would have found this incredibly funny.
"Hello there." Moustache man called. "I'm sorry Sir but you and your lovely lady friend seem to be a little lost."
"I don't think so." Mulder called just noticing both men aboard the boats had a piece on their hips. "We are looking for Merewif." He went to grab his badge from his pocket and the moustache man's hand went to his gun. Mulder put his free hand out indicating he wasn't armed and slowly reached in to pull out his badge. "I'm an FBI agent, Special Agent Fox Mulder." He flicked his badge open.
"FBI?" Moustache man relaxed taking his hand away from his gun. "How can I help you, Agent Mulder?" he smiled that secret criminal master mind smile.
"We want to come ashore." Mulder flipped his badge closed and pocketed it. "We want to have a look around and talk to Mr Gables." He smiled his smug government official smile back at him.
Cat had never been surrounded by so many guns before and suddenly it hit her - the potential danger she was putting herself in. She followed Mulder blindly like a lost puppy with her tongue hanging out, her lust fuelled brain giving her an unfounded confidence, blocking her normally keen sense of danger. She suddenly felt very silly and very ill. Her head moved between the boats listening carefully to the conversation, watching even the smallest movements from all three men.
"Do you have a warrant, Agent Mulder?"
"Do I need one?" Mulder mimicked the man's pose, lifting his foot and resting it on the edge of the boat.
The man laughed then turned to his friend lifting his eyebrows, obviously giving him some secret code. The other man got up and they both went below the deck.
Cat adjusted herself in her seat. Their boat didn't have a cabin therefore there was no place for them to take shelter. They were out in the middle of no-where, potentially amongst criminals and she was starting to feel very scared. Did Fox have a gun? Surely he did he was an FBI agent. "Fox!" She whispered loudly, he didn't seem to hear her "Fox!"
Mulder turned towards her "What?"
"Where did they go, I don't like this Fox. Let's go back, I want to go back now."
Noticing how scared she looked he jumped down off the edge of the boat to sit next to her while the two men busied themselves on their boat. "What's wrong?" he leant to speak quietly in her ear.
"They have guns, Fox."
He nudged her shoulder with his "So do I."
She snuck a glance at him "I don't like this Fox, I'm not an FBI agent, I shouldn't have come with you."
"Oh I've been followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow." He sang softly, very off key. "Leapin and a hoppin on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow."
"Cut it out, Fox." Her voice shook as she fought back nervous tears.
"And if I ever lose my hands, lose my plough, lose my land."
She laughed as she bit down on her shaking bottom lip, he was calming her with his awful singing and his stupid grin. "Stop it!" She swiped the tears from eyes "You are going to get us killed with that God-awful singing."
He squeezed her hand to reassure her a little more then stood as the men reassembled on the deck of the boat. "Mr Gables will see you." He simply stated. "Follow us and I'll show you where you can anchor." And with that they fired their engine into gear and sharply turned their boat back towards the shore.
Mulder winked at Cat and sang loudly "Moonshadow, Moonshadow." Then when the men were far enough in front that they wouldn't be able to see him he carried on vomiting over the side of the boat.
###
"Agent Scully." Dolly announced cheerfully as she rounded the door into Walter Skinners office.
Scully died a little inside she really didn't want to have another conversation with this woman. "Is the Assistant Director in? I need to speak with him urgently."
"He is in a meeting love, but he won't be long. Why don't you take a seat, put your feet up. My you seem to get bigger and bigger every time I see you."
Every pregnant woman loves hearing those words, just as much as they love their need to eat and pee at 3am. "Perhaps I'll come back." She went to turn away; Mulders likely peril situation wasn't worth sitting and enduring a conversation with this woman. Before she reached the door Skinners office door opened and he and another man stepped out shaking hands.
Skinner caught Scully's eye. "Agent Scully, I'll be right with you. Take a seat I just need to make a phone call."
Scully clenched her fists and cursed under her breath. Skinners 9am appointment left the office, Skinner ducked back behind the safety of his office door and Dolly grinned like a giddy grandmother at Scully as she hesitantly sat down on the couch. She sat and doted for a moment and Scully knew it was just the calm before the verbal storm.
"Have you been doing the birthing classes? You know I think that is one of the most important things to do when you are expecting. I think to myself sometimes 'you know these modern mothers today they wouldn't need all these fancy medicines and epidurals if they just paid more attention in their birthing classes'." She flicked her wrist flopping her hand in a 'posh' manor. Scully retracted in her seat a little more. "Now most woman these days go for the c-section without even trying the natural way, probably worried about the state left for the men in their life but I'm telling you darling you shouldn't worry about things like that."
Scully's eyebrows hit the top of her hair line, how on Earth was she having and not having a conversation with this woman about her vagina and her sex life. Dolly didn't seem to care- on she went. "I've had four children, all natural, all healthy and my husband has never…"
"Ms White!" Scully finally interrupted "I'm sorry, I'm just not very comfortable talking to you about this."
"I'm sorry Dear, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." She crossed her hands in her lap, innocently. She was quiet for 5.5 seconds. Scully was counting them in her head. "You know the young gentleman who came to see you in the cafeteria the other day was very handsome."
Scully shot a definite 'don't mess with me' look then. "Ms White!"
Dolly closed her lips tight peering over at the button on her phone that was now flashing red. "The Assistant Director will see you now." She had her 'secretary' voice back on.
Scully mustered all of her strength not to stand like an awkward pregnant woman, ironed out the front of her clothes and marched chin pointed forward into her Boss's office. Skinner looked surprisingly happy for a change. He was sitting at his desk shuffling papers with one hand and tapping the desk with his pencil in the other. "Agent Scully." He looked up at her "You look well, what can I do for you?"
Scully took a deep breath, momentarily feeling guilty for being the one who was about to crush his rare happy mood. "Ah Sir, I have reason to believe Agent Mulder may be in trouble." She held her hands in front of her lap like a nervous school girl at the Principal's office.
The joyful pencil tapping stopped abruptly and that crease she was so familiar with etched its way deep into his forehead "What did he do?"
"Well…" She started.
Suddenly Skinner was pulling open his office draws each one in turn. Open, slam, open, slam. Scully jumped each time one crashed into the desk. He was pulling out pieces of paper, forms, a pen. Ranting as he went. "Forget it, I don't want to know. It's probably safer if you don't tell me. Three days! Three days he has been away on his own and he is already in trouble. That has to be a record even for him." He was scribbling on the forms as he ranted. "You know I can't wait until the day you walk in here and say 'hey just wanted to say I haven't almost been killed this week. No hospitals, car crashes, abductions. Nope, we are just going for a beer if you want to come."
Scully held back a smirk his impression of her was way off. She took a cautious peek at what he was writing. It was authority forms and he was signing them off.
"I suppose you need a car, hotel, an extra agent and what else, a new cell phone perhaps?"
She wondered if this was the right opportunity to ask for a raise but decided not to push her luck. "Ah no phone that I am aware of but I'll need another two agents and um well, I may need ah, um, a boat."
He stopped scribbling to look up at her. "A boat." She smiled sweetly back at him. "Why a boat? Nope don't tell me I don't want to know." He pulled out another form and began filling it out. When he was done he almost threw it at her.
She took it cautiously from him "Thank you Sir." Before she walked through the door she slowed and then turned to him "Sir, maybe one day I'll come by and ask you out for a beer."
He looked directly at her middle. "Ha, I won't hold my breath Agent Scully."
####
Arnold Gables was a slick character, solid build, broad shoulders and thick black hair that was plastered meticulously over his head. His face was shaved using the closest cut possible and he wreaked of aftershave that probably cost more than a week's wages at the FBI. Even though he only stood a few inches taller than Mulder. His arrogant charm and expensive suit seemed to make him tower over him. Mulder knew the moment he stepped into a room with this man that getting any information from him was going to be difficult. He had his work cut out for him. So far they had toured the main suite, a bar, two of the private lagoons, a restaurant, another bar and the gym. He flirted with Cat shamelessly and offered Mulder all sorts of 'perks' including cocktails and seafood dishes he had never heard of. Gables did all the talking, Mulder nodded at the appropriate moments, soaking up as much information he could from his visual assessment of the island. Throughout their entire tour he noted that he was yet to see one patron. In fact the only other people were the Miami Vice crew from the boat that seemed to follow Mr Gables at a safe distance behind them. The tour stopped outside the door of the biggest building on the island "Merewif" was written in giant old English letters above the door. "And here is possibly our biggest attraction on the island: Our live underwater show." Arnold Gables pulled a cigar out of his pocket and placed it between his teeth.
Mulder was tired of beating around the bush, he watched Gables light his cigar and casually held his own hand up to shelter the flame that was trying to spark the waxy paper of the cigar. "Thank you." Gables said inhaling deeply, thinking he had charmed his way out of Mulders investigations.
Mulder smiled briefly then decided to rip off the band aid. "It is a lovely place Mr Gables, I can see why it is so popular. I am most interested in this underwater show and hoping you could tell me what you knew about the three lawyers who went missing after visiting this island. Two of them washed up on the beach shackled in seaweed having apparently had sex, likely underwater, with a woman wearing scales and body paint. The other is in a coma but not before telling us about a show involving mermaids. "
Sensing their bosses discomfort at the question the two monkeys stepped in behind Gables and Cat cowered a little further behind Mulder. The air between them was thick and cigar smoke scented, everyone seemed to be waiting to see what Mr Gables would say or do. Mulder wasn't surprised when he laughed at him. "Mr Mulder, many men and woman have ventured onto this island, many lovers. People have strange fantasies and desires; my island is a private oasis where people can do whatever they please in complete privacy. We don't take names, there are no cameras here; no internet and I have the only means of communication. My guests pay a large sum to play here but for most you can't put a price on that kind of privacy." He stepped a little closer to Mulder exhaling a large cloud of smoke. "They do whatever they please and it is no-bodies business at least of all mine."
"Unless they were murdered." Mulder fought the urge to cough.
Gables put the cigar back between his teeth and grinned "Why don't you stay for the evening? Have dinner at one of my restaurants; order whatever you like it's on me." He pulled the cigar out of his mouth holding it between two fingers and pointed towards the large doors they were standing in front of. "The show starts at 10pm feel free to come and see for yourself."
"I'd like to see a list of recent guests and I would like to speak to your mermaids."
"I told you Agent Mulder, complete privacy. I take no-ones names, no such list exists and my mermaids are unavailable outside of show hours. When you come by tonight, I'll have one of my staff accompany you and answer any more of your questions. In the mean time I'll have my men here show you to one of the lagoons. Please feel free to try any of our services." He pulled Cats hand to his lips and kissed it softly and then walked away.
Their movements had been restricted on the island while they waited for the Merewif bar to open. Mulder was determined to spend the time within the lagoon they had been allocated searching for clues about their missing lawyers and the general going's on of the island. On the surface it all looked very kosher, legitimate even, a place to bring your significant other and hide away in paradise for a few secret nights. If only his senses didn't tell him something fishy was going on when the tropical sun set and he wasn't talking about the cuisine. Extreme privacy meant secrets and he was determined to find out what they were hiding out here that cost three or four figures to bury in the sand. Unfortunately, there was little to be found. Their private lagoon was made up of one large self-contained room and a private beach. The room was huge with shining polished wood floors and oak furniture. It held a four post king size bed which had a large net draped over it that looked like white silk sails on a ship. There was a fully equipped kitchen with a small bathroom off to the side. The kitchen and bathroom were the only structures surrounded by walls. The rest of the room was made up of large windows, including the roof. So if you were lying in bed the sky was above you, your private beach, bordered with rocks were your surroundings. And just outside the sliding doors was a hammock hanging in a tree that shaded your own private spa pool. This was the kind of place you only got to see in travel brochures. If only Mulder was in the mood to enjoy it.
"Wow!" Cat exclaimed as they walked into the room "I've never seen anything so beautiful. I wish I had a swim suit."
Mulder was too tired to indulge too much in their seemingly good fortune. He knew too well that things rarely were as beautiful as they seemed on the surface. Still feeling a little nauseous and dehydrated from their trip, he was only interested in the bed. "I might catch up on some sleep before we have to head out tonight." He unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and pulled it over his head while kicking off his shoes.
Cat watched him disappointedly as he flopped ungraciously down on the comfiest bed she thought she had ever seen. He disappeared under the mosquito nets and seemed to fall asleep instantly. Dumb founded she looked at the beach, the hammock, the small window seat and wondered what on earth he expected her to do while he napped. "Well I'm just going to um…"
A piece of netting parted on the bed and his head popped out. "Hey, did you bring something to collect samples with?"
"Yeah" she still looked dumb founded but then quickly remembered she was actually here to work and could potentially be in danger.
"Maybe you could go and collect a few water samples and see if you can see any of the weed our lawyers were wrapped in or maybe even evidence of unusual sea life that could explain their injuries." He didn't even wait for her to reply before flopping back down onto the pillow.
"Sure" Cat squeaked. What did she think was going to happen? That he would suddenly notice her, whisk her up into his arms and throw her down on the bed. After all no one would know, no one would find out, no-on would care. Would they? She really didn't know that much about him after all.
Mulder hit the button on a fancy remote that lay beside the bed that read 'roof' and a dark petition covered the blinding afternoon sun. He drifted off to the sound of seagulls and surf lapping the shore. As he slumbered he dreamt of small wet feet walking outside the curtain. His eyes fluttered and the shadow of a woman stood at the end of the bed. The hours had passed and the sun was well and truly on its way below the horizon. He didn't dare move or speak not wanting to surprise any unwanted guests.
"Are you feeling better?" A soft familiar whisper came from behind the curtain.
"Scully?" He lifted his head as the two sides of the silky net parted and she stepped into view. A sea breeze from the open door caught the net tangling her a little. "Scully, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be in the field."
"Sshhhh" she shushed him seductively and that's when he realised he was dreaming. She wasn't pregnant, her stomach flat and uncovered. She was wearing a bikini, the one he had only seen her in as Rico, the undercover agent aboard the luxury cruise liner. That felt like a year ago now. "Are you feeling better, Mulder?" She asked again
"Much better now you are here."
"Really?" She looked at him with sorrow written over her face.
"Of course Scully, you know I get lost when you aren't with me."
"But you left me." Her sad eyes meet his.
He was tired of arguing with her about this while he was awake he wasn't going to do it in his dreams. He sighed deeply content to just sit and watch her for a while. He was in charge of his own dreams after all wasn't he? He could control what was going to happen next. He thought he had successfully convinced his sub conscious of this when she moved her hand to the straps holding the bikini top to her body and pulled them gently until the small garment fluttered to the bed. Mulder swallowed hard, soaking in the familiar but never disappointing view.
"Things are changing, Mulder." Standing there in just a small, red pair of bikini bottoms, she seemed content in letting him watch her. His mouth went dry, he absolutely could not take his eyes off of her, not wanting to break the spell and wake up he didn't dare move a muscle.
"I'm changing." Suddenly her stomach swelled to the pregnant state he had left her in and her hands smoothed lovingly over it. "Aren't you attracted to me anymore?"
He didn't think he would be able to speak his throat felt like sand. "God Scully, how could you think that?"
"You left."
He had no way to answer that, he did leave. If dreams were answers to questions we hadn't yet figured out how to ask, what the hell was the question here?
It was darker all of a sudden, the wind had picked up and the netting attached to the bed was now lashing wildly around her. "I'm changing Mulder, it couldn't stay the same forever." Her bikini bottoms were fading, the colour of her legs and swollen belly were changing to deep reds, oranges, yellows and burgundies. Shining against the fading light her skin he realised was turning to scales, her legs into a tail. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Her hair began to grow longer until he could no longer see it behind the bottom end of the bed.
"Scully!" He called to her not able to move.
Her lips went from coral pink to deep blood red. Her long red hair was picked up by the breeze and blew wildly around her head. She slowly opened her eyes as her transformation was almost complete "It couldn't stay the same forever…."
Continued in part 6