Chapter 8
5.30 a.m. October 11, 1997 a
It was still dark and peaceful outside, when Mulder's phone suddenly rang. Grumpy and bleary-eyed he stumbled his way through the room to find his phone on the dresser.
"Mulder"
"Mulder, here is Enzo. I am very sorry to disturb you this early but we have a new victim."
"Oh lord. Where is the site?"
"It's near the Fontana di Trevi. Do you know where that is?"
"Yeah, we walked along there the other night when we headed for the Pantheon. I think I can get a taxi. What time is it?"
"5.32. I will wait till you arrive. In the meantime the forensic team will be here."
"Alright, I weak up Scully. I think it would help her to figure this out when she sees the crime scene."
"Alright. See you." Enzo said ended the call.
Mulder moved back to the bed. He didn't need to weak me up. I was roused by the ringing like him. Now I was curious to find out what this is all about.
"Morning, honey." He said while he was kissing a path from my shoulder blades to my neck. "Mhm. Morning." I turned to face him and he already had that smug smile on his face I cannot resist. "We have to get up, even if it breaks my heart to not finish what I started."
"You started something, Agent Mulder?" I asked while I put my hands around his neck to draw him down to my lips. He chuckled into my mouth and then I kissed him deeply. He sighed when I released him. Then we both went through the morning routine and left the hotel.
Fontana Di Trevi. 6.03 a.m.
As we approached the scene, the forensics already went to business, squirming around one of the most beautiful fountains I have ever seen. Stephanie was also there and greeted me right away after Mulder and I ducked under the crime scene tape. Enzo was there and explained to us, what they already knew, while Stephanie and me crouched beside the victim. I snapped on the gloves and inspected the skin on the left thigh where the bite mark was visible.
Enzo explained "The victim was found by a baker man who has his business down the street and walks the distance from home always on that route to his shop. He said it was around 5.15 when he walked by the fountain. The victim was draped half over the rim of the water as you see. He tried to find a pulse but didn't get any and so he called the policia immediately. If you want to talk to him, he is over there and restless to get to his shop. He has to open in 30 minutes." Mulder nodded and headed to the witness for questioning. I concentrated on the corpse lying in front of me.
Stephanie looked puzzled. "What is it?" I asked.
"Dana, did you see this bite mark? It doesn't fit the others we have already seen. This is weird."
"I noticed. But there are some similarities. It has the same shape, but its smaller. It is the height of the body that doesn't fit the others, because I assume the victim was walking, or standing upright when he got bitten. Let's follow the traces first. There are blood splotches around his leg up to his knees, where the body hits the water. So I figure that the creature was waiting in the water when it was still dark to find a prey. Like crocodiles do. When the passenger was walking by, he must have grabbed him but could only bite in his thigh, not the lower back. Then he toppled over and the creature tried to drag him back into the sewer."
"Sounds plausible but the victim is not fully in the water. Maybe the creature was disturbed and ran for shelter back into the sewer." Stephanie concluded.
"Right. Let's check the drain grid." I didn't even think, that I have to walk into the water and just did it, knowing that I might need new shoes. But I didn't care. This was too interesting. Stephanie also didn't hesitate and walked beside me to the grid where the water of the fountain ran into the sewage.
There were scratches all over the stones left and right and it still stood askew a bit on the left side. "See. I knew it. But this hole is so small. Fluky wouldn't be able to fit through that." I said.
"Let me get this straight. The bite marks are lower, the hole is too small for your Fluky and the bite marks are still smaller as the ones we have seen on the other victims. It seems like…" We locked eyes and both came to the same conclusion and I finished her sentence "…it was done by an infant Fluky." I'll be damned. Fluky must have procreated as we suspected earlier.
"Mulder!" I yelled in his direction as Stephanie and me waded through the water back to dry grounds. He came immediately.
"I have to tell you, what we figured out. Fluky has a family living in those sewers. This was done by an infant or a much smaller creature then Fluky. The only two things I don't have an explanation for are why the bite marks are causing so much of an infection that the victims die right away. Remember the worker you interviewed the last time? He still lived for a week and then died when the larvae was ready to leave his body. This ain't happening here. The victims got bitten and die within minutes. The second thing is that I don't get why there are so many victims strewn over the whole city. There is no pattern. The last time Fluky wasn't moving that much."
I held his arm while I was talking and emptying my shoes of the water. He steadied me and thought about what I said. "I don't have an answer for that, but I have a hunch. Fluky must have procreated somewhere in the sewers, like in a nest or something. His offspring is now everywhere in that system seeking prey to grow. We have to know more about those sewers to find him and his breed and then try to get rid of them so the killings stop."
"And I will go with Enzo and the professor, maybe a whole team would be good. Last time it was creepy in the cloaca maxima. Was Stephanie in contact for the team I asked about yesterday?"
"Yes. She said Enzo knows everything. I'll go find out about the flesh-eating bacteria and how it grows on human skin. Stephanie will accompany me. This way we might come to conclusion quicker."
He looked at me then with a worried expression on his face. "Let's keep in contact via phone. We should report to each other every hour. I want to know how you progress and I want you to know where I am when something might happen."
"That doesn't really relax me, you know? Please don't do anything uncalled for and especially not alone. You hear me?" I clasped his hand for his full attention.
Mulder put his other hand on my cheek and just said "Yes, mam."
Not really believing him, knowing how he can be in those situations, I gave him a little warning "Mulder" when I leaned into his touch. Like reading my mind he said in a soothing voice "I promise I'll be good. I don't want to miss any of this new development, now that we finally got there."
In this moment I didn't care about the surrounding people and just raised to my toes and kissed him. He sighed into my mouth. "Don't forget that where this is coming from there will definitely be more."
He chuckled and with a last glance and a reassuring squeeze of my hand he moved over to Enzo to explain the plan. Stephanie walked to my side. "Wow, that was intense to watch. Seems like you have hell of a communication going on. Is your relationship progressing quickly?" At that I started to laugh and told her "You have no idea. This seems quick but our relationship is normally a glacial progression."
"Oh, I want to hear that story, but we should head back to the lab. I took a sample of the fresh bite mark and the tox report of yesterday must be in by now." I just nodded and we went back.
In the lap I immediately started a culture of the sample and was taken aback by what I saw in the microscope. These flesh-eating bacteria not only ate the skin particles but also infected them so deeply that after they went through all the skin layers must push into the blood stream and then infect the blood cells. Stephanie tried to prove that with a part of the sample and human blood cells. We were right. That's the reason why the victims got killed so quickly. The tox report also undermined our theory by the infected skin parts around the bite. They also were able to isolate the bacteria and dated it back to the age of Augustus. That meant that the soil under or around the sewers must show that too. However, with the clean waters running through the sewer system first, the stems must have died out, literally washed away. There must have remained little in the soil, kind of waiting for the right environment to grow again. When the cloaca maxima was used as a real sewage, there was plenty of fitting environment for it. At least that's what Stephanie and me came up with. I called Mulder to share the news with him and also how it developed on his end.
The phone rang and rang, but he wasn't picking up. That worried me especially after he requested the higher frequency of contact. I tried Enzo's number, but he didn't pick up either. Where is Mulder? This is not good. Stephanie helped me and tried the other agents that have been with the two this morning. One picked up.
"Agent Nanini said that they went together to the last two crime scenes again after they requested the archaeologist of the university they worked with earlier. He has deep knowledge of the sewage. Together with Professor Moricone, they went into the cloaca maxima and haven't resurfaced. Cell phones don't have any connection deep down there. So he recommended staying put and wait till they came out again."
"Damn it, that's not good. I have a strange feeling about this. Would you come with me? They need to know about this deadly bacteria before they find a nest."
A little hesitant she answered "Alright, but please take your gun with you. I feel saver with it. I am just a forensic pathologist, after all." I nodded, picked up the gun and we left to find Mulder and Enzo.
In the cloaca maxima at the same time.
Before Mulder, Enzo and Professor Moricone went in there, Mulder set up some precautions, which was normally not his style, but needed the reassurance of back up. Three policemen waited outside the sewers and they held constant radio contact. He also took three more agents with him. He didn't only do that for Scully but also because he remembered how his encounters with Fluky went the last time. He won't be that stupid this time. Enzo appreciated that very much and so they went in with all the required protective clothing, oxygen masks and proper lighting. The professor recommended the masks because he wasn't sure about the air in there. The deeper you go the worse the atmosphere gets.
Mulder felt really uncomfortable in the suit and the mask and also was very hot, but tried to ignore that for being grateful for the protection. The professor told them a lot on their way deep into the cloaca maxima.
This part of the sewer system was the oldest one and was around 2500 years old. It had been built on the request of Julius Cesar when he wanted to have a fresh water supply on his newly build forum romanum. But it wasn't realized then. Only under Augustus it was finished and became part of the aqueduct system in the growing city. Under Dometian it was rebuild and expanded to a sewer system that is still in use. There are also unused parts deep down, that haven't been touched because of the danger of collapse. They only installed struts to stabilize it, but let it be ever since the 1760's.
Now they were five meters deep under the street system. The duct was quite big with its three meter width and four meter height. Mulder waded in knee deep old water and was disgusted by the smell, that seemed also to get through his mask. They went in from the Palatine hill, where the water flattens out the nearer the forum gets. The water there was cleaner because they pumped in fresh water and let it flow into the Tiber on the other side. Because of that connection to the Tiber, Mulder was sure how Fluky ended up in here. He must have let himself float in here by the drift of the water and that unused part seemed like the perfect hideaway. Mulder told Enzo and he also had an idea by now that the nest they were looking for must be there somewhere.
They were walking deeper into the duct and the mud on the ground got also a bit deeper. Professor Moricone said "We are now near the oldest part. The mud in the ground shows that this part of the system is less flushed with water. Please be careful, it will get more slippery the deeper we go."
Mulder looked around, scanning the walls for something unusual, but nothing there. Enzo and Moricone talked a bit in Italian which he didn't mind them doing and turned around while the others moved on. Suddenly an airflow around his hair hit his senses and he became even more quiet and aware of his surroundings. The drone of the conversation got quieter and then he heard it. A squeaking sound that let him have goosebumps all over his body and a cold shiver running down his spine. They must be near. He waded through the by now knee deep water and ankle deep mud to get to the other two and the accompanying agents. He reached them as he saw the shadows moving in front of them and warned the others immediately. "Guys. Be quiet and get together. We are not alone anymore."
The others turned to him and Enzo said in a hushed voice. "What is it, Mulder? Did you see anything?" In that moment they heard something approaching them quickly and the, by now, multiple squeaking and screeching sounds become louder.
The radio at Mulder's hip started to ramble. Someone tried to reach him. "Mulder. Coming please. This is Scully. Copy." He froze and then ducked down as something attacked him.
Chapter 9
On the entrance to the cloaca maxima at the very same time.
Oh god. He doesn't answer this ain't good. I am getting more nervous by the minute. Why doesn't he react?
"Dana, I am trying to reach Enzo or the other agents. Don't worry." Stephanie tried to calm me down, but it's not working. She took the radio from another police officer and tried in Italian. Only white noise was to be heard.
Then my radio clicked and I heard something. A loud screech and splashing water and now someone was yelling "Get out of the way." A shot. Another splash. Silence.
"That was Mulder's voice. They are in trouble. We have to get in there. Now!" Stephanie didn't lose any time and ordered more police and agents here. Stephanie stayed by the entrance to supervise everybody when they arrived and also to order ambulances if necessary. Together with the two police man, I grabbed a mask and changed into the protective gear and shoes and ran in as fast as I could. They didn't understand English that much but the short instructions like "stop" and "go" and "shoot" won't be a problem, I guess.
We ran for some miles ever deeper into the system and one police man guided us with his map of the sewage. We made good progress, when my radio cracked again and I could hear splashing and screeching and other gunshots. "Oh my god. Hurry, we need to help them." I yelled at the police officers and they seemed to understand, trying to run through the thickening mud underneath the water.
Now we could hear for real what we only heard in fragments of via radio. They must be around the corner. More gunshots and Italian screaming of I what I conclude as swear words. But no English. MULDER, please be alive! PLEASE!
We ran further and around the next curve and I couldn't believe my eyes. There were dozens of mini-Flukys and all are trying to bite and kill the agents. One agent lay in the water already, Enzo firing at the Fluky that was jumping at the agent and shot him, but there were more creatures coming. The police officers and me went into the fight and shot like hell at the seemingly flying creatures running over each other to reach their prey.
Dear Lord, I have never seen something like that. But where was Mulder. "Enzo, where is Mulder?" I screamed over the flying bullets and screeching of the creatures. "I don't know. He was behind us and shooting and then all hell break loose and I have lost track of him."
No, no, no. That can't be. I can still feel him. He is alive. But where?
From behind me I heard the cavalry approaching. Stephanie must have sent them in right away. Bless her.
When they surrounded us, they were firing at the creatures and some also had flame-throwers to get rid of them completely. That bought me some time to look for Mulder. I went around the corner with my flashlight and called his name. Then I went quiet to listen and heard something. I waded through the morass as fast as I could and then I heard him. "Scully!" But I couldn't see him. "Where are you?" I asked, relieved that he seemed to be well and alive. He just said "Here!" And then I saw a shimmer of a light from one of the walls. There was a hole in the wall, just big enough to let one human crawl through.
"Mulder?" I said while crawling through the opening.
"Scully, you have to see this. I think I found the nest."
Finally, I stood again and saw Mulder holding his light high and what I saw fascinated, frightened and disgusted me at the same time. We stood in a cave-like surrounding and there was goo on the walls everywhere, thick dripping red-greyish goo. On the ground there was fresh water without the mud of the duct ways outside. In the corner, you could see small movements. I approached Mulder and lay my hand on his shoulder, happy to being able to touch him again. He turned his head around and smiled at me. Opening his mouth to tell me something, then his gaze travelled along the walls behind me and then he froze and went white in the face.
"Mulder, what is it?" I said turning my attention along his gaze and froze as well.
Right before us in the ground lay Fluky, the original. He was only a corps. Parts of him have already decayed. He must have lain there for at least 3 weeks. In this moment I really was happy to wear an oxygen mask. It must have reeked to the heavens.
"Mulder, we have to get the others in here." He just nodded and we got outside.
As we were back the shooting has stopped and it was quiet in the cloaca maxima. Nobody seemed be hurt till I saw one man on the ground, wincing. I got over to him and asked him what's wrong. He got bitten in the shin, but most of his bones made the bite incomplete. But it was already infected. "We have to get him out of here as fast as possible. The wound needs to be disinfected right now." So they carried him out and I followed them. Mulder stopped me. "Scully, I need to show them the nest. The professor needs to see that and then we have to burn everything down. I meet you outside."
I squeezed his hand in reassurance and helped the men carry the agent. I used the radio to reach Stephanie. She prepared everything for the arrival and sent some photographers in there and one forensic team to get samples of the goo, the mud and one corps of the baby-flukman to investigate. In the meantime, I helped the agent.
As soon as we got outside I took disinfectant and rinsed the wound. The man was screaming to the heavens and then fainted because of the rush of pain. I am very sorry to be that brutal, but otherwise he might die. I took a belt to cut of the blood circulation and hooked him onto an IV with a broad antibiotic. I cut out the wound where it was infected and dressed it with antibiotic creams and bandages and let him be brought to the next hospital. I gave the paramedic some last instructions and hoped that that man might survive that. But seeing the other victims before didn't raise my hopes very much.
Before I could turn around I felt two hands on my shoulders and smiled. Mulder.
"I hope you made enough photos of the scene. This is the best proof we'll ever get." I turned around to face him while saying that. We locked eyes immediately and hugged. Thankfully we both got rid of our gear right after leaving the tunnels.
"Sure, honey. Why would I let such an opportunity slide. Are you alright?"
I cocked my head at his question. "Me? I should ask you that. I was worried to death when you didn't react on my calls or the radio."
"I am truly sorry about that, but my cell didn't work in there and then you used the radio when I had to fight off the little Flukys. I couldn't say anything, but tried to click it on as much as I could. Thank god you listened and ran right in for our rescue. You are amazing, do you know that? But you are okay, right?"
Smiling sweetly at him and his words I said "Of course I am alright. I am so glad nothing happened to you. Let's talk to Enzo, before I have to get back to the lab for working on the samples. I hope I'll find scientific proof for the theory that Stephanie and I came up with. The solution might be in the goo and the mud."
"I also might have to go with Enzo again to close the crime scene and get the ideas of professor Moricone on that. That might take a while."
We got to Enzo and he agreed with our plans but he added to stop by the morgue to shower to lose the smell and grime of the sewers and then we headed our ways. As soon as we could we would meet at our hotel.
In the labs of the morgue. Midnight.
During the last four hours Stephanie, me and some lab assistants tried to find out how the offspring of Fluky came to be and why their bite was filled with ancient flesh-eating bacteria. And we finally found it in the goo. We extracted human blood cells, fluke cells and the bacteria. In the mud we found another uncultivated bacteria. With the help of professor Moricone and a virologist of the university we dated the bacteria back to the beginning of the cloaca maxima and another bacteria that existed in the morass around the area at that time. So the link we hypothesized about was proven now. When Fluky moved into the unused depths of the ducts he must have scratched his skin and the bacteria came into contact with his system. While it was killing him slowly from inside out, biology took over and he must have procreated as flukes always have done it, by finding a host. That must have been Fluky himself. The first victim, that has been found right at the entrance of the cloaca maxima must have functioned as an accelerator on Fluky's last days as well as his last meal. That's why the bitemarks on that victim was bigger than the others. Furthermore, that explains the human blood cells in the goo. It kind of nourished the bacteria already sleeping in there.
Also the larger timespan from that victim to the second as compared to the following finally made sense that way. The larvae needed time to grow inside Fluky himself and then killed him when they were ready to leave his body. Then they must have nourished from the goo, which explains the huge amount on the walls of that hole. Because of the bacteria the genetic material changed and the offspring became more aggressive, more dangerous and needed more prey to keep on living. That's why there was such a spree of victims around the city.
Mulder called me multiple times during the process to inform me of his findings. They were able to conclude the route Fluky must have taken to find the cloaca maxima and could also trace the system to explain how the offspring reached their victims by canvassing the sewers from the cloaca to the Trevi fountain. Then they inspected the nest till it got burned down and rinsed with a wave of fresh water. The goo on the walls must have been made by the growing flukes with their saliva and excrements. The fresher water on the ground of the cave was their nourishment source as well till they were big enough to leave the nest completely in need of bigger prey. As far as the sewers didn't have enough nourishment for all of the 25 creatures, they needed to get out and find something. They split up either in smaller groups or moving alone to find prey. That's why the crime scenes seemed so arbitrary.
Now we had all the pieces of the puzzle together and hoped that the firefighters are able to burn down every single piece and bacteria. They also walked along the paths the creatures took to make sure they won't miss anything.
Totally exhausted, I went back to the hotel and used my last energy to try to stay awake till Mulder came. I went straight through the shower again and scrubbed properly to lose the filthy feeling I still had, especially after working with those damned bacteria.
I changed into my comfy nighty and lay down. I fought sleep but it was no use and fell into a dreamless restful slumber.
Chapter 10
Mulder and Scully's hotel room. 3 a.m.
I was swimming in a sea of warm contentment, floating weightlessly. It was a wonderful feeling that went through and through, filling my every cell. I thought it couldn't get any better when I felt something soft brushing along my back. It felt like a feather but without tickling me. The feeling got stronger and there was a certain fluttering in my belly. Now that featherlight stroke was inside my belly. Then it changed into more pressing meaningful strokes and suddenly I heard a soft purr. It's getting louder and turned into a murmur. I know that voice and by acknowledging that, I felt myself drifting away from my little heaven. It got dark around me but not frighteningly so. I still felt so safe and secure. The voice talked to me, saying "Mhm, I missed you in the last hours. I just want to hold you. God, you smell so good."
Mulder.
I smiled and opened my eyes, but instead of missing that wonderful dream, I found myself in the dream that was my life. Him. He is my life now and nothing in the world can change that.
"Hey, my love, how are you doing?" I asked with my sleepy voice.
"I missed you like hell. It's as if I went cold turkey on my drug. I need a fix, honey."
He stroked me all over by now.
And I fell into his touch. "Jesus, I missed you, too. I need to touch you to see if you are real or still in my dream."
So I did touch him, roaming all over his body as he did with mine. But it wasn't enough, so I let him move onto me. Full body contact. That's heaven. Face to face he kissed along my face, my ear, my neck, my sternum till he moved back up and finally was at my mouth. I kissed him with the most sensuality that was in me. When we broke up for air I needed to tell him "I love you so, so much."
"I love you too." That was the last coherent sentence he said to me.
After that we turned into creatures of touch, living only for the sensation and the passion building up quickly between us. Even if it was deep in the night and he must be exhausted, we needed each other, feel each other deeply to go on existing. We freed each other of our remaining cloths, till we wore our birthday suit and he pushed into me with a long and maddening move over and over again. We both moaned in unison and let the feeling float over us. Joined at last, even if the last encounter was only hours ago. We were desperate for it. The world melted down to that narrow little bubble only we existed in and I began to float again, like in my dream.
The same felling but flavored with his movements, his smell, his grunts and moans. It was a symphony like Beethoven's ninth. And then I shifted.
Our pelvises moved into each other as deep as humanly possible and it happened again. Like last night in the bathtub, he hit my cervix and I drowned in that feeling. God, that felt amazing. I whimpered, moaned and writhed to let him know because I was incapable of speaking. My orgasm approached me after the third thrust and I only heard him say in a pressed voice "Scully!" and we both were thrown and overwhelmed by a climax so deep and long, it might not be possible to reenact.
Panting and boneless he fell onto me but shifted a bit to the side that he didn't crash me. We both purred and stroked each other till we fell into the nice and restful slumber I had alone before. But with him right next to me, feeling his skin, his breathing and his heartbeat it was even better than before.
Next morning
The night was one of the most peaceful I have ever had. I felt so regained, secure and sated. Laying my back to his front, Mulder surrounded me with his arms, his legs, his torso and his intoxicating masculine smell. I turned in his arms and stroked his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at me with an adoring smile. "Morning, sunshine."
I smiled back and said "I could get used to waking up like this for the rest of my life."
He just smiled and without another word he lifted his body from the mattress. I was puzzled. "What are you doing? Did I say something wrong?"
He didn't respond, just dug into his suitcase and fished for something. Then he slowly turned around, only clad in grey boxershorts, exhaling deeply as if to gather his courage and went back to me. His left hand held something in his fist.
Bewildered, I sat up against the headboard and watched his every movement and his expression on his face. I gave him the eyebrow in return. While he moved back under the covers, his face showed a swirl of emotions I couldn't quite decipher. First, there was nervousness, then fear, then adoration and then an expression I only saw, when he found out about my infertility. Oh oh, this can't be good. He was absolutely terrified.
"Fox, what is it? You're freaking me out." He locked his chameleon eyes with my blue ones and started "Dana, I never have been in love like this. This expression doesn't even come close to explaining what I feel for you. You fill out all the empty spaces in my heart. You complete me in every way. But I already knew that before we became intimate. That's why I carried that around with me since your abduction. I was drowning, loosing myself when I lost you and made a decision, to never leave you and always protect you no matter what. When you recovered it was like a rebirth. But I was too chicken to follow through. I just flourished on the fact that you haven't been taken away from me and tried to show that by trying to get even closer to you as far as you allowed me to. When I came back from that godforsaken Gulag in Tonguska, nearly losing my life there, I was determined to finally find the nerve and tell you how I felt. Reassured by that look of love and relief you gave me in that hearing, I was so determined you felt the same and wanted to act on it after the case. But the timing wasn't right again. Now we are both here and finally admitted what we felt for each other. That you feel the same for me takes my breath away and I am still floating on a cloud."
He paused for a second and I was already crying. I never heard something sweeter in my life. What have I done to deserve this man?
He grabbed my hand and kneeled in front of me. "Dana Kathrine Scully…" Oh god, he won't, will he?
I stopped breathing as he looked me in the eyes as intense as he would stare at a spaceship and continued, nearly choking on his words "You are the love of my life. Never will there be someone else, you make me a whole person and I cannot be without you anymore. Will you be my wife?"
I couldn't move or say something. I just let the tears fall and tried to process what he just said. When I didn't answer he became antsy. "Honey, please say something. This is killing me."
I nearly jumped at his words and spoke, barely above a whisper "Yes." How would I be able to say more? He spoke out aloud exactly what I am feeling for him, but I wouldn't be as brave. He bared his soul to me and I loved him even more for it.
"What? Did you just say what I think you said?" Frozen be emotion, I was only able to nod and then he was in my arms, pushing me back on the bed. He nearly suffocated me when I started a nervous laugh and gently pushed on his chest. "Fox. I…please release me a bit, I can't breathe."
He lifted a bit and I grabbed his face in my hand. Holding his gaze with mine, I finally understanding what he just said. I felt so sure of his feelings for me that I felt a bolt of courage ripping through me and told him what I ever wanted since the first time I laid eyes on him. "I love you so much it hurts sometimes. You make me the happiest woman on earth right now. I cannot exist without you, you are truly and solely my other half, my soulmate." Now he started to cry, shaking his head in disbelieve. I had to convince him as he convinced me of his feelings. I stroked his cheek with my palm, nuzzled his ear as I brought down his face to me, whispering "That's the truth. The only truth."
He pressed into me and we kissed with everything we had. I thought I died and gone to heaven.
Then he abruptly stopped like he forgot something. Kneeled again in front of me, took my hand and then revealed the ring, that was in his palm the whole time. He put it onto my ring finger. It was a beautiful titanium band with an x in the middle and a diamond on top. I couldn't believe he spend so much money on me. I gasped.
"Dana, this ring is part of my inheritance from my grandmother on my mother's side of the family. She was the warmest and kindest person I knew before you. She showed me what unconditional love is and that's why I want you to wear it."
I kissed him again. I cannot believe my luck. This is incredible. Am I still dreaming? I wanted to show him that I wanted to be with him always. I held him tight by his shoulders and wanted to melt into him.
But before we could go further his cell phone rang and we sadly had to part. Did I pout? Oh yes, I did, as far as his smirk is indicating that.
"Mulder." Pause.
"Yes, sir. Thank you very much." Pause.
"What? Really? Thank you so much. Yes, the report will be mailed to you this day. See you in a week." He hung up. He turned to me with a huge smile, teeth and all and said "You won't believe that."
I was very curious of what might come next. "What?" I prompted.
"That was Skinner. He is very happy with our work here and after we send in the report, we have a week off. Can you believe that? This is amazing. He said we will also get a rise in salary. Enzo must have spoken very highly of us. This is soooo good."
"Really, this is grant. So we wrap up the report and then what?" Without noticing my voice turned lower at the end of the question.
"Well, what does my fiancée have in mind?" He asked with an equally low voice and crawled toward me on the bed on all fours.
Oh boy. He said it. A word nobody ever said to me. "Fox, say that again."
"My fiancée." I shuddered. That's unreal. I am going to marry the love of my life. The thought seemed to sink in a little, but not totally.
He kissed me than like he was on fire and we hugged so hard that it was bruising. It was like we wanted to crawl under each other's skin. God, I hope I don't burst because of happiness, so I can see how this unfolds. But there are so many things to figure out.
Chapter 11
Before the return back home.
After we spend 3 more days in Rome and explored the city, going shopping for clothes and sitting for hours in cafés and restaurants, we needed to say good-bye to Rome and to Enzo and Stephanie. We met them on our last evening in a restaurant near the Trevi fountain and loved the flair of the small ally surrounding us.
"Stephanie and me wanted to thank you for all you have done and risked here. This case was the most bizarre one we ever worked on." Stephanie nodded on Enzo's words and added. "We still have a lot of research to do on the bacteria and the fluke. This is so interesting. It will take some years to collect all the data. Dana, if you don't mind, I would like to have your expertise on it."
"Of course, Stephanie. I am as curious as you are, but more so I really liked to work with you." With that Stephanie took my hand to give back the appreciation and then she saw it.
"Oh my god, Dana. Do I see an engagement ring there?"
I blushed from head to toe. Damn, my fair skin. "Yes, it is." I couldn't help but smile and lay may hand on Mulder's thigh. Oh boy, he blushed as well. That was something new for him. Nice.
"Mulder, you lucky bastard. When did you ask her? I thought you became a couple only days ago?"
Smiling brightly he answered. "Two days ago, after we wrapped up the case. I know it seems sudden but for both of us it was a long time coming. Four years to be precise. I just couldn't help myself. She makes me the happiest and luckiest men ever."
Aw, how does he do that? I am crying happy tears again. I turned to look at Enzo and Stephanie and both had the most appreciating expression on their faces.
"Enzo, I wanted to thank you personally for encouraging me on our first night here. If you haven't talked to me and told me that you see that Dana might feel the same way, I would never had the nerve. You reminded me that life is to short and should share it with the ones we love."
"Oh, Mulder. That was nothing. We Italians just live after that philosophy and we can't stand it seeing happiness right in front of us that goes to waste. We want everybody to be happy with their lives. But, you're welcome."
They shook hands as well and Stephanie asked "When is the big day?"
That shocked me a bit. We didn't talk about that. We also didn't discuss where to live, whom to tell and how that interferes with our job. Oh no. Panic! Mulder must have seen my reaction and squeezed my hand. "We don't know yet, but as soon as we know we let you know. I hope you will be there with us?" Both smiled and nodded at him. Then he centered his concentration on my face, laid his hand under my chin to make me look at him. "Tomorrow on the flight we can discuss how we want to proceed, honey. Don't worry, we'll find a solution for everything."
"Ah, Mulder." Enzo interrupted us. "I hope you are not mad at me, but when I talked to Walter this morning, he asked me also about you two. He was surprised that you took the vacation. This seems to be very unusual for you and then it just slipped out. I said that it was no wonder that you needed time for yourselves and he, investigator that he is, pressed the last bit of information out of me. He seemed not be that surprised but having the change in your relationship confirmed was something he didn't expect."
Within two seconds Mulder and me went from chalk white to coming to terms with the decision we made two days ago. Skinner will have to learn about it after all. "Did he say anything?" I asked Enzo.
"No not really. I heard him chuckle and murmur, - it was about time - . But that was it."
I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "It's alright. He needed to know anyways. So our news of getting married, won't shock him so much then." Enzo was visibly relieved and we finished our meal in amusement and retellings of other strange cases we had, Pfaster, Tooms and all the crazy monster bunch.
We said our farewell and Mulder and I strolled around for a while, nourishing on the smell, the flow of that beautiful city. We ended at the St. Angelo's Castle, right above the river. Standing on the bridge we held each other, relishing in the view and kissed deeply. We spend that last night in passion and flew back home in the morning. The taxi drive out of the city nearly broke my heart. One day we have to come back here, where our future started.
Epilogue
One month later.
So, here I am sitting on the couch, or better his old couch, in our new apartment, contemplating the things that happened only some weeks ago and still was in awe of the fast developments. On our door there was only one name tag "Mulder". Yes, right I am Dana Mulder now. And I have absolutely no second thoughts. Me, the independent, I-don't-need-anybody, proper FBI agent of the X-Files department changed to a love-sick fool and married the most infuriating, irritating, arrogant, loveable, challenging and passionate men on earth. It only took us seven hours of our flight back to Washington to come up with a game plan. Shouldn't have surprised me. We are a good team after all. We only fought about every detail, but compromising so that everyone was happy in the end. Shouldn't have surprised me either.
So the plan was, that he moved in with me till we found an apartment together. That only took us two weeks, because a couple on the second floor of my building moved out and they had an apartment double the size of mine. So I asked my landlord and he was very happy to still have me in the building and gain another fed. We got rid of some furniture but some things we kept from our old apartments. It really looks like our old apartments melted into one, like we did.
In our first week back home, we told Skinner and he was truly happy for us and made an exception that we could stay in the same department as long as it didn't interfere with our work. So no problems on that front.
Then we told our mothers. Teena was also happy but not very overtly so. But I guess that has more to do with the distanced relationship she already has with Fox. My mother was quite the opposite. She was deliriously happy and hugged Fox as if he was her own son. She said she knew it all along. Well, great mom, why didn't you say anything earlier? But never mind. We are happy as we are right now. I think the timing couldn't be any better. The gunmen were as happy as my mom, but the biggest problem was my brother Bill.
We talked on the phone for an hour, with me trying to convince him of Mulder's best intentions. He just said he needed to think about it and I told him at the end "Either you live with my decision or you aren't part of my life at all. You are my brother for god's sake and think about if I wouldn't have approved of Tara. To marry her was your decision and I respected that. Tara is lovely and was the perfect choice for you. Please, trust me to make that same decision for myself. Fox Mulder is the best that ever happened to me. The bad occurrences in the past are not his fault. This is my job and know what I risk."
We hung up. The next day, Bill called but wanted to speak with Fox. After 30 minutes the call ended with a smile on Mulder's face, but he didn't give me more about the call. I don't know what Bill's up to but I hope I won't lose him as a brother.
Still I am sitting here and looking around me. I heard Mulder working in the kitchen. Yes, he is cooking and quite well, astonishingly. I detect more sides of him each day, like letting me rest and doing the chores himself. I wasn't feeling well the last week. Maybe I got the flu or it was something I ate at our wedding last weekend.
That reminds me of the best day of my life. It was a small ceremony in my mom's backyard. The sun was shining brightly for a November 11th, giving the ceremony a certain glow. Both of my brother's were there. It seemed as if Bill came to terms with Mulder. I still felt him brooding and at distance to Fox, but maybe that would change, after the heart-wrecking speech he gave at dinner. We had an Italian caterer who did a great job and Enzo and Stephanie liked it a lot. They also stayed for some days and Skinner showed them around. For a week, we haven't heard from our boss, who, by the way, was Mulder's best man. Must have been some days with his Italian buddy. The gunman also were there on their best behavior. I danced with all three and Langly and Frohike seemed to like my cousins Mary and Jane, from my mother's side of the family. I hope they will be happy as I am in the end. But Byers already was in a happy state with his new girlfriend.
What a wonderful day that was. However, we didn't go on a honeymoon, considering our days in Rome, we rather wanted to stay in our new home together undisturbed for another week. So we did and it felt so good to finally let go of the stress of hiding behind our feelings also in front of other's. But I hope I get rid of this queasiness. It starts to piss me off. I had a doctor's appointment this morning, letting run some blood work. Fox insisted, of course. He said also that I looked differently, whatever that means. Well, it definitely didn't interfere with our sex life, which is fantastic. I never had a man arousing me as much as he does.
That gave me an idea. My upset stomach be damned and I made my way into the kitchen. But I was stopped by the phone.
"Do I speak with Dana Mulder?" I was still taken aback when someone called me by my new second name.
"Yes."
"This is doctor Cotton's office. You're blood work has arrived and I wanted to give you the news."
"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good. What is it?" In that moment Fox came out of the kitchen. Seeing my white face, he interlaced our hands and I put the call on speaker.
"My husband is listening as well. Please tell us what's going on."
"Congratulations. You are pregnant."
"What? That isn't possible. I cannot have children since my abduction last year."
"Well, the blood work doesn't lie. The ultrasound of your abdomen is another proof of your condition. Why don't you come in tomorrow and we'll show you."
"Oh my god. This can't be. Are you really sure?"
"Yes, mam. Then come in tomorrow."
"We will. Thank you very much." And I hang up.
Fox looked at me, chalk white and wasn't able to say anything. We looked into our panic faces for some minutes.
"Honey, we are going to have a baby." He said, stating the obvious, breathlessly.
"I guess we are… How?" I was totally flabbergasted. Panting.
He chuckled. "Don't tell me you don't know how that works, Dr. Mulder?" He prompted.
My knees wobbled and I wasn't able to stand anymore when the news sank in. I am pregnant. I am pregnant. I am pregnant.
Fox caught me before I fainted and held me by my middle. He gently let me to the couch. I looked up at him. He smiled so brightly like he saw me in my wedding dress for the first time. He is so happy. Locking eyes with my husband and the father of my child, it dawned on me how I became pregnant. "It must have happened in the night the case ended. It was so intense and loving. I literally could feel your life filling me. I can't believe it. Is it really true?" I wasn't able to speak anymore. I was sobbing now.
He smiled, then brought me into a fierce embrace. He repeated the one sentence he already said. "It is true. We are going to have a baby." Over and over. Till he laid his hands on my face, making me look at him. "You might be right with your guess. That night was something very special. I never felt anything like that during sex, ever."
Now, another memory hit me. "Could have also been in the tub the night before that, because the day after that I dreamed of a flutter in my belly. I must have felt the nestling of the egg in my uterus. Either way, god, you were so deep those two nights. I can't believe it. I am pregnant."
We both couldn't believe our luck. That was so unreal, but true nonetheless. What a chance. So we sank into each other, kissing and hugging like that night in Rome.
When in Rome, indeed.
The end.