The 25th hour By Humbuggie (c) 2003 san@sv-tales.com Written for the Halloween challenge for IMTP Virtual Season 11 Rating: R for some explicit language, and perhaps some gory details, but nothing too serious, MSR (but only a tad, no smooching going on), MT. Story: On All Hallow’s Eve, all the children disappear in Old Town. Guess who disappears too? The 25th hour The shit hit the fan, and all Mulder could think about was the box of Halloween Candies still tucked in his pocket; and the fact that Scully had eaten all his liquorice bats. In real life, Mulder detested those grisly black suckers that left a foul taste in his mouth, but right now they represented food. Or at least anything else but the taste of bile in his throat. Of all the things in the world she might devour at such an untimeley hour, why the hell did she have to go and devour these? They seemed so perfect to eat right now. “I’m dying, Scully. Can’t you at least wait until I’m cold and stiff to start stealing from me?” Mulder groaned, startling his partner by stirring at the same time. “Oh, you’re awake. Good. Feeling better?” He pulled a face. Scully knelt down beside one of the large oak trees roots that formed a circle, in the centre of these dark and dangerous woods. Somehow the clump of trees offered them some shelter from the danger that surrounded them. It hid them from plain view, and all those creepy crawlers that wanted to devour them, as he had wanted to devour his liquorish bats. Her mouth still full with the gooey black stuff, she turned to him, her face still splattered with his blood, and her hands and arms covered in scrapes and scratches, coupled with some of her own blood. “Of all the things you have to complain about right now, you’re whining about candy?” she mused. “Interesting.” Mulder tried to sit up straight, and groaned out loud when the stake protruding out of his shoulder prevented him from getting into a more comfortable position, or a full breath. “Well, there’s nothing else to whine about, is there?” “Use your brain for a way to get us out of this mess, Mulder. With your eidetic memory, you should’ve at least memorized where we started from, how we can get back there, and where we last saw the children.” “I told you that I don’t know. There isn’t exactly a manual accompanying this temporal plane, you know. I don’t have a map of these creepy woods either. For all we know, the Blair Witch could be walking about. I have no idea why the bushes seem to grasp at our legs, or why the flowers sting and try to hurt us, or even why nothing is as it seems. This is not our usual zip code, Scully. There are no laws of physics here.” “Oh god.” Scully wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up, dusting off her pants. “You sound delirious, and I feel like Alice in Wonderland. No, make that whatever-her-name is from the Wizard of Oz.” “Judy Garland?” “Funny. Now, what do we do? Sit around and wait for the enemy to sniff out the scent of our blood? Or try to do something useful, like saving our ass’s and finding those children?” “I was thinking more in the lines of you leaving my ass behind, and getting the hell out of this hell.” “Oh, and then who’s going to warm my bed at night?” “A hot water bottle. What else?” Mulder groaned, as he tried to adjust his sitting position, but anything he did sent swirls of pure pain through his body. “If this is a dream, Scully, as you insist on calling it; it sure feels rather too vivid. I don’t think I’ve ever topped this situation, have I?” “I don’t know what to call this place, and I don’t know why we’re both experiencing it at the same time,” she retorted, “and frankly I don’t want to find out. I just want to get back to where we belong, and get this over with, not to mention get you to a hospital. That’s a nasty wound. I’m not eager to explore this strange new world, you know.” “I wish you were.” She knelt beside her partner and helpt him to sit up straight. “Try not to move that shoulder too much. And for goodness sake, keep that sling in the right position. You don’t want to damage yourself any further than you already have.” “Did you see that the grave was open? Huh? You would have fallen in too had you walked in front of me.” “Yeah, but I didn’t and I wasn’t as stupid as you to carry a stake. This isn’t Buffy, the vampire Slayer, Mulder. This is the real life, whatever it is. You didn’t slay a single vampire. You just angered them and they could have killed you.” “Sucked our blood and turned us into the undead huh? Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to live forever.” “Oh please. You’d have let out a girlie scream, and would have gotten the hell out of there.” “So it’s not a dream anymore?” She sighed. “I’m not going to argue over the details. All I want is to get us out of this predicament, and you into a hospital. Do you think you can walk?” A huge crackling sound behind them startled both agents. Suddenly the peace and quiet of the moment was over, and they realized they were back in business. Out of the woods came the eeriest sound either of them had ever heard. They both knew what it meant. Run, baby, run. “We’re not back in Kansas yet, Toto,” Mulder groaned. “Let’s get moving.” Scully helped her partner to get up, as he scrambled to his feet. Panting and heaving as he rested against the ancient oak tree, he watched her gather up the few things they had: their guns and her flashlight. His was left behind in the grave that had nearly become the end of him. She shivered once again, when she recalled the sickening sound of flesh ripping upon sharp, piercing wood. A few inches to the left and ... When she had lowered herself into the grave to find him, she had found him impaled on his own weapon, and for a second, she feared he was as dead as a doornail. She recalled exactly how he had fallen into the grave, and what had brought them there. Their first arrival in the underworld brought them in eye-to-eye contact, with creatures that Mulder insisted were classic vampires. “The undead, Scully. You know! Brad Pitt’s Louis, Tom Cruise’s Lestat, that Angel dude – Vampires!” “Yes, I know what vampires are,” she retorted, “but those things are not them.” The second she pointed at the creatures rushing towards them, she paled. Their faces were distorted, their glistening fangs hung out of their mouths as if they were starving. “Uh oh,” she said, “I might be wrong.” “Run, Scully!” He’d grasped her hand and pulled her towards the woods, going over a path that seemed as dreadful flimsy as the rest of the world, but they had no choice whatsoever. They could hear the vamps rushing after them; not panting or wheezing, but running with ease at an alarming rate. They were fast. She could feel them brushing her clothes right on her heels. Just a few more inches and – Mulder stopped dead, and then pulled her to the right, to the left; again to the right until they were deep in the woods, and the noise of footsteps stopped. “Quickly,” he had whispered. “Get some branches off the ground, the sharper ones.” And there she stood. “Scuffy, the vampire slayer”. And she lifted her stake and waited. So did Mulder. “There!” he cried, and before she knew it, he was the one rushing after them. Next she had heard an almighty crash, the unmistakable sound of someone falling, and the girlie scream. No, it was more of a high-pitched, male scream, yet loud enough to chase off any creeps. “I’d make a crappy vampire killer,” he had grunted after she had crawled down into the opened grave, and the coffin that rested six feet under, open and empty. The stake was impaled through Mulder’s flesh, and the surprisingly white satin. His eyes had fluttered open painfully. “I can’t even get the stake into their hearts.” But all she could think of at that point, was his possible close call with death. No! She stopped herself mentally from thinking about the What-if’s. All they could do now, was try to find the way out of this nightmarish dreamscape, and return to the living where they belonged. In the real world, there were no real vampires and creepy beings, deadly creatures and monsters, despite some of the stuff she’d seen with the X files. This was all part of the Halloween illusion. “On All Hallow’s Eve anything might happen,” Mulder had warned her. “The 25th hour is upon us, and you can’t go back if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s the truth, baby.” “Oh Mulder, stop believing those children’s stories you heard in Old Town. It’s not true. It’s an illusion. Time cannot be changed.” “Oh yes, it can,” he groaned as he tried to move faster than ever. What if Mulder was right and they couldn’t go back? What if they were already trapped inside this world forever? What if all that waited for them was blood and death; gore, terror and darkness? What if they became one of them, forever seeking solace for a restless soul? Oh god Scully, she thought. Get a grip. This is not real. It’s the most vivid nightmare you’ve ever had, but that’s all. It’s. not.real. Okay? She picked up her gun, stashing it between her sweater and trouser waistband. She put Mulder’s gun back behind his belt too. “Don’t use it unless you absolutely need to, alright?” “ Would I be a bad person if I said that, that turned me on?” “Yes, you are.” “Oh, I love being naughty,” he wheezed through his pain and discomfort as she helped him up, supporting him on his right, uninjured side that was still in one piece. The left side of him was a total mess, and one she dared not to look at right now. The arrow-sharp piece of wood that had lanced right through his flesh, dangled on both sides, having been frayed in the final proces of piercing his shoulder. She knew he wouldn’t die from the serious injury, but he was hurting badly. There was much blood loss and muscle damage that would need a heavy repair too. Any slight movement jarred the wound, threatening to send him into a world of oblivion. He’d already passed out twice en route to temporary safety. Yet she couldn’t get the wood out all the same, not safely, that required a hospital trip. If she pulled it out, she might cause his shoulder further damage than it had already sustained. It was better to immobilize the shoulder with an improvised sling, and hope for the best. This way at least it would not allow him to bleed to death. Shock was a constant spectre she’d have to keep an eye on with him. But what good was Mulder in his current state? He could barely stand up straight, let alone go hunting for the missing children and their abductor. The perp had taken them god-knows-where throughout this freak world, where every shadow could mean death. They’d followed him, and the voices of the captured children they had heard shouting and yelling throughout the forests. Suddenly, they had lost sight of everyone and their world had turned pitch black. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all. It seemed as if all the trees had eyes, as if the rosebushes that grew unnaturally in strange shapes and forms, were out to get them. It was as if every single creature that passed them had an unnatural form. This world was out of place, and they didn’t belong in it. As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew this was the truth. They were alone. Nothing. Not a single sound. Not a single soul. Not human, anyhow. Beady eyes staring at them. Shadows moving, stirring. Leafs rustling through the trees. No moon, no stars. Nothing. She looked up to found two beady eyes staring at her. She squealed, groaned and moved away, almost tearing Mulder’s sleeve in the process. He cried out in pain. “Oh sorry.” “That was a bat, Scully. A live one!” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I said sorry, didn’t I?” She regained her posture and stretched her back. “Grow up, Agent Scully.” He laughed, despite everything. “Are you chicken?” “Of course I am. I’m peeing my pants here.” “Goodie. Thanks for that piece of information. Watch out for real life killers now, not harmless little bats.” The second he’d said it, hundreds of bats seemed to fly into their faces, sending them careening backwards onto the ground, and Mulder into a series of fresh agonized gasps and grunts. “Oh god!” Scully cried as she felt something crawl over her bare ankle. She batted it away, and then laughed hysterically when she discovered it was a snail. “Fuck this.” “Fuck me,” Mulder agreed, rolling to his right side where the pain felt less. “Let’s get the hell out of here before the ground opens up and something black and ominous comes crawling out.” Then started a walk into nothingness. They had no idea where they were. Scully just knew they had to return to the path, which somehow ran across the forest. “We are drugged, Mulder,” she groaned after a while as they made their way through the frightening darkness. “We ate something poisonous, a hallucination inducing poison.” “No, we didn’t.” “Those spare ribs were off. I told you they tasted funny.” “Then how come I’m sweating like an ox, and panting like Elizabeth Taylor?” She shot him an incredulous look. “Because we’re living a vivid dream. Remember those mushrooms?” “That was different. We were on a case, Scully. Remember that? The Rat Catcher. Remember the legend? We chased him into this world, and now we have an hour to get out of this hell.” “That hour has long since passed, Mulder. The 25th hour, or whatever you call it is over. We’re stuck here, trapped.” “In this world it may be, yes, but not in ours. I have the feeling that time is of no importance in this place, Scully. Don’t you see? We stand a chance to escape. I’m sure we do.” “Ever hopeful, hey Mulder? And yes, I remember. We came to Old Town because of the legend. Because they have children that go missing every year during Halloween, and that there were reports of a man, playing the flute to lure them, just like in the legend of the Rat Catcher. I know the tale.” “He punished a village because they wouldn’t pay him for getting rid of all their rats, by taking their children,” Mulder groaned. “And you and I both made the link to the current day, and to that village. Remember what old Mrs. Whittle told us? On this night; All Hallow’s Eve, the 25th hour comes. That’s when he takes them away, leaving one hour for everyone to find them, and an eternity for them to find a way out. Unfortunately she was stopped from telling us anything else.” “I don’t remember getting here though,” Scully sighed as she tripped over a branch. “I recall falling, after we chased that man towards the paddock, and then we were suddenly here.” “Alongside the geeks, the monsters, the creatures, and vampires.” “Yes.” Scully felt dreadful, suddenly realising this wasn’t a dream. More like the worst nightmare she’d ever experienced. She would give her right arm to be back in the comfort of her home right now, watching 24, sipping a glass of Chardonnay and munching her favorite chips. “Scully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mulder’s petrified cry shook her out of her reverie. In a flash, she saw how something coming towards them. It was pitch black and seemed to consist of nothing but shadows. She couldn’t make anything of it; just that it was strong and very powerful. It seized onto them, swaying past them as if it had appeared from nowhere. She felt Mulder let go of her, and she dropped to the ground, pushed aside, smacking her head against the cold ground. Bushes seemed to strangle her, their branches crawling over her, holding her down. She cried out and struggled, fighting against them. She saw Mulder take on the shadowy thing that seemed to be all over him. He landed with a strangled cry and thud too; she heard him shriek in agony. His hand reached for something. A weapon. Anything. His ruined shoulder made it impossible for him to reach for his own gun. He was trapped. Scully managed to pull out her gun, despite the strong forces that held her down. She pulled and broke free, fought and wriggled from its grasp. Then she fired twice at the thing. She spotted its contours clearly. She knew her partner wasn’t in any danger, as he lay immobile underneath the thing. The shadows squealed like a banshee, stopped fighting and then, was eerily still in the dark. She couldn’t hear a single sound now. The silence had returned. Even the leaves had stopped rustling in the breeze. The bushes released her suddenly. She struggled to her feet, crawling over the ground to her partner, who lay motionless underneath whatever had attacked him. She pushed the thing off him, almost puking her guts out, as she took in its horrible consistency of strange pungent gel that now stuck to her hands. It didn’t have a face or appendages; nothing discernable she could recognize. No form to it. It was just ... black goo. She rubbed her hand onto her pants instinctively; wanting to be rid of the horrible substance and the feeling of dread it gave her. “Mulder?” Her partner didn’t move. His face was turned towards her, but his eyes were closed. She could see the black goo smothered all over his throat and chest. The thing had tried to strangle him. She pushed away her repulsion and touched two fingers to his throat. “Oh god,” she muttered as she couldn’t get a pulse at first, horrified that he was already gone. But at her frantic touch, he coughed roughly and exhaustedly opened his eyes in his attempts to breathe. Relief surged through her, as she helped him to turn on his right side. He heaved dryly. The taste of bile in his throat returned. She held him closely, waiting for the attack to subside, patting him on the back. “You’re okay,” she spoke soothingly. “ Deep, even breaths. Think like you’re going into labour.” “F – Funny,” he choked, and as soon he had his breathing under control again, continued, “What the hell was that thing?” “I don’t know. It seemed like liquorish. A liquorish bat.” “Oh Ha.Ha. Even better. Attacked by giant confectionery. Great.” “All I know is, we have to get out of here now. I can feel them watching us.” “Not without the children, Scully.” Mulder crawled upward so that he sat on his ass, and could dab tentatively at the damage to his throat, that felt raw and squeezed. “There are no children here, Mulder. They’re gone. We don’t know where they are. Were they even here? Perhaps it was all an illusion too. And even if there are, where are we going to start searching? I mean, look at us! We’re two, battered wrecks trapped in some situation we can’t get a grip on ourselves. We’re putty in their hands, meat ready to be sliced and diced. Ala Carte Food for creepy crawlers.” “Has there ever been a controllable situation?” he asked wryly. “Now get a grip. You can’t give up hope now. We’ll find the exit of this place; wherever it is. It has to be around here somewhere. We didn’t go that far. If we find the gravesite again, we’ll find our way back too.” “Yeah, if we’re not devoured by vampires, or gooey stuff, or whatever.” “I thought you said they were insane humans?” “Whatever. Humans don’t seem to exist in this place. I never thought you’d be attacked by some Star Trek-like black goo creature either.” “So what then?” Mulder shrugged. “Pretend this didn’t happen, try to go to sleep and wake up dead? I’ll take my chances with the vamps then.” “Okay,” she sighed. “We’ll trace our path back and see what happens. But you’re not getting a new stake. The last one ended up sticking out of you.” “Yes mother. Let’s go.” Scully was amazed to find her partner had renewed energy, after his close encounter of the pointy wooden kind. She helped him up again, but he leaned more heavily into her body than he should have. When he bumped into her and muttered a sorry, she grinned, “I’m not.” After that, they made their way back through the forest, using the same path they had come through the first time. Then, several abhorrent creatures had been chasing them, but this time round it seemed awfully quiet. Too quiet for Mulder’s liking. He sighed, ears adjusting to the sound of silence; he thought he could hear something suddenly. It was only faint but he detected it anyway. Then he turned to his partner. “We’re in trouble.” “Why?” she asked, by now worn out. “They’re watching us.” She felt shivers run down her spine and turned around to look for them, but saw nothing. It was pitch black in those woods, and all they had was the single flashlight she’d used to see their path with earlier. It was growing dim to both their dismay. She knew they should wait until morning, but they couldn’t risk it. If the portal, or whatever it was that had brought them here, closed, they would never get back. For the first time in her life, she felt a despair that washed over her, like a wave of dark fetid water she couldn’t avoid. It was the most horrid feeling ever. Nothing had ever prepared her for this. Please, let someone wake us, she prayed silently before returning her focus on Mulder, who was staring intently at the darkness, which didn’t even reveal shadows anymore. There was just ... the dark. “Keep your gun ready.” Scully found herself propping Mulder against a tree, and digging his gun out of the belt; handing it to him armed and ready. She held her own weapon and flashlight over each other, shining it through the trees. She felt every hair on her body stand up, and a deep fear rushed down her spine. They were everywhere at the same time. She could feel their hands on them before she even saw them. They pulled her backwards, trying to force the gun from her. They attacked her from behind, trapped her and drove her away from Mulder. She turned and turned, seeing a sea of eerie faces, contorted in their uglines. Some were missing eyes, others the nose. Some had no lips, or ears. She thought she was in a Michael Jackson video, but their touch was icy cold and very real. She could see the veins ripple underneath their skins. They seemed to be lighter than the night. She could make out each and every one of them. Vamps, zombies, creeps, gooeys and a plethora of other nastiness that crawled around her. “’Cause this is thriller,” she squeaked out softly as she tried to force herself loose. Her partner was in the same predicament, and winked at her all of a sudden. “So you wanna play, hey?” Mulder groaned. “Well then, let’s play.” Scully didn’t need another signal, and started kicking ass. She kickboxed, belted, hit, punched, and shot her way through at least ten of the ungodly creatures. Heads flung everywhere. Arms and legs followed. She laughed, as she kicked ass against another one coming at her. But Mulder did almost as good. Even with his left arm in the sling and in pain, he only needed one arm to fend them off and kick some serious zombie ass. “Zombie nation!” Scully squealed as she pretended to be Scruffy, the vampire slayer again. Mulder laughed as he dove at his next opponent. And all of a sudden, it was over. The zombies pulled their pieces together and rushed off into the dark, aided by the vampire nation and all the rest of the nightcrawlers. Scully almost laughed when they saw them part as if the lord of darkness itself was after them. “High five!” Mulder grinned as he dealt a winning blow to the last creep standing. His smile faded a bit when the returned silence again, made way for something or someone else to find them. This time, it was someone familiar. The Rat Catcher stepped into the light and raised his arms. In one hand he held a flute. His body was very tall and skinny. His eyes were large and bulging out of their sockets. He had a large nose, big ears and a hairdo that desperately needed a cut. “Who are you?” Mulder asked, wincing in pain, even though he already knew the answer. He smiled and shrugged. “You are not supposed to be here. It’s not my fault you’ve suffered.” “Where are the children?” Scully asked, keeping her gun ready to go. “They’re safe. In fact, they’re back where they belong.” The man spoke with a soft, almost gentle voice that seemed out of place inside his body. It didn’t seem to belong to him. Mulder felt a surge of trust going through him. He liked this guy. He felt comfortable here, almost content to be in his vicinity, although couldn’t understand why. The agent lowered the gun. “Mulder, what are you doing?” Scully’s desperate voice betrayed that her own active mistrust in their situation. Yet strangely enough, she too felt the urge to trust this man beyond anything. She forced herself to keep the gun up straight, aimed at his chest. Her fingers trembled. It took every effort from within to protect herself and her partner. “Please, Agent Scully,” the man said, offering his hand to her. “I am not here to harm you. I want to take you back to where you belong, just like the children.” “I repeat: who are you?” Mulder asked in her place. “I am the man that gives every child in this town a happy Halloween, Agent Mulder. That’s my job and my only business. After that, I retreat to this ethereal world for a year, and live happily until the next.” “You take the children away from their homes,” Scully protested. “They never return!” The stranger sighed. “Agent Scully, I wish you were a child still, so you would know what it’s like for children to see the world through their own eyes. Every boy or girl wants to live a dangerous, fearless life. They cannot do that in real life. Real life means school, homework and chores. I can take them away from that, if only for a short while. I bring them to this world, where they live the life they’ve always wanted to live. The boys are princes and fierce dragon warriors. The girls are princesses waiting for their savior. They can play pretend for a whole hour that lasts almost a lifetime for them, and when they are weary of it, they return to the real world.” “You lie,” Scully, said, “not a single child has been returned.” “Oh yes, they have, Agent Scully. The men and women you’ve seen in that town, whom you have investigated and talked to, all protect this secret because they want their own children to experience it too. They didn’t want to answer your questions, or listen to your banter. They wanted you out of town before the time was near, but instead, you meddled into business that was not your concern, and were accidentally sucked into this world. Only, you didn’t know that this world – safe as it is for children – does not welcome adults. It is not made for you and it does not need you. ” “You’re lying,” Mulder spoke hoarsely as beads of sweat danced on his forehead; he was starting to go into shock. “The children didn’t come back.” “You believed a stupid story told by a woman full of envy, jealousy and anger; an outsider who wanted to punish the people of Old Town for keeping their secret. You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. I can reassure you that by the end of the 25th hour, the children will all be home again.” “And what about us?” Scully asked. “What about my partner, who was hurt and is in need of aid?” “You can return now, if you are willing to trust me. I can guide you through the evil and mischief that haunts all adults here, and release you.” He smiled. “But you have to lower your gun.” Scully’s fears were replaced by uncertainty and distrust, but for Mulder’s sake alone, she wanted so badly to be able to trust. They didn’t have any choice in the matter; Mulder needed urgent hospital care. Every line on his face spoke of agony. This stranger had brought them here; he could damn well take them back. “Okay,” she said, knowing her partner was at the end of his rope. He had been attacked, staked, attacked again, and then – just for a change – once again been attacked. Life was more fun in the other world. The tall man turned, and began to make his way through the woods, beckoning them to follow. The trees and bushes seemed to move for him. Somehow the path broadened, and led them straight through the dark woods. Mulder clung onto Scully, his movements becoming much slower as the pain wore him down. “We’re almost there,” Scully whispered. “I guarantee it.” He smiled wearily, knowing she was resisting the urge to sing songs again to keep him awake. Everywhere they passed, they saw dark shades and images, willowy figures and enemies, darkness and evil. Yet in the far distance, the images became a cascading world of light and somehow, bliss. “Look, the children!” Scully almost cried it out; relieved now they had taken the plunge and trusted the Rat catcher. “They’re alive.” Yet they were surrounded by the same black shadows, which had threatened the agents before. The Rat Catcher turned and smiled at them. “You’d better go now or you’ll be here for another year. I wish I could tell you that time goes by faster here, but it’s the opposite. Every hour lasts twelve in your reality. You wouldn’t live to see daylight. These creatures don’t like adults in their world.” “What is this place?” Mulder asked tiredly. “A playhouse for bored kids?” “Yes. You could call it that.” The Rat Catcher bowed his head. “And I am their referee.” “So this is real?” Scully asked breathless. “Only during the 25th hour, Agent Scully. Only then. And only in Old Town. Goodbye.” The children waved excitedly at the creatures that – strangely enough – waved back. Mulder was startled to observe happy faces, strange, awkward grins and a lot of friendship between the children. “If this were any other place, I would be euphoric with joy,” Mulder spoke dryly. The Rat Catcher waved at the agents, as they were swallowed into some sort of light. It swirled around them, catching them in its beams. “I’m getting woozy,” Scully whispered, and suddenly she was sucked into a void where she saw or heard nothing anymore. If she died now, she could not have stopped it, but somehow she sensed she wasn’t going to. She felt safely back where she and Mulder belonged. As she woke up, she found herself on top of a bunk in a cabin where she’d been before. No, not a cabin, but the Bed & Breakfast room where they had rested yesterday too. It felt strangely familiar, and almost homelike. “Mulder!” She was startled to find herself alone at first, and then realized her partner was in the en-suite kitchen rummaging. She jumped off the bed and went to look for him. To her amazement and shock, the stake and damage to his shoulder had gone; he looked healthy. “Hey,” he said. “Coffee?” “What?” she asked wearily, scanning his reassuringly undamaged torso? There wasn’t a mark on him. Then she realized she was fine too. All the scrapes and scratches were fully gone. He wore just a towel around the waste, leaving her enough space to check him out. “I don’t have any bats left, you know,” Mulder smiled. “You ate them all.” “So it wasn’t a dream?” He smiled. “I guess not.” “But –“ “Scully.” He moved forward and placed a finger on her lips, pushing a hot steaming mug of coffee in her right hand. “Be grateful that it wasn’t. And be happy that we’re no longer trapped. We are back where we belong, and we shouldn’t wonder about it too much. I did a check-up. All the kids are safely at home. The people of Old Town all knew we were there. They consider us their friends now. We can stay as long as we like.” “But Mulder.” “What?” “I don’t know! How, why, what?” “It’s over, Scully.” “But –“ “No buts. Just us.” “Your butt then?” “My butt is fine by me.” He sat down next to her with a leer. The End