Message-ID: Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 14:45:33 +0100 From: Heather Markham Subject: alternus-tempus.p08 CHAPTER FOURTEEN Samuel Beckett strode purposefully along the office-lined corridor leading to one of the lesser-used crime labs. Al trotted beside him, peering in at the various rooms and passing remarks about any pretty young female workers he spied as he kept up with his friends fast pace. Several of Pendrell's friends waylaid him en route with greetings, asking him how he was now and humourously commenting on his obvious love for the job, it having drawn him back to work the night before he was actually due back. Sam managed to hold his own through the small talk and finally he and Al arrived at the smaller, more private crime lab. The quantum physicist rounded the door and to his relief, the room was empty. The weekend must have been relatively quiet, no big cases to solve, no serial killers to worry about and no unusual crimes committed to warrant use of this special crime room laboratory. He wandered around the room studying the benches, racks and shelves of equipment and books. There were several tall metal filing cabinets along one wall bearing brass name plates, these he guessed were notes relating to past crimes. A long equipment-strewn stainless steel work bench ran the length of the far wall in front of the wide windows, upon this stood two computers. Several free standing shelf racks were aligned across the room. A large cage rack stood against the wall to the left of the door, this was filled with rolled sheets of paper. A combined white-board, overhead projector screen and a display board stood next to a large wooden desk in the right hand corner of the room. Next to that was a large equipment closet. Sam moved between the rows of shelving, searching amongst the rows of books and papers as he went. Al followed him into the room and turned to study the contents of the cage rack next to the door, "What're ya lookin' for," Sam answered without looking across at him, "Maps, we need a map of the area surrounding Elm Bluff and the forest where we saw the animal." Al tapped soundlessly against the wire cage, "Over here, there's a stack of 'em." Sam loped back across the room, searched the small labels and found what he was looking for. He extracted the map, unrolling it as he carried it across to the wooden desk. He spread it out over the desk, annoyingly, its edges kept curling back each time he let go to indicate at a point of reference. He sucked at his teeth in irritation, scooped up the map and grabbing a handful of pin tacks from one of the other desks he quickly moved across the room and pinned it up at the display board. Finding a red marker pen and slipping the cap off with his teeth he studied the map in front of him. He indicated each location to Al with the tip of the pen. "Now, Elm Bluff is here, we travelled along this route back, soooo...the forest is...yeah, it's over here,......and," he paused to draw a large X over the position of the cave, "the cave must be about there!" Al peered over his shoulder. "Yeah, I reckon that's about right! Ziggy can get you the exact coordinates if you want?" Sam shook his head, "Not really necessary at the moment, but what I do need is the coordinates for all the sightings in this area for the past thirty years." Al took out the hand-link and tapped several buttons, nothing happened! He slapped it, it squealed, the coloured lights flashed, blinked and died again. "Goddamn this thing," he thumped it against the flat of his palm, it squealed again and sprang into life. He entered the scientists request, waited a few seconds and another string of data scrolled across the digital read-out screen. "Okay, you ready for all this?" Sam picked up a tin of red marker pins from a ledge at the base of the display board, "Yup, reel 'em off!" Five minutes later, Sam had marked all the sites with the red pin tacks. He stood back a little to study the pattern. The cave appeared to be the central point to all the reported sightings. He dropped the remainder of the pins back into their pot, picked up the marker pen and carefully drew a line from the top site down to its opposing site lower down on the map, he carried on until all the sights were linked. The lines all more or less crossed through the position of the cave. Sam stood, hands firmly on hips, surveying the obvious pattern. "That cave is the key to the whole thing. If the creature has come through from another dimension and I'm convinced it has, it must have come through at that point. It's the things base point.....I think, the cave must be the event horizon for some kind of time dimensional worm hole!" Al wasn't quite as sure, although he firmly beleived in the existence of supernatural creatures, vampires and ghosts, dimensionally travelling wild cats was not on his list of plausibilities. He was much more sceptical than his, usually, rationally-thinking friend. He had been inclined to consider Scully's theory of some sort of experimental animal having escaped as the more likely explanation. He took out a fresh cigar, lit it and drew on it before answering, "Yeah....or, it could just be the creatures lair, it's home!" Sam stood stock still and stared at him for a few seconds, then spun back to regard the map. Pushing both hands through his hair he tugged at the roots with frustration. "Yeah....you're right, damn it!. We need something a little more concrete than just conjecture and gut feelings. Al, I know that cave plays an important part in this mystery, I can feel it in my bones. You saw the creature vanish right in front of your eyes, that's not natural Al! But you're right, I have to find hard proof if I'm to convince Dana, Mulder, or anyone else, about it." The Project observer knew his friend well, if Sam had a gut feeling about something, then he was usually right and he did have a point about the vanishing act. "Okay, if you think there's somethin' strange about that place then I'm prepared to go along with you, but I don't quite know what can be found out there, the cave looked just like any other to me." He sucked casually on the cigar sending up streams of holographic smoke, "Sam, what about that fur sample, that might show somethin' strange, you might be able to use that as hard evidence?" Sam took out the crumpled handkerchief and unwrapped the foul smelling piece of pelt. The blood had coagulated to a thick, black gooey consistency. He carefully placed the sample next to a microscope and a box of fresh glass slides which stood amongst other scientific equipment on the long metal work top. He wiped some of the blood onto one slide and strands of the fur onto another. Then turned his attention to the delicate job of slicing a thin sliver of tissue from the pelt. Having done that he trapped it between slides and studied it carefully. Working in this fashion, he took time to study each sample under the highly magnified lens of the microscope. Al stood by watching silently, he knew better than to try to talk to his friend while he was immersed in this sort of work. He was patient enough to wait until something started happening. An hour later, Sam sat at the bench scribbling notes and diagrams on a large pad. "When Dana sees this she's going to have to believe it doesn't come from this world. The cell structures are nothing like I've ever encountered before. Somethin' else very odd....I swear the tissue sample has a slight phasing quality to it." Al looked over at his friends notes, "What do ya mean, phasing?" Sam swivelled in his seat and using his hands to illustrate his words he began to explain. "There's something very odd about the density of the tissue, it's not constant. Unless I'm mistaken, and my eyes are deceiving me, the cells seem to fluctuate between solidity and insubstantiality....only slightly....but it is there. It's as if these cells are in a state of quantum flux." He got up and strode across to the equipment closet, "I need a camera attachment to fit to the microscope eye piece. Surely, they must have one in here." He rattled the handle of the cabinet, it was locked. Cursing under his breath he searched along the bench for something to use as a lock pick. Finding a long thin instrument, he bent it into an 'L' shape and fiddled with the lock until the door snapped open. Al raised his eyebrows in astonishment, "Hey, when did you learn to do that?" Sam grinned, "You remember that time I leaped into a private eye? Well...I learned a few things during that time, they weren't exactly legit but I thought they might come in handy one day!" He rummaged amongst the expensive contents as he spoke. Al wandered back across to the high powered microscope, bent over it and tried to focus down at the sample, "I can't see anything happening. Are you sure you're not just suffering from tired eyes?" Sam ignored the remark, found what he was looking for and fitted the highly sophisticated piece of gadgetry to the scope. "Well, if I leave this running for the rest of tonight, tomorrow we should find out. If it does back up my theory, Dana won't easily be able to deny the facts of this case." Al, shuffled his feet, muttering quietly to himself, "Wanna bet?" Sam didn't hear him but added, "As for Mulder, somehow, I don't think he's gonna need much convincing. The only problem I'm gonna have with him is getting him to accept it's not some stranded alien creature, left behind by some forgetful race of extraterrestrials!" Al stabbed a finger towards the map. "So, if it turns out that your theory is correct, how are ya gonna trap it and how're you gonna get it to cooperate with you? How on earth do you intend to help it get home, when we don't even know where home is and we aren't likely to find out, either." Sam rubbed at his chin and returned to his usual habit of pacing the floor. "I'm thinking about that. Perhaps we don't need to know the precise location of it's own world. If there is a worm hole, a quantum rift of some kind located in that cave, perhaps all we need to do is find a way of shifting the creature back through it." Al was still staring at the map, "How do you suppose a rift opened in the cave in the first place?" "There could be several explanations, supposing someone in another dimension, a dimensional world parallel to this one, is experimenting in the field of quantum mechanics, possibly even quantum leaping, maybe in their dimension there project headquarters are in relation to where our cave is situated. The creature may have been an experimental guinea pig. Although, I would have thought a smaller creature would have served a better purpose. Or, it's possible they inadvertently opened a portal while they were conducting tests. But my guess is it's probably a natural phenomena. Maybe there are lots of them throughout the world." Al frowned, "So why did it stay here, why didn't it just go back through again, and why does it keep vanishing and.....phasing?" he had another thought, "Hey, you don't think our project has the same effect on another world do ya?" Sam shook his head, "No, if that was the case, I'd be bouncing around in parallel universes rather than just this one." The quantum physicist stopped pacing and joined his friend to look at the map as if to search for answers, "As for the reason why it didn't go back....I don't know, maybe the rift or portal closed behind it before it knew what had happened, or perhaps its a one way system. The phasing might be due to the time shifting effect, perhaps every time it vanishes it reappears at the same location but at a different decade of history, a bit like the leaping effect. I'm firmly convinced this thing is intelligent and isn't dangerous." Al narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze to stare deep into Sam's eyes, "I wouldn't count on that, it seems to have made quite a lot of animal kills and look what it almost did to Joe!" Sam turned away and walked back to the bench to check the equipment, "I think it only killed to survive and as for Joe, I think he surprised it, it must have felt cornered, trapped, it was just defending itself. We don't know how long this poor animal has been leaping backwards and forwards through time. It must be confused, afraid, lonely and it's injured. I kinda know how it feels, I can relate to it. It might even be suffering with partial amnesia, just the same kinda swiss cheese effect I usually suffer from." "Okay, so let's assume it might not actually kill ya. You still haven't said how you're gonna get it to do what you want, in order to help it?" Sam moved across to the desk and slumped down into the chair, head in cupped hands. He thought for several minutes, then dragging his hair back from across his forehead he replied slowly and carefully. "I...I sensed something strange about it back in the forest....I think I now know what it was. I think it's telepathic, if I'm right, it might sense what I'm doing and it'll react accordingly. All we have to do is make sure it's in the cave when we try to send it back" Al sat on the corner of the desk, contemplating his friends words,"Uh huh, so that's easy peasy! Get the huge black creature, with the long pointy claws and fangs to match, to cooperate into going back and trapping itself in the cave....with no means of apparent escape. Then simply shove it back through the portal.....yeah, right!" he paused to raise the tone of his voice, "Saaam! Have you thought about what you're saying here? Have you thought how you're gonna get it back through a closed time rift? Who's gonna help you, you think Dana will believe what your saying? And as for Mulder if he gets in on the act he's gonna want to trap and keep the creature for the authorities to see, just to prove the existence of extraterrestrial or other dimensional life forms!" Sam's face fell for a moment, he looked down at the desk despondently and shook his head. For a moment, Al was sorry he'd spoken that way, but he had to get his friend to think about the situation before running off headlong into a situation that could be dangerous, very dangerous. Suddenly the scientist stood up, toppling the chair from beneath him, his eyes were sparkling with ideas, "The laws of temporal and quantum physics must apply throughout the universe, this one or a different reality. The portal...any portal must work on similar principals to our leap process, the rules of physics must apply. What we need is a retrieval program to send that creature home. Although, to get it to work I might have to be with it.....I might have to make contact and leap with it....then you'd have to initiate another part of the program to bring me back through. You asked who was going to help me....I have an idea about that one too. Pendrell's brain is working in hyper state, he could help me, could we get him working on an alternative retrieval process." The observer looked worried, "Yeah, we could but you don't know how much time you have here before things start happening, do you really want to risk not getting a process finished which could send you home....home for good." The time traveller sighed resignedly, "Al, I think I have to, I think this is the whole reason for my being here, I'm here to help get that animal back where it belongs.....check with Ziggy, see what she has to say about it?" Al fed the information into the handlink and waited for the response. His mouth dropped open slightly, he quickly caught the cigar as it dropped from it's nestling place at the corner of his lips, "Oh-my-God, you're right, Ziggy has confirmed it! Why didn't she come up with this information before." he swore harshly at the handlink, "Jeez, Ziggy, why do you always have to keep these little beauties to yourself!" He looked across to his friend, a sad look on his face, "You know, for a little while there, I really thought you had a chance of getting home for good. Damn! It's not fair! Fate can have you bouncing around helping all kindsa people, even animals, and now extradimensional life forms but will it allow you a trip home...Oh no, it's not fair. Are you really sure you want me to pull Pendrell off of the only chance you have of getting back home?" Sam nodded slowly, "I know this is an awful cliche but I have to say it...it's what I do, it's what I'm here for." A look of sadness and pain crept slowly into the older man's features, his shoulders slouched a little and Sam noticed a tiredness around his friends eyes which he normally never noticed. It was one of those times when Sam would have loved to have been able to give his best friend a reassuring hug, or at least been able to put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry Al, I sometimes forget that this job is as hard on you as it is on me. You must be pretty tired of being constantly on call. Sometimes I forget that your life revolves around me. One day I will get home and one day we'll both have our lives back...all I can say 'til then is that I couldn't cope without you being there for me and you'll never know how much I appreciate you, how much our friendship means to me." Al straightened his back, "I know Sam, I know how much our friendship means to me and I don't begrudge a single minute of being with you. It's what friends are for. I wasn't thinking of myself, I was thinking of you. It doesn't seem fair on you....you could do with a break, kid!" Sam smiled warmly, "You're the best buddy a man could ever wish for." Al's face flushed, he shuffled his feet awkwardly, "Gee, Sam, that's real nice...I don't quite know what to say." The scientist within the time traveller seeped through and brought him back to the matter at hand, "Okay, so now we've got things sorted out, can you go back and see Pendrell, tell him what's going on here, see what he suggests. I'll need to work in close connection with him, you're gonna have to play messenger. I'm afraid your going to be in for a hectic night, you're going to have to be my information shuttle. I'll begin working on a few equations of my own while you're gone and I'll keep a check on the tests." Al drew in a deep breath, "Okay, I'll be as quick as I can, let's hope Daniel's brain keeps working at full speed for the duration." He crossed his fingers, and vanished back through the Imaging Chamber door. Half an hour later, the Project Observer stepped back into the crime lab. Sam was busily scribbling notes on the white board. "How's it going, kid?" Sam replied without stopping or looking at him, "It's going okay, what's happening with Pendrell?" "He and Gushie are working on it at full throttle but Daniel wants to be sure that the cave is the event horizon for the quantum and temporal fluctuations. Is there anyway we can be absolutely sure about that fact?" Sam stopped his feverish scribblings and turned to face Al, "You or I might possibly be able to perceive a light at the point the creature appears or disappears......You said you saw something like that when you witnessed its disappearance....or there might be some kind of anomaly in the cave but we won't be able to find that out until tomorrow when we can get back out there to check." "Yeah, a weird green glowing light surrounded the thing just before it leaped out, it was a little bit like the quantum effect when you leap." "Good, that seems to support the theory for now. Plus the fact the creature keeps going back there, it seems to be trying to get home by itself. Which proves once again that it's intelligent." The older man was on to his umpteenth cigar of the day, this leap was turning out to be extremely nerve-wracking. Now, he had another worry. "You...er...you mentioned earlier that you might have to leap with the animal.....I've been thinking about that and I reckon it's just too damn dangerous. If you leap with it, you could end up trapped in its dimension, you could end up bouncing about through all the alternative realities of the multiverse and we'd never be able to find you, let alone get you back! Pendrell would return home, we'd lose his help and we'd have a hot hope in hell of getting you back or even tracking you. I don't like that part of the plan at all. Isn't there another way? A safer option?" Sam drew in a deep breath, it was something which had been plaguing him ever since he'd mentioned it. "Yeah, it's a risk, a big risk, I admit that.....but I somehow think," he paused and waved a hand heavenwards, "He's not going to strand me some place I can't help others. This time, I'm going to have to trust to God and fate completely.....I think you do, too." Al stared down at his feet, "Yeah, well you know my opinions on God, and as for fate, it plays by its own rules. But I guess if you're gonna do what your gonna do, I'll have to come to terms with that, I'll have to keep an extra packet of cigars handy," he chuckled hoarsely, "Hey, kid....you're turning me into a chain cigar smoker, it's costing me a bomb. Unless a'course I can put in for expenses....don't see them buying that though. The sooner this leap is over the better we'll all feel." Sam grinned broadly, "I'll drink to that, but for now, I need you to give these equations and math mechanics to Daniel." Al stared at the white board, "I'm never gonna remember all that, hang on I'll go get a pad and copy them down." He tapped at the hand link, stepped through the portal of their own creation only to emerge a few seconds later, pen and pad in hand. "Okay, let's see what we have here." Sam explained the theorem and the quantum equations and temporal mechanics as his friend meticulously copied them down. When he'd finished and checked it was all correct, he disappeared once more, back to his own time dimension leaving the quantum physicist to add any final touches and to complete the process and to check and make further tests on the samples. CHAPTER FIFTEEN The hands of the wall clock moved forward unchecked and registered eight-thirty. With shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows and with hair ruffled, the unshaven figure of Daniel Pendrell could be seen through the glass-windowed door of the crime lab. He was hunched over a desk, feverishly adding the real Daniel's equational mechanics to his own. He crossed his fingers and hoped everything would work. He didn't have time to work on the formula of temporal mechanics any longer, it was morning, the building was rapidly filling with people, noise, bustle and general Monday morning hubbub. Any moment now, Dana would turn up, looking for him, or someone else might come into the room and start asking awkward questions. Moving across to the small laboratory sink, he turned on the cold tap and splashed water into his eyes and onto his face. He paused to study the reflection that looked back at him from the small cracked mirror someone had long ago positioned above the basin. In an effort to smarten his appearance, he dampened his fingers and combed them through his own hair, tidying Daniel's dark red hair as he did so. He rolled down his sleeves and rubbed a hand across the stubble that appeared on Daniel's face. Al had just arrived back for what seemed the hundredth time that night, all the shuttling between time zones was making him feel quite jet lagged. He, too looked somewhat dishevelled. His tie was hanging limply around the outside of his silver patterned shirt, which was unbuttoned at the neck. He'd long since discarded his gold satin bomber jacket. He was sipping at yet another huge china mug, filled with luke warm project coffee. Sipping the liquid slowly, he grimaced but didn't complain. "Sam, you look as tired as I feel! Are you sure you got everything right?" he pointed across to the complex groups of equations on the board, "It looks real complicated to me." The scientist contemplated the scribblings he'd made, his eyes searching the complicated series of symbols and mathematical mechanics looking for errors. There were none that he could see. "I hope so Al...I hope so, otherwise, I'll be in deep ca-ca! How's everything progressing back at the control centre?" His friend took a gulp of the tepid, bland liquid and replied in a slightly less croaky voice, "The retrieval process is going well but we ain't quite there yet, Daniel reckons on needing a few more hours, but reckons we shouldn't have too much trouble getting you back to this time after you've gotten the creature home, then Gushie should be able to carry on with the rest and, if the repairs hold, we should be able to complete the retrieval and get you home. I'm kinda hoping He might chip in and help a little." He stabbed a finger heaven-ward. Sam caught a look of worry on his friends face, "What? There's something you're not telling me.....what is it....come on I have to know!" Al's eyes were dark under his heavy lids, "Now I don't want to worry you, but Daniel seems to be slowing up a little. It may just be tiredness but Verbena warns it could be burn out." The time traveller ran a hand across his forehead, "Hell! Let's hope he lasts the day out. We may not get another chance. Once the sheriff gets a hunting party started and the farmers in the area get to hear what's happened, we've got little chance of saving the creature's life." The door of the lab room swung open with a squeak, Dana peered around the room, "Dan? Daniel..." Spotting him, she swept into the room. "I've been searching for you. They said you were in, but why use this room?" Turning to greet her, she noticed his red rimmed eyes and the fact he was still wearing the same clothes from the day before. "Have you been working all night, didn't you go home at all?" "Uh huh, I kind of got caught up with everything and once I got started there was no way I could stop for a rest. This place was quieter, less chance of interruptions." She walked over to see what he was doing, "So what did you come up with, what did the tests show." He moved to one side, "Take a look for yourself. The castes of the paw prints were handed in at seven this morning. I think you'll agree they don't fit with any established species of big cat or hound on this planet." She glanced at him quizzically then picked up the large plaster cast, "My God, they looked big out there in the forest but studying them like this...they're huge." She tilted the specimen under the light, "Almost like a lion but as you said, the claws...they're not feline at all. Mmm, very interesting. I can't recall ever seeing anything like this before either." "That's' not all, I ran a few DNA tests, look at the results!" She read his lengthy report and studied the test data. Her lips parted in astonishment, swallowing hesitantly she stared at him and asked, "Can this be right?" Sam nodded, drawing her attention to the tissue sample in the microscope. "You think that's weird, now take a look at this." Dana peered down through the lens at the cell sample.....or where the sample had been. She fiddled with the focusing, "I'm not sure what you expect me to see, there's nothing there." Sam smiled, "Exactly," She gazed at him with a puzzled expression, "Daniel, I don't know what you're talking about. You asked me to look at something that's not there and then say exactly...what do you mean?" "The cells are reacting to density fluctuations. I've been waiting to show you this." She trailed after him as he stood up and wandered over to a video screen and began to run the film he'd taken during the night. "This is a film taken over a six hour time period, it's microscopic projection of a tissue sample taken from the creature's pelt. We don't have much time so I'll put this on fast forward." Her expression registered complete and utter surprise as the fast moving pictures played before her. "My God, the samples are fading in and out.....oh my God, they've vanished...how, why? How can it do that?....that can't happen! It's not physically possible!" Sam took her arm and turned her to face him, "Dana, I know this is going to sound crazy and it's gonna be hard to understand, but my theory is that the creature is not from here, from my calculations it's from another world, an alternate dimension connected with this world by some sort of temporal dimensional singularity. The phasing is due to a phenomena known as quantum temporal bio-fluctuation, a type of temporal time flux. Each time the sample disappears it reappears in another place, another dimension, another time. Somehow that animal got caught up in or came through a rift in the fabric of time and space. Maybe the destabilization of the continuum is affecting the creature on a broad scale, working on it even at a distance. The fluctuations stabilized around sun-up, which would suggest it's a predominantly nocturnal phenomena. The insubstantiality you are witnessing here, by my guess, should be the last one to appear today. As to why...well, that I'm not too sure about." She stood staring at him, her mouth slightly open. It wasn't going to be easy to convince her but at least he had hard evidence to back up his theory, "We don't have much time, we have to get back out to that cave and try and send the creature back to where it belongs before it either dies from it's wound, or is killed by the sheriff's search party......it's intelligent Dana, I know it is...it needs our help." She stood slowly shaking her head, an odd expression on her face, "Boy, you sound as weird as Mulder. I think you'd better explain everything from the beginning, I want to know your theory in full detail, tell me everything you know, but make it as quick as you can," she glanced down at her wrist watch, "I've arranged to meet Mulder down in the entrance lobby in half an hour." CHAPTER SIXTEEN After having listened to Sam's detailed theory and after having inspected all the samples for herself once more, Dana began to understand the logic behind the theorem but judged it best not to say anything to Mulder until they were absolutely sure they could find the creature and help it. Sam had to skirt around the explanation as to how he knew certain details and how he intended to help the animal return home. Al, had firmly warned him against telling Dana anything about the Project or quantum leaping and time travel but Sam hadn't really needed the advice, it was a difficult enough task getting her to believe what he thought to be true about the creature, he knew that if he even so much as mentioned his real part in all this and that he was a time traveller from the future, hiding behind the facade of other peoples forms, in an effort to correct the hic-cups in history, she would definitely label him a mental case and that would put an end to everything he'd done so far and everything he was here to do, it would be a certain end to her relationship with Daniel, that was for sure! To those eyes that watched, Pendrell and Scully leaving the crime lab and heading off towards another special case was nothing out of the ordinary. For Scully this was just another extraordinary, inexplicable case. For Sam it meant his time with Dana was rapidly running out. The aim of his mission was heading towards it's goal and towards certain danger. The danger not directly from the creature itself, but from the untested set of equations and computer programs which could send him anywhere in the multiverse, to be lost forever. He tried to shove the worrying thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on the immediate one...finding the damn thing and getting it to understand it's part in the events. Mulder was waiting for them in the lobby of the large building. He acknowledged Scully and greeted Pendrell on his return to work by taking one hand shaking it firmly and clapping his other hand on Sam's back. "Hey, how ya doin' Pendrell? You had us all worried for awhile back there. Thought we'd nearly lost our best forensics expert! Everything okay now?" Sam placed a hand to his chest and rubbed expressively, "Er..yeah, it's good, fine thanks...I'm fine now. Thanks for the get well card...verrrry funny!" Mulder, laughed wryly. Sam, not wanting to waste valuable time, excused himself and went on ahead to bring around the car, leaving Dana in the company of Mulder. Mulder watched with amusement as the unshaven image of Pendrell hurriedly left the building. He stabbed a thumb in his direction. "Looks like he had a heavy night...but..er..isn't this supposed to be his first day back?" "Yeah, he came in last night to work, on the case. He had some samples to test and worked through the night." Mulder turned to her, one eyebrow raised, "I knew he was dedicated but what did you do to bribe him to come in and work on his last night?" "Mulder, I didn't do anything to bribe him, he wanted to get things done so that he could get out to the crime scene with us." "He's coming with us? Why? He's usually tucked up safe in his little crime lab." Dana shot her partner a tolerant look. "He's coming with us because he was with me when we found the dead man, he saw the animal that attacked Joe Blackcrow." They continued the banter as they left the building. "He was with you? Why was he with you? I thought you were visiting friends this weekend or somethin'." Dana was beginning to flush with embarrassment. "Yeah, I was sort of," Mulder peered down at her quizzically, silently prompting her, "I..er..we..er...went on a date on Saturday night." Mulder's expression changed to mild amusement, "You, on a date with Pendrell?" "Yes." Mulder's amusement was growing, "You and Pendrell?! "Yes, me and Pendrell!" Scully, considered Mulder's questions were becoming irritatingly persistent. He had a bemused smirk on his face, "So what did that have to do with last night...Sunday night?" "He took me up to visit his folk's home, their ranch house. The ranch I told you about when you called." Mulder wasn't about to let this baby go. "He took you to see his folks?" "No, they were away." She could feel the warmth creeping across her face. "They weren't there?" Irritation and rising annoyance were beginning to replace the embarrassment. "Mulder, what is this, you're beginning to sound like a parrot!" He stopped walking before they reached the car and turned to her, his derision was fading, a little jealousy was seeping in. "Are you seeing him again?" "Yeah...yes, I am." "Do you like him, do you have time for him?" She rounded on him, annoyance clearly edging her tone. "Mulder who I like or what I do is no concern of yours. I'm entitled to a life, even if you don't have one. And yes, yes, I do like him...very much. There's more to him than you'd ever guess!" Mulder paused in thought for a second. His grin had returned. "Scully?" "Yes?" she answered resignedly, "You didn't do the wild thing with Pendrell, not Pendrell?" That was the final straw, she turned on him, flushing angrily. "That's none of your damn business!" Mulder laughed, ignoring her uncomfortable predicament. "You did...didn't you. You and Pendrell....well, well, well! Tell me is he..er..." Scully cut him short, "Look, I'm not saying any more, okay! He's a really nice guy and what happens between me and him is our business. So you can stop poking around!" Mulder held his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, It's just that I knew he had a thing for you, but I never saw him as being your type. that's all." Dana calmed down, "Yeah, well, just goes to show, you don't know everything about me and you don't know much about him either. He was good enough to work all night to find answers for us, with his help we might be able to solve this thing pretty quickly." Mulder was still smiling, "Okay, I'll be gentle with him today." Scully shot him a thunderous look, "Mulder, I'm warning you, just don't start pushing him around, he knows what he's doing here, he knows what we're dealing with. I don't want you racing around out there frightening that creature away and getting in his way." As they reached the car Mulder had just one more comment to make. He stared at her, "You really do care for him, don't you." "Yes, I do." "Then what can I say...I'm...er...I'm very happy for you, but I hope he can handle you running around the country with me, doing what we do." She paused to answer him quietly before opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat next to Sam. "He'll cope...he knows what I do....what we do and he accepts that." It was the last words spoken on the subject that day. Mulder joined the small team and sat, unbeknowingly next to the Project Observer, who had been following Mulder and Scully and had just finished relating the whole conversation to a very pleased looking Sam. Mulder leaned forward in his seat and asked, "Okay, somebody, like to tell me exactly what this is all about?" -- Heather Markham