Title: Orcas In the Mist Author: Kirsten Wahlquist E-Mail: Feeeeedback! dkscully@softhome.net Distribution: Spread it far and wide! Spoilers: Never Again Rating: PG-13 for violence and one bad word Content: Mulder/Scully Romance, XF/Free Willy Crossover Classification: CR Summary: Mulder and Scully are assigned to a summer-long illegal whaling case. During that time, they build some amazing friendships and find something within themselves they didn't think would ever surface. (NOTE: No knowledge of Free Willy is needed to understand this. Everything pertinent is explained. If you've seen all three Free Willy movies, please bear with me when I give the backstory. Disclaimer: Okay (deep breath) Mulder, Scully, Skinner: Not mine. CC's, 1013's, FOX's. Free Willy and it's characters: Not mine. Warner Brothers'. Also, I don't own "Searchin' My Soul," "Hooked On A Feeling," "Ask The Lonely," "Hey Now Now," or "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life." Lisa, Kevin Campbell, John, and Steve are all my characters. Authors Notes: -Well, I've been writing this one since May of '98, and would loooooooooooove feedback! Don't let me think I did all that for nothing! Praise, comments, and constructive criticisms gratefully accepted at dkscully@softhome.net -J-29 and K-24 were both real orcas born to J-19 and K-14 respectively. Both died a few weeks after birth, gender unknown. -This is dedicated to my mom, who drove me eight hours each way to see the "real" Willy, Keiko, then put up with 7+ hours of just standing by his tank, watching. Jeez, am I obsessed or what? PS- He likes to watch the volunteers play with toy fire trucks. I was the first in to see him both days we were there, and got to talk to the volunteers for awhile before it got too crowded. -I had the pleasure of swimming with dolphins during the time I was writing this story. I realized that, while they are different species, Willy and those dolphins have much the same personality. I used this information and experience in developing orca characters. -Visit my fanfic page at http://members.tripod.com/~keikolover/fanfic/index.html It houses every fanfic story I've ever written, most of which have never been posted before. Also there is a copy of this story in it's entirety, for those who don't want to go through all the messages to read this. - A special note: I have put up a place where you can wish Keiko good luck on his journey to freedom, and write him a message. It's at http://members.tripod.com/~keikolover/goodluck.html -Thanks to Genevieve and Susan. And a great big thank you to Robin, who spent an eternity editing it! Also, to anyone who's going to read this story. Timeline: XF: Post 5th season, as if "The End" and the movie never happened Free Willy: After "The Rescue" (The third one) Written: May 1998-March 1999 Whew! Long enough intro? Orcas In the Mist By Kirsten Wahlquist -Prologue- San Juan Islands Date Unknown 6:43 AM J-29 surfaced alongside her mother, J-19. Since he was only a few weeks old, he very rarely strayed from her side. He watched his family feeding on the plentiful salmon, but soon lost interest when a few fish swam his way. Everything intrigued him and he was innately curious. He echolocated a few stray salmon, then snapped at them playfully. They scattered quickly, unaware that the young orca could not have eaten them yet anyway. The pod moved through the waters with amazing swiftness, working together to herd the salmon and gulp them down. Their calls resounded through the water. A constant strain of echolocation clicks told them where the fish were in the dark waters. It was a normal morning for J-Pod. But not far away, a boat loomed in the shadows, an ominous threat. It edged closer and closer. Soon, it was practically upon them. With a solid *thunk*, a large metal harpoon flew into the young orca's side. He squealed in pain, crying out to his mother. The men on the boat cheered victoriously, not caring that they'd just mortally wounded a newborn calf. They joy was cut short, however, when the rope tying the harpoon to the boat snapped suddenly. The calf's unmoving body drifted away, much to their dismay. Then, a chill ran through their spines. Things on the boat began to shift without being touched. The sea was perfectly calm, so it wasn't just the rolling motion of the boat. They yelled and wheeled the boat around, heading back the way they came. There was no way they were going to stick around there, even for the whales. *** Assistant Director Skinner's Office FBI Headquarters May 31, 1998 11:37 AM Mulder and Scully sat silently in Skinner's office, listening to him give them their newest assignment. The X-Files and the VCU were both very quiet, so they were being asked to take on an environmental crimes case. "I've made travel arrangements for both of you," Skinner informed them. "You must understand, though, that this case could last awhile. Are you still willing to take it?" Scully glanced sidelong at her partner. "Yes, sir," they answered in unison. Skinner leaned forward, handing them the ticket voucher. "You flight leaves tomorrow morning." Skinner gave them a look of gratitude. "I appreciate that you're taking on a large case that isn't in your department." He paused, then nodded curtly. "Dismissed." Mulder and Scully filed out, and back down to the basement office. *** Scully's Apartment June 1 7:23 AM Scully looked over their case and the accompanying photos again. There had been a series of illegal whaling incidents in the Pacific Northwest. All of them were focused on killer whales, or more accurately, orcas. From the small amount of information gathered so far, it was assumed that all the attacks were by the same people. There was an enclosed photo of three orcas: a calf, a female, and a male. The male's dorsal fin was flopped to the side, like that of a dolphin living in an aquarium. Nevertheless, he had a very noble profile. "You all packed and ready to go?" Mulder questioned. Scully looked slowly up at him and nodded. She stood and took one last look around her apartment. Then, shutting off the lights and locking the door behind her, she and Mulder lugged her baggage out to the car. *** Northbound I-5 Near Burlington, WA 1:58 PM, Pacific Standard Time Leaning against the car door, Scully gazed out at the tree-filled, Pacific Northwest landscape. So where was all that "Washington Rain?" She'd been looking forward to it after the sweltering heat of DC. Here, though, the sun was shining and it was a good eighty degrees out. They passed a road sign that directed them to the Anacortes ferry terminal, and Mulder quickly pulled off the freeway. "So, Skinner's thinking this case may last all summer?" Scully asked, breaking the silence. Her mind still seemed rather distant. "Yeah, even though it seems so simple. The problem is, there's no evidence pointing directly to anyone, so we can't make any arrests yet." Once again, silence overwhelmed the car. A quick, business-only discussion was all Mulder and Scully was the only conversation they had between the airport and the ferry terminal. *** Anacortes Ferry Terminal 2:45 PM After stopping at a McDonalds in Anacortes, the agents proceeded to the ferry dock. They had about forty-five minutes to wait for the next boat bound for the islands, so they walked down to the beach for a little while. The sun was glinting off the water, turning it a nice, golden color. There was little wind, and the water was perfectly calm. As they strolled silently, Mulder slipped his hand nervously over Scully's. Inside, she felt exhilarated, but chose not to show it. She simply smiled up at Mulder, who grinned down at her. No words were needed. Scully's insides tickled with elation. She had been waiting for this. Scully thought, trying to shake the feeling. He was her partner, her best friend. She didn't want to ruin that. her conscience nagged, She loved him, and she knew it. Scully also knew, though, that, even if Mulder felt the same way, the Bureau frowned on partners who were romantically involved like that. Unbeknownst to Scully, Mulder was thinking along much the same lines. What if they did have a relationship? Would they be separated? Mulder couldn't bear the thought of not seeing his Scully everyday. *His* Scully? he reasoned. He mulled over the idea for a moment. Shaking his head, he tried to shrug off the not-so-unwanted thoughts. By the time the two of them had snapped out of their reverie, the ferry was fast approaching and they had to hurry back to the car. *** Ferry 3:27 PM Once the car was parked on the ferry, Mulder and Scully headed up to the passenger deck. They strolled for a little bit before finding a seat by the window. "You're not going to throw up on me now, are you?" Scully asked worriedly. Mulder shook his head. "What, you don't think regurgitated lunch is styling?" he laughed, holding up a box of Dramamine. They fell into and uneasy silence. Scully gazed out the window at the shining water. The ferry had just left the dock, and was making it's way to their first stop. "Hey, let's go outside," she suggested. They got up and made their way to the deck, where a few people were watching the scenery go by. Mulder shot a sidelong glance at his partner, who seemed to be enjoying the cool breeze and salty air. Her eyes were closed, a smile on her face. Mulder was perfectly content to watch her. Well, not *perfectly* content; he wanted to do more than watch her. Mulder shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts he was having. he wondered. A splashing noise came from somewhere to their right. It was barely audible over the engines, but it was enough to snap Scully out of her daze. In the distance, they could make out a few black specks that were coming closer. Realizing what they were, Scully's lips curled into a smile. Just as she did so, the captain made an announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you look to the front of the boat, you will see a pod of killer whales." There was a mad rush to the front of the boat as people tried desperately to see the orcas. As the whales neared the boat, Mulder and Scully could see that they were leaping and playing. Even through the loud crashes, Scully admired the gracefulness with which these great creatures moved and swam. They were very coordinated, often leaping in pairs. One whale that was different than the others suddenly leapt into the air. His dorsal fin was flopped to the side. Scully recognized him from the photo in the file. Even with the bent fin, he was a very beautiful animal. Three spots on his chin stood out like a Dalmatian among black labs. "There," she said suddenly, pointing. "That's the whale from the photo." Mulder nodded absently. The orcas dove down under the boat, then one by one resurfaced on the other side. The crowd of people rushed to the other side to watch, but Mulder and Scully hung back. They both knew they'd be doing a lot of whale-watching in the days to come. Mulder was beaming like a five-year-old. Scully regarded him for a moment before nervously shifting her gaze. He looked so cute smiling like that. Scully mentally scolded herself for allowing herself to think that way again. They went back inside, where it was nearly deserted. Sitting down in the same seat as before, Scully gazed thoughtfully out the window. Mulder watched her, noting the gorgeous way that a stray lock of her pulled-back hair hung crazily in front of her face. He reached up to brush it away from her face, then pulled back when he realized what he was doing. Nervously, he turned to look out the window. Silence loomed over them, and they stayed that way for the remainder of the boat ride. *** Friday Harbor 4:37 PM As they pulled off the ferry, they looked for the people they were supposed to meet. No one in the designated parking lot matched the description they had, so they shut off the engine and waited. Presently, a short, blond woman approached the car and knocked on the window. Scully rolled it down, giving the woman a questioning glance. "Are you the FBI agents?" she queried. Mulder and Scully nodded. "I'm Lisa Cohn. I work with Randolph and Jesse. They had an emergency and couldn't make it, so Randolph asked me to give you directions to the guest house." Scully and Mulder got out of the car and Scully offered her hand. "Dana Scully," she greeted. "Pleased to meet you." Mulder came around from the other side of the car and shook Lisa's hand. "Fox Mulder," he added. "I'm, well, not great with directions," Lisa admitted sheepishly. "I can try--" Scully smiled at the girl. Lisa looked to be less then twenty years old. "Can you show us?" Scully asked her. "Yeah, I can," she answered. "I'll go get my truck, and you can follow me." Scully nodded, and Lisa went off to her pickup. The agents climbed into their rental car, and followed Lisa out of the parking lot. Trees lined the road on both sides, except for a few places where they could see the rocky shoreline. Scully marveled at the beauty of the region. "So, what do you make of Ms. Cohn?" Mulder asked. "She seems nice," Scully replied nonchalantly, not taking her gaze off the trees. Mulder frowned; something was obviously bothering her. "Are you okay?" he asked sincerely. Scully broke her gaze to look at Mulder. "I'm fine, Mulder, why?" He shrugged, knowing he'd never get a straight answer from her. "You just seem a bit out of it today." "I'm fine." It was Dana Scully's infamous reply, and Mulder knew that it meant something was wrong. He didn't press the subject, though. Soon, they pulled up in front of a small house that overlooked the water. Lisa, Mulder, and Scully got out of their respective cars. "Here's the keys to the house, one for each of you. There's a list of numbers inside if you need anything. Randolph and Jesse should be dropping by tonight to make sure you get settled in okay." She paused, smiling. "I guess I'll leave you two to unpack. Nice meeting you both." Without another word, she climbed into her truck and drove off. Scully raised an eyebrow, then turned to unlock the house. As she gently pushed the door open, she saw that it was quaint, but well-kept. Picking up her luggage, she entered, pacing slowly through the entryway. Mulder followed her, closing the door quietly behind him. Scully set down her suitcases by the door, and proceeded to explore her new, temporary home. "It's better than those roadside dumps we usually end up in," Scully pointed out. "What, don't you like my taste in seedy motels?" Mulder replied playfully. Scully allowed a smile to cross her face as she looked around. After about five minutes of wandering, she picked up her bags and took them to one of the two small bedrooms upstairs. As she was unpacking, she heard Mulder come in behind her. "So, how do you like it?" "It's nice," she replied. "I like it." Scully turned to face Mulder, smiling. "You hungry?" Scully hadn't realized it until then, but her stomach was grumbling. "Yeah, a little." "There's a coffeehouse I saw in Friday Harbor." "That sounds good. I'll be right down." *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence 7:52 PM By the time they returned, the darkness had begun to set in. Mulder and Scully put away the few groceries they had bought. Scully thought to herself as she put away the Lucky Charms and Corm Pops. her inner voice nagged. She shook the thought off and went into the other room to look over the case again. Soon, there was a knock at the door. Scully glanced up as Mulder opened the door. Two people stood there; one was tall and had long hair, and the other was a boy who didn't look a day over eighteen. "Hi," the tall man greeted. "I'm Randolph Johnson, and this is Jesse Greenwood." Scully got up to stand next to Mulder. They exchanged handshakes, and Mulder motioned for the two of them to come inside. "I hope you like the guest house here," Randolph said. "Oh, we do," Scully answered for both of them. "It's a lot nicer than what we usually stay in." Mulder smiled in consent. "We usually use the shed out back for storage, so we'll probably be here from time to time, getting things," Randolph informed them. "Also, sometimes we'll have people stopping by from out of town who'll have to stay here, but you can just dump them on the couch." Mulder nodded, as Randolph continued. "If you're ready to start, the boat leaves at dawn." "We'll be there," Mulder replied graciously. "The name of it is the Natselane." Scully nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds good." "We'd better be going, it was nice meeting you. See you in the morning." They shook hands, then Randolph and Jesse left. "So what do you think of them?" Scully turned to stare at Mulder. "Do you always question whether or not people are on 'our side'?" Mulder grinned. "Trust no one," he replied. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to bed. You probably should too, you know," Scully announced, changing the subject. "What's a bed?" he joked. Scully snickered. "Goodnight, Mulder." "Goodnight, *Mom.*" With that, Scully turned and headed up to her room. After a few moments, Mulder retired to his own room. *** Friday Harbor June 2 6:42 AM The next morning found them at the dock, boarding the Natselane. The air smelled of salty sea water. Gulls cried overhead as they searched for food that had been dropped by morning commuters. All around them, fishermen prepared to depart. In the distance, a ferry's horn blew to signal that it was leaving one of the islands. "Good morning," Randolph called from the roof of the cabin. "Well," he said, "Jesse, if you get the line, we'll be off." Jesse hopped down the ladder and untied the ropes. Randolph already had the engine going, and they were quickly on their way. "So, why'd you decide to name this boat the Natselane?" Mulder asked curiously. "It's from a story from my people, the Haida. Long ago, there were no orcas. Salmon filled the waters, and my people only had to fish one day a week. On a fishing trip, a young man by the name of Natselane was separated from the rest of the group during a storm. The otters took him deep down underwater, where he was sheltered from the storm. The next morning, Natselane couldn't find anyone that he had been fishing with. He carved a whale out of cedar, and pushed it into what he thought was the ocean. But it wasn't, and the great carving sank. He said a prayer he'd never heard before, repeating it over and over again. Suddenly, water sprayed everywhere and the carving resurfaced. But it wasn't a carving. It was a living, breathing orca. Natselane got on the back of the orca, and rode it all the way home. I felt that the Natselane was a very appropriate name," Randolph concluded. Lisa disappeared into the cabin as Randolph handed the wheel over to Jesse. "If you'll come with me, I'll give you a tour of the boat," he offered. Scully and Mulder followed him down the ladder and into the cabin. They came into a small room where Lisa was working with some equipment. "Here's our *extra large* cabin," Randolph joked with a smile. "What Lisa's working with there is our recording equipment. And over here-" A moaning sound cut through the air. Everyone froze in place and grins spread across Randolph and Lisa's faces. "Come on," Randolph ordered, leaping out the door. Mulder and Scully followed him up to the roof of the cabin, where Jesse was already looking through a pair of binoculars. "Can you see them?" Randolph queried. A smile grew on Jesse's face. "Yeah… it's J-Pod." Much closer to the boat, whales began to surface, some leaping high into the air. Jesse seemed to notice none of this, and continued to scan the pod. Lisa had a camera out, and was taking pictures of the orcas' dorsals. She was calling out names and numbers. The grin on Jesse's face grew steadily wider. All of a sudden, the whale with the bent dorsal flew from the water. He seemed to hang in the air forever, his glossy, black nose reaching for the sky. "Willy!" Jesse yelled, eliciting laughter from Randolph. Neither Mulder nor Scully understood what was particularly special about this whale, but Scully guessed from the bent fin that it had previously been in captivity. Jesse was waving wildly at the orca. At Mulder and Scully's curious looks, Randolph simply said, "It's a long story, tell you later." "Over there, they're lobtailing!" Lisa scrambled to the back of the boat, where several orcas were tossing their tails high into the air. Scully found herself beaming at their playful antics. They were so strong, yet so graceful and fluid in their movements. She shook her head, realizing why so many people disliked the term "killer" whale. Randolph carefully maneuvered the Natselane between the orcas and the shore. After several minutes, the whales' cavorting ended, and they began to swim peacefully. At this point, Randolph took Mulder and Scully aside to point out individual whales. "That one," he said, pointing to a lone orca, "Is J19. And over there, that's J14 and her offspring, J30." Scully thought they all looked alike, but knew that there were differences in fin size, shape, and the 'saddle patch' behind the dorsal fin. "That, as you know, is Willy, and his mother, Catspaw. The calf behind him is his brother, Littlespot. And that is Luna, his sister." "Their families are very close-knit," Scully observed. "Yes, most animals stay with their mothers all of their lives," Randolph elaborated. Scully watched silently as the orcas fed on the plentiful salmon. Before she knew it, it was time to stop for lunch. They took out their sack lunches, and brought them onto a nearby beach to eat. Jesse and Lisa quickly disappeared, leaving the four adults alone. "So, do you want to hear why Jesse's so infatuated with Willy?" Randolph asked. "Yeah," Scully replied quickly. "It's a long, long story, but I'm sure those two lovebirds won't mind the extra time alone." Randolph chuckled heartily. "Anyway, let me say right off that Willy has got to be the most picked-on whale I've ever seen. Back in about 1993, he was taken from the wild by a - how shall I say - less than credible whale-catcher. He was brought to Northwest Adventure Park, and was nowhere near trainable. The owners of the park were furious about the amount of money they were losing. Not only that, but the tank was entirely too small." Randolph paused and took a sip of the Coke he held in his hand. "Anyway, one night, before anyone really came to know him, Jesse broke into the aquatic theater's maintenance building. He found some spray paint, and proceeded to vandalize the underwater viewing area. The cops showed up and busted him. It turned out that he was a street kid who had only a couple days until he moved in with an adoptive family, the Greenwoods. As a result, he was required to clean up the mess he made. "Almost immediately, he had a fascination with Willy. He helped Willy's official trainer, Rae Lindley, with some of the chores, like sorting fish and such. One night, when he was almost finished with his job, Jesse snuck out and went to the tank to say goodbye to Willy. While there, he slipped and fell, into the tank, unconscious. Willy, though, pushed him out of the water and onto stable ground. I found him, and took him home to his adopted family. At the same time, I offered him a summer job, helping to train Willy. I knew that if anyone could train him, it was Jesse. "One afternoon, I turned the corner to see Willy mimicking Jesse. Rae saw, too, and approached Jesse. Willy still would not respond to her; only Jesse. I told Jesse the story of Natselane, to maybe help him understand. Willy's training progressed quickly. Jesse was the miracle we'd been searching for. Soon, he was diving into the water to swim with Willy. Together, Jesse, Rae, and Willy did an audition for the park's owners, who were ecstatic about his performance. A show was set up, promising to be an enormous hit and provide enough money to expand Willy's too-small tank. Sure enough, the first day of the show brought waves of people in, cramming the theater. But everything was going wrong from square one. Willy, when asked, wouldn't respond to the signals, instead choosing to swim in circles at nearly top speed. To add to that, he barreled into the tank wall, causing a leak that was quickly patched up. Upset, embarrassed, and hurt, Jesse fled the park. "That night, he returned to say goodbye to Willy. He wanted to go find his birth mother, in California. Just as he was about to leave, he realized that Willy's family was what was the reason Willy was acting so strangely. He was homesick. His family would cry out to him from the adjoining bay. Suddenly, he saw someone widening the hole in the tank. He ran to get me, and I found that the park's owner had been trying to collect the insurance money - one million dollars. Jesse got the idea that we should free Willy. It was a race against the clock. We took Jesse's dad's truck - he owns an auto repair shop - and used it to tow the sling Willy was carried in. We barely got Willy out of the tank in time - with Rae's help. The glass burst, flooding the underwater viewing area. We decided to take a road through the forest since it was less conspicuous. Part of the way there, we were blocked by a tree in the road. Trying to back up, the trailer went off the road and began to slide down a steep hill. We couldn't get it back up, and had to radio Jesse's adopted parents - Glenn and Annie - to get help. Glenn helped us out, and we set off toward Dawson's Marina. We'd lost much time, and there was already a crew ready to keep Willy penned in. Jesse ran to the breakwater, calling for Willy to follow him. After a short pep talk, Jesse gave Willy a signal. Everyone watched as Willy backed up, then swam at full speed. Jesse and I repeated Natselane's prayer, and he cued Willy to leap. Everyone held their breath as Willy flew high into the air, over Jesse's head and to his freedom. I was surprised at how well off he was, considering he hadn't been in the wild in a very long time. Jesse was overjoyed, but I knew he missed Willy." He finished up with a triumphant grin. Mulder and Scully were entranced by Randolph's story. "Wow," Scully breathed, almost not believing it. "That's amazing." Randolph shook his head. "Oh, there's quite a bit more. As I said, Willy's the most picked-on whale I've ever seen. In 1995, Jesse, the Greenwoods, and his newfound half-brother Elvis, visited the San Juans for a camping trip. By this time, I was working for the Orca Research Institute. The day they arrived, I took Jesse out on this boat with my goddaughter, Nadine. He saw Willy for the first time in nearly two years. I was going to take him out again the next day, but there was a problem with the bilge pump. From what I was told, he had a run-in with Willy at the rubbing rocks - I'll show you that tomorrow, if you want. That night, an oil tanker was grounded on a nearby reef and oil spread everywhere. Willy, Littlespot, and Luna were trapped in the cove. Jesse found that Luna had beached herself. Nadine and I took some samples, and were afraid the oil had gotten into her lungs. She was very sick. A good friend of mine, Kate Haley, who is a veterinarian, tried to give her some antibiotics, but Willy was overprotective. Eventually, Jesse had to distract him so Luna could be given the medicine. To help out, I taught Jesse how to make a strong, ancient medicine called skookum from plants found on the island. The next morning, Luna was better. Over the night, though, Elvis had run off. He overheard a conversation in a Friday Harbor coffee shop. Two men, with whom Jesse and I had been working, were planning to take all three orcas into rehab, then treat them like show animals. Using Willy's old tricks, they were freed by breaking the oil boom and net. Jesse, Elvis, and Nadine followed them to sea. Just then, the oil caught fire as the grounded tanker exploded. A rescue copter managed to get Elvis and Nadine out, Jesse was trapped. Willy carried him, on his back, under the flames and to safety. From there, Willy, Littlespot, and Luna, made it back to their family." "What a story! He ought to sell it to Hollywood," Mulder commented. Scully nodded vigorously in agreement. Randolph's lips twisted into a half-smile. "There's still more. Last summer, Jesse helped out on a big research vessel with me. We found Willy one day with a spear in his flukes. He was being shot at by a whaling vessel . Pretty soon after, learned that Willy was going to be a father. Jesse had recently made friends with a young boy named Max. He didn't find out until later that the boy was going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a whaler. To change his mind, Jesse brought him to Willy, and they goofed off together for the day. The kid began to subtly spoil his dad's attempts to kill whales. One night, Jesse and I took out the research vessel with one of the other researchers. Well, I guess it was early morning, but it was still dark. In the fog, we rammed the whaling vessel in an attempt to stop them from harming the whales. Subsequently, the whaler, John Wesley, was knocked into the water. Willy began to attack him, but was called off by Max. Then, an unstable post fell on Wesley. There was a net tied to it, in which he got tangled up and was drowning. As ironic as it sounds, Willy saved him. He had an immediate change of heart. Very soon after, Willy became a father. A young whale who was named Max." Scully and Mulder were all grinning. "Wow, now that's a whale's tale," Mulder said, shaking his head. Just then, Jesse came racing up, followed by Lisa. Their clothes were absolutely soaked. In his hand, Jesse held a small harmonica. "Let me guess what you've been doing," Randolph said as they approached. "Willy… he was over in the cove," Jesse announced breathlessly. "I was just telling these two yours and Willy's story." "It's very impressive," added Scully. Jesse was blushing. "I try." "Well, we better get a move on," Randolph decided. Everyone picked up their lunches, which were barely touched. Randolph was a great storyteller, enough to make even Mulder forget about his mostly-junk-food and partly-sunflower seed lunch. As they climbed onto the boat, Scully mulled over they story she had just been told. It was so adventurous, it was almost unbelievable. She yearned to come face-to-face with Willy. The day wore on, and questions floated in and out of her head. What, exactly, caused Willy's fin to fall over? Randolph said it was called flaccid fin syndrome, and there could be any number of causes for it. One idea was that orcas in captivity spend more time at the surface, where gravity caused it to fall over. Almost all male orcas in captivity had a bent dorsal, and even a few females. In the wild, though, less than one percent of whales had the problem. The boat docked late that afternoon. Mulder and Scully said their goodbyes, and climbed into their rental car. "So, what'd you think?" Mulder asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Scully thought for a moment about her answer. "I enjoyed it," she replied, gazing out the window. Turning to look at her partner, she continued. "I can't believe that whale has been through so much! I mean, he's got to be very smart, or he'd be dead by now." "Well, they do say that if folds in the brain are any sign of intelligence, dolphins are twice as smart as we are," Mulder pointed out. Scully was surprised that he knew facts like that. Seeing her expression, he quickly added, "I did my homework." An impish grin spread across his face. Scully almost melted just looking at him. She couldn't help but stare for several moments before turning away, embarrassed. Once again, she had to reel in her stray thoughts. Unethical? Where did that come from? Before she realized it, they had pulled up in front of the house. They got out of the car and unlocked the front door. Dumping down her backpack, Scully hurried into the kitchen to get something to eat. She was *starving.* She yanked out the loaf of bread, the jam, and the peanut butter and made a sandwich for herself. Grabbing a Coke from the refrigerator, she joined Mulder in the living room. The living room faced the water, and provided a breathtaking view. The sunset was turning the water to gold, and the sky became a dazzling array of reds, oranges, and yellows. Mulder was seated on the couch, looking out at the vista. He looked up at Scully as she came in. "Hey, Mulder, let's go sit on the back porch," Scully suggested. "All right." Mulder got up and followed Scully out the back door. He was struck by the way the evening sun caught her hair and gave it an almost fiery appearance. He was distracted by it momentarily before realizing that he was staring. There was a gentle breeze, and it made the temperature comfortable. Scully sat heavily on the edge of the porch. Mulder sat beside her, admiring her subtly. The silence surrounding them was a bit awkward. Scully shifted uneasily, keeping her eyes on the ever-dimming horizon. "Beautiful evening," Mulder commented, breaking the silence. "Yes, it is." She looked at his attractive face. "You know, the whole time my father was in the Navy, he'd come home with stories of whales and dolphins riding the bow of the ship. I was so fascinated by them, but I never saw one in the wild." "Never?" Mulder asked. Scully shook her head and fell silent. Suddenly she shifted the topic. "You ever wonder what it would be like to be another animal?" Mulder chuckled lightly. "When I was a kid, I used to lay in bed and imagine I was a dog. I still don't know why, but I always liked dogs. Maybe it's because I never was allowed to have one of my own." He paused. "What about you?" "Oh, I don't know," Scully replied, looking down at her feet. Mulder laughed quietly. "Hey, I told you mine. Give." After a moment, Scully looked back up. "This afternoon, I was thinking about what it would be like to be an orca. I guess it's kind of…" she trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Mulder, though, knew what she meant. "No, no, it's not," he offered. Scully sighed and continued. "I was thinking about all that Willy's been through, and wondered what it felt like to be the target of all of people's cruelty." She frowned, considering her own words. What sounded like a far-off splash brought her back to Earth. Immediately, Scully and Mulder were attentive. Scully was the first to spot the source of the noise. In the distance, a pod of whales swam by. Scully couldn't help but smile as their sleek fins sliced through the water like a hot knife through butter. Mulder grinned down at her, memorizing the way she looked when she smiled. Those smiles were so rare for her, yet Mulder felt faint every time he saw one. As they passed, Mulder saw Scully shiver slightly. "Cold?" he asked. She shook her head absently. "No, I'm fine." Mulder was a bit bothered by the way she nudged him away, but didn't say anything. She seemed content just to watch the orcas swim by. Something had been bothering her for the past few days. Mulder wasn't quite sure what it was, but he sensed it had something to do with him. She seemed somewhat distant, off in her own little world. He only wished he knew what was so distracting. The orcas finally disappeared from view, and Scully looked up at her partner. His hair was now slightly windswept, and the way part of it stood on end made her head spin. Scully couldn't help but smile at it. "I'm going in," Mulder announced. "It's chilly out here." He stood, and offered a hand to help Scully up. Smiling graciously, Scully took his hand and he pulled her up. As they walked back inside, Mulder had to ward off the urge to put and arm around her. The way she was acting, he wasn't sure how that would come off. Back inside, Scully picked up the folder Randolph had lent her. It contained newspaper clippings, pictures, and such, all of them about Willy and his family. She took it to the kitchen and sat down at the table to read. Mulder remained in the living room, choosing instead to sit on the couch and think. The first was a newspaper article about Willy's return to freedom. "12 year-old returns orca to wild DAWSON'S MARINA - Just yesterday, Willy the orca blew his first public show. By early this morning, he was swimming with his family in the open ocean." The article went on to describe the leaky tank, and, of course, Willy's spectacular leap to freedom. Scully flipped through the pictures until one in particular caught her eye. It looked almost like it was taken professionally, which it may have been. Jesse's arms were wrapped around Willy's head in a caring embrace. Jesse looked so young then. His hair wasn't curly, and it was rather long. Willy looked different, too. He looked considerably thinner, and lesions marred the skin around his pectoral fins. Scully briefly wondered how painful those had been. "He looked awful, didn't he?" Scully jumped as Mulder's voice pierced the silence. She glanced up at him, grimacing. She hadn't heard him come in. "I can't believe his health could be that bad when he was taken care of by someone who loved his so much," Scully sighed. After a moment, she stood. "I'm heading up to bed. See you in the morning." "Goodnight," Mulder called after her. She disappeared up the stairs, leaving him to ponder her odd behavior. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence June 3 6:12 AM The next morning, Scully was up bright and early. The sky was blue, with broken clouds scattered across it like cotton balls. Once again, Scully found herself wondering where the infamous rain was. After pulling on jeans and a comfortable , baggy t-shirt, she headed downstairs to get some breakfast. She started a pot of coffee. Looking through the cupboard, Scully chuckled at the boxes of sugar-filled cereal. Seeing no other option, she poured herself a bowl of Corn Pops. She ate silently, waiting for Mulder to come downstairs and crack a joke about her eating "junk food." By the time she had finished, he still had not come down. Scully's brow furrowed with worry, afraid that he had ditched her again. She crept up the stairs and knocked softly on his door. No answer. Cautiously, she pushed the door open. There he was, laying sound asleep in bed. He wore only black silk boxers, and one leg hung lazily over the edge of the bed. He was sprawled out, sleeping through the alarm. Briefly, Scully considered letting him sleep. He seemed so peaceful. After a moment, she shook her head. They had work to do. "Hey," she called softly. "Mulder, you getting up or not?" He woke groggily, nearly rolling onto the floor. When he saw Scully standing in the doorway, he was wide awake. "What time is it?" he asked. She jerked her head toward his alarm clock. "6:30. Time to get up." With that, she closed the door and headed back downstairs. Ten minutes later, Mulder arrived downstairs, dressed and freshly shaven. "I'll just grab something to eat in the car," he said, pouring a cup of the coffee Scully had made. "That means you can drive," he added. "Are you sure my little feet could reach the pedals?" Scully shot back, smiling. "I sure hope so, or we'll be here awhile, he replied with a grin. Grabbing a donut, he pulled on his shoes and followed Scully out to the car. *** Dockside 7:12 AM "You want to see the rubbing rocks?" Randolph asked as Mulder and Scully came aboard. "Yeah," Scully replied emphatically. She smiled up at Jesse, who was busying himself with the ropes. "Lisa isn't coming today, so it's just us four. She's on the mainland for the day, looking at some new equipment," Randolph told the agents. Scully and Mulder nodded understandingly. "All right, let's go," he called. Jesse started the engine and got them underway. The breeze felt good on Scully's face as she leaned against the side of the boat. Mulder stood beside her, silently scanning the horizon. The water was a beautiful, bright blue, reflecting the sun's golden rays in a shimmering pattern. In the distance, a ferry was making it's early runs. Within several minutes, Randolph slowed and stopped the boat. They were next to a small cove. On the rocky beach, a log lay a few feet from the receding tide. Jesse came up beside them. "It's pretty, isn't it?" he asked. Mulder and Scully nodded, taking in the scenery. "Hey, Jesse!" Randolph called from the other side of the boat. "We've got company!" Jesse rushed to his side, Mulder and Scully only a few steps behind. A little ways away, several orcas swam slowly. One of them was Willy. "He just follows you like a magnet, doesn't he, Jess?" Randolph teased. As if sensing his old friend's presence, Willy turned sharply and swam toward the boat. Jesse inhaled loudly and held his breath. Slowly, Willy approached the boat. "Hey, boy!" Jesse called to him. Willy's head poked up, right next to the boat! He rolled onto his side, allowing Jesse to rub his nose. Scully could scarcely breathe. She was only mere feet from an orca. she thought repeatedly. Suddenly, Jesse turned to her and Mulder. "You want to pet him?" he offered. Mulder politely shook his head and backed up, smiling weakly. Scully, though, took a few steps forward. Cautiously, she held out a hand to Willy. He nudged closer, his rostrum brushing her fingertips. After a few moments, her palm rested on his nose, a grin spreading across her features. His skin was so smooth, it felt as if it were wet rubber. She was content just to leave her hand there, but instead stood up straight and looked at everyone's smiling faces. Without warning, Jesse leapt into the water. The splash got Scully a little wet, but she didn't mind at all. Resurfacing, he yelled, "Come on in, the water's great!" Scully laughed softly as Willy came up near Jesse. Jesse reached his arm up and draped it over Willy's back. Willy quickly dove under, then rose up, lifting the boy onto his back. Jesse whooped and hollered as Willy swam into the cove. Randolph, Scully, and Mulder ran to the other side of the boat to watch. They watched breathlessly as Willy sank beneath the waves. Then, he rose partially out of the water. Jesse slipped off his back and fell into the frigid water. He resurfaced, giggling and petting Willy. When Willy opened his mouth, Jesse fearlessly put his hand in to stroke his tongue. Scully was amazed at the gentleness with which Willy treated Jesse. Willy could easily snap Jesse's hand off, but he seemed to be extremely careful not to hurt his friend. Jesse threw himself onto Willy's back again, and they took off. Whenever Willy slipped underwater, Jesse would flatten himself against his back. His arms were spread like a bird's wings. An ear-to-ear grin covered his face. Scully sighed, enjoying watching the two friends frolic. She could still imagine the cool, slick feel of Willy's skin. After playing for awhile longer, Jesse reluctantly climbed from the water. He patted Willy one last time on the nose, then threw his right arm out sideways. Obviously, he was using one of Willy's old signals. Willy turned slowly from Jesse and swam to rejoin his family. He waved a flipper at them as if to say "good bye." Randolph restarted the motor, and they followed the pod for the rest of the day. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence 7:26 PM The evening was cooler, and pleasantly so. After eating dinner, Scully went out to sit on the back porch's swing. As she watched the sky go through it's nightly repertoire of colors, she pondered Willy, the case, and, of course, Mulder. Mulder joined her outside, snapping her back to reality. "You want to go for a walk on the beach?" he asked. "Sure." She got up and strode to his side. They walked slowly down the narrow path to the beach. A gentle breeze was blowing off the water, causing Scully's hair to bob in the wind. "What did it feel like, touching Willy?" Mulder asked as they strolled. "You mean physically or emotionally?" "Either," he clarified. "Physically, his skin felt like, well, wet rubber. It was very smooth and slippery. Emotionally, that's harder to describe." She thought for a moment, hearing only the waves lapping at the shore. "It's like… it makes you feel like you've just communicated with another species, I guess." A pause. "Why didn't you want to touch him?" Scully asked softly. Mulder shrugged almost indifferently. "I guess I've just always been nervous around big animals. I was scared to death of horses." "*You* are scared of big animals? Now *that's* hard to believe," Scully laughed. Mulder smiled sheepishly. Suddenly, she changed the subject. "Hey, look," she exclaimed. Mulder watched quizzically as she bent down to pick something up. It was a large, white shell. On the bottom, pearly hues of violet and blue shone in the evening light. Smiling, she tucked it into her pocket. They walked on in silence, marveling at the pristine water. "We'd better be heading back, it's getting dark," Scully said after fifteen or so minutes. Mulder nodded in agreement. As they turned back, he saw Scully shiver. "Cold?" he asked for the second time in as many days. This time, though, she didn't hide it. "A little," she replied to his surprise. In response, his left arm drifted over her shoulder in an attempt to warm her up. Mulder willed his mind to behave. When she felt his arm around her, Scully couldn't help but smile. It was very comforting, and she immediately felt at ease. She smiled up at him, telling him without words that she liked it. They strolled silently along the beach, hearing only the wind and the waves. The sky was rapidly growing darker, and the stars began to appear, one by one. As they approached the house, Scully hesitated a moment before going in the door. She enjoyed being outside, where it was cool and Mulder was there to keep her warm. She knew, though, that if anything sparked romantically, the FBI would *not* be pleased. Mulder pushed the door open for her like a gentleman. Scully thanked him with a smile and walked inside. Mulder followed her in, closing the door softly behind him. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence June 4 6:42 AM Scully was awakened by the ringing telephone. She pulled herself up, and picked up the phone. It was Randolph. "We've got a situation here. We just found Willy stranded in a cove not far from your place." There was a dramatic pause. "He's got a harpoon lodged in his tail." "How do you get there?" she asked, suppressing the rising panic. Randolph gave her brief directions while she began pulling her clothes on. "We'll be right there," Scully promised. She hung up the phone and flew out of the room. When she barged into Mulder's room, he was still sound asleep. "Mulder," she hissed loudly. He sat bolt upright, startled awake. "What?" he grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "They found Willy stranded in a cove with a harpoon in his tail. We've got to go. Get dressed." With that, she ran from the room, leaving Mulder bewildered. Quickly, Scully grabbed a doughnut from the kitchen, and one for Mulder. She pulled her hair back into a hasty ponytail and grabbed her jacket. Surprisingly, Mulder was already waiting for her. They ran out to the car, Mulder slipping into the driver's seat. When Scully got in, they peeled out of the rather long driveway. Mulder and Scully made it to the designated spot in record time. Lisa was waiting there, as Randolph had promised. "Come on!" she cried. Mulder and Scully tore after her, crashing through the underbrush like deer about to be shot. When they broke out of the woods, Scully cursed vehemently at the sight before her. Willy was half out of the water, moaning pitifully. A large harpoon jutted out of his tail stock. Scully and Mulder splashed into the water, stopping by Randolph. "What happened?" Scully asked, trying to control her rising dread. "Found Willy this morning, stranded here with that harpoon in him. I've called a vet, she's on her way." Scully nodded, sorry to watch Willy suffering. As Randolph sloshed away, Scully looked sorrowfully at the orca. He had fallen quiet, watching Scully closely. She laid a hand on his back, just behind his blowhole. She rubbed his smooth skin soothingly. Mulder stood beside her. He cautiously reached out a hand and touched Willy briefly. Smiling weakly, Scully glanced up at her partner. He became more brave, and ran his hand along Willy's back. "Need any help?" Scully asked Lisa, who was busy with the injury. "Yeah, help me stop the bleeding," she replied, adding pressure to the wound. Scully quickly pressed the palm of her hand onto it. She bit her lip, hoping with all her might that he wouldn't lose too much blood. Willy let out a mournful cry. Tears stung at her eyes and threatened to spill over, but she kept them in check. Soon, a short, dark-haired woman crashed through the bushes. "Dr. Haley!" Randolph called. She ran over to Willy's side, wasting no time with pleasantries. Scully and Lisa backed away to let her work. After a thorough examination of the wound, Dr. Haley looked up. "I'm going to need some help getting this harpoon out," she announced. Scully stepped forward immediately, eager to help in any way possible. "On three," said Dr. Haley as they grabbed a hold of the shaft. Scully nodded, gripping it tightly. "One… two… three!" They yanked as hard as they could, and the harpoon came free. Quickly, Scully covered the gaping hole to stop the flow of blood. She could feel it running between her fingers and dribbling into the water, which had begun to take on a shade of crimson. Her breath came ragged as she pressed her palm harder into his side. Dr. Haley pulled out her medical supplies as fast as she could. "This will need to be stitched up," she informed them. Scully removed her hand and watched in horror as blood flowed freely. She dipped her hands into the water, trying to get some of it off. Dr. Haley busied herself with sewing up the injury. Mulder squeezed Scully's hand reassuringly. She tried to smile, but failed miserably. After many agonizing minutes, Dr. Haley stepped back. "There," she blurted, looking over her handiwork. Scully, as a doctor, had to commend her for the way she handled it. She breathed an audible sigh of relief. Only then did she notice the crowd that had gathered to watch. "We'll need to keep him here for the next few days, just to keep an eye on him," Dr. Haley said matter-of-factly. "Now, he needs to go back into deeper water." Scully, Mulder, Jesse, Lisa, and Randolph gathered around. On the count of three, they pushed as hard as they could. Willy inched slowly backward, until he was finally free. Cheers erupted from the crowd as he slipped very slowly through the water. "Let's get the cove sealed off," Randolph yelled. Jesse seemed a bit upset at having to pen Willy in, but understood that it was in the orca's best interests. Randolph and Dr. Haley set up the net, trapping Willy. He panicked momentarily, but Jesse talked calmly to him until he calmed down. "We'll need to set up shifts to watch him around the clock," Lisa suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. They began to call out times. "I'll take tonight," Randolph volunteered. Jesse piped up, "I'll watch him tomorrow morning." "I've got tomorrow afternoon," Lisa called. "I'll watch him tomorrow night," Scully added. Randolph glanced at her, grateful for her help. He nodded his approval. Mulder grasped Scully's hand as they waded back out of the water. She turned to take one more look at Willy, who was slowly, painfully circling about the enclosure. *** Cove June 5 6:53 PM The next evening, Scully arrived to relieve Lisa. She and Mulder had just been examining the harpoon, searching for anything like fingerprints or blood other than Willy's. Nothing conclusive had been found, and it frustrated her. *No one* should be able to get away with firing at an orca like that. It was… cruel. Inhumane. Scully flopped onto a log that lay on the beach. Willy was floating nearby, watching her. His injury was healing well, but around-the-clock surveillance was still a must. As Scully watched, he swam endless loops around the enclosure. He was lonely, even though she was there to keep him company. Climbing down, Scully trudged over to a small outcropping of rocks. She sat silently, watching Willy swim in circles. After several moments, he glided to a stop a few feet away from Scully. She inhaled sharply, amazed that he came to see *her.* "Hi," she said softly. she reasoned. "Feeling better?" Scully knew he couldn't answer, but felt almost compelled to talk to him the same way she would another human being. "You know, Jacques Cousteau once said, 'No sooner does man find intelligent life than he involves it in his own stupidity.' Well, he was right." She glanced around at the ever-darkening sky. "You're lonely, aren't you?" She paused, regarding him. "I guess I am, a bit, too." Scully sighed deeply. "Mulder? I - I'm not sure how I feel towards him anymore." Willy rolled onto his side, still watching and listening intently. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I love him…" She trailed off, unsure what to say to a whale. "You probably don't quite understand, but he's my partner. I can't just have a relationship with him." As if to comfort her, Willy edged closer until his chin rested on the rocks. Nervously, Scully reached out and put a hand on his nose. As she gained a bit more confidence, she rubbed gently. He was a good friend, and she knew it. Scully felt genuine affection toward this orca. "I don't know what to do," she continued. "I can't just…" Scully shook her head and sighed. She tucked her knees to her chest and put her head down. She had kept these feelings buried for so long that they had become almost stronger than she could handle. In that way, Scully fell fast asleep. *** Mulder leaned hard against the tall cliff. He had heard everything. "Scully…" he breathed. So that's what had been irking her. Mulder bit his lip in an attempt to gain control. he thought over and over. Then again, she was also right about being in love with one's partner. It wasn't ethical. How could they have a relationship? What would the consequences be? The Bureau had strict rules, and Mulder and Scully knew it. No partners dating. It just wasn't done. But surely there had to be a way… Mulder looked down at the light jacket he had brought. When Scully had left without it, he knew it would most likely get cold and she would want it. She had insisted that Mulder get a good night's sleep, that she'd be back in the morning. Mulder was never one to sit around, so he'd decided to bring her a jacket. When he arrived, he'd found her confiding in Willy. Her confession had moved him so much that he'd forgotten about the jacket and just listened. He wanted so much to run to her side and tell her he loved her, too, but then she'd have known that he was eavesdropping. Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Mulder crept up beside her and knelt down. He gently laid the jacket over her sleeping form. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a hurried ponytail, except for one tendril that hung over her eyes. Mulder slowly brushed it back, admiring her face. Then his emotions got the better of him. He bent down and placed a small, gentle kiss on her forehead. His lips lingered there a moment, enjoying the warm feeling of her skin. Finally, he sat back and watched her and Willy for a long time. *** June 6 2:22 AM *Water splashed everywhere. Willy thrashed in pain, his blood filling the water. A harpoon lodged itself deeper into his tail. His cries of pain went unnoticed by all but Scully. But she couldn't help him, couldn't do anything. Her body wouldn't move, even though her mind was screaming at her to save him. She was powerless, condemned to watch him die a horrible, gory death…* … Scully's eyes snapped open. She could feel the sweat that had accumulated on her brow. She was aware of something warm on her back, and she reached up to feel it. A jacket. The next thing she noticed was someone bending over her. As her vision became adjusted, she saw Mulder gazing back down at her and her heart skipped a beat. "I, uh, didn't mean to fall asleep there," she offered, struggling to sit up. Mulder put his arm around her for support. "It's okay, really," he replied. "You could use the sleep. I know you haven't slept much lately." Scully wondered exactly how he knew, but he continued before she could ask. "Were you having a nightmare?" Scully looked surprised for a moment. "I'm fine," she said, waving it off. Mulder was shaking his head. "You were very restless," he told her. "It must have really bothered you." Sighing, Scully sat up straight. "Well, I just –" She couldn't think of anything to say, so she finally decided to tell the truth. "I just was dreaming that Willy was shot again, only this time, I was the only one who noticed, but I couldn't move. He was crying out in pain, dying, but I couldn't help…" Scully fell silent, allowing the words to hang in the air. She watched Willy rest, his body rising and sinking as he came up for periodic breaths. Scully was clearly shaken. "You need to sleep," Mulder ordered more than suggested. His "suggestion" was met a plaintive frown. "But Willy—" "I'll watch him," Mulder quickly offered. "You rest." Scully took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She nodded tiredly, knowing Mulder was right. She started to lean over to rest when Mulder pulled her into his arms, and she smiled. He knew she was cold, even with the jacket. His arms were warm and comforting. Scully was immediately at ease, and rested her head on his shoulder. His arms tightened protectively around her, and that was the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep. *** 6:58 AM The next time Scully woke, the sky was turning a gorgeous shade of rose. Mulder's arms still encircled her, and his breath fell warmly on the top of her head. Willy was swimming around, his old energy returning. Scully shifted slightly, and Mulder looked down at her. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. Reluctantly, she sat up. Willy glided over to greet her. Scully expected a glance or maybe even a small noise from the whale, but was unprepared for the wave of water that fell on her. Willy watched playfully, teasing her. Scully looked down to see her white t-shirt drenched. Mulder saw it, too, and laughed. "You know, wet, white t-shirts look really good on you." Embarrassed, Scully zipped up her jacket. Willy squealed, seemingly laughing at her. At that moment, Randolph and Jesse arrived. They waved toward Mulder and Scully as they hurriedly crossed the beach. "Good morning!" Randolph greeted. Jesse nodded politely and gazed at Willy. "Willy must be feeling better," Randolph observed, indicating Scully's now-wet hair. Scully smiled wryly and turned to Willy. Jesse knelt beside the water and dipped his fingers in. He waved his hand back and forth several times, creating a quiet splashing noise. Willy responded immediately, swimming to his side. Grinning, Jesse rubbed Willy's nose affectionately. "How are you doing?" Jesse asked the orca energetically. Willy responded by ducking his head underwater, then raising it, spitting water. Everyone but Jesse took a couple steps back to avoid the spray. Smiling, Jesse held up his middle and index fingers on each hand. He brought his hands together, then moved one up and one down. Willy opened his mouth wide, allowing Jesse to rub his tongue. "Jess, have him lift his tail," Randolph ordered, kneeling a little ways away. Jesse nodded and raised his right hand slowly. Willy raised his tail slightly out of the water. It was still clearly painful for him to do so. Randolph nodded thoughtfully. "It looks like it's doing a lot better." Scully couldn't help but smile as Jesse began to play and mess around with Willy. She felt Mulder standing right behind her, and turned to smile up at him. Mulder grinned back down at her. Mulder observed. It didn't really seem to matter, though. She was happy, and that was what was important. *** En Route to Seattle June 10 2:56 PM A few days later, Mulder and Scully were taking the harpoon to Seattle for more extensive tests when a strange noise brought them both back to reality. The engine sputtered and died, right in the middle of the road. Exasperated, Mulder sighed and leaned his head back. They got out of the car together and pushed it to the side of the road. "I'll check under the hood," Mulder said, pulling the lever. Scully nodded and leaned against the side of the car. "I'm not too good with cars," came Mulder's muffled comment. He stood up straight and shrugged. Scully called the number of a nearby repair shop, then climbed into the car to wait. Rain began to fall softly. Scully thought. Soon, it picked up force and was steadily thrumming on the roof. Scully sat back and gazed out the window. They remained silent for a few moments before either of them spoke. "So it actually does rain here," Mulder said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Scully smiled. "I guess so." Outside, the pavement was already covered in deep, wide puddles. "I see now why this area is so infamous for it's rain." "Makes me glad I'm not out there," Mulder replied, indicating the downpour. "There are worse places than a dead car an the middle of a rainstorm." "Yeah," Scully answered distractedly. She watched Mulder's face intently, and they fell silent again. "Have you ever noticed that if someone tells you something should happen, you find yourself looking for it?" Mulder asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, everything seems to be exactly the opposite, and it seems impossible, but you search for it just the same?" Scully smiled at him. "Yeah, I guess it does work that way, doesn't it?" A thought crossed Scully's mind about what he had just said. After what seemed like hours, the tow truck arrived. The driver got out and offered his hand. "Danny Zuko," he greeted. Mulder came up behind Scully and they introduced themselves. "Well, let's get this show on the road, so to speak," Danny said. He hooked up the car. He finished quickly, wiping his hands on his jumpsuit. "Hop in, I'll give you a lift." Scully climbed into the middle seat, and Mulder sat on the passenger side. After a moment, Danny got in and started the engine. The radio came to life, and Danny had to turn it down quite a bit. It wasn't long before he turned into a small parking lot. A tall, dark-haired man strolled out to meet them. "Glenn Greenwood," he greeted. They shook hands, and Mulder and Scully introduced themselves again. "So you're Glenn? We've been working with Jesse," Mulder pointed out. "Really? It's a small world." Glenn was smiling, obviously proud of his adopted son. "Come on inside, I'll get an estimate for you as fast as I can." Mulder and Scully followed him inside and sat down in the chairs. Glenn disappeared, leaving them to wait and listen to the radio that played in the corner. "Glenn, I need the money!" a young boy's voice echoed plaintively. "Elvis, not now. I'll talk to you about it when I get home!" "Annie said that I needed to get it from you, because she didn't have any cash." "Elvis! I'll talk to you when I get *home*, not now." Scully heard an exasperated grunt as Elvis gave up and ran off. She assumed that this was Jesse's half-brother. Across the room, the radio played loudly. "And that was The Way, by Fastball. Now, here's the Ally McBeal song, Searchin' My Soul," the DJ said energetically as the upbeat music filled the room. "I've been down this road Walking the line that's painted by pride And I have made mistakes in my life That I just can't hide Oh, I believe I am ready for what love has to bring Got myself together, now I'm ready to sing." Scully smiled as she listened to the lyrics. They described her and Mulder very well. It even had a great tune to boot. She found herself smiling, and even tapping her foot lightly. "I've been searchin' my soul tonight I know there's so much more to life Now I know I can shine a light To find my way back home One by one, the chains around me unwind Everyday now I feel that I can leave those years behind Oh, I've been thinkin' of you for a long time There's a side of my life where I've been blind, and so I've been searchin' my soul tonight I know there's so much more to life Now I know I can shine a light Everything gonna be all right I've been searchin' my soul tonight Don't want to be alone in life Now I know I can shine a light To find my way back home." Mulder thought. He began tapping his toe to the beat, not even realizing that Scully was doing the same. "Baby, I've been holing back now, my whole life I've decided to move on now Gonna leave all my worries behind Oh, I believe I am ready for what love has to give Got myself together, now I'm ready to live I've been searchin' my soul tonight I know there's so much more to life Now I know I can shine a light Everything gonna be all right I've been searchin' my soul tonight Don't wanna be alone in life Now I know I can shine a light To find my way back home." The song ended, and Scully immediately wanted to hear it again. She had been searching her soul, hadn't she? Searching for love, for truths. Mulder was having similar thoughts. He had been searching *his* soul, searching for beliefs and feelings. Feelings about Scully. She meant so much to him. "You know," Mulder began, "that sounds like exactly what we were talking about in the car." Now that Scully thought about it, he was right. Searching for what they knew to be there. "Yes, it does." They launched into an almost philosophical discussion on searching for the truth and other such things. A while later, Glenn returned. "Well, it's really no big problem," he informed them. "I can have it fixed in an hour or so." He went on to describe the exact problem. Mulder and Scully nodded as they looked over the estimate. It would be relatively cheap. When Glenn left to work on it, Scully looked at her partner. *** Seattle 5:24 PM After waiting for their car to be repaired, Scully and Mulder made the long trip to Seattle. They waited for quite some time before the lab technician returned. "Anything so far?" Scully asked hopefully. The young man shook his head. "No, not yet. According to reports, this type of harpoon is widely used in whaling practices. My guess is that our perp could be a foreigner, since such harpoons are only available in other countries. Either that or he bought it there and smuggled it in." The technician paused thoughtfully. "How's the, uh, whale?" he queried. The words seemed strange, and they rolled awkwardly off his tongue. "He's doing better," Scully answered quickly. "We let him back into the open ocean two days ago." She tactfully decided not to go into Willy's close relationship with humans. Sighing, Scully prayed something significant would turn up soon. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence June 29 12:00 AM By late June, there had been no new developments. It seemed like the case wasn't going anywhere. Scully was frustrated, but found herself blissful whenever Willy came around. He pushed those thoughts of failure from her mind. One night, Scully lay wide awake. The clock read midnight, but it seemed like it had been an eternity since she had gone to bed at ten. Thoughts flew through her mind faster than she could understand them. What if the whalers weren't caught? Would many orcas die? Did Mulder love her? she wondered. her conscience nagged. Scully felt as if the Civil War were being played out in her head. Scully held her head in her hands and sniffled. She felt like she was catching a cold. Scully bit her lip and sniffled again. She sighed deeply, gazing out the window at the restless ocean, where the moon cast a white pool on it's surface. With an audible sigh, she rolled over in an attempt to fall asleep. Presently, there came a soft knock on her door. Scully made no reply, but simply waited for Mulder to enter. He did so in a very quiet fashion, obviously trying not to startle her. "Scully, are you awake?" he whispered. "Yeah," she replied, not making any move to sit up. "Are you okay?" Mulder crossed the room to stand by her bed. The moon's light illuminated him. He wore a baggy t-shirt and shorts. "Yeah, I'm okay," Scully lied. She propped her head up on her arm. Mulder looked down at her with a skeptical look like a parent would give their child when they knew they weren't telling the truth. "For a government employee, you're not a great liar," Mulder joked softly. He smiled down at her and sat on the bed. Scully shifted to allow him room to sit. "Seriously, though, what's wrong?" He was genuinely concerned. Scully pushed herself up to lean against the headboard. What should she tell him? That she was deeply in love with him? No, that would be tacky. Scully scrambled for an answer. "I…" She sucked in a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. "I was just… thinking…" She trailed off and looked away. "About what?" Mulder was frowning. He was worried about Scully. Was this about what she was saying that night beside Willy's pen? He had a feeling it was, whether that's what she said or not. "You can tell me." Mulder placed a reassuring hand on her arm. Scully looked back up at him, her eyes glazed as she thought. "I was just thinking about… us." There. She'd said it. As if to hide her words, she began to ramble. "I—I mean, I've just been thinking about our relationship, and—and I don't really know how I feel anymore. I'm not even sure—" One corner of Mulder's mouth curved into a smile. He took Scully's hand in his own and looked her in the eye. She silenced immediately. "Scully… Dana. I know." Those words were all it took. Scully grinned childishly at him. She could tell he felt the same way, even though he didn't say so directly. Mulder squeezed her hand to comfort her. Reaching up with her free hand, Scully brushed away a tear she hadn't noticed before. She seemed a bit ashamed to have cried. Mulder moved to be next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and slid her own arms around his neck. Resting her chin on his shoulder, Scully felt like a ten-ton burden had been lifted from her shoulders. After a couple minutes, Mulder pulled back and looked at her face. "You know what this could mean in terms of work." Scully nodded silently. "The Bureau would never go for it." "Let's give ourselves some more time to think about it, okay?" "Yeah," Scully whispered. They'd thought about it for five years, but now it was actually coming to pass. Mulder was right. They had to stop and think rationally. Gently, he raised a hand to her face to brush a lock of hair from her eyes. His hand lingered there for a moment. "Get some sleep," he said, pulling back. He turned to leave. Just as he was at the door, Scully spoke. "Mulder?" He turned to face her. "Thanks." "Anytime," he replied, smiling sweetly. With that, he left. Scully gazed after him for quite some time. Her hand was on her face, right where his had been. She lay back down, and feel more soundly asleep than she had in a long time. One need not guess what filled her dreams that night. *** Beachside July 3 4:57 PM July rolled around, bringing hot, sticky afternoons. Orca sightings around the San Juan Islands grew slightly more frequent. Quite often, Jesse or Randolph would go swimming during lunch breaks. One afternoon, after a particularly quiet day, Scully sat silently on a log beside the water. She and Mulder had gotten back early, so she walked down to the cove behind the beach house. As she sat, she allowed her mind to clear. All she heard was the breaking surf, and it was very soothing. The sun beat down, tanning her arms and legs and burning her face. Her light blue t-shirt ruffled slightly in the breeze. Her hair was down, curling around her face. She had been letting it grow out recently. She was so far away from the noise and bustle of DC that she just felt more relaxed and comfortable. Scully looked down at her sandaled feet. When she took off her sandals, she could see the tan lines where they had been. A soft noise startled Scully. Mulder stood only a couple feet away. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. His feet were clad in sandals, too. Scully smiled up at him and moved over so he could sit down. "Gorgeous day," he commented offhandedly as he sat. "Yes, it is." Scully's attention seemed to be focused on the ground. As of late, she had seemed to grow a bit shy. She glanced up at him, taking in his handsome features, and smiled. "Hey, do you want to go swimming?" Mulder asked hopefully. His expression was pleading. "I don't have my swimsuit on," Scully pointed out dejectedly. "Who said anything about swimsuits?" He caught his mistake quickly, but Scully's eyes widened momentarily. "I mean, we could swim in her clothes," he stammered. "Well, I'm not wearing a white t-shirt," she laughed. "I guess so." Mulder was up in a flash. He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the water's edge. They plowed into the water, sandals and all, giggling. The water was cold, and it shocked Scully. Mulder was already neck-deep, which was over Scully's head. Taking a deep breath, Scully jumped deeper into the water, ducking her head under. She came up smiling. Mulder playfully splashed water at her. She returned the attack. Mulder dunked her, and she pulled her way back to the surface. Before Mulder had the chance to dunk her again, she took a deep breath and dove under. When she resurfaced, she was right behind him. Scully wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to his back. "Gotcha!" she giggled. Mulder got a conspiratorial grin on his face. He leaned backward, dunking her yet again. Scully let go and came back to the surface. "Not fair!" "Oh, really?" The look on Mulder's face was pure amusement. He disappeared underwater, leaving Scully looking around expectantly. From below, Mulder tugged her foot, yanking her down. She hung underwater for a few seconds after he let go. The water was relatively clear; she could see the light rays filtering through, turning the water a pretty blue-green color. She resurfaced, smiling broadly. Mulder appeared beside her, holding her arm. Her attention, though, was no longer focused on him. "What?" Mulder asked worriedly. She made no reply, only staring at the open water. After a moment, a loud *whoosh* filled the air. There, before them, was Willy! He glided through the water towards them. "Oh, my god," Scully whispered. She watched the whale closely as he neared them. He was much bigger than he had seemed from the boat. Scully's breath caught in her throat. her mind screamed. Her instincts told her to get out of the water, but she couldn't move. Mulder clutched her arm nervously. Willy was only a couple feet away. Holding her breath, she reached out and placed her hand on his nose. He didn't panic or swim away, in fact, he nudged closer. Scully's worries slipped away, and a wide grin spread across her face. She looked at Mulder, who had turned pale. Upon seeing that Willy wasn't going to hurt them, Mulder nervously held his hand out. Willy seemed to sense his fear, and was very gentle. His hand finally came to rest on Willy's rostrum. It was different than the last time he had touched Willy; this time the orca could swim away if he wished. But he didn't. Mulder grew braver, and rubbed Willy's nose. In response, Willy snuggled up against them. His large head lay heavily on Scully. She laughed heartily at Willy's friendliness. Even Mulder had to smile. He felt his fear fade quickly. Willy wasn't going to hurt him or Scully. He rubbed Willy's back, enjoying himself. Abruptly, Willy ducked underwater and began to swim away. Scully frowned slightly. As if to cheer her up, he turned around and waited. Scully swam closer to him, but Mulder hung back a little bit. Willy submerged completely and disappeared. Scully inhaled sharply and dove under. Under the surface, she opened her eyes a little, ignoring the sting of the saltwater. Willy hung a couple feet away, watching her. He was bigger than Scully had imagined, at least twenty feet long. She reached through the frigid water to rub his nose affectionately. Willy emitted a joyful squeal as her hand made contact. She pulled her hand back after a moment, and Willy took off. Scully surfaced, and Mulder swam up beside her. She looked around everywhere, but saw no sign of Willy. All of a sudden, he leapt high out of the water. He arched his back gracefully and landed on his side, creating a gigantic splash. Scully cheered and clapped, and Mulder was just stunned. Willy turned toward them, then disappeared underwater. Scully turned her head to look at Mulder, who was now behind her. "Where's he going?" she queried. Mulder silently shook his head, scanning the water for Willy. Scully felt the water stir beneath her and gasped. In one swift movement, Willy rose up from beneath them. Mulder and Scully now rested on his back! An expression pure shock registered on Scully's face before melting into a smile. So *this* was what it felt like to be riding on the back of an orca! Mulder's arms wrapped tightly about her waist. He was still a bit uneasy. Scully giggled childishly as Willy took them around the perimeter of the cave. She spread her arms wide, mimicking Jesse. Mulder rested his head contentedly on her shoulder. Willy slid through the water at a brisk pace. He seemed to be loving every minute of their play. Neither Mulder or Scully minded the way the breeze made them shiver. Both of them were grinning from ear to ear. Scully loved the slick feel of Willy's skin and the water rushing past her legs. Time seemed to stand still, frozen in the moment. The shoreline flew by in a blur. Scully put her hands on Willy's back and gave him a friendly pat. Suddenly, Willy rolled over, dumping them back into the water. Scully came back up beaming. Willy waited a few feet away, making noises as if laughing at them. He teasingly swam just out of reach. Scully and Mulder dove under the surface and swam to his side. Scully ran her hand along his side, swimming beside him. She reached up and grabbed his dorsal fin gently, allowing him to tow her through the water. Mulder took her other hand to form a train. Together, the threesome glided through the water effortlessly. As if sensing their more frequent need for air, Willy surfaced often. After swimming like that for several minutes, Scully let go of his fin and drifted to the surface. Mulder appeared next to her, then Willy peeked his head out of the water. He approached them slowly, rolling onto his back. Scully immediately recalled Randolph telling her this was a sign of trust. By swimming upside down, they were unable to breathe. Also, their counter shading was no longer effective, exposing them to their prey. Scully rubbed Willy's white belly thoughtfully. Mulder's fears had subsided, at least for the moment, and he seemed very comfortable with Willy. Scully saw that the sun had sunk very low on the horizon, and knew that their escapade had come to an end. "We'd better get out," she said with a sigh. Mulder nodded, obviously more than a little disappointed. "See you later, Willy," she said, then turned to swim slowly back to shore. Mulder was right next to her. He took her hand as they waded out of the surf. Once on dry land again, Scully turned to watch Willy leave. The orca rolled onto his side and waved a flipper, silently saying goodbye. Mulder and Scully waved back. Willy turned and swam out to rejoin his family. The reality of what had just happened hit Scully like a rock. "Oh my god," she breathed. She smiled up at Mulder. Water dripped from her face and hair. The way her hair hung in wet locks around her face drove Mulder crazy. "That was amazing," Mulder said, gazing down at her. He put his arms around her, drawing her into a hug. She returned the embrace fervently. As they gazed into each other's eyes, something passed between them that never had before. Their expressions softened as the world around them dissolved. Mulder's head bent down slowly, almost agonizingly. Scully's mind cried out. Her heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth and tilted her head up. She had been waiting for this for so long, and now it was finally happening. Their lips met. They melded together perfectly, like a key to a lock. It was a sweet, caring kiss. Their lips parted, and they were both grinning broadly. Mulder's forehead touched Scully's lightly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Mulder gushed. Scully smiled coyly at him. A breeze sprung up and Scully shivered involuntarily. Mulder put an arm around her shoulders to warm her up. They turned in unison and headed up the path to the house. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence July 4 6:29 AM The next morning, Mulder was already up and sitting at the kitchen table when Scully came down. He smiled at her as she entered. She poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him. Mulder took a deep breath and bit his lip. "Dana, we need to talk." Dana. He'd used her first name. Scully knew exactly what he was about to bring up. "Yes, we do," she agreed softly. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, try as she might. "I've been thinking about… what happened yesterday." Scully nodded slowly. He was obviously nervous, but continued nevertheless. "I don't want you to get me wrong. I – I love you," Mulder admitted. "More than you know. I think, though, that we both need to look at the consequences." Just saying that caused immense pain to cross his face. Scully gazed into his eyes, searching for his next words. Mulder reached across the table to take her hand. "We know what the Bureau would do if they ever found out." He took another deep breath before continuing. "I am perfectly willing to work through that. Whatever it takes," Mulder assured her. "If that's what you want." Scully allowed a smile to creep across her face. "Yeah, me, too. Whatever it takes," she whispered in reply. Mulder grinned back at her. "I'm going to finish getting ready," he announced, standing slowly. He pulled her into a bear hug and kissed the top of her head. Much to Scully's protest, he pulled back and started to the stairs. Then he stopped and put a hand on Scully's shoulder. She smiled up at him, and he went on his way. When he returned, he looked like a million bucks. "What?" Scully asked. Even without knowing what was so amusing, Scully found herself grinning lopsidedly. It was obviously contagious. "I just looked at the calendar. Do you know what day it is?" he asked. "It's July… 4," she replied, the realization dawning on her. "Wow, time flies." She paused, her nose wrinkling up. "They probably don't have the fireworks extravaganza here that they have in DC," she pointed out. "We'll see what we can find. It's not Independence Day without fireworks, you know." Scully nodded in agreement. Mulder studied her for a few moments before speaking. "Hey, Scully, do you want me to braid your hair?" he asked. Scully laughed aloud. "You know how to braid, Mulder?" she nearly giggled. Mulder ducked his head in embarrassment. "Well, yeah. I *did* have a younger sister," he pointed out. Smiling, Scully replied, "Sure. I'll go grab a hair band." She hopped up the stairs, giggling as she went. *** Dockside 7:21 When they arrived at the boat, they found that everyone was in high spirits. There were a few people there that Mulder and Scully didn't recognize. "Hi!" Lisa said cheerfully. "Hi!" Scully greeted. Randolph seemingly appeared from nowhere. "Hey, guys, I have some friends I want you to meet." Scully and Mulder followed Randolph curiously. He led them to a group standing around, joking. "This is Rae Lindley, the trainer that helped Jesse with training Willy." The young woman smiled and nodded courteously. Her short, brown hair bobbed in the wind. "And this is Elvis, Glenn, and Annie Greenwood. They're Jesse's family." "I believe we've already met," Glenn said, smiling. Mulder nodded in assent. Without warning, Elvis took off, running after Jesse. Glenn shook his head. "I don't know how to keep him in one place," he laughed. Scully glanced up at Jesse and Elvis, who were scanning the horizon for orcas. She looked around for Mulder but he had already disappeared. She shrugged it off, knowing he was probably just in hiding, and returned to the conversation. After a while, the boat set off. Scully grew curious as to where Mulder had run off to, and so went to look for him. She found him inside, leaning against the wall of the cabin. "What's up?" she asked. Mulder allowed a smile to cross his face. "Nothing much," he replied with a small laugh. "Just sittin', thinkin'." "Well, why don't you get outside and have some fun? Shy?" It was almost a challenge. "No, just anti-social," he replied with a weak smile. Scully suppressed a laugh. "They have weird names. Well, at least one does." "What, and Fox isn't unusual?" Mulder's face took on the wounded-puppy-dog look, but a warm smile told him she was kidding. "Come on, Mulder. It's the Fourth of July. Indulge yourself." She realized immediately that she shouldn't have said that. He got a conniving gleam in his eye, and she knew he was thinking about all the things he could do to "indulge" himself. Quickly, Scully grabbed his hand and dragged him out into the bright sunshine. Randolph came up behind them, startling them. "Boo!" he boomed. Scully jumped a mile high, then joined Randolph in his light-hearted laughing. "Welcome to our Fourth of July party," he said with a grin. Then he moved on, toward the cooler that held as many cans of pop as could be consumed. *** 10:01 AM A couple of hours later, a cry erupted from Jesse, who was taking his turn at the helm. "J-Pod!" Everyone rushed toward the front of the boat, scanning the horizon for the orcas. Suddenly, they were totally surrounded. Jesse stopped the boat, allowing everyone to get a good look. "Oohs" and "aahs" broke out, and the whales began to leap and play. Littlespot was very active, breaching higher than any of the other orcas despite his small size. Just to Scully's right, an orca flew gracefully from the water. She turned to look, and realized that it was Willy! He rolled onto his side, as if to urge Mulder and Scully to go play with him. Jesse ran up beside them. "He wants to play!" he exclaimed. Willy ducked his head under and let loose a playful spray. Jesse leaned over and put a hand on Willy's nose. "Hey, buddy," he greeted. "Maybe if we stop at a cove for lunch, I can play, okay?" Jesse straightened up and grinned, and J-Pod began to move onward. Randolph had taken over the wheel, and pulled alongside them in a characteristic whale-watching position. They followed them for most of the day, and even managed to get in a bit of sound recording. *** 7:45 PM That night, they had dinner at Randolph's house. They barbecued hamburgers, and had chips and pop. Everyone was getting along great. Mulder even warmed up to the company, and got into a lively discussion with Elvis over the existence of extraterrestrials. When darkness had fallen, they eagerly awaited the fireworks display. Mulder and Scully found a nice spot to sit on the cool grass. Scully absently slapped at a mosquito. she sighed. She was already being eaten alive. Mulder saw that she was uncomfortable and frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Oh, just mosquitoes," she replied, her tone even. "They're biting like crazy." "Tell me about it. I'm going to be *exsanguinated* if this keeps up." He rolled his eyes and slapped away another insect. Just then, the display began. Colorful flares shot into the sky, dazzling the on-lookers. Blue, greens, pinks, and whites filled the sky. As the show progressed, the explosions became more and more intricate. Mulder draped his arm around Scully's shoulder, and she leaned heavily on him. For the finale, many fireworks were shot off simultaneously. They melded together in a brilliant array of colors, eliciting awe and wonder from the crowd that had gathered. Grinning, Scully looked into Mulder's eyes. He slowly tilted his head to kiss her. His lips were mere millimeters from hers. "Ugh!" Mulder backed off, looking quizzically at her. She held up her arm to show him a gigantic mosquito she had just squashed. "Oh," was all he could say. He gave her a peck on the cheek and pulled her into his arms. From a distance, Lisa watched them. The corners of her mouth turned upwards. *** July 9 6:47 AM About a week later, Scully awoke to an overcast, gray sky. Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed. She pulled one a loose-fitting pair of jeans and a t-shirt, brushed her hair, and washed her face quickly. Scully slipped downstairs and made herself a cup of coffee, then sat on the couch to drink it in peace. A few minutes later, Mulder joined her. "Good morning," he said cheerfully. He grabbed a cup of coffee for himself and sat down. "So, what's up for today?" "Same as usual. Bring your raincoat, though." Scully looked out at the wind rustling through the tall evergreens and frowned. She longed for warmer weather. "You look really tense." Scully snapped back down to earth, glancing at Mulder. "I do?" "Mmhmm." Mulder set his coffee down and got up. He moved to stand behind Scully, and gently laid his hands on her shoulders. He massaged them slowly, kneading his fingertips into her skin. "Just relax," Mulder told her. Scully took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. Mulder was a very good masseur. Scully found herself closing her eyes, reveling in the sensation. His hands were firm, yet gentle. She smiled as she fell almost into a trance. All she felt were his strong hands rubbing her shoulders. *Brrring!* The phone startled them both, and Scully was a bit disappointed when Mulder cut the massage short to pick it up. "Mulder." Scully looked plaintively up at him. "Hi, it's Randolph. I was calling to let you know, we won't be going out today." Mulder was a bit disappointed. "Why not?" "The National Weather Service says there's a big storm front headed this way, due to hit this afternoon or evening. I really don't want to get caught out on the water in that, you know?" "All right, I'll tell D… Agent Scully." "Talk to you later." "Bye." Mulder set the phone back on the cradle and looked down at Scully who was awaiting the news. "So?" she asked. "That was Randolph. Says there's a storm heading in so we're staying in today," Mulder informed her. The disappointment registered on Scully's face as it had on Mulder's earlier. "So, what are we going to do all day?" Scully queried. Mulder shrugged. "I don't know." They sat in thought for a moment. "You like cards?" Scully asked finally. Mulder nodded in assent. He left to get a deck of cards from the kitchen. Scully looked out the window, and saw that it had begun to rain. It came down in sheets. Shortly, Mulder returned with the cards. "What game?" he asked, taking them from the box. "Strip poker?" There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Nice try, G-man. How about Egyptian War?" Scully suggested. Mulder put on his best pouty face before replying. "I've never heard of that. How do you play?" "Well, we each get half the deck." She took the cards from Mulder, and dealt them accordingly. When she had finished, she continued explaining. "I flip over a card-" she demonstrated- "and it's a two of spades. Now you flip the top card." Mulder followed her instructions. "Now you've put down a king of clubs. Face cards are the most important in this game. I now have three chances to put down an ace, king, queen, or jack. If you had put down an ace, I would've had four chances, a queen is two, a jack is one chance." "And what happens if you don't turn a face card over?" "Then you get the pile. The object is to get all the cards. But there's a catch. If you or I put down two cards of the same value in a row - say, two threes - then we have to slap. Whoever slaps the pile first gets it," she concluded. "Oh! I think I've played this game before. But we called it something else." A sheepish grin crossed his face. "Egyptian Ratscrew." Scully couldn't contain her laughter. "That would be like Krycek and Queen Hatchepsut getting together, right?" Mulder had smile. Scully almost *never* cracked jokes like that. "Yeah, something like that." Scully continued the game, putting down three cards. None of them were of any use; Mulder took the pile. The game lasted a very long time, but they really got into it and neither refused to back down. In the end, Mulder prevailed. "So, Scully," he crowed, "what is my prize? What do I win?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "The chance to put the cards back in the box," Scully shot back. She smirked as Mulder slipped them in. Glancing up at the clock, she saw that they had just spent an hour playing. "What now?" Scully asked as she sat back. Mulder shrugged indifferently. "I dunno." He got up and sauntered over to the portable CD player that rested by the far wall. Scully looked on as he put in a CD, selected a song, and hit play. The song sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "I can't stop this feeling Deep inside of me Boy, you just don't realize What you do to me." Scully smiled as she recognized the song "Hooked On A Feeling." It was a bit different, though, there were no "ooga-shakas" and it was sung by a woman. "Your lips are sweet as candy The taste is on my mind You just keep me thirsty For another cup of wine." Mulder held a hand out, graciously asking Scully for a dance. Beaming, she took his hand and he pulled her closer to him. "When you hold me In you arms so tight You let me know Everything's all right I, I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me." Scully grinned up at Mulder, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. She inhaled deeply, memorizing his scent. He smelled faintly of aftershave. She could feel his fingers running lightly through her hair. "I've got it bad for you, darling But I don't need a cure I'll just stay addicted And hope I can endure All the good love When we're all alone Keep it up, boy Yeah, you turn me on I, I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me." Mulder twirled her around as the interlude began. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and it showed in the way she was behaving. "When you hold me In your arms so tight You let me know Everything's all right I, I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me I said I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me Yeah, yeah, yeah…" As a finale, Mulder picked Scully up and whirled her around. When he set her down, she was smiling wider than he'd ever seen her smile before. They stood in silence for a moment, contemplating each other, while the CD played in the background. Their lips met in a very chaste kiss. After a moment, Mulder pulled back. "I'm going to get a book," he announced softly. Scully nodded, and went into the other room. Mulder headed up the stairs and into his room. He dug through his belongings until he found what he was looking for, a think book titled "UFOs and the Abduction Phenomena." He took it back downstairs to the living room. When he got there, Scully was already seated on the couch, a pencil in hand and a sketch pad in her lap. She looked back and forth between the horizon and the paper, her pencil moving in fluid strokes. Mulder crossed the room to stand behind her. He saw that she was sketching the windswept seascape, with amazing accuracy. "I never knew you were an artist," Mulder complimented her softly. Scully looked up at him, the corners of her mouth turned up. "Hey, everybody's got to have a hobby, right?" "It's really good so far," Mulder gushed. "So far," emphasized Scully. "I haven't drawn much. The hardest part is yet to come." She looked out at the water, where whitecaps formed as the relentless wind churned them like mad. The waves crested and broke, creating a thunderous crash before rising again. Trees swayed in the wind, their branches flapping like natural flags. "Want to go canoeing?" Mulder cracked as he followed her gaze. "No, thank you," Scully replied with a laugh. "Aw, come on, Scully. You and me in a confined space, with no one around but fish?" He leered at her playfully. "Not this time, G-man. Wait until the weather clears up," she replied in a husky voice that left Mulder speechless. She smiled triumphantly and returned to her work. Defeated, Mulder declared, "Then, I'll leave you to your drawing." He settled into a chair with his book, but looked longingly at Scully for a bit longer. "Okay," Scully mumbled, her focus shifted back to the drawing. She looked up and scrutinized the scene before her, taking in every minute detail her eyes could pick out. Taking a deep breath, she put pencil to paper and began to draw the vague outline of the trees in the foreground. Since they were constantly moving, they were difficult to sketch. Scully's brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to freeze one image of the frenzied scenery in her mind. She sighed silently and let her pencil flow over the paper. What seemed like an eternity later, Scully sat back and sighed. She had finished sketching the foreground and done a decent job of it. All that was left was the water. Scully mused. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already one in the afternoon. Scully had just spent *four hours* drawing. She set the pencil down then opened and closed her hand several times. Her wrist had started to cramp up. Mulder saw that she had stopped her studious drawing. He set his book down and sauntered over to Scully. Looking over her shoulder, he gawked at her drawing. "Oh, my god, Scully, it's gorgeous!" he exclaimed. The branches were drawn in more detail than he could see on the real thing. Scully had captured the strength of the wind perfectly, and she wasn't even done yet. "If I keep this up for much longer, I'll end up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome," she remarked, flexing her sore wrist. Scully eased her eyes closed and leaned back. Mulder's hands on her shoulders startled her. Slowly, they began to rub the soreness away. Scully smiled up at Mulder, who was all too happy to give her a massage. She willed herself to relax. "Has anyone ever told you that you should have been a masseur?" Scully inquired. "You don't want to know," he answered with a lopsided grin. Scully smiled and shook her head. Mulder sighed heavily. "If the power's going to go out, I better go into town and get some candles or something like that. I think all we have is a kerosene lamp." Scully frowned and nodded. "You'd better hurry. They're probably flying off the shelves as we speak." "I'll be back in a while," he announced. Mulder patted her on the shoulder one last time and then left. Scully watched him go, then turned back to the churning seascape. Gathering her thoughts, she returned to her drawing. *** 5:01 PM When Mulder returned, it was almost too windy to walk. He set the bag on the counter and strode into the living room. The first thing he saw was Scully, curled up on the couch. Panicking, he rushed to her side. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she was only sleeping. The drawing lay on the coffee table, finished. Her knack for sketching had not failed her. The waves were completed in startling detail. Mulder thought as he looked down at her sleeping form. Her auburn hair was spread out on the arm of the couch like a fan. As if sensing his presence, Scully stirred. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Mulder simpering down at her. Scully pulled herself upright and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?" she queried. "About 5:00," Mulder replied. "I just got back." "What took you so long?" Scully asked warily. "Well, like you said, everything was flying off the shelves. It took awhile to find anything," Mulder announced sheepishly. "Three-and-a-half hours, though? Friday Harbor isn't *that* big," pointed out Scully, smiling. "Okay, so I did a little exploring when I was done." "That's okay," Scully finally said. "So what'd you get?" "I found a few decently-sized candles. Most of the places I went had already been cleaned out." He paused, looking towards the drawing. "It turned out beautiful," he commended. Scully smiled shyly. "Thanks." She looked out the window, and saw that the sky had grown ominously dark. It was like night had fallen early. She frowned, suddenly uncomfortable. "Let's hope we don't have to use those—" As if to contradict her, the lights winked out. She jumped as they were thrown into darkness. In the silence that followed, Scully heard the wind howl as it wreaked havoc on the islands and their inhabitants. "Time to light candles," Mulder declared in a sing-song voice. He returned to the kitchen, with Scully following close behind. Miraculously, they made it there without any major injuries. Mulder took a new lighter from the bag, as well as several thick candles. Scully took some plates down to set them on. Carefully, Mulder lit the candles, and Scully positioned the plates strategically around the downstairs. Finished, she settled onto the couch. Scully closed her eyes and lolled her head back. Outside, the wind screamed fiercely, and the sea tossed and turned and writhed. Scully heard Mulder come back into the room, and turned to look at his dimly-lit figure. He heaped several blankets onto the couch, then draped another around Scully's shoulders. He went back into the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate which he gave to Scully. "Thanks," she murmured, taking a sip. Mulder sat down next to her silently, a blanket wrapped around him. "So, where'd you go when you were looking around?" Scully began. "Oh, just looked in some of the shops down there. Bookstores, thrift shops, you know." Scully nodded silently, and set down her cup. "They have some rather cute stores there." Scully stared at Mulder for a moment, taking in the information. A crack of thunder startled them both. Scully was shaking for a moment afterward. Mulder wrapped his arms around her comfortingly and drew her close. Scully snuggled up against him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. "Comfortable?" Mulder laughed. His arms tightened around her. In reply, Scully let out a contented sigh. She closed her eyes and listened to Mulder's soft breathing in her ear. He turned his head slightly and planted a tender kiss on her cheek. A smile tugged at her lips, but her eyes remained closed. Soon, her breathing had fallen into a slow, even beat that told Mulder she was asleep. Satisfied, Mulder joined her despite the raging, howling wind. *** July 10 6:29 AM When Mulder awoke the next morning, the sun was shining in the windows, and the water was perfectly calm. He looked down at Scully, who was sleeping peacefully. He kissed the top of her head gently. With a soft moan, her eyes blinked open. The bright light assailed her, causing her to squint. "Good morning, Sunshine," Mulder greeted. Scully was content to stay just where she was, but forced herself to sit up. She looked out at the blue sky and rising sun. Small branches littered the yard. "Oh, boy," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. She realized that the lights were on. They had power. Scully stood gingerly, stretching like a cat. "I'm going to change," she announced, turning to the kitchen. Mulder nodded in agreement, and followed her upstairs. They met again downstairs. Scully had on a pair of jeans and a light sweatshirt, and Mulder wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Quickly, Scully pulled on her shoes and went into the front yard. It was covered in small bits of debris. She grimaced at the sight of the car, which looked like a tree itself. "Looks like we have some clean-up to do," Mulder noted, coming up behind her. Scully nodded, frowning. Faintly, they heard the phone ring. Scully jogged back inside, Mulder just two steps behind. She picked up the phone before the caller hung up. "Scully." "Hi, it's Randolph." "What's up?" Scully asked. "The boat okay?" "Took on a little water, but otherwise fine. I wanted to tell you we'll be underway again tomorrow." "Sounds good!" "See you then." "Bye." Scully hung up the phone and turned to Mulder. "Randolph says we'll be underway again tomorrow," she informed him. "Not much of a conversationalist, is he?" Mulder chuckled. "No, I guess not," confirmed Scully. "Well," she sighed after a moment, "better start cleaning up." She shuffled back outside to begin picking up the mess. Mulder joined her a moment later, and they worked side-by-side all day. *** Off San Juan Island July 11 Time Unknown The squealing of killer whales echoed through the water. Mothers nursed their young, while the rest of the pod fed on the plentiful salmon. The serenity was shattered by the sound of an approaching boat. The orcas were immediately alert, ready for any trouble. They cried out warnings to their companions, and quickly began to move away. On the boat, three men scrambled around the deck. They loaded the harpoon, and took careful aim. With a sneer, the harpooner tightened his grip on the trigger. The dorsal of a young whale came into his sights. It was a calf, but it would be an easy target. He saw not a whale, but a twelve-foot long dollar sign pass before him. Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger. The calf squealed in pain and surprise as the harpoon lodged itself in it's side. The surrounding water began to turn a dark shade of red. The cries of the calf evoked calls of anguish from the other orcas. They hurried to the calf's side, holding him at the surface to breathe. The harpooner smirked as his crew began to reel the calf in. With a deafening crack, the thick line snapped. The three men began to curse loudly. The air around them grew very cold, and their hearts began to race. A large object swung at the harpooner, but no one was even near it. He dodged it skillfully, and the crew swung the boat around. The money would have to wait for another day. *** Natselane July 12 11:47 AM All had returned to normal. The sun was out, beating down on them with scorching, mid-July heat. Just a day prior, a new calf had been sighted swimming alongside it's mother. It was promptly numbered, but the gender was unknown, and it had not yet been named. The radio aboard the Natselane crackled slightly, then came to life as someone urgently began to speak. "This is the McCaffrey, calling for any marine biologists or Coast Guard boats on this frequency. There is a stranded orca at Rocky Bay. It's not moving. From the size, it appears to be a calf. Repeat, a stranded calf, at Rocky Bay." There was a pause, then a soft curse. "There appears to be a harpoon lodged in it." Randolph glanced back at Scully and Mulder. He quickly picked up the handset and began to talk. "McCaffrey, this is the Natselane. Can you get a closer look at the whale?" He paused, waiting for a reply. "Yeah," the voice answered. "I think so." "Is there any way you could describe nicks or scars in the dorsal so we can get an identification on the individual?" Randolph asked. "Let me see…there's a small, triangular nick at the tip. No scars. That's all I've got." Randolph's face twisted into a frown. "I'm not sure of the id. I've got an ETA of twenty minutes. Try to keep people back. Is the animal breathing?" "No, it hasn't taken any breaths while I've been here," the voice replied sadly. Everyone's faces fell at the news. Jesse looked like he would cry, but held it back. Scully bit her lip nervously. she told herself. But the doctor side of her knew that an injured animal would probably try to take breaths a lot more often. Randolph stepped up the pace, and they arrived at Rocky Bay in fifteen tense minutes. They splashed into the water, rushing toward the unmoving whale that lay beached. Taking one look at the whale, Randolph shook his head sorrowfully. The orca was dead. "We'll need an autopsy done, even though the cause of death is pretty obvious," Mulder said. "I'd feel more comfortable if you did it," he told Scully. "I don't know much about marine mammal medicine," she replied. "If I had the help of a vet…" Randolph nodded. "I'll call Dr. Haley. We can have the body shipped to the Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle. They have a well-equipped necropsy bay." Scully nodded in agreement, studying the harpoon that jutted morosely from the orca's side. Her mind was in a daze, and she hardly even noticed when Mulder put a comforting hand on her shoulder to guide her back to the boat. *** National Marine Mammal Laboratory Seattle, WA July 13 11:45 AM "Well, let's get started," Dr. Haley sighed. She hit 'record' and began talking. "July 13, 1998, 11:45 AM. Subject is a two year-old male Orcinus orca, identified as K-24." The fact that a member of K pod was found stranded on San Juan Island was a bit odd, since that pod tended to stay around the ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. But that pod *did* tend to venture farther east from time to time. Scully snapped photographs of the body, making sure to get several of the still-embedded harpoon. "Cause of death appears to be loss of blood, internal injuries, and/or hemorrhage." Scully looked over the whale's body somberly. There were a few light scars along the sides, probably from play or discipline. This would be one of the more pointless autopsies. The cause of death was obvious. But they had to do it. Scully took a deep breath and began to help Dr. Haley. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence July 14 3:37 PM The next day, Scully was back in the islands. Everyone was still in shock over the young orca's violent death. The Natselane hadn't gone out, and Jesse was thoroughly depressed. "What did you find?" Mulder asked. "Just what we thought. Killed by a harpoon. The harpoon itself has been sent to the Seattle field office. They picked up prints," she informed him with a hint of a smile. "In the meantime, I've got to head back to DC for a couple days," Scully sighed. "Why?" "Skinner wants a current report in person," she replied, looking sullen. "As soon as we get the results back from the fingerprint analysis, we can get an APB out on the whaler or whalers," Mulder pointed out. "Also, let's check on any boats licensed to them that we can keep an eye out for." Scully frowned, confused. "What's their motive, though? Whoever it is obviously isn't doing it to sell whale meat on the black market," she reasoned. "Twice, now, they've simply allowed the victims to drift to shore." "Maybe something's stopping them from taking the whales," Mulder said suddenly. "Like what?" Scully inquired. Mulder simply looked at her, a slight gleam in his eye. "Oh, no," she moaned. "Not this time." "Well, why not? Through the ages, there's been many stories of spirits protecting people and animals. We, ourselves, witnessed that sort of phenomena during the Lauren Kyte case." "But why - *if* there was a spirit - why would it allow the whales to be harpooned in the first place?" "Who knows? Maybe it's trying to head us in the right direction by giving us the fingerprints on that harpoon," Mulder guessed. Scully just shook her head skeptically. Sighing, Scully changed the subject. "I've got a flight back to DC in the morning. I'd better go pack." With that, she headed upstairs, leaving Mulder to ponder his new theory. *** An Unnamed Cove July 15 1:42 PM Mulder stood on the deck of the Natselane. The mood had lifted considerably. Jesse and Lisa were exchanging one-liners as they debated the identity of an orca in a photograph. They sat at the bow, listening to a new song, "Hey, Now, Now," on the radio. Randolph piloted the boat, trying to come up with a good practical joke to play on Jesse. Mulder, on the other hand, was feeling rather lonely. He missed Scully dearly, even though she had only been gone since the morning. She would most likely be back the next day, but he still felt like it would be an eternity before she returned. Mulder's cell phone chirped urgently. He pulled it out and answered before it could ring twice. "Mulder." "Agent Mulder, this is Agent Culp from the lab. I've gotten the prints identified." "Perfect." He grabbed a pencil and paper. "What's the name?" "His name is Kevin Campbell." Mulder scribbled the name down quickly. "His record doesn't have anything major. One case of petty theft, that's it." "All right. I need you to check on something for me." "What's that?" "Does he have any boats registered to him?" *** FBI Headquarters 4:45 PM, Eastern Standard Time Scully strode down the hall of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Her meeting with Skinner had gone fairly well, although he warned her that he might be in Washington State sometime soon to check on the case in person. She had neglected to tell him that she and Mulder had made contact with one of the whales. Her cell phone rang abruptly. "Scully," she said into it. "Scully, it's me," Mulder answered. "What's up?" "Got an ID on the fingerprints." "You did? Who is it?" Relief flooded through Scully. she cheered silently. "The name's Kevin Campbell. His only arrest is for petty theft, but he does have a boat registered to him." "What's the boat's name?" "The Pequod. Know what else?" "No, what?" "According to Randolph, he's one of the men who caught Willy originally, using the very same boat." "Really? I think we'd better start calling around to all marinas in the area. We need to find out where it's harbored." "I'll get on that. When will you be back here?" "I've got to check on my apartment and pick up a couple things. My flight leaves in the morning, so I should be back in the islands by tomorrow afternoon." "Sounds good. I'll call you if I learn anything new." "All right. Bye." "Bye." Scully hit 'end' and headed out to her car. Finally, a breakthrough! She climbed into her car, pulled out at the parking lot, and drove back to her apartment. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence July 16 4:23 PM The next afternoon, Scully was back in the San Juan Islands, as promised. Mulder was not home when she arrived; he was probably still on the boat. When he got back, Mulder was in a cheery mood. "Hi, Scully," he greeted as he practically pranced through the door. "Hi, Mulder." She almost thought it humorous how he was so excited. Mulder planted a small kiss on her cheek as he set his stuff on the kitchen table. "Well, someone's pretty happy today," she marveled. "Yeah, I just got off the phone with Dawson's Marina. They say the Pequod harbors there." He was grinning madly. Scully could understand his elation at finally cracking open the seemingly dead-end case. "Is it there now?" Scully asked hopefully. Mulder shook his head. "No, it's not. They say it's been gone for quite some time now." "Is it possible that it's being docked somewhere else?" Scully queried. "I don't think so. I tried just about every marina this side of the Pacific." "Maybe it's being kept at a private dock," Scully suggested. "That's true," Mulder agreed. "We'll have to assume that they're still out there for now." Scully nodded, silently praying they'd find the boat soon. *** Seattle Center July 18 12:49 PM After a couple of days, everyone was up for a trip to Seattle. It was the weekend of the annual "Bite of Seattle," and Randolph said it was a tradition for all of them to go. Scully and Mulder weren't quite sure what to expect, but went along with it. Randolph described it as "lots of over-priced food, and a horde of people." The drive to Seattle was long, but they were constantly being reassured that the drive would be worth it. After an eternity of sitting in the car, they finally arrived at Seattle Center. People were everywhere and parking was horrendous. The day was gorgeous: not too hot, and not too cold, either. The sun was out, and there was hardly a cloud in sight. Upon reaching the large fountain there, Scully's jaw dropped at how many food booths lined the walks. There was everything from "Alligator on a Stick" to scones. Lines at some places seemed to stretch out forever. The crowd was even more amazing. There was nearly no place to sit because there were so many people. The grass was no longer visible. Instead, it looked like a big rug of humans. They found themselves constantly dodging people. "What do you want to eat?" Randolph asked with a grin. Scully was gawking at the immensity of it all. "I don't even know where to start," she laughed. "Just start walking around. You'll find something." Mulder and Scully took his advice. They decided to meet back where they were in an hour. "Where to?" Mulder asked. "Well, let's just pick a direction and go," Scully suggested. They soon found more things they wanted than they could eat. "I swear, this will be more fattening than several trips to McDonalds put together," Scully said between bites of New York-style pizza. Mulder nodded in agreement, stuffing a gigantic hot dog in his face. An hour later, they met back at the designated spot. Everyone was still eating when they met. "So, who wants to go on rides?" Jesse broke in. Everyone groaned, thinking of what would become of what they just ate. Nevertheless, Jesse and Lisa were eager to go. "You go, we'll watch," Randolph replied, making no attempt to cover the burp escaping his lips. Jesse and Lisa turned and ran for the "Fun Forest," with the adults following at a walk. When they got there, the teenagers had already purchased bracelets that allowed for unlimited rides and were waiting in line for a ride that spun endlessly. "I think I'd be sick if I went on that," Mulder muttered. "Especially right after eating." Ten minutes later, Jesse was tugging on Mulder's sleeve. "Come on, you two have to go on something. Like the roller coaster." Mulder looked up at the blue roller coaster that was crammed into a small space. He grinned at the thought, but Scully was balking. "I hate roller coasters," she whispered to him. "Please, Scully? My treat. It'll be fun." Mulder's face was pleading. "That's not the first time you've told me that," she said skeptically. But she couldn't resist Mulder's wounded puppy dog face, and relented. "Oh, all right." Mulder nearly bounded to the ticket window to buy ride tickets for Scully and himself. He returned and handed Scully the tickets like a subpoena. "Come on," he urged. Reluctantly, she allowed him to drag her toward the hulking coaster. The line was very short, which was in Mulder's favor since he was unsure what Scully would do if she had time to reconsider. In no time at all, they were seated in the small car and on their way up the large hill. Scully's face was tense, and she gripped the bar in front of her so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Then, in a flash, they were heading downward, twisting at odd angles. The cars tipped every direction imaginable except upside down, whipping the riders back and forth. The ride halted, and Mulder was a bit disappointed at how short it was for the $3.80 it cost for him alone. Scully had a tight-lipped smile on her face. "See, now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Mulder asked, grinning. Scully shook her head, but was unable to hide the smile. "How did I let you talk me into that?" "Oh, you'll only have whiplash for the next week, it's not that bad." Scully could feel the bruises along her upper thighs, where the bar was. It was raised, and they climbed out. "So, how about we go on that one?" Mulder cracked, pointing at the large ride that spun like crazy. Scully rolled her eyes and backed off, asserting that she had reached her limits. Nevertheless, Mulder went on all the rides she never imagined him being able to withstand. When he had finally had his share of flips, twists, and spins, Mulder hurried unsteadily to Scully. "You really missed a blast, Scully!" he gasped. Scully smiled fondly at him. "I'm lucky to have you as a partner, you know that?" she ventured. "How else would I get to spend so much time enjoying myself?" Mulder's face reddened slightly and he draped his arm around her shoulder. The group moved off toward the food booths, ready to spend another fortune. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence July 22 7:18 PM Several days later, after returning from Seattle, Scully sat on the back porch, mulling over the case. No sign of the Pequod or it's crew had turned up. J Pod hadn't been seen around San Juan Island for the past couple days. Things, in general, were going slowly. Mulder came outside and sat next to her on the swing. "How's it going?" he asked softly, not taking his eyes off the water beyond.s. Scully rested her chin on her fist. "Okay, I guess," she murmured. Mulder frowned, concerned. "What's wrong?" Shrugging, Scully looked downward. "I don't know." She shook her head slowly. "Maybe I just miss Willy." "Dana." Scully's head snapped up, and she looked him in the eye. "I think… I think you're becoming too personally involved in this case," Mulder said quietly. Her face darkened slightly. "No, I'm not." "You've been preoccupied with Willy. It seems almost like an obsession." Scully's face registered shock mixed with offense. "Well, I'm not." She paused, thinking. "Besides, it's not like you have never been personally involved in a case." "So you're admitting it?" Mulder challenged. "No, I'm not. I'm simply pointing out that, if I was, I wouldn't be the first." She was growing more defensive and hostile by the moment. "Scully, he's a whale. He lives here. You're here to do a job, not socialize," accused Mulder. "*Socialize*? Is *that* what you think I'm doing?" Anger began to cross her face. "Yes, you are!" "First of all, I am not on the job twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year! I am allowed to have a social life, and would like one. Maybe you don't care, but I do." "I never said you couldn't have a social life, did I?" "You implied it," Scully spat. "I did not!" "Yes, Mulder you did." She was fuming now. Who was he to rule over her life like this? "You implied it. You're being overbearing. You can't just tell me how to live my life!" she added silently. Scully leapt up, her anger taking over. "No, and I'm not!" "Look, I am not putting up with your *crap* any longer!" She turned toward the path that led to the beach. "Fine!" "Fine!" she shouted over her shoulder. Seething, she stormed down to the beach. Scully kicked at a stone that lay at the side of the trail. She heard the soft *plunk* as it hit the water below. "How could he just show up and tell me what to do like that?" she asked herself. Reaching the beach, she began to pace. "He has no idea of what a social life is in the first place. *His* consists of porn flicks and 900 numbers!" She sighed loudly and slowed her frantic pacing. As she came to a halt, Scully gazed out at the water. She took a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes. She opened them and pulled herself onto the log that lay behind her. A lone tear slid down her face. It was soon joined by others, but Scully made no move to brush them away. Scully bit her lip and shook her head. She wiped at the tears that streaked her face. She recalled the time when Mulder had chewed her out for getting a tattoo. It was *her* life, not his. Scully looked up and saw the tall, jet-black fin of an orca in the distance. It was silhouetted against the orange glow of the evening sky. That was what had started the whole argument. An innocent, unwitting orca. Still, she didn't despise them because of the fight. In fact, she loved them even more. Scully didn't know how much longer she could have gone on taking Mulder's self-proclaimed dominance. She had grown up being told that just because she was a woman didn't mean she couldn't do what she wanted. Then, along came Mulder. He was domineering. Overbearing. Controlling. Everything that women like herself abhorred. Scully pulled her knees up to her chest and put her head down. She allowed the tears to flow freely. If it had not grown cold all of a sudden, she would have sat there all night. But a chilly wind sprang up, and she stood shakily. She knew she was right, not Mulder. Taking a deep breath, she started back up to the house, still angry. Mulder was sitting in a chair, a scowl plastered on his face. Scully passed him silently, without incident, and went straight upstairs to her room for the night. *** Dockside July 27 5:41 PM The next few days passed slowly. Mulder and Scully rarely spoke to each other. When they did, it was generally in a curt manner and under five words long at a time. They wouldn't look at each other in the eye. If possible, they stayed in separate rooms. Scully would go down to the beach in the evenings, while Mulder sat inside. Twice, he went to a local bar in the evening and drank more than his share. Scully could have cared less when he came back drunk. It was his liver, not hers. Randolph, Jesse, and Lisa saw these changes, too. They cringed whenever Scully and Mulder snapped harshly at each other. One evening, just after the Natselane had docked, Lisa found her friend gazing out across the water. She approached her slowly, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Dana?" Scully turned to face her, forcing a smile. "Hi," she greeted. "I was wondering if you wanted to go get some dinner with me? I could give you a ride back later," Lisa offered. "I'd like that," Scully replied gratefully. She saw Mulder waiting impatiently by the car. "You go ahead. I'm going to dinner with Lisa," she called. Without a second thought, Mulder climbed into the car and sped off. "Come on," Lisa said. They walked back to her car slowly. "So, where to?" she asked as they got in. "Oh, I don't know." "Okay. I know a place we can go." Lisa took off in the direction of the restaurant she had in mind. *** A Small Café 6:03 PM The place they went was only a café, but Scully didn't care. She actually liked that better than she would have were it a fancy restaurant. Scully and Lisa got a pleasant, humorous conversation going. They were having a good time, laughing and talking. Scully forgot her troubles with Mulder, and simply enjoyed herself. After a while, Lisa set down her hamburger and looked Scully in the eye. "Dana," she said slowly, "what's the matter with you and Mulder?" Scully sighed and looked down, defeated. "We had a fight," she admitted. "It must have been some fight," Lisa pointed out. "I know the way you two are, and something is definitely wrong." Scully nodded sullenly. "He's…" She searched for the right words. "He's being too controlling." "What do you mean?" "I mean he's basically telling me how to live my life." Scully wondered. The thought never crossed her mind that she was seeking advice from a teenager. "In what way?" Lisa thought to herself. "Like, is he keeping you from doing what you want?" "He's implying that I'm not allowed to have any sort of social life. All I said was that I sort of missed Willy and he launched into a whole lecture on not getting personally involved in cases!" She shook her head ruefully. "Everything I try to do on my own, he reprimands me for being careless." "How long has this been going on?" "Who knows. The whole time I've known him - five years - he's kept me in the dark about things, claiming he's just trying to protect me." "I've been in almost the same situation before," Lisa said softly. "The guy never told me anything, he just left me guessing." "What did you do?" "I talked it out with him. He thought that I knew what was going on most of the time. A major part of it was misunderstanding." "But Mulder deliberately does it," Scully countered. "Are you sure?" Scully opened her mouth to answer, then quickly shut it. Lisa nodded, watching her point sink in. "Talk to him." Scully dreaded having to confront him about it. She always got nervous about things like that. She knew, though, that she had to talk to him. She still loved him. Scully smiled weakly at Lisa. "I'll do that," she replied softly. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence 7:22 PM Back at the house, Mulder had put in the Ally McBeal CD and sat down to think. He had hardly said anything to Scully all day. What was happening to them? They had fought for five minutes, then spent four *days* not speaking to each other. Why? A song began to play that made Mulder think about his feelings for Scully. "Just ask the lonely When you feel That you can make it all alone Remember no one is big enough To go it all alone." Mulder nodded to no one in particular. The lyrics spoke the truth. He'd thought he could go without Scully, but he couldn't. "Just ask the lonely They know the hurting pain Of losing the love You can never regain Just ask the lonely The young and foolish Who laugh at love and slowly run away Confident and sure that fate Will bring another love their way But ask the lonely How vainly a heart can yearn For losing a love That will never return He sighed heavily. He couldn't just leave Scully because of one argument. He still loved her dearly. "Just ask the lonely Just ask the lonely Just ask the lonely They'll tell you a story of sadness A story too hard to believe They'll tell you The loneliest one is me Just ask the lonely Just ask the lonely Just ask the lonely Ask me, I'm the loneliest one of all." Mulder knew what he had to do. He had to talk to Scully. The question was, would she want to talk to him? *** 8:25 PM Scully came through the door later that evening. She slowly crept toward the living room, where she knew Mulder would be. Taking a deep breath, she entered. Mulder was walking slowly toward her, all traces of hostility gone. "Dana-" "Mulder-" They said it at the exact same time, and even smiled briefly as they did so. "Go ahead," Scully urged. "Dana, I want to apologize. I said things that I really didn't mean," Mulder began sincerely. "You know, I was just about to come tell you the same thing," Scully said softly, taking his hand. "I'm sorry. I accused you of being too overbearing, and I realize now that I didn't mean it." "Maybe I am being too controlling," he admitted. "I'll back off and let you have a life." He allowed a smile to cross his face. Scully wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. She buried her head in his chest, and realized just *how* much she had missed him. "I love you," she whispered. Mulder kissed the top of her head, drawing her in closer. "I love you, too," he murmured. It had almost been easier than either of them had thought, and certainly better in the end. *** An Unnamed Cove July 31 1:37 PM July was drawing to a close, but the days continued to get hotter and muggier. J Pod returned to the island, delighting the whale-watchers at Lime Kiln State Park. Everyone was getting along perfectly. On one of those muggy days, Randolph, Jesse, Lisa, Scully, and Mulder stopped at a cove for lunch. Jesse and Lisa turned up the radio and were lip synching the words. Mulder cringed as Jesse began to sing in a warbling, off-key voice. "Still no sign of J Pod today?" Scully asked as she hopped onto the rocks lining the water. "No, but who would be able to hear any messages over the noise of that radio?" Randolph laughed. Jesse and Lisa continued, oblivious to the things being said about them. Scully climbed onto a higher rock, perching above everyone else. A cool breeze rustled through her shoulder-length hair. Mulder looked up at her smiling. "Hey!" Randolph shouted. Everybody turned to look at him. He shielded his eyes from the bright sun and pointed out to sea. "Orcas!" "Speak of the devil," muttered Mulder. Scully could make out the dark patch where a pod slowly made it's way by. She stood on top of the rock, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. One orca suddenly broke off from the pod and swam straight toward the cove. In a spectacular breach, he revealed his identity - Willy. Willy raced into the cove, wailing a greeting. Jesse was grinning as he rushed to the water's edge. Willy poked his head out of the water, allowing Jesse to reach out and rub his nose affectionately. "Hey, boy! How have you been?" he asked the orca. After a moment, a conspiratorial smile grew on his face. He turned to face the group. "Stay there," he ordered Willy. He leapt onto the rock where Scully stood and dragged her down. Scully let out a soft yell as she landed on the craggy ground below. Simultaneously, Randolph pulled and pushed Mulder toward the water. With a grunt, he heaved Mulder in. Jesse shoved Scully in next to Mulder. They came up laughing. "You're just lucky I'm not wearing a white t-shirt," Scully warned good-naturedly as she looked down at her sky blue top. Mulder gave her a playful leer. "Lucky?" Scully pushed him backward. Willy surfaced between them. He let out a playful squeal as Scully scratched his nose. Mulder patted Willy's back, and the orca dove underwater. Scully glanced around, looking for any sign of him. The water around her ankles moved suspiciously. In one fluid movement, Willy resurfaced behind her and gave a shove. Scully was thrust forward - right into Mulder's arms. Willy seemingly laughed as he looked at the two of them. He inched forward to the point where he was leaning against them. "Hey," Scully murmured as she stroked his nose. He made a squealing noise in reply. "He wants you to sit on his back," Jesse yelled to them. As if to confirm Jesse's words, Willy ducked under, then resurfaced beneath them. Scully couldn't stifle a laugh at his antics. She patted his back soundly. Willy sped around the cove, clearly enjoying himself. He slipped underwater, but Mulder and Scully still held on. Without warning, he flew from the water, dislodging the two. They came up giggling and splashing each other. Willy watched them closely, obviously wanting to play some more. "It's his favorite game," called Jesse. "Keep playing!" Mulder and Scully obliged, and Scully threw her leg over Willy's back. Mulder followed suit, and the game began anew. All three of them were quite content to play that game for a long time, but the cold of the water began to seep into the agents' bodies. It was time to climb out and move on. "See you later," Scully said to Willy, giving him one last pat. Lisa handed them each a towel. "I've learned that keeping several towels on the boat can come in handy quite often," she laughed. Everyone turned toward the boat to leave. Mulder and Scully hung back a bit. His hand slid over hers, and they slowly walked back to the boat, hand in hand. Just outside the cove, Willy leapt high into the air in a goodbye breach. *** Dockside August 3 5:21 PM As August rolled around, the heat wave did not dissipate. Scully found it odd that an area so infamous for it's rain was so hot during the summer. J Pod wasn't spending quite as much time around San Juan Island, but they were still around. As much as Scully and Mulder tried to keep their relationship low-profile, Jesse, Lisa, and Randolph knew what was going on. They thought it was sweet, and didn't see and negative effects on their job. In fact, they seemed to work together even better. Lisa, especially, enjoyed watching the two agents interact. Mulder always had a joke on hand, and Scully always had a comeback for it. They had changed somewhat from when they'd arrived, and both were better for it. Scully was smiling a lot more, and Mulder had become more affable. Lisa was sure the change was for the better. Late one early-August afternoon, the Natselane had just docked, and everyone was disembarking. Scully and Mulder were walking slowly back to the car, mulling over the fact that neither the suspect nor his boat had been sighted. How much longer could this go on? Certainly the FBI would realize the futility and send them back to DC. Scully and Mulder both knew they would be sorry to leave the gorgeous landscape, but they also knew that they couldn't stay there forever. Suddenly, Mulder glanced up and saw someone moving across the parking lot toward them. It was Skinner. Mulder reached over and tapped Scully on the shoulder. She looked up to see Skinner only a few feet away. "Good afternoon, agents," Skinner greeted. "Sir," Scully began, straightening up. She must have looked rather unprofessional. Strands of hair had fallen from her ponytail, and what was still in it was windswept. Her forest green t-shirt was wet, as were her baggy jeans. She wore a pair of flat tennis shoes that had obviously seen better days. "At ease," Skinner ordered quickly. "I thought I'd check in on how you were doing." Scully relaxed slightly, but was still a bit tense about the unexpected visit. she wondered briefly. "Good afternoon," she finally managed. "Would you care to discuss the case over a cup of coffee?" the Assistant Director offered. Both agents were relieved that he was being more down-to-earth than normal. "That would be nice," Scully answered for both of them. "There's a good place right down the street." Skinner nodded, and Mulder gestured toward the passenger seat. Scully climbed into the back seat, and Mulder into the driver's seat. They took off toward the coffee place in downtown Friday Harbor. The car ride was silent, and awkwardly so. It made Scully a bit uncomfortable, but Mulder paid it no heed. Once there, they got out and entered the café. Scully ordered a decaf, but Mulder and Skinner opted for lattés. "The coffee here is great," Mulder commented. "It's no wonder that Seattle is so famed for it's espresso." After taking a sip, Skinner nodded in agreement. "It *is* very good." He paused, then changed the subject. "So, what's been going on in the case?" Mulder glanced sidelong at Scully. "Well, sir—" "You can dispense with the formalities, Mulder," Skinner interjected. Mulder took a deep breath before beginning again. "We've identified the fingerprints as belonging to one Kevin Campbell. He's got a boat named the Pequod, which hasn't docked anywhere in a very long time, at least not that we know of. Apparently, he's captured one of the resident orcas here for an aquarium before, but the whale was released." Mulder wisely decided not to add anything about *how* Willy was released or their relationship with him. "That same orca was hit nearly two months ago with a harpoon, but has since recovered and been released back into the wild." Skinner nodded thoughtfully. "And there's been no sign of this Campbell?" "No." Mulder shook his head. "His house is empty and seems to have been deserted for quite some time." Over the radio, "Searchin' My Soul" began to play. Both Mulder and Scully paused momentarily, but recovered before Skinner could tell they were distracted. "If you want, I'm sure Randolph wouldn't mind if you came out on the boat with us tomorrow," Mulder offered. "I'd like that," Skinner replied. His face held no emotion. "It's a good way to learn more about orcas, which definitely helps on this case," Mulder continued. "As long as you can stand to be soaking wet," he added, indicating his own wet t-shirt. "Not a problem," Skinner said. "What time?" "Well, the boat generally leaves at dawn," Scully informed him. "And don't let the region's reputation for coldness and rain fool you, it can get pretty hot out there." She definitely had a point. Washington's August weather certainly differed from it's rainy winters. They stood, threw away the empty cups, and walked back out to the car. Silently, they drove Skinner back to his car. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow morning," Skinner said, getting out. He nodded curtly, shut the door, then strode back to his own car. Mulder pulled out of the parking lot, and headed in the direction of the house. "Well, that was a surprise," he began. "Not really," Scully said slowly. "He kind of warned me that might happen when I was back in DC." She squirmed uncomfortably, waiting for a tirade from Mulder. "Why didn't you tell me?" It was soft, not the harshness she had expected. "I didn't actually think he would take time out to come out here," Scully replied. "Don't we feel loved?" Mulder cracked, not taking his eyes off the road. After a moment, he brought up the inevitable subject. "What are we going to do about…" He trailed off, but Scully knew what he meant. "Just what we've been doing," she answered quickly. "Keep it private." "A lot of good that's done. They all know what's going on," Mulder pointed out. "Then we'd better hope that Skinner's not very perceptive," Scully sighed. "And Willy? What would he think if he knew that we were good friends with one of the victims?" Scully shook her head. "Same thing. Hide it and hope he won't notice." Inside, she was praying that would be possible. *** Dockside August 4 6:49 AM The next morning, Skinner was waiting at the dock when they arrived. He looked different, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt rather than a suit. "Ready to go?" Mulder asked. Skinner nodded, and they headed out to the Natselane. Once aboard, Mulder introduced Skinner to Jesse, Lisa, and Randolph. The boat got underway, and they began to keep an eye out for orcas. Skinner's face was downcast; he was unimpressed by the beauty of the region. Scully watched him as he stood looking out to sea. She frowned slightly, unsure of why he was so sad-looking. A short time later, Jesse emerged hurriedly from the cabin, scrambling for the binoculars. "J-Pod!" he called as he ran by. Scully smiled inwardly as she turned to look for Willy. A loud *whoosh* erupted from somewhere to their right. Scully turned just in time to see Catspaw surface. She shot a sidelong glance at Skinner, who was actually smiling a bit. Still, she kept searching the water for Willy, as was everybody else but Skinner. In a flash, Willy was leaping beside the boat, escorting them. He hung in the air, showing off his distinctive coloring and bent fin. "Bet you never thought you'd be that close to a whale, huh?" Mulder laughed when he saw Skinner's shocked reaction. Skinner only gaped at him, unable to say anything. "That's the one that was injured," Mulder informed him. "He looked pretty healthy to me," Skinner commented. "He is," Scully broke in. "I've been helping the Institute's vet." Skinner inwardly admired Scully for her ability to work around such large animals. She seemed so nonchalant about coming in direct contact with an animal that most people never even see in the wild. Willy continued to leap into the air, as if to greet the newcomer. "Hey, Willy!" Jesse screamed, waving at the whale. Willy rolled onto his side and waved a flipper. Skinner actually laughed aloud at the way Willy had responded. Scully and Mulder felt proud that they had helped to lift the AD's spirits. For the most part, his attention remained focused on the whales for the rest of the day. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence 7:33 PM Mulder plopped down beside Scully on the porch swing. He handed her a Coke, then opened his own. "Well," he began, "I think Skinner actually enjoyed himself today." Scully smiled and nodded. "I've never seen him that happy before." "Me either." They fell into an awkward silence, and both of them shifted uncomfortably. "You want to take a walk?" he asked finally. Scully nodded vigorously. Mulder offered his hand, and she took it graciously. He helped her up, and they headed down the path to the beach. The wind blew gently around them, stirring up the waves. Scully's auburn hair curled around her neck, and Mulder caught himself staring steadily at it. She smiled coyly up at him. He slowed to a halt and turned to face her. Softly, he took both her hands in his own. "Dana…" he murmured, then fell silent. They gazed into each others' eyes momentarily. Then Mulder's head bent down, his mouth enveloping hers. Scully let go of his hands and draped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed him back passionately, allowing herself to enjoy the contact. *** 7:42 PM Skinner banged on the front door a second time, then waited. There was no reply, so he headed around to the back yard. It was totally deserted, but he spotted the trail to the beach. Skinner looked over the wooden, knee-high fence and down at the beach below. Then, he gaped at what he saw. There, on the beach, were Mulder and Scully, making out. His jaw dropped, unprepared for the sight. His first reaction was to have the agents separated and reassigned. After a moment, though, he realized that he had seen this coming all along. In fact, he had been waiting for it. He *wanted* to see the two of them together. Backpedaling, he crept away as silently as possible. He'd leave them alone for the time being, and talk to them about the case in the morning. *** Natselane August 5 2:52 PM Scully gazed out across the water, then turned back to Mulder. "Skinner's going down to the Seattle field office," he informed her. Scully nodded, and looked out over the water. Suddenly, Willy leapt from the water near the boat. He crashed back into the water, then jumped again. He finally stopped and began to emit a plaintive wail. "What's gotten into him?" Scully asked as Jesse came up behind her. A concerned look grew on her face. "I don't know." Jesse was equally worried. He leaned over the rail and was about to call Willy when the orca's enormous head emerged from the water. "Hey, buddy, what's up?" Jesse asked. In reply, Willy squealed and splashed. Jesse frowned, then held up his index finger. "Wait here," he ordered. He ran into the cabin, leaving Mulder and Scully to guess at where he was going. Jesse returned a short time later, sporting a wetsuit and SCUBA gear. "He found something, and I want to know what it is," he announced, slipping into the water. Soon, he had disappeared underwater, as had Willy. For the next several minutes, Mulder, Scully, Randolph, and Lisa waited for Jesse to return. When he did, he pulled the regulator from his mouth excitedly. "There's something down there!" he gushed. "What?" Mulder asked, his own hopes lifting. "A chest! It says 'Kevin Campbell' on it!" Scully nearly jumped at the name. "Do either of you know how to SCUBA dive?" he asked, turning to Mulder and Scully. Mulder shook his head ruefully, but Scully nodded. "I do," she volunteered. "Inside the cabin, under the left seat, there's some gear," Jesse informed her. Scully turned and went into the cabin, then returned a few minutes later. She was decked out in full SCUBA gear and a slightly-too-large wetsuit. "I'll be back in a bit," she said to Mulder as she climbed into the water. Scully put the regulator into her mouth and let the air out of the vest. She sank slowly toward the bottom, pinching her nose every couple feet to equalize the pressure in her ears. When she was near the bottom, Willy approached her. Jesse grabbed his dorsal, as did Scully. Near the cliffs that lined the water, a small chest lay on the sea bottom. It looked as if it had only been there a short time. Scully could see that it had a water-tight seal. She turned to Jesse, and gave him the signal to surface. With a nod, they slowly rose upward. When they broke the surface, Scully yanked the regulator from her mouth and inflated her vest. "Do you have an underwater camera on the boat?" Jesse nodded. "We need to photograph the chest before anything is moved, then we need to bring it in so we can find out what's in it," she told him. They rolled onto their backs and swam back to the boat, with a little help from Willy. "We need an underwater camera," she called from the water. Randolph disappeared, then reappeared a moment later with the camera. Scully took it gratefully, replaced the regulator, and let the air out of the vest so that she would sink below the waves. Once back by the trunk, Scully took several quick photos, then let the camera settle around her neck. She motioned for Jesse to help her lift the chest from the bottom. It was somewhat heavy, but they had Willy's help in bringing it back to the boat. Mulder and Randolph lifted the chest from the water, and Scully and Jesse climbed out afterward. "This should be fairly easy to open," Mulder said, inspecting the lock. Sure enough, in a few minutes, they had it open and were examining it's contents - whale products. "Oh, my god," Scully breathed when she saw it. It was filled with scrimshawed whale teeth, ambergris, bones, spermaceti oil, and just about every other valuable whale part that wouldn't spoil easily. "Think this might be a *little* evidence?" Mulder said sarcastically. "When we find this Kevin Campbell, we'll have enough evidence to send him to jail for a *long* time," Scully added as she dug through and picked up a whale tooth, making sure to use a rubber glove. Suddenly, a question sprang to her mind. "Why would he leave something this valuable underwater and half-buried in the ground?" "Maybe he knows we're onto him," Mulder suggested. "He could be trying to hide the evidence. He's obviously been at this for a long time, a seasoned pro. A collection like this doesn't come overnight." Mulder was at it again, his mind kicking into profiling mode. Scully just hoped that this meant they were close to catching the whaler or whalers. *** Sea-Tac International Airport August 6 1:14 PM Skinner was pleased to hear that the chest had been found. He agreed with Mulder that Campbell most likely knew they were onto him. But Skinner also had another thing to attend to - what to do about Mulder and Scully. Since the evening when he had seen them kissing on the beach, he had thought hard about what should be done. Should he separate them? No, he knew that both of their solve rates would go way down. Could he forget about it, or ignore it? That would have to do, since he couldn't think of a better idea. Besides, hadn't he subconsciously wished for them to fall in love like that? He'd known from the moment they first stepped into his office together that this was bound to happen. They were *destined* for each other. He let out a silent laugh at how cheesy that sounded. Skinner made up his mind not to say anything to them about it. They seemed to be doing fine without him breathing down their necks. The assistant director stood from his seat and headed for the gate. His plane for the trip back to DC had arrived, and it was time to board. *** Mulder and Scully's Temporary Residence 6:10 PM "I think he knows," Scully said quietly. Mulder glanced over at her from his perch on a piece of driftwood. "Who? Skinner?" "Yeah," clarified Scully. "Didn't you see the way he was watching us like a hawk?" Mulder nodded in agreement. "I think you're right." They fell silent, each pondering what Skinner would do to them when they returned to DC. Whenever that was. *** Dockside August 19 6:30 PM As August rolled on, the heat wave dissipated only for a day or two, brining heavy rains. Then, the sun returned, hotter than ever. Scully was dismayed to find that her shoulders were burned and peeling. By mid-August, Scully was really starting to wonder how long the Bureau was going to let them stay there. Each day, she woke up hoping to see the Pequod outside her window, waiting to be boarded. Scully was sitting on the dock, her feet dangling in the water. Mulder approached her silently from behind, then shouted "Boo!!" The resounding echo satisfied him, as did Scully's mile-high leap. "Jeez, Mulder," she muttered. He gave her a hand up, then spoke. "Randolph says they're going to go out tonight, see some stars and stuff. He invited us, want to go?" asked Mulder hopefully. "Oh, I suppose," she replied. Scully slipped her sandals back on and followed Mulder towards the Natselane. Everyone was already there, but they didn't seem to mind that they had been kept waiting. Randolph gunned the engine, and they set off. The night was perfect for stargazing. There were no clouds, and the water was very calm. Randolph was unsure of the surf, though. "Well, it may seem calm now, but that doesn't mean the wind won't kick up," he warned. Nobody seemed to pay him any heed, though, as they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Mulder sat back against the wall and drew Scully into his arms. She settled comfortably against his shoulder, no longer chilly. Her eyes began to drift closed, but Mulder was nowhere near tired yet. He was content to gaze heavenward, taking in the spectacle. It was very late by the time Randolph turned the boat back towards port. They had simply drifted with the waves for quite some time, admiring the sky. But it was getting cold, and Randolph could tell that people were growing tired. Scully heard the engine sputter to life and stirred from her light sleep. Mulder had laid her down softly on the deck and was chatting with Randolph at the bow. She approached them quietly, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Hello, there," Mulder greeted. Scully was still quite drowsy and could only mumble something incomprehensible in return. Mulder chuckled and pulled her up beside him. "See, there's the Big Dipper," he pointed out. Scully nodded, remembering when her dad used to take her outside and show her the constellations. "And over there is -" Mulder never finished his sentence because he heard the rumble of another boat approaching. He could make out it's shadow moving towards them swiftly. The oncoming boat passed dangerously close to the Natselane. "Talk about a close call," Randolph shouted. Mulder made no reply - his mouth was moving, but no words came out. "That was the Pequod," he finally stammered. Suddenly, the boat was a flurry of action. Scully was instantly awake and drawing her gun, Lisa and Jesse rushed to the rail to see the infamous vessel. Randolph turned the Natselane tightly to pursue the Pequod. "Don't stay too close, or they'll know we're following them," Scully ordered. Randolph nodded wordlessly and backed off a bit. They silently tailed the whaling boat for quite some time before it stopped in the middle of nowhere. "Think they know we're onto them?" Scully asked Mulder quietly. "They might," Mulder whispered back. Jesse and Randolph approached them. "There's a Zodiac if you want to go over there and check it out," Randolph told them. "Shouldn't we wait for reinforcements?" Scully queried. Mulder was already moving towards the raft. "We might lose them if we do," he replied. As quietly as possible, he pushed the Zodiac into the water. Scully hung back for a moment, unsure. Just as Randolph had predicted, the waves had grown rather large due to some unexpected wind. Scully double-checked to make sure that she had her gun, then climbed down into the boat, which was affectionately dubbed the "Rubber Ducky" by Jesse and Randolph. Mulder handed her a paddle. "If we use the engine, they might hear us.," he hissed, pushing away from the Natselane. Scully agreed and began to row the boat away as fast as she could. In almost no time at all, the Pequod loomed next to them. It was about the size of the Natselane, but several times dirtier. The navy blue paint on it's hull was cracked and slightly rusted. It had obviously seen a lot of use. Scully couldn't find anything to tie the Rubber Ducky to right away. Finally, she had to lash it to the rail at the rear of the boat. Mulder gave her a leg up onto the Pequod. She hauled herself over the edge, and looked carefully around for any sign of life. No one seemed to be near. Mulder climbed up beside her, also glancing around warily. Silently, they began to creep toward the cabin, guns in hand. She and Mulder flattened themselves against the outside of the wall, just below the sole lighted window. Suddenly, voices pierced the silence. "What do you mean it wasn't there?" the first man roared. "Just what I said. I went to look for it, and it was gone," the second argued. "Are you sure you were in the right spot?" "Positive." "Just *great.* So, if you don't have it, who does?" "I don't know! Maybe those Feds are closer than we thought," he suggested. Mulder looked over at Scully and smirked. "No, no, no. How would they have found it? There was nobody around when we put it down there. Unless one of us leaked something." "K.C., why would any of us do that? We *all* get in trouble for this if we get caught, you know." *K.C.?* Scully mouthed to Mulder. He nodded in return. *Kevin Campbell,* he mouthed back. "He has a point," a third man broke in. His voice seemed tentative, unsure. "Shut up, John," Campbell snarled. The second man began to speak again. "Forget about all that. There's a pod coming this way. We gonna take one home with us or not?" "Any word on the size of the pod?" Campbell asked. "Not so far. All I know is there's one coming, and I'm itching to nail one of 'em. "We all are, Steve," John replied. "In case you've forgotten, we've all got families to feed." "What if that…*thing* comes back?" Steve asked. Silence filled the air as the question sunk into everyone's minds. "We deal with it," Campbell said finally. "How? We can't even see it," John protested. "Just because it's invisible doesn't mean we can't kill it," Campbell shot back. "What if it's already dead?" Steve asked hesitantly. Silence again filled the room. "Then we don't have to worry about it, do we?" Campbell sneered. No one dared to reply. *Ghost,* Mulder mouthed to Scully triumphantly. She only raised a skeptic eyebrow. *I'm going around,* he mouthed, pointing. Scully nodded, and Mulder crept away. "So what's our plan for this one?" Steve asked. "We'll go for one of the bulls," Campbell replied matter-of-factly. "Gotta play fair - no cows." "Same as hunting," Steve commented. "You've got to leave them to make more whales. More whales, more money," Campbell sneered. Scully recoiled at that statement. How could he say that? Is that all they were worth to him? Cash? She was stunned at the fact that so many people didn't care about the lives of other species. They only wanted the money. The cold metal of a gun barrel against her neck startled her back to her senses. "Don't make a move," the man snarled. He bent down and snatched her gun from her hands. "Okay, *slowly* put your hands behind your head and stand up." Scully complied, her mind and heart racing. *** "They've been gone a long time," Jesse said. He shifted uncomfortably. "It takes awhile to do these things," Lisa replied, but she was obviously unsure of herself. "Did you call the Coast Guard?" Jesse asked Randolph. "Yeah, they're on their way." He turned back to face the Pequod, staring blankly at the sole light on in the cabin. Silently, he hoped that Lisa was right. *** "Looky what I found," John sneered, shoving Scully into the cabin. He guided her harshly to a chair and shoved her into it. "Where was she?" Steve asked, coming around the table in the center of the room. "Hiding out under that window," John replied, tilting his head toward it. "Eavesdropping." "So how'd you get on board?" Campbell asked, his eyes narrowing. "I was just… looking for some shelter from the wind - " Scully began, but she was cut off. "You are the worst liar," Campbell muttered. He noticed a bulge in the pocket of her navy blue windbreaker. "What's this?" he asked, unzipping the pocket. He withdrew Scully's ID and opened it. "FBI," he marveled. "Well, I was beginning to wonder when you'd find us." "May I remind you that assaulting a federal officer is a felony," Scully said bravely. "May I remind *you* that you're not exactly in a position to be arguing with me right now," Campbell shot back. As if to emphasize his point, he fingered Scully's handgun. Scully pursed her lips and eyed Campbell. "Now, how many others are on the boat?" "None," Scully lied. "Doesn't that violate some FBI rule, to go in alone?" "Yes, it does," replied Scully. "So I ask you again, are you alone?" "Yes, I am." Scully knew she was taking a big risk in saying that, but she decided to put her faith in Mulder. Campbell glanced at John and nodded. John took his shotgun and left the cabin, intending to look for another FBI agents. Scully wanted to scream out, to warn Mulder. She knew, though, that would only get her into more trouble. *** Mulder crept down into the hold. The smell of flesh assailed his nose, and he had to turn his head away momentarily. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out the shapes of carcasses lining the room. "Hello," he whispered. *** Randolph waited tensely in the cabin of the Natselane. They'd been gone too long. *Way* too long. The crackle of the radio startled him. Who would be out at this time of the night - or, rather, morning? A couple minutes later, he emerged from the cabin. The creases on his face formed by worry had deepened. "Guys," he said, addressing Jesse and Lisa, "We've got more trouble. J-Pod's headed this way." *** Campbell smirked at the news he had just received over the radio. "J-Pod, eh? Looks like we've got another shot at 'im." Scully didn't need to be told who they were talking about. "That fish has caused more trouble for us," Steve added, shaking his head. "Of course, he did bring in a fortune when we caught 'im live for that Northwest Adventure Park." "He'll get us just as much dead." Scully couldn't stand to hear them talking like that. she thought disgustedly. Just then, John burst in. He held up and empty, snack-size sunflower seed bag. Scully groaned inwardly. "You like sunflower seeds?" Campbell asked her gruffly. "Yeah," Scully replied easily. "You been down in the hold?" John queried, obviously knowing the truth. "Yes, I have." "You don't smell like it," Campbell pointed out, his face only inches from hers. "Where's your little pal?" "I don't know," Scully answered honestly. "I think you do," Campbell shot back. "Get up." Scully briefly considered making a break for it, but dropped that idea when she looked at the two guns trained on her. Slowly, she stood up, careful not to make any quick movements. Steve exited the cabin first, intending to search for Mulder. John followed him out, leaving Scully and Campbell. "Let's go," he ordered, nodding toward the door. Scully moved slowly in that direction. She stiffened when she felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into her back. "Keep going," Campbell hissed. "We're gonna give your little friend some incentive to come out." Scully gulped at his threat, but moved forward nonetheless. As they left the shelter of the cabin, they were slammed with heavy winds that had moved in. It had created high waves, and thus a rolling motion that made walking *very* tricky. Steve came around the corner, silently pointing back the way he had come. Campbell understood exactly what he had meant. He maneuvered Scully toward the corner. Just before he came around it, he wrapped his arm around her neck and put the barrel of the gun to her temple. "One move and she dies," Campbell threatened the tall, dark-haired man that turned the corner in front of him. Mulder was caught off guard. He gulped noticeably at the sight of the gun to Scully's head. Steve stepped over to Mulder and took his gun and ID. Scully looked helplessly at him. "Now, how many more are there?" John asked Scully. "None." "You ain't lying to me, are you?" "No, I'm not," Scully replied. "She's telling the truth," Mulder offered. "No one asked you," Steve growled. "Take 'em over to the bow," Campbell ordered. Steve and John complied almost happily, shoving Mulder and Scully ahead of them. At the bow, they were ordered to sit against the wall of the cabin. John kept his shotgun aimed toward them. Steve set the agents' handguns on a table across the boat. Then, he and Campbell began preparing for the whales' arrival. "J-Pod's coming this way," Scully whispered to Mulder. "Shut up!" hissed John. His eyes blazed angrily, cutting Scully off. She bit her lip and felt Mulder's hand in hers. He squeezed reassuringly. Presently, they heard the soft *whoosh* of whales. Scully thought. She could hear John laughing softly. Campbell was ready, and J-Pod was swimming right into a trap. "You see 'im?" Campbell called to Steve, who was searching for Willy. "Yeah!" Steve replied after a moment. "One hundred yards to port and closing!" Scully's mind screamed out. "Fifty!" John's attention was focused more on the whales than the captives. Scully saw her moment and moved on it. In a flash, she leapt up and ran full speed at Campbell. She tackled him and the two fell to a heap on the deck, wrestling. Scully knew that Campbell was much larger than her. She was fighting a losing battle. Mulder, meanwhile, was being held down by both John and Steve. All he could do was watch Scully fight and hope she could pull through. At last, Campbell slammed Scully to the deck. Her head hit hard, and she was knocked unconscious. Mulder could see a trickle of blood form on her forehead. Campbell stood up straight, looking down at Scully's crumpled form. After a moment, he bent down again and picked her up. Slowly, he walked to the port side of the boat. "What are you doing?" John stammered, afraid he already knew. Campbell didn't reply; he simply dumped Scully unceremoniously over the side. "You'll kill her!" John was obviously appalled, but Campbell was unfazed. "That's one less witness," he muttered. "I'm an accomplice to murder," John murmured to himself. Campbell whirled around suddenly. "Damn straight, but I'm in control!" He glared at John accusingly. "Just do what I tell you!" John gulped uneasily and nodded. *** Scully's body sank slowly down. Water slipped into her mouth and nose. She remained unconscious, unable to swim to air. Willy immediately knew that his friend was in danger. He raced to her side and slid underneath her. Gently, he carried her upward and toward the opposite end of the boat. At the surface, they remained unseen by the now-panicking crew of the Pequod. After several moments, Scully coughed and sputtered, the water spilling out her mouth. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She looked down at Willy and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks," she whispered, unable to believe what had just transpired. Scully shivered involuntarily, the harsh cold seeping in. She pulled herself onto Willy's back and farther out of the water. *** Mulder was on the verge of tears. Scully was… gone. The rage built up inside of him. Campbell had just crossed the final line. He struggled against the two men holding him down. "You… you killed her!" he screamed. Campbell ignored him totally and continued to prepare the harpoon. "You can't just walk away from killing a human being!" Apparently, Campbell thought he could. Mulder bit his lip to keep from crying. Scully was sinking to the bottom of the sea and there was nothing he could do about it. his mind wailed. All of a sudden, Willy swam in front of the boat. There, on his back, lay Scully! She was obviously cold, but moving. "Scully!" Mulder called. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and struggled again. But Scully wasn't out of the woods yet. Campbell was set, and had an eye for Willy. "Get out of the way," he warned her. Scully didn't seem to hear him. "I'm warning you, get out of the way!" This time, she obviously heard. But she didn't try to move out of danger. In fact, she moved right into the line of fire. *** Scully slid off Willy's back and into the water. He had saved her life, and she was returning the favor. She gripped his dorsal tightly with one hand, and spread her other arm across his back. The saltwater stung at the cut on her forehead, but she paid it no heed. The harpoon stared her down like a death threat. She could hear Campbell shouting at her to move. No, she would protect Willy as best she could. Scully positioned herself so that the whalers would have a tough time hitting Willy without hitting her. He was much bigger than her, though, and she couldn't protect his entire body. Finally, she heard Campbell shout that he was going to fire without further warning. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him lining up the shot. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Scully heard Mulder yell, then the solid *chunk* of the harpoon being fired. she thought frantically. Then, nothing. she wondered. Slowly, Scully opened her eyes. Before her, the water still swirled and churned. Willy still lay beneath her, very much alive. Faintly, she heard shouting coming from the deck of the boat. No, not shouting. *Screaming*. She turned around, but couldn't see what was so terrifying. The screaming silenced abruptly, leaving Scully bewildered. It was replaced by the sound of arrests being made. Backup had finally arrived! *** Mulder sprinted to the bow of the boat. "Scully!" he yelled. "I'm okay!" she called back. Willy swam her to the Coast Guard boat, sensing that the danger was over. She pulled herself out of the water. Mulder raced to the Coast Guard boat, brushing past several officers. "Scully!" he exclaimed as he reached her side. Goosebumps covered her soaking-wet body. "I'm okay," she told him again. "You're *freezing*," he said worriedly. Mulder got a towel and brought it back to her. He wrapped it around her tightly and rubbed her arms to warm her up. A medic arrived to look at Scully's injury. "I'm fine," she insisted. Nevertheless, she allowed him to bandage it up. When he left, Mulder turned back to her. "It was there, Scully. It *saved* you." "What was there?" Mulder only stared at her for a moment. "My 'ghost'," he replied quietly. "It swung the harpoon gun away." Scully raised a skeptical eyebrow in her trademark fashion. Willy appeared next to them, having swam away for a bit. "Hey," Scully greeted, "thanks." Willy replied by opening his mouth wide. On his tongue lay Scully's cross necklace. "You found it!" she exclaimed as she took it from his mouth. Scully fastened it around her neck and reached down to lay a hand on his nose. "Thank you so much." Then, carefully, she slipped a hand into his mouth and stroked his tongue. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. When she pulled her hand back, she found that Jesse, Randolph, and Lisa had crowded around. "Thanks, Willy," Jesse echoed. Willy squawked in reply. Jesse rubbed his nose affectionately, unable to hide a smile. Farther away, Willy's family leapt joyfully. Jesse looked back and forth between them. He raised his right hand and pointed out to sea. "Go on," he urged. "They want you back." Willy lingered, very reluctant to leave. Jesse licked his lips and flung his right arm outward. Willy emitted a moan, then rolled onto his side to wave goodbye. He swam away, then suddenly leapt up high. He continued like that, all the way back to his family. During the time they had been in the struggle, the sun had peeked over the horizon. It cast a golden glow on the water. The case had ended just like any movie: good had triumphed over evil, and had ended in a gorgeous sunrise. As J-Pod swam away, Mulder turned to Scully and smiled. He squeezed her hand gently, then turned back to the mob that had gathered. After a moment, Scully followed him away. *** Friday Harbor August 20 8:52 PM "Hey!" Randolph called after them. Mulder and Scully turned around. He had caught them just as they were returning to the car. "You didn't think we'd let a victory like this go without a party, did you?" he asked with a grin. Mulder returned the smile, his expression telling everyone that he liked the idea. "Oh, of course not. We were just going to get food," he laughed. "Tonight at seven? My place?" Randolph asked. "Sounds great!" Mulder replied ecstatically. "You know how to get there?" "Of course." "All right, see you then!" Randolph concluded happily. "See you then!" Mulder and Scully echoed in unison. Randolph left, and they piled into the car. *** Randolph's House 7:00 PM Mulder and Scully arrived at Randolph's house promptly at seven. Several people were already there, including Jesse, Lisa, and a few people they didn't know. Music boomed from the living room, and snacks such as chips and pop lined the table. They were greeted warmly and invited to snack on anything. The night was a blast. They partied until late at night, and Mulder even convinced Scully to "get on out there and dance." It took awhile, but finally, as "The Time Of My Life" began, she relented. Mulder pulled her out to the center of the room, which had been cleared for use as a dance floor. "Now I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you." By that point, they were sort of slow dancing. Scully had lost all her fear of being on the dance floor, and was having a great time. "Cause I've had the time of my life And I owe it all to you I've been waiting for so long Now I've finally found someone to stand by me We saw the writing on the wall As we felt this magical fantasy Now with passion in our eyes There's no way we could disguise secretly So we'll take each others hand Cause we seem to understand the urgency Just remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something This could be love because I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you Hey, baby With my body and soul I want you more then you'll ever know So we'll just let it go Don't be afraid to lose control Yes I know what's on your mind When you say 'Stay with me tonight' Just remember You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something This could be love because I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you Cause I've had the time of my life And I searched through every open door Till I found the truth And I owe it all to you." As the interlude began, Mulder twirled Scully around. She *was* having the time of her life. The whole case had played out like a fairy tale. Scully knew that if she could go back and do it differently, she wouldn't change a thing. " Now I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you I've had the time of my life No, I never felt like this before Yes, I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you Cause I've had the time of my life And I searched through every open door Till I found the truth And I owe it all to you." The song faded out, and Mulder grinned down at Scully. "The Time Of My Life" had expressed their relationship perfectly. The next song was Celine Dion's "Tell Him." It was almost like the music had been chosen just for them. The world swirled around Scully as she and Mulder slow danced. Everything was perfect. The whales were safe, and she and Mulder had finally gotten together. Scully couldn't think of any other way she'd like it to be. *** Friday Harbor August 21 4:31 PM The Natselane's crew gathered at the ferry dock to bid the agents goodbye. It was time for Mulder and Scully to return to DC. Mulder, for the most part, was wondering what would happen between himself and Scully when they got home. He sighed, figuring that Scully would want to focus on their work. He predicted that they would just go back to being 'Mulder' and 'Scully,' nothing more. There was a plethora of hugs and good-byes going on. Scully stepped aside to give a special thank you to Lisa. "Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for everything you did," Scully said quietly. "Any time," Lisa replied with a smile. "I mean it." They gave a friendly embrace. "See you later, hopefully." "Yeah. I think I know where I'm going on my next vacation," Scully laughed. Boarding had begun, and Mulder and Scully had to return to their car. They said their final good-byes and climbed in. Moments later, they were directed onto the ferry. After parking, they got out and headed for the passenger deck. They could see Jesse, Randolph, and Lisa watching from land. They waved, just as the ferry's horn blew loudly. It began to recede from the dock slowly. Mulder and Scully watched San Juan Island recede. As they did, they heard a familiar noise. They were unable to hide smiles as the dorsals of J-Pod's whales pierced the surface. There, in the midst of the pod, was Willy. He leapt into the air as if to say his own goodbye. "Goodbye, Willy," Scully whispered as she watched them go. She looked up at Mulder, who was grinning broadly. He took her hand and guided her back to the cabin. *** -Epilogue- Scully's Apartment Thanksgiving Day 7:29 PM Mulder had been completely wrong about Scully's intentions in terms of their relationship. She was more than willing to continue. The only catch was that they had to hide it from the entire Bureau, and Mulder wasn't sure how long that would last. It had only taken Skinner a few days to find out. Then again, much of the Bureau wasn't as quick as Skinner. The X-Files had been waiting for them when they returned. A tall stack of cases had accumulated, and they were weighted down with work. By late November, the load had lifted considerably. Scully had often thought back on their summer, and constantly cited it as the high point of her year. With all that behind them, the Scully family and Mulder had gathered at Scully's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Scully was enjoying spending the time with her brothers, whom she rarely saw. They had both heard one way or another about her big case. She was also glad to see her young nephew, who was just born the winter before. Scully saw that her mother had broken off from the group and was gazing at a picture on the mantle. "Hey," Scully said, approaching her. Her mom turned to her and smiled. "I guess some things you just shouldn't tell your superiors, huh?" Margaret Scully asked, indicating the picture. "Yeah," Scully replied. The picture on the mantle showed Mulder and Scully in the water with Willy, on either side of him. They each had and arm draped over the orca's back, just behind his blowhole. They were smiling for the camera. It was Scully's memento of the occasion, her only tangible reminder. It was her favorite photo of all time. Somehow, she knew she hadn't seen the last of Willy. THE END Well? What did you think? Should I write a sequel? Tell me! I didn't spend months on this for nothing!! dkscully@softhome.net Okay, I know I'll feel like an advertisement, but I think I have to say this. Most people know that tuna fishing is a big problem for dolphins. In the 70's, 200,000-300,000 dolphins died each year due to it. Since then, the numbers have gone down to a few thousand. Many people prefer to buy dolphin-safe tuna, but I would like to say something about that. What most people don't know is that that doesn't mean the way the tuna is caught is safe for dolphins. All it means is that no dolphins were encircled to herd tuna into the nets. The dolphins can be killed, and the company that killed it is still allowed to put the "dolphin-safe" label on their products. Now I'm not telling everybody to stop eating tuna, I'm just letting you know that some dolphins could have died while that fish was being caught. Also, there has been a lobby to change the requirements for the dolphin-safe tuna label. I'm asking you to support this when you can. Thanks for taking the time to read this!