Into Darkness - 3/5

Selena Coontz - Selena1782@aol.com





*Hoo-boy, I wish I could have seen Special Agent Dr. Dana Scully's

face when she first saw my message*  BJ chuckled, unable to 

contain her good mood. *It even made that hour I spent burning

the message into Blondie worth it.  Cigarettes sure are nasty!

People who smoke are fucking idiots!  Might as well just burn

your money.  I'm glad Miz Joplin smoked though, 'cause I would

never have thought of burning my message into Blondie otherwise.

I wonder if one of those butane matches would work easier?  I

know, incense sticks!  I'll have to try that.  I might could draw

some real pretty pictures with one of those.  I'll have to find a

way to keep Dana completely still so I can write everything while

she's still alive.  Neatness counts!*  BJ singsonged in her mind.

*At least that's what Miss Eubanks used to tell us in third grade*

She laughed out loud.





                                ******





Dana Scully stood by the autopsy table that held the body of

Melissa Royce and pulled on a pair of latex gloves.  Dr. Wyatt,

the elderly County Medical Examiner, had been more than happy for

Scully to perform the autopsy, but expressed his concern for her

state of mind.



"I've never had to autopsy a body that had a message for me on it.

Are you sure you're going to be OK?"



"I'm fine," Scully answered and gave him a small, reassuring smile.



"OK," Dr. Wyatt nodded. "If you need anything, you know where to

find me."



Scully nodded and watched him leave the room, closing the door

behind him.



She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting to 10.

Clipping a microphone to her scrubs, she began. "This is case

number 1412-99, Melissa Royce.  The body is that of a 31-year-old

well-nourished Caucasian female with blond hair and blue eyes.

The body is 66 inches long and weighs 127 pounds." 



Scully began her external examination of the body. "There is a

four centimeter scar on the inside of the right calf just below the

knee and a three centimeter dolphin tattoo on the right ankle."

Scully looked at the small tattoo with the dolphin's "smiling" face

and thought of her own tattoo and how miserable she had been when

she got it.  Melissa's tattoo looked so happy.  She pictured a

laughing Melissa with a group of friends joking with the tattoo

artist. *Stay focused* she warned herself.



Clearing her throat she continued, "Numerous contusions and lesions

mark the skin, none of which appear to be the cause of death."

Scully turned her gaze to Melissa's chest.  "Words have been burned

into the skin of the victim's chest.  Visual examination shows the

letters were formed with many small circular burns, supporting the

use of a cigarette as the instrument.  Upon close examination it 

appears the first few burns in the S in SCULLY were inflicted while

the victim was alive.  The edges are slightly blurred and there is

evidence of bleeding.  The neatness and lack of blood suggests the

rest of the message was written postmortem. 



*Thank God for whatever small favors you received*



Scully glanced quickly at Melissa's face, bruised, pale and 

bloodied, but her beauty still apparent. 



*I'm sorry.  I'm sorry you had to become that monster's parchment*  



She swiftly tamped down the emotion that threatened her composure.

Again in control, she continued. "Blood, skin and cloth fibers are

present under the fingernails, indicating a violent struggle.

Ligature bruises and abrasions are present on the wrists and ankles

indicating a sustained struggle after she was restrained. 



*You never gave up, did you?  I won't give up either.  I'll get BJ

Taylor if it's the last thing I do*  



With her resolve bolstered Scully went to the next phase of the

autopsy, opening the body with the usual "Y" incision.  The incision

reached from both shoulders, across the breasts to the xyphoid

process at the bottom of the sternum, then continued in a straight

line to the pubis.  Scully meticulously examined, weighed and

sectioned each organ in Melissa's chest and abdomen.  The contents

of her stomach were recorded and a sample sent for toxicology.

Beginning her examination of Melissa's pelvis she suddenly became

still. "Oh my God," she said softly, the words escaping before she

could stop them.  Horror and revulsion filled her as she discovered

the cause of death.  



*distance distance distance* 



Examining Melissa's vagina she found what she suspected would be

there, wooden splinters.  Speaking slowly into the microphone she

gave her findings. "A wooden instrument, most likely a dowel was

pushed hard into the victim's vagina, ripping through the vaginal

fornix, tearing into her colon and piercing her vena cava.  Cause

of death, massive internal hemorrhage."





                               ******





BJ's Journal



~When I was 11 Daddy took me over to a ranch that belonged to one

~of his friends.  He wanted to teach me how to shoot a .22 rifle.

~Daddy had the prettiest little .22.  He used to go dove hunting

~and deer hunting every year and I loved watching him clean his

~guns afterwards.  I'll never forget the smell, a mixture of Hoppes

~No 9 Cleaning Oil and cordite.  He kept all of his guns in a 

~locked gun cabinet and I was supposed to NEVER get in it, but he

~never minded me looking at all of the rifles through the glass

~front.  I was so excited.  Daddy never took me anywhere, not just

~me and him.  I thought maybe if I shot good, he would take me

~hunting with him.  We got there and he set this target out about

~20 yards away.  Then we sat down at this old picnic table and he

~told me all about the .22.  He showed me how to load it and where

~the safety was.  Then he showed me how to aim by lining up the

~sights with the target.  Then he let me shoot it.  My first shot

~hit the ground in front of the target.  He told me to raise the

~end of the rifle up a bit and try again.  That time I hit it!  I

~was so happy! Daddy even said, "Good!" and smiled at me.  The next

~time I shot the rifle went KABLAM!!  It was so loud, it scared me

~to death.  I dropped the .22 on the table and jumped back.  I

~thought it was about to explode.  Daddy started laughing, said it

~had just backfired and wasn't nothing to worry about.  But it

~really scared me and I was scared to shoot it any more.  All of

~the fun was gone.  And then Daddy called me a scaredy-cat girl.

~When his friend came by he told him what had happened and they

~both had a big laugh.  I had proved him right.  Girls were 

~scaredy-cats.  He never took me anywhere again.



"But I'm not a scaredy-cat anymore, am I Daddy?" BJ said as she 

put down her pen.





                                 ******





"Hampton Inn.  May I help you?"



"Dana Scully, please."



"Just a moment," said the desk clerk. "I'll ring her for you." 



"No, nevermind.  Someone's knocking at my door.  I'll call back."

BJ hung up. "Bingo."





                                 ******





"Oh, it's you," Scully said as she opened the motel door and saw

Perrin.



"What kind of greeting is that?" Perrin asked, stung by Scully's

words. "I just came by to see how you are doing and see if you

wanted to get something to eat."



"I'm not hungry."



"Well, can I come in?"



"Fine. I'm afraid I'm not fit company right now," she said as she

shut the door.



"What is it?"



Dana Scully, who in the best of times kept a tight rein on her

emotions, had all of her defenses in place. *I wish I was strong

enough to crawl in your arms and tell you*  She shook her head,

"Nothing."



"You're not acting like it's nothing."



"I'm sorry.  It doesn't have anything to do with you."



Striving to understand, Perrin tried a different tactic. "The

murder is all over the news."



Scully nodded, arms folded across her chest.



Perrin looked at her with concern. "C'mere." She held her arms out

to hug Scully, but Scully refused the offer.



"I'm not ready for that right now."



"Hey, it's me.  I love you.  All I want to do is hold you.  I'm

not going to jump your bones."



Scully shook her head. "I'm sorry." She turned and walked further

into the motel room and sat down in a chair.



Her choice of seats wasn't lost on Perrin.  Leave me alone, it said.

Perrin stood, her own feelings of anger and rejection returning and

winning her internal battle.  She would leave, they could talk later.

But her "See you later," died on her lips when she looked at Scully.

She looked so small, so vulnerable, sitting in that chair that her

anger disappeared.  She knew, *really knew* this rejection had 

nothing to do with her.  Walking over to Scully, she knelt in front

of the chair and sighed.  Taking Scully's hand she said, "You did 

the autopsy today, didn't you?"



Scully nodded.



"Talk to me," she said softly.



"I can't.  It's part of an ongoing investigation."  



"Then let me hold you."



"I can't."



Perrin took a deep breath. "I wish I knew what to do, knew what

to say."



"Nothing to do, nothing to say." Scully answered softly. *How did

I ever think I could let someone love me, doing what I do?*



Perrin stood and tugged on Scully's hand. "C'mere.  Please," she 

added when Scully didn't react.



After a moment Scully relented and stood and Perrin led her the

couple of steps to the bed. "Lie down." 



Scully crawled onto the bed and Perrin followed her, gathering her

in her arms as they got settled. "I don't know everything you know,

but what I know is awful enough." Perrin searched for the right

words to say, something that would let Scully know that she didn't

have to face this alone. "I love you.  You don't have to pretend

with me and you don't have to be strong for me.  Just don't shut me

out.  I know I can't help in the investigation, but I can hold you

and I hope, give you strength."



Scully held on tightly, but didn't say a word.  





                               ******





BJ parked a little way off, but with a good view of the Hampton

Inn and settled down to wait. *Patience, that's what Aunt Dora

used to say.*  Unless an opportunity too good to pass up presented

itself, she didn't intend to grab Scully that night.  Instead, she

hoped to discover which room Scully was in and in the process,

tease herself with a glimpse of her.





                                 ******





"Are you sure you don't want me to stay the night?" Perrin asked

softly.



They stood near the door, arms wrapped around each other.



"I'm sure.  I need to go over my notes on the case and then I'm

going to bed."  Scully pulled back just enough to look at Perrin's

face. "Thank you for sticking around," she said, then put her head

on Perrin's shoulder. "I'm sorry I treated you so badly earlier."



"It's OK.  I just wish I could do more," Perrin said as she hugged

Scully to her.  After a moment, they parted and Perrin opened the

door.  Stepping outside, she turned to face Scully who stood in the

doorway. "Please call me if you need me.  I'll drop whatever I'm

doing and meet you.  OK?"



Scully nodded. 



Perrin held her hand out, taking Scully's. "C'mere," she said as

she pulled the smaller woman to her gently.  



They each sought the comfort of the others kiss, their lips softly

touching.  Then, the emotion of the night caught them and the kiss

became harder, more demanding, as they chased after life in the midst

of death.  They kissed and their souls were replenished, their

connection restored, their love not just intact, but stronger.



"I'll see you tomorrow," Scully promised as their lips parted.



"Yes," Perrin nodded. "Tomorrow."



              

                              ******





"What the hell?!" BJ couldn't believe her eyes. *They're kissing!

Kissing!!  Dana Scully's a fucking queer!* BJ was spellbound by the

scene she was observing. "She's a dyke," she whispered, blindsided

by the mixture of feelings that washed over her.  Sorting through

the differing rush of emotions, she latched on to the easiest.

*Thank you God for showing me her depravity.  And her bitch.

Getting both of them complicates things, but oh, won't it be fun

to watch Dana Scully watch her girlfriend get it*  BJ grinned in

anticipation. *This is going to be the best ever*



                             

                               ******





"There were major differences in the amount of evidence left on the

body this time," Scully said as she watched Mulder put away the 

biggest Belgian waffle she'd ever seen. "I know she's not trying to

hide and she wants us to know it's her.  And obviously, she wants me

to know she's after me.  But it's still unusual for a serial killer

to change their script so much.  She went from very neat and

meticulous to just plain messy."



"She's taunting you," Mulder said between mouthfuls. "You're the one

who outsmarted her and caught her before.  And she knows you're the

one doing the autopsy.  She's trying to rattle you."

               

Looking grim, Scully nodded, "It seems to be working."

                



                               ******





BJ sat in Miz Joplin's oak rocking chair and, with tears slowly

escaping down her cheeks, wrote in her journal.



~I was 16 when Gwen Peters moved to Whitesboro.  She was everything

~I wasn't - cocky, sure of herself and scared of nothing.  She kept

~her black hair cut real short, shorter than most girls, but it

~looked real good on her.  She had blue eyes and a fair complexion

~and every boy in school fell for her.  But they were all kind of

~scared of her too.  She didn't act like most girls, giggling and

~acting stupid around boys.  She just did her own thing and they

~could like it or lump it.  I never talked to her, truth was, I was

~kind of scared of her too.  But not very long after she came we were

~playing volleyball during PE and ended up on the same side.  We were

~awesome together.  We SLAUGHTERED the other team.  Gwen and I scored

~all but three of our teams points.  When it was over, she turned to

~me and said, "Good game, Beej."  Nobody ever called me Beej before.

~It made me feel real good.  Then she said, "Race you to the locker

~room" and took off running.  I ran after her as fast as I could, but

~I couldn't catch her.  When I got to the locker room she was sitting

~on one of the benches acting bored. "Where've you been?" she asked

~me and we both started laughing.  We did everything together after

~that.  I'd never really had a best friend before.  It was the best

~six months of my life.  And then she had to go and ruin it.  We were

~at my house, Mama and Daddy had gone to Aunt Dora's and weren't

~supposed to be back until late.  Gwen and I were talking and having

~fun when she asked me if I had ever kissed anybody.  I told her no,

~just relatives and they didn't really count.  She laughed and said

~she wasn't talking about grandma kisses, she meant real kisses.

~Then she said she'd been thinking about kissing me and would it be

~OK if she did.



Full-fledged tears began dripping down on BJ's notebook but she didn't

notice.



~I looked at her and I knew I wanted her to kiss me.  When I was 12,

~I'd go to bed every night and pray that when I woke up in the

~morning I would be a boy.  In the morning, when I was still a girl,

~I would pray that I wouldn't start getting periods that day.  I

~hated EVERYTHING about being a girl.  But when she said she wanted

~to kiss me, it was the only time in my life I was glad I was a girl.

~Because she wanted to kiss ME, not some boy.  And I wanted to kiss

~her.  I nodded my head yes and she smiled at me so nice.



~She kissed me and her lips felt so soft.  She kissed me for a long

~time before she started pushing her tongue against my lips. "Open

~your mouth a little bit," she said.  I did and then she started

~really kissing me, and I was kissing her back.  After a minute she

~told me she had been wanting to do that for a long time.  It felt so

~good, I grabbed her head and pulled her back to me and kissed her

~some more.  After a little while she said, "Let's take off our

~shirts."  So we did.  Then she wanted us to take off our bras.  I've

~never felt anything feel as good as when she touched my breasts.  It

~was like my whole body was on fire, but in a good way.  She would

~touch my breast and I would have the best feeling skitter down from

~my breast through my whole body.  I laid back on the couch and she

~laid down on top of me and if felt so good, so right.  We were so

~wound up in each other we never heard my Mama and Daddy come in the

~house.



~They walked in and my Mama yelled, "Billie Jo Taylor!  What on earth

~are you doing?" But Daddy's the one who scared me.  Me and Gwen both

~jumped up grabbing for our clothes, and he said, real quiet like,

~"Get your shirt and get out of here Gwen Peters, and don't you ever

~darken our door again." She grabbed her stuff and took off.  He

~looked at me like he was going to kill me.  He pulled his belt off

~and wrapped the end around his hand and started hitting me as hard

~as he could. "Don't you ever let me catch you doing that again!

~Girls don't kiss girls!"  He kept that belt flying.  He didn't even

~care where he hit me.  I had marks from my shoulders to my calves.

~"It's unnatural!  It's the Devil in you and I'm gonna beat it out!

~No daughter of mine is going to be a fucking queer!"  He hit me and

~hit me and I screamed and cried until finally he wore out.  He told

~me I would go to Hell if I ever did something like that again, that

~Gwen was the spawn of Satan out to steal my soul.  He told me if I

~ever so much as spoke to her again, he would kill me.  And I

~believed him.



~Monday, at school, Gwen tried to talk to me, but I wouldn't listen.

~Daddy had said she would try to get back in my pants.  That that's

~what the Devil does, he tries to be your friend until he gets you

~to do something so you'll go to Hell.  After a few days, she quit

~trying to talk to me.  And a couple of months later her family moved

~again and she was gone.



~But what Daddy didn't tell me was how much I would miss her and how

~much it would hurt.  



BJ brought her hands to her face, unable to stop the tears as she

relived that awful time.  Finally, her thoughts turned to Scully and

her face hardened.



~Special Agent Dr. Dana Scully.  Before I'm through with you, 

~you'll wish you'd never heard the name BJ Taylor.  You and that

~cowgirl butch girlfriend of yours.  Yeah, I'll give you what you

~want.  And then I'll kill you.

 



                                ******