Disclaimers in Chapter One Residual Effect Chapter Seven The temperature on the New York City streets was quickly approaching the century mark. That didn’t matter to Dana, she would gladly take the oppressive heat outside to the icy coldness that had quickly come between her and Abbie. After a breakfast eaten in stilted silence, Abbie dropped the agent off at the Coroner’s office. Dana drolly flipped through her report. She’d finished an hour ago, yet she couldn’t bring herself to call the lawyer with her findings. Dana couldn’t decide which emotions plagued her more. The sound of her cell ringing snapped Dana from her thoughts. She picked up her phone, glad for the distraction. "Scully." "Hey Scully, it’s me." Dana could feel the corners of her mouth widening. She sighed slightly before speaking into the phone. "Hey Mulder." "Voodoo." "Excuse me." Dana stammered. "Or voudoun, to be more correct." "Mulder, either you’re speaking in tongues or I’m still missing the big picture." "The symbol you sent me. It’s from the Voudoun religion. Technically speaking the symbol on your victim’s chest is for protection. Although, it seems to have been pretty ineffective." "Damn," Dana leaned back in her chair, removing her glasses. "This doesn’t tie into my victimology what so ever does it?" "That’s not entirely true, Scully. Consider this, the cross is considered a universal symbol that repels vampires." Mulder paused as he heard Scully snicker on the other end. "But, in that particular folk lore or what have you, other religious symbols do not. Like anhks, Star of David, etc. Now, maybe your victim did use his protection spell as a universal." "But, the spell is more effective against those who believe." "Correct-o-mundo." Mulder replied. "So, in some form or fashion, our victim knew that they were aware of Voudoun and the consequences of breaking said spell." Dana tapped her fingers on the desk, her thoughts mulling over this new information. "It’s not much. I think I’ve grasped at heavier straws. Is that it?" "Well Scully, that is all you sent me? Unless there’s more?" Dana thought to herself. "How are things going with you?" "You have three guesses, and the first two don’t count." "That good huh?" She could hear the tinge of sadness in his voice. Ever since the closing down of the X-Files Mulder had become more withdrawn. Involving him in her current assignment seemed to bring a spark back into the agent. But even as they spoke, Dana could feel that spark slowly dying out. "I’ve definitely seen better days." He sighed. >From the corner of her eye, Dana could see Abbie standing in the doorway. The icy exterior had melted somewhat. Dana could tell by the way that the attorney shifted in her shoes. The uncertainty in her eyes on whether or not to interrupt Dana’s conversation. Yet, she maintained her cool demeanor. "I’ll tell you what, Mulder, when I get back we’ll go out to dinner." "Do I get to pick?" "Hell no. I know a great Bar-B-Que restaurant. We’ll eat food that would give the Surgeon General a coronary with our fingers, and consume more liquor than a frat boy at kegger." There was a long pause on the line. "Mulder?" "Who are you and what have you done with Scully?" Dana could feel herself smirking at the comment. "I’ll take that as a yes, then. I’ll talk to you later, Mulder." Abbie walked into the room as Dana put the phone down. She stood several paces from the desk, so as not to get into Dana’s personal space. "What’s up?" Dana asked, maintaining the casual tone of her previous conversation. "Just wondering when you’d be finished with your autopsy." "Ah," Dana tapped her finger on the file, "It’s mostly done." "Mostly." "Yeah, the lead I thought I had turned out to be nothing. The symbol on Franklin’s chest, he did it himself. To ward off evil." "Well that worked." Abbie snarked. "So, what you have on your hands is pretty straight forward." Dana paused for a moment. "So, I assume I’ll be heading back to Washington." "What?" "There’s no reason for me to stay here." Dana stood up from behind the desk. She walked around towards Abbie. "For starters, I need you." Abbie insisted. "No you don’t." "Yes, I do," Abbie was beginning to pace, "Listen, if this is about this morning, I’m really sorry. I had no intention.." "You’re sorry," Dana gasped, "Abbie, I kissed you!" "I didn’t stop you. And I’m not very good with the whole intimacy thing. I know I can be a little pushy sometimes and you’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met before. Plus, the liquor didn’t help. Yes, I’m attracted to you. I mean, who wouldn’t be.." Dana stood there as Abbie babbled endlessly. Her words coming out like a freight train on a downhill slope. "..but I had no right to take advantage. Not that that’s something I do everyday. It’s not. I don’t know what I was thinking." Dana stood in front of the taller woman. She placed a finger on Abbie’s lips, watching as the words ceased pouring out of her mouth. "Shh," Dana softly whispered, "I don’t know what’s going on between us. But, I do know, that A - it’s not pity that I feel. B - you didn’t take advantage of me. And C ­ I really enjoyed this morning." "And D?" Abbie could feel her confidence building as she slid her arms around Dana’s waist. Dana answered by sliding her hands up Abbie’s arms. "D? D is I would be horribly offended if you didn’t kiss me right now." "Oh really?" Abbie carefully ran her nose across Dana’s cheek, finding that perfect position. "Someone could walk in on us." "Yeah," Dana brushed her lips lightly across Abbie’s, "That would be terrible. Maybe we should close the door." "Uh-huh." Abbie mumbled as their lips touched. A slight hush between them as they both inhaled, their bodies closing the gap between them. Dana’s hand cupping the back of Abbie’s head, as Abbie’s hands wrapped tighter around the smaller woman’s waist. Abbie could feel Dana moan as her lips parted. Taking the invitation, she opened Dana’s lips with her tongue, a shiver running down her spine as she felt Dana’s tongue on her own. They tasted each other, memorizing every taste, touch smell. Dana could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She wanted to believe that this was nothing new. She’d kissed other people before, the majority being ex-boyfriends. Calculated her response in her head as clinically as she knew how. The adrenaline pumping in her veins. The heightened sensations, capillaries contracting, breathing getting shallow, all her senses shifting into overdrive. For Dana, this wasn’t old hat. She had kissed, lusted, copulated. But this seemed to be something different. Desire. That was it. Until now, Dana had never really desired something outside of her academia or work oriented goals. And Dana desired Abbie. She felt in every touch, every millimeter of flesh that came into contact with her. Felt it, as every ounce of conscious thought seemed to fade from Dana’s cognitive mind. And all that seemed to matter were the lips pressed against hers and the arms wrapped around her waist. The kiss broke after a brief eternity. They touched their foreheads to each other caught in a minor afterglow. Dana watched as Abbie opened her eyes, a look that could only be described as amorous befuddlement etching itself across her face. "Wow." Dana mumbled aloud as the two stumbled apart like embarrassed teenagers on a first date. "Wow," Abbie repeated, "Um, I, um." "Yeah, me too." Dana stammered. "I’ll see you at six?" Abbie asked as she walked backwards towards the door. "Yes, six." Dana repeated as she attempted to sit, stand, do something. She watched as Abbie exited the room, finally leaning against the desk. Her legs somehow forgetting all those years of basic operation as she groped gingerly for her chair, an enormous smile etching across her face. ** Abbie Carmichael floated back to her office. Heart still stammering in her chest, she couldn’t shake the feeling of elation within her. She sat behind her desk, leaning back casually in the chair. A hand, unconsciously drawn to her face, she traced the outline of her lips with her thumb. With just the slightest of contact, she could feel Dana on her. A residual effect permeating through her system, as if a piece of Dana still pressed against her lips. Her touch, her smell, taste, invaded Abbie’s system, coursing its way through her body. Abbie exhaled slightly, chuckling as she did. Her mind reaching back to find the proper cliché for her emotions. "God Carmichael, you’re giddier than a virgin on Prom night." The lawyer chuckled under her breath. Abbie didn’t know why she had opened up to the agent the night before. Throwing out ‘the liquor’ as the obvious answer, there was something about the agent that drew the attorney to her. And the harder Abbie tried to push those feelings away, the faster they bubbled to the surface. She sighed again, as her phone rang, glad for the reprieve. "Carmichael." The line on the other end crackled in her ear. The caller let the silence hang uncomfortably. "Hello?" Abbie stated. "Get off this case bitch," the caller hissed in her ear. "Leave it alone, or I’ll kill you like I did Franklin." The line went dead. Abbie inhaled deeply as she slammed her phone down. Just as quickly, she picked the receiver back up, dialing the station so they could begin a trace. She gritted her teeth. Since receiving the case, Abbie had this deep down feeling that there was something *more*. That they’d only uncovered the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Even more, Abbie knew that as bad as things were, the worst was yet to come. And that scared Abbie Carmichael more than anything, not the fear of the unknown, per se, but that the unknown was coming for her. End Chapter Seven