This one's for Laur, who always complains that only people with no life have time to read my fics.
Website: The Scribs: Home of the Insane Fanfiction Writer Cassima
Well, the week had gone from bad to worse. The petite woman rubbed her temples and bit her lip to keep from crying. Not only had her mysterious dreams kept her from having a full night's sleep, Mulder was driving her crazy. And her computer had crashed, losing both the expense and medical reports, as well as her new solitaire game. And Frohike had asked her out. Again. Lewdly, as usual. AND she couldn't remember that stupid movie that she remembered only one line from. AND Mulder had lost his cell phone again.
But that wasn't even close to the topper. No, that was the bottom pancake on stack of her problems.
Scully pushed her hair back from her face with a sigh. Whatever Mulder had in his pocket that was setting off the airline metal detector was driving her insane. "Mulder!" she snapped irritably at her chagrined partner. "Empty your pockets already! We're going to miss our flight!"
"Chill out, Scully," he told her easily. "It's not my fault."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Mulder. It's never your fault."
"Now what's that supposed to mean?"
She shook her head, her chin-length red hair swinging. "You're going to miss the flight. I'm leaving without you."
Mulder seemed genuinely surprised at the outburst from his normally so patient partner. "Scully, it's not my fault!"
She felt like knocking his head against the wall. "It's probably all the marbles in your head knocking against each other," she grumbled grimly.
"Marbles are made of glass."
"Obviously, the ones in your head aren't!"
The tall, lanky man was finally cleared after taking some sort of metallic figurine out of his pocket and handing it to the authorities. Passing through customs without notice--thank you, God--they boarded their plane. Mulder immediately claimed the window seat, to Scully's growing dismay, and quickly fell asleep. Having been handed this incredibly stupid case so darn quickly, they hadn't been able to get different seats. Hence, Scully had a neighbor. Oh, joy.
The young man in front of the empty seat next to Scully--May it stay empty, she prayed--was having a difficult time on the plane. The large hunk of metal hadn't even moved towards the runway, and already he was having motion sickness problems. She could hear his continuous retching and winced; the sound and sickly-sweet/bitter smell was making her own stomach uneasy.
"Don't mind him," a low voice in the aisle told her. "He'll stop... eventually." Scully looked up the body associated with the voice with surprise and slight dismay. Her seatmate was a teenager, a few years younger than the sick boy. Her straight brown hair fell to about mid-back, and her eyes were large and open. The person in question sat down next to Scully, grimacing. "Hopefully sooner rather than later, with the trick I just taught him."
Scully studied the girl intently. There was something familiar about her... Especially the eyes. Bright, sharp eyes that seemed to look directly into the soul and read it's pain and time of... death. Maybe it was the lighting, but she had the largest pupils Scully had ever seen. They covered the whole iris, leaving only a ring of bright green around the black.
*I remember her face from when I was hospitalized with cancer,* she realized, eyes growing. *She was hovering by me! No, it couldn't have been her... could it?*
The object in question seemed uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "Hi, my name is Lun@," she offered, extending a hand and putting an odd accent on the "a".
Scully simply stared.
"Okay..." Lun@ took her hand back, placing it in her lap. "I can take a hint. I'll leave you alone."
"No," Scully said, shaking her head, "It's just that... you look so familiar..."
Lun@ squirmed uncomfortably, twisting the edge of her giant t-shirt. "Uh... I have that kind of face."
"Oh." The red-haired agent didn't buy it. "I'm Special Agent Scully. The one sleeping in the corner is my partner, Special Agent Mulder. We're with the FBI."
Lun@ frowned. "I didn't know the FBI did work in different countries."
Scully sighed. "Neither did I."
There was a small break in the conversation. "What the difference between a Special Agent and a regular agent?" Lun@ finally asked.
Scully opened her mouth to reply before she realized that she didn't have one. "Uh... more paperwork?"
Lun@ laughed.
Scully allowed herself a slight chuckle at this. "I really have no idea," she confessed. "I've often wondered that myself. I sure do do a lot of paperwork, though."
Lun@ looked over the bedraggled Special Agent with a careful eye. "You look tired," she pronounced.
Scully rubbed a hand over her face. "I've been having dreams all week. Really weird ones. They've been keeping me up all night. I've actually been experiencing them for months now, but lately... they've gotten really violent.
"For example, I saw a... a man with blond hair and pale skin and a whip. He kept asking me, "Who are they? Who are they?" and hitting me..." she trailed off, trembling. "It was awful."
Lun@ was deep in thought. Suddenly, she fished around in her pocket and dug out a Kleenex. "Here."
Scully looked at it dumbly. "What is this for?"
Lun@ rubbed her nose uncomfortably. "You're... you're bleeding."
Scully visibly flinched and accepted the tissue to clean her nose. "Thanks." There was a slight break in her voice.
Lun@ put her hand on the petite woman's shoulder. "What's wrong? Should I call a doctor?"
Scully shook her head in negation. "No. I already know what's wrong." She took a deep breath, glancing at Mulder to make sure he was really asleep.
"What?"
"I have cancer."
"Oh," Lun@ gasped. "That's horrible!" She regarded the woman thoughtfully for a moment, watching her mop up her face with a moist towelette found in the back pocket of the seat in front of her. "When are you going to tell him?"
Scully flinched again, as if she had been reaching for a cobra instead of her compact. "What do you mean?"
"That Mulder guy. He needs to know."
"What..." Scully's voice broke slightly again, and she worked to cover it up. "Why do you think that I haven't told him yet?"
"Hunch. A correct one, judging by your reaction."
The agent drew a ragged breath. "You don't understand." She hadn't meant to tell a perfect stranger--no less, a child--about her cancer. In fact, the only people who knew were AD Skinner, her doctor, and herself.
"Make me."
"Well..." Scully studied the ground. "I had a tumor before. It... metastasized and... almost killed me. I went into remission..." No sense in going into the why and how. "I thought it was over. Mulder did, too. It nearly killed him to see me so close to death."
Suddenly, Lun@ remembered her. It had been last year, a soul she was supposed to collect. A... Dana Scully. She had waited by that woman's beside, hoping for a miracle... she had given that Mulder a poke in the butt, telling him to look deeper and find the chip. I can't believe it worked... well, obviously, it didn't...
"About two months ago, about when I began having these dreams... my nosebleeds and headaches came back. I got myself checked..." Scully took a deep breath. "The doctor has instructed me that I can only take one more case before I'm to stop working. This is my last X-file."
"Oh, no! That's terrible!" Lun@ whispered, touching the woman's arm gently. "Special Agent Scully... Agent Scully... Dana..." she shook her head. "Scully... you'd be surprised to see yourself now. You're doing great. But... you have to tell Mulder."
"Why?" Scully mumbled. "What's the use? It would just kill him. Last time... he practically killed himself. I couldn't live with that. And, if he didn't, he would run away and leave me to work on this by myself, for my "protection". So, why bother." It wasn't a question.
"Because," the girl said calmly, "It'll eat you up inside. The secret will chew at your sanity, your guilt will overwhelm you... and he'll be so hurt if you don't."
"It sounds suspiciously like my cancer. Was that a Mulderism?"
Lun@ giggled a little. Calming down, she sighed. "You have to, sooner or later."
"Why?"
"It'll tear you up inside." she repeated quietly. Suddenly, Lun@ caught sight of an ear pressed suspiciously up against the seat in front of her. "Hang on a minute." Standing and twisting around the seat, she moved her mouth close to Xander's ear. "Xander," she said loudly, "stop eavesdropping."
He jumped a couple inches off his chair as Lun@ hid a grin, daring to glance back at Scully. Scully was giving him a frosted-over glare that could've froze Hawaii. Twice.
Hiding her grin under a thin layer of frost, she lost her good humor and glared at him as he hissed, "Don't do that!"
Lun@ had years of practice of not being able to laugh. "I would appreciate it," she told him, the ice in Scully's glare giving her power, changing her mood to the blackest in the book, "if you would kindly direct your attentions elsewhere. Perhaps your Walkman?" She was secretly itching to call him a hippo's asshole, but she doubted that he'd appreciate the beauty of the Japanese language. Giving him a good, hard LOOK, she let him see her anger.
"Okay," he agreed in a cowed, high-pitched voice. "I'll--" he cleared his throat, returning it to it's normal octave, "get it back from Will right away."
He is such a dork. Shaking her head in disgust, she couldn't resist muttering "Kaba no baka," as she headed back to her seat.
Plopping back down next to Scully, she gave her an apologetic glance. "Sorry 'bout that."
Scully shrugged, still amazed at the outcome of that small battle. That was a teenage boy she had yelled at, one who had been snapping at people all morning, had just instantly shut up at the sight of that passive, quiet girl. Very odd... very odd indeed. It didn't matter, though; Scully had problems that she needed to work out by herself. Wrapping her frail, dying body in a quilt of silence, she immersed herself in her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Lun@ had her own problems. None that she could tell anyone. Not Buffy, not Giles, not even Angel.
First of all, nothing was going as planned. Sure, she _looked_ like she had it all under control, but she was slowly, painfully losing her grip on reality and the situation at hand. She had no idea what she was going to do; Japan was a huge country, and Tokyo was a large city. If the vamps were careful, they could easily escape from noticeable view for at least a month. Unfortunately, that was all the group had: a month. One month-long vacation. Not nearly enough time.
Second of all, she was having dreams similar to the ones Agent Scully had described. Similar, but yet... different. Hers hadn't been so violent, but they consisted of images familiar yet not placeable in her memory, and faces of unnamed and unknown friends. They were long dead, but perhaps... if she could place a name with the face, she could look up her friends and find clues to her missing past... a whole lifetime of memories, literally. The only consistency in the dreams was their ending: a kind, young face with long gray-purple hair smiled sadly and repeated, "All will be revealed." Every night before she fell asleep, she had to wonder about her past. Was I really so terrible for all the other angels to hate me so much? Was I a thief, a murderer, a traitor... what? And,--this thought ran more painfully--why aren't my parents in heaven?
Brushing her hair out of her eyes with her long, slender fingers, she finally pondered the most disturbing thing of all: her Guardian status.
Obviously, she wasn't performing wonderfully. Her mortal wasn't doing too well, and Lun@ was the only Guardian to ever lose their subject... twice, no less. Buffy was strong, a fighter, but she wasn't happy. She had a great personality and a keen source of friends, but as for true happiness, that warmth that fills your belly and gives a definite radiance to your aura and soul, she just didn't cut it. This upset Lun@ and put her at a great risk. A Guardian is only immortal and impervious to mortal means of danger if their protected is happy and content. Lun@, therefore, could die and mess up the big scheme of things if she didn't get her act together and help the Slayer find something cheery to think about for a while, to make her enjoy life.
A more concerning matter in that general area, though, was her Guardian powers. Or lack there of, in her case. She was having problems with the simple stuff, like flying, blessing, and changing shape. Oh, sure, going from dog to human and back again was an easy enough process, but any other shapes, even simple ones like cats or birds, simply were out of her reach. Plus, now and then, she had dizzy spells and terrible colds. Even if she wasn't immortal, she should be proof against disease... but, no. The only powers she had consistently been able to perform was the healing rune sigil and her phasing power; otherwise, she had to depend on her experience as an AoD to allow her to assist Buffy on her patrols. It was gratifying to the other angels, who gloated about it every chance they got. "Still getting in trouble?" they teased, but it felt malicious, and cruel.
Standing up, she stretched and made her way to the smelly little bathroom at the end of the plane.
Hope Xander's not in there.
No! a voice yelped in his head. No! Don't take her away! He tossed and turned, watching the battle of his life flash before his eyes as his most important person was tangled in the light, stretchedand torn and yanked to the skies, forced to embrace the decidedly not government issue spacecraft. Scully!
A sharp poke in his ribs caused him to turn uncomfortably. "Stopit," he muttered quietly, huddling in on himself. "Gotta save Scully. Go 'way."
"Mulder," a kind voice told him gently, "wake up. You're having a nightmare."
For some unknown reason, Mulder firmly resisted acknowledging his dream. "No."
"Mulder," the oddly-familiar voice prodded again, "I'm right here. I'm fine. Wake up. I'm here."
Suddenly, he managed to place the voice. "Scully!" He bounced up like a spring, at last awake.
The woman in question raised an eyebrow at his eager tone. "Yes?" she inquired sweetly.
"I... I..." He stumbled over his tongue for a moment. "I had a dream," he finally decided on.
For some reason that Mulder couldn't comprehend, her face darkened. "Oh, really?" she asked, too casually. "About what?"
He looked her straight in the eye. "They took you again."
Scully comfortingly lay her hand on his. "I'm fine, Mulder."
The way she always said that, especially when she was lying, shook him inside. Having no evidence, though, he decided not to pursue it. "I'm glad."
Staring at her hands, she worked them nervously. "I--ah--I have a favor to ask. Switch seats with me, please?"
"Eh... why, if I may ask?"
Scully fidgeted quietly. "There's this girl I'm sitting next to... she's scaring me... there's just something about her... I can't really sleep well... and I think you'd get along better with her than I will." She looked at Mulder with her darkly rimmed eyes, pleading with him. "I just want to get some sleep..."
"Okay, okay, Scully!" Mulder interrupted, patting her shoulder gently. "No need to rough me up!" Giving her a small smile, he helped her move her things. Gently pillowing her head with his jacket against the wall, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered.
Stretching out, he prepared to fall asleep.
"Hullo. You're Mulder, right?"
His eyes snapped open. "Yeah. And you must be..." that girl Scully said was freaking her out.
"Lun@." She plopped down in her seat, covering herself up in a blanket.
Weird name... weird kid, in fact. "What did you and Scully talk about?"
She paused. "Oh, this 'n' that. So, why're you goin' to Japan?"
Mulder noticed the subject change. "An X-file. I assume Agent Scully told you what we do."
Lun@ shook her head. "She said you were Feebies, but..."
A grin stretched out on his face. "Scully said that?"
"Well, she may not have used that exact terminology, but it ran somewhere along those lines." Her eyes twinkled.
"Oh, well, we investigate... odd phenomena."
"You mean, like extraterrestrials, robots, demons, vampires... angels..."
Mulder was impressed. "Yeah, that's pretty close. Never done any angels before, though."
Lun@ nodded. "They're out there. Ever wonder why something good happens? Look for a fluttering of wings, the sound of breeze, a white feather... it's proof that the Joy-Luck Committee is looking after you." She realized her mistake as soon as his eyes lit up.
"Really? How do you know this?"
Hmm... caught between a rock and a hard place... improvise, girl, improvise. "I'm observant." There. Not exactly a lie, but... not all the truth... that method's never failed me yet.
If he noticed her aversion to the question, he didn't comment. In fact, he was busy noticing her eyes. Strange, soulful things; the pupils were enormous, even in the well-lit cabin. "How old are you, Lun@?"
That got a grin out of her. "As old as the sun, the moon, and the third star to the right. Old enough to know, old enough to care, old enough to worry, but not old enough to lie about it. Fifteen--" hundred or so. "I'll be sixteen soon." She had lost track of her age over the years, but she knew it to be roughly over 15,000... maybe more. Still, her physical age had remained the same until she was forced into this job... against her will.
Mulder bit back a grin. This kid had a sense of humor that he could relate to... Scully was right, he did like her. Now there's a surprise. Scully was right?!? Never! "Hey, do you like brain teasers?"
"The question is, do you?" There was a wicked gleam in her eye. Hundreds of years of living haven't been for nothing, finally!
"Okay... A man walks into a bar. He asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender whips out a gun and points it at him. The man--"
"Says 'thank you' and walks out. Heard it, seen it, been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. He had the hiccups. My turn." She thought for a moment. "I am the outstretched fingers that seize and hold the wind. Wisdom flows from me in other hands. Upon me sweet dreams are dreamt. My merest touch brings laughter. What am I?"
Mulder's jaw dropped a bit. He hadn't expected something like that! "Uh... um..."
Lun@ bit her tongue to keep from laughing. "You can ask yes/no questions, if you want."
Mulder mocked his relief. "Whew! Is it soft?"
"Yeah."
"Is it a real finger?"
"Nopers."
"Is it... magic?"
She laughed softly. "Hardly."
After quite a few more guesses, he finally got it. "Is it a feather?"
"Hallelujah! He's got it!" Lun@ gave him a round of silent applause.
It was Mulder's turn, and this time he wasn't going to be so easily defeated. He had gotten into the old, cryptic metaphor mode, though, so he quickly made up his own on the spot. "I am two faced, but bear only one face. I have no legs but travel widely. Men spill much blood over me. Kings leave their imprint on me. I have greatest power when given away, yet lust for me keeps me locked up. What am I?"
Lun@ loved to wrap her mind around a good puzzle. "Is it small?"
Mulder nodded his head, enjoying this.
"Are its two faces attached to heads?"
"No."
"Can it switch it's two faces?"
"No."
"Does it ever have more than two faces?"
"No."
Lun@ closed her eyes, thinking hard. She began to think more between her questions, until finally her eyes snapped open. "It's a coin, isn't it?"
Mulder smirked at her cocked head. "Yeah, that would be it."
"Goodie! Okay, it's my turn... hm... High born, my touch is gentle. Purest white is my lace. Silent, silent is my kingdom. Green is my death. To some, I bring delight; to others, I bring certain death. I am always different, but always the same." She let her voice trail off, giving him thinking time. "What am I?"
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