Classification: TRHA

Rating: NC-17. Yep, we're finally gonna have some gratuitous sex, kiddies.

Summary: Mulder & Scully have tied the knot, and life is about to become very different for everyone involved...

Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them. Will return in good condition. Property of Fox Television and 1013 Productions.

"And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am..."

The Goo Goo Dolls, "Iris." Used without permission.
 

Nefasti Dies

July 6, 1999
The J. Edgar Hoover Building

Long weekends are great. The only problem with them is that they're followed by shortened weeks, which usually end up seeming longer than a normal working week.

And I didn't know the half of it when I pulled into work on Tuesday.

There was a message that Dana was in a meeting with Walter Skinner, and I was to join them at 10:30. That meant leaving Quantico and driving into DC, which is always an experience.

The weather had turned extremely hot and muggy, which is great for the beach, and horrific for commuters. Traffic was snarled with dead cars, overheated cars, and fender benders, which seemed far more numerous than usual. It made me appreciate the calm nature of driving on the West Coast.

I missed California in the summertime. For one thing, it doesn't rain in California during the summer. Hot sunny days in DC could quickly do an about face; more than one beautiful day had been punctuated with a thunderstorm. Usually, the storm would last just long enough to make things more humid, as opposed to cooling them off. I ran the air conditioning more
in my apartment in Alexandria than I ever had in Los Angeles.

Thunderstorms or not, Miranda was enjoying her summer with a vengeance. She had been invited to amusement parks, the beach, movies, the mall and girlfriends' houses nearly every day since school had let out. And now she was on a weeklong campout in Western Virginia with her best friend's family. I had packed her up yesterday morning and would not see her again until Sunday night.

The weekend had been low-key and pleasant. I spent a lot of time cleaning the townhouse, which was creeping into the realm of disgusting. On 4th of July, Langly, Byers, Frohike, Miranda, and I sat up on the roof of their building and watched the fireworks. Langly had come over on Saturday, as usual. Or not.

We had kissed, and we had kissed again. But that was about as far as it had gone. It was delicious. But we were both cautious. There were things that each of us were still not totally at ease with--I had to come to terms with the fact that Langly had a past, present and probably a future which was never going to be what my experiences had led me to accept as normal. He wasn't saying it, but I think he had to deal with the fact that I had been married before, that I was a mother, and that I was Jewish. I don't think any of these things bothered him in the abstract, but dealing with a flesh-and-blood human being who is carrying these sorts of things around in her skin is a totally different matter.

Miranda had been sitting on her duffel and sleeping bag, waiting for her ride, when she asked the question.

"Mom? Why are you still wearing your wedding rings?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you still have them on. I mean, I know you'll always love Daddy and all that, but you're with Langly now."

"'Randa. Langly and I are very fond of one another. But I would not say we are 'with each other' at this point."

"Yeah, but you will be."

"We'll see."

"So why don't you take your rings off?"

"Because, the fact is, I'm not ready to give them up. I'd feel naked without them."

"Mom, just because you take your rings off doesn't mean you don't love Daddy."

"'Randa, I'm not in the mood to be psychoanalyzed right now. When I'm ready to take them off, I will. It's just not time yet."

Her ride knocked, and I hugged her hard, and told her I loved her. I'd gotten rather compulsive about always reminding her I loved her before she left the house, even if she was only going out to walk the dog. She would roll her eyes in disgust, but she knew that I cherished that it was the last thing Eric had said to me, and it was important for me to say it to her. Perhaps I was getting about morbid about wondering when I saw someone if it was going to be for the last time. I'd have to get over that one.

Maybe it was the fact that July 12 would have been Eric's and my anniversary. It would have marked 18 years for us.

July 12 was also going to be Langly's 36th birthday. It was a question of which would dominate, a certain past or a possible future.

Perhaps Miranda had a point. Maybe I wasn't ready to take the rings off, but what if I switched them to my other hand? It would be a tiny step into a new world, without totally leaving one that I hadn't left willingly in the first place.

So while sitting in the middle of a traffic jam on the bridge into DC, probably because I was bored out of my mind and there was nothing on the radio, I slowly worked my anniversary ring, my engagement ring, and my wedding ring off of my left hand. I had never taken them off before. The skin under them was totally white, and there was an indentation in my finger from them. Then I worked them on to my right hand. Talk about a strange sensation.

I didn't have a lot of time to spare by the time I reached the J. Edgar Building. It's an ugly place, and it's huge. I cruised through the metal detectors and was directed to Skinner's office.

Kim greeted me and told me to have a seat; Skinner was still in with Mulder and Scully, but they would be ready for me soon. Kim is really nice and fun to talk to, but she was in the middle of ringing phones and large quantities of word processing, so I didn't have the chance.

Finally I was motioned in; I'd been waiting nearly half an hour. I'd brought a book of Catullus' poetry with me--I'd minored in classical languages and I'd had the urge to get back to them lately. I figured with Miranda being away this week, I'd have the chance. It was going to be slow, though; I'd only parsed eight lines by the time I was ushered in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." It was Dana who signed to me. No emotions on any of the faces in the room.

"How're you doing, Allison?" Mulder inquired.

"Have a seat." Leave it to Skinner to get down to the bare essentials.

"We have something to tell you," Mulder announced.

"Allison, as of July 12, the X-files will be reopened. Agent Mulder will be SAC, and Agent Scully will be in charge of forensic and investigative support. There will be two new agents reporting to them as well." He looked down at his hands, and then back at me. "Agent Scully will not be permitted back in the field, of course--" I noticed Mulder was adeptly translating this whole delivery--"but her role will be primarily in the office, which makes a great deal of sense in view of her...condition." That got a small smile out of the two of them. "What I am saying is, as of close of business today, your services will no longer be required." He cleared his throat. "You will, of course, be paid until the end of the week."

That took a few moments to sink in.

"What you're saying is, I'm fired."

"No, you're being laid off. Big difference." He looked back at me. "We would hope that you would agree to working in a consulting capacity as the need arose, of course."

"Mr. Skinner, I'm not going to agree to anything right now. You seem to forget that I am the sole support of my 13-year-old daughter. I think my primary obligation right now is to find another job."

"Normally, an employee without one year's service would not be eligible for any kind of severance pay, but I have arranged for you to receive two weeks severance, plus any personal time you may have accumulated. You will also have your health insurance until the end of the month, and HR can explain the procedure for converting it under COBRA. Naturally, you'll be able to collect unemployment, and we will be more than happy to provide you with references for any position you seek out. Agent Scully tells me you have done an outstanding job. However, it is necessary that the X-files division be reopened, and they are the best qualified for the job."

I sat silently for a few moments. Then I looked up at him, and gave him the hardest look I could muster.

"Is that all, sir?"

"Yes. Thank you. You've been a valuable asset, Allison."

I did not say goodbye to any of them as I left.

***

I was walking out to the parking garage, dazed. I'd never been laid off before. So this is what it was like.

It sucked.

I was opening my car door when I heard my name being called.

"Allison, wait up!" It was Mulder, with Scully keeping up as best she could; she was obviously pregnant now, and not moving quite as fast as she once had been.

"What?" I asked harshly.

"Allison, I think we need to talk." It was Scully.

"Look, guys, I know this isn't your doing, but I'm really not in the mood
right now."

"Allison, please." Scully.

"Please, what? If you don't mind, I need to go start a job search. I happen to like eating and living indoors."

"Allison, let us explain." Mulder was almost pleading now.

"Standing in a parking garage is not my idea of a great place to hold a discussion."

"Where would you prefer to go?" Dana asked gently.

"Right now, I think I'd prefer to go over to the Gunmen and drink my lunch," I shot back.

"We could meet you there," Mulder offered.

"No, please don't. I don't feel like sharing the tequila today." I got in my car and sped off.

***

The Offices of the Lone Gunmen

I banged on the door. Frohike answered.

"Allison, what brings you here at this hour?"

"Hi, Frohike."

"Bad day?"

"You could say that."

Frohike said nothing, motioned for me to have a seat anywhere in the mess they called an office, and went upstairs for a few moments. He arrived back with two liquor bottles and two shotglasses. Oh, well, it was noon somewhere in the world.

He poured himself a shot of Scotch and a shot of tequila for me. Never let it be said that the Gunmen don't know how to treat a guest.

"So what is it?" Frohike finally asked.

"Well, let's just say that as of 11:30 this morning, I am out of a job," I said through clenched teeth.

"What? Dana loves your work! What happened?"

"Dana is no longer going to be teaching at Quantico. She's back at J. Edgar. The X-files are being reopened on the twelfth. And Mulder got promoted."

"You're kidding!"

"I kid you not. Look, I know I sound like such a bitch. This is probably great news for them."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Whatever. The fact is, Frohike, I have a young daughter, and I happen to be her only means of support, which is weighing a little heavily on me at the moment." I finally sucked down the small glass of liquid fire. I got tears in my eyes from it.

"Well, with your qualifications, you should have no problem finding another employer," Frohike reassured me.

"Thanks." I lit a cigarette. "You know, it's not the being laid off so much. It happens all the time in this line of work, although it's never happened to me before. I guess I've just been lucky. I don't know what it is, really. I just have this...God, I have been hanging out around you people too long...I keep getting this feeling that I'm being jerked around. I probably have no basis in fact for it, but the sensation is beginning to get to me."

"What makes you think you have no basis in fact to believe it?"

"Uh, Frohike, in my past life, people would have told me I was being ridiculous, and you're asking me to contemplate the possibility that there are people jerking me around. I think you'd lose on Jeopardy, although at least you did phrase it in the form of a question." I smiled a bit.

Frohike picked up the bottle. "Another?"

"Sure. One more." He poured.

"Where're Langly and Byers?"

"Out getting some parts. They'll be back soon. Feel like hacking into some of the job boards?"

"Frohike, you don't need to hack into the job boards. They post."

"You do if you want to find out what's really available."

"Maybe later. Right now, I'm not even certain I want to stay in the area."

"You're contemplating going back to LA?"

"I haven't even thought about it yet, but yeah, I could. I don't know. I don't know what I want to do, that's the problem. And I have to do something fast."

"How is your financial situation? Didn't you get some life insurance money from your husband?"

"Yeah, but remember, I had you and Langly channel a bunch of it into my father-in-law's accounts."

"Oh, right. We made it look like a donation from their temple." He took another shot. "How much do you have left?"

"About $80,000. Plus I have about $40,000 from the proceeds of the sale of our house. But if I use that for anything other than the purchase of a principal residence, I'm going to get clobbered on capital gains." I took a long drag of my cigarette. "Sounds like a lot. It's not. If I'm careful, I can live on it for a while, but not indefinitely. And that's the sum total of my safety net for Miranda."

"You do have a trust fund from your mother's estate."

"Which is off limits to me during her lifetime. And I'm not going to ask her for any of hers." Frohike looked rather puzzled. "I love my mother. But she has never approved of any of the choices I've made, and she's royally pissed at me for moving out here." I smiled ruefully. "Looks like for once, she may have been right."

Frohike shook his head. "How did Dana break it to you?"

"She didn't. Skinner did. They were there, though, and that's one of the things that's pissing me off. I would have preferred to have heard it from her. If they knew this was happening, one of them should have said something to me."

"Maybe they didn't know."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know."

"Did you talk to them afterwards?"

"They chased me into the parking lot, but I just wasn't in the mood to listen. I know I was being a spoilsport, but I just didn't want to hear what they had to say."

"You probably should talk to them."

"I will. I need to cool down, though." I sipped my shot this time. "You know, I'm really starting to hate Skinner. That man brings me nothing but bad news."

"Not the most personable fellow."

"No. Definitely not."

"But he really doesn't have it in for you, dear. I think this is a classic case of killing the messenger."

"He's lucky. I don't carry." We both laughed.

"Well, dear, speaking selfishly, I do hope you decide to stay. You've brought a lot of fun into our lives here."

"Oh, sure. I'm a real basket of laughs."

"Actually, you are. I mean, here you just lost your job, and you're still laughing."

"Not really."

"Allison, you never seem to lose your sense of humor, no matter how ugly things get. You always make the people around you feel better. And that's a gift."

"Well, thank you. It's nice to know I can make people smile. Be nice if I could do it for myself." I laughed at my own lame joke.

"Well, dear, you just don't have the proper je ne sais quoi to pull off 'woe is me.'"

"Yeah, I think Mulder takes top honors there. Though lately he's been in a damn good mood."

"Regular sex, preferably with another human being, will do that for someone." Goddamn these guys. They always made me laugh. It was pissing me off. But it was still making me laugh.

"Did somebody say something about regular sex?" Two familiar voices poured into the room. "Frohike, what the hell were you thinking when you sent us to Radio Shack? You shoulda known they wouldn't have this shit!" It was Langly's plaintive whine, and it sent a small shiver through me. "Hey Allison. What're you doing here?" He then realized that that probably
didn't come out the way it was supposed to, and quickly amended, "I mean, you know you're welcome--"

"Allison lost her job this morning. We were just working on a bit of anesthetic to ease the pain," Frohike announced.

Langly didn't say anything. He just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in.

I started to cry. And I cried for a long while.

And he kept holding me.

***

"We'll be back," Langly called to Byers and Frohike when my sobbing had subsided.

"Just remember we have an issue going out day after tomorrow," Byers warned.

"Hey, I do my best work under pressure."

"That we know," Frohike reminded him drily. "Allison, dear, things will get better for you."

"I'm sorry about what happened," Byers called out from behind his workstation.

"Thanks." I could barely form the word. I rarely cry, but when I do, I'm generally rendered speechless afterwards.

We walked out to where my Sentra was parked, half a block away. Langly stuck out his hand. "Keys."

Having just imbibed in three shots of tequila, I was in no position to argue. He opened the passenger side and let me in.

"God, a midget drives this car," he groaned as he attempted to shift his long legs into the driver's position. He turned to me and gave me a long, tender look with those light blue eyes. "You okay?"

"I think so." Truth was, I wasn't sure.

"Okay, let's go."

"Taking me home?"

"Nope."

"Where're we going?"

"You'll see."

I was asleep before we hit the bridge.
 

I don't know how long I had been asleep, but I woke up from what had felt like a very long nap.

"Didn't think you were ever going to join the land of the living again."

"Langly, I'm going to throw up."

"You didn't have that much tequila."

"No, Langly, I get carsick. Pull over. Now would be good." We veered off the highway and stopped, barely in enough time for me to get out and not ruin my upholstery. I ended up vomiting all over my sandals and the bottom of my skirt, which was down to my feet.

"Ah, fuck!" I started to cry again.

Langly had pulled my hair back in time so that I didn't destroy that as well. Figures I would have a good hair day and  everything else would go to hell.

"Got any extra clothes?" He inquired.

"No." I was really depressed now. Let's see. He'd seen me half drunk, in tears and motion sick so far today. Was there anything else I could do to really turn this guy off?

What was truly amazing is that he just looked very concerned and vaguely amused. "Well, I think I've got a pair of shorts in my backpack. The shoes I can't help you with. But you won't need 'em anyway." He dug in the back seat of the car. "Here, you've got a plastic bag. Just put the icky stuff in it, and you can put on my shorts."

I had to pull off the skirt so that I didn't mess up the shorts, leaving my underwear exposed.

"Hey, you like satin." I guess I could have hardly expected him to miss it.

"Yeah. I hate clothes shopping, but I'll spend a fortune for decent lingerie. Talk about screwed up priorities."

"Nah, I don't think so," he laughed. "At least the shorts aren't white."

"Yeah, navy blue satin would be showing right through." I laughed weakly, and so did he.

"C'mon, there's a rest stop about 4 miles from here. You can rinse out your stuff and get a soda. You ready to move again?"

"I think so."

"Maybe they'll have some Bonine there."

"I've actually got some in my purse. I just didn't plan on taking a long car trip. I wasn't exactly in the best of shape when this excursion started."

"And now you are?" He smiled.

"Well, I'm better than I was." That much was true. I got in, swallowed a Bonine dry, and laid my head back down against the headrest. At the visitors' area, I rinsed off my shoes and my skirt, stuffed them into a clean plastic bag, and rinsed out my mouth. Langly grabbed me a 7-up.

"We've only got about another 7 miles to go."

"Where're we headed?"

"Chesapeake Bay."

***

I'd never seen the Bay before. We pulled up to an area that seemed somewhat wooded, which made me apprehensive because I didn't have any shoes on.

"Relax, it's just a narrow strip. It's just enough to keep the beach deserted." He took my hand and led me.

"Now if I get stung by a bee, my day will be complete," I said sarcastically.

"You allergic?"

"No, I just hate them, and they really hurt."

It really was just a small area of trees and brush, and getting through it was simple. And I didn't get stung. Maybe my luck was going to change.

It was a very small beach, not at all like the Pacific beaches I was accustomed to. The sand was a different color, but it was reasonably soft. Langly sat down and I sat next to him. He pulled me in to him and wrapped his arms around the tops of my shoulders. I leaned my head back into him, feeling the soft blonde hair and a bit of stubble on him. He had exchanged his glasses for sunglasses, and he stuck my hat on my head.

"I assumed you keep this in your car for a reason."

"Thanks."

That was the end of conversation for a while. We watched the waves ebb and flow, not saying anything, but soaking in the intimacy of the embrace. There was no one else around. It was balm for the soul.

I spoke first. "Thanks for everything today. I'm a disaster."

"Well, shit happens." He pulled me closer, and I turned a bit, burying my face in his shoulder. He began to stroke the hair that wasn't covered by my hat. "You know, you've got really soft hair."

"Thanks." I reached around his shoulder and touched his. "You do too, actually."

"Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have an elastic with you? The wind's making me crazy with it."

"No, but I've got a scrunchy." I grabbed a black satin scrunchy from my purse and handed it to him.

"Hey, if you can wear my "Virginia Beach Naked Coed Sailing" shorts, I can deal with your scrunchy." He started to pull back his hair, but I stopped him.

"Let me."

I pulled my comb from my purse and started to slowly work my way through the thick white-blonde mane that any woman in her right mind could be envious of. After I had relieved it of most of the visible tangles--without killing him in the process--I grabbed his hair in my right hand and slid the scrunchy on with my left, wrapping it over one time.

"That was nice." He reached for my hands and pulled me into him again, this time leaning over to kiss me.

"Sure you want to do that?"

"Ah, you've had enough 7-up and water by now." It started out like the kiss at the wedding--very gently. But it was lasting a lot longer. Neither of us was letting go. I started to probe his mouth with my tongue, and he began to respond in kind. Oh God, what was happening here?

What was happening was that we were both getting terribly turned on. I could feel myself swelling in the breasts, straining against my bra, and he was definitely leaving no doubt as to the fact that he was male.

"Allison." He murmured my name, just drawing me in, kissing my neck and my
face.

"Just call me Ally."

"Ally." He tried it out. He was starting to breathe irregularly.

"Langly." I slipped my hands under the bottom edge of his shirt, and massaged the small of his back with my fingertips.

"You keep that up, I'm gonna have to be your love slave." He whispered into my ear.

"In that case, I'm not stopping." I ran my fingertips higher on his back, and he drew in a breath, a look of serenity slipping over his face. I moved my fingers to his chest, drawing them gently over his nipples, and he gasped.

"Ally." He was almost choking as my name came out.

"Langly."

"Ally." He took my face in his hands and opened his eyes. The pupils were very dilated. His mouth was slightly open.

"Ally. What's going to happen?" He stared at me hard.

"What do you want to have happen?"

"Truth?"

"Yeah."

"I wanna make love to you. Right here, right now." The way he said it made my stomach fall, but not like I was going to be motion sick. It was the realization that I wanted to do the very same thing.

"So do I."

"Are you on anything?"

"No. Do you have anything with you?"

"No."

I opened my eyes, and I stared very hard at him. "I want to, anyway."

"You sure?"

"Langly, I'll be 44 in a month and change. I'm pretty well past prime fertility." I looked down for a moment. "Not to spoil the mood, but Eric and I weren't too careful the last couple years, and nothing happened. I wouldn't worry about it."

"You're okay with this." He smiled.

"Yeah, I am. Life's too short not to be."

"Okay, but there's another problem."

"What's that?"

"Too many clothes."

"I think we can take care of that." I pulled his Ramones T-shirt over his head and laid it gently in the sand. I touched his nipples again, and he gasped.

"No fair. You still have your shirt on." I placed my arms into the air, and he slipped off my V-neck. "God, are you sure you're as old as you say you are?"

"Check my driver's license."

"God, Ally. You're gorgeous. You're so tiny." He gathered me up against him, and his fingers unhooked my bra. Now I was gasping for air. He let my breasts fall free, taking one in his hand. He brushed my severely hardened nipples with a light finger, making me groan with pleasure. Then he dropped his mouth to my left one and ran his lips over it lightly.

I came on the spot. Then he increased the pressure with his mouth, sucking gently at first, then more firmly, finally adding some small biting motions. I came again, and this time I couldn't stop shrieking.

"Langly," I cried out. "LanglyLanglyLangly."

"Clothes. Off." He could barely talk by now, and I had been reduced to murmuring his name. We were naked before each other. And he was gorgeous. Pale, slender, with those blue eyes glowing dark. I studied every inch of him with my mouth and my fingers. He was extremely erect, and he was sweating a little. I soaked up his scent. Just breathing him in made me come again.

I moved my head down to his abdomen, and ran my fingers through the light brown curls there. He was moaning now.

"Easy. Don't want to come yet." He choked out the words.

"Okay." I pulled my head up, watching him. We were both sitting, me on top of him again, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and back. Another deep, probing kiss. He began to breathe into my mouth.

"In you. In you. Inyouinyouinyouinyou." He was whining slightly, breathing ragged and his pulse going as madly as mine.

I lowered myself slowly, gently on to him, surprised at how enormous he felt sliding in me. I began to move my hips very slowly. And I came again.

"Langly!" I whispered fiercely.

"Come with me. Please come with me." He begged. He was very close.

"I will." A deep, firm thrust, and a sharp intake of breath, and he began to cry out my name, and I his. We went over the precipice together. I could feel his breath in my mouth, his semen in my womb, his arms everywhere. I tightened myself around him, and he cried out again. "AllyAllyAllyAlly."

We dropped against each other, thoroughly spent and out of breath. We were full of sand and sweat and each other. It was bliss.

"Langly."

"Hmm." He was in the twilight zone, neither awake nor asleep.

"Langly.   Thank you."

"Hmm. Thank you." He was drifting off a bit.

"You know, there's a blanket in my trunk. The one I keep with my earthquake supplies. Which," I said as I pulled my shirt back on, "I don't think I'll be needing anymore."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

***

He was asleep when I came back with the blanket. I slipped off the clothes I had hastily thrown on--inside out, I might add--and crawled under the blanket with him. I put my head over his heart and listened to the slow, steady rhythm, and I couldn't stay awake.

We were out for quite a while, because when I awoke, the sun was setting. I nudged him gently.

"Hey." His eyes fluttered open, then shut again.

"We've been sleeping for hours."

"Oh, wow." He saw the dusky condition of the sky, and sat up.

"Hey, Ally?"

"What?"

"Got a smoke?"

"Yeah, I guess this would be the time for it." We both laughed and lit up.

He took a long drag, coughed a bit, and smiled. "I was really afraid you'd decide to go back to LA."

"I thought about it for about 5 minutes." I smoked slowly. "Tell the truth, I was in so much shock, I really hadn't thought about much. Except that I'd better get myself a job, and in a hurry."

"Hey, you'll find something. Scully assures everyone that you're mightily qualified."

"Yeah, I suspect I will. I think the thing that freaks me out the most is that I'm the one totally responsible for Miranda now. That really hit me hard today."

"Well, that's 'cause you're a good mom. You take the job seriously. Too many parents, they do a shit job of it and blame it on the kids."

"Unfortunately, that's true." I dragged again. "And I'm certainly not a perfect parent by any stretch. But I do my best, and I try to be a good one. I try to let her know I love her."

"Hey, she knows that. I think that's what matters. She knows she can count on you."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Ally, we all know we can count on you. You don't break your word. You go out of your way for people. You give a fuck." He smiled. "Sorry, that was all wrong. Although you give that good, too." I smiled. I knew what he meant.

"Well, it's not like you're shabby in that area, Langly."

"Well, that's amazing, in view of the fact that I'm not what you would call very experienced." He took another drag. "I haven't had very many girlfriends. It just hasn't worked out."

"Well, Langly, most of my experience has been with one man, and very few others. Tell the truth, I feel about 15 right now." I giggled.

"And you look about 15, too." He smiled.

"Not quite, guy."

"Well, okay. But definitely not going on 44." He smiled very lovingly. "I can't believe how little you are. I mean, that's nice. I don't mean it bad. It just makes me feel like, like you're this little doll and I should protect you and all that. Which is really funny, 'cause you're always the one ends up taking care of people."

"When your mother is manic depressive and your parents both drink, you get that way." I stared over the water. "When I was growing up, I felt like I had to take care of my brothers, because my parents were either drunk or busy or crazy. Or all of the above. I just never got out of the habit, I guess. It took me a long time after I was married to realize it was all right to let people take care of me, too. And they do. Thanks for looking after me today. I really do appreciate it."

"Hey, Ally, no problem. I love ya, ya know."

"Know what? I love you, too, Langly."

I leaned back up against him, and we watched the sky darken.

"Hey," he said, taking my chin with his first two fingers. "Whaddya say we go back to your house, get cleaned up, and go have a real meal."

"You mean, like a real date?" I asked, grinning.

"Something like that."

I didn't say anything for a minute.

"Last one dressed and in the car is a rotten egg."

***

The Bonine I had taken thankfully worked on the trip back. Langly drove again; it didn't feel strange to have him piloting my little Sentra. I kind of liked being a passenger, so long as I wasn't going to puke. Besides, he knew the way.

We pulled over at a rest stop just about 20 miles before the Virginia border; we were both incredibly thirsty from the day's activities, and I wasn't going to make it back to Alexandria without something liquid. I met Langly at the soda machines; the lines to the ladies' room is always longer, so he got to buy.

"Ally? Oh my God!"

"What is it?"

"Ally, did you look in a mirror recently?"

"Does this morning count?"

"No, I meant now. Ally, you're flamin' red!"

I took a good look at him, checking to see if he was kidding, and then I guessed he had to be correct, because he was about the color of the Coca-Cola can he was holding. We're both extremely fair-skinned...and we hadn't even thought about sunblock.

"Well, there's aloe vera gel in my fridge," I offered.

"I'll do your back if you do mine," he leered.

"Home, James."

***

I fell asleep--again--on the ride home. I make a lousy passenger.

"Hey, we're back," Langly shook me gently.

"Already?"

He laughed. "Easy for you to say. You slept most of the way."

"First things first. We need to let Tiny out of the garage and feed the gang."

"You get the food, I'll deal with the mutt."

The cats were all screaming--it was almost nine o'clock, and they did not hesitate to express their displeasure over the slow service. Tiny was jumping everywhere; she'd been locked up a lot longer than usual. With dinner served, however, the status quo was restored, and Langly and I went to the mirror in the downstairs bathroom.

"Oh, shit!" My skin was redder than my hair, and I'd begun to feel very warm. Langly's face, normally creamy white, was scarlet. We both had blisters forming on our lips and noses.

"Don't look now, but I think we managed to give ourselves some second-degree burns," I commented.

"Let's get the sand off us first."

"Did you want to go first?"

"No, I want to go with you."

We went upstairs to my room and peeled off our clothes. I had the air conditioning on, and the room was delightfully cool. I grabbed some extra towels and started the shower.

"You hurting much?" He asked.

"No, surprisingly."

"Me neither. Well, come on, little girl, I'll wash your back."

We stepped into the shower, which I had set for lukewarm. The idea of getting the sand off us, and doing it together, was--

"SHIT!" We both screamed together.

I think they heard us in Florida.

***

"Jesus fuck. I'm dying," Langly moaned as we laid naked across my bed.

"And people tell me that STDs and unwanted pregnancy are the price you pay for having sex," I complained.

"Did you get the aloe stuff from the fridge?"

"Yeah." I poured some into the palm of my hand and smoothed it on as gently as possible.

"That help?"

"I'm not sure."

"Can you return the favor? I feel like I'm on fire."

"Sure, in a minute. Hey, Ally, it's freezing in here."

Considering that he was the color of salsa, that surprised me a bit, but I grabbed the spare blanket I keep at the foot of the bed and tossed it over him. He really was shivering. I bundled the blanket over the tops of his shoulders, but he continued to shudder. I ran downstairs and turned off the air conditioning.

"Langly, I turned off the air. Langly?"

"Huh?" He seemed confused. I touched his skin, and instead of finding it to be intensely hot, it was cold and clammy.

"Oh, fuck." I dialed relay and instructed them to dial Dana's number. Fortunately, she picked up.

"Dana, got a problem. I think Langly's got heatstroke, but I'm not sure."

I paused for her to type in her response.

"What sort of symptoms? Is he conscious?"

"Yeah, but he's sort of dazed."

"Is his skin hot or cool and damp?"

"More like cool and damp."

"Sounds like heat exhaustion, not heatstroke, but don't fool around with it. Call 911 and I'll meet you at Georgetown as soon as you get there."

"Dana, I really appreciate this."

"It's no problem. I'll see you there."

***

Instead of dinner, we did the emergency room.

"God, you're getting like us," Mulder commented upon seeing me. I had followed the ambulance, calling Frohike and Byers on my cellular, and he and Dana were already there when I arrived.

"Yeah, I hear you guys have a real thing for emergency rooms."

"Allison, he's okay. I just spoke to the physician attending him, and he just needs some fluids and observation. He'll probably go home in the morning." It was Dana. "And you're going to get checked over as well. You two have matching sunburns, and you're blistering pretty badly." She gave me The Look, and believe me, I wasn't going to argue with her.

"Thanks for coming out, especially after I was such a bitch today."

"Don't worry about it. I'd probably have reacted the same way in your situation. We can go see him now."

The three of us were about to head over to Langly when Byers and Frohike came in.

"Is he okay?" Frohike looked like a worried father.

"He's fine," Mulder assured him. "He just got a little too well done."

"Can we see him?" Byers inquired.

"Sure, we're going now. Let's make a party out of it." Dana knew where he was, so she led off.

The five of us piled into the very small room where Langly was. He had an IV drip in one arm and the usual array of monitors, and he had been slathered with some sort of translucent gel, but he seemed more alert.

"What a lovely shade of red you are," Mulder teased.

"Mulder, shut up," Langly groaned at him. He was definitely doing better.

"What were you thinking, going out in the sun with no protection?" scolded Byers. He turned to me. "And you, you're a redhead. You know you need to be careful." I was taking it on the chin worst from Dana and Byers, the other two redheads in the party. I was going to have to file this away for if they ever got sunburned; I would make certain their chiding would come
back to haunt them.

"Okay, okay, we screwed up, we know we screwed up, we'll remember the Bullfrog next time," I assured them.

"Langly, glad you're okay, but you'd better not be in here too long. You still have work to do, and we have an issue going out Wednesday." Frohike was dressed in a pair of plaid Bermudas, a loud Hawaain shirt, huaraches that were at least two sizes too large, and a big floppy straw hat. Miranda was right; this guy just screamed 'fashion victim.' And how Byers could wear a suit in the middle of summer, this had to a mirabilus Dei.

"Okay, everyone's chewed my ass out now, you can leave," Langly instructed us wearily but firmly. He turned to me and mouthed, "Not you."

The others filed out and I stayed behind.

"Feeling any better?" I asked rhetorically.

"I hurt like hell," he complained.

"Want me to stick around? I hear you're staying overnight."

"So they say. Yeah, don't go. Come here."

I leaned in, but carefully, as to not hurt either of us--I could feel my skin really starting to sting. We kissed, gently.

"You know what, Ally?"

"What?"

"It hurts everywhere. And I do mean, everywhere."

***

I was doing it illegally, but I spent the night curled up at Langly's feet. There are advantages to being small. I had been checked over at Dana's insistence, given some Water-Jel for the burn and instructions to keep the fluid intake up, not including alcohol. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much, and in spite of the pain meds and Water-Jel, I don't think Langly did,
either. Fortunately, he was sprung in the morning, and we drove back to Chez Mess.

"I presume you are not too incapacitated to type," Frohike greeted him drily. "And how are you, Allison dear?"

"I'm overdone but not dead," I informed him. "And I think I'd best get moving and start finding a new job."

"No need to get up," Byers assured me. "Last night, I went through the student databases of all the local universities and located all the deaf students, both incoming and returning. I have a printout of their majors and what kind of support they use." He handed me a large sheaf of papers. "No medical students, but Catholic University in particular has one that might interest you. A classics graduate student. Signs but prefers captioning in the classroom environment. The position isn't posted yet, but
I took the liberty of sending a copy of your resume." I didn't ask how he got into my computer; ask a stupid question, get a totally absurd answer. "There are others, of course, but that seems to be best suited to your talents and capabilities. And I know a lot of people over there."

"I really appreciate this, you guys. You don't know how much."

"Well, we have to. You help keep Langly from annoying us. It's the least we can do."
 

END OF PART 9