By Macspooky

This disclaimer business is really old now.  X-Files and all its
characters belong to others, not me.  Hmm...could they be Chris
Carter, Fox and 1013? I am borrowing and making now money for
my efforts.  I wouldn't dream of stealing.

This is a Post Momento Mori story set some point in the future.  I
am going to rate it a strong R, although if anyone wants to change
it to NC17 feel free to do so.  The one sex scene is quite mild by
today's standards.  Although the scene is there, it isn't what the
story is about.  The story is about love and part of it harks back to
One Breath.  Feel free to archive it anywhere and take note,
non-shippers will hate it.  Part One was finished on March 26,
1997.

Summary:  Scully secretly begins a new experimental treatment for
her cancer and Mulder brings her a tempting gift.
 

Strawberries and Chocolate

by

Macspooky
 

Fox Mulder was a very worried man.  His partner had not been to
work in several days.  When he called her, she claimed to have a
mild case of the flu, but in his heart he knew better and he wasn't
certain what to do.  She needed friends and family now and she was
pushing everyone away.  She was so determined to be strong, to
handle everything herself, and although he admired that trait in her,
he also feared that the stress of it would send her to her death
sooner than it was really time for her to go.  She had cancer, and
although it was a condition that she could not share directly, there
was no need for her to handle it alone.  Loneliness, he had learned
since meeting her, was sometimes worse than death.  He
wanted....no, he needed to be there for her, and he was not ready to
lose her yet.  He needed her in his life.  He loved her.
 

He leaned back in his office chair and closed his eyes remembering
another time when Dana Scully had been close to death, the time
she had been returned from her abduction in a coma.  He had gone
to lunch with Margaret Scully......

He gazed at the older woman who sat across from him wondering
where she found her strength.  He didn't entirely understand why
she had wanted to share a meal with him, why she seemed to find
his presence comforting. He was after all, an outsider, just her
daughter's partner....nothing more.  He couldn't see that she had
come to love him for his goodness and rely on his strength.  He
considered himself neither particularly good nor strong.
 

He watched as the exhausted looking woman forced herself to eat a
grilled cheese sandwich admonishing him to do the same.  These
days he didn't eat much and he never really slept.  What she said
made sense....that Dana didn't need them weak, but it was hard.  He
was so filled with guilt for what had happened to her that it was
consuming him from within.
 

"Fox," she finally said softly, "I wanted to apologize to you."
Maggie looked at him thinking that he had beautiful eyes.  If she
were a younger woman, she could lose herself in those eyes that
gazed at her with such sadness and compassion.  Bill had had eyes
like that, not Fox's devastatingly good looks, but the same kind
eyes.  It wasn't fair.  This man should have become her son in-law
one day.  Now it would seem that it wasn't going to happen.....ever.
 

"For what, Mrs. Scully?  I don't understand."
 

"I know you disagree with me about the decision I made in turning
off Dana's respirator."
 

"I don't condemn you for it, Mrs. Scully."  He didn't.  He disagreed
with her, but he understood her decision.  She loved and respected
her daughter.  So did he....respect her....but he wasn't ready to let
her go yet.
 

"I know that."  She stared at her hands for a moment.  "Fox, I told
you yesterday that it was a moment for family....but that you could
come.  That was harsh.  I shouldn't have said it.  No one has done
more to fight for my daughter than you have.  Her own brothers
haven't even come although they do have families and are far
away," Margaret sighed and continued. I'm sorry."
 

"Perhaps I was wrong for not going in with you," he sighed quietly.
"Maybe it is me who should apologize.  I never meant for an instant
when I said your daughter should be studied to treat her like a piece
of evidence or meat.  Melissa was very angry at me for that."
 

"Melissa doesn't know you the way I do," smiled Margaret gently.
"The sisters are so different......"  For an instant tears sprang to her
eyes and she forced them away.
 

"I remember one year when Dana was a little girl....somehow I
managed to scrape together enough money for a vacation at Ocean
City.  It took two years of saving. It was difficult raising four
children on Navy salary."
 

"I can imagine," he replied gently although in reality he couldn't.
Money had never been a worry for the Mulders.  Even now, he had
a comfortable trust fund to fall back on.  He wondered how his
mother would have coped.  In truth, she probably would not have
been able to.
 

"We were all walking along the boardwalk when Dana saw
something she had never seen before....strawberries...dipped in
chocolate....on a stick.  My little girl seldom asked for
anything....Dana could entertain herself for hours with free books
from the library or playing kickball with the boys... but that day she
asked for strawberries.  With four to buy for, it was out of the
question and I said so.  They were just too expensive, Fox.  Her
little face screwed up and she turned away.  She never liked to cry
in front of anyone....not even then.  Bill couldn't resist her though,
his little Starbuck, so he bought one stick....four berries....I was
annoyed.  He gave one to each child...."
 

Margaret closed her eyes wondering why she was even telling this
story.  The memory was a treasured one.  Could a young man who
had no children even begin to understand what went on in a
mother's heart?

"The boys wolfed theirs down barely tasting them.  Melissa liked
hers and whined for more.  Dana......Dana....started to take a bite
out of hers and then....she stopped and held the berry out to
me.....You don't have any mommy.  If you cut it and half, you and
daddy could share...."
 

Margaret grabbed the paper napkin on the table and dabbed at her
eyes.  "I love my children.....all my children....the best, but Dana
was always very unique and very special.  She was such a good
little girl except the time she thought she put one over on us by
smoking my cigarettes in the back yard.  I gave up smoking
then.....I realized what a bad example......"  She couldn't continue.
 

Fox squeezed her hand.  No words were necessary.  The memory
of Dana handing her the strawberry was one that Margaret
obviously treasured above others.  It was a noble gesture for a little
girl.  He bet that Margaret had told her to eat the berry herself. The
waiter came with the check which he insisted on paying.  Before
Margaret Scully had left him, she had hugged him close.  "Your
mother is a lucky woman, Fox Mulder," she had said.  "I only hope
she realizes it."
 

"I'm glad you think so....." he smiled.  It felt good to be loved if
only for just an instant by a woman such as Margaret Scully.  It felt
good to be hugged in a way that his own mother hadn't done since
he was 12 years old and had sat paralyzed while they came and
took his sister.
 

"I know what you did, Fox.  The nurses told me how you have been
coming every morning and caring for her....bathing her....You are a
special man..."
 

With that, the woman had turned and left.
 

Dana had never known about that.  He had certainly never told her
and by unspoken agreement, neither had Margaret.  It would have
embarrassed her, but the staff had been so overworked and Mrs..
Scully too proud to accept the offer of funds for private nurses that
Fox had made.  She had spent most of her time at the hospital but
no one could spend 24 hours a day, and somehow it had seemed
important to Fox that when Margaret came, her daughter's hair
should be combed and she would appear cared for.   It was
awkward, but he did what he felt he had to do.  He hadn't wanted
anyone to know really.  It was part of the reason that he had been
so furious with his partner later on when she had gotten that ugly
tattoo.  He had come to know her body intimately in a unique kind
of way, and it had angered him when she had disfigured herself in
such a manner.  He hadn't been able to explain of course.  He had
snapped at her and had been cruel and sarcastic.  He had been
amazed that it had been him that she had called when the diagnosis
of cancer was made.  He still cringed at the thought of his tiny
partner in bed with Ed Jerse, a homicidal maniac.
 

Mulder shook his head and brought his mind back the rest of the
way to the present.  He hadn't gotten a thing done all day.  Skinner
was going to be pissed if he didn't get his reports soon.  Without
Scully, the paperwork always suffered.  And, somehow is partner
had a way of making even his insanest theories sound reasonable
enough to pass bureaucratic muster.  The phone rang.
 

"Mulder."
 

"Fox, it's Margaret.  I went to see Dana this morning.  I'm very
worried about her.  Do you think you might drop by and try to
induce her to eat something?  She won't listen to me....just keeps
telling me she's fine."  The woman spoke rapidly.   She was
obviously alarmed and didn't know who else to call.  Once, he
knew, it might have been Melissa, but Melissa was dead.
 

"I'll go right now, Mrs. Scully," he promised quickly.
 

How coincidental that on his way to Scully's apartment, he passed a
confectioners shop and on display in the window were strawberries
dipped in chocolate.  He went in and bought two pounds of them
for Dana....perhaps not the best thing for her to eat, but something
that he might entice her with.  They weren't on a stick, but that was
okay.
 

In the years that he had worked with her, he had come to know
Dana in so many little ways.  She loved chocolate, at some times
more than others.  He had learned to predict her cycles by the
candy bars she carried, most of which ended up being eaten by him
anyway.  After awhile, she had started bringing at least two on
stakeouts, and they had joked about it in a way that was probably
more intimate than most married couples joked.  His and Hers
Chocolate Bars, she called them and they always enjoyed sharing.
 

He approached her door with trepidation.  If Dana Scully was in
stubborn mode, she might not even let him in.  She had never
hesitated to say what was on her mind either.  How many times had
she called him crazy, a sucker?  He smiled at the thought.
Sometimes he missed the verbal sparring of their early days
together.  He raised his hand to knock, but the key to her apartment
was handy.
 

Dana looked at herself in the mirror.  She had lost far too much
weight, she knew.  Her figure looked frail in the pale yellow
nightgown she wore.  She knew she should force herself to eat.
Well, at least she had finally managed a shower.  Three days of
throwing up had left her very weak.  It was ironic that it really had
nothing to do with the cancer.  Dana Scully....done in by a stomach
virus..... She felt very lonely, but wanted no company.  She didn't
know whether or not she had been wrong in not telling anyone
about the treatment she was receiving at Johns Hopkins.  It was the
experimental clinical trials on a new drug.  Injected directly into the
tumor, it ate cancer cells.  Up until this point it had only been used
on the sickest people with phenomenal results.  An old friend from
medical school had gotten her into the next round of testing, but
she hadn't want to build up anyone's hopes including her own.  As a
rule, the drug had few side effects, but somehow she had managed
to pick up a stomach virus while she had been in for the treatment.
Hospitals were terrible places for picking up diseases.  It was not
something she wanted to share although there were times, she
thought, when Mulder had aggravated her enough that she might
wish it on him.  She smiled slightly at the thought of her partner.
 

There was a knock on the door.  She didn't really want company,
but the knock was familiar and she knew if she didn't answer, he
would use his key and come in anyway.   She had been fortunate to
keep him away until the contagion passed.  Slowly she opened it to
reveal her partner standing there with a white box in his hand.
 

"Hi, beautiful," he said with a smile, "Can I come in?"
 

"Okay, Mulder," she agreed.  It occurred to her then that he might
not have believed her when she said she had the flu.  Had he
thought the cancer was making her ill?
 

"I rented a film at Blockbuster.  It's a sci fi classic....and I've
brought dessert....."
 

"I'll make coffee...." she said suddenly glad he had come.  A "giant
bug that ate the world" movie might be just the thing to keep her
mind off reality.
 

"You'll do no such thing.  You get the VCR ready and I'll make you
some tea and get myself a beer...."
 

She popped the tape in and waited for him.  She felt very weak
suddenly and what she really wanted to do was go back to bed, but
he had come and his eyes had been so filled with concern, that she
couldn't drive him away.  If she fell asleep, he would understand.
 

He sat with her and they watched the film for awhile.  He watched
as she got up to go to the bathroom.  She walked slowly.  She had
barely touched the tea he had made for her although she had taken
a few sips which was a good sign.
 

When she returned, he couldn't stand it anymore.  The look of
vulnerability that she had in the pale yellow nightgown broke his
heart.  He took her hand and pulled her into his lap.  Her frail body
stiffened for an instant, but he pressed her head against his chest.
 

"Shh....pretty girl," he said softly, "Let me hold you.  I need to hold
you."  He felt her relax and settle against him with absolute trust.
He slipped his hand into the box and pulled out a strawberry.  "I've
brought you something special. Please try to eat something, Dana.
I've been worried to death about you."
 

Dana didn't know quite what to say.  She had always loved
chocolate covered strawberries since that day Ahab and bought her
the one in Ocean City when she had been a little girl.  She
wondered how he had known and suspected her mother's work
here.  She had had no appetite, but suddenly the smell of the
chocolate made her mouth water.  As he held the berry, she took a
bite and then another.  Somehow, she had never tasted anything
quite so delicious.  She ate it and then another.  Then she looked up
at him.  His eyes were filled with love for her, a love he had never
spoken of, but which she had known was there.  She felt stronger
for it.
 

Dana only intended to kiss his cheek briefly, but somehow her lips
had brushed against his, and then they had locked.  It had been her
doing, she knew, but didn't know quite when the decision had been
made to break boundaries.  She could taste the beer he had been
sipping along with the chocolate and the berries.  Suddenly, she
could  smell him, that scent of cleanliness and aftershave and
him....uniquely him, a scent she had grown to know and love.  She
twisted in his lap and pushed him down on the couch with a
strength she hadn't realized she still possessed.
 

He didn't entirely understand what was happening.  He knew she
had started out to give him a peck on the cheek, and then suddenly,
their lips had been joined and their tongues were setting each other
on fire.  She sat astride him and undid his zipper.  A shiver went
through his body.  Whatever was happening, he felt powerless to
stop it. Then she looked at him, her eyes asking permission to do
what it was that she wanted to do.  And how could he deny her?
He closed his eyes briefly as she became one with him surrounding
him with her most intimate parts.  He had often wondered what it
would be like to make love to her, but never had he thought it
would happen at all no less like this.
 

Never once did she take her eyes off of him as she made  love to
him on her couch.  They locked on to his.  No woman had ever
made love to him like this before, giving all, asking nothing in
return.  No woman had ever made him feel like this.  Finally, he
could endure the pleasure no longer, and his body shuddered in
ecstasy while at the same time, he felt her fulfillment happening
around him.  Only then did she relinquish his eyes.  She stretched
out on top of him on her stomach, the side of her face resting
against his chest as though she were entranced with his heartbeat.
Not a word had been spoken.  He pulled her nightgown down and
covered the rest of her with an afghan that she kept over the back
of her sofa.  Then he wrapped his arms around her back thinking of
forever.
 

"I love you, Fox," she finally said softly.  As she had sat on his lap,
she had realized that she had become an emotional cripple, afraid to
betray her feelings....afraid to be seen as weak, afraid to rely on
anyone, and worse, afraid to give and she had realized as the juice
from one of the berries had dribbled down her chin, that she did not
want to die this way.   If her time came, that was alright, but she
didn't want to leave this earth unloving and unloved.
 

"I love, you, Dana," he whispered rubbing her back gently.
 

"Will you do something for me, Fox?"  Her voice was soft and
sleepy.
 

"Anything," he replied.

"I've started a new course of treatment.  Will you take me to Johns
Hopkins tomorrow?"
 

She didn't hear his answer.  She had already fallen asleep."

End of Part One.

Here is part two of my story.  See part one for disclaimers.  They
still apply.  I forgot to put it in Part One, but if anyone wants to
e-mail me I can still be reached as macspooky@erols.com.
 
 

"Strawberries and Chocolate" Part Two  of three (or maybe four)
     by
Macspooky

 
Fox turned over slowly on the couch.  He had been in the throws of
a pleasant dream and didn't want to wake up.  Something felt out of
place.  It wasn't the feel of leather beneath him.  He was covered
with something soft that had a hint of a pleasant scent....Dana, he
realized.  It smelled faintly like his partner.  Why would the couch
smell like her?  The TV was not on and he suddenly
smelled....what....bacon and coffee......Had he died and gone to
heaven?  Was he still dreaming?  He realized that he was definitely
alive by the pressure that suddenly asserted itself his bladder.  It
was a painful reminder that he was not dreaming either, but he was
also not at home. Slowly he opened his eyes as the memory of the
night before assailed him.  It had a wonderful surreal quality about
it, Dana in his arms, Dana on top of him, around him, blue eyes
gazing into his as she brought him ecstasy.  The thought crossed his
mind that they had not practiced safe sex, but he didn't care. He
chuckled mentally at the thought that it was the first time in his life
he had done it without a condom and wondered if that constituted
the true loss of a man's virginity.  The pressure on his bladder was
growing worse and reluctantly he rose to his feet to go and do
something about it.

"Where," he wondered, "would they go from here, and what would
happen next?"  He went into her bathroom and couldn't help but
smile once again. She had laid out a razor for him, and a sweat suit.
He had wondered where it had gone.  Apparently, it must have
ended up in one of her bags after a case and she hadn't yet brought
it back.  Once his bladder was empty, he thought about ignoring,
however, he decided that probably wasn't fair to her.  The physical
aspect of their relationship was a little too new to subject it to a bad
case of morning breath.  Showering and shaving quickly, he went
into the kitchen.
 

"Morning, Mulder," she said a little shyly.  She was already dressed
in jeans and a shirt, but her feet were bare and her hair hung loosely
and casually.  She wore not makeup and looked pale, but ever so
pretty in a natural way.  Her face was questioning, as though she
didn't know what to do.
 

"Hi, beautiful," he said. Then, suddenly, he knew what to do even if
his partner didn't.  He walked over and kissed her on the forehead.
"That sure wasn't what you were calling me last night."
 

"Well, forgive me for getting carried away," she smiled.  "However,
lest you think it had anything to do with your...um...obviously well
endowed anatomy, remember it had been three years." His touch
had felt so good.  She hadn't wanted to get up and leave him earlier,
but mother nature had called and she had been forced to answer.
 

"Three years?" He grinned like a fool.  "Three years?  Hey, that
means you didn't sleep with........"  He stopped.  Maybe he better
not say anymore. "Um, is that bacon for me?"
 

   "I thought you'd never wake up." She smiled at him again.  "I'm
starving this morning.  I guess that virus has finally passed."
 

"Then it really was the flu?" he asked, his voice full of hope.
 

"Yes," she replied.  "I'm sorry, Fox.  It never occurred to me that
you and mom would think otherwise.  Of course, I was feeling
pretty sick at that moment and not thinking too clearly about
anything."
 

"Bowing to the porcelain God will do that to a person."  As she sat
across from him, he took her hand and smiled.  "I love you, Dana."
 

He watched, gratified to see her eating toast and scrambled eggs
and even a slice of bacon although she avoided coffee and drank tea
instead.
 

"I have to finish getting dressed," she said finally.  "Thank you for
taking me up to Baltimore today."
 

"That reminds me.  I'd better call in and tell them I'm taking a
personal day," he said.  "Let me know when you are ready to go."
 

"Skinner is going to wonder what you are up to.  You never take
personal days unless they force you."  She remembered all too well
having a stupid case dumped in her lap when he had been forced to
take a vacation.  It had gotten her into a heck of a lot of trouble.
 

The silence in the car was a little bit uncomfortable.  He had a
million questions for her, but she was being extremely quiet.
Finally, he could bear it no longer.

"So, Dr. Scully, what about this treatment you are undergoing?"
He tried to sound like her partner investigating a case rather than
prying into her personal business.  Everything felt suddenly fragile.
 

She explained briefly, then lay her hand on his leg as they stopped
for a light.  "I can't lie to you, Mulder.  The tumor has started to
grow.  If this doesn't work.....well......"
 

"It's going to work, Dana," he said with quiet determination.  "Now
more than ever, it's going to work."  He wanted to change the
subject, to lighten the moment.  "Say, did I ever tell you I saw ET?"
 

"Oh yeah?  Where?" She smiled.  She had always thought ET was
kind of cute.  When she had finally seen the movie with her niece on
video one day, little Drew Barrymore had brought out her latent
maternal instincts.
 

"After that plane crash where Max was killed.....In the lake....I saw
it Scully....I did.  It was dead beneath the water, but divers with
bright lights came before I could...Hell...I didn't have my
underwater Polaroid....I never have my damned Polaroid when I
need it .... and at that moment escape seemed the most logical
course of action."  He didn't know why he had decided to tell her
now what he hadn't told her when the case was over.
 

"Mulder, you were diving at night in deep water...which I might
add you shouldn't have been doing alone.  If divers came and shined
bright lights on you, how can you really know what you saw?" she
demanded.
 

"That's my girl," he grinned giving her a mock punch in the jaw.
"As long as you keep telling me I'm nuts, everything will be
alright."  Perhaps that was why he had told her.  He wanted to hear
her rebuttal.  Sometimes he missed those early days where she had
gotten in his face and told him just what she thought of him and his
theories.  He hadn't liked her much at first, but it had been kind of
fun to egg her on until he got a rise out of her.  She had been so
green then and naive and had taken her assignment to spy on
Spooky and keep him in line very seriously.  In retrospect, it had
been kind of cute.

"Mulder, you're nuts," she laughed.  The truth was, that she did
believe him, but now was not the time to admit it.   Maybe it would
never be time.  Arguing was a part of their relationship.  Of late,
she had been doing a lot of thinking and wondering.  The idea of
aliens was frightening, but what if they weren't the bad guys in all
this?   What if they were just observers who had crashed only to
have the darker forces of humanity begin to exploit their advanced
technology?
 

The treatment was rather gruesome, but somehow having Mulder
by her side made it easier.  He wouldn't leave her, not for an instant.
Dr. Mers, the attending physician made note of the change.  Last
time she had come alone, alone and depressed, and this morning, in
spite of a bad bout of gastroenteritis, she appeared to glow.....She
had a serenity that hadn't been there before.  The man she was with
obviously loved her and that, along with the treatment, might give
the woman the edge she needed to beat the odds.   Her reputation
as a forensic pathologist was not unknown to him.  Dana Scully
was one of the best, and he hoped that this new treatment would
give her a long and healthy life.
 

A few hours later, she was ready to go.  The treatment didn't make
her feel miserable like the one in Allentown had.  She hoped she
had found her miracle.  They left the hospital.  Mulder wanted to
get the car, but she told him she'd rather walk.  It wasn't a long
way. The weather was pretty and when they got home, she
promised that she would take it easy and let him baby her.  She had
been giving some consideration to taking a leave or to asking for
light duty.  With this treatment, there was a good possibility that
she could return at full swing, and this she wanted to do very much,
well rested and at peak performance levels.  Although she had not
allowed it to show at the time, she had not taken Pendrell's death
lightly.  She had found his crush on her somewhat amusing and
vaguely annoying, but he hadn't deserved to die the way he had and
he had cared about her.  She hoped to find the men who had set up
that shooting and with Mulder's help, kick butt in a big way.
Mulder slipped an arm around her.  It felt nice.  Although he had
always been a toucher, now it was even more special.
 

The boy walked along the street.  Life was good.  He still missed
his mom a lot sometimes and it saddened him when he went to visit
his dad who would probably never get out of the mental hospital,
but Social Services had placed him in a wonderful foster home.
Aunt Esther and Uncle Martin were terrific people.  He still had
occasional bouts of bleeding, but oddly enough they didn't frighten
him any longer.  His foster parents were Catholic and they
completely accepted it, the first people to do so.  They even had a
name for it....stigmata.  In their own calm way, with a serenity
based on faith, they had quietly told Kevin that every human being
was special in God's eyes and that as time went on, His plan for
Kevin would be revealed.  All he had to do was to wait and keep an
open mind, and try to be a good person. They built his faith and his
confidence in himself and in God.  They had tapped into their own
funds to put him in a Catholic school although of course he had not
been baptized in that faith and for the first time, he had made real
friends.  He enjoyed the company of both the brothers, in this case
Jesuits who considered themselves warriors of God after a fashion
and the lay teachers.  There was consolation  to be found in the
lives of the saints, and inspite of the bleeding, he felt normal and
accepted for the first time in his life.

He saw the redheaded woman and the tall man and thought that
there was something familiar about them.  Then he realized that it
was Dr. Scully and her partner.  The partner had been very
skeptical, but the woman doctor had believed.  It wasn't that she
said it.  It was just something that he had sensed. The two looked
different.  The man had his arm around her.  Kevin had always
known he would once again meet the woman who had saved his
life.

"Dr. Scully.....Dr. Scully...." he called out and raced to greet them
enthusiastically.  Of course he tripped.  He sometimes had trouble
with his size, and blushed.  Aunt Esther and Uncle Martin had told
him that was normal too and he would outgrow it.

Dana looked up at him trying to place his face.

"My God," she smiled recognition dawning, "Kevin Kryder.....I
know young men hate to hear it, but look how you've grown!"
Instinctively she knew he was turning into a fine young adult.
There was something special in the light in his eyes and the way he
stumbled and blushed.  She noticed the blazer with the name a
good Catholic high school in Baltimore.  Perhaps Kevin had found
acceptance there.
 

"Nearly six feet tall," he grinned.  "Hello, Mr. Mulder."  Mr.
Mulder, he suspected, was probably a pretty cool guy beneath his
skeptical exterior.  The little boy in him had always found the guns
the two packed kind of neat despite the fact that he knew in his
heart that violence was wrong.  At least these two used their
weapons to protect the good and to try to put the bad guys in jail.
 

"Hello, Kevin," replied Fox.
 

It was then that Kevin realized something was wrong.  There was
something inside Dr. Scully's head that was killing her.  He didn't
know how he knew and for a moment he felt panicky.  Then he
remembered Aunt Esther's words about accepting God's gifts and
His plan.  Once, when he was a young boy, the neighbor's dog had
been hit by a car.  Somehow, he had known that the animal was
bleeding to death inside.  He had laid his hands on the animal,
crying and prayiing that the dog wouldn't die. The dog had been his
friend.  A strange warmth had suffused him then, and suddenly the
bleeding had stopped.  It had scared  him and he never spoke of it
to anyone, not even his mom.  He reached out and touched Dr.
Scully's head.  Her eyes looked up at his face.  She didn't move.
The same warmth suffused him this time.  Then it grew to a flame.
Quickly he let go.  He wasn't certain what was happening, but he
didn't want to do anything to hurt her, and perhaps it would be
arrogance to think that he could help her simply by touching her
and praying like he had the day he had helped old Shep as he lay in
the road.
 

"I....I just wanted to thank you for saving my life that time, Dr.
Scully...and you too Mr. Mulder," he added once again the
awkward adolescent trying to be polite.
 

"Judging by the way you've turned out, Kevin," Dana said softly, "I
can only say it was my pleasure."  Dana blinked wondering what
had just happened.  There had been something in the boy's
touch.....as though he had known what was growing inside her and
wanted to help fight it.  "If you ever want a career in the FBI, or if
you ever need anything, just get in touch.  I have a feeling you
might make a fine doctor one day."  She handed him one of her
cards.  He walked off.  He had just remembered.  Aunt Esther was
baking brownies and if he went quickly he might be able to get
some while they were still warm from the oven.

Dana watched the boy go and suddenly felt a little dizzy.  She
leaned into Fox.
 

"What's wrong?  What is it?" he asked her.
 

"I don't know.  My head feels funny.  I think I'm in for a terrible
headache. When Kevin touched me, it felt strange...like....I don't
know....It's nothing."  She didn't want to start sounding crazy.
Mulder had thought she was insane when he had realized that she
felt that God had called on her to protect the boy.  She had never
been able to talk about it with him either.
 

Mulder took her home.
 

It was his intention to make her take a nap, but when he had gone
into the bedroom he had found her lying naked on her bed
seductively as though she was waiting for him.  She was on her
stomach and when he saw the tattoo on her back he winced visibly.
She had seen his look and quickly turned over covering herself, the
expression on her face filled with pain.  The last thing he ever
wanted to do was to hurt her, especially not now.  He had sat
beside her and turned her over and had then kissed every part of the
tattoo whispering words of love to her, and finally making love
passionately but gently.  She still felt frail, still felt vulnerable.  This
time, she let him take the lead and then they drifted off to sleep.  He
sent out for Chinese later that evening and they curled up on the
couch to watch a movie.  He knew they were going to have to talk
about the future soon, but it was Friday night, and he was happy
just to be with her for the moment.  He knew that he wanted to live
with her, but it would probably be too dangerous.  He had called
Dana's mother and told her what was going on, except of course
the part about the tumor growing, and well, also about what they
had done the night before, while Dana had been asleep, and now he
was glad just to be with her.
 

Suddenly, she cried out.  It was a cry of pain, and he saw that her
nose had started to bleed heavily.
 

"My head....my head....it hurts...."  It was not like Dana to cry out
or complain about pain.  She endured quietly as a rule never
wanting to display weakness.  He felt terrified.
 

He got towels, and finally when he realized that the bleeding wasn't
going to stop he called 911.  He didn't hesitate to give his badge
number in the hopes of rushing things along.  Although Dana lived
in one of the better sections of DC, waits of a half an hour were not
uncommon.  There were not enough EMT's and a lot of the time
the vehicles were in the shop for weeks at a time waiting for the
city to come up with the money to buy parts or for a contractor
stupid enough to give them credit.
 

They took her to the public hospital because it was where they were
ordered to go despite his protests that she needed to go to
Georgetown.  It was the Friday night knife and gun club down
there.  More likely than not, several of the patients in the ER would
be people he had helped to arrest in the past.  Still, they rushed her
into the emergency room where the trauma team shouted questions
at him while they went to work.  Although they all looked
overworked and exhausted, they appeared competent and
dedicated.  To work in that hospital you had to be.  Only heroes
worked in the ER.  Suddenly her small body began to convulse
violently.
 

Fox Mulder stood and watched helplessly as they turned his
beautiful partner on her side and tried to keep her from swallowing
her tongue.  She was dying.  He just knew it.  It was sickening to
watch her foam at the mouth and lose control of her bodily
functions.  It wasn't fair.  It shouldn't be happening....not to
her....not now...not ever.  He also knew that he was going to go
home and swallow his gun that night.  He did not want to live
without her,  not after what they had  had together during this past
24 hours.  Suddenly she struggled free and sat up looking around
her frantically, the seizure apparently over.
 

"Kevin......" she cried out.  She sneezed violent and a blood clot of
tremendous size flew from her body along with the packing they
had started to put in her nose.  Blood sprayed everywhere.  She
collapsed into the arms of one of the ER nurses and passed out.
 

They had admitted her, and now Fox Mulder sat by her bedside.
The overworked staff had been kind, cleaning her up, and trying to
make her comfortable.  In the morning, if he could, he would have
her transferred to the oncology section at Johns Hopkins in the
hopes that they could do something. for her.  He would bring her
her own nightgowns and he would take a leave and stay with her
day and night.  For now though, she was hooked up to all sorts of
monitors, but according to the ER doctor who looked as though he
hadn't slept in 36 hours and was one day out of med school, all the
fancy equipment showed was that she was asleep.  She was not
really in a coma.  All her vitals were fine, and her brain waves were
normal, but they couldn't seem to wake her up.
 

Mrs. Scully came rushing in.  "Fox, oh my God, Fox....what
happened?" she asked seeing her daughter once again hooked up to
all kinds of equipment.  Fox had just told her that she was getting
better and then this call had come from him that she was in the DC
Public Hospital.
 

"We aren't exactly sure, Mrs. Scully," he said quietly.  "Sit down
and I'll try to tell you what I know."
 

The woman did so, then reached out and took her daughter's hand.
It felt warm and alive.  She looked at Fox.  He looked so tired and
worn out with dark circles under his eyes.  The poor man.  He
loved Dana so much and he had sat too often at her bedside like
this.
 

"Tell me, Fox," she said softly.  "Tell me everything."
 

He did so....well, almost everything, not about them making love of
course and not about Dana telling him the tumor had started to
grow.  It was too difficult...too downbeat.
 

"This sounds so strange," said the woman, "And who is this
Kevin....."
 

"He was a boy we met on a case.  He seemed to suffer from what
Catholics call stigmata......a lot of nonsense in my opinion,
however, your daughter seemed to believe in him.  She was really
happy to see him yesterday and we were so hopeful that this
treatment would work...."  He stopped unable to say any more.
She told me later she would like to have a son like him one day.
Margaret didn't know that it wasn't going to happen.  She didn't
know about the experiments and the  clones and the eggs.  Neither
did Dana.  He hadn't told her yet....hadn't known how.
 

A tall very black man entered the room.  He was of noble bearing,
greying around the temples.
 

"I am Dr. Mutambe," he said in English that sang with the rhythms
of West Africa as both Fox and Margaret got to her feet.  "I am an
oncologist."  He studied Mulder with quiet dignity.  There was
something about the man.....something unique and special.
Yes....he knew what it was...."You have seen the Teliko and lived,"
he said softly.  Sometimes white patients didn't react well to him.
Racism ran deep within American culture.  And in truth, he didn't
treat many in this hospital.  This was a place for the poor and
forgotten, most of whom were dark in hue in this city, not quite as
poor and forgotten as his people back home, but the ones that had
been left behind some how even in this rich land where he now
studied and worked to increase his skills. Instinctively he knew that
racism would not be a problem here with these two.  They were
good people frantic about the woman who lay in the bed.
 

"Yes," replied Fox wondering how the man had known.
 

"And this woman," he said glancing in Dana's direction.  "She is the
warrior queen who slayed it."
 

Margaret didn't have the slightest idea what the man was talking
about, but she remained silent.
 

"Yes," smiled Fox ever so slightly.
 

"Queen Nzinga with hair of flame."  The doctor smiled.  Then
suddenly, he got down to business.  "I have been in touch with Dr.
Mers at Johns Hopkins," he said.  "Alas, he was on his way out of
town, but he was able to fill me in on Dr. Scully's condition before
he left."
 

"But what could have happened?" asked Margaret.
 

"In truth, he has not an idea.  An astute lab technician, a fellow
countrywoman of mine who was in the ER saved the blood clot.  I
requested that she analyze it.  As it turns out, it was a  malignant
tumor. "
 

"What?" demanded Fox.  "You mean she sneezed and an inoperable
tumor came out?"
 

"It would appear that way.  Perhaps your European God has been
good in return for defending my people against the evil of Teliko.
We have not such fine instruments in my country, but I have
ordered an MRI for the red-haired Nzinga.   She deserves the best.
They will be here to take her in a few moments.  You may
accompany her if you wish, and I will personally read the results."
 

"Why won't she wake up?" asked Margaret.  She hadn't a clue as to
who Queen Nzinga was or what made her a warrior, and didn't
particularly care about something called a Teliko.  She only knew
her daughter was dying. The rest she would find out later.
 

"Perhaps her body is tired and her soul is demanding rest.  Keep
faith," said the older man.   He approached the bed where Dana lay
and touched her head gently.  She was beautiful, this white Nzinga.
"In my land I have seen many miracles."  He turned and left quietly.
 

"What an incredible man," said Margaret softly looking after him.
"There is something almost mystical about him."
 

Mulder nodded.  He dared not hope for a miracle, and yet he had
seen so much.  Soon, the nurses came and transferring Dana to a
stretcher, they went to the room where the MRI would be
performed.  Maggie and Mulder followed.

End of Part Two
 

See Part One for disclaimers.  Alas, they still apply.  All feedback
can be sent to macspooky@erols.com.  I enjoy e-mail.

"Strawberries & Chocolate" Part 3/3

                      by

          Macspooky

They brought Dana back from the MRI room still not conscious.
The nurses transferred her to her bed and reconnected monitors.
Ever so gently Fox pulled the hospital gown down over her legs
and her mother pulled up the sheets as he placed the pillow under
her head in a way that he hoped she would find comfortable.
 

The two of them settled down to wait.
 

"Fox, I know what you did arranging for this private room," said
Maggie quietly, "And I want you to know that I appreciate it."
 

"So long as I am alive and have money in my pocket, Mrs. Scully,
she is going to have the best," he said softly.  His heart had made a
commitment to her, a commitment that he would never break.

Maggie knew then what had changed.  They had finally become
lovers.  Raised as she had been, she should have been appalled, but
somehow she found it hard to believe that God would frown upon
their actions considering the dangerous way they lived.  Marriage
for the two of them would probably be out of the question at least
for now. She was no one's fool.  She sensed that there were things
going on here that were best not discussed, but she also knew that
she had gained a son just as certainly as if they wore gold bands on
their left hands.
 

"Don't you think it's time you started to call me Maggie?" she asked
with a smile.  "I'm kind of partial to mom, but you aren't the sort of
man that a woman pushes."
 

He swallowed.  He was deeply touched and didn't know what to
say.  He had come to love this older woman so much.  He turned
his head toward Dana and watched her breath.
 

"I'm going to go get some coffee and sandwiches," said Maggie
finally.  "I don't think either of us have eaten.  I'll be back in a few
moments."  She sensed that Fox wanted some time alone with Dana
and she didn't resent it.
 

He nodded and as soon as she left, he went to Dana's bed and sat
on it.  Ever so gently he stroked her hair and finally bent over and
kissed her.
 

"Hey, sleeping beauty," he whispered, "your prince is here and it's
time to wake up.  Of course, maybe I'm really  a frog in disguise.  I
love you, Dana.  I love you so much and I don't want to live
without you."  He kissed her again and then sensing a presence
looked up.  Walter Skinner stood in the doorway.  He felt himself
blush deeply.
 

"Agent Mulder," the man stated.  Fox nodded.  This was the last
thing he needed to deal with right now.
 

"How is Agent Scully doing?" he inquired.  Skinner determinedly
ignored what he had seen.  In fact, if anyone asked, he hadn't seen
anything.  He had known how deeply these two cared about each
other.  He was not about to interfere in their private lives at this
point.  Later if...if there was going to be a later....he would deal
with it if he had to.
 

"She won't wake up, Sir," was all he could manage to blurt out.
Fortunately Maggie returned at that moment and rescued him.
 

"Mr. Skinner, it is good to see you again," she said.  "I've brought
some extra coffee.  Please sit down if you have time and wait with
us for awhile."
 

"I'm sorry to be here under these circumstances again, Mrs. Scully,"
he said sitting down.  He had gone to Melissa's funeral because he
had felt obligated to do so under the circumstances.  It had been
horrible.  An outsider, he had watched the family rally and had been
amazed at the strength of the woman who now sat before him.
Scully had come from strong stock.
 

"I was sorry to hear about the loss of your wife.  If there is anything
I can do......"
 

Mulder thought that she was such an incredible lady.  With her, the
social graces seemed so sincere.  Just as she was admonishing him
to eat the sandwich she had brought, Dr. Matambe entered the
room.  They all rose quickly as Skinner introduced himself.
 

"I have excellent news for you," said the African man with great
dignity, "The MRI indicates that the tumor is completely gone."
 

Mrs. Scully and Fox exchanged looks and Maggie began to smile.
Skinner's expression softened.  He admired Dana Scully a great deal
and he was coming to see where she had gotten her graciousness
and grit.
 

"But what happened?" asked Maggie, "I mean......."
 

"Well, I am positive that Dr. Myers will think it was his
treatments," smiled the gray haired man, "And I for one will not
argue.  It would be politically incorrect to do so."
 

"I don't believe I understand," said Walter.  Cancerman had told
him there was not cure...that perhaps if he sold his soul, a way
could be found to buy time.  He had almost bought into it, would
have bought into it in the future, not now they were saying she was
cured.
 

"None of us do, Sir," said the elderly doctor.  "However, there have
been cases documented of tumors vanishing.  The blood vessels in
that area are very delicate right now.  I suspect she will have
nosebleeds for awhile, but perhaps we can cauterize the most
damaged and prevent it."
 

"But why isn't she awake Dr.?" asked Maggie.
 

Suddenly Dana let out a moan.  She wasn't entirely certain where
she was or that she was quite ready to wake up and her nose felt all
stuffed up.  She did know that she was not home in her own bed
and that Fox was not with her.  Her fuzzy mind thought that it
wasn't fair.  She wanted to be in Fox's arms feeling his naked body
next to hers.  Her eyes opened and he was there looking down at
her.  She opened her mouth to try to say something, but nothing
came out. Her throat was so dry and hospital sounds were
beginning to register.  He bent over her and kissed her.  This was
something she could deal with and she brought her arm up around
his neck and parted her lips.  Then, from the corner of her eye she
realized there were others in the room, Walter Skinner, her mother,
and a black man.
 

She released him quickly.
 

"Welcome back Nzinga with hair of fire," said the dark man with a
gentle smile.  "I will leave you with your family now and come back
later when we will talk doctor to doctor."  With a bow, he left
them.
 

"I'm going to leave too, Agent Scully," said Skinner.  "I'm glad you
are better.  Mulder, keep me apprised of her condition.  You are on
medical leave right now, Agent Scully and we will discuss your
return date in a few days.  Agent Mulder, I have approved that
request for vacation days that you did not make yesterday."  He
surprised everyone then including himself.  The tough ex Marine
winked at his wayward agent.  "Mrs. Scully....." He bowed slightly
too and left them.
 

"I'm thirsty," Dana whispered.  Quickly Fox poured her water.  She
sipped it through a straw slowly.  "What happened?" she finally
managed looking between the two people she loved most in the
world.  "My head feels....empty....."  Rightfully, the fact that she
had bled so heavily and was in the hospital should have meant that
she was dying, but she didn't feel as though this was the case.
 

"A miracle," said Margaret, "And it is.  I'll let Fox explain.  I'm
going to your apartment Sweetie.  I'll be taking a nap and then
bringing you some things."
 

"Okay, mom.....I love you," she said turning her attention to
Mulder.  Maggie left smiling.  Her daughter only had eyes for Fox.
 

He took her hand and quietly began to explain.  She listened silently
her mind functioning on two levels, the scientist/doctor and the
little girl who had been taught that miracles happened.  She wasn't
sure what she believed or that was what she tried to convince
herself.  She still felt very tired.  If what they said was true, then her
nightmare was over.  She had been cured.  Soon she would leave
this hospital and be able to continue with her work side by side with
the man she loved.  In her heart of hearts though, she believed it
was Kevin.  There had been something started when he touched
her.......
 

"I'm still very tired, Fox," she said softly, her eyelids drooping
already.  "Go home.  Get some sleep.  Maybe I'll be able to come
home tomorrow."
 

"Okay," he said softly knowing that it was good advice.  He bent
over and kissed her.  "I love you, Nzinga."
 

"I'll love you forever."  Her eyes closed as she wondered idly what
an Nzinga was. For a moment he watched her deep regular
breathing.  He was a happy man.  Then he turned to go knowing if
he didn't rest soon he would collapse.  His leather couch would feel
empty, but soon Dana would come home and they could be
together.
 

The tall man watched from a distance.  He rubbed his fingers
together nervously.  He was not comfortable without the cigarette
in his hand but it would have made him stand out in the hospital.
Something had happened here, something that had not come about
as a result of the program.  He didn't know what it was and he
didn't like that fact much.  He would have to find out.  The cancer
was not supposed to be curable.  By rights, Scully should be dead
or dying and Mulder checkmated, a broken man....alive but
harmless.   He would have kept his promise to Bill and eliminated a
major threat.  Now he wouldn't even have anything to hang over
that bastard Skinner's head, not a good thing since Albert Hosteen
was still very much alive and well and teaching a new group of oral
historians at this very moment.  There was nothing more he could
do here right now.  The man turned and left.  When he had returned
to the street, he stopped and lit a Morley.  And just who the hell
was this Nzinga person that damned African doctor person had
been rambling on about?  He supposed he'd have to do some
research and find out about that too.  One never knew what sort of
supposedly trivial crap might prove useful in the future when
dealing with one's enemies.
 

The End with the possibility that I may add another part.