Fic: Ambit (Scully, Part 5)
Again, summary, etc. same as part 1.
~~~~~~
The element of surprise has definitely served them well, and though it's difficult to be sure, it seems that they are 'winning'. In fact, some of the would-be raiders seem unwilling to put up much of a fight against the forces that have caught them off guard. Scully herself doesn't meet much resistance in those she comes up against, and decides not to spare the mental effort to wonder whether that's because of what she did the last time she faced Esana clan members, or whether it has something to do with their plans against her being foiled.
Just seconds after this brief thought, Scully turns toward another likely group of people and suddenly feels a sharp pain in her leg. She stumbles, crying out as numbness speeds up her body. She hears Mulder yell her name in a panicked voice, but she is already focusing her healing vision on herself. It's not just what Axel saw that makes Scully know with deadly certainty even before she discovers exactly what's happening that she can spare no time.
It's some kind of a dart, which she uses her gift almost immediately to pull out. Despite this, though, she can see when she looks deeper that what is spreading through her bloodstream is a very strong paralytic compound. As she loses control of her legs, she dimly notices that Mulder is there to help her lie down. But whatever the drug is, it's combined with some kind of narcotic and together, it's fast-acting enough that she knows she isn't going to be able to dissolve it all before she goes unconscious. Working as rapidly as she can and fighting against her growing inability to focus, she breaks down what she is able and then finally tries to answer Mulder's desperate inquiries as to what's wrong: “'S a paralytic. Don't think it's deadly, but I can't stop... it...” and the last thing she sees is her partner's terrified face above hers before everything goes dark.
~~~~~~
She thinks she almost comes to a few times. Once, there's shouting and it sounds like Mulder, and she really wants to know what's going on, but can't even summon the will to open her eyes. Her body feels far too heavy. Another time - or maybe it's the same time, since one moment feels hardly separated from another in these strange circumstances - she hears slightly less heated voices, and then, as if her skin is very thick, feels a faint warmth across her body, from her feet all the way to her head. However, her body still won't move, and though her mind is sluggish, it's active enough that this bothers her a great deal.
Finally, minutes or months later, she hears the sound of a voice again, and when she tries to turn her head toward it, she actually moves. At this, the voice becomes louder, and she recognizes it as Mulder. “Scully? You awake?” she thinks she hears, although it is annoyingly muffled.
She wants to speak in response, but it feels like the air that escapes her misses her vocal folds almost entirely. And her eyes still won't open.
“Scully? Can you hear me?” he asks again, though it remains muffled, and maybe there's a hand on her face, but that weird thickness of her skin is still there, so she can't be sure.
But this time, when she attempts to speak, she is gratified to hear what sounds almost like a word. “Mul-?” Well, a syllable.
“Yeah, Scully, it's me,” he says, and there is so much relief in his voice that she almost wants to cry. Even though all she can manage next is a sigh, Mulder evidently takes this as a good sign. He goes on, “Scully, Tellan broke down the rest of the drugs in your system, but they really did a number on you. He said you probably still feel pretty numb, and it's probably still hard for you to move.” She notes that whatever it was that was obscuring his voice in her ears seems to be going away, slowly.
She thinks she succeeds in frowning at that. “Mmhmm,” she says, although both the facial expression and the response take far too much effort.
“I'll tell him to come and do some more healing for you,” Mulder says, and though his words are gentle, there is a definite undertone of anger.
She feels a faint pressure on her hand closest to him, and urgently wants to respond. Her hand doesn't move, however, and she is forced to simply lie there as he leaves the room. Despite her desire to know more about what is going on, she is almost asleep again before she registers two people in the room.
“Healer Dana, I'm going to try to erase the effects of the poison,” comes Tellan's voice.
It's too much effort to reply, so she just waits as the now-familiar warmth spreads over her again. This time, as it progresses up her body, the sensation of thickness in her skin fades along with it. Her feeling is almost back to normal by the time he's finished. With this, the last of the muting effect on her hearing is gone, as well. The weight on her eyelids seems to have lessened, so she cracks them open.
The result is not encouraging, at first. Everything is too blurry to make out, so she closes her eyes again.
“Healer, do your eyes hurt? How is your vision?” Tellan asks, and Mulder makes an aborted exclamation, as if he really wants to interrupt.
She frowns again and clears her throat. “No. It's... blurry.”
The warmth comes over her eyes again. “Try again, please.”
When she does, it is much better. She immediately seeks out Mulder, who is standing behind the healer. His expression, which is dark, brightens as he meets her eyes.
“Well, the rest of the effects should wear off after another good rest,” Tellan declares. “You should be fine.”
“'Should'?” Mulder repeats, now glaring at the other man in undisguised anger.
Tellan sighs, and he seems somewhat pained. “There is no reason why Healer Dana shouldn't be completely recovered in another day. At this point, she should be able to tell you that herself.” With a nod toward her, he leaves.
“Oh,” Scully says quietly. “I'll check.” She had almost forgotten. It is briefly hard to bring her vision into healing mode, but once she has, and once she has looked over herself completely, she meets Mulder's eyes again in normal vision. “He's right, Mulder.”
He takes her hand again, and this time she can squeeze back, ever so slightly. “Good.” Now his voice trembles, and she brings her other hand over to his.
“Mulder, what happened? Why is Tellan here?” She has recognized that she's in her room at Tannen's family's house.
“No one was going to let him leave without healing you, Scully,” Mulder says firmly, his eyes flashing.
This is not exactly what Scully wants to know, but her eyes are already drifting shut. “Is everyone else okay?”
“Everyone's fine,” Mulder says. “He healed everyone else, too, but mostly people had cuts and bruises, anyway.”
“Good,” she mumbles, sinking rapidly back into darkness. Her hand clasps his more strongly before she sleeps.
~~~~~~
When she next awakens, it looks like morning, by the light from the window, and Mulder has somehow gotten into the bed beside her without disturbing her sleep. It's only a few seconds after her eyes open that his do, as well, and he smiles at her for the first time in what seems like forever. “Hey. How are you doing?”
She tentatively flexes a few muscles, also smiling. “Everything seems pretty good.” After a second's pause, she asks, “Mulder, how long was I... out?”
“The fight with Esana was the night before last,” he says. “When you were awake before, that was late yesterday morning. You've been asleep for a while, but Tellan said that was what he expected.”
Scully takes this in. “Okay. Mulder, you never really told me why he's here.” He doesn't answer right away, which makes her suspicious. “What, you're not going to tell me he's a prisoner, are you? Because I hope I don't need to tell you how-”
He interrupts. “No, he's not a prisoner. He chose to stay to look after the wounded. Of course, that was after I dragged him over to you when you went unconscious, but...” he trails off, looking like he might want to appear apologetic, but with defiance bleeding through.
She isn't angry, though - after all, she already hadn't thought much of Tellan as a person because of his complicity in Mulder's imprisonment. Although if he truly stayed of his own free will to heal everyone who needed it, villagers included, she reflects, then he can't be too bad. Her thoughts are interrupted by a growl from her stomach. “I hope it's not too early for breakfast,” she says. It has, after all, been almost 24 hours since she last ate, according to what Mulder told her.
Mulder chuckles lightly. “Stay here and I'll check.” He gets up and opens the door quietly. “I think I hear someone out there. Could be a good sign.”
She sits up carefully after he leaves, relieved to be moving. Nothing seems amiss, and when she checks in healing mode, everything seems to be as it should be. Before she comes out of the view, however, a thought strikes her, and she looks more closely at a certain area. What she sees surprises her, and she spends some time carefully healing herself in a way that would certainly not be possible without this ability. When Mulder peers back around the door to tell her what he found, his eyes widen in alarm at her disbelieving, almost stunned expression and he is at her side in an instant. “Scully! What's wrong?”
She remembers to breathe. “Mulder... Oh, I'm fine, nothing's wrong. In fact,” and then, in an attempt to smile, her lips tremble and before she can stop herself, she's unexpectedly crying into his arms. Though her emotions are in a tumult, she forces herself to calm down enough to speak, since Mulder is now looking at her in real fear while trying to make reassuring noises. “Sorry,” she sighs, pulling back and wiping her face and trying to even out her breathing. “Nothing is wrong, I promise. I was just checking myself over, and then I thought of something, and I looked, and I saw that I could heal myself, and, um, well, the upshot is - Mulder, I think I can get pregnant now.”
Mulder's eyes widen again, but this time it's followed by a huge, amazed grin. “Scully, that's - that's wonderful!”
She nods, mirroring his grin. “It won't be... well, it still might not be as simple as I wish it could be, and there are lots of things to think about, but-”
“Shh,” says Mulder gently. “I'm sure we do need to consider some things, but let's celebrate, first.”
“Okay,” she says. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, as it turns out, the reason why both Faryn and Alun are already up is because they and a few other families from the village were already planning a feast today to celebrate beating back Esana,” he explains. “It won't be until lunch time, but I think we could scare up something for you to break your fast right now.”
Scully has almost forgotten that she's hungry, but she supposes fainting later that day might detract from the joy of it. And speaking of joy, she thinks to herself, neither she nor Mulder are even trying very hard to hide theirs. “It's a good thing everyone is supposed to be happy today, anyway,” she tells him, as she follows Mulder out of the room. He nods.
Faryn turns at the sound of their voices and her face lights up at the sight of Scully. “Good morning, Healer Dana. I'm so glad you're doing better!”
“Thanks, Faryn,” Scully says. She begins to apologize for possibly interrupting the other woman's preparations by needing something to eat, but Faryn waves her concerns away and finds some bread and fruit for her.
Mulder eats a few bites, as well, but mostly watches her. His eyes are full of thoughts and possibilities. Despite their decision just a few moments ago, she knows they need to talk about this. She can't see herself trying to get pregnant here, when she would be bringing a child into life already addicted to a drug. And yet, if they wait until somehow getting home, she will lose the option to monitor and guide the entire process - from conception on, if she should choose - at a more detailed level than modern medicine can allow. Even the scientific precision of their failed attempt at IVF pales in comparison to the attention she could give with the ability she has here.
Mulder meets her eyes again, and she wonders just how much of this he's starting to consider, as well. He shakes his head just slightly and mouths, “Later.” She gives a small nod in return. It's hard not to be fixated on this, but he's right - there really is so much to celebrate today.
When they're done eating, Scully asks again if there is something she can do to help, and when she insists that it will make her feel better to be able to contribute to the party, Faryn reluctantly tells her that she can join her in cutting up their house's share of the vegetables and other food for the gathering. Mulder willingly joins Axel, Alun, and Tannen as they head outside to set up tables and the large canopy that will be spread over the village center.
~~~~~~~
Before too long, it is time for the celebration. After the opening prayer of thanksgiving, there is no schedule or program, and people seem content to eat, chat, and laugh for hours. There is plenty of raki wine along with the food, although neither Mulder nor Scully choose to partake. For Scully, it is tied strongly to the act of healing, and she thinks it would feel odd to drink it outside of that context. For Mulder, she guesses, the association is powerfully negative, as he can't quite hide the shudder that passes through him when the drink is offered to him.
Still, it is a pleasant afternoon. Several people congratulate Mulder on his part in the fight - especially getting the Clan Healer to stick around - and Mulder seems to take it in stride. Everyone is also respectful of Scully, and Seri and her family make their way to personally express their gladness at her recovery before she takes the little ones back to her house.
As it nears evening, the festivities seem to be winding down. Many have already departed when Scully finds herself yawning.
“Tired, Scully? Still a little worn out from the attack?” Mulder asks, concerned.
She shakes her head. “I'm fine, it's just... I haven't eaten so much at once since Christmas.”
He smiles. “Let's hope there are no zombies in our immediate future this time. But I agree, these folks sure know how to throw a party.” He leans back in his seat and stretches. “Well, I think we could beat a retreat without anyone minding.”
“I thought you'd never ask,” Scully says gratefully, standing when he does. She likes parties just fine, but has long since decided that she prefers them in small doses.
~~~~~~
Back at the house, Scully has shaken herself somewhat out of her somnolence and steered the conversation in their room to her thoughts this morning. “At the same time,” she allows, after having explained the advantages she has seen to trying to get pregnant while they are still in this place, “I know neither of us want to risk raki addiction for our child, right from the beginning. And I don't know that I'd be able to do anything about that. I told you about foods with much lower amounts of raki that I heard about when I first got here, but I don't think that would be good enough and I don't think I'd be able to block it from being passed from me to the baby.”
Mulder, who has been courteously, almost uncharacteristically silent while she talks, speaks up when she pauses. “I see why you'd be tempted to try to get pregnant here. It would be nice to be able to know for sure, right away. But I also agree that it would be wrong, irresponsible, if we'd be addicting him or her to a drug in the process.” He frowns. “Of course, talking about what we'll do when we get back... I wonder if Tellan has left yet? We still need to find a way to ask him about your idea.” Mulder hadn't been all that thrilled about him going back to the Clan, but he had to be free to go or stay.
Scully nods. “Well, it's not likely that he would have felt welcome at the feast, but we could check to see if he's gone.”
Mulder stands. “I think he's been staying here, sleeping on the couch.”
He doesn't seem to be inside the house, but they find him around back, unconsciously mimicking Mulder's position the first day he arrived, sitting against the wall. He rises as they approach. “Is the festival over?” he asks, in a neutral tone.
“Just about,” says Mulder. “Finding your own fun?”
Tellan frowns. “I did not feel it appropriate for me to take part. And I have been busy with my own thoughts.”
Scully watches his expression and wonders. “What are you thinking about?”
“I'm thinking that being a healer and being a member of Esana may not go well together,” he says bluntly, sighing.
Her eyes widen. So, does the man have a fully-developed conscience after all? Before she can speak, Mulder says it for her, albeit more sharply than she was going to. “Really? I'm shocked to hear such an idea,” he drawls, radiating sarcasm.
Tellan closes his eyes. “I deserve that.” His voice is quiet. “I have known for a while, if I truly allowed myself to consider it, that my brother's actions were - are - cruel and inhumane, and I should not take part in them. And you, Mulder, his treatment of you - I should have stopped it. But it is our custom.” He sighs again. “That is not an excuse, but it is a reason why I could not easily act otherwise. I think it was your comment about the Clan's customs that finally made me unable to ignore how wrong it all is,” he adds, turning to Scully.
Scully doesn't remember exactly what she said, but she can easily summon the memory of her righteous anger. Though she doesn't think she'll easily forgive Tellan, she can conceive of working with him much better at this point. When she glances at Mulder, she sees less of the anger that is usually present when he looks at him. She turns back to the other healer. “So, what will you do now? Does Jalgar know anything about this?”
He grimaces. “I'm sure it is out of Jalgar's realm of thought that I could disagree with him. But as you both have proved, it would be... unwise for him to attempt to pursue me or force me to return. I think I would like to simply heal, somewhere the people need me.”
“Well, if Tith is willing, you might be able to find your place here,” Scully says.
Tellan gives her a quizzical look. “Are you not staying here?”
“We hope not,” Scully answers. “It's been wonderful here, for both of us, but Mulder and I want to go home.”
He nods slowly. “Is it a long journey?”
Scully almost laughs, but it's a bit too serious for that. “Well, that's what we wanted to talk to you about, actually.” It's a promising start, but she doesn't quite know how to continue.
Mulder, seeming to sense her reluctance, speaks up. “Tellan, have you ever heard of people coming here from another world entirely?” After all this time, she still admires his ability to come right out with statements that sound crazy (though they usually aren't, if she's honest with herself).
Indeed, Tellan's eyes widen, and then he looks genuinely concerned for a second. But when he sees their perfectly sincere expressions, he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I cannot say that I have, no. And I suppose this is not a purely theoretical question. Are you telling me that you and Healer Dana aren't from this world?” He sounds incredulous, although not completely.
“As far as we can tell,” Mulder says. “Think about it - how else could neither of us have ever heard of raki, much less had any before we got here?”
“That actually does make a little sense,” Tellan admits, shaking his head.
“Yes, sometimes Mulder does make sense, despite everything,” Scully comments, shooting him a glance. Then she clears her throat. “I guess since you haven't heard of that happening, then you won't have heard anything about, uh, my proposed solution to getting us back.” Still feeling in a corner of her mind that talking seriously like this should get her admitted to a mental institution, she haltingly explains her idea about using healing gifts to open a way back.
Tellan's eyes widen again as she speaks, but then he looks at her thoughtfully. “I'm still getting accustomed to the idea that there are other worlds, but I cannot deny that there seems to be logic in that suggestion.”
“But if neither of us even knows how to start...” Scully says, trailing off and sighing. She meets Mulder's eyes and sees her worry and resolve reflected back at her.
A tired-looking Axel comes around the corner in time to hear Scully's musing, and he asks, “What would you like to start?”
Scully clears her throat. “Axel, do you know of any legends or stories about people traveling between worlds?”
He blinks, but overall looks much less shocked than Tellan, Scully thinks. “Hmm,” he says, and smiles suddenly. “This wouldn't be connected to how you and Mulder arrived here and where you came from, would it?”
“Good guess,” Mulder says.
“There are a few stories, yes,” Axel replies. “Alun used to love hearing them. I'm surprised he did not think of this idea in connection with you two.”
“Do you remember those stories?” Scully asks.
“Not very well. It has been a while since I heard them,” Axel admits. “Not many tell them anymore, I think. But Larsal would probably have some knowledge of them, if not some written record.”
Scully explains to Mulder that Larsal is the record-keeper that she visited just after arriving in the village. “I suggest we talk to him tomorrow. I think we're probably all a bit worn out from the party today to start a whole process like this.”
“The process of you and Mulder returning home?” Axel asks, face serious.
“That's what we're hoping,” Mulder says. “I think it's time.”
“It's been an honor to have both of you here,” the other man says. “However, I'm sure your friends and family back home are missing you.”
Scully's mind goes to her mother, who she knows will be worrying, and she nods.
~~~~~~
Larsal is certainly surprised to meet with a group of four adults who all want to hear about travel between worlds when Scully, Mulder, Tellan, and Axel all arrive at the records building the next morning after breakfast. Axel mentions the stories that he recalls, and Larsal nods distractedly. “Oh yes, of course. Those stories are this way...”
Once he has found several volumes for them to look at, he stands next to their table tentatively. “May I ask why you want to read about this?”
Scully glances at Mulder. They haven't really discussed how widely they want it to be known that they are not from this world. “Well, it's a subject Mulder and I are personally quite interested in. We never got to hear any of these stories growing up.”
“Neither did I,” Tellan puts in.
Larsal nods again, and when nothing more seems forthcoming, he wishes them luck, excuses himself and leaves them to it. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
They flip pages in silence for a few minutes. “Anyone have anything useful?” Mulder asks after a while.
“Well, this story does have 'holes in the air' in it, but nothing about how one might find them,” Scully announces, discouraged.
“I have not gotten very far in this legend yet,” Axel says, “however, this one might be useful. The man who came from another world here was a healer.”
“Really?” Tellan and Scully chorus, and then share a quick, bemused look. Tellan speaks again. “What else does the book say?”
“Well, as I said, I have not read much yet,” Axel says, turning a few more pages and scanning them. “Most of this is about a battle between two of the old kingdoms. He acts as Healer, but...” He trails off, still reading.
Mulder sighs. “Mine talks about people coming to this world from somewhere else, but as far as I can see, there's nothing about going back.”
There is another period of quiet. Scully returns to her book, skimming, not much in the mood for following the plot.
Suddenly Axel exclaims. “Ah! In this story, Healer Jass disappears again at the end.”
Mulder stands to look over his shoulder. “Does it say anything about how he does it?”
“Hmm,” Axel mumbles, looking back at the page. “It describes him going back to where he had first come through, then 'He gazed at the air as one seeing more than others could, and seemed to be focusing in the same way as he would if there was a wound there, though invisible to anyone else. Then the air shimmered like the surface of a pond, and the Healer walked through, never to be seen again.'”
Scully stands to join Mulder, and Tellan follows. “It seems like we should all read this story,” Scully says, to which they all agree. It is a relatively short story, and they decide that the least awkward way for them all to hear it is to trade off reading it aloud.
Though the tale is interesting enough, most of what might be useful is contained in what Axel has already read. The only additional piece of information Scully gleans is that this Healer Jass was known to be especially powerful, even for a healer. She muses to herself that this supports the idea of Tellan working with her if anything like this is ever to be done.
“Well, does anyone else's story have anything to offer?” Mulder asks, in the pause that comes after they have finished reading the account of Healer Jass.
Tellan shakes his head. “As far as I have seen in a quick reading, this story features visitors from another world, but no one ever mentions how they arrive. I believe...” he adds, turning a few pages, “Ah, yes. The four men disappear at the end, like Healer Jass, but again, there is no mention of how it is done. And there is only the briefest mention of any healer in the story.”
“Maybe just a pure legend, then,” Scully wonders. “If all we have is Axel's story, it's still something to start with, though.”
Tellan nods slowly, although she notes that he looks unsure. The fact that he also clearly feels out of his depth is oddly comforting to her. She has wished that he knew exactly how to do this, of course, but since that isn't the case, it's somehow better that they will both in all probability be making it up as they go along.
“So, how should we-” Mulder starts to say, but then they hear several voices coming from the entrance to the building. “What's going on?” He stands.
Scully joins him, and soon they are all moving to the front, where Larsal is talking to three men who, judging by the armor, look like soldiers. When they turn to regard the researchers speculatively, Scully's heart starts to pound. Something does not feel right about this.
“And here they are now, Commander,” Larsal says, with a smile that has an unpleasant tinge to it.
“You're Healer Dana?” one of the men asks, looking at her. Without waiting for a response, he goes on. “And which one of you is... Mulder?”
Mulder speaks, edging closer to Scully. “That's me. What is this about?”
“You're both strangers to Elis, is that correct?” the man asks.
No one answers immediately. Scully sees that both Tellan and Axel look tense, as well.
“I am Commander Rastin of the Elis Army Guard, and you will answer me or be arrested,” he says, putting a hand to the gun on his belt. “You are both strangers to Elis, and you have been reading about traveling between worlds, is that not correct?”
“I showed them to those books myself,” Larsal puts in.
“It's fortunate we were in the area,” Rastin says. “I will ask the healer and Mulder to please come with me for questioning.”
“Are we under arrest now? What are the charges?” Mulder shoots back, crossing his arms. The other soldiers move forward to take threatening positions.
“It is the Army Guard's task to keep Elis secure,” the commander begins.
“And you have waited until now to come here, though we have been under attack from raiders for more than a year?” Axel asks angrily. “Healer Dana and Mulder are no threat. They have done nothing but help our village.”
“Really?” Rastin replies, frowning. “I understand the latest of these attacks was revenge from one of the outlaw clans on a raid this healer undertook on their land.”
Mulder makes as if to step forward, but Scully puts a hand on his arm and then speaks up. “The only reason I trespassed on Clan Esana's land is to rescue Mulder from where he had been kidnapped and enslaved! I would have been happy to go about it in a different way, but I had been assured I had no recourse to any sort of law enforcement.”
Rastin raises his eyebrows coolly. “You were told the wrong information. All right, I would like to speak to you all about this before I make any decisions. Where is the village hall?”
Shortly, the whole group of them are on their way, with the commander in front, Larsal next, and the other two soldiers escorting Mulder, Scully, Axel, and Tellan. The sight of the soldiers quickly draws attention, and by the time they reach the center of the village, there is a crowd maintaining a safe distance but watching carefully. Tannen and a few other respected villagers break through the crowd and confront Rastin. “What is going on here? Are these people under arrest?”
“Basically,” Mulder says cheerfully, earning him a glare from Rastin.
“We're here to figure out the status of these two strangers to Elis - not to mention Healer Tellan, here, a member of an outlaw clan. No one is under arrest,” Rastin explains.
“Yet,” mutters Mulder, only loud enough for Scully to hear. She rolls her eyes. She's sure that she and Mulder share the feeling that these are the type of authorities who are bound to make the situation worse rather than better. She wonders what Larsal expects to get out of this.
Tannen's dismayed face doesn't do much to counteract her misgivings. He pauses, seeming briefly unsure, then declares, “Sir, when you are making this decision, please keep in mind that we in Tith have welcomed all three of these visitors. And my son, Seer Axel, is simply helping his friends.”
“Oh, your son can go. We have no need to question him,” Rastin says. “As for the rest, thank you for the information. If I need testimony from you or any of these good people, I will ask.”
Axel stops outside the door of the hall, while the others are escorted in. He is clearly reluctant to leave them. “Mulder and Healer Dana have done nothing wrong,” he says, almost pleading. “And Healer Tellan was once a part of Clan Esana, true, but he has renounced those ways and pledged to live a life of helping others.”
“Thank you,” one of the trailing soldiers says firmly, entering the building and shutting the door in Axel's face. Larsal is excused shortly afterward, although much more politely.
As usual, Mulder's POV to follow.
~~~~~~
The element of surprise has definitely served them well, and though it's difficult to be sure, it seems that they are 'winning'. In fact, some of the would-be raiders seem unwilling to put up much of a fight against the forces that have caught them off guard. Scully herself doesn't meet much resistance in those she comes up against, and decides not to spare the mental effort to wonder whether that's because of what she did the last time she faced Esana clan members, or whether it has something to do with their plans against her being foiled.
Just seconds after this brief thought, Scully turns toward another likely group of people and suddenly feels a sharp pain in her leg. She stumbles, crying out as numbness speeds up her body. She hears Mulder yell her name in a panicked voice, but she is already focusing her healing vision on herself. It's not just what Axel saw that makes Scully know with deadly certainty even before she discovers exactly what's happening that she can spare no time.
It's some kind of a dart, which she uses her gift almost immediately to pull out. Despite this, though, she can see when she looks deeper that what is spreading through her bloodstream is a very strong paralytic compound. As she loses control of her legs, she dimly notices that Mulder is there to help her lie down. But whatever the drug is, it's combined with some kind of narcotic and together, it's fast-acting enough that she knows she isn't going to be able to dissolve it all before she goes unconscious. Working as rapidly as she can and fighting against her growing inability to focus, she breaks down what she is able and then finally tries to answer Mulder's desperate inquiries as to what's wrong: “'S a paralytic. Don't think it's deadly, but I can't stop... it...” and the last thing she sees is her partner's terrified face above hers before everything goes dark.
~~~~~~
She thinks she almost comes to a few times. Once, there's shouting and it sounds like Mulder, and she really wants to know what's going on, but can't even summon the will to open her eyes. Her body feels far too heavy. Another time - or maybe it's the same time, since one moment feels hardly separated from another in these strange circumstances - she hears slightly less heated voices, and then, as if her skin is very thick, feels a faint warmth across her body, from her feet all the way to her head. However, her body still won't move, and though her mind is sluggish, it's active enough that this bothers her a great deal.
Finally, minutes or months later, she hears the sound of a voice again, and when she tries to turn her head toward it, she actually moves. At this, the voice becomes louder, and she recognizes it as Mulder. “Scully? You awake?” she thinks she hears, although it is annoyingly muffled.
She wants to speak in response, but it feels like the air that escapes her misses her vocal folds almost entirely. And her eyes still won't open.
“Scully? Can you hear me?” he asks again, though it remains muffled, and maybe there's a hand on her face, but that weird thickness of her skin is still there, so she can't be sure.
But this time, when she attempts to speak, she is gratified to hear what sounds almost like a word. “Mul-?” Well, a syllable.
“Yeah, Scully, it's me,” he says, and there is so much relief in his voice that she almost wants to cry. Even though all she can manage next is a sigh, Mulder evidently takes this as a good sign. He goes on, “Scully, Tellan broke down the rest of the drugs in your system, but they really did a number on you. He said you probably still feel pretty numb, and it's probably still hard for you to move.” She notes that whatever it was that was obscuring his voice in her ears seems to be going away, slowly.
She thinks she succeeds in frowning at that. “Mmhmm,” she says, although both the facial expression and the response take far too much effort.
“I'll tell him to come and do some more healing for you,” Mulder says, and though his words are gentle, there is a definite undertone of anger.
She feels a faint pressure on her hand closest to him, and urgently wants to respond. Her hand doesn't move, however, and she is forced to simply lie there as he leaves the room. Despite her desire to know more about what is going on, she is almost asleep again before she registers two people in the room.
“Healer Dana, I'm going to try to erase the effects of the poison,” comes Tellan's voice.
It's too much effort to reply, so she just waits as the now-familiar warmth spreads over her again. This time, as it progresses up her body, the sensation of thickness in her skin fades along with it. Her feeling is almost back to normal by the time he's finished. With this, the last of the muting effect on her hearing is gone, as well. The weight on her eyelids seems to have lessened, so she cracks them open.
The result is not encouraging, at first. Everything is too blurry to make out, so she closes her eyes again.
“Healer, do your eyes hurt? How is your vision?” Tellan asks, and Mulder makes an aborted exclamation, as if he really wants to interrupt.
She frowns again and clears her throat. “No. It's... blurry.”
The warmth comes over her eyes again. “Try again, please.”
When she does, it is much better. She immediately seeks out Mulder, who is standing behind the healer. His expression, which is dark, brightens as he meets her eyes.
“Well, the rest of the effects should wear off after another good rest,” Tellan declares. “You should be fine.”
“'Should'?” Mulder repeats, now glaring at the other man in undisguised anger.
Tellan sighs, and he seems somewhat pained. “There is no reason why Healer Dana shouldn't be completely recovered in another day. At this point, she should be able to tell you that herself.” With a nod toward her, he leaves.
“Oh,” Scully says quietly. “I'll check.” She had almost forgotten. It is briefly hard to bring her vision into healing mode, but once she has, and once she has looked over herself completely, she meets Mulder's eyes again in normal vision. “He's right, Mulder.”
He takes her hand again, and this time she can squeeze back, ever so slightly. “Good.” Now his voice trembles, and she brings her other hand over to his.
“Mulder, what happened? Why is Tellan here?” She has recognized that she's in her room at Tannen's family's house.
“No one was going to let him leave without healing you, Scully,” Mulder says firmly, his eyes flashing.
This is not exactly what Scully wants to know, but her eyes are already drifting shut. “Is everyone else okay?”
“Everyone's fine,” Mulder says. “He healed everyone else, too, but mostly people had cuts and bruises, anyway.”
“Good,” she mumbles, sinking rapidly back into darkness. Her hand clasps his more strongly before she sleeps.
~~~~~~
When she next awakens, it looks like morning, by the light from the window, and Mulder has somehow gotten into the bed beside her without disturbing her sleep. It's only a few seconds after her eyes open that his do, as well, and he smiles at her for the first time in what seems like forever. “Hey. How are you doing?”
She tentatively flexes a few muscles, also smiling. “Everything seems pretty good.” After a second's pause, she asks, “Mulder, how long was I... out?”
“The fight with Esana was the night before last,” he says. “When you were awake before, that was late yesterday morning. You've been asleep for a while, but Tellan said that was what he expected.”
Scully takes this in. “Okay. Mulder, you never really told me why he's here.” He doesn't answer right away, which makes her suspicious. “What, you're not going to tell me he's a prisoner, are you? Because I hope I don't need to tell you how-”
He interrupts. “No, he's not a prisoner. He chose to stay to look after the wounded. Of course, that was after I dragged him over to you when you went unconscious, but...” he trails off, looking like he might want to appear apologetic, but with defiance bleeding through.
She isn't angry, though - after all, she already hadn't thought much of Tellan as a person because of his complicity in Mulder's imprisonment. Although if he truly stayed of his own free will to heal everyone who needed it, villagers included, she reflects, then he can't be too bad. Her thoughts are interrupted by a growl from her stomach. “I hope it's not too early for breakfast,” she says. It has, after all, been almost 24 hours since she last ate, according to what Mulder told her.
Mulder chuckles lightly. “Stay here and I'll check.” He gets up and opens the door quietly. “I think I hear someone out there. Could be a good sign.”
She sits up carefully after he leaves, relieved to be moving. Nothing seems amiss, and when she checks in healing mode, everything seems to be as it should be. Before she comes out of the view, however, a thought strikes her, and she looks more closely at a certain area. What she sees surprises her, and she spends some time carefully healing herself in a way that would certainly not be possible without this ability. When Mulder peers back around the door to tell her what he found, his eyes widen in alarm at her disbelieving, almost stunned expression and he is at her side in an instant. “Scully! What's wrong?”
She remembers to breathe. “Mulder... Oh, I'm fine, nothing's wrong. In fact,” and then, in an attempt to smile, her lips tremble and before she can stop herself, she's unexpectedly crying into his arms. Though her emotions are in a tumult, she forces herself to calm down enough to speak, since Mulder is now looking at her in real fear while trying to make reassuring noises. “Sorry,” she sighs, pulling back and wiping her face and trying to even out her breathing. “Nothing is wrong, I promise. I was just checking myself over, and then I thought of something, and I looked, and I saw that I could heal myself, and, um, well, the upshot is - Mulder, I think I can get pregnant now.”
Mulder's eyes widen again, but this time it's followed by a huge, amazed grin. “Scully, that's - that's wonderful!”
She nods, mirroring his grin. “It won't be... well, it still might not be as simple as I wish it could be, and there are lots of things to think about, but-”
“Shh,” says Mulder gently. “I'm sure we do need to consider some things, but let's celebrate, first.”
“Okay,” she says. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, as it turns out, the reason why both Faryn and Alun are already up is because they and a few other families from the village were already planning a feast today to celebrate beating back Esana,” he explains. “It won't be until lunch time, but I think we could scare up something for you to break your fast right now.”
Scully has almost forgotten that she's hungry, but she supposes fainting later that day might detract from the joy of it. And speaking of joy, she thinks to herself, neither she nor Mulder are even trying very hard to hide theirs. “It's a good thing everyone is supposed to be happy today, anyway,” she tells him, as she follows Mulder out of the room. He nods.
Faryn turns at the sound of their voices and her face lights up at the sight of Scully. “Good morning, Healer Dana. I'm so glad you're doing better!”
“Thanks, Faryn,” Scully says. She begins to apologize for possibly interrupting the other woman's preparations by needing something to eat, but Faryn waves her concerns away and finds some bread and fruit for her.
Mulder eats a few bites, as well, but mostly watches her. His eyes are full of thoughts and possibilities. Despite their decision just a few moments ago, she knows they need to talk about this. She can't see herself trying to get pregnant here, when she would be bringing a child into life already addicted to a drug. And yet, if they wait until somehow getting home, she will lose the option to monitor and guide the entire process - from conception on, if she should choose - at a more detailed level than modern medicine can allow. Even the scientific precision of their failed attempt at IVF pales in comparison to the attention she could give with the ability she has here.
Mulder meets her eyes again, and she wonders just how much of this he's starting to consider, as well. He shakes his head just slightly and mouths, “Later.” She gives a small nod in return. It's hard not to be fixated on this, but he's right - there really is so much to celebrate today.
When they're done eating, Scully asks again if there is something she can do to help, and when she insists that it will make her feel better to be able to contribute to the party, Faryn reluctantly tells her that she can join her in cutting up their house's share of the vegetables and other food for the gathering. Mulder willingly joins Axel, Alun, and Tannen as they head outside to set up tables and the large canopy that will be spread over the village center.
~~~~~~~
Before too long, it is time for the celebration. After the opening prayer of thanksgiving, there is no schedule or program, and people seem content to eat, chat, and laugh for hours. There is plenty of raki wine along with the food, although neither Mulder nor Scully choose to partake. For Scully, it is tied strongly to the act of healing, and she thinks it would feel odd to drink it outside of that context. For Mulder, she guesses, the association is powerfully negative, as he can't quite hide the shudder that passes through him when the drink is offered to him.
Still, it is a pleasant afternoon. Several people congratulate Mulder on his part in the fight - especially getting the Clan Healer to stick around - and Mulder seems to take it in stride. Everyone is also respectful of Scully, and Seri and her family make their way to personally express their gladness at her recovery before she takes the little ones back to her house.
As it nears evening, the festivities seem to be winding down. Many have already departed when Scully finds herself yawning.
“Tired, Scully? Still a little worn out from the attack?” Mulder asks, concerned.
She shakes her head. “I'm fine, it's just... I haven't eaten so much at once since Christmas.”
He smiles. “Let's hope there are no zombies in our immediate future this time. But I agree, these folks sure know how to throw a party.” He leans back in his seat and stretches. “Well, I think we could beat a retreat without anyone minding.”
“I thought you'd never ask,” Scully says gratefully, standing when he does. She likes parties just fine, but has long since decided that she prefers them in small doses.
~~~~~~
Back at the house, Scully has shaken herself somewhat out of her somnolence and steered the conversation in their room to her thoughts this morning. “At the same time,” she allows, after having explained the advantages she has seen to trying to get pregnant while they are still in this place, “I know neither of us want to risk raki addiction for our child, right from the beginning. And I don't know that I'd be able to do anything about that. I told you about foods with much lower amounts of raki that I heard about when I first got here, but I don't think that would be good enough and I don't think I'd be able to block it from being passed from me to the baby.”
Mulder, who has been courteously, almost uncharacteristically silent while she talks, speaks up when she pauses. “I see why you'd be tempted to try to get pregnant here. It would be nice to be able to know for sure, right away. But I also agree that it would be wrong, irresponsible, if we'd be addicting him or her to a drug in the process.” He frowns. “Of course, talking about what we'll do when we get back... I wonder if Tellan has left yet? We still need to find a way to ask him about your idea.” Mulder hadn't been all that thrilled about him going back to the Clan, but he had to be free to go or stay.
Scully nods. “Well, it's not likely that he would have felt welcome at the feast, but we could check to see if he's gone.”
Mulder stands. “I think he's been staying here, sleeping on the couch.”
He doesn't seem to be inside the house, but they find him around back, unconsciously mimicking Mulder's position the first day he arrived, sitting against the wall. He rises as they approach. “Is the festival over?” he asks, in a neutral tone.
“Just about,” says Mulder. “Finding your own fun?”
Tellan frowns. “I did not feel it appropriate for me to take part. And I have been busy with my own thoughts.”
Scully watches his expression and wonders. “What are you thinking about?”
“I'm thinking that being a healer and being a member of Esana may not go well together,” he says bluntly, sighing.
Her eyes widen. So, does the man have a fully-developed conscience after all? Before she can speak, Mulder says it for her, albeit more sharply than she was going to. “Really? I'm shocked to hear such an idea,” he drawls, radiating sarcasm.
Tellan closes his eyes. “I deserve that.” His voice is quiet. “I have known for a while, if I truly allowed myself to consider it, that my brother's actions were - are - cruel and inhumane, and I should not take part in them. And you, Mulder, his treatment of you - I should have stopped it. But it is our custom.” He sighs again. “That is not an excuse, but it is a reason why I could not easily act otherwise. I think it was your comment about the Clan's customs that finally made me unable to ignore how wrong it all is,” he adds, turning to Scully.
Scully doesn't remember exactly what she said, but she can easily summon the memory of her righteous anger. Though she doesn't think she'll easily forgive Tellan, she can conceive of working with him much better at this point. When she glances at Mulder, she sees less of the anger that is usually present when he looks at him. She turns back to the other healer. “So, what will you do now? Does Jalgar know anything about this?”
He grimaces. “I'm sure it is out of Jalgar's realm of thought that I could disagree with him. But as you both have proved, it would be... unwise for him to attempt to pursue me or force me to return. I think I would like to simply heal, somewhere the people need me.”
“Well, if Tith is willing, you might be able to find your place here,” Scully says.
Tellan gives her a quizzical look. “Are you not staying here?”
“We hope not,” Scully answers. “It's been wonderful here, for both of us, but Mulder and I want to go home.”
He nods slowly. “Is it a long journey?”
Scully almost laughs, but it's a bit too serious for that. “Well, that's what we wanted to talk to you about, actually.” It's a promising start, but she doesn't quite know how to continue.
Mulder, seeming to sense her reluctance, speaks up. “Tellan, have you ever heard of people coming here from another world entirely?” After all this time, she still admires his ability to come right out with statements that sound crazy (though they usually aren't, if she's honest with herself).
Indeed, Tellan's eyes widen, and then he looks genuinely concerned for a second. But when he sees their perfectly sincere expressions, he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I cannot say that I have, no. And I suppose this is not a purely theoretical question. Are you telling me that you and Healer Dana aren't from this world?” He sounds incredulous, although not completely.
“As far as we can tell,” Mulder says. “Think about it - how else could neither of us have ever heard of raki, much less had any before we got here?”
“That actually does make a little sense,” Tellan admits, shaking his head.
“Yes, sometimes Mulder does make sense, despite everything,” Scully comments, shooting him a glance. Then she clears her throat. “I guess since you haven't heard of that happening, then you won't have heard anything about, uh, my proposed solution to getting us back.” Still feeling in a corner of her mind that talking seriously like this should get her admitted to a mental institution, she haltingly explains her idea about using healing gifts to open a way back.
Tellan's eyes widen again as she speaks, but then he looks at her thoughtfully. “I'm still getting accustomed to the idea that there are other worlds, but I cannot deny that there seems to be logic in that suggestion.”
“But if neither of us even knows how to start...” Scully says, trailing off and sighing. She meets Mulder's eyes and sees her worry and resolve reflected back at her.
A tired-looking Axel comes around the corner in time to hear Scully's musing, and he asks, “What would you like to start?”
Scully clears her throat. “Axel, do you know of any legends or stories about people traveling between worlds?”
He blinks, but overall looks much less shocked than Tellan, Scully thinks. “Hmm,” he says, and smiles suddenly. “This wouldn't be connected to how you and Mulder arrived here and where you came from, would it?”
“Good guess,” Mulder says.
“There are a few stories, yes,” Axel replies. “Alun used to love hearing them. I'm surprised he did not think of this idea in connection with you two.”
“Do you remember those stories?” Scully asks.
“Not very well. It has been a while since I heard them,” Axel admits. “Not many tell them anymore, I think. But Larsal would probably have some knowledge of them, if not some written record.”
Scully explains to Mulder that Larsal is the record-keeper that she visited just after arriving in the village. “I suggest we talk to him tomorrow. I think we're probably all a bit worn out from the party today to start a whole process like this.”
“The process of you and Mulder returning home?” Axel asks, face serious.
“That's what we're hoping,” Mulder says. “I think it's time.”
“It's been an honor to have both of you here,” the other man says. “However, I'm sure your friends and family back home are missing you.”
Scully's mind goes to her mother, who she knows will be worrying, and she nods.
~~~~~~
Larsal is certainly surprised to meet with a group of four adults who all want to hear about travel between worlds when Scully, Mulder, Tellan, and Axel all arrive at the records building the next morning after breakfast. Axel mentions the stories that he recalls, and Larsal nods distractedly. “Oh yes, of course. Those stories are this way...”
Once he has found several volumes for them to look at, he stands next to their table tentatively. “May I ask why you want to read about this?”
Scully glances at Mulder. They haven't really discussed how widely they want it to be known that they are not from this world. “Well, it's a subject Mulder and I are personally quite interested in. We never got to hear any of these stories growing up.”
“Neither did I,” Tellan puts in.
Larsal nods again, and when nothing more seems forthcoming, he wishes them luck, excuses himself and leaves them to it. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
They flip pages in silence for a few minutes. “Anyone have anything useful?” Mulder asks after a while.
“Well, this story does have 'holes in the air' in it, but nothing about how one might find them,” Scully announces, discouraged.
“I have not gotten very far in this legend yet,” Axel says, “however, this one might be useful. The man who came from another world here was a healer.”
“Really?” Tellan and Scully chorus, and then share a quick, bemused look. Tellan speaks again. “What else does the book say?”
“Well, as I said, I have not read much yet,” Axel says, turning a few more pages and scanning them. “Most of this is about a battle between two of the old kingdoms. He acts as Healer, but...” He trails off, still reading.
Mulder sighs. “Mine talks about people coming to this world from somewhere else, but as far as I can see, there's nothing about going back.”
There is another period of quiet. Scully returns to her book, skimming, not much in the mood for following the plot.
Suddenly Axel exclaims. “Ah! In this story, Healer Jass disappears again at the end.”
Mulder stands to look over his shoulder. “Does it say anything about how he does it?”
“Hmm,” Axel mumbles, looking back at the page. “It describes him going back to where he had first come through, then 'He gazed at the air as one seeing more than others could, and seemed to be focusing in the same way as he would if there was a wound there, though invisible to anyone else. Then the air shimmered like the surface of a pond, and the Healer walked through, never to be seen again.'”
Scully stands to join Mulder, and Tellan follows. “It seems like we should all read this story,” Scully says, to which they all agree. It is a relatively short story, and they decide that the least awkward way for them all to hear it is to trade off reading it aloud.
Though the tale is interesting enough, most of what might be useful is contained in what Axel has already read. The only additional piece of information Scully gleans is that this Healer Jass was known to be especially powerful, even for a healer. She muses to herself that this supports the idea of Tellan working with her if anything like this is ever to be done.
“Well, does anyone else's story have anything to offer?” Mulder asks, in the pause that comes after they have finished reading the account of Healer Jass.
Tellan shakes his head. “As far as I have seen in a quick reading, this story features visitors from another world, but no one ever mentions how they arrive. I believe...” he adds, turning a few pages, “Ah, yes. The four men disappear at the end, like Healer Jass, but again, there is no mention of how it is done. And there is only the briefest mention of any healer in the story.”
“Maybe just a pure legend, then,” Scully wonders. “If all we have is Axel's story, it's still something to start with, though.”
Tellan nods slowly, although she notes that he looks unsure. The fact that he also clearly feels out of his depth is oddly comforting to her. She has wished that he knew exactly how to do this, of course, but since that isn't the case, it's somehow better that they will both in all probability be making it up as they go along.
“So, how should we-” Mulder starts to say, but then they hear several voices coming from the entrance to the building. “What's going on?” He stands.
Scully joins him, and soon they are all moving to the front, where Larsal is talking to three men who, judging by the armor, look like soldiers. When they turn to regard the researchers speculatively, Scully's heart starts to pound. Something does not feel right about this.
“And here they are now, Commander,” Larsal says, with a smile that has an unpleasant tinge to it.
“You're Healer Dana?” one of the men asks, looking at her. Without waiting for a response, he goes on. “And which one of you is... Mulder?”
Mulder speaks, edging closer to Scully. “That's me. What is this about?”
“You're both strangers to Elis, is that correct?” the man asks.
No one answers immediately. Scully sees that both Tellan and Axel look tense, as well.
“I am Commander Rastin of the Elis Army Guard, and you will answer me or be arrested,” he says, putting a hand to the gun on his belt. “You are both strangers to Elis, and you have been reading about traveling between worlds, is that not correct?”
“I showed them to those books myself,” Larsal puts in.
“It's fortunate we were in the area,” Rastin says. “I will ask the healer and Mulder to please come with me for questioning.”
“Are we under arrest now? What are the charges?” Mulder shoots back, crossing his arms. The other soldiers move forward to take threatening positions.
“It is the Army Guard's task to keep Elis secure,” the commander begins.
“And you have waited until now to come here, though we have been under attack from raiders for more than a year?” Axel asks angrily. “Healer Dana and Mulder are no threat. They have done nothing but help our village.”
“Really?” Rastin replies, frowning. “I understand the latest of these attacks was revenge from one of the outlaw clans on a raid this healer undertook on their land.”
Mulder makes as if to step forward, but Scully puts a hand on his arm and then speaks up. “The only reason I trespassed on Clan Esana's land is to rescue Mulder from where he had been kidnapped and enslaved! I would have been happy to go about it in a different way, but I had been assured I had no recourse to any sort of law enforcement.”
Rastin raises his eyebrows coolly. “You were told the wrong information. All right, I would like to speak to you all about this before I make any decisions. Where is the village hall?”
Shortly, the whole group of them are on their way, with the commander in front, Larsal next, and the other two soldiers escorting Mulder, Scully, Axel, and Tellan. The sight of the soldiers quickly draws attention, and by the time they reach the center of the village, there is a crowd maintaining a safe distance but watching carefully. Tannen and a few other respected villagers break through the crowd and confront Rastin. “What is going on here? Are these people under arrest?”
“Basically,” Mulder says cheerfully, earning him a glare from Rastin.
“We're here to figure out the status of these two strangers to Elis - not to mention Healer Tellan, here, a member of an outlaw clan. No one is under arrest,” Rastin explains.
“Yet,” mutters Mulder, only loud enough for Scully to hear. She rolls her eyes. She's sure that she and Mulder share the feeling that these are the type of authorities who are bound to make the situation worse rather than better. She wonders what Larsal expects to get out of this.
Tannen's dismayed face doesn't do much to counteract her misgivings. He pauses, seeming briefly unsure, then declares, “Sir, when you are making this decision, please keep in mind that we in Tith have welcomed all three of these visitors. And my son, Seer Axel, is simply helping his friends.”
“Oh, your son can go. We have no need to question him,” Rastin says. “As for the rest, thank you for the information. If I need testimony from you or any of these good people, I will ask.”
Axel stops outside the door of the hall, while the others are escorted in. He is clearly reluctant to leave them. “Mulder and Healer Dana have done nothing wrong,” he says, almost pleading. “And Healer Tellan was once a part of Clan Esana, true, but he has renounced those ways and pledged to live a life of helping others.”
“Thank you,” one of the trailing soldiers says firmly, entering the building and shutting the door in Axel's face. Larsal is excused shortly afterward, although much more politely.
As usual, Mulder's POV to follow.