Dana's Malakim Pt 5/32
Title: Dana’s Malakim
Author: dhamphir
Fandom: X-Files
Pairing: Scully/OFC (Logan)
Rating: NC17
Summary: Scully must identify Mulder’s body after his suicide. Dying of cancer, she now faces an uncertain future, a crisis of faith... and a new partner. Little does she know the extraordinary and incredible things she’s seen while with the X-Files are nothing compared to what’s to come.
Time line/Spoilers: AU. Starts immediately after S4E23 Demons.
Disclaimer: X-Files and its characters belong to C.C. and 1013 Productions. No copyright infringement intended, no money be made.
A/N1: Some dialogue taken directly from the show. Although I do a bit of research for my stories, I’ve never been a cop, doctor, herbalist, psychologist, or theologist.
A/N2: Special thanks to sinadino for the German translations, and to xhuggles and ivy_wang for the Chinese translations.
A/N3: All mistakes are my own. Special thanks to oxfordshoes2 for the beta.
Dana’s Malakim
Part 5
Logan’s Apartment
Monday, June 16th, 1997
Logan quickly grabbed another towel, ran it under cold water, and knelt next to the redhead. She slipped her arm around Scully’s shoulders, pulling the redhead to her and used her other hand to switch out the towels. She gently held the cold wet towel to Scully’s nose. She felt Scully tense up at the contact but she didn’t let the woman pull away. She gently, but firmly, held Scully until she relaxed into her embrace. Scully’s head rested against her chest and shoulder.
“Shhh... it’s okay, Dana. It’s going to be okay. You’re not alone... I’m right here...”
She held her partner until the bleeding stopped and she settled down. In fact, Scully had actually drifted off, so Logan slipped her arm under the redhead’s legs and gently picked her up. She carried her partner back into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. She pulled the covers up and stepped out of the room.
Logan went back to the bathroom. She took one of the towels and placed it in a ziploc bag.
Thea stepped into the doorway and watched. “Is she alright?”
“No. But she will be if it’s the last thing I do,” the blonde replied. She wiped up a drop of blood with her finger, bringing it to her nose and sniffing it, and then touched her tongue to it. She quickly spit it out, shaking her head.
“What is it, Nicole?”
“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.” She held up the baggie. “I need to have this analyzed, down to the sub-atomic level if necessary. There’s something in her blood - it doesn’t smell or taste right. And it’s not the radiation or chemotherapy. It’s something else.”
“I’ve got a hacker buddy who’s a chemist. Works at one of those medical research labs and has access to next generation lab equipment.”
“This has to be kept quiet and anonymous, Thea.”
“Not a problem.” She looked at her watch. “He’s probably online. Let me see if he is and see how he wants to handle it.”
Logan finished cleaning up the bathroom while Thea went back to the office. She was reheating the cup of tea she’d made for Scully when Thea came back out of the office.
“Nicole, I’m going to go ahead and take the towel over to Jerry. He’s at the lab and there’s practically no one else there. He said he can get started on it right away.”
“Remember, no word on who it’s for or what it’s about.”
“I know. And Jerry doesn’t care. To him it’s just a puzzle to be solved. I’ll call if we come up with anything.”
“Alright. Thanks again for all your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
Thea left and Logan went into her bedroom. She set the tea down on the nightstand and then opened her dresser to get something to change into. She took off the shirt she’d been wearing since it had blood on it, and slipped on a tank top. Then she slid her jeans off and put on a pair of sweatpants. When she turned around she saw her partner watching her. She walked over to the side of the bed.
“Hey, how do you feel?”
“Like death warmed over.”
Logan simply nodded. “Here, I made you some tea.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think I can keep anything down.”
“You will this. It’s a special blend, made especially to settle your stomach. It’ll be alright, I promise.”
Scully was unsure, but she went ahead and took the cup from Logan. She carefully sipped the hot tea. It smelled and tasted good. It was like nothing she’d tasted before. It had a subtle but pleasant taste. As soon as the warm liquid hit her stomach she did indeed feel it soothe her upset stomach. “Mmmm... it tastes good. What is it?”
“It’s an old family recipe. If I told you I’d have to kill you,” the blonde replied with a small smile.
Scully felt her stomach settle and as she finished the tea she felt her whole body relaxing. Sleep was claiming her. She set the cup down and closed her eyes. I have to thank Logan for everything... was her last thought before she was sound asleep.
Logan adjusted the covers over Scully and brushed some hair from her forehead. Sleep well, Dana. You’re safe here. She gathered the teacup and left the redhead to sleep. She washed the cup in the kitchen sink and then settled on her living room couch to read and research the materials Thea had downloaded.
~~~
It was a number of hours later when Logan’s cell phone rang.
“Logan.”
“Nicole, it’s me.”
“Hey, Thea. Any news?”
“Yes and no. You were right. Jerry found something in her blood, but he doesn’t know what it is yet. It’s not anything he’s seen before.”
“Any idea on how long it’ll take to nail down?”
“No. He’s going to keep at it, but when everyone comes in, he’ll have to stop if you don’t want anyone else to know he’s working on it.”
“I understand. Let him know I appreciate his help, and his discretion.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Not right now. Why don’t you get some sleep, Thea? You’ve given me plenty of stuff to digest. I’ll keep a close eye on Dana in the meantime and do what I can for her until we can get a handle on what’s being done to her.”
“Alright. If there’s anything else I can do to help, just give me a call.”
“Thanks again, Thea.”
~~~
Logan’s Apartment
Tuesday, June 17th, 1997
Logan was still up working when the sun came up Tuesday morning. She waited until 7:30 to make a phone call.
“Skinner.”
“It’s Logan.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Scully’s not feeling the best so we’ll be working from my apartment today.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yes. Also, I think it’s best if we had another case that took us out of town, as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure? It’s my understanding you were injured. I read the report.”
“It sounded worse than it was and I heal very quickly. If Scully hadn’t seen it I would already be completely healed.”
“I see,” he replied, uncomfortable being reminded she was more than just another agent.
“How soon do you want to go out of town?”
“Tomorrow would be good. Scully will be ready.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with.”
~~~
Logan’s Apartment
Tuesday, June 17th, 1997
Scully awoke to the smell of something wonderful. She took a couple of deep breaths as she tried to gain her bearings. There was a soft purr. She looked down to see a white cat lying next to her with its chin resting on her stomach. She pulled her arm out from under the covers and petted it. “Hi there.” Its purr got louder. She sat up and took in the bedroom around her. On the nightstand next to her was a fresh cup of hot tea. Her suit and clothes were folded and hanging neatly on a chair near the windows. Sweatpants, a t-shirt, and socks were folded neatly and sitting on a small stool next to the nightstand. She heard some soft music, either a CD or the radio playing out in the other room. She picked up the cup of tea and sipped it. It tasted familiar, and seemed to settle the uneasiness in her stomach. It was then she saw the note.
Dana,
Drink the tea, it’ll settle your stomach. The clothes are for you to change into. Clean towels, a new toothbrush, shampoo and such are in the bathroom for you to take a shower or bath. Take your time.
Nicole
Tears came to her eyes at her new partner’s thoughtfulness and as she remembered the events of the day and night before. She absolutely hated being seen as anything other than her professional self. This was the second time she had gotten so sick in front of Logan and she was embarrassed, especially at the way she broke down in the bathroom when she got the nosebleed. She remembered Logan holding her, but not how she got back to the bedroom. She then remembered Logan bringing her some tea, the same tea she was now drinking, and promising it would help her feel better.
Once she finished her tea, Scully gathered the clothes set out for her and headed to the bathroom. She decided on a hot shower. She washed her hair and let the hot water beat down on her neck and shoulders. The steam and hot water relaxed her muscles. After drying off and towel drying her hair she put on the clothes provided. She then brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She had to admit she felt pretty good considering how badly she felt the day before after her appointment.
When she walked down the hallway to the living room she found Logan. She was sitting on the couch with her computer in her lap. She was sitting cross-legged, a pen was stuck behind one ear, and she was surrounded by several very thick open tomes. Scully stood there for several moments just watching her.
Logan was clearly engrossed in whatever she was doing. The blonde picked up one thick book, flipped through a few pages, found what she was looking for, and wrote some notes on a pad of paper she had sitting next to her. She then picked up another even thicker book, opened it, and repeated the process. Logan then started typing on her laptop.
“You can come in and sit down, you know.”
Scully jumped slightly at the blonde’s voice. She’d spoken without even glancing at Scully. “I didn’t think you knew I was here,” Scully said as she came in and sat in the chair facing the couch.
Logan looked up and gave her a small smile. “I’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not know you were there.”
Scully arched an eyebrow, not sure what Logan meant. “Oh?”
“You have a presence, Scully.”
From the slight curve at the ends of her mouth and the tone of her voice, Scully could tell Logan meant her statement as a compliment.
Before the silence became uncomfortable Logan spoke again. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine.”
The blonde quirked her own eyebrow at Scully’s always pat answer. ‘I’m fine’ was not going to be an acceptable answer. Considering everything Logan had done for her, Scully figured she at least deserved an honest answer.
“I feel pretty good, well rested.”
Logan nodded. “Hungry?”
“Actually, I am.”
The blonde smiled. “Good. Then let’s eat.” She closed a couple of the thick volumes and set them on the coffee table. She saved her work on her laptop and set it on the table as well.
Scully followed her to the kitchen.
“Have a seat.” Logan pulled a casserole out of the oven. She already had the plates and other stuff out. She dished out some casserole and some vegetables from the pot on the stove. She set a plate in front of the redhead. “Would you like something cold to drink or some more tea?”
“Do you have any coffee?”
“Sorry. I don’t keep coffee since I don’t drink it.” Logan gave her partner a small smirk. “The tea’s better for you anyway.”
“Tea will be fine. I haven’t had this kind before. It’s good.”
“It’s good for you, too.”
“It has settled my stomach, like you said it would,” Scully acknowledged as Logan poured her another cup of tea.
The blonde sat down. “Well, dig in. It’s been a while since I’ve done any real cooking, but I think I remember how not to poison anyone,” she said with a small smile.
“Oh? So I’m taking my life in my hands here, huh?”
Logan just shrugged.
Scully took a bite of the casserole and both of her eyebrows went up. “Mmmm, this is really good, Logan.”
“Glad you like it.”
They continued to talk as they ate.
“So what were you so engrossed in earlier? It looked like you were doing some pretty involved research.”
“We got a new case.”
Scully shot the blonde a surprised look. “When?!”
“I spoke to Skinner this morning, told him we were working from here today. He called around 11:00 with a new case for us - a serial killer in the New Orleans area.”
“Why us? I mean why was the case assigned to us instead of the VCU?”
Logan got up and retrieved a folder from the living room, which she handed to the redhead. “A couple of reasons. One, this guy has left absolutely no forensic evidence at all - no hairs, fibers, prints, or skin cells. All they have are notes with obscure religious quotes. And two, a Lt. Scipio from the New Orleans PD asked for me by name.”
Scully looked up from the file she was skimming. “Who is he?”
Logan shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea.”
“Well, with your degree in Theology I can see why you’d be assigned, even if this Lt. Scipio hadn’t requested you,” Scully said. She flipped through a couple more pages as she ate. “It says here the notes were in a different language.”
“Languages. One was in Aramaic, one in Latin, one in Greek, and one in Hebrew.”
“So whoever it is has a knowledge of languages and obscure religious quotes.” Scully saw Logan frown. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure what’s going on with this guy. The note that was in Aramaic was a quote from the Talmud.”
“And?”
“The Talmud was written in Middle Aramaic or Biblical Aramaic, but the note was written in Old Aramaic.”
“What’s the significance of that?”
“Other than the language doesn’t fit the quote? I’m not sure. There’s as much as 2000 years difference in the languages. Old Aramaic was a written language over 1000 BC. The Talmud wasn’t completed until 700 AD.”
“What were the other quotes?”
“The note in Greek was a quote from the Apocrypha - which was originally written in Hebrew. The note in Hebrew was a quote from the Kabala, and the note in Latin was a quote from the Gospel of Thomas - which was originally written in Greek rather than Latin.” Logan rubbed her eyes a little. “I got the translations in the other room, but I haven’t been able to find a pattern to them or anything yet. I hope to know more when I can see the actual notes. All I have is what was emailed to me.”
“But of the four notes only one used the ‘proper’ language for the source of the quote.”
The blonde nodded. “Yeah.” Logan got up to get a little more of the casserole. “Would you like some more, Scully?”
“Actually I would. I’m surprised my appetite is so good.”
The blonde gave her some more. “Well, you haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. And it’s always easier to eat when your stomach isn’t doing flip-flops on you.”
“What time is it?”
“4:20,” she replied, looking at her watch.
Scully’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe I slept that much.”
“You needed it,” Logan said with a shrug of her shoulders. “We’ve got tickets for a 10:00 flight tomorrow morning, but I can change them if you need more time.”
“No, no. That’s fine.” Scully paused and took a deep breath. She put down her fork and looked at her partner. “Look, Logan, I’m sorry about yesterday and last night. I don’t know why I reacted so badly. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“Don’t worry about it. You looked out for me when I needed it.”
Scully reached out and covered the blonde’s hand with her own, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“We’re partners. You’re welcome.” Logan gave her a small smile. She then reached for her cup. “More tea?”
“Please.”
She poured both of them some more tea. “If you feel up to it, I have the autopsy reports from Dr. Lessier you can take a look at in the living room, along with the translations I did.”
“Definitely.”
Scully helped Logan clear the table and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Then they went into the living room. Logan moved some of the big books so they could both sit on the comfortable couch.
“Here you go.” The blonde handed her partner the file folders.
As Scully sat down she noticed some of the book titles on the coffee table. “Logan?”
“Hmm?”
“How many bibles do you have?”
“A few. Why?” she answered looking over at Scully, who just pointed at the four or five sitting on the table among other books. She gave the redhead a smile. “That’s nothing. You should see my collection.”
An auburn eyebrow went up. “Collection? You collect bibles?”
“Not exactly. Do you have any idea how many different versions and translations there are?”
Scully shook her head.
“There are over four dozen different versions in English alone - all of which are just translations of translations. The bible was written in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. Christians can’t even agree on how many gospels there are. About 50 gospels were written in the first and second century AD; each was believed to be accurate by various groups within the early Christian movement. Four of them (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were approved for inclusion in the official canon during the 4th century, and are found today in every bible. St. Irenaeus explained why only four gospels were approved: ‘There are four principle winds, four pillars that hold up the sky, and four corners of the universe; therefore, it is only right that there be four gospels.’ And that’s just the bible. Christianity is only one of the major religions. There’s also Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Neo-paganism, the list goes on.”
Scully sat back and looked at the blonde a little surprised. “I wasn’t aware of that. I’ve heard of the gospel of Mary, but I never knew there were so many written.”
Logan nodded. “And don’t even get me started on translations versus interpretations.”
Scully nodded in understanding. They both settled down with their respective tasks, Scully reviewing the autopsy reports and Logan typing on her laptop from her notes. After several minutes, the blonde stopped typing and let out a huff. She put her laptop aside and grabbed a couple of the large volumes from the coffee table. She stood and then started to gather some of the other books.
“What’s wrong?” Scully asked.
“I need a different text.”
“Let me give you a hand,” Scully said as she stood and grabbed a couple of the books for her partner. She followed Logan down the hall to her office. She was surprised when she saw the shelves and shelves of books - many of them appeared to be very, very old.
“Just set those on that shelf there, Scully,” Logan said as she searched for a book.
Scully quickly scanned some of the titles on the shelves. I knew she studied religion and philosophy, but these texts are not for the casual reader! She moved on to another shelf and found several volumes about mythology and folklore. Another shelf and more books on different religions and history, along with holy texts - bibles, Korans, Talmuds, Torahs, and other texts representing numerous religions.
“Ah ha!”
“What?”
“I found the text I was looking for,” Logan said as she pulled a large volume out of a box in the corner of the room. She held it up with a smile. “I’m not fluent in Old Aramaic and it’s been a long time since I’ve had to translate it. I think I made an error on the note. This text is better for translating Old Aramaic.” They headed back to the living room. “I was afraid it was still in storage with the rest of my books.”
“You’ve got quite a collection in there as it is.”
“That’s just a part of it. Consequences of studying things like religion and philosophy. They’re not nice ‘neat’ subjects like math or engineering.” Logan retook her seat on the couch and quickly opened the text. After about half an hour she had re-translated the note in question. She sat back and rubbed her temples.
“You alright, Logan?”
“Yeah. Aramaic always gives me a headache,” she replied with a small smile. “I do better with Hebrew and Latin.”
“How many languages do you know?”
“I had to have a basic working knowledge of a number of languages for my studies in Religion and Theology.” She got up and stretched a little. “Would you like another cup of tea?”
“No thank you. Actually, I think I should be heading home since we have a morning flight.”
Logan nodded. “Alright.”
Scully retrieved her clothes, badge, and gun from the bedroom. She thanked her partner again for all she’d done.
~~~
New Orleans Police Department
New Orleans, LA
Wednesday, June 18th, 1997
Upon arriving in New Orleans Logan volunteered to claim their checked luggage while Scully arranged for their car rental. The blonde had their luggage ready when Scully joined her with the keys to their rental.
“Are you ready, Logan?”
“Yes. Do you know where we’re headed?”
“I got a map and directions,” Scully replied.
They pulled up to the New Orleans PD without incident in less than an hour despite the traffic. At the front desk they flashed their badges and asked for Lt. Scipio. Soon a fair-skinned, red-haired man joined them.
“Agent Logan, I’m Lt. Grant Scipio. It’s nice to meet you,” he said in a Louisiana drawl. They shook hands.
“Thank you. My partner - Special Agent Scully,” she said with a nod to her partner.
“Agent Scully.”
“Lt. Scipio.”
“I appreciate you coming down to help us with this case.”
They both nodded in acknowledgment as they walked down a hallway past the bullpen and offices.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Lieutenant, may I ask why you requested me?” Logan asked.
He smiled. “Not at all. You were recommended to me by a local FBI agent.” At her raised eyebrow he answered her unvoiced question. “I believe you worked with her previously on a case.”
“Oh? Who?”
They entered a conference room where a tall brunette was working at a computer station. Lt. Scipio smiled. “Monica.”
“Hey, Scipio. Sorry, but there’s nothing from the latest note either. Forensics says it’s as clean as the others,” she said before she turned around. When she did her face lit up in a big smile. “Nicole!” She quickly got up and threw her arms around Logan giving her a hug.
Logan returned her smile and hug. “Hey, Monica.” They let go of each other and the brunette stepped back. “It’s been a while,” Logan said still smiling.
“Four years. And you haven’t changed a bit.” She then noticed the fading bruise on the left side of her friend’s face hiding behind her sunglasses. She cocked her head to the side to see better. “Except for this,” she said with concern and lightly touched the blonde’s face.
Logan gave her a gentle smile. “I’m okay.”
Scully couldn’t keep her eyebrow from crawling up her forehead if she’d tried. And can you look any harder? thought Scully, noticing how the brunette quickly and appreciatively sized up her partner.
“Monica, this is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully.” They extended their hands to shake. “This is Special Agent Monica Reyes. We worked a case together four years ago.”
“Monica, if you have things under control, I’ll meet up with you ladies later. I have to be in court this afternoon,” the lieutenant interjected.
“No problem, Grant.”
The lieutenant left.
“You said something about another note?” Scully asked pulling the brunette’s attention from her partner.
“Yes.” She moved to her work station and picked up a note in a clear evidence bag. “Just like the others, there’s no trace evidence, no prints. The paper is so common there’s no way to trace it. My partner, Agent Landry, is working on a translation.”
“Let me see it,” Logan said holding out her hand. She read the Latin text out loud and then translated it for the others. “It’s from the Gospel of Mary.” She opened her briefcase and pulled out the other translations she’d done. “Here are the translations of the earlier notes.”
Reyes looked them over. She got to the note with the quote from the Talmud. “This one’s little different from what Landry came up with.” She gave Logan a smile. “But he was working with an online language dictionary. Unlike you, he’s only tri-lingual.”
“He undoubtedly was using Biblical Aramaic - it was written in Old Aramaic.”
“So whoever we’re dealing with has at least a working knowledge of the ‘old’ languages and is very familiar with the holy texts of Islam, Judaism, and the Bible.”
Logan nodded.
“Is there any way I can take a look at the bodies?” Scully asked.
“Sure. Let me take you to meet the ME, Dr. Lessier.”
The three women went to the morgue. Reyes introduced them to Dr. Lessier. Scully suggested that Logan see what additional information the locals had while she conferred with the ME.
~~~
Reyes went over things with Logan. “Can I get access to their homes?” the blonde asked.
“One lived with her parents, so it’s up to them.”
The blonde nodded in understanding.
“The other two lived alone, so I can get you in their places.” Reyes noticed the look on the other agent’s face. “What is it, Nicole?”
“You said there’s no forensics at all.”
“None. The bodies and dump sites were as clean. I’ve never seen a case like this. There’s always something. We’ve got absolutely nothing to go on, other than these damn notes.”
Logan nodded. “He’s done this before. He’s had time to perfect his MO. Have you done a search of the surrounding areas for similar cases?”
“Yes. I went back ten years and didn’t find anything.”
“So he’s not a local boy.”
They set up a national search via the FBI mainframe. Reyes was practically leaning against Logan as they huddled in front of a computer screen together.
“So how did you get this case?”
“I’ve worked with Scipio a lot. When they were getting nowhere he asked our office for help.” The brunette paused. “So, how have you been?” Reyes asked in a low voice.
“Pretty good. Busy. Yourself?”
Reyes smiled. “Life’s normal ups and downs, but I’m good. So what happened?” she asked, lightly caressing the remaining bruising on the side of Logan’s face.
“Just a case of stupidity on my part. It’s a mistake I won’t repeat,” she replied with a sigh in her voice.
The brunette nodded in understanding. “So where have you been keeping yourself?”
“Europe mostly. I’ve only been back in the States a couple of weeks. You were lucky to catch me.”
“If I was lucky, I’d have caught you four years ago,” Reyes replied with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.
That was when Scully returned. She cleared her throat.
Logan turned her head and looked at her partner in the doorway. “Hey, Scully. Anything new from the bodies?”
She shook her head. “No. What about you? Anything new?”
“There’ve been no other cases within the surrounding area, so we’ve started a national search.”
Scully nodded. “He’s done this before. Nobody’s this clean the first time out.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll need to find out more about the victims,” Scully pointed out.
They agreed to take a look at the homes of the two victims who lived alone. Monica was going to arrange for them to meet the parents of the third victim and look at her room.
After inspecting the homes of the two victims who lived alone Scully and Logan checked into their hotel. They both changed out of their suits and met in the hotel restaurant for dinner. They refrained from discussing the case until they returned to their rooms.
~~~
part 6
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