From: k.morse@ntlworld.com   
      
   Disclaimers in part one. This story is finished   
      
      
   ****   
      
   Great Aunt Katherine didn't disappoint. She   
   greeted them both warmly and enveloped them   
   both in a gentle hug. Mulder grinned like   
   a fool much to Scully's chagrin, over his   
   casual profiling of the kindly white haired   
   woman in glasses, the quintessential wax   
   jacket and wellingtons.   
      
   She may have been knocking on seventy but she   
   was still a tough well built woman, with a sharp   
   mind and she had Scully's eyes. She'd have been   
   a looker back in the day. Still was.   
      
   " Aww, Fox, Dana.... So glad you could come visit   
   an old woman. At long last we get to meet. I've   
   heard so much about you from Maggie among others."   
      
   "Oh Dear..." Mulder chewed on his bottom lip.   
      
   "No, no dear, to be sure young man, it's all   
   good. She always enthuses on how much you   
   love and look after my great niece. Welcome to   
   Northern Ireland. Come..."   
      
   "Well Mulder I guess I don't have to introduce   
   you. Your reputation preceeds you. " Scully   
   laughed taking his hand as they followed her   
   out towards her car.   
      
   " Of Course not,  MF. Luder right?" The old woman   
   threw over her shoulder with a wicked twinkle in   
   her eye.   
      
   "Close your mouth Mulder. " Scully teased her   
   partner as he stared after her.   
      
   They stowed their cases and bags in the back of   
   the rustic old Austin, which looked like it had   
   one wheel in the scrap heap but Katherine shared   
   none of their scepticism about its ability to   
   fire up. Which it did.  It made a loud noise   
   like a dull roar and for an awful moment Mulder   
   thought it might take off vertically, but   
   Scully's aunt smiled sagely, inviting them   
   to climb in.   
      
      
   Co Antrim coast road near Ballycastle.   
   Two hours later.   
      
   Feeling the effects of jetlag they remained   
   snuggled up together holding hands. Mostly quiet   
   in the back of the car, just drinking in the March   
   sun and enjoying the rich scenery as Katherine   
   drove through winding verdant hills and black   
   basalt rocky terrain, capped in the distance by   
   the mountains of Mourne which gave way to a   
   patchwork of fields, steep outcrops and sloping   
   valleys down to the wild rolling waves of the   
   Atlantic ocean. The sea almost came up to meet   
   them as they dipped down one hill and then the   
   next until finally, a solitary white stonewashed   
   farmhouse with a dark slate roof came into view   
   overlooking the white rollers of the ocean.   
      
   Mulder felt Scully's infectious excitement and   
   heard himself gasp at the natural beauty of the   
   place. He wound the windows down a bit more so   
   they could breathe in the fresh salty air. In   
   the fields behind and adjacent to the sprawling   
   house, a variety of sheep dotted the green pastures   
   and slopes painting a tranquil landscape.  The   
   wind was mild and the sun streaked across the wide   
   bay like jewels on white horses. There didn't seem   
   to be anything else around for miles.   
      
   "There she is, Black Rock Cottage. It's not really   
   a farm, more of a small holding, but we get by. I   
   like it here, it's quiet..... Mostly," Katherine gave   
   them a lopsided grin and a wink which Mulder tucked   
   away for future reference.   
      
   "It's lovely. Have you lived here long? "   
      
   " Oh a few years to be sure...thanks, just about   
   home now. There we are," she took a particularly   
   fast flip over the animal grid at the gate which   
   almost made Scully loose her lunch and Mulder   
   started to sneeze, then they pulled up outside   
   the pretty farmhouse with a sort of afterthought   
   lurching splutter from the engine. It shuddered   
   to a stop making gravel fly in all directions,   
   just missing a couple of geese and chickens   
   which clucked in panic and dove for cover.   
      
   "Here we are then," Scully's aunt grinned,   
   seemingly unphazed.  "..welcome to my home,   
   it was our dream home actually....mine and your   
   Great Uncle Ned's...."  Katherine looked out   
   across to sea a moment, suddenly somewhere else.   
   Then she turned and smiled remembering her   
   visitors. Mulder was heading for the back   
   of the car.  "Leave the bags there in the boot   
   dear, we can get them later. Lets get inside,   
   you must be tired the both you. Need to get   
   the dinner on and some tea in yous."   
      
   "Boot?"  Scully looked to Mulder for guidance.   
      
   "She means the trunk." He whispered back, giving   
   her ass a playful slap as she walked alongside   
   him.   
      
   "Ah okay. Stop that already." He just gave   
   her one his best fake wounded puppy dog looks.   
      
    *****   
      
   Once inside the house a large fat black Labrador   
   ambled over, tail wagging like a propeller,he   
   tried to taste them all. Pleased to see   
   his mistress but also equally ecstatic about   
   the new visitors.  Mulder crouched down and   
   happily found himself surrounded in slobbery   
   doggy kisses. What a big kid, Scully thought.   
   She knew Mulder would love getting a dog of   
   their own and they had toyed with idea a few   
   times, but with their schedule and frequent   
   trips out of town....   
      
   "That's Merlin. Fat, overfed little bugger   
   isn't he? Down boy, let's not lick our   
   visitors to death. I'll put the kettle on.   
   Dana your poor man sounds like he needs   
   something hot inside him. Please make   
   yourselves at home. My house is yours.   
   Loo is that way to the left," She   
   gestured wildly out into the passageway   
   that led to what looked like a large   
   conservatory. "Can't miss it, it's the   
   one with 'Oirish Embassy' on the door."   
   Mulder bit his lip to keep from coughing   
   and snickering at the same time. This was   
   going to interesting.   
      
   "I already got something hot," he leaned   
   over and whispered to Scully who retaliated   
   by poking him in the ribs and mouthing   
   'behave' at him.   
      
   "What's that?" Katherine asked, giving them   
   a playful look over the rim of her glasses.   
      
   Mulder tried his best to look innocent and   
   suddenly found himself admiring the old   
   lady's teapot collection on the dresser,   
   which was eclectic to say the least. A   
   Dragon candle and a little china alien   
   sat next to each other on one shelf. The   
   alien wore a green trilby and appeared   
   to be smoking a spliff. He almost gave   
   himself whiplash as he did a double take.   
      
   Scully blinked and grinned at her partner,   
   after following where his eyes were looking.   
   Her hand snaked around his back in delight   
   and she gave him a squeeze, watching as   
   Katherine set three mugs aside and then   
   put the kettle on the already heated Aga.   
      
   "Everyone okay. Dana, Fox..?  Tea or   
   Coffee...? Think I got some camomile or   
   peppermint somewhere..."   
      
   As if on cue Mulder started to cough and   
   splutter and Katherine shooed them both   
   along the passageway into the bright,   
   spacious living room.   
      
   "Thank you so much. You have a lovely   
   home. Really cosy," They both murmured,   
   looking around at the surprisingly luxurious   
   surroundings and original beams. This was a   
   lot bigger than what Scully imagined.  She'd   
   always thought her aunt had a modest lifestyle   
   but this house was gorgeous and yet kept its   
   country cosiness. Perhaps she was better off   
   than she'd thought.   
      
   Tired and jetlagged from their flight, Mulder   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)