From: dana_scully_mulders_protege@hotmail.com   
      
   Title:  The Quintessence of Evil   
      
   Author: Foxs_Dana   
      
   Email: dana_scully_mulders_protégé@hotmail.com   
      
   Rating: PG-13   
      
   Category/key words: Mulder/Scully relationship, Gothic/Horror,   
   Angst, Drama   
      
   Spoilers: "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"(sort of lol)   
      
   Dedication: To all X-Philes present and future as well as   
   Mulder/Scully fans. To my online friends and fellow X-Philes: Jess,   
   Jenn, Julie and Arls who read my chapters and encouraged me to   
   continue. To my loving husband for listening to me read these   
   chapters every night to see how they sounded and for also giving me   
   ideas for the storyline as well. To my friend Arls for helping me   
   come up with a title AND also the Latin included in this story!   
   Couldn't have finished it without ya Arls! To all the messed up   
   horror movies I saw that inspired me to write this fic.   
      
   Summary: Fox Mulder and Dana Scully end up out in the middle of   
   nowhere while following a case on Halloween night. Getting a flat   
   tire, they journey up to a mysterious mansion in hopes of getting   
   help. Instead of getting help, they uncover something much more than   
   either one of them could possibly imagine. An evil that could claim   
   both of their souls.   
      
   Feedback: Please…..I love it!   
      
   Archive: Sure just please let me know where it's going!   
      
   Disclaimer: The characters of the X-Files do not belong to me but   
   are the property of Chris Carter, 20th Century Fox and 1013   
   Productions. Any similarities to the names or places of the   
   fictional aspects of this story are purely coincidental.   
      
   NOTE: This fic was written as part of a Halloween X-Files Challenge   
   in the MSN Group known as "The Truth Is Out There"   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
   The full moon shone down on a lone country road where a car could be   
   seen. Its headlights cut through the misty air, which clung to the   
   knarled trees on the side. Inside the car, two figures could be seen   
   in the front seat. One was a male who was driving and the female was   
   a passenger, though not a satisfied one. She could be seen rummaging   
   through a folded map.   
      
   "Mulder, are you sure that you took the right turn?" Dana Scully   
   asked looking toward the driver.   
      
   Fox Mulder was staring straight ahead tapping the steering wheel.   
   His head could be seen moving back and forth to the music on the car   
   radio. "There's somethin' strange in the neighborhood. Who ya gonna   
   call?"   
      
   "Mulder?"   
      
   "There's somethin' weird and it don't look good. Who ya gonna call?"   
      
   Scully bumped Mulder hard. "Mulder!"   
      
   Mulder jumped and turned the steering wheel slightly causing the car   
   to veer. He quickly gained control of it. "Damn Scully! You trying   
   to give me a heart attack or something?"   
      
   "Oh, well I'm sorry if I interrupted your jamming session." Scully   
   replied sarcastically. "I was asking you if were sure you took the   
   right turn back there?"   
      
   "What? Oh yeah. Of...of course I am." Mulder replied not meeting her   
   eyes.   
      
   Scully sighed. "Dammit, Mulder! You told me you were sure where you   
   were going!"   
      
   "I was....I mean I did..I mean I am."   
      
   "Great. We're lost!" She angrily threw the map to the floor. "This   
   is just great!"   
      
   "Oh come on Scully. Will you just calm down?" He gestured to the   
   outside." It's a full moon, we're out on a misty night." He raised   
   his eyebrows. "Alone with nothing but music." He leaned toward her   
   waggling his eyebrows.  "Lots of potential here for romantic   
   atmosphere. Anything could happen."   
      
   "I am not even going to dignify that remark with a response." She   
   replied glaring back at him.   
      
   He pulled back from her frowning." You sure know how to break a   
   mood, Scully."   
      
   "Aren't you even remotely worried about us being lost?"   
      
   "Should I be?" He asked putting his attention back to the road.   
      
   "Considering that we are out in the middle of nowhere and the only   
   creature I've seen is a cat and a dead one at that. Yes, I think   
   that is VERY good reason to worry."   
      
   "Scully, would you relax? Ok, yeah it's true that we don't know   
   where we are but it's no big deal. All I need to do is follow this   
   road until it meets up with the highway again. And...if for some   
   strange reason it doesn't meet up with the highway, I'm sure there   
   is someone who lives out here somewhere to give us directions."   
      
   "Do you mean the owner of Bate's Motel or someone at Camp Crystal   
   Lake?"   
      
   "Ha, ha. Look don't worry, Scully ok? We've got a clear night, a   
   warm car, some tunes. We're set." Just then a huge thud resounded   
   followed by the car shaking, sending he and Scully forward. Mulder's   
   arm instantly went across Scully's middle to protect her. His arm   
   pushed her back to her seat as the car came to a stop. "Are you all   
   right?"   
      
   "What the hell was that?"   
      
   "Maybe it was another cat." Mulder replied with a grin. He could   
   tell that Scully was not amused from the look she was giving   
   him. "Look, you stay in here and I'll go check it out. Probably just   
   ran over a tree branch or something."   
      
   "Well, based on the way this car shook, that must be a HELL of a big   
   tree branch!"   
      
   "I'll be right back." Mulder replied grabbing a tiny flashlight from   
   under the seat. He opened the door and made his way outside into the   
   chilly night. Closing the door behind him he began to walk around   
   the car, flashing his tiny light. He examined the car for damage as   
   well as the tires. Making his way to the passenger side he then saw   
   the flat tire. "Ah, shit." He let out a sigh. "Scully! You'd better   
   get out here!"   
      
   Scully was laying her head against the window when she heard   
   Mulder's voice. She quickly opened the door and stepped out. "What   
   is it, Mulder?"   
      
   "I found the source to our problem." He motioned to the back of the   
   car.   
      
   Closing the door behind her, Scully made her way to where Mulder   
   was. Her eyes then came to rest on the flat tire. "What the hell   
   caused that?"   
      
   Mulder carefully examined the tire with his flashlight.  "I don't   
   know. But it definitely wasn't a cat or a tree branch based on the   
   way its been shredded."   
      
   "I don't suppose there's a spare in the trunk?"   
      
   "Hmmmmm.....I knew I forgot to check something before we left the   
   rental lot."   
      
   Scully let out a sigh. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Great, no   
   spare. So now what?"   
      
   Mulder thought a minute. "Well, we could use our cells to call for   
   help? I mean there has to be a gas station or tow truck service   
   around here somewhere right?"   
      
   "That's the best idea you've had this entire night." Scully answered   
   pulling out her cell from her pocket. She glanced at her cell and   
   chuckled.   
      
   "What?" Mulder asked looking back at her.   
      
   Scully showed him her cell screen. "No service. Surprise, surprise."   
      
   Mulder pulled out his cell and looked at it. "Mine too. Is this not   
   our night or what?"   
      
   "Ok, so we have no cellular service to call for help so now what,   
   Sherlock?"   
      
   Mulder paused looking around and flashing his light. The light   
   finally came to rest on what appeared to be another road. He rose up   
   from the ground and walked toward it. "Hey, Scully check it out."   
      
   "What?" Scully asked walking up to him.   
      
   "Looks like another road." Mulder focused his flashlight further   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)