From: msnsc21@yahoo.com   
      
   ok to send to newsgroup; I'll send to Gossamer and Ephemeral.  Thanks!   
      
   Posted Date: February 19, 2005   
   Title:  Land of the Living Part II   
   Author:  ML   
   Email:  msnsc21@yahoo.com   
   Feedback: Love it!   
   Distribution: I welcome it, just tell me where.   
   Spoilers: you've seen the whole series, right?   
   Rating:  Adult themes, adult situations   
   Classification: S, A, UST/MSR   
   Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance   
   Summary: What happens next?  Picking up the pieces after "Closure."   
      
   Disclaimer:  The concept of the X-Files and of its characters   
   belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen, and FOX.  I mean no   
   infringement and I'm making no money from this.   
      
   Author's notes:  This is the second and final part of "Land   
   of the Living" and it picks up shortly after the end of Part   
   I.  If you haven't done so, I recommend reading it, as the   
   action in Part II hinges directly on Part I.   
      
   I've taken a few liberties with the show timeline.  I've   
   always assumed that in the XF universe "X-Cops" was filmed   
   some months before it aired, and so I've decided that they   
   were "caught on tape" back when they were in LA before, around   
   the time they were investigating the Great Maleeni.  The show   
   just didn't air until later.   
      
   As with Part I, I have stuck fairly close to canon as we knew   
   it up through "Closure."  That means some elements that were   
   introduced in S8 are ignored.   
      
   More notes at the end of the story.   
      
   ====   
      
   Land of the Living II   
      
   The more I know, the less I understand   
   All the things I thought I figured out   
   I have to learn again   
      
   -"The Heart of the Matter"   
   written by Mike Campbell,   
   Don Henley, and JD Souther   
      
   ~x~   
      
   Chapter One   
      
   ~Los Angeles, Airport Hilton~   
      
   "Hey Scully, guess what's on TV tonight?"   
      
   Scully groans inwardly.  Now that they've finally gotten   
   away from FPS headquarters, all she wants is a hot bath   
   and an early night before their flight back to DC.   
      
   "I don't know, what?"  she asks anyway, massaging her tired   
   neck.   
      
   "Don't you even want one guess?" he asks.  Scully can   
   imagine his expression over the phone.   
      
   She tries to muster some enthusiasm.  "Is it your favorite   
   alien autopsy special?"   
      
   "No, it's `Cops'!  *Our* episode of `Cops'!  Wanna come   
   watch with me?  I'll spring for the pizza."   
      
   It's on the tip of her tongue to say no.  She'd like to   
   forget all about it.  It's bad enough that they were caught   
   by the camera crew on their last trip to LA  Actually sitting   
   through the episode is not in her plans.  But Mulder is   
   trying so hard to be his old self, she feels she has to   
   go along.  What lousy timing.  But then, lousy timing seems   
   to be the theme of this trip.   
      
   She suppresses a sigh.  "Okay, Mulder.  When does it start?"   
      
   "Forty-five minutes.  Don't be late!"  he admonishes as he hangs up.   
      
   Well, okay, Mulder thinks.  At least Scully is still speaking to me.   
      
   He's behaved badly the past few days, and he knows it.  But God,   
   it felt good to blast the crap out of something, even a virtual   
   something.   
      
   It seems fitting.  After all, the apparent source of his current   
   problems is a ghost.  That's what Scully says, anyway.  And if   
   Scully tells him she's seen a ghost, is he likely to disbelieve   
   her?  Not freakin' likely, as Langly would say.   
      
   But he doesn't know what else to believe.  They'd been so   
   close, and then...   
      
   A lot of people have trouble with interfering mothers, but not   
   usually from beyond the grave.  On the other hand, it shouldn't   
   surprise him that his mother is still trying to manipulate,   
   withhold, obstruct.   
      
   In the aftermath, at least Scully is civil.  That may be the most   
   he can hope for at present.  It's ironic, but just like them,   
   swinging like counterweights in opposite directions.   
      
   He'd welcomed Frohike's call while they were at Sea Horse Ranch,   
   postponing a conversation he hadn't been ready to have.  He's   
   glad to be thrown back into a more familiar world.  He wants   
   to be back to normal, whatever the hell normal is for him.   
      
   Scully may still give him some shit for the way he behaved during   
   their "unofficial" investigation at FPS.  So he overreacted a   
   little.  It's not the game but the chance to get back *into* the   
   game that's important.  And who could blame him for getting off   
   on watching Scully interrogate Ms. Afterglow?  He knows who he   
   prefers.  And if Scully doesn't know it, he's more screwed than   
   he thought.  For a brief moment, though, it was fun to pretend   
   to be "one of the guys."   
      
   Scully arrives at his door the same time as room service,   
   allowing them to avoid any awkwardness over how to greet one   
   another in a social setting.  Scully is still in work clothes,   
   Mulder notes, though she's changed outfits and is wearing flat   
   shoes.  This is an equivocal sign in his Scully lexicon -- she   
   is feeling guarded toward him.   
      
   "Pretty fancy pizza delivery," Scully observes as Mulder   
   uncovers the dishes.   
      
   "FPS owes us more than pizza," he replies.  "Since they're   
   springing for our expenses, we might as well take advantage."   
   He reveals pasta primavera for Scully, a dish he happens to   
   know she likes, and a burger and fries for himself.  Iced tea   
   for both of them.   
      
   "Big spender," she says with a small smile.   
      
   Mulder pulls her chair out for her and sits in his own.  No   
   sitting on the bed knee to knee tonight, the way they normally   
   would have.  That's off-limits.   
      
   He un-mutes the TV in time for the reggae beat of the "Cops"   
   theme music.  They watch the first few minutes in silence.   
   Mulder sneaks looks at Scully, gauging her reaction.  She   
   seems more interested in her pasta most of the time.  He notices   
   that the camera loves Scully, even if she doesn't love it back.   
      
   One scene makes him wince -- does he really talk to Scully   
   like that, or is the editing making him look like a horse's   
   ass?  He hopes it's just the editing.   
      
   On the other side of the table, Scully is not enjoying this   
   at all.  She'd done her best to warn Mulder what they were   
   getting into, and those bastards caught it all on tape.  She'd   
   done her best to act professionally, and she's come off as   
   shrill and self-protective.   
      
   Mulder isn't faring as badly, she thinks.  She has to admit   
   that he looks good on camera, even when spouting one of his   
   crackpot theories.  She wonders if Skinner is watching tonight,   
   and how hard it will be to walk through the halls at the Hoover   
   on Monday.  She wishes the basement had a separate entrance.   
      
   At long last, the excruciating hour is over.   
      
   "Well," Mulder says after a short silence, "it could have   
   been worse."   
      
   Scully can think of nothing more encouraging to say.   
      
   "Well, I guess I'd better go," she says.  "Early flight   
   tomorrow.  Thanks for ordering dinner."   
      
   She's out the door before Mulder can even react.   
      
   So much for getting back to normal.   
      
   x-x-x   
      
   "No way!"  The ticketing agent at the airport says reverently   
   the next day.  "You were on TV last night!"   
      
   Oh no.  Who *hasn't* seen that stupid show?  Scully's cell   
   phone had messages from everyone in her family last night.   
   She hasn't yet returned them.   
      
   "Best episode I've ever seen," the agent enthused.  "You   
   really kicked butt, Ma'am."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)