TITLE: First Bliss, Then Trauma -2/3?
AUTHOR: Meghan O'Connor
EMAIL: gyrfalcon@yahoo.com
FEEDBACK: Please! The more I get, the more you get!
RATING: PG-13 Violence
DISCLAIMER: The LGM and anyone else you recognize are 1013's.
However, Rachel Ann MacGregor is all mine.
SPOILERS: The X-Files, all up to the last season finale, and the LGM
series.
CATEGORY: LGM/other
SYNOPSIS: When misunderstandings happen, clear them up. You have no
way of knowing if there'll ever be a second chance or a later.
Follows "Dawn's Early Light" by a few days.
NOTES: Again, Krycek isn't dead. I refuse to believe it. He's just
too easy a bad guy to use. Even for just a mention, he's still
ratboy.
Agent Scully's cell phone rang. "Scully."
"Scully, it's me. Krycek just called and everything is under wraps,
so Frohike can arise again. Go ahead and tell Rachel." She stared
at the cell phone for a sec.
"Mulder, are you really that stupid?"
A few bursts of static and Frohike's voice came over the
phone. "Agent Scully, is she still with you?"
"No, Frohike. She wanted to be dropped at her repair shop so she
could reschedule some deliveries and stuff, then give her employees
some time off. I intend to get her some food, since she's in shock.
You don't know how angry I am at Mulder for involving her." She
heard him sigh and plowed ahead with her thoughts. "Frohike… I may
be overstepping my bounds here, but are you aware of how much she
cares about you?"
"Yes. Just recently, and we haven't really had time to talk about it
before this. We're headed to the shop now. If she's really upset, I
may need a funeral after all."
Beep. "Hold on, Frohike, I've got another call. Don't hang up."
She switched lines, not recognizing the number. "Agent Scully,
hello?" A young woman's voice came on.
"Um, hi, this is Gina. You gave us your number in case Rachel acted
funny?"
She remembered the tall blonde taking the card from her as she'd left
the shop. "Yes. What happened?"
"Umm, we did everything, then asked her if she was gonna be ok. She
yelled at us to get out and locked the door behind us. She won't let
anyone in. I said I'd call you, so Joe and Terry took off, but I'm
still out here."
Curses swam through Scully mind. She should have known Rachel was
too calm to be left alone. "Ill be there in a few minutes with some
friends. Just keep an eye on her until we get there."
"OK."
She clicked back to the other line. "Are you guys almost there?"
Mulder's voice came back on the phone.
"Yeah, why?"
"Apparently she's locked herself inside the shop after making
everyone leave. I'm almost there. I recommend that Frohike not show
his face until she's calmed down some."
"Ok, we're right behind you." She hung up and pulled in front of the
shop a moment later. Gina stood in front, banging on the door.
Scully ran up.
"What's going on?"
"She had put her head down on the counter, I think she was crying.
Then all of a sudden after I got off the phone with you, she swept
the VCRs off the counter and started screaming and throwing around
some of the electronics."
Scully peered in and almost immediately jumped back in reflex as a
clock radio shattered against the glass door. Fortunately, the steel
mesh inside the glass prevented it from breaking. But it also
prevented Scully from breaking the door to unlock it. She stepped
back as a VCR met its violent end off a display shelf. A moment of
quiet made her look in, ignoring the reflection of Mulder, Byers, and
Langly gathering behind her. Shielding her eyes against the glass,
She saw Rachel sitting on the floor, slumped against the counter.
Several VCRs, TVs, and a few other radios were so much circuitry
wreckage around her.
"Shit, I didn't think she'd be this bad."
Scully looked back at Mulder. "No, you just didn't think." She
turned to Gina. "Is there any other way in there? A fire exit or
back door?" Gina looked thoughtful for a moment, then the light bulb
seemed to come on over her head.
"Oh, wait! She lives in the space above here, I think there's a door
from the apartment to the shop near the back!" She started racing to
the side of the building. The others followed her up a flight of
stairs where she keyed in a code and opened the door. "She gave me
the combo in case of emergencies." They all entered the apartment.
Scully realized she had never been in this place and felt slightly as
if she were violating Rachel's privacy. They threaded through the
cheery but small living room to a door in the kitchen. "Down through
there. Fortunately, the locks are all on this side. She never uses
it."
"Thanks Gina, we'll take it from here. Why don't you go home and
wind down, we won't leave her alone. Promise." The blonde agreed
and left the way they came, sidling past Frohike. He'd followed them
into the apartment. Scully just looked at him.
"Let us get her calmed down and coherent first. I think it may be
too much of a shock if you show up all at once." He nodded and
started fussing around the kitchen, putting on some water and getting
mugs and tea from the cupboard.
"I'll wait up here for her."