#And put it into neat lines and held a straw between the flour and their noses

[kaluawoo]

My question is What did Belkia think the power was!? Did he think Otogiri was doing drugs in the kitchen or something

Yeah my best guess is drugs. Gun powder is black so drugs would be the most common Dangerous White Powder...

[atths--twice]

Continuing on...

Chapter Three     3/8

Quests and Fortunes 

After a night of sadness, Mulder wants to spend time with Scully and cheer her up if he can.

Mulder stood outside of Scully’s apartment with bags of food in his hands, as he waited for her to open the door. He had picked up a late lunch on his way over, intending to take full advantage of the day off and spend it with her.

The door opened and she seemed shocked to see him. She was in jeans and the softest, bluest sweater he had ever seen. He wanted to run his hands up and down her arms to see if it was as soft as he imagined. Her eyes were even bluer than normal and he felt as thought he he could drown in them.

“Mulder! What are you doing here?” she asked in surprise.

“Well,” he said, as he pushed past her and set the bags on the table. “I was home and thinking that some food would be nice. Then I thought you would probably be hungry by now after you ate...” He trailed off as he glanced at the plate that held the bagel and doughnut from earlier. Finding the bagel still remaining, he looked at her and grinned. “You chose wisely, I see.”

“Shut up,” she said as she closed the door and joined him at the table. She tried to hide her smile but she was not able to do so.

“So, what did you get for, what are we calling this, lunch?” she asked with a glance at the clock, as her stomach grumbled. Oh, apparently it had been awhile since that doughnut. He grinned wider and she smiled back.

“I went to Sal’s and got you your regular and for myself, a super delicious meal,” he said as he began to unpack the bags.

“Are you implying that my food is not delicious?” she asked, staring at him with raised eyebrows. “And I doubt you got my order down. I don’t always get the same thing, you know.”

He scoffed. “Scully, that’s crap and you know it. Prepare to, once again, be amazed at my abilities.” He cracked his knuckles, rolled his neck, and took a deep breath. “Thin sliced turkey on wheat bread, no mayo, light mustard, tomatoes, sprouts, pickle- on the side. Salad, vinaigrette dressing- also on the side. Croutons in a bag, so they don’t get soggy and lose their croutony crunch. Sparkling water, with a lemon wedge-in a container, also on the side,” he said with a proud voice, as he pulled each item out of the bag and presented them to her. He stared at her, daring her to say he got it wrong.

She smiled at him, an adorable smile that he very rarely saw. He remembered her first smiling at him like that years ago, in Aubrey, Missouri, as she talked about his extreme hunches. His heart beat fast seeing it then and it damn near did cartwheels seeing it now. She nodded through her smile and began opening the containers that sat in front of her before sitting down.

He sat next to her and opened a container to reveal a super messy sandwich. Full of mayonnaise, mustard, ham, cheese, turkey, tomatoes, onions, lettuce- all on sourdough. He took a huge bite and she shook her head as she watched him chewing his food. He knew he had to have mayo and mustard on his face, which she confirmed when she reached over and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He grinned, licking his lips before taking another giant bite.

She continued staring at him, eating as though he had not seen food in years. She shook her head once more and took a small bite of her food, as though to show him that people could be civil and not disgusting. He watched her and grinned.

“Your sandwich looks pretty good. You wanna switch?” he asked, offering the other half of his sandwich to her.

She eyed it suspiciously, but then agreed to trying it only, and he smiled. He knew that once she tasted it, she would not give it back; he just had to present it the right way.

She took a couple of bites and then simply finished off the other half of his sandwich. He nodded knowingly at her and she stared back at him, narrowing her eyes. He wiped her face this time, as she was sporting the remnants of his sandwich, while he was left with her bland, boring sandwich. He did not complain, however, wanting her to eat, so he said nothing about the lack of taste and enjoyment her food brought him.

She ate her salad, but offered him half. He accepted and they squabbled and fought over the croutons, each trying to be the first to spear them with their forks. An odd grown up version of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Mulder chuckled as the jingle for that game from so many years ago popped into his head.

“Scully, do you remember the Hungry Hippos commercial?” he asked as he smiled at her.

She looked at him quizzically, then at the salad with its remaining croutons mostly on his side. She seemed to give it some thought and then she looked up at him and grinned. “Who will win? No one knows! Feed the hungry hip-hip-o’s!”

They both laughed and he spun the salad container so that the croutons were within her reach. She looked at him and smiled her thanks as he cleaned up the trash from their meal and then pulled the last item out of the bag.

Sal’s sandwiches were the best in the city, so Mulder thought. It was a small little deli type place, owned by Sal, his wife and their three sons. All the bread was made on site every day and thus the sandwiches were extremely delicious, if the lines out the door were proof of it. However, nothing compared to the desserts his wife made.

Cakes, brownies, cookies, all made from scratch and with love. Sal’s wife, Sylvia, was a big bosomy, old world, Italian woman. Her apron was always full of flour and she pushed her treats on everyone who came into the shop.

“Life is to be enjoyed. Have a cookie, a brownie. I made them this morning. They are good. Eat!” She was always heard to say, her smile infectious.

Today, Mulder had splurged on the Brownie Supremo and her smile was worth the price he had paid for it. She had wrapped it up for him carefully and thrown in a frosted sugar cookie, which he ate on the way to the car, the buttery sweetness melting on his tongue.

“You give this to your woman,” Sylvia had said. “She is too skinny. She needs some meat on her bones.”

He did not try to explain their relationship to her. He just nodded and grinned, taking the dessert from her and adding it to his bag.

He placed the brownie on the table and opened the lid, his mouth watering at the sight of it. It was chocolate overload with caramel swirling within. Licking his lips, he looked at her.

“Mmm... Scully, Sylvia gave this to me today with strict instructions that you were to have some. So,” he said grabbing two forks from the bag, “unless you want to anger the sweetest Italian mother I have ever known, I suggest you do as told.”

He held out a fork to her and waited. She looked exasperatedly at him, then down to the dessert. She looked at him again, and he pushed the fork closer to her. Sighing, she grabbed it from him.

He grinned and motioned for her to take the first bite. She sighed again and dug her fork into the brownie. The chocolate and caramel practically created a river inside the container. She got a bite on her fork and the caramel stretched with it, stringing across the table. She put the fork in her mouth and her eyes rolled back in her head as the first taste of chocolate hit her tongue.

She moaned as she chewed and Mulder was mesmerized watching her. He knew it was wrong to find her eating arousing, but shit, it was. Her moans and her eyes closing like that, made him think things he should not be thinking and he took a bite to cover his emotions.

“Oh my god,” he moaned, as the caramel and chocolate merged in his mouth. “That is goddamn delicious.” He took another bite and closed his eyes just as she had.

Between the two of them, the brownie was gone in no time at all. She was running her finger inside the container and licking off the remaining caramel, when he asked if she would like a spoon, or perhaps a straw. She told him to shut up and she sucked her finger into her mouth, causing him to clear his throat and look away.

After they had cleared everything up and the kitchen was back to Scully’s neat and tidy order, Mulder went into the living room. He was looking at her collection of movies and he smiled when he grabbed the one he wanted. Taking it out, he put it in the VCR, taking off his coat and settling down on the couch with the remote.

“Scully, come over here,” he said, patting the couch. “No paperwork today, and time off work means movies in the middle of the day.” He grinned at her as she walked over and sat next to him.

“Mulder... what movie are we...” She stopped speaking as she heard it starting. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

She looked at him and smiled, bringing her legs up under her cross legged, and nodding while he grinned like a fool.

For the next few hours, they watched the movie, saying lines they knew, discussing parts they liked best, the ones that bothered them and characters they loved most. They paused the movie a lot to have in depth discussions and Mulder found her contributions to be incredibly intellectually arousing.

He discovered that Scully had a soft spot for both Marcus Brody and Sallah. She loved Marcus because he was oblivious and a lovable dolt and Sallah because he was such a sweet guy. He was always looking out for Indy and he was there anytime they needed him.

“Marcus though, Mulder, he gets lost in his own museum. How can you not find affection for a goof like him?” she asked, a big smile on her face.

She did not care for Elsa and showed it by rolling her eyes a lot when she was on screen. The fact that she slept with both Jones’ apparently back to back, got on her nerves.

“I get the appeal, for all parties, because...” She trailed off as he stared at her and paused the movie, giving her his full attention so she could explain herself.

She smiled so hard, her dimples showed and his near cartwheeling heart started doing backflips instead.

“Elsa is beautiful, there is no denying that, but there are better ways to get close to someone than sex. Of course, it is quicker, but sex and trust do not a combination make. The two do not equal the other,” she said as he stared at her. “Now, both Jones men are incredibly attractive, there is also no denying that, but falling for the honey pot just makes them appear simple. They are intelligent men, but put a pair of flirty boobs and blonde hair in front of them, and it makes them seem like they are idiots.”

“”Flirty boobs,” Scully?” he asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

“You know what I mean, Mulder. So if she came to you, giving you the big eyes and the sad stories, all while using her... yes “flirty boobs,” you’re telling me you wouldn’t fall for it?” she asked him with a twitch of her lips and a raised eyebrow.

He looked at her, trying to gauge how far he could take his answer. How far he could go without pushing past that line they seemed to be unable or unwilling to cross?

“Nah...” he said finally, looking at the television screen frozen on Elsa’s face. “They send in the blonde bombshells... you know it’s a trap. I’ve watched enough spy movies to know that much.” She nodded, apparently happy with his answer.

“Besides, she’s not exactly my type,” he said, ready to restart the movie.

“She’s not!” he said at her silent, side eyed expression. “I like women with regular boobs, thank you. Flirty ones... hmm, they seem like too much work. How would you ever buy lingerie as a gift for someone that has them?” She laughed so hard at his comment, he waited until she was quiet to start the movie again.

When Henry was shot, he heard her take a breath as she looked away for a second, and he understood what she was not saying. The Nazis wanted Indy’s help and he was not willing to give it. They hurt someone he loved as incentive so he would do what they wanted. How many times had he and Scully been in the same situation? How many times had Scully suffered because of him?

“Oh, this is my favorite part,” she said, her eyes back on the screen, the tense moment seemingly passed and Indy was about to perform his tests of worthiness.

Instead of watching the movie, he covertly watched her. Her rapt attention to the movie, the way she mumbled the lines, her expressions as she did. Watching her enjoy something he loved made him immensely happy. Seeing her lose herself in a movie, one that was somewhat scientific, though still fictional, made him even happier. The need to be intellectually stimulated while also being entertained was so Scully.

She was leaning forward, her hands clasped together as Indy was taking his leap of faith. She smiled as he stepped out and his foot hit the pathway. She looked at Mulder, finding him staring at her.

“What?” she asked, surprised to find him looking at her so intently.

“Nothing,” he answered. She gave him a look, but then turned back to the movie. He did too, not wanting to get caught staring again.

Elsa and Donovan were in the small temple with Indy and the Knight, trying to find the grail. Elsa asked to pick the grail and Scully scoffed at her choice and then sighed as Mulder grinned at her.

“Oh Donovan...” Scully said. “See? He fell for it. Believed she was right when she handed him that cup. What a damn fool. Jesus was not ostentatious. He was a simple carpenter. People go for the flash and bang, they end up disappointed. Flirty boobs, Mulder. I’m telling you,” she said with an overly dramatic shake of her head.

He chuckled as he watched Donovan drink from the deceitful chalice, unknown to him that Elsa tricked him.

“See, that’s why it’s good you didn’t choose the bagel this morning,” he told her as they watched Donovan disintegrate before their eyes and she smiled at him.

The correct cup was chosen and Scully smiled. “That’s the cup of a carpenter” she said along with Indy.

Henry’s bullet wound was healed by the power of the grail. Here again, they had to pause the movie for awhile as they discussed what happened to the bullet in his stomach. Did it dissolve or would he live with a bullet in him forever? Or was it as if the whole thing never even happened? Mulder said they should open an x-file and she laughed.

They both then laughed over the similar situations of Elsa and Indy trying to reach the grail as the temple was crashing down.

The movie ended as it should, with good conquering evil, the last living Knight finally laying down his sword to be at peace. Mulder turned the movie off and asked her for her five top moments and he would tell her his.

She smiled and nodded. “The leap of faith, the “everything is on fire” scene, the boat fight, the misspelling of Jehovah, and X marks the spot.” She raised her eyebrows and waited.

He grinned at her and pretended to think for a bit until she shoved him and he laughed. “Okay, okay. The tapestries, the Ming vase, the room is on fire, the walk through the catacombs, and when Henry is saved.”

She nodded and accepted his answer. She got up and stretched, yawning as she did. He tried not to notice her body as she stretched, but Jesus, a man could only be so strong.  

“Should we order some Chinese food?” he asked as he got up as well, forcing his mind off of what it was thinking, his phone out ready to dial.

“Mulder, are you really hungry? It’s only been..." She looked at her watch. “Four and a half hours?! Oh my god...” She shook her head and looked at him.

“Think of all the stimulating conversation we had though, Scully,” he said, dialing the number to Wong’s Palace, the place they always ordered from.

“I’m going to take a bath,” she said as she turned to walk away.

“You don’t want anything?” he asked as the phone started ringing. “Broc-“

“Broccoli beef sounds okay, I suppose." She realized he was already saying it, when she finished. She smiled and he grinned back as he ordered their food and she headed toward the bathroom.

“Hey, Scully,” he said, taking a few steps toward her, as he ended the call. She raised her eyebrows as she stood in the bathroom doorway. “There is ha documentary on about Bigfoot and some new footage that has apparently come to light. Do you want me to tape it for you? It’s on right now and..." He stopped speaking at the look on her face.

“Okay, okay,” he said, with his hands up and a smile on his face as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

“Hey, Scully,” he said again, to the closed door.

“Yes, Mulder, I’m sure,” she said before he heard the water start running. He laughed and walked back to the couch to watch the show.

A while later, dinner had been eaten, Mulder regaling her with the things she had missed in the documentary. She stared at him, sighed, and rolled her eyes just as he had thought she would.

She walked past him when they had finished, putting away the leftovers, and he got a whiff of her bubble bath. She smelled so good, like jasmine. He remembered her telling him how much she loved that smell and he understood why; she smelled like spring and summer. Warm and light.

Her house phone rang and she looked at him in surprise. She answered it and he heard her mother’s voice through the phone. He heard the one sided conversation, but did not pay much attention until he heard his name.

“Mulder? I don’t think he could make lunch tomorrow, Mom. Yeah, he has plans, I think. Sure, I could ask him. Now? But we’re on the phone, I’ll call him later. What? What makes you think...? Okay...” She sighed, covered the phone, and looked at him. “Would you like to join me and my mother for lunch tomorrow?” She stared at him and shook her head.

He nodded at her and she waited a beat. “Yeah, Mom, he won’t be able to join us. I know. I will. Yes, tomorrow at 1:30. I’ll see you there. Love you too. Bye.” She hung up the phone and closed her eyes.

“You okay?” he asked her, knowing what she was thinking about; whether or not to tell her mother about the IVF. “Hey, Scully,” he said quietly, touching her hand. “I can be there if you like, take some of the pressure off. Your mom likes me. I could be your wingman.”

She smiled slightly at him and squeezed his hand in response. “Thank you, Mulder, but I’ll be okay. Not sure if I’ll even tell her yet, but... it... it would be easier if it was just me and her.” She nodded at him and he squeezed her hand in support.

She let go of his hand and she turned toward her room. He watched her start to leave, wishing he could ease the pain she was feeling.

“Scully, wait. You didn’t get your fortune cookie." He grabbed it and walked over to her.

She sighed as he handed it to her and, not meeting his eyes, she walked into her room, closing the door softly behind her.

He stood there with his own cookie in his hand, staring at her closed door. Not sure if he should stay or go, he stood there waiting.

Her door opened and she had two pillows and a blanket in her arms. She met his eyes and he had his answer, her silent question asking him to stay. He nodded at her as he watched her set the things on the couch.

She walked past him again and quietly said goodnight, before returning to her room and shutting the door.

He stood still for a few more seconds before shaking out of his thoughts. He felt the cookie digging into his palm and he cracked it open, popping the cookie in his mouth as he read his fortune.

You will follow your path to what your heart desires.

He felt the air go out of his lungs as he looked at her door, his heart's desire standing on the other side of it. His heart pounded as he read the words again. He sighed and shook his head sadly. Now was not the time, he was sure of it, but he would hold onto this fortune and one day hopefully, he would give it to her.

The cookie in his mouth felt like clay and he had a hard time swallowing past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. He put the scrap of paper in his wallet and went to the bathroom.

The toothbrush he used the night before was still there. He liked seeing it there, as though it belonged there next to hers. He sighed and shook his head as he grabbed it and the toothpaste. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, used the toilet, and washed his hands before heading back to the couch.

He turned most of the lights out, leaving the room in a soft glow. He took off his jeans, outer shirt, and his shoes, laying them on a chair. He adjusted the pillows and stretched out on the couch. Covering up, he turned on his side to watch the television, the volume turned down low.

He slid a hand between the pillows and felt something scratchy. He pulled it out and saw it was a fortune cookie paper. Scully’s fortune. He got up, turned the light on over the kitchen table to read her fortune.

Your journey will reward you with the answers you seek.

He grinned and looked at her door again. Looking down at the fortune, he imagined her reading it. He wondered if she had thought the same thing he did; about the movie they had watched tonight, and how it seemed to pertain to them on many levels.

He turned off the light, put her fortune next to his in his wallet, and lay back down on the couch. He thought of what Henry had said at the end of the movie. That Elsa never believed in the grail, but saw it as a prize to be won, and that was ultimately her downfall.

He thought of Scully. She may not believe in things like ghosts, sea monsters, vampires, or Bigfoot, but she respected the journey. She was there by his side no matter the outcome. She was not on this journey to win a prize, but because she believed in him and his quest to find the truth.

He laughed quietly and shook his head at the thought that they must have gotten each other’s fortunes, but then he sobered. No. As usual the universe seemed to give them what they both needed to hear.

She needed to hear that the crazy journey she was on would eventually be fruitful. He needed to hear that the quest was not what was most important. To stop... get out of the damn car and take a chance, getting off the crazy ride.

He lay on his back and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He could feel a change in them. Not just with the IVF, but them. Something was coming and he knew it was going to be a step forward, a step for good. His backflipping heart settled and he took a few deep breaths. They could not stand in one place for much longer. A change was in the air, so much so, the universe seemed to feel it.

Soon, he thought, as he surrendered to sleep.

Soon.