From: livengoo@bcvms.bc.edu
X-From: rkwong@engin.umich.edu (Roberta Chi-Woon Kwong)
Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative
Subject: "Leap of Faith" part 2/?
Date: 17 Apr 1995 22:32:09 GMT

Subject: New Story Leap of Faith 2/? 

It's not fair and it's not right, but I'm posting another chunk of
this beasty before anyone can e-mail me to foreclose the option.
Heh heh heh.  Never let it be said you don't know a goo(sic) thing
when you see one.

As ever, X-Files and its residents, Mulder and Scully and Skinner
belong to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen and Co.  Sam Beckett (not the
playwright), Al Calavicci and any other familiar Leap characters
belong to Bellisarius Prod.

Blame livengoo@bcvms.bc.edu

Leap of Faith, 2/?.  

Sam was reading Scully's files, trying to find the details that
weren't in her reports on the computer.  He was thankful for a
strong stomach - and for not having eaten the breakfast Mulder got
for him.  The violence these two had investigated was cloaked in
medical jargon, but Sam knew how to read through that.  The X-files
were not conducive to peace of mind.  He could see why Mulder might
have a bizarre view of the world in light of these cases.

Speak of the devil, here came the man himself.  He was carrying a
thick file and looking oddly enthusiastic, a man who loved his
work.  He tossed the file to Sam and loaded a video tape in the
VCR.  

Okay, Scully," a jerky, handheld film of a laughing young woman
appeared.  "Joan Kateras and her fiance, Michael Benning were on
vacation in North Carolina, a tour of haunted houses and
supernatural sites.  Here, they were looking for the Devil's
Circle."  His eyes were crinkled with suppressed laughter as he
waited for the inevitable look.  Sam had never seen the Scully-Look
in his life, but he performed it perfectly.  Mulder turned back to
the video.  It was showing a night scene now and Mulder wasn't
laughing anymore.  The young couple was cuddled together on an
overlook, taking turns filming each other, Mulder suddenly froze
the frame.

"Look here, behind them.  See the lights?"  Several flashes traced
the sky behind a pleasant, round-faced young man.  

"Aircraft?" hazarded Sam.  "Heat lightning?"

Mulder's face was intense, his concentration almost painful.  He
inched the video forward, frame by frame, as the lights etched a
path halfway across the screen then suddenly changed direction,
arcing straight up in an unnaturally short curve.  Sam could hear
Mulder swallow.

"There were no flight paths in this vicinity, not even military
flights.  And I can't find any record of an aerial maneuver that
might register on video this way.  Lights have been seen in this
area before, as well as other unexplained phenomenon."  He was
watching his partner now, expressionless, waiting for some attempt
to explain what the film showed.  The couple had noticed the lights
and turned the film to track them through a few seconds more of
unnatural aerobatics.  The tape abruptly ended in static.

Sam paused, "There are records of unusual forms of lightning, ball
lightning, perhaps this is another atmospheric anomaly.  There has
to be some natural explanation."

"Why? So far we haven't found a natural explanation for their
disappearance. Their camera was found on the overlook where they
filmed this.  There was no sign that they had left, no indication
of foul play.  No explanation.  The camera was only found because
of hikers curious about the lights.  You'd better buy another pair
of hiking boots, Scully, and pack plenty of Off(tm)."

************************

"So we are not who we are."  Scully sighed.  She'd been on the
grand tour and there was simply too much detail, too many
integrated elements, for this to be a prank.  She'd seen enough
strange things, some real and some not, to know a real one when she
saw it now.  Time travel?  She didn't like it but was prepared to
accept this particular instance in a way she hadn't been prepared
to accept that an American cruiser had time warped into old age.
Somehow, not having Mulder here to throw bad theories at her made
this more believable. 

"Mulder's off hunting UFO's in North Carolina?  And your friend is
along for the ride?  Tell him to keep an eye out for the military.
The UFO's may or may not be there, hard to say with Mulder.  I'm
inclined to think that it's military testing from what you say, but
that could be just as much trouble as your UFO's.  We've had
run-ins with them in the past."

Al sipped his lousy coffee and payed close attention, not just to
what Scully said but to her mannerisms.  Any cue that would make
Sam's performance more believable could be important with a person
as watchful and suspicious as Mulder.  "Sam says they go at 11:40
tonight, on the red-eye.  They're out shopping right now."

Scully's eyes widened.  "Shopping?  Mulder?!  Tell Sam to keep him
away from the ties.  If I ever saw evidence of UFO influence on
Earth it's the ties Mulder wears.  That's got to be trauma induced,
no normal person wears ties like that."

*******************************

Sam had been surprised when they went shopping.  Somehow he'd
assumed that they'd leave immediately, but whatever government
travel office controlled their transportational fate was saving
money by sending them to North Carolina in the middle of the night.
It suited Mulder just fine and he used to time to get some new
clothes.  Apparently he was rough on suits, he said he was down to
his last few since the cleaner hadn't been able to get the blood
out of the two he'd sent out.  Sam wasn't comfortable letting
Mulder out of his sight, and didn't know what to do with himself
anyway, and that was how he came to be standing in the Boutique
Youkneek while Mulder eyed a tie decorated with mice in sombreros.

"But it's classic Chuck Jones, Scully."  He was clearly tempted.
"And it'll drive Skinner up the wall."

Sam wondered briefly if he was there to save Mulder from UFO's or
from his fashion sense.  "It's rodents in sombreros, Mulder.  If
you have to get a tie how about this one?"  He offered a tasteful
silk with little starships on it. The suits Mulder picked were
fine, but these ties!  Al would wear something like this.  On cue,
he heard the door open behind him and tensed, waiting for fashion
crimes on two fronts.

"Wow, look at this!  I haven't seen a hula tie like this in years!"
Al's gravelly voice played counterpart to Mulder's tenor exclaiming
over a tie that seemed to feature The Jetsons.  Sam shuddered.  He
might not remember what he'd actually worn, but knew it was better
than this.  "Oh, and Scully said he liked bad ties."  Al was
hanging over Sam's shoulder now, where he could look down Scully's
blouse.  

Mulder had wandered over to the counter with a couple ties,
(thankfully, he'd foresaken the Jetsons but still had a Tasmanian
Devil and some little martian character along with two acceptable
Frank Lloyd Wright patterns) and was  . . .flirting?! with the
manager.  Her tag said she was Sheryl Martin, a name Sam set Al to
analyzing in case she was involved..  He stepped up next to Mulder
in time to hear her tell him his work number would do, but that
she'd MUCH rather have his home number.  The smile she got back
said she'd probably make more sales to this customer.  Sam decided
to leave Mulder to the ritual and started pricing the dust-catchers
on the back shelves.  Little Warner Brother figures and bowling
balls in helmets ignited vague flashes of memory, but nothing firm
enough that he could remember the names of them.  A character named
Yakko reminded him somehow of Mulder, tall, thin and loopy.  He
glanced up and definitely identified flirtation now, with the store
manager fingering his tie (ostensibly to judge the silk).  Time to
break this up, before Al drooled on himself watching her, or before
Mulder bought another tie.

Sam rallied up to the counter and hooked an arm under Mulder's,

"Hate to interrupt, but I've still got to get hiking boots."
Mulder's eyes came back into focus, Ms. Martin looked distinctly
put out.  

"Sorry, Scully.  Didn't you get another pair to replace the ones
with spores on them?"  Sam couldn't quite remember if he knew what
Mulder was talking about, but didn't much care either.  

"I splurged on a blue suit.  Let's go."  He finally managed to
extricate Mulder, his suits and his horrid ties from the Boutiqe
Youkneek and out to the sane streets of Georgetown.  Another two
hours shopping without incident left Mulder bored stiff with
women's shoes, Sam awed by the sheer complexity of buying women's
shoes, and a wilderness outfitters with almost $200.00 for women's
shoes.  Sam atoned by buying dinner, though he wouldn't let Mulder
pick the restaurant.  An Ethiopian hole in the wall yielded
excellent food and a quiet place to pump Scully's partner about
what he expected to find in North Carolina.

Now's your chance!  You can do it! Stop me before I write again!
livengoo