I only have one thing to say...
livengoo, revenge is fast and sweet when dealing with Dragons...heh,heh...

All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter.
No infringement intended on any part...I like being poor, really...
The character of Jackie St. George belongs to me though...

Dragons on The Water
by Sheryl Martin    sheryl_martin@daystorm.com

The dark slide flashed onto the screen. "The Loch Ness Monster."
Click.  "Ogopogo." Click. "All unusual creatures in unusual
environments."

"Like Newt Gringrich in Congress." Dana Scully put her hand to her
mouth, trying not to laugh at Jackie St. George. The CSIS agent sat
back in Mulder's office chair, propping her feet up on the stack of
files. "Does he do this often?" Scully nodded. "And you let him?"

Mulder continued, oblivious to her comments. "Recently the Native
American Reservation of Nashawana has reported five sightings of a
creature rather like these two subject in the past month. Also, four
small boats have been lost, with no trace of the owners."

"Smugglers?" Scully asked. He nodded.

"Given that they are on the boundary of Lake Ontario, there has been
numerous investigations into the smuggling activities of certain
members of the group, running alcohol and tobacco into Canada."
Flicking on the lights, he smiled at Jackie. "And guess who was there
five years ago..."

"I am going to tell Rosie to ban you from the Consulate." Twirling a
piece of long black hair between her fingers, she shook her head. "I
was there to help negotiate a new election for chief of the band. I
didn't hear anything about any sea monsters in the lake then."

"It's been proposed as the reason behind the murders." Dana's eyebrows
rose at this.

"These disappearances have been classified as murders?" Fox nodded,
the eagerness in his eyes betraying him.

"That's all they'll say to the local police -- who have no
jurisdiction whatsoever. In fact, the only way we'll get on the
grounds is by having a representative of the Canadian government..."
He brandished a form letter.  "And I have the paper to authorise
ourselves as representing the American point of view."

"Gee Mulder, where are you going to find a Canadian rep?" Jackie asked
thoughtfully, flicking a rubber band at him. "Man, I thought when I
transferred down here I'd have less work to do. You two are giving me
high blood pressure." Scully chuckled, enjoying the joke. Being the
possessor of a strange psi ability that enabled her to go slightly mad
and kill with superhuman strength and reflexes whenever her blood was
drawn, having high blood pressure was the least of her worries.

"Skinner's approved it. Rosie's busy getting the proper papers stamped
for you." He winked at St. George. "Better go pack..."

Getting to her feet, she walked over to him. "I am banning you from my
office. And I'll make sure there's a shoot-to-kill order." The young
woman laughed. "And I like getting out of more diplomatic dinners. I
hate getting dressed up to have some pompous politician try to pinch
my butt. See you at the airport in two hours."

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

A slow drizzle fell as they drove onto the reservation, stopping at
the Band Offices. They ran inside quickly, shaking the rain from their
trench coats.  St. George smiled as she recognised the officer behind
the counter.

"Samuel..." He ran around the barrier, lifting her up off her feet and
swinging her around in a bear hug.

"Friendly folk." Mulder said to Scully. St. George dropped to the
ground, gasping as she stared up at the six foot, seven inches tall
man.

"Good to see you again." He jerked a finger at the office behind him.
"We got the fax. Chief's waiting for you -- I also laid in some fresh
venison for you and your pals -- Joanne's marinating it as we speak."
His voice dropped.  "It's bad." He looked at the two FBI agents,
accepting them into his confidence. "We just lost another boat this
morning. The bodies did wash up -- all dead. Two of them; the Dorval
brothers."

"Can I see the bodies?" Scully asked. "I'm a trained pathologist..."

"Sure." He reached for his hat. "You're all set up in the furthest
cabin. We don't have any hotels here -- I gave you the old hunting
lodge. I'll drop by later to talk... and with the meat." Samuel left
with Dana, walking back into the rain.

"He remembers you quite well." Fox said.

"I helped him do a bit of training for the local officers, off the
record."  She put her hand on the doorknob. "Chief Dan White Wolf. A
good man, so please don't screw this up..." He raised his hands,
giving her that innocent expression she knew Dana hated so much.

"Yes, some people are saying that it's this monster..." The elderly
man shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what to think, to tell
you the truth.  There's a younger group of men who have become more
militant; more distrusting of the governments..."

"Not such a bad idea." Mulder looked around the small office, enjoying
the sights of the old varnished wood, the sense of time standing still
and being peaceful. "Do you suspect that they're having a bit of a
turf war?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. Sam Longbow's done his
best to curb this smuggling, but we can't catch them all. It's just
too simple to race across the lake. And they aren't going to stop just
because of a few bodies..." He stared at Jackie. "I believe, but I
don't believe. You know how it is..."His voice dropped. "If your
investigation turns up any new evidence, I can take it to the Council;
push for arrests and indictments."

"We'll see what we can do." Fox said. White Wolf nodded, his eyes
slowly searching Mulder's, then flicking over to St. George's.

"It's been a rough trip, hmm?" She shrugged. Mulder was confused...
"You're a bit better this time around -- a bit more relaxed." The
Chief smiled. "It does you good to be back on the earth..."

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

The hunting lodge was instantly comfortable and warm, the old polished
wooden beams welcoming them in. Jackie pointed upwards, to the ladder
that led to the open loft. "Two beds up there, a couch down here." Her
eyes laughed. "So, where do you want to sleep?"

"You and Scully can have the loft. I'll take the couch." Chuckling, he
went about unpacking his suitcase, shaking his head. That woman...
Ducking into the bathroom, he changed into a sweatshirt and
sweatpants, feeling more relaxed by the minute.

"Hey, Dana." Jackie yelled from the small kitchen as Scully walked in
the door. She blinked, a bit overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Dropping
her laptop on the table, she joined St. George in the kitchen.

"Autopsy shows they died of hypothermia. Not surprising, given that
the average survival time in Lake Ontario is twenty to thirty minutes
at this time of year. No physical signs of being eaten by anything
other than a few fish nibbles." She looked in the fridge. "What's up
for dinner? We really can't do much until morning..."

"Sam's bringing over some good meat for us. And we can chat about this
smuggling stuff." She lowered her voice, staring at the bathroom.
"Does Mulder really believe in this sea serpent theory?"

Dana shrugged. "After all this time, I think he'd believe anything."

"Good...I brought a deck of cards, and if you play poker..."

Scully smiled, unpacking her own sweat suit. "My father taught me. As
long as it's not strip..."

St. George looked shocked, clutching a hand to her chest. "Dana
Scully! I am mortified that you would suggest such a thing... but if
we skunk Mulder too badly, I got dibs on those ties -- you can have
the boxer shorts."

"I heard that!" A muffled shout came from the bathroom. "Your butt is
mine!"

Jackie smirked. "I think he's talking to you."

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

Sam took a large gulp of coffee, watching the slices of venison cook
in the oven. "Well, I can't tell you a helluva lot more than I already
have. The bodies are unmarked, but we don't have any boat wreckage,
any evidence of any violence..." He grinned at Jackie. "Not like the
good old days, hey?"

"Do you think this sea monster idea's been made up to divert attention
from possible criminal activity?" Dana inhaled the aroma, feeling her
mouth fill with saliva. It had been years since she had had such fresh
meat. Quietly Jackie went to the kitchen, pulling out her pain
medication. The headaches had gotten less intense, or perhaps she was
handling them better -- she didn't know.

"Anything's possible. Out here, you can lose touch with yourself and
just flow into the land." He looked into his mug. "Look, I went to the
police academy in Pennsylvania, then transferred back here when I
graduated. I'm not deep into this mystical stuff, but some things you
just... you see and you don't know what to believe..." His eyes locked
with Jackie's. "You've been there. Not here, but I can tell. You've
been there." She nodded, a sad smile on her face. "I'll take you down
to the marina in the morning. We've got a small runabout we use for
our investigations -- I can't take you out, but I can give you the
keys." The tall native looked at Dana. "I'll feel safer if you're in
charge. She..." He jerked a thumb at St. George. "She can't tell port
from starboard and he doesn't look like the water type." Mulder sat
back, holding his stomach already. Wonderful, more water...

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

"Right." Dana expertly shuffled the cards. "Penny ante, no bid higher
than a dollar." She looked over towards the table. "You coming,
Jackie?"

"Just a second." She tapped on her laptop. "I just have to flame some
livengoo...ah, there it is. New game -- you input your name, this
creature comes after you, and you nail it with a flamethrower... I
like it." Saving the game, she strode over to the table, completing
the triangle. "You two make more money than me, so be prepared for a
drastic reduction in your incomes..."

Scully scooped the pile of change towards her, grinning. "Another
hand?"  Mulder held his hands up in surrender, joined by St. George.

"Man, I'm glad we didn't play strip. Mulder would be looking like an
entry in Playgirl."

He frowned. "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"Hey, I'm not going to incriminate myself..." Getting to her feet, she
yawned. "I'm off to bed. See you later." They nodded in agreement,
Dana pushing the mound of pennies to the centre of the table as she
got up.

"I can count it tomorrow." She winked at Fox. "Or we could play
again..."

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

The rifle shot blasted through the window, narrowly missing the couch
where Mulder slept. Rolling onto the floor, he grabbed his pistol.

"Scully! St. George!" He yelled, crawling towards the broken window.

"We'll be down..." Dana called back, flipping the safety off her
weapon.  Looking to her left, she saw Jackie grasping her .38 tightly.
"We can't climb down that ladder, we'll be easy targets..."

St. George smiled. "Well, now that Mulder's awake..."

Fox crouched against the wall, breathing rapidly. Another bullet rang
through the window, burying itself in the far wall. He looked up,
seeing the two women above him in the loft. On a count of three they
both leaped, aiming for the recently-vacated sofa.

"And I was right in the middle of a dream with Alec Baldwin..." Jackie
groaned, slithering over to Fox. Dana joined them, rubbing her
shoulder. "You hit hard?"

"I bashed myself on Mulder's suitcase." She glared at him.

"If that's the only thing that gets bashed tonight, I'll be happy." He
said, looking up at the shattered glass. "So, I'm open to
suggestions..."

Jackie grinned. "Well, I've always been a fan of the direct
approach..."  Leaping to her bare feet, she ran to the front door,
throwing it open and firing rapidly six times. Diving to her left, she
lay on the floor.

"Are you nuts?" Dana hissed, crouched beside Fox, whose eyes were wide
with disbelief. They listened as the sound of a pickup truck roared
away, a few yells reaching their ears. Getting to their feet, they
stared around the lodge.

"What the hell was that?" Mulder strode over, grabbing Jackie by her
sweatshirt top. "Are you having another suicidal urge?" His voice
shook with anger. Gently she disentangled his hands, smiling softly.

"Mulder, if they wanted us dead, they would have succeeded. These guys
hunt all the time, they know this lodge like you know your apartment.
Those shots were just warning us -- I had to let them know we weren't
going to sit back and be afraid. Saving face..." She slapped him
lightly. "And save your analysis for our next session. I'm fine,
really." He licked his lips, realising that she was right. "I'll put
the kettle on. You call Sam."

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

"Jackie's right. If they had been serious they could have picked you
off like fat deer." Sam stared into his coffee. "Best bet is Chris
Running Water. He's the one who's more or less in charge."

"That jerk?" Jackie said.

"Yes. He took over his dad's business when you took him to prison for
rigging the election." The tall officer frowned. "I really don't think
you should go see him alone."

"Hey, haven't you heard? I'm immortal and invulnerable." She quipped.
Dana rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. Why can't she just be a
normal... then she looked at Mulder, quickly retracting the first
thought.

"Right. We'll all go." Longbow drained his cup.

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

"Ah, why don't you stay back a bit?" Mulder told St. George as they
approached the group of young men gathered around the bar. She opened
her mouth, then closed it. Turning to Scully, she sighed.

"Chris." Longbow singled out the tallest of the group, a swarthy
twenty-year old with a thin scar running down his neck. "Somebody took
a few potshots at these agents last night... know anything about it?"

Mulder pulled out his I.D. badge. "I'm Special Agent Mulder, that's
Agent Scully..."

"And that's the woman who busted my dad." He snarled. "You her keeper
now?"  St. George would have stepped forward, except for the
restraining hand Scully had put on her arm. Running Water looked at
Longbow. "If anyone was going to be shot, it'd be her. As it is, I
have witnesses that will testify that I was here, drinking, all
night." He grinned.

"What do you know about the murders?" Fox asked.

"That the sea creature's eating them. The Dorval brothers were the
first bodies to show up. You go out there at night, and you'll end up
washing up on some shoreline somewhere." He turned his back on them,
walking away. Pausing for a second, he yelled back. "Feed it that
bitch first! And tell your wife she's too pretty to be stuck with a
guy like you." The ten men laughed, walking away. Longbow shook his
head in anger.

"That's all we can do."

"I'm going to see Cody." Jackie said softly. He looked at her, then
nodded.  Scully and Mulder exchanged confused looks. "You better come
too."

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

The shaman's cabin was dark, yet infused with that same sense of
comfort that had enveloped them in the hunting lodge. Gingerly walking
inside, they waited. Longbow had left them, saying that he was going
to try to scare up some repairs for the lodge.

"So, you finally come to me." Fox could dimly make out his silhouette
in the shadows. "Well, have a seat. I'm not getting any younger."

Cody Seeing Far was on the downside of eighty, although to Dana's eyes
he carried himself like a twenty-year old. Rubbing his chin
thoughtfully, he looked at the trio seated around his table.

"You came back." He said to St. George. "Your spirit guide is pleased
with your progress." She nodded quietly. "Now, you..." A thin finger
pointed at Dana. "I can tell you who your guide is by just looking at
you. The Otter -- the happy-go-lucky creature of the water. But the
Otter also is a family being; a friend to all." Scully looked down at
her hands, clenching and twisting her fingers back and forth. "You..."
He frowned, looking at Fox.  "You are Coyote -- the Trickster. The
world is not what it seems, and you change what you are and what you
see. And you are part of the game and not part of the game." A grin
crossed his face as he saw his words hit home.

"But you've come to talk about the creature of the lake." He pursed
his lips, silently retrieving the information from his mind. "It has
been there since before we came here -- any of us. And it had slept,
unburdened by the worries of our modern life until someone awoke it."

"What happened?" Mulder asked.

"I don't know. But it is a fierce creature. It has no mercy; it is..."
He stared at St. George. "It is a brother to dragons."

"So you're an otter, hmm?" Fox thought out loud as they headed back to
the lodge. Dana gave him her killer look. "Slippery when wet..." A
swift kick to his shins cut that thread of conversation off.

"Jackie, he said you had one too." Dana tried to switch the topic,
ignoring the grimacing Mulder holding his leg. "What was yours?"

"The Wolf. Solitary, but a hunter." She shrugged. "I went on a quest a
few months after I finished my assignment here. Tried to quell those
inner demons."

"Did it help?" Fox said, limping slowly.

"Didn't hurt."

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

"So let me get this straight. We're going to go out on the lake and
watch the smugglers run their stuff back and forth, looking for a sea
monster." Jackie looked to Dana for salvation, finding none.

"Believe it or not, I think the only way we're going to find out is to
get out there on the water." Mulder rubbed his stomach. "I'm not wild
about this either..."

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

Scully expertly steered the small boat out into the lake, enjoying the
chance to be on the water again. Mulder sat at the back, looking a bit
greener than the chow mein in his refrigerator. St. George stood at
the bow, trying to see into the darkness. Their life jackets lay on
the floor of the craft -- Dana had argued for wearing them, but Fox
pointed out that if they had to use their weapons, it would be a bit
of a problem getting around the large life preservers. Taking a course
out of the small marina, she looked at her watch.  Eight o'clock. They
should be seeing some other boats... a fast Zodiac-type boat whizzed
past them, heading for the Canadian side of the lake. Grinning, she
pointed it out to the pair.

Two hours later, they had seen over twenty smugglers, and no monster.
Fox took a deep breath. The worst had actually passed, due to the
calmness of the lake. He staggered forward, leaning on Dana as she
steered the small craft through the water.

"Doesn't look like..." Suddenly a shape appeared out of the darkness,
bearing down on them quickly. Jackie pulled her .38 out, bracing
herself with a two-handed grip.

"Mulder! It's..." The snap of a hunting rifle filled the air as she
pitched forward into the water. Scully killed the engine, pulling out
her pistol. The pirate boat bumped aside their own boat as Chris
Running Water leapt aboard.

"Looks like your friend's going to be meeting the creature head-on."
The rifle in his hands gestured at their weapons. "Over the side, if
you don't mind." The splash of the two pistols echoed in the night.
"Right. Now let's see...what did you two do to die out here like
this..." He smiled wickedly.

"So you're the only monster out here." Dana said, watching for any
sign of Jackie. "You spread that rumour about the monster and then
started to pirate your own people." Fox thought he saw a figure
bobbing in the distance...

"My, you're smart -- for a woman. Yep, the best way to keep my turf
clean. I just weighed the bodies down with a few bricks, then talk
about the creature.  Sink the boats, or resell them over the border.
Either way, I win." The rifle levelled itself with her chest. "And you
lose."

"If you kill us, Longbow's going to be suspicious." Mulder spoke
quickly.

"He would...if you died of a gunshot. As it is, you're going to die
slowly."  Raising the rifle, he slammed it into Mulder's head, sending
him over the side. The unconscious body floated face-down in the
water. "I guess you better go save him." He nodded at Dana. Quickly
she dove in, swimming strongly towards Mulder's body. Waving a hand at
his companions, he fired into the bottom of the boat, starting the
sinking process.

Leaping back aboard his own craft, he nodded to his friend. "Stay
around until they go down. The boat's done for. Just keep far enough
away that they can't swim to us."

Pulling Fox over, Dana saw the bloody gash over his left eye. She
wrapped her arms around his chest, gasping as the water washed up into
her face. He took a fast breath, coughing.

"Scully..." He didn't try to break free of her hold, just looked up at
the sky. "I'd like to reverse my thoughts on the life preservers." She
smiled, forgetting that he couldn't see her behind him.

"Can I get a vote in on this?" St. George drifted over, throwing her
head back to get the wet hair out of her face.

"You alright?" Dana wasn't sure what was happening...the water was so
cold...

"The bullet hit me here..." She pointed out the gouge carved along the
left side of her head, just behind her ear. "A new scar. And I didn't
even do it this time. Don't worry, I've kinda got some control here --
those jerks are too far away for it to take over." The wave hit her in
the face. "Ah, how long do you think we can keep this up?"

Dana began to shiver. "Twenty minutes... maybe a half-hour."

"Well, if we swim really fast, we can be in my old apartment in
Toronto in two hours..." She spat out a mouthful of water. "This is
not good. With that moron watching us, we can't even try to make it to
shore."

"We'd never make it." Fox said, finally breaking free of Dana's grip.
"Even at top speed, I'd take over an hour to get in." He tenderly
touched the gash.  "And I'm not able to do it right now." He murmured,
feeling nauseous.

"If you guys want to do any heartwarming confessions, I can just float
over here..." Jackie disappeared under the torrents of water splashing
her way from the pair. "Hey, just an idea..."

The pirate boat hung just out of their reach, bobbing up and down in a
oasis of safety just out of their reach. They could see Chris at the
front of the craft, grinning with satisfaction at their predicament.

Suddenly the boat shook, sending all the men to one side. It lurched
to the left, then back to the right.

"Mulder..." Scully whispered. "I...I just felt something go by me."

"Yah, me too." He didn't say it. St. George just swallowed.

A huge hole appeared in the hull, just below the waterline. They
watched silently as it sank, the men leaping into the water in a vain
attempt to escape. Then the screaming started.

"Oh, my god..." Dana watched as the bodies disappeared from the
surface of the lake, pulled under as the debris of the boat began to
bob around them.  Snagging a large piece of wood, Jackie paddled over
to them, pulling Fox onto the board.

"I don't want to think..." She touched the open wound on her head,
taking a deep breath. "Well, a brother to dragons..."

Dana watched the last body being pulled under, hypnotised by the
sight.  Turning, she saw Jackie press her hand to the bloody cut,
squeezing the blood out between her fingers.

"In the name of St. George..." Suddenly the water began to churn
around them, the waves rising as the unseen body passed under and
around them. They began to move slowly at first, then more rapidly as
the swell carried them.

Dana felt the first signs of hypothermia beginning to set in, felt her
mind growing sluggish and sleepy. Reaching out, she grabbed Fox's
collar, shaking him back to consciousness. The shoreline danced in the
distance, coming closer. Beside the pair, Jackie closed her eyes,
feeling the pain and power tearing through her head.

Scully felt the ground beneath her feet first, the rough pebbles of
the beach a welcome change. Dragging Mulder along, she fell on the
shore. St. George staggered up beside her, pulling her to her feet.

"Dana... we have to get someplace warm... you're a doctor..." She
mumbled, dropping beside them. The world began to spin around them,
filled with dragons and sea serpents...

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

Fox smiled as Dana opened her eyes, blinking at the light. "Good
morning, sleepyhead." He passed her a cup of hot,sweet tea. She
frowned. He motioned to his head, pointing out the bandage.

"Longbow found us, brought us back to the lodge. Him and his wife took
care of us; just in time too. Says that Cody called and told him where
to find us." Fox chuckled. "I guess you are an otter after all." He
motioned to the loft. "Jackie's asleep."

"Not now, with all that noise." She grumbled, climbing down the
ladder. "And whose shirt is this?" A finger pointed at the Knicks
logo.

"Well, they weren't sure whose clothes were whose, and we had to get
changed into something dry..." He chuckled. "I was out of it too,
don't worry.  Besides, your city doesn't even have a team."

"We have a cool logo. And the Raptors are going to kick your butt..."

"Hey, hey." Dana put up her hand, stopping the argument. "What
happened to the men." Quickly she looked down at her own shirt,
noticing the Redskin logo. He better have bloody well been asleep...

"Longbow found no trace of them. Or the boat -- the debris must have
washed away from the area." Fox bit his lower lip. "I don't know what
to say..."

"Say nothing." Jackie shrugged. "I don't know -- I just don't know.
I'll rubber-stamp whatever you say." Turning, she climbed back up into
the loft.

"It saved us." He said softly to Dana, seeing the disbelief in her
eyes.

"Mulder, we were carried in by a series of lucky waves." That would
look great on the report. "I don't believe in sea monsters... and we
never really saw anything, aside from the fact that you and Jackie
were both injured and we were all suffering from hypothermia." She
changed the subject suddenly.  "Is this your shirt too?"

"Hey, I only sleep in quality..."

"Was that in, or with?" A shout came from the loft.

"Shut up, Jackie!" They simultaneously yelled. Fox and Dana looked at
each other, then burst out laughing.

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