"Vampire's Ball" An X-Files Story by Jennifer Lyon Jenni10647@AOL.com JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer and author's note: The X-Files and the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC, FOX, and 1013 Productions. The remainder of this story, and the characters of Jason and Charlotta belong to the author. Please note that this story is part four of a series, the previous three stories being: "Promises to Keep," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Interlude with a Vampire." This one opens about five months after the end of "Interlude with a Vampire." Please note that these stories assume that a love/sexual relationship already exists between Mulder and Scully. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Part One Finally, a quiet evening at home. Both Mulder and Scully felt as if they had been riding a hurricane for the last several weeks. Starting with the poisoning of Mulder's drinking water, events had steamrolled them both through a series of painful revelations and near-fatal disasters. They both knew that there was more to deal with, but the memories were too fresh, too anguished. Scully just wasn't ready to face the implications of her implant while the guilt over her sister's death still pounded at her heart and soul. Mulder, for his part, had yet to come to terms with the knowledge of his father's involvement in the conspiracy that had stolen away his beloved little sister. Or that his mother had known, yet never told him. How were they to cope with all this? Neither was sure, but there was comfort to be found in the re-established routine of their work. Scully smiled to herself as she settled down beside Mulder on the couch while he intently eyed the TV screen, his long legs stretched out awkwardly onto the coffee table. Seeing him throw himself into their last case had been such a delight that she had even found it hard to argue when he came up with yet another of his wild theories. To see him being his old self, even to a resurgence of that dry, barbed wit - it was a balm to her soul. Mulder felt her gaze on him and angled his head to give her a gentle smile. Reaching out his arm, he invited her to come closer, and she accepted gratefully. With a sigh, she settled against his shoulder, nestling her head into the hollow of his neck. He bent his head down to kiss the hair on the crown of her head, feeling a sudden ache of gratitude for the woman in his arms. Without her, life would not be worth living. In the end it had been knowing that she needed him which had brought him back from the brink of death. Even more than the search for his sister, Dana Scully was the center of his being. Having already spent the passion of their relief in finding each other safe again at the end of a torturous road apart, they were content to bask in the simple joy of being together. Curled up in each other's arms, the sounds of the television melted into a steady hum below the edge of their awareness, as they drifted closer to a peaceful sleep. But before they could slip into their dreams, they were jarred awake by the discordant chiming of the doorbell. Disentangling themselves quickly, they both got to their feet. Their eyes met in mutual anxiety, their heartbeats speeding up in time. Even recognizing that the jolt of fear was probably unnecessary - a symptom of paranoia - they had both suffered too much to take any chances. Mulder instinctively put out his hand to push Scully behind him, while he drew his gun from its holster at his side. Scully turned to take hers from the side table, drawing it out with suddenly ice-cold hands. She swiveled and moved to the side, letting Mulder reach for the door. His gun clasped ready at his side, he nodded at his partner, then closed his left hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door. His eyes focused on the shorter man standing in front of him, and his breath caught in his throat. Silently, Mulder inclined his head and shoulders, and stepped away to allow entry. A muscle twitched in his clenched jaw as he reholstered the gun and turned to walk back into the room. Scully relaxed as Mulder turned away from their visitor. Letting the hand holding her gun fall to her side, she moved around the door to face her visitor. "Jason," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Dana," he replied in a voice that fell like velvet on her ears. He had not changed at all in the five months since she had seen him last, the straight blond hair golden above alabaster skin, the eyes glowing green in an elegantly drawn face. Not much taller than she was, he seemed ageless, radiating a presence that set the blood pounding in her veins. "Please, come in." She shut the door behind him and followed him into the room. Mulder was already sprawled on the couch, apparently absorbed in the drama on the TV. Scully gestured for Jason to take the chair next to the couch while she sat down beside Mulder, her glance at her partner concerned and anxious. Perhaps anyone else would be fooled by the nonchalance of his stance, but she knew him better. Knew the knotted muscles at play in his throat, the clench of his fists, the way he suckled in on the skin of his cheek - all signs of the intense emotions at play beneath the cold exterior. She turned her eyes back towards Jason, and was met with a look of utter sadness. She responded to that emotion with her own pain, her deep blue eyes welling with liquid. "Jason..." "I heard about the deaths of your sister, your father," he interrupted. His green eyes flickered from her to Mulder, then back again. "I'm sorry." He shrugged as though to say that he understood how useless those words were. His next words were rushed, almost forced. "I wanted...to make sure you were all right." "Thank you," Scully replied politely. That statement and response had been repeated far too often over the past few weeks, the reply was rote. And Jason knew that all too well. Mulder didn't reply, his eyes never wavering from the TV screen. Scully looked from him to Jason, and found herself filling in the sudden uncomfortable silence with a flood of words. "I'm glad you came, Jason. We missed you..." She trailed off at the spark of unease in Jason's eyes. "I missed you too," he whispered, for the first time showing some discomfort in his body, shifting in his chair like a boy facing a scolding parent. "Where have you been?" Mulder was an expert at seeming not to listen, then breaking in abruptly to the heart of the matter. Scully was more prepared for the jolt than Jason was, he jerked in his seat. "Here, nowhere...here," Jason stammered, looking to Scully for support. But there was pain there for her too, and she needed answers. "Why did you leave so suddenly, Jason?" she asked, now that Mulder had broached the subject. "Why didn't you call, or say goodbye?" "I..." Jason made an involuntary swallow, then forced himself up to meet their eyes. "I thought it would be better for you, safer, if I wasn't too close. The others were angry that I had told you so much about us. I was afraid for you." Mulder snorted, leaping to his feet in one smooth, barely-controlled motion. "Safer? Do you really think we are afraid of vampires? That they could do anything to us that *humans* couldn't? That mere mortals haven't already done?" His voice rang with bitter amusement, cutting sharply through the charged air. "Mulder," Scully went to him, reaching out for his arm, but he slipped away to stand gazing fiercely down at Jason. "I'm not afraid of your vampires, Jason. I've already stood on the edge between this life and the next. I've looked into the abyss and seen it look back at me. I don't need your protection." Jason was instantly to his feet, a slight tinge of red discoloring his eyes. He had known the moment he read of Bill Mulder and Melissa Scully's deaths that something was terribly wrong. And his first glance at Mulder and Scully's faces had told him even more. Their eyes held a depth of anguish that had startled him with its intensity. There was a new tightness around their eyes, a shifting of the way they held themselves, poised on the edge of motion, alert to their surroundings as though expecting assault at any turn. A mixture of rage and guilt swelled in his throat, knotted in his belly. Anger at those responsible for his loved ones' pain was colored by regret that he had let his fears distract him from protecting them as he should. "Who?" he snarled, using the rage to shield his own anguish, looking for a target for his boiling emotions. The red in his eyes deepened, as he stood facing Mulder, the vampiric temper making the difference in their heights fade. "Who did this to you?" "ENOUGH!" Scully yelled, shoving in between them. "STOP IT!" They pulled apart as she glared at them both, her hair crackling over her shoulders like woven flame. "Cut out this macho crap. God, the two of you are impossible. Jason, you weren't afraid of what the other vampires might do, you were afraid of us. Of your feelings for us and ours for you." She turned blazing blue eyes on his face. "You crept away into the night, without so much as one word of goodbye. Do you know how that made us feel? How much that HURT? You were so terrified of actually feeling something for someone that you just ran away." Then she spun to face Mulder. "And don't think you're any better, Mulder. Jason finally takes the step to come see us, and you immediately start doing just what he did in leaving. You are shutting him - and me - out, because you are too scared of being hurt again. So you walk away, close the door before it even has a chance to reopen." "If I didn't love the two of you so much, I'd kick the both of you out. How about trying to tell the truth about how you *feel* instead of resorting to this ridiculous male posturing! Look at you, you're like a pair of bloody roosters fighting over a hen house. Well, I'm no-one's chicken, and I won't put up with this shit!" Her voice rose to a shout, then cracked on the final word. Leaving them both standing, staring at her with dilated eyes and sagging jaws, she stalked over to the couch and sat down facing away from them, her shoulders heaving. Concern for her overrode everything else for both men, and they approached her together, tentatively. "Scully...Dana..." they whispered. She refused to reply, pulling her feet up under her to curl up into a tight ball while she stared at the drape-shielded window. Glancing briefly at each other, they sat down on each side of her. Mulder opened his mouth to speak, then shut it to let Jason speak first. "Lady Dana, I'm sorry." His old-world, cultured voice was gentle and sincere. "I am sorry. Perhaps you are right, I was afraid." His voice faltered, as he put a tentative hand on her shoulder, and this time she did not flinch away. Instead she lifted her head and turned to look at him. "I'm sorry too," she replied, reaching out to brush light fingertips over his cheek. "I missed you." He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her fingertips gently. Then they both turned to Mulder. He swallowed hard, but did his best. "I'm sorry too. I acted stupidly. I was just angry. So much had happened. I..." Scully reached out to press her hand to his mouth, silencing him tenderly. "I know. Mulder, I feel the same way." Consciously, she echoed his words to her from not too long ago, "We've both lost so much. And that's why I couldn't bear to let us ruin things with Jason. Life is too short to waste time in anger that could be spent in loving." She found herself smiling as she looked back at Jason. "Well, life is too short for some of us." The vampire bowed his head at the irony of her statement, even as he shook his head. "If anything, it is worse to spend countless years thinking of what might have been. A mistake I seem doomed to repeat." "Mistakes can be learned from," Scully smiled more openly. Closing her eyes she leaned back against the couch. Taking one of each of their hands in her own, she drew them together. "I suggest we start lessons now." - - - - - Jason sat on the edge of the bed watching them sleep, bodies and limbs entangled in the sweaty, sated aftermath of lovemaking. Dana's face was obscured, pressed tightly into Mulder's shoulder, obscuring the small, puckered scar that Jason had instantly recognized as a bullet wound. A freshly made wound. Jason hadn't commented on it, though he had felt his guts wrench at the sight, as at the sight of the small surgical scar on Dana's back. He felt a familiar rush of guilt and sorrow, touched by the inevitable taste of rage. Mulder shifted in his sleep, nuzzling his chin into the fiery, sweet-tasting tumble of Dana's hair. In the shadows of the night, illuminated softly by the yellow glow of the small bedside lamp, the dark-haired man's features were drawn in fine relief, the bones showing starkly beneath the pale skin. Shadows pooled beneath the flicker of thick black eyelashes, supported by the line of cheekbone and jaw. Too thin, too pale for a mortal man in the prime of his life. And yet, Jason thought, there was an innocent sweetness to that all-too-handsome face. A mirror for the basic purity of the soul within - hidden perhaps in the light of day by the weight of sorrow and force of mind - but left to shine its brilliance in the peace of slumber. Mulder may show a weary, cynical mask to the world, but he never once lost that basic little-boy innocence, that wide-eyed sense of wonder and curiosity, the shimmer of intelligence and internal fire. And in response to that purity of soul, the centuries-old vampire abruptly felt the past press its invisible weight down upon his shoulders. The darkness in his own soul swirled and rose in his throat, tasting of human blood and flesh. Perhaps an unknowing onlooker might find Mulder the darker of the two, for Jason knew well the angelic appearance he turned to the world - but he also knew his own basic nature. He was, had been, would be again - a killer. A deadly parasite that fed off the lives of others in order to continue its own existence in a twilight world of night and shadows. Jason gave a breathless sigh, his chest unmoving, lungs empty of unrequired air, then leaned over to stroke back an ebony lock of hair from Mulder's forehead, almost tasting the silkiness that slipped across the sensitive tips of his fingers. He moved downward, to touch the bright strands of Dana's hairs, fighting to find the resolve to do what he knew he must. He had thought to protect these two by withdrawing from their lives. Leaving them free to pursue their lives and love in the light of day. But that had been, perhaps, an arrogance on his part. Or, as Lady Dana had so intuitively insisted - his own fear. All he did know was that he couldn't walk away again. Not permanently. He needed and wanted them both. Not just for the intoxicating taste of their blood, though he could feel the power of that life-giving fluid coursing through his veins, bringing a temporary flush to his ivory skin. But for the completeness. The sense of love and belonging. And more... It had been simple foolishness to think that the others of his kind would ever forget that he had brought knowledge of them to these two humans - two who had the power to bring great trouble to those that walked the night. And his assurances of blood-bond had hardly held when he was never seen with them in front of those who feared or raged against this involvement. Yet - to prove the power of his claim upon these two mortals meant bringing them deeper into the vampire society, exposing them to its vagaries and dangers. They were at risk if he did not, yet equally at risk if he did. Perhaps it was time to break the silence, and trust Mulder and Scully with the choice. Even though he knew before he lifted a finger to wake them, what that answer would ultimately be. - - - - - - Mulder awoke to find Jason staring at him, the luminous green eyes vivid in the narrow face. Returning the gaze silently, he pulled up to a sitting position, letting Dana settle down into his lap, her head pillowed against his groin. Resting one hand on the top of her head, he waited for Jason to speak. Rather than speaking, the vampire reached out to trace first the newly opened bites on Mulder's neck, then down to stroke the round bull's eye of the bullet wound. His mouth curving into a wry smile as he considered explaining that Scully had shot him, Mulder leaned back against the pillows. Slowly, those cool fingers wandered up into the empty hollow of his throat. Asking a question without a word being spoken. "I took it off." Mulder's shoulder lifted, then fell tensely. "I was...angry." Jason shrugged in return. "I'll wear it again..." "I will not leave again, unless you wish it so." Jason answered the question before it was asked, eliciting a quick grin of appreciation from Mulder. "I don't really expect...." "I know, and it cannot be otherwise. Too much danger for us both, and..." "Time passes differently for you." This time they both smiled, enjoying the ability to 'read' other's responses almost before they were spoken. Mulder had only had conversation like this before with Scully, where half the communication - or perhaps more - was unspoken, yet fully understood by both. It felt as good as it had with her. Jason nodded. "But..." Mulder prompted, immediately sensing there was something still on the other's mind. Jason didn't answer for a long second, moving with spare grace to seat himself fully on the bed facing Mulder. Scully shifted in her sleep, her breath hot against Mulder's stomach. He stroked her gently, reassuring, comforting her with his touch. She subsided easily down into her sleep. Finally, Jason spoke. "The others are still 'concerned' about your knowledge of us." Mulder kept his features open, waiting, often as he would when questioning a witness. Letting the other choose what would be said and when. And Jason was compelled to continue. "I had thought to protect you be keeping my distance, letting time cover the past. But we have long memories, and rarely forget, especially when it comes to our safety. My assurances that you are blood-sworn to me helped for a time, but are now being questioned. They expect to see us together. For us to act as other blood-circles do. I have always kept my distance from the community - and it is not unusual for those of my kind to prefer their solitude. But even that grows thin." "So they need to see us together," Mulder responded quietly, only the green glints in the depths of his hazel eyes betraying the quickening of his interest. "Yes," Jason was again spare with his words. "Next week is All Hallows Eve, a night of celebration. One of the most sacred nights of the year for us. I do not like to ask this of you." Mulder gave a brilliant, almost feral, grin, baring even white teeth. Lighting up his entire face. "Are you inviting us to a Halloween party?" Jason was silent. Mulder leaned his head back and laughed. That sound of simple mirth woke Scully, and she stretched, yawning, before she looked up to see Mulder's chest shake with amusement, while Jason watched with a characteristic calm. "What's going on?" she asked, pulling up to a sitting position. She wondered why she bothered pulling the sheets up around her naked chest, even as she instinctively did. But the shyness of the gesture itself was little more than an enticement to both men. The sight of her, peach-toned face framed in a riot of silken flame, the thin white sheet pressed against the swells of her breasts, was enough to silence Mulder's laughter and bring an edge of fire to Jason's eyes. Both gazes fastened on her and held, until she broke the moment with impatience. "Well?" "Jason has invited us to a Halloween Party next week." Mulder explained. Jason nodded. Scully smiled softly, then pursed her lips. "What's so funny about that?" "Nothing really," Mulder shook the question off, turning to Jason. "So... what does one wear to a vampire's ball?" Jason considered that for a moment, then gave one of his rare smiles. "Why don't you let me see to your costumes." "Costumes?" Scully asked, with a glimmer of excitement. Still half-asleep, she couldn't help feeling some anticipation at the idea of going to a real party. It had been far too long since she had had the chance to go out for fun. Her work and lifestyle left little time or energy for such things. "Not exactly," Jason replied. "But a certain style of dress is expected. I will send you something appropriate. I think I can figure the sizes." His eyes travelled over both their forms with almost possessive familiarity, bringing a faint pink blush to both of their faces. Scully pushed her slight embarrassment aside, focusing on a more practical question. "Can you afford it, I mean..." "You've never told us how you support yourself," Mulder picked up from her. "Do you work?" he questioned, suddenly realizing just how little he knew about this vampire who had so completely invaded their lives and hearts. The corners of Jason's mouth curved upwards lightly. "I do have to support myself, and I do quite well. I...write." "Write?" Scully questioned. "Yes, write. As in books." Jason's eyes glinted causing Mulder to lift his chin and lean forward, as though in anticipation. Scully seemed unaware that she was walking into anything, as she asked the obvious question. "What kind of books do you write?" "Vampire novels." And for the first time, they heard Jason laugh. -------------------- End Part One ------------------- =========================================================================== From: jennyann@ix.netcom.com (Jennifer Lyon) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: "Vampire's Ball" 2/5 Date: 13 Nov 1995 17:00:40 GMT "Vampire's Ball" An X-Files Story by Jennifer Lyon Jenni10647@AOL.com JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Disclaimer and author's note: The X-Files and the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC, FOX, and 1013 Productions. The remainder of this story, and the characters of Jason and Charlotta belong to the author. Please note that this story is part four of a series, the previous three stories being: "Promises to Keep," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Interlude with a Vampire." This one opens about five months after the end of "Interlude with a Vampire." Please note that these stories assume that a love/sexual relationship already exists between Mulder and Scully. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Part Two The clothes arrived five days later, encased in layers of white tissue. A short note in an elegant scrawl assured them that Jason would come for them following night - Halloween night - at ten PM. In her box, Scully had been delighted to find a long dress of red velvet with low shoulders and puffed short sleeves. It would easily reach her feet, curving fully over chest and hips, yet gathering tightly at her waist. In fact, it could have been made specifically for her. The rich, almost maroon color enhanced the fire of her hair, bringing out highlights, making her hair seem to flicker like a dancing flame. And set against the low scoop of the neckline, the milky skin on the tops of her breasts glowed in sweet contrast. Dressing that night, she chose to wear little in the way of jewelry, a small sapphire pendent nestled in the hollow of her throat while a matching pair of sapphires glittered in her ears. They had been a gift from Mulder on her last birthday, doubly endeared to her by his loving comment that they reminded him of her eyes. She added a pearl ring that had belonged to her grandmother, and she was nearly done. Just to slip her feet into the red slippers that matched the dress and she would be ready. - - - - - Mulder waited quietly for Scully to finish dressing. For his part, he was reasonably pleased with the suit Jason had sent. Though he rarely admitted it, he did have a taste for fine clothes, and had always been drawn to older styles. He couldn't quite put his finger on the style or century of the outfit he was now wearing, but the pants and jacket were of a very high quality linen and the open-necked white shirt was without doubt pure silk. The jacket drew to buttons along the left side, its collar high and stiff, framing the sides of his jaw, and was of a pure unrelenting black which matched the well-cut pants and leather boots. He fingered the collar again, thinking it a little too stiff, then his hand wandered into the hollow of his throat to cup and hold the gold locket he was again wearing. A vampire's gift, like the clothes, but one much closer to the heart. A woman who was possibly his ancestor, who could have been his sister if she had been allowed to grow naturally to womanhood, a woman long-dead who still held Jason's love. Mulder understood the pain of that loss all too well, and his thoughts turned melancholy, even bitter before they were disrupted by the chime of the doorbell. As expected, Jason stood at the door, the porchlight gleaming on the gold of his hair and pale ivory of his skin. Mulder's lips quirked upwards in a brief smile, then he bowed backwards to allow the vampire entrance. Closing the door behind them, the two men walked into the living room side-by-side. Jason was wearing nearly the same outfit as he was, Mulder was quick to notice, while Jason simply gave a short nod of approval for the other's appearance. They paused in front of the couch, each turning sideways to come face-to-face. As always Mulder found himself looking downward. Even though the boots added little to his height, he still had a good six inches on the shorter vampire. But then, he had nearly twelve on the petite Scully, so it was hardly an unfamiliar position. He simply tilted his eyes down and waited for Jason to speak. In turn, Jason gazed upwards, his eyes meeting Mulder's briefly, then sliding back down to the white skin showing in the neck of the suit, a few sparse black hairs nestled against the white of the shirt, framed by the ebony jacket. A flash of gilt caught the light, freezing the vampire's stare, and his thin, delicate hand reached out instinctively towards it. Mulder's breath caught in his lungs as the vampire's cool porcelain skin brushed his chest, closing in around the locket on its thick gold chain. Leaning down more, he rested his own long-fingered hand on the back of Jason's wrist, neither refusing nor assisting the contact. Their eyes met and held, the verdant green of Jason's eyes bringing out matching highlights in the deep brown of Mulder's, but neither spoke. Words were, perhaps, superfluous to the moment, though neither would dare to question it so fully. Instead, Jason held the locket for an instant, then released it, his fingers lingering against the warmth of Mulder's chest. Mulder drew air into his lungs, then let it out in a nearly audible sigh as Jason's cool touch moved along his skin to find the pulse beating rapidly in his neck. Jason lightly traced the two semi-healed bite marks along the edge of the jugular vein which pulsed vividly beneath the covering of flesh. Mulder's breath quickened to match the racing of his pulse, then the stillness was broken by a throaty, amused female voice. "No fair starting without me!" Both men jumped away from each other, spinning on their heels to face her, then freezing in place. Scully stood framed in the bedroom doorway, the soft yellow light streaming around her vibrant figure, her red lips lilted in a gentle smile. Blue twinkled in her eyes, ears, and throat while the dark red dress seemed to mold itself to every line and curve of her body. She stood still for a moment, sensing in their silence far more of a compliment that any flowery words could have given. She suddenly felt more truly beautiful than she had ever felt before, more secure in the love of the man, the men, she loved, than she could ever have imagined. Resting in the joy of that assurance, she finally took a few steps forward, unable to resist the impulse to lightly tease the man staring at her with wide diamond eyes. Reaching up to him, she pressed his jaw shut. "You okay, Mulder? You look like you've seen a ghost." He swallowed hard, then gave her an impish grin. Leaning down, he stage-whispered, "thought you didn't believe in ghosts, Scully." Then he stepped back and placed both hands on his hips, giving her an obvious once-over. "Hmmm, but you do clean up rather good, Agent Scully." "Oh, thank you, Agent Mulder," she replied, sharing a smile with Jason before she returned Mulder the favor, letting her eyes flicker from long, lean legs, up over tight hips, flat belly and chest, to the full mouth and strong cheekbones, finally coming to rest fondly on the green-tinted glitter of his eyes. "You don't wash up too badly yourself." He answered by stepping forward to pull her close. "You're beautiful," he whispered against her mouth before he kissed her. She sighed her pleasure and returned the kiss warmly, before turning to the other man. "Jason," she reached out her small hand to be taken in his. "You are lovely, my Lady," he told her with characteristic politeness, lifting her hand up to his lips for a courtly touch of his lips. She rewarded him with a blazing smile. "Thank you, now if only your manners could just rub off on Mulder..." "I have perfect manners," Mulder replied with a look of utter innocence, which hardly fooled his companions. He sighed aggrievedly, then motioned to the door. "Well, suppose we ought to get this show on the road. Where are we going, by the way?" Jason froze, his eyes flitting from one face to the other, prompting Scully to tap his arm with concern. "What's the matter, Jason?" "I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to know where we are going tonight. It is not that *I* do not trust you, but if one of the others were to see the knowledge in your minds... " He shook his head, the long gilt edges of his hair dancing on his shoulders. "It is too dangerous for you to know. I must ask you to trust me on this." Scully nodded, swallowing hard. She didn't like the idea, but she did understand the necessity. For the first time, the possible dangers they might be facing became real. Yet her greatest concern wasn't trusting Jason with their safety in an unknown place, it was the effect yet another mystery would have on Mulder. She had not missed the glint of anticipation and curiosity in his expression during the past week, and if she knew him - and she did - this would only serve to whet his appetite. He loved solving puzzles, exposing the hidden and unknown, almost more than anything else, and she felt a strike of fear that he would get himself into deeper trouble if he tried to pry open this particular Pandora's box. "Mulder..." He shook his head, raising a hand to silence her before he spoke. "It's okay, Scully. I don't mind." The impish grin was back in full force. "Actually, I kind of like the idea - very Halloweenish. Going to a vampire's ball in blindfolds. This could be very interesting." Jason's face was grim as he answered. "I wasn't thinking about blindfolding you, actually. I've never, well...needed...to do this with you. But I have the ability to cloud your mind. I know it is a lot to ask, and I promise I would never do it without your foreknowledge and consent, but I can put you to...sleep...for the journey." That really did it, Mulder's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "So vampires really can affect human minds? How? Did it come naturally or did you have to be taught how to do it?..." Scully pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. This ought to keep Mulder's mind occupied for a while, and a distinct look of dismay had erupted on Jason's fine features. She let Mulder wind down his list of questions, but stepped in before Jason could attempt a reply. "Not now, Mulder. Just let him do his whatever it is, and get us to the party." "But, Scully..." Mulder protested, but she gave him a stern, no-nonsense glare. "Not tonight, Mulder. I am going to this party to have fun, not to listen to you subject Jason to a game of twenty questions. You can ask him all you want another time." And perhaps she might even ask a few questions herself, if Jason seemed willing to tolerate the inquiries - but not this evening. Far better to put Mulder on notice now to hold his curiosity in check. Mulder thrust out his lower lip, his eyes deepening into a pure chocolate brown that hit her deep in the center of her groin. But she was familiar enough with that pout of his that she could - almost - ignore the effect it had on her. Not that she wasn't acutely aware of, and sympathetic to, the very likely effect it was having on Jason. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to gaze firmly at her partner. He quickly recognized that look of determination on her face, sighed and nodded his surrender. Knowing she had won this round at least, she still met Jason's eyes with a silent warning. Mulder would not lightly give up his chance to learn more about the elusive vampires, and his ability to get himself into trouble of any kind was already honed to a fine edge. Jason gave her the briefest of nods in response, nonetheless communicating his understanding of her concerns, which mirrored his own. "Ok, Jason," she told him, stilling the twist of her own stomach as she looked up into the vampire's eyes. "Go ahead." - - - - - Mulder stretched and yawned. He was so tired... but there was something he was supposed to...? Where was he? Suddenly the world broke into clear focus, and he rubbed at his eyes while attempting to steady himself. He was standing in a dimly lit hallway, the soft, flickering gleam of candles burning against dark wood and red walls. He staggered, only to find his arm seized and steadied by a steely grip. He turned, and found himself gazing into Jason's emerald eyes. "Mmm, I'm ok," he said, though the words came out slightly slurred. Closing then opening his eyes, Mulder concentrated harder. "I guess we're there." He twisted the side of his lips upwards in an ironic half-smile. "That's quite a trick you've got there. I don't remember a thing after we got in the car." "I wouldn't..." "I know." A groan from behind Mulder drew their attention, and in an instant both were kneeling beside Scully who was seated in a plush-cushioned, wooden-backed chair. Her head lolled to the side, then swung over to the other, as she peered into the hallway like a myopic missing her glasses. "Easy, Scully," Mulder told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to steady her as she came to awareness. "You will be fine." Jason reassured, taking hold of her hand. "The effect will wear off momentarily." "Hhhmm," she murmured, her unfocused eyes flickering from one familiar face to the other. Feeling the warmth of Mulder's breath against her cheek and the support of his arm around her, she instinctively nestled closer to him. He kissed the top of her head, then curved his free hand under her chin. "Hey, time to wake up sleepy head, we've a party to attend." Scully nodded, then suddenly jerked awake, her eyes. "Whhhaaat?" Mulder and Jason grinned at each other. "We're there, love." "Oh...good," she replied, pulling herself upright, abruptly donning her professional demeanor. Now fully alert, she began to take stock of her surroundings, even as she allowed Jason and Mulder to guide her to her feet. "Thank you," she told them, her eyes focusing on Jason's face as she said the words. She hoped he knew she meant more than a simple courtesy, and the answering twist of a smile assured her that he did. He knew she was thanking him for the respect he had shown them by never once using his power to obscure their minds and her acknowledgment warmed his heart. Mulder missed the silent exchange between his two companions, as he was already exploring further down the quiet hall. His footsteps fell silent, absorbed by the thick, dark carpet beneath his feet. The walls were lined with dusky paintings, some simple, stern portraits, others riots of color and form that drew and shocked the eye. The tall man paused beneath one such, and found himself grinning at a red-furred devil rutting among pale-skinned women. Scully drew up beside him, pursing her mouth as she studied the painting, her head tilted to the side as she considered the devil's male accouterments. "Sorry, Mulder, but I think he's got you beat," she commented wryly. He spun to look down on her, nonetheless managing to outdo the imp in question at least as far as its wicked smile was concerned. "Perhaps, but I think *you* manage to out flesh the women." She blushed vividly, her cheeks flaring bright red, even though she knew it was exactly the response he desired. Silently cursing her tell-tale coloring, she glared at him, then settled into a smile. It had been a compliment, fully Mulder-style - and she decided she might as well take it as such. Pressing the flesh in question against his arm, she gave him a heated come-hither look, then stepped daintily away to take Jason's arm. They walked away towards the heavy doors at the far end of the hallway, leaving Mulder to catch his breath in suddenly tight lungs before he loped after them. As they got close to the elaborately-carved mahogany doors, sound began to filter through from within. The music was almost more felt than heard, a pounding, heartbeat of rhythm that set the blood racing, and the feet aching to move underlay a whisper of conversation. Here a woman's high-pitched laugh, there the rumble of a man's voice, rising and falling, intertwining into a level of sound just barely beyond conscious understanding. Jason and Scully paused at the doors, waiting for Mulder to come up behind them. Jason gave them both one final glance, a warning and a question. Scully smiled softly, Mulder nodded his head. They were ready. Jason seemed to draw into himself as he reached for the ornate gold knob and began to push at the thick wooden door, his skin paled, his eyes shuttered, his demeanor stilled. And then the door was open and together, the three stepped inside. - - - - - A rush of vivid sensations struck them as they stepped into the ballroom. The hint of pounding music became a vehement assault, bits and pieces of conversation were now clear, and the colors... The ceiling shone a brilliant golden yellow, while the floor was cold, pure white marble. The walls were a deep blood-red, darker than Scully's dress, shallowly illuminated by flickering oil lamps. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, bedecked in candles, showering crystals that sparkled then hushed in the unsteady light. Below, men in unrelenting black flowed among women in deep rich hues, long vivid gowns, mostly single-color, some shimmering as though sprinkled with moonlight. Scully and Mulder both drew in sharp breaths as they took that first step through the doorway, and in that same instant, it seemed that every pair of eyes in the room turned to focus on them. Scully paused and almost turned to flee, her heart skipping a beat in a sudden flare of panic. Like a rabbit walking into a wolves' den, she felt herself nearly overwhelmed by a wave of pure demanding hunger. Gasping, she lifted her hands, one pressing against her breast, the other finding the two puckered puncture marks in her neck. But before she could react further, Jason was there behind her, his unnaturally strong, white hands closing on her shoulders. She leaned back into him gratefully, twisting her head to the side to look back at him. He kissed the side of her head, tendrils of her fiery hair curling against his cheek, then pressed his mouth down along the side of her neck. She sighed and closed her eyes, accepting his possessive touch. Then just as abruptly as he had taken hold of her, he lifted himself away, staring up over her shoulder, his hands still tracing the curve of her upper arms. Then Mulder was there, beside her, closing his hand over hers, his arm around her waist. She glanced up at him, and found all the reassurance that she would need in the wry, self-reflexive humor of his grimace. Her back straightened, her head lifted, the chin jutting forward with pride and a rush of self-confidence. Mulder a tower of strength at her side, Jason a hovering protection at their back, she swept forward, deeper, into the room. Jason's hands on their shoulders guided them through the crowd, Scully's eyes grabbing glimpses of faces, some so cadaverously pale as to make Jason look suntanned, others luminous and glowing in their pallor. Yet others flushed red, color burning in sharp-drawn cheeks and widened lips. To her left, couples danced to the erotic beat, some caught in the spell of the song, bodies winding in an almost grotesque flurry of motion, others nearly standing still, weaving as though to some internal rhythm. Mulder never once lessened his grip on Scully, even as his eyes drank in the sights and sounds of the celebration, the eidetic video camera of his memory avidly absorbing, cataloguing, storing every visual sensation. So it was a surprise when his companions stopped short, forcing him to almost step on Scully before he came to a halt. "Mulder!" Scully whispered, even as she turned to gaze at the first familiar face of the night. "Jaassson," Charlotta purred, reaching out a shimmering, blue-clad arm to her shorter friend. Jason's stony expression never altered, but he took her hand and kissed the long fingers. "Chara, it is good to see you." She gave him her predatory smile. "And you, my dear. You look....well," He smiled wryly in return. "And you look ravishing as always." "Thank you," she replied, then her eyes focused on the two waiting humans. Scully almost shivered as that scorching blue gaze wandered over her, then turned up onto Mulder, finally fastening on his face. "I see you brought your 'friends.'" Her voice lilted in obvious amusement on that last word. Mulder bowed his head to her, the corners of his lips rising as he delivered a calm platitude. "Hello Charlotta, it is nice to see you again." "And you, Mulder. I do hope you will save at least one dance for poor little me." Mulder grinned, ignoring Jason's look of warning. "I would be delighted...and honored." Charlotta stretched her spine upwards in a preternaturally graceful movement, as she smiled at him. "Thank you. I will keep you to your promise." "Charlotta..." Jason growled, but she interrupted smoothly, elegantly gesturing with a black-gloved hand. "Ah, but there is Gouchon! Why I have not seen him in nearly a decade. Please excuse me." As though as an afterthought, her azure eyes focused on Scully, and widened in apparent innocence. Leaning in towards the red-head, she spoke with a conspiratorial air, "Dana, we must find a chance to chat later - without the men." Then she was gone, moving so quickly that Mulder and Scully were barely able to detect the motion. To their eyes, she was there one instant and absent the next. ----------------------- End Part Two ---------------------- =========================================================================== From: jennyann@ix.netcom.com (Jennifer Lyon) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: "Vampire's Ball" 3/5 Date: 13 Nov 1995 17:03:33 GMT "Vampire's Ball" An X-Files Story by Jennifer Lyon Jenni10647@AOL.com JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Disclaimer and author's note: The X-Files and the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC, FOX, and 1013 Productions. The remainder of this story, and the characters of Jason and Charlotta belong to the author. Please note that this story is part four of a series, the previous three stories being: "Promises to Keep," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Interlude with a Vampire." This one opens about five months after the end of "Interlude with a Vampire." Please note that these stories assume that a love/sexual relationship already exists between Mulder and Scully. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Part Three His eyes never wavering from the bright crown of Scully's head as she and Jason moved gracefully among the dancers, Mulder reached absently beside him for the glass of red wine. Closing his fingers on the thin crystal stem of the goblet, he raised it to his lips and took a deep swallow and choked. Coughing, he spit back half a mouthful into the glass. Blood. It was sadly not the first time he had tasted that salty, cloying flavor, and he knew it instantly. Nausea rose in his throat as he eyed the red liquid with utter disgust, rubbing at his lips with the back of his hand. Memories swelled behind his eyes. bringing with them a familiar sense of anguish and failure. "What is wrong, Mulder?" Charlotta's husky voice sounded from behind him and he spun, nearly spilling the remainder of the blood across them both. "Be careful," she warned, half-seriously, reaching out to steady the glass, her cool, ivory fingers closing in on his hand. "It would be a shame to waste it." Her tongue flickered at her ruby lips, while her hand reached up to take a drop from the corner of his mouth. His eyes focused and held on that finger as it found its way into her mouth. His throat of its own accord convulsed with hers as she swallowed. "I picked up the wrong glass," Mulder forced the words out. She simply smiled. "You do not care for the taste of blood?" Her voice held humor, her eyes glittered a sapphire challenge. He shrugged his shoulders in apparently casual dismissal, while he replied wryly, "It is not my drink of choice. But, as you said - no need to waste it." He held out the glass to her, with a slight, ironic bow of his head. She stretched her slender, softly-curved form langorously, then took the glass from his hand, wrapping long thin fingers around the stem. Her eyes never wavered from his face. Mulder answered with a quirky grin, then he turned and carefully picked up the right glass, sniffing carefully at the contents to assure himself it was indeed red wine. Then inclining the glass at her in an impromptu toast, he filled his mouth with the rich, fruity alcohol, washing away the lingering aftertaste of the blood. The welcome warmth of the alcohol was soothing as it ran down his throat and pooled in his stomach. She raised her glass and took a drink neatly, echoing his motions, so that they swallowed nearly simultaneously. Then putting the goblet aside on the table, she placed a hand on his arm. "Come, Mulderrr," she told him. "You promised me a dance." His eyes wandered to Jason and Scully, still entwined in the dance, then back to the beautiful vampire standing inches from him, her brilliant blue eyes nearly purple, the deep red of her lips echoing the color of the blood she had just drank. "What about your 'friend'?" he asked, gesturing sparely towards the voluptuous young woman sprawled across a nearby couch, a frown marring her pink, doll-like face as she watched them. Charlotta tossed aside a wing of raven hair to take a quick dismissive glance at the pink-clad girl, then turned back to Mulder. "She is drunk. Resting will do her good for a while, and I feel like dancing. Come!" she challenged, "Come dance with me!" Mulder's jaw worked for a moment, studying her with intent dark eyes, then with a characteristic toss of fortune to the winds, he placed his hand over hers and led her towards the open floor. Dancing, her body molded to his as they weaved to the haunting strains of the music, he found it was hard to believe that this woman, this stunningly beautiful, elegant and poised, 'young' woman, was at least several centuries old. And yet there was an ageless quality to her beauty, and a depth of experience in her gaze. In fact, that sense of knowing she had seen so much, experienced so much - it was tantalizing. Fascinating and erotic at once. Charlotta seemed to instinctively read the dawning interest in his demeanor and she lifted her face from his shoulder to smile predatorily up at him. That expression stimulated an equally instinctive flight response in him and he stiffened, his generous lips tightening into a thin line. But she only laughed, lifting a tender hand to play with the short dark locks of his hair that barely brushed the top of his collar. "Do not worry about me, man child. I do not take from my friends." Swallowing the mix of emotions, Mulder replied with irony. "I'm glad you see me as a friend." Her eyes flashed in appreciation, for they both knew she had meant Jason. She drew her fingers across his brow, down his cheek, into the hollow of his throat. His chest worked hard to take in and release air as she traced upwards to stroke the bite marks along his jugular, then moved swiftly to close on the locket resting against his sternum. "I see you still wear Jason's memories." Mulder nodded, lifting his eyes to stare over her shoulder to find Jason's golden head, pressed close to Scully's as they walked away from the dance floor. As if sensing Mulder's eyes on him, Jason turned to return the look, only a momentary clenching of his jaw betraying his reaction to seeing Charlotta clinging to Mulder's tall, lean frame. Charlotta noticed that his attention had wandered, and she turned in his arms to see Jason, and now Scully as well, staring in their direction. Releasing the locket, she tossed her chin up at Jason, a mocking smile curving her lips, then turned to nuzzle against the side of Mulder's throat. Mulder supported her automatically, his feet still guiding them in a semblance of a dance, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Focused solely on the woman standing still by Jason's side. Scully was in that moment more vivid to his mind than ever before. In this place of the walking dead, she flared brilliant, full of life, skin glowing, hair a shining halo around her face, her eyes as deep as the sea itself. Charlotta was lovely, perfect in every way, from the wealth of the raven hair to tips of her feet - but next to Scully she was like a marble statue. A masterpiece of Michaelangelo proportions, yet still a copy of the reality, missing the radiance that flowed from Scully's every pore. Even if her heart knew instinctively that the comparison in Mulder's mind was tilted in her direction, would always - and forever - be decided in her favor, Scully couldn't help feeling her heart and stomach sink at the sight of Mulder dancing with the tall elegant vampire. Jason heard the sigh Scully would never realize she had emitted, and he instantly knew the cause. He glanced from the dancing couple to the woman at his side, and he found himself almost smiling. "No one could ever take your place in his heart," he told her simply. She jerked as his voice broke into her thoughts, turning to look up into his face. "Yes," she drew in a deep breath, her mind telling her he was right, her heart praying so. "But he always has preferred tall, slender brunettes..." "He prefers ONE carrot-top with freckles on her back, whose head fits nicely just below his shoulder." Scully shot him a perturbed glance, only to see a rare good humor emanating from the usually taciturn vampire. His grin was such an unusual sight, and was so infectious in its warmth, that she soon found herself smiling in return. He tightened his arm around her shoulder and drew her close. She leaned against him, savoring the moment, though a small part of her wished that Mulder could be there to share it. Then, to her surprise, when she looked up again, it was to find her partner standing in front of her, Charlotta still at his side, clinging to his arm. "Hi Scully," Mulder said irrepressibly, barely controlling the urge to sweep her up into his arms and kiss those large, slightly pouting lips until they melted beneath him. Scully only saw the sparkle in his eyes, not the desire raging within, and she replied archly. "Hi Mulder, did you enjoy your dance?" "Yes, I did. How about taking a dance with me yourself? Charlotta can vouch for me - I promise your feet won't be in too much danger." Charlotta gave a feral smile, but before she could interfere, Jason took her by the arm. "Perhaps you would honor me with a dance, Chara." Seeing the determination in his eyes, she gave in gracefully, though not without throwing Scully an arched glance. Scully straightened in response to that unspoken challenge, and took hold of Mulder by his forearms. "I'd love to dance with you." In moments, the two couples were back out on the dance floor, Scully wrapped silently in Mulder's embrace, Jason and Charlotta already deep in conversation. None noticed that several pairs of eyes followed them, some with admiration, some with hostility. Some glowed red with jealous hunger while others were as cold as the grave. One such, a silvery, ghost-like figure lost amid the crowd followed their movements a moment longer before bending down to dig dripping fangs deep into the neck of the man draped half-conscious across her knees. - - - - - "Chara," Jason glared at her. Laughing, she pressed a red-glossed fingertip against his lips, stopping him before he could continue. "Don't be so possessive, Jason. It was merely a dance. I would never steal what was yours." Her blue eyes flickered to Mulder's lean body as he guided Scully in the dance, almost preternatural in his grace. "Yet, if any human was worth the fight - that one might be." "Charlotta!" Jason gripped her arms almost painfully, bringing her up hard against him. She reluctantly returned her gaze to his face, and smiled softly. Reaching up to play with a burnished lock of his hair, she chided him gently, her face turning almost human and vulnerable in her regard. "I said 'almost', Jason." Her voice softened, adding with a tinge of sadness. "Though I do remember a time when we would have shared our blood slaves willingly, as well as the hunt itself." "They are not my blood slaves." Jason contradicted fiercely, though his eyes were almost warm as they focused on her face. "Shush..." Chara's mouth tightened, tossing quick glances around. "For what other purpose did you bring them tonight that to prove just such a relationship. If one of the others heard..." Jason bowed his head as the painful certainty of her words struck him. "I had no choice." "No, you did not. I warned you to be more careful, but you had to let your obsession with a woman long dead blind you. These two are a danger to us all, if you cannot take control." "They will never betray me! Besides, they have already had the chance, and did not take it." "Perhaps," Chara pursed her lips, even as her feet matched his almost unconsciously in the elaborate dance. "But tonight you must convince the others of that. And there is only one way." Jason nodded, his face grim. "I will do what I must, and they will understand - and cooperate." Charlotta grinned. "From the look of them, they have been more than willing already." Jason sighed. "Enough Chara, this is hard enough on them without your eternal teasing." Leaning into the strength of his arms, she tilted her head back and laughed. - - - - - As Mulder swept her across the marble dance floor, Scully could only wonder why she hadn't danced with him before. She should have known he would move like this, his big feet suddenly sure and confident, his every motion characteristically spare, yet full of grace and poise. To be held in his embrace, while the music set their heartbeats racing, the muscles of his back and shoulders tight under her fingers, it was a heady delight. Rubbing her cheek against his chest, she felt his kiss against her hair, and finally tilted her upwards to meet his eyes. Dark, yet glittering green, they were filled with such love that her heart skipped a beat and the air flew out of her lungs in one quick rush. Liquid pooled in the corners of her own eyes, as an answering wave of emotion came clear in her expression. "Dana..." he whispered, his voice hoarse, then he bent down to place fleeting kisses along her forehead, cheek, and jaw. "Mulder," she named him with satisfaction, arcing her head back to let him trace her throat. "Mmmm," she murmured, then tangling her fingers in his silken dark hair, she directed him to her waiting, hungry mouth, gasping in her throat as he met her with equal hunger, filling her with the thrust of his tongue. A groan that seemed to emanate at once from both throats was strangled, then lost in the heat of that kiss. When he lifted his mouth from hers, they both fought for breath, and she buried her face against his chest. He savored in the scented perfume of her hair, then leaned around to whisper in her ear. "We could get out of here..." Then his eyes looking over the auburn top of her head took in the scene around them, and he grinned wickedly. "Or not..." She tilted her head up sharply, nearly striking his jaw. "Mulder!" He gave her the full force of his quirky, toothy smile, then shrugged. "Well, looks like almost everyone else is doing it." He had a point, she had to admit. Drunk on either wine or blood, combined with the ecstasy of the vampire's bite, the party was quickly devolving into a rather determined orgy. Scully's eyes widened as three women pushed two men down into the center of the dance floor, a mixture of utter embarrassment and an element of erotic arousal bringing a flood of color to her cheeks. Looking around it became clear that they, and Jason and Charlotta, were the only ones making any pretense at actually dancing. The rest were involved in more intimate activities, writhing upright, or more often, already tumbled to the floor. Mulder and Scully's eyes met, as much as he might tease, he was a naturally private man, one who would never choose to bare his emotions in public, whatever those around him might do. In silent agreement, they gave up on the dance, and stepped carefully around the bodies sprawled across their path to find Jason. ------------------------ End Part Three ------------------------ =========================================================================== From: jennyann@ix.netcom.com (Jennifer Lyon) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: "Vampire's Ball" 4/5 Date: 13 Nov 1995 17:07:36 GMT "Vampire's Ball" An X-Files Story by Jennifer Lyon Jenni10647@AOL.com JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Disclaimer and author's note: The X-Files and the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC, FOX, and 1013 Productions. The remainder of this story, and the characters of Jason and Charlotta belong to the author. Please note that this story is part four of a series, the previous three stories being: "Promises to Keep," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Interlude with a Vampire." This one opens about five months after the end of "Interlude with a Vampire." Please note that these stories assume that a love/sexual relationship already exists between Mulder and Scully. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Part Four Scully lifted a slippered foot, then placed it down carefully, sliding fastidiously around two women engaged in mauling each other's bodies. One looked up as the two agents moved past, baring fangs discolored by blood stains, a few drops glistening in the corner of her mouth. Mulder shielded Scully with his body, but the vampire at his feet merely snarled and returned to her willing meal. Mulder tightened his grip on Scully's waist, guiding her towards Jason and Charlotta who were waiting by an already occupied couch. Jason looked slightly uncomfortable, his delicate features drawn tight, Charlotta looked as cool as ever. "Looks like the dancing is done for the night...well, at least the upright kind," Mulder quipped lightly. Charlotta smiled appreciatively. "But the night is still young and the best, perhaps, yet to come." "Don't you think you ought to rescue your companion," Jason urged, tossing a sideways glance at the curvaceous, pink-clad girl, now nestled between a pair of men, one openly displaying distended fangs. A sigh of displeasure escaped the raven-haired vampire as she stiffened, then suddenly relaxed with an air of resignation. "No, let the fool reap her rewards. She has become more trouble than she is worth, I will not risk challenge over the likes of her. If she is reckless enough to encourage those two, then let her face the consequences on her own." Charlotta waved her hand in dismissal, then let her eyes wander from one face to another thoughtfully. "Ah," she added. "But I am being selfish. You must want time to yourselves. Please, do not let me interfere." One final teasing glance at Jason's now fully irritated expression, then she glided away, this time letting the humans see her move, darting among the revelers as easily as she might cross an empty room. "I am sorry," Jason said. "Charlotte likes to play games, but she would not cause either of you harm." Scully gazed reassuringly at him. "We know that, and she's not the only one with a tendency to mess with people's heads." She shot Mulder a knowing glance. He gave her his little-boy innocent look, then flashed a grin. "Regardless, I am beginning to feel a little silly being the only ones standing here. How about we find a place to sit, at least." "Yes," Jason agreed. "Come with me." He took Scully gently by arm, and led them towards the big glass doors at the end of the long ballroom. However, before the trio could get close to the end of the room, three figures stepped firmly, abruptly into their path. Scully and Mulder stopped on either side of Jason, framing him as the blond vampire stared coolly up at the three familiar faces blocking his path. "Hello Gerain," he said to the tall, nearly emaciated man in the center. Scully and Mulder both recognized the name, if not quite the face, and they both drew in deep breaths as they relived their memories of their brief meeting with this vampire and his two female companions. "I see you have finally decided to grace us with your presence." Jason stood his ground calmly. "While I prefer my own company most times, you know I have never missed an All Hallow's Eve celebration." "No, you have not." Gerain's eyes blazed an almost maddened red as he glared from Jason to his two human companions. "And again you have brought these two into our midst. Another betrayal - or a proof of commitment, Jason? Which is it tonight?" "I have never betrayed you or our kind, Gerain. You owe my friends your freedom, perhaps your continued existence in this world. Do not forget that." Gerain's chuckle was hardly a pleasant sound. "I have not forgotten. But you should not overestimate the debt due. See that you keep these two under control, or it will be handled appropriately." With a frown, he swept past, the younger-appearing of his companions following closely behind. But the third, a woman whose straight hair fell nearly to her knees, framing her tiny body in a veil of silver, paused to stare up at Mulder with doe-like brown eyes framed in an exquisitely delicate face. A small pink tongue flickered at red lips as her eyes fastened on his features, then drew down the length of his body. Mulder felt that contact reverberate across his nerves, sending a jolt of electricity, almost pain, yet tinged with pleasure, down his spine to curl in his groin. He moved involuntarily towards her, only to find Jason interposed between them. "Leave him alone Annyce. He is not yours to play with." Her face remained still, even as she drew her lips back to reveal the tips of her fangs. "You have not yet touched him or the woman tonight. Are you going to feed, or are you afraid to claim what is yours?" "I will feed when I am ready," Jason replied in a low voice. Behind him Scully closed her hands on Mulder's arm, both nearly shaking with the tension that seemed ready to erupt in sudden violence. "But are you ever ready, Jason? Or are you another vampire who longs for his humanity? Who longs to be like these cattle and lay down in the dust and die, instead of ruling the night as you were meant to do?" "Not all need victims to find their pleasure," Jason said icily. "Go back to your chosen pet, Annyce, and leave me and mine alone." "Why should they be yours, Jason? You have hardly the strength to claim them. Is it perhaps they who rule you? Do they make you plead for the taste of their blood, make you crawl to them...Ahhhnnnn..." Her voice broke into a strangled cry as he slapped her once, hard, across the cheek. His voice was steely, his eyes now blazing a fiery red, as he stepped in close to her, their heights even so that their eyes met on the same level. "Enough Annyce, this is finished - now." Jason spun on his heels to see Mulder and Scully watching him with grim expressions and dilated eyes. But before he could move again, Scully screamed, "Jason! Look out!!!" At that same moment, Mulder burst into movement, grabbing Jason and dragging him aside, just barely out of the way of Annyce's snarling assault. She found blank space where Jason had once been, but her motion carried on her forward into Scully, who cried out in shock as she was knocked off her feet. Scully brought her hands up to protect her face against Annyce's clawing hands, the rage-hazed vampire striking out blindly. Then Jason was there, jerking the vampire's head back by the length of her silvery hair, then grasping her by the arm and throwing her up and across the room. She landed hard on top of a rutting pair, and their screeches of irritation joined her yells as she flew up to her feet and launched herself back at Jason. "STOP!" A voice demanded instant obedience, its vibrant tones echoing off the ceiling and floors. Everyone froze in position, Mulder kneeling beside Scully, Jason standing before them, ready to defend his loved ones, even the enraged Annyce, though she growled her unwillingness to postpone her fight. Her growl did not escape the notice of the ancient bearing down on them, his parchment-like skin cold in the flickering light. "I said stop young one, do not anger me more." She frowned, but swallowed her protest, stepping back to allow him to move between her and Jason. "Better. Now, children. Why have you disturbed the sanctity of this night? You both know it is not permitted to harm another of the blood, especially on this occasion." His voice was chiding, yet slightly indulgent, and it drew a childlike pout from Annyce's silvery features. Her anger not diminished, she choose to press the fight, her voice rising in petulant triumph. "I challenge Jason for the right to his male blood slave. He has failed to prove blood right in full, and by such failure has placed our safety at risk." "No!" Jason stalked forward, his denial ringing in the sudden silence. "Blood right was sworn and witnessed in proper fashion." "By whom?" Annyce snarled. "By me," Charlotta broke in, appearing at Jason's side. "Ancient one, I have witnessed blood right sworn and sealed between this one of the blood and these two mortals." Turning towards Mulder, she dragged him to his feet, then twisted his head sideways to display the bite marks flushed vivid against his skin. "So..." The ancient said softly. "Blood right sworn and witnessed." He turned to Annyce. "Do you still claim risk and thus challenge?" "Yes!" Annyce insisted. "These two work for the human government. Already this year, four of the blood were stolen and tortured by agents of that government. Jason has not proved his ability to control these humans, to keep us safe from their knowledge. Who of the Family will be taken next?" "My friends aided in freeing those taken by the human agents." Jason argued vehemently. "Without their assistance, Gerain, Mark and Louisa might still be held prisoner, and who knows how many more as well. They will not betray me." "Friends?" Annyce laughed, the bell-like tones not diminishing the disgust in her voice. "Jason is weak. He cleaves to humanity, rather than to the company of his own kind. He wallows in his softness. He cannot control these two well enough to ensure they do not betray us to the humans who would destroy us." There were murmurs of both agreement and disapproval among the crowd, though all eyes were focused on the tall, cadaverous ancient as he stood between the combatants. "Old one," Jason responded bitterly. "Annyce is one who would risk us in the glory of the kill. She is a child, an animal who delights in the feeding to the exclusion of all else. It is those like her, who have no respect for life, who live in reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions that endanger us. I and mine will never be a danger to you - but she is and will be unless she is stopped. Even tonight, she has drained her chosen one to the edge of death itself." Annyce threw Jason an angry glare. "My blood slave is alive, I would not risk the family by leaving a dead human in our midst. Jason does not even admit he belongs with us. He came tonight only to protect them, not us." "Enough!" The Ancient raised a hand, the bones painfully evident beneath the white skin. "Challenge has been issued and even though blood right has been sworn, it is not without the law for it to be tested in combat. The question of risk to the family can easily be settled in such a manner." Jason stirred, but the Ancient silenced him with a glance. "Annyce, child of the blood, do you still challenge and claim this human?" "Yes." "Jason, child of the blood, do accept challenge and thereby refuse to surrender your blood slave to Annyce?" "Yes." "Jason?" Mulder started to speak, but Charlotta silenced him with a look, her hands tightening painfully on his arm and shoulder. The Ancient continued as though there had been no interruption. "Then challenge is issued and accepted, to be determined by the old ways. Take him." Without any more warning, Mulder found himself lifted up out of Charlotta's grasp to be held in mid-air by two large men, his long legs dangling above the floor. "Put me down!" he demanded, twisting in their hold, but the hands imprisoning him were stronger than steel, squeezing in painfully on his upper arms. "Mulder!!!" Scully cried, darting towards him, only to be restrained by Charlotta. "Be still," the raven-haired vampire warned, her arms wrapped around Scully's waist. Scully struggled violently, helplessly, until Charlotta swung her around and slapped her across the cheek. "I said be still. You are being of no help to either Jason or Mulder by acting in this way." Scully spit at the taller woman, her temper as fiery as the hair that flamed around her determined face. She lifted a hand to hit back at Charlotta, but the vampire was far too quick. Like lightening, she grabbed Scully's hand and twisted it down, trapping the furious, terrified woman in place. "Stop behaving like a fool. If you wish to save your lover, then help Jason win this fight, don't throw both your lives away to satisfy your anger." "Help Jason? How?" Scully demanded, still struggling against Charlotta's hold. "Feed him. Annyce has drank fully tonight, almost too much so. She is drunk on the blood fever. While that may work in Jason's favor, as her mind will be somewhat clouded, she will still be physically stronger if he has not fed recently." The words sank in slowly, their meaning bringing the danger of the situation into deep relief. With a burst of clarity, Scully acutely realized the helplessness of her and Mulder's position. Now, she understood why Jason had been so hesitant, so concerned for their safety. Why he had felt compelled to keep his distance. If Mulder was lost to Annyce, Scully had no illusions that he would be able to protect himself. They had had a slight taste of the vampires' ability to affect human minds, and she knew that Annyce would not hesitate to destroy his mind. The thought of seeing such a brilliant, innovative mind crushed made the horror of losing the man she loved more devastating. Their lives and futures were in Jason's hands now, Scully knew with abrupt certainty, and if she had to sacrifice herself to save Mulder - it was hardly a difficult decision. Fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes, Scully bit at her lip and nodded. Ceasing to struggle against Charlotta, she looked fiercely up at her and agreed, "Take me to Jason." - - - - - Giving up the present round of struggling against his captors as hopeless, Mulder slumped in their grasp. His eyes shuttered by thick eyelashes, his mind was doing somersaults as it attempted to cope with the present situation. It was frustrating, infuriating, and downright embarrassing. He was NOT a plaything to bargained with, or fought over. Though the irony of that thought caught his wry sense of humor and he almost laughed. It was just so ridiculous! But it was also deadly serious, and Mulder was not fool enough to have let the possible consequences escape him. And in the end he was far less afraid for himself than he was for Scully and Jason. If Jason won - they could cope with the results. But if Jason lost... his mind shied away from that alternative, tentacles of icy fear clutching at his heart. How far did this challenge go? Could Jason be killed? At the least, Mulder knew, he would be seriously wounded. And what did it all mean for Scully? It was not hard to imagine that the other vampires would be quick to take her from a damaged or dead Jason. Mulder could cope with whatever Annyce had in mind for him, he had already come far too close to his own death to be afraid of that. But not Scully. Dear God in heaven, not Scully. A familiar flood of guilt washed over him. It was his fault that she was in danger yet again, notwithstanding that she had been the one to deepen their relationship with Jason, that she had made her own choice in lengthening this relationship, that she had chosen to attend this party. Perhaps his mind knew she would be furious with him for assuming the responsibility, but his heart and soul found the guilt to easy too accept. He was failing Scully just as he had failed his sister... No! Stop it, he told himself. This was hardly over yet. Feeling sorry for himself was not going to help Jason or Scully. As difficult as it was to accept that their fate lay in Jason's hands, he had to trust that Jason knew what he was doing. Trusting someone other than Scully was not easy, but if it had to be someone, then Jason was the next best choice. Besides, Mulder thought with determination, he himself was not out of things yet. He would have to wait for his chance, but he'd be ready. His mouth tightened in a thin line as he slumped in the hold of the two vampires, while heavy, seemingly sleepy lids covered the flashing black pools of his eyes. Let them think he was giving in, while he waited his chance. It would come. - - - - - Almost magically, the center of the ballroom cleared out, leaving a wide open space ringed by the throng of celebrants. Jason and Annyce stood at opposite sides, both caught in the throes of vampiric rage, eyes burning brilliant red, fangs glistening in the soft light. The Ancient stood at the top of the circle, Mulder hanging limp and submissive in his captors' grip, the fine black suit now loose and crumpled. Scully threw him an anxious glance before rushing to Jason's side, Charlotta's assistance helping to open the way. "Jason!" Scully tugged at his arm, forcing his attention towards her. Jason took a moment to focus on her face, then reached out to push her away. "Get her out of here," he hissed at Charlotta who stood her ground calmly. "No, Jason!" Scully insisted. "You need me...You need to feed." "What? Dana, NO!" he refused, taking hold of her arms in an attempt to thrust her from him. But her fingers closed over his arms and clung. "Don't be a fool," she cried. "She has just fed. How can you fight her without the strength my blood will give you. Mulder's life is depending on you, as is mine and your own. You must take what you need to win this fight. You must!" He stared into her blazing eyes with sudden astonishment, which faded rapidly into pure admiration of her courage and strength. "Lady Dana," he whispered. "Are you sure?" "Do it!" she demanded, her expression certain and unrelenting. An expression that only tightened when he sank his teeth deep into the flesh of her neck, then abruptly gave way to the ecstasy as it overwhelmed her senses. Jason drank deeply, something he had not planned to do that night - not so soon after he had fed from her the week before. But his fear and rage tossed the hunger before them, rising on the fresh tide of the blood that flowed so sweetly, so agonizingly desired, down his throat, bathing his entire body in a flood of sudden strength. It would be so easy to keep drawing on her, to drink and drink until he was lost in the haze and she lay empty at his feet....NO! Fighting for self-control, he managed to pull himself away from her, only to feel her slump, nearly unconscious against him. "Dana!" he moaned aloud, desperately trying to find a reassurance that life still filled her body. She shivered in his arms, tossing her head to the side, reaching blindly for the source of that pleasure seeking more of the intense feelings. Jason cradled her tenderly for a moment, licking clean the wounds in her neck, sweeping the fiery tumble of her hair aside, then he reluctantly lifted her up and handed her over to Charlotta. "Take care of her," he demanded. Chara nodded, easily taking the burden of Scully's weight. Jason fingered one last auburn curl, then pulled away, turning to face the coming battle with a heavy heart and fierce determination. He did not know for sure if he could beat Annyce, and he had little liking for fighting even with men. To fight a woman - even a vampire - it was hardly his style. But to save his Maria's child, to protect his Lady Dana, for them he would fight, and kill, without regret. --------------------- End Part Four --------------------- =========================================================================== From: jennyann@ix.netcom.com (Jennifer Lyon) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: NEW: "Vampire's Ball" 5/5 Date: 13 Nov 1995 17:11:34 GMT "Vampire's Ball" An X-Files Story by Jennifer Lyon Jenni10647@AOL.com JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Disclaimer and author's note: The X-Files and the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong to CC, FOX, and 1013 Productions. The remainder of this story, and the characters of Jason and Charlotta belong to the author. Please note that this story is part four of a series, the previous three stories being: "Promises to Keep," "Vampire's Kiss," and "Interlude with a Vampire." This one opens about five months after the end of "Interlude with a Vampire." Please note that these stories assume that a love/sexual relationship already exists between Mulder and Scully. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Part Five It was like an old-fashioned duel with new rules. Hand-to-hand combat, or was that fang-to-fang? And with Mulder as the prize. Chalk one up for equal opportunity he thought wryly, even as the two holding him aloft lowered him until his knees were resting on the cold marble floor, his feet sprawled out unevenly behind him. Letting them support him, conserving his strength, he forced himself to wait while Jason and Annyce slowly paced each other in the center of the floor. In a flash of motion the battle erupted, Annyce howling as she clawed at Jason's face. He lifted her up and tossed her across the floor, but with a lithe twist, she found her feet and launched herself back. They fought with a animalistic fury, the silver vampire's hair floating like a cloud around them as they tumbled across the marble. Mulder felt his stomach lurch as Annyce scored a hit, striking Jason's cheek with a blow of her tiny hand that looked as though it couldn't swat a fly, yet impacted with a loud crack. Mulder felt the force of that hit reverberate through every nerve, even as Jason tumbled several feet through the air. The onlookers scattered out of the way as the golden-haired vampire collided with a small table. It crashed beneath him, leaving him laying in a pile of fragmented wood. With an agile leap, Jason was back on his feet in seconds, dodging aside as she dove for him, long pointed nails glittering on extended hands. Seizing a handful of her hair, he jerked her backwards, eliciting an cry of outrage from her thin ruby lips. She twisted, kicking at his feet, her fangs bared in a snarl. Jason had time to drag her back to the center before she was able to catch his hand with her teeth, but catch him she did. And this time it was Jason who screamed aloud as she assaulted his pale-skinned hand, tearing at the flesh. Fighting to break free, he slammed her with his other hand, then spun around, every muscle in his body knotted as he pulled her up off the floor, so that she was suspended in mid-air from her mouth on his hand. Both howled again as her weight, slight as it was, pulled her teeth away. She fell backwards, striking the marble floor with a thud, ripping out a chunk of flesh from Jason's hand as she went. Jason hugged his wounded hand, licking at it as it spurted blood, while Annyce turned onto all fours, her tongue darting around her blood-stained mouth while she swallowed convulsively. The sight and taste of blood only stirred the fury, and not even bothering to get fully to her feet, she attacked again. Distracted by the wound, Jason was not quite ready for the assault when it came, and he fell backwards beneath her. Again they tumbled across the floor, bodies struggling, intertwined, in a vivid, violent caricature of love-making turned deadly. She drew blood along his cheeks, he turned ivory skin purple and black with the power of his blows. They both fought for purchase on the slick marble surface and found none, until they slid towards the feet of the watchers. A velvet-holstered chair took the brunt of the clash this time, as Jason seized it in one hand and lifted it with ease to bring it down on Annyce's silvery head. She hissed, shaking her head, slithering backwards, wrenching a piece of the shattered chair out of his hand. Then she twisted it around and aimed the broken end for his chest. "Jason!!!" Mulder screamed, suddenly bursting into action. His two captors, engaged in watching the fight, were not expecting the abrupt burst of motion from their apparently submissive prisoner. Mulder wrenched himself from their now lax grip, ignoring the sensation of muscles strained almost to the breaking point, propelling himself up and across the floor, and at Annyce. He caught her arm just as she was about to impale Jason on the wooden chair leg. Throwing all of his weight into the effort, he was able to deflect her enough to cause her to strike hard stone instead of yielding flesh. The impact reverberated up her arm and through Mulder, forcing him off balance. He tumbled to the side, hands still clasped around Annyce's wrist. She snarled at him, and with one violent flick of her arm, yanked him up and over. A scream began in his throat but was lost as he gasped for air. He was flying, flying...then landing. Hard. On something very cold and very solid. The air whooshed out of his lungs with impact, then the world went black. Senseless, he lay sprawled across the floor on the edge of the circle, head pressed into the curve of one outflung arm, his long legs splayed out at odd angles. Annyce turned to watch the interfering mortal fall, hissing her triumph as he lay motionless at the feet of unconcerned onlookers. But Jason, too, saw. The vampire's delicate, fine-boned features stilled into a stone mask, then contorted into pure rage. His fangs fully distended and dripping over widened lips, his eyes blazed a pure blood-red. Leaning his head back, he let out a spine-chilling howl of fury and anguish. Annyce spun around at the sound, but was a split second too late. Taking hold of the abandoned chair leg, Jason plunged it directly into her chest with such blind fury that he drove her several feet across the room. With a sick wrench of his hand, he drove it through her again, this time twisting her sideways, then upwards, so that she was suspended on the carved piece of wood, like a butterfly caught on a pin. Her arms, legs, hair wriggled wildly, desperately, but the chair leg was pierced fully through her body, the bloody end poking out of her back. Jason spun her again, then pushed his way through the silent crowd until he reached the wall. With one last powerful lunge, he drove the broken end into the paneling leaving her suspended against the wall, her hands gripping the knobbed bottom as it protruded between her small breasts, her lovely face contorted in agony. Stepping back, Jason pivoted on his heels and swung his arms out to remove anyone foolish enough to remain in his path, as he nearly flew back across the circle. Coming to his knees beside Mulder, he reached out with trembling hands to scoop up the long body into his arms. Normally lean and agile, even graceful in motion, Mulder's body was awkward in its unconsciousness, legs and arms hanging down, the head lolling back uncomfortably, as Jason attempted to lift the torso. Adjusting his hold, Jason folded the tall man up so that he was nearly sitting in the vampire's arms, head resting against Jason's shoulder. The room was deathly silent as he carried Mulder over to one of the still upright couches and gently laid him down. If the vampire had needed to breath, his lungs would have been pumping rapidly, as it was, only a twitch in his temple betrayed the emotions boiling within. Had he failed? Had he lost his Maria's child? Had he caused the death of the one human who had forced him to feel again, brought a sense of meaning back into an endless dark existence? Ever so tenderly, he brushed the heavy locks of dark hair off the high forehead, marveling at the silkiness, delighting in the auburn gleam as they caught the candlelight. Then he traced the marked cheekbone, the bone stark and vivid beneath the taught skin, and further down to the generous mouth and square jaw. His fingers lingered on the locket nestled in the hollow of the throat before moving at last to the jugular vein where it coursed beneath the two tiny, puckered bite marks. And there was the pulse, beating strong and regular. Bending down close, Jason could feel the heart pumping, the lungs expanding and releasing, the life burning within. Closing his eyes in silent, heartfelt relief, Jason leaned back, then opened his eyes only to become aware of the scrutiny of the others. No, his gut twisted. No. But he knew what was expected - what had to be. They would not be satisfied with the win without its completion. Without the full claiming of the prize. It mattered not that the human was wounded or unconscious, he was alive. The vampires would know that, even as Jason had known the moment he forced himself to read the signs. Baring his teeth in renewed anger at those who surrounded him, he hissed between the distended fangs, then turned to do what he must. His mind filled with a sorrowed apology to his beloved Maria, he fitted his teeth to the marks in her descendant's throat and bit deeply. Blood, rich, heavy, colored with that undeniable essence that was Mulder himself, coursed down Jason's throat and carried him into a ecstatic haze. The taste of the blood washed away everything except the need and the desire. More...more...he could not have taken enough to satisfy him in a thousand years. And yet, from somewhere deep inside, there was an echo of a woman's voice. Pleading, dignified, yet wrought with anguish, clutching at his soul with every word. And his own voice promising, promising to protect the child. Promising to protect the one laying limp and senseless in his arms. Promising... Lifting himself away, giving up the next swallow of that precious blood, was the hardest thing he had ever done in his eight hundred years of life. Finding one last final vestige of control beneath the driving hunger, he wrenched his mouth away and stepped back, growling deep within his throat. Then gathering up Mulder's body again, he turned and stalked from the room. Unnoticed, a tall slender figure peeled itself out of the gathering and followed, its arms apparently draped in red velvet. - - - - - Jason settled Mulder down into the center of the bed then moved aside to let Charlotta place Scully beside him. The two vampires were silent as they removed shoes, slid off the outer layer of clothing from the two unconscious mortals, and finally pulled up the sheets and comforter over their bodies. Jason perched on the edge of the mattress watching them adjust in their sleep, instinctively seeking the warmth that the other provided, ending up with Scully curled tightly against Mulder's chest, his face half-hidden as it nuzzled into her hair. "What else could I have done?" he whispered, not turning to look up at Charlotta who stood behind him in the shadows. "Nothing," her sultry voice was low, almost an echo of the silence. Her companion nodded, still facing away from her. He barely noticed the brush of her hand against his golden hair or her absence when she faded noiselessly from the room. Instead he sat motionless, silent, unbreathing, a pale statue on the edge of the bed where a man and woman lay sleeping, entwined in each other's arms. Until night began to slowly slip away into day, and he went with it, sliding away into the pre-dawn darkness to await another night. The End ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JennyAnn@ix.netcom.com JLyon@novagen.com "Sometimes the need to mess with their heads outweighs the millstone of humiliation." Fox Mulder "The X-Files" GO DOLPHINS!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------