Chapter 3: Scratches

“Dana!”  The Elizabeth in the mirror called in desperation.  “Mulder’s in danger.  Fire!”  She told her urgently.  “It’s not real but he doesn’t know.  He’s trapped.  If he thinks he’s dying then he’ll really die.”

Scully nodded urgently and ran to the bedroom door.  It wouldn’t open. 

“Mulder!”  She yelled, clawing desperately at the door.  “Mulder!”  She pressed her ear against it but she couldn’t hear anything from inside.  “Mulder!”  She screamed again and hammered more desperately.  Her breath came faster as she fought with the unremitting wood.  She twisted and turned the handle but it wouldn’t open.  “Dammit!”  She swore and hit it with the palm of her hand before running back into the bathroom.  “I can’t get in.”  She told Elizabeth’s ghost.  “We have to try something else.”

“I don’t know how to fight it.”  Elizabeth cried.  “I lost before.  I don’t know what to do.” 

“You have to work it out or Mulder-will-die!”  Scully screamed at her.  Elizabeth was crying.  Scully was near to tears herself but would not give in.  “Come on.”  She screamed at the mirror.  Elizabeth fought to control herself.  

“Okay.  I was in the woods, there was a bright light and smoke and chanting.”

“Come on!”  Scully screamed, tearing her attention from the mirror to the bedroom door and back again.  Suddenly there was terrifying scream.  “Mulder?”  Scully called running to the door.

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

“Mulder?”  He heard Scully’s voice call. 

“Scully!”  He yelled back.  “I can’t get out.  The room’s on fire.” 

“It’s not real.”  He thought he heard her voice call.  “It’s not real.”  She repeated, seeming louder.  Taking strength and believing her, Mulder tried to walk towards the fire. 

“It’s not real.”  He told himself.  “It’s *not* real.”  He felt it burn his skin and fell back.  It was real.  He wiped the sweat away from his face.  His breath came in uneven gasps.  “Scu-u-u-l-l-l-ly!!!” 

“The fire’s *not* real!”  Her voice insisted.  He wrung his hands together.  <It’s Scully, she wouldn’t lie.  The fire’s not real>  He walked towards it again and felt the blistering heat. 

“It’s not real.”  He told himself again.  He walked forwards into the burning mass.  The heat was incredible and he was sure that his flesh was puckering up and falling from his body in greasy strips.  He forced himself to continue.  “It’s not real.”  He repeated.  “Not real.  Not real.  Not real.”  He reached the door and somehow found the handle.  It turned with difficulty in his burning hands.  It was torn open from the outside and he fell gasping into Scully’s arms. 

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

“Mulder!”  Scully exclaimed as he fell forwards.  His eyes were wide with fear and he was choking.  He sprang away from her.

“Fire.  I was on fire.”  Mulder gasped.  Scully reached out to him to calm him down but he fought to stay away from her.

“Mulder.”  She said firmly, grasping his bare shoulders and forcing him to look at her.  “Mulder, you’re not on fire.”  Mulder stilled and stared deep into her eyes.  “You’re *not* on fire.”  He looked down at himself.  He was wearing a pair of grey jogging pants which were untouched by fire and his bare chest was free of burns.  He looked at his hands which he had seen burning but they too were unmarked.  He was still gasping for breath but he was much calmer now.  “You’re okay.”  She told him in a soft voice.  Their eyes remained locked for a long moment before Scully stood up. 

“What’s happening Scully?”  Mulder demanded, looking up at her from his seated position. 

“Mulder,”  Scully began.  “Elizabeth Szabo *died* nearly six months ago.”  Mulder’s eyes widened. 

“Who told you that?” 

“Phoebe Green.”  Scully said.  “The woman in the mirror told me to ring her brother, but I couldn’t find his number, so I rang her.”   Mulder stood up and grasped her shoulders.  

“Scully, did you actually say that ‘the woman in the mirror’ spoke to you?”  He asked gently. 

“I know how crazy that sounds.” 

“It’s more the fact that *you* said it that makes it sound crazy.”  Mulder told her and Scully broke away from him in anger. 

“You’re saying *I’m* crazy!  You were just claiming that you were on fire!” 

“I’m *not* saying you’re crazy Scully.  You just surprised me.”  He took a deep breath.  “Which mirror are you seeing this face in?” 

“The bathroom.”  Scully replied through tight lips.  He grasped her hand and led her across the hall.

“Let’s go to the bathroom.”  He said.

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

“Mulder!”  The Elizabeth in the mirror said in relief when she saw him.  Scully looked up at her and smiled weakly. 

“Is she here?”  Mulder asked. 

“You can’t see her?”  Scully said incredulously.

“No, I can’t.”  He answered.

“No, he can’t.”  Elizabeth replied at the same time. 

“Ask her why she’s in the mirror.”  Mulder told Scully. 

“I *can* hear him.”  Elizabeth said huffily and Scully laughed.  Mulder turned to her in surprise.  Scully didn’t laugh very often.  She gestured at the mirror. 

“She said that she can hear you.”  Mulder looked at Scully curiously for a moment before turning back to the mirror. 

“So why are you in the mirror?”  He asked his own reflection in the glass.

“That other me did something to call me here and now I can’t leave.”  Elizabeth answered.

“The Bitch-Queen ‘called’ her here and now she can’t get out.”  Scully said for Mulder’s benefit. 

“Bitch-Queen?”  Mulder asked with amusement.  Scully shrugged. 

“Well she’s *not* Elizabeth Szabo.” 

“Unless Elizabeth Szabo isn’t dead.”  Mulder pointed out.

“If she’s not dead then who am I seeing in the mirror?  Or are you saying that I *am* losing my mind?”  Scully returned angrily.  “And if she is really her, then where has she gone?”  Mulder laughed suddenly. 

“Can you hear what we’re saying?”  He asked and she frowned.  “I think our lines have gotten mixed up.” 

“Why wont you believe me?”  Scully demanded, determined not to be side-tracked, although the irony of the situation was not lost on her. 

“I do believe you.  I’m just asking why *do* you believe?” 

“Because if it’s not real then I’m going mad.”  Scully said simply and Mulder saw her fear, she really was scared that she might be going mad.  She turned away from him and he felt his heart twist for her.  He reached out and pulled her into his arms.  For a moment she stood still, then she put her arms around him.  Her fingers met the still sticky blood on his back.

“Mulder?”  Scully asked, moving away from him with her eyes wide.  There was blood on her hands.  “What’s wrong with your back?”  Mulder was surprised because he didn’t feel anything wrong.  Scully gently encouraged him to turn around and her eyes widened again when they took in the state of his back.  Long claw marks gouged deep into his flesh.  Sticky red-black blood oozed out from the gashes.  “Oh My God Mulder!”  She exclaimed. 

“What is it?”  He asked, trying to turn around.  She didn’t let him. 

“I’ll have to clean this up before it gets infected.”  She went to the bathroom cabinet and found what she needed.  Then she stood behind him and began cleaning the wounds.  “So Mulder,”  She touched the cotton wool to his back and he jumped as the pain registered.  “How did you get these ‘scratches’?”  He winced again, this time from the question rather than the pain.  He remembered clearly every moment in the bedroom.  How could he tell her that in his memory it was her that had inflicted those scratches on him?  He would never admit to anyone what had happened in that bedroom. 

Scully tended carefully to the wounds and wondered why Mulder didn’t answer her, not even with a customary wisecrack.  She placed the antiseptic liquid onto the cut, as she removed the cotton wool she saw something which stopped her actions.  Yellow pus began to well up in the wound.  Scully tried to dab at it but more fluid poured out.  It fell to the floor in viscose blobs.  Some of the substance landed on Scully’s foot and she backed away in terror.  Her feet hit the edge of the bath and she fell into it. 

Mulder turned around in shock at Scully’s small gasp.  When he saw her fall in the bath he jumped to help her, but she pushed him away. 

“Scully, what it is?”  She curled up into a ball and began shivering.

“Dana?”  A familiar female voice called desperately and Mulder spun around to face the mirror.  His eyes locked those of the woman whose image stood before him in the glass.  He did a double-take.

“Elizabeth!”

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