[The following work is for the distribution and entertainment of EMXC members only. Any further distribution of this work without the author's consent is in violation of federal law. Please contact the EMXC host, Karen Enriquez (XFC SciNut@aol.com), if you have recieved this work from anywhere other than the above group without the author's permission.] (recieved 9/30/95) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo: X-Files, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and any related characters are the property of Fox, Ten-Thirteen, and Chris Carter. No infringement intended. However, Eithne, et. al., as well as Mr. and Mrs. Matheson are mine (Paul Leone aka Kuusamo@aol.com), so if you want to use them for some reason, ask me first. And now for something completely different.... X-Files "Daoine Sidhe" Calais, Maine April 23, 1995 12:06 P.M. "...Brian..." "hhh?" "Hey, wake up, Brian. Check it out." Gabrielle's voice held a trace of awe. She shook Brian's shoulder. "What? Why'd we stop?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. We aren't in Portland yet, are we?" "Look..." Gabrielle whispered, pointing out the window. Off in the woods, strange lights flickered, almost like a bonfire. "Whoa...What is it?" "It's beautiful..." A serene smile came over Gabrielle's face and she turned the car off. "What the hell are you doing?" "They're calling...can't you hear them?" she asked, frowning at Brian. She opened the door. "Hold on! What-" Brian broke off. A sudden, inexplicable dread came over him. Every muscle froze, and sweat began to pour down his face. Through sweat-hazy eyes, he saw shapes moving around the car, glowing. Eerie laughter echoed through the night air. "Don't worry. They won't hurt me. They want to dance..." Gabrielle laughed and started walking towards the lights, soon disappearing into the trees. "Gabrielle!" Washington, D.C. April 25, 1995 9:34 A.M. "-yeah, they're all around me. Their faces, oh God, their faces. It's...they're almost human, y'know, but, there's...it's almost magical. Yeah, now they're laughing at me. One of them is walking back with Gabrielle, towards the lights. They aren't hurting her, she's laughing. Yeah, she's going into the lights. Oh, yeah. Yeah. One of them is in the car with me. He's saying something, but I don't understand it...Now, there's a dog outside. He's huge. Silver and red. I've never seen a dog so big. He's like a pony. Not ugly. Not...no, he's beautiful. His eyes...they're...yeah...now they're gone. The lights are gone. Why can't I go with them?" Mulder switched off the VCR. "Brian Matheson. Monday night, he and his wife left for his sister's wedding. Yesterday morning, he drove into Portland. Somewhere between Calais and Portland, his wife disappeared from the car. According to Brian, strange beings came and took her 'into the lights'. The Maine police are treating it as a missing person, but due to Brian's state of anxiety, they have suspicions of foul play." "I can see where this is going. You think Mrs. Matheson was abducted by aliens, right?" Scully asked. "It has all the hallmarks. Strange lights, involuntary paralysis, humanoid figures, missing time. Just listen to his statement. It's a text-book case." "Since when do aliens ride around with big dogs?" "Contactees often report seeing unusual animals during their experiences." "I think Mr. Matheson had a few too many drinks. His wife is probably in some gas station, scared stiff because he left her there. He probably made the whole thing up to cover for himself." "Look at this. Over the last two weeks, almost eighty people have reported similar incidents throughout New England. Each sighting is moving farther southwest on a direct line. Last night, a dozen people near Worchester, Massachusetts, saw strange lights and people on top of the local love spot, Brownie Hill. Their descriptions match Matheson's almost exactly." "Where exactly do we fit in with all this?" "The Maine police requested FBI assistance. Skinner passed it on to us. We leave for Portland in three hours." Scully smiled. It was always the same. Every time a new X-File came along, Mulder slipped into the same eager mode, as if he didn't even consider the possibility it might be a dead end. "You know, one of-" She broke off, startled, when the room shook violently. Filing cabinets fell to the floor, and the desk began to move across the floor. "Earthquake?!" Mulder exclaimed, staring at the moving furniture. "Don't just stand-" As abruptly as it started, the earthquake ended. "That's incredible. I didn't know Washington is on any fault lines." Mulder frowned. "It's not. This is definitely one of the weirder ones, isn't it?" Calais, Maine 5:32 P.M. "Agent Mulder?" Mulder looked up from the charred circle of grass. It was the local sheriff. "Uh, one of my deputies found something in the forest back there." "What?" "Forester!" the sheriff bellowed. "Get up here!" A young deputy hurried over, holding something in his hands. He held it out for Mulder to look at. The object, charred and broken, resembled a wooden pole with a loop on the top, and two horizontal cross bars just below the loop. "It was stuck in the ground next to a bunch of stones," the deputy said. "What is it?" "Show me where you found it," Mulder muttered, already walking down the hill. The deputy glanced at the sheriff, who only shrugged and tapped his finger to his forehead. "Right down here," the deputy said, pointing to a small clearing at the base of the hill. "I, uh, tripped over the rocks, but-" Mulder ignored him, and pulled out a camera. He began snapping pictures of the shiny white rocks, then stopped and picked one up. There were faint traces of wax on it. He frowned, then looked at the dirt under it. Finally, he smiled, and rearranged the rocks so that they formed a five pointed star. "Give me the staff." He took it and thrust it into the center of the star, then nodded and walked away. "Come on, Scully, there's nothing more here. Let's go." "Where?" "I want to have a little chat with Mr. Matheson." Matheson looked up as Mulder entered and smiled nervously, then ran a hand through his hair and muttered something. "Mr. Matheson? I'm Agent Mulder. I'd like to ask you a few questions." "Uh...yeah, yeah. Sure." "Now, I've read your statement, and heard your session with Dr. Ehlinger, but there are a couple things I'm not sure about. The cu sidhe you saw, you said it was red and silver?" Matheson frowned and stared at Mulder. "What the hell's a 'cooshie'?" "Never mind," Mulder replied, making a note in his pad. "These people, you said they weren't human?" He shook his head violently. "Naw! I never said nothing like that. Just, y'know, just the big dog was strange. Those...guys...they looked like you and me." Mulder sighed and shook his head. "I've heard the session. You said 'it's almost magical'. What did you mean? What was almost magical? The men?" "I never said nothing like that. You're crazy. It was...y'know, just some guys." "Don't give me this crap! Why are you changing your story? Did they get to you? What did they say? Did they threaten you?" Matheson bit his lip and turned away. "Goddammit, answer me! Who told you to say that?!" Mulder exclaimed, furious. "I want-" Abruptly, Matheson's eyes widened and he stumbled back, knocking over his chair. "No! No! Keep away, they said they'd keep 'em away!" he shouted, holding his arm in front of his face and retreating into the corner. Mulder turned, seeing only Scully and the sheriff in the doorway. "Mr. Ma- Brian, there's nobody there. It's just my partner and the sheriff." "No! NO! Get out, get out!" Matheson shrieked, waving his arms wildly. "Get out!" "Brian, who do you want to leave. Is one of them here?" He nodded weakly, and pointed at the door. "He...he's right there...Looking at me! Oh, God, stop it, stop it! Go away!" Mulder reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. He twisted it open and pulled out the iron ink holder, then, wielding it like a sword, slashed at the doorway. "Is he still there, Brian?" Matheson peeked out, then laughed. "Naw, he's gone. He took off! Yeah! How'd you know?" "Yes, how did you know?" Scully repeated, frowning at Mulder. "Outside," he whispered, then turned to Matheson. "We'll be right outside. If they come back, use this," he said, handing Matheson the pen. "Thanks, man." "Mulder, what the hell is going on? What happened to that man? What was that with the pen?" "This is going to sound crazy, even from me." Scully frowned and crossed her arms. "Try me." "I think that faeries took Mr. Matheson's wife with them." "Faeries? As in Tinkerbell?" "More like the Hobbit." "That's nuts!" the sheriff laughed. "Little elves took that guy's wife away? Why not vampires, or werewolves?" He turned around and stalked off, shaking his head. "Elves..." "Way to get the locals on your side, Mulder." "Forget him. This is definitely-" "Mulder, listen to me for a second. I know you. I'm used to hearing your theories about aliens. I almost expect it. And, I've seen things that aren't easily explained. But you have to realize that people just won't take you seriously if you start talking about faeries." "Do you know that nearly every culture in the world has myths concerning ancient beings with magical powers? The Irish, the Germans, the Romans, the Persians, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Chinese, dozens of Native American tribes. Doesn't that suggest something to you?" "Mulder, even if there was even a shred of truth to those myths, what does that have to do with Mrs. Matheson?" she asked, staring at him. "Haven't you ever heard of Rip Van Winkle?" "Rip Van Winkle? That's just a story!" "There are dozens of legends like it from all around the world. You have to admit it does sound somewhat similar to what happened with Mrs. Matheson." "No, I don't. And if that's what you're planning to put in your report to Skinner, you're going to get tossed back into surveillance so fast that-" "There's one option. I might be able to bring them back." "Who?" "The faeries! It was only two days ago. If I can set up the circle the right way, I still have five days before the gate closes." "You're losing me, Mulder. Gate? Circle?" "The circle where the fire was. That's where they built the gate, the gate to the Otherworld. If I can open it again, they might give her back." "Okay, okay...You think that faeries kidnapped-" "No...she went willingly, more or less. There aren't many people who could resist the glamour. That's, uh, their charisma. Seductiveness, I guess you could call it. If the legends are true, she's having a fine time. Good food, good drink, parties like you wouldn't believe." "Oh, brother. Okay, so Mrs. Matheson is having some kind of magic party in another dimension, and you want to rip open the door and bring her back?" Mulder nodded. "Basically. As for the pen, faeries hate iron. It's like garlic to vampires." "You think there was a faery in the holding cell?" "It worked, didn't it? Whatever was freaking him went away." "This is definitely one of the weirder ones." 11:59 P.M. "Mulder, we've been here for an hour. I don't think-" "It's not midnight yet. Have patience," Mulder whispered, clutching a nightvision camcorder in one hand and the trigger for a tripod-mounted high speed infrared camera in another. "If anything happens, just stay back. That nail should keep them away." For the fiftieth time, Scully stared at the twisted, rusty old nail that Mulder had convinced her to wrap around her necklace. He wore a similar one around his neck. "What's-" Before she could finish the sentence, a tiny spot of light appeared in the center of the circle. The candles on top of the five white stones flared brightly, and wind rustled the leaves from the circle. Mulder snapped on the camcorder's 'record' button and began pressing the camera trigger. "This is it, Scully." Scully stared in awe as the speck of light expanded, spreading like a paper thin crack in the air. In seconds, it was as tall as she was. Then, with a faint pop, it split open, and through a haze, she could see strange lights. The click of Mulder's camera was the only sound, then singing came through the crack. Scully almost laughed; the voices were incredibly beautiful. A second or two passed, then something stepped through the crack. It was a huge, white dog with bright red ears. The dog stopped outside the crack, sniffed the air, then turned and stared at the trees where Mulder and Scully had hidden. It barked once, clearly welcoming, then dashed off and sat down at the base of the hill, its tongue wagging bag and forth eagerly. "Oh, my God...." There was another flash of light, then a man stepped through the gate, his face glowing so brightly that Scully couldn't see his features. Robes of silver and green hung from his shoulders, and a thin golden circlet held back his auburn hair. He stopped, turning, and raised one hand in salute to them. Out of nowhere, a harp appeared in his hands, and he rang his fingers across it. Haunting notes echoed throughout the woods as he played a sad song on the golden harp. Soon, other figures, men and women alike, came through the crack, dancing and singing. "Mulder, I..." Scully's voice trailed off as she felt a feather-light touch on her shoulder. She turned, shocked, and came face to face with the harper. He smiled at her, and whispered something in a strange language that vaguely resembled the Irish her Great Uncle Finn spoke. His face...it was perfect. She gaped at him stupidly, barely registering Mulder's frantic movement as he aimed the camcorder at the harpist. The man spoke again, smiling, and took her hand. "I don't understand..." He nodded, and tapped the strings on his harp. Scully gasped. She understood him now. I must be dreaming he asked, waving a hand at the circle. "Dana, what is he saying?" Mulder hissed, still clicking the camera trigger. "He wants to dance...Oh, the music is so lovely. I feel like a kid again!" she exclaimed, beaming, as she skipped in a circle. "Dana! Don't listen to him, or you'll end up like Mrs. Matheson!" "Oh, don't be so jealous. I'm sure one of them will dance with you..." she whispered, following the harper to the circle. "Have some fun, Mulder!" "Dana, no!" He grabbed her arm. "Remember Rip Van Winkle?" She frowned, and stared at Mulder, than the harper. Finally, she sighed and shook her head at the harper. He frowned, then glared at Mulder. he complained, sounding more like a spoiled child than anything else. another dancer called, a beautiful woman with scarlet hair streaked with white, as she strode over. Eogan sighed and danced back to the circle, casting one last look at Dana. "Mulder, what is going on here?" Dana whispered as the woman stared at them. He shrugged, and aimed the camcorder at the newcomer. "Welcome to our dance," she said in perfect English, a thick, lilting accent making the greeting sound like a song. "I am Eithne. How are you called?" "Uh...Fox Mulder." "Dana Scully." Eithne laughed and clapped her hands. "How ironic that two of the Ffolk come to the Dance of Rebirth." "Ffolk?" She frowned. "Surely, that is not forgotten? I am Sidhe, and you are Ffolk, and the other woman was Gallain. Her mate was a barbarian. He could not dance with us." Her face brightened. "But you are Ffolk, and you can dance." "I still...what does Ffolk mean?" "Aye, even that is forgotten! Ffolk is what you are! I am Sidhe, and when I mate with Gallain, the ones with the old blood, we have Ffolk. When Ffolk mate, their children are Ffolk. You come from Eire and Tintagel, and you are Ffolk." "Eire...Ireland?" "Aye. And, you," she nodded at Mulder, "Are from Tintagel. Cornwall, the Anglo-Saxons called it. You are well named. 'Shyness' indeed! Not since Myrdinn Emrys has a Ffolk opened a gate!" "Merdin Emrees? Merlin?" Eithne shrugged. "Aye, so the Latins called him. Would you dance?" "We came here for a reason, Eithne..." She raised an eyebrow. "Aye, 'shyness', indeed...And what 'tis your reason?" "The woman you took two days ago, the 'Gallain.' We came to bring her back." "She doesn't want to come back," Eithne replied, as if that closed the matter. "Why don't I ask her? Her husband wants her back." Eithne shrugged. "I suppose 'twould do no harm to ask her. But her decision is final, do you understand? If you attempt to force her, ill will come of it." She raised one hand, and a woman stepped away from the fire and came towards them. Although wearing the same robes as Eithne, the newcomer was clearly not one of the faeries. "Gabrielle, these people have come to take you home, to the day world." "I don't want to go back. It's boring there, and ugly! I'd rather dance with you!" "Mrs. Matheson, what about your husband? He wants to see you again." Gabrielle laughed. "Then let him come and get me! He could dance too!" "No, he can't. He's a barbarian, child, not like you. The laws forbid it. He may not dance." "See, they want to take you away, Gabrielle. You'll never see your friends again. You'll never see your husband again." Gabrielle sighed. "They're right, Eithne. It was fun, but I have to go back..." "Very well." Eithne raised one hand, sang a brief, high note, and Gabrielle started to wander off into the woods. "She will remember it only in her dreams. That way," Eithne pointed along the path that Gabrielle followed, "leads to the village. They will think she became lost in the woods, and it will be forgotten for a time, until the awakening is fully realized." "The awakening?" Eithne smiled. "Great things are afoot, Ffolk. Things that slept are now rising from their slumber, and the old ways are returning. But, all information has a price." She paused, tapping her foot in thought, then nodded. "A story! Tell me a story, and I will reward you!" "A story?" "Aye, a tale of bravery! I see many such things written in your mind." Eithne leaned closer and stared into Mulder's eyes. "Even things that should be sleeping still. Well, then, tell a tale of your deeds, a story close to your heart." Mulder glanced around. All the dancers had walked over and were staring at him, expectantly. "Uh..." he turned to Scully. "What should I say?" he asked in a whisper. "Anything! Tell them about your sister!" "Aye! A tale of kinfolk!" Eogan cheered, clapping Mulder on the shoulder. "Well...Once, there was this boy who was given watch over his sister, Samantha, while his...uh...kin were away. That night, strange beings came...they took the sister away." One of the dancers timidly raised his hand. "Did not the brother fight them?" "Hush, Anwas," Eithne hissed. "Let the teller speak." "The beings trapped the brother, so he couldn't move. He-he watched as they took her away, into the sky." "Pixies! The pixies took her!" "Anwas, HUSH!" Eithne said again, swatting the dancer on the side of the head. "When the boy's kin returned, they found him alone, crying. They didn't believe his story about the beings, and it tore the family apart. Years passed, and the boy went across the ocean to learn a trade. When he returned, he took up service as a...warrior for the lords of his land. In time, he discovered that many of the lords had secrets they wanted hidden, and remembering the mystery of his sister, the man began exploring those secrets. The lords were nervous, and sent another warrior to watch him, hoping he would betray himself and no longer threaten them. They were wrong. The other warrior was loyal to the truth," he smiled at Scully, "not them. They had many adventures together, seeking to expose the evil lords and their secrets." Eogan frowned. "How does it end? What happened to them?" "They still search for the truth." Eithne nodded. "A fine tale. If you ever meet the hero, I would have you say this: your search has done more than you expected, and you honor your kin and cause. Although you may lose heart, remember that which you seek yet lives, and will be found if you keep to your faith. There are many people who wish to stop you, some of whom you know nothing, just as you have many allies that are unseen, even allies from the Otherworld. Keep faith, and one day your quest will reach it's end." Mulder nodded. "I'll be sure to let him know." "As for my promise, hear this: Long ago, the day world and Otherworld were like two links in a chain. Crossing from one to the other was like stepping across a stream. Then, something precious was lost, stolen by misguided servants of the Christ-god. My kind, and others like us, became weaker and weaker, unable to hold back the barbarians from destroying our holy sites all across Europe and Asia. Time after time we retreated, until only the wild forests and dark mountains were safe, and then even they were taken from us." "We fled to the west, across the ocean, to this land, and built new realms, but we knew that in time, the barbarians would follow us. So, it was decided to sleep in the deep earth until the time was right for our return. A thousand years ago, all the creatures of magic retreated, save for a few who would remain as watchmen, and many who could pass unknown among man. I see their trace upon you, the mark of the vampire clans and werewolves of the north. Now, the time is right, and we dance to awaken our brothers. Already, the earth trembles as things long lost awaken. What men think are mere earthquakes are, in truth, the breaking of the tombs that held the Otherworld in check for so long. Now, magic will reclaim its rightful place in nature, and the dragons and faeries, firbolg and dwarves, gnomes and unicorns, will walk again as they once did. And you, I think, will play a part in this." She clapped her hands. "It is nearly one. We must return to the Otherworld, and rest, so we may dance once again tomorrow." "Your dances, they're in a straight line from here to Massachusetts. Why?" "Our roads in the Otherworld are straight and true, and so will our roads in the day world be. We dance to fix this place to the Otherworld. Our brothers dance even now between Boston and Philadelphia, and on the first night of May, we will dance in your capital, to finish the road and call up all our brothers." "You're going to dance in Washington?" "Near enough to awaken our brothers below it, but far enough not to be noticed. Now, it is time to go." She frowned sadly. "It is not for you to remember this yet. In a few days, all will be revealed, but I think it would be better if you forgot this evening." "Wait-" She raised her hand, and sang another note, and... "Mulder, it's ten past one. I don't think anything is going to happen." "I suppose." His cellular phone rang. "Mulder. Yeah...you did? Where? We'll be right there!" "What?" "Some people having a party found Mrs. Matheson wandering around. She's at the hospital in Calais." "Well, let's go. It's cold here, and I doubt any faeries are going to show up." "It was just a theory," Mulder replied sheepishly as he followed her to the car, carrying the camera over his shoulder. Eithne watched them go, and smiled. A shadowy figure appeared next to her. "Will they remember?" "Not yet. The servants of the fiend will take them soon. I cannot allow the truth to be revealed just yet." She laughed abruptly. "What is it?" "The man, he thought a rusty nail would ward us off. Has so much been lost? Water is our friend, it weakens the power of the iron. Even a child would have known that in the old days. I fear for them, if they face the fiend with such poor knowledge." "They won't die, will they?" the shadow asked, concerned. "No, I have plans for them. They have a great and dangerous role in the awakening. Have no fear, I will uphold them as best I can." "Will it be enough?" "I broke the hold of the fiend on you, did I not? Have faith, child." "I wish I could have seen him." "Soon enough, Samantha, soon enough." - The End - Author's Notes: Gaelic Pronunciation Guide- Daoine Sidhe= Dun Shee Eithne= Ee-yth-nee Eogan= Ee-o-gan Cu Sidhe= Coo Shee This is my first story, so be gentle! But please, I need feedback! I do have a few follow-ups lying around, including a werewolf story and a story that introduces a new X-File Agent, of my own creation, named Shelly MacArthur. So, if you like this one, let me know and I'll post more. If not, tell me why not. And, of course, any miscellaneous suggestions are always welcome. And yes, the earthquake does have some relevance to a future story....