Authors commentary: I'm still new to this fanfic thing, so I know this needs a lot of work. I am open to any and all comments, suggestions, criticisms, donations. Feel free to email me at QLTiersky@aol.com or MTiersky@uga.cc.uga.edu. This story is a crossover between the X-Files and the soap opera Days of our Lives. Because the soap changes every day, I started writing on May 2, 1995 and have ignored whatever changes in the soap come after that date. In X-Files history, it takes place sometime after The Calusari and before the season finale. For those of you who don't watch Days of our Lives, for the past several months there has been a developing "plotline" concerning the demonic possession of one of the cast members. After a few episodes of this silliness, I concluded that the only thing that could possibly save the plot would be the arrival of our heroes. Too much history to fully explain. I tried to include as much as I could within the story. Cast of characters: Marlena "Doc" Evans: Former wife of Roman, mother of Sammi, Carrie, and Belle. Beloved by Stefano, possessed by the devil. John Black: Priest, father of Belle, had an affair with Kristen, amnesia Kristen Dimera: Tony's wife, Stefano's daughter, Marlena's friend. Father Francis: priest who began this plot, he's been sick Bo Brady: police officer, Billie's husband Billie Brady: Bo's wife, Curtis' daughter Caroline Brady: Bo's mother, Sean's wife Curtis Reed: Billie's father who raped her, deceased Gina Horton: identity unknown, amnesia Stefano Dimera: "godfather" figure, Tony, Peter, and Kristen's dad, Celeste's employer, in love with Marlena, fugitive Celeste: in love with Stefano, acts as his flunky Legal issues: None of the characters used in this story belong to me. Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter and 1013 productions and they have my utmost respect. The rest of the gang belongs to whoever controls Days of our Lives and the y're welcome to them. I mean no copywrite infringement and don't anticipate making any money on this (or any other endeavor) so there's no need to sue me. Further, Eagles music is borrowed without permission. Sorry! Enough stalling! DAYS (part 2) by QLTiersky Salem Police Station Abe spoke eagerly into the phone, "You found Stefano? Excellent! Bring him in." He turned back to the agents. "He was behind the hospital, unconscious." "Any theory as to what happened?" Mulder asked, studying Abe intently. "Current theory is that he slipped and hit his head," Abe confessed sheepishly. "Very practical," Scully responded. "Marlena?" Abe shook his head. They were quickly distracted by the commotion as two extras dragged Stefano in and deposited him in front of Abe, then left without saying a word. Stefano turned to face the trio and Mulder smiled. "Ahh, I see I was wrong. Apparently being attacked was transmissible by air." "I don't understand," Stefano mumbled. "How could she do this to me?" "Why don't you tell us what happened?" Scully suggested firmly. "I was rescuing my beloved Marlena," Stefano groaned. "She was barely conscious but I knew she wanted me to move her so we could be together forever." Stefano ignored the gagging noises in the background as he continued, "as soon as we got out of the hospital she said that she felt well enough to walk. I put her down and she laughed and hit me over the head; then everything went black." Mulder stared at him doubtfully. "You expect us to believe that someone as small and weak from illness as Marlena was overpowered you and knocked you out with one hit. How stupid do we look?" Stefano gave him a measuring glance and said quietly, "if you've been bumped down to daytime soaps...." "Where is Marlena now?" Scully cut in, glaring at Mulder for giving Stefano such an opening. "I don't know. As I said, I was unconscious. May I go now officer?" Abe hesitated, then said, "I suppose so. There's nothing we can charge you with." Mulder and Scully turned on him. "WHAT? What about attempted kidnapping? And isn't he a fugitive from justice in the first place?" Mulder demanded. Abe shrugged, "What's the point? We'd never convict him." "And how do you know that?" Scully inquired forcefully. "We never convict anyone. Look at Alan." While Mulder and Scully looked around for 'Alan,' Stefano quietly made his escape. ******************************************************* May 5, 1995, 3 am CST Brady Pub, Upstairs Day 5 Mulder sat at the desk, staring at the file strewn out in front of him. He knew that there was something to this case that he was missing. He tried to lay out the facts clearly. OK, he knew that Marlena had been acting in an unusual manner of late, including her activities during Christmas and her recent interactions with John and Stefano. He knew that she had fled the island because something had frightened her, and that she had subsequently had an accident and been attacked. He carefully picked up the St. Michaels medal and examined it, wondering what significance it might have for her. He was startled out of his reverie by a soft knock on the door. "Come in," he called out, assuming it was Scully. A woman entered the room, dark of skin but with hair died an awful blonde. She looked about furtively, then introduced herself. "I am a friend. I know that Marlena is in great danger. There is an evil that follows her wherever she goes. She will bring danger to all of Salem unless it is stopped. You can save us all. The cards have shown me this." Mulder studied her. "I gather you don't mean Hallmark?" "This is no laughing matter, federal man. The cards have shown me many things. They are never wrong. The truth is out there." Mulder froze at her words. Then, an echo of Scully's voice danced through his mind. He met the woman's gaze forthrightly. "The truth is out there," he agreed. "But so are lies. Tell me who you are." "Who I am is unimportant. What I know is. Only you can protect Marlena. You must go to her." "Where is she?" Mulder demanded, towering over the woman. "Go to the docks, Agent Mulder, but beware a cheating heart," the woman warned, and was gone. "Beware a cheating heart?" he repeated. "Why must my life read like a bad mystery novel?" he glanced over towards Scully's room, then decided not to wake her. He left her a note instead. "S--I'm following a lead. I've gone to the docks. --M." ****************************************************** The Docks As Mulder walked the docks, he noticed the boat where John claimed Bo and Billie lived. "Yeah right," he thought to himself. "They probably have a hidden penthouse somewhere in town." A noise by the wall caught his attention and he slipped over closer, cautiously pulling his gun. "What's the matter, copper? Afraid of little old me?" the sensuous voice purred, as she moved into the light. "Marlena!" he gasped, slowly lowering the gun. Then he saw how her eyes glittered. Cautiously he approached. "I have something of yours," he said, holding the medal out to her. "No!" she roared, shoving Mulder hard enough to make him drop the pendant and his gun. She turned and fled from him. Automatically, he chased her, calling her name. "Marlena!" He got to the corner and could not see which way she had gone. Then he realized that he was standing in front of a bar, and concluded that she must have ducked inside. As he walked in, he didn't even see the sign on the door that read "The Cheating Heart." ******************************************************** Brady Pub, upstairs Scully stood outside Mulder's door, knocking loudly. "Come on, Mulder," she called. "Time to go find your demon." She cautiously opened the door and her eyes were quickly drawn to Mulder's note. Letting out a curse she ran out of the room. It took her about 5 minutes to scour the docks and determine that he was not there. Finally, she decided to ask the people milling around to see if they had seen anything unusual. An hour of questioning produced nothing, and she was beginning to despair when she noticed a figure in black trying to get her attention. "I know where the federal agent is," the voice warned, " and he is in grave danger." "Where is he?" Scully demanded. "He was last seen entering the Cheating Heart, accompanied by Marlena. I suggest you find your wayward partner and leave Salem at once!" Then the figure stepped away quickly. It watched as Scully headed straight for The Cheating Heart and chuckled as it removed its hood. "Oh yes, Agent Scully, your partner is in trouble. And now, so are you!" and Curtis Reed broke into laughter. **************************************************** May 5, 1995, 9 am CST The Cheating Heart Scully entered cautiously, looking around for some sign of Mulder. Seeing none, she approached the bartender and flipped open her badge. "I'm Agent Scully, with the FBI. I am looking for a tall dark-haired man who was seen entering this bar last night. What do you know about him?" The man shrugged. "Nothing, Lady. I just got on duty. If anyone knew anything it would be Paul, and he's gone home for the night." She frowned. "Do you mind if I look around?" "Have a ball. But I don't think you'll find your boyfriend here." She opened her mouth to correct him, then decided not to bother. She continued to explore the place, until she found the trap door to the cellar. "What's down here?" she asked. "Used to be the wine cellar. But since we don't serve wine anymore, its empty now." Scully decided to check it out anyway. She started down the dark stairs, and pulled out her handy-dandy FBI flashlight to guide the way. "Mulder" she called out softly, as she walked. "Scully, over here," she heard, and she headed for the voice. She found Mulder chained to a wall, fighting his bonds. He had a huge gash on his forehead and his eyes were cloudy. "What happened to you?" she asked, as she located the key on the wall and went to remove his chains. "I was chasing Marlena," he croaked woodenly. "I followed her into the bar. There was a man here. And he had a huge exploding pustule on his upper arm. Scully, I think he was dead." "How can you tell?" she inquired, unlocking his other hand. "The smell, mostly. Anyway, I walked in, the bartender handed me a beer. I asked if anyone had seen Marlena. They all whistled innocently, so I figured no one saw her." Scully sighed. "What happened next?" she asked. He shook out his hands, trying to restore circulation. "Someone knocked me over the head with a bottle. While I was down, I felt a needle jammed into my arm. The next thing I knew I was chained up here and you were calling me." Scully glanced uneasily around the room. "Well, lets get out of here. It feels, I don't know, evil, down here." Mulder grinned. "I think you've been around me too long." "I know I have," she rejoined, as they turned towards the stairs. "Not so fast," a voice announced. They turned back and found themselves face to face with Marlena. "You can't keep us here prisoner," Mulder pointed out logically. "There are two of us. We'll overpower you." Marlena looked as if she were considering that. "That's true, Foxy Boy. Fortunately, I get by with a little help from my friends." Mulder and Scully glanced about and discovered that Curtis was with her. "You!" Scully gasped. "Guilty as charged," smirked Curtis. "What do you want with us?" Scully demanded. Marlena turned to face her, and at the moment Scully could see the demon within. "I want your souls!" it declared, in a deep and horrible voice. "Yours and Marlena's and that priests'. And I always get what I want." Scully began to scream, but her cries were cut off as Marlena grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her. Mulder struggled against his captor, but could not fight his way free. Scully began to turn blue. ********************************************************* Salem Hospital "I can't just stand here doing nothing!" John shouted. "There must be a way to save Marlena." "Only God can save her now," Kristen answered bitterly. Suddenly, the priest on the bed between them moaned. "He's coming around." "Marlena," the priest whispered. "Where is she, Father?" Kristen asked. John glared at her. "How should he know? He's been passed out since before Stefano took her." The priest looked at John. "You must save her. You must believe. You must have faith." John stared at him, soundless. Kristen immediately spoke up. "What is he to do, Father Francis?" "Exorcise," the old man answered. John and Kristen stared at each other. "Exercise?" John repeated, then shrugged and began doing push-ups. "No, no," the priest said crossly. "With an 'O' you must exorcise the demon from Marlena. Otherwise, she will never be free." "How do I do that?" John asked, panting slightly from the exertion. "The scrolls," Francis said. "The scrolls are gone," Kristen pointed out. "They have been destroyed." "Oh, yes. I'd forgotten," Father Francis fell silent. "Watch The Exorcist, John. It will tell you what to do." Kristen immediately moved to go. "Where are you going?" John demanded. "Aren't you going to help me?" "Of course," she answered. "I'm going to Blockbuster." "Well, pick up Red Shoe Diaries while you're there," John called after her. ******************************************************** The Cellar Scully continued to fight back, but her struggles grew weaker and weaker as her body was starved of oxygen. She seemed on the verge of passing out when a sudden scream surprised them all. "Release her, DEMON!" A flash of red was all Mulder saw as someone launched themselves at Marlena, knocking Scully free and distracting Curtis enough to allow Mulder to fight his way free as well. He ran to Scully's side. "Are you OK?" "I'm fine, Mulder," she lied. "What just happened?" The pair looked over at Marlena, sprawled out on the floor and at the woman standing over her. "Caroline?" Scully asked. The woman nodded. "I could tell that there was some sort of trouble," she replied. "That's why I wanted you to stay at my house, so I could keep track of what was going on. I found the note Mulder left for you and came after you. When I heard the struggle I knew to come down here and when I saw Marlena choking you I just reacted on instinct." "Wow," Mulder said, impressed. "That's quite an instinct that causes you to yell DEMON and tackle someone. The 49ers need someone with your instincts." Caroline glowed under his praise. "What do we do now?" she asked. "Now, we exorcise," John declared from the stairs. Mulder and Scully shrugged and began doing sit-ups. "No, no, with an 'O'" John said crossly. "We must remove the demon from her body." "Oh no, not again," Mulder said. "Hey, Scully, I think its your turn to participate in the exorcism." "Oh really," she said sardonically. "Does that mean its your turn to be thrown around the room like a rag doll?" "I thought you said nothing happened," he countered quickly. Scully just glared. "Who is that over there?" John asked, motioning to the body. Scully crossed over and checked the pulse. "Mulder, I think you killed him." Everyone came and crowded around the body, Caroline gasped in horror. "It's Curtis! But how did he get here? He should be in his coffin." Mulder brightened. "He's already dead. I don't have to worry about murder charges." "All right," John said. "Let's get this exorcism over with. To the church!" He and Mulder scooped up Marlena and everyone headed upstairs. ******************************************************* Stefano's Hideout Celeste sat on the bed, intently studying the cards laid out before her. "I am telling you, Stefano, we should leave Salem now, while we have the chance." "Not without Marlena," he insisted, crossing over to her. "She will never love you," Celeste warned. "It is only because she is possessed by the devil that pretended to care for you." "Bah! Woman, you are a fool." Celeste looked at him steadily. "That I am," she said softly. "I cannot support your decision to stay in Salem. You are in great danger, as are we all. I am leaving. I suggest you do the same." She gathered up her cards and moved to leav e. "Celeste," Stefano stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "You cannot leave me." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I have no other choice." She turned and walked out, closing the door firmly behind her. Stefano sat in the room, stunned. Then, he rose with conviction. "You are the fool, Stefano Dimera. You cannot let her simply walk away. She is too important." He grabbed his coat, and glanced back at the room. "Good-bye, Salem. And good-bye Marlena. Someday, I'll be back." He opened the door and left. May 5, 1995, 11:30 pm The Church Scully shuddered as she looked around the darkened room. "Why do we have to do this so late at night?" she asked in disgust. "The powers reach their utmost strength at midnight," John intoned. "What?" Scully asked. "It's done at midnight in all the B-rate horror flicks," Mulder translated. Scully nodded in understanding, then frowned. "Is everything ready, John?" Kristen inquired nervously, checking on the candles and the holy water. "I think so," he replied, armed only with cross and Bible. "I sure hope this works." "Mulder," Scully said softly, "are you sure this is a good idea? What if something goes wrong?" Mulder smiled confidently. "Relax, Scully. Nothing is going to go wrong." Scully winced. "The witching hour is nigh," John announced. "Holy assistants, to me." Everyone stared at him in bewilderment. He glared around him. "I said its time to do the exorcism, get over here and lend a hand." "Oh!" Kristen exclaimed, as she, Mulder, Scully and Caroline gathered around the body lying before the figure of Christ on the altar. Ever since the confrontation in the cellar, Marlena had remained silent and still, so it came as a shock when, she suddenly opened her eyes (glowing green to designate the presence of Satan) and began to struggle. "Be still, Marlena," John commanded. "Soon I will release your soul from the grip of Satan." "She'll never be free, Priest," the demon responded. "And neither will you. You have lusted after married women, fathered a bastard child, and you can't act worth anything, your soul belongs to me!" John paled and took a hesitant step back from the altar. "Don't listen to him, John," Kristen implored. "He fosters lies and hatred, close your ears to him." "But everything he says is the truth," John whispered. "I slept with Marlena and fathered her child (appropriate flashback inserted here), I slept with you, a married woman (scenes of the two of them on the island during the blackout), and I certainly can't act." "God forgives you for your sins," Kristen whispered. "You must have faith." John turned to the altar, and knelt to pray. "Heavenly father," he whispered, "I know that I have strayed from the true path in my recent past, but I come to your embrace with a pure heart and a willingness to serve. Please forgive my transgressions and give us this day our daily bread." Mulder and Scully exchanged puzzled glances as the room filled with the sounds of a choir singing. "It's a sign!" Kristen gasped. "No, it's a rehearsal," Mulder answered, motioning to the group of children attempting to learn the words to a hymn. "Children," Marlena called out, "sing something for me. Sing "Hotel California." As John rose to face his enemy, the warbling sounds came from the hymnal "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair..." Mulder absently began to hum along until a harsh elbow in the ribs from Scully halted him. He glared down at her and she shook her head warningly. Finally, John stood over Marlena's body and began. He poured holy water in a circle around her and began to pray, reading portions of the Bible and mumbling under his breath. Mulder looked over at Scully, who looked genuinely puzzled. "What are we supposed to be doing?" she whispered to him. "Just stand here and try to look sexy. It'll keep the GATB happy." she nodded and straightened, sticking her chest out further. Marlena glared at the couple and hissed, "You'll get your turn Mulder...wait for the season finale." "I had to stop for the night," the chorus sang softly. "Can someone shut them up?" Kristen demanded. "This could be heaven or this could be hell," they sang back defiantly. Suddenly Marlena broke into laughter. "That's right; it could!" The room began to swirl and colors exploded before the shrieking Salemites and Feds. When the room stopped moving, everything had changed. Instead of a Church surrounding them , they appeared to be in one of the nether regions of hell. The room was a deep red, and there was an overriding heat. "No!" John declared strongly. "You have no power in a church to bring us here. This is clearly an illusion." Mulder thoughtfully investigated the nearby walls and floor and found them all to be scalding hot to the touch. "I don't know, John. It feels real to me." "Oh, come on, Mulder," Scully rejoined. "You don't honestly think we're in hell, do you?" Mulder gave her his patented We're-in-a-soap-opera,-of-course- we're- in-hell look, shutting her up effectively. "What should we do?" Caroline asked, beginning to sound slightly hysterical. "There is nothing that can save you now!" Marlena intoned, her eyes sparkling with all the fires of hell. Scully turned on Mulder, "So, 'nothing is going to go wrong'?" she mimicked. He shrugged helplessly. "Now I will destroy you all!" Marlena declared. "Stop, fiend!" John ordered, holding up his cross to shield them all from the devil. Marlena paused to look at the wooden cross and burst into laughter. With a flick of the wrist, the cross was set ablaze, forcing John to drop it. "Your worldly trinkets have no power over me here, fool." She raised her hands to smite them all (or whatever devils do to destroy people) when a loud voice gave her pause. "I will give you my soul freely in exchange for their lives," Scully declared solemnly, locking gazes with the devil. "Scully are you out of your mind?" Mulder whispered. "You don't even believe in the devil." Scully continued as if she hadn't heard him. "You don't gain anything by killing all of us, what's a few more measly human lives to you? But to acquire a freely given soul? Surely that must be worth something to you." Marlena studied her carefully, seeking the trick. "Why would you do this?" she asked, obviously puzzled. "Yeah, really," Kristen commented. "Why would you?" The others all elbowed her to keep silent. Scully took a deep breath. "You obviously have us trapped here. You will kill all of us if you don't take this deal, so I don't think I have that much to lose.." "You will lose your soul," the devil intoned evilly. Scully shrugged. "Of what use is my soul if I sit back and let my friends die when I could act to prevent it? It would be lost anyway." She heard sheepish murmurings behind her as the others began to think about what she was saying. "Besides," she added, turning to look into Fox Mulder's eyes, "the truth is still out there somewhere. Only you can find it. I have to give you the chance to try." Mulder stepped towards her. "How can I let you do this?" he whispered. "Don't you know..." he trailed off as she began shaking her head. "Chris Carter said no romance," she reminded him gently. Mulder nodded and bowed his head. Scully turned to face the demon. "Have we a deal?" she asked. "Will you take my soul, and let the rest go free?" Marlena shrugged and waved a careless hand in the air. Suddenly, Scully found herself alone except for the image of Marlena before her. "Oh no," Scully said, "her too." "What?" was the genuinely startled response. "Marlena Evans," Scully answered patiently. "Release her body too. I said all of the people." Marlena raised her eyebrow. "Tricky," was her only response, as the spirit left Marlena's body, sending it back to earth. Scully was left facing the devil, all alone..... It was the sound of singing that first woke Mulder. He frowned at the sound as he attempted to put together what had occurred. "'Relax,' said the nightman, 'we are programmed to receive. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave,'" The chorus sang. Mulder groaned as he considered the question of how to get Scully back. He glanced around at the bodies surrounding him, startled to see Marlena's among them. People around him were gradually waking up and shaking of the effects of...whatever it was. "Is everyone OK?" Mulder asked. A series of groans confirmed that they all shared similar headaches. "Did that really happen?" Kristen asked in awe. "Guess so," John responded, "Agent Scully is still down there. And, look, it's Marlena!" Marlena sat up and looked around in bewilderment before bursting into tears. "At last, I'm free!" "How do we know its really you?" Kristin asked suspiciously. "Because Scully traded her soul for our freedom, that's how," John snapped, while hugging Marlena. Mulder groaned. "How am I ever going to explain this to Skinner? The paperwork involved in losing a partner is just unreal..." Everyone gathered around to comfort Mulder, but they didn't really seem to know what to say. As they were talking to Marlena about her experiences, there was a bright flash of red light, and Scully appeared on the floor, curled up in the fetal position. "Scully!" Mulder shouted, dashing to her side and attempting to take her pulse, even though he wasn't a medical doctor. "She's alive," he announced cautiously. After a few worried minutes of commercial break, Scully stirred and awoke. She looked straight into Mulder's eyes and smiled oddly. "I'm so glad you're back," he gasped. "How did you escape?" "He let me go," she answered. Everyone stared at her in shock. "Ummm, not to be rude, but, why?" asked Caroline. Scully frowned. "He said a soul given as an act of charity for others was, as he called it, 'spoiled.' It would be saved because of its selflessness, so he gave it up and let me go." Mulder nodded eagerly. "I have several X-Files in which the exact same thing happened," he began. Scully grinned at his boyish enthusiasm. "That's good to know," she answered cheerfully. "But keep them away from me!" The two of the rose to go, waving good-bye to the people of Salem. As they were walking out, Mulder could be heard to murmur, "You know, Scully, I've never noticed before how green your eyes are..." THE END (or is it?)