SquidgeWorld Archive

Love Potion
by Fallen Angel
June 1999

Friday, March 5
8:48 a.m.
Rising Phoenix apartment building, San Jose, California

"Great, you've decided to appear before our dead body here has completely decayed, Mulder." Scully looked at her partner with a reproachful gaze. She was already wearing some latex gloves and stopped examining the victim when Mulder entered the room.

Mulder leant forward and looked the body up and down. "Looks like this had already happened." He stepped back as he recognized the terrible stench of burnt rotten flesh.

"I'm sorry for coming late, Scully, but my toilet took me that long." He inhaled the odour of his lapel to make sure that his partner recognized his after-shave. "I think he had spent less time on it.", Mulder said giggling and pointed on the dead man on the floor or what was left of him.

Scully didn't want to do him the favor to laugh about his joke and put on a serious look.

"This is... was Mr. Edmond Forester. The renter, hmm... ", Scully stopped and looked at her note-pad. "Mr. Blakes found him this morning.", she continued with a strictly professional tone.

"Hasn't anybody noticed anything? I mean, there must have been a huge fire in here.", Mulder asked and bent forward to take another look at the dead body. The man was lying on the floor, his skin was contracted and had a brown-blackish color.

"That's the point, Mulder. There was no fire. Haven't you seen that here is not the least trace of a fire?"

Mulder turned around and scanned the room. Scully was right. There could have been no fire in here. Out of the question.

"Why did Mr. ... Blakes, right? Why did Mr. Blakes enter the apartment this morning?", Mulder asked.

Scully looked down at her notes again. "Forester asked him to check his air-conditioning system. He had some problems with it."

"Sure. Must have been a serious problem, Scully!", Mulder said grinning.

This time Scully couldn't help laughing. She knew exactly that her partner was always joking because he wanted to have her attention. Well, maybe that was only what she hoped, she had to admit. She really liked him. The way he always tried to provoke her. She also liked his strange kind of humor and his jokes - even if they were out of place. And - uh - he *indeed* was a good-looking man. Scully had noticed long ago that her feelings for Mulder were far beyond a pure
professional partnership, but she had not had the courage to tell him yet. She just wasn't quite sure if he felt the same way for her.

"Scully, Scully!", Mulder called her back to reality. "Could we turn him around, please?"

"Sure.", she replied and handed a pair of latex gloves to Mulder. He put them on and they both knelt down and turned the body that was lying face down around.

Mulder noticed a silver necklace the man wore and which had not been burnt. He took it off and showed it to his partner.

Scully looked at it. "Seems to be some kind of talisman."

"Well, then it didn't work, I think!", Mulder said as cynically as ever.

Scully just tried to ignore his remark. Actually she had to get angry now. 'But who can be cross with *that* hazel eyes?', she thought. "Look at the large pendant. There is something engraved.", Scully said and tried to decipher the words. "Do you speak Spanish, Mulder?"

"What's written on it?", he asked impatiently.

"Contigo al fin del... infierno!", Scully read to her partner. "What does that mean?"

"Excuse me, Agent Scully.", proclaimed a police officer who was standing in a corner of the room talking to some other policemen. "I can speak Spanish. I could translate it for you."

"Really? Great, Officer. Would you tell us please what it means?", Mulder asked and showed the necklace to the policeman.

"It says: I'll go with you till the end of hell.", the Officer said.

"Thanks. You really helped us.", Scully said politely.

"No problem, Agent Scully.", he replied, smiled at her and returned to his colleagues.

"What do you think, Mulder?"

"Mr. Forester... hum... that doesn't sound like a typically Spanish name. So why should he wear a talisman that's written in Spanish?" Mulder turned his head looking for Mr. Blakes. He saw him talking to one of the policemen and went towards him. "Mr. Blakes? D'you know anything about Mr. Forester's private life? Have you ever seen friends of him or maybe a woman in his apartment?", Mulder wanted to know. "Maybe you have noticed anybody with a Latino look?"

"Uh, actually there were lots of women. But most of them I've only seen once, maybe twice."

Mulder grinned. "Our Mr. Forester was a real lady-killer! Looks like we have something in common.", he called to Scully with a suggestive smile.

'I wish you would keep your hollow promises one day, Mulder.', Scully thought and looked at Mulder with a depreciative gaze.

"Ah, wait, there's one of them who appears very often - almost every day. And she's a Mexican immigrant. Uh, and she's really hot! Her name is Isabella... Isabella Vasquez. That's all I know.", Blakes said.

"Thank you, Mr. Blakes." Mulder turned round and said to Scully: "We have to find this woman. I think she's the one who gave him the talisman."

"Mulder, why do you think that stupid necklace is so important for this case?", Scully asked provoking.

"Well, Mr. Forester has obviously been burnt. But the talisman hasn't. Maybe it was the necklace to set him on fire."

Scully raised her eyebrow. "Seriously? You mean, a necklace can do this to you? Mulder! I've been wearing my necklace for uncountable years and I'm still alive, am I not?", she said amusing.

"Sure, Scully. But you're wearing a Christian cross and not a pendant with some Spanish curses!"

"You think he died because of a curse?", she curiously asked.

"Maybe. You agree that there hasn't been a common fire in here, don't you?"

Scully nodded.

"So, it's obvious that this pendant has a certain meaning. Don't you think so?"

"Alright, Mulder. And the next thing you're going to tell me is that Forester spontaneously decided to inflame himself."

"Don't exclude this possibility rashly, Scully!" Mulder smiled. "Don't jump to conclusions!" He retorted, took of the latex gloves and headed for the door.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Where are we going now?"

"Looking for our Mexican girl.", Mulder answered singing.

Scully moaned and followed her partner.

11:12 a.m.
Police-station, San Jose, California

"Ah, Scully. Great you're here.", Mulder welcomed his arriving partner.

"You told me on the phone that you found our woman."

"Yes. She appeared in Forester's apartment and one of the Officers took her to the station.", Mulder explained.

The two agents entered the room where a young good-looking woman was waiting for her interrogation.

"Miss Vasquez? We're with the FBI. This is Agent Scully and I'm Agent Mulder.", he said and sat down opposite of the woman. Scully preferred to stand.

Mulder took out a plastic bag containing the necklace and placed it on the table.

"You know this necklace, Miss Vasquez?", Mulder asked politely.

"Yes, I do. It was a gift." The young woman was sliding back and forth on her chair nervously. Mulder could swear that she had something to do with Forester's death.

"What is the meaning of this pendant? The meaning of the engraved words?", he asked the young woman.

"It's just a necklace with a silver pendant. What kind of... meaning did you expect of it?", Isabella Vasquez retorted aggressively. Scully smiled. This woman was right. It was only a necklace, she thought.

Mulder realized that this was the wrong way. He looked the young woman up and down. She really was pretty, he had to admit. Not as hot as this petite red head who was leaning against the wall behind him, but pretty. He wondered why Forester had dated with other women, too. Suddenly he knew what to do. "I'm sure you know that Mr. Forester had some other women, too. So I don't think you two had a close relationship..." He couldn't finish his sentence, but was interrupted by the young woman.

"We did have a close relationship! I was the only woman he ever loved, he ever really loved! The only one he ever touched!", she yelled passionately.

"How can you be so sure about that?", Mulder wanted to know. He was sure that this case would be solved before the baseball match on TV tonight.

"That's what the pendant is about.", she replied. Her voice began to quiver and she pressed her palms against each other. "But I've never expected it would work like that." The young woman was facing the floor.

"It worked like what?" Now Scully became curious. "What happened to Mr. Forester?", she asked the woman.

"I was told the talisman would prevent him from betraying me.", Isabella Vasquez mumbled in a low voice. Bowing her head she continued weeping: "I didn't want him to die... You have to believe me... I just wanted..." She covered her face with her hands.

"Miss Vasquez, calm down, please! I believe you. I know you didn't want to kill him. It's not your fault." Mulder bent forward and spoke gently. "Please tell us how all this happened, from the beginning."

3:05 p.m.
"Black Magic Women" store, San Jose, California

Scully was standing in front of the shabby store and wondering what she was doing here. As usual, this had been Mulder's idea. After Isabella Vasquez had told him about the pendant, its curse and about the women who had sold it, he had asked Scully to drive to the store and interrogate the 'witches' - like Mulder said. He told her that he had to fly back to Washington immediately because of an important date. As usual it had something to do with his sister's abduction (As Scully knew Mulder and his obsession to find her, she decided not to try to hold him back.) As usual he had put on this puppy-gaze which always made Scully's knees tremble. And as usual she didn't manage to refuse. So there she was now.

She looked at the dirty shop windows that were stuffed with candelabras, black velvet, antique-looking jewelry, several voodoo stuff and some dusty skulls. Scully shook her head and with the words, "I can't believe I'm really going to do that!", she entered the shop.

Inside it was dark and the air smelled like a strange mixture of candle wax, dust and thousands of different spices and perfumes. The walls were covered with dried roses, large mirrors in golden frames and paintings of magical symbols.

"Hello? Excuse me, this is Special-Agent Dana Scully. I'm with the FBI.", Scully called into the darkness of the room. "I need to talk to the owner of the shop here." No answer. "The FBI needs your help in a certain case." Still no answer. "I need some information about a young woman who bought a necklace in your shop."

"What kind..."

"...of necklace?"

Scully was terribly frightened by the sudden appearance of two elderly women who stepped towards her out of nowhere. Both the women had long and curly black hair, lots of jewelry and they wore clothes in a combination of colors and designs that Scully would not even wear in one of her most terrible nightmares. The only difference between the two women which Scully could make out was that one of them wore a purple bandanna.

To answer their question Scully took out the plastic bag with the talisman. "This necklace here. Do you remember the women you sold it to, Miss...?"

"My name is Lucia and this is my sister...", one of them said.

"...Esmeralda.", the other one added. "Yes, we remember the woman. She had..."

"...some trouble with her boyfriend. That's why she consulted us and..." Lucia stepped towards Scully to gaze at the necklace.

"...that's why she needed the help of our magic.", Esmeralda completed the sentence.

'If they continue like that I'm really going crazy.', Scully said to herself. "What does this mean, the help of your magic?"

The two women smiled significantly. "Whatever you want to." This time they answered synchronously.

"Does that include setting somebody on fire?", Scully asked dryly.

"We offer our magical power to everybody. What they decide to do with it...", Esmeralda started.

"...doesn't depend on us. We don't tell our customers what do with it.", Lucia ended.

"You mean you don't tell them how to handle it?" Besides the fact that this was Mulder's idea, that case could maybe become interesting, Scully thought.

"Those weren't our words. We exactly tell them how to handle it...", Esmeralda replied leering.

"...people sometimes just underestimate their feelings' power.", Lucia said joining her sister's smile.

"So you admit that you spelled this necklace?" Scully wasn't interested in a discussion about the efficiency of witchcraft, she only wanted to end this stupid conversation and get out of that creepy place.

"Do you believe in magic..."

"...and witchcraft, Agent Scully?" The two women's eyes were sparkling strangely.

"That's irrelevant to this case. I don't think that my personal beliefs contribute anything which could be useful.", Scully answered irritated.

"Well, Agent Scully maybe we..."

"...can help you?"

'Yes, you can! Stop this damn way of talking!', Scully muttered to herself. "I doubt that you can offer me any help."

"And what about you and your partner...", Lucia started.

"...Agent Mulder? We could help you to get what you want."

Scully pricked up her ears. She couldn't believe that they knew about her feelings for Mulder. "How could you help me?"

Now Scully was curious. She spent so much time on various attempts to seduce her partner and show him how she feels. Countless little hints. And he had never reacted on them. At least not the way she had wanted him to.

"Maybe with some little spell or..."

"...with our special offer..."

"...that always works!"

"What is your *special offer*?", Scully asked with growing interest.

"Uh, well, if you really want to accept our help..."

"...follow us!" The two women turned round and passed the room towards a red curtain. When Scully pulled away the curtain to follow the *witches*, it revealed a small room which was stuffed with shelves and cupboards that stretched to the ceiling. These shelves and cupboards were filled with a large amount of bottles and jars of which Scully not really wanted to know what they were containing. In the middle of a room was a wooden table and the only light came from a golden candelabra that was placed on it.

Before Scully could seriously ask herself what she was doing in here, Esmeralda stepped towards her with a pair of big scissors in her hand.

"Wait. What are you..." Scully had to admit that her former curiosity was beginning to change to slight fear.

But Esmeralda had already cut off a strand of Scully's hair before she had finished her words. "Red... uh... red's just the best for it.", she was murmuring while she handed the strand to her sister.

Lucia took the hair and put it in a small black pot. She added some herbs and spices. "Esmeralda, give me the zishhh."

Esmeralda handed her sister a small bottle containing something green.

"Not the flshhh, I said: the zishhh!", Lucia shouted angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry.", Esmeralda replied, opened one of the cupboards and took out a small bottle which was covered with silvery ornaments and contained a thick purple liquid. She opened the bottle with a whizzing sound and Scully inhaled the wonderful odour it disseminated.

Some minutes ago she had doubted what she did was right, but now she felt that it was not only right - but perfect. Finally Mulder would never be able to refuse her love again. She was sure he loved her too, he just didn't want to admit it. These numerous little hints and remarks he made. Yes, she knew she was right.

Esmeralda poured some drops of the purple potion into the pot. Then she turned her head towards Scully.

"Are you sure that you want us to finish it?"

"Yes, I am. You were right. I need your help.", Scully answered confidently.

Now Lucia lit a match and threw it into the pot. A blast flame rose out of it. With a hissing sound Esmeralda extinguished the flame and scraped a red powder out of the pot into a tiny golden box.

"You have to mix this powder with water, then he has to drink this mixture.", Esmeralda said while she handed the box to Scully.

Scully thanked the two women with a broad smile and turned round to leave the shop. When she was already outside, Scully suddenly noticed that the two sisters were shouting after her.

"Agent Scully, we forgot to tell you an important fact. There's one catch in this-"

"...after he drinks it, he will deeply fall in love with the first person he perceives. So make sure that..."

"...you are that person!"

"Thank you for the advice. I'll be careful.", Scully answered, got in the car and started the engine.

During her flight back to Washington she was trying to find a logical explanation for what she was planning to do. If Mulder only knew. Scully - the cool, strictly scientific thinking woman who always seemed to be so down on earth. She had agreed to use a philter to seduce him. She had to be crazy.

9:46 p.m.
Scully's apartment

When Scully arrived in her apartment, she already had a plan. She remembered an incident when the water supply of Mulder's apartment had been contaminated by hallucinogenic drugs. And that was how she planned to force him to drink the potion.

To increase the potion's efficiency she decided to dress up. Well, actually she wanted to wear a long black coat and a pair of shoes only.

Sneering, she gazed in the mirror for a last time, left her apartment, got in her car and drove to Mulder's place.

And to make sure that it would really be her he would see first after he would have drunk the philter, she resolved to ring him up.

about 10:00 p.m.
Mulder's apartment

Mulder had just entered his apartment when the phone rang.

"Yeah.", he answered.

"Mulder? It's me."

"Mom?"

"No, Mulder, it's *me*!"

"Oh my god! Samantha?", Mulder shouted in excitement.

"NO, it's me - Dana Scully!" She almost hit the car driving in front of her.

"Uh, Scully. You... What's up?"

Scully could hear the disappointment in his voice. "I need to talk to you. Are you alone?", she asked huskily as she was trying to make her voice sound sexy.

"Sure, I am. Are you okay, Scully?", Mulder asked a bit concerned. "Sounds like you're chilled?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine. I'm on my way to your apartment."

'Damnit!', she thought after Mulder had hung up the phone and bashed her steering-wheel.

Mulder crossed his dark apartment and walked towards his couch. He refused to switch on the light because he was being bothered by an awful headache. He laid down and closed his eyes, feeling the stabbing pain with every pulsation. He had just had a meeting with the Lone Gunmen. Another one of these conversations of which he had hoped they could reveal something new about his sister's fate. But as always, he had been wrong. Nothing new. His eyes still closed he felt he was slowly drifting to sleep.

10:15 p.m.
The cellar of Mulder's apartment house

Scully knelt whistling on the floor and fixed the small cartridge. After she had finished it, she stood up and scanned her workmanship satisfied. "Alright, Foxy.", she said: "Now try to resist me." She chuckled with anticipated joy. She checked her make-up once more and saying to herself "Go for it, girl!", she left the cellar.

Some minutes later
Mulder's apartment

Awaking after his short slumber, Mulder stood up to get something to drink. He turned on the tap and enjoyed to feel the cold water on his face and forehead. He bend down and unsuspectingly swallowed the cold liquid like he had just walked through a hot desert for hours.

'Klick!'

The familiar sound a Smith & Wesson makes when it is cocked. Before he could turn round, Mulder already felt cold steel touching his temple.

"Don't move!" The whispering voice entered his ears like a hissing snake.

Slowly Mulder twisted his head and recognized the shadowy intruder.

"Krycek!" The agent's face brightened up and a broad smile made his eyes start to sparkle with delight. "Hey, I'm glad to see you again. Where have you been all the time?"

"Are you serious, Mulder?" Krycek's face showed confusion.

"Yes, pleasure to meet you again." His eyes were still sparkling. "You want something to drink?"

"I'm not here to drink with you. I've got some puzzling information for you -as always." Krycek stepped back into the shelter of the room's darkness.

"Sure, you are. But I'm fed up with our all-day routine. Let's be innovative. Let's try something new!" Mulder said excited. He filled a glass with water from the tap while he was whistling a pretty familiar melody. Krycek frowned and tried to make out the song the melody belonged to. Yeah, he got it: the Beatles' song 'All You Need Is Love'. Krycek shook his head.

"What kind of drugs are you on, Mulder?"

"None!", he replied while handing the glass to the still armed intruder. "Just think that life's great."

Mulder's broad smile reminded Krycek of the strange cat in that stupid children's book 'Alice In Wonderland'. He drank a big gulp of the water while Mulder watched him grinning.

"You're looking good tonight, Krycek. New jacket?", he asked and pointed at the black leather jacket Krycek was wearing.

"Nope, same jacket as always, but I've had my hear cut recently."

"Yeah, I see. You're looking fabulous!", Mulder said flattering.

"Not nearly as good as you do." Krycek couldn't believe he had said this. What was he doing in here? Unable to make out what he had originally intended to do, he uncocked and lowered his weapon.

Mulder could not resist the passion which drew him to this shadowy man magically. He stepped forwards. He reached out his hands towards the collar of Krycek's jacket and caressed the smooth black leather as if it was his opponent's skin.

"You smell so good." Mulder's voice sounded seductive and Krycek could feel the warmth of his breath on his skin.

"But my last shower dates back three days."

"I don't care. That's what makes you smell so male." Mulder chuckled and continued his striking.

Right at the moment Krycek wanted to lower his head to kiss Mulder, they heard a sound in front of the apartment's door.

/Knock, knock./

"Mulder? It's me.", Scully said, but added quickly: "I mean, me, Dana Scully!"

"Looks like your chaperon has arrived, Mulder. You've been a bad boy?" Krycek grinned.

"Shit!" Mulder cursed. "She mustn't know you're here.", he mumbled and gently shoved Krycek towards the bathroom. "Hide in there. I'll try to get rid of her as soon as possible." He brushed a light kiss on the other man's mouth. "And prepare for my return.", Mulder said, touched Krycek's intimate parts with a slight grip, giggled childishly and left the bathroom.

When Mulder opened the door, Scully was leaning against the door-frame, she had her eyes half closed and her coat half open so that Mulder could see that she was wearing nothing else. Her tongue slid over her lips and she spoke with a throaty voice.

"Uh, hey Mulder. I came as fast as possible." She looked at him with a seductive gaze.

"Damn, Scully, you're gonna freeze to death! Come in and I get you some of my clothes.", he said honestly concerned and pulled her in.

"But I don't consider it necessary to get dressed...", she whispered and her hands glided under Mulder's shirt to caress his bare chest.

"You are delirious. You must have a shock because of the cold." Mulder removed her hands and fetched a woolen blanket.

Suddenly it came to Scully's mind that Mulder maybe hadn't drunken any water yet.

"I'll use your bathroom for a minute...", she said and turned round.

Mulder shouted to hold her back: "No, Scully, don't..."

Her head twisted. "Why not?"

"Uhm, it's not tidied up.", Mulder said less convincing.

Before he could add something, Scully had already opened the bathroom door. "Well, but it is."

Mulder stood paralyzed hoping Krycek had found a good cache.

Scully turned on the tab, when she suddenly heard a strange sound in the shower-cabin. She turned round and pulled away the curtain.

Mulder closed his eyes expecting the worst.

Scully faced a naked Krycek standing in front of her. Before she was able to utter a scream, she felt her legs give and she lost consciousness...

°°°

"Scully?" Mulder was fanning his hand in front of her face. "Earth to Mars... Can you hear me? We have to find the store Miss Vasquez mentioned."

"Sure.", Scully answered. "Could you please prick me - I must be dreaming."

Mulder smiled suggestively. "I'd love to, Scully. But I don't think that's the right place for our dirty little plays." He took a sheet of paper out of his pocket. "Could you please drive to this address for me? It's the shop where the necklace had been bought. I've got an important date, so I can't do it myself."

Scully read out the name written on the paper: "Black Magic Women store..." She opened her eyes wide. "No, no, Mulder. Please! I can't go there..."

Begging she looked at him.

But Mulder only smiled gently, put on his puppy-gaze and left.

end