***Part 7***

Mulder held Scully's hand feeling a little giddy at the rightness he felt in doing it. He was walking her through a few of the cemeteries he had accompanied Buffy to earlier in the evening. He was admittedly distracted from Scully's chatter about the movie they had seen together. It was a beautiful night, cool but not overly windy and the sky was brightly lit by a plethora of stars. It sure beat the early November nights he was used to in D.C.

"What was that, Scully," he asked realizing she was waiting for a reply from him.

"I asked if you knew who the bad guy was all along?"

"Oh, no, I didn't. Why? Should I have?"

"Well, you are reputed to be a pretty good tracker of serial killers."

"Oh sure, but when I go see a movie like that I go to be entertained not to work. It was good to let Alex Cross do the investigating and just kick back and watch."

"I think you're taking this respite from the Bureau a little too well, Mulder."

"Maybe you're right, Scully," he said. "It was a pretty good adaptation, though, of the book."

"You've read the book?"

"Sure, I'm a big fan of James Patterson. I'm not sure that I'd have cast Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross," he shrugged. "And I'm not sure why they made a movie out of the second book in the series first."

"Wow," Scully said and Mulder turned to look at her, seeing the look of shock on her face.

"What? Surely you don't think all I do is sit and watch pornos in my free time?"

"Well, Mulder, the evidence suggests," she said glibly.

"Right," he said dryly.

Their conversation turned to the Slayer and the things Mulder had witnessed earlier that evening, her dusting two newly risen vampires, relating the tales Buffy told him of past battles. He did think things over in his mind before saying them, wanting to make sure that he was not betraying some sort of confidence Buffy had instilled in him.

He and Scully were partners, they told one another everything for the most part, but Buffy had taken his card earlier and hopefully when something like the events that occurred on Halloween happened again she would call him. Mulder did not want to jeopardize his contact, surely Mr. Giles would not call Mulder in.

"So you really believe these stories? That she's some sort of superhero?"

"I do, Scully. I mean if you could see for yourself. I mean, she fights like no woman I've ever seen, no man for that matter. She'd kick my ass in a heartbeat."

"Well, you're not exactly Mike Tyson, Mulder."

"No, I realize that, Scully," he said. He sighed a little as they walked past the third cemetery with no signs of Buffy or her boyfriend. "I was hoping since she had said she was making the rounds again we might encounter them and you could see her in action."

"I was wondering why you were walking me past cemeteries," she chuckled lightly. "I just find it hard to believe. I know what Mr. Giles told me and I know what you've related to me, but there has to be some explanation for it. Something logical that we're just not seeing."

"Like what, drugs?"

"Well, it's a possibility."

"I don't think so. Do you honestly think that librarian would drug her up, Scully? Come on."

"No," she sighed and Mulder knew she was running out of arguments. Just as he had given up hope of running into Buffy and giving Scully an up close and personal view of the girl in action he heard sounds coming from across the street.

Mulder practically dragged Scully in the direction of the sounds anxious for her to see the girl perform her duties. "Mulder what are you doing?"

"Sh, Scully," he whispered as he prompted her to crouch behind some headstones once they had made their way into the cemetery and near the fighting.

Mulder all but forgot Scully was there as he watched Buffy and Angel fight an octet of vampires. Lunging, parrying, kicking, punching, and other moves he did not know what to put names to he and Scully were both witness to. This was far more exciting than earlier in the night. Watching her now it was almost as if she had purposely kept Mulder out of harm's way, planning on coming back out all along. He was not sure if he was upset or not, knowing more than likely the girl was not used to having civilians along. As if he would jump for joy at the idea of some guy tagging along while he was making the rounds investigating a case.

"Mulder, I don't believe this," Scully whispered and Mulder did not have to look at her to know that she was trying unsuccessfully to come up with a scientific explanation for the things they were witnessing.

Only three of the eight remained with Buffy dusting three of the five done away with. Angel was no slouch either Mulder could not help but notice. The man moved with such stealth and grace it was rather amazing. The two worked well together, this obviously was not their first time going through this. Neither allowed themselves to be distracted by the other yet it was obvious they were in perfect time, in sync with one another as if the dance they were doing had been choreographed. It could not have been, they would never know night to night, fight to fight how many or what they would encounter.

Buffy dusted two of the remaining three, turning her attention to the last of the eight which currently had an upper hand on Angel. Mulder watched almost like it was playing out in slow motion as the vamp picked up a discarded stake aiming it at Angel's chest. Mulder heard Buffy cry out "no" as Angel fell to the ground clutching his chest where the stake even from the distance was visibly imbedded.

Mulder had to hand it to the young Slayer, despite her boyfriend being on the ground and perhaps dying she went on with business until the last of the vampires was dust. He saw her fall to the ground, kneeling beside Angel. "Come on Scully," Mulder said without thought. Scully was a doctor, she could help while Mulder went and got their rental car and got the man to the hospital.

"What? Mulder," she said a hint of protest in her voice but she followed him. Mulder could tell from the look in her eyes that she was still processing all of the information and was functioning more on auto-pilot than anything else.

The two agents made their way to Buffy and her wounded boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Baby, I know this is going to hurt," Mulder heard her say as she placed her hand over the end of the stake sticking out of the man's chest.

"Buffy," Scully called out. "Don't move it!" Mulder watched as Scully made her way to Angel's side, the medical doctor frame of mind kicking in. "You don't want to move it and do more damage," she said and then stopped short. "You could puncture a lung or pierce his heart," she continued under her breath, but Mulder was familiar enough with her to know she had just finished the thought.

"Scully," Mulder said as he approached her and instantly realized what had drawn his partner to a dead stop. Angel's face had changed from that of the almost angelic looking man appropriate to his namesake to that of one of the vampire's that Buffy was supposed to be fighting against. "He's a," Mulder trailed off certain that this was some sort of trick.

Scully seemed to get over her initial shock, though, either that or she was too focused on the injured man to worry. Mulder watched still somewhat confused by the unfolding events as she knelt at the opposite side of Angel as Buffy, her fingers reaching to his neck to feel for a pulse. "He has no pulse," she murmured.

Buffy looked at her, tears flowing freely along her cheeks. "Have to take it out," Buffy murmured. Recognition and comprehension seemed to come to her as Scully moved her hand to his wrist to seek a pulse in another pulse point. "You won't find a pulse, Agent Scully," she said simply gesturing to Angel lying still on the ground.

"He's a vampire," Mulder said softly. "I don't understand."

"Oh God, you weren't supposed to find out. No one is supposed to find out," Buffy said softly. "Help me take the stake out, Agent Scully. Agent Mulder said you were a doctor, help me get it out. He's still here, so it didn't knick his heart." She took her blood coated hands and cupped Angel's face. "It's okay, Baby, Agent Scully and I are going to help you."

"I'll go get the car," Mulder said and then paused. "Uh, Buffy," he said not wanting to leave his partner in danger. He suspected, somehow, that if Buffy trusted this man, vampire, he corrected, Scully would be safe but he had to be sure. He had to hear those words from the young girl's mouth or he would take Scully with him and leave her here to work this out herself.

She lifted her head, having been whispering words Mulder could not make out into the vampire's ear. "Yes, Agent Mulder," she said and Mulder was surprised by the calm in her voice. The tears were still there, unshed and shed ones evident in her eyes and on her face and yet she was calm.

"He's not going to hurt my partner is he?"

"No, Agent Mulder, he does not harm humans," she said simply. "It's a long story and I'll be happy to tell it to you after I've gotten this stake out of his chest, gotten him home, cleaned him up and into a bed where he can recover." She turned pleading eyes to Agent Scully. "Please help him, if we don't get the stake out soon he will start to heal around it."

"Against my better judgment," Scully said.

"I accept responsibility, Agent Scully. I couldn't sue you anyway. We're in the middle of a cemetery, you're here on unofficial business, and vampires don't exist in the real world. I'm sure even you did not believe in them until tonight. At least not completely." Mulder chuckled lightly.

"All right, I'll be right back with the car then," Mulder said turning away from them. He glanced around the cemetery, gathering his bearings of where he was exactly before jogging in the direction of his rented Oldsmobile.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com