Hidden Reflections (4/4)
by Penny Evans 
               
Feedback: evans_p17@sky.com 
Rating: R for violence, sexual images and language.
Category:  Post XF: I Want To Believe / Stand alone horror.
Pairing: MSR
Spoilers: IWTB / The End / Red Museum / Paper Clip / 
The Truth/ The Field Where I Died


PART 4
------

The sleek black SUV pulled up outside of Naomi's building on the 
corner of 25th and Franklin.  For the duration of the journey Dana 
Scully had been seated on the passenger side next to agent Mosley 
Drummy.  She had ridden in one of these vehicles once before, 
throughout that last investigation for the FBI and still couldn't 
help but be impressed with how spacious the vehicle was, allowing 
for plenty of egroom, along with it's rather luxurious and 
comfortable seating.  It was a far cry from the Ford Taurus she 
and Mulder had found themselves lumbered with on most of their 
assignments working those eight years on the X Files.  After their 
unfair dismissal from the FBI, both she and her partner had 
acquired the same make of car, as he'd always thought them 
practical, explaining to her that quality didn't matter.  However, 
he had ended up crashing hers into an icy ravine on that last case, 
only to be fair it hadn't been his fault because it had been that 
same psychotic Russian who had tried to kill him once before, by 
forcing the car over the edge of a cliff with a snowplough!  Even 
though the vehicle was completely written-off, thankfully, Mulder 
hadn't been seriously injured.  However, she had required a new 
set of wheels to get her to and fro from the hospital, so on that 
occasion had treated herself to a white Porsche with her doctor's 
wages.  She had to admit to herself that unlike Mulder, she did 
appreciate style, as well as comfort.

Dana knew she was only going by her gut feelings, and normally 
only dealt with factual evidence before making a decision, but 
after having retrieved Naomi's address from her work colleague 
and friend Mark Holmes, her main objective was getting Mulder 
back safe and sound; no matter what shape or form it took.

Climbing out of the vehicle, both stared at the eye-catching
condominium right in front of them.

"That sure is one hell of a place to live!" Drummy gasped in 
amazement.  "Somewhere real cosy to put one's feet up, unlike 
a run down, rural shack wouldn't you say?"

Realising just what he was insinuating, Scully glared at him 
then headed over to the main entrance.  Finding the correct 
number on the intercom, she pressed the buzzer, and waited 
impatiently.  After receiving no reply she tried again, 
allowing the bell to ring for a little longer this time.

"C'mon Dana, looks like nobody's home," Drummy stated.  "Either 
that, or they don't wish to be disturbed," he added, and couldn't 
help smirking.

"Oh, give it a rest will you?" she said, in annoyance.  But the 
fact of the matter was she wasn't going to get inside the easy 
way, so begrudgingly walked back over to the Expedition.  She was
just about to climb in alongside Drummy who had already started 
up the vehicle, eager to leave.  When she spied a young man, keys 
in hand approaching the main door of the building.  Without any 
hesitation she darted out of the car and made a beeline straight 
for him.

He watched her through the windscreen, talking to this stranger 
for a minute or two, then realised she was madly beckoning him 
to come over, her eyes indicating she needed his assistance 
a.s.a.p.  Letting out an exasperated growl, Drummy switched off 
the engine and reluctantly went over to them, with a clear 
understanding that he wasn't going to be able to make the quick 
getaway he had hoped.

"This is Special Agent Mosley Drummy of the FBI," she told the 
man, whose name she hadn't even asked for.  After indicating to 
the burly African American man beside her that he show his badge 
as proof of his identity, she carried on with her plan of action.  
"I'm Dr. Dana Scully, and we are working on an extremely important 
case.  We require access to this building immediately, as it's a 
matter of urgency." 

"Oh, um, Kevin Hale," the young man replied, shaking their hands, 
rather excited to be faced with a federal agent on a case.  "No 
problem," he added, opening the door to allow them access.  "So, 
are you investigating a murder or something?" he said, keen to 
find out more information.

"Something," Drummy said, forcing his air of authority.  Just 
however this outlandish outcome was going to turn out, he really 
wasn't in the mood to have some enthusiastic crime fan sticking 
his nose in. 

Scully stepped in noticing how even darker clouds were forming 
over the agent. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Hale," she said 
hurriedly.  "We'll take it from here."

"Glad to be of help," Kevin replied exiting towards the stairwell 
hoping that when this felony was reported on the local news, he 
would get his name mentioned, or maybe printed in the Richmond 
Times Dispatch?

"How very take charge we are, Dana," Drummy said astounded, once 
they were alone in the elevator.  Though he had to own up to 
himself that he had been rather impressed as well as amused by 
her sheer determination to get into the place, so much so that 
she would resort to lying about working alongside the FBI on a 
case.  It almost seemed a shame he was going to have to fess up 
about the authorisation he was unable to get from the Bureau, 
although personally he hadn't been expecting their cooperation 
any way.

Stepping out onto the landing, they were met with a cool breeze 
from an electric fan, which hung from a rather beautiful pinewood 
ceiling.  Whilst Drummy was admiring the view, Scully had much 
more important things on her mind.  Crossing over to a door at 
the far end, she checked the number, indicating to her phoney 
co-worker that she had found the right place.  Now all they 
needed to do was get inside, which shouldn't be a problem.

"So, where is it?" she asked him, impatiently.

Drummy knew what she was referring to and shrugged his shoulders.  
"I'm sorry Dana, but I couldn't actually get a search warrant."

"What do you mean you couldn't get it?" she asked, stunned.

Probably best to tell her the truth, he thought.  "They just
figured it would be a complete waste of the Bureau's valuable 
time and resources."  Noticing her eyes were now glowering at 
him, he continued cautiously.  "So, I wasn't assigned to this, 
but decided to accompany you anyway."

"Why, so you could gloat?" Dana asked, angry and hurt by his 
revelation.

What he wanted to say was, no it's because I want you to see 
Mulder in his true colours, as a two-faced, deceitful bastard.  
But what came out was a grumpy cover story that hid his true 
feelings.  "I just decided to give you a helping hand, isn't 
that what you wanted?"

"Okay, well then I need you and your helping hands to pick this 
lock!" she ordered him, abruptly.

Drummy looked at her dumbfounded.  "Didn't you hear me?  I just 
said I couldn't get a warrant.  So I'm not going to pick the 
damn lock, because then we will be committing a crime of breaking 
and entering."

"Look, Drummy.  I need to get into this place and if you won't 
pick the lock then I'll just have to kick the fucking door down!" 
she said, harshly, trying not to raise her voice too much as she 
didn't want a certain female occupant to hear her.

"All right," he said, taken aback by her outburst.  "But you're 
taking the wrap if we end up with criminal charges."

"Fine, I'll take my damn chances," she said, trying to compose 
her self.  "Please just open the door."

Drummy explained that he hadn't brought his lock-picking equipment, 
but before she could flare up again, he hastily took his wallet 
out of an inside pocket of his jacket and produced a credit card.

Once inside Naomi's condo, he thought he'd better follow Scully's 
instructions and hopefully that would cease any more tantrums?  So 
agreeing to check upstairs while she inspected the downstairs, 
without another word he set off down a dim lit hallway. After a 
short while he discovered a metal spiral staircase, which at first 
scrutiny seemed to lead into complete darkness, and started to 
climb.

Meanwhile, Scully wandered slowly through the rooms paying no 
attention to the absolute splendour of each one, which if she 
had wanted to, she could still have taken in even though they 
were unlit.  Following a curved wall around the end of a hall 
this led her to what was obviously the lounge area.  It was then 
she spotted an oval shape glinting across the room, and on closer 
inspection became aware that it was a beautiful guilt-edged 
mirror on the wall above a fireplace.  Her heart almost jumped 
out of her throat, because now her suspicions were confirmed.  
As crazy as it sounded, and knowing it was something that 
certainly would never hold up in a court of law, she now 
believed that this was how the spirit of Kuchisake found Naomi, 
and used her as a host so she could kill reincarnations of her 
husband.  With both hands she carefully removed the mirror from 
its hook.  Feeling the bumps, curves and ridges of its metal 
frame, she realised they were in fact several beautifully carved 
dragons, with eyes made from blood red rubies.  Turning it 
around, she straightaway noticed a mark guaranteeing the 
authenticity of the mirror, which dated it back as far as 14th 
century Japan.  Dana was completely amazed that this was an 
original and not a replica, because a fragile item such as this 
would surely have been destroyed long ago.  Was it possible The 
Slit-Mouth Woman, Kuchisake Onna, had been its owner and when she 
was murdered in front of it, it somehow trapped her spirit and 
protected it from being shattered?  Replacing the mirror back on 
the wall, she caught sight of her shadowy reflection.  At first 
the Wicked Queen's well-known chant from the fairytale came to 
mind.  'Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?'  
But then she started recollecting on what she had read on Mulder's 
computer, and began piecing together yet more unbelievable 
concepts.  

Maybe because the spirit could travel in many reflections, it had 
sought out other Asian beauties in their mirrors over the 
centuries, murdering those who chanted 'Bloody Mary' in front 
of them.  Perhaps Naomi's younger sister had played the same 
morbid game in her parents' bathroom.  Allowing a faint smile 
to appear for a brief moment, she couldn't help thinking that 
to anyone else this would all have sounded completely loony 
tunes, but oh, Mulder would have been so proud of her.  However, 
if these incredible interpretations were true, then he was 
definitely in a world of trouble.  Right then and there she 
hoped and prayed that when Drummy returned, it wouldn't be with 
terrible news.

Agent Drummy crept down the stairs looking for Dana only to 
discover she was in the lounge staring at her image in a large 
mirror.  The look on his face was one of complete self-
satisfaction, and he was just itching to tell her what he'd 
found upstairs, in the bedroom as a matter of fact.  Without 
making a sound he crept up behind placing a hand on her 
shoulder.

The unexpected touch made Scully almost jump out of her skin.  
However all thoughts of a Japanese spirit about to attack 
were quelled when she recognised his own reflection in the 
mirror.  Whirling round to face him she screamed, "Jeeze, 
Drummy!  You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to," he apologised, grinning.

A wave of relief began to wash over her because on first 
impression it looked like he was harbouring good news, but then 
she realised he was looking terribly pleased with himself, 
like the cat who had just devoured a whole pot of cream.  
     
"What?" she asked, frowning?  

"Oh, Dana," he began, displaying another grin.  "I hate to say 
I told you so, but..?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she questioned, getting 
annoyed by his smug attitude.  "What did you find up there?"

"Well first I had to find the bathroom-."

"Of course, your bladder's way more important than finding my 
partner alive and well," she said, cutting him off sharply.

Ignoring her remark he continued what he had to tell her.  "So I 
checked the rooms, which were a study/den and then came across 
the bedroom."  And now for the piece de resistance, he thought.  
"It was fairly dark in there but I did notice two people in 
the bed.  I presume it was that Japanese assistant of yours and 
she was snuggled up with a guy.  Before she could utter any kind 
of reply he added with a smirk, "Your beloved Fox Mulder, I 
believe?  I must say he didn't look to be in any distress, 
all comfy and cosy, wrapped up in her arms under the sheets 
like that."

On hearing his words, Scully just stood rooted to the spot 
open-mouthed staring in disbelief.  "You're lying!" she 
hissed.

"Haven't I've been trying to tell you all along he's been 
screwing the chick, and who wouldn't with such a beautiful 
Japanese woman?  Realising Scully was now backing away from 
him, shaking her head furiously he added, "So, as I predicted 
this has been a complete waste of my valuable time, and I 
should have listened to the FBI's advice not to get involved 
in the first place.  I came with you because I wanted you to 
finally see your boyfriend for who he really is, an 
untrustworthy, dishonest prick!" he announced, proudly, 
expecting the penny to finally drop.

"You bastard!" she exclaimed, outraged and also wounded by 
the way he'd seemed so completely full of him self, whilst 
revealing such cruel observations to her.  "You don't know 
anything about Mulder at all!" she yelled.

"I know what I saw Dana," he said, frustrated that she was 
still refusing to accept the reality of the situation.  "Go 
see for yourself if you don't believe me?"

He needn't have suggested that last part, as she was already 
on her way out of the room.  "Fine, I will," she retorted back 
at him.

Watching her leave, Drummy started to regret his foolishness a 
little, because now this woman was going to have to face the 
truth and he also knew it was going to completely devastate her.  
Still, she had been so incredibly stubborn and annoyed with 
him for not following her ridiculous idea that a mad psychotic 
woman was holding Mulder captive.  So why not let her be forced 
to take off those rose coloured glasses she always wore when it 
came to him?  Once realisation had kicked in he would be 
gracious enough to provide her with a shoulder to cry on, should 
she need it.

Reeling from Drummy's obvious triumphant victory, little by 
little she began climbing the staircase, her mind running a mile
a minute.  She knew Mulder would never cheat on her, so why had 
Drummy discovered him with Naomi in her bed?  He hadn't been 
lying about that, why should he make up such a cruel story?  
But there had to be another explanation, and the more she 
thought about it, she found herself leaning towards the 
paranormal once again.  Maybe the spirit inhabiting her 
assistant's body was somehow able to control her partner, 
making him submit to her sexually?  Perhaps she wanted to make
him think he was her samurai warrior who killed her.  Just then 
a memory came to mind of a young lady named Melissa, who 
Mulder believed had had the ability to slip in and out of past 
lives.  Apparently he also discovered he had been a husband of 
hers in the Civil War, who had died on the battlefield, and they 
were soul mates destined to meet in every lifetime that followed.  
Scully shuddered because even contemplating him having to live 
such an eternal destiny with Kuchisake made her feel sick to her 
stomach.  My god, she thought, anxiety creeping in and holding 
fast.  What if, just like Melissa could return to her former 
selves, Kuchisake had forced Mulder to relive his as Yukio, 
before she ended the man's life? 

Reaching the door she noticed Drummy had left it ajar, so not 
wishing to witness the lovers curled up blissfully, but 
desperate to rescue her partner from an untimely end, she 
timidly pushed it open.  To her complete astonishment yet relief 
she discovered there was only one figure lying in the bed, and 
that was Mulder.  Drummy had said Naomi was with him, so where 
the hell had she gone?  It was almost like she had vanished into 
thin air.

Crossing over, she leaned down gently brushing a lock of hair 
that had fallen across Mulder's face.  Whilst gazing at him she 
started to picture one of Botticelli's divine paintings, as he 
did indeed look like so cherubic as he slept.  Feeling the sting 
of tears as they started to well up in her eyes, she whispered 
his name softly.

"Mulder?"

Emitting a small sigh, he started to stir, so she tried again, 
"Mulder, wake up, it's me."

Very slowly he became aware of a familiar sound, which seemed to 
pierce through the dark dreams he was surrounded in allowing a 
tiny crack of illumination to shine through, and lead him back 
to reality.  Letting his eyes flutter open he recognised his 
guide almost at once.

"Scully?" he said, sleepily.  "You've come?"

"Yes Mulder, I'm here," she replied, quietly.

Now starting to comprehend exactly where he was, a sudden bout
of apprehension struck him hard.  He was lying in Naomi's double 
bed, he realised to his absolute dismay, completely naked under 
the sheets.  In that instant he found himself automatically 
reverting back to the nightmares he'd suffered before the woman 
had woken him to explain that she'd found him passed out on the 
landing.  Then he remembered the seduction scene that had played 
out in his psyche.  'Jesus, it had actually happened to him,' he 
thought, recoiling in disgust, because now it looked like this 
erotic tableau had taken place all over again?

As if to confirm his fears, Scully began to calmly explain what 
Drummy had told her. "H-He found you with Naomi, lying here 
together" she said, her voice almost inaudible.

Feeling like he'd been punched in the gut, Mulder gasped aloud.  
"God, I'm sorry Scully, I'm so very sorry," he said miserably, 
moisture glistening in his eyes.

"So, you-you did sleep with her?" she asked him, knowing the 
answer already.

As he felt the dam begin to break, the tears slowly started to 
course down his cheeks.  Feeling completely distraught he forced 
himself to reply, but could only manage a slightly pathetic nod 
of the head.  How on earth was a rational person like Scully ever 
going to accept that something else had obviously taken charge 
and controlled him like a pawn in a chess game, and as a result 
he and Naomi had ended up having sexual intercourse?  That had 
to have been the case or at least something along those lines 
because one thing he did understand clearly was that he could 
never betray the woman who had finally broken through that 
emotional shell of his and shown him how to truly love 
unconditionally once again, at least not while there was an 
ounce of breath still left in him.  Sure, she had allowed 
herself to become more open minded about the paranormal, but 
this would test her beliefs to the very limit.  Now terribly 
upset, he had already come to the painful conclusion and he 
shuddered, knowing she wasn't going to accept this excuse and 
as a result, walk out of his life forever, and he just 
couldn't bear the thought of that happening!  

Scully gathered him into her arms, rocking him gently as she 
spoke.  "Shhh, Mulder.  It's okay, don't cry."  She paused 
briefly, at first unable to let the words continue, as her 
logical way of thinking tried desperately to advise her that 
what she was about to tell him was completely irrational, but 
pushing it to the back of her mind, she thought, 'Oh, to hell 
with common sense!' and then the nonsensical stuff started to 
pour out.  She told him how she had accessed his computer and 
found information about The Slit-Mouth Woman, and how she had 
actually ended up believing her assistant was possessed after 
the spirit left the mirror and took over Naomi's soul.  That 
very spirit intended to find yet another reincarnation of 
the husband who murdered her, and planned to take her revenge 
on him.  

All the while Mulder's tear stained eyes widened in amazement as 
he listened to her describe this supernatural myth.  Realising 
he had in fact forgotten all about that particular legend he'd 
kept in a separate file, maybe because he'd been concentrating 
so heavily on the 'Bloody Mary' folklore.  He couldn't quite 
believe Scully was explaining it all to him, and making it 
sound completely plausible.

Collecting himself and feeling far less miserable now, he had 
to ask her the question burning on his lips.  "Are you telling 
me you actually believe all this, Scully?" he asked, 
interrupting her flow for a moment. 

Gently pushing him down so his head was resting on the bed 
head, she looked straight at him and smiled.  "Yeah, in this 
case I can honestly say that I am just as capable of being as 
nuts as you are."

The tender jibe caused him to grin back at her, and then he 
remembered the part about the spirit's or Kuchisake's husband, 
and frowned.  "I remember Naomi calling me the name Yukio, 
after she had drugged me."

"Yeah, that's him," Scully sighed heavily.  "You are one of 
those reincarnations."

"And her plan was to seduce me/him before she carried out the 
execution?" he asked, letting it sink in.

"I believe so.  I think she would have slit your throat, as she 
must have done with all those pretty Asian women she was so 
jealous of.  She travelled through mirrors and other reflections 
so she could carry out her task-."

He ended her sentence, "When they summoned her with the 
'Bloody Mary' ritual.  Yes, I remember now, she was related to 
that myth."  Mulder started to become exasperated with himself.  
"Why couldn't I recall any of this?"

"Maybe because Kuchisake clouded your mind?" she suggested.  
"Oh hell, if I'd have let you explain all about this damn myth 
to me in the first place, I could have put two and two together
and realised Naomi was the vessel.  Then I might have reached you 
earlier and prevented her, Kuchisake from making you both end up
in her twisted little sex games!" she blurted out, angrily.

Mulder felt a lump in his throat and swallowed hard, closing his 
eyes briefly.  "Scully..?" he started to say, but couldn't finish.  
Even though he hadn't been able to prevent it, he still couldn't 
help feeling guilty that he'd slept with Naomi.

Pulling him into her embrace, she let him rest his head on her 
shoulder and began to stroke his hair tenderly.  "Oh Mulder, 
I don't blame you for that.  It was the Slit-Mouth Woman's doing, 
not yours, or Naomi's."

Gently raising his head up, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly,
so grateful that she understood.  "I love you, Scully.  I always 
will," he whispered, letting the tears well up again.

Scully was feeling emotional as well, and touched his lips with 
her fingertips.  "I love you too, Mulder and nothing in this 
world, or beyond it, is ever going to change that, my love," 
she said, wrapping her arms around him again, and holding him 
tightly.

Content to be with the woman he cherished above all else, he 
was reluctant to bring up another question that had entered his 
mind, only it was perplexing him and needed to be asked.  "Scully, 
if Kuchisake's main purpose for roaming this plain is to kill 
reincarnations of her husband, then why am I not dead?  And 
where has Naomi gone?"

Scully glanced over to the window, then realised how she had 
managed to flee.  "There's a fire escape out there," she told 
him.  "She must have used that to achieve her disappearing act."

"Okay," Mulder agreed.  "But she was possessed with Kuchisake 
when we had to act out hers and Yukio's love scene.  So why 
didn't she kill me when it was over?  What was she waiting for?" 
he asked, bewildered.

"I don't know." Scully admitted.

Looking into his eyes, she realised Mulder had no suggestion for 
this either.  Did this mean the nightmare wasn't over?  Refusing 
to question it any further she said,  "Would you believe Agent 
Mosley Drummy assisted me in finding you, reluctantly I might 
add.  He needed a hell of a lot of persuading on my part.  He's 
downstairs awaiting our return as we speak."

Mulder stared at her incredulously on hearing this.  "Drummy 
was assigned to help look for me?"

"Not exactly.  The Bureau didn't want any part of it."

"Naturally," he said, forcing a smile.  "Just like old times.  
So, why did he even come along?"

"I believe he wanted to prove to me you weren't to be trusted," 
Scully replied, curtly.

"You mean relish the fact I'd been unfaithful to you?" Mulder 
asked, quietly.

"Exactly," she replied.  "But the bastard can go on thinking 
whatever he damn well likes, because I know the truth now" 
she said, giving him a warm smile.

"That's my girl," Mulder replied, delighted that she had finally 
been able to see the paranormal was the reason why this whole 
nasty affair had occurred.  He immediately cringed inside when 
he realised the unintended pun and added, "Well, I guess I'm 
ready to face the music."

----------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, the sky had grown ominous as a rumble of thunder 
howled like an injured beast, followed by flashes of lightening 
that seemed to slice open the dark clouds, as the torrential rain 
gushed forth like blood pouring from it's wounds.  Outside the 
condominium, now an eerie silhouette that masked the building's 
attractive appearance, a yellow taxi pulled up, and a small figure 
alighted.  Running across to the main entrance, trying to escape 
the downpour, Naomi fumbled with her key but it kept slipping out 
of her trembling hands.  Finally, she managed to open the door and 
entered the lobby, a welcoming contrast to outside with its warm 
and inviting glow that she chose to ignore.  Climbing the stairwell, 
rainwater dripping from her hair, a parallel to the tears that 
were beginning to trickle down her face, the realisations of what 
had taken place in these last several days were now prominent in 
her mind.  The blanket of mist that had enveloped her, concealing 
her actions and making her unable to acknowledge what she had 
been made to do, had been lifted.  

Apart from having a fondness for Fox Mulder, she had strongly 
believed he was her soul mate, and it was this connection that 
had been able to break the spell that had been cast over her just 
enough to stop herself from harming him.  Finding herself beside 
him in her bed only seconds away from slitting his throat with her 
kitchen knife, Naomi had suddenly felt physically sick and in 
complete shock when she realised she had almost committed a 
horrific murder.  She had been unable to comprehend just why 
she had discovered herself in this terrible situation, and her 
mind had been a blank after that.  The only thing she did remember 
was rushing to get dressed and leaving the room via the fire 
escape outside of the window.  After reeling from that major 
discovery, more of her own memories had begun to seep through 
as the spirit of Kuchisake temporarily lost the ability to 
control her.  Now, she knew the reason why she had almost 
taken Mulder's life.  It had been the spirit's lust for 
revenge on her husband's soul, who after possessing her own, 
had used her like a puppet in order to try and make her carry 
out her murderous intentions.

As she stepped into the condo and made her way to the main 
lounge, Naomi was also made aware of those moments when she a
nd Mulder had been bound together in an act of passion, and 
became unsteady as a wave of revulsion washed over her.  She 
really liked Mulder and in another life would have happily enjoyed 
making love with someone as kind as him, but certainly not in the 
perverse way Kuchisake had.  Disturbed by the fact this spirit 
had abused them both in such a way; she staggered over to the 
mirror, which was now casting a translucent glow in the darkened 
room.  

"Show yourself!" she screamed, eyes burning into her own 
reflection.  "Come on, let me see the thing that's been hiding 
in me, forcing me to bend to its will, so I almost killed 
someone I cared about."  

As if to taunt her, the mirror remained unchanged and only her 
image stared back at her.  Wild eyed, with streaks of make-up
running down her face due to the tears that had fallen, hair 
now uncombed and bedraggled, she looked like a madwoman.

"Show yourself you bitch!"

Slowly the reflection began to shimmer and the next moment
Kuchisake appeared in all her horrific glory.  Her mutilated 
mouth would have been sneering in contempt at the woman who had 
the audacity to summon her, if it had been possible to do so.

"He may have escaped me, for now, but think of all the other's I 
have had the pleasure of knowing." 

Remembering the information about the legend Mulder had shown
her, Naomi shivered as it now all began to become clear.  
"Bloody Mary?  It was you?"

"Oh please, say it three times," Kuchisake teased, menacingly.

Naomi heard the cruel words penetrating her mind, and shuddered
in horror because now she knew some of her victims had been close 
to her heart.  "Why?  So you can murder me, like you murdered 
my fiance and sister, and all those other people?"

"Now he was delicious and you did such a wonderful job, Naomi, 
helping me to slice his throat like a stuck pig."  Before the 
woman could utter any kind of a reply the spirit added, "Your 
sweet sister was yet another female who dared to call me forth, 
just like all those others I encountered on my travels.  After 
my husband intervened and I became trapped in my mirror, it was 
a blessing to discover I could move into any reflection, as it 
allowed me to meet so many lovely young women who were blessed 
with the beauty I once had before Yukio destroyed my looks.  
Just one swift cut with his sword was all it took.  But I guess 
he didn't feel his handiwork was complete until he beheaded me 
as well."

Closing her eyes, allowing the torrent of pain to engulf her in 
its wake, she faced the hideous image again.  "And you possessed 
me because you needed to be in corporeal form, to carry out the 
death sentence of another reincarnation?" Naomi asked, her 
voice trembling.

"Let me finish telling you my tale, Naomi," the spirit began in 
a singsong voice. 

It was similar to the way her mother had sounded before reading 
her a bedtime story as she had every night when she'd been a 
child, and it made the woman cringe.

"Once-upon-a-time, there was an innocent woman like yourself, 
only she fell in love with a jealous and possessive man who 
wanted to own her completely.  So he took her whenever he 
desired to satisfy his insatiable lust.  She was terrified 
yet consumed by his power over her and so submitted her heart 
and soul to him completely.  Then one day a handsome prince 
came to rescue this pitiful maiden from the evil warrior.  Their 
plan was to run away together but on one fateful day the husband
discovered the lovers' plight and in his jealous rage, murdered 
her in front of her mirror - this very mirror in fact.  Alas, in 
this fairytale no one lived happily ever after.  So, now you can 
see why I decided to seek revenge for my brutal murder by killing 
reincarnations of my beloved Yukio."

Another memory of their passionate encounter became clear, and 
then it struck her like a slap in the face.  Mulder had been the 
one who had instigated every move, not her; only the act had been 
forceful and violent.  Certainly not the way she believed he 
would ever act towards a woman.  Naomi thought she had an 
explanation, but was terrified to think it might be right.  
Throughout the centuries Kuchisake must not only have regressed 
men who were reincarnations of her husband, making them believe 
they were reliving their past as him all over again, but also 
Yukio's soul itself was able to possess the man like Kuchisake 
possessed her. 

"That's why Mulder seduced me," Naomi said, appalled.  "You may 
have been afraid of Yukio but you also brought him forth because 
you both craved each other's twisted love!  You made innocent men 
like Mulder act out his past life as your possessive husband," 
she said, bitterly.  

Laughter rang out loud and clear, almost deafening.  "Innocent?"  
My dear Naomi, none of these men are blameless, no matter how 
honest and gentle they seem to be. They were all Yukio once, and 
he was far from innocent."

"Then why did you have me kill my fiance?  He wasn't any 
reincarnation, so why did you force me to murder him?" Naomi 
demanded to know, tears evident once more. 

"Why, you are my favourite Naomi," the spirit said, as if she was 
praising a daughter of her own.  "No one else was going to claim 
your love like I did, certainly not some mere man.  So I played 
out my little death scene with you and him, and it was 
exquisite.

"So, because love destroyed you, then you want to destroy anyone 
else's chance for happiness?" she replied, sickened by what she'd 
just heard.

"He made me this way," Kuchisake stressed, beginning to get 
irritated.

"But clearly you blame all men, and not just Yukio," she pointed 
out, realising the hatred was so powerful in this spirit, that 
she was actually seeking revenge on the male species as a whole.

"You don't understand!" the spirit told her, angrily.

 "Oh, I think I do," Naomi replied, harshly, recalling another gem 
of information from the 'Bloody Mary' myths that Mulder had shown 
her.  

Spirits were like wounded animals lost and in pain, living the 
same tragedies and same vengeances.  Something happened to them 
when they were alive that they couldn't control and after their 
lives were brought to a horrific end they became vengeful spirits, 
trapped in an endless loop forever carrying out their unfinished 
business.  Realising that in this case it would be everlasting 
revenge, she decided that she must make Kuchisake recognise the 
sheer pointlessness of it all but first would approach her by 
trying to see her point of view, at least partly.

"After your tale of woe, I admit I sympathised with that innocent 
woman whose husband murdered in a fit of jealousy," she said, 
aware of the cruelty she had suffered at his hands.

Kuchisake was completely taken aback by Naomi's words of 
understanding.  "You are the only mortal who has said this to 
me," she said, almost on the verge of thanking her.

Unfortunately though, this compassion was as far as the woman 
was going to allow herself to feel.  "However, when you became 
this vengeful spirit because of the sheer hatred you took with 
you at the moment of your death those people you chose started 
suffering the consequences.  Men who had the misfortune of being 
a reincarnation of your husband, or those that just got in your 
way, and women because they were blessed with the same beauty 
that you once had.  But don't you see?  You will carry on till 
eternity, continuously roaming through future centuries and an 
infinite number of innocent people will die by your hands."

"I believe it was your tender hands that ended one of these 
lives," she corrected her in a mocking tone.

Naomi took a deep breath, trying hard not to let the fury that 
was building up inside escape.  She had hoped she was getting 
through to her, but the sad fact was Kuchisake was going to 
remain obstinate and refuse to look beyond her narrowed vision.  
However, she was going to try one last time before she would 
let herself admit defeat.

"You will never find peace, not this way," she said, praying it 
would make her listen to reason.

In answer the reflection's eyes narrowed in disgust, although
the grotesque mouth could not display the same emotion.  "You 
tried your best Naomi, I'll grant you that," Kuchisake said, 
evenly.  "However, I'm going to require your assistance once 
more, as I believe there is a certain man out there who thinks 
he has escaped my wrath.  He is very much mistaken and I intend 
to make him realise this."

Feeling a heavy pressure starting to build up inside her head, 
Naomi realised to her horror that the spirit was doing its 
damnedest to take possession of her body.  Once that happened 
and she found herself completely at its mercy again, it would 
be her hands that would be responsible for ending this man's 
life.  "No!" she screamed, fighting for control.

"Stupid girl," Kuchisake said with disdain.  "You can't stop 
me."

"Well, I did before," she reminded her, continuing to struggle 
against the powerful force that was trying to penetrate her 
very soul.  Clasping her hands to her head she yelled, "And 
I'll do it again!"

"Will you now?"  The spirit was enjoying watching the woman 
writhe around in her attempt to prevent it from taking her over 
but she was getting weaker and weaker and would very soon 
become her willing accomplice.

Naomi could feel it trying to overpower her, but was dammed if 
she was going to be defeated.  There had been a time she'd 
managed to become lucid, when she had almost killed him once 
before, and it seemed her deep feelings for him had prevented 
this from happening.

"No!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  "You are not 
signing Mulder's death warrant!  I won't let you!"

With her last ounce of strength, she lunged at the mirror.  
"I love him!" she yelled.  Pulling it off its hook, she stared 
one last time at Kuchisake's hideous face.  "Let me release 
your tortured and twisted soul once and for all," she cried out, 
hurling it onto the wooden floor. 
 
After surviving for thousands of years, Naomi was the first and 
last person to witness it finally shatter on impact before 
she collapsed from sheer exhaustion into a crumpled heap 
beside the mirror, its heart now broken forever.

---------------------------------------------------------------

It was still dark when Naomi came round and discovered herself 
lying on the floor beside the fireplace in her lounge.  Looking 
up she noticed the first signs of daylight beginning to creep in, 
casting eerie shadows in the room.  Slowly coming to her senses, 
she stumbled to her feet, allowing herself to remember what had 
happened during the night.  Her head ached, painfully so, but at 
the same time, deep inside she felt a growing relief that she 
had somehow managed to smash the enchanted mirror which had 
imprisoned Kuchisake's vengeful spirit.  Staring down at the 
shattered remnants of what was left, she let out a heavy sigh. 

"May you rest in peace now," she whispered, closing her eyes 
in prayer.

Suddenly a wave of nausea hit her and she fell against the wall 
where the mirror had once hung in all its magnificent splendour.  
The throbbing pain began to increase and she groaned aloud, 
begging for it to cease.  Ignoring her pleas it became so 
ntense that she was unable to think clearly, and it was only 
then she recognised the horrifying truth of what was happening?  
She could feel it twisting and turning, grasping at her very 
essence and choking the life out of her.

"Oh god," she gasped, "She can't have."

But the voice she thought she'd never hear again, echoed in her 
mind, forcing itself to be acknowledged.  "Did you honestly think 
you could win?"

"Please-" Naomi began, helplessly.  She'd had let herself 
foolishly believe that she could bring the spirit's wrath to an 
end by breaking the object that had been imprisoning it.  Only 
now it had escaped, this time aiming its revenge on the one 
person who had tried to stop it.

"Ah, you are so intelligent," Kuchisake said, full of sarcasm as 
it read her thoughts. "Oh yes, after loosing your soul completely, 
I will become you for the rest of your natural born life, my 
sweet Naomi.  So, be a good girl and surrender to me."

As the words sank in, she knew the spirit was going to seal her 
fate, and soon.  Unless?  Without a word, Naomi removed her watch 
and stamped on it, cracking the plastic cover.  She didn't know 
how much time she had left, and so knew she must act fast.  Even 
though her head was pounding and her insides screaming, she 
swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat and took 
deep breaths, forcing herself to be calm.  Hurriedly she checked 
all around the room just in case there were any more reflections, 
any other possible means of escape.  All the while she could hear 
Kuchisake asking her what her intentions were.  Well, she was 
going to prove to this spirit once and for all just how clever 
she was.  Refusing to give her an answer, she then cleared her 
mind completely, an art of meditation she had tried several times 
back in Japan, and as a result it left Kuchisake with nothing but 
an empty void to listen to.  

Now she knew what she must do.  Kneeling down, Naomi carefully 
picked up the broken bits of mirror and placed them into the 
fireplace, leaving a solitary piece on the floor.  Then after 
lighting a match, she watched as the flames engulfed it.  Only 
then did she allow a single thought to emerge, as she pictured 
Mulder in her mind's eye.  But as soon as she had done this, 
Kuchisake's hatred for him began welling up inside.  However, 
she ignored this feeling by completely concentrating on the 
kindness he had shown her when they had first met.

"Please, find the happiness you deserve with Scully," she 
murmured, softly, as tears started to course down her cheeks.  
Realising it was something she was never going to share with him 
or indeed anyone else, ever again, she picked up the broken 
shard that had been left on the floor and with deliberate, swift 
movements slashed both of her wrists.  Mercifully the pain was 
brief.  Maybe the spirit had known what the outcome would be 
all along and had taken pity on her this time.

"Rest now," she whispered.

As she lay on the floor, blood continued to pour from self-
inflicted wounds and pooled all around her.  She managed a 
faint smile before darkness descended upon her for the very 
last time.  

Naomi had been proven correct.  Since she had taken her life 
without any anger in her heart, Kuchisake's vengeful spirit, 
which had held her prisoner for so long, was cleansed and 
released from her torment, as was her own soul.  Now both 
could finally find peace at last.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Single-Story Rural Home, Virginia, USA, 
February 25th 2009

Epilogue

A week had passed since his ordeal with yet another paranormal 
myth becoming a part of his reality, this time resulting in 
the death of a young woman he had become very close to.  They 
had been closer than he liked to admit actually, even if a 
vengeful spirit had been the cause, so technically it hadn't 
been his fault.  Unfortunately, he had to discover this terrible 
tragedy from a man who despised him.  Agent Mosley Drummy had 
sounded sympathetic on the phone, but Mulder knew the man still 
believed he'd had an affair with the victim, and nothing was 
going to change his mind about that.  Scully had even told him 
Drummy thought she was a fool for choosing to ignore this and 
taking him back.  

Now Mulder was at home in his study reading the latest issue of 
the Richmond Times Dispatch and had come across one of its 
sensational headlines, JAPANESE WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN HER 
PENTHOUSE!  The title alone made him cringe in disgust.  
Noticing the black and white photo hadn't done her any justice; 
he let out a sigh of annoyance.  Naomi had been far more 
beautiful than this had depicted her.  Tenderly, he let his 
fingers stroke the grainy image on the newspaper.  Then he 
started to read with caution, as he knew from experience how 
journalists liked to bend the truth.  Just as he had predicted, 
this article didn't fail to disappoint him with that observation.  
So the coroner had reported it as a suicide case and not foul 
play?  Well, what a surprise.  It was clear the one-track 
minded reporter was only interested in the fact that the 
woman had spent time in a psychiatric unit after suffering the 
tragic loss of her fiance and younger sister who had also 
committed suicide.  Even though her mother and cousin had 
believed she was fit enough to face the real world, that had 
obviously not been the case, so Naomi had become completely 
unstable one night and killed herself.

Carefully, he began cutting the article out of the paper and 
as he did so a tear rolled down his face.  Brushing it away, 
Mulder couldn't help feeling angry that most people would read 
this trash and would be led to believe that Naomi was just some 
nutcase that shouldn't have been let out in the first place.  
A handful would perhaps see her plight as a tragic cry for help 
after suffering such incredible loss in her life.  Only Scully 
and he would know how this brave young woman, clearly completely 
sane, found the strength to finally end the Slit-Mouth Woman's 
endless search for revenge on the husband who brutally murdered 
her back in 14th Century Japan, by taking her own life. 
 
Crossing over to his wall, he began pinning up the article next 
to all his other newspaper clippings.  All, in one-way or another, 
had been related to the paranormal even if each reporter had 
failed to mention this.  Even though that Frankenstein case 
had been 95% science, there had still been a psychic connection.

He stood looking at her photo again, and felt tears brimming up 
in his eyes, so blinked them away.  He was so grateful Scully 
had managed to come to his rescue but he wished he could have 
done the same for Naomi.  Alas, fate had not allowed him to be 
the hero on this occasion.

As he was pondering that sad fact, Dana entered dressed in a 
long silk, sapphire blue nightgown, walked over, and wrapped 
her arms around him from behind, holding him tightly against 
her.

He turned around and planted a warm kiss on her lips, which 
she returned with equal affection.

"I know why Kuchisake didn't kill me now.  Naomi was able to 
take some form of control; I mean she succeeded in bringing the 
spirit's wrath to an end but what gave her the strength?  How 
did she stop her from cutting my throat?" Mulder asked her, 
still trying to answer questions that refused to go away.

Maybe it was women's intuition or some such thing.  However, 
Scully was sure she knew the reason why but decided to be 
diplomatic about it.  "Maybe it's because she fell in love with 
you.  So, when Kuchisake wanted revenge on this particular 
reincarnation of Yukio," she said, placing one hand on his chest,  
"Then Naomi had her heart set on rescuing you, even if the cost 
was her own life."  

In response she felt him shudder in her arms, so squeezed him 
gently.  "I have never blamed you for sleeping with her, you 
know that my love," she reassured him.  "It was all the fault 
of that damned Slit-Mouth Woman."

Mulder had once been so distraught, believing that she would 
never in a million years accept a paranormal excuse for his 
and Naomi's passionate tryst.  Yet, she had and now he was 
even more relaxed with this woman than he had ever been in his 
life.  He felt he could tell her all of his secrets now.  So 
he began explaining one in particular, that he thought he'd 
never reveal for fear of her hating him.  He related how he 
had been made to carry the painful burden of knowing he was 
the reason Sam had been taken and not him.  However, on the 
very same night Naomi killed herself, it suddenly became clear
to him that the memory had been a lie, which Kuchisake had 
forced him to believe.  Perhaps it was because she simply got 
pure enjoyment out of torturing the men-folk who used to be 
Yukio before killing them.  He wasn't sure, but it did sound 
like her sort of twisted logic.  Only it seemed once the spirit 
was released her power also dissipated, breaking the spell she'd 
cast on him, as it were.  

Mulder had to admit to himself though, had this terrible secret 
actually been the truth, god forbid, he wasn't certain if he 
would have plucked up the courage to tell Scully. 

"Mulder?" she said, after he'd finished reminiscing over these 
past events.  "I can't say I'm over the moon that I had to open 
myself fully to the paranormal.  I mean, I promised myself after 
the Frankenstein caper I would never get involved again."

"I know, Scully," he interrupted.  "And I don't mind telling you 
I had fears that even though you had to witness the weird and 
wonderful all over again, that you would completely dismiss it 
like you've done before."

"Believe me, I would love to say that none of that actually 
happened, but how can I?" she admitted.  "Only I saw how all 
this affected Naomi, so of course I'm reluctant to embrace it 
completely."

"Oh, oh.  Here it comes," Mulder said worriedly, ready for a 
change of heart.

Dana punched him playfully on the shoulder.  "There's no need 
for oh, oh," she assured him, then added, "Deep down I would 
still love you to retire from your ghost busting business."  
She noticed a frown appear on his face, and gave him a big 
smile. "But," she emphasised.  "If it wasn't for your 
involvement and Naomi's attraction for you, then Kuchisake 
would still be exacting revenge.  They say everything happens 
for a reason," she said, forlornly.

"How about some sort of compromise?" he suggested, trying to 
offer a solution and at the same time cheer her up.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked, curiously, raising an 
eyebrow at him.

"Well, I've been keeping a journal of most of our X File cases, 
including that modern Frankenstein incident," he told her, 
with a smile.  "I'm also planning to type up an account of 
this recent one involving Naomi," he added quietly, allowing 
a wave of emotion to wash over him, but let it pass.  "I'm 
thinking of translating the whole kit and caboodle into a novel," 
he announced.  "Well, you did tell me to put it all in a book," 
he reminded her, then added, "Perhaps it will even make us some 
extra cash."

"Your first ever paranormal masterpiece, huh?" Scully said, 
grinning.  She also couldn't help being touched that he was 
thinking only of their income, and not even considering whether 
or not it could lead him to becoming a successful, accomplished 
author.  Hey, anything was possible.  "Oh, it's sure to be a 
runaway success," she said, squeezing his hand, gently.

He realised she was offering words of encouragement and pulled 
her into a bear hug.  "That'll be the heart of the storyline.  
So, of course it will have to be labelled as a piece of fiction, 
not fact," he grinned, sheepishly, stroking her long auburn hair.

Scully gave him a loving peck, and then smiled knowingly.  "Of 
course."

Gently, he stepped back but still kept a hold on her.  He had 
another question; only this was most likely going to alter the 
mood, so he wanted to be prepared.  "And speaking of phenomena 
and the like, what about 2012?"

Her expression revealed to him that she was stunned by his change 
of subject.  Well it had been the first time he'd actually 
mentioned it to her since she'd discovered the date of the alien 
invasion, all thanks to his real father, the dearly departed 
smoking son-of-a-bitch.  So now he was wishing he hadn't brought 
it up?  

"Oh, Scully?" he said, about to apologise profusely.
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she replied, 
abruptly.  

That certainly wasn't the answer he'd been expecting, only he 
could tell by the tone in her voice it was all she was going to 
say on the subject.  So, he just nodded in reply, because the 
truth of the matter was he didn't want an argument to kill the 
mood.  So the aliens could wait, for now. 

Scully was pleased to see the discussion wasn't going any further.  
"Please, let's just enjoy living in the moment, Hon," she begged 
lightly, whilst grabbing him firmly by the hand and pulling him out 
of the study, away from all his paranormal paraphernalia.

"Scully, you read my mind," he teased, winking at her.

"Nasty habit," she said, beaming all over her face.

Mulder returned the grin; aware they were now in the living area.  
Whirling her around into his arms, he kissed her deeply, whilst 
backing her towards the sofa. 

Scully broke the kiss when she realised his intentions.  "Oh 
Mulder, wouldn't you prefer our nice comfy bed," she said, 
excitedly.

"And here I was thinking it was going to be a quick fumble," 
he joked.  "You mean you don't have to go back to work?" he 
asked, pretending to be surprised.

"Nope," she replied, "I'm all yours, babe!"

"It's times like these when I realise just what a lucky man I 
am," he told her, meaningfully.

"You sure are," she teased.

"C'mere, you," he said, once again pulling her into his arms. 
 
A good while was spent drowning each other in passionate kisses, 
and then taking her by the hand, Mulder led them to their bedroom, 
for a much long awaited night of lovemaking.

THE END
xxxxxxx