fandomtownies | Caritas: Friday Night

♥

Scully hadn't been certain last weekend how she wanted to start this, but she had a pretty good idea by now. She turned to Raven, and cautioned her, "You're still sure about this?"

Raven nodded firmly, hiding her nervousness. "I am certain," she said. "You may count on me."

"Thank you, Raven." Scully steeled herself, then took a breath.

Agent Scully approached the bar and gave the bartender a calm inspection. "Jessica? Last name unknown?"

"My last name ain't unknown," Jessica said, eyeing Scully. "It's Hamby. Though I'm thinkin' of changing it now, maybe I can go by one name or somethin'."

Scully got out a pen and unhurriedly wrote that down, then gave her an inquiring look. "Miss Hambly. We're given to understand that you were on a date with a Mr. William Scully last Saturday night. Would you be so kind as to describe the events of that evening? In your own words."

Ooooops.

"Yeah, I showed him around the island," Jessica said defensively. "What's it to you? You the sister he was visitin' or somethin'?"

Interesting. Possible she'd heard the Radio report of Mulder waking up in the graveyard, but much more likely she'd left him there.

Scully gave her an unflustered look. "Yes." She paused, and raised a meaningful eyebrow. "Can you tell me what the two of you did that evening?"

"You mean did we make out or something?" Jessica grinned. "He was real cute and all, but he's kinda old for me."

That would be Scully having an internal twitch at the idea of Mulder making out with a vampire. Especially one close to her age. With red hair-- oh thank God. The initial ewww got drowned out by whew.

"Yes, he would be," she said dryly. "I meant more, where did the two of you explore the island? He was rather ... unable to comment, precisely."

Raven picked up on Scully's feelings and gave her a curious look. It was impressive how she didn't let the emotions reach her face.

"Ummm, we walked around town," Jessica lied, hoping she was doing a better job of it than she had with Bill last week. "And down by the docks. And then back to my apartment where we said good night." She winked at Scully, trying to distract her with jealousy. "He was real sweet."

The deadpan didn't so much as flicker. Sister, sister, sister. Well. Partner. That bedrock was solid enough to keep Scully calm as Jessica hinted at more. "I don't doubt it. You didn't go to the graveyard with him? He wanted to investigate it, he'd said earlier."

"Well, sure, I pointed it out to him," Jessica said. Well, she would've if they'd actually gotten that far! "Seein' as it's right around the corner from where I live. But we didn't go into it since it was dark and all."

Scully nodded slowly, then said, "And you didn't notice anyone else in the area at that time? No one loitering?"

"Well, I wasn't really lookin' for anyone," Jessica giggled, twirling a finger in her hair. "All my attention was on Billy."

"She is not telling the complete truth," Raven said helpfully, reading the vampire's emotions. She was lingering behind Scully, still too anxious to get much closer to Jessica. "She was attracted to him, but not as much as she is trying to make you believe. And...I am sensing the memory of hunger."

"Thank you," Scully said very seriously. For that alone, asking Raven to come along had been worth it.

Then got up on the edge of the bar rail and leaned over, glaring at Jessica. "Here's what I think happened. Billy donated blood. You wandered around for only a little bit, then you drank the blood he'd brought you. And decided you wanted more." She placed her hands down on the bar, the better to loom from a very short height. "You bit him. Thankfully, you didn't kill him. Then you hypnotized him to go to the graveyard, and told him he was attacked by a very big guy who looked like Dracula." Her temper was starting to simmer. "And you didn't check on him to see if he bled out, call an ambulance, or even send him somewhere he could get help."

Jessica shot Raven a dirty look. "What, are you like Sookie or somethin'? She can't read my thoughts and you're not allowed either!" It didn't work that way, Jessica.

She looked back to Scully, still keeping the glare. "He gave me his blood!" she said, dropping the act. "What do you expect? I'm a Vam. Pire. And I made sure he was OK!"

"That's my job," Scully snapped. "And you didn't do it well enough that I didn't have to give him and IV when he got back to his hotel room, and watch him the rest of the day in case something happened to him." She took a deep breath, and pulled her temper under control, voice dropping to quiet coldness. "Did Billy happen to mention where he works to you?"

"No, he didn't," Jessica said, crossing her arms, still in full bitchface. "I didn't exactly care to ask him. And he was alive, that's what matters, right?" She hadn't killed him like her first attempt at drinking from a human. Progress!

"He's a profiler for the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Scully said, giving her a full bitchface back. "And that constitutes assault on a federal officer. Questions of interdimensional jurisdiction aside, I can't think 'I left him alive' would be regarded as much of a defense."

Uh oh.

"He gave me his blood!" Jessica protested, starting to panic and flail. "I couldn't help myself! He knew I was a vampire!"

"I am not sensing ill intent from her," Raven murmured to Scully, leaning in closer to her while still keeping an eye on Jessica. "I do not think she acted maliciously. She seems genuinely relieved that your brother was not permanently harmed."

Scully nodded, and released a slow, irritated breath. Not with Raven, or even with Jessica. With the constraints of the situation, and Mulder being... Mulder.

"Jessica. I believe you." Because this was just what he did. "And Billy doesn't need this kind of investigation on his record." She settled back on her heels, no longer looming or attempting to, no longer glaring. She gave her a long, serious look. "This can't happen again. You realize that, right?"

"Look, I'm kinda new at this being a vampire thing," Jessica said, relieved that Scully didn't seem to want to stake her. "My maker wouldn't teach me how to drink from somebody so I'm just figurin' it out on my own. I didn't want to hurt Billy, really!"

Scully sighed grimly, then looked over at Raven, and finally came to a decision.

"I'm not the police." Any more. "And I'm not a vigilante. I think you need to get help with this. And I'll be keeping an eye out for you, Jessica." In both the benevolent and graver senses. "Please don't make me regret not reporting this to the Fandom P.D."

"I'm a vampire," Jessica said sulkily. "Drinkin' blood is kinda what I do. They don't really got a 12 step program for somebody like me. But Billy said I should find people to volunteer to give me blood, that's okay, right?"

"That... shouldn't be a problem." Scully dialed the glare up again. "I work at the Clinic. I'll be checking our stores regularly." So no ideas about stealing it. "I would also suggest you find some kind of mentor. If you need help drinking-- get a sponsor."

She shook her head, and finally hopped off the bar rail. "A record of this conversation will be put on an off-site server. If anything should happen to me..."

Yes, this was just the way Scully's mind worked. Sadly.

"What am I s'posed to do, advertise for one?" Jessica grumbled.

She sighed as Scully moved away. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna attack you," she said. "You're totally not my type."

Scully paused, and said dryly, "I'm grateful to hear that." She let out a slow breath.

On some level, she'd been waiting for an attack throughout their conversation, she realized. She took a step back from the bar, and gave Jessica a small nod. "Thank you for your time. Have a good evening, Miss Hambly."

FBI reflexes kicking in again. And Scully turned for the door, one hand out to touch Raven's arm.

Raven was more than happy to leave now, but she walked backwards until they reached the door, her eyes never leaving Jessica. Not that she expected her to attack or though she could, of course, due to the sanctuary spell, but still.

"Are you satisfied with this outcome?" she asked Scully.

Outside the bar, Scully let her head fall backward, and took a deep breath. "I have to be. Billy really doesn't need something like this, something that will make him look crazy or stupid, on his record. Even if he'd report it, it wouldn't turn out well." She closed her eyes a second, then couldn't help rubbing her neck, then glancing back at the bar. "She seems harmless. And no one else on the island has been bitten that I've heard of." She was quiet. "Do you think it was the right thing?"

"Perhaps you should ask Sookie about her," Raven said. "They know each other, for I have heard Sookie do the radio broadcast with her. She might have a better idea of Jessica's true nature."

She glanced back at the bar as well, just slightly nervous that they were being stalked despite not sensing that kind of intent from Jessica. "I have met a vampire from Sookie's world. She trusted him, though I still find it difficult to embrace that kind of faith."

"She bit my - brother," Scully said, with barely a pause there. Rather sourly. "This does not inspire faith. I know he was dumb," she said candidly, starting to walk down the street. "He's reckless. He doesn't think. But I don't want to dismiss this just because he walked into it. Blaming the victim is never fair."

"He should not have offered her his blood," Raven agreed. "That was truly foolish. And her willpower does not seem strong." She shuddered, trying to ignore the phantom tingling in her own neck.

"For a profiler, he sometimes makes some very ridiculous errors," Scully agreed, glum. "He's so used to people deceiving him that he trusts honesty. Even if it's not very smart honesty. I'm sure Jessica didn't mean to hurt him, but as you said. She's new to this, and her impulses overtook her." She glanced over at Raven. "Thank you for speaking up in there, too. I don't think I could have gotten the truth out of her without making threats I couldn't back up, if you hadn't."

"I am pleased I was able to help in some way," Raven said, managing a smile now. "I cannot hear her thoughts, of course, but her emotions were not difficult to read. She did not feel the same as other vampires I have encountered, the ones that have done deliberate harm."

Scully bumped her shoulder, a little awkwardly, but gave Raven a small, real smile. "I'm glad. And you were very calm in there. You should be proud of yourself. You really did confront your fears there."

Raven ducked her head, blushing. "I think it helped that we were in Caritas," she said. "I knew she could not harm us inside because of the spell that protects the bar." Still, her heart had been pounding.

"I'd forgotten about that, if I ever knew it," Scully said, chagrined. Every time she'd gone into that bar, something ridiculous had happened to draw her focus from that fact. "Although now I'm even more glad I didn't know; I don't think I could have done this if I'd gone alone. And you were *still* brave. You couldn't know exactly how this would play out, any more than I did. I don't think she resents us, at least." She sighed, stretching out her arms in front of her. "I'll type up my notes tonight, and then call Billy and tell him he was not bitten by Dracula."

"Thank you," Raven said, blushing even more but basking in the praise. "I will speak to Sookie about her, if you would like. She is a close friend of mine."

Scully tilted her head, and nodded. "It would come better from you, than from me." She smiled. "Ice cream? As a thank you."

"I cannot refuse that offer," Raven said. "I have come to enjoy ice cream a great deal, particularly mint chocolate chip." Azarath didn't know what it was missing.

♥

I'm hungry.

Caritas: Friday Night

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