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Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2012 22:45:38 -0400
Subject: Amish Country by Lolabeegood
Source: direct
****************************************
"Fine," she said as she pulled her hand away from her butt.
Their excuse for marrying so old was that Mulder had been
very sick for a number of years and that she had waited for
him instead of marrying another eligible young man. When his
health had returned and he was able to provide for his family,
they had married in November of last year. His sick uncle
had asked for their help with the harvest and so the couple
had left their community to assist.
The man who was posing as Mulder's uncle was currently driving
the buggy they were in. Abram Fisher had done something that
Amish did not do. He had contacted the FBI about a series of
sexual assaults in his community, asking for their help. It
was almost unheard of for the Amish to initiate this type of
contact so the Bureau had acted quickly and sent in an undercover
team. Abram and his wife Ruth had agreed to the ruse in the
interest of their greater community, knowing that outsiders
would get no answers. Abram's interest in the case was
personal; his grand daughter was the latest victim.
Since being given the case a week ago, Mulder had developed a
profile on the rapist and she had studied as much as she could
about the Amish community of Ohio and brushed up on her German.
They were given the case because Mulder was one of the best
profilers in the Bureau, and she had a minor in German. They
were also currently not assigned to any case in particular, which
was how they found themselves on this one, pretending to be
Amish, and looking for a serial rapist in Charm, Ohio.
"Mr. Fisher, I'll need her help with knowing how to act in
certain situations," Scully said as she leaned forward.
"I've studied as much as I could, but some things..."
The buggy made its way down the narrow driveway and rocked
back and forth as it hit a large pot hole. Scully lurched
to the side and Mulder grabbed onto her leg to steady her.
His hand on her thigh caught Abram's attention.
Mulder removed his hand from Scully's thigh and dropped it onto
his leg, looking over at Abram and knowing the reason for the
comment.
The group remained quiet as they bumped down the road. They
pulled up in front of large white house with a wrap-around
porch and the buggy came to an abrupt stop. An older woman
dressed similarly to Scully walked out of the front door, and
sombrely stood on the porch. Abram got out of the buggy,
followed by Mulder, who walked around to Scully's side and
helped her get down.
"Nice to meet you, Ruth," Scully extended her hand and Ruth
took it. "Your home is lovely."
Mulder nodded towards her and helped Abram with their bags.
The two men carried the belongings inside and set them by
the door.
Neither agent was sure why Abram chose to use their alias
instead of their real names with his wife, but in the
end, it was inconsequential.
"We have another room you can use, but you must
leave it as if it's untouched so people don't know."
"Come down in an hour and then you can help," Ruth said
smiling at her.
"Not really, but doors are kept open during the day.
If our daughter, or someone else came upstairs for
something, she would notice if a married couple was
staying in two different rooms."
Abram left the room and they heard the stairs creek as he
descended them.
"I think I'll keep the blue shirts here," Mulder said
gesturing toward the one drawer. "And the black pants
there...unpacking all done."
"I know you Mulder, and you are picturing a bare chest.
Although Amish women don't wear bras, they do wear an
undershirt of sorts," Scully said as her face turned a
little pink.
"I know," she said as she took a seat on the bed. "Are
you going to start working with Abram tomorrow?"
"I think you might have it harder than me," she said as she
folded her hands on her lap.
"I want to find the man doing this before another girl gets
assaulted," Scully said. "Abram and Ruth are taking a big
risk doing this and I don't want to let them down."
"We'll get him," Mulder reassured her. "He thinks he's found
a community that won't defend itself or involve the
authorities. He's confident and that's going to give him away.
But, he didn't count on the love of two grandparents that
were willing to break the rules."
***************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
Supper was eaten in silence and when Abram rose from the
table, Ruth immediately started to clear the plates.
Mulder and Scully each started to help when Ruth took the
plate from Mulder's hand.
"So the men take care of the farm and the women take care
of the house?" Scully asked as she scraped a plate.
"At harvest time, everyone works the fields but the women
are also expected to keep the house." Ruth said as she
packed away leftovers. "We prepare the food, draw their
baths, help with the harvest, and keep the house in order."
After the kitchen was clean, she and Ruth joined Mulder
and Abram in the parlour for a little while before Abram
stood, stretched and wished them a good night. Ruth
followed him up the stairs and when Mulder and Scully
heard their door shut she seemed to let out the breath
they were both holding.
"I'm sure you'll find out more from women in the kitchen
then I'll get out of men in the fields," he said as he
patted her knee. "Just work your charm."
***************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
After washing up Mulder made his way into the kitchen and
noted the flurry of activity. Scully was frying sausages
as Ruth was gathering bowls and bringing them out onto the
back porch. On the table was a spread of breads, boiled
eggs, potatoes, cereal and fruit. Mulder had not seen this
big a breakfast since he hit a buffet in Memphis.
"When did you get up?" Mulder asked Scully across the table.
She nodded her head and didn't make eye contact with him.
He wasn't sure if she was trying to get into character or
if she was really that humble about her cooking.
"I'm hoping for thirty but we'll see how the ground
cherries go," Ruth said as she continued to eat.
"Hannah will take some, we'll keep some, and the rest
we'll deliver to our neighbours to share."
Scully peeled back her casement and saw what looked like
a golden cherry tomato inside. She put it in her mouth
and was surprised by the taste.
The two women sat back down and everyone finished their
breakfast. Mulder ate a lot, not only because it was
so good, but because he knew there would be more work
ahead and he'd need the calories to continue.
The two women walked to the front of the house and saw
a man, two women, and three children getting out of a
black buggy.
"We did," John smiled at the man. "It was nice of you
to help and come all the way from Norwalk...with my own
farm, and Hannah due any time..."
Scully then noticed Hannah's large belly. She looked
like she was about to have the baby any minute. If
by Scully's count.
"We'll stay with her parents through the winter and raise
a barn in the spring," Mulder said as he grazed Scully's
elbow with his hand.
"John and Samuel, I'll need your help in the barn moving
some equipment," Abram said as he started to walk away.
*****************************
to be continued...
****************************************
for the pies. The sun was still low in the sky but it was
already getting warm. Summer had come to Amish country and
Scully pulled her chair closer to the house in an attempt to
sit in the shade.
She had made a few attempts at small talk with Fannie but found
the girl to be not much of a conversationalist. So far Fannie
had told Scully how old she was, that she was baptized and that
she had no suitors at the moment. All facts Scully already knew.
Scully got off her chair and crouched down to pick up the large
bowl of husks they had laying at their feet.
"I'll take it to compost," she said as she made her way down
the back steps.
When she returned to the porch, Fannie made her first attempt at
conversation all morning.
"They are out in the field now," she said nodding to the large
expanse behind the Fisher's house. Scully shielded her eyes
and looked toward the herd of cows that had just been let loose
on the field. She spotted Mulder immediately. He, John, Abram
and a few farm hands were taking the cows out to pasture. Mulder
looked, surprisingly, comfortable as he herded the cows with a
large stick. Scully couldn't help but smile at the sight of him
as a farmer.
"You are very happy," Fannie noted as she looked at her expression.
"I am," Scully said as she sat back down next to the girl. "My
husband is a good man."
"God will know when your time has come," Fannie said softly.
"God will give you what you need," Fannie said softly. "He works
in mysterious ways."
The two women fell into companionable silence for a few minutes
before Scully initiated conversation once again.
"You are a beautiful girl," Scully noted as she saw Fannie blush.
"You must have a suitor or six."
"I won't be married," Fannie said softly. "I...I will help take
care of my parents and my family."
"It is done," Fannie said quietly as she got up from her seat
and walked toward the screen
door.
"Miriam, can you start lunch with Fannie while we get these
pies going?" Ruth asked from inside.
Scully was so busy taking care of all the men that she didn't
have time to process how unfair the whole situation was. She
did feel one thing though; invisible. It was not a feeling
she was very accustomed to.
When lunch was ended all the men thanked the women for the
wonderful lunch and rose from the table to get back to work.
Scully caught Mulder's eye as he walked away and there was
something there that she couldn't quite understand; shame.
"The bishop should have made her change it," Ruth said.
"I have always liked Mark and Katie," Scully said as she
wiped the table off.
****************************************
Mulder was not having any more luck in the fields with
John, Abram and the farm hands. The work that these
men did without complaint astounded Mulder. He knew
FBI agents that bitched if their parking spot was too
far away and they had to walk an extra five minutes to
get to their cushy chair at their desk.
"Just say the peach trees are due for pruning," Abram
smiled at him.
****************************************
"All of them?"
"My what?'
She let out a big breath and slammed the pot on the
counter. "When we find the rapist I'm going to insist
she get counselling."
**********************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
Mulder leaned over the young woman and swiftly lifted her
from the floor or the porch and carried her shivering body
inside. As much as the days were hot, the nights in Amish
country were very cold. Being exposed to that cold night
air had sent a chill right through the young girl's body
that had frozen her to the core.
Scully bolted from her bed and ran past him towards the
stairs, her white cotton nightdress billowing around her.
Abram shook his head and walked circles around the edge
of the room.
"Are you sure? Do you know what pregnant is?" Ruth asked,
hoping the girl was wrong.
"I went into town with daat a few days ago and when I was
on my own I went to a pharmacy and bought a test. It
says I am, and I knew I was before the test. I remember
from all the times maem was..." she said quietly.
*****************************************
to be continued...
Title: Amish Country--Chapter 6
Author: Lolabeegood
E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com
Distribution: Anywhere as long as my name stays attached
and the work remains
unchanged.
Rating: R
Category: S, UST, MSR, maybe AU (Although it does fit
with the timeline)
Keywords: Mulder/Scully, undercover work
Spoilers: Set during late season 6 between Field Trip
and Biogenesis
Summary: A serial rapist on the loose in Amish Country
causes Mulder and Scully to go undercover and test the
limits of their relationship.
Author's Notes: This idea came to me while on vacation.
I was in Scotland when I met a woman who was fascinated
with the Amish and Mennonites of North America and she
asked me tons of questions about them once I mentioned I
had encountered them a few times in my life. I did some
research and a story was born. I'm writing this as a WIP,
but those of you who know me know I NEVER leave a WIP
unfinished (and I'm usually good about frequent posting).
This is my first attempt at a case file so have patience
with me.
****************************************
She nodded towards him and exited the room, knowing John
wanted privacy.
"John, you know she wouldn't do that of her own free will,"
Abram said as he gestured toward the chair. "It was when
she was forced in the barn."
"I don't think her will had much to do with it," Mulder
interrupted. "Women either get pregnant or they don't.
It...it has nothing to do with whether she agreed."
"You want her to marry the man who did this to her?"
Mulder asked, dumbfounded.
"It doesn't work that way and you know it," John said,
shocked.
**************************************
to be continued...
E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com
Distribution: Anywhere as long as my name stays attached
and the work remains
unchanged.
Rating: R
Category: S, UST, MSR, maybe AU (Although it does fit
with the timeline)
Keywords: Mulder/Scully, undercover work, Amish
Spoilers: Set during late season 6 between Field Trip
and Biogenesis
Summary: A serial rapist on the loose in Amish Country
causes Mulder and Scully to go undercover and test the
limits of their relationship.
Author's Notes: This idea came to me while on vacation.
I was in Scotland when I met a woman who was fascinated
with the Amish and Mennonites of North America and she
asked me tons of questions about them once I mentioned I
had encountered them a few times in my life. I did some
research and a story was born. I'm writing this as a WIP,
but those of you who know me know I NEVER leave a WIP
unfinished (and I'm usually good about frequent posting).
This is my first attempt at a semi case file so have
patience with me.
****************************************
After the dishes were done Scully and Ruth made their
way into the living room and sat with Mulder and Abram.
"I wanted to talk with you two about Fannie staying with
us," Abram said as he lowered the paper.
"Good night," she said, and then she climbed the stairs
to her bedroom.
"After all the work you do?" Scully said as she picked
up her shawl. "You need a good night's sleep and, no
matter what ideas Ruth may have about us...we are just
going to sleep."
"If you are going to be like this, you may just end
up on the floor," she said as she giggled.
***********************************
to be continued...
****************************************
They had also visited the Zook family and, although Scully
had only spent a few minutes in the company of Mr. Zook she
didn't think he fit Mulder's profile, nor did she get any
sort of odd feeling about him.
"This is the Lapp farm; the woman's name is Katie" Ruth said
as she turned to look at Scully. "After this we need to go
home and prepare lunch for the men."
Scully was fixing her skirts when she heard the pleasant
voice of another woman.
"Ruth, I heard you were making your pies," the woman said
cheerily.
"Yes, and I have a couple for you, Katie" Ruth smiled back
as she walked toward the woman and handed her one pie. Scully
reached into the wagon and grabbed a second before she
approached.
"Come on and get out that sun," she said to Scully with an
outstretched arm. "Your cheeks are already getting pink."
"So Isaac has been talking about Samuel?" Ruth asked as she
stepped inside.
"It's like he's never met anyone new before!" Katie laughed
as she walked them into her plain living room. Katie carried
the pie in her hands to the kitchen and Scully followed
her with the second one. The placed them on the counter and
returned to the living room.
"Samuel knows his Bible very well," Scully said softly as her
mind reeled about how Mulder knew stories from it so well.
Scully went and sat next to Ruth on the couch. The room
was plain but had more touches of colour than Ruth's house.
A sunflower pillow here and a pink lamp there made the
room seem brighter somehow. She wondered it the happiness
came from Katie's jovial personality as well. Up until now,
all the Amish women Scully had met had seemed so sombre;
Katie was the first woman who seemed truly happy.
"I hope all this work is not too taxing on Samuel," Katie
said. "I heard he was quite sick for a number of years."
"He had a tumour in his brain and that made him have 'fits'
for many years. Everyone thought it was just how he was,
and then...then we discovered it was something else,
something that could be fixed."
"So he doesn't have fits anymore?" Katie asked.
"You waited all those years? How could you be sure he'd
be better?"
Katie touched her chest and Scully knew that she was
taken with her story.
"He let the English fix the fits?" Katie asked, intrigued
by the story.
"We need to have you and Samuel over for dinner this
week," Katie said as she turned to face Scully. "Isaac
will be happy with that."
"We don't want to burden..." Scully began.
Once they got home Ruth and Scully set to work, quickly
making lunches for the men, who would be back at the
house expecting to eat in a half hour.
"How old was she when she died?" Ruth asked as she
continued to cut.
"My son was twenty," Ruth said. "There were six other
babies, some weren't alive when they were born...others
only lived a short while."
**************************************
Mulder's ears had been peaked for the last forty minutes
as he waited for the lunch pot to bang calling all the
men in from their work. He was hungry but he also hoped
to get Scully alone for a minute and talk with her about
someone he met that he wanted to make their first suspect.
Isaac Lapp had taken to Mulder from the moment they met.
Jacob gripped his hand with sheer brute force and shook
it to the point where Mulder winced in pain.
"Mom needs you to bring home some beans for her salad
tonight, and some more milk," Jacob said looking over
at Isaac who was tinkering with a piece of farming
equipment.Isaac just nodded his head.
*****************************************
to be continued...
Rating: R
Category: S, UST, MSR, maybe AU (although it does
fit with the timeline)
Keywords: Mulder/Scully, undercover work, Amish
Spoilers: Set during late season 6 between Field
Trip and Biogenesis
Summary: A serial rapist on the loose in Amish
Country causes Mulder and Scully to go undercover
and test the limits of their relationship.
Author's Notes: This idea came to me while on
vacation. I was in Scotland when I met a woman who
was fascinated with the Amish and Mennonites of North
America and she asked me tons of questions about them
once I mentioned I had encountered them a few times in
my life. I did some research and a story was born.
I'm writing this as a WIP, but those of you who know me
know I NEVER leave a WIP unfinished (and I'm usually
good about frequent posting). This is my first attempt
at a semi case file so have patience with me.
****************************************
"I was just at the Lapp farm today. I met Katie Lapp
and she seemed very nice. Is he her husband or...?"
After lunch Mulder changed his shirt in the barn with the
other men and went back to work in the fields leaving Scully
behind to deal with both Fannie and Ruth.
************************************************
She was shaking the table cloth out with little luck when
Fannie came up and grabbed the other side. The shook the
table cloth together and then the two women folded it.
She didn't believe the words as they passed her lips but
she knew she had to say something to her; something that,
even if a lie, could make things better in the moment.
*****************************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
"What are you doing?" She groaned as she rolled over to look
at him.
"I didn't make breakfast," she said wiping sleep from her eyes
and still not understanding what he was saying.
"Ruth made breakfast for them and I asked that you sleep in.
I said I'd eat with you." Mulder clarified.
"Mulder, I'll get up and leave you the bed, I'm sure you
want to..."
"Do what you like Scully, but it's big enough for two and I
don't mind sharing," he said as he grabbed an undershirt and
underpants and walked from the room.
She stood for moment thinking about what she should do and
what she'd like to do. She should get cleaned up and surprise
Ruth with homemade cookies but the five am wake up calls were
taking their toll on her...
Scully walked back toward the bed and got in on the left
side. She pulled the quilt over her body and snuggled into
the pillow. She sighed contentedly and fell asleep. When
Mulder walked in twenty minutes later she was fast asleep.
He crawled carefully into his side of the bed and, he too,
fell asleep within seconds.
The young man turned and was surprised to see a woman dressed
in her bathrobe at noon hour. Her head did not have a bonnet
on it and her brown hair was stirring in the wind around her.
"I'm Jacob Lapp," he said jumping from the back of the buggy.
"I'm delivering some meat to the Fisher's."
It was then that Scully noticed she was standing very un-Amish
like in her bathrobe with her hair askew.
"Yes," she smiled at Jacob. "I've been in bed all morning with
an upset stomach."
"I hope you are still going to make supper," Jacob smiled nicely
at her.
"I hope so too," Miriam said as she returned his smile. "Let me
help you with..."
"If you'll just get the door, I can do the rest," Jacob said
confidently.
"They left you all alone?" Jacob asked as he put the meat wrapped
in paper down on the counter. There was something about the way
he said it that sent a chill down her spine.
"Hello again, Jacob," Mulder suddenly said behind her. She turned
to see him buttoning up his shirt and pulling up his suspenders.
Jacob walked briskly from the house and his wagon was off and down
the dirt driveway quickly.
"I don't like him," Scully said as she watched his wagon disappear
from the kitchen window.
"Neither do I, but that doesn't make him our rapist," Mulder said
as he came up behind her to look out the window as well.
"You mean when you climb on top of me while you sleep?" Mulder
asked with a grin.
"Now you're just trying to get me riled," she said as she walked
away from him.
"Tomorrow morning I'll wake you up the second my eyes open, I won't
move a thing and you tell me things aren't awfully cosy in that
bed," he said as he grabbed an apple off the table.
"I think you will find Mulder," she said as she took out some eggs,
"that it is you, not me, that is..."
"What's the bet?" Mulder asked.
"What do you want?" She asked as she crossed her hands over her
chest.
"Mulder..."
"I don't have a suit, Amish women don't swim," she said haughtily.
"Wear your underwear if you like, but I could use a nice cool swim,"
he said as he took another bite.
"My underwear is all white cotton and when it gets wet...I might
as well not wear anything," she said.
"A foot rub every night for a week, no matter how tired you are when
we go to bed," she said with a smile.
"I better get this big hunk of meat in their cold house before it
rots," he said as he lifted the leg over his shoulder.
"I'll make us some eggs," she said as she got out a frying pan.
Mulder walked to the cold house thinking that either way, he won
the bet.
***************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
Now Scully and Fannie sat with Ruth in the living room
waiting for Mulder and Abram to return after closing up
the barn for the night. They were going to the Lapps
for supper so the Fishers could visit with their
neighbours and Scully and Mulder could investigate
Jacob Lapp. It was a great opportunity for Mulder to
"He has been engaged twice and both times it was called
off by the bride."
"There have been times where the bride and groom have
decided against marriage for various reasons but..."
softly.
They sat and talked for a while and Mulder found both
Katie, Mark and Luke to be friendly and open; hiding
nothing as they spoke. He understood where Isaac got
his open and friendly nature. It made it more
difficult to understand how Jacob was such an
asshole though. It didn't fit his profile. Martha
on the other hand, seemed reclusive and quiet, which
was not strange among Amish women so it wasn't
noteworthy.
Turning from her he walked from the kitchen and she was
left catching her breath against the counter. He made her
skin crawl and his confidence was exactly what Mulder had
anticipated. Scully had never seen an Amish man behave
this way towards a woman, or a married woman for that
matter.
They bid everyone a good night and Scully made sure she
grabbed Martha's shawl instead of her own; the opportunity
to talk with her again was the reasoning. An innocent
mix-up would be why she needed to visit Martha on Monday.
**************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
"You help with the horse and I'll get the coats from inside,"
Scully said as she walked toward the house.
Mulder opened the large barn door and held it for him to
walk past. "Do you know what my specialty is, Abram?"
"But how will you find out if it's him?" Abram asked,
honestly interested.
"I saw how intent he was on you the rest of the night
but Scully...I had no idea what precipitated it. If
I..."
"It'd be good if you could talk with her, find out the
cause of the broken engagement, maybe," Mulder mused.
"I like the way your mind works," he stopped walking and
looked back towards the house.
"We better get back, church is early and from what I've
read, quite long," Scully said following his eyes back
to the house.
"I heard from Katie that you were telling Isaac all kinds
of Bible stories while you two were working in the
fields," she said to him.
"Do you think Fannie knows who assaulted her?" Scully asked
honestly.
They walked the rest of the way back in silence. Both deep
in their own thoughts about the case and the life they were
pretending to lead. When they got to the house everything
was quiet and, as they mounted the stairs to their room,
the only noise was the squeak of the floorboards under their
feet.
She felt his warm hand reach over and hold hers under the
covers.
He knew she was right, but that didn't make what happened
to her any easier for him to accept. When they fell
asleep that night, they were still holding hands.
**********************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
He only saw a sea of brown hair when he looked down. She was
lying across his chest with an arm firmly wrapped around him
and a leg draped over him. He smiled down at her because he
had won the bet, and was about to wake her until be noticed
his pulsing, hard, cock. Although he wanted to show her he'd
won, he didn't want her to see what she did to him. He
willed his hard-on down with thoughts of nuclear testing,
atrocities of war and Barney. It started to work after
several minutes but before it was completely gone, she woke
up.
"What?" She asked quietly as she tucked some hair behind her
ear. "Mulder..."
"Sometimes you spoon me, other times you have your hand up
my undershirt..." he admitted to her.
"Have I ever...?" Her eyes fell to his lower half, where she
noticed a slight morning erection.
"No, you stay away from that region with your hands," he said
matter-of-factly as he bent a leg to tent the sheet more and
hide his arousal.
"You win," she said as she rose from their bed and straightened
her nightgown. "We'll go swimming later this afternoon, or
maybe after supper. I'll figure out something I can use for a
bathing suit."
When he saw her grab a dress from the closet and then look at
him, he knew the predicament they were in. Every other day
they had dressed privately because they rose at different times.
When they undressed at the end of the day it was in the dark
and they couldn't see a thing. Today they were standing in a
sunny room and they were both expected to be dressed before they
left it; the Amish did not walk around in their pyjamas.
"I'll, uh...turn this way," Mulder said as he sat with his back
to her.
"Thanks," she said softly as she opened a drawer and got fresh
underwear out and began to change.
He could hear the swish of material behind him and the sound of
people moving below him. It was really nice that Abram and Ruth
had given them the morning off and he'd make sure to thank them
when they got downstairs. As the week had gone on, he hadn't
got nearly as many guilty looks from Ruth as he had earlier in
the week. Mulder guessed she understood they were professionals
with a job to do and that above all, they were also friends.
Mulder turned and looked at her in her grey dress, bonnet, and
apron. "Pretty as a picture."
"Oh," she said turning to look at him. "Can you put all your
dirty laundry on the floor of our closet? I'm doing laundry
tomorrow with Ruth."
"Well, here you can't, so pile them on the floor and I'll wash
them tomorrow," she said as she opened the door and walked into
the hallway.
Mulder sat and stared after her long after the door was shut.
He wasn't really keen on her taking care of him because she was
expected to. They were equals everywhere else but here. She
was expected to tend to his needs and he was expected to
provide a home for her. In the real world, their world, they
would take care of each other and provide for a home together.
But, Mulder reminded himself, in the real world there wasn't
an 'us'.
Scully was busy setting a place for the two of them as Ruth and
Fannie cleaned up the dishes from everyone else and Abram walked
out to the back porch to have his cigar.
He walked past her and sat heavily on a chair in the living room;
there were some things that he, as a modern man, found difficult
about male-female relations in Amish Country.
***********************************
to be continued...
know I NEVER leave a WIP unfinished (and I'm usually good about
frequent posting). This is my first attempt at a semi case file
so have patience with me.
I love comments so feel free to write and tell me what you think
as I go along.
****************************************
Amish church services only took place every two weeks and always
at a local farm; it was at Hannah and John's this week. And,
unlike church services that Mulder and Scully had been to, it was
going to be about three hours long and consist of a great deal of
singing in German.
The first part of church was the social aspect where they were able
to meet a lot of local people. Abram and Ruth circulated them
around to meet everyone. There wasn't time to talk in-depth with
many people, but they could at least get a 'read' on everyone
present.
It turns out, Mulder discovered, Jacob Lapp wasn't the only angry
and anti-social man in his twenties. Saunder Miller, John's
twenty-six year old nephew, was equally pleasant company as was
Jonah Heise. Both Mulder and Scully made note of the young men
and decided to visit with their families next.
"Miriam," Martha Lapp said softly as she held onto Scully's elbow.
"We have the wrong shawls."
Scully noted the shawl over Martha's arm and smiled. "I realized
this morning when I got up. I'm so sorry, I took yours by
accident."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Martha smiled at her. "I could
have..."
"It's the least I could do, after taking yours." Scully noted. "Is
there a good time I can come over tomorrow and return it?"
"Come in the afternoon and we'll have a nice cup of tea," Martha
said.
"I'll see you in a few hours," Mulder said softly as he leaned into
her ear.
Scully just nodded up at him and walked toward Ruth. Mulder went to
join Abram and the other men.
They took seats in the kitchen of Hannah's house with Hannah, Fannie
and some other women from the community. People were spread out all
over the house on chairs and benches in every available space. The
men stayed separate from the women and the younger parishioners sat
together. Scully was fascinated with the way Amish church services
were run, when she read about them, and was excited to actually
participate in one.
Suddenly a woman started to sing and every other woman in the house
joined her. The songs were in German and went on for many more
verses than Scully was used to. She sang a few that she had made
herself familiar with, others she just lip synched. There were
short breaks between songs but one song followed another for over
an hour.
****************************
Mulder had started the church service inside the house, sitting on
a very uncomfortable bench in the dining room. He moved his mouth
to a few songs and was able to sing the chorus of each song as it
appeared time and time again. Then about twenty minutes into
the service, Abram tapped his elbow and Mulder followed him
outside. There, he found a gathering of men, waiting to discuss
the sermon.
"I think temptation," an older man said as Mulder and Abram joined
the group.
All of the men heartily agreed and the sermon topic was borne.
Over the next thirty minutes the men decided which of the ministers
would tackle the various parts of the sermon, and practiced some
lines on the others. Mulder was fascinated by this impromptu
process and community-based speech writing. He was also interested
to see that in the interest of church and God, John and Abram had
put their differences about Fannie aside and co-operated without
incident in the service.
He could still hear the women in side singing and he pictured Scully
sitting with a sore throat waiting for the sermon to start. Mulder
appreciated the fact that he was outside talking with others and
enjoying the beautiful day, while Scully was stuck inside the hot
house sitting and singing. It appeared that even Amish church
services played favourites.
Once the basic speeches were ironed out, the men returned to the
house and took their seats again. Mulder noted that the temperature
in the house seemed to have risen by a good five to ten degrees and
that some of the people around him were starting to sweat.
The first sermon began and went on for almost an hour. The man, in
his early fifties, walked from room to room delivering his speech.
Mulder was surprised at the grace with which he spoke and the
language he used because most Amish aren't educated beyond
grade eight. His speech was interesting and full of examples of
avoiding temptation in the name of God.
*************************************
As soon as the service was over the women around Scully got to work
in the kitchen. A light meal was served after church service, it
was usually outside, and was more about socializing than eating.
Scully was handed jar after jar of pickled vegetables that she
dutifully took out to the long tables being set up by the men
outside. The benches used for the service were then used for
seating outside at the tables that had been assembled. Other
women were dropping fresh linens over the tables and setting up
plates and glasses. It was a finely-tuned operation and Scully
Unlike other times they had eaten with large groups, men and women
both sat at the same table to eat together. Married couples and
older adults sat at one end, the unmarried teens and people in their
early twenties at another end and the small children in-between.
When Scully looked at the table she realized the reasoning behind
this arrangement. Married couples talked about farming and
"Gott, thank you for the blessings you have placed upon us at this
time," a minister began. "Thank you for the bountiful lunch before
us and our ability to join as a community once again. For this we
are thankful."
The entire congregation said 'Amen' and then the food started to get
passed around.
Both Mulder and Scully conversed easily with those around them, but
found themselves repeating their cover stories to the others. Some
people were again astonished Scully had waited so long to marry him,
others amazed at the English's ability to cure Mulder's 'fits'.
After lunch, they stayed with everyone to clean up, but they had
trouble finding Fannie when it was time to leave. Scully found her
upstairs in her old room holding a rag doll in her hands.
"Fannie, we've been looking for you," Scully said as she walked into
the stuffy room.
"I wasn't hungry," Fannie said as she set down the doll on the bed.
"No, daat won't speak of such matters on the lord's day," Fannie
said as she flattened out her skirt.
"Fannie," Scully said reaching out to hold her hand. "You have
nothing to be ashamed of. I think maybe you should talk with
someone...maybe an English about what happened to you."
"I don't need the help of the English," Fannie said softly. "I
need only God."
Scully gave her a tight-lipped smile and then dropped her hand. The
two women walked downstairs and joined the others in the buggy to
go home.
****************************************
to be continued...
****************************************
They both walked toward the water and were happy to find it
cool but comfortable for a hot summer's day. Mulder jumped
forward and did a quick lap across the pond while Scully
slowly waded into the unknown waters. When he got back to her,
she was floating on her back her face turned toward the sun.
"That I'm a bed hog?" she asked as she kept her eyes closed
and basked in the sun.
The two were quiet for some time, Mulder treading water next
to her, and Scully floating on her back. Mulder soon realized
that his position at her side afforded him a great view of her
breasts as his wet shirt clung to her. He tried to avert his
eyes but found them going back to her nipples over and over
again like his magnetic north. She, either didn't notice, or
didn't care.
They swam around the pond for a while, talking quietly about
the case as they planned their visits to the other men they
suspected and the other women who had been assaulted. Then,
they spent a lot of time just swimming around quietly,
occasionally telling a joke or sharing a story.
"I know," she said breaking the silence and still floating
with her eyes closed, "from what I've read their life is one of
sacrifice but...but it's not until you live it that you realize
what the sacrifices are."
"And, I'm grateful for that," he said softly as his hand brushed
up her arm under the water.
"I haven't had this much attention on it since I was twelve and
sort of chunky."
"Mulder," she said as she pulled herself down in the water and
started to tread next to him. "I have so much to remember about
who I am here, adding pregnancy to the list would just complicate
things for me."
"Besides, then I'd just have to talk about all a pregnant mother's
dreams for her child and...and I don't have those anymore." She
said sadly.
"It's okay, really, I'm okay, " she faintly smiled at him before
she abruptly left to do a lap of the pool.
He swam closer to the edge of the pond, to a place where his feet
touched the murky bottom and took a moment to gather his thoughts.
He loved her and he hated what infertility had done to her; to her
hopes for a future. He was still deep in thought when she
approached.
She fiercely whacked her hand against the water and sprayed water
all over his face. She was trying hard to lighten the mood. This
swim was supposed to be a break from their lives, not a reminder of
them.
"Don't get in the water if you don't plan to get wet!" She said
jokingly as she continued to spray him with water.
He reached over and grabbed her frame to keep her from splashing
him further as she attempted to turn to face him again. Her wet
legs entangled with his and he felt her breasts pressed up against
his chest and his shirt riding up dangerously close to her waist.
She couldn't touch the bottom of the pond, like he could, and he
felt her holding onto him as she tried to get better leverage to
splash him some more. He had her captured in his arms and he knew
what he wanted to do, the real question was: did she want the same
thing?
Mulder leaned his face down to kiss her, at first, quite softly, as
he held her in the water. The kiss deepened quickly and before he
knew what was happening he had his hand in her hair and his mouth
was exploring hers. Her fingers pulled at his bare back and an
erection began to form between them. In close quarters, and with
little clothing, it was hard to mask his desire for her.
His wet lips pressed firmly against hers and her soft lips returned
the favor. Both their hearts pounded so hard against the other,
neither was sure which beat was their own. She moaned softly
as he brought one arm firmly around her naked waist pulling her
even closer to him. The shirt and undershirt she was wearing
had twisted, in all the jostling, and was now barely covering
her breasts. The feel of her naked, wet flesh caused his heart
to race faster and his cock to throb.
She didn't seem surprised by his kiss, and he half wondered if she
was kissing him because she thought someone was watching them, as
was the case before. His worry about this point, caused him to
pull away from her and clarify that he was kissing her because he
She looked up at him, confused by his action and then he knew that
she didn't suspect a case-related motive. Her eyes were filled
with desire and her body had moulded to his. She was trying to
catch her breath as her hands entangled in his hair and tried to
pull his mouth back to hers.
"Hey, look!" One boy called. "We have ourselves some plain
people who like to break the rules."
group in his wet white underwear with his full erection. He was
on his way to get a towel for Scully when he heard her get out of
the water as well. He turned to see her standing soaking wet in his
shirt with her legs wet and bare underneath it. His blue shirt
clung to every curve in her body. The erection he was hoping
would subside quickly, showed no signs of leaving.
"You know the Bible says you're not supposed to have sex before
you get married," one smart ass pointed out.
With the recent sexual assaults in the area, the comment caused
Mulder to snap his head toward the group, the look on his face
must have been murderous. They all took a step back and
immediately quieted down as Mulder held out a towel for her and
she walked into it.
"Why don't we walk over the hill and get dried off and changed
there," she said gesturing with her eyebrows toward the hill.
clothes and followed her up the path and over the hill.
"Hope you had a good one!" One of the teens yelled as the others
laughed.
The moment was gone. Scully was either going to ignore what just
happened between them, or rationalize it away. Mulder kicked a
clump of dirt with his foot as they walked toward a tree.
Scully dropped her towel when they reached a tree and asked for
the bag from Mulder. She was immediately all business, and Mulder
was saddened by that fact. She rummaged through her things and
pulled out a skirt and a blouse. Mulder held up a towel and kept
watch for the teenagers while she took off her underwear and
pulled up the skirt. Mulder turned his back to her as she undid
his shirt and took it and her undershirt off and then pulled on
her blouse.
"Okay, I'm decent," she said happily. "Well as decent as an Amish
woman can be without a bra or underwear."
"So, are you ready for the Amish version of a strip tease?" Mulder
leered at her as he started to pull at the towel wrapped around
his waist.
They walked back together towards the house, with his arm
around her.
*********************************
****************************************
Fox Mulder sat next to Isaac Lapp as they made their way
down country roads making deliveries to one farm after
another. He was most interested in information Isaac
could provide him about his brother, and the deliveries
to the Miller farm and the Heise farm where he hoped to
encounter Saunder and Jonah. Jacob Lapp, Saunder Miller
and Jonah Heise were at the top of their suspect list so
far. Although Jacob's behaviour at the dinner party made
Mulder place him as suspect number one, he couldn't
discount the other two brooding members of the community
who may fit the profile.
"If she waits for him, maybe," Isaac noted. "He has
two brothers coming close to twenty...maybe they'll
take over and he'll go back to his English girl."
During the Padgett case, she pushed away from him for
most of it until the end. After the 'incident' as
she liked to call it, she had slept in her bed,
waking throughout the night with nightmares, and
always found him sitting next to her with his back
against her headboard ready to chase the demons away.
He must have drifted off at some point, because in
the morning he woke with a sore back and a stiff neck
to freshly brewed coffee and English muffins. She
hadn't talked about Padgett, or the night of nightmares
spent by his side, since.
guy but..."
"But?"
Dana Scully was happy to be on her own and away from the
farm for the first time in over a week. For a woman who was
used to so much independence, the Amish lifestyle was a
little trying. But, here she was, in the buggy on her own,
enjoying the afternoon on her way to Martha Lapp's house
under the guise of returning a shawl. She had done laundry
with Ruth in the morning and was now free for an afternoon
visit with Martha.
She had decided that the best way to get Martha to talk was
to place herself in a situation with Jacob. And Martha,
hopefully, would feel a need to warn her about him. That was
the hope at least. The Amish didn't readily talk about their
lives with others, and this was her first time really meeting
That night, nothing was unusual about his behaviour and they
ate, talked on the porch and went to bed as they were accustomed.
He made no attempt to start anything in bed, and Scully was left
wanting to talk with him about what had happened, but equally
wanting to bury the experience and never dig it up again. It
was sort of perfect as it was, and part of her didn't want to
destroy it with whatever explanation he may have for their
behaviour.
She pulled up to the Lapp farm and noted that it was like
almost every other Amish farm in the area. The siding was
white and the shutters were green. It had a large wrap-around
porch and a barn behind it with various types of farming
equipment dotting the back property.
the long way to get here, just to enjoy it a little more," Scully
smiled up at her.
"Yes, but then I wouldn't have as long a rest with you this
afternoon," Martha laughed as she ushered Scully to a set of
wicker chairs on the porch. "I'll just be a second."
"I have lemonade," Martha said as she joined Scully on the porch
with a tray in her hands.
them.
"Just some lemon poppy seed cake and lemonade, nothing fancy,"
Martha smiled as she put the tray down.
The two women poured drinks and placed cake slices on plates
before they settled back into their seats.
"God will bless you and Luke," Scully said as she took a
sip of lemonade.
"Yes, god will bless us," Martha said as she raised her
teary eyes to meet Scully's.
"God will know when it's you time," Scully said as she
placed a hand on Martha's knee and swallowed the lump that
was forming in her throat. "How long have you and Luke
been married?"
"It must be hard, not having your own house," Martha said.
"My parents needed us, and then Abram and Ruth needed
us...it's good to be needed. But, I do look forward to
next spring so I can have my own house with Samuel."
"No, Samuel is too busy with the farm and Abram needs
him too badly, so I'll go on my own with Jacob,"
Scully explained.
"Just lay here a minute and I'll get a cold cloth for
your forehead," Scully offered as she went to leave
Martha's side.
"I will borrow the buggy from Luke one day and take you
around, I promise you," Martha said with some conviction.
"Maybe Luke will let me have the buggy Friday," Martha said
as she took a sip of her lemonade.
"That was done hours ago. I've been cleaning up the barn
since," he smiled at her as he took down a shirt.
"Do you think you can love this child?" Scully asked.
****************************************
Fox Mulder walked out onto the back porch and heard the
screen door smack shut behind him. The sun was starting
to fall in the sky and the purple colour making its way
across the wide open space was a beautiful sight.
"I found out more about Saunder Miller and Jonah Heise,"
Mulder said.
"And Saunder?"
"Now, he's a little more interesting." Mulder said as he
walked with her. "He's smart and he was dating Rebecca
Hillar before..."
"We better head back," Scully noted as she saw the sun
fall.
"We better get back," she said as she took a step away
from him.
She stopped and looked at him. "It was what it was, Mulder.
I wanted to kiss you and I did. You've done just the same
with me."
"But..."
He sensed this was a big step for her, and he didn't want
to push. He also knew she didn't really want to delve into
the topic of emotions at this time; he could see it in
her posture.
"I told you how I sensed something between her and Jacob,"
Scully started. "Mulder, she fainted when she thought I
was going to be alone in a buggy with him touring the
county."
****************************************
"How are you doing with that?" She asked as she covered
her mouth in a yawn.
the noise.
"Make sure you ask Abram about the women missing from
church on Sunday," Scully reminded him.
He opened the door and walked out into the hall, shutting
it behind him. Scully put one knee on the bed to get
back under the covers when she heard a familiar squeak
of their mattress. She moved slightly to one side and
heard it squeak again.
****************************************
All the men waved at him and neatly piled up their various
tools then made their way toward the house where lunch
would be served.
Mulder waited around until almost all the others had left
so he could walk back with Saunder.
"Yes, you are," Saunder grinned. "But you don't have your
farm yet, now do you?"
"I also heard Miriam had a long wait for you too. You
suffered from 'fits'? Do they ever come back?"
"No, the rumours have been going around about Rebecca and
me since the spring..." Saunder said thoughtfully.
Mulder nodded his head and looked toward the ground, like
he knew a good Amish man would.
****************************************
"Not here," Mulder said gesturing with his head to Ruth weeding
nearby.
They walked away from the yard and into a nearby field. He,
walking closely next to her, protectively. She was getting more
and more anxious with each passing minute. Something was wrong,
and he felt she was in danger.
"And how does that warrant leaving early?" She asked as she
crossed her arms over her chest and stopped walking.
"But we won't get into Canton until dark, it's really not a
lot of extra time to speak with Skinner and..." she started
as she began to follow him again.
Scully looked at his face and saw something she hadn't seen
in a while when investigating, Mulder was not feeling very
sure of himself.
"I only had one chance to speak with him today," Mulder said
as he dropped her hand and ran it through his hair. "He says
he broke it off with Rebecca Hillar and that it's a good
thing, because now she's 'damaged goods' and her fiance's
problem."
"Not that way," Mulder said shaking his head and walking in
a tight circle before her. "He said it would be a shame if
my 'fits' came back and you had to feed me and change
my diapers for the rest of your life."
"Oh my god," Scully sighed as she ran a hand up and down his
arm. "How did you handle that?"
"I said you wouldn't have that life," Mulder said as he played
with his lip. "I challenged him at some points and backed
away at others. But, I didn't seem to ever throw him off,
which was very unnerving."
"He...he also talked about how pretty you are and how lucky I
am," Mulder started slowly. "It was almost as if he wanted to
use you to make me feel inadequate."
"He also told me to keep an eye on you, and make sure you know
your place." Mulder said as he watched for her reaction. "If
he's our rapist, it's a threat."
Scully swallowed hard and licked her upper lip before meeting
his eyes. "Maybe that works in our favour."
****************************************
"You don't have to. It'll be over two hours before I'm done
the milking with Abram," Mulder said as he smiled down at
her and sat up.
"I know, but I can make you breakfast and I should pack up
some of our stuff..."
"You tossed and turned a lot in your sleep last night," Mulder
said as he tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.
"I have been told I do. It's usually when I get stressed
that it happens." Scully said as she selected a shirt,
skirt and underwear from a drawer. "Mulder, can you turn
around?"
"So I can't ask where 'there' was that made you so happy?"
Mulder asked.
She froze mid-motion, he skirt gripped in her hands, and
looked at his back, unsure of what to say next. She closed
her eyes and silently chastised herself for being so vocal
while she slept.
She caught her breath and thanked God for small miracles.
"What scared you? The sex talk, or the fact that I knew
all your secrets?"
"I don't know, I've kind grown to like the look," Mulder
said as he walked over to his dresser.
Scully ducked her head and nodded. "I'll get you and Abram
some breakfast."
Scully was never good at taking compliments so instead, she
walked from the room and shut the door quietly behind her.
****************************************
"Not really," she groaned. "And it's gotten beyond the itchy
prickly stage so..."
They spent the next few minutes navigating their way from the
golf course and onto the right road to Canton. It was only
about forty minutes away so they could get started on
things by lunch.
"And then you need to call Alex Cowan, he's the local Agent
who'll be meeting us in Canton. His number should also be
programmed in."
"No, let Skinner know we're fine and see if he has any info
to share first," Mulder said as he drove down the lonely
stretch of road.
"I'll get you rooms at the front desk for you both and meet
you in your partner's room to go over the case." He said
distractedly on the other side of the line. "Call me when
you get to the hotel, and I'll give you the room number."
****************************************
Alex Cowan opened the hotel room door with a flourish and
greeted the agents with a tense smile.
"Yeah, they are tight knit," Scully said as she took the
file from him.
"I'll get the names into the database and see what comes up,"
Alex Cowan said as he walked toward a laptop on the table.
"Jacob Lapp and Saunder Miller?"
"Beulah and Amos King sold their farm two months after she was
raped and Abram didn't know where they went to," Mulder said
as he read. "Looks like they moved to New York state."
"Why don't you two have a seat?" Alex Cowan looked over at
the Agents. "We're here for a while."
Mulder looked over at the Agent who was busy at the computer
and then down at Scully who was still reading the file before
them. They had hardly uttered two words to Agent Cowan
beyond information about the case.
Mulder and Scully looked at each other and the file before
them.
"Take off your shoes Scully, and hop up on the bed." Mulder
said.
She smacked him with the file folder in her hand and walked
toward the bed.
****************************************
The last victim, Fannie Miller, was the youngest and only
un-attached woman of the group. She was raped one night
in her family's barn while she was checking on one of
her hens that seemed ill. She, like the others, was
grabbed from behind, and assaulted. Fannie's only act
of defiance within the community was refusing a proposal
by Heinrich Weibe, a man ten years her senior whose wife
died during childbirth last year. Scully would have to
ask her about Heinrich the next time they spoke.
****************************************
He rose from his bed and walked toward the bathroom, stripping
off his clothes as he went. The thought of a nice, warm shower,
his first since starting this case, made him smile despite the
early hour. He relieved the pressure on his bladder and turned
on the hot water as steam filled the room.
What they found out about Saunder Miller and Jacob Lapp was also
telling.
Saunder Miller at age 21, had been accepted by Ohio State into
their Psychology Programme, despite his lack of a high school
education. According to the entrance exams he took, he scores
were off the charts and the College had accepted him based on
those alone. Saunder had not accepted the offer of admission
and had applied to no other programmes or schools since. Saunder
had a library card and their records indicate that he visited the
stacks once a week, on Wednesdays usually, to take out and return
books. He read books on various psychological topics as well as
biographies about a host of different people including Muammar
Gaddafi, Kim Jong Il, and Michael Collins. Besides his
engagement to Rebecca Hillar, which lasted three months before
being broken off, there was no record of his involvement with
any other women in the community. Saunder's father had been the
Bishop of the community for the last 15 years. His job running
his family's farm allowed him a somewhat flexible schedule where
he could come and go as he pleased and without question. There
are no records that indicate he had left town during the last
year.
and dogs in the nearby English community when caught one night in
an alley assaulting a cat. He was released into his parent's
custody and, although cats and dogs still were mutilated several
more times, was never questioned about his involvement again.
The police never made any arrests. As a child, he was sent
home from school for fighting on a regular basis, and eventually
quit school in grade six. Jacob studied butchery under his father
and soon became involved in the family business, first by
delivering the meat, then chopping up cuts of meat to sell and
trade to the local community. Two and a half years ago he became
engaged to Martha, the woman who is now married to his brother
Luke. She broke off the engagement and married his brother two
weeks later; something not usually done in the Amish community.
Then, last year he was engaged to Marike Janz for a month before
she broke off the engagement as well. Mulder noted that Scully
would have to meet this woman and get some details from her.
Jacob's delivery schedule made him a very mobile member of the
Amish community in Charm.
Mulder reached to turn off the water and caught off guard by a
cramp in his shoulder. The muscle tensed and failed to release
when he attempted to stretch it out. He stood for a while letting
the hot water sluice over his shoulder, hoping it would ease the
taunt muscle that was hurting him so much. Finally, he gave up,
resigning himself to a day with a sore shoulder.
He towelled off and walked naked to the small suitcase that was
open on the chair in his room. He pulled a pair of jeans and a
t-shirt out along with some boxers and got dressed. Despite the
fact that it wasn't 5 am yet, there was no way he could fall back
asleep with the case on his mind.
He fell into the nearby chair and reached for the file, his wet
hair dripping on the cover as he leaned over it to look for more
clues.
****************************************
"Fine," she said as she knitted her brows. "What did you
find?"
"This case just got a whole lot more involved," Agent Cowan
noted as he took out his cell phone to place a call.
****************************************
===============================================================================
"Amish Country (1/2)" by Lolabeegood
This story was downloaded from the Gossamer Project on 26 November 2020.
Do not archive stories elsewhere without permission from the author(s).
See the Gossamer policies for more information:
http://tooms.gossamer.org/local/policies.html
===============================================================================