07/05/00 Unspoken by Araxdelan Disclaimer- They belong to the asshole, and the group of assholes. Rated- PG13 Summary- The costs of war. Notes- Written for the M/K WAFFers 1st Lyrics Wheel. It works like this- participating author's names are randomly arranged on a list, first author sends song lyrics of their choice to second author, second to third etc., last person sends to first. Authors take the lyrics, and write a short story using the theme or mood of the song as a basis. At least one line of the song must be included, and having the character listening to the song doesn't count. This is what I came up with using a song sent to me by Janus. The name of the song and the lyrics are included at the end. Also of Note- Angstier than my usual fare. It's all Janus' fault! :o) ------------------------------------ Another day has passed, and we are no closer to victory. It seems as though we've been fighting this war for years, but in reality, it's been no more than a few months. But I'm not counting the years and years before the combat began. Back when I fought in the shadows and you sought the secrets hidden from you. It was in those times that I wished for no more than this. A chance to battle against a solid opponent, as opposed to lies and sketchy plans. A chance to be with you. To fight at your side. To love you. The person I was when I wished for those things seems distant and blurry now, just as the person I was before I became involved with the conspiracy seemed distant and blurry then. With every year that passes I can look back and call myself naive. And though I don't feel ignorant now, I'm sure one day I'll look back and wonder how the hell I can think the way I'm thinking now. It appears that I'm just a naive person by nature. But was it so wrong for me to wish for power and the ability to change things? Was it so wrong for me to want to fight for the safety of my planet, so wrong for me to love you? And now is it so wrong for me to want to take myself away from all this, to want to take *us* away from all this, to someplace safe where we can heal or hearts and minds? In theory, none of that is wrong. But I tend to oversimplify things. I thought it would be so easy to change the conspiracy from behind the scenes. I thought it would be so easy to fight the aliens. I thought it would be so easy to love you. To be in love with you. What I discovered was that things don't always work out like I plan. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming. These days all I can dream of is getting away from here. We may be too important to spend a lot of time on the battlefields, but we see the carnage just the same. The screams echo through my head. And the few times we've been allowed to venture from the bunker are etched in my mind. Dead bodies, human and alien, piled in the ruins of a once great city. Our once great monuments have crumbled, and though I was never one for American pride, it makes me want to cry. But the worst is the cloud of dust that perpetually hangs over D.C., kicked up by the leveling of the city. It blocks out the sun. I miss the sun, Mulder. I miss it. I want to leave, to run somewhere where the war hasn't touched. I have a cabin, in the wilds of Oregon. It was originally built during the Y2K scare, far from civilization, but equipped with everything a paranoid yuppie could ever want or need. I may not be a yuppie, but I was worried that we wouldn't get the word out before the invasion started. So I bought a place to hide. Win or lose, the aliens would never find the place. I could be free there. We could be free there. Because whenever I imagine running there, you're with me. And I wish I could really ask you to come with me. We need to go, to get away from here. This is no place for a relationship to grow and flourish. We only had a month together before this all began, and we've never known a time in each other's company when we weren't fighting the aliens in some way or another. I believe in our love. I believe it's strong. But I don't know if it's stronger than this. Staying together has been a battle in itself. It seems as though we keep building something together only to see it destroyed by some accusation, some situation, some circumstance. A war is a place of death. A place of violence and hate. I try to believe that we can withstand it. But I'm worried. I can imagine this going on longer, being stuck here for years, and in those images I see our love turn to rust. That scares me more than anything out on the battlefield. It would be so easy to run. I know a way we can get to the cabin while avoiding the aliens. And no one here would begrudge us our leave. We've given so much already, so many years of our lives. We may be useful strategists, but we've taught others here what we know of the aliens. And Scully would still be here to help them along. We could go. One night I could kiss the back of your neck until you wake, and ask you to come with me. I know you'd go if I asked. But as much as I'd like to do so, I won't. There's work to be done here, and while it may seem like running away will solve all our problems, the answer is too simple. Perhaps I've lost some of my naiveté. Perhaps I know that if we ran you'd secretly resent me for selfishly saving only us. So I suffer through your silences and brooding, both occurring much more frequently these days. I worry about our love dying a slow death. And in my mind I go to the cabin and let the sun shine on my face. I go there with you. It's all I can do. Fin. ~~~~ Where the Streets Have No Name from The Joshua Tree (1987), by U2 I want to run I want to hide I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside I want to reach out and touch the flame Where the streets have no name I want to feel sunlight on my face I see the dustcloud disappear Without a trace I want to take shelter from the poison rain Where the streets have no name Where the streets have no name Where the streets have no name We're still building Then burning down love Burning down love And when I go there I go there with you It's all I can do The city's aflood And our love turns to rust We're beaten down by the wind Trampled in dust I'll show you a place High on a desert plain Where the streets have no name Where the streets have no name Where the streets have no name We're still building Then burning down love Burning down love And when I go there I go there with you It's all I can do Our love turns to rust We're beaten and blow by the wind Oh, and I see love See our love turn to rust We're beaten and blown by the wind Blown by the wind Oh, when I go there I go there with you It's all I can do ----------------------- http://araxdelan.tripod.com krycekluvsmulder@hotmail.com