Title: Masquerade Author: D. A. Prewitt Classification: SR Rating: PG Summary: Scully attends a Halloween masquerade ball and the night proves to be one she will never forget. Author's Notes: This story is in answer to Rhoni Lake's Halloween Mask Challenge. It's pure fluff, no sex, no violence (but please, read it anyway). Big thanks to Charli for her expert editing and wonderful comments. And thanks to PRhino for this great challenge idea. Disclaimer: Dana and Margaret Scully belong to the Grand Messer of Minds, Chris Carter (oh, and 1013 and Fox Broadcasting, too). Richard and Bitsy Chandler are figments of my stressed-out brain. As for the character of 'William', I'll let y'all decide that one... <grin> Archivists/Newsgroups: I give permission for 'Masquerade' to be posted on the archives and newsgroups as long as my name, and intro remain intact. "I can't believe I'm doing this." Dana Scully shook her head as she viewed herself in the full- length mirror in her bedroom. "This is crazy. I look like a refugee from 'A Tale of Two Cities'," she said, adding a little more black eyeliner to a fake mole she had applied to her cheek. "I don't know how I let Mom talk me into this." Scully laughed when she remembered her mom inviting her to the Chandler's annual Halloween Masquerade Ball. Richard and Bitsy Chandler, the Scully's neighbors for as long as Dana could remember, had held their Halloween party every year for the past 18 years. Scully knew that her mom had rarely attended, even though she was good friends with Bitsy. So she was surprised when her mom had decided to attend this year, but with one small catch: she wanted Dana to go with her. "Come on, honey, it will be fun," her mom had said. "You don't get out enough, Dana. Why won't you let yourself have fun for just one night?" *Why, indeed,* Scully mused silently as she took one last look in the mirror. She let her eyes move down her body, soaking in the lavish costume she had rented on her mother's insistence. The costume, a Marie Antoinette-style dress with a matching powdered wig, was a sight to behold. Scully ran her hands down her sides, seeing where the form-fitting bodice tapered in at her small waist, then fanned out into a full skirt at her hips. Her eyes traveled back up to her chest, and she blushed slightly as she saw her full bosom spilling out of the top of the dress. "Well, at least I'll be wearing a mask," she said aloud. The Chandlers allowed any type of costume at the party, but there was one concrete rule of thumb: All attendants must wear a mask, and that mask cannot be removed, for any reason, until midnight. Scully reached over to her vanity table and lifted the mask, bringing to her face. She had chosen an elaborate mask of blue, white and pale yellow feathers, with gold glitter sprinkled throughout. The mask was supposed to cover just her eyes, but with her small face, it ended up covering half of her cheeks as well. She secured the mask with the elastic string and added a few bobby pins to keep it in place. Taking one last look, she decided she was ready and walked to the front door, grabbing her car keys as she walked. Making her way out of her building with only a few wayward glances from neighbors, she opened her car door, then started laughing. She looked down at the full, puffy skirt of the dress. "How the hell am I going to drive in this thing?" Scully drove to her mom's house and parked in the driveway. She tapped the horn a few times, and her mom emerged from the house, dressed in a Charlie Chaplin outfit, complete with a derby on her head and a cane twirling in her hands. She wore a black and white sequined mask that covered most of her face. As Scully got out of the car, her mom approached her and smiled. "Oh, honey, you look breathtaking." Scully huffed. "Yeah, well I *feel* ridiculous. This dress is a pain in the butt, and the wig is starting to itch." Her mom laughed. "But you look so beautiful. And the mask is the perfect touch, too. Not too gaudy but not too understated, either." Shaking her head, Scully pointed to the Chandler's house across the street. "Well, Mom, let's get over there before I chicken out and leave." The two Scully women stood in the foyer of the house, looking around the room in awe. The Chandlers had removed almost all of the furniture, leaving the expansive living and dining room bare, except for the costume-clad guests milling about. Orange, black and white streamers were tastefully draped across the ceiling and walls, and the far end of the room had been fitted with a portable hard-wood dance floor, with a mirrored ball dangling above. *This place looks more like a grand ballroom than someone's living room,* Scully thought to herself. "Mom, what did they do with their furniture?" Scully asked quietly. Her mom leaned to her ear. "I have no idea. I don't think I want to know." They continued to wander about the large room for about an hour, stopping to talk to various guests as they went. Scully began to feel a bit self-conscious as she attracted stares from many of the men in the room. After one uncomfortably long, leering gaze from an obviously drunk man dressed as a Viking, she left the room and headed down a dimly-lit hallway in search of a bathroom. She silently prayed that there was a way to stretch the neckline of the dress up, because she knew that if she so much as sneezed, the other guests would be seeing more than just cleavage. "Hey, Martha Washington, where are ya goin'," the Viking asked as he staggered down the hall in pursuit of Scully. Quickening her pace, she turned down another hallway, running right into another guest. Her head was at his chest, but she could see that he was dressed in a black tuxedo with tails and a dark gray and white striped ascot. His large hands were shrouded in white gloves, and Scully thought he looked much like a turn-of- the-century British nobleman. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Whoa, m'lady. Why are you in a hurry?" His voice was low, with a touch of an English accent. "Sorry, I..." Scully stopped when she looked up at the man. His dark, thick hair was slicked back and his mouth wore a warm, playful smile. The mask on his face was dark green with silver stripes randomly placed around the edges. A very simple mask, Scully thought, but when she added to it his deeply intense eyes, which resembled two dark emeralds with flecks of brown and gold, she was left breathless. The man lowered his hands from her and looked beyond her head, down the hallway. "Ah, I see you're trying to escape the clutches of Leif Erikson over there." He gestured to the slovenly Viking leaning against the wall a few feet from them. Scully smiled and nodded. She couldn't tell if his English accent was real or a ruse, not that it really mattered to her. She decided to have some fun with it herself and donned what she figured was the worst French accent ever attempted. "Oui, monsieur, he is following me down ze hall and I am trying to run away." The man laughed. "Well, then I'll just have to rescue you," he said quietly, his mouth just a few inches from her ear. He offered Scully his arm and escorted her past the drunken man, who was still propped up against the wall. Scully stifled a giggle when she saw the incredulous look on the Viking's face. They continued on into the main room, where Scully noticed that the dance floor was getting a good workout. The song was fast- paced, and couples in all varieties of costumes were moving to the upbeat tempo. Stopping once they arrived at the refreshments table, the man picked up two champagne flutes and offered one to Scully. "Some champagne for m'lady?" She smiled and took the glass. She was about to take a sip when the man brought his hand to her wrist. "Wait. I want to propose a toast, but I cannot until you tell me your name." Scully's mind went into full-gear, not wanting to reveal her real name. She gave him the first one she thought of, her tongue almost tripping over it with her bad French accent. "Katherine. My name is Katherine." The man smiled warmly. "Ah, Katherine." He said her name slowly, almost as if he were tasting it on his lips. "Katherine. An extraordinary name for an extraordinary beauty." Scully lowered her head shyly. She could feel the heat rising to her face and silently cursed herself for not buying a mask that covered her entire head. After a few seconds, she finally raised her eyes to his. "Monsieur, I must now know your name as well." "My name is William," he said, raising his glass. "And now, I propose a toast. To you, Katherine. You are an angel sent from the heavens, a vision sent to bless my eyes with the sight your beauty for just this one evening. Please say you will dance with me." He took a sip from the glass. Scully found herself so moved by his words that she couldn't breathe. Normally, she scoffed at such flowery, romantic fluff, her analytical mind reducing the words to nothing more than a cheap pick-up line. But with the rich, mesmerizing tone of his voice and the gentle look in his eyes, she could see that he was sincere, and she was completely entranced. Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded. He took both champagne flutes and placed them on the table, then extended his hand to her. He lead her to the far end of the dance floor. Leaning over the DJ's table, he whispered something to the man, then turned back to Scully. A few seconds later, the room filled with a slow orchestral piece, the flowing melodies from the violins and woodwinds creating a romantic mood. William took Scully in his arms, placing one of her hands upon his shoulder and taking her other hand in his and holding it to his breast. He wrapped his other arm around her and rested his hand at the small of her back. Despite the incredible height difference, and she had figured he was almost a foot taller than her, she felt at ease in his embrace. There was something so comforting, so familiar about being in his arms. They moved about the floor as if on air, their bodies swaying in perfect harmony. The song ended too quickly for her, and she raised her eyes to his. Another slow song began and William bent his head down, his eyes just inches from hers. "Please stay, Katherine. Please allow me another dance." Again, her voice was nowhere to be found, and she had to settle for nodding at him. The smile on his face sent a rush of desire straight through her body. She smiled back, then allowed herself to lay her head against him, which caused him to pull her closer. Scully spent the rest of her time at the party with William. They danced almost every dance, no matter the speed of the song, and when they weren't dancing, they would talk and laugh and drink champagne, both oblivious to everyone else in the room. As the night wore on, Scully found it increasingly difficult to keep up the French accent, but she was determined not to ruin the illusion. She was having a wonderful time, momentarily leaving the reality of her work and her life behind, something she didn't allow herself very often. William's words weaved a magic spell over her. She had never felt so beautiful, or so desirable, in her entire life. About ten minutes before midnight, the DJ announced the 'Removing of the Masks' ceremony to take place at the last stroke of the grandfather clock, the only piece of furniture that was not removed for the party. Scully found herself both excited and saddened by the announcement. She was anxious to learn William's true identity, but saddened by the fact that the fantasy was about to end. She excused herself to William and followed the darkened hallways to the bathroom. She had hoped no one was standing outside the bathroom door as she cursed the dress a dozen times, swearing she would never wear anything this cumbersome again. Scully realized when she left the bathroom that she had spent almost ten minutes fighting with the dress, and was about to miss the ceremony. She walked briskly down the main hallway, which was now almost completely dark, lit only by the light spilling in from the living room. She gasped when she felt a hand on her arm. "It's alright, Katherine. It's just me, William." She moved so that she could see a small ray of light hitting his face, then smiled. "Did I miss the ceremony?" Scully asked anxiously. "No, not yet. But before you go back in there, I wanted to ask you a favor." He paused while she nodded, then smiled brightly. "Spending this night with you, my dear Katherine, has been a dream come true for me. But reality is close at hand, and I feel I must do one more thing to make the fantasy complete. Will you indulge me one last bit of heaven?" She nodded slowly, unable to move any other part of her body, and then she closed her eyes as she felt his hands on her face, his thumbs softly caressing her cheeks. "So beautiful, my angel Katherine," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers. Scully felt herself floating, her mind focusing only on William's mouth and hands. The kiss was so chaste, yet so inviting, and she felt her knees weakening. But all too soon, she felt him pull away. Her eyes remained closed a few more seconds, trying to savor the feeling on her lips. She slowly opened her eyes, only to find that William was gone. She looked to her left, then right. "William?" She heard the clock beginning to chime and ran back into the main room, her eyes frantically darting about, trying to find the tall, handsome man in the green and silver mask. Seeing her mother on the opposite side of the room, she ran to her. Her mom smiled and pointed to Scully's mask. "Get ready to remove your mask, honey. Only six more chimes to go." "Mom, the man I was dancing with. William. Did you see where he went?" Her mom frowned. "No, Dana, I didn't. He's not in here. He must have left." At that moment, the room erupted with cheers as the guests all removed their masks, and hugs and handshakes were exchanged. Scully slowly reached up, removing the bobby pins from her wig, then lowering the feather and sequined mask from her face. Although the room was filled with laughter, the joy she had felt earlier was gone, and Scully could not stop the stray tear rolling down her face. Dana Scully arrived at Hoover Building the next morning in a state of utter exhaustion, both mentally and physically. She had hardly slept, her mind continually wandering back to the Chandler's Masquerade Ball, to the dancing, to the feeling of being in William's arms, to the kiss... Taking the elevator to the basement, she made her way through the maze of hallways and just before making the last turn, she bumped into someone. She felt large hands gently move on her shoulders. Her eyes widened and she felt her breath growing ragged. She snapped her head up to see her partner's lopsided grin greeting her. "Mornin', Scully," he said, his eyes narrowing as he lowered his hands from her. "Hey, are you OK?" "Yeah, Mulder, I'm fine. You just startled me," she said, trying to regain her composure. "Where are you going?" The grin returned to his face. "I...ah...I've got a few errands to run. I'll be back in half an hour," he said as he headed down the hall to the elevator. She stood there a moment, taking in a few deep breaths, then continued down the hallway to the their office. Fishing the keys from her purse, she unlocked the door and stepped in. She closed the door behind her, then turned to her desk.....and promptly dropped her purse and jacket to the floor. She gasped, then slowly crossed the room, knowing that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. But when she finally reached her desk, she knew it was true. Delicately placed atop a pile of file folders was a single red rose, and next to it, a green and silver mask. THE END