A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, someone proposed a little 
kernel of an idea to her friend. Several hundred e-mails, thousands of 
kigabytes in rewrites, and countless hours on AOL IM later, "Shield 
and Sword" was formally delivered to the online world at a healthy 
(if not slighty wordy) 500 kb. 

Anna, my lovely and talented co author was the brain child. She proposed 
a Mulder-in-the-Consortium scenario that proved too irresistible -- even 
for someone who swore that her next piece of fanfic would involve no 
conspiracy. 

Season five, while providing delightful little stand alone episodes, 
was dreadfully lacking in conspiracy substance. Granted, faceless clones 
and dead children were interesting, but there were always the perpetually 
unanswered questions. Bill Mulder, Samantha Mulder, the cancer arc... 
things that had been left unresolved and were torturing the X-File 
fanatics. 

With the movie looming over us, there was a desire to add some 
resolution -- but to keep everything plausible within CC's X-Files-ish 
realm. 

Which leads to the rather depressing ending. Mulder and Scully are 
"friends"; they share a very deep bond with each other. However, they 
live dangerous lives, surrounded by dangerous people. And their 
headstrong, "get the truth, no holds barred" attitude makes them prone 
to mistakes. The ending, I'm hoping, shows that even though they operate 
with the best intentions, they are fallible, and still care very deeply 
for each other. 

Some thank yous: 

Anna. I've already said this, but you amaze me. Your parts were wonderful, 
and you made my parts equally fantabulous. It's been such an experience, 
and I have you to thank. 

To Seda who was patient, and would offer suggestions with mind-boggling 
scrutiny -- thank you for your well-timed advice, and your ability to 
keep our egos floating high. 

To those who offered feedback during and after the writing of "Shield 
and Sword", humongous boxes of chocolate and crates of champagne to 
everyone. When my motivation was lagging, it helped me stay focused. 

Until the next one... 

Melanie


***

The fact that this story is 500+k frightens me. How did the "little 
spy story" become this mythology monster? Where along the way did we 
realize just what we'd gotten ourselves into? And how exactly did it 
get to the point of being our alternative take on the fifth season? 

I am glad, however, that it did. Consider "Fight the Future;" Mulder 
and Scully running around in ever-widening circles to find some 
evidence - coming up with one (!!) bee at the end to corroborate 
their theories. "Shield and Sword" universe is *swimming* with 
evidence and answers, even if they come at a high price. Even if truth 
itself starts to seem unworthy of knowing. But there is at least a 
resolution - and some answers to the big burning questions that we 
always wanted answered. 

This is not a happy story, but I will maintain that it has a "cautiously 
optimistic" ending. Many people would disagree. And while the question 
of the sequel did come up, it will probably never be written. 

Writing this was an experience in itself, partly because I've always 
wanted to write a spy novel, having been raised on stories about Russian 
and American spies in Germany during WWII, but largely because 
co-authoring is so much fun. And because my co-author was Maraschino 
whose writing continues to astound me, and whose awesome ideas shaped 
this story. Melanie, you made "Shield and Sword" come to life. Thank 
you does not begin to cover it. 

"Shield and Sword" would never be complete without our patient, 
wonderful editor, Seda from Beta Readers' Circle. At the point where 
we could not remember the names of our characters, or vital information 
from the previous parts, she kept us honest and on track. 

I never knew that writing could be such a thrill. Thanks go to everyone 
who reads and writes XF fanfic. 

Anna.