"The Conversation on the Rock" ... Mulder lowered his gun, his eyes wide, "that was him, Scully. That was Big Blue."

Her expression held little of Mulder's awe as she wearily replied, "So what if it was?" With that, she turned away. "Mulder, what are we doing here? "

"What do you mean 'What are we doing here?' " he responded with genuine confusion as Scully pulled off her heavy jacket. She turned back to look at him as she sank down, "What are you hoping to accomplish?"

Mulder was silent, he looked about him as if searching for the answer to her query. Finally, he turned to her, "Scully, so many of the things that we investigate are so intangible, but, but this creature, it exists within the specific earthly confines of this lake. And I want to find it."

Looking up at him, she replied almost beligerantly, "What for!? "

In confused surprise, her responded, "You - you're a scientist, wh-wh-why do you ask that question? I mean, it wou- it would be a miraculous discovery. It could revolutionize evolutionary biological thinking."

She continued to stare up at him, slightly accusatory in her tone, "Is that really the reason why? You know when you showed me those - those pictures that the photographer took?" He looked away, a tinge of irritation on his face, before looking back at her, "You want to know what I really saw in them?" she conintued.

Flippantly, he replied, "a tooth?" but she was completely serious. "No. You. That man is your future. Listening only to himself, hoping to ... catch a glimpse of the truth for who knows what reason? "

Mulder responded, automatically, acid practicality in his tone, "Well, I did read in his journals that he was hoping to live off the copyright fees from a genuine Big Blue photo."

Scully turned to glance at him, "Well as dumb as it sounds at least it's a legitimate reason."

Faintly hurt, Mulder asked her softly, "You don't think my reasons are legitimate?"

"Mulder, sometimes I just can't figure them out. "

He didn't respond, merely looked at her for a moment before glancing away. Then suddenly, his attention was captured by a splashing noise. Scully looked around, too, reaching for her gun. In tandem, the two rose. Scully noticed a distinct ripple in the water and spinning towards it, alerted Mulder.

A duck's quacking head appeared above the misty water. With a whimper, Scully lowered her gun and fell against Mulder. He was still standing alert, his gun poised as he remarked idly, "I'm still tempted to fire."

She looked up at him and then pushed against him, grudgingly, he lowered his arm.

Some time later, they sat huddled on the small rock, the lantern between them.

"Hey, Scully, do you think you could ever cannibalize someone? I mean if you really had to?" Mulder remarked in the silence.

Ever the practical scientist, Scully replied, "Well, as much as the very idea is abhorrent to me, I suppose under certain conditions a living entity is practically conditioned to perform whatever extreme measures are necessary to ensure its survival. I suppose I'm no different," while Mulder lay back slightly, blowing on his hands.

Mulder glanced up and down her huddled form and asked mildly, "You've lost some weight recently, haven't you?"

Scully turned a little in his direction, surprised delight in her voice, "Yeah, yes I have, thanks for notic--" before she connected his earlier statement. She then turned and glared at him. He merely laughed lightly and then continued, semi-seriously, "But it is amazing what some animals will do to guarantee the continuation of the species, isn't it? I mean a creature, one of this size, must have adapted its behaviour over the years to minimize its chances of being seen by its own predator - us. This coming closer to shore for its prey must be an act of desperation on its part."

The reminder of the creature's latest meal on shore brought a pout to Scully's face, "Poor Queequeg.," she lameneted of her dearly departed pomeranian.

In his own way of apologizing, Mulder turned the conversation from Big Blue, expressing interest in the dog. "Why did you name the dog Queequeg?"

Sadly, she explained, "It was the name of the harpoonist in Moby Dick." he nodded, "My father used to read to me from Moby Dick when I was a little girl and, I called him 'Ahab' and he called me 'Starbuck.' So I named my dog 'Queequeg.' It's funny, I just realized something."

Interjecting lightly, he remarked, bizarre name for a dog, huh?"

Ignoring his comment, she continued, "No. How much you're like Ahab. You're so," she went on in explanation, at his look of puzzlement. "Consumed - by your personal vengeance against life, whether it be its inherent cruelties or its mysteries, that everything takes on a warped significance to fit your megalomanical cosmology."

Once again, disregarding her serious attempt at conversation, , Mulder resorted to a glib come-on, "Scully, you comin' on to me?"

And, she in turn, disregarded his comment and went right on with her analysis. "It's just, the truth or a white whale, what difference does it make? I mean, both - both obsessions are impossible to capture, and trying to do so will only leave you dead, along with everyone else you bring with you. You know Mulder you ARE Ahab."

"You know, it's interesting you should say that because I've always wanted a peg leg. It's a boyhood thing I never grew out of," as soon as the word 'peg-leg' came out, Scully looked away in disgust, realizing he couldn't be serious about this, but as he continued to speak, she found herself listening to his words and she looked back at him to find his gaze turned from hers. "No, I'm not being flippant. I mean I've given this a lot of thought - if you have a peg leg or hooks for hands - you know maybe it's enough to simply carry on living, you know, bravely facing life with your disability - it's heroic just to survive. But without these things, you're actually expected to MAKE something of your life, achieve something, earn a raise, wear a necktie. So, so, so if anything, I'm actually the antithesis of Ahab because if, if I did have a peg leg I might possibly be MORE happy and more content and not feel the need to chase after these creatures of the unknown."

Exasperation clear in her tone, she responded to his rambling with a succint, "And that's not flippant?"

Again, he laughed lightly, "No. No. Flippant is my favourite line from Moby Dick: 'Hell is an idea first born on an undigested apple dumpling.'" , halfway through the quote, Scully found herself mouthing the words. At the conclusion, she gave him a look of appreciative surprise.

And he smiled back.