Mulder's Folly - Part 1
Rating: R
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: All characters represented belong
to Chris, 1013, and Fox. I have received no
monetary profit or gain from this work. This
work is not connected to, or endorsed by any
of the above mentioned individuals or organizations.
All characters are used without permission.
Synopsis: Mulder's penchant for practical jokes
ends up *backfiring*.
Archivists Note: Archive as you wish, as long
as my name and e-mail remain attached. Please
do not alter my original content. Thank you.
Author's Notes: I wish to thank all members
of the Persuaders list, and many other good
friends for their encouragement and support.
Dear Patti, your help as beta reader has proven
invaluable. Red? You're the greatest! Thank you.
Prologue:
It had all started several months before.
Special Agent Fox Mulder had the terrible
misfortune of making one of The Lone
Gunmen furious. From out of the blue,
the little troll, Melvin Frohike, busted
Mulder's bare behind with a rolled up
magazine. As if that weren't bad enough,
Frohike's two closest friends and allies,
Langly and Byers witnessed the entire
shameful event.
As usual, Mulder's mouth engaged without
waiting for his brain to catch up. He then
ended up across Byers' lap, being soundly
paddled with a ruler. Ever vigilant, the
Gunmen videotaped the evening's events
and a copy of said tape somehow landed
on the desk of one Walter S. Skinner, Agent
Mulder's immediate supervisor. Skinner
summoned Mulder to his office and, to
Mulder's infinite chagrin, they viewed the
tape of his punishment at the hands of the
Lone Gunmen together.
Mulder thought Skinner merely wanted to
bask in his humiliation but Skinner had a
different reaction. He suggested the two
of them come to an agreement. Actually,
Walter made a decision that Mulder had
no choice but to comply with. Walter
would keep the videotape secret, and in
exchange, Mulder would submit himself to
Walter's authority in all matters. His personal
as well as professional life would be closely
scrutinized and dealt with accordingly.
Skinner consummated their deal by spanking
Mulder right then and there. Mulder left
Skinner's office that night thinking his entire
world was nothing but extreme possibilities...
possibilities that had never occurred even to him.
Soon Mulder's partner, Dana Scully, and
even her mother Maggie were included in
the arrangement.
Mulder had reluctantly learned to live with
it but one thing about his arrangement with
Walter still bothered Mulder. He had a
problem with being turned over Walter's
knee. It made him feel very childish. As
though the AD were in total control.
Of course, that was Walter's intention.
Mulder always knew he had screwed
up badly when Skinner decided his
behavior warranted a spanking.
He and Walter had candidly discussed
his feelings at some length and finally
reached an agreement they could both
live with. Mulder would accept Walter's
decisions and subsequent punishments
but he needed to feel like he was a
contributing member of the partnership.
Mulder would be allowed to label and
categorize his individual punishments and
Skinner agreed to let Mulder choose the
implement and method - most of the time.
So now, a belting or strapping involved
being bent over the arm of the couch,
the table, a chair or some inanimate object.
Those punishments weren't nearly so
unsettling for Mulder. They hurt just as
bad, but didn't make him feel so much
like a naughty little boy.
In consideration of Mulder's feelings,
Skinner made another major concession.
He now imposed over the knee spankings
only in very special offenses. When Mulder
exhibited blatantly childish behavior, like
one of his infamous temper tantrums, or
endangered himself needlessly, he could
expect to spend time draped across
Walter's lap. It was no less humiliating
being upended over his boss's knee, but
Mulder now tried his dead level best to
cooperate. Actually, his cooperation wasn't
really that important, just appreciated.
Walter was taller, heavier and much stronger.
When Walter Skinner decided to take Mulder
to task, Mulder didn't have much choice in
the matter.
Mulder's Folly
Mulder sat and fidgeted at his desk,
squirming as surreptitiously as possible
so as not to draw Scully's attention to
his discomfort. Yesterday, Mulder had
managed to earn yet another last minute
invitation to his supervisor's apartment
for a late evening discussion.
This time Skinner and he had discussed
Mulder's behavior during staff meeting
the previous afternoon........
Assistant Director Walter Skinner opened
the door before Mulder could even finish
knocking. "Get in here. Now," he angrily
hissed. Skinner nearly swept the nervous
agent into the foyer in his haste to slam the
door. He immediately began to lecture,
"What in the world did you think you were
doing? Aren't you just a little old to still be
playing class clown, Fox Mulder?"
Mulder tried not to laugh, knowing it would
only make a bad situation worse...much worse,
"I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing,
Walter. I had no idea that anyone would
actually offer a video presentation! I meant
that tape for your eyes, only! Honest!"
Skinner's frown deepened, "You had to
eject a tape, to put in *Naughty Nymphettes
From Outer Space*, didn't you? Why
wouldn't you suspect someone planned to
use the television and VCR, if they were
already set up in the conference room?"
Mulder couldn't prevent a chuckle this time,
"I don't know, Walter. I guess I just wasn't
thinking. Besides, I have already made my
apologies to Section Chief Manscuzzo. She
was very gracious about the entire misunderstanding."
Skinner shoved his shirtsleeves up past
his elbows, "How nice of her. Unfortunately
for you, unlike Maria Manscuzzo, I'm neither
in the position or mood to be gracious and
understanding."
Skinner gripped Mulder's arm firmly, guiding
his nervous employee into the front room,
"Humor in the workplace has very specific
rules, Fox. You are an incredibly intelligent
young man. Surely, you must realize how
serious this is! What if the women present
had found your little joke offensive? What if,
instead of being so gracious, Section Chief
Manscuzzo had chosen to lodge a formal
complaint? Or worse, slapped you with a
sexual misconduct charge! How would that
look on your already spotty record, Fox?"
Mulder was instantly contrite as all the possible
ramifications of his actions became clear, "I'm
really sorry, Walter. I just didn't think. Honestly,
I didn't." Wiping his brow as he added, "I didn't
intend to offend or upset anyone. I should have
apologized to everyone at the meeting. Not just
S.C. Manscuzzo."
Walter nodded, "You certainly should have, Fox
Mulder! As a matter of fact, you're going to sit
down and write letters of apology to each and
every woman who witnessed your juvenile and
tasteless display. But first, I'm going to make
sure you do remember to think about
consequences from now on."
Walter turned away from Mulder and walked
to the entertainment center, "Take down your
pants, Mulder." Reaching to the top shelf,
Skinner retrieved a small oval paddle with a
long thin handle, "Remember this? It has proven
very effective in the past. I think we should
leave it in a more public location for a while.
Maybe the coffee table? Isn't that where you
kept it after I brought it to your apartment?"
Mulder's first attempt to answer Skinner's
question was an audible gulp followed by
and incoherent squeak. He blushed and
tried again, "Uh...I guess so. I don't really
remember," he mumbled. He was no longer
capable of lying to Walter and didn't try very
often. He nervously ran a hand through his
shock of dark hair and caused unruly spikes
to stand at attention, "Are you really going to
use that thing, Walter? I thought maybe at most,
you'd give me a weekend restriction. I know!
How about an essay on why practical jokes are
always in bad taste?"
Skinner shook his head, "Not a chance in
Hell, Mulder. You made a serious mistake
today, even if you did mean it to be harmless
and funny." He glared pointedly at the
younger man, "I thought I told you to drop your pants?"
Mulder stared foolishly down at his fly,
"Oh, yeah." With trembling fingers, he
unbuckled his belt and opened the buttons
of his well worn Levis, "Over the arm of the
couch, Walter?" His voice trembled almost
as much as his hands, "Is that where you want me?"
Skinner shook his head again. In a voice
so soft Mulder had to strain to hear, "Not
this time, son. A trip across my knee seems
more appropriate for this boyish prank. I
won't bother to ask if you agree because
I already know your answer."
Moving the coffee table out of the way
before taking his customary seat on the
couch, Walter scolded, "Well? Get your
butt over here, Mulder. You're just stalling
and we both know it."
As Mulder crossed the room on shaking
legs, jeans encumbering his ankles making
him clumsy and slow gaited, "I'm coming,
Walter." He wished only to fill the silence
and hopefully lessen some of the intensity
in Walter's unblinking stare, "I'm coming,
right now."
Walter pointed to the spot directly between
his knees, "Kneel down. Bend over my knee,
Mulder. Don't make this worse than it has to
be," offering the first hint of compassion he
had shown since Mulder's arrival. "I'm doing
this for a very good reason. I know you
understand even if you don't agree."
Mulder's head bobbed jerkily, as he complied
with Walter's instructions, "I'm really sorry,
Walter. I know you're doing this for my own
good. It's just...you know how much I hate
being put over your knee! That damned paddle
hurts so bad! Do you really have to use it?"
Walter nodded, "It's good to hear a sincere
apology, Mulder. Believe me, I know how
hard it is for you to be punished this way,"
Walter wrapped his arms around Mulder's
shoulders and hugged him warmly before
guiding the repentant young man over his
knee, "So, let's get it over with." Walter
slipped his fingers inside the waist band
of Mulder's shorts and slid them effortlessly
out of his way, "Boxers too, Fox. You know
I always spank your bare backside, son."
He pushed Mulder's shirt all the way up to
bunch around the young man's incredibly
tense shoulders, resting his free hand on
the warm bare skin of Mulder's back.
"Stay still as best you can. This is going
to hurt and I don't want to hold you down,"
Walter instructed. He sighed heavily, when
he realized he was already feeling sorry for
Fox, even though his infuriating employee
desperately deserved this spanking.
Mulder grasped Walter's ankle with one
hand and planted the other palm flat on
the floor, "I'll do my best, Walter. Promise."
He clenched his teeth and tried to prepare
himself for the awful burning sensation of
the little paddle. It reminded him of the
hairbrush his mother used to spank him
with, as a small boy.
Skinner lifted the paddle and assaulted
Mulder's right cheek with a jolting swat.
The report sounded like a rifle shot,
"Practical jokes have no place in staff
meetings, Mulder!" He placed a second
resounding crack on Mulder's left cheek,
"Sexual humor of any kind is completely
inappropriate in the work place!"
Without further scolding, Skinner set to
work turning Mulder's bare and squirming
backside a brilliant crimson hue.
Mulder struggled to hold position for as
long as possible, "OW OW OWWWW!
I'm sorry, Walter! It will never happen again!
I can't even begin to tell you how serious I
am!" He was eventually reduced to tears as
the paddle continued to attack his burning
backside. He wept bitterly, fully aware that
his own poorly planned actions had placed
him in this disgraceful and painful position.
Skinner applied the business end of the paddle
to Mulder's behind for a full five minutes before
tossing it to the floor beneath the weeping man's
nose, "Stay there a while longer, Fox. Get
yourself under control, and think about why
I was forced to spank you." As Mulder's tears
began to subside, Walter tenderly rubbed the
miserable young man's back, "Do you think
you're ready to get up, now?"
Helping Mulder rise to a kneeling position,
Walter chuckled, "Oh, all right. Come here, Fox."
He wrapped Mulder in his arms again and held
him close, "When you cry, you look like you're
six years old. It makes me feel like an ogre."
He could not resist ruffling Mulder's dark hair,
"How do you manage it, Fox? Why do I always
end up apologizing to you?"
Mulder sobbed fitfully against Walter's shoulder,
"It's just a crying shame, you don't spank me
like you'd spank a six year old!" He eventually
calmed and pulled away. He scrubbed his eyes
with the heels of his hands, "I need to get up,
now. My knees are hurting."
Walter steadied Mulder, as he climbed to his
feet, "Okay. You might as well get started
writing your apology letters."
Leading Mulder into the kitchen, Walter
pointed to the table, "Grab a chair. Before
you ask, yes. You have to leave your pants
down. You do better work when your butt
still hurts. It motivates you to give me your
best effort." He tossed a pen and stationary
tablet on the table, "You have ten letters to
write. I'm going to read each one, before you
place them in envelopes." He sat down in the
chair directly across from Mulder, "Be on
time tomorrow morning, I'll be coming to
collect you. You'll be hand delivering the
letters. I'll be going along to keep you honest."
Mulder snuffled and wiped at his eyes again,
before picking up the pen, "Do I have to write
a letter to Scully, too? Can't I just tell her I'm
sorry, Walter? She's not going to care if I don't
present her with a handwritten apology!"
Skinner snapped his fingers and pointed
again to the tablet, "I said: Everyone woman
who attended the meeting, didn't I? Dana
Scully attended the staff meeting, so you'll
write her an apology. Stop whining and get
to work, Mulder. Or, do you need a bit more
incentive?"
Mulder pouted but uncapped the pen and
began to write, "All right, Wal-Ter! You
don't have to be so nasty. I'll write her a
damned apology, okay? It will be so
eloquently expressed, Scully will break
down and weep!"
Skinner folded his arms across his massive
chest, "For that little outburst, you've just
earned yourself half an hour of corner time
once you've finished your writing assignment."
Mulder's lip slid even farther forward, "I
think corner time is just a little bit excessive,
Walter."
"You're going to experience excessive in a
minute," Skinner groused, "If you don't stop
whining and start writing!"
Mulder huffed and began to scribble furiously,
"I'm writing, I'm writing!" He ripped the first
page from the tablet and tossed it at Walter,
"There! One down and how many to go? Nine?"
"Pick it up and hand it to me." Walter stared
at the hastily penned note, trying to decipher
the chicken scratches. "This is unacceptable.
I can't even read it!" He slammed the paper
back onto the table, "What does it say, Mulder?"
Fox delicately picked up the letter, smoothing
out all of the wrinkles. "It doesn't say anything,
Walter!" He scowled, "It reads, I'm heartily
sorry for my transgressions. Mea culpa.
Abysmally yours, Fox "Sack Cloth and
Ashes" Mulder."
Skinner jerked Mulder up from his chair,
power swatting the still red and very naked
bottom several times. "Do it again," he
growled through clenched teeth. He sat
Mulder down forcibly in his chair, "If you
don't do it properly, I'm going to use the
paddle again. Still feeling funny, Mulder?"
Mulder blinked tears, attempting to appear
unconcerned, "No, Walter. Believe me.
I'm not feeling the least bit funny at the moment."
He lifted the pen, "Do they all have to be
somber and solemn though? Why can't I add
a touch of levity, Walter? Humor is a good
way to ease through an awkward situation."
Walter sighed, "Levity and humor are what
landed you in this awkward situation to begin
with, Fox! You are going to write sincere
apologies. Stop arguing and stop stalling.
Get to work."
Mulder sat quietly and composed three
sincere and legible apologies before trying
again, "Walter?" He waited for a moment,
"Since I've already apologized to Section
Chief Manscuzzo, do I have to write to her, too?"
Walter nodded, "Yes." He knew there would be more.
Mulder sighed, "Don't take this wrong, but
if you go with me... it's going to seem like I
had to bring my dad with me to the principal's office."
Walter smiled, "Once again, a perfect example
of punishment to fit the crime."
Mulder glowered, "I am not a little kid, Walter!"
"If that's the case, why do you insist on
behaving like one, Fox?"
Mulder stared for a long time at the blank
tablet before him, "I don't think it's fair. I've
already apologized. She has already accepted."
Walter moved to stand close to Mulder's
chair again, "A little embarrassment isn't
going to kill you, Mulder. Maria deserves
your written apology more than anyone else
at the meeting. She was kind enough to
accept your explanation and let the matter
drop. You owe her the courtesy of acknowledging
her kindness. Now, get back to work. If you
make me miss the Sopranos, you'll do a whole
hour in the corner. Understand?"
Mulder perked up. "The Sopranos are on
tonight? Can I put off corner time, until it's over?"
Walter tapped the stationary with his index
finger, "No. I'll make you a deal, though.
If you hurry up and get your work done,
I'll tape it for you."
Mulder flushed red, "Oh, now that's an
offer I can't refuse!"
Walter snatched Mulder up and swatted
him again. "I'm losing patience, Fox! Write
the damned apologies and stop sulking!"
Mulder ground his teeth. "Will you please
stop hitting me?" He squeezed the pen so
tightly the cap popped off and bounced
across the table, "Geeze, Walter! My ass
already hurts so bad I won't be sitting
comfortably for a week!"
Walter slammed Mulder back into his
seat and stomped across the kitchen.
He rummaged furiously through the
cabinets for several moments. He
returned to the table with an egg timer,
"You've got twenty minutes, Fox. If you're
not done when this timer sounds, you're
doing one full hour in the corner. I won't
be taping The Sopranos for you, either."
Mulder was still composing his final letter
when the time bell rang, "Shit! I'm almost
through, Walter. Okay?" He finished in a
flurry, "There! The tenth and final letter!
Only thirty minutes. Please say it's only
thirty minutes, Walter? Please?"
Walter read the letters over once again,
"Technically, you didn't finish on time,
but I'll give you a break. Get to the corner,
Mulder. Pants down, no rubbing. You
know the drill."
Mulder stood. "Can I do my corner time
in the front room? I can listen to the
television, at least," he pleaded.
"No. The last time we tried that, you
kept sneaking peeks at the program,
remember? You will stand in your
customary corner. In the foyer, by the
door. I can watch my show in peace
and still be able to keep an eye on you.
Get going, Mulder."
Mulder grumbled and complained,
bending to pull his jeans up far enough
not to trip over them, "You are a tyrant,
Walter Skinner. Don't think I'm going to
forget this."
"That's my whole plan in a nutshell,
Mulder. I expect you *not* to forget
for a very long time. March!" He
swatted Mulder's backside once more
to get the younger man moving.
Mulder glared at the cracked paint in
'his' corner, listening to Walter chuckle
at the television. He willed the timer to
sound, signaling the end of his time out.
When he heard Skinner step into the
kitchen for something to drink, he sneaked
a quick rub to his still smoldering backside.
"Stop rubbing, Mulder," Skinner called from the kitchen.
"What makes you think I was rubbing?"
Mulder shouted back indignantly.
Skinner laughed, "I could hear your sigh
of relief, all the way in here! Stop rubbing
or I'm going to reset the timer, Fox."
Mulder planted his hands firmly in his
armpits and begin to count seconds,
"One one thousand, two one thousand."
Finally, the egg timer sounded his release,
"Yessssss!" He jerked his pants back over
his backside, gasping as the denim scraped
against his tender behind, "Can I watch the
rest of the show, please?"
"No. You need to go home and go straight
to bed. You are going to be on time tomorrow,
remember?" Skinner approached and hugged
Mulder once again, "You're forgiven, Fox.
You still have to deliver the letters, before
this sordid little affair is forgotten, though."
He escorted Mulder to the door. "I'll see you
bright and early tomorrow morning, Mulder.
Don't forget to bring your apology letters, either."
Mulder nodded and returned the hug,
"Thanks. I won't forget. I'll see you in the
morning." He stopped at the door, "I'm
sorry for arguing with you, Walter." He
smiled before closing the door quietly
behind him.
End of part 1