TITLE:  Justifiable Homicide
AUTHOR:  Phantom Chic
RATING:  PG-13 (for violence)
CATEGORY:  Dark Humor
KEYWORDS:  Character Death (no one who doesn't deserve it), M/S UST
SPOILERS:  "Dreamland 1 & 2", "Three of a Kind", "Amor Fati"
ARCHIVE:  Ephemeral, Gossamer, Spooky's, Anti-Fowley Fic. 
DISCLAIMER:  If I owned them, Fowley would have died the first time
she was shot in "The End".
SUMMARY: Amor Fati Missing Scene.  How Fowley really died.
FEEDBACK: Ooh, please! I can not emphasize how much feedback
does not suck. Just make sure the subject line says "fic feedback"
or something similar so it will make it past my mail filters.
NOTE:  Dates are based on the Yankees World Series Win on
October 27.


*****

Offices of the Lone Gunmen
November 1, 1999
7:30 p.m.

"You guys have gotta hear this," Frohike called out as he ran in the
door, holding up a tape recorder, "Scully's going to be killed."

"What!?!" "What are you talking about Frohike?" Byers and Langly
looked at him in shock as they joined him at the tape player.

"I went to Mulder's to see how he was doing.  As I was leaving I
heard Agent Fowley. She was standing around the corner making a
call on her cell phone.  With everything that happened, I thought
Mulder and Scully would want to know what she's up to, so I
recorded her end of the call.  Listen."  He popped the tape in the
machine at started the playback. 

Diana Fowley's voice came over the speakers, "...she's in the way,
Sir.  She's served her purpose, Fox is recovering...No, she has to be
killed outright.  If she's not, Fox will go after like he has before.  If
she's dead, he'll move on.  I'll help him and then I'll make sure he's
more receptive to your fatherly guidance in the future...It's the best
way.  His loyalty to her is the only thing that would prevent him
from joining us...I'll take care of it myself.  I'll match it to what
Krycek did to Kritschgau, Fox will assume he killed her too...No,
he may know my loyalty is to you, but he would never suspect me. 
He doesn't want to believe it...Tomorrow, after Fox is released.
Good-bye."  *click*

"That's all there is.  She was coming around the corner, so I left,"
Frohike ejected the tape and walked over to a desk on the far wall.

"We've got to tell Mulder," Langly said.

"It would be better to go to Scully, put her on guard," Byers
suggested.

"No," Frohike interrupted from behind them.  They turned to see
him loading the gun they kept for emergencies.

"Frohike, what are you doing?" Langly asked in shock.

"I'm going to protect Agent Scully."

"How?" Byers asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm going to kill that bitch before she has a chance to hurt Scully. 
She's put the lovely Agent Scully through enough.  Mulder too." 
He turned to the computer, inserted a video tape and began editing
it.

"Frohike, you can't do that," Byers protested.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing it's murder," Langly spoke up.

"No one else knows I over heard her plan.  So I have no motive,
unless you guys are planning to nark on me."  He looked at them
and they glanced at each other.

"Why not just set her up?  We know what she's planning, if we
warn Mulder and Scully we can have police waiting for her," Byers
suggested.

"No, Cancerman'll just get her out.  Scully won't be safe until she's
gone.  You two just make sure Scully and Mulder aren't alone. 
That way they won't be suspects."

"Wait, what if Cancerman comes after you?" Byers asked, still
trying to divert him.

"Why would he suspect me?  He'll think it was Krycek.  I've got
the security footage of him leaving Kritschgau's place.  I'm
changing the number on the door to match Fowley's.  I'll combine it
with the old security footage we have of him.  The doors look alike,
so no one will be able to tell the difference.  That guy's changed
sides so many times,  no one knows who he works for anymore." 
Frohike ejected the altered security video and looked between the
faces of his friends, he could tell they were still trying to think of a
way to talk him out of what he had to do.  "Look, either go check
on Scully and Mulder or call the cops.  I'm going." 

"Now?"  Langly asked, trying to stall.

"Yes.  She's going to kill Scully tomorrow, I have to do it tonight. 
Now, what are you guys going to do."

Byers and Langly looked at each other, realizing that Frohike was
right.  It was the best way to protect their friends.

"I'll go see Scully," Langly said finally.

"Then, I guess I'll take Mulder," Byers agreed.

"Good, if they ask about me you can tell them I'm checking out the
footage from Kritschgau's murder."

*****

Mulder's apartment building
9:00 p.m.

"I'll come up with you and see if Scully's here, before I try heading
over to her place," Langly said as he parked the van in front of
Mulder's building.

The two of them headed up to the fourth floor.  Scully answered
the door when they knocked at Mulder's apartment.  "Hey, guys
come on in.  Where's Frohike?"

"He's looking into Kritschgau's murder," Byers answered.

"Hey, Scully, you playing doctor with Mulder?" Langly spoke up,
changing the subject.  "Where is he?"

"Bedroom," she replied, ignoring the first question.

"Since when does Mulder have a bedroom?" Langly was beginning
to find the subject interesting and realized that the topic would keep
her from asking anymore questions about Frohike.

"He claims that the bed appeared last year.  A gift or something."

"Right," Langly smirked.

"That's what I said," she opened the door to the bedroom and
stepped in.  "Mulder, Langly and Byers are here.  You want to
come out to talk to them."

The boys could hear Mulder getting out of what sounded like a
waterbed as he answered, "Yeah, I'm coming.  Keep them out
there."  Mulder followed Scully into the living room, closing the
door behind him as he made his way to the couch.  "Where's
Frohike?"

The Gunmen decided to take the tack they had with Scully. 
"Working on the Kritschgau murder.  Seeing if any info. was left
behind," Byers answered.

"So, Mulder, you gonna let us see the mysterious bedroom?"
Langly asked.

"I don't think so.  It's not as bad as when I first found it, but I'd
never live it down."

"Now I've gotta see this," Langly said and headed for the door.

"Scully," Mulder was whining as he appealed to his partner for
help.

"All right, boys.  You can bother Mulder about the bedroom when
he's recovered," Scully stood up and blocked the way.

Knowing better than to argue with Scully, Langly walked over and
sat down at the desk chair, "When will that be?"

Scully sat back down on the couch by Mulder, "With him?  It'll be
sooner than his doctor would suggest."

"Ah, come on, Scully, I'm not that bad a patient," the subject of the
discussion protested.

"Right, Mulder.  The only reason you're home now is because the
doctors at the hospital got tired of dealing with your complaints."
Scully's tone was teasing.  The Gunmen smiled, Mulder's reticence
at hospital stays had become notorious.  With the good mood the
two of them seemed to be in at being reunited, keeping them
occupied would be easy, and fun to watch.

*****

Diana Fowley's apartment
9:25 p.m.

Frohike stood in the dark of Fowley's apartment, waiting for her. 
He had managed to find a pair of gloves with the fingertips intact so
he wouldn't leave any prints.  He had looked through her computer
for anything that might be helpful to Mulder and Scully in the future
and had already downloaded everything that looked promising. 
Now he was waiting.  He stepped out of view of the door as he
heard Fowley's key in the lock.  She walked in, not paying attention
as she closed the door and turned on the lights.

"Hello, Agent Fowley." Frohike said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Frohike?  What are you doing here?  Is something wrong with
Fox?" Fowley was confused.  She hadn't spoken to any of the Lone
Gunmen since her relationship with Mulder had ended eight years
ago.

"I'm not here about Mulder, I'm here about Scully."

Fowley's mood changed, all traces of worry evaporating, "Scully? 
Don't tell me something's happened to her."

"No.  And nothing's going to, I'm here to make sure of that."

"What are you talking about?  Why are you here?"  she asked,
suddenly feeling cautious.

"I know you're planning to kill Scully tomorrow.  I'm not going to
let that happen."

"Really, what do you plan to do about it?" she smiled, not bothering
to deny it.  Instead of answering Frohike pulled out the gun.  Her
smile faded slightly, "You're planning to kill me?" she shook her
head in disbelief.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Scully."

"Come on, Frohike, we both know you're not going to pull that
trigger.  Just leave now and we can forget this ever happened. 
You'll see, everything can go back to the way it was before Fox
ever met her.  He'll be happy and in time we'll all forget about her. 
I can make him happy, she never could.  That bitch isn't worth your
loyalty."

"Scully is worth a hundred of you," he said, his anger apparent.  He
brought the gun up and fired.  Diana fell, blood spreading across
her chest, a look of shock on her face.

He turned and walked out, heading to security to exchange the
security video tapes.

*****

Mulder's apartment
10:15 p.m.

"I was drugged!"  Scully protested, as Langly related her behavior
in the hotel room in Las Vegas.  There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Mulder called out through his laughter.  "Frohike! 
Great, now you can tell me what really happened when you found
Scully drugged in Vegas."

Frohike came in and sat down, giving a quick nod to Byers and
Langly to let them know his mission had been accomplished.  Then
he dove into the subject, ignoring Scully's protests,  "Well, I found
her in a bar surrounded by men, all wanting to light her cigarette."

*****

Offices of the Lone Gunmen
November 5, 1999
10:13 a.m.

"Hey, guys," Mulder said as he walked in with Scully, his hand on
the small of her back.

"Mulder, Scully, what's up?" Langly greeted them as Byers and
Frohike gathered around.

"We want your help finding Agent Fowley's killer," Scully said,
cutting to the point.

The gunmen glanced at each other.  Byers answered her, "why do
you want to do that?  Why not let the police do it?"

"The only evidence they found is a security video of Krycek leaving
her apartment," Mulder offered.  Unlike Scully, he didn't seem
particularly concerned about finding Krycek.

"We've never been able to track him down.  Why is it so much more
important now?" Langly asked.

"I have to know if she was killed for helping me get to Mulder,"
Scully said.

"She wasn't," Frohike, who had silently watched the exchange to
stepped forward, as Langly and Byers watched in shock.

"How do you know?"  Mulder asked.

"You really want to know who killed her and why?"  They nodded. 
"Off the record?"  Mulder and Scully glanced at each other, and
nodded again.  "I shot her."

"Come on, Frohike, this isn't something to joke about," Mulder
protested.

"This is no joke.  That's where I was before I showed up at your
apartment."

"But the video."

"I altered it from some old security vids of Krycek."

"Why, Frohike?" Scully asked quietly, but curious.

"She was going to kill you."

"What!" Mulder yelled.

"Here, listen," Frohike turned to the audio deck and played them
the tape of Fowley's phone call to Cancerman.  As the call played,
Mulder grabbed Scully's hand, his grip getting tighter as the call
went on.  When it ended, Frohike stopped the tape and looked back
at the two agents.  "So what are you going to do?"  Mulder looked
at him and said, "Well, I'm not going to put any flowers on her
grave."  He and Scully looked at each other, after a short silent
conversation Scully addressed the Gunmen again.

"Thanks for your help, Frohike.  I owe you big time; we both do. 
Guys, you can cancel that search for Krycek, we don't care to find
Fowley's killer anymore.  In fact, let's just forget about her
altogether."

They all smiled.  "So, you guys want to come over tonight and
order some pizzas and watch a movie.  We're going to Scully's
place this time."  Mulder said, as though the previous conversation
had never happened.

"Hey, we were promised a look at your bedroom, Mulder," Langly
said.

"I don't think I'm quite recovered enough for that yet.  Am I,
Scully?" he answered.

"I don't know, Mulder.  I think it might be interesting.  We could
take a trip by your place, before we go to mine."  She teased.  At
the puppy dog look on his face, she shook her head.  "Oh, all right,
Mulder.  Sorry, guys, guess you'll just have to wait a little while
longer."  Laughing the group headed out for a night of fun at
Scully's.

*****
Fin.

********************************
"Well, I think you know what I think of that woman."
"No, actually, you hide your feelings very well."
-Scully and Mulder, "One Son"
********************************