From 71022.1045@CompuServe.COM Thu Jan 09 19:30:50 1997
Dreams & Nightmares (NC-17 S/S) by D. Street
Part 1 of 7
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Hi Ho, Everyone!
I'm posting this story, "Dreams & Nightmares," on behalf
of the author, who is not on-line. It's a relationship story
between Skinner and Scully. You can send all comments to me
and I'll forward them on. The e-mail address is listed below.
Enjoy!
Kathy
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Okay to forward to a.t.x.c. and okay to archive.
Spoiler warning: Some references to the third season
episode, "Avatar."
Rating: NC-17
Classifications: S (Story), R (Romance) Skinner/Scully
Summary: This is a Skinner/Scully relationship story where
Skinner experiences nightmares where Scully is in
danger and Mulder attempts to help him work through
them.
I would appreciate any comments or criticism. Thank you.
Please e-mail to: 71022.1045@compuserve.com
The characters and situations of the television program
"The X-Files" are the creations and property of Chris Carter,
Fox Broadcasting and Ten-Thirteen Productions, and have been
used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended
and no profit will be made.
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DREAMS & NIGHTMARES
by D. Street
Part 1 of 7
WALTER SKINNER'S HOME - PM
Walter Skinner woke drenched in sweat, gasping for
breath, fingers clenching damp bedsheets.
"Dammit!" He cursed himself and his screwed up
subconscious. "When is this going to end!?"
Walter lay on his back, staring into the darkness of his
bedroom, listening to the gentle 'tick' of the bedside clock.
He rolled onto his side and read the illuminated hands; 2:00
am. With a sigh he closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come.
An overpowering sense of loneliness swept over him, permeating
every fiber. It wasn't a stranger, this feeling, he'd felt it
in varying degrees for most of his adult life. What frightened
him now was the intense depth of that lonely emptiness and how
it was beginning to affect him.
It was two weeks since he'd been cleared of the false
murder charges and things had returned to normal. Sharon
Skinner's funeral had been Saturday, and he no longer had to
decide whether or not he wanted a divorce.
Skinner flopped onto his other side and squeezed his
eyes shut. He had to get some unbroken sleep or he'd be
useless tomorrow. Today. He thought about his ex-wife and was
surprised to feel no regret. He'd had a surge of affection and
a desire to make things the way they used to be, but after it
was over and his adrenaline had reverted, Skinner had realized
that he no longer cared enough to make the marriage work... if
he ever had. He was sorry she was dead, but that was all.
A sudden, driving urge to cry invaded him and Skinner
shoved it down brutally.
"Jesus, maybe I've got some chemical imbalance all of a
sudden."
But he knew it wasn't anything medically simple... he
needed to deal with the things that were happening in his
life; and the things that had been happening for the last year
or so. The problem was, he wasn't sure he wanted to face those
demons. He desperately wanted to forget the emotions and fears
that tore at him and get back to life as AD for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. He wanted to erect the wall that had
so successfully shielded him from those around him and
isolated him from hurt. Prevented him from becoming too
involved and therefore rejected for what he was. The wall that
left him alone but safe.
The sun peeked over the horizon as Walter slipped back
into a troubled sleep, pillow wet from tears he hadn't known
he was shedding.
WALTER SKINNER'S OFFICE - AM
Dana Scully leaned over Skinner's shoulder, pointing out
the results of her latest autopsy.
"You see, sir? It's really nothing out of the ordinary.
I think we can close the case on this one."
Skinner nodded. "Yes, I don't see anything unusual." He
took off his glasses and rubbed tired eyes. "Good work, Agent
Scully." Walter held the bridge of his nose for a moment,
wishing the headache he'd had since the day before would
vanish.
"Sir?" Scully lightly touched his shoulder. She could
feel his muscles bunch beneath her hand. "Are you all right?"
Replacing the wirerims, Skinner smiled up at her. "Yes,
of course. Just a little tired."
He closed the file and pushed it across his desk. The
truth was, his sleep-deprived mind was beginning to wander.
Scully's close proximity was giving his body ideas and he
doubted he could safely stand without revealing the nature of
the fantasy he'd been having while his agent had related her
findings. It had always been difficult to conceal his feelings
for the pretty FBI agent, but lately, with his guard down due
to lack of rest, Skinner was finding it damned near
impossible.
He pulled the folder back and flipped it open. He'd
really better review it before she left, in case he had any
questions.
"Just let me go over this once more and we'll be done."
he told her.
Dana nodded, going to sit in her accustomed chair.
As she watch him, head bowed slightly over the case file,
Scully noticed again how tired and... she searched for a
word... ragged, the AD looked. His broad shoulders slumped and
the usually impassive face was drawn and pale.
'I wonder if he's ill?' she mused, studying him closely.
'Or maybe he's just tired... Mulder's been giving him grief
over that last case. Maybe he's having trouble with his
superiors.' She tended to forget that Skinner, too, had people
he was forced to answer to. People who didn't always
appreciate the fight he put up for the X-Files and its agents.
She made a mental note to speak with her partner.
Skinner really was on their side and there was no sense in
beating his head against the wall just because he wanted them
to do things by the book.
Scully settled back in the chair, letting her eyes wander
over the man before her. During the last few months, she'd
admitted to herself that she found Skinner attractive. Very
attractive. More than just his good looks, she admired his
strength and conviction and the fact that he trusted his
agents to get the job done and generally didn't interfere,
even when he feared for their safety. And yet, she had
admitted to herself, he was always there to back them up if
they needed it. That was something rare and Dana found herself
becoming more and more fond of Walter Skinner. Despite the
fact that he was her direct superior.
"Well, this looks fine."
Dana snapped out of her reverie as he closed the file.
"I think we're through for now, Agent Scully." He smiled
at her.
She stood. "Thank you, sir."
"Scully--"
She turned back. "Yes, sir?"
Skinner hesitated a moment, then shook his head, waving
her to the door. "Nothing. Dismissed."
Scully left, closing the door softly. She'd speak to
Mulder. Maybe he had an idea about what was bothering their
boss.
FBI BUILDING - AFTERNOON
Fox Mulder stepped out of the elevator and strode down
the long corridor to the AD's office. Usually he dreaded these
meetings with their superior; primarily because Skinner
usually ended up taking his reports apart and demanding that
Mulder put them back together. Today, however, Mulder was
anxious to speak with Skinner. He wasn't sure why, but ever
since the AD had reclaimed his position at the Bureau, Mulder
had had an uneasy feeling that the man needed help. And now
Scully had told him that she thought something was bothering
their boss. She'd suggested that perhaps Mulder could glean
what the problem was. Personally, he didn't think he was going
to be able to get beyond the safety wall the AD shielded
himself behind. Mulder gave himself a mental shake. The day
Walter Skinner needed help was the day that Fox Mulder got a
commendation from the Director.
He turned a corner and pulled open the door to Skinner's
outer office.
"Morning, Sara." Mulder smiled at Skinner's assistant.
"He in?"
The young woman nodded. She hesitated, about to say
something, than changed her mind.
"I'll buzz him."
"Is anything wrong?"
Mulder frowned. Sara Morgan was a bright, happy young
woman in her thirties that for a reason Mulder had never been
able to determine, felt protective of Skinner, frequently
worrying about his tendency to throw himself into his work at
the expense of his own well-being.
"No more repercussions about the murder case?" he
prodded.
"Oh, no." She shook her blonde head. "I don't know, and
I probably shouldn't say anything to you about it..." She made
an annoyed sound. "It's just that the last week he's come in
looking like death warmed over and he's argumentative and hard
to get along with--" She stopped at Mulder's look. "Come on,
Agent Mulder, he's not that bad."
Fox grinned. "I know. I'm kidding. Hey! I was on his side
in this thing."
She smiled at him. "I know. I'm just a little worried. He
looks like he hasn't slept in weeks... I mean, he should be
improving, not degenerating! It's over, right? They're not
after him any more?"
Mulder shrugged. "Not so far as I know." He glanced at
the door. "Well, I'll see what I can find out. Maybe it's just
catching up with him."
Sara smiled her thanks and reached for the intercom, but
Mulder reached out a hand to stop her.
"Let me knock."
Sara nodded and watched the young agent knock softly on
her boss' door and then slip inside. Well, if anybody could
find out what was bothering Mr. Skinner, it was Mulder. She
grinned. And maybe he'd stir up a little excitement around
here.
Mulder knocked softly then, getting no response, turned
the knob and pushed open the door. He smiled slightly and
slipped into the office, softly closing the door behind him.
Skinner lay stretched out on the couch, tie undone, shoes
neatly on the floor... sound asleep.
Mulder stood beside the sofa for a long time, watching
his boss. He looked so much younger and so vulnerable in
sleep. Fox leaned down to gently remove the perennial wirerims
and lay them on the end table. Turning, he headed for the
door, intending to tell Sara to hold all the ADs calls until
he woke. From what the pretty assistant had said, he figured
Skinner could use all the sleep he could get.
As he reached for the doorknob, he heard a groan and
stepped back to the couch.
An unsettled look had replaced the peaceful one and
Skinner tossed on the narrow sofa, one arm folded over his
eyes.
"No... leave me alone. I don't know what you want!"
Curious, Mulder knelt beside him, head cocked as he
watched the conflict flicker across Skinner's mobile face.
"No, no, let me off of here! I can't help her... just
go!"
Mulder watched, his alarm growing as Skinner began to
pant, chest heaving as his fear grew, his tall form twisting
on the couch. Mulder reached out a hand, laying it firmly on
his boss' arm.
"Sir... wake up."
"Got to get out of here."
A desperate moan of pain escaped the pale lips and Mulder
gently shook him. The AD suddenly grabbed the edge of the
sofa, as if to keep from falling. He shouted, body tensing.
"Skinner." He bit his lip, watching the nightmare take a
firmer hold on the man. "Walter, wake up!"
Skinner's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright,
fingers clutching the sofa cushions. His chest heaved as he
took in his surroundings.
"Sir?" Mulder spoke softly, not wanting to upset him any
more than the nightmare already had.
Skinner turned to look at him, taking a moment to
register the agent's presence.
"Mulder."
He swallowed hard, licking dry lips. "What... what are
you doing here?"
"Our meeting, sir?" he gently prodded. "I was going to
leave, but you seemed to be having some difficulty..."
He let it trail off, giving Skinner the option of
ignoring the situation. Mulder half-expected the AD to revert
to norm and ream him for invading his privacy. Instead the
older man swung his legs over the side, lowering his head into
trembling hands.
"I think I'm going insane, Mulder." He whispered.
Fox sat beside him on the couch. "Sir?"
Skinner shook his head, raising his eyes to gaze unseeing
out the window.
"I'm been having terrifying nightmares, ever since
Sharon--" He swallowed. "Ever since the frame-up was
resolved."
"You were having dreams about the old woman long before
that," Mulder pointed out.
"True," Walter conceded, rising a bit unsteadily to his
feet and moving across the room. "But they've been
different... more violent, and, and... they're not about me."
Mulder stayed where he was to give the AD space. The
psychologist in him was fascinated and wanted to hear more
about the man's dreams... the friend and agent in him was
concerned for Skinner's mental well-being. They might not be
bosom buddies, but the AD was a good man and one of their few
allies. Mulder had discovered, while working to clear their
boss of murder, that he actually *liked* Skinner as well. That
had been one of the bigger revelations of his life. He focused
his attention as Walter began to speak again.
"I'm afraid to fall asleep. Every time I do, I end up
dreaming the same thing over and over, and each time it goes
a little bit further, until I was up drenched with sweat and
screaming."
He turned to regard Mulder, expecting disgust or perhaps
a typical wisecrack. What he saw was compassion and interest.
Bolstered by that and a desperate need to tell someone about
the dreams, Skinner took a breath.
"I just don't know what to do any more." He glanced
quickly at Mulder, then back to the bustling street below his
window. "That's why I called you up here... I thought
maybe...." He sighed. "I don't know what I thought."
The broad shoulders slumped as he stood with his back to
the younger man, hands in his pockets, eyes hooded as he gazed
at the street below.
"So you tried to take a nap here, in a secure
environment, in the daylight, and you still had the dream?"
Mulder ventured, watching his companion.
Skinner nodded, turning to face Mulder.
"You want to tell me about them? How they start, what
frightens you about them?"
Skinner met his gaze and Mulder saw something he didn't
think he'd ever seen in Walter Skinner's face before; real
fear. Even during the murder investigation, he's seen
dejection, surrender and a lost helplessness that had seemed
so uncharacteristic; but never had Mulder detected the least
bit of naked fear in the man... not like he was seeing now.
"You feel helpless because you don't have control of this
part of you," Fox began, leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
"You can't control them and previous experience tells you that
you have to listen to them because they might be telling you
something." He cocked his head slightly. "Am I right?"
Skinner nodded.
Fox leaned back against the sofa cushions, ankle crossed
over his knee. This was the crucial part; if Skinner clamed up
on him now, they'd never be able to help him, and Mulder
thought this was one time the AD needed, really needed, help.
"I've had a lot of experience with dreams. Why don't you
just tell me what you remember and see what happens?"
Walter snorted. "I remember everything. Vividly." Making
a decision, the AD began to pace in front of his desk. "They
always start the same way." He glanced at Mulder, who nodded,
then resumed his narration. "Bright lights, sterile walls and
floors, doctors..." He frowned, trying to bring the visions
into focus. "Everything is moving... I think I'm on a train."
Mulder started, but remained silent.
"At first I think they're going to operate on me... kill
me, but they don't. I get up and go into another room."
When Skinner was silent for several minutes, Mulder
spoke.
"Is the old woman there?"
Walter nodded. "At first, but I can't understand what
she's trying to tell me. It frustrates me, but I can't
understand. Then she changes into someone else... someone
middle-aged and not ugly. Not beautiful, but kind and caring."
Skinner chewed his lip. "She takes my hand and we go into a
small room and it lurches sharply and we both fall to the
floor..." He looked at Mulder. "And then I wake up. Just now,
that was the farthest it's ever gone."
Mulder digested what he'd heard. "It's possible that
something's wrong and 'someone' is trying to tell you what it
is."
He rose and began to pace, himself.
"All right. We know that you have a history of the old
woman trying to warn you of danger. That started in Vietnam."
He glanced at Skinner. "Right?"
The other man nodded.
"Okay. Maybe she's trying to tell you something now and
for whatever reason, you're not getting it. Maybe when your
wife died, and she spoke through her, she lost some ability to
communicate with you."
Walter nodded. He still couldn't believe he'd admitted to
Mulder what had happened in the hospital that night. He barely
believed it himself. But he did believe, because the old
woman's warning had saved Scully's life. And the life of the
hooker. And, he admitted, ultimately his own freedom. He
heaved a heavy sigh. This opening up shit was for the birds.
It had taken all night and most of a bottle of Scotch before
he'd admitted it all to Mulder and now he was doing it again,
and he hated it.
"Sir?"
Mulder's soft voice brought him back to the present.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Skinner spied his glasses
on the table and crossed to retrieve them. When the world was
back in focus, he turned to his agent.
"I said, maybe you have a new guardian... one that is
more mobile and able to communicate with you better than the
old woman was."
"But why, Mulder?!" Skinner's frustration poured out
through his voice. "What is she trying to tell me? I'm going
crazy!"
"Do you feel fear during these dreams?" Mulder
questioned, perching on the edge of the desk. "Is there a
sense of imminent danger?"
Skinner nodded, reaching into his memories to analyze the
feelings.
"Yes, but not to me. To someone else... someone important
to me."
"It probably isn't you ex-wife," Fox decided, "Since
she'd no longer living."
Skinner gave him a sad look. "No, it wouldn't be."
Again, Mulder was struck by the incredible aloneness that
seemed to shroud the AD.
"Forgive me for prying, sir," Fox watched the other man
carefully. "Are you currently in a relationship?"
Skinner laughed, he couldn't help it. "Mulder, I haven't
been in a relationship for y-- " He stopped. "For a very long
time. I don't think that's it."
"Well, then, assuming these dreams are warnings, either
you're in danger or someone close to you. Someone you care
about or feel responsible for?" Mulder suggested.
"I don't know." Skinner shook his head. "There's no
one... I mean, no one who--" He stopped.
Suddenly his manner changed and Mulder knew they'd gone
as far as they were going to today. A door closed on something
the AD wasn't ready to tell him and the familiar wall was back
in place.
"Well, thank you, Agent Mulder. I don't know what can be
done about it, but thank you for listening." He smiled, a
little hesitantly. "It helped."
"Any time, sir." Mulder said and meant it. "If you have
one of these dreams tonight, please call me while it's still
fresh in your mind."
"Mulder, it's always two or three in the morning when--"
"I'm usually awake." The agent said. "I mean it, sir.
Maybe we can doing something." He paused. "I'd like to help."
A breath caught in Skinner's throat and he nodded.
Anything to stop the damned things. Even confiding his
emotions to someone. He looked up sharply as a thought
occurred.
"Mulder, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to
Agent Scully." He knew Scully was the only one Mulder might be
tempted to share this information with. "I don't think it
would be too good for morale."
Mulder refrained from saying that he doubted it would
jade Scully's opinion of him. With a nod, Mulder left the
office, mind swirling with possible explanations to Skinner's
nightmares. What he hadn't told the AD was his fear that he
was going to have to follow one through to its conclusion
before they would be able to find any answers.
"How'd it go?" Sara's voice brought him out of his
reverie.
"Oh, fine. Look, if he doesn't have anything pressing,
make sure he goes home at a decent hour, would you?"
Immediately the woman looked alarmed. "Is he really
okay?"
"Yeah. He just needs some sleep." Mulder told her,
shaking his head at that double-edged sword.
Continued in Part 2
From 71022.1045@CompuServe.COM Thu Jan 09 19:31:35 1997
Dreams & Nightmares (NC17) S/S by D. Street
E-mail to 71022.1045@CompuServe.com
Part 2 of 7
Disclaimer in Part 1
WALTER SKINNER'S HOME - 4:00 AM
It started as the others had; waking on what he now
somehow knew to be a train. The woman came to him, taking
his hand, and he followed her into another room. The name
tag on her uniform read "Owens." He tried to speak, to
ask her what she was trying to tell him, but no words
would come. 'Well, Walter, it's a dream, after all,' he
told himself.
She led him into a makeshift operating theatre. In
the center of the room, under a huge overhead light, lay
the body of a woman on an operating table. The woman
beside him moved, taking him with her. Walter didn't
protest and they seemed to glide forward until he stood
beside the still figure.
Terror gripped Skinner as he looked down, into the
face of the sleeping woman. It was Dana Scully.
Dressed in a surgical gown, prepped for an
operation, Dana lay unconscious, copper colored hair
fanned across the stark white sheet.
Skinner tried to move... to wake her... but he
couldn't. He was frozen in his nightmare, forced to watch
the proceedings without interference.
Two men dressed in operating scrubs entered and
approached the table.
As he watched in horror, they began their surgery,
making an incision against Scully's flat stomach, pulling
apart flesh and muscle. Just below the surface of her
skin they inserted a thin metal rod the size of a small
pencil, then closed the wound. The process was repeated
twice more, one rod implanted in each breast. His heart
thudded in his chest as the incisions were closed and the
blood wiped away. Blood everywhere... so much of it. And
he couldn't move! Then the doctors wheeled the gurney
away and the lights dimmed. Skinner turned to his
companion and found himself totally alone.
"No!"
His scream echoed in his head, reverberating through
the now-empty train car.
"No!"
Skinner gasped for breath, the fear in his belly a
painful after-effect of the nightmare. He sat straight up in
bed, fists clenching a pillow as his heart raced. Was this
what the woman was trying to tell him? Was Scully going to be
abducted again? Or had the unknown objects been implanted the
first time she disappeared? But she'd been in the hospital for
weeks; surely they would have discovered any foreign
objects...
He sat up, running palms over his head, feeling the sweat
that ran down his back and into his eyes. He couldn't ignore
this... and he couldn't tell Mulder. Could he? What would the
agent's response be? Would he be so distraught over the danger
to his partner that he'd tell her about the dreams? And did it
really matter that his own privacy was violated, if it meant
Scully was safe? For one of the few times in his life, Walter
felt at a loss for an executive decision. He needed help. He
reached for the bedside phone. He needed Mulder.
As the phone rang, Skinner glanced at the clock; 4 am.
The dream had come later than usual.
"'lo?" came the sleepy voice.
"You told me to call." Skinner reminded him.
"Sir."
Immediately Mulder was awake. Skinner could almost see
him sitting up on the couch, running a hand through his dark
hair.
"Another dream?"
"Yes." He took a breath. "If you're right about this
being an early warning system, Mulder, then we're in trouble."
"I'll be right over."
"No--"
"Yes. We can't do this over the phone."
The line went dead and Skinner finally replaced the
receiver and climbed out of bed. Might as well get dressed and
make some coffee. It promised to be a long night.
Fox Mulder drove toward Skinner's house, wondering what
he was going to find. It must have been a hell of a dream, he
decided, for the AD to break down and call him at four in the
morning.
'And what am I going to tell him?' the agent wondered,
'If it is some kind of warning, how do I convince him to take
it? He's so damned stubborn.'
Deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it, Mulder
pulled into Skinner's driveway and shut off his car. He locked
the car and started up the walk to the heavy oak door. It
opened before he was halfway there.
'Oo, not a good sign,' Fox thought, 'He was watching for
me. This must really have him running scared.'
"Sir." Mulder nodded as his boss stepped aside for him to
enter.
He followed the other man into the living room where a
coffee setup waited.
"Mulder," Skinner turned to face his agent and Fox noted
how drawn and tired the older man looked. "I'm having a
difficult time with this."
Mulder nodded, encouragingly.
"I mean, with asking you for help... opening up my,
my..."
"Emotions?" Mulder suggested.
"Whatever." Skinner removed his glasses and ran a hand
over his face. "I'm a very private person, Mulder." He
swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "If you could call me
Walter... or at least Skinner." He appealed to Mulder. "'Sir'
just seemed so formal. It shifts everything off kilter."
"Uh, sure. Walter." Mulder smiled at him and sat down.
"Coffee?" He indicated the empty cups.
Skinner poured and they sat in silence for several
minutes. Finally Mulder spoke.
"Tell me about the dream."
Walter was struck by the gentleness in his agent's voice.
It beckoned him like a safe harbor and he wondered if Scully
felt as comforted as he did at this moment.
'No wonder they work so well together.' Skinner thought.
'I'll bet he could evoke security in the face of anything.'
Carefully, Skinner related his most recent nightmare,
pausing when he reached the part he considered to be crucial.
"And?" Mulder prompted.
"Mulder, this might not mean anything." Skinner began,
reluctant to tell him he'd seen Scully in his dream. "I mean,
--"
"What did you say the nurse's name was?" Mulder
interrupted, his mind darting back to the point, making a
connection. "The new one that you've been seeing."
"Owens, why?"
"I don't know... I've heard that name before in context
with a case, I think." Mulder chewed his lip, eyes drifting
inward, through the past. Finally he gave it up for the moment
and focused on the man across from him.
"Okay... you were standing over the woman on the
operating table. Did you recognize her?"
Skinner nodded. "It was Agent Scully."
Mulder's jaw dropped. "Scully?"
Skinner glanced at the floor, then me the other man's
eyes. "Yeah. I can't help what I dreamed, Mulder, it was
Scully."
'Dammit, why did I tell him? I should have done this on
my own! He'll tear off and get them both killed and it'll be
my fault! Why can't I understand what's happening to me?'
"Walter?"
Skinner looked up then, startled out of his self-
recrimination.
Mulder didn't think he'd ever seen the AD look so bad.
His face was ashen and guilt haunted the dark eyes.
"What happened then?" Mulder urged softly. He sat forward
on the sofa, eyes fastened on his companion's.
Encouraged by the agent's apparent calm, Skinner went on
with his story.
"Two men came into the car..."
"You're convinced now that you were on a train?" Fox
interjected.
"Yes. Absolutely certain. Anyway, they... they begin to,
to implant small metal rods in her body."
As Mulder watched, Skinner's voice began to tremble and
the hands that held his coffee cup shook slightly.
"They inserted one in her stomach and, and two... one in
each breast."
Walter sat the cup down, spilling coffee on the rug. He
ran open palms over his cheeks as he stumbled on.
"I don't know why, but I know it wasn't to help her. I
think..." He met Mulder's eyes and Fox saw the same fear that
he himself felt reflected in the AD's eyes. "Could I somehow
be seeing the past? Seeing what happened when she was taken?"
The naked pain on Skinner's face helped Mulder to shove
his own panic down.
"I don't know, Walter. It's poss--"
Skinner saw the penny drop as revelation flooded the
agent's face.
"What?" he demanded.
"I just remembered where I've heard Nurse Owens' name."
He said, excited. "When Scully came back... when she was in
the coma. She told me one of the things that brought her back
was a middle-aged nurse who was very kind to her and talked to
her... told her it wasn't her time to die... that she had to
hold on until she could wake up."
Mulder rose to pace excitedly in front of Skinner.
"And that was her name! Nurse Owens! But when Scully
asked about her later, she found out there had never been a
Nurse Owens working at that hospital. And no one else had seen
her... only Scully from her coma."
"You're sure?" At Mulder's nod, the AD's mind began to
whirl. "So, maybe Scully's... whatever... guardian angel... is
trying to tell me that something's wrong." He met Mulder's
eyes. "That she's in trouble."
"Yeah. But why you?"
Skinner shook his head. "I don't know, Mulder. Maybe...
maybe because I'm already susceptible to these kind of
dreams." The reality of what he was saying sunk in and he
snorted. "Dammit, Mulder, I can't believe I'm sitting here
talking about guardian angels!"
The younger man grinned. "Yeah, weird, isn't it?"
Skinner shook his head, running a palm over the back of
his neck. "That it is."
"Well," Fox said, meeting his friend's gaze. "The next
thing is, do we tell Scully?"
"No." He didn't know why, but Skinner was sure of that.
"We have to find a way to make sure she's okay, but I don't
think we should tell her."
Mulder studied him curiously. "Why?"
Skinner shook his head. "I don't know."
"Okay. Let's go with that for now. Let's trust your
feelings." He shrugged. "We may have to tell her, but for now,
let's try to figure something out."
"And if she finds out what we're doing?" Skinner asked
him.
Mulder grinned. "Then she'll kill us both."
The AD reached under his lenses to rub tired eyes.
"Yeah."
FBI BUILDING - AM
X-FILES OFFICE
"Mulder, did you get a notice for a physical?"
Mulder glanced up from the report he was finishing.
"What?"
Scully held up a piece of paper. "I just got an order to
go in for a mammogram."
Mulder frowned. "Who ordered it?"
Scully squinted at the named scrawled on the bottom of
the request.
"Somebody named Figgley." She looked up. "Sound
familiar?"
"Uh-huh," Mulder shook his head. "Well, maybe you're
overdue, Scully." He reasoned. "Or they want to check up on
you after all that happened last year."
The woman shrugged. "Whatever. It's for tomorrow morning,
so I guess I'll find out then."
"Great. I'll see you when I see you."
Mulder went back to the file, but his thoughts were
racing.
'Is this something Skinner's cooked up to get Scully x-
rayed?' He had to admit that it was clever. His partner had no
suspicions about anything out of the ordinary. He looked up as
the phone rang.
"Mulder."
"Agent Mulder," It was Skinner's voice. "Could you come
to my office and bring your current case file with you?"
"Yes, sir."
He hung up the phone and grinned at Scully.
"Our master's voice."
She rolled her eyes and pushed back her chair. "Great."
"You're escaping this time. He just wants me."
Scully laughed up at him. "Great! Maybe I'll get out of
here at a decent hour for once."
Mulder pouted. "Fine. Leave me to the lion."
"All right, I will." She rose and turned off her desk
lamp. "See you after my appointment tomorrow."
"Right. Take care, Scully."
She shot him a glance, but followed him out of the
office. As Mulder took the elevator up to the executive
levels, Scully headed for the parking garage, wondering why
Skinner wanted to see her partner alone.
WALTER SKINNER'S OFFICE
FBI BUILDING - AFTERNOON
Skinner reached for the intercom as it buzzed.
"Yes?"
"Agent Mulder is here, sir."
"Send him in, Sara."
Skinner leaned back in his chair as the door opened and
Mulder entered the office, closing the door behind him.
"Sir? You wanted to see me?"
"Yes." The AD paused. "I ordered a medical exam for
Scully today."
"Yeah, she told me about it. I wondered if it was you."
Skinner's interest quickened. "What did she say?"
"Not much... she doesn't suspect anything."
"No. I made up a name," the AD said, thoughtfully. "If
this comes out okay, what next?"
Mulder shrugged. "I guess we can assume that whatever
your dream is warning you about hasn't happened yet."
"Well, they're going to rush the results through and I'll
let you know."
Mulder studied the older man for a long moment. "Want to
meet at the hospital after the tests?"
Skinner looked up, surprised.
"Well," Fox reasoned, "I assume you don't want to go with
Scully, and I know I want to find out what they say."
Skinner nodded. "Okay. I'll let you know what time."
"Great." Mulder dropped a file folder onto the corner of
the desk. "Our last case."
"Report's done?" Skinner's elevated eyebrows showed his
surprise.
Mulder grinned. "Thought I'd clear the decks in case some
new x-file happens along." At the AD's strickened look, he
hastily added, "Just kidding. But seriously, I wanted to be
able to concentrate on this." He paused, uncertain about
voicing his concerns.
"Out with it, Mulder." Skinner shot him his best AD look.
The agent shrugged a shoulder. "You can't go without
sleep indefinitely, Walter. Sooner or later this dream is
going to either resolve itself, or kill you. We've got to
figure out what it means before the latter happens."
Skinner nodded, eyes on his desktop. He'd thought of
that.
"Thank you for the concern... I don't think we're at that
point yet."
Looking at the ADs haggard features, Mulder could have
argued.
"You're scaring Sara, you know."
Skinner looked up, surprised. "No, I didn't. I'll try to
reassure her." He grinned. "She's got an over-active maternal
instinct."
"You sure that's all it is?" Mulder kidded.
"I'm sure." Skinner said dryly. "It kicked into high gear
during the OPC thing."
"Well try and get some sleep, okay?" At the AD's anxious
look, he added, "I just don't want to have to break in a new
boss this week."
"Get out of here." Skinner growled, but a smile pulled at
the corner of his mouth.
WOMEN'S MEDICAL CLINIC - AM
"Ready?" Dana inquired, pulling the paper smock tighter.
The technician entered the waiting room, Scully's file in
hand.
"Just about. I have a notation here that you're to have
a sonogram, as well."
Scully tensed. "Why?"
The woman shrugged. "Doesn't say. Just that it's been
ordered along with the mammogram."
"Look, I've got to go... a meeting. I hadn't planned on
multiple tests."
"But--"
"I'll rebook for tomorrow and then we'll take care of it,
okay?" She smiled her most convincing smile and picked up her
clothes.
With a hesitant nod, the technician made a notation in
Scully's chart and replaced it in the rack, picking up
another. When she disappeared down the hall, Scully grabbed
her chart and opened it. She found the original order from the
Bureau, then replaced her chart and darted for the dressing
room.
She hastily donned her street clothes and hurried to her
car. As she drove to work, her mind frantically tried to find
an answer to the question of who had ordered these tests for
her and why. She glanced at the signature on the bottom of the
request... the name meant nothing, although the handwriting
was vaguely familiar. Was this another attempt by Them to put
her out of commission? Did Cancerman or his shadow
organization have something to do with it? But why go through
channels? Why not an accident or another abduction attempt?
She wasn't ill... she couldn't fathom a reason for the
mysterious orders.
Deciding that work was out of the question for the
moment, Scully turned her car around, heading for someone she
thought could at least clear up the 'who' for her.
FBI BUILDING - KAREN HOLMES
HAND WRITING EXPERT
The Bureau's top hand writing analyst sat behind her
desk, studying the medical order than Dana Scully had brought
to her. She frowned, then glanced up at the agent sitting
anxiously across from her.
"I don't have to check on this handwriting, Dana," she
finally said.
"Yes, you do. It's important that I know who's ordered
these tests for me."
"I'm sure it is, but what I meant was, I already know who
issued this request."
Scully looked at her, surprised. "You do? Who?"
Karen rose and went to a file cabinet. She thumbed
through a number of folders, finally selecting one. She
extracted a page of paper and handed it to Scully.
"I'd recognize that signature anywhere."
Dana gasped as she read the name on the form. The
handwriting matched exactly with her medical request papers.
"It's your boss, Assistant Director Skinner."
WALTER SKINNER'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON
Sara Morgan looked up as Special Agent Dana Scully
slammed the outer office door. She'd never seen the petite
agent so angry; not even when the AD raked her partner over
the coals.
"Agent Scully, can--"
"He in?" She jerked her head toward Skinner's office.
Mutely, Sara shook her head.
"He left on personal business."
"Tell him I want to see him," Scully told her, barely
controlling her anger. "As soon as he gets back."
Again Sara nodded, watching as the agent exited her
office, slamming the door behind her.
Continued in Part 3
From 71022.1045@CompuServe.COM Thu Jan 09 19:32:09 1997
Dreams & Nightmares                ( geocities.com/hollywood)