Title - Family
Author - Donna
Email address - donnah@pop.uky.edu
URL - www.oocities.com/Area51/Quadrant/4571/
Rating - R
Category - MSR
Spoilers - Series through 5th season
Keywords - angst
Summary - When another family member is killed who's to blame this
time?
Feedback - Please
Archive - Anywhere, just please keep my name and let me know!
Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunman and Skinner all belong to
Chris, 10-13 and Fox - Bless them for it!! No infringement intended.
Family
Mulder looked up as Scully entered the room. "I thought you were going
to
lunch with your mother."
"So did I. She stood me up." Scully slipped off her coat.
"That doesn't sound like your mother."
"I know." She picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number
again.
"Still no answer. I wonder if she had trouble with the car. I am
definitely getting her a cell phone for Christmas."
Mulder grinned, Maggie Scully with a cell phone? He couldn't really
see
it. "Hey, did you eat?"
"What? Uh, no."
"Look, why don't we go grab a bite and then run by your mother's
house?"
"Would you mind?" Well, she was more concerned than she wanted to let
on.
It caused a touch of unease to tighten his chest. Mrs. Scully was very
special to him - his second favorite Scully in the world.
"Course not. Come on. We'll go get her first, then go get lunch." He
decided not to comment on the small sigh of relief she tried to hide
from him.
He pulled up in front of Mrs. Scully's home and caught Scully's frown.
"What?"
"I think her car's in the garage." She was undoing her belt and
getting
out of the car.
"Scully, wait." He was decidedly uneasy now.
"What?"
"Let's just take it easy, okay?"
"Why?" Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"You know me, I'm probably being paranoid. I just want us to keep our
eyes
open." She nodded.
The car was in the garage. Scully let them in the house with her key.
They stood silent for a moment listening. Nothing.
"Mulder?" She whispered.
"I'm just being crazy. Let's just see if she's here." She nodded and
headed for the stairs. He turned toward the kitchen. Nothing out of
place, no dishes in the sink. The back door was locked, deadbolted,
but
the door to the garage wasn't. Was that normal? He turned to check
out
the rest of the downstairs when he spotted her purse.
Maybe it was an extra, and she'd transferred everything to a different
purse. His mother had done that a lot, always had a purse to match her
shoes. He opened it and that hope died. Her wallet was there,
license,
cash, credit cards. Shit! Something was wrong.
"Mulder!" His head jerked around. Scully? He raced for the stairs.
"She's not here, but something's wrong."
"What?" He looked around.
"The bed's not made. She always makes the bed when she gets up, before
anything else. It was a rule, so we wouldn't lay back down in the
mornings. I don't think any shoes are missing either, even her
slippers
are under the bed."
Try as she might, her breathing was becoming more rapid, and the pitch
of
her voice was rising.
"We can't jump to conclusions Scully."
"What have you got?" She reached for the purse he'd forgotten in his
haste
to reach her. She searched through it, then looked up at him.
"Somebody's taken her Mulder."
"We don't know that."
"Yes we do. You knew it when we drove up. Why else would her keys
still
be in here. Mulder, we have to find her."
"I'm going to call the police, have them get a team over here."
"Can't we. . . ?"
"No. We're too close. We can help, we need to help, but someone else
needs to lead the investigation."
"Mulder. . . "
"Don't worry. Your mother's a Scully. People don't come any stronger
than
that." He smiled at her. She attempted to return the smile, but
couldn't
sustain it. He squeezed her shoulder, then pulled out his cell phone
and
placed the call.
"They're on the way. We need to look around, but not disturb
anything."
"I know the drill, Mulder. Let's get started." He still stayed
beside
her, she was trying, but she wasn't okay. Together they covered the
upstairs rooms. Scully could find no clothes missing and nothing was
out
of place in any room, except for the unmade bed.
When the police arrived, Mulder brought them up to date and allowed
them to
take over the investigation. They were reluctant at first since Mrs.
Scully had not been missing twenty-four hours, but the evidence of the
purse and Mulder's not so subtle persuasion convinced them that there
was
indeed a case to investigate.
While one of the officers interviewed Scully, Mulder wandered back into
the
kitchen and out into the garage - the one door that had not been
deadbolted. He glanced in the car, no garage door opener that he could
see. He'd have to ask Scully about that. He walked around the car and
spotted a few drops of liquid on the concrete. Oil? He bent for a
closer
look and lightly touched his gloved finger into one of the drops.
His heart sank, blood. Definitely blood. This was the first evidence
of
foul play. The drops led vaguely in the direction of the trashcan, so
he
stood and opened the can. The smell of blood was powerful. He let his
eyes scan the trash, not wanting to disturb evidence, but. . .
Down a couple of layers he saw color peeking through and carefully
reached
in. A throw pillow, it matched the couch in the living room where he
and
Scully had sat several times watching TV following a home cooked meal.
He
lifted it and had to close his eyes. One side was drenched in blood;
the
other had a small hole with gunpowder surrounding it. Someone had been
shot through this pillow and he had a pretty good idea who. How the
hell
did he go back inside and tell her this?
He stepped to the door and called to the officer in the kitchen. "I
need
an evidence bag."
"Yes sir." He brought one over and whistled as Mulder placed the
cushion
inside. They exchanged a wordless look, and Mulder headed to the
living
room where Scully was still talking to the detective in charge.
One look at his face had her on her feet. "Mulder? What, what's
wrong?"
He took her arm before he answered, which caused her eyes to widen with
fear. "Scully, we can't jump to conclusions, but. . . but I found this
in
your mother's garbage inside the garage." He drew the bag from behind
his
back letting her see but not touch it.
He watched the color drain from her face. The detective took the bag
from
him and he grabbed her other arm as her knees buckled. She didn't pass
out, but he lowered her to the couch and gently eased her head down.
Her
grip on his arm had become painful, but he didn't care.
When she could speak she looked up at him. "My mother's dead, isn't
she?"
"We don't know that Scully. We have to have this analyzed." He
couldn't
tell if she understood the words. Her eyes were so bleak, so empty.
"Scully, please."
"What am I going to do? How can I tell Bill and Charlie?" Mulder
cringed
himself at that. Having Bill here? And Bill would find a way to make
this
his fault. But what was the motive? Nothing had been taken; there was
still cash in her purse. She was obviously not involved in anything
illegal, though this was beginning to look like a hit. Wait, wait! It
hadn't been determined that her blood was on the pillow. But it was.
He realized that Scully was watching his face. Reading him. She had
taken
hold of his hand and her knuckles were white. "Try to relax Scully.
Don't
jump to any conclusions."
"Mulder," He looked up and recognized Detective Waltos, the man in
charge
of the investigation when Skinner had been accused of murder. "Can I
speak
to you a minute?"
Mulder looked back at Scully. She nodded and forced her hand to
release
his. They retreated to the kitchen, leaving a uniformed cop in the
room
with her. "I just want to go over what we've found." He got the
attention
of the other police in the room. "Look, we're running on empty here,
we
have one piece of evidence and Spoo. . . sorry, Mulder found that for
us.
I want this house gone over with a fine toothed comb. Especially the
garage. Prints?" He turned to one of the men in front of him.
"We've lifted a lot, but haven't run them through yet. I don't think
we're
going to find anything. This was too clean." Mulder nodded in
agreement
there.
"Well run them anyway. Did she give us her mother's blood type?"
The first detective on the scene flipped through his notes, "Yeah, A+.
The
pillow is already on its way to the lab. We'll know the type soon,
don't
know how long the rest of it will take."
"Okay." He took Mulder's arm pulling him from the group as they turned
back to whatever they had been doing. "Look, I know you, you're going
to
come up with some weird theory any minute. I want in on it, no matter
what. I want to be kept in the loop with you."
"You will be. I'm not in charge of this one. I'll be working on it,
but
it's too close. She has to be my priority." The detective nodded. "I
need to call Skinner."
Detective Waltos sighed and turned back to his own people while Mulder
dialed. "Angie, it's Mulder, I need to talk to him now. It's an
emergency." There was a short pause.
"Mulder, what's going on? I was in a meeting."
"Scully's mother is missing and it looks like foul play."
"Come again? Scully's mother?"
"Yeah, she missed an appointment with Scully, so we came over to check.
She's gone but everything else is here, car, ID, cash. I found a
cushion
covered with blood in the garbage, a bullet hole through it."
"Is Scully alright?"
"Hell no. The police are here now."
"What do you need from me?"
"Nothing yet, but I'll let you know. I'm not sure when we'll be back
in
the office."
"Keep me informed Mulder, and tell Scully I'm thinking about her."
Mulder
disconnected and turned back to Detective Waltos.
"Do you need anything else from us? I need to get her out of here."
"No, I know where to reach you. Don't forget to keep me up to speed
Mulder, I'm serious." He nodded and headed back to the living room.
Scully looked up as though her radar had detected him. Her eyes were
red
and swollen now. His heart ached for her. "Where have you been?"
"I called Skinner. Whatever we need, we've got." She nodded and
continued
shredding the tissue in her hand. "Come on, I'm going to take you
home."
"No! No, I need to be here."
"We'll be in the way, Scully. They know what they're doing and
Detective
Waltos is in charge."
"But. . . "
"You need to get out of here. I'm taking you home." She seemed to
have
zoned out, so he helped her to her feet and walked her to the car. He
had
the impression of moving a large doll, no resistance, but no
cooperation
either. He sat her in the car and reached across her to buckle her in.
He spent more time watching her on the ride to her apartment than he
did
the road. This was not the reaction he had expected from her. She was
always so in control, but look how he had been when his father had been
murdered practically in front of him. At one point she lifted her hand
as
though to reach for him and he took it eagerly. She was cold, her
fingers
icy. Definitely going into shock. He needed to get her settled
somewhere
and see what he could do for her.
Once at her apartment he parked, but she didn't seem to notice. He
again
was moving her, helping her walk. He let them into the apartment and
sat
her on the couch. He pulled the afghan from where it had been draped
across a chair and wrapped it around her. No response. Then he headed
to
the kitchen and made her a cup of tea with a generous dollop of honey.
He
needed to warm her up, get her functioning again.
"Scully?" He wrapped her hands around the mug of tea. "You need to
drink
some of this."
She blinked, seeming to notice the tea for the first time, then looked
around the room. "When did we get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. I think you're going into shock Scully.
Please
drink the tea. I need to warm you up." She dutifully took a sip, but
seemed to appreciate the warmth in her hands more.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go away like that."
"It's okay Scully. You needed to shut down for a little while." She
pulled the afghan tighter around her and he moved closer to her on the
couch. She leaned against him, neither speaking and he put his arm
around
her. What could he do to make this better? In reality, nothing, but
god
how he wanted to try.
"I need to call the boys. Bill and Charlie." He winced inwardly at
that.
Call Bill? He couldn't even offer to help there, getting this news
from
him would send Bill into orbit.
"You could wait until we have more news."
"No. They need to know what's going on. And they need to be here, in
case
we have to make. . . arrangements." Mulder's arm tightened around her,
but
he kept quiet.
She sat the mug on the table and picked up her mobile phone, dialing
Bill's
number from memory. "Tara? Hi, it's Dana. Is Bill there by any
chance?
Can I speak to him?" She looked up at Mulder and tried to smile. He
tucked the hair back behind her ear and made no comment, just watching
her.
"Dana? What are you calling about in the middle of the day?" Mulder
could
hear his booming voice with no problem.
"Bill, I'm sorry to call you like this, but it's Mom. She's missing
and,
and there is evidence of, of foul play. I think you need to come in."
"What do you mean foul play? Missing? Is this another Melissa thing?
God, what have you and that fucking partner done now!"
"Bill!"
"I swear if you two have put her in danger or caused her harm. . ." He
left
the threat dangling, but Scully had gone dead white. The phone slipped
from her hand and landed on the couch. Mulder grabbed it up and
started to
reply but one look at her stricken face was enough. He turned the
phone
off without a word and pulled her into his arms.
"Scully, forget the bastard. He's upset and angry and didn't know what
he
was saying. Look at me Scully, that's not what happened here."
"What if it is?" She barely whispered the words.
"Scully, no. Don't do this. You know Bill, don't let him get to you."
Her eyes were so big and wet and full of pain. Why had Bill done that
to
her? Why would anyone intentionally hurt this woman? They sat in
silence
for a moment or two, then Scully rose from the couch.
"Where are you going?"
"I just need to splash some water on my face."
"Scully?"
"I'll be okay." He watched her leave the room, her hand touching the
furniture and walls as through she would lose her balance and fall if
not
in contact with something solid. He could wring Bill's neck, and enjoy
the
hell out of it!
He heard the water, then the toilet flushed and water again but still
she
didn't return. What was she doing in there? He waited a couple more
minutes, still nothing. He rose and stood at the door, finally tapping
on
it. "Scully?" No answer, should he go in? Hell, should or not he was
going to. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door.
He spotted her immediately, sitting on the floor under the window, her
back
against the wall, her knees drawn up with her arms pressing them into
her
chest. She was shaking violently.
"Oh Scully." He joined her on the floor, pulling her into his lap. He
rocked her like a baby, murmuring in her ear, trying to comfort her.
"What if I've killed my mother, Mulder? How do I live with that?"
"Scully, don't do this to yourself."
"But Bill's right, Melissa would be alive except for me and now. . . "
"Melissa might be alive instead of you, how would I live with that
Scully?
You can't do this. We still don't know that the whole thing isn't a
set-up."
"You know that was her blood. I should never have come to the FBI, I
should have been a pediatrician or something."
"And what would I have done?" She looked up at that, he'd said it so
softly
"You would have been better off too." He shook his head and gave her a
sad
smile.
"You know better than that." Her trembling had lessened and her
breathing
was only hitching occasionally now. "Whatever we have to get through,
I'll
be here. You know that don't you?"
She nodded.
"I want you to lie down for a little while. Do you have anything here
to
help you sleep?"
"I couldn't sleep, not now."
"I don't expect you to, just something to relax you, let you get a
little
rest. You'll feel better and think clearer."
"Would that be a good thing?"
He gave her a sad smile, "I don't know."
"I have to call Charlie."
"No. I'll do it. I'm serious, you need to lie down. Let me look
after
you for a while."
"You always do." He barely heard her.
"Not well enough. Come on." He got her on her feet, but kept his hand
on
her while he rummaged through her medicine cabinet. "Here, some of
that PM
medicine. I seriously doubt it'll put you out. Don't argue with me,
Scully."
She finally nodded, leaving her protests mute. She swallowed the
capsules
and turned toward her bedroom. She sat on the side of her bed and
seemed
at a loss as to what to do next.
Mulder knelt in front of her and removed her shoes, then rose and
helped
her out of her jacket. He became aware she was watching him.
"What Scully? Spinach in my teeth?"
"Thank you for being here."
"Do you think I could be anywhere else? Lie down, try to rest. I'll
call
Charlie." She obeyed him, not taking her eyes from his face. He
pulled
the covers over her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be in the next
room.
Call me if you need anything." She nodded and watched him leave the
room.
He pulled the door nearly closed and let his shoulders sag. If Mrs.
Scully
were dead what would happen? Would Bill be able to get her to leave
him?
He would play on her guilt - real or imagined - and try to rip them
apart.
Bill wasn't above using a tragedy like this to drive a wedge between
them.
Charlie. He'd never met him. Did he hate him as much as big brother
Bill?
Well, this wasn't about him. He had to spare Scully any more pain
right
now. He pulled her address book from her top desk drawer and opened to
the
S's. Charles Scully, he checked his watch. He should be at work now.
Mulder chose that number and dialed.
"Charles Scully please. This is Fox Mulder."
Very quickly a man picked up the phone. His voice didn't have the
booming
command quality of his older brother. "Mulder? Fox Mulder? Is
everything
okay? Dana?"
Mulder liked him better immediately; this one was actually worried
about
his sister. "Scully's, sorry, Dana's okay. I'm with her here, but I
do
have some bad news for you."
"Go ahead."
"It's, well it's your mother."
"Mom's sick?"
"She's missing, and there's evidence at the house of foul play."
"Foul play? You mean as in, as in murder?" His voice had gone up an
octave.
"There's been no body found, so she's presumed missing at this time,
but
there was blood and evidence of a gunshot. I'm terribly sorry to have
to
call you."
"Why didn't Dana call me?"
Mulder cleared his throat, "After she spoke with Bill I thought it
would be
better if she rested for awhile."
"What did that SOB say this time? Nevermind, I can guess. Listen, I'm
Charlie and I'm not. . . Bill and I don't have a lot in common. I
appreciate you looking after Dana. I'll see when the next shuttle is
and
get down there. I assume I won't be able to stay at the house."
"Right. It's being considered a crime scene. Would you like me to get
you
a room?"
"No, I can do that. You just keep an eye on Dana, and Mulder, don't
let
Bill get to you. He's got his own problems, don't take them on
yourself.
Not easy advice to follow I know, it took me years, but it can be
done."
"I look forward to meeting you Charlie. I just wish. . . "
"I know. I kept telling Mom I'd finally meet you at the wedding."
"Wedding?"
"The one Mom's been planning. . . nevermind. I'll be there in a couple
of
hours. Thanks for calling." Charlie broke the connection and Mulder
sat
there looking at the phone. Well, three out of four Scully children
weren't bad - better odds than those Mulder kids.
He walked softly to her door and when he heard nothing, went into the
kitchen and fixed himself a sandwich. He'd feed her when she woke up;
they
never had made it to lunch. After eating he called the station, but
the
only new information was that the blood on the pillow was indeed A+.
Mulder was zoned out on the couch having been unable to find anything
on
TV. Why didn't she have the Sci Fi channel on her cable? The knock on
the
door startled him and brought him back to the present. Charlie
couldn't
have gotten here that fast, and thank goodness Bill couldn't. He rose
and
looked through the peephole. Father McCue?
He opened the door. "I've come to see Dana. Is she here?"
"Yes, sure, come on in. She's lying down."
"I don't want to disturb her, could I wait a little while."
"Of course. How did you . . . ?"
"Her brother Charles called me. Do you have any more news?"
Charlie, he really was different than Bill. Mulder offered the priest
a
seat on the couch. "No, nothing yet."
"Maggie is a wonderful woman, I've been praying for her." Mulder
didn't
really have a response to that and was saved from having to make one as
the
bedroom door opened.
"Father McCue?" The priest rose and took her hands.
"Charles called me, he thought I might be able to be of some help."
"That was good of both of you. Thank you." She looked over at Mulder,
but
he shook his head. The priest smiled faintly, he'd heard Maggie often
talk
about their communication abilities. These two young people were very
close, it was obvious.
"Scully, while you and Father McCue visit, why don't I go get some
dinner?
You didn't have lunch and -"
"You're going to leave?" She hadn't meant for it to come out like
that,
but the thought of him not being there was somehow frightening to her.
That was silly, she shook herself a little.
"No, I don't have to go. I could have something delivered. What do
you
think you could eat?"
"That was stupid, Mulder. Of course you can go. Get whatever you
want,
I'm not hungry." The priest watched this interplay between the two of
them
and his estimation of Mulder rose when he responded.
"I'll be in the kitchen placing the order. Do you like Italian,
Father?"
*****
Mulder was decidedly uncomfortable here. He wasn't used to being in a
family group like this. He'd never had many family ties to begin with,
even when he was very young and his family had only shrunken over the
years, where Scully's had expanded in most directions.
And he'd tried to talk her out of the memorial service at this time
anyway.
It was too soon, they didn't have a body. Now, watching the family,
he
thought he might have been mistaken. They needed this closure to get
on
with their lives. He couldn't dispute the evidence of all that blood
and
Scully's logical mind couldn't listen to his possibilities. Not this
time.
Charlie's wife Mary had arrived with their kids, two boys who were all
over
the place and Tara was here with Matthew. He'd met her before, when
Emily
had died, and Matthew was born. He hadn't spent any time with her -
Bill
would have had his head. It had been all Bill could do to allow him
into
his home.
He watched Scully mingle around the room. This gathering was keeping
her
busy, her mind off of what was going on. She was holding Matthew,
smiling
at the people who had come to pay their respects. She looked so
natural
with the baby in her arms. It wasn't right that they, that she,
couldn't
have one of her own.
She looked over and saw him watching her. It warmed her, having him
here.
He did look uncomfortable, he'd probably rather be in the sewers with
flukeman than here with so much family around. He was here for her.
She
was the only reason he would put himself through this. Scully felt
herself
drawn to him and headed across the room.
"You doing okay Mulder?"
"Don't worry about me." He grinned at her. A commotion from the next
room
caused her to turn. Something obviously needed her attention. She
thrust
Matthew into his arms and was gone before he could articulate his
protest.
He and Matthew eyed each other suspiciously. Mulder wasn't entirely
sure
which one of them was going to burst into tears first. He tentatively
bounced the baby on his hip and Matthew decided that possibly he wasn't
totally evil, and smiled at him. Then he reached up and grabbed
Mulder's
nose. Great, Mulder thought, point out just how big it is. The baby
chortled at his expression and pulled on his nose. Well, maybe they
were
friends now; at least he hadn't screamed.
"What the hell are you doing with my son!" Bill was before him and
grabbed
Matthew from his arms. The baby began crying at the sudden harsh
change.
"What did you do to him?"
"Nothing, I. . . "
"Bill, Mulder didn't hurt Matthew, you did when you jerked him out of
his
arms."
Bill's expression burned into Charlie and Mulder winced though Charlie
didn't. Bill turned back to Mulder. "I want you out of here. You
don't
belong here, you're not family. Hell, you're probably the cause of all
of
this. Get out!" His voice had risen louder than the baby's cries.
"Bill, you're making a scene."
"A scene! You're worried about a damn scene! Our mother's dead, just
like
Melissa and you want me to calm down and make nice, with him! Go to
hell,
Charlie." Everyone was watching them now and Bill had made no move to
comfort his now screaming son. Tara approached him cautiously, he'd
been a
powder keg since Dana's call, and took Matthew from him. She looked
apologetically at Mulder, then away quickly so Bill wouldn't see.
Mulder
looked around for Scully but she hadn't returned. Good, at least she
hadn't had to witness this.
Mulder silently headed for the door. Charlie caught up with him and
took
his arm. "Don't leave Mulder."
"It'll just upset him more if I stay."
"What about Dana?"
Mulder shook his head and went on out.
When Scully returned to the room Charlie was watching her. Her head
went
up instantly as though she sensed his absence. She spotted Charlie and
made her way across the room to him.
"Have you seen Mulder?"
"He, uh, he left."
"Left? He wouldn't, what happened?""
"Bill. Bill asked him to leave."
"He what? No!" She was headed back across the room to the door before
he
could speak.
The car, it was still there. He hadn't left yet. She hurried out and
opened the passenger door, startling him. "Are you okay?"
"Scully, what are you . . . "
"Why were you leaving?"
"I wasn't leaving. I just came out to get some air." She looked at
him,
the seat was reclined and the keys weren't even in the ignition. He
hadn't
been leaving, just getting out of the way. He wouldn't leave her. She
relaxed back into her seat.
"Scully, you need to go back in. It's too cold out here."
"No, I'd rather stay with you."
He frowned at her, then brought his seat back up and removed his own
coat,
putting it around her shoulders.
"Thanks." They sat in silence after that. In a few minutes she
reached
out and took his hand. He smiled at her and squeezed it.
They were both startled when the overhead light came on once again and
Charlie sat down in the back seat.
"Charlie?" They both turned to look at him.
"Couldn't have you two steaming up the windows in my mother's driveway
while we have company. I came to chaperone."
"Charlie."
"Actually, I prefer the company out here." She smiled at him then and
the
three sat together in a comfortable silence.
That silence was broken when the door opened a third time and Tara
slipped
into the seat beside Charlie.
Mulder turned to her. "Is Matthew okay?"
Matthew? Scully frowned, just what had she missed?
"He's fine. I just wanted to apologize."
"There's no need - "
"Yes there is. I grew up with nothing but rifts in the family.
Brothers
and sisters not speaking because of arguments that happened so long ago
no
one remembers what they were fighting about. I don't want that for my
family."
"You're safe there, I'm not family." Mulder offered.
Tara looked over at Scully, then at Charlie. "Yes, you are Mulder."
Mulder looked at her, ready to protest, when he saw Charlie's nod at
him
and Scully squeezed his hand again. Family? He was part of all of
this?
Well, yeah, but. . .
"It's getting cold out here, why don't we all go back inside." Charlie
suggested, looking at both of the women.
'"I'm not sure it's a good idea for me. . . " Mulder didn't want to
cause
trouble, but he couldn't leave. She needed him.
"You could hang out in the kitchen. That's not a room Bill usually
frequents. And besides, Father McCue took him off upstairs somewhere."
Tara smiled.
"Come on, it is cold Mulder." Okay, if Scully wanted to go in and
wanted
him nearby that's what would happen. All four of them headed in the
back
door. Mulder settled himself at the kitchen table. It wasn't long
before
Charlie's boys found him there.
When Scully checked on him next the boys had settled in next to him and
were pumping him for information.
"But if it's a real ghost, what good does it do to carry a gun?" The
older
boy was asking. Scully stood silently in the door, smiling. How in
the
world had they gotten on that topic and how was Mulder handling it?
"Your parents will kill me if they think I've been talking to you about
ghosts."
"Nah, Dad's cool and Mom's not bad. He tells us stories about you all
the
time."
"About me?"
"Yeah, you and Aunt Dana - how you solve weird mysteries and stuff. It
sounds neat. Are you wearing your gun now?"
"Well, huh. . . " Scully back away without making her presence known.
A
little hero worship wouldn't hurt Mulder. In fact it was probably the
best
thing for him. She would have to see what kind of things Charlie was
telling the boys, but she was confident it had been considerably
watered
down in any case.
Eventually the crowd thinned and the family found itself alone except
for
Bill who had not reappeared. Scully gathered up some plates and headed
for
the kitchen.
Mary took the dishes from her, "Dana, you've done enough. Let Tara and
I
clean up. You go sit."
"I can help. . . "
Charlie had taken her arm. "You heard the commander. Go." He leaned
over
and kissed Mary, "I'll put the boys to bed."
"Thanks." She kissed him back and turned to the sink.
Scully watched them then let Charlie lead her from the room. "You and
Mary
are good, aren't you?"
"Very good. She's my best friend. No one understands me like she
does."
He turned to see what she was looking at and spotted Mulder helping the
boys gather up some of the left over food.
He leaned down and brushed a kiss across his sister's cheek. "Yes."
"What?" She focused back on him, but he only smiled, making no further
comment to her.
"Okay guys, it's late. Come on, take that stuff to the kitchen, kiss
your
mother goodnight and get moving. Hustle." He took the dishes out of
Mulder's hands and followed the boys into the back.
"You doing okay?" Mulder approached her.
"Yeah. Could you give me a lift home?"
"I thought you'd be staying here."
"No, I need to be home for a while."
"No problem, I'll get our coats." He left her, grateful for an excuse
to
leave and still be with her.
He walked her to her door and watched as she let herself in. "You want
some coffee?"
At that he followed her in, "No, I'm fine. I should be heading home
myself."
"Not yet." She took his coat and hung it in the closet, not throwing
it
across the chair, then led him to the couch and sat beside him. Close
beside him. What was this?
"Mulder, don't leave yet." His eyes widened, what was she saying? She
leaned in closer and her lips met his. He was too stunned to move,
Scully
was kissing him?
Her hand was now resting on his chest, practically burning a hole in it
and
her thumb moved to find his nipple and caress it. He felt his groin
tighten in appreciation.
"Scu. . . Scully, how much did you have to drink tonight?"
"One glass of wine."
"One?" What was going on?
Scully sighed, but smiled at him too. "Mom was right."
"About what?" He felt he was really on thin ice here.
"That you would never make the first move toward me."
He gaped at her. She had discussed this, him, with her mother? She
smiled, reading that expression with no problem.
"I'm going to change. Why don't you get comfortable?"
Get comfortable? What the hell did that mean? And where was the
entrance
to this parallel universe he must have fallen into? She left the room
and
he sat frozen, what was going to happen here? She didn't want him to
leave. What did that mean, exactly?
He removed his tie, unbuttoning the top two buttons on his shirt.
Okay, he
was kind of comfortable, maybe.
She returned, wearing her robe and sank onto the couch next to him. "I
need to tell you something Mulder." She plunged in before her fear
could
keep her from it. "I need you to know what you are in my life. I
don't
want to scare you away, and I know I'm stepping over a line here, but a
few
days ago my mother was alive and vital and healthy. And in the wink of
an
eye she was gone and I'll never see her again. People can die so
easily -
you and I know that better than most.
"I watched Charlie and Mary tonight, the way they were with each other.
He
told me she was his best friend, the only one who really understood
him."
Mulder nodded, he wasn't completely sure where this conversation was
going,
but he was in for the duration.
"It sounded familiar, it sounded right. Like I would want a
relationship -
a long-term relationship - to be. Then I thought about where you've
been
the whole time this has been going on. Right beside me. No matter how
uncomfortable you were." He looked surprised at that and she gave him
a
little smile. "Was that supposed to be a secret Mulder, that you were
uncomfortable? Sorry, I knew. But you knew I needed you, so your
comfort
didn't matter to you, only mine did.
"Mom was convinced that you and I would end up together. I used to
protest, but I didn't mean it. I wanted it to be true - someday. I
need
to know honestly, if you feel the same." Before he could respond she
continued. "Don't say something you don't really feel Mulder. I'll
know
and it would be harmful to both of us." She fell silent.
"My turn?" She nodded and ducked her head, suddenly unable to look him
in
the eye. He turned her face back up to him. "Scully, I watched
Charlie a
lot tonight too, how he was with Mary. I was so envious at times I
probably scared other people in the room. He has what I want - his
partner
in life for everyone to see. But I'm not Charlie, I can't imagine
making
you as happy as he makes his wife. You know what I'm like, you know me
so
well, is there any way I could ever make you happy?"
At that the small doubt that had gathered on her face vanished to be
replaced by the most beautiful smile he's ever seen. "You already do,
Mulder, in ways you can't begin to understand and I'm not sure I could
explain. But I'd like to try. Do you suppose you could stay here
again
tonight?"
*****
He woke to the most incredible feeling of lightness. Something
wondrous
had happened, earthshaking, what? Then he felt her move within his
arms
where he was spooned around her and memory returned.
It was been the most incredible night of his life. But had it been for
her? God, he'd fallen asleep, just passed out. What if she regretted.
. .
no please don't let her regret what had happened. Damn, this was worse
than performance anxiety, which he hadn't admitted to, even to himself,
last night. But what if, in the light of day, she was sorry she had
allowed this to happen? What if she were embarrassed or. . . or . . .
His arms involuntarily tightened around her and she stirred, moving
like a
cat within his arms. She turned to look up at him and smiled. She
smiled.
He felt limp with relief, except for one part of him that had really
taken
her smile to heart.
Her eyes gleamed as that part of him grew against her, and she purred.
His
answering growl brought a light laugh from her and he began nibbling at
her
neck.
*****
The investigation had come to a stand still. There was just no new
evidence to investigate. Detective Waltos had called Mulder twice
already
and Scully was beginning to feel the same frustration she had felt when
Melissa died. He hated to see her suffering like that. He decided to
step
up his own involvement in the case.
He knew what evidence was on file, so he decided to concentrate on
interviews. The neighbors remembered nothing when the police had
talked to
them, maybe now, with a little time passed something would have
surfaced.
He began with the widow that lived next door. She was an older woman
than
Mrs. Scully and had relied on her for rides and occasionally groceries.
She'd been devastated by her loss. "Oh, Mr. Mulder, I've thought and
thought about that night. I know my hearing isn't the best, but I
didn't
hear or see a thing. Believe me, if I could help you find this
monster, I
would."
"I know you would Mrs. Weaver. I appreciate you seeing me."
Mulder stood and headed for the door. She accompanied him and opened
the
door for him. "Please tell Dana I'm thinking about her. You know, I'm
just so glad that Bill got a chance to see his mother before she died."
Mulder stopped and turned back to her. "I beg your pardon?"
"Yes, Bill was here the weekend before she died. I saw him myself."
"I didn't realize he'd been in."
"Oh yes. I didn't get a chance to speak to him, but I saw him driving
out
one time. I remember being a little surprised he'd put a rental car in
the
garage and left his mother's outside."
"Yeah, that is a little strange. Well, you're right, it is good that
he
got to see his mother again."
Mrs. Weaver nodded sadly and let him out.
Why had Bill been here the weekend before Mrs. Scully disappeared? And
why
hadn't he mentioned it? As he drove off he pulled out his cell phone.
"Yeah?"
"Langley, I need you to check out something for me."
"Sure." Langley removed his feet from the desk and cleared his laptop.
"Go."
"I need you to find out if Bill Mulder was here the weekend before Mrs.
Scully. . . "
"What are we looking for, Mulder?"
"I'm not sure, flight information, a rental car, anything like that.
And
Langley, he might have used an alias."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Listen, I need this yesterday."
"We're on it." Langley broke the connection.
Mulder pulled over, he needed to think. Why was he even checking into
this? Why did he care if Bill had been here? On the other hand, why
hadn't Bill mentioned it? Was he that worried about what Bill would do
to
them? Try to tear them apart? Or did he just dislike Bill as much as
Bill
disliked him? No, that wouldn't account for the feeling he kept
getting
when he thought about this.
*****
"Mulder." He answered the phone absentmindedly. He was buried in
paperwork and didn't want to be bothered. Well, no that wasn't
accurate,
he definitely wanted an interruption, but he wanted it to be Scully and
she
was off with the attorneys.
"You need to get over here."
"You found something?" Frohike's voice was so easily recognizable.
"We don't want to go over it on this line." And he hung up. Mulder
was
grimly amused; these guys made him look normal. But he stood and
reached
for his overcoat. They hadn't let him down very often.
He settled into the desk chair, "Okay guys, why am I here?"
"We think we located what you wanted. Bill was here that weekend, but
not
under the name Bill Scully."
Mulder tried to hide his excitement, what did it mean? "What name did
he
use?"
"William Davis."
"Davis? Why did that even catch your attention?"
"Well, it is Mrs. Scully's maiden name."
Mulder sat up in the chair. "How do you know that? I don't even know
that!"
"Yeah Mulder, like we're going to tell all of our secrets to a G-man."
Mulder leaned back again, shaking his head. "Okay, why do you think
this
Davis is Bill?"
"The surveillance tape."
"What surveillance tape?"
"From the airport parking lot."
"How the hell did you guys get your hands on that?"
"We have friends." Langley responded.
"Geez, why do I ever bother trying to go through channels? Let's see
it."
He watched the tape carefully. "Rerun it."
"Why, Mulder? It doesn't get any clearer than that." Langley
questioned.
"Rerun it anyway." After the second viewing Mulder let his head drop.
"What's going on Mulder? Do you think he killed his mother?"
"No!" His head came up instantly. "No, I do not think that. I don't
want
Scully to know anything about this."
"Sure Mulder. No problem."
"You better get this tape back to where it belongs."
"Don't you want to take it to the police?"
"Not like this. Let them subpoena it if they need it."
"What are you going to do?" Byers asked softly.
"I don't know." His eyes were locked on the blank TV screen.
*****
"Look, Waltos, I don't know what it means, and I'm not accusing him of
anything, but I need to know why he was here. I can't ask, you can.
But I
want to hear what he says, see his face. Can you tape him without his
knowledge?"
"It wouldn't be admissible."
"He didn't kill her."
"You sound awfully sure."
"I am. I just need to know why he was here. You can rattle him
without
accusing him of anything. I can only make him mad, put his back up.
Then
we'll never find out what's going on. Come on, we need to get these
answers. It's personal."
"I know. That's what worries me." He shook his head, thinking.
"Okay,
I'll ask him to come in. If he refuses, do I show my hand?"
"No. I'll think of something. But I don't think he'll refuse."
*****
"I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me Mr. Scully. I
know
this is a bad time for you and your family. Here, we can use this
room.
They're finally repairing a leak in my ceiling, or I'd take you to my
office."
Waltos motioned to a chair at the table and poured Bill a cup of coffee
from the carafe sitting there.
Bill nodded and took a sip. "I can't be gone long. We have to finish
up
with the attorney and . . . "
"Just a couple of things we need to tie up, sir." Waltos settled
himself
where Bill had to face the glass and the camera. They were alone in
the
interrogation room; Mulder waited behind the glass as far back as he
could
sit and keep a good view of Bill's face.
"We were wondering why you were in town the weekend before your mother
disappeared, under an assumed name. Could you clear that up for us?"
There would have been less reaction if the detective had hit him
between
the eyes with a fireplace poker. Bill struggled to regain his
composure as
Mulder watched with a sinking heart.
"I wasn't in DC that weekend."
"Uh, yes Mr. Scully. You were. We'd like to know why and who you met
with."
"Am I being accused of something?" Bill finally had his voice back,
not
quite to the usual booming pitch.
"Not at this time. However, we are going to clear up this little blip
in
our investigation, with or without your cooperation. Do you want to
tell
me why you were here under the name of William Davis?"
Bill stood, obviously shaken, but becoming defiant. "If I'm not under
arrest, I'm out of here."
"Fine, Mr. Scully. At this time you are not under arrest, but do not
leave
town. We will be in touch." Waltos rose to his feet as well and
watched
as Bill left the room. Then he turned toward Mulder and shrugged.
Mulder was seated, slumped at the back of the room. Now what? He
popped
the tape from the VCR and waited for Waltos to give him the all clear.
It
didn't take long; Bill has apparently stormed from the building.
"Interesting, Mulder. You still convinced this guy's not involved?"
"I didn't say he wasn't involved, although he might not have known. I'm
not
convinced of anything right now." He turned then and hurried back to
his
office.
*****
He was playing the tape for the umpteenth time, trying to understand
Bill's
reaction when the door opened and Scully walked in. He stabbed the
stop
button immediately, but too late.
"Mulder? Was that Bill's voice?"
"Scully, I thought you'd be with the lawyers all day today."
"I was supposed to be, but Bill got called away, so we had to postpone
it.
Was that Bill?" One look at his face was enough to let her know he
didn't
want to get into this.
She approached him then, using his technique of invading body space.
She
literally stepped between his legs and placed one hand on the back of
the
chair, leaning over him. "What's going on Mulder?"
"Scully, please." It hadn't occurred to him that there would ever be a
time he didn't want to have her this close. "Let me do some checking,
then
I'll. . . "
She took the remote from his hand and turned toward the screen. She
pressed play and heard Waltos voice asking why Bill had been in town
under
an assumed name. Bill's reaction held her motionless.
"Scully?" He rose and sat her in his chair. She didn't protest even
when
he took the remote from her hand and again pressed stop.
"What's going on Mulder?"
"I don't know. Let me check into it. You don't need to get involved."
"Involved? Mulder, do you think Bill had anything to do with. . .?"
She
had to swallow hard, hanging onto her composure by her fingernails.
"Bill would never hurt your mother, Scully. I know that, you know it
too.
I don't know what he might have been caught up in. It might have
nothing
to do with your mother."
"The tape." She gestured toward the TV.
"Okay, it doesn't look real good right now. Waltos obviously caught
him
off guard, but we don't know from what. Hell, he could be having an
affair
and doesn't want Tara to know. It could be anything Scully. Don't
jump to
conclusions."
"Like you haven't?" She sounded distant, too distant for him.
"I haven't reached any conclusions Scully. Waltos wants to get to the
bottom of this just like we do, he has to check everything out."
"I need to talk to Bill." She started to rise from his chair.
"No." She looked up at him then. He hadn't shouted, but the tone of
his
voice meant the same thing. "Scully, you are not going to talk to Bill
about this. Not yet and not alone. Please Scully. Let me handle
this.
Promise me Scully."
"Mulder. . . "
"Promise me." He wasn't quite touching her, though he could have
easily.
He was afraid, what if she thought he would force her to do this,
physically. He didn't dare go any farther, but he could feel the
distance
between them like a chasm. It took everything in him not to pull her
into
his arms.
"I won't talk to him today Mulder. You can have that much time.
Tomorrow
I'm going to him. I have to know Mulder, I have to know.
After a moment he nodded. He started to speak again when the phone
rang.
He looked at her, then with an exasperated sigh he grabbed the
receiver.
"Mulder."
"We have some information. You need to come over." Frohike didn't
bother
to identify himself.
"It's not a good time."
"Make it a good time Mulder. This is about what you had us working on.
You'll want to see this."
"I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up and turned back to
Scully.
"It sounds like you need to be somewhere." She didn't look at him.
"I don't want to leave you."
"It's okay. I'm fine." He winced at that. She couldn't know how much
he
hated hearing those words from her lips. "I won't see Bill today, I
said I
wouldn't."
"Scully. . . "
"Go do what you need to do. I'll talk to you later." She turned and
left
the office.
Talk to you later? Not see you? Shit, had Bill won after all? He
grabbed
his jacket and headed over to the Gunman's apartment.
*****
"What are you dressed for?" Mulder gave Frohike the once over when he
finally opened the door.
"I'm supposed to be a tourist. You know, a reason for the video
camera."
"Come on guys, I've got someplace I need to be. What did you find?"
He
was getting a headache and wasn't able to get that defeated look on
Scully's face out of his mind.
Byers took over. "Mulder, we knew Bill was going in to be questioned.
We
were waiting to follow him when he left."
"You what?" That was dangerous and these guys weren't trained. The
fact
that they had done this without being asked, just for Scully and him
caused
a spasm of guilt in his chest.
"We thought you'd want to know where he went, what he did."
"So you guys followed him. Well. I don't know what to say, except you
should be more careful."
"He never saw us, he was way too distracted."
"Okay, what happened?" They had his full attention now.
"Well," Langley joined the conversation, "he found the first public
phone
he could and made a call."
"Could you get close enough to hear?"
"No, but we did get close enough with the zoom lens. We got the phone
number he called."
"You what?" He was on his feet. "Whose is it?"
"That's a little strange Mulder. There's absolutely no record of this
number anywhere. Officially it doesn't exist. We haven't called it
yet.
We thought you should be here for that."
"How safe is it to call from your phone?"
"Safe as we can make it."
"Good I want to record the conversation."
"We're all set up. Do you want to talk, or do you want one of us to
handle
it?" Byers turned to him, ready to proceed however he wanted.
"One of you might be better. Who wants the honor?" They guys
exchanged
glances and turned back to Mulder. He grinned, these guys were a trip.
He
turned to Frohike, and nodded. "Ask for Jim."
Frohike nodded and after throwing a couple of switches, dialed the
number.
"Yes?"
"I need to talk to Jim." Frohike sounded impatient and angry. Langley
grinned.
"There's no Jim here."
"Damn it Mildred, can't you even get a frigging message right?"
Frohike
growled at Langley and slammed down the phone.
Langley high-fived him. "You should have gone into acting bro.
Beautiful!"
It was good that Mulder had allowed them to place the call. They
turned to
him then and saw him white faced, eyes closed, resting his head on the
back
of the chair.
The three of them sobered immediately. "Mulder? Who was it? Are you
okay?"
"I don't know his name. Scully and I call him Cancer Man. Why in hell
was
Bill calling him? And how do I tell Scully?" He lowered his face into
his
hands. "Bill was involved in his mother's death. How does he live
with
that? How does Scully?"
*****
It was late when he arrived at her apartment. He still didn't have a
clue
how to break this news to her. He didn't even know if he was welcome
inside. When he reached her door he started to knock, then stopped
himself. He'd been living here for nearly a week. What would it say
if he
were suddenly afraid to enter without her permission. He let himself
in
with his key.
"Scully? Are you here?" He hung his coat up and turned. There was no
answer and that disturbed him. The lights were on. She should be
here.
He stuck his head in the kitchen and bedroom, then headed on to the
bath.
The door wasn't locked, so he went on in to find her soaking in the
tub,
eyes closed. The scent of her bathing oil and the steam in the room
filled
his head. How could he hurt her like this?
She opened her eyes as the cool air from outside hit her. "Mulder."
He
shut the door and came on in, sitting on the side of the tub. "I
wasn't
sure you were coming."
"Sorry. There was stuff I needed to do. That looks comfortable."
He'd
imagined sitting here like this in so many cities. Would he ever get
the
chance again, after what he had to tell her?
"I don't think you'd fit, Mulder." She sighed, "Are you going to tell
me
what you were doing?"
"After a while, this is too good to disturb." She smiled, but couldn't
hold it long. "You want some privacy?"
"No. I'm about ready to get out. The water's cooling anyway." He
dipped
his hand in the water to test it. Barely tepid, she'd been in here a
long
time. She held her hands out to him and he lifted her to her feet and
when
she stepped from the tub wrapped her in the big fluffy towel she had
sitting on the wicker stand beside the sink.
"You smell good." He bent over her, and for an instant she felt
protected.
Too bad it couldn't last.
She dried off and donned her robe. "Hungry?"
"Not really. But if you want something, we could go out."
"No Mulder. I don't want to go anywhere." He trailed her out and
found he
had nothing to say. Nothing that he wanted to say anyway. She sensed
his
reticence and left it for now. He'd tell her when he could, the fact
that
it was this hard meant it was bad news.
The ensuing dance they did around each other was as poignant as it was
painful. She couldn't settle down, wandering around the apartment
fighting
between impatience that he wouldn't tell her what he had learned and
fear
that he would. He watched her with no idea of how to approach this
subject.
He tensed as she returned to the living room from the kitchen once
again.
"Scully - "
She panicked. "I'm going to bed Mulder. Good night."
What was he supposed to do? He watched her all but run from the room.
Did
he follow her? Did she want him to leave? Well that was out, no way
he
could do that.
He gave her a few minutes, then went into the bedroom. She'd left the
light on on his side of the bed. When he joined her he started to
speak
but she rolled away, turning her back to him.
"No." He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently turned her back
toward
him. "No, Scully. I've waited too many years to be in your bed."
"I can't Mulder."
"I'm not. . . Scully that's not what I'm talking about. I don't want
this
distance between us. As long as we've been friends, this is still new,
we're still new. I don't know what to say to you. I have information
that
will cause you pain, I know that." When she shuddered he did draw her
close to him. "I can't stand the thought that we're going to be
damaged.
Do you. . . do you want me to leave?"
She burrowed into his chest. "What did Bill do?"
"Scully, I don't think he did anything. I think he got in over his
head.
Your mother's death may have been a punishment, a warning."
"From who? What? What could he be involved in that would lead to
this?"
He tightened his grip, taking in the scent of her, the feel of her hair
against his face. He had drawn her into this conspiracy. He could
have,
should have, asked for her transfer years ago. He hadn't and now their
lives were so intertwined even if he wanted to it wasn't possible.
Hell,
when she breathed he got oxygen.
He sighed, "When Bill left the police station, the first thing he did
was
find a phone booth. He made one call."
"Who Mulder?" Still he hesitated. Her arms tightened around him.
"Tell
me. I have to know."
"Cancer Man."
She thought she'd been ready. She thought in his arms that it wouldn't
be
as bad. She'd been wrong. He felt her stiffen. "How. . . how would
Bill
know him?"
"I don't know. I'm going to find out Scully. I'm not going to let
this
go. I know where he lives. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow."
"I'll go with you."
"No Scully. You can't. You know you can't."
"Mulder. . . "
"No. Let me handle this. It's the best way." She started to pull
away.
"Please, Scully. Don't push me away."
She stopped and let him hold her. At first the tears came slowly but
they
gathered momentum. Finally, after years of wanting to, he was allowed
to
hold her as she lost control, sobbing into his chest. She cried
herself to
sleep in his arms and he held her, caressing her through her bad
dreams.
He might not be able to make it better, but he'd damn well be here
trying.
*****
He closed the door behind himself and pulled the pack of cigarettes out
of
his pocket. That was when he heard the sound of a round entering the
chamber.
"We need to talk."
He turned slowly. "Agent Mulder. If I'd know I was going to have
company
I'd have straightened up a little."
"Why did you kill Mrs. Scully?"
"Mrs. Scully's dead? I'd heard she was missing." That smug
overconfident
tone made Mulder's finger itch to do what he'd wanted to do to this SOB
for
years.
"What did she ever do? What did Bill do to make this happen?" He
might
have looked relaxed in the chair, but he was wound tight, ready to
spring
at this man that symbolized all evil in his life.
"I'm serious Mulder. I didn't hear she was dead."
Mulder heard the tone then, "Is she dead? Don't lie to me, because I
really want to pull this trigger."
"The last time I saw her, she was very much alive."
"And when was that?"
"Not that long ago." Cancer Man was relaxing a little; Mulder's gun
was no
longer pointed directly at his heart. He still didn't want to make any
moves, like sitting on the sofa across from Mulder, but it didn't look
like
his blood would be spattered all over the door any longer.
"There was too much blood found."
"I remember them saying the same thing about me. Did you know Mrs.
Scully
was a regular blood donor? Very civic minded woman."
For the first time Mulder's hand trembled. "If she's alive where is
she?"
"Safe enough. I'm very good with mothers Mulder. You didn't complain
when
I had your mother healed."
"Wha. . .what are you saying?" He'd gone very still at those words.
This
man had something to do with his mother's recovery? Don't let him do
this
to you Mulder. He's playing with your mind, stay on top, don't let him
have the satisfaction.
"That you're not showing the proper gratitude. Though I have to say, I
healed her as much for me as I did for you. Your mother is an
extraordinary woman. So is Mrs. Scully in her own way. Different, but
extraordinary nevertheless."
Change the subject back! Don't dwell on this, you can think about it
later. Get back to the subject at hand! "You're telling me Maggie
Scully
is alive. Are you holding her prisoner?"
"She's in my custody now, though that's not how it started. Your Agent
Scully has reason to be grateful to me as well."
"Where is she?"
"All in good time, Agent Mulder. She's safer with me right now than
she
would be in the loving arms of her daughter. Or her semi-loving son.
Bill
isn't as bright as his sister, or he lets his emotions get in the way
too
much. He really hates you Mulder. What is it you did to him to make
him
feel so strongly about you?"
"What is it you want from us?" Whatever it was, he'd get it. In order
to
give Scully back her mother, hell, if he wanted the X-Files, they were
his.
Mulder leaned back in the leather chair that was obviously Cancer
Man's
favorite. The smell of him was a permanent part of the furniture.
"Some people didn't understand your importance to the project, Agent
Mulder. Using Bill Scully to try to destroy you was a pitiful attempt.
He's not man enough to handle the assignment and the people directing
him
are too shortsighted to be of any further use to us. Give me a couple
of
days, Fox. I think I can make this go away."
"How? How could you. . . what do you mean my importance to the
project?
I've been opposing you my whole life."
"I'm sure that's how it looks to you. Go home Agent Mulder, or to
Agent
Scully's apartment, and let me handle this."
He decided to ignore the reference to where he slept now. "You want me
to
trust you with Mrs. Scully's life?"
"Did it sound like I was offering a choice?" Now he finished
retrieving
the cigarette he'd reached for earlier. "Give me 48 hours to clear up
some
loose ends. I give you my personal assurance that Mrs. Scully will
remain
where I can keep an eye on her. Killing me now would complicate things
significantly."
Mulder released the tension on the trigger. "I want Mrs. Scully back."
"And I want the status quo for now. You will give me time to clean
this
up. Can I offer you a beer?"
Mulder snorted. "Why do you need 48 hours to return her?"
"I don't want this action, or one like it, repeated. I need to make
some
people understand my position and how seriously I take it."
Mulder stood. "48 hours. If she's not home, I will find you. I won't
hesitate to kill you then." Cancer Man nodded but wisely did not
extend
his hand.
*****
Mulder drove around reluctant to go back to her apartment. He couldn't
tell her this, he couldn't get her hopes up. But could he lie to her?
She
read him so well, better than anyone ever had. And now, as close as
they'd
become. . . he had to pull this off. That was the bottom line. He
didn't
have a choice.
"Mulder?" She hurried into the living room as soon as she heard the
key in
the lock, her whole posture betraying how anxious she was.
"He didn't come home, Scully. I'll have to go back. I'm sorry." She
deflated like a balloon and he just hoped she'd forgive him someday for
the
lie. It was to protect her, but would it look that way later. Hell,
if
her mother truly were returned to them she'd forgive him anything.
Concentrate on that.
It was fortunate Scully was as distracted and worried as she was.
Mulder
knew he would not be carrying this off if she had been on top of her
game.
He was edgy and nervous, but then so was she. And she had the added
worry
of knowing her brother for the snake he was now. She was barely coping
with the knowledge that her own brother was involved with the very men
who
had caused her abduction, Melissa's death, and now possibly their
mother's.
Mulder could see this in her willingness to sit quietly and be held by
him.
They didn't bother with conversation and this wasn't the time for sex,
she
just needed to know he was there with her for whatever came.
His cell phone woke them the next morning, early, before the alarm went
off. "Mulder." He answered, grateful of his ability to sound awake
when
he wasn't even close.
"Waltos here, can you find your partner and get down to the morgue?
We've
got something here we need some help with."
"The morgue?" He glanced over at Scully. Had he been lied to? Were
they
coming down to identify Mrs. Scully's body? Waltos read his question
correctly.
"It's not her. Come on down, I'll wait." The connection went dead.
"Mulder?" She was sitting up, look down at him, the sheet falling into
her
lap and distracting him from what he needed to be thinking about. He
forced his eyes up to hers.
"Detective Waltos wants us to meet him at the morgue. It's not her
Scully,
he told me it wasn't her. Let's get ready." She held in the million
or so
questions she had, he couldn't answer them anyway.
Mulder held his hand to her back as they entered the cool white room.
Detective Waltos approached them, nodding at Mulder. "Agent Scully."
She
shook the hand he offered. "I'm sorry to bring you down here so early,
but
you need to see this."
He led them to the far side of the room where an older man in a white
lab
coat joined them. "You know Dr. Grant?"
"Yes, we've worked together before. What do you have?"
"Three bodies, Dr. Scully." Dr. Grant took over. He pulled the sheet
back
from the first body. White male, mid-30's, 5'10", no cause of death
visible from where she stood.
Detective Waltos looked at Mulder rather than at the body. "All three
were
found at the landfill, nude, one shot to the back of the head.
Execution
style."
"Why did you call us?" Mulder looked away from the body himself.
"Because of these." Waltos pulled out three evidence bags. "We think
your
mother was wearing a nightgown when she was taken, because you found no
clothing missing."
"That's right." She sounded calm, matter of fact. But Mulder was
watching
her. The strain on her had been enormous. Maybe he'd helped a little
with
his presence, but she wouldn't let him take on more than he already
was.
"Could this be pieces of that nightgown?"
Scully reached for the bags. "Where were these found?" Mulder moved
closer to her.
"They were tied around the throat of each victim. Placed there after
they
were dead. This was definitely a professional hit. The bodies were
cleaned after the murders. No trace evidence of anything except the
landfill and they were dumped there. It's certainly not where they
were
killed. Can you identify this Agent Scully?"
"I know Mom had a nightgown this color. She got it for her birthday.
I
need to go to the house to see if it's missing."
"Okay. If you'll get back to me? Do you need to see any more here?"
"No. I need to check this out. Mulder?" He followed her out, finally
grabbing her arm, as she seemed about to break into a run.
"Scully."
"I need to know. Now!"
"I know. Just don't. . . "
"Don't what Mulder?" She wouldn't look at him, focusing instead on the
hand he had on her arm.
"Bill had nothing to do with this. He couldn't have Scully he wouldn't
know how to do this. Think about it Scully. Bill's no killer. He's
not
someone I enjoy defending, but he didn't kill these men and he didn't
hurt
your mother."
"Let's go to work. I need to think about something else." He nodded,
maybe he could keep her distracted for awhile longer. At least she
hadn't
mentioned wanting to confront Bill again.
*****
Mulder had slipped on a pair of sweat shorts and was headed for the
kitchen
for a cup of coffee prior to his shower when he heard the knock.
Scully
didn't seem to have heard it so he turned toward the door and glanced
through the peephole. He jerked the door open.
"Fox? Oh Fox!" Before she could say another word he had pulled her
into
his arms.
"Mulder, was that the door?" Scully froze in the doorway from the
kitchen,
her coffee mug shattering on the floor. "Mom?" It was only a whisper.
Then they were wrapped around each other, crying. Mulder guided them
to
the sofa and sat on the coffee table in front of them. Scully kept
touching her mother, her face, her arm. Mulder wasn't sure she'd
gotten
out a complete sentence since entering the room.
"But you were shot."
"What? No Dana, they never hurt me."
"It was your blood, I know it was yours."
"I don't. . . Dana they never harmed me in anyway. Your friend made
absolutely sure of that."
"Friend?" That was Mulder.
"Yes, the man that rescued me. He knew you both so well, he said he
worked
with you."
Scully and Mulder exchanged looks. His mind wanted to work but her
eyes,
red from crying but filled with such joy, held him in stasis. He
didn't
care who it was right now; she had her mother back.
"What was his name Mom?" She needed something to ground her; maybe if
she
got to the bottom of this she'd feel solid again. She needed to
understand
something.
"I don't know, he never said."
"Did he. . . did he smoke a lot?" Her voice was unsteady again and
Mulder
watched her lean closer to her mother.
"Oh yes. I got after him about it. It's so unhealthy." Scully now
looked
over at him, but he didn't meet her eyes.
"You thought he was our friend?" Her voice was steadier now, a
professionalism beginning to return.
"I assumed he worked at the Bureau, possibly a mentor to you, Fox. He
spoke of you with such great affection, almost paternal. I never
doubted
you were looking for me. I thought you had sent him." Mrs. Scully was
now
obviously confused at their reactions.
"No, Mrs. Scully. We weren't looking for you. Evidence was left at
your
home. We. . . it was determined that you had been, well, murdered.
Scully spoke again then, "Mom, the boys were here. We had a memorial
service for you. We thought. . . I should have listened to you,
Mulder."
She was clutching her mother's hand again.
"That, that's why you're so shocked to see me now? But your friend
said he
spoke to Fox. He said. . . " But Scully wasn't listening, now she was
staring at Mulder in total disbelief.
"You knew? You knew she was alive and you didn't tell me! How could
you
do that? Mulder, how could you do that to me?"
"Scully. . . " He reached for her hand but she pulled away from him.
"Scully please. I couldn't get your hopes up. Not on Cancer Man's
word.
I couldn't trust him. I couldn't tell you based on his word. Scully.
. .
" How could he made her understand, he'd been trying to protect her
from
more pain.
"Go get dressed Mulder. We'll talk later." She sounded so formal,
distant
from him.
He looked down. Oh shit! He wasn't dressed, he'd been so wiped out by
seeing Mrs. Scully and watching Scully's joy. And that was her mother
for
god's sake. He could feel the heat in his face.
Mrs. Scully smiled gently at him. "Fox, give us a few minutes."
"Yeah." He rose from the table, "Scully, I'm sorry." He retreated
from
the room. What could he say to make her understand?
He dressed quickly but didn't return to the living room. He made the
bed,
no need for Mrs. Scully to see that, and made sure his clothing was
hung up
and put away. He shook his head again at his stupidity. He had opened
the
door and pulled the woman, who was for all intents and purposes his
mother-in-law, into the apartment and hugged her, wearing only his
sweat
shorts. Good god almighty.
"Mulder?" Scully came to the door and tapped on it. That surprised
him,
it was her bedroom.
"Yeah." He opened the door to her immediately.
"Please come back, join Mom and me."
"Can you ever forgive me?"
She sighed, "Yes. I'm still furious at you, but I'm too happy to let
you
have it right now. We will talk about this." He nodded meekly and
followed her into the living room.
Scully had cleaned up the mess from where she had dropped her coffee
mug,
and now had coffee for her mother and him. Her hands were nearly
steady as
she handed him his cup.
"I need to call Bill and Charlie. They're not going to believe this."
Scully mused as she turned to Mulder.
Mulder had been looking at Mrs. Scully as Scully spoke and saw her face
tighten when Bill's name was mentioned.
"Mrs. Scully, did Bill have anything. . . "
"I can't talk about Bill now, except to apologize to you, Fox. I'm
ashamed
that a son of mine could. . ." her voice trailed off.
"Mom?"
"Let's drop it. I'm very glad to be home and that's what I want to
concentrate on for now. Why don't you call Charlie and then I'll get
on
the phone. I don't want to scare him to death."
"Probably a good idea." Scully reached for the phone. While she was
dialing Mulder moved closer to Mrs. Scully to whisper.
"I don't want there to be problems between you and Bill because of me
Mrs.
Scully." He spoke very low and glanced over at Scully.
"It's not because of you Fox. He's done some unconscionable things.
Things that hurt Dana and me as well as you. I'm not going to go into
this
with anyone but Bill. Fox, he's my son and I still love him, I'm just
completely disillusioned at this time."
Mulder nodded, the details probably weren't important. He had a very
good
idea what had happened. He'd no doubt learn more later anyway.
"Look," he
glanced away from her, at the floor, at the door, "about my being
here."
"I have no doubt Dana needed you desperately to get through an
incredibly
trying experience. She's an adult, I just don't want you to hurt her."
"I never will on purpose, Mrs. Scully."
"Under the circumstances, " her look included the apartment, "why don't
you
call me Maggie. It looks like you're part of the family already."
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