Hell on Wheels
A Take 2 Flashback
by Cadillac Red
Disclaimer: The characters of Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and Walter Skinner, et al belong to 1013 Productions and I and will make no money from their use.
Spoilers: Some references to X-files mythology episodes.
Setting: Seventh Season. This story takes place before the season finale, "Requiem." In the Danville Universe, it's between Chapters 22 and 23 of the Take 2 series.
Rating: PG. Discipline, no slash.
Author's Note: The Take 2 series was inspired by Xanthe's story "Red" and is loosely related to an unfinished work by Mangst and Xanthe called "Reset". I appreciate their generous approval to go ahead with my version of the same scenario.
Summary: A summer morning sets Skinner remembering events a year earlier.
The Skinner Home
McLean, Virginia
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Walter Skinner glanced at the wall clock and sighed. It was starting to look like Fox would sleep the better part of the morning. The younger man historically slept poorly but that had changed since he repeated his childhood the previous year, albeit at lightning speed. Mulder had offered to spend the weekend with the AD so the two of them could clean out the gutters on the house, a two-man job that had been let go for some time. Something that was driving the normally orderly Assistant Director crazy. Getting it done this weekend was a goal he'd set that he was not about to miss.
Skinner himself was an inveterate early riser and to him, the better part of the day was now slipping away. He poured himself another cup of coffee and tried not to be annoyed.
The AD had heard Mulder come in the night before, long past 2 a.m. He'd gone to a movie with Scully. Although Mulder was an adult now, Skinner found the paternal habits and tendencies he'd developed during the agent's recent second childhood were hard to displace. Mulder had said he and Scully planned to have dinner and see an early movie. Skinner was hard pressed to figure out what had kept the younger man out till that hour.
Part of his brain told him he could probably make a good guess . . . . On the other hand, it was Mulder and Scully, for God's sake. They'd worked together for seven years and he'd had no reason to suspect there was anything going on before now. Still, those paternal instincts he'd honed so well last year were standing up and waving this morning.
He was still musing about it while the dog they'd adopted when Fox was a boy wandered in from the other room. Yoda sat down beside the AD's chair and placed his snout on Skinner's thigh.
"You're wondering why he's sleeping so late too, aren't you, boy?" the man said with a smile. He rubbed behind the dog's ears absently. "Want to go outside now?"
The dog got to his feet, tail wagging animatedly.
"I thought so," the AD said as he got up and headed toward the door that led to the garage. He opened it and the dog bounded in beside him while he pressed the automatic door opener. Skinner decided he'd vacuum out his jeep until Mulder awoke. Yoda headed out into the front yard while the man hunted for the Dustbuster that was normally hanging on the wall. "Fox must have used it last," he muttered to himself when he realized it wasn't in its usual place.
He continued rummaging, looking in several bins under the workbench and along the side wall. Pushing aside rags and brushes, he found the appliance. Powerless, of course, since it had been left out of its recharger. He hung it up and decided to do a bit of straightening up in the garage instead of cleaning his car. He began reorganizing things and soon his work took him to a couple of baskets filled with sporting equipment they'd collected during Fox's adolescence. Including a couple of pairs of in-line skates. Skinner smiled. Fox had turned out to be a pretty darn good rollerblader . . . .
McLean, Virginia
Saturday, September 18, 1999
Skinner and Fox had been living in the safe house for almost three weeks and Fox had been in school at the Wheatley Academy for almost two. He'd met a few kids there and seemed to be adapting and making friends. But so far he'd met no one in the neighborhood in which they were living. So a Saturday of chores and errands had left the boy restless and irritable.
"Why do we have to go to the dry cleaners?" he whined when Skinner realized he'd forgotten to make that stop and announced they would go out again. "Can't we send the agents in the van down the street?"
Skinner took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then he spoke softly, but very firmly. "Let me remind you that the agents in the van are here for security," the man said, enunciating very carefully. "They're professionals, FBI agents. They are not here to be our servants, or runners, or dinner companions. Do you understand me, young man?"
Fox blinked. "Well, they're not doin' anything-" he began again, only to be cut off immediately.
"They're doing their jobs, Fox," Skinner said. This time his words held a note of annoyance. "We do our own errands."
"Well, why do I have to go with you, huh? Can't I just stay here? It's not like anything is gonna happen. We have security guards outside the front door."
Skinner took another deep breath. He recognized Fox was in full blown adolescence now and this kind of orneriness was to be expected. It didn't make it any easier for the man to live with. He exhaled forcefully. "All right. I guess you're old enough to stay home for a little while. I think I'll stop at the fish market and pick up steamed crabs for dinner, okay? You're sure you don't want to come along?" As a younger child, Fox loved to go to the fish market with him.
"Nah. I'll just stay here and chill," the boy replied, opening the refrigerator door. He took out a bottle of iced tea and popped the top off before sauntering into the family room and turning the television on.
"I'll be back in about an hour. Hour and a half at most," Skinner called after him.
"Don't hurry on my account," Fox said languidly.
Skinner rolled his eyes. Adolescence was already proving to be a trial, the man thought as he headed into the hall to pick up his keys. "Give me strength," he muttered as he exited the front door and went to the jeep. He stopped at the van on the corner and told the agent on duty about his plans and Fox's decision to remain behind. "Call me if he leaves the house," he said before driving off.
Fox grew bored with afternoon television quickly. He decided to take Yoda out in the yard and picked up a Frisbee that was sitting on the floor in the family room before going. He'd been trying to teach the dog how to catch it. Maybe today would be better.
"Come on, boy," he called to the animal that was already dogging his heels. They moved out into the yard and Fox tried to coach Yoda to no avail. "Get it in your mouth. Come on! You can do it! That's it. . . . Well, maybe next time," he said as he ran after the plastic disc himself.
"Hey!" a voice called over the short hedges at the far end of the yard.
Fox turned in surprise. "Hey," he responded in kind, but a little warily.
"My name's Colter. What's yours?" a boy around fifteen asked him. The kid was a bit stocky, with short, spiky brown hair.
"Fox."
"Do you live here?"
Fox nodded.
"I'm visiting my grandfather," Colter said. "Bored to freakin' tears. Feel like doin' something?"
Fox thought about it a moment. "Like what?" he asked.
"Well, I got my roller blades with me. Want to go down to the park and skate?"
Fox's new rollerblades were in the house. He'd just gotten a new pair since his feet had grown quite a bit in the last week. "Sure," he said, becoming enthusiastic. "I'll be right back."
When he returned, Colter showed him where there was a break in the hedge and Fox hopped over the back fence and into the other yard, being careful to avoid the electric eye security system. It had taken him no time to understand how it worked.
Then the boys walked out to the street in front of Colter's grandfather's place where they put their skates on and headed for the park. They skated around for about a half hour before stopping.
"This is boring," Colter said with a frown. "We have a great skateboard park near where I live in Philadelphia."
"There's one by the school I go to," Fox said, wrinkling his brow. "But nothing close to here."
"Well, I know something that'll be more challenging than this," the older boy said. He pushed off and headed back out of the park.
Fox had to work to catch up with him but what he lacked in size and strength, he more than made up for in grace and athletic ability. His long, smooth strides had him side by side with Colter quickly. When they got to the main street that led to the quiet neighborhood in which the safe house was located, Fox was curious and a little concerned. It was a winding road with minimal traffic at this point and virtually no shoulder. Where did Colter think they were going to skate?
"Watch me," the other boy said as Fox stood on the side of the road. A car was coming, slowing a little to handle the hairpin curve. Colter stepped out behind it and grabbed the bumper of the car. Crouching low so the driver couldn't see him, he held on as the car picked up speed and pulled him along. After about five hundred feet, he let go and skated to a stop before turning and skating back to Fox.
"Wow! That's gotta be dangerous!" Fox exclaimed, not sure whether he should admit how impressed he was with the other boy's bravery.
"Nah. Not once you get the hang of it," Colter said. "Come on. I'll show you."
Fox's stomach clenched. He knew without a doubt this was dangerous. And more importantly, his father would have his head if he ever found out about it. *Well, maybe my head's not the exact right part of my body!*
"You're not gonna be a wuss, are you?" Colter asked, gleeful at the prospect that the other boy was too scared to try it.
Fox flushed a deep pink. "N-no," he answered quickly. "I just don't see any cars. . . ."
But just then another one came around the bend. This one was traveling slow before it approached and it nearly came to a crawl as it approached the boys. An elderly woman was at the wheel.
"Now or never," Colter dared him.
Fox didn't give it another moment's thought. He grabbed the bumper of the car and held on. The car's driver picked up speed as she cleared the curve and Fox continued to hang on, feeling the exhilaration of accomplishment and the adrenaline rush that came from facing his fear. He let go and coasted to a stop, turning a full 360 degree circle and pumping his arm in the air. "Wow! That was great!" he exulted as he skated back to Colter.
"We call it 'skitching' where I come from," Colter said. "Watch this one!" He grabbed onto a passing van and remained standing, since the driver couldn't see through the paneled vehicle. He stayed carefully out of the driver's side view mirrors, having done this often, and held on as the van sped along at a fast clip. He passed Fox on the side of the road and waved at him before letting go. Then he crossed to the other side of the road and waited for a car that was approaching from the other direction for a return ride.
Meanwhile Fox made it back to the beginning of the curve and watched the road in the other direction for another chance. A car approached and he waited on the side of the road for it to slow a little bit. Then he caught hold of the bumper and held on.
A short distance away Skinner was driving home, listening to the radio news. It was his usual habit, except when Fox was in the car with him now. Then they listened to music that was incomprehensible to the AD.
Skinner had picked up a video to watch with Fox tonight. It was one of the boy's favorites, "Terminator." And he had a bushel of steamed crabs, some corn on the cob and ice cream for dessert. Surely all of this would pull the boy out of his 'mood.' As a child and an adult, Fox loved all of them. The Assistant Director was feeling guilty about his display of impatience earlier. It couldn't be easy to go through what Fox was undergoing. He mentally chided himself for not remembering that all the way to the store and now he was feeling on top of the situation again.
Suddenly something bumped the back of the jeep. Skinner slowed down a little, concerned he'd hit something. He checked his mirrors quickly. Nothing in the rearview or driver's side mirror. But the passenger mirror showed he'd picked up an unexpected visitor. "What the hell. . . !" he exclaimed, hitting the brakes carefully. "Jesus fucking Christ! Does this kid have a death wish. . . ?"
He had almost slowed to a stop and the kid had disconnected himself when a car passed him in the other lane, going in the opposite direction, towing another kid. And this one was Fox!
Fox was smiling triumphantly until he noticed the car that was coming to a stop directly across from him. "Oh, shit!" he said as he let go of the bumper he was holding and slowed to a stop. "Damn. Damn. Damn. You are in so much trouble!" he whispered, internally kicking himself all over the road. Another car came around the bend, this time a convertible sports car with its top down. It was traveling far faster than any of the others. The driver had to swerve around Fox and blew his horn angrily as Fox jumped back off the road at the same moment. The car's driver cursed at him and the others along the side of the road before gunning the engine and driving off at even greater speed.
Colter watched it all in amusement until Skinner pulled the jeep to the side of the road and came to a complete stop. The other boy's eyes strayed from the man who was now getting out of his car to the younger boy directly across the road. From the look on Fox's face, Colter was certain this was the kid's father. He needed no further information to know he was not needed. Like a shot he took off in the other direction on the road.
"Hey! Get back here!" Skinner yelled after him. "This road's not safe for rollerblading!"
"Later, man!" the boy yelled back. He continued going then ducked into the woods a ways down the road. Skinner decided to just let him go. He had a more important concern.
"Fox William! Get in this car. Now!"
Fox's entire body was frozen in place as he heard the words and saw the look on Skinner's face.
"Don't make me come get you," Skinner barked at him. "Get over here now!"
Fox was surprised when his body obeyed without direction from his brain. He waited while the AD assured himself there was nothing come in either direction then skated across the road. He gave the man a wide berth as he circled the car and got in the passenger side. Then he buckled his seat belt very carefully and sat as quietly as he could while Skinner got in the car and started it.
"Have you lost your mind?" the man asked him. Fox understood it was a rhetorical question. "That's the dumbest, most needlessly dangerous thing I've ever seen. What were you thinking, Fox?"
This time the boy recognized the question was one he was meant to answer. "I don't know," he murmured quietly. "I wasn't thinking, I guess...."
"I'll say you weren't thinking," the AD said angrily. "But you'll have plenty of time to think about it now. You're grounded-"
"What? I-that's not fair!"
"Fair? You think it's 'fair' that you snuck out of the house without permission? Or that I nearly had a heart attack when I realized it was you doing such a stupid, dangerous thing on this road? You could have been killed-"
"I know! You already said that!" Fox yelled back at him. "But I didn't get killed, did I? And I had a chance to make a new friend-"
"You don't need friends who try to get you do things that could get you hurt. Or killed...."
They argued all the way back to the house. When they pulled into the driveway, Fox already had his skates off and he headed into the house through the garage, carrying them. Skinner whistled for his attention and cocked his head at the storage wall in the garage.
"Hang 'em up, Fox," he said firmly. "You won't be using them for a long while."
Fox gave him a baleful stare, then he shook his head. He wasn't foolish enough to refuse to comply but he precisely communicated his own disagreement. He thrust them toward the hook on the wall, letting the hard plastic bang against the wallboard. Then he got a look at the resulting expression on Skinner's face and high-tailed it into the house and up the stairs.
Skinner exhaled forcefully, willing himself to calm down. He carried the food into the kitchen and stored it. Then he got himself a glass of ice water. He was dry from the tension but more importantly, he needed a few minutes to calm himself before dealing with Fox. He drank slowly and tried to regain his perspective on it all. But the image of Fox nearly being hit by that sports car left him rattled and anxious. And angry at the boy's lack of caution and common sense.
He took another deep breath to make sure he was fully under control and headed up the wide oak stairs. Fox's bedroom door was closed so he opened it and saw him lying on the bed, his arm thrown over his eyes. It was a gesture he'd seen the adult Mulder make under similar circumstances. Skinner hardened his heart to the child's reaction. There'd be time enough for comfort later. Now there was an important lesson to be learned.
"Up, Fox," he said firmly. "Take down your jeans-"
"Please!" the boy responded, dropping his arm and sitting up. "Please, Dad! I won't do it again!"
"No, you won't," the AD said. "Not if I have anything to say about it. And I'm gonna make darn sure you don't forget. . . . You heard me now, Fox."
The boy rose and stomped his foot in frustration until he saw the man's eyebrows rise in surprise and disbelief. Then he bit down on his lower lip and began unbuttoning his jeans. In a moment, he had unzipped them and pushed them and his briefs down to his knees. He hesitated then and Skinner took him by the arm and guided him into position. As he was being bent over, Fox spied the hairbrush in his father's hand.
"Not the hairbrush! I hate-OWWW!" he exclaimed as the flat-backed wooden oval struck his bottom soundly. He put his hand back to protect his butt but Skinner grabbed hold of it with one hand and pinned it against the small of his back. "Oucchh! I-please! I hate the hairbrush! OWWWW!"
"Well, good. I didn't plan on this being a pleasant experience, Fox," Skinner said as he continued to slap the boy's buttocks with the brush. They were beginning to pinken up but the AD knew they still had a long way to go. "Just a memorable one-"
"I won't for-I won't forget!" Fox howled. "OUCCHH! AHHHH! OHHHHH!"
Skinner found himself thanking God for central air conditioning as he continued to spank Fox's reddening cheeks. In his day, summer spankings were delivered with windows wide open and anyone on the Skinner property generally got an earful. "What's this spanking for, son?" he asked, wanting to make certain Fox was not missing the point of this exercise.
"For roller-blading! On the road!" Fox yelled. "And going out without permission-"
"Let's stick with the most important part," Skinner told him, not letting up on the quick rhythm he had going, the polished wood slapping against the fleshiest part of the boy's bottom, the 'sit spot.' "Why is roller-blading on the road wrong?"
"Because! Because it's dangerous! OWWWW! OUCHHHH! I could have gotten killed-Or hurt!"
"That's exactly right. A car coming around that bend too fast could never have seen you in time to stop! That was a foolish (SMACK!) foolish (SMACK!) thing to do, Fox!"
"I know! I KNOW THAT NOW! I PROMISE I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!" the boy hollered at the top of his lungs. "I'M SORRY!"
Skinner knew he had gotten the message through. He was almost finished now. "And what about leaving the house without permission?"
"Oh! That too! I shouldn't have left. And I shouldn't have gone out the back way without telling the agents outside. OUCCH! OWWW! Or calling you!"
Skinner bit the side of his mouth to keep from laughing. He had been certain Fox went out that way on purpose. Now he knew for sure. "And one more thing. (SMACK!) What about that scene (SMACK!) in the car?"
"I'm sorry I talked back-- Owww! Talked back to you, Dad! I didn't mean it. I-- Ouchhh! I didn't mean it!" he sobbed.
The Assistant Director knew he'd made the impression he'd intended. He dropped the hairbrush on the bed and turned the boy upright, pulling his shorts and jeans back up for him. Then he gathered Fox into a hug. "It's okay now," he said soothingly. "You nearly scared me to death, son. All I could see was you being hit by a car...."
"I'm sorry," Fox hiccuped into his shoulder. "I knew I shouldn't-I shouldn't do it! But Colter said it was okay.... And I thought maybe he could be my friend...."
Skinner's heart pitched at the plaintive need in Fox's words. "You've made some friends at school, haven't you? Jarrod-"
"He's nice to me because Mrs. Barefoot asked him to be-"
Skinner's heart tore a little bit more and he pushed the boy out to arm's length and looked him directly in the eye. "Listen to me, Fox," he said seriously. "Jarrod would be nice to you at school because Mrs. Barefoot asked him to be. But didn't he and his Dad invite you to the Redskins game last weekend? He didn't have to do that...." Fox had been excited, elated even when the Kelly family had asked him to go to the game. And he'd been full of enthusiasm when he returned.
"Yeah. But so far he's my only friend. And he can't spend all the time with me. He has other friends...." Fox said sadly.
"And you will have other friends, too," Skinner said as he pulled the child back into his arms and began to rub his back. "I know it's hard. To be the new kid in school. And everything else you're going through. But you're a terrific kid, you'll make lots of friends. And I promise you, you just have to give it some time...."
He held the boy for a while until he'd calmed down. And until the AD had gotten the story of who the other boy was and where he was from. Then Skinner told Fox to get washed up and come downstairs.
"That big flower bed out back needs weeding," the AD said firmly. "And that's what I want you to do tonight. Instead of standing in the corner, I want you to use your time productively...."
Fox nodded and hiccuped once more, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"You ought to be able to finish it up by the time I have dinner ready," the AD said. "Go wash your face. I'll expect you downstairs in ten minutes."
Skinner took the stairs two at a time on the way down and quickly made his way to the back door and out and across the yard. He found the place in the bushes that Fox described and hopped the fence. He rapped on the back door of the house in back of the one he and Fox were living in. A blonde woman around his age came to the door. She was dressed in a too tight sundress and seemed to be about to spill out of the top. The AD kept his gaze on her face, afraid to look anywhere else. She seemed surprised to see him and greeted him with a high-wattage smile.
"Well, hello there," she drawled, giving him the once over-- twice. She fixed him with a blinding smile. "I guess my prayers have been answered ...."
Skinner furrowed his brow in confusion. "Excuse me?" he said. "I'm from the house behind you-"
"I don't live here," the woman said. "This is my father's house. But all of a sudden, I wish it was mine."
Skinner colored slightly. "Yes. Well, actually, I came to talk to you about Colter. Is he your son?" the AD said, clearing his throat.
"Well, yes, he is. What has that bad boy done now?" she queried, although to Skinner's ear it didn't sound like she was all that concerned.
"Well, it's just that he-and my son-were on the main road down the street. Roller-blading around a blind curve and grabbing on to the bumpers of passing cars to catch a ride-"
"Oh, he does that all the time back home," she laughed.
"Well, it's very dangerous," Skinner said, speaking slowly as though she were simple. It was unfathomable to him that she didn't seem to get that. "Really. He could be killed. Or seriously hurt-"
"I know, honey," she said. "Believe me, I've told him a dozen times. He just doesn't listen.... Would you like to come in for a drink? We're having vodka tonics-"
"No. Thank you. I have to be getting back," he answered, beginning to back off the patio. Suddenly he felt he couldn't get away fast enough. "I just thought you should know about the danger-"
"Oh, and I do thank you!" she answered, following him out into the yard. "Perhaps we could discuss it a little further..."
Skinner begged off and loped back across the yard, shaking his head. Now he'd seen just about everything, he thought to himself. He had just entered the kitchen when he heard Fox coming down the stairs. Dragging himself down the stairs would be a more accurate description, the AD thought to himself. He waited until the boy was in the kitchen, then he ruffled his hair and pulled him into a quick hug. "You okay?"
Fox nodded miserably. The AD thought he was milking this for all it was worth but he decided to ignore it. It would pass in a little while. With Fox it always did, thank God.
"Well, then," the man said as he placed a quick kiss on the boy's hair. "Your weeding awaits. Get crackin', kid."
Fox nodded dejectedly, then he headed out into the yard. Skinner meanwhile busied himself getting the barbecue started and setting up the steamer pot in which he'd brought home the steamed crabs they were having for dinner. When that was done, he went inside to prepare the rest of their dinner. He stripped the corn and plunged it into boiling water, and microwaved the hush puppies he'd bought along with the steamers. It was all beginning to smell delicious when he heard Fox talking to someone outside.
He cocked his head to get a look and sure enough, Colter was standing behind the bushes at the edge of their property. He must have snuck up the border of their property and the neighbor next door. Skinner crept a little closer to the window to see if he could hear a little better. Colter was filling Fox in on what had transpired at his grandfather's house.
"I'm sorry if my Dad got you in trouble," Fox was saying anxiously. "He gets a little nuts about stuff like that, putting yourself in unnecessary danger-"
"Oh, don't worry about it," Colter laughed. "My mother doesn't care. Although I think she has the hots for your father!"
Fox seemed surprised and unable to respond to either of the other boy's two assertions. Skinner himself found them perplexing to say the least. But he couldn't help feeling sorry for a kid who knew no one really cared that he risked his life doing something stupid. Skinner stepped out onto the back deck and watched as Fox, and Colter, turned to him in surprise. The other boy began backing away.
"You must be Colter," Skinner said amiably. "We're having steamed crabs for dinner. Would you like to join us?"
Fox's mouth popped open once again, betraying his surprise at the turn of events.
And Colter seemed to be completely caught off guard. "I-I-Okay," he stammered.
"Do you need to call and tell your mother you're eating here?" Skinner asked him.
"No, that's okay. She gave me money to go to McDonald's. She's not expecting me for dinner," the boy responded. Again Skinner's heard the sub-text. He refrained from shaking his head. "Well, fine then. Fox, why don't you get Colter and yourself something to drink, huh? I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes."
The two boys sat on the deck and talked while Skinner finished preparing their dinner. Then they both set the table and helped getting everything served. The crabs had been steamed in beer and thick Old Bay seasoning in the Maryland tradition. Fox showed Colter how to open them and pick the succulent crab meat out of the crabs. They all washed their crab down with iced tea and munched on hush puppies and corn on the cob. Then Skinner surprised both boys once again.
A warm summer breeze was blowing but the sun wouldn't set for another hour and a half. "I was thinking it would be a good night to go to the skateboard park," the AD said quietly. For the third time that night, Fox's mouth opened wide in surprise at something his father said. "What do you think, gentlemen?"
They lost no time agreeing and Colter ran back across the yard to retrieve his skates. Fox used the time the other boy was out of hearing to ask the questions foremost on his mind.
"I don't have to finish the weeding?" he said warily.
"Well, you can finish it tomorrow morning, how's that?"
"And I can go rollerblading? I mean, before you said...."
"As long as you're with me, you can use your skates. But not without me until I'm sure you'll use them responsibly and safely," the AD told him as he pulled his own rollerblades out of the storage bin in the garage. "Unless you don't want to go tonight...."
"No! No, sir!" Fox responded immediately. "I want to go. I just-I'm just surprised, that's all." The smile on his face told the AD everything he needed to know and he was glad he'd decided to make this exception.
The three of them arrived at the skateboard park a while later and put on their skates. Then they headed off to test their skill on the various courses throughout the facility.
"Your Dad's pretty good on blades, for an old guy," Colter said to Fox when he thought Skinner was out of hearing range.
"Yeah, I know. He used to ice skate a lot growing up in Pennsylvania. And he skated with me a lot when we were in Nantucket this summer," Fox responded. A note of pride underscored his words as the two of them watched Skinner navigate the most difficult obstacle course in the park. Wearing cut-off jeans and a tank top, he was relaxed and pleased at the chance to get some exercise and help Fox steer a course through the whitewater of adolescence. Skinner noted with satisfaction that he and Colter seemed to be getting along famously. And Colter wasn't a bad kid after all, just misguided and lacking any parental guidance.
They returned home a couple of hours later and polished off big bowls of ice cream before Colter reluctantly went home to his grandfather's house.
"Will you be around tomorrow?" he asked Fox as he slowly made his way out to the backyard.
Fox colored slightly. "Well-I have some ch-chores to do in the morning," he stammered a little.
Skinner jumped in. "But you'll be free in the afternoon," he prompted the boy.
"Well, I could come and help you with your chores. In the morning," Colter jumped in, to the surprise of both man and boy. "If it's okay, that is...."
Skinner agreed it was and Colter finally went home. The AD sent Fox to bed as soon as the older boy was gone. He gave Fox ten minutes, then ascended the stairs to say good night. He found the boy already in bed, and waiting for him.
Skinner took a seat on the side of his bed. "Good night," he said, pushing Fox's hair back from his forehead.
"Dad? I just want to say-I mean, I wanted to say thanks. For not embarrassing me when Colter was here. Or letting on that I got punished. And letting him stay for dinner. And for taking us to the skateboard park-"
Skinner smiled. "That's a heckuva lot of thanks," he said gently. "And you're welcome. For all of it."
"How come you let me, though?" Fox asked, as a yawn overtook him. "I mean, I didn't expect-"
"Well, there are all kinds of lessons to learn in life, Fox. Some will be tattooed on your butt-" he watched as Fox grimaced, then reluctantly gave him a lopsided smile. "Some are learned in different ways. And it's my job to make sure you learn the important ones."
Fox nodded. "I don't think Colter has anyone who cares about what lessons he learns," he said quietly. "I think he's kind of on his own."
"I think you're right," Skinner told him, surprised and moved by the insight from a boy his age. *On the other hand, you were always intuitive as hell, kid! At least when it came to other people.*
Fox sighed. "Good night, Dad," he said. He smiled when Skinner leaned down and kissed him on his forehead.
"I love you," the AD said as he rose and tucked the covers around the boy. He turned off the light and headed out of the room.
"I love you, too," Fox whispered as he turned onto his side and drifted off to sleep.
The Skinner Home
McLean, Virginia
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Fox Mulder rose from near-dead at just past 10:30 a.m. and realized with chagrin he'd promised to help clean gutters.
"Oh, God!" he moaned. "What was I thinking?"
Still, he knew it must have taken a great deal of patience for the normally energetic, early-riser named Skinner to refrain from waking him until now. He got up and showered and brushed his teeth, then headed downstairs. Helping himself to a cup of coffee, he wandered out into the backyard to see if the AD had started without him. He was startled when the man himself emerged from the garage, toting two pairs of rollerblades.
"Good morning!" Skinner boomed.
Fox was surprised to see him so chipper and apparently unperturbed by his late start. "Good morning," he said apologetically. "I got in a little late last night-"
"Yeah, I heard you come in," Skinner replied agreeably. "I know we were planning to clean out the gutters but ...." He held the skate aloft. "I was thinking we haven't been to that skateboard park in a looonnnnggg time...."
Mulder's eyebrows rose, then a slow smile spread across his face. "You want to go today? Now?"
"No time like the present," Skinner said, smiling.
"Don't we have chores to do?" Mulder asked. He was having trouble following the conversation not because of its complexity but because it was so out of character for the man he'd come to think of as a father.
Skinner gave him a wide smile, then he took the baseball cap off of his own head and plopped it on Fox, brim to the back. "I'm sure I can still skate circles around you, kid," he said as he turned and headed back into the garage. "Let me show you...."
Mulder grinned as he followed him. "Yeah? Well, all I can say is.... Bring it on!"
THE END