John didn’t stand a chance. Against Fox and Walter he was going to lose. But that certain knowledge didn’t stop him trying. ‘I wasn’t staring. I was thinking about a case.’ ‘Which one?’ ‘What?’ Walter didn’t pause. ‘Which case were you thinking about?’ ‘Um…er…’ Fox closed in. ‘You were in a shower stall with two other guys. You were thinking about a case and you hit one of them.’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘For no reason, you knocked a twenty-two year old kid’s head against the tiles so hard he blacked out.’ John looked from Walter to Fox. Dammit. He began to understand why people made false confessions. He was about to confess to the entire DCPD book on unsolved crimes. ‘John?’ Walter prompted gently. It wasn’t the first time he and Fox had interviewed someone together and they still had it. ‘The kid said some stuff. And I…’ ‘Stuff?’ Fox said casually. Filling the silence, John said: ‘About me. About us. Thing is he was right. When I first moved in, I felt weird.’ Fox and Walter nodded, remembering. ‘Now, it just seems normal.’ Walter and Fox decided **not** to take offence at the idea that their relationship was anything other than normal. ‘The kid said he’d heard we were living together. Said if I wanted someone younger, he was available.’ ‘So you hit him.’ Walter said calmly. Not for the first time, Walter was glad Fox was in the house with him. Fox saw Walter’s slight frown and said quickly: ‘John, just because you live with Walter and me…’ ‘It’s not that. It’s…the kid said I should introduce him to Dana. That after Mulder and me she would probably be glad of a real man.’ Fox began to speak, but Walter put a hand on his arm. Calmly, he said quietly: ‘I think you can rely on your supervisor’s discretion John in this. I’m not sure you can rely on anyone else’s. I’ll take care of it.’ Walter realised his intended reassurance had been lost in John’s emotional turmoil. ‘It’s not my supervisor I have to worry about. Sir.’ John said angrily. ‘No. Listen, tomorrow we’ll find somewhere for you. Even if it’s crashing on someone’s couch. Okay?’ ‘No. Not okay.’ Both men looked up the sound of Mulder’s sharp voice. ‘Fox, this is John’s problem.’ More quietly, Fox said: ‘No, sir, it isn’t. It’s **our** problem. And we’ll work something out. But John doesn’t have anything to feel guilty about and moving out makes it look like he does so he’s staying.’ John sighed and got up. ‘It’s okay Mulder. I’ll make a couple of calls and…’ ‘No, you won’t. You’re not going anywhere.’ Walter’s firm voice stopped John as he walked to the door. ‘Sir, I…’ ‘…think we should order in tonight.’ Walter finished, looking from John to Fox. ********** John was trying to explain his actions as he finished loading the dishwasher. ‘I guess I’m so used to it, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.’ Walter frowned. ‘But you understand that ‘work John’ and ‘home John’ behave in different ways.’ John nodded, his gaze falling to the floor. ‘Yuh. I fouled up. I got what I deserved.’ Walter sighed. ‘John, if you are finding it difficult, living here…’ John walked over to the kitchen table and sat down at one of the chairs. He leaned down, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. ‘You mean if I can’t remember that staring at you guys in the shower is okay, but doing it at work isn’t, I should leave?’ From the other side of the kitchen, Fox’s eyes widened at the comment. ‘You stare at us in the shower? When?’ Walter groaned. ‘Fox, John didn’t mean…’ ‘Yeah, I did.’ Now both Walter and Fox were speechless. John filled the silence. ‘You guys are fit. I’m just…scrawny. I guess I like…torturing myself.’ Walter was experienced enough to know that what John needed at that moment was reassurance not censure. Fox seemed to sense it too and got up, heading for the bathroom. Both men heard the water running a few seconds later. John sat quietly for a few minutes, staring at the floor. Eventually, he broke the silence. ‘So I guess I’m in trouble, right?’ Walter nodded, his face unsmiling. ‘Yeah.’ John took a deep breath and looked across at Walter. ‘What would you do to Mulder if he did something like this?’ ‘That depends on the circumstances.’ ‘But you’d punish him, right?’ ‘Almost certainly. But you and I don’t have that kind of relationship.’ ‘I want you to punish me.’ Walter frowned. ‘John, let’s be totally clear on this. Are you asking me to discipline you in the way I would discipline Fox if he were in your place?’ ‘Yeah. What would you…I mean…how…’ ‘I think this is deserving of a hand spanking, don’t you?’ John nodded slightly. ‘Very well. You’ve had a bad day. You’ll have a bath, then I’ll make sure Fox is tucked up in bed and we’ll see to your punishment, okay?’ Walter almost wanted John to change his mind. But he knew enough about John to be certain he wouldn’t. ‘John, I’m not gonna punish you for your feelings. I’ll punish you for your inappropriate reaction to what was, undoubtedly, provocation on the part of the other people involved. As you were clearly provoked, I’m going to use my hand, not my belt. This isn’t because what you did wasn’t serious. It is because I’m not sure I wouldn’t have thought about reacting in the way you did, given the circumstances. You understand that?’ John nodded, his lips tight. Walter realised he could no longer hear the sound of running water. ‘Okay, go upstairs and get in the bath. Ask Fox to come down here.’ *********** John lay back in the warm, scented water and breathed deeply. He was convinced he had either made the most sensible or the most stupid decision of his life a few minutes earlier. He just wasn’t sure which. He could hear Walter and Fox talking quietly, but, with the bathroom door half-closed, he couldn’t make out the words. ************* Briefly, as he listened to the low murmur of voices, John wondered what would happen if he just went down and told Walter he’d changed his mind. Equally quickly he dismissed the thought. He had been stupid, allowed himself to be baited by a kid, and he’d paid the price. But it hadn’t erased his sense of guilt, and he needed something more. He finished washing the soap off his upper body as the sound of Fox coming up the stairs disturbed his introspection. Getting out of the bath, he dried himself off, then unhooked his robe from the back of the door. Continued in Part Three Home Send me feedback on this fic Return to the X-Files Fic Index Return to the West Wing Fic Index