Title: 'Taking Control' series: Control Issues Part One Several weeks earlier… Skinner frowned as Mulder rose to his feet, his quickly hidden discomfort at the sudden movement unnoticed by anyone else in the room. Skinner sighed inwardly. Another Monday morning, and another injury that Mulder would no doubt attribute to a fall whilst jogging, or walking into a door. The excuses were as believable as Mulder’s present air of studied calm. ‘Agent Scully, would you stay please.’ Skinner’s request stopped Mulder too. ‘Thank you Agent Mulder.’ Skinner’s dismissal of him made Mulder uneasy, and he couldn’t wait until Scully returned to the office they shared. *********** ‘Agent Scully, please sit down. I need your opinion on something.’ ‘Sir?’ ‘It’s Kim’s birthday, and I…’ Scully didn’t hear the rest of Skinner’s carefully-rehearsed speech. She was too relieved that she wasn't going to be asked about why Mulder looked like he had spent the past few weeks living rough. ‘Before you go, Agent Scully, one more thing. I guess you know Agent Mulder as well as anybody. Does he seem…well, not his usual self…I mean…’ Her nervousness made her voice sharp as Scully replied: ‘Agent Mulder doesn’t confide in me sir. I have no idea what’s going on.’ Skinner back-tracked quickly. ‘I wasn’t trying to get you to betray any confidences Agent Scully. I merely…’ ‘Sir, I really think you should have this conversation with Agent Mulder.’ ‘Yuh. Thanks Agent Scully. That’s all. Um, please keep the part of our conversation concerning Agent Mulder to yourself.’ ‘Yes sir.’ Replying quickly, Scully escaped from the room. ********** Mulder looked up as Scully came into their office. ‘What did Skinner want?’ ‘It’s coming up to Kim’s birthday. He wanted a woman’s opinion on a present.’ The half-truth came easily as Fox was too distracted to notice Scully’s unease at lying to her partner. ‘Okay.’ *********** Mulder picked up the phone, only half-concentrating. ‘Fox Mulder.’ ‘Agent Mulder, Assistant Director Skinner asks if you could spare him some time around twelve-thirty.’ Suddenly, all Mulder’s attention was focussed on the call. ‘Sure.’ ‘Thank you. I’ll tell the Assistant Director to expect you.’ ‘Okay.’ Mulder spent the next two hours barely concentrating on the work on the desk in front of him. ************ ‘Agent Mulder. Thanks for coming up. Have you eaten?’ ‘No sir.’ ‘Then I’ll make this brief. Sit down please.’ Mulder dropped into the black leather chair and felt his face warm at the intensity of Skinner’s scrutiny. As he continued to stare, deliberately, at Mulder, Skinner said carefully: ‘Agent Mulder, is there anything you would like to discuss? I have noticed you don’t seem…happy.’ Mulder began to get up only to find Skinner’s hand resting firmly on his shoulder. ‘We’re not done Agent Mulder.’ ‘Sir, really, I’m fine. I’m just not sleeping well. I’ll take a few days off…’ Mulder’s panicky tone left Skinner no option but to remove his hand from the trembling shoulder it rested on. ‘Agent Mulder, I want to be clear on this. If you don’t find a few days at home…allows you to get back into a proper sleeping pattern, we’ll have to talk again.’ ‘Yes sir.’ Mulder fled the room with similar haste to his partner. Skinner sighed as he watched Mulder almost run from his office. ************* Present day… Mulder sat alone in the canteen, shoulders hunched, his body language telling anyone who looked at him that he wanted to be left alone. His first day back after three days off, and he was only a little less sore than he had been three days earlier. At least he had rested, being too sore to do anything other than run short distances and sit at his laptop surfing the net and playing online games. ‘Agent Mulder.’ Scowling, Mulder looked up, smoothing his face as he realised Skinner was standing beside him. ‘Sir.’ ‘Is this seat taken?’ ‘No sir.’ Mulder muttered. ‘This your first day back?’ ‘Yes sir.’ Realising he had no cutlery, Skinner sighed loudly, getting up. As he walked past Mulder, he put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. ‘Come see me in an hour, okay?’ Skinner snatched his hand away from Mulder’s shoulder as his fingertips felt the warm stickiness. Mulder’s almost inaudible hiss of pain confirmed his fears. He stared down at his bloodstained fingertips and made an instant decision. ‘Agent Mulder would you go up to my office please. Now.’ Mulder got to his feet and Skinner handed him his jacket. ‘Put this on.’ ************* Skinner was only a few seconds behind Mulder, and closed his door with a little more force than was necessary, regretting the loud sound when Mulder flinched as the door slammed shut. ‘Okay. Here’s the deal. Either you tell me right now who did this to you or I’ll suspend you indefinitely without pay.’ Skinner almost regretted his sharp tone, but Mulder needed help and he needed it now. ‘I’ll resign sir.’ Mulder said listlessly. ‘Save you some paperwork.’ ‘Resignation is not an option here Mulder. Now, decide.’ ‘I can’t.’ ‘You can trust me Mulder.’ Mulder almost smiled. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’ ‘Try me.’ ‘Sir…I…’ ‘Mulder, you understand domestic violence isn’t just something that happens to women, right?’ Mulder’s eyes widened in panic. ‘Sir, please don’t…’ Intending to calm Mulder, Skinner put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. The gasp of pain reminded him what was going on under his hand. ‘Stand up Agent Mulder.’ ‘Sir?’ Reinforcing his words with a hand under Mulder’s elbow, Skinner hauled Mulder to his feet and dragged him into the small bathroom behind his office, slamming the door. ‘Take off your jacket.’ ‘What?’ Skinner pulled Mulder’s jacket from his shoulders, throwing it to the floor. ‘Now your shirt.’ ‘You can’t be…’ ‘Now!’ Skinner snapped, his voice reverberating in the small room. Slowly, hands shaking , Mulder unhooked his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. He winced several times as he pulled it off his shoulders, his fingers releasing it to lie on top of his jacket. ‘Christ Mulder, what the Hell happened?’ Skinner felt nauseous as the full extent of Mulder’s injuries became apparent. His upper body was a mass of bruises and his back was striped with deep welts from shoulder to waist, some of which oozed blood. ‘I fell.’ Mulder said, his voice shaking. ‘Onto a belt?’ Skinner said disbelievingly. Mulder was too panicked to wonder how Skinner recognised the implement which his Dom had used on him. ‘Sir, please…’ ‘Wanna try the truth this time Mulder?’ ‘No sir.’ ‘You’re on sick leave. Effective immediately.’ ‘For how long?’ ‘Until I decide you’re well enough to return. Get dressed. Go home. I’ll come by later.’ ‘Sir, you can’t…I mean, it’s Friday. Rob might…’ Skinner decided to ignore the fact that Mulder had named the person who was almost certainly responsible for his injuries and concentrate on getting Mulder out of the building. ‘Call him. Tell him you have to cancel your…evening.’ ‘ I can’t. He…’ Mulder flinched as Skinner’s hand came up and Skinner frowned as he saw Mulder’s reaction to what had been intended as a reassuring gesture. ‘Mulder?’ Cheeks coloring, Mulder shook his head. ‘Sorry.’ ‘What are you apologising for?’ ‘Nothing. Sorry.’ Skinner sighed. More firmly, he repeated: ‘Mulder.’ ‘I…I thought you were…’ ‘Going to hit you? Mulder I would never hit you in anger.’ Mulder swallowed hard. ‘Okay.’ ‘No, Mulder, it’s not okay. Does this happen often?’ ‘Sometimes.’ Mulder forced the word out through a tight jaw, remembering. Skinner closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Why didn’t you tell someone?’ ‘I thought it was okay. I was new to it, and I didn’t know he was breaking the rules.’ ‘Mulder, the only rules there are in a relationship of that kind are the ones you work out between you in advance. If you didn’t agree to let your partner hit you, then his behaviour was abusive and unacceptable. You should have walked away.’ Mulder nodded miserably. ‘I know that. But...’ ‘You’re a sub.’ Mulder’s eyes widened. ‘Sir…how did you…I mean…’ Skinner smiled reassuringly, handing Mulder his shirt. ‘It’s okay Mulder. I’m not gonna tell anyone.’ Mulder swallowed hard. ‘How did you know?’ Skinner looked like he was going to refuse to answer. Then he shrugged. ‘It’s a small world Fox.’ Walter looked quickly at Mulder. The unintentional use of the younger man’s first name, which he knew he hated, made him worry that Mulder would react badly. He was concerned when Mulder seemed not to notice his slip. ‘Mulder, you need to talk to your…partner. Soon.’ ‘Yes sir.’ Mulder stood as he had sat in the canteen, shoulders hunched, face closed, body trembling. ‘Soon, Mulder. And, um, change your clothes before you leave. You’ve got your emergency bag with you, right?’ ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Okay.’ Skinner wasn’t surprised when Mulder simply fled the room without another word. 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