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A Very British Murder
By Starbuck_Jayne
Starbuck_Jayne@mulderandscully.co.uk

Rating: PG but you know I'm not very good 
with ratings!

Spoilers: None really but Requiem in a TINY 
and implied way and also Per Manum.   

Keywords:  Pre-Requiem, MSR, X

Disclaimer:  So, if I claimed I owned these 
characters would you really be cruel enough 
to sue a 16 year old girl???  Hmmm well just 
to be on the safe-side these characters 
belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox.
 
Archive:  Anywhere at all just keep my name 
and e-mail attached but no flames please!

Summary:  A case in London proves to be more 
than Mulder and Scully bargained for.

Feedback:  On my knees and begging for it.

Author's Notes: This is the first fanifc that
I've written that's more like a casefile than
a simple shippy fic so please let me know what
you think and if it's worth posting the rest.
Thanks! 

A Very British Murder

Starbuck_Jayne

Mulder had read all about it in the papers 
long before the meeting in Skinner's office, 
and so now as the AD. droned out all the 
specifics his mind was left to wander.  It 
had started off as a fairly routine case-the 
FBI had been contacted by the British police 
force, Scotland Yard, after an American 
diplomat had been found murdered in a hotel 
room in London.  It was only after the man's 
body had disappeared from the morgue and 
reports had started coming in of your 
typical "things-going-bump-in-the-night" 
horror story cliches that Mulder and Scully 
had been called in to save the day.  So now, 
as he leant back in his chair, Mulder's eyes 
shifted from his case notes, across to 
Skinner, then came to rest on his partner.  
He studied her for a brief moment.  She 
looked different somehow today; perhaps just 
that little bit more radiant.  He might have 
continued to stare had she not seen him 
watching her and smiled questioningly.  He 
looked away, casting a glance towards 
Skinner, only to find him concentrating 
solely on the notes in front of him.  If the 
AD suspected that there was anything more 
than a purely professional relationship 
between his prized agents then he didn't let 
on.  The FBI bosses knew that they made a 
great team, but it seemed to Mulder that 
these days any excuse to split them up was a 
good one.  That was part of the reason why 
he looked towards their upcoming audit with 
an increasing sense of trepidation.  

"So," Skinner looked up, "you're scheduled 
to leave for London at 9:30 am tomorrow."

Mulder groaned inwardly.  London.  That'd 
look great on the report.  Just great.

X~X~X~X~X~X

It was dark when they arrived at Heathrow, 
and the city lights cast an orange glow 
against the slick, tarmac surface of the 
runway.  The pilot announced the time to be 
nearly 10pm-5 hours ahead of D.C.  As the 
agents disembarked it became clear that 
Mulder's prediction regarding British 
weather had been right-the rain pounded 
against the small tunnel that led from the 
plane to the warmth of the airport.  Once 
inside the pair were greeted at the gate by 
a couple who were clearly members of 
Scotland Yard; despite the fact that they 
bore no resemblance whatsoever to the 
notorious Phoebe Green, Scully noted with a 
small shudder.  A man and a woman, both 
dressed in black and wearing similar sombre 
expressions.  The female detective stepped 
forward as Mulder and Scully approached, 
introducing herself as Detective Inspector 
Lucile Perry.  A relatively warm smile made 
up for the fact that her skin was an almost 
ghostly white; but her partner on the other 
hand seemed less pleased to meet the 
American agents.  Scully suspected he felt 
as if they were interfering with his case, 
and it was in that way alone that he 
reminded her of Mulder.  The young man 
scraped a hand nervously through sandy blond 
hair before offering the other to Mulder and 
then Scully.

"Pleased to meet you," he lied fairly well, 
"I'm DI Matthews."

It was Perry who drove the agents to their 
hotel and then got out of the car to help 
them with their bags.  Matthews remained 
seated.  The only time he had spoken 
throughout the whole journey was to question 
what he called the "*true*" nature of Mulder 
and Scully's relationship.  Mulder flinched, 
only too aware that the sole reason behind 
this comment was to piss him off.  And it 
worked.

"Listen," Perry began as she stepped out of 
the car, "I am so sorry about James."  She 
glanced towards her partner, "he's just come 
through a divorce and it's hit him hard...I 
mean, I'm not saying he'd be that much 
different under any normal circumstances, 
and it's not really an excuse...but you know 
how it is."  She smiled cautiously at her 
American counterparts.

"Oh it's quite alright, Miss Perry," Scully 
reassured her, "we understand."

Perry looked relieved.

"Well, here it is," she indicated the pair's 
hotel with a sigh.  "I'll leave you two to 
get settled then pick you up at 9am tomorrow 
if that's ok?"


It seemed almost pointless for the FBI 
agents to book separate rooms nowadays, but 
they always did anyway.  As Scully said, it 
would be awkward to say the least if people 
were to start asking questions.  But 
whenever they were out on a case, one would 
make an excuse to call in on the other-
ordering Chinese takeout, discussing a 
certain aspect of the investigation, 
comparing notes.  Sometimes they would end 
up talking into the early hours of the 
morning, generally about nothing in 
particular, and by the time sleep was even 
considered there was no point in returning 
to separate rooms.  It wasn't as if they 
slept together in a sexual way, in fact they 
rarely even shared a bed.  Mulder was 
usually willing to sleep on the couch, and 
it was only when one wasn't available that 
Scully would be forced to move up.  Not that 
she minded of course, it just felt so 
comforting to spend the night together.  
During the seven years that they had spent 
on the X-Files they had both lost some of 
the most important people in their lives, 
and somehow it just felt like as long as 
they had each other left, they'd be all 
right.

X~X~X~X~X~X

Perry was true to her word and arrived at 
exactly 9 o'clock the following morning.  A 
heavy mist hung over the city, shielding 
from view the tall office blocks native to 
any built-up capital.  London was different 
though-amidst the high-rise flats and 
traffic jams resided the buildings and 
monuments that had grown to be amongst 
Britain's most famous attractions.  It was 
easy to believe that there could be 
supernatural forces at work here and indeed 
had been for several years previously.  

Perry chatted a little in the car, basically 
repeating what Skinner had said and adding a 
few details here and there.

"Yeah, so what I'm saying is that this 
wasn't the first death that occurred there 
under suspicious circumstances," she told 
them, "now, I'm not a superstitious person 
myself, but I gotta tell you-that place 
gives me the creeps!"  She shuddered.

"And you say that the neighbours hear these 
noises every night?"

Perry nodded with a slight shrug of her 
shoulders and a "take-it-or-leave-it" 
expression that left Mulder to wonder what 
the detective's true feelings about the case 
were.  They arrived at the apartment at just 
after quarter to ten.  It was in a tall, 
Victorian building that overlooked the River 
Thames and had a reasonable view of the 
Tower of London.

"I doubt we'll find anything much," Perry 
wrapped her thick coat around her as she 
walked up the drive, "forensics and the last 
lot of FBI Agents have been through it with 
a fine tooth comb.  In fact, I've got 
Matthews back at the office awaiting the 
results of some tests that were run on a few 
fibres we found there."  She smoothed her 
hair back with a hand, protecting it from 
the wind that billowed about them, and 
opened the front door.  "Right," she said 
once they were all inside, "over there is 
the bathroom, with the bedroom and kitchen 
off to the right, and straight through here 
is the living room where the body was found."

Perry had been right.  A thorough search of 
the apartment concluded nothing, and so 
Scully's only request was that the detective 
would send her copies of any lab results.  
Perry headed down to her car and Scully set 
off behind her, only to be pulled back by 
Mulder.

"Hey, Scully...what do you say to a little 
stakeout?"

"Oh Mulder!  Shouldn't we at least tell 
someone about it first?"

"Aww, come on Scully!  It'll be fun!  And I 
promise that if we don't find any ghosts I 
will absolutely allow you to use the phrase 
'I told you so' and not be bitter."

Scully smiled.  "Ok, but you're not ditching 
me again to go and get pampered by some 
beautiful young housewife."

X~X~X~X~X~X

It was nearly midnight and so far the pair's 
stakeout had got them nowhere.  They had 
agreed that Mulder would watch until 2am 
whilst Scully slept, and then they would 
switch roles.  It seemed that not even that 
plan would come to much as Scully sat, wide 
awake, with her back resting against 
Mulder's tall legs.  She watched the 
moonlight flicker across the floor of the 
living room where the murder had supposedly 
taken place and sighed.

"Scully, you should sleep."  Mulder advised, 
but his partner shook her head and insisted 
that she wasn't tired.  "Then what's with 
all the sighing?"  He teased, squeezing her 
arm softly.

"Nothing, I was just thinking."

"'Bout what?"  Mulder loosened his grip but 
kept his hand in the same place, gently 
massaging her arm with his thumb in a manner 
that was almost absent minded.  It was his 
way of letting her know that he was being 
serious again and ready for a proper 
conversation.  

"Nothing, Mulder, I told you."  

"Is this about the fertility treatment, 
Scully?"  He pondered briefly his use of her 
surname.  In years past he would have chosen 
"Dana" in more tender circumstances such as 
this, and yet now "Scully" seemed so much 
more familiar.  More caring in a way.  
"Scully," he eased her around to face him.  
"Scully, promise me that you're not gonna 
give up.  I mean, so what if it didn't 
take last time?  We can try again!  This 
will happen for you, I know it."

She smiled and reached up to embrace him.  
"Thank you."

He held her close and brushed a light kiss 
across her forehead.

"You're..."

Mulder was interrupted by a sudden clatter 
of footsteps on the stairs.  At first, 
thinking it to be some form of paranormal 
activity, he told Scully to remain silent 
and wait.  However, the sound of voices and 
the turning of a key in the lock that 
followed assured the agents that this was no 
ghost; and they scrambled out of the lounge 
and into the bedroom.

"I can't believe you left your ID here!"

"Yeah, well I did.  And you know what else?  
I don't care that I did because it's not a 
big deal."

"It's Matthews and Perry," Scully breathed.  
Her partner nodded and pressed a finger to 
his lips.

"I can't believe you're being so 
irresponsible!  What if someone had found 
it?"

"So what if someone found it?  Would you 
just shut the hell up for once in your 
life?!"

"People could start asking questions, then 
what?"

"Oh give it a rest!  They didn't did they?  
And we had to come here anyway to drop this 
off so *what* is your problem?"

The voices ceased and there was a soft thud, 
as though something hard had been dropped 
onto the bare floorboards.  A noise that 
sounded like a chair being scraped across 
the floor was all that followed before the 
British detectives left the apartment.

"What just happened here?"  Mulder flicked 
on the light and turned to Scully, blinking 
at the sudden change in brightness.  She 
shrugged and raised one eyebrow 
suggestively.

"Let's go see..."


X~X~X~X~X~X

To be continued...

X~X~X~X~X~X