Alphabet Soup (T-V)
Oct. 13th, 2009 10:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cortanaWell...at least all these posts allow me to use my icons...ROFL
T is for Traitor
trait-or n. a person who betrays another, a cause or any trust
Mulder scanned the crowd of people in front of him, looking for a head of red hair. Logically, he knew Scully's flight had taken off two hours prior. Still, he worried that something would go wrong and foil their plans before he arrived in Texas. He knew how important it was for Scully to be successful in retrieving the blood samples.
He found himself more at ease once he and Colton boarded the plane. He glanced at his new partner who was putting his briefcase in the overhead compartment, still not accustomed to Colton. Though it had nearly been a month since her departure, his heart still ached for the familiar presence of Scully. He supposed there would always be a part of him that would mourn for the way things were.
It had been over two weeks since Colton had been reassigned to the X-files. While Mulder certainly wouldn't call Colton his friend, he was far from the worst agent Mulder had to work with.
Once Colton realized he couldn't easily debunk the X-Files, he seemed to resign himself to his fate in the basement. Though Mulder had a suspicion as soon as there was an opening in Violent Crimes, he would once again be without a partner.
Halfway through the flight, Colton turned to Mulder. "This is the case that caused Dana to quit, huh?"
During his time in the basement, Colton had yet to bring up Scully's name. Though Mulder knew he was eager for any gossip to share at the water cooler, so far Colton had respected his one-time friend. Mulder appreciated the value he gave to her, knowing how rare it was for either of them to be afforded kindness by other agents.
Mulder studied his face for a second there, but only saw a genuine interest, not ridicule. "Yes, you could say that," he answered simply.
Colton's eyebrows went down in confusion. "You know it just seems weird. Dana was always a fighter. You should have heard some of the debates she would get into with the instructors at Quantico. I can't imagine her just picking up and quitting." He frowned at Mulder. "You don't have any idea what a lucky SOB you were, having her by your side for so long."
If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the same exact words coming from Bill Scully's or Skinner's mouth. Why was it that everyone thought he didn't appreciate what Scully had sacrificed during her time on the X-Files?
"If anyone knows how undeserving I was of Scully's time on the X-Files, it was me," he assured Colton.
Colton nodded his approval. Anytime Mulder didn't act like the arrogant jerk he was assumed to be, Colton was always surprised. He decided to change subjects. "So, why are we flying all the way out here?"
Mulder inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to have to talk about Scully any longer than necessary. The less Colton knew about her the better as far as Mulder was concerned. "We have a meeting with a representative of the company to try to obtain a sample of their oil so that our lab can compare it to the sample in the bee that Scully submitted to OPR."
Colton looked at him incredulously. "And you just expect for them to hand it over to you? To do so could mean the ruin of their company."
Mulder shrugged, knowing it was not he who was doing anything of importance. The fate of humanity literally depended on the success of Scully's mission. "It's all we can do."
* * * *
Once they disembarked from the plane, Colton stood in line for the car rental. Mulder took the opportunity to call Scully under the guise of reminding his neighbor to take care of his fish.
He stepped outside the lobby and dialed Scully's cell. "Hey," she answered.
He looked around, as if she was going to walk around the corner of the building. "We just arrived at Enterprise. You should start heading over towards Cobb now," he said.
They had decided the best course of action would to give Scully a ten minute head start. That way Mulder would be there the majority of the time if Scully needed any help, but the chance of Colton seeing her was minimal if everything went according to plan.
"OK, I'm all set. I'll call you if I need anything."
Mulder laughed nervously. Most of him still hated this plan and was uneasy putting Scully in a situation where she was in the lion's den. He hoped for Gibson's sake everything went smoothly. "No offense, but I hope I don't hear from you until I know you are back in D.C."
If he tried hard enough, he could hear Scully's eyebrows go down in frustration. So far, she had been extremely tolerant of Mulder's overprotectiveness, but her patience was running thin. "Don't worry, Mulder. Everything will be fine," she said through gritted teeth.
"I know," he sighed. He saw Colton walking towards him. "Gotta go," he said, ending his phone call.
Colton was wearing a larger than normal frown. "Apparently there has been a huge demand of sedan rentals. So, my choice was limited. It was either a convertible or a cargo van."
"I hope you picked the convertible. I can start having my mid-life crisis," Mulder responded dryly. Inwardly, he was wondering why something never happened like that during his partnership with Scully. He could picture her red hair, blowing around her face, the smile on her face as he sped down the highway, the--
"I'm not happy about this either way," Colton grumbled.
A red convertible pulled up to the front of the building. A middle aged man wearing a gold tag that read "manager" got out of the car. "Again, Agent Colton, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused." He handed the keys to Colton. "Have a nice day."
"This isn't protocol," Colton muttered.
Mulder almost laughed. Of all things he had done outside the parameters of protocol, this was the most trivial. "Come on, who will ever know?" he asked as he put their luggage in the trunk.
Three young women walked by the car and smiled at the agents. Colton gulped. "Ginger will."
* * * *
The agents arrived at Nature's Best Corn Oil facility with no trouble. As per the instructions they received from the guard in the parking lot, they walked into the lobby of the building Mulder and Scully had visited weeks prior. A woman was waiting from them at the front desk.
"Agents, my name is Karen Patton. I've been asked to escort you upstairs." She leaned in close to Mulder's personal space, as if the two of them were good friends. "Though I must admit we don't really understand why the FBI decided to send the two of you out here."
Mulder forced a polite smile. He knew anyone with basic knowledge of the true project would know exactly why he and Colton were there. But, with Scully still over in the other building, Mulder had to play nice. "I suppose it's to follow up on the tip we received this weekend about some suspicious crops that were linked to your company," he said sweetly.
Patton walked to the elevator. "I can assure you, Agent Mulder, that our company produces nothing but the finest corn oil this nation has to offer."
Mulder simply nodded, not interested in getting into a debate with this woman over something so unimportant.
The elevator doors opened a few moments later, revealing a large open waiting area. "Our CEO takes all matters concerning the federal government seriously, so he has decided to answer any questions you may have for him. I think you will be disappointed that you won't find what you are looking for."
Mulder thought of Scully being able to escape with the blood samples. Patton couldn't be further from the truth. "We'll take our chances," was all he said.
Patton walked across the room and pushed the intercom button. "Sir, the agents from the FBI are here."
"Send them in," the hollow voice answered.
She gestured to the door and Mulder led Colton inside. They walked into a large office, decorated sparsely. The walls were completely bare and the only furniture in the room was three chairs and a desk. Mulder assumed they hastily created this office when they heard the FBI was coming.
The person sitting in the chair behind the desk faced the window that was behind the desk. Slowly, the chair turned towards them.
Mulder's gut dropped when he saw the occupant of the chair. "Krycek," he whispered.
"Mulder," he said.
To Krycek's surprise, Colton jumped out of his chair. "You," he gritted. "You are a traitor!"
Krycek looked at Mulder for an explanation. Mulder shrugged. Even if he knew what Colton was up to, he wouldn't enlighten him. "And I always thought you were the one with a screw loose," Krycek muttered.
Colton seemed unfazed by his reaction. "Alexander Krycek, you have an outstanding warrant for the murder of Stewart Painte, the elevator car operator at Skyline Mountain, and wanted for questioning pertaining to the murder of Duane Barry."
Krycek laughed. "Is this guy serious?"
Colton began pulling out his handcuffs. "You, Mr. Krycek, are under arrest."
Before he could get any closer, Mulder held up his hand. "Tom, stop. You aren't going to win this one," Mulder said softly.
Colton whipped around to face Mulder. "How can you sit there so calmly? This man potentially had knowledge about the location of Dana when she went missing. He killed at least one innocent man. I thought you were Dana's friend!"
Mulder closed his eyes. There were times when he hated his photographic memory, like now, when the image of Scully in the trunk of Duane Barry's trunk stood out in his mind.
"Listen, this man is also responsible for my father's murder and involved in a plot to kill Scully which resulted in the death of her sister. But there is nothing you can do about that. He is protected by men who have so much power they don't even exist," he explained.
Being unconvinced by Mulder's words, he walked towards Krycek. Finally, having enough of Colton's sense of justice, Krycek pulled out his gun and aimed it at the agent. "I would suggest that you listen to Mulder. This time he actually knows what he is talking about." He turned to Mulder. "There is only one person who knows about this place and feels more dedication to you than the project. So where is he?"
It was difficult but Mulder managed to keep a straight face. They knew the information had come from Gibson. He could only hope the Gunmen were able to scramble their phone signal enough so they couldn't be traced. "Who are you talking about?"
Krycek rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Mulder. I'm talking about Gibson Praise."
Time for a little acting, Mulder thought.
"The last anyone has ever seen Gibson Praise was the night Agent Fowley was shot in the hotel room. Are you saying you know where he is?" he asked angrily. He paused dramatically for a second, as if thinking out the situation. "If you know where he is then I assume that you are responsible for the shooting of Agent Fowley!"
Krycek stared at Mulder for several seconds, trying to determine if he was genuine in his ignorance. Finally he shook his head in disgust. "I knew it was too much to think that you had enough nerve to come here if you knew where the boy was." He released the safety on his gun. "Get out."
Mulder stood up while Colton remained stationary, as if he was frozen. Finally, Mulder lifted him out of his chair. It was as if the past five minutes were too much for him to handle. Mulder pushed him out the door.
Before he left, he turned back to Krycek. "I will find Gibson before you. I will not let him be a pawn in your game anymore," he said as he slammed the door shut.
He looked out the window to the building where Scully was. Scully, you don't have any more time. Get out of there, he thought desperately.
U is for Undercover
un-der-cov-er adj. Working or done out of public light
Scully walked towards the glass building, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Despite her earlier frustration with Mulder's concern, she would have given just about anything to have her Sig with her. Instead, she was armed with a large metal case that she was able to roll behind her. Gibson had assured her that the bulky box would not cause any extra attention; it was the exact type they used to transfer genetic material throughout the complex.
When the automatic doors opened she immediately noticed a difference between the lobby of the building she and Mulder had entered days prior and to the one that was before her. Unlike the other, the lobby didn't have the appearance of being friendly. The industrial look of the room gave the room no warmth. She supposed there was no need for such a smokescreen since everyone who entered this building was heavily involved with the project.
She walked into the room and strode confidently to the second elevator on the left. Gibson had given her specific instructions on where to go for the quickest route to the blood samples. Above the elevator controls, there was a card key reader. Trying to push down any worries she had about her hacked card working, she slid it into the slot. Seconds later, the light turned green. With a small sigh of relief, she pushed the "up" button.
The elevator doors opened, revealing an empty car. One more obstacle down, she thought as she stepped inside. The ride to the fourth floor was brief and soon Scully was deposited to an empty hallway. After making sure no one was coming, she turned left and went down the hall.
Part of her was wondering where the building's staff was. If they were pursuing a vaccine as intensely as Gibson claimed they were, she expected to see more people walking around. However, if Fate decided to give her a break, she wasn't going to complain.
She passed a second elevator, the one Gibson had told her to use when she was ready to leave. Seeing it gave her hope, she knew she was only mere yards from her goal.
Before she could make the next turn, she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly backtracked to where the elevator was, and opened the door to the fire stairs. Quickly, she closed the door behind her. Soon, she could hear faint voices.
"...what should...with the subjects?"
"They are...priority. Now that Mulder is here, we have been compromised. Orders are for us to be out of here in twenty-four hours."
Scully quieted her breathing as much as possible. They were right outside the door.
"That's impossible!"
Scully relaxed as the voices faded. "I would suggest...way to make it..."
As soon as she could no longer hear the men, she opened the door and made her way back down the hall. Her time here was more limited than she thought. Now with the knowledge they were trying to clean up the mess as quickly as possible, she knew this was her only chance of succeeding.
She was tempted to call Mulder, telling him what she had learned, but quickly quashed the idea. There was no reason for him to worry when there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing she could do was go along with the plan and make sure everything worked out.
Soon, she found the door she was looking for and proceed to go inside. There were four, large refrigeration units; one on each wall. In the center of the small room was a rectangular, metal table. She approached the refrigeration unit closest to her. To her surprise, it was empty.
Suddenly the conversation she just overheard played back in her mind. What if this room had already been emptied? She hadn't worked on a contingency plan with Gibson; she just went along with his instructions with no question asked.
Before she could allow herself to panic, she walked to the second refrigeration unit. Fortunately, it was full. Quickly, she opened her case and set it on the metal table.
The way Byers had rigged the case up was extremely clever, she had to admit. On the back of the case, he had welded four bars to hold the pints of blood like an IV would. With the way it was set up, they figured she could easily retrieve 25 bags.
Putting on her latex gloves, she began placing the bags in the case. Each time she out took a bag, she read the name on it, wondering what terrible circumstance allowed for their blood to be obtained. She half-expected to see Mulder's name on one of the bags, but was relived when she didn't.
She completed filling the case. Twenty-eight bags. That would mean Gibson could create over forty antidotes. She allowed herself one brief smile before sealing the bulky box. She glanced at her watch; fifteen minutes had passed since she entered the building. After a brief glance to make sure nothing was out of place, she proceeded to leave the room.
The success of her mission so far had made Scully too comfortable. As she turned the corner, she nearly walked into a man. "Excuse me," she muttered, moving away.
The man grabbed her on her shoulder. "What are you doing here? All staff is supposed to be on the fifth floor transferring test subjects."
Recognizing the voice as one of the men speaking earlier, she knew she had to improvise. Should she play good cop or bad cop? Finally she decided ignorance was always the best choice. "I apologize. I'm afraid no one updated me this morning."
He studied her face for a few seconds. Scully refused to squirm under his scrutiny. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. "Fine. Get up to the fifth floor. You'll receive your updated orders there."
"Thank you." She began walking towards the elevator when she realized he was following her. Damn, she thought. She pushed the "up" button with a forced smile.
Her choices were limited. If he rode in the elevator, she could always incapacitate him and attempt to escape, but she knew her chances of success were slim. However, if she did nothing, her ability to leaving undetected was non-existent. Before she knew what she was going to do, the elevator doors slid open.
She walked inside, but noticed the man remained standing where he was. "You coming?" she asked, trying to sound causal.
He shook his head with a small, almost bitter, smile. "No, you go on ahead."
As the doors closed, Scully's stomach sunk. The smile was the give away; her cover had been blown. Though she was unfamiliar with the man, he definitely knew who she was. There was no way she could get off on the fifth floor. She pushed the "6" button.
She held her breath until the car went past the fifth floor without any trouble. Once she reached the sixth floor, she carefully peeked around the elevator doors as they slid open. Nobody was there.
As she walked off the elevator car, she pulled out her cell phone. There was only one person who would have a chance of helping her escape. She began walking slowly as the phone rang. "Hello?" Gibson answered worriedly.
Forcing her nerves to stay calm, she quietly explained the situation she was in.
As always, Gibson's voice was confident. "It's going to be fine, Dana. I want you to continue down the hall you are walking down. Make a right at the first intersection. About twenty feet past the corner, there will be a blue door on the left side. Go through it."
Quickly, she followed Gibson's instructions. She paused before she entered the door. "Gibson," she whispered. "This says it's a janitor's closet."
She could almost hear his smirk over the phone. "You, of all people, should know everything is not want it seems."
Pushing aside her skepticism, she opened the door to find another hallway. Before she could proceed more than ten feet, Gibson's voice came through the speaker in her phone. "You are going to lose my signal soon. So, follow my instructions. At the end of this passage, there will be an elevator. Take it. There is only one button; it will take you to the underground path that connects all the buildings. When you get off the elevator, go right. You'll go down the tunnel for about 200 yards. When you see a yellow door, go through it. It will take you to the lobby in the second building."
Relief flooded her. She had a chance to make this succeed. "Ok, thank you."
"One more thing," he said, as she began to walk. She stopped, not wanting to drop the call. "If we aren't careful everything that we have done so far will be compromised. They will be watching every move you make. I'm not going to be able to contact you or Agent Mulder until I produce the vaccine. It's the only leverage we have over these people."
She looked at the case. "How am I going to get the samples to you?"
"When you get home tonight, put the case in a plastic trash bag and set it on the left side of the dumpster in the back of your building. I'll get it," he assured her.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Dana, this wasn't your fault. They knew I was involved the moment they knew Mulder was coming out there. It was just a risk we had to take. I'll contact you in a few days." With that, he ended the call.
She put her call phone away and walked down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. Once she found the elevator, she pushed the button. The five-second wait for the car was the longest in Scully's life. She was waiting for men with guns to come through the corridor at anytime.
The doors slid open and she walked inside. She pushed the button impatiently, wanting the doors to close and begin her descent. Soon, she was sealed in the elevator, the hum of the mechanism filling the car.
During the thirty-second ride, she forced herself to focus on anything other than the impending doom she believed waited for her. Why hadn't she insisted Mulder go with her? It had been too long since she had been without his backup. What she wouldn't give for him to be in the elevator, watching her back.
Finally, the doors opened, revealing an empty corridor. She started sprinting down the hall, knowing every second that she could get ahead of the people pursuing here was precious. When the yellow door came into view, she slowed down, not wanting to attract people's attention by being out of breath.
When she got her breathing under control, she opened the door. There was a flight of stairs, leading to another door. After climbing the stairs, she opened the door and found herself in the lobby. Making sure no one was paying attention to her; she exited the door, closing it behind her. She strode across the lobby and made her way towards the exit.
As she approached the revolving door, a man walking by on the outside caught her attention. Though he was only in her line of vision for a couple of seconds, she could have sworn it was Krycek.
Knowing that her time was limited and the danger more than she believed, she walked outside the building to the parking terminal without a glance back towards the buildings. Fortunately for her, she had managed to find a parking space on the first floor of the structure, making her getaway even quicker.
She got in the car and drove away as fast as she could without causing attention to herself. Once she was on the main highway, she relaxed. She glanced at the case on the passenger's seat. They had to make it work; so much was riding on the line of its success.
V is for Vouch
vouch v. to support as being true, certain or realible
Two days had passed since Scully's escape from Texas. When she got back to the relative safety of her home, she had left the metal case where Gibson had instructed her to leave it behind the dumpster. Hours later, when she took out her real trash, the bag containing the case was gone. She could only assume it was with Gibson.
There had been times over the past forty-eight hours when Scully blamed herself for the failure of the success of the mission. If she had only been more careful, Gibson wouldn't be in danger. Although there was no hint of resentment in his voice when she had spoken to him at the facility, she felt like she let him down. Not being able to talk to him, hearing his calm, reassuring words, was also taking a toll on her.
While Gibson had warned her about not being able to contact her for a while, her expedition had another unexpected result: Mulder had also gone incommunicado after talking to her on Monday night. Once she had told him about her conversation with Gibson, he unilaterally decided that they should follow the same course of action.
Despite her disagreement with his idea, he went through with it. Though she could hear him explaining in her head it was only for her protection, she had enough of his neglect. If this relationship was going to work out, they needed to be able to lean on each other, no matter what threats they may be facing.
After a day at the clinic, Scully let herself into her apartment. She glanced at her answering machine, half-heartedly hoping to see if by some miracle Mulder had decided to call her. No such luck. Her decision made, she got ready for her surprise visit to Mulder's apartment.
Ready or not, she thought, here I come.
*****
When she arrived at Mulder's building, she noticed there were no lights shining in his window. Briefly, she wondered if he was even home. He probably turned out the lights in his living room just so she would think that. Closing the car door, she made her way up to his building.
After taking the elevator to the fourth floor, she considered whether to knock or let herself in. Her mother always did teach her to be polite; she knocked on the door loudly. There was no way Mulder could use the I-didn't-hear-you excuse.
Scully listened carefully for any movement inside his apartment. Within a few seconds, she heard light footsteps. "I'm not leaving. I'll let myself in if I have to," she warned.
A muffled curse later, the door opened. Mulder quickly ushered her inside. "Scully, what are you doing here? You know we are supposed to lay low for a while."
Her eyebrow rose. "I was informed that Gibson felt it was no longer safe to communicate to us until he managed to secure the vaccine. I didn't know that his concern extended to you," she said challengingly.
He frowned, obviously not ready to debate with her. "I just thought it would be in our best interests if we-"
"Ignored each other?" she interrupted. "I thought we had agreed to try to make this work. That we were going to give this relationship a hundred percent of our effort. Now at the first sign that things aren't completely smooth, you bail on me."
She saw him consider her words. Finally, he nodded his agreement. "You’re right. I guess old habits die hard."
She could hardly believe her ears. Mulder was willing to agree with her without a drawn out debate? She was so prepared to spend the night arguing with him about his actions that she didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Mulder wasn't tongue tied like she was. "About I make it up to you with a movie and dinner?"
"I know your taste in movies. Not interested," she said dryly.
Unexpectedly, his eyes began to twinkle. Her stomach fluttered. Scully didn't think she had ever seen him this openly happy. "It's a classic. Plan 9 From Outer Space." His accompanying grin made Scully doubt the quality of the movie even more.
"Can't say I've ever heard of it," she said slowly, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into.
His smile grew. "Oh, Scully, you're going to love it."
An hour later, they were sitting on his couch. Their mostly eaten Thai food was sitting on plates. Neither of them wanted to get up to clean them, but for completely different reasons. Five minutes into the movie, Scully knew she would be miserable if she concentrated all of her focus there. The stilted dialogue, the cheesy special effects, the inconceivable plotline were too much to bear. Instead, she leaned into Mulder and listened to his passionate commentary about the movie.
As she leaned into his shoulder, she could more feel the rumble of his voice then hear the actual words. Soon, she found herself beginning to drift off to sleep. To her surprise, it wasn't Mulder who woke her up a few minutes later, chiding her for falling asleep while watching a "classic". It was the vibrating of his cell phone in his pocket, which was pushed up against her hip.
She jerked forward. "Mulder, aren't you going to answer it?"
He shrugged. "The only person I'm interested in talking to is right here," he said simply before turning his gaze back to the television screen.
Despite the slight blush that colored her cheeks, she frowned. "What if it is Gibson?"
He paused the movie, unwilling to miss any more of it. "Then he'll call you on your phone or leave me a message. It's probably just Skinner wanting the expense report for the Texas case."
Not wanting to ruin his good mood, she put her head back on his shoulder. A couple of seconds later, the movie resumed and soon she found herself drifting off to sleep. Until the phone rang. Again.
Mulder muffled a curse as he pulled out the offending electronic out of his pocket. He opened it up and turned off the phone without answering it. "There. No more interruptions."
"Maybe you should pick it up, Mulder. Obviously whoever it is wants to talk to you," she said, not lifting her head from his shoulder.
He grinned. "And ruin your nap? It's fine. If it's Skinner, he has my home number."
Not wanting to be woken from sleep again, Scully forced herself to stay awake for the remainder of the movie. Though she was tempted to point out every inconsistency in the plot that she found, she decided not to heckle him. For some reason he really did seem to enjoy the film.
Once the credits began rolling, Mulder turned to her with a goofy grin. "So..."
She had to answer him honestly; she owed it to him. "Mulder, I hate to say it, but that had to be the one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life."
To her surprise, his smile remained on his face. "You just slept through the good parts. I'm sure the next time we watch it--"
"No way. I pick the next movie," she said, cutting him off.
He made a face. "Just as long as it's not one of those movies like My Best Friend's Wedding. My brain couldn't handle the sap factor."
Pretending to be offended, she raised her eyebrow. "I am shocked that you think I would be that stereotypical. I would try to pick a movie that we both would find enjoyable. You know, like Independence Day," she joked.
He put a hand over his heart with a grimace. "No, anything but that. And people say that I'm open to extreme possibilities. At least I don't think an alien spacecraft could be destroyed by an Apple computer. I swear, those people at Fox will produce any kind of movie just for a few bucks," he grumbled.
She smiled softly before standing up. "Since you delighted me with such a fine movie, I'll do the dishes."
He walked behind her, as she led the way to the kitchen. "Scully, if anything, I owe you. If you hadn't come over, I would have spent another evening alone on the couch." He watched as she momentarily paused, reflecting over his words.
She placed the dishes in the sink. "Honestly, I am just grateful that we didn't spend the night arguing. Even if it did mean watching that movie."
He crossed the floor to stand in front of her. Caressing her cheek, he said, "I don't think I've told you, but thank you for coming over here." He lowered his lips close to hers. After his crazed kiss from several days before, he was nervous to kiss her.
Before he could continue to doubt himself, she leaned up and placed her lips over his. Her hands found their way to his hair, pulling him closer to her. Seconds turned into countless spans of time. The only thing she could feel were his lips, his body, his soul.
When she became breathless, she pulled away from him and leaned against his chest. "Remind me to show you more cheesy sci-fi movies," she heard him say. She smiled, concentrating on the sound of his heartbeat. It was comforting to hear such a basic sound, knowing that he was safe.
As if Mulder could pick up on her train of thought, he tightened his arms around her. "I hated the fact I wasn't there to watch your back when you were in that building."
She shrugged. "That's the cost of not being partners anymore," she replied with a frown.
His grip tightened around her momentarily before beginning to speak. "We may not be able to work together anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect you."
Before she could nervously demand what exactly he meant, a bang on his front door caused them to break apart.
"Open the door, Mulder! I know you're in there!"
"Colton?" Mulder asked the same time Scully said, "Tom?"
Mulder quickly made his way to the front door before his neighbors could complain about the sound. He swung the door open. "Are you trying to get me evicted?"
Colton pushed his way into the foyer. "What the hell is going on here? Why didn't you pick up your damn phone?"
Mulder's mind was trying to catch up with what had just happened in the last sixty seconds. One moment he was confessing his deepest desire to Scully, the next he had a disgruntled co-worker yelling in his face. "What's your problem, Colton?"
Colton began to pace the tiny room. "On Monday we get to Texas, find a known fugitive and let him go without arresting him. Then when we get back to D.C., Skinner has me temporarily reassigned to the VCS. And at the meeting today, he didn't want my report or anything pertaining to the case!"
Mulder should have known that why he was here. Colton's pride was suffering. "That was my call. I felt the risks that your involvement in the case could bring to you or your family were too high. We both know the only reason you came down to the basement was to try and make a fool out of me. The truth is if you stay on the X-files, everyone you know will be in danger," he explained.
Colton rolled his eyes. "Please, Mulder. Spare me the melodramatic crap."
"He's right, Tom. Being on the X-files is risky. You have to be one hundred percent committed to them because you will have to make sacrifices," Scully said, walking into the foyer.
Colton swung around to her. "What are you doing here, Dana?"
Mulder was tempted to point out her swollen lips, but knew she would kill him if he said anything. "We were having dinner together. It's what friends do," he answered.
Colton smirked. "I always knew you two were sleeping with each other."
Instead of giving him an earful, Scully's demeanor turned cold. "If you don't have anything productive to say, Tom, get out."
Colton seemed to realize he was in hot water. He went back to the reason he came to Mulder's apartment in the first place. "Dana, we were in the same room as a murderer, the man who had knowledge about your disappearance. Don't stand there and tell me you're willing to justify his actions!"
She stood by Mulder's side. "Tom, you don't know half of what Mulder does. There will be a time to catch Alex Krycek. It wasn't the right time then."
His mouth opened and shut a couple of times before shouting, "You are as insane as he is, Dana! The X-Files are a waste of government resources. And I intend to report that to Deputy Director Kersh."
Mulder shrugged. "It isn't the first time someone has said that about the X-Files. In fact, I remember someone saying that our investigation was waste of man power five years ago. I guess some things never change, do they, Colton?"
Colton reddened, thinking about how his pride almost cost Scully her life. "I've already requested a transfer to VCS. Skinner said he would push it through. Good luck in getting a new partner. Then they'll have no other choice but to shut you down." He turned around and slammed the door.
Mulder glanced at Scully. "Was it something I said?"
T is for Traitor
trait-or n. a person who betrays another, a cause or any trust
Mulder scanned the crowd of people in front of him, looking for a head of red hair. Logically, he knew Scully's flight had taken off two hours prior. Still, he worried that something would go wrong and foil their plans before he arrived in Texas. He knew how important it was for Scully to be successful in retrieving the blood samples.
He found himself more at ease once he and Colton boarded the plane. He glanced at his new partner who was putting his briefcase in the overhead compartment, still not accustomed to Colton. Though it had nearly been a month since her departure, his heart still ached for the familiar presence of Scully. He supposed there would always be a part of him that would mourn for the way things were.
It had been over two weeks since Colton had been reassigned to the X-files. While Mulder certainly wouldn't call Colton his friend, he was far from the worst agent Mulder had to work with.
Once Colton realized he couldn't easily debunk the X-Files, he seemed to resign himself to his fate in the basement. Though Mulder had a suspicion as soon as there was an opening in Violent Crimes, he would once again be without a partner.
Halfway through the flight, Colton turned to Mulder. "This is the case that caused Dana to quit, huh?"
During his time in the basement, Colton had yet to bring up Scully's name. Though Mulder knew he was eager for any gossip to share at the water cooler, so far Colton had respected his one-time friend. Mulder appreciated the value he gave to her, knowing how rare it was for either of them to be afforded kindness by other agents.
Mulder studied his face for a second there, but only saw a genuine interest, not ridicule. "Yes, you could say that," he answered simply.
Colton's eyebrows went down in confusion. "You know it just seems weird. Dana was always a fighter. You should have heard some of the debates she would get into with the instructors at Quantico. I can't imagine her just picking up and quitting." He frowned at Mulder. "You don't have any idea what a lucky SOB you were, having her by your side for so long."
If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the same exact words coming from Bill Scully's or Skinner's mouth. Why was it that everyone thought he didn't appreciate what Scully had sacrificed during her time on the X-Files?
"If anyone knows how undeserving I was of Scully's time on the X-Files, it was me," he assured Colton.
Colton nodded his approval. Anytime Mulder didn't act like the arrogant jerk he was assumed to be, Colton was always surprised. He decided to change subjects. "So, why are we flying all the way out here?"
Mulder inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to have to talk about Scully any longer than necessary. The less Colton knew about her the better as far as Mulder was concerned. "We have a meeting with a representative of the company to try to obtain a sample of their oil so that our lab can compare it to the sample in the bee that Scully submitted to OPR."
Colton looked at him incredulously. "And you just expect for them to hand it over to you? To do so could mean the ruin of their company."
Mulder shrugged, knowing it was not he who was doing anything of importance. The fate of humanity literally depended on the success of Scully's mission. "It's all we can do."
* * * *
Once they disembarked from the plane, Colton stood in line for the car rental. Mulder took the opportunity to call Scully under the guise of reminding his neighbor to take care of his fish.
He stepped outside the lobby and dialed Scully's cell. "Hey," she answered.
He looked around, as if she was going to walk around the corner of the building. "We just arrived at Enterprise. You should start heading over towards Cobb now," he said.
They had decided the best course of action would to give Scully a ten minute head start. That way Mulder would be there the majority of the time if Scully needed any help, but the chance of Colton seeing her was minimal if everything went according to plan.
"OK, I'm all set. I'll call you if I need anything."
Mulder laughed nervously. Most of him still hated this plan and was uneasy putting Scully in a situation where she was in the lion's den. He hoped for Gibson's sake everything went smoothly. "No offense, but I hope I don't hear from you until I know you are back in D.C."
If he tried hard enough, he could hear Scully's eyebrows go down in frustration. So far, she had been extremely tolerant of Mulder's overprotectiveness, but her patience was running thin. "Don't worry, Mulder. Everything will be fine," she said through gritted teeth.
"I know," he sighed. He saw Colton walking towards him. "Gotta go," he said, ending his phone call.
Colton was wearing a larger than normal frown. "Apparently there has been a huge demand of sedan rentals. So, my choice was limited. It was either a convertible or a cargo van."
"I hope you picked the convertible. I can start having my mid-life crisis," Mulder responded dryly. Inwardly, he was wondering why something never happened like that during his partnership with Scully. He could picture her red hair, blowing around her face, the smile on her face as he sped down the highway, the--
"I'm not happy about this either way," Colton grumbled.
A red convertible pulled up to the front of the building. A middle aged man wearing a gold tag that read "manager" got out of the car. "Again, Agent Colton, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused." He handed the keys to Colton. "Have a nice day."
"This isn't protocol," Colton muttered.
Mulder almost laughed. Of all things he had done outside the parameters of protocol, this was the most trivial. "Come on, who will ever know?" he asked as he put their luggage in the trunk.
Three young women walked by the car and smiled at the agents. Colton gulped. "Ginger will."
* * * *
The agents arrived at Nature's Best Corn Oil facility with no trouble. As per the instructions they received from the guard in the parking lot, they walked into the lobby of the building Mulder and Scully had visited weeks prior. A woman was waiting from them at the front desk.
"Agents, my name is Karen Patton. I've been asked to escort you upstairs." She leaned in close to Mulder's personal space, as if the two of them were good friends. "Though I must admit we don't really understand why the FBI decided to send the two of you out here."
Mulder forced a polite smile. He knew anyone with basic knowledge of the true project would know exactly why he and Colton were there. But, with Scully still over in the other building, Mulder had to play nice. "I suppose it's to follow up on the tip we received this weekend about some suspicious crops that were linked to your company," he said sweetly.
Patton walked to the elevator. "I can assure you, Agent Mulder, that our company produces nothing but the finest corn oil this nation has to offer."
Mulder simply nodded, not interested in getting into a debate with this woman over something so unimportant.
The elevator doors opened a few moments later, revealing a large open waiting area. "Our CEO takes all matters concerning the federal government seriously, so he has decided to answer any questions you may have for him. I think you will be disappointed that you won't find what you are looking for."
Mulder thought of Scully being able to escape with the blood samples. Patton couldn't be further from the truth. "We'll take our chances," was all he said.
Patton walked across the room and pushed the intercom button. "Sir, the agents from the FBI are here."
"Send them in," the hollow voice answered.
She gestured to the door and Mulder led Colton inside. They walked into a large office, decorated sparsely. The walls were completely bare and the only furniture in the room was three chairs and a desk. Mulder assumed they hastily created this office when they heard the FBI was coming.
The person sitting in the chair behind the desk faced the window that was behind the desk. Slowly, the chair turned towards them.
Mulder's gut dropped when he saw the occupant of the chair. "Krycek," he whispered.
"Mulder," he said.
To Krycek's surprise, Colton jumped out of his chair. "You," he gritted. "You are a traitor!"
Krycek looked at Mulder for an explanation. Mulder shrugged. Even if he knew what Colton was up to, he wouldn't enlighten him. "And I always thought you were the one with a screw loose," Krycek muttered.
Colton seemed unfazed by his reaction. "Alexander Krycek, you have an outstanding warrant for the murder of Stewart Painte, the elevator car operator at Skyline Mountain, and wanted for questioning pertaining to the murder of Duane Barry."
Krycek laughed. "Is this guy serious?"
Colton began pulling out his handcuffs. "You, Mr. Krycek, are under arrest."
Before he could get any closer, Mulder held up his hand. "Tom, stop. You aren't going to win this one," Mulder said softly.
Colton whipped around to face Mulder. "How can you sit there so calmly? This man potentially had knowledge about the location of Dana when she went missing. He killed at least one innocent man. I thought you were Dana's friend!"
Mulder closed his eyes. There were times when he hated his photographic memory, like now, when the image of Scully in the trunk of Duane Barry's trunk stood out in his mind.
"Listen, this man is also responsible for my father's murder and involved in a plot to kill Scully which resulted in the death of her sister. But there is nothing you can do about that. He is protected by men who have so much power they don't even exist," he explained.
Being unconvinced by Mulder's words, he walked towards Krycek. Finally, having enough of Colton's sense of justice, Krycek pulled out his gun and aimed it at the agent. "I would suggest that you listen to Mulder. This time he actually knows what he is talking about." He turned to Mulder. "There is only one person who knows about this place and feels more dedication to you than the project. So where is he?"
It was difficult but Mulder managed to keep a straight face. They knew the information had come from Gibson. He could only hope the Gunmen were able to scramble their phone signal enough so they couldn't be traced. "Who are you talking about?"
Krycek rolled his eyes. "Give it up, Mulder. I'm talking about Gibson Praise."
Time for a little acting, Mulder thought.
"The last anyone has ever seen Gibson Praise was the night Agent Fowley was shot in the hotel room. Are you saying you know where he is?" he asked angrily. He paused dramatically for a second, as if thinking out the situation. "If you know where he is then I assume that you are responsible for the shooting of Agent Fowley!"
Krycek stared at Mulder for several seconds, trying to determine if he was genuine in his ignorance. Finally he shook his head in disgust. "I knew it was too much to think that you had enough nerve to come here if you knew where the boy was." He released the safety on his gun. "Get out."
Mulder stood up while Colton remained stationary, as if he was frozen. Finally, Mulder lifted him out of his chair. It was as if the past five minutes were too much for him to handle. Mulder pushed him out the door.
Before he left, he turned back to Krycek. "I will find Gibson before you. I will not let him be a pawn in your game anymore," he said as he slammed the door shut.
He looked out the window to the building where Scully was. Scully, you don't have any more time. Get out of there, he thought desperately.
U is for Undercover
un-der-cov-er adj. Working or done out of public light
Scully walked towards the glass building, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Despite her earlier frustration with Mulder's concern, she would have given just about anything to have her Sig with her. Instead, she was armed with a large metal case that she was able to roll behind her. Gibson had assured her that the bulky box would not cause any extra attention; it was the exact type they used to transfer genetic material throughout the complex.
When the automatic doors opened she immediately noticed a difference between the lobby of the building she and Mulder had entered days prior and to the one that was before her. Unlike the other, the lobby didn't have the appearance of being friendly. The industrial look of the room gave the room no warmth. She supposed there was no need for such a smokescreen since everyone who entered this building was heavily involved with the project.
She walked into the room and strode confidently to the second elevator on the left. Gibson had given her specific instructions on where to go for the quickest route to the blood samples. Above the elevator controls, there was a card key reader. Trying to push down any worries she had about her hacked card working, she slid it into the slot. Seconds later, the light turned green. With a small sigh of relief, she pushed the "up" button.
The elevator doors opened, revealing an empty car. One more obstacle down, she thought as she stepped inside. The ride to the fourth floor was brief and soon Scully was deposited to an empty hallway. After making sure no one was coming, she turned left and went down the hall.
Part of her was wondering where the building's staff was. If they were pursuing a vaccine as intensely as Gibson claimed they were, she expected to see more people walking around. However, if Fate decided to give her a break, she wasn't going to complain.
She passed a second elevator, the one Gibson had told her to use when she was ready to leave. Seeing it gave her hope, she knew she was only mere yards from her goal.
Before she could make the next turn, she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly backtracked to where the elevator was, and opened the door to the fire stairs. Quickly, she closed the door behind her. Soon, she could hear faint voices.
"...what should...with the subjects?"
"They are...priority. Now that Mulder is here, we have been compromised. Orders are for us to be out of here in twenty-four hours."
Scully quieted her breathing as much as possible. They were right outside the door.
"That's impossible!"
Scully relaxed as the voices faded. "I would suggest...way to make it..."
As soon as she could no longer hear the men, she opened the door and made her way back down the hall. Her time here was more limited than she thought. Now with the knowledge they were trying to clean up the mess as quickly as possible, she knew this was her only chance of succeeding.
She was tempted to call Mulder, telling him what she had learned, but quickly quashed the idea. There was no reason for him to worry when there was nothing he could do about it. The only thing she could do was go along with the plan and make sure everything worked out.
Soon, she found the door she was looking for and proceed to go inside. There were four, large refrigeration units; one on each wall. In the center of the small room was a rectangular, metal table. She approached the refrigeration unit closest to her. To her surprise, it was empty.
Suddenly the conversation she just overheard played back in her mind. What if this room had already been emptied? She hadn't worked on a contingency plan with Gibson; she just went along with his instructions with no question asked.
Before she could allow herself to panic, she walked to the second refrigeration unit. Fortunately, it was full. Quickly, she opened her case and set it on the metal table.
The way Byers had rigged the case up was extremely clever, she had to admit. On the back of the case, he had welded four bars to hold the pints of blood like an IV would. With the way it was set up, they figured she could easily retrieve 25 bags.
Putting on her latex gloves, she began placing the bags in the case. Each time she out took a bag, she read the name on it, wondering what terrible circumstance allowed for their blood to be obtained. She half-expected to see Mulder's name on one of the bags, but was relived when she didn't.
She completed filling the case. Twenty-eight bags. That would mean Gibson could create over forty antidotes. She allowed herself one brief smile before sealing the bulky box. She glanced at her watch; fifteen minutes had passed since she entered the building. After a brief glance to make sure nothing was out of place, she proceeded to leave the room.
The success of her mission so far had made Scully too comfortable. As she turned the corner, she nearly walked into a man. "Excuse me," she muttered, moving away.
The man grabbed her on her shoulder. "What are you doing here? All staff is supposed to be on the fifth floor transferring test subjects."
Recognizing the voice as one of the men speaking earlier, she knew she had to improvise. Should she play good cop or bad cop? Finally she decided ignorance was always the best choice. "I apologize. I'm afraid no one updated me this morning."
He studied her face for a few seconds. Scully refused to squirm under his scrutiny. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. "Fine. Get up to the fifth floor. You'll receive your updated orders there."
"Thank you." She began walking towards the elevator when she realized he was following her. Damn, she thought. She pushed the "up" button with a forced smile.
Her choices were limited. If he rode in the elevator, she could always incapacitate him and attempt to escape, but she knew her chances of success were slim. However, if she did nothing, her ability to leaving undetected was non-existent. Before she knew what she was going to do, the elevator doors slid open.
She walked inside, but noticed the man remained standing where he was. "You coming?" she asked, trying to sound causal.
He shook his head with a small, almost bitter, smile. "No, you go on ahead."
As the doors closed, Scully's stomach sunk. The smile was the give away; her cover had been blown. Though she was unfamiliar with the man, he definitely knew who she was. There was no way she could get off on the fifth floor. She pushed the "6" button.
She held her breath until the car went past the fifth floor without any trouble. Once she reached the sixth floor, she carefully peeked around the elevator doors as they slid open. Nobody was there.
As she walked off the elevator car, she pulled out her cell phone. There was only one person who would have a chance of helping her escape. She began walking slowly as the phone rang. "Hello?" Gibson answered worriedly.
Forcing her nerves to stay calm, she quietly explained the situation she was in.
As always, Gibson's voice was confident. "It's going to be fine, Dana. I want you to continue down the hall you are walking down. Make a right at the first intersection. About twenty feet past the corner, there will be a blue door on the left side. Go through it."
Quickly, she followed Gibson's instructions. She paused before she entered the door. "Gibson," she whispered. "This says it's a janitor's closet."
She could almost hear his smirk over the phone. "You, of all people, should know everything is not want it seems."
Pushing aside her skepticism, she opened the door to find another hallway. Before she could proceed more than ten feet, Gibson's voice came through the speaker in her phone. "You are going to lose my signal soon. So, follow my instructions. At the end of this passage, there will be an elevator. Take it. There is only one button; it will take you to the underground path that connects all the buildings. When you get off the elevator, go right. You'll go down the tunnel for about 200 yards. When you see a yellow door, go through it. It will take you to the lobby in the second building."
Relief flooded her. She had a chance to make this succeed. "Ok, thank you."
"One more thing," he said, as she began to walk. She stopped, not wanting to drop the call. "If we aren't careful everything that we have done so far will be compromised. They will be watching every move you make. I'm not going to be able to contact you or Agent Mulder until I produce the vaccine. It's the only leverage we have over these people."
She looked at the case. "How am I going to get the samples to you?"
"When you get home tonight, put the case in a plastic trash bag and set it on the left side of the dumpster in the back of your building. I'll get it," he assured her.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Dana, this wasn't your fault. They knew I was involved the moment they knew Mulder was coming out there. It was just a risk we had to take. I'll contact you in a few days." With that, he ended the call.
She put her call phone away and walked down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. Once she found the elevator, she pushed the button. The five-second wait for the car was the longest in Scully's life. She was waiting for men with guns to come through the corridor at anytime.
The doors slid open and she walked inside. She pushed the button impatiently, wanting the doors to close and begin her descent. Soon, she was sealed in the elevator, the hum of the mechanism filling the car.
During the thirty-second ride, she forced herself to focus on anything other than the impending doom she believed waited for her. Why hadn't she insisted Mulder go with her? It had been too long since she had been without his backup. What she wouldn't give for him to be in the elevator, watching her back.
Finally, the doors opened, revealing an empty corridor. She started sprinting down the hall, knowing every second that she could get ahead of the people pursuing here was precious. When the yellow door came into view, she slowed down, not wanting to attract people's attention by being out of breath.
When she got her breathing under control, she opened the door. There was a flight of stairs, leading to another door. After climbing the stairs, she opened the door and found herself in the lobby. Making sure no one was paying attention to her; she exited the door, closing it behind her. She strode across the lobby and made her way towards the exit.
As she approached the revolving door, a man walking by on the outside caught her attention. Though he was only in her line of vision for a couple of seconds, she could have sworn it was Krycek.
Knowing that her time was limited and the danger more than she believed, she walked outside the building to the parking terminal without a glance back towards the buildings. Fortunately for her, she had managed to find a parking space on the first floor of the structure, making her getaway even quicker.
She got in the car and drove away as fast as she could without causing attention to herself. Once she was on the main highway, she relaxed. She glanced at the case on the passenger's seat. They had to make it work; so much was riding on the line of its success.
V is for Vouch
vouch v. to support as being true, certain or realible
Two days had passed since Scully's escape from Texas. When she got back to the relative safety of her home, she had left the metal case where Gibson had instructed her to leave it behind the dumpster. Hours later, when she took out her real trash, the bag containing the case was gone. She could only assume it was with Gibson.
There had been times over the past forty-eight hours when Scully blamed herself for the failure of the success of the mission. If she had only been more careful, Gibson wouldn't be in danger. Although there was no hint of resentment in his voice when she had spoken to him at the facility, she felt like she let him down. Not being able to talk to him, hearing his calm, reassuring words, was also taking a toll on her.
While Gibson had warned her about not being able to contact her for a while, her expedition had another unexpected result: Mulder had also gone incommunicado after talking to her on Monday night. Once she had told him about her conversation with Gibson, he unilaterally decided that they should follow the same course of action.
Despite her disagreement with his idea, he went through with it. Though she could hear him explaining in her head it was only for her protection, she had enough of his neglect. If this relationship was going to work out, they needed to be able to lean on each other, no matter what threats they may be facing.
After a day at the clinic, Scully let herself into her apartment. She glanced at her answering machine, half-heartedly hoping to see if by some miracle Mulder had decided to call her. No such luck. Her decision made, she got ready for her surprise visit to Mulder's apartment.
Ready or not, she thought, here I come.
*****
When she arrived at Mulder's building, she noticed there were no lights shining in his window. Briefly, she wondered if he was even home. He probably turned out the lights in his living room just so she would think that. Closing the car door, she made her way up to his building.
After taking the elevator to the fourth floor, she considered whether to knock or let herself in. Her mother always did teach her to be polite; she knocked on the door loudly. There was no way Mulder could use the I-didn't-hear-you excuse.
Scully listened carefully for any movement inside his apartment. Within a few seconds, she heard light footsteps. "I'm not leaving. I'll let myself in if I have to," she warned.
A muffled curse later, the door opened. Mulder quickly ushered her inside. "Scully, what are you doing here? You know we are supposed to lay low for a while."
Her eyebrow rose. "I was informed that Gibson felt it was no longer safe to communicate to us until he managed to secure the vaccine. I didn't know that his concern extended to you," she said challengingly.
He frowned, obviously not ready to debate with her. "I just thought it would be in our best interests if we-"
"Ignored each other?" she interrupted. "I thought we had agreed to try to make this work. That we were going to give this relationship a hundred percent of our effort. Now at the first sign that things aren't completely smooth, you bail on me."
She saw him consider her words. Finally, he nodded his agreement. "You’re right. I guess old habits die hard."
She could hardly believe her ears. Mulder was willing to agree with her without a drawn out debate? She was so prepared to spend the night arguing with him about his actions that she didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, Mulder wasn't tongue tied like she was. "About I make it up to you with a movie and dinner?"
"I know your taste in movies. Not interested," she said dryly.
Unexpectedly, his eyes began to twinkle. Her stomach fluttered. Scully didn't think she had ever seen him this openly happy. "It's a classic. Plan 9 From Outer Space." His accompanying grin made Scully doubt the quality of the movie even more.
"Can't say I've ever heard of it," she said slowly, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into.
His smile grew. "Oh, Scully, you're going to love it."
An hour later, they were sitting on his couch. Their mostly eaten Thai food was sitting on plates. Neither of them wanted to get up to clean them, but for completely different reasons. Five minutes into the movie, Scully knew she would be miserable if she concentrated all of her focus there. The stilted dialogue, the cheesy special effects, the inconceivable plotline were too much to bear. Instead, she leaned into Mulder and listened to his passionate commentary about the movie.
As she leaned into his shoulder, she could more feel the rumble of his voice then hear the actual words. Soon, she found herself beginning to drift off to sleep. To her surprise, it wasn't Mulder who woke her up a few minutes later, chiding her for falling asleep while watching a "classic". It was the vibrating of his cell phone in his pocket, which was pushed up against her hip.
She jerked forward. "Mulder, aren't you going to answer it?"
He shrugged. "The only person I'm interested in talking to is right here," he said simply before turning his gaze back to the television screen.
Despite the slight blush that colored her cheeks, she frowned. "What if it is Gibson?"
He paused the movie, unwilling to miss any more of it. "Then he'll call you on your phone or leave me a message. It's probably just Skinner wanting the expense report for the Texas case."
Not wanting to ruin his good mood, she put her head back on his shoulder. A couple of seconds later, the movie resumed and soon she found herself drifting off to sleep. Until the phone rang. Again.
Mulder muffled a curse as he pulled out the offending electronic out of his pocket. He opened it up and turned off the phone without answering it. "There. No more interruptions."
"Maybe you should pick it up, Mulder. Obviously whoever it is wants to talk to you," she said, not lifting her head from his shoulder.
He grinned. "And ruin your nap? It's fine. If it's Skinner, he has my home number."
Not wanting to be woken from sleep again, Scully forced herself to stay awake for the remainder of the movie. Though she was tempted to point out every inconsistency in the plot that she found, she decided not to heckle him. For some reason he really did seem to enjoy the film.
Once the credits began rolling, Mulder turned to her with a goofy grin. "So..."
She had to answer him honestly; she owed it to him. "Mulder, I hate to say it, but that had to be the one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life."
To her surprise, his smile remained on his face. "You just slept through the good parts. I'm sure the next time we watch it--"
"No way. I pick the next movie," she said, cutting him off.
He made a face. "Just as long as it's not one of those movies like My Best Friend's Wedding. My brain couldn't handle the sap factor."
Pretending to be offended, she raised her eyebrow. "I am shocked that you think I would be that stereotypical. I would try to pick a movie that we both would find enjoyable. You know, like Independence Day," she joked.
He put a hand over his heart with a grimace. "No, anything but that. And people say that I'm open to extreme possibilities. At least I don't think an alien spacecraft could be destroyed by an Apple computer. I swear, those people at Fox will produce any kind of movie just for a few bucks," he grumbled.
She smiled softly before standing up. "Since you delighted me with such a fine movie, I'll do the dishes."
He walked behind her, as she led the way to the kitchen. "Scully, if anything, I owe you. If you hadn't come over, I would have spent another evening alone on the couch." He watched as she momentarily paused, reflecting over his words.
She placed the dishes in the sink. "Honestly, I am just grateful that we didn't spend the night arguing. Even if it did mean watching that movie."
He crossed the floor to stand in front of her. Caressing her cheek, he said, "I don't think I've told you, but thank you for coming over here." He lowered his lips close to hers. After his crazed kiss from several days before, he was nervous to kiss her.
Before he could continue to doubt himself, she leaned up and placed her lips over his. Her hands found their way to his hair, pulling him closer to her. Seconds turned into countless spans of time. The only thing she could feel were his lips, his body, his soul.
When she became breathless, she pulled away from him and leaned against his chest. "Remind me to show you more cheesy sci-fi movies," she heard him say. She smiled, concentrating on the sound of his heartbeat. It was comforting to hear such a basic sound, knowing that he was safe.
As if Mulder could pick up on her train of thought, he tightened his arms around her. "I hated the fact I wasn't there to watch your back when you were in that building."
She shrugged. "That's the cost of not being partners anymore," she replied with a frown.
His grip tightened around her momentarily before beginning to speak. "We may not be able to work together anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't want to protect you."
Before she could nervously demand what exactly he meant, a bang on his front door caused them to break apart.
"Open the door, Mulder! I know you're in there!"
"Colton?" Mulder asked the same time Scully said, "Tom?"
Mulder quickly made his way to the front door before his neighbors could complain about the sound. He swung the door open. "Are you trying to get me evicted?"
Colton pushed his way into the foyer. "What the hell is going on here? Why didn't you pick up your damn phone?"
Mulder's mind was trying to catch up with what had just happened in the last sixty seconds. One moment he was confessing his deepest desire to Scully, the next he had a disgruntled co-worker yelling in his face. "What's your problem, Colton?"
Colton began to pace the tiny room. "On Monday we get to Texas, find a known fugitive and let him go without arresting him. Then when we get back to D.C., Skinner has me temporarily reassigned to the VCS. And at the meeting today, he didn't want my report or anything pertaining to the case!"
Mulder should have known that why he was here. Colton's pride was suffering. "That was my call. I felt the risks that your involvement in the case could bring to you or your family were too high. We both know the only reason you came down to the basement was to try and make a fool out of me. The truth is if you stay on the X-files, everyone you know will be in danger," he explained.
Colton rolled his eyes. "Please, Mulder. Spare me the melodramatic crap."
"He's right, Tom. Being on the X-files is risky. You have to be one hundred percent committed to them because you will have to make sacrifices," Scully said, walking into the foyer.
Colton swung around to her. "What are you doing here, Dana?"
Mulder was tempted to point out her swollen lips, but knew she would kill him if he said anything. "We were having dinner together. It's what friends do," he answered.
Colton smirked. "I always knew you two were sleeping with each other."
Instead of giving him an earful, Scully's demeanor turned cold. "If you don't have anything productive to say, Tom, get out."
Colton seemed to realize he was in hot water. He went back to the reason he came to Mulder's apartment in the first place. "Dana, we were in the same room as a murderer, the man who had knowledge about your disappearance. Don't stand there and tell me you're willing to justify his actions!"
She stood by Mulder's side. "Tom, you don't know half of what Mulder does. There will be a time to catch Alex Krycek. It wasn't the right time then."
His mouth opened and shut a couple of times before shouting, "You are as insane as he is, Dana! The X-Files are a waste of government resources. And I intend to report that to Deputy Director Kersh."
Mulder shrugged. "It isn't the first time someone has said that about the X-Files. In fact, I remember someone saying that our investigation was waste of man power five years ago. I guess some things never change, do they, Colton?"
Colton reddened, thinking about how his pride almost cost Scully her life. "I've already requested a transfer to VCS. Skinner said he would push it through. Good luck in getting a new partner. Then they'll have no other choice but to shut you down." He turned around and slammed the door.
Mulder glanced at Scully. "Was it something I said?"
