Only One Night
Washington D.C Sunday 10am
"I call this hearing to an open, official statements will be heard momentarily, but I welcome to the public's attention, Section Chief Borris Jones", announced FBI boss, Carly Muir.
"Good morning Ladies, Gentlemen, Judge Harris, members of the media, FBI officials and Special Agents Mulder and Scully. We are here today to draw to a final close the "Moreland" case. If I may ask of your attention for the next 10 minutes, I would like to inform the present company of the events of the past three weeks", Jones said.
The courtroom was jammed packed. Members of the public and media filled the back half of the room. Television camera's communicated live footage of the court case to the public via channel 4 news, and all of the lead newspapers had journalists on the scene. In the front row of seats sat Agents Mulder and Scully. On the trial stand before them sat Judge Simon Harris, and either side of him sat A.D Skinner, FBI Boss Carly Muir, and four other FBI officials. For three weeks now, the media's attention had been aimed at the so-called "Moreland" case. It involved a convicted killer and his inn mate who had escaped from prison. Both men had attracted the attention of Agents Mulder and Scully. All eyes in the room we on Section Chief Borris Jones.
"Three weeks ago, convicted killer Michael Endal and his inn mate Peter Colsham escaped from D.C East Prison. They escaped on the March 15 and three days later, on the Monday, Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from the FBI joined the hunt for these men. Their reason for doing so, and I quote, "was to bring to justice two convicted men, men who knew the exact location of a supposed UFO crash site". Now, those very agents sit in front of us, hopefully with the answers to the many questions that we have. To join a man hunt under such circumstances is highly embarrassing for the FBI, but due to the reputation and high standards the agents have, they were allowed to join. The two weeks that followed included many miles of traveling, many dead ends and lastly, the deaths of our two villains and four members of local police investigators, those being Michelle Juewel, Andrew Syds, Monica Drenth and Billy Constanly. These six people died from bullets that may all belong to the two FBI Agents in question. I would like to now bring to the witness stand, Special Agent Dana Scully", he concluded.
Scully rose from her seat and walked to the witness stand, and after swearing an oath, she sat down.
"Now Agent Scully, before we begin, I'd like you to tell me how long you have worked with Agent Mulder, and under what circumstances you were partnered with him".
"Yes sir. On March 7th, 1992, I was partnered with Agent Mulder to work on a set of cases called X-files. My original purpose was to debunk the X- files, to persuade Agent Mulder to pursue other areas in the FBI".
"But despite that original purpose you remained working with Agent Mulder, perhaps even coaxing him on by trying to prove that science always had a place".
"Well not always, but yes, I did remain working with Agent Mulder".
"Now, onto the matter at hand, would you care to explain your version of events that took place in the past three weeks".
"Agent Mulder contacted me, informing me that a new case had come to his attention. He told me not of his reasons for choosing the case, only the information about the two convicted men. In joining up with the manhunt for these men, I discovered the true nature of Agent Mulder's interest in the case. I found out that these men knew of a reported UFO crash site. In a desperate attempt to find the missing men, Agent Mulder turned to a member of the public, a person who chooses to remain anonymous, and a person who supposedly knew the where abouts of the men. In the week that followed, a team of searches had been assembled and Agent Mulder and myself took charge of them. We traveled across the states to Utah, where inevitably, the four police investigators lost their lives. In the following two days, Agent Mulder and I pursued the men, when they too, lost their lives".
"Is it true, these men were shot in your presence?".
"Yes Sir, that is correct".
"And am I right in saying that in order to save Agent Mulder's and your own job, you gave a false Medical report? You lied about the ballistics on the gun?".
Mulder held his breath longer than he ever had before. "Keep going Scully, deny it, tell them this and they'll believe it all", he preyed in his mind, "for them to believe the lie, you have to tell them it".
Scully closed her eyes, it was no good, she remembered only too vividly the lie that Mulder has asked her to tell. Give a false report and save our jobs.
"Damn it Scully", Mulder cursed in his mind. He knew she wouldn't be able to lie.
"Yes Sir". The room fell silent. A.D Skinner nearly fell off his chair and Miss Muir only shook her head. All eyes were on the Agent, she had just sacrificed her job, maybe more.
"And while we are on the subject of unacceptable things, I am also led to believe that you took part in the massacre of these men and the investigators, is that true?"
Again Scully closed her eyes, this was what she deserved for lying. "Sir the death of the investigators was accidental, but..yes, the death of the felons was purpose, by both Agent Mulder and myself". Again the courtroom fell silent.
"And may I go one step further and bring to light the relationship you share with Agent Mulder? You both know that the FBI doesn't like their agents getting romantically involved, but I have proof that you have disobeyed that rule, you were seen, only two nights ago, walking together, arm in arm, and again later seen kissing your partner after he walked you home. Are you involved with him?", Jones demanded.
"Sir, that wasn't a kiss, it was just..".
"Answer the question Agent Scully, are you involved with Agent Mulder?".
"No sir".
"Then you deny kissing him?".
"No sir, I did kiss him, but.".
"Then you do admit you are involved with this man".
"Agent Mulder and I share a very close friendship. We've been through a lot, and I can most certainly assure you, he and I are not involved".
"Then what do you call it Agent Scully? Please, enlighten us all".
Scully ached inside, this wasn't the point of the case against them, and their personal lives had nothing to do with this. "Sir I didn't know this was the issue we were here to discuss, therefore I respectively decline to answer".
"You are both here on misconduct of law and a close enough charge to manslaughter and murder, if you ask me, your relationship with Agent Mulder falls into that category of misconduct. Now you need to specify where you and him are at".
"We are at nowhere. There is no relationship, but if the question of emotions is what's being asked, yes I do care for him, and yes I do love him, but I love him in the way any other agent loves their partner. It's not physical, its care for the person you spend the majority of your time with".
"Thank you Agent Scully, you may return to your seat", Jones Replied. "I now call upon Agent Fox Mulder".
Mulder stood from his seat and glanced at Scully, she gave him only a blank look. He continued to the stand. The day already seemed long to him, and it wasn't even lunchtime. The trial was to be spread over two days, allowing for all the 'witnesses' to be heard. They'd almost gotten away with their story, but the last few moments had crushed Scully, and they'd broken down her wall of defense, she wasn't able to lie any more. They had been so close, yet now they were so far. Mulder swore an oath, and Jones continued.
"Agent Mulder, would you care to give us your version of the facts?".
"That I would sir. Three weeks ago I came across a case that involved two escaped men. After reading all I could, I volunteered Agent Scully and myself to be a part of the team that was looking for these men. We found them, they were found in Utah, where an informant of mine said they would be".
"Can you tell us how the four investigators lost their lives? How about the two convicted men?".
"The four investigators were shot in Utah, Salt Lake City to be precise. We were in our hotel when Agent Scully and I heard the gunshots. When we arrived in the lobby, we found the four investigators dead".
"And at what time was this? Who was in the lobby?".
"It must have been about 2am, there was only the receptionist in the lobby, she said that two men in ski masks came in and opened fire. She hid behind her desk, after that she cannot account what happened".
"Well what about the two escaped men?".
"On the fifth day in Utah, Agent Scully and I were given word that the two men were in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. We went to the warehouse, and when we entered, someone opened fire on us, so we shot back by means of protection".
"You both must be very good shooters if you got them square in the chest when you were only shooting in defense. We also have a witness who is willing to testify that only two gunshots went off, the witness says nothing about other shots, especially when you entered the warehouse".
"Mulder stop lying to them", Scully thought, "you're only digging a bigger hole for them to bury us in".
"Maybe the witness is lying", Mulder retorted.
"I think that it is you who are lying Agent Mulder", Jones replied.
"No, it is you who are being deceived. In the past, many men have told many lies to keep Agent Scully and I back, to keep us from finding the truth, if you want answers, go to them".
"Agent Mulder, we've heard these claims many times before. This trial is not about that issue, this trial is about injustice done by those who are meant to demote it".
Washington D.C Monday 5pm
The second day of the trial had been even longer than the first. God knows how many witnesses had come out of the woodwork to testify against the two FBI Agents, even people from the past came back, many with complaints about the way they had been treated by them. Even Theresa Nemman, whom they met on their first case came to testify, but her claims were positive ones, saying that as bad as them seemed now, there was a time when they were legit. Other people included on the positive testifying list included: Ruby and Darlene Morris, Ellen Reardon, Sheriff J.Hamilton, Dr. Alexander Ivanov, Dr. Bambi Berendaum, Sharon Skinner and Holman Heart. From those people came much of the same comments, but each one was unique due to the nature of the case they'd met Agents Mulder and Scully on.
Once again the courtroom was full of media representatives, but now there seemed to be more, most likely because today was the day when the judges decision was final and the consequences for the agents to face were released. Again in the front row sat Agents Mulder and Scully, this time they were side by side. The jury and the judge had gone to a short recess to make a final decision, and the two Agents talked quietly.
"Everything will be fine Scully, we can't be sacked, they can't do that".
"They can Mulder, we shot those men under the wrong circumstances, we lied to the jury and the judge, we deliberately ignored procedure and as for me, well, I lied on a document denying that the ballistics pointed to us as the murderers of the two men. We've not only dug the hole, but we've nailed our coffins as well".
"I heard Big Boss Muir has to tell us the jury's decision, you've gotta feel sorry for her", Mulder replied.
"That's another thing. Everything that has happened, not only did we betray ourselves, but others around us as well. Skinner, Muir, and our families, these past two days must have been hell for them".
"Speak for yourself, I have no family left".
"Mulder you know what.". The judge and jury came back in and sat down. A hush went over the room and you would have been able to hear a pin drop.
Judge Simon Harris rose from his seat. "The jury and myself have come to a final decision, and I now call upon FBI Boss Carly Muir to announce this decision".
From her seat stood Carly Muir, her face seemed glum, and the piece of paper she held in her hands gave no hope of any sort. "It isn't very often that one of these trials take place against an FBI Agent, but to have one against two is almost unheard of. The charges laid down are not to be taken lightly, and due to the nature of the case and the agents in question, charges will not be made". A big noise came from the back of the room, a stir had begun. "But", Muir continued, "there will be very serious consequences. Agents Mulder and Scully, I'm asking you to stand and receive your punishments".
"Let me guess, cleaning the Headquarters bathrooms for a month", Mulder mused in Scully's ear.
"Agent Mulder, the charges made against you include misconduct of law and a form of manslaughter. There are other charges too, but at this point in time, they are yet to be rectified. As of 7pm tonight, you will be remanded in custody, meaning you will be at your apartment under police surveillance, as you will be packing up your belongings in preparation to move. As of 9:30 tomorrow morning you will no longer be a resident of Washington. You will be transferred to the Portland offices, where you must remain for a minimum of two years. Since you have no living relatives, the is no need for you to come back to Washington, if you do, further prosecution will take place".
Mulder stood stunned, Portland? That was many miles away. He looked at Scully, she only shook her head.
"As for you Agent Scully, your charges are far worse from Agent Mulder's. You too have had charges placed against you for misconduct and manslaughter, but to add to your list you have the charge of false information and failure to give a legitimate report. Those are serious allegations, therefore you are no longer employed as an FBI Agent. You will be sent back to Quantico to continue working as a medical instructor and are not permitted to return to the FBI for five years. This evening you are to remain at your home.."
Mulder couldn't control himself, this was too much. It was one thing to persecute him and transfer him to another state, but for them to take away Scully's job because of him was too much to handle. She didn't deserve that, her job was her life. Looking down he saw the anguish in her eyes, she was barely holding back tears.
"....and neither you nor Agent Mulder are to have any contact between now and his transfer to Portland", Muir concluded. She felt bad, very bad, she knew Mulder and Scully were the best of friends, and she didn't care if their friendship was more than that, they deserved to be loved.
"You can't do that!", Mulder yelled as he jumped to his feet.
"Agent Mulder sit down", ordered Judge Harris.
"You can't take her job away because of me, you ."
"Agent Mulder", warned the judge.
"..you talk of our misconduct you should look at yourself", Mulder continued. He banged his fist on the bench as if to emphasize his every word.
"AGENT MULDER SIT DOWN!", the judge yelled as he banged his hammer on the stand.
Mulder continued to argue with the judge, even when Scully pulled on his arm to stop he didn't. Even when the two security guards came in and began to escort him out of the room, he still continued to yell. Scully fell to her seat and put her head in her hands. The media were going to have a ball with this. She could imagine her mother watching this on television, she'd be worried sick. It seemed to Scully that the actions of the past two weeks had determined the next five years of her life, she was never to see Mulder again. Mulder, he's gone, she'd lost the only chance she had at saying good- bye.
"Statements will be given to the media before the day is over and I ask of the witnesses to hold back any comments until further notice. This court is now adjourned", Harris said. Everyone rose from their seats and left the courtroom, leaving Scully sitting alone for about 20 minutes.
After a while a door opened and a voice began. "I'm no longer needed out back so I thought I'd come out here to apologize. You don't know how sorry I am about all of this", Muir said, "if this had been left to me, and if the circumstances had been different, I would have let you go. I know how you and Mulder work, but this went to a higher authority before I even got wind of the case".
"It's okay, this has been a long time coming, I doubt there was anything anybody could do".
"I'm also sorry about the bringing up of the relationship between you and Mulder, that shouldn't have happened".
"That annoyed me. For Christ sakes, why the hell did they think we were involved?".
"A lot of people have trouble believing that a man and a woman can have a platonic relationship. The fact the you two have been together for about 9 years doesn't help either".
"What's it to them anyway, it's none of their business", Scully huffed
"They like to use their power, they've all got big heads. You know, Skinner stuck up for you in there".
"He did?".
"Yeah, he went so far as to put the blame on himself, for not giving you and Agent Mulder the proper support and knowledge that an Assistant Director should".
"He could have lost his job", Scully replied.
"Maybe that was something he was willing to sacrifice", Muir said, " maybe he sees that you and Mulder are possibly the best pair of Agents the FBI had".
"Ha, 'had' being the operative word. You know, I might not even get the chance to say good-bye to Mulder now, they've got him early, there is not chance they'll let him see me".
Muir sat down and put her hand in her pocket, producing a piece of paper. "Mulder's phone will trace any calls he gets tonight, just to make sure you two don't have contact. This is a number scrambler code. You'll only have a minute to a minute and a half to talk before they decode this and find it's your number. You too will be having your phone traced, but only by ear, not by machine".
"I don't get it?" Scully replied.
"I've been talking to Skinner, we've come up with a plan to give you and Agent Mulder some time to yourselves. There will be two men with Agent Mulder, and one with you. At approximately 6pm, I'll make a diversion for you, that's when you use the phone to call Mulder, but you have to be quick. Tell him where and when to meet you. At 6:15pm, the two Agents at Mulder's apartment will be distracted. Skinner will go to his place and take the men into another room of the house, that's when Mulder needs to leave".
"Wow, hang on a minute. What if something goes wrong? I mean, what if they come looking for us? Where exactly can we go? Our faces have been almost everywhere in the past two days. Does Mulder know about this?".
"No, which is why you need to tell him. When you make the call, all you need to say is 'meet me at the old theater on 47th at 6:30. Leave your apartment when Skinner arrives', he'll know it's you, then it all should be fine".
"What about the theater, won't someone recognise us?".
"No, I know the owner, tonight is an all night movie marathon, black and white movies. He normally only gets drunks to go to those things. He owes me a favor so I told him to turn a blind eye when he sees you coming".
"What if they work out we are together and start looking for us? We'll only get into more trouble, and what happens if they find out you and Skinner helped us, you two as well could get into trouble".
"Don't worry about us, we've got it all worked out. We'll keep them from the theater as long as we can. And as for you two getting into more trouble, well, that may be something you have to burden in order to say good-bye. It's your choice, you can take it or leave it".
Scully's Apartment Monday 6pm
The television blurred in front of her. The clock behind her was ticking louder than usual. Sitting in one of her armchairs was the Agent assigned to watch her, and from his pocket came the ring of his cell phone.
"Hello", he said. He listened to the voice on the phone for a minute, then placed his hand over the receiver. "Boss Muir is on the phone, do you mind if I go into your bedroom to talk to her, it's confidential stuff".
"Sure go ahead".
"Don't go anywhere or make any calls, I can only trust you this once".
"Like I'm stupid enough to do that", Scully mused. The agent left the room. This was it, this was her chance, and it was now or never. She hurried over to the phone and pulled out the paper Muir had given her. Dialing the number, she held her breath. After three rings, Mulder's voice answered.
"Hello".
"Meet me at the old theater on 47th at 6:30, it's an all niter. I'll be in the back row. Leave when Skinner comes". She hung up the phone, grabbed her coat and fled her apartment.
----------------------
"Must have been a wrong number", Mulder replied as he put down the phone, "I get them all the time. It's obvious the government has nothing better to do than play prank calls on me". He walked back to the couch and sat down. He knew that was Scully, and he knew she wanted to meet him, but at the theater? Was she mad, they were sure to be seen. And how did she know Skinner was coming over? Reluctantly his eyes went back to the T.V screen. He had nothing to pack, well nothing worth packing. If he wanted anything too urgently, he'd call, otherwise, there was no better time than now to make a fresh start. It seemed as though he had no choice in the matter.
Fifteen minutes later there was a knock at the door. Mulder didn't bother moving because he knew one of the two agents would get it.
From the door came "I've come to talk to you two, can I come in?"
"Sure". The front door closed and in walked Skinner. Mulder looked amazed, Scully had some explaining to do.
Skinner nodded a hello to him and continued talking to the Agents. "Muir sent me over to have a word with you two about tomorrow, is there somewhere private we can talk?".
"Yeah, how's the kitchen?", one of them asked.
"Fine", Skinner replied. The three of them disappeared into the kitchen and the door closed.
Mulder wasn't sure what to do. Should he chance going? And why did they have to go to the kitchen, it was too close to the door. Getting out was going to be difficult, but he'd at least try, if only to meet Scully.
--------------
47th Showtime Theater Monday 6:42pm
Carly Muir was right, only the drunks came here, and even they had left before the movie was even half way through, but Scully preferred that, she now felt safer. She no longer had her gun, she no longer had her ID wallet, and she saw the owner turn 'a blind eye' to her. Now all she needed was for Mulder to turn up. The back row of seats had only three or four arm rests left, couples wanting to get down and dirty had removed them all, the arm rests were an inconvenience to them. The movie, from what she could tell, was about a lawyer and his client. The client was a beautiful young woman, and the lawyer had fallen in love with her, the problem was, the woman was being sent to prison. It was kind of ironic she thought.
The theater door opened and the outline of a tall man could be seen. Scully stood and watched as the man made his way to the back row, then walk along to where she was standing. His face showed nothing, any emotions of any sort, not even the recollection of the day. He reached across and hugged her, then they sat down.
"I suppose you want to know how I knew Skinner was going to be at your place", she said.
"That would help, yes", he replied.
"After the trail today, Muir came to talk to me. She said that the trail was unfair for many reasons. She also told me that Skinner was putting himself on the line for us, he defended us right to the end. Muir said she and Skinner had thought it cruel to take you away without letting us say good-bye, so they put their heads together and came up with a plan. She sidetracked my Agent, and Skinner did yours. She gave me a number scrambler, so my number wouldn't appear on the phone tracer, and told me where and when to meet you. She knows the owner of this place, he won't say anything to anyone about us being here. Muir and Skinner are going to try and hold off a search for us for as long as they can, but they'll eventually find us, we can't hide forever".
"They did that for us?".
"Yeah, they both feel we are the best partnership the bureau has ever had".
"They created us, now they're destroying us". His words hung in the air. After several minutes of silence, he continued, "just so I know, if you could do this all over again, I mean, make the decision to work with me, would you change things?".
Scully thought for a moment. "Mulder, when I first began working with you, I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life, but now, after everything that has happened, I'd do this a hundred times over".
"Flattery gets you no where Dr. Scully".
"And neither does sarcasm, but we're still here", Scully mused, "we're still here after all the aliens, all the monsters, we're still going strong".
"But not for much longer, as of tomorrow, 'we' won't exist. It'll only be 'you' and 'me' nothing else". He paused for a moment. "We have done a lot, haven't we?".
"That we have Mulder. We've been every where from Texas to Florida to Seattle and Idaho, you name it, we've most likely been there".
"What would be your favorite memories Scully? What memories are you going to treasure?".
She knew he was going to go all soppy and emotional, she didn't blame him. Settling back in the seat and getting comfortable, she answered him. " Oh, there are many Mulder. Most likely your face that you pulled whenever you saw a dead person, that is one unforgettable face", she laughed. "And when we were in the car waiting for tooms, that'd have to a good one".
"Nah, I reckon when we were in the Forrest, remember when we spent the night in there and you said if it started to rain sleeping bags, I'd get lucky".
"I was only joking Mulder, you really were preying for those sleeping bags though, weren't you".
"Scully you have no idea", he smirked.
"Anyway, back to memories. I remember when I saw you kissing Sheila, when I had Holman with me, that would have to be one of the worst kisses I've seen".
"No way, that wasn't a kiss, that was..well that's not the point. I know I'll always remember your dog".
"Why?".
"Because it was such a pain in the ass", he laughed.
"Was not!", Scully cried as she hit him on the arm. "At least I don't have a fish tank of water that doesn't have fish in it!".
"Well it did have fish in it at one stage, they just died".
"Oh, I thought it was just there for decoration". She pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I think the memories that I treasure are the ones we spent together, the ones that happened on cases. Some of them good, some of them bad, but they all count. Memories of arguments, agreements, achievements, disaster, they all count".
"The ones I don't want to remember are the ones about you and my sister, about your abductions. They never go away, but I try to pretend that they never happened. I wish they hadn't". His voice wavered, but only for a second or two, "and besides, there are too many good ones to make room for".
"Good ones indeed". They sat in silence. "What about monsters, there's been plenty of them. There was Tooms and the Jersey Devil. Can't forget that sea monster, that was a bad one".
"And Robert Modell, the flukeman, killer bugs that like the night, cockroaches.".
"Ah I was wondering when she'd come up", Scully teased.
"Who?".
"Bambi".
"I didn't bring her up, you did. I never said a word about her".
"You didn't need to, I saw the way you looked at her today".
"I didn't 'look' at her. Well what do you want me to do? Turn my back to her?".
"Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted you to do".
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice Agent Scully?".
She swallowed hard, "not at all". Liar, she thought, absolute liar.
"Any way, back to monsters", Mulder continued, "There's the black oil, Cigarette-Smoking man, shape shifters, Donnie Pfaster..". He stopped. Scully sunk into her seat. "Sorry", he said, "I shouldn't have mentioned him".
"He still scares me Mulder, even though he's dead".
Mulder pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She put her arms around him and they sat like that for a good 10 minutes before either of them moved. When they sat up, Mulder saw the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry", he soothed.
"I can't help it Mulder, I honestly can't. All these memories, they hurt. But you know what my vividest one is?".
He shook his head.
"The very first time we met. That conversation, you thought I was a spy. We were so young back then, still learning. They say first impressions last, well, they do. Things were so different, so easy for us, now, every corner we turn, we have to battle someone or something".
The big screen went black, then after a while the next movie started. A train speed across the screen, then ahead on the tracks, lay a woman tied up, screaming her lungs out.
"We were young then, weren't we", Mulder whispered, "now, we've grown old. Grown old together".
"It's weird, I always pictured us still chasing monsters when we were 60. I always thought that if there were still monsters and UFO's to hunt, we'd keep going, but I guess I was wrong".
"We're almost 60", Mulder laughed, "almost there. We're getting to the stage in our lives when we begin to slow down, begin to think about what could have been, where we would be now if we'd never met, who we'd be with, and if we'd have kids, and how many we'd have..". He trailed off. He had again brought up a touchy subject. "Sorry, I forgot. I guess, that's my dream".
She held his hand, "no it's fine, if we'd never met, I'd never had been abducted, and quite possibly, that could have been my dream too. Maybe it still is". She yawned.
He brushed her hair aside, "Go to sleep Scully, you're tired".
"No, I'm fine, I want to be with you while I can. After tomorrow...".
"Sleep, you can lie down, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here with you". He reached forward and kissed her lips. He had waited for this moment for years, time to be close, time to let go of what could have been, time to focus on what is. His hands explored her, down her neck, her back, and her legs.
She felt his body over hers, they lay down across the seats, and she struggled to remove his jacket. More and more they kissed, faster and faster their hands went. Finally, all his body weight was on hers, and they lay there kissing. Both their discarded jackets lay on the floor. More clothing may have ended up there as well, but they both agreed that it wasn't the way to end things, it would only make it harder to say good-bye. When the urge to keep kissing subsided, they lay side by side, holding onto each other.
"Sleep", Mulder said.
"Only if you sleep as well", Scully replied.
He smiled at her, "I'll sleep now, only one night, and only for you".
47th Showtime Theater Tuesday 7:19am
The knocking on the door echoed through the theater. Phillip Neilson, the owner, went and opened them up. Outside stood 11 agents, two of which were Carly Muir and Walter Skinner. One of the other Agents, Thomas, stepped forward. "Excuse me Sir, sorry to wake you, but we have reason to believe that there are two FBI Agents on your premises. May we come in?".
"Ah...", the owner looked to Muir, who sadly nodded her head, "sure, come on in".
Muir had tried to hold them back for as long as she could, but she could hold them no more without sounding suspicious. She knew this was going to end badly. The alarm had been raised at about 7pm the night before, the way people were acting, it was like Mulder and Scully were escaped felons. Three teams of 6 had been dispatched and were looking for them throughout the night. Three hours earlier, a woman from D.C general had called the station after hearing a report on the radio that the two FBI Agents had gone missing. The call she placed named the area she had seen them in and that she saw them apart, not together.
Mr. Neilson led the Agents to the theater. It was dark and the movies had finished at 2am and the only noise that could be heard was the songs playing on the speakers that were connected to the radio. He watched as the agents spread themselves around the exit doors and up the isles to where Mulder and Scully slept. None of them moved without Muir's consent. She walked up the isle to the back row. Muir silently cursed herself, as she picked up their jackets and stepped back. The two agents lay side by side, facing each other and hugging.
She turned and walked back down the isle to where skinner stood. "I feel so bad about this", she said.
"We gave them all the time we could, for that they will be thankful", was all Skinner said.
Muir nodded to Agent Thomas and he went up to the sleeping agents. After that she left the agents' coats on a chair in the first row, then she and Skinner went into the lobby, they couldn't watch.
Back in the theater, Thomas woke the agents. "Agents Mulder, Scully, this is your wake up call", he smirked. He watched as the male agent, Mulder, opened his eyes and frowned. "You are both in very serious trouble, you both knew you were not to leave your apartments".
Mulder stood up, "since when has the Bureau been worried about doing the right thing?". That comment cost him his good-bye to Scully. Two other agents came over and grabbed his arms and began to lead Mulder towards the door.
Scully awoke and sat up. In seconds she was on her feet, demanding to know what was going on. "Where are you taking him? You can't do this!", she cried.
Thomas blocked her way, "you were told to stay in your apartment. Now, you are both in big trouble. Say good-bye to Agent Mulder, because in 45 minutes, he's going to be on a plane to Portland".
Scully's face went white. "Move you asshole, let me through!".
Thomas refused to move.
Scully began to climb over the rows of seats in order to reach Mulder before they took him away. She saw Mulder turn his head. "Mulder wait!", she cried. She knew he couldn't do anything, the men were stronger than he was. She just managed to see him mouth the words "I love you" before they left and the door closed behind them. Thomas and the other Agents left as well, leaving Scully alone.
She had come so close to him, now they were so far. Scully fell to her knees and began to cry, her sobs echoed around the theater. "Why", she yelled, "why take him from me! How could you....", tears were streaming from her face and falling to the floor. She stopped crying and just sat there, staring at the speaker. And from the speaker came an errie song, it had to be more than ironic. The lyrics were loud and long, they went straight so Scully's heart. The song that played was sung by Melanie Chisholm and Left Eye.
In the silence of the theater the words streamed out, as did her tears.. "Things will never be the same again..It's not a secret anymore, now we've opened up the door, Starting tonight and from now on, they'll never be the same again...again.never be the same again.".
------------------
The End.
Washington D.C Sunday 10am
"I call this hearing to an open, official statements will be heard momentarily, but I welcome to the public's attention, Section Chief Borris Jones", announced FBI boss, Carly Muir.
"Good morning Ladies, Gentlemen, Judge Harris, members of the media, FBI officials and Special Agents Mulder and Scully. We are here today to draw to a final close the "Moreland" case. If I may ask of your attention for the next 10 minutes, I would like to inform the present company of the events of the past three weeks", Jones said.
The courtroom was jammed packed. Members of the public and media filled the back half of the room. Television camera's communicated live footage of the court case to the public via channel 4 news, and all of the lead newspapers had journalists on the scene. In the front row of seats sat Agents Mulder and Scully. On the trial stand before them sat Judge Simon Harris, and either side of him sat A.D Skinner, FBI Boss Carly Muir, and four other FBI officials. For three weeks now, the media's attention had been aimed at the so-called "Moreland" case. It involved a convicted killer and his inn mate who had escaped from prison. Both men had attracted the attention of Agents Mulder and Scully. All eyes in the room we on Section Chief Borris Jones.
"Three weeks ago, convicted killer Michael Endal and his inn mate Peter Colsham escaped from D.C East Prison. They escaped on the March 15 and three days later, on the Monday, Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from the FBI joined the hunt for these men. Their reason for doing so, and I quote, "was to bring to justice two convicted men, men who knew the exact location of a supposed UFO crash site". Now, those very agents sit in front of us, hopefully with the answers to the many questions that we have. To join a man hunt under such circumstances is highly embarrassing for the FBI, but due to the reputation and high standards the agents have, they were allowed to join. The two weeks that followed included many miles of traveling, many dead ends and lastly, the deaths of our two villains and four members of local police investigators, those being Michelle Juewel, Andrew Syds, Monica Drenth and Billy Constanly. These six people died from bullets that may all belong to the two FBI Agents in question. I would like to now bring to the witness stand, Special Agent Dana Scully", he concluded.
Scully rose from her seat and walked to the witness stand, and after swearing an oath, she sat down.
"Now Agent Scully, before we begin, I'd like you to tell me how long you have worked with Agent Mulder, and under what circumstances you were partnered with him".
"Yes sir. On March 7th, 1992, I was partnered with Agent Mulder to work on a set of cases called X-files. My original purpose was to debunk the X- files, to persuade Agent Mulder to pursue other areas in the FBI".
"But despite that original purpose you remained working with Agent Mulder, perhaps even coaxing him on by trying to prove that science always had a place".
"Well not always, but yes, I did remain working with Agent Mulder".
"Now, onto the matter at hand, would you care to explain your version of events that took place in the past three weeks".
"Agent Mulder contacted me, informing me that a new case had come to his attention. He told me not of his reasons for choosing the case, only the information about the two convicted men. In joining up with the manhunt for these men, I discovered the true nature of Agent Mulder's interest in the case. I found out that these men knew of a reported UFO crash site. In a desperate attempt to find the missing men, Agent Mulder turned to a member of the public, a person who chooses to remain anonymous, and a person who supposedly knew the where abouts of the men. In the week that followed, a team of searches had been assembled and Agent Mulder and myself took charge of them. We traveled across the states to Utah, where inevitably, the four police investigators lost their lives. In the following two days, Agent Mulder and I pursued the men, when they too, lost their lives".
"Is it true, these men were shot in your presence?".
"Yes Sir, that is correct".
"And am I right in saying that in order to save Agent Mulder's and your own job, you gave a false Medical report? You lied about the ballistics on the gun?".
Mulder held his breath longer than he ever had before. "Keep going Scully, deny it, tell them this and they'll believe it all", he preyed in his mind, "for them to believe the lie, you have to tell them it".
Scully closed her eyes, it was no good, she remembered only too vividly the lie that Mulder has asked her to tell. Give a false report and save our jobs.
"Damn it Scully", Mulder cursed in his mind. He knew she wouldn't be able to lie.
"Yes Sir". The room fell silent. A.D Skinner nearly fell off his chair and Miss Muir only shook her head. All eyes were on the Agent, she had just sacrificed her job, maybe more.
"And while we are on the subject of unacceptable things, I am also led to believe that you took part in the massacre of these men and the investigators, is that true?"
Again Scully closed her eyes, this was what she deserved for lying. "Sir the death of the investigators was accidental, but..yes, the death of the felons was purpose, by both Agent Mulder and myself". Again the courtroom fell silent.
"And may I go one step further and bring to light the relationship you share with Agent Mulder? You both know that the FBI doesn't like their agents getting romantically involved, but I have proof that you have disobeyed that rule, you were seen, only two nights ago, walking together, arm in arm, and again later seen kissing your partner after he walked you home. Are you involved with him?", Jones demanded.
"Sir, that wasn't a kiss, it was just..".
"Answer the question Agent Scully, are you involved with Agent Mulder?".
"No sir".
"Then you deny kissing him?".
"No sir, I did kiss him, but.".
"Then you do admit you are involved with this man".
"Agent Mulder and I share a very close friendship. We've been through a lot, and I can most certainly assure you, he and I are not involved".
"Then what do you call it Agent Scully? Please, enlighten us all".
Scully ached inside, this wasn't the point of the case against them, and their personal lives had nothing to do with this. "Sir I didn't know this was the issue we were here to discuss, therefore I respectively decline to answer".
"You are both here on misconduct of law and a close enough charge to manslaughter and murder, if you ask me, your relationship with Agent Mulder falls into that category of misconduct. Now you need to specify where you and him are at".
"We are at nowhere. There is no relationship, but if the question of emotions is what's being asked, yes I do care for him, and yes I do love him, but I love him in the way any other agent loves their partner. It's not physical, its care for the person you spend the majority of your time with".
"Thank you Agent Scully, you may return to your seat", Jones Replied. "I now call upon Agent Fox Mulder".
Mulder stood from his seat and glanced at Scully, she gave him only a blank look. He continued to the stand. The day already seemed long to him, and it wasn't even lunchtime. The trial was to be spread over two days, allowing for all the 'witnesses' to be heard. They'd almost gotten away with their story, but the last few moments had crushed Scully, and they'd broken down her wall of defense, she wasn't able to lie any more. They had been so close, yet now they were so far. Mulder swore an oath, and Jones continued.
"Agent Mulder, would you care to give us your version of the facts?".
"That I would sir. Three weeks ago I came across a case that involved two escaped men. After reading all I could, I volunteered Agent Scully and myself to be a part of the team that was looking for these men. We found them, they were found in Utah, where an informant of mine said they would be".
"Can you tell us how the four investigators lost their lives? How about the two convicted men?".
"The four investigators were shot in Utah, Salt Lake City to be precise. We were in our hotel when Agent Scully and I heard the gunshots. When we arrived in the lobby, we found the four investigators dead".
"And at what time was this? Who was in the lobby?".
"It must have been about 2am, there was only the receptionist in the lobby, she said that two men in ski masks came in and opened fire. She hid behind her desk, after that she cannot account what happened".
"Well what about the two escaped men?".
"On the fifth day in Utah, Agent Scully and I were given word that the two men were in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. We went to the warehouse, and when we entered, someone opened fire on us, so we shot back by means of protection".
"You both must be very good shooters if you got them square in the chest when you were only shooting in defense. We also have a witness who is willing to testify that only two gunshots went off, the witness says nothing about other shots, especially when you entered the warehouse".
"Mulder stop lying to them", Scully thought, "you're only digging a bigger hole for them to bury us in".
"Maybe the witness is lying", Mulder retorted.
"I think that it is you who are lying Agent Mulder", Jones replied.
"No, it is you who are being deceived. In the past, many men have told many lies to keep Agent Scully and I back, to keep us from finding the truth, if you want answers, go to them".
"Agent Mulder, we've heard these claims many times before. This trial is not about that issue, this trial is about injustice done by those who are meant to demote it".
Washington D.C Monday 5pm
The second day of the trial had been even longer than the first. God knows how many witnesses had come out of the woodwork to testify against the two FBI Agents, even people from the past came back, many with complaints about the way they had been treated by them. Even Theresa Nemman, whom they met on their first case came to testify, but her claims were positive ones, saying that as bad as them seemed now, there was a time when they were legit. Other people included on the positive testifying list included: Ruby and Darlene Morris, Ellen Reardon, Sheriff J.Hamilton, Dr. Alexander Ivanov, Dr. Bambi Berendaum, Sharon Skinner and Holman Heart. From those people came much of the same comments, but each one was unique due to the nature of the case they'd met Agents Mulder and Scully on.
Once again the courtroom was full of media representatives, but now there seemed to be more, most likely because today was the day when the judges decision was final and the consequences for the agents to face were released. Again in the front row sat Agents Mulder and Scully, this time they were side by side. The jury and the judge had gone to a short recess to make a final decision, and the two Agents talked quietly.
"Everything will be fine Scully, we can't be sacked, they can't do that".
"They can Mulder, we shot those men under the wrong circumstances, we lied to the jury and the judge, we deliberately ignored procedure and as for me, well, I lied on a document denying that the ballistics pointed to us as the murderers of the two men. We've not only dug the hole, but we've nailed our coffins as well".
"I heard Big Boss Muir has to tell us the jury's decision, you've gotta feel sorry for her", Mulder replied.
"That's another thing. Everything that has happened, not only did we betray ourselves, but others around us as well. Skinner, Muir, and our families, these past two days must have been hell for them".
"Speak for yourself, I have no family left".
"Mulder you know what.". The judge and jury came back in and sat down. A hush went over the room and you would have been able to hear a pin drop.
Judge Simon Harris rose from his seat. "The jury and myself have come to a final decision, and I now call upon FBI Boss Carly Muir to announce this decision".
From her seat stood Carly Muir, her face seemed glum, and the piece of paper she held in her hands gave no hope of any sort. "It isn't very often that one of these trials take place against an FBI Agent, but to have one against two is almost unheard of. The charges laid down are not to be taken lightly, and due to the nature of the case and the agents in question, charges will not be made". A big noise came from the back of the room, a stir had begun. "But", Muir continued, "there will be very serious consequences. Agents Mulder and Scully, I'm asking you to stand and receive your punishments".
"Let me guess, cleaning the Headquarters bathrooms for a month", Mulder mused in Scully's ear.
"Agent Mulder, the charges made against you include misconduct of law and a form of manslaughter. There are other charges too, but at this point in time, they are yet to be rectified. As of 7pm tonight, you will be remanded in custody, meaning you will be at your apartment under police surveillance, as you will be packing up your belongings in preparation to move. As of 9:30 tomorrow morning you will no longer be a resident of Washington. You will be transferred to the Portland offices, where you must remain for a minimum of two years. Since you have no living relatives, the is no need for you to come back to Washington, if you do, further prosecution will take place".
Mulder stood stunned, Portland? That was many miles away. He looked at Scully, she only shook her head.
"As for you Agent Scully, your charges are far worse from Agent Mulder's. You too have had charges placed against you for misconduct and manslaughter, but to add to your list you have the charge of false information and failure to give a legitimate report. Those are serious allegations, therefore you are no longer employed as an FBI Agent. You will be sent back to Quantico to continue working as a medical instructor and are not permitted to return to the FBI for five years. This evening you are to remain at your home.."
Mulder couldn't control himself, this was too much. It was one thing to persecute him and transfer him to another state, but for them to take away Scully's job because of him was too much to handle. She didn't deserve that, her job was her life. Looking down he saw the anguish in her eyes, she was barely holding back tears.
"....and neither you nor Agent Mulder are to have any contact between now and his transfer to Portland", Muir concluded. She felt bad, very bad, she knew Mulder and Scully were the best of friends, and she didn't care if their friendship was more than that, they deserved to be loved.
"You can't do that!", Mulder yelled as he jumped to his feet.
"Agent Mulder sit down", ordered Judge Harris.
"You can't take her job away because of me, you ."
"Agent Mulder", warned the judge.
"..you talk of our misconduct you should look at yourself", Mulder continued. He banged his fist on the bench as if to emphasize his every word.
"AGENT MULDER SIT DOWN!", the judge yelled as he banged his hammer on the stand.
Mulder continued to argue with the judge, even when Scully pulled on his arm to stop he didn't. Even when the two security guards came in and began to escort him out of the room, he still continued to yell. Scully fell to her seat and put her head in her hands. The media were going to have a ball with this. She could imagine her mother watching this on television, she'd be worried sick. It seemed to Scully that the actions of the past two weeks had determined the next five years of her life, she was never to see Mulder again. Mulder, he's gone, she'd lost the only chance she had at saying good- bye.
"Statements will be given to the media before the day is over and I ask of the witnesses to hold back any comments until further notice. This court is now adjourned", Harris said. Everyone rose from their seats and left the courtroom, leaving Scully sitting alone for about 20 minutes.
After a while a door opened and a voice began. "I'm no longer needed out back so I thought I'd come out here to apologize. You don't know how sorry I am about all of this", Muir said, "if this had been left to me, and if the circumstances had been different, I would have let you go. I know how you and Mulder work, but this went to a higher authority before I even got wind of the case".
"It's okay, this has been a long time coming, I doubt there was anything anybody could do".
"I'm also sorry about the bringing up of the relationship between you and Mulder, that shouldn't have happened".
"That annoyed me. For Christ sakes, why the hell did they think we were involved?".
"A lot of people have trouble believing that a man and a woman can have a platonic relationship. The fact the you two have been together for about 9 years doesn't help either".
"What's it to them anyway, it's none of their business", Scully huffed
"They like to use their power, they've all got big heads. You know, Skinner stuck up for you in there".
"He did?".
"Yeah, he went so far as to put the blame on himself, for not giving you and Agent Mulder the proper support and knowledge that an Assistant Director should".
"He could have lost his job", Scully replied.
"Maybe that was something he was willing to sacrifice", Muir said, " maybe he sees that you and Mulder are possibly the best pair of Agents the FBI had".
"Ha, 'had' being the operative word. You know, I might not even get the chance to say good-bye to Mulder now, they've got him early, there is not chance they'll let him see me".
Muir sat down and put her hand in her pocket, producing a piece of paper. "Mulder's phone will trace any calls he gets tonight, just to make sure you two don't have contact. This is a number scrambler code. You'll only have a minute to a minute and a half to talk before they decode this and find it's your number. You too will be having your phone traced, but only by ear, not by machine".
"I don't get it?" Scully replied.
"I've been talking to Skinner, we've come up with a plan to give you and Agent Mulder some time to yourselves. There will be two men with Agent Mulder, and one with you. At approximately 6pm, I'll make a diversion for you, that's when you use the phone to call Mulder, but you have to be quick. Tell him where and when to meet you. At 6:15pm, the two Agents at Mulder's apartment will be distracted. Skinner will go to his place and take the men into another room of the house, that's when Mulder needs to leave".
"Wow, hang on a minute. What if something goes wrong? I mean, what if they come looking for us? Where exactly can we go? Our faces have been almost everywhere in the past two days. Does Mulder know about this?".
"No, which is why you need to tell him. When you make the call, all you need to say is 'meet me at the old theater on 47th at 6:30. Leave your apartment when Skinner arrives', he'll know it's you, then it all should be fine".
"What about the theater, won't someone recognise us?".
"No, I know the owner, tonight is an all night movie marathon, black and white movies. He normally only gets drunks to go to those things. He owes me a favor so I told him to turn a blind eye when he sees you coming".
"What if they work out we are together and start looking for us? We'll only get into more trouble, and what happens if they find out you and Skinner helped us, you two as well could get into trouble".
"Don't worry about us, we've got it all worked out. We'll keep them from the theater as long as we can. And as for you two getting into more trouble, well, that may be something you have to burden in order to say good-bye. It's your choice, you can take it or leave it".
Scully's Apartment Monday 6pm
The television blurred in front of her. The clock behind her was ticking louder than usual. Sitting in one of her armchairs was the Agent assigned to watch her, and from his pocket came the ring of his cell phone.
"Hello", he said. He listened to the voice on the phone for a minute, then placed his hand over the receiver. "Boss Muir is on the phone, do you mind if I go into your bedroom to talk to her, it's confidential stuff".
"Sure go ahead".
"Don't go anywhere or make any calls, I can only trust you this once".
"Like I'm stupid enough to do that", Scully mused. The agent left the room. This was it, this was her chance, and it was now or never. She hurried over to the phone and pulled out the paper Muir had given her. Dialing the number, she held her breath. After three rings, Mulder's voice answered.
"Hello".
"Meet me at the old theater on 47th at 6:30, it's an all niter. I'll be in the back row. Leave when Skinner comes". She hung up the phone, grabbed her coat and fled her apartment.
----------------------
"Must have been a wrong number", Mulder replied as he put down the phone, "I get them all the time. It's obvious the government has nothing better to do than play prank calls on me". He walked back to the couch and sat down. He knew that was Scully, and he knew she wanted to meet him, but at the theater? Was she mad, they were sure to be seen. And how did she know Skinner was coming over? Reluctantly his eyes went back to the T.V screen. He had nothing to pack, well nothing worth packing. If he wanted anything too urgently, he'd call, otherwise, there was no better time than now to make a fresh start. It seemed as though he had no choice in the matter.
Fifteen minutes later there was a knock at the door. Mulder didn't bother moving because he knew one of the two agents would get it.
From the door came "I've come to talk to you two, can I come in?"
"Sure". The front door closed and in walked Skinner. Mulder looked amazed, Scully had some explaining to do.
Skinner nodded a hello to him and continued talking to the Agents. "Muir sent me over to have a word with you two about tomorrow, is there somewhere private we can talk?".
"Yeah, how's the kitchen?", one of them asked.
"Fine", Skinner replied. The three of them disappeared into the kitchen and the door closed.
Mulder wasn't sure what to do. Should he chance going? And why did they have to go to the kitchen, it was too close to the door. Getting out was going to be difficult, but he'd at least try, if only to meet Scully.
--------------
47th Showtime Theater Monday 6:42pm
Carly Muir was right, only the drunks came here, and even they had left before the movie was even half way through, but Scully preferred that, she now felt safer. She no longer had her gun, she no longer had her ID wallet, and she saw the owner turn 'a blind eye' to her. Now all she needed was for Mulder to turn up. The back row of seats had only three or four arm rests left, couples wanting to get down and dirty had removed them all, the arm rests were an inconvenience to them. The movie, from what she could tell, was about a lawyer and his client. The client was a beautiful young woman, and the lawyer had fallen in love with her, the problem was, the woman was being sent to prison. It was kind of ironic she thought.
The theater door opened and the outline of a tall man could be seen. Scully stood and watched as the man made his way to the back row, then walk along to where she was standing. His face showed nothing, any emotions of any sort, not even the recollection of the day. He reached across and hugged her, then they sat down.
"I suppose you want to know how I knew Skinner was going to be at your place", she said.
"That would help, yes", he replied.
"After the trail today, Muir came to talk to me. She said that the trail was unfair for many reasons. She also told me that Skinner was putting himself on the line for us, he defended us right to the end. Muir said she and Skinner had thought it cruel to take you away without letting us say good-bye, so they put their heads together and came up with a plan. She sidetracked my Agent, and Skinner did yours. She gave me a number scrambler, so my number wouldn't appear on the phone tracer, and told me where and when to meet you. She knows the owner of this place, he won't say anything to anyone about us being here. Muir and Skinner are going to try and hold off a search for us for as long as they can, but they'll eventually find us, we can't hide forever".
"They did that for us?".
"Yeah, they both feel we are the best partnership the bureau has ever had".
"They created us, now they're destroying us". His words hung in the air. After several minutes of silence, he continued, "just so I know, if you could do this all over again, I mean, make the decision to work with me, would you change things?".
Scully thought for a moment. "Mulder, when I first began working with you, I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of my life, but now, after everything that has happened, I'd do this a hundred times over".
"Flattery gets you no where Dr. Scully".
"And neither does sarcasm, but we're still here", Scully mused, "we're still here after all the aliens, all the monsters, we're still going strong".
"But not for much longer, as of tomorrow, 'we' won't exist. It'll only be 'you' and 'me' nothing else". He paused for a moment. "We have done a lot, haven't we?".
"That we have Mulder. We've been every where from Texas to Florida to Seattle and Idaho, you name it, we've most likely been there".
"What would be your favorite memories Scully? What memories are you going to treasure?".
She knew he was going to go all soppy and emotional, she didn't blame him. Settling back in the seat and getting comfortable, she answered him. " Oh, there are many Mulder. Most likely your face that you pulled whenever you saw a dead person, that is one unforgettable face", she laughed. "And when we were in the car waiting for tooms, that'd have to a good one".
"Nah, I reckon when we were in the Forrest, remember when we spent the night in there and you said if it started to rain sleeping bags, I'd get lucky".
"I was only joking Mulder, you really were preying for those sleeping bags though, weren't you".
"Scully you have no idea", he smirked.
"Anyway, back to memories. I remember when I saw you kissing Sheila, when I had Holman with me, that would have to be one of the worst kisses I've seen".
"No way, that wasn't a kiss, that was..well that's not the point. I know I'll always remember your dog".
"Why?".
"Because it was such a pain in the ass", he laughed.
"Was not!", Scully cried as she hit him on the arm. "At least I don't have a fish tank of water that doesn't have fish in it!".
"Well it did have fish in it at one stage, they just died".
"Oh, I thought it was just there for decoration". She pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I think the memories that I treasure are the ones we spent together, the ones that happened on cases. Some of them good, some of them bad, but they all count. Memories of arguments, agreements, achievements, disaster, they all count".
"The ones I don't want to remember are the ones about you and my sister, about your abductions. They never go away, but I try to pretend that they never happened. I wish they hadn't". His voice wavered, but only for a second or two, "and besides, there are too many good ones to make room for".
"Good ones indeed". They sat in silence. "What about monsters, there's been plenty of them. There was Tooms and the Jersey Devil. Can't forget that sea monster, that was a bad one".
"And Robert Modell, the flukeman, killer bugs that like the night, cockroaches.".
"Ah I was wondering when she'd come up", Scully teased.
"Who?".
"Bambi".
"I didn't bring her up, you did. I never said a word about her".
"You didn't need to, I saw the way you looked at her today".
"I didn't 'look' at her. Well what do you want me to do? Turn my back to her?".
"Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted you to do".
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice Agent Scully?".
She swallowed hard, "not at all". Liar, she thought, absolute liar.
"Any way, back to monsters", Mulder continued, "There's the black oil, Cigarette-Smoking man, shape shifters, Donnie Pfaster..". He stopped. Scully sunk into her seat. "Sorry", he said, "I shouldn't have mentioned him".
"He still scares me Mulder, even though he's dead".
Mulder pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She put her arms around him and they sat like that for a good 10 minutes before either of them moved. When they sat up, Mulder saw the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry", he soothed.
"I can't help it Mulder, I honestly can't. All these memories, they hurt. But you know what my vividest one is?".
He shook his head.
"The very first time we met. That conversation, you thought I was a spy. We were so young back then, still learning. They say first impressions last, well, they do. Things were so different, so easy for us, now, every corner we turn, we have to battle someone or something".
The big screen went black, then after a while the next movie started. A train speed across the screen, then ahead on the tracks, lay a woman tied up, screaming her lungs out.
"We were young then, weren't we", Mulder whispered, "now, we've grown old. Grown old together".
"It's weird, I always pictured us still chasing monsters when we were 60. I always thought that if there were still monsters and UFO's to hunt, we'd keep going, but I guess I was wrong".
"We're almost 60", Mulder laughed, "almost there. We're getting to the stage in our lives when we begin to slow down, begin to think about what could have been, where we would be now if we'd never met, who we'd be with, and if we'd have kids, and how many we'd have..". He trailed off. He had again brought up a touchy subject. "Sorry, I forgot. I guess, that's my dream".
She held his hand, "no it's fine, if we'd never met, I'd never had been abducted, and quite possibly, that could have been my dream too. Maybe it still is". She yawned.
He brushed her hair aside, "Go to sleep Scully, you're tired".
"No, I'm fine, I want to be with you while I can. After tomorrow...".
"Sleep, you can lie down, don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here with you". He reached forward and kissed her lips. He had waited for this moment for years, time to be close, time to let go of what could have been, time to focus on what is. His hands explored her, down her neck, her back, and her legs.
She felt his body over hers, they lay down across the seats, and she struggled to remove his jacket. More and more they kissed, faster and faster their hands went. Finally, all his body weight was on hers, and they lay there kissing. Both their discarded jackets lay on the floor. More clothing may have ended up there as well, but they both agreed that it wasn't the way to end things, it would only make it harder to say good-bye. When the urge to keep kissing subsided, they lay side by side, holding onto each other.
"Sleep", Mulder said.
"Only if you sleep as well", Scully replied.
He smiled at her, "I'll sleep now, only one night, and only for you".
47th Showtime Theater Tuesday 7:19am
The knocking on the door echoed through the theater. Phillip Neilson, the owner, went and opened them up. Outside stood 11 agents, two of which were Carly Muir and Walter Skinner. One of the other Agents, Thomas, stepped forward. "Excuse me Sir, sorry to wake you, but we have reason to believe that there are two FBI Agents on your premises. May we come in?".
"Ah...", the owner looked to Muir, who sadly nodded her head, "sure, come on in".
Muir had tried to hold them back for as long as she could, but she could hold them no more without sounding suspicious. She knew this was going to end badly. The alarm had been raised at about 7pm the night before, the way people were acting, it was like Mulder and Scully were escaped felons. Three teams of 6 had been dispatched and were looking for them throughout the night. Three hours earlier, a woman from D.C general had called the station after hearing a report on the radio that the two FBI Agents had gone missing. The call she placed named the area she had seen them in and that she saw them apart, not together.
Mr. Neilson led the Agents to the theater. It was dark and the movies had finished at 2am and the only noise that could be heard was the songs playing on the speakers that were connected to the radio. He watched as the agents spread themselves around the exit doors and up the isles to where Mulder and Scully slept. None of them moved without Muir's consent. She walked up the isle to the back row. Muir silently cursed herself, as she picked up their jackets and stepped back. The two agents lay side by side, facing each other and hugging.
She turned and walked back down the isle to where skinner stood. "I feel so bad about this", she said.
"We gave them all the time we could, for that they will be thankful", was all Skinner said.
Muir nodded to Agent Thomas and he went up to the sleeping agents. After that she left the agents' coats on a chair in the first row, then she and Skinner went into the lobby, they couldn't watch.
Back in the theater, Thomas woke the agents. "Agents Mulder, Scully, this is your wake up call", he smirked. He watched as the male agent, Mulder, opened his eyes and frowned. "You are both in very serious trouble, you both knew you were not to leave your apartments".
Mulder stood up, "since when has the Bureau been worried about doing the right thing?". That comment cost him his good-bye to Scully. Two other agents came over and grabbed his arms and began to lead Mulder towards the door.
Scully awoke and sat up. In seconds she was on her feet, demanding to know what was going on. "Where are you taking him? You can't do this!", she cried.
Thomas blocked her way, "you were told to stay in your apartment. Now, you are both in big trouble. Say good-bye to Agent Mulder, because in 45 minutes, he's going to be on a plane to Portland".
Scully's face went white. "Move you asshole, let me through!".
Thomas refused to move.
Scully began to climb over the rows of seats in order to reach Mulder before they took him away. She saw Mulder turn his head. "Mulder wait!", she cried. She knew he couldn't do anything, the men were stronger than he was. She just managed to see him mouth the words "I love you" before they left and the door closed behind them. Thomas and the other Agents left as well, leaving Scully alone.
She had come so close to him, now they were so far. Scully fell to her knees and began to cry, her sobs echoed around the theater. "Why", she yelled, "why take him from me! How could you....", tears were streaming from her face and falling to the floor. She stopped crying and just sat there, staring at the speaker. And from the speaker came an errie song, it had to be more than ironic. The lyrics were loud and long, they went straight so Scully's heart. The song that played was sung by Melanie Chisholm and Left Eye.
In the silence of the theater the words streamed out, as did her tears.. "Things will never be the same again..It's not a secret anymore, now we've opened up the door, Starting tonight and from now on, they'll never be the same again...again.never be the same again.".
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The End.