During her tenure at the FBI, Agent Dakota Whitney had learned that the cafeteria at headquarters rarely drew much traffic. Even at the height of lunchtime, most agents were either too busy to make a trip to the cafeteria, or were simply content to eat lunch at their desks. Those who could safely be called "regulars" of the cafeteria mostly consisted of support staff such as secretaries, and a few stray directors who attempted to appear social by making appearances once or twice a week.
Agent Whitney was happy to be one of the few field agents who journeyed down to the cafeteria whenever she had the opportunity. She could always find a peaceful corner where numerous tables had been left empty, a place where she could sit down with her lunch and go over some case files. She knew no one would bother her because, well, she wasn't exactly Miss Popularity to begin with. And a fair part of the reason why had to do with the case files she chose to read each day at lunch.
The X-Files. Mulder's X-Files, to her mind — he was the one who championed their validity, and who believed in the phenomena that the cases investigated. Agent Scully clearly understood the importance of the work, too, but her case reports indicated strong skepticism about a great deal of the investigations. It was Mulder who believed. And so did Whitney. She had seen a few things in her time that she couldn't easily explain away…
Agent Whitney had heard people talking about "Spooky" Mulder during her academy days, but it wasn't until she met Assistant Director Skinner that she found someone who was sympathetic to her interest in the cases. He had pointed her towards the files with a warning not to make her sympathy for Mulder's positions too public. It was a warning she had promptly ignored, and thus she found herself here – sitting in the corner of the half-empty cafeteria each day, alone. Given the frustrating closed-mindedness of her colleagues, however, she didn't particularly mind the privacy.
On this particular day, Whitney was reading about a case that Mulder and Scully investigated towards the end of his tenure on the X-Files — a case involving hexcraft rituals against the family of a Dr. Wieder. As was so often the case with the X-Files, the standard case report was actually quite engrossing, almost like an unfolding narrative.
The combination of her being wrapped up in the report and her lack of expectation for any sort of company, then, made it quite natural for Agent Whitney not to notice the sound of footsteps advancing towards her from across the cafeteria's tile floor. She was not so detached from reality, however, to ignore when someone stepped up right in front of her and stopped, casting a shadow across the report she was trying to read.
When she looked up – with a less-than-pleased expression on her face – Agent Whitney found herself staring at a young, blonde woman with a decidedly perky smile. Her hair seemed to wrap around the sides of her face and curl slightly under her chin, and she was clearly young – maybe even a little younger than Dakota herself. Dressed in a fairly standard black pantsuit, she was carrying a small black purse over her shoulder.
Whitney was still trying to process the situation when the blonde woman promptly spoke. "Agent Dakota Whitney?" she asked, her voice practically squeaking.
Whitney cocked an eyebrow at her, and tried not to look too exasperated by the interruption. "Uh, yes, that's me," she uttered, managing to sound at least somewhat cordial.
"I'm Agent Leyla Harrison," the blonde woman announced, extending a hand towards her. "I work down in accounting."
Not wanting to be rude, Whitney put down the case report and stood up, shaking Agent Harrison's hand as he rose. "Nice… to meet you," she answered, sounding every bit as confused as she felt. Somehow the woman's name sounded vaguely familiar. "Can I help you with something?"
"Not exactly," Harrison answered. "I just wanted to talk to you about… " she continued, trailing off. She gestured a hand towards the table Whitney was sitting at. "Um, do you mind if I… ?"
Whitney shrugged. "Sure, go ahead," she replied. Accordingly, Harrison sat down across from Whitney's seat, and Whitney promptly followed. As she sat, she found herself, putting one hand over the case report protectively. She had no intention of acting embarrassed about her interest in the X-Files, but if this woman was up to some kind of prank…
"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Whitney pressed, suddenly feeling defensive.
Leyla Harrison folded her hands together. "Well," she began, "I've noticed that you've been checking out a lot of case files from one of the records rooms downstairs." Her eyes drifted towards the file on the table. "The X-Files cases," she finished finally.
Whitney inhaled sharply, already bristling. She'd been mocked by the other agents before, but she'd never been interrupted during her lunch hour for the express purpose of being mocked. "Yeah," she responded, her voice growing increasingly aggressive. Her face hardened as she continued, "Is that a problem?"
Agent Harrison raised her palms defensively, giving a quick shake of her head. "You don't understand," she said defensively. "I was just wondering about your interest in the X-Files." Her voice got quiet, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "See, I'm usually the only one who checks out the files, and when I saw your name listed repeatedly on the sign-out sheet, I got-"
"Oh!" Whitney interrupted, chuckling a little in relief. She smiled slightly back at her visitor. "I thought I'd heard your name somewhere before. You were on the sign-out sheet for… well, all of these files, I think," she said, tapping a finger on the file on the table.
Harrison nodded, a comfortable smile now on her face. "Yes," she said. "In fact, I was even assigned to the X-Files for a time."
Agent Whitney's heart almost skipped a beat. Her eyes widened. "Really?" she said, trying hard not to sound too excited. "What – uh, when was this? Did you work with Agent Mulder?"
Harrison's grin widened. "Well, no and yes. Technically, I was assigned to be Agent Doggett's partner when Agent Scully left on maternity leave, but I did get to face down a creepy-crawly alongside Agent Mulder – ex-agent by then, actually – during my asssignment."
Harrison's voice sped up with excitement as she spoke. Whitney found herself rather charmed by the other woman's infectious enthusiasm. She returned Agent Harrison's grin, impressed. "That explains it - I'm somewhat familiar with Agent Doggett," Whitney said, "Although I haven't read his reports yet. I must say I haven't heard your name in conjunction with the files," she continued, curiosity rising her voice. "I thought Agent Doggett was partnered with an Agent Reyes after Scully left the office?"
"Oh – yes, well, I was only partnered with Agent Doggett for the one case," Harrison admitted, smiling a bit apologetically.
"Oh," Whitney answered, nodding. She was a little crestfallen now – she had so many questions for this woman just a few seconds ago, about how the division had worked, about how their investigations had been conducted, where they had gathered their information… it seemed that she was unlikely to hold such answers now, but maybe she still had a few insights…
"Although I did work with Agents Doggett and Reyes on another case a year after my official assignment," Harrison continued, seemingly unaware of Whitney's disappointment. "Unofficially, I mean. I brought a case to their attention that seemed rather unexplainable, you know? I also consulted with Agent Scully on that case." She hadn't lost any of the enthusiasm from moments before, and Dakota soon found her own interest in her excitable visitor rising once again.
"You clearly believed in the work, then," Whitney said. There was an unspoken question in the statement – a test to see if Agent Harrison agreed.
"Absolutely!" Harrison responded, her volume rising. "What they did… Mulder and Scully, especially, but even Doggett and Reyes… it was so important to the bureau. I just can't believe that they shut the X-Files division down! These questions need to be raised, they need to be answered, don't you think?"
Whitney no longer had any doubt in the other woman's sincerity. "I completely agree," she answered honestly. "And I have to say, I really envy you for having a chance to be a part of that."
Harrison's smile grew wistful. "Thank you," she replied. "Believe me, I know how lucky I am. It wasn't the right fit for me, and I realize that, but I'm so grateful to have had the experience all the same. I begged for that assignment. I tried so hard to think like Mulder would think – to see things through unclouded eyes… "
Whitney detected more than a hint of longing in the other woman's voice, and smirked to herself. She suspected Agent Harrison had something of a schoolgirl crush on Mulder… and from what she had seen and read about the man, she couldn't blame her in the least. "He seems like he was an extremely admirable man," Whitney said. "Kind of incredible, really. I wish the whole bureau was as open-minded as he was."
Harrison was still smiling and nodding excitedly as she pulled her purse up on the table. "I want to show you something," she told Whitney. "Mulder and Scully gave this to me in appreciation for my work on the X-Files, after that first assignment I mean." She pulled out a small silver medallion emblazoned with the image of an eagle and the words 'Apollo 11' on one side. "They said it represents teamwork, the kind that's needed to get through those sorts of cases."
Whitney took the medallion from Harrison carefully and flipped it over in her hand. She shook her head, smiling. "Now you're just trying to make me jealous," Whitney said, smiling.
"Oh, no," Harrison answered. "It's just something that's really important to me. And I wanted to show it to someone else who could understand and appreciate why."
Whitney looked up at her again, handing the medallion back to her as she did so. "Is that why you're here?" Whitney asked. "Did you seek me out because you've been looking for someone else who can… appreciate the X-Files?"
Agent Harrison nodded, her smile turning somewhat rueful and embarrassed. "I'm not exactly the most popular girl down in accounting, or even in the entire bureau," she explained. "I never really have been. People tend to mock my belief and interest in these sorts of phenomena. And when I saw your name popping up on the sign-out sheet, over and over, I thought… that is, I hoped that maybe you were someone who could understand."
Dakota Whitney smiled at Harrison now with both appreciation and reassurance on her face. "Believe me, girl," she told the other agent, "You've come to exactly the right person."
Leyla Harrison grinned warmly, and then leaned in closer to the other agent. "So, okay, I have to tell you about this case we worked on, involving this lizard-man."
"A lizard-man?" Whitney echoed, immediately fascinated.
"Yes!" Harrison confirmed. "He was this scientist who said he was on the brink of creating a new species of reptile, but it turned out the reptile was him! See, there were these victims who were blinded by this venom… "
Agent Whitney smiled and listened intently as Harrison went on, excitedly relaying her big adventure in the X-Files office. And as she listened to the passion rising in the young woman's voice, Whitney heard the words of Humphrey Bogart echoing in her head: "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."