Title: Lessons

Characters: Mulder, F.

Scully, D.

Rating: TV-14

Genre: Supernatural, Action/Adventure

Summary: On a case, Scully learns a lesson about life, death, and love from the most unlikely of all people: Mulder.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the X-Files. That's all for Chris Carter and the other folks. If I did own the X-Files, I would have never gotten rid of Mulder and brought in Dogget. It just wasn't the same. I also would have never made that episode entirely about something in the 50's with that guy with the spider in his mouth. That was gross. Anyway, X-Files: not mine. Just playing in somebody else's sandbox. Enjoy! And review, or else the bedbugs will come at night and eat you alive. :)

Chapter One

Just as she had for almost every weekend for the past month, Scully sat behind Mulder's desk, going through file after file. Mulder wasn't there, of course, to help her sort them, but she'd really stopped caring. She had nothing to do on weekends anyway. Most weekends she and Mulder were out on another case.

She stopped for a moment and looked up at a clock. It was only half-past-eleven. She wondered, idly, what Mulder was doing at that moment. Probably sleeping on his couch, she figured. She sighed and shoved the files back into a box, deciding that she wanted to go ahead and eat lunch. She turned again to grab her coat from the back of Mulder's chair, but knocked over his lamp and nameplate in the process.

"Damn," she said quietly as she stooped down to pick them up. She was pulling the lamp to her when something caught her attention. It was a folder, lying underneath the desk. She grabbed it quickly, thinking it was one of the folders she had been looking through. But when she looked at the contents of it, she didn't recognize the folder. She closed it and flipped it around. Stuck to the front was a yellow Post-it note. She quickly read it.

Scully;

If you come to the office on Saturday, take these reports to Agent Marson in room 604. He needs these for a case he's working on.

~Mulder

She sighed in relief. That was all there was. From Mulder she would've expected much more, perhaps an autopsy request or for her to look something up. Or at least to memorize the contents in time to leave on assignment that day.

She sighed again and finished picking up Mulder's things, hastily placing the nameplate on the desk. She grabbed Mulder's file and her coat, hoping to get out before her favorite restaurants got crowded. Organizing files could wait. Mulder knew where everything was anyway. Arranging things sometimes only confused him at times.

She walked quickly down the halls, sliding past those who wouldn't move fast enough. She was also painfully aware of those who stared at her as she walked past. She knew of what they said about her and Mulder behind their backs. They talked about Spooky's latest case of chasing little green men and how he drug poor Dr. Scully along with him. She shook her head. They didn't know him. They didn't want to know him. They just wanted to laugh and smile at his expense.

She glanced at the note again. Room 604. She allowed a small smile. That office wasn't so far away at all. She could be in and out in only a few moments.

She finally reached the office and knocked on the door. She heard something crash, then a curse. a moment later the door was flung open, revealing a relatively young man, who was rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah?" he asked, grimacing as he touched a sore spot on his head.

"I'm Dana Scully. Agent Mulder is my partner. Are you Agent Marson?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. That's me."

Scully held out the file. "Mulder wanted me to give this to you."

Marson's face fell slightly. "Oh. I was hoping he would bring them himself so he could pick up his other files."

"I'll take them down to his office for you," Scully offered.

Marson looked at her skeptically. "No. I don't...Well, he has some kind of...private things in here. Who did you say you were again?"

"Scully. Mulder's partner," she repeated, a little more than slightly irritated.

"Oh! Alright then. Come on in for a moment. I need to find them."

Scully nodded and reluctantly followed Marson into his office. He quickly grabbed a stack of papers from off of the floor and under a table, which, Scully guessed, was probably what he had hit his head on. While he did so, Scully mentally noted that Mulder owed her yet another favor.

She glanced around the office. The first thing she noticed was how different it was from Mulder's. No posters, pictures, or note boards cluttered the walls. The desk was almost spotless, not covered with loose papers, photos, or pens and pencils that had been chewed on. It was almost her dream office, orderly and simple. Or, it was almost her old dream office. Five years spent around Spooky Mulder had gotten to her, and she now found herself seeing things more and more his way.

Marson caught her stare and smiled. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. Your office is just the complete opposite of Mulder's."

Marson smiled. "Yeah, I've seen his. But he finds what he needs."

"Yeah, though I never can. But he has tried to keep it clean."

Marson nodded, then turned back to his files. "Aha!" he exclaimed suddenly, pulling out a folder. He sat behind his desk and handed it to Scully.

Curious as to what Marson would want with one of Mulder's files, she flipped it open and looked through it. She was surprised to see photos and documents from a case she and Mulder had investigated a few years before. She looked up at Marson.

"What did you need these for?"

"A new case I'm working on. Here, let me show you." He stood up and pulled another file out of the cabinet. He set it on the desk and Scully leaned forward to see it better.

He opened it and began pulling out crime scene photos. "There's been a series of murders in the town of Mestdale, Louisiana. Serial killer, I believe. Whoever it is attacks and kills the victim. Then the killer takes one internal organ from the body, but leaves the rest.

Scully frowned and picked up a few pictures. The top picture was that of a man, lying in a puddle of his own blood on an apartment floor. Huge gashes and indentions could be seen in his skull and his chest seemed to have been brutally ripped open.

"That guy was Kevin McMall. Construction worker formerly of New Orleans, he was found in his home by his ex-wife. The killer took his left lung."

Scully shook her head and turned to the next picture. A woman was tied to a chair, her abdomen a mangled mess. Other than that, however, she looked completely normal.

"She was Krystal Serpaz. Kidneys were missing. We're guessing she died of blood loss."

"You don't know for sure?"

"Well, I haven't finished reading all of the files yet."

"Right. Did you just get the case?"

"Yeah. Few days ago."

"Why did you need Agent Mulder's files?"

"He said he had some similar cases. One was about a fetishist. Collected female hair and finger nails.

"Donnie Faster," Scully said, trying to keep her horrid memories at bay.

"Yeah," Marson answered. "Mulder believes it may be a fetishist. One who likes to collect different human organs." Marson shook his head. "I think it may be some Satanistic or witchcraft group taking parts for sacrifices. Or simply a crazy serial killer who wants to leave a mark."

Scully shrugged. All the theories, including Mulder's, all seemed possible. She flipped through more pictures, then looked up at Marson, who was staring at her with a small smile on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"You're very beautiful. Did you know that?"

Scully allowed a small smile and turned back to the folder, but still Marson stared. Finally she closed the folder and looked up at him. "What now?"

"Well, you don't seem like you get a lot of compliments. But you are beautiful."

"Thank you," she said quietly. She didn't at all, except from Mulder. And his weren't even as outright as Marson's. Mostly 'you look fine's.

The next thing she knew, she was lost in conversation with Marson. They talked about cases, family, Skinner, and the weather. She even discovered that he felt the same resentment towards Agent Spender. Both, however, seemed to shy away from Mulder. Scully wasn't sure why.

After while, Marson leaned forward. "Don't think me too ambitious, but are you doing anything Monday night? There's some kind of play coming out in town and I'd like to take you to see it. If you want to come, that is."

"Like a date?" Scully asked, smiling.

Something like that."

She hadn't been on one of those in a long time, she realized. Before her analytical doctor's mind could kick in, she found herself nodding. "Sure. Why not?"

Marson beamed. "Really? That's great! I could pick you up around six?"

Scully thought for a moment. She'd probably be stuck with Mulder, sorting files at that time. "Could we just go straight from here, you think? I usually have to work late."

"Sure, I guess. Six?" Scully nodded. "Great! That's great."

Scully smiled. But now how would she tell Mulder that he would have to finish organizing by himself?