SPOILER WARNING: Minor spoiler for Anasazi/The Blessing Way/Paperclip
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNING: Language
CLASSIFICATION: SA, MSR
SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully aren't speaking to each other. Skinner
wants to know why.
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
by Brandon D. Ray (publius@avalon.net)
MONDAY
8:34 a.m.
FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner was known throughout the Bureauas a meticulous man. He had built this public image over the course ofmore than two decades of federal law enforcement, and he held the reputationfor one simple reason: It was true.
Whether he was coaching his nephew's soccer team, or supervising themost complicated and dangerous of sting operations, he was never willingto settle for half measures. And if he was sometimes a little toughon the people under his supervision, they were willing to accept that,because they all knew that he was even tougher on himself.
Still, that didn't mean that what he was about to do was going to beeasy. No one ever promised you that ANYTHING in life wouldbe easy, Walter,>> he reminded himself.
A few moments earlier, his secretary had buzzed to let him know thatthe two agents he had summoned had arrived. He had told her to havethem wait, and had taken these last few minutes to collect his thoughts,and steel himself for what lay ahead. Now he settled himself behindhis desk, adjusted the pencil lying next to his blotter so that it wasPRECISELY at right angles to the edge of the desk, and pushed the intercombutton. "Send them in."
The door opened, and Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder enteredthe room. As Mulder shut the door, Skinner reflected on the factthat he seemed to spend more "face time" with these two agents than hedid with any other four agents in his area. That might have botheredsome supervisors, but to Skinner it was just part of the job -- and heknew also that he got more and better work out of these two than out ofany other team he had ever had in his employ.
Until recently.
He rocked back in his chair and looked at them for a moment, standingside by side in front of his desk. Normally, there was an almostvisible bond tying the two together, and an aura extending outwards thataggressively proclaimed their partnership, keeping all strangers (whichmeant, in reality, everyone but themselves) at arm's length. Thishad never bothered Skinner; he had long ago intuited that this was oneof the principle reasons why the two were so effective.
But today -- and for the last two weeks -- it was different.
They had returned on a Friday afternoon from an assignment in Vermont. They had successfully concluded the assignment, in their usual unorthodoxstyle, and when Skinner spoke to them briefly that afternoon, they hadbeen tired, but otherwise perfectly normal (at least by their own standards).
The following Monday, however, everything had changed. It hadbeen as if a wall of ice had suddenly appeared between them. Theyhad been civil, correct, professional -- but there was no spark, no energy.
Skinner had assumed at first that they had simply had an argument aboutsomething -- hardly a new experience for them -- and that it would blowover in a day or two. But it did not, and before long it had begunto affect their work.
At the heart of it, of course, was the self-evident fact that they wereno longer communicating. Normally their ability to sense each other'sthoughts and intentions, and to coordinate their activities, bordered onthe telepathic. Now, however, they seemed perpetually out of step;the reports they submitted showed at first a certain sloppiness, then aclearly willful lack of cooperation. Going over their paperwork thispast Friday evening, Skinner had come to the unhappy conclusion that hewould have to intervene, before they slid over into outright negligence.
He cleared his throat. "Agent Scully. Agent Mulder. Thank you for coming. I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting." He looked at the two faces across the desk from him: Hers, as always,would do credit to the Sphinx; surprisingly, his was also completely blank. Normally Mulder's face was a roadmap to his emotions, but not today. He was as cold and walled-off as his partner.
Skinner cleared his throat again. "As you both know, the Bureautakes no official interest in the personal business of its employees. However, when that personal business intrudes into your official duties,the Bureau must become involved." No reaction. Skinner sighedinwardly. This was going even worse than he had feared. Well,nothing to do but push ahead.
"I believe that we now face such a situation," he continued. "Believeme; I take no pleasure in having called this meeting, and I would ratherbe doing almost anything else rather than invading your privacy. However, the rapid deterioration of the quality of your work leaves meno alternative." He paused again, not expecting an answer, but becauseit was only fair to give them, either individually or as a pair, a chanceto respond.
To his surprise, it was Scully who spoke. Normally she was thequiet one, and it was Mulder who was outspoken, even verging on more thanone occasion on insubordination. The only exception was when sheperceived that Mulder was in jeopardy, at which point she came out andfought like a lioness. He remembered one evening when he had foundhimself looking at the wrong end of her Sig Sauer.... He shook himself,and realized that he hadn't actually been listening to what she was saying.
"I must apologize, Agent Scully; I was distracted by a passing thought. Would you be willing to repeat your comment?" Damn!>> hethought. This is not going well at all.>>
"I said, sir," she replied icily, "that I do not believe it is any businessof the Bureau what goes on in... MY...private life. If that is whatthis meeting is about, I must ask to be excused."
"As I have indicated, Agent Scully --"
She cut him off. "Sir, I do not believe you can find any faultin my conduct. I have been unfailingly correct, professional andcourteous. And *I* have in no way violated the ethical standardsof the Bureau, or of the Department." The slight stress on the word"I" in the last sentence was impossible to miss.
Skinner's eyes flicked over to Mulder. It was not lost on himthat Scully was defending only herself, and he was curious to see how herpartner was taking it.
Still a complete stoneface...Jesus. This was bad. Skinnerdrummed his fingers on the desktop and looked at the two agents. He decided on a frontal assault. If he couldn't slide past the wallwith reason, perhaps he could batter it down. He winced inwardlyat the simile, but didn't see that he had any choice.
"With due respect, Agent Scully, that is not an acceptable response. You are dodging the issue. While your CONDUCT has been beyond reproach,your work product -- your reports, the disposition of your cases, and thelike -- has been completely unacceptable. Unacceptable, Agent Scully." He bored in on her, hoping to reestablish the contact he normally had withher. Their relationship paled in comparison to her bond with Mulder,but it was contact. But not today.
"I'm sorry that you feel that way, sir. May I ask why *I* am beingsingled out for criticism? I am, after all, only one member of the...TEAM...towhich I have been assigned. If I may say so, sir, this interviewis not up to your usual standard of fairness." Still, her face remainedcold, distant and expressionless.
Again, Skinner sighed. She had a point; he HAD been singling herout. But that was only because she was the first one -- the onlyone, so far -- who had responded. Normally, these interviews werecharacterized by sharp exchanges between himself and Mulder, punctuatedby Scully's intervention on Mulder's behalf. But again, today thescript was different.
"That's a fair point, Agent Scully." He shifted his eyes to Mulderagain. "Agent Mulder, have you got anything to contribute to thisconversation? This is, after all, at least as much your problem asit is Agent Scully's."
"No, sir."
'No, sir' what?>> Skinner wondered. No, he didn't haveanything to contribute, or no, it wasn't his problem? Jesus, he waslosing control of this entire conversation. He had rehearsed it inhis mind all weekend, but none of his scenarios had gone like this.
While he didn't understand any better than when they started what theproblem was, one thing was becoming clear: The longer he held themin his office, the more they were each digging in their heels. Hehad to break this up, cut his losses, and give some more thought to thesituation before he tried again. He nodded sharply.
"Very well, Agents. If either of you -- or both of you -- shouldchange your minds, and wish to talk, my door will be open. You aredismissed." And the two agents left, but not together.
# # #
12:47 p.m.
Skinner sat in the cafeteria, pushing his chef's salad around on theplate. He'd spent the morning mulling over the disasterous interviewwith Mulder and Scully, and reached no good conclusions. He'd reviewedhis initial analysis, even read through their reports again, and been reassured,at least, in his own views. His conclusions were correct: there WASa problem, and it had to be addressed. The only question was HOW.
Finally, he shook his head, stood up, and carried his tray to the disposal. This wasn't getting him anywhere, and he had other work to do. Hewouldn't -- couldn't -- wash his hands of Agents Mulder and Scully, butmaybe if he took the afternoon and evening to do his other work, and thinkabout other things, his subconscious would find the clue he was missing.
Maybe they would even solve the problem themselves -- they were goodat solving problems. But he couldn't count on it, and he was determinednot to let his best agents self-destruct like this. It just wasn'tgoing to happen -- not if Walter Skinner had anything to say about it.
# # #
TUESDAY
1:17 p. m.
Skinner finished reading the report on the Dennison matter, scribbleda few notes in the margin at the bottom, and closed the folder with a sigh. He took off his glasses, closed his eyes and rubbed his nose. Twentyyears in this business, and these cases could still get to him sometimes-- especially the ones involving children.
The buzzer on his intercom sounded. Glaring at the device, hepunched the talk button. "Skinner."
"Sir, Agent Mulder is here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment,but he is very insistent."
"Send him in," the Assistant Director replied, and switched off theintercom. Hastily, he put his glasses back on, and dropped the Dennisonfile in his out box. He looked up expectantly, just as Mulder enteredthe room. The agent closed the door, and crossed the room to standin front of Skinner's desk.
Not knowing what to expect, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst,Skinner gestured to one of the visitor chairs.
Mulder shook his head. "I won't need that much of your time, sir. I'm here to request a transfer to the VCU."
Skinner stared at the tall, lanky agent in disbelief. MULDER wasrequesting a transfer away from the X-Files? MULDER? "This-- this comes as quite a surprise, Agent Mulder," he managed to stutterout.
"I realize that, sir. However, I've been thinking about what yousaid yesterday, and I believe that this is in the best interests both ofmyself and of the Bureau."
Skinner realized that he was continuing to stare at Mulder. Heshook himself and forced himself to look away. His eyes fell againon the visitor's chair. "Please...sit down, Agent Mulder," he said,and waited while the man reluctantly complied.
Skinner contemplated the agent's face for a moment. Mulder wasstill wearing the same mask as yesterday. Skinner shook his headslightly, and said, "A decision to transfer to another unit is not oneto be lightly entered into. You have been doing excellent work inyour current assignment, and I would be loathe to see you throw that allaway."
"I understand that, sir," Mulder responded coolly. "However, inthis instance, I think it would be best for...everybody."
Suddenly Skinner was angry. "*I* will be the one who decides whatis best for 'everybody', Agent Mulder," he snapped, and instantly regrettedit.
"Yes, sir," Mulder replied, no change of expression visible on his face. "Forgive me, sir. I was merely expressing my views; I had no intentionto overstep my proper bounds. Sir."
Skinner stared. Normally, by this point in an interview Mulderwould be pounding on his desk and yelling. This cold formalism wasfar more disturbing than any yelling, precisely because it was so totallyout of character. If he had had any doubts that something was really,really wrong in that basement office, they were now completely banished. He decided to steer the subject back to the matter at hand. "AgentMulder, I assume that you are aware that, if you DO transfer to ViolentCrimes, it will almost certainly not be possible for you to transfer backto the X-Files at a future date." Come on, Mulder,>> he thought. It's a one-way door, and you know that as well as I do. Don'tdo this!>>
"I am aware of that, sir," was the only reply.
Skinner drummed his fingers on the desk top, and Mulder sat in the chairstaring back at him. All he could think of was to confront the managain -- yet that had not worked yesterday. Maybe if he tried a moreconciliatory approach.
"Agent Mulder," he said, and paused. How should he put this? "Agent, Mulder, as I indicated yesterday, I am quite concerned about the...situationas it exists between yourself and Agent Scully." No response. "Your work has been suffering, and I am certain that it can only be a matterof time before the matter is noticed -- and taken up -- by HIGHER AUTHORITIES." He deliberately stressed the last two words, and he was certain that Mulderknew exactly who he was talking about. "I would like to take thisopportunity to repeat my offer of yesterday: If there is anythingI can do or say which would be helpful, please say so."
The man hesitated, then said firmly, "I don't believe there is anythinganyone can do, sir. Other than to accept my request for transfer."
"A referral to the Employee Assistance Program --" Skinner began, butMulder cut him off.
"With due respect, sir, I would like to decline. We both knowthat an EAP referral can place a black mark next to an employee's name."
Mulder is worrying about a black mark?>> Skinner wondered. What's one more spot to a leopard?>> He shrugged slightly. Well, he'd made the offer. "So is there nothing I can do, Agent Mulder?" Talk to me, Mulder!>>
"Other than to facilitate my transfer, no sir."
Skinner stood staring across the desk at the recalcitrant agent for another moment. Finally, he nodded reluctantly. "Very well,Agent Mulder. I will take your request under consideration. You are dismissed."
Mulder stood up. He started to head for the door, then turnedback, and said hesitantly, "When --""
"I said you are dismissed, Agent Mulder!" Skinner snapped. Muldernodded and left the room.
# # #
3:49 p.m.
Skinner stared across the desk at Agent Scully. "So you are requestinga transfer to Pathology?" he asked. Didn't I just have thisconversation a couple of hours ago?>>
"Yes sir."
"May I ask why?"
"I believe I already explained my reasoning, sir. I believe itis in the best interests of the Bureau."
Skinner decided to ignore the statement. He hadn't handled thatissue at all well in speaking to Agent Mulder. "I wonder if you fullyappreciate the consequences of your request, Agent Scully."
"Sir, I believe I have --"
He raised a hand and cut her off. "Attend me, please. Ido not know if you are aware of it, but two hours ago Agent Mulder cameto my office and requested a transfer to Violent Crimes." Normally,he would not dream of revealing the contents of a confidential interviewwith one employee to another employee. This situation, however, seemedto warrant it. "If I transfer you to Pathology, and Agent Mulderto the VCU, the X-Files will be shut down. If that should happen,they will remain shut down. Neither you, nor Agent Mulder, nor anyoneelse, will be able to reopen them for the foreseeable future."
Scully shrugged slightly. "The X-Files have been an interesting...diversion,"she said. "However, I believe that I have long since completed theassignment I was given by Section Chief Blevins. My talents are beingwasted on this project, and my career has been sidetracked. At onetime I thought that there might be other...compensations. However,I have come to the conclusion that this is not the case. I thereforerequest transfer. Sir."
As he had with Mulder, Skinner became angry. He whipped off hisglasses, and said, "Let's cut the crap, shall we Agent Scully? Thisisn't about the Bureau, and this isn't about your career, and we both knowit. This is about --"
"Sir --"
He overrode her. "This is about you and Agent Mulder. Now,I don't know what happened down there in your little cubbyhole, and frankly,I don't care. It's none of my business, and there is no requirementby the Bureau or by myself that the agents working in this unit be friends.
"But I do expect you to work together -- and to work on your assignedcases. In the past, I have had complete confidence in the abilityof the X-Files unit to accept and master any challenge I posed to it, butin the last two weeks my confidence has been badly shaken. I am willingto do anything in my power to see that confidence restored. WhatI am NOT willing to do is see the most successful team it has ever beenmy pleasure to supervise broken up by some irrelevant triviality."
As soon as the words cleared his lips, he knew he had made a mistake. Agent Scully rose from her chair, her entire body trembling with anger. "Sir," she said, in a slightly strangled voice, "may I have permissionto speak freely?"
"Go ahead," he said, dreading what he knew was about to come. But you brought it on yourself, didn't you, Walter?>>
"Sir," the agent said, barely controlled fury hovering around the edgesof her words. "I do not believe that I deserved to be subjected tothat, that tirade. I have made a legitimate and reasonable request. I have spent FIVE YEARS of my life working on this project, and I havedone the very best I could. That far exceeds any reasonable commitmentwhich could be construed from my original acceptance of the assignmentgiven me by Section Chief Blevins. I now feel that I have done allthat I can with this project, and I wish to be transferred, immediately,to another unit, where I can put my talents to better use. I havenothing further to contribute, either to the X-Files or, for that matter,to this conversation." And she turned and stalked out of the room.
# # #
THURSDAY
11:03 a.m.
Two days had passed. During that time, Skinner had surreptitiouslyobserved the two agents of the X-Files unit as they moved about the buildingperforming their duties. Once he had even gone to their office, butfound the almost palpable aura of hostility -- both between the two agentsand also directed at him -- to be overwhelming. Lacking a reallygood reason for being there, he had beat a hasty retreat.
Nothing seemed to be changing -- at least, not for the better. And if Skinner knew anything about human psychology, that was a very badsign. It meant, in all probability, that the battle lines had beendrawn, and the two of them were sitting there brooding, each reinforcinghis or her own self-justifications for whatever it was that was upsettingthem.
Maybe I should just approve their transfer requests and be donewith it,>> he thought. They each say that's what they want;maybe I should just do it.>> He eyed the telephone. All itwould take would be two brief phone calls -- and he knew that "higher authorities"would take the ball and run with it.
Except that that wasn't Walter Skinner's way. You can'trun away from this, Walter,>> he thought. That's not whythey pay you the big bucks.>>
Sighing, he reached out and touched the intercom button. "Pleaseask Agents Mulder and Scully to come to my office." He didn't knowwhat he was going to say to them, but he had to try something.
It took them less than three minutes to arrive. Skinner sat inhis swivel chair as they walked across the room and stood in front of hisdesk, just as they had on Monday. "Please be seated, Agents," hesaid. After a moment's hesitation, they both sat down.
"Thank you for coming so promptly," he said. "I know that youhave a heavy workload, and I appreciate the fact that you were able tobreak away."
"Did we have a choice?"
"I believe we always have choices, Agent Scully." He held up hishand to forestall any response. "Sorry; I didn't ask you up hereto debate philosophy." He took a deep breath. Heregoes nothing.>> "But I think you both know why I DID call you uphere. So how about it? What gives?" He tried to makehis voice light and genial.
For the first time in nearly three weeks, Skinner saw the two agentsactually look at each other. It was just the briefest glance, butit was there.
He decided to press his advantage, as small as it might be. "Agents,"he said, looking first at one, then at the other. "I am utterly,completely serious. This situation cannot be permitted to continue." Again he raised his hand in order to hold the floor. "As I said previously,I have no desire -- none -- to interfere in your private lives. Bythe same token, however, your private lives cannot be permitted to interferewith the Bureau's business, either.
"I am asking you, therefore, in my official capacity as your supervisor,to try to find some way to resolve this unpleasantness. Otherwise,I will have no choice but to approve your transfer requests. AndI can't believe either one of you really wants that."
He looked from Mulder to Scully and back to Mulder. She was stillplaying Sphinx, and Mulder was doing his best to emulate her. Skinnersighed, and went on, "In the interest of trying to settle the matter onthe best possible terms, I would like to offer you the use of my office,as a sort of 'neutral territory', a place where you can talk things out. I can stay in the room as a sort of referee -- or I can leave the two ofyou alone to work it out in private."
Again, Skinner looked from one to the other, trying to gauge their reactions,but as far as he could tell, there was none.
At last, Mulder said, "Sir, may I be excused?"
Skinner sighed. He'd been doing that a lot this week. "Verywell, Agent Mulder. If that is your wish." As the other manrose from his chair and walked towards the door, the Assistant Directorturned his gaze to Agent Scully.
"Agent Scully?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
She hesitated just the briefest of moments, then said firmly, "I don'tthink I have anything I wish to say to...anyone. Sir."
"Then you are also excused," he replied.
"Thank you, sir." And she also rose and left.
# # #
FRIDAY
12:58 p.m.
Skinner left the cafeteria holding two cups of coffee: one black,the other two sugars, no cream. He took the elevator back to hisfloor, but instead of going to his office, he stopped at the conferenceroom down the hall, and pushed the door open with his elbow.
Agent Scully was already waiting for him. He had decided afteryesterday's fiasco that he had to make one last attempt to get throughthe barrier, and it hadn't really been hard for him to conclude that hisbest chance lay with Dana Scully. Although he was close to both ofthe agents, his relationship with her was particularly..."intimate" wasnot quite the right word. "Significant", perhaps.
But whatever the correct phrasing was, he knew that if he could justget past the mysterious barrier she had erected between herself and therest of the world, he would be able to reestablish contact with her. Of course, if he failed...
He pushed the thought from his mind. Failure is not anoption!>> he thought, quoting a line from one of his favorite movies.
Unfortunately, this was not a movie.
He quickly crossed the room to where she sat waiting at the conferencetable, and placed the sweetened cup of coffee in front of her. Shelooked up at him with dead, opaque eyes as he took the seat next to herand set his own cup down next to hers, then turned to face her. There'sso much pain in there,>> he thought, and wished desperately that he didn'thave to be doing this. But the boil had to be lanced, for her ownsake if for no other reason. Otherwise she'd never get whatever poisonit was out of her system. He just hoped it wasn't too late to doher any good.
"Agent Scully," he said, then stopped. No, that was wrong. Try again. "Dana." He saw her eyes widen ever so slightly athis use of her first name. "I want to start by apologizing for thescene in my office Tuesday afternoon." Take it slow, Walter;take it easy. You've got her attention, don't blow it!>>
"Sir, it is not necessary --"
"*I* think it is necessary," he said, cutting her off. "I am tryingto do my job, and my...professional concerns were and are legitimate. But during that conversation I stepped over the line; I went too far."
He paused to let her think about that for a moment. Comeon,>> he thought. Let me in. Talk to Uncle Walter.>>
Finally, she nodded. "Okay," she said. And Skinnerrejoiced at the first, tentative sign of a thaw. "Okay, so you'veapologized. Is that all?"
Skinner shook his head, and said, "No." And he waited.
She looked at him for a moment or two, then seemed for the first timeto notice the coffee he'd brought her. She picked it up and tooka cautious sip. "Nice," she said. "No cream, two sugars. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Another long silence. At last, she said, "I guess I don't understandwhere this conversation is going. You have already addressed theissue, both with myself and with...." She let the sentence trailoff and gestured vaguely with her hands. Then she continued, "Youhave said you don't want to pry into my personal life, and you have evenapologized for having done so. On the other hand, you haven't actedon...the transfer requests." Again, Skinner rejoiced; she was nolonger speaking ENTIRELY of herself, even if the references to Mulder werepretty damned oblique. "At least, so far as I know you have not." She looked at him questioningly.
Skinner shook his head again. "No, Agent Scully," he replied. "I have not acted upon the transfers requested by yourself and Agent Mulder. However, I think we both understand that I cannot sit on them indefinitely." She nodded slowly. "As to where this conversation is going..." He stopped and thought about it, and then said the only thing that WalterSkinner could say: "That's entirely up to you, Dana."
Her eyes flew to his at the second use of her personal name. "Isee," she said. "And suppose I decide to just get up and leave?"
Skinner gestured at the door. "You know the way," he said, andon an inspiration added, in the lightest possible tones, "Don't let thedoor hit you in the ass on the way out."
Involuntarily, she gave a half chuckle. "You sounded just like --" And then she stopped, and her face shut down completely. Her bodylanguage, which had been gradually becoming more open, turned cramped andhunched over, and for a few vital, eternal seconds, she didn't breatheat all, and neither did Skinner.
And then Dana Scully started to cry.
Skinner blinked in astonishment. Jesus!>> he thought. I didn't expect THIS! Now what??>>
He sat watching, helplessly, as great wracking sobs coursed throughher body. Her shoulders heaved, and her hands sat limp and uselessin her lap, while tears leaked out from behind eyelids that were squinchedtightly shut.
Skinner had seen employees cry before -- any supervisor had. Butusually he had at least an intellectual understanding of what was causingthe upset, and this time he didn't have a clue, beyond the fact that itobviously concerned her relationship with her partner.
Tentatively, he reached out a hand and gently touched her shoulder,but she knocked it away. And so he just sat there, helpless, andwatched her weep.
Finally, she started to wind down. The sobs gave way to sniffles,and she felt around in the pockets of her suit jacket until she found aKleenex, and she blew her nose into it loudly.
"That was quite a performance, Agent Scully," he commented at last,cautiously.
She laughed slightly, reassuring him. "I guess it was. I'llbet you didn't know I had it in me."
"I am constantly surprised at the range and versatility of the agentsin my employ," he intoned solemnly, and was inwardly delighted to hearher laugh again, a little bit stronger this time.
"Bet you got more than you bargained for in my case," she replied, andfinally was able to meet his eyes. "Sorry...Walter," she said.
"No need to apologize, Agent Scully," he said, instinctively puttingon his business hat again. "We all have our individual strengthsand weaknesses, and occasionally we all need a chance to...blow off steam."
"Yes, sir." She rose from her seat. "May I be excused, sir? I feel I should be getting back to work."
"Certainly, Agent Scully. I have no desire to keep you from yourwork."
# # #
FRIDAY
10:13 p.m.
Walter Skinner wearily closed the folder he was working on and placedit in his out box. One more to go,>> he thought. ThenI can go home.>>
It had been a long afternoon and evening. He had returned to hisoffice after the interview with Dana Scully completely drained of energy,as if HE were the one who had had the emotional breakdown. Then hehad waited anxiously in his office, hoping against hope for a visit ora phone call that would tell him that everything was going to be okay.
But it hadn't come, and as the hour grew late and darkness settled overthe nation's capital, he had resigned himself to the knowledge that itwasn't going to come.
He sighed deeply. No one could say he hadn't tried -- but thatwasn't doing his conscience one damned bit of good at the moment. Shaking his head, he reached for the last folder, and tried to put thematter out of his mind.
Hmm. This item was going to need some followup on the ground,and it looked like the Salt Lake City office had blown its wad. Infact, he realized, reading further, the SAC was basically dumping it onhim. With a growl of annoyance he considered whether the matter couldbe held over until Monday. Better not, he decided; events were developingawfully fast on this one.
Instinctively, he knew who he wanted to send, but that pretty clearlywasn't going to work -- not both of them, at any rate. He shrugged. So he wouldn't send both of them. This was more up Mulder's alley,anyway -- might as well get some use out of him before losing him to theVCU. And maybe he could expedite Scully's transfer while Mulder wasaway, so she'd be gone by the time he got back. A nice, clean break,like ripping a bandaid off.
Or putting a bullet in the back of someone's head.
He thought about calling Mulder, but the Assistant Director always preferredto deliver assignments to his agents in person. He'd stop down tothe basement office on his way out, on the chance that Mulder was workinglate; if he was not, well, the agent's apartment wasn't that far off theroute Skinner usually took to get home.
Gathering up a few items he wanted to work on over the weekend and stuffingthem into his briefcase, Skinner switched off the lights and left his office. The rest of that floor of the building was dark and silent, except forone janitor emptying wastebaskets in the conference room that Skinner andScully had sat in more than nine hours before.
Waiting for the elevator, Skinner wondered if there was anything elsehe could have done for Mulder and Scully. He reviewed the eventsof the past three weeks in his mind and concluded that there really wasn't. He'd made mistakes, yes, but he'd done the best he could. That didn'tmake it hurt any less, though. The elevator arrived, and he got onboard and pushed the button for the basement.
As he walked down the familiar basement hallway, Skinner saw that theiroffice door was standing open, indicating that Mulder was probably stillinside, or at least nearby. The lights were out, but that provednothing. Skinner was of the longstanding opinion and belief thatAgent Mulder had been raised in a cave. The Assistant Director steppedup to the threshold and started to go inside.
He almost tripped over something lying in the doorway. Lookingdown, he saw with surprise that it was Dana Scully's coat and purse, lyingin a crumpled heap on the floor. Glancing up again, he was even morestartled -- and appalled -- to see her computer monitor lying against theside wall, shards of broken glass and plastic scattered hither and yon. Things must really have gone to hell down here,>> he thought witha sinking feeling in his gut. And it's at least partiallymy fault, because I goaded her into it this afternoon. 'Lancing aboil' my ass!>>
He almost turned to go, but then he shook his head. He was goingto have to face this sooner or later; he also still had this case to disposeof, and Mulder was still the right agent for the job. Sighing, heshifted his gaze to the two desks the agents had somehow squeezed intoa room which was really too small even for one. Sure enough, Mulderwas here: He was sitting in his chair, his back to the door. Skinner thought about turning on the light, but decided against it. It's still his office, after all, at least for a few more days.>>
He was about to speak when he noticed that Mulder wasn't alone. He blinked in surprise, and squinted into the gloom, trying to make outwhat was going on.
Jesus! Is she sitting on his lap??>> He took a careful,quiet step forward and craned his neck, trying to see, and was rewardedby a flash of red hair. She is!!>>
Skinner was dumbfounded, and as he stood there, paralyzed with surprise,he heard voices. Their voices.
"I'm sorry, Scully," Mulder was saying. "I should never have triedto kiss you that day."
"No, Mulder," she replied. "You were fine. I wanted youto kiss me. I've wanted you to kiss me for a long time. I shouldn'thave run away; I should have been prepared for it. And when I DIDrun away, I should have come back sooner, instead of waiting like I didand putting us both through three weeks of hell. I was scared, though. I'm still a little scared. This is a big step for us."
"You don't have to be scared, Scully. Not ever again. I'mhere. I'll always be here. I'll protect you."
"You always have, Mulder," she replied softly, and Skinner saw her armsnake up around Mulder's neck as she pulled his face down to hers.
I have got to get out of here,>> Skinner thought. Idon't dare let them catch me standing here. Agent Scully might actuallypull the trigger this time.>> Quickly but quietly, he backed outof the darkened room, and took the elevator back up to his office. He switched on the lights and sat back down at his desk and thought fora minute. Then he picked up his phone and dialed Mulder's extension.
It took them eight rings to answer it. "Fox Mulder." Theman's voice sounded hoarse, and as if he were a little dazed. Skinnerdidn't blame him; Mulder had had a rough week -- and, to all appearances,he had also just had the shock of his life.
"Agent Mulder," he said. "This is the Assistant Director. I'm glad I caught you before you left for the weekend." Was thatgiggling he heard in the background? No, couldn't be -- not DanaScully!
Skinner cleared his throat, and went on, "I know that this is shortnotice, and I also realize that it's been a hard week --" THAT'Sthe understatement of the year.>> "-- but something has come up, and Ineed to get someone to Salt Lake City, fast. Do you think you andAgent Scully might be available?"
There was a moment of silence at the other end. Then Mulder said,"The X-Files unit is always ready, willing and able, sir. Uh,you don't need to worry about notifying Scully; I'll...give her a call."
This time Skinner was certain he heard giggling. This was goingto take some getting used to, assuming it turned out to be permanent. Shaking his head, a slight smile on his lips, he replied in his best AssistantDirector voice, "Very well, Agent Mulder; I'll leave that matter in yourcapable hands." Skinner smirked at his own private witticism. "And I'll leave the case file on my secretary's desk. You can pickit up at your convenience. I'll expect both of you to be on the firstflight out tomorrow morning. Good bye." And he hung up thephone, and rubbed his hands together in gleeful pleasure.
The A Team is back in business!>>
# # #
TUESDAY
11:21 a.m.
Epilogue
The Assistant Director finished reading a case file and leaned backin his chair and checked his watch. According to their last phonereport, Agents Mulder and Scully should have arrived back in Washingtonlate last night. So far this morning, however, he hadn't heard somuch as a peep from their basement office, and his curiosity was drivinghim crazy.
Finally deciding to indulge himself, Skinner left his own office andtook the elevator to the basement. Their office door was standingopen, as it had been on Friday night. He approached it cautiously,and peered inside, but this time no one was there. Skinner steppedinside.
Glancing around the room, he saw that the damaged computer monitor hadbeen taken away, and a new one had been installed on Agent Scully's desk. Fast work by IRM,>> he thought. I'll have to givetheir chief a call and thank him -- especially since he accepted my storyof "accidental damage" so easily.>>
Everything else seemed to be the same as always: The same "I Wantto Believe" poster on the wall; the same ancient filing cabinets holdingfive decades of reports on the strange, the bizarre and the unexplained;the same random bits of kitch scattered about the room on every availableflat surface.
No, there WAS something new -- two somethings, in fact. With afaint smile, the Assistant Director moved over to their desks, and lookeddown: On hers was a vase holding a single long-stemmed rose; on hiswas a small, brown, stuffed bear. A bright red ribbon was loopedaround the bear's neck, and hanging on the ribbon was a plain white indexcard with the word "Spooky" written on it in familiar feminine handwriting.
"Can we help you, sir?"
Turning around, Skinner saw Agents Mulder and Scully standing in thedoorway. She stood slightly in front of him, wearing her usual Sphinx-likeexpression, while Mulder was...well, Mulder. And unless the AssistantDirector's eyes were deceiving him, she was leaning back against her partner'sbody, ever so slightly.
"Nothing important, Agent Mulder," he replied easily. "I justwanted to stop by and congratulate both of you on the successful completionof your assignment in Utah."
"Thank you, sir," Mulder replied in what he doubtless believed was abland tone of voice. As he spoke, Scully moved away from him andwalked over to the coat tree to hang up her jacket, and Mulder's eyes followedher every step of the way.
"Not at all, Agent Mulder," he replied. "When my people do a goodjob, they deserve recognition." He paused, then added, "I, uh, take itthat there are no...loose ends that still need to be tied up?"
"Loose ends, sir?" the Sphinx asked, looking at him guilelessly as shewalked back to stand next to her partner again, her hip bumping againsthis upper thigh with studied carelessness. Mulder's hand twitched,but he did not QUITE reach out to touch her. "You mean loose endsconcerning our assignment?" she continued.
"Of course I mean concerning your assignment, Agent Scully," the AssistantDirector said, putting a note of annoyance in his voice. "What otherloose ends would I be asking you about?"
"I don't know, sir," she replied. "I'm certainly not aware ofany loose ends of any kind." She glanced up at her partner. "Agent Mulder, are you aware of any loose ends?"
Mulder shook his head, a shit-eating grin on his face. "No looseends here, Agent Scully."
She turned back to Skinner again. "There are no loose ends, sir,"she stated calmly.
"That's very gratifying to hear, Agent Scully."
"There was one thing we did want to ask you about, though, sir," shewent on. "Over the past three weeks or so, Agent Mulder and I havebeen rather...preoccupied, and we're afraid we may not have done our bestpossible work on some of the cases which were assigned to us during thattimeframe. We were wondering if it would be possible for us to takeanother look at a few items, and perhaps tidy up a bit."
"I think that would be very appropriate, Agent Scully," he said, tryingto sound stern. "I'll have the case files sent back down immediately. Quite frankly, I had been meaning to speak to both of you concerning thequality of your recent work. It's a credit to you both that you haveidentified the problem and are taking corrective action on your own."
"Thank you, sir," she said.
"Of course," Skinner went on, "I have no idea what the nature of this'preoccupation' was, but I am pleased to see that the situation has apparentlybeen resolved."
"Thank you, sir," the Sphinx repeated.
Skinner suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "Well," he said, lookingat his watch, "look at the time. I have to get back to my desk. I'll have those case files sent down right away." Mulder and Scullygot out of the way as he moved towards the doorway. On the threshold,he turned to face them again. "On, and Agents -- a word of advice. Keep this door closed when you're working on confidential materials. There's no telling who might be walking by in this hallway, especiallyafter hours."
And with a jaunty stride and a shit-eating grin of his own, AssistantDirector Skinner turned and walked out of the room, content in the knowledgethat another job had been well done.
Fini