Title: Billy and the Mystery Box (1/8)
Authors: Ratgirl01 and Coie
Email Address: RatCo_productions@hotmail.com
Paring: Absolutely none
Spoilers: Various references to some episode plots but nothing too deep and some little stuff from Tithonus.
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Billy and the Mystery Box
A plain package had found it's way onto the area outside Mulder's apartment door. Without even thinking of anything like the unibomber, he had hastily grabbed the package and carried it inside into his living
space. After unwrapping it like a child at Christmas, Mulder had found a new object to annoy Scully with.
It was Monday and another day that Scully had to drag herself out of bed in the morning, just so she could argue with her partner about such things as aliens and insects that made her wonder why she bothered. Of course, she couldn't imagine her life as normal after her first visit down to the dreary basement where she would find not only a partner, but also a whole new outlook on life. Mind control had been her first guess, they certainly had the technology and plenty of opportunities, but the dedication seemed to run to deep for any of that. In the end, Scully went to work because she wanted to, plain and simple.
Mulder picked up the object, again and again. It seemed to have a hypnotic effect. He held it up to the light, his eyes grew wide and he threw it back in the box and closed it.
When Scully saw what sleep depravation and a mystery object could do to someone that she cared about, she instantly regretted ever setting the alarm, but it was to late for that now, and Mulder did really need her help, in more ways than one. She went into her usual skit, which she knew by heart now, of breaking down Mulder's conclusions which were obviously a reaction to all the coffee he had to drink to stay awake.
This morning ritual seemed to be the only solid thing left in Scully's unusual life and it was a comfort to know that some things will never change.
Mulder had been waiting for Scully to come in. There had been no point in trying to sleep so he had come into work early, about 7 hours early. He had it all figured out and now all it needed was Scully's debunking to make it a case. The research itself had only taken an hour at the most. He had every single X-File memorized now, and there wasn't much on this topic anyway. He had gone over and over what she might say, coming up with an answer for each point she could possibly make. When she finally arrived, he was on a total caffeine high, mixed in with the excitement to the case. He wasn't surprised when she rattled off every question he had anticipated and then gave the appropriate answers to her queries.
Scully watched Mulder's face as he gave her a mini-lecture on each of her comments, complaints and questionings. He always seemed so prepared, like he knew what she was going to ask. Was she that predictable? But Mulder had always seemed calm, even when it came to on-the-spot stuff, while she groped in the dark to come up with something that would prevent their deaths. Scully listened to the explanations. She hated to admit how much sense they were making to her and she started to daze off into her own little world, until she heard about the small town in the middle of nowhere that they would end up in, again. This time when she let her mind wander, she wondered why freaks and aliens never went to New York or Paris.
Mulder droned on and on. Finally he paused. Surprised she wasn't interjecting another sarcastic remark, he glanced up. Her eyes were slightly glazed over. She hadn't even been paying attention! He cleared
his throat noisily and she jumped. "Oh sorry," she muttered. Mulder tried to act like nothing had happened as he continued. "Our flight out is at 11:30 so you better run home and grab your bag Scully. Here's your ticket. I'll meet you there, okay?"
"Uh sure, Mulder, okay. That will be fine, just fine." She fumbled with her things and then started for the door.
"Um Scully?"
She turned to see Mulder with his arm outstretched, offering her ticket. "Oh right. Yeah. Okay." She took the ticket and hurried out the door, wondering what was wrong with her this morning.
Mulder watched as she left the room. He hadn't seen her this disoriented since the last time that they had been drugged. Of course, he wasn't exactly up to par himself, so he probably shouldn't be talking. He played with the box, turning it over and over in his hand. He paused, and held the box up to the light, excited at his discovery. But was to be disappointed. All it said was "39.95 shipped in from Taiwan." Oh well, he thought. It would be too much to expect this object to come in its own box.
* * *
Scully tapped her foot impatiently. She had been waiting for him for over two hours. Their plane was going to start boarding in ten minutes, but did Mulder seem to care? No! Didn't he realize that the airport was one of the most unorganized places in the world? With all the enthusiasm that he had for this case, you would think that he would've been the first one here. She stared back up at the digital clock's big red numbers. "Come on Mulder, I am not taking this case alone." She mumbled under her breath.
Mulder flashed his badge past security. 'Thank God for this thing.' He thought as he whizzed past all the people who had been waiting in line forever. He was more awake now and worried that Scully had abandoned him for taking so long. Why _was_he_ late? This was so unlike him, unless he wanted to be. He looked at the same clock that Scully had been looking at only minutes ago. He spotted her and ran to her. "Two minutes to spare, not bad, eh, Scully?"
"Yeah, sure Mulder. Packing lightly now?" Scully asked, eyeing his one, half-deflated gym bag.
Mulder jerked the bag up and down a couple times, testing the weight. He realized he hadn't thought much of packing. He stared down at the bag, then at Scully's face with a weird look on his own. "Umm, oh look Scully, they're calling our plane for boarding-" Mulder turn his back towards Scully who was trying her hardest to keep from laughing and headed towards the boarding gate.
* * *
The flight went uneventfully. Scully read her book while Mulder stared at the curtain that separated them from first class. He didn't know why he bothered, like the FBI would ever spring for decent seats. He sneaked a peak over Scully's shoulder at the book cover she was reading. "Antibodies? Scully, you're reading science fiction?" he mocked.
"Yes, and for your information, the characters in this book are totally unbelievable, just like the plot of people being controlled by little machines in their blood. Who writes this stuff?"
"I don't know, but I do know who reads it."
"Mulder."
"What?"
"Shut up."
"Okay Scully. Anything you ask Scully. Your wish is my-"
"_Mulder._"
"Right. I am again staring at the curtain saying nothing."
"Good, let's keep it that way."
* * *
Mulder and Scully stared at the quaint red brick house. Scully was the only one who could bring herself to speak. "Mulder are you _sure_ this is the right address? I mean" she let her voice trail off as she could
think of nothing else to say.
Mulder double-checked the return address on the box and then the number on the mailbox. "Yep Scully, this is the place."
"Mulder, why would someone from the middle of nowhere, and let me stress nowhere, send you that sort of 'evidence,' if you want to call it that."
"I don't know Scully. But I bet we are going to find out." Mulder added when the sound of locks being turned could be heard from the other side of the door. The door swung open and there, standing before the two agents was a young boy about the age of seven. He stared up at them with big round eyes. "Are you the po'ice?" His bewildered voice asked when he saw the badges. "'Cause my daddy he say that cops are like dandruff, you don't want 'um but you can't get them to go away."
"Not quite son." Mulder said with a smile. "I'm Special Agent Mulder and this is Special Agent Scully, we're with the FBI. Are your parents home?
"No."
"Do you know when they will be home?"
"No."
"Are you supposed to open the doors to strangers when they aren't home."
"No."
'Smart kid.' Mulder mumbled to Scully and received a jab in the ribs as a reply. "We're looking for William, is _he_ home?"
The boy's mouth dropped. "That's me, but everyone calls me Billy."
Mulder paused for a moment, trying to take everything in. "You_ sent me this package?" He brought the box in front of Billy so the child could see.
"Yep."
"But, why? How?"
"Well it _said_ to."
"What said to?
"I'm not supposed to say."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I'm not."
Scully, who had been silent all this time spoke up. "Listen, Billy, could we come in for a minute, please?"
"No."
"And why can't we."
"Because my parents told me not to, duh."
"And you always do what your parents tell you?"
"Yep."
"But Billy, we aren't strangers. We have been friends for at least five minutes." Mulder piped in.
"Yeah," Billy thought for a moment, "but your still cops."
"No we aren't Billy. We're FBI not the police."
"How do you know my name?"
"You told it to us, remember?"
"No, I wouldn't. I'm not suppos'd to talk to strangers."
"Billy-"
"I'm telling my daddy on you!" Billy screamed as he slammed the door in the two agent's faces.
"Come on Mulder, we'll come back later." Scully said as she started to pull him down the step.
"I guess you're right Scully."
"Hey, wait, where ya going?" Billy came chasing them down the step, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "You left so soon, I almost forgot to give you this. I don't know what it says, it was stapled. Which one is Mulder?" When Mulder remarked it was he, the boy placed the note in his hand. "I have to give you this, but I can't say why." He giggled and ran back towards the house. "Too bad you can't stay longer. It's boring in there." He slammed the door again.
Scully looked over at her partner. When she saw the dazed look on his face she plucked the car rental keys out of his hands. "I'm driving _this_ time Mulder," she told him as she headed for the car, leaving a
dazed Mulder standing alone with a stapled note in his hands.
Mulder was shocked. For all his careful planning, this had certainly come out of left field. He really needed to connect his thoughts. Nothing made sense yet. He hated that. A lot. He loved solving
puzzles. But usually he had answers. Lots of them. And if they didn't fit, well, he always had back up plans. Right now he was lost. He needed to think, to get back on track and come up with the answers.
Fast. Because Fox William Mulder hated three things. The first was admitting he was wrong. The second was acknowledging that he was clueless. The third was doing either in front of his partner. For all the times he had given her grief over similar situations, he knew he'd be in for some major payback. He glanced at the note in his hands and did a double take. Then he raced to the car. While he still didn't have a clue, at least they now had something to do.
* * *
Authors: Ratgirl01 and Coie
Email Address: RatCo_productions@hotmail.com
Paring: Absolutely none
Spoilers: Various references to some episode plots but nothing too deep and some little stuff from Tithonus.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Billy and the Mystery Box
A plain package had found it's way onto the area outside Mulder's apartment door. Without even thinking of anything like the unibomber, he had hastily grabbed the package and carried it inside into his living
space. After unwrapping it like a child at Christmas, Mulder had found a new object to annoy Scully with.
It was Monday and another day that Scully had to drag herself out of bed in the morning, just so she could argue with her partner about such things as aliens and insects that made her wonder why she bothered. Of course, she couldn't imagine her life as normal after her first visit down to the dreary basement where she would find not only a partner, but also a whole new outlook on life. Mind control had been her first guess, they certainly had the technology and plenty of opportunities, but the dedication seemed to run to deep for any of that. In the end, Scully went to work because she wanted to, plain and simple.
Mulder picked up the object, again and again. It seemed to have a hypnotic effect. He held it up to the light, his eyes grew wide and he threw it back in the box and closed it.
When Scully saw what sleep depravation and a mystery object could do to someone that she cared about, she instantly regretted ever setting the alarm, but it was to late for that now, and Mulder did really need her help, in more ways than one. She went into her usual skit, which she knew by heart now, of breaking down Mulder's conclusions which were obviously a reaction to all the coffee he had to drink to stay awake.
This morning ritual seemed to be the only solid thing left in Scully's unusual life and it was a comfort to know that some things will never change.
Mulder had been waiting for Scully to come in. There had been no point in trying to sleep so he had come into work early, about 7 hours early. He had it all figured out and now all it needed was Scully's debunking to make it a case. The research itself had only taken an hour at the most. He had every single X-File memorized now, and there wasn't much on this topic anyway. He had gone over and over what she might say, coming up with an answer for each point she could possibly make. When she finally arrived, he was on a total caffeine high, mixed in with the excitement to the case. He wasn't surprised when she rattled off every question he had anticipated and then gave the appropriate answers to her queries.
Scully watched Mulder's face as he gave her a mini-lecture on each of her comments, complaints and questionings. He always seemed so prepared, like he knew what she was going to ask. Was she that predictable? But Mulder had always seemed calm, even when it came to on-the-spot stuff, while she groped in the dark to come up with something that would prevent their deaths. Scully listened to the explanations. She hated to admit how much sense they were making to her and she started to daze off into her own little world, until she heard about the small town in the middle of nowhere that they would end up in, again. This time when she let her mind wander, she wondered why freaks and aliens never went to New York or Paris.
Mulder droned on and on. Finally he paused. Surprised she wasn't interjecting another sarcastic remark, he glanced up. Her eyes were slightly glazed over. She hadn't even been paying attention! He cleared
his throat noisily and she jumped. "Oh sorry," she muttered. Mulder tried to act like nothing had happened as he continued. "Our flight out is at 11:30 so you better run home and grab your bag Scully. Here's your ticket. I'll meet you there, okay?"
"Uh sure, Mulder, okay. That will be fine, just fine." She fumbled with her things and then started for the door.
"Um Scully?"
She turned to see Mulder with his arm outstretched, offering her ticket. "Oh right. Yeah. Okay." She took the ticket and hurried out the door, wondering what was wrong with her this morning.
Mulder watched as she left the room. He hadn't seen her this disoriented since the last time that they had been drugged. Of course, he wasn't exactly up to par himself, so he probably shouldn't be talking. He played with the box, turning it over and over in his hand. He paused, and held the box up to the light, excited at his discovery. But was to be disappointed. All it said was "39.95 shipped in from Taiwan." Oh well, he thought. It would be too much to expect this object to come in its own box.
* * *
Scully tapped her foot impatiently. She had been waiting for him for over two hours. Their plane was going to start boarding in ten minutes, but did Mulder seem to care? No! Didn't he realize that the airport was one of the most unorganized places in the world? With all the enthusiasm that he had for this case, you would think that he would've been the first one here. She stared back up at the digital clock's big red numbers. "Come on Mulder, I am not taking this case alone." She mumbled under her breath.
Mulder flashed his badge past security. 'Thank God for this thing.' He thought as he whizzed past all the people who had been waiting in line forever. He was more awake now and worried that Scully had abandoned him for taking so long. Why _was_he_ late? This was so unlike him, unless he wanted to be. He looked at the same clock that Scully had been looking at only minutes ago. He spotted her and ran to her. "Two minutes to spare, not bad, eh, Scully?"
"Yeah, sure Mulder. Packing lightly now?" Scully asked, eyeing his one, half-deflated gym bag.
Mulder jerked the bag up and down a couple times, testing the weight. He realized he hadn't thought much of packing. He stared down at the bag, then at Scully's face with a weird look on his own. "Umm, oh look Scully, they're calling our plane for boarding-" Mulder turn his back towards Scully who was trying her hardest to keep from laughing and headed towards the boarding gate.
* * *
The flight went uneventfully. Scully read her book while Mulder stared at the curtain that separated them from first class. He didn't know why he bothered, like the FBI would ever spring for decent seats. He sneaked a peak over Scully's shoulder at the book cover she was reading. "Antibodies? Scully, you're reading science fiction?" he mocked.
"Yes, and for your information, the characters in this book are totally unbelievable, just like the plot of people being controlled by little machines in their blood. Who writes this stuff?"
"I don't know, but I do know who reads it."
"Mulder."
"What?"
"Shut up."
"Okay Scully. Anything you ask Scully. Your wish is my-"
"_Mulder._"
"Right. I am again staring at the curtain saying nothing."
"Good, let's keep it that way."
* * *
Mulder and Scully stared at the quaint red brick house. Scully was the only one who could bring herself to speak. "Mulder are you _sure_ this is the right address? I mean" she let her voice trail off as she could
think of nothing else to say.
Mulder double-checked the return address on the box and then the number on the mailbox. "Yep Scully, this is the place."
"Mulder, why would someone from the middle of nowhere, and let me stress nowhere, send you that sort of 'evidence,' if you want to call it that."
"I don't know Scully. But I bet we are going to find out." Mulder added when the sound of locks being turned could be heard from the other side of the door. The door swung open and there, standing before the two agents was a young boy about the age of seven. He stared up at them with big round eyes. "Are you the po'ice?" His bewildered voice asked when he saw the badges. "'Cause my daddy he say that cops are like dandruff, you don't want 'um but you can't get them to go away."
"Not quite son." Mulder said with a smile. "I'm Special Agent Mulder and this is Special Agent Scully, we're with the FBI. Are your parents home?
"No."
"Do you know when they will be home?"
"No."
"Are you supposed to open the doors to strangers when they aren't home."
"No."
'Smart kid.' Mulder mumbled to Scully and received a jab in the ribs as a reply. "We're looking for William, is _he_ home?"
The boy's mouth dropped. "That's me, but everyone calls me Billy."
Mulder paused for a moment, trying to take everything in. "You_ sent me this package?" He brought the box in front of Billy so the child could see.
"Yep."
"But, why? How?"
"Well it _said_ to."
"What said to?
"I'm not supposed to say."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I'm not."
Scully, who had been silent all this time spoke up. "Listen, Billy, could we come in for a minute, please?"
"No."
"And why can't we."
"Because my parents told me not to, duh."
"And you always do what your parents tell you?"
"Yep."
"But Billy, we aren't strangers. We have been friends for at least five minutes." Mulder piped in.
"Yeah," Billy thought for a moment, "but your still cops."
"No we aren't Billy. We're FBI not the police."
"How do you know my name?"
"You told it to us, remember?"
"No, I wouldn't. I'm not suppos'd to talk to strangers."
"Billy-"
"I'm telling my daddy on you!" Billy screamed as he slammed the door in the two agent's faces.
"Come on Mulder, we'll come back later." Scully said as she started to pull him down the step.
"I guess you're right Scully."
"Hey, wait, where ya going?" Billy came chasing them down the step, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "You left so soon, I almost forgot to give you this. I don't know what it says, it was stapled. Which one is Mulder?" When Mulder remarked it was he, the boy placed the note in his hand. "I have to give you this, but I can't say why." He giggled and ran back towards the house. "Too bad you can't stay longer. It's boring in there." He slammed the door again.
Scully looked over at her partner. When she saw the dazed look on his face she plucked the car rental keys out of his hands. "I'm driving _this_ time Mulder," she told him as she headed for the car, leaving a
dazed Mulder standing alone with a stapled note in his hands.
Mulder was shocked. For all his careful planning, this had certainly come out of left field. He really needed to connect his thoughts. Nothing made sense yet. He hated that. A lot. He loved solving
puzzles. But usually he had answers. Lots of them. And if they didn't fit, well, he always had back up plans. Right now he was lost. He needed to think, to get back on track and come up with the answers.
Fast. Because Fox William Mulder hated three things. The first was admitting he was wrong. The second was acknowledging that he was clueless. The third was doing either in front of his partner. For all the times he had given her grief over similar situations, he knew he'd be in for some major payback. He glanced at the note in his hands and did a double take. Then he raced to the car. While he still didn't have a clue, at least they now had something to do.
* * *