THE BEGINNING
This is set in the storylines after „The End" and the movie, it's my version of „The Beginning", with some alterations to fit my story in. None of the characters are mine, I just borrow them for writing purposes. MRS
Scully was pacing up and down the aisle in her apartment. She was trying to come to grips with what she had seen in the hospital room, with Mulder and Agent Fowley... Diana! She knew it had been some time back, but she just couldn't figure out what Mulder saw in her, and she also couldn't figure out what bothered herself about all this. After all, Mulder was just her work partner. And yet it had been haunting her all the time, but now it was stronger than ever.
After a while realisation hit her in the face. Apparently she did have feelings for Mulder that had nothing to do with a work relationship. It took her by surprise because never before had she bothered to contemplate about this despite their almost kiss just before she got stung by a bee. Mulder and her spend most of the days together working on the x-files, it became second nature to her being around him, and she had to admit to herself that she cherished his presence.
She walked into the living room, sitting down on her couch. Now that she admitted her emotions to herself, she mused what had to come next? Talk to Mulder about it? Never!!! The last thing she wanted was Mulder to get so close to her that she couldn't bear anyone else in his life. But wasn't it already like this?
A short while later, Scully got up from the couch. She had made a decision. She was going to confront someone about it, but that someone wasn't to be Mulder, but Agent Fowley. She just needed to find out what Fowley's feelings were like in the whole situation.
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Scully was standing outside Agent Fowley's office. She heard a voice inside seemingly Agent Fowley was on the phone. Taking a deep breath, Scully lifted her hand and knocked on the door.
„Come in", Fowley's voice said.
Scully opened the door and went inside. After closing the door she sat and waited till Fowley had ended her phonecall.
„Agent Scully," Diana Fowley said, „what can I do for you?"
„I need to ask you something", Scully replied, „something personal, I might add!"
„Personal?" Fowley raised an eyebrow. „You got my full attention!"
„It's about Agent Mulder. I noticed that you know each other for some time and I've heard rumours that there was more to it than just friendship", Scully started. She tried making it sound like it didn't involve her own feelings, but was just concern for her FBI partner.
„That was then. But your concern seems to be in the present. What causes it?"
„Well, I saw Mulder's reaction when he heard you were also assigned onto the case", Scully hesitated.
„His reaction?" Fowley queried.
Scully didn't pick up on that. How am I gonna get to the point without giving myself away? she thought.
„And the other day, in the university where we were watching out for Gibson, I saw his face when you held his hand. I just want to make sure his mind won't be pre-occupied with you rather than the case", she said. Yet it is my own mind that is pre-occupied.
„Don't worry", Fowley answered. „My feelings for him I lost long ago, but I know what you mean. It might be different with his feelings, and for my aims that can only be good!"
The phone rang again.
„Please, if you would leave now, this phonecall I've been waiting for and it's private!"
Scully nodded and left, but in her head she was thinking about Agent Fowley's last words before the phone rang. What were here aims? There was something in Fowley's eyes that worried Scully, as it showed no compassion of any sort.
In the hallway she passed Agent Spender, who apparently was on his way to Fowley's office.
Scully opened her mouth to greet him, but she said nothing. Spender looked like his mind was anywhere but in the hallway. I wonder what's the reason for that, Scully thought.
She watched Spender really entering Fowley's office. She knew that Spender and Mulder were sort of enemies, so she decided to eavesdrop on them.
What she heard made her blood run cold in her veins. It looked as if they were planning to keep Mulder away from Gibson and the supposedly alien creature case at any costs.
„I will use everything in my power to prevent his interference", Scully heard Fowley say. „And I believe he still trusts me blindly!"
„That can be of big help", Spender replied. „Just don't forget the one thing, Diana... it is I who loves you, not him. So I also have a say in how far you go!"
Spender loves Fowley??? Scully's mind reared. That sounded like a dangerous mixture. I better tell Mulder about all this.
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„But you have to believe me", Scully said passionately, „I heard it with my own ears!"
„Scully, I know Diana for years and I believe I know her better than you..." – „So I've heard", Scully muttered despite herself.
„What? What did you hear?", Mulder wanted to know.
Scully was silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and said: „That you and Fowley were an item, and it seems you still have the hots for her! That's what makes your eyes blind for reality!"
Now it was Mulder who was silent for a moment. When he spoke again he said: „If I didn't know any better, Scully, I would almost say you're jealous!", he jested.
Scully looked up in his eyes. „No I'm not. I'm just rational", she then pressed out, knowing deep in her mind that she was lying. That was so unlike her, but she couldn't help herself.
Mulder saw how uncomfortable she got so he kept in the reply he had ready. He also saw her concern was genuine. „I'll think about what you said!", he assured her.
„Mulder, just be careful. This whole case is full of dangers, whether from aliens or real people."
After Scully had left, Fox Mulder thought about everything. He was sure his friend Diana still had feelings for him, as he had for her. He could feel it when they were holding hands before Diana was shot some time ago. But he also cared a lot about Scully, he only never thought of it in any other way than work related.
But now he had to think about it. Scully really seemed desperate and it tore him apart. He didn't know what to feel. Slowly he picked up the phone and started dialling Diana's number.
„Fowley", the well known voice on the other end said.
„Diana, it's me", Mulder said.
„Fox?", Fowley said after a short break. „Is that you?"
„Yeah!"
„What can I do for you, Fox?"
„Well, to come straight to the point, I heard that you and Spender (that name he almost spat out in disgust) are planning to keep me away from the case that I got almost shoved into this morning. It resembles the experiences I have made in the Antarctica a short while ago and I would like to know if there's any truth to it."
„Fox, there's nothing I can do, I just follow orders, same as you." After a brief pause she continued: „Actually, you're interfering with our research right now, so I'll have to hang up on you. Sorry!", she said.
„Where are you?", Mulder demanded.
„At a nuclear plant, but... Fox... Fox???", but he had ended the phone call already.
Nuclear plant was all he needed to know. Quickly he dialled Scully's number.
„Scully... meet me in the car in 5 mins!", he didn't bother awaiting a reply.
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When Scully and Mulder reached the nuclear plant Mulder knew immediately he was in the right place. He jumped out of the car making his way to the entrance when he got held up by Agent Spender.
„Mulder, what are you doing here?", he queried.
„Let me go!", was Mulder's reply. Scully had joined him now.
Spender continued to hold Mulder up and soon got joined by Agent Fowley, who also insisted that Mulder and Scully would leave.
Heading back to the car they discovered that they have a blind passenger: Gibson Praise! Without arousing further suspicion they left and brought Gibson to their Motel room.
„We have to bring him to a hospital, Mulder. He needs professional care!", Scully said.
But Mulder was thinking about using the boy's abilities to find the creature he was after. Finally Scully managed to convince Mulder to bring Gibson to a hospital.
Just as they were about to leave, a car approached theirs and blocked their way. It was Agent Fowley.
„Fox, can I speak with you a moment? I'm alone and unarmed.", she asked.
Mulder hesitated shortly, then walked over to her.
„Fox, it wasn't up to me to keep you away from the crime scene, but I KNOW that you will find evidence there you so desperately need. I'm still on your side and I didn't ask to be assigned to this case. I have the means now to bring you into the plant. Come with me!"
Mulder pondered a moment. He was torn between the worry about Gibson, Scully's warning about Diana and the opportunity she was giving him now. He walked over to Scully's car.
„You bring Gibson to safety, I'll go with Diana. I'll phone!", he told Scully. He could see the annoyance and worry in her eyes, but she said nothing.
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Scully was waiting in the office. Finally she heard the door open and Mulder was standing in front of her. He just looked at her, but that look said a thousand words.
„What happened?", she asked.
After Mulder had told her how he and Fowley had found traces of the creature and the scene with Gibson and his kidnapper in the reactor room, the attack of the creature and how Fowley turned on him after the alarm was raised, Scully looked alarmed, yet satisfied.
„Didn't I tell you not to trust her?"
„Scully, she had no choice. She couldn't risk being caught, especially with me!"
„Mulder, can you not or don't you want to see she is using you???", Scully gasped, incredulous, „She's taking you for a fool! She knows you love her and uses this to bring you down! You're risking everything and that's what she wants!"
Mulder was standing there, motionless, taking in the meaning of Scully's words.
„Mulder?" – No respond.
„MULDER!!!" He slowly looked up. For a moment their eyes locked and then Mulder turned and left the office again.
„Where are you going?", Scully called after him, but got no reply.
Swearing silently she got up and tried to follow him.
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Without a knock or anything Mulder stormed into Fowley's office. As he expected he found Spender with her.
„Who do you think you are bursting into Diana's office!", Spender demanded.
Mulder noticed the familiarity with which Spender used Agent Fowley's first name. He ignored Spender, went up close to Diana Fowley and started talking to her.
„Is it true? IS IT TRUE???", he couldn't control his anger.
„Is what true?", Agent Fowley asked back.
„You know what I'm talking about! You're using whatever has been between us. You're using it to destroy me... so you can be with this puppet", he nodded his head into Spenders direction. Spender wanted to retort, but a glance of Fowley shut him up.
„I still don't know what you mean, Fox!", Fowley replied, while taking a few steps back.
„You've lost your right to call me Fox!", Mulder was in rage. It was as if his eyes were open now to see what Scully had seen all the time, what he had forced himself to overlook. He got closer to her. His anger threatened her.
„You don't deserve the love I once had for you... run off with that lowbudget knitwit!"
Something inside Agent Spender snapped. He got hold of a statue on Fowley's desk and hit it over Mulder's head. Blood splattered and Mulder turned to look at Spender. The blow had dazed him and before he could gather a clear thought Spender continued to beat him.
„Stop it!", Fowley was yelling to Spender but there was no stopping him.
The next blow Mulder managed to block with his arm. He gasped in pain while looking for something to defend himself with. When he saw nothing he remembered his firearm. He drew it but the same moment Spender realised what he did and whacked the statue over Mulder's hand.
The gun went flying over the room. Mulder sank to his knees, pain filling every inch of his body. With all his gathered strength he got up again and just as Spender was swinging for the next blow Mulder also grabbed the statue.
The two Agents were fighting an uneven fight while Fowley was standing there, unable to react. Soon Spender managed to shake of the injured Mulder and aimed a blow at his torso. The statue broke in pieces as Mulder was almost to dazed to scream in pain.
He was crumpled on the floor, seeing but not feeling the kicks in his ribs, back and on his head until blackness embedded him.
Only now, a few moments after Mulder stopped moving, Spender came to his senses. What had he done? In panic he grabbed Fowley's hand and dragged her out of the room.
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Scully hadn't been able to see where Mulder went to, and since she couldn't find him at his apartment she returned to her car, driving to the only other location she would think he would head to in that situation: Agent Fowley's office.
On the hallway everything was quiet. Scully hesitated. She had expected to hear the shouting on the floor already, but it was all so quiet. When she came closer, she saw the door to the office was open.
Nothing could have prepared her to what she was about to see. In the corner Mulder was lying, seemingly unconscious but covered in blood and still bleeding profusely.
„MULDER!!!", Scully screamed as she ran towards him. There was almost no spot on his clothes that was not bloody. She checked for a pulse and was relieved to feel it. She got up and phoned security and an ambulance.
„My God, Mulder... what did they do to you?", she asked her still partner. She gathered what she could to make emergency bandages to stop the bleeding. Then she opened his shirt. His rib area was already turning black and blue.
In the distance she heard the sound of the ambulance.
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It was dark, and all he was aware of was pain. The pain was everywhere. What had happened to make him feel this way? He was searching his brain for an answer, but even that hurt.
Slowly he started opening his eyes. Even the dim light in the room he was in was making his eyes tear. He found he was in a hospital room, and to his right in a chair sat Scully, sleeping. Mulder looked down his body. There seemed to be bandages everywhere.
"Ouch", he winced when he tried to turn a bit. His entire body was sore. But his wince woke up Scully.
"Mulder!", she said happily. "Don't move! I'm so glad to see you awake! Are you in a lot of pain?"
"I think so," Mulder said weakly. "But Scully... get me out of here, please!"
"But Mulder, you had us all worried and you're not in the state to run around again!", Scully protested.
"I don't want to stay here!", Mulder was adamant.
"It's not up to me, but I'll see what I can do. Do you know what happened?", she asked.
Sometimes she really wondered where his fear of being in a hospital originated.
He nodded his head yes in reply to her question. He knew what had happened. It still shocked him. But he didn't want to talk about it... yet.
Scully saw his nod and said: "Ok, then I'll go and see if I can do anything to make you more comfortable."
She got up and left his room to find one of his doctors. When she did she explained the situation. The medics were not happy about Mulder's wishes, but when they heard Scully was also a medic they agreed to let him leave, but only if she took over his care.
"Good news, Mulder", Scully smiled when she returned to his room.
"Can I leave?" Mulder asked hopefully.
"They want to do some more tests, but then you can leave... on one condition!"
"What is that?"
"I'll have to stay with you. You must listen to what I tell you. And if something deteriorates I'll have to bring you back to hospital immediately!"
Mulder let out a sigh. "I think I can live with that, especially with the part that you have to stay with me." With that he smiled boyishly at Scully.
Scully saw his expression and turned around, rolling her eyes. He would never change. Not even being beaten up as he was could stop him from teasing her. In a way, that's what I like about him, Scully thought to herself.