*Special Guest Star Keanu Reeves as Special Agent Michael Donovan*
Downtown Atlanta, Georgia
September 14th 8:34p.m.
A young boy sits alone on a park bench near metro bus stop 15, just off Grayson street. Even though the sun has fallen behind the tree line just across the street, the weather is still warm enough to make the boy's popcicle melt in his hand. The young boy begins to cry.
The large blue and white bus approaches the curb with squeaky brakes as the wheels slow to a halt. Both sets of folding doors open to the street below. As his tears fall and warm his cheeks, the boy watches the people begin to step off the bus he nicknamed "Big Blue."
Kathy Donohue steps off the bus with a slight jump. Her husband Jim and daughter Jessica always tease her about clumsily missing that last step. Kathy tells herself that for a thirty-four year old mother she needs to be more careful. She begins to walk down the sidewalk still fresh with pink and green chalk drawings from the neighborhood kids. The bus blows past her sending her curly brown hair across her face and into her eyes. This doesn't stop her from playfully trying the painted hopscotch squares on the sidewalk. After the noisy bus has turned the corner, that's when Kathy hears it.
A faint sobbing coming from close in front of her. She looks ahead to find the young boy sitting alone on a the bench with his head down and weeping. Kathy slowly walks up to the boy and asks, "Are you okay young man?"
The boy doesn't look up to see the woman through his tear-filled eyes, but he heard her voice and something inside him begins to gnaw his stomach, urging him to run away. Then Kathy sits down next to him and says, "Hey, it's okay. What's your name sweetheart?"
"Tommy," he manages to say in between sniffles.
"Are you lost? Where are your parents?" she asks.
"I ran away, but I don't have a mommy anyway," he said, regaining composure.
Pulling Tommy close to her, Kathy wraps an arm around his shoulder and says, "Aw, come on now. Everyone has a mommy. Tell me Tommy, where is your mommy and I'll take you home."
"I told you, I don't have a mommy," Tommy said looking up to see Kathy's warm smile and curly brown hair. " But you could be my mommy. Please?" Tommy begins to grasp her arm with both hands.
Kathy looks down at the boy's white-knuckle grip on her arm, then back up to see his eyes glaring with pain and desperation. "But I'm not your mommy. Please let me go. I said, let me go!" she said.
"You could be. Please, don't leave. I don't want it to happen to you too," Tommy begs her.
"What will happen? What are you talking about? Let go of me right now!" Kathy yells. She was just about to free herself from the boy's fingernails digging into her arm, when she looks into the boy's eyes and in that moment a sharp, blinding pain pierces the center of her forehead.
Tommy releases the woman's arm and she clutches her head with both hands. Closing her eyes, she screams once, then suddenly, silently, everything turns to black. She can no longer hear the boy crying beside her or the late summer breeze whispering through the trees across the street. Kathy Donohue, thirty-four, wife and mother, is gone.
Tommy watches as her body falls limp next to him. Horrified, he stands, tightening his fists into a ball and yells, "No!! Not again!!"
****
When Special Agent Michael Donovan arrives at the F.B.I. Headquarters in Washington, D.C. he is directed to the basement floor where he expects to find agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. But only agent Scully is present as she stands at the metal filing cabinet thumbing through the file marked Mulder, Sammantha.
"Agent Scully?" Donovan asks.
Scully returns the file into the cabinet and pivots around, using her back to close the file drawer. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Hi, I'm Special Agent Michael Donovan from the Atlanta field office," he said with an extended hand and a confident smile.
Scully shakes Donovan's hand and says, "What can I do for you Agent Donovan?" She is struck by his youthful good looks and apparent southern charm. Scully doesn't usually pay attention to such things while at work, but something in this man's demeanor seems refreshing, even vaguely familiar.
"I was referred by….." he begins.
"I'm sorry. Have we met before Agent Donovan?"
"I don't believe so Agent Scully, but anything's possible. What I was saying is that I was referred to you and Agent Mulder by my field office in regards to a case I'm working on," he said.
"Well, unfortunately Agent Mulder is out of town for a few days. What have you got?"
Setting his soft leather briefcase on the desk, Agent Donovan began slowly walking around the room much like a visitor in a museum. He sees in one corner, a stack of white evidence boxes marked with miscellaneous dates that range from the past six years. Then he glances over the boxes to the wall behind that's plastered with newspaper articles and magazine clippings, some old and tattered, some new and glossy. Donovan scans the various headlines that read, Unidentified Creature Spotted Outside Oregon Forest and Strange Bright Lights Seen Over Mexico City.
Scully patiently waits for Agent Donovan to work his way around most of the room. Then he stops in front of a large poster with a flying disk in it's center and the words I WANT TO BELIEVE written at the bottom.
"Wow. Do you guys really chase after all this stuff? I mean, Bigfoot, U.F.O.'s, and sea monsters?" he says, turning to Scully with wide, boyish eyes.
"Sometimes, Agent Donovan. Now, surely you didn't fly all the way up here to stare at our office wall. So what's the case you're working on?" she said.
"No, no. I'm sorry. Sometimes I get a little carried away," Donovan said while walking back to the desk. He opens his briefcase and begins spreading out death certificates and black and white crime scene photos.
"There are certain aspects of this case that might speak to you and Agent Mulder's expertise. Frankly, I'm at a loss," he said.
"Let's see what you have here," Scully said as she began thumbing through the crime scene reports and pictures.
"We have five victims so far. All married women found to have died of what appears to be unnatural causes. The latest victim, Kathy Donohue, thirty-four years old, wife and mother, was found slumped over on a park bench just outside a local downtown park," he said.
"Well, what did the M.E. say?" Scully said without looking up from the pictures.
"He said that it appears that these women died of a brain aneurysm or something, but these were all healthy women, all in their thirties and fourties, all with familes of their own. If it's murder, we can't find a motive. No history of domestic abuse or marital dysfunction," Donovan said with a sigh of frustration that came from two months of working this case.
Scully looked up at Donovan and asked, "…or something? What do you mean?"
"Well, it's seems that part of their brain has, uh, exploded inside their head," he said, knowing how unbelievable it sounds.
The look on Scully's face showed her surprise and almost disbelief, "Was the M.E. able to establish a somatic cause for this, eruption?"
"No, he didn't."
"Well, Agent Donovan, this is a very unusual case, but I'm not sure what I can do," she said.
"Look Agent Scully, I have five dead women, all found in public places within a relatively small suburban area. There are a lot of scared families down there who want to know why this is happening and they don't want to be next. I would greatly appreciate what ever you can do for me and this investigation. But if I'm wasting your time I apologize," Donovan said hoping to not return to Atlanta empty handed.
Scully could feel this man's frustration and she knew it well. With Mulder away at a MUFON conference in Seattle he would not be able to offer his opinion on this bizarre case, but she felt that she could handle this challenge on her own. She knew that the first thing to do was to visit the crime scenes and examine the victims herself. That is where Agent Scully shined. With her medical background she can identify with clinical certainty the cause of death. She loved having that kind of power that comes with the knowledge and training. It gave her a sense of competency in a world often dominated by male egos and false stereotypes of women in the workplace.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I'll help you in any way I can. I would like to examine the crime scenes and the victims, if that isn't a problem," Scully said.
With a smiling sigh Donovan said, "Okay, great. My flight doesn't head back until the morning. It shouldn't be a problem to arrange for you to join me on the flight back."
"Well then, I just need to go home a pack an overnight bag," Scully said as she started walking out the door.
"Wait, can I ask a small favor of you Agent Scully?" Donovan asked with an almost boyish shyness in his voice.
She stopped and said, "What is it?"
"Well I hate to ask, but it's been a very long time since I've been up this way and I was wondering if you could recommend a decent place to eat in town?" Agent Donovan felt a definite respect for this woman. Aside from being a beautiful woman, she was obviously intelligent and he couldn't help sensing something about her that he couldn't quite put a finger on. It was something that he liked and he knew that if he didn't take the chance he would regret it.
Scully hesitated before responding because she's been hit on by plenty of her male co-workers during her time in the F.B.I. over the last six years. Some of the men were nice, but most of the men were just Type-A personality assholes. But there was something about this Agent Donovan that made her feel comfortable and she really needed a night out. So she turned to him with a smile and said, "Sure, I know just the place."
There was a small restaurant just off Dupont circle. It was more of a pub really, but it had quaint and intimate boothes. The kind that offered privacy with their high backs made of wood and thick cushion. Scully thought Agent Donovan would appreciate a place a little more like home.
As they sat down in their corner booth, Donovan asks, "So Miss Scully….."
"Please, call me Dana," Scully said with a tone she hoped was flattering instead of demanding.
"Okay, Dana, what made you want to become an F.B.I. agent?" he said.
"Well, Agent Donovan…." she began.
"Now Dana, that just won't do. Call me Michael, please," he said.
"….Michael, I was actually recruited out of medical school."
"You mean, you're a doctor, but you chose not to practice? Why?" he inquired.
"I felt that I wanted to make some kind of difference and by joining the F.B.I., it felt like the place I could do just that," she said. After taking a sip of her glass of her drink she continued, "But my father wanted me to stay in medicine."
"If you don't mind my asking, how did he respond? Was it good or not so good?" Donovan asked with a soft chuckle.
"Not so good. He didn't ex-communicate me or anything like that, but I couldn't help to feel like there was an underlying disappointment there. I don't know if that makes sense," Scully said while looking away. This made her remember those timid early days in the F.B.I. academy when she could have used her father's unconditional support to guide her. But she found the strength in spite of the guilt she felt over losing her father's hopes.
"I'm sorry to hear that Dana. It's too bad that we can't always please our parents. Sometimes the expectations they set for their kids, especially from father to daughter it seems, are almost too high or they can't adjust to the idea that their child may want something different," he said. Donovan sensed a that he might have touched on a sensitive issue with Scully and he wisely chose not to push it. " So, how long have you been with the F.B.I.?"
After a slow exhale that brought her back from the memory of guilt and her father, Scully said, "Six years."
"Wow. I bet you and Mulder have seen a lot more than I have. I've only been with the Bureau for three years now. I work mostly white collar crime, tax evasion and fraud. I would assume that your cases in the X-Files take you all over the country," he said.
Scully was careful not to show her growing interest in this handsome agent. She was aware of the dangers of becoming involved with a colleague and her life was complicated enough, but she felt taken with him. She was always attracted to confident men with a certain humility and intelligence.
"We do travel a lot and the consequence of that is having very little of a social life," she said.
"That's a shame because….," Donovan began.
"What?" Scully inquired as she leaned forward in her seat.
"Well, I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I bet it would be quite something to know you in personal life Dana," he said while doing his best to hide his nervousness.
"What makes you say that Michael?" She felt this compliment as if it were a kiss from a stranger. It was both flattering and a little awkward.
"I know this will sound crazy, but sometimes I get a feeling about a person. In my line of work it's usually not good because it involves a suspect," he said.
"You follow your intuition and that's an important part of being a good investigator. If my partner were here he would probably have a few questions regarding that because in our work in the field, sometimes what we see with our eyes and what we feel in our gut may be two different things," she said.
"Well I hope you're not offended by my observation Dana," Donovan said. He felt embarrassed by his comments and the last thing he wanted to do was lose credibility with Agent Scully.
"It's fine actually. I'm flattered, thank you for the compliment Michael," she said this with a warm smile that seamed to ease his slightly worried expression.
Donovan was having a hard time containing his attraction towards Agent Scully. As they talked over dinner, he became more interested in her. The way she spoke with poise and conviction. The way she cupped her hand to brush her auburn hair behind her ear. And especially the way she would glance up at him from her glass.
"I know what you mean about not having a social life. It can be really difficult in this line of work to form long-term attachments with anyone," he said with a subtle tone of regret that did not go unnoticed. As he held his drink with one hand and ran a finger through the condensation on the side of the glass, Scully looked down to see the absence of a wedding ring.
"Ever been married Michael?" she asked.
Donovan looked up quickly from the "s" he was drawing in the condensation and feeling a bit hesitant, he answered, "No. Came close once."
"What happened? If you don't mind me asking," she asked while crossing her legs beneath the table.
"We were both young and I guess I wasn't ready," he said.
"That's too bad. Did you ever see her again?" she asked.
"Once, just before she moved away. New York City I think," he said.
"Miss her?"
"I did at first, but I've come to realize that everything happens for a reason. I believe that life is a combination of destiny and fate. Things happen to us, either good or bad, and sometimes the meaning behind it is right there in front of our face, while other times the meaning is more elusive and we don't see it for a long time," he said feeling surprised with himself for blurting all that out at once. Normally he wasn't so open with new people, but Scully made him feel safe somehow, as if he had known her for a long time.
"And now? Anyone special in your life?" she asked, hoping she hadn't crossed the line.
With a smile, Donovan leaned in close and asked, "Agent Scully, are you this forward with all men?"
Scully, feeling blush said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so invasive."
"It's okay, really. I don't get much of a chance to talk like this. It's nice. I've really enjoyed this evening Dana," he said.
"So have I," Scully said. She longed for life outside of the demands of her work and the X-Files, but her experiences have built walls that she hopes are high enough. Trust is something that comes with a price and sometimes you pay a little, but often you pay a lot. She tries to leave regret behind her and it's moments like this evening with Agent Donovan that she wishes for in secret. She is taken by the attractive Agent Donovan, with his finely combed dark hair, confident and soft brown eyes, and inviting smile. A part of her wondered what his arms would feel like around her and she thought of how long it's been since she's felt loved as a woman. Scully has grown accustomed to always putting her career before anything else, but there are times when all she needs is a man's warm embrace to make everything feel okay.
****