Author's Note:
There is a long teaser to the story that I was having issues with. I didn't know if people will have the patience to read a teaser of this length, but the more I thought about cutting it short, the worse I felt about it. I want the story to have depth and this means putting an effort in to its development. Since I know most of you read pretty fast, please don't skip the teaser or the story because of it. Mulder and Scully do appear in this chapter and I am going to make them work hard in this story *grin*.
Story takes place during Season Six: The dark era of A.D. Alvin Kersh.
"On The Sideline"
Chapter One
Justville, NY (South of Binghamton)
Matt Goldfarb was bored. Being thirteen years old and not having any of your close friends around during summer sucked big time. It was days like these that made him hate his life and hate his mom. She was never around because she had to work all day long. When she did come home she was always tired. Whenever he approached her, she'd always apologize that she wasn't up to listening to him even though she loved him very much and all.
The more she apologized, the more he hated her and right at that very moment he believed he hated her the most. Five days ago his two best friends boarded a plane to Israel for summer camp. This was the camp the three of them had been speaking of for the past year. It was Bar Mitzvah year and this was supposed to be his first time away from home. He was supposed to be celebrating his coming of age and getting to know new experiences but instead his friends left and here he was, still stuck in this tiny little hole of a town but this time he was all alone; no friends to talk to, no mom to confide in, just him and a few fist-sized rocks. One of these rocks was now being trained on an unsuspecting tabby cat that was lazily padding along the road.
He thought of his mom and his anger whirled into a storm. He pulled his arm back and his brow furrowed as his focus centered on the cat's mid-section. His concentration deepened and his tongue found its way between his lips, his neck tensed and he pushed his arm forward and released the stone.
He followed it with his eyes and as the stone progressed he could tell his aim was off. The propelled object hit the gravel with a muffled thud. The cat shot out with a shocked miao, quickly disappearing from Matt's sight, as it figured out what's best for it.
Matt snorted. That was just perfect. It just fit in so well with his foul mood.
He got up and gave the remaining pile of rocks a hefty kick. The stones spread all over and the ground stirred into life as dust flew about Matt and his surroundings. "Fuck you!" he cried out and spat at the twirling sand. "Fuck all of you!"
He trudged down the road listlessly. He would have gone home but it wasn't as if there was much he could do there, either. His mom sold their TV and VCR over a year ago. All he had left were a stack of VHS tapes staring at him as if sneering and enhancing the emptiness of their living room. While his friends all sported a fancy new Discman, he was stuck with an ancient tape recorder. The kind you couldn't take out and show off without finding yourself the laughing stock of the entire school. If that wasn't enough, it now had one of his favorite tapes tangled within it. His best mate, Josh, promised to get it fixed for him but he never got around to it and now he was far away and it will be another two months before he'd see him.
So he just kept on plodding down the road aimlessly, kicking up dust with each step he took, feeling sorry for himself. How was he going to survive this dreaded summer? He'd tried finding a temporary job but most positions weren't suitable for his age, and those that were had already been filled in. He'd gone to the library only to find out that the old lady who'd been running the place had fallen ill and there was nobody available to replace her. He couldn't afford to buy any new books, so now he had to make do with whatever he'd already read and he didn't feel like it. It was just so unfair. He felt like the world was out to get him, or at least that it was determined to make his summer holiday suck big time.
As he continued his stroll he realized he was hearing the sound of footsteps echoing his own. He stopped in his tracks and his ears sort of perked. It wasn't his imagination playing tricks on his mind. Indeed, there was somebody else treading this sorry part of town in mid-summer. A tiny beam played along his freckled face. He didn't care who it was. Another person meant some sort of action. Be it good or bad, he wanted in on it and if there was one thing he was very good at, it was pushing his nose into everybody else's business.
He resumed his stride but he made sure his pace was deliberately sluggish. He'd dawdle every few steps. Crouch to his knees to ogle a rock or he'd peer above a neighboring fence. Gradually he heard the footsteps closing in on him. Now he knew there was more than one pair of feet striding along the road behind him and that made him jollier.
As the couple got near, Matt listened intently and sure enough he was now able to pick on their conversation. The voices he heard made his heart leap. The two people behind him were teenagers. In fact, both went to his school. There was the slight matter of the age difference between them, but Matt knew he'd be able to overcome that minor detail.
Finally he felt the timing was just right. He came to a full stop and turned around to face the two boys approaching him.
David Leibowitz, a lanky boy with an impressive curly red-brown mane gave him a sneer. "Lookie here. If it isn't Matt 'the leftover' Goldfarb."
Ben Sokolov, his shorter and sturdier partner, joined David as he jeered. "The Leftover! That's a good one, Dave. I think I might store it for future reference."
Matt wasn't too perplexed by the older boys' attempts to taunt him. He was nicknamed 'Matt the Elephant' by his peers as he was known amongst them for his thick skin. It would take much more to break his spirit and right now the simple attention the boys were lavishing unto him was actually having the opposite effect. He was delighted to have some action and the dumber older boys were clueless. As they continued verbally patting each other's backs, assuming they had the upper hand in the situation, Matt kept a casual gaze, only partially trained on the two boys. He was quite pleased with what he saw. Both David and Ben had pellet rifles slung across their chest and Ben had a heavy duty pouch strapped to his waste which Matt assumed had a nice stack of pellets in it. Yes! Finally he was going to see some action. Maybe he would even be able to participate.
"Where you going?" Matt interjected, completely ignoring the supposedly mature boys' futile attempts to humiliate him.
The fifteen year olds weren't too happy with Matt's indifference. They broke their sniggering parade and tried to stare Matt down.
"What's it to you, midget?" David spat.
"Yeah! What's it to you?" Ben echoed his buddy, clearly being the weaker link of the two.
Matt gave them a tiny meaningful smile. "To me? It's nothing to me, but I'm sure it's gonna interest Sargent Dan down at the precinct. Damn sure of it." As the last word left his mouth, Matt turned around and made an attempt to walk away from the scene.
As soon as he took his first step, the expected hand landed on his shoulder in an attempt to prevent his movement. Matt smacked his lips with extreme pleasure. His plan was working like a charm. Using a very low tone, he calmly spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Ben, take your paw off of him," Dave let out, his tone was now one notch higher than before.
As expected, Ben refused to listen. "You gonna let this little shit walk away?!"
"This little shit broke Sam's hand last year," Dave half whispered. "He's got a black belt in martial arts. Just let him go."
"Yeah, Benny," Matt jeered, "why don't ya let the midget go, now, would ya?"
Matt felt as Ben hurriedly removed his grip. He chuckled. It was Josh's dad who'd trained him. He wanted to make sure the three nerdy friends would be able to stand up for themselves. He knew how things could be for kids such as his son and his friends and he wanted to give them an advantage. Matt knew he'd always be grateful to him. Martial arts taught him a lot more than just self-defense. It taught him discipline and combined with his ability to stay calm in most situations, he earned his black belt a lot sooner than his two best friends.
"Dave, he's gonna snitch on us if we don't do something about it," Benny lamented.
"There's nothing I can do about it," David shot back at Ben.
Bingo! Matt smiled as he slowly turned to face the older boys. "Oh, but there is something you can do about it, Dave," Matt sing-sang mockingly. "You can invite me to your shooting fest."
Ben frowned at Matt with obvious disgruntlement. "You're gonna cramp our style, midget."
Matt chuckled. "Fine then. It's been nice talkin' to ya. I'm kinda bored. Guess I'll go say Hi to Sargent Dan Mathews at the precinct. Maybe he'll find me something to do."
"OK, OK, you can come with us," Dave caved in.
Matt smirked. "Dave, buddy. You are just too good to me."
Dave threw Matt a peeved glare. "Come on," he motioned half-heartedly with his hand.
His mood completely turned around, Matt scooted behind the older boys. "So, where we goin'?"
"Over to Hickory Woods," Dave told him.
"And what we gonna do there?" Matt milked the older boy being as he wasn't very forthcoming with information.
"We will be shooting some squirrels. As for you? Fucked if I know." Benny snickered.
We'll see about that, Matt told the older boy in his mind, and smiled to himself.
The odd threesome kept a steady pace as they headed west towards the forest on the outskirts of town known as Hickory Woods. The two older boys conversed amongst themselves, keeping their voices low and making sure Matt was excluded from their discussion. Matt himself couldn't give a crap about their verbal exchanges. He had no doubt in his mind that most of it was BS and idle chit chat, typical of teens of that age. His spirits were elated. Today had taken a turn for the better. Finally he had something to look forward to.
Soon the boys were trudging through the forest, their feet making crunching sounds as they trampled on dried up leaves. Most of the trees were sporting impressive manes of green and Matt took in the cool air, enjoying the various scents the forest bestowed upon him. Usually, he avoided Hickory Woods. There had been some strange rumors about the place. Mostly about animals going missing never to be found again, but also about an old lady who'd gotten lost a couple of months ago. It was said that she was last seen entering the forest. She'd been declared missing a short while after the incident but Matt found it odd that no search party was ever dispatched. It was as if nobody cared that she'd gone.
He sighed inwardly, stopped at his tracks and stared at the narrow gravel path that meandered through the trees, an ominous sensation sent chills through his spine.
The older boys continued journeying further into the forest but they soon realized they were missing their unwanted counterpart. They halted their stride and both turned around.
"What's the matter? Chickening out?" Ben sniggered.
As if on cue, Dave flapped his arms and cackled poultry-style.
Both older boys burst in laughter and continued walking back and forth like a pair of dumb birds.
Matt scoffed. Dickheads. Stupid fucking twits. He heaved a deep breath, stared long into the heavily shaded portion of Hickory Woods and shook himself as if he were trying to rid himself of the ill-boding vibe he was getting from the place. He gulped. Every nerve in his body was telling him to turn around, yet his pride wouldn't listen. He kicked the ground with his right shoe and proceeded forward. As he did so, he passed between the still quacking boys, shoving Benny with his body as he trudged by him.
"Hey!" Ben whined. "Watch it, butthead!"
Matt ignored him and continued walking, but he gradually slowed down his pace and the older teens soon caught up with him.
Despite it being midday, the towering fleshy trees prevented most of the sun's access and the forest took on a sickly dim appearance. What added to the uneasy feeling was the fact that as they moved further in, the forest assumed an eerie quietness. It was almost as if there was a sound barrier between the town and the woods. It was clear to Matt that both Dave and Ben were also feeling this as the usually chatty boys ceased their endless senseless quipping the deeper they headed into the wooden abyss. The glum silence served as enhancement for Matt's heartbeat which he noted was on a steady rise.
He was beginning to have serious second thoughts, but if he turned back now, he knew he'd never be able to walk down the school hallways without being harassed. Suck it up, he ordered himself and swallowed hard. He just hoped that Dave and Benny would decide on a shooting location so they could get it over with and leave this creepy place.
He knew he should ask them when they were planning to get along with their prospective affairs, but they'd just use this to pester him some more so he kept his quiet. Luckily, it was Benny who opened his mouth instead.
"Dave, d'you see any squirrels 'round here?"
Matt refrained from chuckling at the obvious nervousness he conceived from Ben's shaky voice.
"It's a fuckin' forest dude. We will find the shitty little animals pretty darn soon," Dave retorted but it was quite clear that he was not too self-assured.
Great, Matt sighed. He sure knew how to pick'em. He'd been so goddamn bored; he'd chosen to follow two of the dumbest dudes he'd ever known. Good thinking, Matt. NOT.
The path they were following had become so narrow; they now had to walk convoy-style with Dave leading the group and Matt in the rear. Thick shrubbery encroached upon their already-cramped walkway, hindering their traverse the further they travelled. It was pretty obvious not too many frequented this section of Hickory Woods and Matt wondered when Dave would quit leading them into nowhere.
Then he abruptly came to a standstill. It was so sudden that Matt was inches from crashing into Benny's rifle. He had to pull back fast and he found himself grabbing the first thing he could and it just so happened to be dogwood branches. He grabbed the shrub on both sides of the path but it wasn't strong enough to support his weight and he found himself falling backwards, till he landed on his butt.
At the sound of the loud thud, Ben looked behind him and burst out in silly guffaws.
"Shut the fuck up, Benny!" Dave yelled out, clearly unaware of the show he'd just missed out on.
Matt sent Benny a menacing glower and the older boy's horsy grin vanished, a frightened expression taking its place.
The younger boy pushed himself off the ground, tossing shredded dogwood leaves in the process. Then he tried to peer behind Benny in an attempt to figure out what had gotten in their way. "What's goin' on?" he called out to Dave against his better judgment.
Of course Dave's expected rebuttal came flying right back at him. "Shuttup butthead!"
"Sod off dumbass!" Matt shot back, feeling weary of the drivel Dave had been feeding him. "You know what I think?"
"Nobody cares what you think, slime ball!" Ben spat at him.
Matt couldn't care less. He'd just about had enough of the dumb-duo's antics. "I think you two are full of crap and that you've never gone here to shoot at anything before today and right now we'd be lucky if we found a fuckin' ant to tread on, if you ask me!"
"No-bo-dy asked you!" Dave hollered back at him, stressing every syllable.
"Yeah! If you don't like what we're doin', feel free to go back home to your mommy." Ben sniggered scornfully.
In all truth that was exactly what his heart was telling him to do, but of course, there was no way he was going to let those two get the upper hand. All he did in response was present a peeved scowl to Ben.
Ben offered him a satisfied sneer, feeling very pleased with himself; then he turned back to Dave. "I think the little motherfucker will keep his mouth shut from now on."
"Benny, you are driving me crazy with your bitchin'. Why don't you shuttup as well, eh? I'm trying to figure out how we gonna get past this fuckin' ditch."
Finally some light was shed on the mystery of their unexplained pause mid-trip. If only they didn't have to rely on the 'amazing' thinking power of David Leibowitz. Matt rolled his eyes.
"Go back the two of you! Come on, move it!" Dave ordered.
What now? Matt wondered. Had Dave finally come to his senses? Was he turning them around?
"I need some space so I can run and make a jump to pass this ditch." Dave explained.
But of course, Matt's crest fell. He should have known better than to actually believe Dave had any common sense in him.
As ordered both Matt and Benny shuffled back along the measly forest lane until Dave was satisfied with the length of track that was now available for his sprint. Dave walked back towards the two boys; then he set himself for the run, his back partially hunched like an Olympic Long Jumper. He heaved a deep breath and his legs sprang into action, taking giant strides as he dashed with impressive speed. About a foot before the ditch's ledge, Dave jumped forward, his legs stretched out to their maximum. A fraction of a second later and both boys could hear a loud crashing sound accompanied with a gritty yelp.
"Oh Fuck!" Benny blurted and rushed to the ditch's rim to find out Dave's fate. Matt trudged slowly behind him. As he neared the trench he could hear Dave's triumphant cheer. So it's one/nil to Dave, Matt gauged.
He reached Benny and the older teen looked back at him and Matt held himself from sniggering at Benny's perplexed expression. So who's the big boy now? He wondered inwardly.
"It's your turn," Benny mumbled then he grabbed Matt by the arm and pulled him close to the ledge.
As Matt huddled beside Ben in the tiny space between the shrubs he took in the size of the gap he had to cross. The ditch was more than three feet deep and maybe nine or so wide. He couldn't gauge the exact depth as it had dark colored water flowing through it. Yellow leaves floated atop the streaming 'water' at a leisurely pace. Matt followed them with his eyes and noted the stream appeared to narrow further down but the thick bushes prevented him from reaching the easier crossing.
Matt felt his face slacken as he realized he'd gotten himself into a 'brilliant' situation. Dave, with his splendid drawn out legs had to work hard to manage this jump and even Benny, with his puny brain, figured out he was in deep shit and now he was using Matt to buy him some time. But he was the one who had this problem shoved right up his ass, and he knew that no matter how he'd play it, he was going to lose.
Logically, he knew he should back out but his pride stepped up and made the decision for him. "Fine," he told Benny. "Get out of my way!"
The older boy gawked at him, his expression a mixture of shock and awe.
"You gonna move your butt?" Matt asked impatiently.
"You're fuckin' crazy, Goldfarb!" Benny responded as he hurried back along the path. "You're never gonna make it."
Matt knew he was right but he chose to keep quiet. Once they'd reached the spot from which Dave took his sprint, both boys got into position; Benny assumed the spectator's post while Matt prepared for the jump. There wasn't much point in stalling, so he decided to just hope for the best. He heaved a deep breath and forced his legs to run as fast as they could. He quickly gained speed as he zoomed in on the narrow ledge.
This was it. No turning back. He reached the lip of the trench and put all his might into his leap. For a fraction of a second he was flying in the air but then gravity took over and the inevitable happened. He was falling down, a mixture of green and brown filling his eyes as he rushed into the bottomless dark liquid that filled the trench. His arms flailed as he attempted to grab whatever he could but all they hit was the soft gravel sides of the trench. The muddy ground broke to bits in his hands as gravity pulled him down.
And then came the splash.
Unable to truly break his fall, he found himself completely immersed in the dark water that ebbed through the trench. Even his face wasn't saved from the dunking as it sank into the murky substance. Matt fought the momentum and broke it as he began stroking back with his arms. The water was dark and despite having his eyes open, he couldn't see a thing. All he could do was rely on his other senses. Once he managed to cease his downward trajectory, he let his body float and he felt it being slowly pulled in what he guessed was an upward direction. Soon after, he felt his torso popping out of the water. He hurriedly forced his head to follow suit and he found himself thrashing and coughing as he breathed in fresh air mixed with droplets of dingy trench water.
"Goldfarb!"
Matt looked up and caught the sight of Benny's hysterical expression. "I'm alright," he informed him. Surprisingly, he felt rather calm despite his foul situation. The worst had happened. There wasn't much else to worry about at this very moment, or so he assumed. "Get me out of here," he demanded.
"Yeah. Right…" Benny sounded unsure.
Matt didn't like the tone of the older boy's voice. "Benny?"
"Dave! How we gonna get him outa here?" Ben shot out, his voice on the verge of crying.
Matt blinked. He'd totally forgotten about Dave. The other boy seemed to have gone awfully quiet. That was odd. Benny was shouting his heart out, and so far no response had come. Matt drew in a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly in disbelief. Brilliant! Just fucking brilliant! "Benny!" he called out to the now extremely panicked boy, "Listen to me!"
"Dave!" Benny's shrill voice tore through the silent forest.
Matt wasn't the least bit surprised when the only response was eerie silence. "He's gone, Benny."
"No!" Ben retorted. "He'd never do this. Dave's not the kind—"
"It doesn't really matter now," Matt cut through Ben's hysterics. "Help me out of here and we'll go to his home and see if he's there, alright?"
"I… I don't think I can help you, Matt." Ben said quietly as he shot the younger boy a look of sheer hopelessness.
Matt felt desperate. "Yes you can. Find me a long branch that I can get a hold on. You can then pull me out. C'mon Benny. You can do it." He shot Ben his best 'I'm counting on you' expression but as he caught site of Ben's eyes, he could see that it was a lost cause. The older boy's eyes were those of a miserable puppy, that'd lost its mom. He'd given up before he'd even begun.
"It's pointless," Benny said. "I… I'll go get somebody to help."
Shit! Matt felt as if a rug had been pulled from under his feet. "No! Benny! Don't leave me here!" For the first time he'd let go of his cool façade. A feeling of pure dread filled the space his composure had left behind.
But Benny had already left the edge of the trench and as he continued gaining distance, Matt could hear the dwindling sound of his footsteps. "I'll get help!" Benny shouted. "I promise you!"
And then all Matt could hear was silence. Nary did a bird sing, nor did an insect buzz. Something about this place felt terribly wrong and Matt wanted to get out of Hickory Woods before he disappeared as well.
Despite it being high summer, he was beginning to shiver, having been immersed in the cold trench water for some twenty minutes by then. He'd heard plenty of stories from his mom about kids who'd suffered from being exposed too long to cold environments. That's the stuff the children of nurses were forced to listen to on oh too many an occasion. 'Be careful of doing X. You might end up in the hospital with this and that' was almost a daily mantra in his home. Usually he'd insist that his mom quit her nagging which of course she never did. Right now, though, his unintended knowledge of the danger of exposure meant that he was extremely driven. If nobody would help him, he'd have to do it himself.
Quickly scanning his surrounding, Matt decided to head further along the trench in the hope that he'd locate some object he could grab onto and use to climb out with.
Gingerly, taking extremely cautious steps, Matt waded down the waterway. As he progressed, the canal became narrower, but it was still just as deep as it was where he fell into it. The water was right below his chin, which meant that he alternated between slow wading and dog-paddling through the dark murky water until finally he saw his break. Some three feet ahead of him a thick root had broken through the trench's muddy wall and it was sticking out like an outstretched limb. Matt's heart beat faster as he noted the hopeful sight. By then he was beginning to feel tired and his entire body felt almost numb from the long exposure to the freezing water. He put all his strength into one final doggy-paddle. At last! He'd reached his target. But pulling himself out with the root's assistance wasn't proving an easy a task as he'd hoped. His frozen limbs went into mutiny as he tried to force them to cooperate with his brain. It was hard for him to move. "C'mon!" he urged himself. Even his voice sounded dim.
No! He had to get out of this stinking water! He drew in a deep breath and forced himself to find the fortitude he needed to pull himself onto dry land. He cried in agony as pins and needles shot through his ice-cold body. He let out excruciating grunts as he forced his body to move, one limb after the other, until he was free.
Literally speaking, he was not out of the woods yet. He still had to somehow cut his way through a maze of prickly shrubs. As tremors rushed through his body, he tried to move as fast as he could. In the back of his mind he somehow felt that time was of the essence. He feared he'd vanish into the wooden void just like that old lady and the squirrels and the insects and the birds and… Dave Leibowitz. His despair drove him despite his body's protests. He located narrow passageways through the thick bushes and squeezed himself in between, ignoring the poking and prodding of the prickly branches as they tore into his exposed skin and through his thin layer of clothing and he'd scramble to find his footing whenever he'd topple over as his body lost control when he'd encounter unsteady ground.
It seemed to take forever but finally he found his way back to the trail he'd walked along just a short while back with Ben and Dave. All that was left was for him to get the hell out of the forest. Run! Matt ordered himself but all he could do was limp along the path. His body revolted against his will and refused to move any faster and the trail now seemed to last forever. Matt was feeling the energy draining out of his body. His steady limp turned into an extremely slow pace with him needing to stop every few minutes to catch his breath.
He trudged slowly and at some point he'd realized he'd let his eyelids droop. He forced his eyes open and tried to keep them in that state but he felt so tired. If he didn't sit down for just a couple of minutes, he knew he'd drop. Succumbing to his body's wishes, Matt plopped to the ground, lowered his head and let his eyelids close. It'll just be for a couple of minutes, he recited in his mind. Just a couple…
At first he noted the sounds. He couldn't really understand what he was hearing. It sounded fuzzy, as if he had a thick wad of cotton wool plugging his ears. It was mostly a humming intertwined with ringing and beeping. Gradually the hazy sounds began to take form; A phone ringing, a machine beeping and voices of people talking.
The next thing he noted was the pain. His entire body ached and if that wasn't enough, he felt as if somebody was shoving him from side to side, tugging at him and poking him with various objects and in various parts of his body.
Then he realized he was cold. He wanted to curl into a ball but when he tried to move his legs, it appeared they were pinned down. He felt miserable, anxious and confused. He didn't understand where he was and what was happening around him. He wanted all the prodding and poking to stop. He wanted the pain to cease and he wanted to cuddle under his warm blanket in peace.
"Matt?"
Was that?... "Mom?"
"Yes," his mother answered, her voice sounded unusually raspy.
Matt forced his eyes open. Bright light flowed in through the slits of his eyes, forcing him to squint. He wanted to put his palm over his eyes to shade them somewhat but when he pulled his arm, he felt a stinging pain and he winced.
"Don't move your hand, honey. You've got a tube in it," his mom explained.
A tube? What was she talking about? He turned his head slowly towards his mother's voice and focused on her figure until he could make it out. Finally he understood. He was in a hospital. Still, he wasn't able to piece together the details. Why was he here?
"They found you in Hickory, honey," his mom filled in the gaps. "You'd collapsed."
As she spoke, the events came back to him. "How did you find me?"
"Benny got help."
Matt sighed. At least Benny managed doing one thing right. He looked at his mother. "I want to go home."
"Soon, honey. Soon."
Ben noted that she wore a strange expression on her face and he felt discomfort forcing its way into his mind. "Mom? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, sweetie. The doctors just want to make sure you're OK before you go home." His mom shot a glance behind her shoulder, as if she were expecting somebody to arrive.
Matt knew she was keeping something from him and he was beginning to lose his calm demeanor. He pushed himself to a sitting position, trying to ignore the painful tug of the IV tube in his left arm and the dangling heart monitor cables and oxygen tubes he was wearing.
His mom hurried to assist him and affixed the bed and the pillows to suit his new position. He followed her with his eyes and he couldn't ignore the worried countenance that lingered on her face. Fear mixed with anger took over his mind. What if… he hadn't made it out of Hickory? Or what if he made it out but something had happened to him?
"Mom? What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, Mathew. Nothing's wrong with you," his mother insisted.
But Matt could hear the tremble in her voice and he couldn't contain himself anymore. "Why are you lying to me?!" he screamed and then to his utter shock a major explosion sounded.
Both Matt's and his mother's gaze rushed to meet the source of the thunderous noise. Before their very eyes the heart monitor erupted into flames as it spurted bright sparks accompanied by loud crackling sounds.
One of the nurses jolted into action, rushing to get a fire extinguisher before more harm could be done.
When all that remained was a smoldering monitor, another nurse approached both Matt and his mother and made sure they were fine. Finally when she was satisfied she asked them what had happened.
"Fucked if I know", Matt told her and then immediately followed this with "Can I go home now?"
FBI Headquarters, Washington DC
Dana Scully entered the crowded open space office and winced. It had been about two months now that both she and Mulder were stuck with the degrading assignment of background checkups and she had yet to get used to the continuous humming and buzzing emitted by a room filled with people whose entire job consisted of endless talking on the phone. Not a day passed by without her arriving at her home with a massive headache. She was popping Tylenols like they were candy and lately she was considering looking for something stronger even though she knew it was bad medicine.
Contrary to her irregular work hours on the X-Files, these days she kept to regular office hours. There was slight chance one would see her romping about the place prior to 9AM. She made sure she never punched her card before nine and then her first stop was always the cafeteria. She'd take her time preparing her coffee and then she'd fuss over Mulder's, thus it would always be 9:15 AM by the time she'd actually present herself amongst the other office drones in 'background checkup'. Her motivation was way past rock bottom and the only reason she didn't quit was Mulder. She stayed to support his cause.
It used to be their cause but lately she just didn't know anymore. She was having doubts about it all. Was the cause truly that important? Was this what she had signed up to? How was this underqualified activity going to achieve anything? Wouldn't they both be better off trying to pursue their interests outside the bureau? Maybe they'd join The Lone Gunmen. They could do a world of good there, she was certain of it. Alas, whenever the discussion came up, Mulder would toss it aside with vehemence. He refused to even listen to, let alone consider, the option. He would recite his usual mantra: 'This is what they want us to do Scully, and I will not give them the pleasure.' And so, while she just went through the motions of dutifully coming to work every day, but not actually letting herself sink her teeth into it, Mulder continued his routine of arriving at the office long before anybody else did. He'd sit on his computer reading various cases. He'd bring in books from the library which he'd read during down time. He'd collect newspaper snippets in files and he would even try to find interesting angles during his background checkups.
She'd find herself raising her eyebrow on many occasions as she heard him inquiring people about implants, unusual medical procedures and even about abductions. None of these questions were part of the usual survey they were required to go through during their phone interviews, and on occasion Kersh would call him to his office to reprimand him re his unusual interview methods, but this did little to quash Mulder's enthusiasm. It pissed Kersh, but that only served Mulder's purposes and he felt quite smug whenever he'd get back from yet another admonishment session with their current assistant director.
She'd, of course, berate him about his behavior, and he would always laugh. "What else can the motherfucker do to us, Scully? He won't fire us. That's one thing I'm certain of. We're doing what we're told. So I have a few unconventional questions I ask during the interviews. When has that ever been grounds for dismissal? Besides, I have two toothbrushes in my drawer ready for when he orders us to go scrub the latrines. As far as I'm concerned, I can take whatever shit he shoves down our throats, and I mean this all the way down to the literal sense of things."
To this all she could summon was a meek smile. Her heart just wasn't in it. She sure wished she could be as driven as Mulder was, yet she wasn't, and she felt guilty about this, almost as if she were betraying a promise. Then she'd get annoyed that she'd involve guilt in this whole ordeal. Didn't she have the right to feel crappy when she was crapped upon? She so wished she felt purposeful like Mulder did, but as the days passed, it seemed like this would be her life from now on and she wondered how much more she could take and… Wham! Guilt slammed right back into her, telling her she should be ashamed of herself and she wanted to scream at her subconscious to shut the hell up!
She took in the already bustling hall of desks, chairs and FBI agents, gave her aching temples a quick massage, heaved a deep breath and proceeded into the open space abyss. As she passed the various agents on her way, she offered customary courteous gestures. This pretending game she was forced to endure on a daily basis was beginning to get on her nerves. While Mulder never gave a crap about accepted social norms and thus never bothered with even a measly hello to anybody, she'd been brought up on the laps of proper etiquette and she wasn't able to shake it out of her system. Within her the child rebel would scream at the agents she greeted to go sod off, but outside, the agreeable habits she was taught from a very young age controlled her behavior down to a tee. She sure missed the lonesome basement office where nobody saw them or gave a damn about them and she could be free to tell Mulder things she'd otherwise feel ashamed to even think of in public.
Slowly, she approached her desk. She was somewhat taken aback to find Mulder's desk unoccupied, but she soon relaxed when she noted his jacket on the back of his seat. So he was here, she calmed herself down. He'd probably gone to the bathroom.
She landed the carton coffee carrier on her desk, opened the second drawer and shoved her, as of late, rather thin briefcase into it and turned on her computer. Before settling in her seat for the day, she pulled one of the paper cups from the carrier and put it beside the keyboard on Mulder's desk, then she finally plopped into her seat and logged into the FBI system. She scanned through her email, quickly locating the new list of people assigned for her to interview, and then she clicked on the data collection software icon to get it ready for her first call of the day.
She stretched her legs under her desk and as she did so, she let her shoes fall off. That was another tiny leeway she allowed herself lately. The back part of the desk went all the way to the floor, thus providing coverage for her tiny breach of protocol. She found no good reason for having her shoes on while she sat at a desk all day and as long as this bit of disorderly fashion was kept in the dark, she allowed herself this tiny indulgence.
She grabbed the phone headset and donned it, then located the first name on the list and brought it up on the screen before her. She was about to hit the computer call button when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
"Hey," Mulder gave her an unusually lavish grin as she looked up at him.
She frowned. 'Cheerful Mulder' meant something was up. "Hey."
"What's with the funny face?"
Obviously he wasn't going to explain unless she insisted upon it, so she didn't waste any time hovering about the subject. "What are you up to, Mulder?"
He gave her a sheepish smile. "What do you mean, what am I up to?"
She huffed at his retort. "I know that look, Mulder. You have something up your sleeve. I sure hope we are not going to meet another mysterious contact in the middle of nowhere. You know how things ended the last time you went down that path."
His smile widened and she was beginning to feel extremely irritated. "I don't know why you keep having such ideas about me, Scully. Haven't you noticed I've turned a page in my life? Look at me; I'm the most obedient agent in the FBI these days. Need somebody for a shit job? Look no further. Here comes agent Mulder. He'll take any shit-load you'd toss down his way and do it with the most amazing smile on his face."
She was ready to punch him in the belly. "Cut the crap, Mulder!"
"But Scully, I am crap-man. I love the crap—OOHHH!" he yelped as her fist made contact with his ribs. "Jeez, Scully! Why do you have to be so Goddamn serious! You should really find some joy in things, you know."
She glared at him. "I think I have just found my joy, and you better watch out before I find it again," she warned him as she brandished her fists before his face.
"OK," Mulder said, suddenly sounding deflated. He moved over to his desk and grabbed his jacket and began putting it on.
Scully gave him an incredulous look. "Mulder? What are you doing?"
"I'm putting my jacket on," he stated the obvious.
Scully scowled. "I can see that. Why are you putting your jacket on?"
He hesitated and Scully felt a tight knot forming in her belly. The knot tightened even further when instead of answering, Mulder averted his gaze and stared at the ground.
Scully shook her head in disbelief. "No! No way! You did everything they told you. They can't fire you now!" She was both pissed and upset at the same time. This couldn't be happening.
Before she could continue her tirade, though, Mulder put his hand up and signaled her to hold her horses. "Errr… Scully… I don't know how to tell you this. I feel pretty crappy about it all but they're not firing me. I'm going on a field mission. An X-File to be precise…"
Scully's heart skipped a beat. She was confused. Not only was Mulder safe, he was actually going to investigate an X-File? So why was he feeling so rotten about it that he'd have to do this whole song and dance routine before he got to the point… Unless… "I'm not invited to the party, I take it," she muttered quietly.
Mulder looked her in the eye, the puppy dog expression plastered fully on his face. "I'm sorry," he told her as he patted her shoulder with his hand, trying his best to comfort her.
She put on a sad brave face for his sake. "It's OK. You deserve a break. You've really done your part for King and Country here. Might as well enjoy your reward.
He offered her a weak smile of gratitude, and then turned to go.
As an afterthought, Scully shot after him, "How come they need you for an X-File? Don't they have a team of their own?"
He paused in his tracks and Scully frowned as his shoulders slumped. Oh-Oh, she thought.
"Diana asked for my assistance on this one. I… couldn't say no to her." With that Mulder resumed his stride towards the open space entrance. As he progressed, it was clear he was picking up his pace.
Scully stared at his back, too dumbstruck to utter a word. Her façade never betrayed the deep pain inside of her as she sat back in her seat and began the tedious routine of background checkups sans her usual partner.