Comments, complaints and just plain talk to sheryl_martin@tvo.org
Keeping The Faithby Sheryl Martin
Dana Scully sighed as she picked up the top folder from the dangerously tall pile sitting by Fox Mulder's desk. The biggest X-File she wanted to solve was how one man could accumulate so much mess around one desk in so little time. But Mulder was tied up at VCS for the whole morning; and she had leapt at the opportunity to get a head start on the disaster without him whining and being... less than helpful.
She frowned. This one... it had no label. Flipping it open, she looked at the top form. This had nothing to do with any case - it was a minor reprimand of an agent and these were his own copies of the complaint... of Fox Mulder's reprimand. Her eyes shot to the date; over a year ago...
***************
Mulder looked at the plate of food in front of him. As non-appealing as cafeteria food usually was; today his stomach just rebelled at the idea of ingesting whatever this was. Rubbing his eyes hard, he loosened the tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt - it was too tight for him to bear today. His hand brushed against the cross lying against his neck; the warm metal reminding him... He pushed his plate away and got to his feet.
"Hey, Spooky!" Doug Andrews called from a nearby table. "Bigfoot called - says she's free for Saturday night." His colleagues chuckled as Mulder weakly smiled.
"Gee, so good of you to share your sister with me."
The younger agent's face fell as the other men laughed at the joke. One corner of his mouth turned up as he muttered under his breath, loud enough for Mulder to hear.
"At least I didn't let some psycho kill my partner."
Mulder had almost passed the table; relishing his slight victory when he heard it. Spinning around, he grabbed Andrew's lapels; lifting him away from the table.
"What did you say?" He said softly.
"I said that you lost your partner. Let her get taken by some nut who probably got his jollies before he killed her and dumped the body."
Around the pair, the agents stirred restlessly. Joking was one thing; but it was an unspoken rule never to mention such a thing; to not even kid about it. And Andrews knew it...
Mulder moved him backwards to the wall, holding him on tip toe. "She. Is. Not. Dead." He hissed between clenched teeth into the young man's face.
Andrews smiled. "What, you have a psychic bond with her?" He looked around the circle of men, grinning broadly. "Or maybe you two played doctor so often that..."
Slamming him hard against the concrete; Mulder relished the sound of his head bouncing back and forth as he held him up again. Pounding him again and again, he watched as a glassy-eyed Andrews pulled feebly at the hands holding him tight...
"Mulder!" Assistant Director Skinner's voice roared through the room. "Drop him!"
"Sir..." One of the agents quietly broke in. "Agent Andrews was... he was joking about Agent Scully's disappearance..."
The tall husky man looked down at the young agent, who sat on the floor now that Mulder had released him. "Is this true?" His voice was quiet and low.
"He assaulted me." Andrews held his neck. "This bastard assaulted me - I want him charged and I'm filing an official complaint..."
Skinner's face was hard. "Get to the nurse now. And then in my office within the hour."
Staggering to his feet, the young man nodded and took a napkin from an outstretched hand. Pressing it to the cut at the back of his head, he stared at Mulder as he slowly walked by.
"Agent Mulder..." Skinner jerked his head to the left. "My office. Now."
******
"Sir, he made some comments about Agent Scully that I found offensive..."
"Oh, I see." Skinner paced around the standing man, stopping just behind him. "So you took it upon yourself to defend her honour, Agent Mulder?"
"Sir, I..." Mulder's eyes stayed on the floor. "He said she was dead."
Skinner stopped still. Taking his glasses off, he rubbed the bridge of his nose slowly. He could see the tension in the agent's whole body; the dark circles under his eyes. And from the gossip, he had given up sleep as well; spending more time logged on this case than anyone else. A glint of gold around Mulder's neck caught his eye...
"Agent Mulder, go back to work." The Assistant Director sat down behind his desk. "There will be an official reprimand for this... the usual paperwork to be filled out. But no discipline..." He held up a hand. "This time."
Mulder blinked. Twice. Assaulting a fellow agent automatically held the potential of being summarily dismissed from the Bureau...
"Just try to keep out of Andrew's way for the next few days. I believe he's applied for a transfer out of the state."
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Mulder put his hand on the doorknob.
"Agent Mulder..." He paused, his eyes still on the floor. "No one ever said that you have to forget her. No one ever will."
"Yes, sir." Mulder took a deep breath, feeling the tightness in his chest. "But she will be back."
**********
She skimmed the rest of the report. Andrews hadn't been seriously hurt; and his transfer to Arizona had been speedily approved. His complaint and request for Mulder's suspension and eventual dismissal had been ignored.
Dana looked at the date again. Three weeks before her return. Before they had found her in the hospital and dying. He had known...
Closing the folder, she walked over to the file cabinet and quietly slipped it in a lower drawer; in the cases to be reviewed on a yearly basis. Walking back to her desk, she paused; resting her fingertips on the wood as she closed her eyes in thought.
"Hey, Scully." Mulder dropped his briefcase onto his desk chair, tossing his trench coat over the back. "Hope you missed me..."
She smiled; waving a hand over the paper disaster. "You know, if I had a little more time I could almost get a head start on this..."
"Ah, Scully..." He beamed, his eyes locking with hers. "What would I do without you?"
Dana turned her head quickly, feeling the moisture rising in her eyes. "Shut up and get your coat back on, Mulder. I'm taking you to lunch."
He frowned. "You okay?"
She turned back to face him, her eyes wet. "Oh, I'm fine... just want to get out of this place." Taking his arm, she led him out of the office. "Mulder..." Dana said softly. "Tell me what you did while I was... gone..."
************************"The priest, he said my sole salvationwas in the battles of the angelsand underneath the waves of passionI keep the faith in my own fashion..."Sting -- "When We Dance"