Author's Note: I have never written anything like this before and I'm not sure what I'm doing (serializing a plot line WHAT EVEN?) but yes, this is a thing I am going to try to do.

Part 1

"Doctor Scully."

It wasn't that there was anything inherently wrong with those words. They were exactly the right way to address her. But as Dana Scully approached the waiting officer, she couldn't help but feel in this instance, something else should have come before her name.

She shook her head slightly, dispersing thought, and put on her best public front for the waiting detective.

"Yes, hello, Detective-" She paused, embarrassed her laps in memory. She had just spoken to the man on the phone this morning, and she'd already forgotten his name.

The detective simply smiled, blue eyes crinkling slightly. "Detective Doggett, ma'am. John Doggett." He extended a gloved hand and she took it.

"Of course, Detective Doggett." She could feel the beginnings of a blush creep into her face. "I'm sorry."

The detective shook his head emphatically. "No need to apologize, Doctor Scully. I understand this isn't something you're terribly used to dealing with here."

"No, it certainly isn't." She agreed.

Detective Doggett smiled again. She could practically feel him trying to radiate comfort, and if she were being honest, she would have to say it was working. A bit of the tension she was carrying fell away, allowing her to focus on the situation at hand.

And that situation was the murder of one of her students.

Scully had been a teacher of forensic pathology at Nobilis College in Northern Virginia for nearly 5 years. Though her decision to go straight from medical school into teaching was met with resistance by her former teachers -who saw a greater potential in the skills of Dana Katherine Scully- Scully was secure in her choice and had made the college her home, even going so far as to taking up residence in housing directly across the street from the campus.

However, that morning she'd received the shock of her life, in the form of a telephone call from Detective Doggett. He informed her that there had been a murder committed on campus the previous night and that the area's usual medical examiner was at least 6 hours away, attending to a more gruesome bombing in a shopping mall. Though there were others who could easily have taken his place, Doggett was informed by someone in the school's Board that Scully was in fact a highly trained doctor who could easily be called in to help.

Detective Doggett led Scully towards one of the sitting area's outside of the older dorms. Metal benches surrounded a brick circle, at the center of which was a body.

Scully gulped and Doggett paused.

"You sure you're okay to do this Doctor Scully?" Doggett asked gently.

Scully blinked and turned her eyes on the detective. "I know her." She whispered, just loud enough for Doggett to hear.

He shifted subtly from authority to friend, slumping his shoulders just so, his face softening.

"I can call someone else to do the initial exam." It wasn't said like a question, but Scully knew he was asking if she was really able to do it.

It wasn't like she didn't see dead bodies all the time. Cutting up cadavers was literally part of her job description. And this was hardly an autopsy. She was simply giving her opinion as a medical doctor. No requirement to cut into this girl's skin.

Scully took a moment to decide, and then flipped her switch.

"No, I'm fine." She said simply, turning away from the detective and head to the body. Now she was Dana Scully, medical doctor, the woman who felt nothing but duty to find out how this student had died.

Someone offered her a pair of latex gloves as she knelt beside the body.

It was a young woman, medium height and build, dark blonde hair. She wore a Nobilis sweat shirt and jeans, both of which were now stained with what Scully could only assume was her blood. The blood seemed to stem from a large wound in the girl's stomach. Scully lifted the shirt a bit to see the deep zigzagging incision that ran across her lower abdomen. It was about 5 inches long and incredibly deep, only about an inch from being clean through. The abdominal aorta had most likely been punctured, causing the girl to bleed out within a short amount of time.

The girl.

Elizabeth. Liz.

That was her name. Scully knew she was a second or third year anthropology major. She'd taken one of Scully's classes the previous semester. She'd been a good student, good grades, fast work. Scully had liked her.

And now she was dead. Very likely murdered.

Scully could feel the control over her logical mind slipping, so she took in as many details as she could then slowly rose to her feet.

Detective Doggett was at her side almost immediately.

"She was stabbed. Stomach. Hit an artery. She probably bled out within the hour. Time of death was probably between 2 and 4 am." Scully took a deep steadying breath then continued. "She has some bruising around her neck, I'm assuming her killed strangled her before stabbing her, probably to immobilize her. No outward signs of sexual assault but you'd want to wait to see what the autopsy has to say about that before ruling it out."

She stopped. she had to. She wasn't crying. No, Dana Scully was above tears, she never shed them if it wasn't absolutely necessary. She was however, finding it hard to speak. Her throat was closing up and it was a bit hard to breath.

Liz.

"Thank you Doctor Scully." She heard Doggett say. She began to remove the gloves from her hands, nodding.

"Of course. I hope it helps. I hope you find whoever did this." And hurt them, she thought suddenly. She pushed that thought away quickly. No, justice, make them face justice, her logical self droned.

"We will." Doggett said, confidently. Scully took a moment to study him. He was only a bit taller than her own 5'5", strong, but not hugely muscled. He seemed like a man that could be trusted.

Detective Doggett extended his hand once more to her, and once again she shook it.

"Did you want one of my guys to walk you home, Doctor Scully?" He asked. "I would offer to myself, but I need to stay and get things wrapped up here."

Scully shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Thank you though, detective Doggett."

"John." He corrected.

Scully gave him a weak smile. No. "I'll be fine getting back myself."

He nodded. "Thank you again, Doctor Scully. I'll let you know how things happen?" This time it was a question. Did she really want to know? Did she want to be into this that deep?

"Yes, detective, that would be fine." she answered. "It was nice meeting you." She was genuinely pleased to have met him. John Doggett seemed like a lovely man, someone she could see becoming some kind of friend.

"You too." He gave her one last smile before his attention was pulled away by an officer in uniform.

Scully took one last look at the scene, and noted something she hadn't. The girl had some sort of stick stuck in her hair. Initially, she'd assumed it was just some debris that got caught, perhaps in a scuffle with the killer, but it looked like some sort of thorned bramble. Thing was, there were no bramble bushes on campus. The landscaping staff saw to that. Scully pondered it a moment before dismissing the thought. She didn't need to be investigating plant life attached to a murder victim. She needed to get back to her place, take a bath, then get to work on lesson plans.

The spring sun was warm, so she allowed herself one shiver before shoving her shoulders back and heading home.