A/N
Yes, I know that I haven't written in eons, but I've been busy with homework and all that jazz. Finals were especially crucial. Anyway, I've had this idea since March and I've been meaning to write it, but my muse was stuck on school work rather than writing. I have no idea if this has been done already, but oh well. This fic will be sort of a milestone for me. It's going to involve themes that I've never written in detail about, but for this particular story, I feel it's necessary to do so. Enjoy!
Takes place during the 7th season.
Facade
Part I
Lady Sanna
9:28 PM
REDDING, CA
2 YEARS AGO
Chris Gavinger, a man of 35 years, tall stature, and homely features, briskly climbed the porch steps up to his home that was situated on a corner of the suburban neighborhood. Outside, his neighbor Raymond Parker waved at him as they passed each other and Chris waved back as was expected. As Chris bounded into the living room, he stubbed his toe on the edge of the small side table and tripped, falling to the floor with a loud thud. He cursed loudly, then trying to ignore the pain, got up as quickly as he could trying to get things ready before his wife came home.
Parker heard the noise from Chris's house and quirked an eyebrow wondering why Gavinger was in such a rush, but shook it off and went about his own business watching the night sky. He has been Gavinger's neighbor for about two and a half years now and he has always noticed his neighbor doing something special for his wife every now and then. He thought it sweet, but it seemed as if that was really the only thing Chris did do besides work. He has never once been able to leisurely talk to him. He even invited Gavinger to hang out at the bar with a few friends. Man-time was what he called it. To his dismay, Chris declined saying that he had a date with his wife that evening.
Of course, Parker respected the fact that he was a devoted husband, but a nagging feeling was telling him that this was a totally different kind of devotion. Subconsciously, he drank the last bit of beer that was left, crushed the can, and flung it into the trash next to him.
Inside the Gavinger household, Chris was practically running around the house, jumping over whatever obstacle was in front of him to set the table and at the same time, dressing up for the occasion. He was planning to have a nice, quiet, dinner with his wife, Olivia, after she got home from work, knowing that she always loved it when he threw surprises like this for her. A smile came to his lips.
Once finished, Chris stood back admiring his work and hoped that his wife would like it. 'Of course!' he told himself. 'She'll love me for it and that's all I want.' The familiar sound of her car stopping in front of the house made him snap back to reality and back to his plan for the evening. Quickly, he hid in the hallway and waited for her to come in so that he would pop out and surprise her.
From the shadows, he watched her slender form get out from the car and walk towards the house. She casually waved to Parker and tiredly walked up the stairs. Placing her briefcase next to her, she searched in her purse for the keys and huffed in frustration when she couldn't find them. Instead of searching any further, she just knocked on the door while calling out her husband's name.
"Chris!" she shouted, "Chris! If you're in there, could you open the door?"
Chris's heart fell. 'Well there goes the surprise.' Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the door, his feet feeling heavy, and opened it with a forced smile. "Honey! Guess-"
"Finally! Could you have been any slower than usual?" Olivia spat, cutting him off mid-sentence. She pushed passed him and took off her coat, throwing it onto the couch. "Oh and get my briefcase before I forget," she shouted as she walked into the bathroom.
Chris just stood there unable to comprehend what just happened. She didn't even notice the dinner table. He took in a long breath and did as he was told, locking the door behind him.
"Olivia, I don't know if you noticed, but I made dinner just for you. Don't you want to join me?" he asked, hesitantly.
After a few minutes, Olivia emerged from the bathroom and glared at him. Then her eyes traveled to the dining room table. She eyed it a few minutes, not moving at all. Chris became nervous, wondering what was going on in her head and hoping that she would be happy for all that he had done. With his spirits still somewhat high, he managed to give her an encouraging smile.
"W-well?" he managed to say.
Her eyes narrowed and she puffed loudly. "Chris, I don't think this is going to work anymore."
His heart fell at her words. His mouth opened slightly, speechless and shocked. "What?"
Olivia took in a deep breath and calmly walked towards him. Her heart was pounding, her palms started to sweat. Oh, she knew all right. She knew about his past and what he had done. Her steps were light so that she would be able to bolt at any given second. As their eyes locked, she could see the terror that those green eyes of his held. She once fell in love with those eyes, but hatred took its place.
Chris reached out to touch her, but she subtly backed away. They were a few inches apart, yet it seemed as if there was an eternity between them. He didn't understand her at all. Just that morning, she was his loving wife, but now, she was a total stranger.
"Chris," her voice rigid with betrayal, "why didn't you tell me?"
His brow furrowed. "Tell you about what?"
She took in another deep breath. She felt like there was a large weight pressing down on her chest, slowing her breathing, and eventually stop it. With each passing second, she could feel the tension growing around her and the uneasiness that was rapidly settling down in her body.
"This afternoon, while I was at work... the police came to see me."
She waited for a physical response, but her husband's expression remained unchanged. It was as if he was indifferent or not surprised to hear her news. Maybe he already knew too. She shuddered at the thought.
She continued. "They questioned me, Chris, about you. They told me things that I thought were lies, but what they showed me was hard proof. At first, I couldn't believe it, but it was all right there in front of me. ...How could you?" Her voice was shaky, knowing that she was walking on thin ice now.
Chris let out an uneven breath. It sent chills up and down her spine, knowing full well that she had crossed the line. She looked straight into his eyes, now darker, and saw a monster. Quickly, he gripped her shoulders to keep her from running and she cried out.
"Oh, please no, Chris! Please don't do what you did to those other women to me!" She begged and pleaded. To her, her voice sounded like a mouse caught in a trap.
"Olivia, I love you." His voice was lowered and he took on a completely different personality. "But I can't stop this from happening."
"But we can get you professional help, Chris. Please listen to me."
"I'm sorry, but-" his eyes drifted down towards the floor and he didn't say or do anything for a few moments.
Olivia hoped that he was reconsidering and would let her go. She had so many other things that she wanted to do with her life. Her body started to tremble and tears were now cascading down her cheeks.
Chris then finally made his move. With a swift motion, he reached into his pocket and took out a large pocket knife. He always kept it with him and she thought that he kept it for sentimental reasons being that it was given to him by his father, but now she knew the real reason why. It was the last piece of hard evidence that the police needed... the murder weapon.
FBI HEADQUARTERS
PRESENT DAY
8:06 AM
The briefing room was as stuffy as ever. Agents of the FBI were crowded into the small room with a projector and a white projection screen at the front of the room. Most of them held styrofoam cups filled to the rim with coffee while others brought some of their own files that they were also involved in. All of them were called in by the assistant director for an urgent meeting about a recurring case that needed great attention. The agents rushed to the meeting, knowing that if they were put on this case as a head agent, then they would, for sure, gain more respect within the halls of the FBI.
They murmured greetings as they passed one another trying to find a seat or a portion of the wall to lean against. All eyes turned once the assistant director entered the room and a silence followed shortly after. They waited quietly for him to begin.
AD Skinner looked at all the agents before him. He picked as many of his elite agents available to him to aid in an important case that seemed as if it would never become solved. Looking around, he could tell that they were alert, but weary from working. On the small desk in front of him, he picked up a stack of papers with the same picture printed on it and handed them out.
"As you know-"
The door flew open and two agents bustled in, obviously in a rush. All heads turned to look at the late birds and grimaced at the image of one of them. Some shook their head in disbelief, others chose to just ignore him for the time being.
"Sorry, sir, for being a little late this morning. Agent Scully and I had to take care of a few things," Mulder apologized.
He closed the door behind his partner and ushered her to the right side of the room, ignoring the fact that everyone was giving them dirty looks. He nodded for Skinner to move on.
Skinner cleared his throat. "As I was saying... I have requested all of you to be here today for the infamous Gavinger case. I'm pretty sure that most of you have heard about it, but for those who are a little slow this morning-" at this, he eyed Mulder and Scully "-this case has been difficult to close for about ten years now. It involved a man named Chris Gavinger."
The AD pressed a button on the remote and the slide projector emitted a mug shot of Gavinger on the white screen. He moved on.
"Gavinger is a white male, age 37, five foot ten, and weighs about 167 pounds. We had an informant key us in on his location, but we have to keep this low, so that we don't scare him off. He has killed four women so far, including one of our own agents. When he found out that she was FBI, he murdered her in her own home right after they had dinner. Catching this man is tough, but with my approach and your cooperation, I'm sure we will be able to put him behind bars for good. Now, before I go any further, are there any of you who cannot be part of this investigation?"
A few agents raised their hand, knowing that they had other more pressing cases to solve and left immediately. Once gone, Skinner pressed another button on the projector revealing the other faces of Chris Gavinger.
"We have a regular master of disguise here, agents, which is why this guy is so hard to capture. He can somehow switch identities quickly and quietly, leaving us somewhere in the dust, but we have now located him in the San Diego area. He lives in a relatively small neighborhood by himself and holds a stable job in the main city.
Now, to arrest this man, we're going to take a different approach. I will be sending an undercover, female agent posing as a potential love interest."
Scully shifted uneasily. Undercover cases always made her uncomfortable.
"By this, we will be able to gain more evidence and hopefully a confession to the murders of these women." Skinner looked around for any disagreement among his team. "Any questions?" he added.
Agent Wells raised a hand. "Yeah, who's going to be the lucky lady?"
AD Skinner turned off the projector and shoved his hands in his pockets, calmly stating one name. "Agent Dana Scully."
TO BE CONTINUED
The X-Files and its characters © 1013 Productions, Chris Carter, and FOX
