Title: Blessed Union of Souls I: Not the Doctor 09/11
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language
Spoilers: Through Season Five
Keywords: M/S UST
Summary: A man from Scully's past returns, asking for her and Mulder's help to
stop the development of a deadly biological weapon. But will the case bring
Mulder and Scully closer together, or tear them apart?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
"Not the Doctor"
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 9
I don't want to be the glue that holds your pieces together
I don't want to be your idol
See this pedestal is high and I'm afraid of heights
*How could he do this to me?* Scully wondered, walking to the curb to flag down
yet another taxi cab. *It's bad enough that he never told me that he had a new
informant, but to stand me up and rush to go see her without so much as a phone
call--* She shook her head. *Lord, did he want her so badly that he couldn't
spare a few minutes to pick up his cell-phone?*
She could potentially stomach the fact that he would not tell her where he was
going over the phone so as to assure the security of his newly-acquired lead,
but the fact that he did not covertly clue her in--hell, that he did not make up
some lame excuse rather than just leave her high and dry--cut to the quick.
After half-a-dozen years of partnership, after all that they had been through
together, she could not believe that he would willingly treat her with such
disrespect. She deserved better than that.
*Face it, Dana, your partner ditched you yet again for a case that he felt was
more important than you--and so that he could get some while he was at it.*
Scully had found it increasingly difficult not to wince every time Marita said
his first name, rolling it off of her tongue with the familiarity of an old
friend or long-time lover.
A taxi pulled up to the curb, and Scully climbed in. "Seventh and twenty-third,"
she all but barked at the cabbie. Scully crossed her arms across her chest and
gazed out the window, eyes not really seeing the Manhattan blocks that passed
by.
Suddenly, she felt the familiar prick of unshed tears in her eyes. *That's what
hurts the most, isn't it? Not the fact that he decided to follow up on the
Andraven case. Not even the fact that he ditched you. But the fact that he's
sleeping with that blonde bimbo.* She bit her bottom lip. *I thought there was a
chance that we could have something. From the way he was acting, it seemed like
he was completely open to the possibility. Hell, it seemed like he wanted it,
too. How could I have been so wrong about him--about us?*
Did Mulder really think of her as a hindrance? A frustrating encumbrance? Had
she pushed him away when she should have embraced? Had she kept him at arm's
distance too long, inadvertently pushing him right into the arms of this
seductress?
*Stop it, Dana! Just stop it!* She swiped at her cheeks, anger quickly replacing
sorrow and disappointment. *This is neither the time nor the place. You've got
to put your personal feelings aside. First and foremost, Mulder is your partner.
And right now, both of your careers are depending upon your finding him and
clearing his name of Andraven's murder. That is your first priority. The rest
can wait until after this more immediate concern is settled.*
With a sigh, Scully leaned her head back and closed her eyes, attempting to
clear her head for the remainder of the drive.
"Holee--!" The surprised voice of the cabbie woke Scully from a light sleep. Her
eyes widened as she gazed out the window at the chaotic tableau before them.
They had been heading toward a building that had once been owned by Rausch, a
research and development laboratory. Due to financial cutbacks, Rausch had
closed the facilities earlier that year. Several weeks previously, Andraven
Laboratories acquired the building at a bargain price. Marita had reason to
believe that the anthrax project begun by Tim Liles was continuing in the Rausch
building.
Apparently, the local authorities had been alerted to the fact that something
had been going on inside the supposedly vacant laboratories. They suspected
manufacture of illicit substances. Little did they know that the activities were
much more heinous. Regardless of what they expected to find, the NYPD was
getting ready to make a move. And according to Marita, to protect their
research, Andraven's employees were going to salvage what they could of the
research and destroy the rest to assure that the cops did not accidentally
stumble upon evidence of biological weapons. Mulder hoped to get there both
before the police and before the research was removed.
They were still several blocks from the Rausch building, but the red and blue
flashing emergency lights were already visible. Scully quickly unrolled her
window and thrust her head out into the night air to get a better look. Her nose
was immediately assailed by the unmistakable stench of smoke.
"Can you get any closer?" she asked the driver as she pulled her head back
inside.
"Looks like da cops ain't lettin' anybody past da end'a da block. Dis is da best
I can do."
"Guess I'll just have to go the rest of the way on foot," Scully said, opening
the door.
"You want I should wait for you?"
"Don't bother," Scully said, tossing two twenties in his direction.
"Hey, thanks Red! Be careful out dere."
Apprehension gripping her heart, Scully jogged toward the Rausch building. She
counted five patrol cars and over a dozen officers, as well as an ambulance,
firetruck, and assorted paramedics and firefighters. Even at the late hour,
there was quite a crowd gathered behind the police barricades. She pushed her
way toward the front of the civilians to get a better look at the building. The
blaze seemed to be under control, a trio of firefighters carrying a hose back
toward their truck. About twenty feet away a man sat on a gurney while an EMS
worker tended to an injury on his forehead. There appeared to be no other
wounded. She gazed at the cops milling around the area, looking for her partner,
but there was no sign of Mulder. She decided to take a closer look.
Scully ducked under the police barricade and strode determinately into the heart
of the activity. She did not get far before an officer stepped in front of her.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but this is a restricted area. You need to go back on the
other side of--"
"Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI," she stated, pulling out her badge and
thrusting it in his face. "Can you tell me who's in charge here?"
"That'd be Detective Berger, ma'am."
"And where is he?"
The officer turned around, looking out over the crowd. "Not sure, ma'am. Last I
saw `im--" When he turned back, Scully was already on the move again.
She next encountered a pair of cops arguing as they gestured toward the
building. "Excuse me, can you please tell me who Detective Berger is?"
"Who wants ta know?" the heavy-set officer asked her, his hands moving to his
portly hips.
"Special Agent Scully," she said, showing him her badge.
"This was Berger and Sabella's operation," the second cop explained. "Saw `em
`bout twenty minutes ago, over by the medics, with some other Fed."
*Mulder's here? What if he's hurt? I have to get to him, help him--* She took a
deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "Was there another agent here? A
man?"
"Word of mouth is that they met up with a Fed inside the building. Must've come
upon some perps, `cause shots were fired, and the building was set ablaze."
"Was anyone hurt?" Scully asked, looking past the cops toward the paramedics.
"Berger was getting the once over," the first cop said.
"I thought I heard the Fed took a bullet," the second cop said to the first.
Scully felt her heart in her throat. *Dear God . . . Mulder.* She swallowed,
willing herself not to panic. "Who told you that?"
"Martinez said she saw. . . ."
*I don't have time for this bullshit.* Leaving them to argue about the source of
their information, Scully hastened toward the ambulance. She kept her badge
raised, muttering "FBI" and "Federal Agent, coming through" as she pushed and
shoved her way past various members of the NYPD and over to where the man sat on
the gurney. Aside from the blood on his collar and soot on his face, as well as
the bandage the paramedic was placing on his temple, he appeared otherwise
unhurt.
"Detective Berger?"
The man looked up at her questioningly. "Yeah, that's me. And you are--?"
"Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI," she replied, flashing her badge for the
umpteenth time. "Are you in charge here?"
"You could say that," Berger replied. "You done?" he asked the EMS worker. When
the medic replied in the affirmative, he reached into his shirt pocket and
replaced his small, wire-rimmed glasses. "My partner and I headed this
operation. As you can do doubt tell, it turned out to be a bit bigger than we
anticipated. Expect the unexpected, that's what Sabella always says. Which
probably explains how she got out of there without a scratch on her, whereas I--"
*Oh, Lord, please just let him be alive.* Scully's patience was wearing paper-
thin. "Was there another federal agent with you?" she asked, cutting him off. "A
man, just over six feet with dark brown hair?"
"Yeah, an Agent Mulder. We were staking out the building last night when we
caught him trying to sneak in. Once we all swapped stories, we decided to work
together on the case. He tagged along with us tonight when we went to do a sneak
and peak. Good guy. Competent, too. Saved Sabella's life, pushing her out of the
line of fire. Shame he had to take a bullet in the process."
*Please let him be alive so that I can wring his neck.* "Mulder was shot? Where?
How badly? Where is he?"
"I'm not sure of all the particulars. I got separated from Sabella and him
during the firefight. She went with him to the hospital. So, you know this guy?"
"He's my partner. What hospital was he taken to?"
"St. Vincent's, I believe. Partner, you say? Then why the hell weren't you here,
covering his ass?"
Scully opened her mouth to reply, but found she had no answer. Berger was right.
She should have been here with Mulder, watching his back. She may have been able
to prevent his having been injured. Or if not, she should at least be the one to
be with him, to comfort and reassure him, rather than some stranger. Being a
doctor, she would have been able to offer him first aid, which is often critical
in determining a victim's fate. If anything were to happen to him, she would
never forgive herself.
"Agent Scully?" She started when Berger placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look,
I didn't mean to accuse you like that. I'm a fine one to talk, considering your
partner was the one who saved my partner's life. Listen, I know you must be
worried--a partner becomes like family. I've gotta stick around here to oversee
the clean up, but I can have one of my men give you a ride to the hospital."
"Th-thank you, Detective. I'd appreciate that."
"Martinez!" he called to an officer standing a few feet away. "Get your ass over
here!"
Martinez hotfooted it over to them. "What's up, Detective?"
"This is Agent Scully. She's with the Bureau. Her partner was the guy who got
shot. Give her a ride over to St. Vincent's. Go on, now, hustle!"
"Sure thing, Detective. This way, ma'am."
"Thanks again, Detective," Scully told him before hurrying to catch up with
Martinez.
End Chapter 9
*****
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language
Spoilers: Through Season Five
Keywords: M/S UST
Summary: A man from Scully's past returns, asking for her and Mulder's help to
stop the development of a deadly biological weapon. But will the case bring
Mulder and Scully closer together, or tear them apart?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
"Not the Doctor"
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 9
I don't want to be the glue that holds your pieces together
I don't want to be your idol
See this pedestal is high and I'm afraid of heights
*How could he do this to me?* Scully wondered, walking to the curb to flag down
yet another taxi cab. *It's bad enough that he never told me that he had a new
informant, but to stand me up and rush to go see her without so much as a phone
call--* She shook her head. *Lord, did he want her so badly that he couldn't
spare a few minutes to pick up his cell-phone?*
She could potentially stomach the fact that he would not tell her where he was
going over the phone so as to assure the security of his newly-acquired lead,
but the fact that he did not covertly clue her in--hell, that he did not make up
some lame excuse rather than just leave her high and dry--cut to the quick.
After half-a-dozen years of partnership, after all that they had been through
together, she could not believe that he would willingly treat her with such
disrespect. She deserved better than that.
*Face it, Dana, your partner ditched you yet again for a case that he felt was
more important than you--and so that he could get some while he was at it.*
Scully had found it increasingly difficult not to wince every time Marita said
his first name, rolling it off of her tongue with the familiarity of an old
friend or long-time lover.
A taxi pulled up to the curb, and Scully climbed in. "Seventh and twenty-third,"
she all but barked at the cabbie. Scully crossed her arms across her chest and
gazed out the window, eyes not really seeing the Manhattan blocks that passed
by.
Suddenly, she felt the familiar prick of unshed tears in her eyes. *That's what
hurts the most, isn't it? Not the fact that he decided to follow up on the
Andraven case. Not even the fact that he ditched you. But the fact that he's
sleeping with that blonde bimbo.* She bit her bottom lip. *I thought there was a
chance that we could have something. From the way he was acting, it seemed like
he was completely open to the possibility. Hell, it seemed like he wanted it,
too. How could I have been so wrong about him--about us?*
Did Mulder really think of her as a hindrance? A frustrating encumbrance? Had
she pushed him away when she should have embraced? Had she kept him at arm's
distance too long, inadvertently pushing him right into the arms of this
seductress?
*Stop it, Dana! Just stop it!* She swiped at her cheeks, anger quickly replacing
sorrow and disappointment. *This is neither the time nor the place. You've got
to put your personal feelings aside. First and foremost, Mulder is your partner.
And right now, both of your careers are depending upon your finding him and
clearing his name of Andraven's murder. That is your first priority. The rest
can wait until after this more immediate concern is settled.*
With a sigh, Scully leaned her head back and closed her eyes, attempting to
clear her head for the remainder of the drive.
"Holee--!" The surprised voice of the cabbie woke Scully from a light sleep. Her
eyes widened as she gazed out the window at the chaotic tableau before them.
They had been heading toward a building that had once been owned by Rausch, a
research and development laboratory. Due to financial cutbacks, Rausch had
closed the facilities earlier that year. Several weeks previously, Andraven
Laboratories acquired the building at a bargain price. Marita had reason to
believe that the anthrax project begun by Tim Liles was continuing in the Rausch
building.
Apparently, the local authorities had been alerted to the fact that something
had been going on inside the supposedly vacant laboratories. They suspected
manufacture of illicit substances. Little did they know that the activities were
much more heinous. Regardless of what they expected to find, the NYPD was
getting ready to make a move. And according to Marita, to protect their
research, Andraven's employees were going to salvage what they could of the
research and destroy the rest to assure that the cops did not accidentally
stumble upon evidence of biological weapons. Mulder hoped to get there both
before the police and before the research was removed.
They were still several blocks from the Rausch building, but the red and blue
flashing emergency lights were already visible. Scully quickly unrolled her
window and thrust her head out into the night air to get a better look. Her nose
was immediately assailed by the unmistakable stench of smoke.
"Can you get any closer?" she asked the driver as she pulled her head back
inside.
"Looks like da cops ain't lettin' anybody past da end'a da block. Dis is da best
I can do."
"Guess I'll just have to go the rest of the way on foot," Scully said, opening
the door.
"You want I should wait for you?"
"Don't bother," Scully said, tossing two twenties in his direction.
"Hey, thanks Red! Be careful out dere."
Apprehension gripping her heart, Scully jogged toward the Rausch building. She
counted five patrol cars and over a dozen officers, as well as an ambulance,
firetruck, and assorted paramedics and firefighters. Even at the late hour,
there was quite a crowd gathered behind the police barricades. She pushed her
way toward the front of the civilians to get a better look at the building. The
blaze seemed to be under control, a trio of firefighters carrying a hose back
toward their truck. About twenty feet away a man sat on a gurney while an EMS
worker tended to an injury on his forehead. There appeared to be no other
wounded. She gazed at the cops milling around the area, looking for her partner,
but there was no sign of Mulder. She decided to take a closer look.
Scully ducked under the police barricade and strode determinately into the heart
of the activity. She did not get far before an officer stepped in front of her.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but this is a restricted area. You need to go back on the
other side of--"
"Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI," she stated, pulling out her badge and
thrusting it in his face. "Can you tell me who's in charge here?"
"That'd be Detective Berger, ma'am."
"And where is he?"
The officer turned around, looking out over the crowd. "Not sure, ma'am. Last I
saw `im--" When he turned back, Scully was already on the move again.
She next encountered a pair of cops arguing as they gestured toward the
building. "Excuse me, can you please tell me who Detective Berger is?"
"Who wants ta know?" the heavy-set officer asked her, his hands moving to his
portly hips.
"Special Agent Scully," she said, showing him her badge.
"This was Berger and Sabella's operation," the second cop explained. "Saw `em
`bout twenty minutes ago, over by the medics, with some other Fed."
*Mulder's here? What if he's hurt? I have to get to him, help him--* She took a
deep breath, willing herself to calm down. "Was there another agent here? A
man?"
"Word of mouth is that they met up with a Fed inside the building. Must've come
upon some perps, `cause shots were fired, and the building was set ablaze."
"Was anyone hurt?" Scully asked, looking past the cops toward the paramedics.
"Berger was getting the once over," the first cop said.
"I thought I heard the Fed took a bullet," the second cop said to the first.
Scully felt her heart in her throat. *Dear God . . . Mulder.* She swallowed,
willing herself not to panic. "Who told you that?"
"Martinez said she saw. . . ."
*I don't have time for this bullshit.* Leaving them to argue about the source of
their information, Scully hastened toward the ambulance. She kept her badge
raised, muttering "FBI" and "Federal Agent, coming through" as she pushed and
shoved her way past various members of the NYPD and over to where the man sat on
the gurney. Aside from the blood on his collar and soot on his face, as well as
the bandage the paramedic was placing on his temple, he appeared otherwise
unhurt.
"Detective Berger?"
The man looked up at her questioningly. "Yeah, that's me. And you are--?"
"Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI," she replied, flashing her badge for the
umpteenth time. "Are you in charge here?"
"You could say that," Berger replied. "You done?" he asked the EMS worker. When
the medic replied in the affirmative, he reached into his shirt pocket and
replaced his small, wire-rimmed glasses. "My partner and I headed this
operation. As you can do doubt tell, it turned out to be a bit bigger than we
anticipated. Expect the unexpected, that's what Sabella always says. Which
probably explains how she got out of there without a scratch on her, whereas I--"
*Oh, Lord, please just let him be alive.* Scully's patience was wearing paper-
thin. "Was there another federal agent with you?" she asked, cutting him off. "A
man, just over six feet with dark brown hair?"
"Yeah, an Agent Mulder. We were staking out the building last night when we
caught him trying to sneak in. Once we all swapped stories, we decided to work
together on the case. He tagged along with us tonight when we went to do a sneak
and peak. Good guy. Competent, too. Saved Sabella's life, pushing her out of the
line of fire. Shame he had to take a bullet in the process."
*Please let him be alive so that I can wring his neck.* "Mulder was shot? Where?
How badly? Where is he?"
"I'm not sure of all the particulars. I got separated from Sabella and him
during the firefight. She went with him to the hospital. So, you know this guy?"
"He's my partner. What hospital was he taken to?"
"St. Vincent's, I believe. Partner, you say? Then why the hell weren't you here,
covering his ass?"
Scully opened her mouth to reply, but found she had no answer. Berger was right.
She should have been here with Mulder, watching his back. She may have been able
to prevent his having been injured. Or if not, she should at least be the one to
be with him, to comfort and reassure him, rather than some stranger. Being a
doctor, she would have been able to offer him first aid, which is often critical
in determining a victim's fate. If anything were to happen to him, she would
never forgive herself.
"Agent Scully?" She started when Berger placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look,
I didn't mean to accuse you like that. I'm a fine one to talk, considering your
partner was the one who saved my partner's life. Listen, I know you must be
worried--a partner becomes like family. I've gotta stick around here to oversee
the clean up, but I can have one of my men give you a ride to the hospital."
"Th-thank you, Detective. I'd appreciate that."
"Martinez!" he called to an officer standing a few feet away. "Get your ass over
here!"
Martinez hotfooted it over to them. "What's up, Detective?"
"This is Agent Scully. She's with the Bureau. Her partner was the guy who got
shot. Give her a ride over to St. Vincent's. Go on, now, hustle!"
"Sure thing, Detective. This way, ma'am."
"Thanks again, Detective," Scully told him before hurrying to catch up with
Martinez.
End Chapter 9
*****