The Better Part of Valor
4/9
Pittsburgh Field Office
8:59 a.m.
Skinner stepped into the meeting room first, seeing seven agents including Douglas snap
to attention. Mulder entered with Scully, earning stares of disbelief from everyone
except Douglas and Kevin White. White nodded to Mulder, a small smile of welcome
and relief tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"All right," Douglas announced. "Now that we're all here, let's begin." He went around
the table and introduced each agent to the newcomers, then launched into descriptions of
uneventful interviews with families and friends, the lack of clues at the daycare center,
and no further ideas on how to proceed. Mulder interjected at one point with a
suggestion to examine the children who hadn't been buried, but he was brushed off
curtly. Skinner was appalled by the agents' lack of manners and was about to speak out
when he caught Scully's eye. Scully mutely shook her head. Skinner looked over at
Mulder and was surprised to find his agent the picture of calm. He sat quietly, listening
to other reports as if the dressing-down he'd been given hadn't occurred. Skinner's
respect for Mulder leaped up several notches.
The meeting broke around lunchtime, and Kevin White approached the three of them.
"Hey, Mulder, how's it going?"
"Not bad." Mulder patted his friend on the back and turned to his partner and his boss.
"Kev, this is Dana Scully, my partner, and this is A.D. Skinner. This is Kevin White."
"Pleasure, sir," White said to Skinner. To Scully, he said, "I've heard quite a bit about
you from Mulder. From what he says, he doesn't deserve you."
Scully grinned and elbowed Mulder in the ribs. "Ain't that the truth." Mulder blushed.
White laughed. "Well, I've been assigned to take you to the crime scene. But first, what
say we stop for lunch? I know this great little place."
"That's an excellent idea," Scully said. She looked at Mulder. "What do you think?"
Mulder gulped. "Great," he agreed weakly.
White led the group to his car, suavely holding the door open for Scully. He drove for
ten minutes before stopping in front of a small diner, then ushered everyone inside to a
booth in the back by a window.
A middle-aged woman with sky blue eyes approached their table. She broke into a wide
grin when she saw White.
"Hey there, Kevin," she greeted. "The usual?"
"You got it, Jo," Kevin smiled.
"One double cheeseburger, no tomato, coming right up," Jo stated, scribbling the order
down on her notepad. "How about the rest of you?"
"I'll have the shrimp cocktail," Scully replied.
"Regular burger," Mulder said.
Skinner glanced through the menu, then looked at Jo. "Give me the club sandwich."
"Drinks?" Jo asked.
The orders were taken and the food arrived quickly. Mulder picked at his food, but
remembered the incident the night before and bit into his burger. While White regaled
Scully and Skinner with stories of Mulder in the VCS, Mulder excused himself to go to
the bathroom.
He had barely made it to the toilet before he threw the burger back up. After several
minutes of dry heaving, he flushed the toilet and went to the sink.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror and was shocked at his appearance. His face was
pale and drawn, and his clothes sagged around him. He looked wasted.
"Well, lookie here. Spooky! Fancy running into you."
"What do you want, Jacobs?" Mulder asked tiredly.
Agent Tom Jacobs was one of the men Mulder had met earlier at the meeting. At six foot
five, he towered over Mulder. He was solidly built, with blond hair and blue eyes. He
glared down at Mulder.
"What do I want?" Jacobs echoed. "What I want is to know why you're in here wasting
time while some kid is getting herself killed. You're supposed to be the miracle profiler.
Where's the miracle?"
"Lay off, Tom!" a voice called from the doorway. "The poor guy just got here yesterday.
Besides; it's not as if you had anything to contribute to the investigation."
Jacobs turned and glared at White, but did as he was told. White took Mulder by the arm
and gently guided him away from the angered agent.
"Don't listen to him, Mulder," White said. "Jacobs is a jerk. Just like the rest of them."
"Forget it," Mulder said. "Stuff like that happens a lot. I'm going to go wait outside for
you guys to finish. How much do I owe you?" He took out his wallet.
White waved his hand. "Put your money away," he replied. "Consider it an apology for
what happened back there."
Mulder gave him a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."
"No problem." White watched his friend go, wondering if there was more to the problem
with his fellow agents than what he was seeing.
Teeny Tots Daycare Center
1:13 p.m.
Scully stood beside Skinner, only half-listening to the interview that was going on. Her
mind continued to drift back to the conversation she'd had with White after she had sent
him to check on Mulder. Mulder had been in the bathroom much too long, then had
stormed out of the diner. He hadn't spoken a word since lunch. White had informed and
Skinner of what he had witnessed in the bathroom. All three knew that, sooner or later,
Mulder would have to confront all of the harassment and emotional abuse, and they
silently agreed that they wanted to be there when he did.
Mulder was moving ever so slowly along the front lawn of the daycare center. His eyes
swept the ground, coming to rest at a muddied spot. Carefully, he knelt down and stared,
as if seeing beyond the grass.
Kevin White was leaning against his car, watching Mulder as if he knew exactly what
Mulder would do. Perhaps he did. He and Mulder had worked together before.
Scully looked around the office where she sat. It was tiny and cluttered, with a desk and
a cabinet. Toys littered every surface, and the wall was covered with dozens of pictures
drawn by kids.
She glanced out the window overlooking a large room. The room was filled with things
for young children to play with. The lights were turned off. Apparently the information
about the kidnappings had leaked out and the center was forced to close.
"Thank you for your help." Skinner's voice brought Scully back to the conversation.
She stood along with the A.D. "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call."
The daycare director, an elderly black man with silver hair and a kind face, stood and
shook hands with both of them. "Please, find this SOB and save Suzie. They're such
good kids. They didn't deserve this."
Scully and Skinner joined White out front. White nodded at their approach, but didn't
straighten. "Les is a good man. Started the center after his wife passed away twenty
years ago. He's been devastated by these killings."
Scully drifted over to where Mulder remained crouched. He hadn't budged an inch since
arriving at that position. Scully knelt beside him and called his name. Mulder didn't
move.
"Mulder." She took his hand into hers and squeezed.
That got a reaction, nut not one particularly desirable. Mulder gasped and began to
tremble. His eyes didn't tear from the grass, which, Scully now saw, wasn't muddy but
bloodstained.
"H-He leaves them here . . . so m-much hate . . . b-but not at th-the child . . ." Mulder
mumbled distantly.
"Scully?" Skinner asked. "What's going on?"
"He's seeing it happen," Scully said. She focused on Mulder. "Hey, partner, come on.
Snap out of it."
"No!" Mulder leapt to his feet and backed away. The look of pure horror in his eyes
frightened Scully. "He feels anger, but . . . there's something else . . . I can't . . ."
He closed his eyes and swayed. White caught him before he fell and hooked Mulder's
arm around his shoulders. "Whoa, easy there buddy," he said.
Skinner took Mulder's other arm and helped White carry Mulder back to the car. They
eased him into the back seat and stepped aside so Scully could examine him.
"Well, Dana?" White asked. "Is he okay?"
Before Scully could answer, Mulder opened his eyes and looked around. "How did I get
here?" he asked. He moved to get out of the car when Scully, Skinner, and White all
pushed him back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Scully demanded.
Mulder gave her a disbelieving look. "I almost had it," he told her. "I need-."
"You need to take a break," Scully cut him off. Mulder opened his mouth to protest, but
Scully stood her ground. "Mulder, you passed out. You're not going to win this one, so
sit down, shut up, and let us take you back to the hotel."
With that, Scully jumped into the front passenger seat, buckled the safety belt, and
crossed her arms.
White whistled and shook his head. "That's one tough lady," he commented softly.
Mulder threw him a glare, then looked at Skinner. The A.D. was trying very hard not to
laugh and wasn't being entirely successful.
The ride was silent. Mulder refused to talk about what he'd seen until he'd had time to
figure it out himself. No one pushed him, but they were secretly curious as to what had
happened.
Once at the hotel, Mulder shook off the assisting hands and went to his room without a
word. Scully thanked White for his help and followed Skinner into the elevator. As the
doors slid shut, he turned to Scully. What happened out there?"
Scully bit her lip, deciding what she would say. "When Mulder works on these kinds of
cases, he . . . starts by studying everything."
"Everything?" Skinner echoed, and eyebrow raised.
Scully nodded. "Interviews, autopsy reports, the profile . . . he studies it all non-stop.
Which is why he looked the way he did when you called us in yesterday."
"He doesn't eat or sleep?" At Scully's confirmation, Skinner shook his head. "What
then?"
"Then he starts his own profile," Scully explained. "Of course, it's incomplete until he
visits crime scenes, re-interviews those involved . . . that's when it gets kind of . . . well,
spooky."
"What happens?" Skinner pressed.
The elevator doors opened, but neither agent moved. "Somewhere along the line, Mulder
gets into the killer's mind," Scully continued. "He sees the killings taking place, sees
himself as the killer. I don't like it. It's too dangerous. Especially after the Mostow case
with Patterson . . ."
Skinner didn't comment. He didn't know all of the details, but he knew enough to
become concerned about Mulder.
"My God," he whispered. "He does all this and puts up with the shit the other agents
give him? No wonder he transferred."
Scully nodded solemnly and stepped off of the elevator. She paused outside of her room
and glanced at her watch. "I'm going to shower, then I'm going to work with Mulder on
the profile."
"I'll meet you in Mulder's room in half an hour," Skinner replied. "He's going to need
all the help he can get on this."
Room 317
Mulder sat on the floor of his hotel room, surrounded by a sea of files. He felt sick, and
he was exhausted, but he couldn't rest. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw the images
of the children, sliced open.
Dead.
At the daycare center, he had seen himself gutting one young boy, Tommy Nelson, then
laying him lovingly on the grass. He felt the anger and hatred and grief . . . but not
remorse.
He lifted photographs of each of the children and wrote the victims' names and ages on
index cards, then put the pictures and cards in order of the children's deaths.
Three-year-old girl, five-year-old boy, six-year-old boy, four-year-old girl, two-year-old
girl . . .
Something leapt out at him. Mulder wasn't entirely certain what, but he was so close he
could practically taste it . . .
"Mulder!"
Mulder gasped and looked up. Scully was kneeling in front of him, her hands on his
arms. Behind her stood Skinner. Both had identical looks of concern on their faces.
"Dammit, Scully, why are you yelling?" Mulder demanded. "You scared the hell out of
me!"
Scully released Mulder and stood, anger clouding her features. "Sorry, Mulder, but when
I tried to get your attention for five minutes you didn't answer! Raising my voice was
preferable to hitting you!"
Mulder stared at her as she sat forcefully down in a chair and crossed her arms. He felt
guilty for snapping at her, and he lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Scully," he whispered.
Gathering the photographs, he went to the opposite side of the room and sat on the bed.
He began the slow process of taping the pictures to the wall, the index cards beneath each
photo.
"What are you doing, Mulder?" Skinner asked.
"There's something I'm missing," Mulder replied. "I'm so close. The killer . . . he
doesn't hate the children but he- he feels that he was cheated somehow. The other agents
. . . they're wrong. He has no connection to these kids. But they weren't picked
randomly either . . ." He trailed off, staring at the cards.
When he didn't move for a while, Skinner collected several files from the floor and
looked over them for any clues that would help. Scully took the rest and did the same.
They worked in silence for several hours until a sharp knock on the door startled them.
Mulder didn't move from his position on the bed; he simply stared at the photos.
Scully opened the door and smiled. White stood on the other side holding several cartons
containing Chinese food. He stepped into the room and gratefully allowed the A.D. to
help him with his burden.
"I figured you guys could use a break," White announced.
"Perfect timing," Scully replied. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to find that
it was well after six.
They had just set out the cartons on the table when Mulder suddenly jumped to his feet.
"That's it!"
Of the three of them, Skinner was the only one who appeared startled. Scully and White
merely looked at Mulder.
"What's 'it', Mulder?" White asked.
Mulder whirled around and looked at White in confusion. "Kevin? When did you get
here?"
"A couple of minutes ago." White held out a carton of sweet and sour chicken, which
Mulder declined. "What's 'it'?"
"The ages!" Mulder cried excitedly. "With a few exceptions, the boys are all older than
the girls!"
"How is that significant?" Skinner asked. "Is it?"
"I think so," Mulder replied. "I believe that our killer has children of his own. Had. At
some time. He feels like he was cheated out of . . . something . . . It's right there! I'm so
close!"
"You're too close." Scully took the sweet and sour chicken and held it out to Mulder as a
peace offering. "Eat. You'll be able to focus more clearly with something in your
stomach."
Mulder hesitated, but forced himself to eat. He knew that the food would only end up in
the toilet later, but he couldn't say anything. Scully would have him in a hospital before
the words could leave his mouth. He couldn't afford to be on his back while Suzie Parker
was still in danger.
He set the carton down. "I'm going to go back to the office to do some more research,"
he announced. "I'm pretty sure what I'm looking for is there."
"I'll give you a ride," White volunteered. "But first, do us all a favor and shower first.
Your smell could kill anyone in a fifty-mile radius."
Mulder blushed as he disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged some time later in
jeans and a light cotton shirt, feeling refreshed. White was lounging on Mulder's bed,
flipping through a file. Scully and Skinner, along with dinner, were gone. The sudden
memory of vomiting under the covering sound of the shower made his stomach churn.
"Dana and the A.D. decided to grab some shut-eye before facing the lion's den
tomorrow," White stated, seeing Mulder. "Ready?"
Mulder managed a game grin. "As I'll ever be."
end 4/9
4/9
Pittsburgh Field Office
8:59 a.m.
Skinner stepped into the meeting room first, seeing seven agents including Douglas snap
to attention. Mulder entered with Scully, earning stares of disbelief from everyone
except Douglas and Kevin White. White nodded to Mulder, a small smile of welcome
and relief tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"All right," Douglas announced. "Now that we're all here, let's begin." He went around
the table and introduced each agent to the newcomers, then launched into descriptions of
uneventful interviews with families and friends, the lack of clues at the daycare center,
and no further ideas on how to proceed. Mulder interjected at one point with a
suggestion to examine the children who hadn't been buried, but he was brushed off
curtly. Skinner was appalled by the agents' lack of manners and was about to speak out
when he caught Scully's eye. Scully mutely shook her head. Skinner looked over at
Mulder and was surprised to find his agent the picture of calm. He sat quietly, listening
to other reports as if the dressing-down he'd been given hadn't occurred. Skinner's
respect for Mulder leaped up several notches.
The meeting broke around lunchtime, and Kevin White approached the three of them.
"Hey, Mulder, how's it going?"
"Not bad." Mulder patted his friend on the back and turned to his partner and his boss.
"Kev, this is Dana Scully, my partner, and this is A.D. Skinner. This is Kevin White."
"Pleasure, sir," White said to Skinner. To Scully, he said, "I've heard quite a bit about
you from Mulder. From what he says, he doesn't deserve you."
Scully grinned and elbowed Mulder in the ribs. "Ain't that the truth." Mulder blushed.
White laughed. "Well, I've been assigned to take you to the crime scene. But first, what
say we stop for lunch? I know this great little place."
"That's an excellent idea," Scully said. She looked at Mulder. "What do you think?"
Mulder gulped. "Great," he agreed weakly.
White led the group to his car, suavely holding the door open for Scully. He drove for
ten minutes before stopping in front of a small diner, then ushered everyone inside to a
booth in the back by a window.
A middle-aged woman with sky blue eyes approached their table. She broke into a wide
grin when she saw White.
"Hey there, Kevin," she greeted. "The usual?"
"You got it, Jo," Kevin smiled.
"One double cheeseburger, no tomato, coming right up," Jo stated, scribbling the order
down on her notepad. "How about the rest of you?"
"I'll have the shrimp cocktail," Scully replied.
"Regular burger," Mulder said.
Skinner glanced through the menu, then looked at Jo. "Give me the club sandwich."
"Drinks?" Jo asked.
The orders were taken and the food arrived quickly. Mulder picked at his food, but
remembered the incident the night before and bit into his burger. While White regaled
Scully and Skinner with stories of Mulder in the VCS, Mulder excused himself to go to
the bathroom.
He had barely made it to the toilet before he threw the burger back up. After several
minutes of dry heaving, he flushed the toilet and went to the sink.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror and was shocked at his appearance. His face was
pale and drawn, and his clothes sagged around him. He looked wasted.
"Well, lookie here. Spooky! Fancy running into you."
"What do you want, Jacobs?" Mulder asked tiredly.
Agent Tom Jacobs was one of the men Mulder had met earlier at the meeting. At six foot
five, he towered over Mulder. He was solidly built, with blond hair and blue eyes. He
glared down at Mulder.
"What do I want?" Jacobs echoed. "What I want is to know why you're in here wasting
time while some kid is getting herself killed. You're supposed to be the miracle profiler.
Where's the miracle?"
"Lay off, Tom!" a voice called from the doorway. "The poor guy just got here yesterday.
Besides; it's not as if you had anything to contribute to the investigation."
Jacobs turned and glared at White, but did as he was told. White took Mulder by the arm
and gently guided him away from the angered agent.
"Don't listen to him, Mulder," White said. "Jacobs is a jerk. Just like the rest of them."
"Forget it," Mulder said. "Stuff like that happens a lot. I'm going to go wait outside for
you guys to finish. How much do I owe you?" He took out his wallet.
White waved his hand. "Put your money away," he replied. "Consider it an apology for
what happened back there."
Mulder gave him a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."
"No problem." White watched his friend go, wondering if there was more to the problem
with his fellow agents than what he was seeing.
Teeny Tots Daycare Center
1:13 p.m.
Scully stood beside Skinner, only half-listening to the interview that was going on. Her
mind continued to drift back to the conversation she'd had with White after she had sent
him to check on Mulder. Mulder had been in the bathroom much too long, then had
stormed out of the diner. He hadn't spoken a word since lunch. White had informed and
Skinner of what he had witnessed in the bathroom. All three knew that, sooner or later,
Mulder would have to confront all of the harassment and emotional abuse, and they
silently agreed that they wanted to be there when he did.
Mulder was moving ever so slowly along the front lawn of the daycare center. His eyes
swept the ground, coming to rest at a muddied spot. Carefully, he knelt down and stared,
as if seeing beyond the grass.
Kevin White was leaning against his car, watching Mulder as if he knew exactly what
Mulder would do. Perhaps he did. He and Mulder had worked together before.
Scully looked around the office where she sat. It was tiny and cluttered, with a desk and
a cabinet. Toys littered every surface, and the wall was covered with dozens of pictures
drawn by kids.
She glanced out the window overlooking a large room. The room was filled with things
for young children to play with. The lights were turned off. Apparently the information
about the kidnappings had leaked out and the center was forced to close.
"Thank you for your help." Skinner's voice brought Scully back to the conversation.
She stood along with the A.D. "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call."
The daycare director, an elderly black man with silver hair and a kind face, stood and
shook hands with both of them. "Please, find this SOB and save Suzie. They're such
good kids. They didn't deserve this."
Scully and Skinner joined White out front. White nodded at their approach, but didn't
straighten. "Les is a good man. Started the center after his wife passed away twenty
years ago. He's been devastated by these killings."
Scully drifted over to where Mulder remained crouched. He hadn't budged an inch since
arriving at that position. Scully knelt beside him and called his name. Mulder didn't
move.
"Mulder." She took his hand into hers and squeezed.
That got a reaction, nut not one particularly desirable. Mulder gasped and began to
tremble. His eyes didn't tear from the grass, which, Scully now saw, wasn't muddy but
bloodstained.
"H-He leaves them here . . . so m-much hate . . . b-but not at th-the child . . ." Mulder
mumbled distantly.
"Scully?" Skinner asked. "What's going on?"
"He's seeing it happen," Scully said. She focused on Mulder. "Hey, partner, come on.
Snap out of it."
"No!" Mulder leapt to his feet and backed away. The look of pure horror in his eyes
frightened Scully. "He feels anger, but . . . there's something else . . . I can't . . ."
He closed his eyes and swayed. White caught him before he fell and hooked Mulder's
arm around his shoulders. "Whoa, easy there buddy," he said.
Skinner took Mulder's other arm and helped White carry Mulder back to the car. They
eased him into the back seat and stepped aside so Scully could examine him.
"Well, Dana?" White asked. "Is he okay?"
Before Scully could answer, Mulder opened his eyes and looked around. "How did I get
here?" he asked. He moved to get out of the car when Scully, Skinner, and White all
pushed him back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Scully demanded.
Mulder gave her a disbelieving look. "I almost had it," he told her. "I need-."
"You need to take a break," Scully cut him off. Mulder opened his mouth to protest, but
Scully stood her ground. "Mulder, you passed out. You're not going to win this one, so
sit down, shut up, and let us take you back to the hotel."
With that, Scully jumped into the front passenger seat, buckled the safety belt, and
crossed her arms.
White whistled and shook his head. "That's one tough lady," he commented softly.
Mulder threw him a glare, then looked at Skinner. The A.D. was trying very hard not to
laugh and wasn't being entirely successful.
The ride was silent. Mulder refused to talk about what he'd seen until he'd had time to
figure it out himself. No one pushed him, but they were secretly curious as to what had
happened.
Once at the hotel, Mulder shook off the assisting hands and went to his room without a
word. Scully thanked White for his help and followed Skinner into the elevator. As the
doors slid shut, he turned to Scully. What happened out there?"
Scully bit her lip, deciding what she would say. "When Mulder works on these kinds of
cases, he . . . starts by studying everything."
"Everything?" Skinner echoed, and eyebrow raised.
Scully nodded. "Interviews, autopsy reports, the profile . . . he studies it all non-stop.
Which is why he looked the way he did when you called us in yesterday."
"He doesn't eat or sleep?" At Scully's confirmation, Skinner shook his head. "What
then?"
"Then he starts his own profile," Scully explained. "Of course, it's incomplete until he
visits crime scenes, re-interviews those involved . . . that's when it gets kind of . . . well,
spooky."
"What happens?" Skinner pressed.
The elevator doors opened, but neither agent moved. "Somewhere along the line, Mulder
gets into the killer's mind," Scully continued. "He sees the killings taking place, sees
himself as the killer. I don't like it. It's too dangerous. Especially after the Mostow case
with Patterson . . ."
Skinner didn't comment. He didn't know all of the details, but he knew enough to
become concerned about Mulder.
"My God," he whispered. "He does all this and puts up with the shit the other agents
give him? No wonder he transferred."
Scully nodded solemnly and stepped off of the elevator. She paused outside of her room
and glanced at her watch. "I'm going to shower, then I'm going to work with Mulder on
the profile."
"I'll meet you in Mulder's room in half an hour," Skinner replied. "He's going to need
all the help he can get on this."
Room 317
Mulder sat on the floor of his hotel room, surrounded by a sea of files. He felt sick, and
he was exhausted, but he couldn't rest. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw the images
of the children, sliced open.
Dead.
At the daycare center, he had seen himself gutting one young boy, Tommy Nelson, then
laying him lovingly on the grass. He felt the anger and hatred and grief . . . but not
remorse.
He lifted photographs of each of the children and wrote the victims' names and ages on
index cards, then put the pictures and cards in order of the children's deaths.
Three-year-old girl, five-year-old boy, six-year-old boy, four-year-old girl, two-year-old
girl . . .
Something leapt out at him. Mulder wasn't entirely certain what, but he was so close he
could practically taste it . . .
"Mulder!"
Mulder gasped and looked up. Scully was kneeling in front of him, her hands on his
arms. Behind her stood Skinner. Both had identical looks of concern on their faces.
"Dammit, Scully, why are you yelling?" Mulder demanded. "You scared the hell out of
me!"
Scully released Mulder and stood, anger clouding her features. "Sorry, Mulder, but when
I tried to get your attention for five minutes you didn't answer! Raising my voice was
preferable to hitting you!"
Mulder stared at her as she sat forcefully down in a chair and crossed her arms. He felt
guilty for snapping at her, and he lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Scully," he whispered.
Gathering the photographs, he went to the opposite side of the room and sat on the bed.
He began the slow process of taping the pictures to the wall, the index cards beneath each
photo.
"What are you doing, Mulder?" Skinner asked.
"There's something I'm missing," Mulder replied. "I'm so close. The killer . . . he
doesn't hate the children but he- he feels that he was cheated somehow. The other agents
. . . they're wrong. He has no connection to these kids. But they weren't picked
randomly either . . ." He trailed off, staring at the cards.
When he didn't move for a while, Skinner collected several files from the floor and
looked over them for any clues that would help. Scully took the rest and did the same.
They worked in silence for several hours until a sharp knock on the door startled them.
Mulder didn't move from his position on the bed; he simply stared at the photos.
Scully opened the door and smiled. White stood on the other side holding several cartons
containing Chinese food. He stepped into the room and gratefully allowed the A.D. to
help him with his burden.
"I figured you guys could use a break," White announced.
"Perfect timing," Scully replied. She glanced at her watch and was surprised to find that
it was well after six.
They had just set out the cartons on the table when Mulder suddenly jumped to his feet.
"That's it!"
Of the three of them, Skinner was the only one who appeared startled. Scully and White
merely looked at Mulder.
"What's 'it', Mulder?" White asked.
Mulder whirled around and looked at White in confusion. "Kevin? When did you get
here?"
"A couple of minutes ago." White held out a carton of sweet and sour chicken, which
Mulder declined. "What's 'it'?"
"The ages!" Mulder cried excitedly. "With a few exceptions, the boys are all older than
the girls!"
"How is that significant?" Skinner asked. "Is it?"
"I think so," Mulder replied. "I believe that our killer has children of his own. Had. At
some time. He feels like he was cheated out of . . . something . . . It's right there! I'm so
close!"
"You're too close." Scully took the sweet and sour chicken and held it out to Mulder as a
peace offering. "Eat. You'll be able to focus more clearly with something in your
stomach."
Mulder hesitated, but forced himself to eat. He knew that the food would only end up in
the toilet later, but he couldn't say anything. Scully would have him in a hospital before
the words could leave his mouth. He couldn't afford to be on his back while Suzie Parker
was still in danger.
He set the carton down. "I'm going to go back to the office to do some more research,"
he announced. "I'm pretty sure what I'm looking for is there."
"I'll give you a ride," White volunteered. "But first, do us all a favor and shower first.
Your smell could kill anyone in a fifty-mile radius."
Mulder blushed as he disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged some time later in
jeans and a light cotton shirt, feeling refreshed. White was lounging on Mulder's bed,
flipping through a file. Scully and Skinner, along with dinner, were gone. The sudden
memory of vomiting under the covering sound of the shower made his stomach churn.
"Dana and the A.D. decided to grab some shut-eye before facing the lion's den
tomorrow," White stated, seeing Mulder. "Ready?"
Mulder managed a game grin. "As I'll ever be."
end 4/9