The Better Part of Valor
8/9
St. Cecilia's Church
2:42 p.m.
Scully stared up at the old church as Skinner and White joined her from the two cars.
She was amazed at how accurate Mulder's description was, and with a glance to Skinner,
she could see that he was equally stunned.
"I radioed in the location," White reported. "SAC Douglas is on his way with some men
and a bomb squad. They'll be here soon."
Skinner nodded. "We'll wait five minutes, then go in and assess the situation. There's
no telling if the bomb is on a timer or if there's a trigger somewhere on the grounds."
The five minutes passed agonizingly slow. When it finally ended, Scully led the small
group cautiously into the supposedly-booby-trapped building.
Pittsburgh Memorial Hospital
2:46 p.m.
"Scully! No!"
Mulder sat up in his bed, panting heavily and covered in a sheen of sweat. The nightmare
had been so real . . . it was real. He wasn't sure how or why he seemed to be having such
prophetic dreams, and he didn't care. All he knew was that Scully, and Skinner and
White, were in terrible danger. He had to get to them.
The same nurse that had restarted his IV ran into the room, a look of horror on her face.
She relaxed when she saw that her patient was safe.
"Hon, why on Earth were you screaming like that?" she asked, fixing his pillows more
comfortably behind him. "You nearly scared everyone on the floor to death."
"Where're my clothes?" Mulder countered.
"They're in storage," the nurse, whose nametag read Jackie, replied. "That's where
they're going to stay until your friends come to take you home."
"No." Mulder thought fast. "I need something in them."
"I'll get it for you," Jackie volunteered.
"No!" Mulder exclaimed. "No, that's okay. You have other things to do. Besides, I'd
rather get it myself. It's kind of personal." He gave her his most endearing look.
"Please?"
Jackie's face softened. "All right," she agreed. "I'll be right back."
Mulder watched her go, feeling guilty for what he was about to do. His only reason for
sneaking out was because of a nightmare.
But this was Scully. And Skinner. And White.
He'd gladly risk the anger and annoyance if it meant that his friends were safe.
Jackie returned and gave him a bag containing his clothes, then left at his insistence.
Once he was sure that she was gone, Mulder slid off the bed and quickly began to change
into his jeans and T-shirt. He hoped that his efforts were all for nothing.
Unfortunately, a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise.
St. Cecilia's Church
Skinner awoke with a pounding headache and was surprised to find that he was on the
ground. He tried to get up only to discover that he was pinned beneath several wooden
beams from the ceiling and wall. His head cleared, and he remembered the explosion.
It had been fairly small, but effective. They hadn't been inside the church for more than
a few minutes when the force shook the aged structure, knocking loose part of the ceiling
and wall. Skinner recalled shoving Scully aside, then blacking out.
Fire danced all around him, making visibility difficult. It took several moments before he
could locate Scully's still form a few feet to his left.
"Scully!" he croaked. "Are you okay?"
He heard her moan and saw her move slightly, but that was all. Skinner looked around
for White until he heard the other agent move to his side.
"Sir, are you all right?" White asked.
"I'm fine," Skinner replied. "Just stuck. Get me out from under here!"
He heard White shuffle around. After several strained grunts, he heard White speak
again. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't move it. I need help."
Skinner sighed. He'd figured as much. "It's all right," he said. "Get Scully out of here."
"But-," White began to protest.
"That's an order, Agent!" Skinner snapped.
"Yes sir." White moved quickly to Scully's side and helped her to her feet. Scully was
barely conscious and leaned heavily into White's supporting arms. As they picked their
way around the flames and debris, White called, "Hold tight sir. I'll send help in."
Skinner forced himself to relax as he watched the fire around him grow in intensity.
* * *
Mulder paid the taxi driver his fare and jumped into the melee of police officers, field
agents, firemen, EMTs, and the rest of the massive crowd. He flashed his badge to one
cop and slipped past the barricade in time to see two figures emerge from the church. His
blood ran cold when he identified them.
"Oh my God." Mulder ran up to White, staring at the blood seeping from Scully's
forehead. "Is she-?"
"We're fine," White answered. "Skinner's still trapped inside!"
Mulder immediately turned and ran into the burning building. White called out to stop
him, but he was ignored.
Several medics swarmed around the two of them, leading Scully to a waiting ambulance.
White shook off their help and headed straight for Douglas.
"Sir, A.D. Skinner's still trapped inside," he informed the SAC. "Agent Mulder went in
after him. He's going to need help."
Douglas nodded and held his walkie-talkie to his mouth. "Jacobs! Preston! Move in!
Get the A.D. and get out!"
The two agents addressed instantly left the throng of people for the burning building.
White watched them go, then turned when he heard Scully call his name.
Scully tossed a glare at a trailing medic, then looked at White. "Kevin, is Mulder here?"
"Not exactly," White admitted. "He's in there." He pointed at the church.
"What!" Scully tried to run to church, but White grabbed her arms. "Kevin, let me go!
He shouldn't be in there! He shouldn't even be here! What the hell is he doing out of the
hospital?"
"Dana!" White shouted. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but Jacobs and Preston
went in after him."
Scully gave him an icy glare. "That makes me feel a lot better."
"Dana," White said.
Scully sighed. "I'm sorry, Kevin," she apologized. "I didn't mean to snap at you. But
when Mulder gets out of there, I'm going to kill him."
White smiled faintly. "God help him."
Helpless to do anything else, the two watched as the fire grew stronger, despite the
firemen's attempts to extinguish it.
* * *
Fire.
Of all of the elements to deal with, it had to be fire.
Mulder shoved his blinding fear aside as he raced to where he saw his boss' prone form.
He knelt beside Skinner and felt for a pulse.
Skinner coughed. "White? I thought I gave you an order."
"You did, sir," Mulder replied. "He followed it. Hang on. I'm going to get you out of
here."
Skinner turned his head to watch Mulder as the younger man hunted around for a board
or pipe to act as a lever. "Mulder? You should be in the hospital. Get out of here."
"I plan to, sir," Mulder said. He found a thin metal pipe about his size. "Just as soon as I
get you out of there."
"As I recall, I ordered you to rest," Skinner continued. "Is this more insubordination?"
"You're damn straight." Mulder wedged the pipe beneath the board causing the most
problems. "Get ready to slide out."
Gritting his teeth, Mulder forced the pipe down, using most of his weight. At first it
didn't appear to work. Eventually, enough of the weight had been lifted and Skinner
easily pushed himself out. Mulder helped Skinner up, hooked the A.D.'s arm around his
neck, and began to guide him out.
Jacobs suddenly appeared and took the A.D. from Mulder. "Back off Mulder," he
ordered. "We've got him."
Preston took Skinner's other arm and they slowly made their way to freedom when
Mulder stopped. The sound of muffled cries reached his ears, and he turned and ran up
the stairs to the loft.
Scully ran up to the three figures exiting the building, White close behind. Skinner was
choking from the lack of oxygen, barely standing on his own feet as he was supported.
As the group walked to the ever-alert medics, Scully looked at Jacobs. "Where's
Mulder?"
Jacobs glanced behind him, then at Scully. "He was right behind me. I don't-."
He was cut off as another explosion shook the air and weakened the already half-
collapsed structure of the church.
"Mulder!" Scully yelled.
* * *
Mulder came to in the choir loft in extreme pain. He momentarily wondered where he
was as he struggled to his feet.
The minute he put pressure on his left foot he gasped and nearly crumpled. Lightning
bolts of white-hot pain shot through the leg, creating black spots before his eyes. He
surrendered to the panic and terror surging through him.
*Oh God oh God oh God* he thought, glancing around wildly and somehow managing to
stay upright. *It had to be fire. As if I hadn't suffered enough. I have to deal with fire.*
Mulder almost turned back when he again heard the cries, this time mingling with
coughs. With fear and pain warring against each other and threatening to overwhelm
him, Mulder searched for the source of the noises.
Pushing aside several broken pews and parts of an organ, he found a small girl, bound
and gagged. She looked up at Mulder with large, fearful brown eyes. Her long brown
hair was a tangled mess around her head. She wore a simple jean jumper with a bright
pink shirt. Mulder felt a pang of remorse; she reminded him of his own sister at that age.
Kneeling beside her, he said, "Suzie? My name is Fox." The girl, despite her obvious
distress, looked at Mulder with interest as he worked to untie her. "I'm a policeman. I'm
going to get you out of here and to your parents. Okay?"
He smiled reassuringly at the young child, and she nodded. Scooping the girl into his
arms, he began the arduous process of dodging the flaming debris to escape into freedom.
* * *
Scully paced impatiently along the length of the back of an ambulance where Skinner sat
receiving attention to his wounds. Skinner held an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth
to control his breathing.
"Mulder's not dead. He can't be dead. He has to survive, because I have to kill him for
doing this to me." Scully was ranting, seemingly unaware that she was doing so. "What
in God's name possessed him to come here? To go in there? To stay in there?"
"Scully!" The mask muffled Skinner's words. "Calm down. Mulder's been through
worse and survived. He'll be fine."
Scully glared at him, then sighed. "I know," she replied softly. "I know. But I don't like
it."
Cries of surprise from the crowd drowned out the rest of the conversation. Scully and
Skinner pushed through to the front, then stopped to stare in astonishment at the sight
before them.
* * *
Mulder never thought the stairs would end. He was sure that he was going to slip and
fall, taking Suzie down with him. Miraculously, he hit the last step and burst out the
door, thanking whatever brilliant soul that decided to put the two next to each other.
The feeling was short-lived, however, when a final explosion that was larger than the
previous two sent him and Suzie flying through the air. Mulder clutched the child tighter
to his chest, taking the brunt of the fall to protect Suzie. He winced and groaned as his
injured foot was jarred and twisted again and again.
They finally rolled to a stop, Suzie lying on Mulder and clinging to Mulder's neck for
dear life. Mulder's eyes were closed to prevent the tears of pain that were ready to fall.
He felt Suzie being pried from his death grip, then felt himself being lifted and settled on
a stretcher.
"Mulder?"
Mulder forced himself to open his eyes and focused on a blurry image of Scully. He saw
the white patch of gauze on her forehead and reached up to touch it. "Are you all right?"
Scully took his hand and lowered it, but didn't release it. "I'm fine," she said. "Rest
while you can. When you're well enough, I'm going to kick your ass."
Mulder let out a weak laugh, trying to speak through his coughs. "Ooh . . . can hardly . . .
wait . . ."
"Down, boy." Scully moved out of his line of sight and let go of his hand. A mask was
placed over his nose and mouth, making it easier to breathe. The stretcher beneath him
began to move, and Mulder became frightened. He reached his hand out as if reaching
for something. "Scully . . ."
Scully's hand slid into his, and Mulder felt her fingers brush through his hair. "It's
okay," she soothed. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you."
Mulder heaved a deep sigh of relief, then finally gave in to the peaceful oblivion that had
been hovering over him. Scully never released his hand as he was loaded into the
ambulance and taken away.
White watched the exchange, a small feeling of satisfaction creeping into him. He was
glad that his old friend had found someone to care about him as much as Scully did. He
turned back to the sight that had previously held him captivated, shaking his head in
disbelief before climbing into his car and driving away.
All that was left of St. Cecilia's church was a large pile of mortar, wood, and cement.
end 8/9
8/9
St. Cecilia's Church
2:42 p.m.
Scully stared up at the old church as Skinner and White joined her from the two cars.
She was amazed at how accurate Mulder's description was, and with a glance to Skinner,
she could see that he was equally stunned.
"I radioed in the location," White reported. "SAC Douglas is on his way with some men
and a bomb squad. They'll be here soon."
Skinner nodded. "We'll wait five minutes, then go in and assess the situation. There's
no telling if the bomb is on a timer or if there's a trigger somewhere on the grounds."
The five minutes passed agonizingly slow. When it finally ended, Scully led the small
group cautiously into the supposedly-booby-trapped building.
Pittsburgh Memorial Hospital
2:46 p.m.
"Scully! No!"
Mulder sat up in his bed, panting heavily and covered in a sheen of sweat. The nightmare
had been so real . . . it was real. He wasn't sure how or why he seemed to be having such
prophetic dreams, and he didn't care. All he knew was that Scully, and Skinner and
White, were in terrible danger. He had to get to them.
The same nurse that had restarted his IV ran into the room, a look of horror on her face.
She relaxed when she saw that her patient was safe.
"Hon, why on Earth were you screaming like that?" she asked, fixing his pillows more
comfortably behind him. "You nearly scared everyone on the floor to death."
"Where're my clothes?" Mulder countered.
"They're in storage," the nurse, whose nametag read Jackie, replied. "That's where
they're going to stay until your friends come to take you home."
"No." Mulder thought fast. "I need something in them."
"I'll get it for you," Jackie volunteered.
"No!" Mulder exclaimed. "No, that's okay. You have other things to do. Besides, I'd
rather get it myself. It's kind of personal." He gave her his most endearing look.
"Please?"
Jackie's face softened. "All right," she agreed. "I'll be right back."
Mulder watched her go, feeling guilty for what he was about to do. His only reason for
sneaking out was because of a nightmare.
But this was Scully. And Skinner. And White.
He'd gladly risk the anger and annoyance if it meant that his friends were safe.
Jackie returned and gave him a bag containing his clothes, then left at his insistence.
Once he was sure that she was gone, Mulder slid off the bed and quickly began to change
into his jeans and T-shirt. He hoped that his efforts were all for nothing.
Unfortunately, a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise.
St. Cecilia's Church
Skinner awoke with a pounding headache and was surprised to find that he was on the
ground. He tried to get up only to discover that he was pinned beneath several wooden
beams from the ceiling and wall. His head cleared, and he remembered the explosion.
It had been fairly small, but effective. They hadn't been inside the church for more than
a few minutes when the force shook the aged structure, knocking loose part of the ceiling
and wall. Skinner recalled shoving Scully aside, then blacking out.
Fire danced all around him, making visibility difficult. It took several moments before he
could locate Scully's still form a few feet to his left.
"Scully!" he croaked. "Are you okay?"
He heard her moan and saw her move slightly, but that was all. Skinner looked around
for White until he heard the other agent move to his side.
"Sir, are you all right?" White asked.
"I'm fine," Skinner replied. "Just stuck. Get me out from under here!"
He heard White shuffle around. After several strained grunts, he heard White speak
again. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't move it. I need help."
Skinner sighed. He'd figured as much. "It's all right," he said. "Get Scully out of here."
"But-," White began to protest.
"That's an order, Agent!" Skinner snapped.
"Yes sir." White moved quickly to Scully's side and helped her to her feet. Scully was
barely conscious and leaned heavily into White's supporting arms. As they picked their
way around the flames and debris, White called, "Hold tight sir. I'll send help in."
Skinner forced himself to relax as he watched the fire around him grow in intensity.
* * *
Mulder paid the taxi driver his fare and jumped into the melee of police officers, field
agents, firemen, EMTs, and the rest of the massive crowd. He flashed his badge to one
cop and slipped past the barricade in time to see two figures emerge from the church. His
blood ran cold when he identified them.
"Oh my God." Mulder ran up to White, staring at the blood seeping from Scully's
forehead. "Is she-?"
"We're fine," White answered. "Skinner's still trapped inside!"
Mulder immediately turned and ran into the burning building. White called out to stop
him, but he was ignored.
Several medics swarmed around the two of them, leading Scully to a waiting ambulance.
White shook off their help and headed straight for Douglas.
"Sir, A.D. Skinner's still trapped inside," he informed the SAC. "Agent Mulder went in
after him. He's going to need help."
Douglas nodded and held his walkie-talkie to his mouth. "Jacobs! Preston! Move in!
Get the A.D. and get out!"
The two agents addressed instantly left the throng of people for the burning building.
White watched them go, then turned when he heard Scully call his name.
Scully tossed a glare at a trailing medic, then looked at White. "Kevin, is Mulder here?"
"Not exactly," White admitted. "He's in there." He pointed at the church.
"What!" Scully tried to run to church, but White grabbed her arms. "Kevin, let me go!
He shouldn't be in there! He shouldn't even be here! What the hell is he doing out of the
hospital?"
"Dana!" White shouted. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but Jacobs and Preston
went in after him."
Scully gave him an icy glare. "That makes me feel a lot better."
"Dana," White said.
Scully sighed. "I'm sorry, Kevin," she apologized. "I didn't mean to snap at you. But
when Mulder gets out of there, I'm going to kill him."
White smiled faintly. "God help him."
Helpless to do anything else, the two watched as the fire grew stronger, despite the
firemen's attempts to extinguish it.
* * *
Fire.
Of all of the elements to deal with, it had to be fire.
Mulder shoved his blinding fear aside as he raced to where he saw his boss' prone form.
He knelt beside Skinner and felt for a pulse.
Skinner coughed. "White? I thought I gave you an order."
"You did, sir," Mulder replied. "He followed it. Hang on. I'm going to get you out of
here."
Skinner turned his head to watch Mulder as the younger man hunted around for a board
or pipe to act as a lever. "Mulder? You should be in the hospital. Get out of here."
"I plan to, sir," Mulder said. He found a thin metal pipe about his size. "Just as soon as I
get you out of there."
"As I recall, I ordered you to rest," Skinner continued. "Is this more insubordination?"
"You're damn straight." Mulder wedged the pipe beneath the board causing the most
problems. "Get ready to slide out."
Gritting his teeth, Mulder forced the pipe down, using most of his weight. At first it
didn't appear to work. Eventually, enough of the weight had been lifted and Skinner
easily pushed himself out. Mulder helped Skinner up, hooked the A.D.'s arm around his
neck, and began to guide him out.
Jacobs suddenly appeared and took the A.D. from Mulder. "Back off Mulder," he
ordered. "We've got him."
Preston took Skinner's other arm and they slowly made their way to freedom when
Mulder stopped. The sound of muffled cries reached his ears, and he turned and ran up
the stairs to the loft.
Scully ran up to the three figures exiting the building, White close behind. Skinner was
choking from the lack of oxygen, barely standing on his own feet as he was supported.
As the group walked to the ever-alert medics, Scully looked at Jacobs. "Where's
Mulder?"
Jacobs glanced behind him, then at Scully. "He was right behind me. I don't-."
He was cut off as another explosion shook the air and weakened the already half-
collapsed structure of the church.
"Mulder!" Scully yelled.
* * *
Mulder came to in the choir loft in extreme pain. He momentarily wondered where he
was as he struggled to his feet.
The minute he put pressure on his left foot he gasped and nearly crumpled. Lightning
bolts of white-hot pain shot through the leg, creating black spots before his eyes. He
surrendered to the panic and terror surging through him.
*Oh God oh God oh God* he thought, glancing around wildly and somehow managing to
stay upright. *It had to be fire. As if I hadn't suffered enough. I have to deal with fire.*
Mulder almost turned back when he again heard the cries, this time mingling with
coughs. With fear and pain warring against each other and threatening to overwhelm
him, Mulder searched for the source of the noises.
Pushing aside several broken pews and parts of an organ, he found a small girl, bound
and gagged. She looked up at Mulder with large, fearful brown eyes. Her long brown
hair was a tangled mess around her head. She wore a simple jean jumper with a bright
pink shirt. Mulder felt a pang of remorse; she reminded him of his own sister at that age.
Kneeling beside her, he said, "Suzie? My name is Fox." The girl, despite her obvious
distress, looked at Mulder with interest as he worked to untie her. "I'm a policeman. I'm
going to get you out of here and to your parents. Okay?"
He smiled reassuringly at the young child, and she nodded. Scooping the girl into his
arms, he began the arduous process of dodging the flaming debris to escape into freedom.
* * *
Scully paced impatiently along the length of the back of an ambulance where Skinner sat
receiving attention to his wounds. Skinner held an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth
to control his breathing.
"Mulder's not dead. He can't be dead. He has to survive, because I have to kill him for
doing this to me." Scully was ranting, seemingly unaware that she was doing so. "What
in God's name possessed him to come here? To go in there? To stay in there?"
"Scully!" The mask muffled Skinner's words. "Calm down. Mulder's been through
worse and survived. He'll be fine."
Scully glared at him, then sighed. "I know," she replied softly. "I know. But I don't like
it."
Cries of surprise from the crowd drowned out the rest of the conversation. Scully and
Skinner pushed through to the front, then stopped to stare in astonishment at the sight
before them.
* * *
Mulder never thought the stairs would end. He was sure that he was going to slip and
fall, taking Suzie down with him. Miraculously, he hit the last step and burst out the
door, thanking whatever brilliant soul that decided to put the two next to each other.
The feeling was short-lived, however, when a final explosion that was larger than the
previous two sent him and Suzie flying through the air. Mulder clutched the child tighter
to his chest, taking the brunt of the fall to protect Suzie. He winced and groaned as his
injured foot was jarred and twisted again and again.
They finally rolled to a stop, Suzie lying on Mulder and clinging to Mulder's neck for
dear life. Mulder's eyes were closed to prevent the tears of pain that were ready to fall.
He felt Suzie being pried from his death grip, then felt himself being lifted and settled on
a stretcher.
"Mulder?"
Mulder forced himself to open his eyes and focused on a blurry image of Scully. He saw
the white patch of gauze on her forehead and reached up to touch it. "Are you all right?"
Scully took his hand and lowered it, but didn't release it. "I'm fine," she said. "Rest
while you can. When you're well enough, I'm going to kick your ass."
Mulder let out a weak laugh, trying to speak through his coughs. "Ooh . . . can hardly . . .
wait . . ."
"Down, boy." Scully moved out of his line of sight and let go of his hand. A mask was
placed over his nose and mouth, making it easier to breathe. The stretcher beneath him
began to move, and Mulder became frightened. He reached his hand out as if reaching
for something. "Scully . . ."
Scully's hand slid into his, and Mulder felt her fingers brush through his hair. "It's
okay," she soothed. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you."
Mulder heaved a deep sigh of relief, then finally gave in to the peaceful oblivion that had
been hovering over him. Scully never released his hand as he was loaded into the
ambulance and taken away.
White watched the exchange, a small feeling of satisfaction creeping into him. He was
glad that his old friend had found someone to care about him as much as Scully did. He
turned back to the sight that had previously held him captivated, shaking his head in
disbelief before climbing into his car and driving away.
All that was left of St. Cecilia's church was a large pile of mortar, wood, and cement.
end 8/9