Mulder sat and stared at his computer on the desk of his small untidy office.  They had offered him an office with a view but only if he gave up the X-Files.  He didn't think he'd be spending too much time in is office so the view wouldn't be missed.  But on wet rainy day like this one he was almost ready to accept the offer.

"Oh come on," he said, hitting the side of the screen.  He had been tapping away at the keys watching the screen for a reaction but got nothing.  It was nearing 9pm on a Saturday night but he persisted.

"I know you have the games in there somewhere, Dallas, just give me the password."

He had already tried all the words he could think of involving the LA Raiders.  And now he had no ideas left.  There was a sharp knock at the door.

"Come in," Mulder called without looking up.

                Special Agent Coulter Dallas walked in.  The expression on his face clearly telling Mulder this wasn't a social call.

"Mulder, someone is trying to hack into my network.  I've sourced it to the building." He said, his burly figure approaching the desk as Mulder reached for the ALT+ TAB buttons. "You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?"

"Who? Me?" Mulder looked up at him innocently. "I've been working here all evening.  If I wanted to play games I'd go home.  I'll keep an eye out for you if you want?"

At that moment Scully walked in and stopped suddenly, sidestepping silently away from the door.

"If I find out it was you Mulder…" Dallas said before turning away and storming from the room.

"Another friendly visitor?" Scully said making Mulder jump in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh Hello, Nice to see you too, Coffee?

"No I mean I thought you were on vacation?"

"Vacation? One day off does not constitute a vacation" She slipped off her jacket and perched on the edge of his desk "I rang your house and I got no answer, so I figured you were wallowing in here.  I came to rescue you, from yourself, and take you out for dinner"

"How did you know that I didn't have some hot date?" He said trying not to watch her leg swinging beneath her.  She raised her left eyebrow and looked at him, a smile dancing across her lips.

"What did Dallas want?"

"He was accusing me of hacking into his PC."

"And were you?"

"No, I couldn't figure out his password."

"Another Saturday night well spent…"

                The shrill ring of the telephone cut off his reply.  He picked up listened for a minute.  Replacing the handset he stood and reached for his jacket.

"It's Skinner…he wants to see us."

"Doesn't anyone here ever go home? How did he know I was here?"

                Mulder moved his eyes round shiftily as if looking for a hidden camera.  "Maybe the room is bugged…"

"Or maybe he saw me coming in through the front door?"

                Mulder laughed and led her through the deserted corridors of the FBI headquarters.  Skinners secretary who was talking on the phone waved them straight in.  Mulder knocked lightly at the door and walked through, where they saw Skinner bent over a large opened black leather folder.  He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"Don't hover.  Sit down" he said brusquely.

Scully and Mulder each took a chair in front of the large desk and waited for Skinner to talk. 

"I have a case.  Kidnapping.  I want you two on it"

                Mulder looked over at Scully and back to Skinner.  "Us?"

"Yes Mulder, You and Scully will go To Ohio and solve this case? Is that too much to ask? Is that to far out of your job description for you?"

"No sir-"

"Then here you go" Skinner held out the large folder for Mulder, who took it gingerly.

"We'll leave on Monday morning-" Mulder began.

"No, you'll leave now. Both of you.  You have no idea what it was like for me to get that folder.  I want it out of here before they see it's gone."

"Who?" Scully asked, unable to take any of this in.

"Agents Doultry and Fisher have already been assigned this case as of yesterday evening.  It's no good for them… if you know what I mean"

"I'm not sure I do." Scully began but Mulder stood holding the folder under his arm.

"Yes sir, we'll leave straight away"

                Skinner looked at Mulder with a hint of relief in his eyes and sat back heavily into his chair as they left the room.

                Within an hour Mulder was sitting on his bed drying his hair roughly with a towel.  A small black travel bag lay open at his feet.  He slipped into a pair of jeans as the doorbell rang.  Grabbing his shirt he slowly trudged out to the door where as expected he found Scully. 

"If you answered the door like that all the time maybe you would get a hot date for Saturday nights!"

"Yeah, funny." He smirked at her as he pulled on his shirt.  Dropping the bag at her feet Scully sat down on the settee.  Mulder went back into the bedroom and found a pair of socks.  Putting them on he carried his boots into Scully.

"Would you like a coffee?"

"No thanks…" she said tiredly.

"You okay?" he asked as he tied his laces.

"Not really…what was going on with you and Skinner?"

"What do you mean?" Mulder said innocently, grabbing a towel to rub his hair again.

"Come on Mulder.  What's this case all about?"

"I dunno," He said through the towel.  "You know as much as me.  I just don't think that Skinner wanted us asking to many questions right then."

"If we're gonna try to solve a case we need to get all the facts-"

"We will," he changed the towel for a brush and began the futile battle for settlement in his hair.  "You know how Skinner has been with the X-Files, he doesn't want to admit they exist…but some cases…"

                Scully said nothing only watched him as he gave up the fight with his hair and instead pulled on a NY Knicks baseball cap.  Hitting the message button on his phone he went to fetch his bag.

"You have two new messages, today at 20:25 Fox, it's Sally.  Thanks for not returning my calls…just don't bother."  Mulder winced as he heard the voice projected into the room and smiled shamefully when he spotted Scully trying not to laugh.

"Today at 20:34 Fox, It's your mother.  Are you still out there? Please call me. No more messages"

"What?" He asked Scully's laughing eyes.  "You see I could have had a date…"

                Scully stood and reached for the car keys he had left on the table

"I could have." Mulder proclaimed after her, slightly annoyed by her quiet laughter.

* * *

                Liam Maguire sat in the large well-furnished room.  The walls were lined with bookcases from ceiling to floor, all except for the two glass doors, which overlooked a beautiful patchwork of fields, at the very back and a large mirror over a stone fireplace. 

                There was a brilliant desk placed near the glass doors with many papers neatly piled up and a phone in the middle. A three-piece leather suite lay to the right of the desk, with a large empty executive chair sitting behind it.

                Liam wandered round the room fingering the books, few of which he recognised, reading the names of any that caught his eye.  The glass doors were closed and when he tried to open them he found them locked.  Watching the mirror through his long hair he slouched down into the leather couch.

                Behind the mirror a lady stood, sporting a white skirt and black blouse she watched the boy with interest.  Two suited men stood behind her and waited for her to speak.  The elder man took a step closer, his impatience winning, and coughed.

"Well Dr Philips, will you take this patient?" his voice low and bored

"Of course I will, send me all the paperwork." She called over he shoulder as she walked out of the room.  The man stood by as she brushed past and watched through the mirror as she sat next to Liam. 

"Good luck…" he murmured under his breath, shaking his head softly.

                She walked into the room receiving only a cursory glance from Liam.  Sitting down next to him she smiled openly at him.

"Hi Liam, my name is Andy Taylor.  I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

                He stared ahead unmoving, refusing to meet her eyes.  Sitting perfectly still Andy watched his eyes.  They seemed so young and yet the lines engraved around them told a different tale.  She remembered the photo his parents had taken a mere fortnight before the abduction.  His face pulled into a painful expression that seemed to scream from his eyes.  His wheelchair being the most notable difference Andy came back to the present and looked at his legs, clad in a light blue denim she could see them stretched out in front of him.

"You didn't like Dr Riggs did you? Well I don't blame you." She said aloud not missing the flicker of a smile that crossed his lips for an instant. "Well you don't need to talk to him anymore." 

                He continued to stare ahead.   Seeing the small bruises that surrounded his left eye and at the base of his neck she decided to ask him.

"How did you get those bruises Liam?"

                Automatically his hand went up to neck and his fingers gently traced the line of perfectly circular bruises that reached from his spine to just behind his earlobe.  A slight whimper escaped from his lips.

"Sorry?" Andy asked not sure if he had said something.

                Another whimper emerged only this time louder escaped from his lips and it soon escalated into a fully-fledged scream.

"Okay Liam, Calm down" Andy tried to touch his arm but he shrugged her away.

                He grabbed his head and held onto it tightly pressing at his temples.  The scream turned into a cry and so softly, that Andy wasn't sure if she heard him correctly he said "make it stop…"

* * *