Title - I Know What You Did . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Classification - TRA
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.
Prologue
A sharp knock on the door lets him know it's time. He knows before rising from the chair who it is and what they want. They come every so often, giving him little tasks to carry out. Each time he promises himself is the last. But a next time always comes. His targets are normally faceless and unknown to him. But this time . . . well, this time he can only pray that someone he loves doesn't end up dead.
Chapter 1
Mulder pulls into the space he's claimed as his own. In all the times he's come over to her place, it's the space that always seems to be waiting on him. As if it's welcoming him home. He sighs and tries to shake those thoughts from his head. Because possibly after tonight, that spot may be welcoming a new owner.
Scully had taken the day off, calling in just when he was beginning to wonder why she was so late.
"Come over after work," she had said as she invited him over for dinner. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Someone, he thinks, letting out another sigh. He knew this day would come eventually. The day when she'd realize there's more to life than the X-Files. The day when she'd meet a man who was deserving of a woman like her. As much as Mulder wants to be that man, he knows she deserves someone better than him.
The ringing of his phone startles him. He takes it out his pocket and answers it in the usual fashion.
"Are you just going to sit out there all night or what?" Scully's voice rings cheerfully through the line.
"I'm on my way up now," he says as he exits the car, carefully looking both ways before crossing the street and going into her building.
"Well hurry up," she playfully orders before hanging up the phone. Mulder places the phone back in his pocket, shaking his head with a little chuckle. Whoever this guy is, he makes her happy. Mulder can at least be grateful for that.
He walks down the hall and stops in front of her door, raising his hand to knock when the door opens before he gets the chance.
"Finally," she says, a broad grin spread across her face. She reaches for his hand and pulls him into the apartment. "I'm glad you're here."
"Well, thank you for inviting me," he says, looking curiously around the room. He doesn't see anyone and turns to give her a questioning look.
"He's in the kitchen," she explains. "I'll go get him."
"No need," a voice from the doorway says.
Mulder turns to find a man holding a bottle of wine and three glasses. He gives the glasses to Scully and sets the bottle on the table before offering his hand to Mulder.
"You must be the partner, Fox Mulder. I've heard a lot about you," the man says, a small smile on his face.
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," Mulder jokes as he shakes the man's hand. "What kinds of things have you heard?"
"Depends on who I talk to," the man says with a chuckle, causing Scully to laugh with him. Mulder just stares at them both with a confused look on his face which makes Scully laugh even harder.
"Excuse me?" Mulder asks. "Who do you usually talk to about me?"
"Just family. Mom thinks the world of you. But Bill has his own colorful little descriptions of you."
"You must be Charlie," Mulder smiles as realization dawns on him. "The invisible brother."
"Invisible? Sis, what have you been telling him about me?" Charlie asks with a laugh.
"Not much at all," Mulder tells him. "I thought I'd have to open an X-File to search for the elusive Charles Scully if I ever wanted to meet you. After all these years, I can't believe this is the first time."
"Me either," Charlie nods. "I'll have to make sure to visit more in the future so we can get to know each other."
"That's not what this dinner is about?" Mulder asks.
"No. Charlie needs our help. Our professional help," Scully tells him. "Possibly a case. But it's kind of secret, so I thought it would be better to look at it here than at the office."
"Evidence has a tendency to disappear when it can expose the wrong people," Mulder explains to Charlie. "Do you think this may be that type of evidence?"
"Why don't I let you be the judge of that," Charlie says, going to the closet by the front door and grabbing a briefcase. He sets it on the coffee table in front of them and opens it, pulling out a smaller case. Inside that case is a folded piece of paper. He hands it to Mulder and watches the man open it.
At his gasp, Scully leans over his shoulder to see what's on the paper.
"Where did you get this?" Mulder asks quietly, his words having a hard time making a way past the lump that has suddenly formed in his throat. His hands begin to shake so badly that he allows Scully to take the paper from him before he drops it. He lifts his hands to his head to try to ward off the sharp pains that are developing.
"Are you okay, Mulder?" Scully asks him, folding the paper back and hastily shutting it away in its case.
"I'm fine," he mutters through clenched teeth. "Just a headache."
"What's going on?" Charlie asks.
"Where did you get this paper, Charlie?" Scully asks her brother, ignoring his question. "Do you realize what you have here?"
"It's a rubbing from an artifact a friend of mine uncovered. He sent it to me because he knows about the kind of work the two of you do," Charlie explains, although his attention has shifted to the ailing man in front of him. "Is he really going to be okay? He doesn't look so good, Dana."
"I think so," she tells him. "Just go put the case away and get him a glass a water."
She watches her brother jump up to comply with her wishes, waiting until he disappeared into the kitchen before whispering to Mulder.
"The voices again?"
"Not so much this time," he tells her. "It's just a distracting buzz. And this time, the pain isn't crippling. I don't know why. The rubbing looks the same as the one found on that ship in Africa. But maybe it's different. It's not affecting me as much this time."
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" she asks, ignoring her own pain growing in the pit of her stomach. Not exactly the best time to be worried about cramps, she thinks to herself, noting mentally that it's nearing that time of the month.
"I'm much better now," he tries to smile to reassure her. "But I think I will call it a night. I need to get away from that thing."
"I don't blame you," she smiles sympathetically. "Will you be okay getting home?"
"Don't worry about me," he says, taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze. He has to hide his reaction to the increasing volume the buzzing noise makes at the movement. She'd make him go to the hospital if she knew he's still being affected by the rubbing.
"Take care of yourself. And call me if you need anything, Mulder. Anything at all," she makes him promise. When he nods in agreement, she walks him to the front door and lets him out. Charlie returns with the glass of water just as she's closing the front door.
"Where's Mulder?"
"He's going home. He just needs some rest," she tells him, trying to avoid explaining the real reason Mulder left.
"You look kind of tired too, Dana. Why don't you go get some rest? Besides, my flight leaves pretty early in the morning. I should get to bed myself."
"You're leaving so soon? But you just got here, Charlie. And I haven't seen you in such a long time," she whines. But she doesn't want to admit how much the idea of crawling into bed appeals to her. Her cramps are starting to bother her more and more.
"You're dead on your feet, Dana," he points out. "Go to bed. It wouldn't do my ego any good for my big sister to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation."
"Okay, okay. You win. I'll go to bed now. But promise me we can have breakfast in the morning. No matter how early you have to leave."
"Sure," he says, finding a spot on the floor by his shoes suddenly fascinating. "I'll see you in the morning."
She notices his evasion and is about to call him on it when another wave of cramps hits. She decides to let it go for the moment in favor of her hot water bottle and ibuprofen. She'll talk to him in the morning.
"Night night, Chuckie Pie," she says with a giggle as his cheeks redden.
He rolls his eyes at the childhood nickname he hasn't heard in years as she walks back into her bedroom and closes the door. As the lock clicks into place, he sighs in relief. He doesn't fully understand what happened or why they even sent him on this mission, but he's glad it's over. And that everyone still seems to be intact. It's a better outcome than he hoped for.
Charlie is awakened later that evening by a sound floating through the wall of the guest bedroom. He sits up in the bed and listens intently until he hears the sound again. The unmistakable sound of someone crying out. He runs down the hall to his sister's bedroom and forces his way inside.
"Dana," he calls out to the crying woman. She's bent over in half, huddled on the bed in a tight ball. "Dana, what's the matter?"
"It hurts," she gasps through her tears. "Make the pain stop."
He's certain that whatever's wrong with her is his fault. Every time those people send him on a mission like this, someone ends up hurt. He doesn't know why he ever thought this time would be different. But this time, he's going to do something about it. He's not going to let them get away with hurting his sister.
He reaches over to her nightstand and picks up the phone, swiftly dialing a number.
"It's me," he says. "What did you do to her? What is that thing I brought into this house?"
"Calm down," the raspy voice on the other end of the phone demands. "We'll be there to take care of her."
Charlie's about to protest when he hears the call disconnect. Not knowing what else to do, he takes his sister's hand and tries to comfort her. And he prays that by calling his employer, he didn't make matters any worse.
A team arrive less than an hour later and forces him out of the room. He paces around the living room for the twenty minutes they're in there with her. When they're done, they leave as quietly as they arrived. He pays them no mind and rushes back to his sister's bedroom where she's now sleeping peacefully and painlessly. It's like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. Thankfully, whatever they just did seems to have fixed whatever they had originally broken. He doubts she'll even remember what happened in the morning. Perhaps it's for the best, he thinks with a sigh before closing the door and going back to the guest bedroom. He needs to pack. And hopefully be gone before she wakes up.
To be continued . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Classification - TRA
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.
Prologue
A sharp knock on the door lets him know it's time. He knows before rising from the chair who it is and what they want. They come every so often, giving him little tasks to carry out. Each time he promises himself is the last. But a next time always comes. His targets are normally faceless and unknown to him. But this time . . . well, this time he can only pray that someone he loves doesn't end up dead.
Chapter 1
Mulder pulls into the space he's claimed as his own. In all the times he's come over to her place, it's the space that always seems to be waiting on him. As if it's welcoming him home. He sighs and tries to shake those thoughts from his head. Because possibly after tonight, that spot may be welcoming a new owner.
Scully had taken the day off, calling in just when he was beginning to wonder why she was so late.
"Come over after work," she had said as she invited him over for dinner. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Someone, he thinks, letting out another sigh. He knew this day would come eventually. The day when she'd realize there's more to life than the X-Files. The day when she'd meet a man who was deserving of a woman like her. As much as Mulder wants to be that man, he knows she deserves someone better than him.
The ringing of his phone startles him. He takes it out his pocket and answers it in the usual fashion.
"Are you just going to sit out there all night or what?" Scully's voice rings cheerfully through the line.
"I'm on my way up now," he says as he exits the car, carefully looking both ways before crossing the street and going into her building.
"Well hurry up," she playfully orders before hanging up the phone. Mulder places the phone back in his pocket, shaking his head with a little chuckle. Whoever this guy is, he makes her happy. Mulder can at least be grateful for that.
He walks down the hall and stops in front of her door, raising his hand to knock when the door opens before he gets the chance.
"Finally," she says, a broad grin spread across her face. She reaches for his hand and pulls him into the apartment. "I'm glad you're here."
"Well, thank you for inviting me," he says, looking curiously around the room. He doesn't see anyone and turns to give her a questioning look.
"He's in the kitchen," she explains. "I'll go get him."
"No need," a voice from the doorway says.
Mulder turns to find a man holding a bottle of wine and three glasses. He gives the glasses to Scully and sets the bottle on the table before offering his hand to Mulder.
"You must be the partner, Fox Mulder. I've heard a lot about you," the man says, a small smile on his face.
"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," Mulder jokes as he shakes the man's hand. "What kinds of things have you heard?"
"Depends on who I talk to," the man says with a chuckle, causing Scully to laugh with him. Mulder just stares at them both with a confused look on his face which makes Scully laugh even harder.
"Excuse me?" Mulder asks. "Who do you usually talk to about me?"
"Just family. Mom thinks the world of you. But Bill has his own colorful little descriptions of you."
"You must be Charlie," Mulder smiles as realization dawns on him. "The invisible brother."
"Invisible? Sis, what have you been telling him about me?" Charlie asks with a laugh.
"Not much at all," Mulder tells him. "I thought I'd have to open an X-File to search for the elusive Charles Scully if I ever wanted to meet you. After all these years, I can't believe this is the first time."
"Me either," Charlie nods. "I'll have to make sure to visit more in the future so we can get to know each other."
"That's not what this dinner is about?" Mulder asks.
"No. Charlie needs our help. Our professional help," Scully tells him. "Possibly a case. But it's kind of secret, so I thought it would be better to look at it here than at the office."
"Evidence has a tendency to disappear when it can expose the wrong people," Mulder explains to Charlie. "Do you think this may be that type of evidence?"
"Why don't I let you be the judge of that," Charlie says, going to the closet by the front door and grabbing a briefcase. He sets it on the coffee table in front of them and opens it, pulling out a smaller case. Inside that case is a folded piece of paper. He hands it to Mulder and watches the man open it.
At his gasp, Scully leans over his shoulder to see what's on the paper.
"Where did you get this?" Mulder asks quietly, his words having a hard time making a way past the lump that has suddenly formed in his throat. His hands begin to shake so badly that he allows Scully to take the paper from him before he drops it. He lifts his hands to his head to try to ward off the sharp pains that are developing.
"Are you okay, Mulder?" Scully asks him, folding the paper back and hastily shutting it away in its case.
"I'm fine," he mutters through clenched teeth. "Just a headache."
"What's going on?" Charlie asks.
"Where did you get this paper, Charlie?" Scully asks her brother, ignoring his question. "Do you realize what you have here?"
"It's a rubbing from an artifact a friend of mine uncovered. He sent it to me because he knows about the kind of work the two of you do," Charlie explains, although his attention has shifted to the ailing man in front of him. "Is he really going to be okay? He doesn't look so good, Dana."
"I think so," she tells him. "Just go put the case away and get him a glass a water."
She watches her brother jump up to comply with her wishes, waiting until he disappeared into the kitchen before whispering to Mulder.
"The voices again?"
"Not so much this time," he tells her. "It's just a distracting buzz. And this time, the pain isn't crippling. I don't know why. The rubbing looks the same as the one found on that ship in Africa. But maybe it's different. It's not affecting me as much this time."
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" she asks, ignoring her own pain growing in the pit of her stomach. Not exactly the best time to be worried about cramps, she thinks to herself, noting mentally that it's nearing that time of the month.
"I'm much better now," he tries to smile to reassure her. "But I think I will call it a night. I need to get away from that thing."
"I don't blame you," she smiles sympathetically. "Will you be okay getting home?"
"Don't worry about me," he says, taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze. He has to hide his reaction to the increasing volume the buzzing noise makes at the movement. She'd make him go to the hospital if she knew he's still being affected by the rubbing.
"Take care of yourself. And call me if you need anything, Mulder. Anything at all," she makes him promise. When he nods in agreement, she walks him to the front door and lets him out. Charlie returns with the glass of water just as she's closing the front door.
"Where's Mulder?"
"He's going home. He just needs some rest," she tells him, trying to avoid explaining the real reason Mulder left.
"You look kind of tired too, Dana. Why don't you go get some rest? Besides, my flight leaves pretty early in the morning. I should get to bed myself."
"You're leaving so soon? But you just got here, Charlie. And I haven't seen you in such a long time," she whines. But she doesn't want to admit how much the idea of crawling into bed appeals to her. Her cramps are starting to bother her more and more.
"You're dead on your feet, Dana," he points out. "Go to bed. It wouldn't do my ego any good for my big sister to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation."
"Okay, okay. You win. I'll go to bed now. But promise me we can have breakfast in the morning. No matter how early you have to leave."
"Sure," he says, finding a spot on the floor by his shoes suddenly fascinating. "I'll see you in the morning."
She notices his evasion and is about to call him on it when another wave of cramps hits. She decides to let it go for the moment in favor of her hot water bottle and ibuprofen. She'll talk to him in the morning.
"Night night, Chuckie Pie," she says with a giggle as his cheeks redden.
He rolls his eyes at the childhood nickname he hasn't heard in years as she walks back into her bedroom and closes the door. As the lock clicks into place, he sighs in relief. He doesn't fully understand what happened or why they even sent him on this mission, but he's glad it's over. And that everyone still seems to be intact. It's a better outcome than he hoped for.
Charlie is awakened later that evening by a sound floating through the wall of the guest bedroom. He sits up in the bed and listens intently until he hears the sound again. The unmistakable sound of someone crying out. He runs down the hall to his sister's bedroom and forces his way inside.
"Dana," he calls out to the crying woman. She's bent over in half, huddled on the bed in a tight ball. "Dana, what's the matter?"
"It hurts," she gasps through her tears. "Make the pain stop."
He's certain that whatever's wrong with her is his fault. Every time those people send him on a mission like this, someone ends up hurt. He doesn't know why he ever thought this time would be different. But this time, he's going to do something about it. He's not going to let them get away with hurting his sister.
He reaches over to her nightstand and picks up the phone, swiftly dialing a number.
"It's me," he says. "What did you do to her? What is that thing I brought into this house?"
"Calm down," the raspy voice on the other end of the phone demands. "We'll be there to take care of her."
Charlie's about to protest when he hears the call disconnect. Not knowing what else to do, he takes his sister's hand and tries to comfort her. And he prays that by calling his employer, he didn't make matters any worse.
A team arrive less than an hour later and forces him out of the room. He paces around the living room for the twenty minutes they're in there with her. When they're done, they leave as quietly as they arrived. He pays them no mind and rushes back to his sister's bedroom where she's now sleeping peacefully and painlessly. It's like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. Thankfully, whatever they just did seems to have fixed whatever they had originally broken. He doubts she'll even remember what happened in the morning. Perhaps it's for the best, he thinks with a sigh before closing the door and going back to the guest bedroom. He needs to pack. And hopefully be gone before she wakes up.
To be continued . . .