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.
Chapter 2
Mulder knocks on the connecting door of the hotel room and waits for her to acknowledge him. When she doesn't answer him, he walks right in, hoping she hasn't overslept again.
"Scully," he calls when he sees her still form on the bed. "Rise and shine, Sleepyhead. It's time to get up."
"I am up," she says with a yawn from under the covers. "Just resting my eyes."
"Come on, Scully. If you don't get up, we're going to be late again. And I was hoping to get some breakfast this morning."
"Breakfast?" she asks, sitting up suddenly. "Breakfast sounds good."
"Yeah, but you might want to get dressed first," he suggests, looking down at her sleep shirt. "Why don't you get up and get ready and I'll bring something back for you to eat. That way, we shouldn't be too late for the meeting with the sheriff."
"You know, Mulder," she says, climbing out of bed and walking towards the bathroom. "We've been here in Tulsa for almost a week. And I'm still not convinced this case is an X-File."
She closes the door behind her for some privacy while he yells at her through the door.
"But Scully, how else would you explain the sudden growth in the rate these teenage girls are disappearing around here? I think they're being abducted."
"That's a possibility," her muffled voice says. "But not by aliens."
"By what else then?" he asks. He laughs out loud at the look he knows is on her face right about now. He's about to say something to that effect when her cell phone starts ringing. He spots it on the dresser and answers it.
"Dana Scully's phone. Can I help you?"
"Who is . . . Mulder? Is that you?" the voice on the other end asks.
"Yes. May I ask who's calling?"
"It's me. Charlie."
"Charlie. Hey, man. How's it going? Your sister's been going crazy wondering where you went. You just disappeared from her house last month," he says into the phone before yelling to Scully that Charlie's on the line.
"I left a note," Charlie explains. "Didn't she get it?"
"I got your note, Charles Scully," Scully says, grabbing the phone from Mulder. "But why did you sneak out like that? And then why haven't you called me in almost a month?"
"Something came up, Dana. Just like I told you in the note."
"Whatever," she sighs. "It's good to hear from you."
"I'm sorry I worried you, Sis. How are you doing? Are you okay?"
"I'm good, Charlie," she says, a little suspicious by the amount of concern he seems to be displaying. "Why do you ask?"
"Can't I worry about my big sister?" he asks jokingly, trying to laugh off her question. "But now that I know you're fine and you know I'm fine, I have to go. Talk to you later. Bye."
The phone hangs up in her ear and she stares at it for a moment before putting it away.
"Everything okay?" Mulder asks.
"I guess so," she shrugs. "Charlie has always been the dramatic one, though. But he's also the one who's always managed to get himself into the most trouble. I hope he's not in any trouble now."
"If he is, I'm sure he'd come to you. Just like when he had the question about that artifact last month. He came straight to you with it. I wouldn't worry so much."
"I guess you're right," she says, suddenly distracted by her growling stomach. "Now, didn't you mention something about breakfast? Let me finished getting dressed and we can go. I'm starving."
* * * * * * *
Charlie stares anxiously at his ringing phone, trying to mentally decide if it will be better to answer it or not. These people just won't leave him alone. He sighs in relief when the ringing stops. He just doesn't feel like dealing with them.
That trip to his sister's last month was the final straw. He's never been as scared as he was that night, watching Dana writhe in so much pain. He's been afraid to talk to her since then, not sure if she'd remember what happened or not. But apparently she didn't. She didn't even mention it when he spoke with her.
He rolls his eyes when the phone starts to ring again. They're not going to stop, he realizes. May as well talk to them and get it over with.
"Yes," he says when he picks up the phone.
"Don't ever make me have to track you down, Mr. Scully," a chilling voice warns. "You won't like it, I assure you."
"And don't ever send me to someone I care about," Charlie shoots back. "Because you won't like the results either."
"I don't think you're in any position to toss around idle threats. Not unless you want everyone to know your little secret."
"What if I said I didn't care anymore?" Charlie bluffs. "I'm tired of you holding it over my head. I'm going to confess all and just deal with the consequences. Hopefully my family will forgive me."
"You're just worried about their forgiveness?" The caller laughs a haunting little melody that raises all the hairs on Charlie's arms. "You're assuming that after dealing with my consequences, you'll have family left to beg forgiveness from."
"What are you saying? Are you threatening to harm them in any way?"
"Mr. Scully, think what you'd like. But I'd suggest you keep what you know to yourself and continue to avail yourself to us. You don't want to be on the wrong side of this. Just ask your sister and her partner. By the way, how are they doing after your little visit with them?"
"My sister is fine," Charlie insists. "I just spoke with her."
"Is she really? I hope you're right."
Charlie jumps at the sound of the phone clicking in his ear. The caller hung up on him, leaving him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What has he done? What has he allowed them to do to his sister? He left her alone with them while they supposedly fixed whatever was wrong with her. But what if they didn't fix anything after all? His employer is right. He doesn't have a choice but to comply. Because now, it's not only his integrity at risk. It's the welfare of his loved ones. He refuses to let anyone else die because of a mistake he made.
* * * * * * *
The waitress comes by the table to bring the bill. Mulder's eyes bulge slightly at the total, almost twice what it usually is.
"Gee Scully, you weren't kidding when you said you were hungry. Look at this bill. I don't think I've ever seen you eat this much. Accounting isn't going to believe this expense report," he says, holding back his amusement.
"I didn't eat that much," she objects.
"Here's that pie you ordered to go, ma'am," the young waitress says as she places a box in front of Scully. Mulder can't hold his laughter anymore.
"What?" Scully queries innocently. "It was good pie."
"Scully even *I* don't eat pie for breakfast," he chuckles.
"Shut up, Mulder," she says, rolling her eyes. She picks up her pie and stalks off angrily to the car, leaving him to pay the bill.
He catches up with her and tries to apologize before starting the car.
"Look, Scully. I didn't mean to . . . "
"It's okay, Mulder," she says, shaking her head. "I just over reacted. I've been so tired this past month, worrying about Charlie. I think it's just finally catching up with me."
"I didn't realize you were that worried," he says. Or that tired, he thinks to himself as he realizes how exhausted she looks. And he realizes that her health should be more important to him than some stupid case. "I think you're right about this case. It probably isn't even an X-File. Why don't we just turn this over to the local police to handle?"
"Are you sure, Mulder?" She tries not to let him see how visibly relieved that decision makes her.
"It's probably for the best," he nods. "I'll go to the police station to let the sheriff know we're leaving. In the mean time, I'll drop you to the hotel so you can pack and check out. I should be back in about an hour."
But things at the police station take longer than he anticipated. He promised Scully an hour and it's been almost twice that. He makes his way back to the hotel with an apology already planned for her. But when he gets to her room, all words leave his mind.
"Scully?" he calls, looking around the empty room for the woman. He hears sounds from the bathroom and finds her in there, bent over the toilet losing probably every morsel of food consumed over the past week.
"You okay?" he asks when she finishes, handing her a cool, wet washcloth.
"That big breakfast might not have been such a good idea," she groans, wiping her mouth. She stands on shaky legs and makes it to the sink to rinse her mouth. "And I definitely shouldn't have eaten the rest of that pie."
"Are you going to be okay to travel?"
"I'm fine now," she promises him. "Don't worry so much about me."
"I can't help it," he says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You're my partner. It my job to look out for you."
He pulls away when he gets the overwhelming feeling that she's about to cry. He knows how much she hates for anyone to see her upset.
"I'm going to put the luggage in the car," he says.
She just nods, unable to say anything without risking crying. She's glad he left when he did. It's like he could hear her silent pleas to let her cry in peace. That in itself makes her want to cry even more.
She can't believe how emotional she's being. She just didn't expect his sweet words or tender touch. And she certainly didn't expect them to affect her so much. But then again, she hasn't been herself lately. Hopefully, all she needs is to get home and get some rest. She's sure she'll be back to herself in no time.
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.
Chapter 2
Mulder knocks on the connecting door of the hotel room and waits for her to acknowledge him. When she doesn't answer him, he walks right in, hoping she hasn't overslept again.
"Scully," he calls when he sees her still form on the bed. "Rise and shine, Sleepyhead. It's time to get up."
"I am up," she says with a yawn from under the covers. "Just resting my eyes."
"Come on, Scully. If you don't get up, we're going to be late again. And I was hoping to get some breakfast this morning."
"Breakfast?" she asks, sitting up suddenly. "Breakfast sounds good."
"Yeah, but you might want to get dressed first," he suggests, looking down at her sleep shirt. "Why don't you get up and get ready and I'll bring something back for you to eat. That way, we shouldn't be too late for the meeting with the sheriff."
"You know, Mulder," she says, climbing out of bed and walking towards the bathroom. "We've been here in Tulsa for almost a week. And I'm still not convinced this case is an X-File."
She closes the door behind her for some privacy while he yells at her through the door.
"But Scully, how else would you explain the sudden growth in the rate these teenage girls are disappearing around here? I think they're being abducted."
"That's a possibility," her muffled voice says. "But not by aliens."
"By what else then?" he asks. He laughs out loud at the look he knows is on her face right about now. He's about to say something to that effect when her cell phone starts ringing. He spots it on the dresser and answers it.
"Dana Scully's phone. Can I help you?"
"Who is . . . Mulder? Is that you?" the voice on the other end asks.
"Yes. May I ask who's calling?"
"It's me. Charlie."
"Charlie. Hey, man. How's it going? Your sister's been going crazy wondering where you went. You just disappeared from her house last month," he says into the phone before yelling to Scully that Charlie's on the line.
"I left a note," Charlie explains. "Didn't she get it?"
"I got your note, Charles Scully," Scully says, grabbing the phone from Mulder. "But why did you sneak out like that? And then why haven't you called me in almost a month?"
"Something came up, Dana. Just like I told you in the note."
"Whatever," she sighs. "It's good to hear from you."
"I'm sorry I worried you, Sis. How are you doing? Are you okay?"
"I'm good, Charlie," she says, a little suspicious by the amount of concern he seems to be displaying. "Why do you ask?"
"Can't I worry about my big sister?" he asks jokingly, trying to laugh off her question. "But now that I know you're fine and you know I'm fine, I have to go. Talk to you later. Bye."
The phone hangs up in her ear and she stares at it for a moment before putting it away.
"Everything okay?" Mulder asks.
"I guess so," she shrugs. "Charlie has always been the dramatic one, though. But he's also the one who's always managed to get himself into the most trouble. I hope he's not in any trouble now."
"If he is, I'm sure he'd come to you. Just like when he had the question about that artifact last month. He came straight to you with it. I wouldn't worry so much."
"I guess you're right," she says, suddenly distracted by her growling stomach. "Now, didn't you mention something about breakfast? Let me finished getting dressed and we can go. I'm starving."
* * * * * * *
Charlie stares anxiously at his ringing phone, trying to mentally decide if it will be better to answer it or not. These people just won't leave him alone. He sighs in relief when the ringing stops. He just doesn't feel like dealing with them.
That trip to his sister's last month was the final straw. He's never been as scared as he was that night, watching Dana writhe in so much pain. He's been afraid to talk to her since then, not sure if she'd remember what happened or not. But apparently she didn't. She didn't even mention it when he spoke with her.
He rolls his eyes when the phone starts to ring again. They're not going to stop, he realizes. May as well talk to them and get it over with.
"Yes," he says when he picks up the phone.
"Don't ever make me have to track you down, Mr. Scully," a chilling voice warns. "You won't like it, I assure you."
"And don't ever send me to someone I care about," Charlie shoots back. "Because you won't like the results either."
"I don't think you're in any position to toss around idle threats. Not unless you want everyone to know your little secret."
"What if I said I didn't care anymore?" Charlie bluffs. "I'm tired of you holding it over my head. I'm going to confess all and just deal with the consequences. Hopefully my family will forgive me."
"You're just worried about their forgiveness?" The caller laughs a haunting little melody that raises all the hairs on Charlie's arms. "You're assuming that after dealing with my consequences, you'll have family left to beg forgiveness from."
"What are you saying? Are you threatening to harm them in any way?"
"Mr. Scully, think what you'd like. But I'd suggest you keep what you know to yourself and continue to avail yourself to us. You don't want to be on the wrong side of this. Just ask your sister and her partner. By the way, how are they doing after your little visit with them?"
"My sister is fine," Charlie insists. "I just spoke with her."
"Is she really? I hope you're right."
Charlie jumps at the sound of the phone clicking in his ear. The caller hung up on him, leaving him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What has he done? What has he allowed them to do to his sister? He left her alone with them while they supposedly fixed whatever was wrong with her. But what if they didn't fix anything after all? His employer is right. He doesn't have a choice but to comply. Because now, it's not only his integrity at risk. It's the welfare of his loved ones. He refuses to let anyone else die because of a mistake he made.
* * * * * * *
The waitress comes by the table to bring the bill. Mulder's eyes bulge slightly at the total, almost twice what it usually is.
"Gee Scully, you weren't kidding when you said you were hungry. Look at this bill. I don't think I've ever seen you eat this much. Accounting isn't going to believe this expense report," he says, holding back his amusement.
"I didn't eat that much," she objects.
"Here's that pie you ordered to go, ma'am," the young waitress says as she places a box in front of Scully. Mulder can't hold his laughter anymore.
"What?" Scully queries innocently. "It was good pie."
"Scully even *I* don't eat pie for breakfast," he chuckles.
"Shut up, Mulder," she says, rolling her eyes. She picks up her pie and stalks off angrily to the car, leaving him to pay the bill.
He catches up with her and tries to apologize before starting the car.
"Look, Scully. I didn't mean to . . . "
"It's okay, Mulder," she says, shaking her head. "I just over reacted. I've been so tired this past month, worrying about Charlie. I think it's just finally catching up with me."
"I didn't realize you were that worried," he says. Or that tired, he thinks to himself as he realizes how exhausted she looks. And he realizes that her health should be more important to him than some stupid case. "I think you're right about this case. It probably isn't even an X-File. Why don't we just turn this over to the local police to handle?"
"Are you sure, Mulder?" She tries not to let him see how visibly relieved that decision makes her.
"It's probably for the best," he nods. "I'll go to the police station to let the sheriff know we're leaving. In the mean time, I'll drop you to the hotel so you can pack and check out. I should be back in about an hour."
But things at the police station take longer than he anticipated. He promised Scully an hour and it's been almost twice that. He makes his way back to the hotel with an apology already planned for her. But when he gets to her room, all words leave his mind.
"Scully?" he calls, looking around the empty room for the woman. He hears sounds from the bathroom and finds her in there, bent over the toilet losing probably every morsel of food consumed over the past week.
"You okay?" he asks when she finishes, handing her a cool, wet washcloth.
"That big breakfast might not have been such a good idea," she groans, wiping her mouth. She stands on shaky legs and makes it to the sink to rinse her mouth. "And I definitely shouldn't have eaten the rest of that pie."
"Are you going to be okay to travel?"
"I'm fine now," she promises him. "Don't worry so much about me."
"I can't help it," he says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "You're my partner. It my job to look out for you."
He pulls away when he gets the overwhelming feeling that she's about to cry. He knows how much she hates for anyone to see her upset.
"I'm going to put the luggage in the car," he says.
She just nods, unable to say anything without risking crying. She's glad he left when he did. It's like he could hear her silent pleas to let her cry in peace. That in itself makes her want to cry even more.
She can't believe how emotional she's being. She just didn't expect his sweet words or tender touch. And she certainly didn't expect them to affect her so much. But then again, she hasn't been herself lately. Hopefully, all she needs is to get home and get some rest. She's sure she'll be back to herself in no time.
To be continued . . .