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 5
Charlie looks up from the book he's reading when he hears the doorbell ring. After yelling to his wife that he'll get it, he walks to the door and opens it. A small gasp of shock escapes his lips when he sees his visitors. This is definitely the last thing he expected to deal with tonight.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?"
Charlie moves wordlessly to the side as his sister enters his home, followed closely by her partner.
"I thought you two had to get back to DC," he manages to say over his shock. When he invited them to dinner earlier that day, he didn't think they'd actually accept his offer.
"Our plans changed," Scully shrugs. "And I'm glad they did. Something smells great. I'm going to go into the kitchen and see if Phoebe needs any help."
"She has a big appetite these days," Mulder says with a chuckle. "I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."
"Not at all," Charlie says. "Phoebe always seems to cook as though we're having company, even when it's just us and the boys. There will be plenty."
"I wasn't talking about that. You don't seem too thrilled to have us here."
"It's not that. It's just . . . "
"You don't have to say anything," Mulder whispers. He slips a piece of paper into Charlie's hand and motions for him to read it. "You have a little spot of something on your face. Why don't you go into the bathroom and check it out."
Fortunately the man is able to take a hint. He surreptitiously tucks the paper into his pocket and quickly exits the room to read it privately. Scully peeks her head from out of the kitchen and catches his eye. He gives her a slight nod to let him know that everything is going according to the plan right now. All they need now is for Charlie to cooperate.
* * * * *
They try to enjoy dinner, but after an hour of forced conversation, Charlie's wife excuses herself and takes the children up to bed. Scully goes up with her to help.
Charlie can't get the note out of his head. It was written in his sister's handwriting, so he knows it wasn't just some joke by Mulder. They both seem to believe Mulder is able to read minds. That Mulder could possibly read his mind.
"How about we watch some TV," Mulder suggests to his nervous host. Charlie just nods and leads Mulder into the living room where the TV is. He flips it on, turning it to ESPN and they stare blankly for a while at whatever show happens to be on.
Charlie places his hand on Mulder's shoulder and takes a deep breath. He can't believe he's actually going to try this. The thought that anyone can actually read minds is ridiculous. But his sister seems to have faith in this man. And it should be easy enough to prove him wrong. He looks up when Mulder lets out a chuckle. Can Mulder really hear his thoughts, Charlie wonders.
Charlie gasps when Mulder gives him an amused look and nods his head. But he still can't believe it. It might just be luck. He thinks of something else.
What is two plus two?
Mulder surprises him by lifting four fingers. Unbelievable, Charlie thinks, causing Mulder to smile again.
Charlie takes another deep breath and starts thinking his story, hoping Mulder will catch it all. Hoping Mulder will be able to help once he knows the whole story.
Years ago, back in college, my friends and I had what I like to refer to as an 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' experience, Charlie thinks. There was this man that we . . . it was an accident, I swear. But I think my buddy hit him with the car. I was pretty drunk at the time. All I remember is feeling the thud when the car hit something. I remember watching them toss something over the bridge into the river below. When I asked them about it the next morning they told me what happened. That the guy was dead. He had no ID or anything so they assumed he was homeless and threw him over the bridge. Then they told me to stay quiet about it. I did.
For years I tried to block it all out. I tried to not think about it and get on with my life. And for a while I did. I got married. Had my boys. Life was good. Until a few years ago when Darren, the guy driving that night, was killed. They found his body in a river. He seemed to have been hit by a car. After that, other bodies would show up in the same condition. Bodies of my other friends who were in that car that night. They all were found. I'm the only one from that night still alive. And one day someone came to me. I thought they were going to kill me too. But they didn't. They asked me to do something. And strongly suggested I didn't refuse. I didn't really have a choice.
At first, it was small things, like dropping off a letter here. Delivering a package there. It seemed worth it to protect my secret and possibly my life. But the assignments started to become more and more sinister. I began to hurt people. I wanted to tell them no whenever they would come with a new job, but I couldn't. I was too afraid of losing the life I worked so hard to acquire. And then one day, two months ago, they sent me to Dana with that paper. That was the last assignment they gave me.
Mulder tries to keep his focus on the television and appear to be unaffected by what Charlie is telling him. But the last bit about Charlie bringing the rubbing to them on orders from some outside party is too much for him to handle. The anger begins to show clearly on his face and it scares Charlie. Almost more than his mysterious employers do.
"You look like you could use a drink," Charlie says to the man. He goes into the kitchen and grabs a couple of beers from the refrigerator. By the time he returns, there's another paper with a hastily scrawled note on it lying on the table. He leans over to read it, sighing when he sees the question. He opens his beer and drinks the entire thing before he has the courage to continue.
That night after you left, Dana and I went to bed. I woke up later to the sound of her moaning. She was sick. In a lot of pain and I knew right then they had done something to her. So I called them and made them come fix her. And that's what I thought they did. But I fear they did something even worse. They called me not too long ago and asked me how she was doing. When I told them she was fine, they hinted that she might not be as fine as I think.
So many questions are flying through Mulder's head. He had to stop himself from vocalizing them several times during Charlie's story. But more than anything, he's angry. Angry at Charlie. Angry at the people Charlie works for. And angry about whatever they did to her.
Charlie watches the emotions dance across Mulder's face and knows that he put that pain there. He hurt his sister and as a consequence, hurt this man as well. At that moment, he realizes that everything Bill told him about Mulder has been wrong. Because at that moment, he can see how Mulder really feels about his sister.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Charlie asks, not even needing an answer to the question. "I can see it on your face."
"I love her more than my own life," Mulder admits. "She doesn't know, though. I've never told her. I've never even admitted to myself how much I love her."
I'm sorry about all of this, Charlie apologizes. I should have refused their assignment. I fear it's too late now. They own me. I no longer care about my reputation. I told them that hoping they'd no longer be able to hold my past against me. But they threatened my family, Mulder. Myself I can risk. But my wife? My kids? I can't let anything happen to them.
Mulder lets out a frustrated sigh and just nods his head, letting Charlie know he received him loud and clear. This is a terrible situation for them all. The only way to stop this is to find out who's behind it all and stop them. Mulder has a sick feeling he knows exactly where to start looking.
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 5
Charlie looks up from the book he's reading when he hears the doorbell ring. After yelling to his wife that he'll get it, he walks to the door and opens it. A small gasp of shock escapes his lips when he sees his visitors. This is definitely the last thing he expected to deal with tonight.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?"
Charlie moves wordlessly to the side as his sister enters his home, followed closely by her partner.
"I thought you two had to get back to DC," he manages to say over his shock. When he invited them to dinner earlier that day, he didn't think they'd actually accept his offer.
"Our plans changed," Scully shrugs. "And I'm glad they did. Something smells great. I'm going to go into the kitchen and see if Phoebe needs any help."
"She has a big appetite these days," Mulder says with a chuckle. "I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."
"Not at all," Charlie says. "Phoebe always seems to cook as though we're having company, even when it's just us and the boys. There will be plenty."
"I wasn't talking about that. You don't seem too thrilled to have us here."
"It's not that. It's just . . . "
"You don't have to say anything," Mulder whispers. He slips a piece of paper into Charlie's hand and motions for him to read it. "You have a little spot of something on your face. Why don't you go into the bathroom and check it out."
Fortunately the man is able to take a hint. He surreptitiously tucks the paper into his pocket and quickly exits the room to read it privately. Scully peeks her head from out of the kitchen and catches his eye. He gives her a slight nod to let him know that everything is going according to the plan right now. All they need now is for Charlie to cooperate.
* * * * *
They try to enjoy dinner, but after an hour of forced conversation, Charlie's wife excuses herself and takes the children up to bed. Scully goes up with her to help.
Charlie can't get the note out of his head. It was written in his sister's handwriting, so he knows it wasn't just some joke by Mulder. They both seem to believe Mulder is able to read minds. That Mulder could possibly read his mind.
"How about we watch some TV," Mulder suggests to his nervous host. Charlie just nods and leads Mulder into the living room where the TV is. He flips it on, turning it to ESPN and they stare blankly for a while at whatever show happens to be on.
Charlie places his hand on Mulder's shoulder and takes a deep breath. He can't believe he's actually going to try this. The thought that anyone can actually read minds is ridiculous. But his sister seems to have faith in this man. And it should be easy enough to prove him wrong. He looks up when Mulder lets out a chuckle. Can Mulder really hear his thoughts, Charlie wonders.
Charlie gasps when Mulder gives him an amused look and nods his head. But he still can't believe it. It might just be luck. He thinks of something else.
What is two plus two?
Mulder surprises him by lifting four fingers. Unbelievable, Charlie thinks, causing Mulder to smile again.
Charlie takes another deep breath and starts thinking his story, hoping Mulder will catch it all. Hoping Mulder will be able to help once he knows the whole story.
Years ago, back in college, my friends and I had what I like to refer to as an 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' experience, Charlie thinks. There was this man that we . . . it was an accident, I swear. But I think my buddy hit him with the car. I was pretty drunk at the time. All I remember is feeling the thud when the car hit something. I remember watching them toss something over the bridge into the river below. When I asked them about it the next morning they told me what happened. That the guy was dead. He had no ID or anything so they assumed he was homeless and threw him over the bridge. Then they told me to stay quiet about it. I did.
For years I tried to block it all out. I tried to not think about it and get on with my life. And for a while I did. I got married. Had my boys. Life was good. Until a few years ago when Darren, the guy driving that night, was killed. They found his body in a river. He seemed to have been hit by a car. After that, other bodies would show up in the same condition. Bodies of my other friends who were in that car that night. They all were found. I'm the only one from that night still alive. And one day someone came to me. I thought they were going to kill me too. But they didn't. They asked me to do something. And strongly suggested I didn't refuse. I didn't really have a choice.
At first, it was small things, like dropping off a letter here. Delivering a package there. It seemed worth it to protect my secret and possibly my life. But the assignments started to become more and more sinister. I began to hurt people. I wanted to tell them no whenever they would come with a new job, but I couldn't. I was too afraid of losing the life I worked so hard to acquire. And then one day, two months ago, they sent me to Dana with that paper. That was the last assignment they gave me.
Mulder tries to keep his focus on the television and appear to be unaffected by what Charlie is telling him. But the last bit about Charlie bringing the rubbing to them on orders from some outside party is too much for him to handle. The anger begins to show clearly on his face and it scares Charlie. Almost more than his mysterious employers do.
"You look like you could use a drink," Charlie says to the man. He goes into the kitchen and grabs a couple of beers from the refrigerator. By the time he returns, there's another paper with a hastily scrawled note on it lying on the table. He leans over to read it, sighing when he sees the question. He opens his beer and drinks the entire thing before he has the courage to continue.
That night after you left, Dana and I went to bed. I woke up later to the sound of her moaning. She was sick. In a lot of pain and I knew right then they had done something to her. So I called them and made them come fix her. And that's what I thought they did. But I fear they did something even worse. They called me not too long ago and asked me how she was doing. When I told them she was fine, they hinted that she might not be as fine as I think.
So many questions are flying through Mulder's head. He had to stop himself from vocalizing them several times during Charlie's story. But more than anything, he's angry. Angry at Charlie. Angry at the people Charlie works for. And angry about whatever they did to her.
Charlie watches the emotions dance across Mulder's face and knows that he put that pain there. He hurt his sister and as a consequence, hurt this man as well. At that moment, he realizes that everything Bill told him about Mulder has been wrong. Because at that moment, he can see how Mulder really feels about his sister.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Charlie asks, not even needing an answer to the question. "I can see it on your face."
"I love her more than my own life," Mulder admits. "She doesn't know, though. I've never told her. I've never even admitted to myself how much I love her."
I'm sorry about all of this, Charlie apologizes. I should have refused their assignment. I fear it's too late now. They own me. I no longer care about my reputation. I told them that hoping they'd no longer be able to hold my past against me. But they threatened my family, Mulder. Myself I can risk. But my wife? My kids? I can't let anything happen to them.
Mulder lets out a frustrated sigh and just nods his head, letting Charlie know he received him loud and clear. This is a terrible situation for them all. The only way to stop this is to find out who's behind it all and stop them. Mulder has a sick feeling he knows exactly where to start looking.
To be continued . . .