** I know I keep saying I have a favourite chapter and then changing it…but this one…"
He held the photo in his hands and stared at the two smiling faces looking back at him. Her hair was being blown by the wind and one hand had reached out to calm its unpredictable movements. His arm had been draped across her shoulder holding her close and he was watching her but she watched the camera.
Waiting for the flash, he thought.
A muffled scream brought his attention away from the picture to the spread-eagled lady that lay beneath him. She bucked beneath his weight but it did nothing to dislodge him. A hard calloused hand reached up and slammed down onto her jaw, banging her head against the hard concrete surface. Another glance at the picture showed him something he hadn't seen before. The woman in the photo had her arm snaked around the man's back, under his light jacket and he could just make out her fingers on his waist. His t-shirt had risen slightly giving her a delicious touch of his skin.
"Maybe that's why you're looking at her," he said aloud. Before slipping the photo into his back pocket and turning his full attention to his now unconscious company.
Fumbling behind him he managed to reach the metal box and rested it on her bare midriff. From it he pulled his hammer and a few nails, holding one between his lips the carefully positioned the other on her chest, bending his head closer to her body to make sure he had the right spot. He lifted the hammer up high and slammed I against the nails head. The body beneath him jerked and her head flung around to face him a look of terror and confusion filling her eyes as he hit the nail again.
She passed out before he finished the second nail and as the last one was driven in he wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. He stood away from the body and dusted his trousers down. Standing up straight he arched his back and stretched prior to reaching into his pocket for the photo. Gathering his things he afforded the dead body one glance and finally walked away his eyes transfixed on the photo in his hand.
***
Sunday morning brought with it a feeling of unease as it crept across the room to Mulders couch where he lay motionless, a light sleep having overcome him a few hours beforehand. His head lolled to the side falling from its rest on his shoulder and he started awake. Wishing that he'd thought to shut the blinds last night he covered his eyes from the morning sun by throwing his arm over his face, dropping the phone that had been resting on his chest, and slid off the couch standing unsteadily in the middle of the room, while he waited for his body to get accustomed to its upright position.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it read half eleven and he was pleasantly surprised at the thought that he'd gotten five hours sleep.
More than usual, he mused as he began his morning routine of a shower and coffee.
It was closer to one when he pulled up outside Scully's apartment. The day had turned into a beautiful picture of summer. But the thought of why he was here, as he collected the fingerprint kit from the boot of his car, only reminding him that this wasn't really a social call.
He knocked twice before he could here her muffled voice calling out to him. Soon after that the door swung open and she stood before him in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, her hair wrapped in a towel. She smiled through her foamy mouth, her toothbrush dangling past her full lips. Waving her hands she walked back into the apartment and he went to the window. He could hear her moving around the bathroom through the open door and he tried to concentrate as he put on the gloves.
After the window was fully dusted he pulled off all the prints he could find, aware that Scully's and his own would need to be accounted for he bagged what he could and tidied up. He didn't want to leave a mess for her, evidence of what had happened. She didn't call him last night but he knew she hadn't slept. Her blue eyes were tired and weary.
"Yes Mulder," she called, from her bedroom he noticed, "I'd love a cup of coffee!"
He entered the kitchen smiling and switched on the kettle. Pulling down two mugs he grabbed the milk from the fridge and waited for the soft whistle. He was spooning the coffee into the mugs when she arrived into the kitchen, fully clothed this time in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a light blue cardigan closed around her slim figure. Her hair was still wet at its tips and a few drops had landed on her shoulders.
"Madame's coffee," he said handing it out to her as she took her seat at the kitchen table.
She sipped the hot coffee not meeting his eyes knowing that he would see the tiredness she felt but still afraid to show him. She hadn't called him last night because she wanted to get through it without him. She wanted to feel safe in her own place without the need to call him over or run to his apartment. The night was long and she was glad it was over.
"Did you get any prints?" she asked over the rim of her coffee.
"Yes, but I'll have to get them down to the labs to eliminate yours and mine."
"When do you think you'll know?"
"I'll drop it up to the lab on my way into the office and I'll call you as soon as I know."
"You're going in again?"
"Yeah…" he sipped his coffee and pulled his eyes away from her. "There is something about this profile that doesn't add up and I want to go through it again. They found a print on the last victim, but it doesn't match to any one we have on file."
"Fresh killer," she said absently, her eyes staring out at something he couldn't see.
"What about you?" he asked her last comment flying around his head. "What are you going to do?"
"Well I finished the autopsy report last night," she said giving him a small admission of how little she had slept. "I just want to type the last section out and then it'll be ready."
"Find anything?" he asked sitting forward and resting his forearms on his knees.
"Not really, I can tell you that she died before the last nails were hammered in, that the killer is right handed and male. Heavy set due to the angle and strength of the nails insertion. But I guess you know all this."
"Yeah."
A heavy unjustifiable silence fell between them and he suddenly became aware of her unease. Her light mood earlier had been a façade and he just realised how tired she really was. He washed his mug out under the tap and placed it on the draining board. When he turned he saw her position hadn't changed, her eyes were still far away and one hand gently swirled the coffee mug in her hand.
"I'll see you later Scully," he said standing by her chair but when she didn't move he hunkered down beside her. Resting one hand on her knee he moved her head with the other and made her look at him. "Hey…" he said softly, his voice barely a whisper.
She looked away with her eyes but he moved his head into her line of sight.
"Scully…hey Scully," he urged her to look at him, "why don't you come down to the office and finish your report there? I'll treat you to dinner after," he asked thinking that she was wary of being in the apartment alone but too proud to ask for help.
"No Mulder, I wont be run out of my home. I'm staying here," she said irritably.
"No matter how scared you are?" he countered.
"I'm not scared. I just need to do this."
He heard the determined tone in her voice and was somehow proud of her for staying here. He smiled and stood away from her with a gentle squeeze of her knee but before he could walk out her door her velvety voice called out to him. He turned to see a teasing smile play across her lips.
"What?" he said matching her smile with one of his own.
"I'll still let you treat me to dinner!"
"Okay Scully, see you later."
***
Agent Keane stood over the body and waved Mulder over. He stepped through the throng of police and stumbled over the forest's uneven ground before finally reaching her and seeing the body that lay before him.
"Number Seven, Mulder." He heard the accusing tone in her voice and ignored it.
"Do we have a name?" he asked as he bent down and pulled on a pair of gloves.
"No, we're running her prints and description through our files but nothing yet."
"These nails are shoved in further than the others," he said as his fingertips traced the heart shape the nails made. "He was angry when he did this, possibly thinking of an attack that went wrong, we should check out all the reported attacks in the last couple of days."
"Any idea who he is?"
"We got prints off he last body, lets check this one and see if we can find more," he said as he opened the prints kit beside the body.
The forensic team got to work pulling fibres and loose hair from the body as Mulder stood back and documented his thoughts, as they appeared fresh in his mind.
"Do you want this body wrapped for Quantico Agent Mulder?" Keane asked but he shook his head unable to free himself from the image of an over tired Scully.
"No, sent it to the resident pathologist."
He pulled away from the circle of agents and made his way back to his car. Grabbing his phone from the dashboard he dialled her number and waited for her to pick up.
"Hello?" her expectant voice answered.
"Scully, it's me," he said, "What do you want for dinner?"
"I dunno Mulder, surprise me!"
"Okay, I'll be there in about twenty minutes," he answered pleased to hear her voice shrouded in laughter.
He pushed the car into drive but before he could pull away Keane came running up to his car window. He rolled it down and she leaned into it.
"Are you coming to the meeting in the bullpen tomorrow morning?" she asked slightly out of breath.
"Will Lynch be there?"
"Of course, he's got the lead."
"Look, I handed in my profile…what else do you want from me?" he snapped uncharacteristically.
"Help…help to solve this bloody case?"
"I'm trying to help, but with Lynch breathing down my neck waiting for a mistake-," he began but she held a hand up to quieten him.
"Listen Mulder, you know Lynch is a good agent, this case could make or break him," she pleaded, "just give him a break, he knows how good you are, he just doesn't want to look stupid."
"Okay, okay, I'll see you tomorrow."
He drove away without waiting for her reply and hadn't gotten to the end of the street when his mobile rang.
"Mulder," he barked into it.
"Hey Mulder, it's Sarah from the lab, I've finished with those prints you dropped by this morning," she said.
"Find anything?" he asked pulling up at a red light.
"Well after getting rid of Agent Scully's and your prints we lifted out 2 separate prints. One seemed to be small slender fingers, probably female and the others were very clear impressions."
"Did you get a match?"
"No, nothing on our databases. I'm running more tests but I cant promise we'll find anything."
"Okay, thanks anyway Sarah."
He drove through the evening traffic with ease urging his tension to disappear before he got to Scully's. He stopped and picked up some takeout and a bottle of wine before finally getting to her place. He juggled the bags with his car keys and managed to lock the car. Walking up to her apartment he saw the curtains twitching. He held back a small smile wondering if she had been waiting for this evening as much as he had.
Her door opened before he could knock and she stood smiling in anticipation at the bags he was carrying. Holding the door open wider she let him step in and followed him through to the kitchen.
"So what did you bring?" she asked eagerly and he couldn't help but laugh at her mild excitement at the thought of dinner.
"I got an Indian?"
"Great," she said pulling two plates out of the press and taking them into the living room.
"I got some wine too," he said a little unsure, "if you want some?"
"Sounds good."
He dished out some food on both of their plates as she poured some wine. He wondered briefly if her mood was another façade but let his worry go and decided to just enjoy the evening. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her about the case, and his talk with Agent Keane but something held him back.
"What have you been doing all day?" he asked.
She had slid onto the floor and sat close to the table as he balanced his plate on his knees.
"I finished the report and printed it out, my mother called for a long chat," she said emphasising the word long and making him smile. "Then I did something I haven't done in a long time."
Intrigued he turned to her, waiting for her to volunteer the information but when she didn't he nudged her shoulder with his knee.
"What?" he urged.
"I took a nap. I lay down here on my couch and I took a nap," she said smiling. Her joy was infectious and he found his smile widening. "It was great."
"I'm glad you had a productive Sunday."
"Oh but I did Mulder, I rediscovered the joys of mid day napping!"
This time his smile turned into a laugh and she laughed with him. They resumed eating, a peace settling over them and he was glad that her mind was at ease again.
"How did your day go?"
"There was another victim," he said contemplation of not telling her about the case vanishing when he knew she'd hate him for keeping stuff from her. "Another female found naked in Baltimore, spread-eagled and naked, tied to stakes. More nails and more prints but still no identity."
She stopped eating and turned to him slightly. Her smile buried under a frown as she took in the information.
"Seven victims, finger prints all over the place and no idea who he is?"
"I suggested to Lynch what you said about a fresh killer and that we should think about up stepping the regional searches, taking prints and samples from all males aged 21 – 40."
"What did she say?"
"She said she didn't want to cause a nationwide panic. I can't see it Scully," he added suddenly.
"What?"
"The pattern, I cant see the pattern between any of the victims." He threw his fork onto his plate and put them both down into the low table. "I've gone through all of their diaries and appointments. They shared nothing in common save for the fact that they were in a long term relation ship spanning between 10 and 20 years."
"Could that be it?"
"Jesus half the population is in a long term relationship!"
He stood now and started to pace. One hand found his hip while the other absently scratched his chin.
"Different doctors, different social and career circles, different dentists different restaurants, different locations…all dead…all murdered," he mumbled beneath his breath. He cursed himself for getting worked up over it and wished he hadn't spoken about it to her knowing she had worries of her own but when he turned to say as much to her she was gone. He glanced towards the kitchen and caught her rinsing their plates. He walked up behind her and gently pushed her aside, carefully holding her wet hands away from himself.
"I said I'd treat you to dinner, that means cleaning up too," he said aiming her towards a chair.
"Lynch is getting on your back isn't he?" she said as she dried her hands with a towel.
"Don't mention it. That man…he's so bloody arrogant."
"Wants the glory?"
"He can have the glory, I just want to get back to-," his voice stopped suddenly as he realised what he was about to say, then decided to continue regardless. "Get back to working with you."
"Aww Mulder you flatter me."
"I miss you incessant denial and questioning of my theories," he added laughing.
"Doesn't Lynch do that?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't smell as good as you and he's not as easy on the eyes!"
Her silence startled him and he had his back to her so he couldn't make out her expression. Just as the silence was becoming unbearable he heard a little chuckle and he smiled in relief, chancing a glance round to see her smiling back.
His mobile ringing from his jacket pocket dragged his eyes away and she reached out to get it for him as he dried his hands.
"Mulder," he said into it not recognising the number.
"Fox, it's Danny."
"Hey, how's it going? Sorry I haven't called, it's just I've been busy with this case," he said stepping into the living room, aware of Scully's presence.
"Don't worry about it fox I was out at games all day anyway."
"See anyone interesting?"
"Not really, you yanks are soft."
"I'd like to see you say that in front of the Raiders," he said laughing.
"Anyway Fox I rang to ask you something…about tomorrow night?"
"What's that?" Mulder said suddenly serious and unsure if he wanted to hear what Danny was about to say.
"I have this award ceremony on tomorrow in the Hilton here in town, do you want to come?"
"Eh…" he glanced at Scully but she was busy tidying the kitchen, "I'll try to make it but with this case…"
"Sure Fox, well I'll leave your name at the door. If you can make it we'll see you there."
"We?" he asked knowing what he meant and sure that Danny had slipped it in on purpose.
"I have asked Dana to accompany me and she graciously accepted."
"Oh…right."
"Didn't you know?"
"Of course I did. Anyway I'll see you there."
"If you can make it right?"
"Yeah."
He switched off the phone and dropped it in his pocket before reaching for his jacket.
"You're leaving?" she asked when she spied him getting into his jacket.
"Yeah, I have to go through the last scene notes before the meeting in the morning."
"Okay. Thanks for dinner Mulder," she said with an almost shy smile.
"No problem. Thanks for having me."
His eyes lingered over hers for a while before he slid out the door out and drove back to his apartment. His place met him with a stony silence and his thoughts flooded the room with a severity he hadn't felt in a long time. He had lied to Danny about knowing she was going with him.
Maybe she meant to tell me, he thought but forgot when they found her window open
He let out a heavy sigh before falling back onto the couch and shifting his head until he could breath freely. A familiar position to him he felt comfortable enough to lie there but his mind rattled too much for sleep to claim him.
***
The bullpen was packed by the time he stepped out of the elevator doors and an obvious dip in volume told him that they didn't want him there. Mulder had given up playing their games and ignored the stares and sneers as he approached the lead desk with his folder tucked under his arm. He wished Scully was there to help him get through the silence but then he remembered why he didn't get to the office until it was nearly time for the meeting and he remembered the flustered look on her face as he breezed around the office too busy finding files to talk to her before hurrying out.
The thoughts of facing her all day was too much for him and he planned out his day to ensure they'd have little contact. He knew he wasn't being fair but he couldn't help it. Not having anything but a platonic relationship with Scully he'd never tell her who to go out with or rather who not to go out with but that didn't mean he had to stand idly by and watch it happen around him.
Agent Keane walked through the room demanding attention with every confident stride and Mulder realised again why she held her command position so well. She slapped her file onto the desk and turned to the white board. She began to write down all the victims' names and ages and turned to the hushed crowd when she was done.
"We have seven female victims. Our mission today is to locate a pattern."
A murmur travelled around the crowd and Keane silenced it with a stare.
"Agent Lawless? You have something to share?"
"I was just saying that we should be out walking the streets looking for this guy not in here pushing pencils…"
"You can go out and walk all the streets you want but without a profile or pattern you'll be looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Profiles and Patterns? That's his job," Lawless continued pointing a finger accusingly at Mulder. "I thought that's why he was put on this team?"
"Agent Mulder has joined our team graciously taking time from his own work because he is the best profiler this agency has got," a voice said and everyone turned to see Agent Lynch approaching the desk.
Mulder was more surprised than most to hear the praise coming from Lynch and nodded an acknowledgement of gratitude to him when he came to stand next to him.
"And if we don't get a profile for this guy he will kill again and again and again…and we will be no closer to catching him."
At this the crowd of field agents seemed to settle down and the brainstorming began. At first Mulder was reluctant to join in having already developed the profile the job of filling in the blanks was guesswork. A task he despised the most about profiling, the uncertainties, the unknowns, and the reservations about your information. But as the day ran through and different suggestions had led to different ideas a pattern began to form in his mind. Preferring to work alone or bantering things through with Scully he excused himself and returned to his office.
Scully sat hunched over his PC as he entered and he wondered briefly what she was working on before forcing his mind back to the hint of a pattern he felt on his tongue. Without speaking he grabbed a refill pad from his desk and wrote down dates and names from his memory before finally looking up a delighted smile on his face.
She had been watching him since he came in and was about to speak when she saw that look in his eye. The look he got just before he saw that vital piece of information that allowed the puzzle to slip into place. So she waited for him to speak not wanting to break the wave of thought he was having.
"I got it," he said through a sigh, "I got the pattern."
"What is it?"
She stepped around to his side of the table and held the back of his chair while she leaned down to see what he had written. A mist of her perfume wafted across his face and he took it in willingly before looking back to the page where his unintelligible scribbles were.
"They were all having an affair."
"The women? In the long term relationships?"
"Yes. Every single one of them have had credit card charges for restaurants and hotels for nights that their partners were out of town."
"That doesn't mean that they were having an affair."
"Well Scully, if my husband was out of town and I was booking a hotel I think I know what I'd be doing!"
She chuckled at his answer and turned to face him with a full sweep of her hair.
"I better get this over to Keane," he said a little flustered as he gathered up the pad and standing away from her.
For a moment he seemed like he was about to say something but then decided against it and left. She sighed into the empty room and wondered briefly what he might have said before spying the clock as it read five pm. Looking around the room she decide to leave and get ready to go out with Danny and asked herself if that was why he was acting so strangely. Shaking the unfamiliar thoughts from her head she silently slipped into her jacket and went home.
***
Mulder lay straight on his couch wearing only a dark pair of boxers. The digital clock on his VCR told him it was nine thirty and his restlessness was beginning to surpass his control of it. He hadn't promised Danny that he'd show up and he could easily get away with it by saying his meeting had over run. Scully hadn't mentioned the date all day, not that he had given her much chance and when he returned to the office at six she was gone.
Finally giving in he stood and paced the small room his basketball pounding in front of him as he walked. But as he reached the end of the table closest to his bedroom for the third time he tossed the ball over his shoulder, ignoring the crashing sound it made behind him he continued into his room to search out his tux.
The large ballroom had been tastefully decorated with various rugby jerseys hanging from the roof with players photos pinned to them. From the sight of the cleaners clearing up plates and putting fresh linen on the tables Mulder guessed that the dinner and speeches were over and the dancing was about to begin. Some people had crowded around the bar and others were already dancing to the bad music that filled the room.
He scanned the room for Scully or Danny and at last spotted Danny by the bar. Danny spotted him too and waved him over with a smile.
"Hey Fox, you made it!" Danny said pulling him into a big hug.
"Yeah," he replied between back slaps.
"You missed my speech," Danny continued passing a glass of whiskey out to him.
"You won something?" Mulder said in mock surprise.
"I got captain of the All Stars team."
"That's great news," he admitted genuinely pleased and suddenly wondering why he decided to come to this function, but then he noticed her descending the ornate staircase out side the room and he knew why.
She wore a rich dark red dress with a fitted top and spaghetti straps. The bottom of it flew freely about her legs. From his vantage point he couldn't see the back of it but he imagined it to be low cut with criss-crossings of those thin straps tracing her soft skin.
Oh God let it be so, he wished.
His eyes clung to her as she entered the dimly lit hall, and he followed her progression across the room. He could hear Danny talking in his right ear but all his efforts were put into watching her so he ignored him.
She was almost halfway through the room when she saw him and her smile faltered a little as their eyes connected. A wave of something passed over her poised features but he was at a loss to name it.
Finally she made it though the crowd and he stood speechless when she stopped in front of him.
"Hey Mulder," she said in a greeting they had taken for their own intimate needs.
God she's killing me, testing me, he said to himself but outside he managed a small smile.
"Dana," Danny said from behind Mulders shoulder, "you promised me a dance."
With her eyes still connected to Mulder's, her pupils wide and taking in every essence of him she took Danny's outstretched hand.
"So I did," she said softly.
Mulder watched Danny pull her onto the already crowded dance floor letting the sour whiskey burn his lips, but nearly choking when he spied her the back dress was just how he imagined it to be. The red material highlighting the softness of her creamy skin that yelled out to be caressed. Then as he saw Danny take her in his arms and rest a hand against her skin on the small of her back, my spot he thought, he realised it wasn't yelling to him.
The whiskey burned a trail down his throat to his stomach causing a warm wave to flow though him. He slammed the glass onto the bar and ordered another wondering if it would be rude to leave before they returned.
Scully peered over Danny's shoulder and spotted Mulder clear up another drink. She couldn't believe he had been standing there when she saw him earlier and part of her was glad he was. Glad he'd get the opportunity to see her in something other than slacks and work skirts.
And then she had seen the look in his eyes. The unmistakeable air of desire. She knew the look in her own smoky blue eyes were rivalling his at the sight of him in his tux, his bow tie a little askew, but she couldn't look away, part of her wanting him to see what she was feeling.
Dancing now with Danny's hand resting on her back, on Mulder's spot she thought, she wondered what it would be like to dance in Mulder's arms, with Mulder's breath tickling her forehead. She looked up to see Danny watching her an odd expression on his face.
"Sorry Danny? What did you say?" she asked embarrassed at being caught not paying attention.
"I was just asking if you had a good time," he repeated.
"Yes, it's lovely."
"The glamorous life of a rugby player, I knew you'd bring it out in me," he continued.
She laughed a little but her mind had already wandered back to Mulder pulling her eyes with it. But scanning the crowd she couldn't find him. Someone else had taken his spot at the bar and he was nowhere in sight.
"Mulder's gone," she said aloud frowning at the thought of why he left without saying goodbye.
"Maybe he was called out for that case he's working on," Danny offered wishing she'd pull herself away from Mulder and back to him.
"I had better call him in case he needs me to do an autopsy," she offered before stepping away from him and leaving him stranded on the dance floor.
She hurried out to the reception to use the phone, cursing herself for using a transparent excuse, when she spotted him standing by the staircase. His back was turned to her and one arm was leaning on the banister.
"Mulder," she said softly as she came up behind him.
"Scully!" he said a little startled, "What are you doing out here?"
"I came looking for you."
"Me? I was just leaving…" he said lamely.
"Leaving? But you just got here?"
"I know I just came by to be polite."
"Why don't you stay a while?" she urged a hand reaching out to touch his arm.
"Three's a crowd Scully," he said looking down at her hand.
"But we didn't even get to dance?" she whispered unable to believe what she had said.
His eyes darted up to hers and before he could change his mind he slowly twisted his arm around her body letting his fingers hover momentarily over her skin before touching her. With his other one he took her hand and held it up against his chest. She moved in closer to him and she swore she heard a noise as their bodies touched, a faint sizzling ringing through her ears.
From the hall the music that drifted out was slow and it's volume hauntingly low, their breaths held for fear of breaking the spell and landing back into a reality neither of them wished to face. They swayed gently in time to the quiet notes and her head found a resting spot on his shoulder. Letting his eyes close over Mulder basked in the warmth of her body resisting the urge to run his hands up her skin and press her closer to him.
"Eh…Dana…" a voice behind them smashed through their cocoon and she dreamily stepped away from him her smile shy and wanton before she spotted Danny.
"Danny…Mulder was…"
"Leaving," Mulder finished for her.
"Goodbye," Danny offered.
Mulder stared down at Scully and wished he could kiss her, tell her how beautiful she looked but thought better of it. Without another word he left and Scully watched after him, wishing he had kissed her or told her how beautiful she looked.
"Shall we go back in," Danny said, his voice a little tense.
"Yes," she conceded, wondering how it would look if she feigned tiredness and went home. Not wanting to be rude she followed him into the hall and graciously took the glass of wine he offered. Half listening to Danny's idle chat she spent the rest of the evening dissecting what had gone on between Mulder and herself.
Dangerous thoughts, she admitted but allowed them to continue.
** Woo Hoo…it's getting good now I think!!! **