Scully sighed as she finished stitching the body back together. It had taken her forever to get started, but she had finally finished the autopsy.
She covered the body then stepped back, pulling off the breath mask and gloves. "Cause of death," she said for the benefit of her tape recorder, "is determined to be severe loss of blood, along with multiple stab wounds to the spine and liver. Further analysis will need to be done to check for the presence of any drugs in the body."
She sighed again and turned off the light of the small examining room. Someone else can clean up for once, she thought to herself. Then she glanced at a clock. It was nine o'clock already. She shook her head. Another day spent in the examining room. She was ready to tell Mulder that the next time he wanted an autopsy done on a whim, that he could do it. She wasn't serious, but it was a humorous thought. Mulder leaning over a body, wondering what the heck to do. Scully smiled at the thought as she shut the door behind her.
She went to the deputy's office, but of course Mulder wasn't there. She checked the parking lot, and their rental car was still there. She frowned and went in search of someone who could help her find Mulder. She searched for a few moments, then found the receptionist in a lounge, pouring herself some coffee.
"Excuse me," Scully said.
The woman jumped in surprise, spilling a little of the coffee. She looked up at Scully and sighed in relief. "Oh, it's only you."
Scully nodded. "Yeah. Do you know where my partner went? Our car's still out front, but I can't find him."
"Agent Mulder? He went back to the hotel you're staying at. He didn't want to leave you stranded here, so Deputy Harris gave him a lift." She shook her head. "Wish I had someone to do that for me. My husband drops me off in the morning, then picks me up when he remembers to."
Scully nodded. "Yeah. Did he leave the keys here, by chance? I don't have them."
"Oh! Yes," the woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a car key on a keyring. "He gave it to me before he left and told me to give it to you." She handed it to Scully and smiled. "He's so nice. Cute too."
"Hmm," Scully said as she stuck the key into her pocket, deliberately avoiding the question. She looked up at the receptionist. "Well, thank you..."
"Jane," the woman supplied.
"Yes. Thank you, Jane, for keeping a hold of this for me. I guess we'll be back in the morning."
"Nice to meet you, Agent Scully."
Scully nodded as she walked out of the room. Her thoughts as she walked to the car were of the case, but they vanished once she was in the car. Now they were just a jumbled mess. She shook her head in slight irritation as she moved the seat forward so her feet could reach the pedals, telling herself to remind Mulder to do it for her.
She drove back to the hotel without any problems. She pulled into a spot in front of her and Mulder's rooms and got out. She glanced at Mulder's room, noting that it was dark. She glanced at her watch. It was only 9:30. Was Mulder asleep already? It was very unlike him.
Concerned for her partner, Scully approached the door to his room and pulled out the keycard. He had been acting odd ever since they'd arrived, or rather when he got the case. She put the keycard into the slot and slowly opened the door.
"Mulder?" she called softly as she peered into his room. The lights were off, and the bed was empty. She frowned; where was he? She turned to look near the window when the soft sound of breathing caught her attention. Mulder was sitting in a chair by the window, asleep. His tie was on the floor, along with his coat, and he had unbuttoned some of his shirt.
Scully didn't find that odd, however. What she found odd was that he was sleeping in a chair and that there was an assortment of odd items on the table beside him. As she walked closer, she saw them to be glasses and a bottle of something. She picked up the bottle and smelled the contents. Vodka, she concluded. Why was Mulder drinking? She'd known Mulder long enough to know that he only drank when something bothered him a great deal.
She walked up to him and sat on the bed, which was right across from where he sat. She didn't know how much he had had to drink, but she wanted to talk to him. Needed to talk to him. Needed to find out what about this case had him so disturbed. She gently shook his arm.
He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around for a moment, confused, then his eyes rested on Scully, who was turning on a light. "Wha?" he said groggily as he straightened up in the chair. He looked over to the table and saw the bottle. He grasped it for a moment, just looking at it, then he pushed it away.
"Mulder?" Scully said quietly. He turned to her, his face haggard. "What is it, what's wrong?"
Mulder shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong," he said, turning away from her.
"You're a bad liar, Mulder," she said as she forced him to look at her again. "Something about this case bothers you, a lot. Or else you wouldn't have that," she pointed to the alcohol on the table.
Mulder sighed and ran a hand over his face. Scully could only stare at him with concern. She'd never seen him act like this. Finally Mulder leaned forward.
"I've been through this before, this case, I mean."
"I know, you took it a few years ago."
Mulder nodded, his eyes distant. "You weren't there. You weren't...anywhere." He met her eyes for a moment, then quickly looked away. "I felt lost, I really did. I took this case on my own. It was almost the same as this Williams case." Mulder sighed again, the proceeded to tell Scully all about what had happened. Taking the case, finding 'the son', meeting Kristin, everything. When he finished, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Scully was quiet for a moment. "Did you love her?" she suddenly asked.
Mulder's eyes opened slowly and he sat forward. "How could I? I was...Never mind. I don't think I really came to love her, but there was a promise."
"A promise?"
"You know, just the promise of something more."
Scully shook her head and placed a gentle hand on Mulder's shoulder. "It'll be alright. We could go back to Washington, you know. If this case is too much for you."
Mulder smiled. "I told you the very same thing once. But no, I won't go home. I want to finish this once and for all."
"And we will," Scully said, smiling. She reached over and grabbed the bottle from the table. "Without this."
Mulder smiled. "Right."