TITLE: "Scared"
AUTHOR: Liv
RATING: PG-13 (language, situations)
SPOILERS: Paper Hearts! If you haven't seen it, you won't have a clue as to what the hell I'm rambling about
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em and I don't claim to either. I'm just having some fun...I'll clean up when I'm done!
FEEDBACK: Hell yeah! The more I get the more I write!
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Do it...tell me about it...unless I already know!
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Dana Scully's Apartment
April 16, 1999
1:40 a.m.
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Dana Scully had just had one of worst days of her life. She had arrived at work to find Mulder sitting at his desk waiting for her with a ridiculous grin on his face that meant nothing other than trouble. He had informed her, that they were head for Nowhere, USA on another highly implausible case. After finally arriving home at 1:24 a.m., Dana was ready to collapse. She flicked the light switch on the wall and locked the door behind her.
The light on the answering machine caught her eye. Dana walked over to it and hit 'Play'. The machine announced that she had three messages. The first was from her mother, "Dana its Mom. I'm just calling to see if we are still on for lunch on Sunday. Call me later." The second was a salesman trying to sell her another goddamn thing she didn't want or need. The third threw her for a loop, "Dana? Hi...it's been a while. This is Kristen McCaffrey...I was wondering if you and Agent Mulder could come to Falls Church to help me out with this bizarre case that I'm working on. Please call me back as soon as possible. You can reach me at work at (262)555-0209 or at home at (262)555-0326. Talk to you soon." Dana quickly jotted down the numbers Kristen had given her and put them in her briefcase. She then walked into her bedroom, prepared for bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
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J. Edgar Hoover Building
FBI Headquarters
6 Federal Plaza
Washington D.C.
9:00 a.m.
*******************************
Fox Mulder walked into the FBI building and took the elevator to the third floor. The doors opened to reveal the office already bustling with Agents. He headed for his new "office," which, in actuality was a cubicle that he despised. As Mulder passed Scully's cubicle, he peered in to check if she was there. He was surprised to find her already at work. Normally, she didn't come in until around 9:30.
"You're here early," he commented.
"What? Oh, hi Mulder." She said looking up from whatever she was working on.
Mulder walked into her cubicle and looked over her shoulder, "What are you working on?"
"This," she said indicating the fax she was looking at, "is from an old friend of mine at the Falls Church Bureau. She has requested our help on a case."
Mulder's mind began to whirl. "Ooh...you caught my attention...what's this about?"
"Well, it appears that we have a copycat murderer on our hands. The killer seems to feel the need to act as John Lee Roche did. However, there are a few exceptions. This killer does not kill young girls, but instead kills teenage boys, and does not take a heart from the victim's clothing, rather the victim's flesh." Scully explained.
"Couldn't get any closer to Roche if they tried," Mulder stated.
"This one is your call Mulder; do you want to go to Falls Church to investigate or should I tell Kristen that we'll pass?"
"No, no, no...let's do it, Scully. Tell Kristen that we'd be glad to help her out. She can expect us this afternoon, around four."
Mulder left Scully's cubicle and returned to his own. Scully picked up the phone and dialed (262)555-0209, Kristen's work number. The phone rang three times before she answered, "Agent McCaffrey speaking."
"Kristen? It's Dana."
"Dana! Hi! It's great to hear from you. I take it you got my message."
"Yes...yes I did. I talked to Mulder about it...we'll be there around four this afternoon."
"That sounds great. Oh and Dana, don't bother booking a hotel. You two can stay at the house with Scott and I...that is if that's okay with you."
"That would be just fine. I've stayed in enough hotels to last a lifetime."
"Great. See you later on then. Oh, my office is on the third floor, suite 6."
"Third floor, suite 6. Got it. See you soon, Kristen."
"Bye Dana."
"Bye."
Scully hung up the phone and gathered her things. She left her cubicle and walked to Mulder's.
"Come on Mulder, I'll give you a ride home so you can pack." She offered.
"Alright."
The two exited the building and headed for Scully's car. Scully unlocked the doors and got into the car. When they were a few minutes away from headquarters, Mulder began talking to her.
"Were you and Kristen close friends?" He asked.
"We weren't close Mulder, we were best friends. We met as college roommates. Actually, the school paired us up because were the only two females that year with a pathology major." Scully revealed.
Mulder sat and listened to her as she continued to recount her past to him.
"Those years were the greatest. We'd do almost everything together, double date, homework, cut class to go to the beach. It was one of the best times of my life."
Soon, they had arrived at Mulder's apartment. They both got out of the car and headed upstairs. After entering the apartment, Mulder headed straight for his bedroom to pack and Scully sat on the green leather couch. She waited patiently for him to return. Ten minutes later, he was ready to go. Scully and Mulder left the apartment and headed to Scully's in a comfortable silence.
Once they got there, the same procedure had occurred--only roles reversed. About an hour after leaving the Bureau, they were on their way to Falls Church. They stopped for lunch on the way there at, Roy Rogers®. They reached Falls Church at around 3:30, and drove to the Federal Building.
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Falls Church Bureau
15 W. Caiman Blvd.
3:45 p.m.
*************************
Kristen McCaffrey heard a knock on her office door.
"Come in." She said, not bothering to look up from her paperwork. She looked up to see Dana standing there with a tall man with dark hair, who she assumed was Mulder. Kristen rose from her desk and walked over to Dana and hugged her.
"Dana, it's been too long," she said.
"Yes it has Kristen," Scully replied.
Kristen looked up at Mulder, "You must be Agent Mulder. I'm Agent Kristen McCaffrey, it's nice to meet you," she said while extending her hand. Mulder shook her outstretched hand, "It's a pleasure." Mulder took in her physical appearance. She was just about an inch taller than Scully, with strawberry blonde hair and the same icy blue eyes that Scully had. Her hair was cut into a chin length bob. They were dressed nearly identical, both donning dark cerulean blue pantsuits. Kristen broke Mulder out of his reverie when she started speaking.
"Shall we start?"
"Yes. What have you found out so far?" Scully asked.
"Well, you know that I believe the murder to be a copycat. This person takes trophies from his victims, after strangling them to death with an eight gage electrical cord. This morning, we found another victim. He'd been missing since last week; his parents positively identified him earlier. If you'd like to see the crime scenes, I'd be more than happy to take you there."
"That would be great Agent McCaffrey," Mulder replied.
"Sure. And please, call me Kristen, Agent Mulder."
"Only if you call me Mulder."
"Wish granted." She replied.
All three agents piled into Kristen's car and started out to the crime scene. When they arrived, Kristen proceeded to talk them through the site.
"We found the body over there," she said pointing to the open, shallow grave with the white chalk outline within it. "A local was out here hunting early this morning, when his dog went nuts and started barking and digging here. The man called the police when he saw a hand protruding from the ground where the dog had just been. The police called me after they'd realized that there were distinct characteristics to the murder."
Mulder and Scully looked around for a while, then decided that they had all the information they could gather from the site. By that time, it was already 5:30, and getting dark.
"Are you two ready to call it quits for today?" Kristen asked after they finished looking around the scene.
Scully and Mulder looked at each other, unspoken words passing between them.
Scully finally spoke up, "Yeah, this good for today."
"Okay. We'll swing by the Bureau so you can pick up your car, then you can follow me home."
"That's a plan." Mulder replied.
They did just that, and arrived at Kristen's house at 6 o'clock. Kristen unlocked the door and showed her two guests in. She was greeted by her husband Scott, whom she thought was out of town for the week.
"Hi Scott," she said as she placed her keys on the table by the door and her briefcase near it.
"Who are these people, Kristen!?!" he demanded.
"This is Dana, my friend from college, and her partner, Mulder. They are out her helping me with a case, and will be staying with us for a few days." She tried to remain calm, but in actuality, she was terrified.
"Did *I* say that they could stay here!?!" he fumed.
"I thought you were going to be out of town for the week, Scott, and furthermore, I am a grown woman and I can make my own decisions without asking for your permission!" Her fear was increasing by the minute.
Scully then chimed in, seeing that her friend was in desperate need of some assistance, "We can go stay at a hotel for the night...its no problem, really."
Scott stared at the petite red-head for a minute and said, "No, stay here, it's fine...besides I'm leaving tomorrow anyway." With that, he stormed off down to the basement TV room, slamming the door behind him.
Kristen stood there in shock, her heart still beating a mile a minute and shaking ever so slightly. Scully laid her hand on Kristen's shoulder. Kristen jumped at the feeling.
"God, I'm sorry Dana...you just scared me." She said trying desperately to find an excuse for her behavior.
"We're sorry to have caused an uproar," Mulder said.
"Don't worry about it. I come in and close the door too loudly and cause an uproar." She replied.
"Come on...let me show you to your rooms."
Scully and Mulder followed Kristen upstairs and were each shown to their rooms. Kristen walked down the hall and disappeared into her bedroom. She got changed into her favorite pair of jeans and emerald green sweater. She exited the room and went downstairs into the kitchen to prepare dinner. A few minutes later, she was joined by Dana.
"I'm terribly sorry about what happened earlier, Kristen."
"Please don't be. We'll talk about it later, okay?" She responded with pleading eyes.
"Sure."
Not long after, dinner was ready. Kristen had prepared steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots. She placed all the food out on the table, and walked to the bottom of the staircase.
"Dana! Mulder! Dinner's ready!"
Momentarily, her guests were downstairs and seated at the dining room table. Kristen stood up, "Please excuse me, I'll be right back. Help yourselves."
She went downstairs to talk to Scott.
"Are you coming to dinner?" She asked quietly.
"No. Bring it down here to me." He replied venomously.
"I'll be back down in five minutes."
Kristen walked back upstairs and into the dining room. She picked up the plate and silverware she'd set out for Scott. She put some food onto the plate and headed back downstairs.
"Here you go. Enjoy." she said.
Kristen returned to the dining room and sat back down.
"I'm sorry. Scott's just...Scott. He wanted to eat alone tonight."
"The food is delicious," Mulder said.
Kristen smiled brightly. That was the first compliment she'd gotten on anything she'd done at home in months.
"Thank you very much."
"You *MUST* give Scully the recipe. That way, she can cook for me." Mulder said jokingly.
"No problem."
Dana sat pretty much in silence for the rest of the dinner. She was worried about her friend.
Mulder sensed there was something troubling Scully. She gave him that look that meant, "Wait until we're alone and I'll explain."
Soon, dinner was over. Scully helped Kristen clear the table and wash the dishes. Mulder had excused himself to go look over the case reports. After all the dishes were washed, Kristen and Dana walked up the stair and retreated to their own rooms. As soon as Kristen's door was closed, Dana slipped out of her room and into Mulder's.
"Hey Scully, what's up?" He asked.
"It's Kristen."
"What about her?"
"Don't you see it?" She questioned.
"See what?" He was interested. Something was clearly bothering her.
"She is shit scared of her husband! Did you see the way she jumped before when I touched her shoulder? Or how scared she was when she realized that he was home?"
"You think he's abusing her?" Mulder asked incredulously.
"No. Not physically at least. Verbally, mentally."
"Scully, you can't know that for sure. Not without her saying so."
"Yes I can Mulder."
"How?"
"Because I've been there myself." She said barely above a whisper.
"What!?!"
"Jack Willis did the same thing to me, Mulder. It started of verbal then turned physical. That's when I got the hell away from him."
Mulder sat in shock. He never knew. He'd never pictured Scully as one to be caught up in an abusive relationship.
"Mulder, I'm going to talk to her...I'll be back soon."
With that, she got up and left the room. Dana stood outside Kristen's door and knocked softly.
"Who is it?" She heard Kristen ask.
"Its Dana, can we talk?" The door opened to reveal Kristen, with tear tracks down her face.
"Come in." Kristen locked the door behind her.
"What's going on Kristen?"
"It's nothing Dana...absolutely nothing."
"That's bullshit Kristen and you know it. You can tell me...you need to tell someone."
Kristen poured her heart out to Dana. She felt so relieved to finally be able to trust someone with her horrible secret. Dana sat and took in all of what Kristen had to say. Listening intently and giving her a shoulder to cry on. Kristen had almost finished telling Dana everything when there was a knock at the door. Kristen froze.
"Who is it?" She asked softly.
"It's Mulder." Kristen's relief was apparent when she opened the door.
"Please come in."
"Is everything okay? You've been in here for quite a while, Scully."
"Everything's fine, Mulder." Kristen watched their exchange enviously.
"I wish I had someone who cared about me like that." She said.
An awkward silence followed which was soon interrupted by Kristen.
"There's one more thing, I didn't tell you Dana. It's something that no one other than me and one other person know."
"What? What is it Kristen?"
"I'm pregnant."
"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here and say that the 'one other person' is not Scott." Mulder said.
"No...I can't tell him. He doesn't want children. He would make me get an abortion and I don't want that. I don't have many more childbearing years ahead of me, and besides, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I chose to have my child killed." She cried.
"You've been through a lot today Kristen, why don't you try to get some sleep?" Scully suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea. Rest well." Mulder said. He rose and left.
"Don't worry Kristen; everything will turn out just fine. I'm sure it will." Dana said. She hugged Kristen and left the room. Dana headed down the hall to Mulder's room.
"I told you Mulder."
"She admitted to it?"
"She said that he calls her names and yells at her for no reason all the time. She is afraid to anger him."
Mulder and Scully talked about it for a while, then Scully returned to her on room and fell asleep.
The next day, they received a big break in the case. While performing the autopsy on the boy that had been found the day before, Kristen lifted a partial print from his body. After completing the autopsy, and wrapping and dressing the body, she brought the print to her friend in fingerprinting, Cathee Kershman.
"Hi Cathee, can you do me a favor?" Kristen asked.
"Sure. What do you need?" Cathee asked looking away from her computer.
"I need you to run this print through NCIC and see what comes up."
"No problem."
"Thanks a bunch Cathee."
While having lunch with Mulder and Scully at a small cafe a few blocks from headquarters, Kristen's cell phone rang.
"Agent McCaffrey speaking...Really? What did you find...Can you pull up the paternity on him quickly?" Kristen sighed.
"Okay, do you have an address?...Thanks a million Cathee." Kristen hung up her cell phone and turned to the questioning faces of Mulder and Scully.
"We got an ID on the perp...Paul John Roche. John Lee Roche's son!"
"You're kidding." Mulder said.
"The chances that I am kidding are about as good as those of a snowball's chance in hell. We have his address too. Let's go bring the S.O.B. in, shall we?"
"Let's roll." Scully said.
Paul John Roche was arrested later that day and charged with the murders of several young boys. He later confessed to the crime he was charged with.
The next day Scully and Mulder were due to leave Falls Church. Just as they were about to go, Scully asked to speak with Kristen in private.
"What are you going to do about Scott?"
"Nothing. Not yet anyway."
"I think you should consider leaving him. It's only going to get worse Kristen."
"I know it's going to get worse. But I can't leave him. I have a life here in Falls Church, a job that I care very much about. I could never just up and leave."
"Ask for a transfer then. Even if you just go back to Quantico for a while. You could teach there, and we'd be closer together." Scully suggested.
"I will Dana. And don't worry, I'll be fine, things will work out. I promise."
"I sure as hell hope so. If not for your sake, for your baby's."
Kristen nodded, knowing exactly what she was getting at. The two rejoined Mulder a few moments later.
"Thank you guys for coming out here and giving me a hand. I really appreciate it. It was great to see you again Dana."
"Same here Kristen. We keep in touch." Scully stated.
"You've got it." She hugged Dana, and then Mulder.
"I promise to come visit you two soon. Take care."
With that, they began their trip back home to D.C.
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5 months later...
Dana Scully's apartment
12:02 a.m.
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Dana Scully was jarred out of sleep by someone pounding on the door. She threw on her robe and opened it, expecting Mulder.
"Mulder, what the hell is--" she stopped when she realized it wasn't Mulder, but Kristen. She was soaked from head to toe; there was dried blood under her nose and she had a few bluish, purple bruises developing on her face.
"Oh God what happened?" Scully asked as she pulled Kristen into her apartment and locked the door. As soon as she saw Kristen in better light, she knew. From Scully's quick guess, she had to be about six months along in her pregnancy, if not better, and showing.
"Scott found out about the baby." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes. Then, he insisted that it wasn't his, because we were careful. He tried to blame Mulder." Tears were streaming down her bruised face.
"I knew I was only going to be able to hide it for so long, but I thought I could have the divorce and transfer finalized by then."
"Is this the first time he hit you?" Scully asked, obviously taken aback by the situation.
"Yes. I would have been long gone had he touched me before." Kristen said.
"You can stay in the spare bedroom, Kristen, come on, let me find you something to wear."
"That may be a bit difficult Dana, seeing as how you still have a waistline." Kristen joked, trying to lighten to mood but failing miserably.
"I've got one of Mulder's old sweatshirts you can wear," she replied disappearing into the bedroom. She came back into the living room a few minutes later with a green sweat shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants.
"Thank you so much Dana. I don't know where else I could have gone."
"Don't worry about it. Now, you go get some sleep and we'll go down to the police station tomorrow morning and file a report. I'm going to take off of work so we can spend the day together."
Kristen took the clothes from Dana and went into the spare bedroom. She changed and fell asleep. The next morning, she woke up to the sounds of voices in the living room. One of which sounded a lot like Scott's.
"You're lying to me!! That little tramp is here!! I know it!!! I saw her car parked outside!! Don't you lie to me or I'll do you worse than I did her!!" he yelled.
Kristen locked the door to the bedroom, and picked up the phone that was on the nightstand. She dialed 9-1-1, then hit speed dial one, which she assumed (and prayed) was Mulder. Luckily, she was correct.
"Mulder," he answered.
"Mulder, it's Kristen."
"Hey! What's up?" He asked, slightly cheerful.
"I'm at Dana's and I need you to come over here. Scott's here. I ran out on him last night...he was beating me. Anyway, long story short, he found his way here and won't leave! I called 9-1-1...they're on their way, but I thought that you could get here sooner. Please hurry! I'm afraid for Dana."
"I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Oh, and Mulder, let me warn you...he thinks that you are the father of the baby."
"What?!?"
"I'll explain later, just hurry!"
They hung up their phones simultaneously. A few minutes later, Kristen heard the front door open again, and then Mulder shout.
"Get the hell out of here Scott!" He yelled.
"I want my whore of a wife back now! And I'm *NOT* leaving without her!" Scott responded.
"Just leave her alone! She doesn't want anything to do with you ever again!" Scully yelled.
Before Scott could respond, the police bounded up the stairs and into the apartment. They arrested Scott for battery of a federal officer, and took him down to the station. Kristen unlocked the door and came into the living room.
"I'm so sorry Dana." She said, her eyes filling with tears again.
"Don't be sorry Kristen! You were just protecting yourself and your baby, and that is nothing to be sorry about!" Dana said.
After Kristen had given her statement and the police left, all the excitement died down.
"So why exactly does he think that I'm the father of the baby?" Mulder asked quizzically.
"Because the baby was conceived roughly six months ago, and that's when you and Dana were staying at my house. He just doesn't want to admit that he could father a child." Kristen replied placing her hands on her swollen stomach.
Several days later, Kristen returned home to Falls Church. When she arrived at her home, the two letters she was praying for earlier that week were waiting for her--the divorce papers, and letter of approval on her transfer to one of the Virginia field offices, from the Director. That day, she put her house on the market and started packing; never once looking back on what she was leaving.
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Epilogue
1 year and 6 months later
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Kristen McCaffrey is now living happily in Arlington, Virginia, with her 14 month-old daughter, Dana Krystine. She still works for the FBI, and was just promoted to Assistant Director. She still keeps in touch with Dana and Mulder. In fact, two days ago, she received an invitation to their wedding, and was asked to be the maid of honor. According to the note Dana had sent with it, it seemed like a "switch was flicked" about 8 months ago.
Scott Marko is now in prison where he will remain for the next 25 years. As it turns out, he was wanted in 6 other states for numerous other outstanding crimes.
***THE END***
AUTHOR: Liv
RATING: PG-13 (language, situations)
SPOILERS: Paper Hearts! If you haven't seen it, you won't have a clue as to what the hell I'm rambling about
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em and I don't claim to either. I'm just having some fun...I'll clean up when I'm done!
FEEDBACK: Hell yeah! The more I get the more I write!
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Do it...tell me about it...unless I already know!
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Dana Scully's Apartment
April 16, 1999
1:40 a.m.
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Dana Scully had just had one of worst days of her life. She had arrived at work to find Mulder sitting at his desk waiting for her with a ridiculous grin on his face that meant nothing other than trouble. He had informed her, that they were head for Nowhere, USA on another highly implausible case. After finally arriving home at 1:24 a.m., Dana was ready to collapse. She flicked the light switch on the wall and locked the door behind her.
The light on the answering machine caught her eye. Dana walked over to it and hit 'Play'. The machine announced that she had three messages. The first was from her mother, "Dana its Mom. I'm just calling to see if we are still on for lunch on Sunday. Call me later." The second was a salesman trying to sell her another goddamn thing she didn't want or need. The third threw her for a loop, "Dana? Hi...it's been a while. This is Kristen McCaffrey...I was wondering if you and Agent Mulder could come to Falls Church to help me out with this bizarre case that I'm working on. Please call me back as soon as possible. You can reach me at work at (262)555-0209 or at home at (262)555-0326. Talk to you soon." Dana quickly jotted down the numbers Kristen had given her and put them in her briefcase. She then walked into her bedroom, prepared for bed, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
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J. Edgar Hoover Building
FBI Headquarters
6 Federal Plaza
Washington D.C.
9:00 a.m.
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Fox Mulder walked into the FBI building and took the elevator to the third floor. The doors opened to reveal the office already bustling with Agents. He headed for his new "office," which, in actuality was a cubicle that he despised. As Mulder passed Scully's cubicle, he peered in to check if she was there. He was surprised to find her already at work. Normally, she didn't come in until around 9:30.
"You're here early," he commented.
"What? Oh, hi Mulder." She said looking up from whatever she was working on.
Mulder walked into her cubicle and looked over her shoulder, "What are you working on?"
"This," she said indicating the fax she was looking at, "is from an old friend of mine at the Falls Church Bureau. She has requested our help on a case."
Mulder's mind began to whirl. "Ooh...you caught my attention...what's this about?"
"Well, it appears that we have a copycat murderer on our hands. The killer seems to feel the need to act as John Lee Roche did. However, there are a few exceptions. This killer does not kill young girls, but instead kills teenage boys, and does not take a heart from the victim's clothing, rather the victim's flesh." Scully explained.
"Couldn't get any closer to Roche if they tried," Mulder stated.
"This one is your call Mulder; do you want to go to Falls Church to investigate or should I tell Kristen that we'll pass?"
"No, no, no...let's do it, Scully. Tell Kristen that we'd be glad to help her out. She can expect us this afternoon, around four."
Mulder left Scully's cubicle and returned to his own. Scully picked up the phone and dialed (262)555-0209, Kristen's work number. The phone rang three times before she answered, "Agent McCaffrey speaking."
"Kristen? It's Dana."
"Dana! Hi! It's great to hear from you. I take it you got my message."
"Yes...yes I did. I talked to Mulder about it...we'll be there around four this afternoon."
"That sounds great. Oh and Dana, don't bother booking a hotel. You two can stay at the house with Scott and I...that is if that's okay with you."
"That would be just fine. I've stayed in enough hotels to last a lifetime."
"Great. See you later on then. Oh, my office is on the third floor, suite 6."
"Third floor, suite 6. Got it. See you soon, Kristen."
"Bye Dana."
"Bye."
Scully hung up the phone and gathered her things. She left her cubicle and walked to Mulder's.
"Come on Mulder, I'll give you a ride home so you can pack." She offered.
"Alright."
The two exited the building and headed for Scully's car. Scully unlocked the doors and got into the car. When they were a few minutes away from headquarters, Mulder began talking to her.
"Were you and Kristen close friends?" He asked.
"We weren't close Mulder, we were best friends. We met as college roommates. Actually, the school paired us up because were the only two females that year with a pathology major." Scully revealed.
Mulder sat and listened to her as she continued to recount her past to him.
"Those years were the greatest. We'd do almost everything together, double date, homework, cut class to go to the beach. It was one of the best times of my life."
Soon, they had arrived at Mulder's apartment. They both got out of the car and headed upstairs. After entering the apartment, Mulder headed straight for his bedroom to pack and Scully sat on the green leather couch. She waited patiently for him to return. Ten minutes later, he was ready to go. Scully and Mulder left the apartment and headed to Scully's in a comfortable silence.
Once they got there, the same procedure had occurred--only roles reversed. About an hour after leaving the Bureau, they were on their way to Falls Church. They stopped for lunch on the way there at, Roy Rogers®. They reached Falls Church at around 3:30, and drove to the Federal Building.
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Falls Church Bureau
15 W. Caiman Blvd.
3:45 p.m.
*************************
Kristen McCaffrey heard a knock on her office door.
"Come in." She said, not bothering to look up from her paperwork. She looked up to see Dana standing there with a tall man with dark hair, who she assumed was Mulder. Kristen rose from her desk and walked over to Dana and hugged her.
"Dana, it's been too long," she said.
"Yes it has Kristen," Scully replied.
Kristen looked up at Mulder, "You must be Agent Mulder. I'm Agent Kristen McCaffrey, it's nice to meet you," she said while extending her hand. Mulder shook her outstretched hand, "It's a pleasure." Mulder took in her physical appearance. She was just about an inch taller than Scully, with strawberry blonde hair and the same icy blue eyes that Scully had. Her hair was cut into a chin length bob. They were dressed nearly identical, both donning dark cerulean blue pantsuits. Kristen broke Mulder out of his reverie when she started speaking.
"Shall we start?"
"Yes. What have you found out so far?" Scully asked.
"Well, you know that I believe the murder to be a copycat. This person takes trophies from his victims, after strangling them to death with an eight gage electrical cord. This morning, we found another victim. He'd been missing since last week; his parents positively identified him earlier. If you'd like to see the crime scenes, I'd be more than happy to take you there."
"That would be great Agent McCaffrey," Mulder replied.
"Sure. And please, call me Kristen, Agent Mulder."
"Only if you call me Mulder."
"Wish granted." She replied.
All three agents piled into Kristen's car and started out to the crime scene. When they arrived, Kristen proceeded to talk them through the site.
"We found the body over there," she said pointing to the open, shallow grave with the white chalk outline within it. "A local was out here hunting early this morning, when his dog went nuts and started barking and digging here. The man called the police when he saw a hand protruding from the ground where the dog had just been. The police called me after they'd realized that there were distinct characteristics to the murder."
Mulder and Scully looked around for a while, then decided that they had all the information they could gather from the site. By that time, it was already 5:30, and getting dark.
"Are you two ready to call it quits for today?" Kristen asked after they finished looking around the scene.
Scully and Mulder looked at each other, unspoken words passing between them.
Scully finally spoke up, "Yeah, this good for today."
"Okay. We'll swing by the Bureau so you can pick up your car, then you can follow me home."
"That's a plan." Mulder replied.
They did just that, and arrived at Kristen's house at 6 o'clock. Kristen unlocked the door and showed her two guests in. She was greeted by her husband Scott, whom she thought was out of town for the week.
"Hi Scott," she said as she placed her keys on the table by the door and her briefcase near it.
"Who are these people, Kristen!?!" he demanded.
"This is Dana, my friend from college, and her partner, Mulder. They are out her helping me with a case, and will be staying with us for a few days." She tried to remain calm, but in actuality, she was terrified.
"Did *I* say that they could stay here!?!" he fumed.
"I thought you were going to be out of town for the week, Scott, and furthermore, I am a grown woman and I can make my own decisions without asking for your permission!" Her fear was increasing by the minute.
Scully then chimed in, seeing that her friend was in desperate need of some assistance, "We can go stay at a hotel for the night...its no problem, really."
Scott stared at the petite red-head for a minute and said, "No, stay here, it's fine...besides I'm leaving tomorrow anyway." With that, he stormed off down to the basement TV room, slamming the door behind him.
Kristen stood there in shock, her heart still beating a mile a minute and shaking ever so slightly. Scully laid her hand on Kristen's shoulder. Kristen jumped at the feeling.
"God, I'm sorry Dana...you just scared me." She said trying desperately to find an excuse for her behavior.
"We're sorry to have caused an uproar," Mulder said.
"Don't worry about it. I come in and close the door too loudly and cause an uproar." She replied.
"Come on...let me show you to your rooms."
Scully and Mulder followed Kristen upstairs and were each shown to their rooms. Kristen walked down the hall and disappeared into her bedroom. She got changed into her favorite pair of jeans and emerald green sweater. She exited the room and went downstairs into the kitchen to prepare dinner. A few minutes later, she was joined by Dana.
"I'm terribly sorry about what happened earlier, Kristen."
"Please don't be. We'll talk about it later, okay?" She responded with pleading eyes.
"Sure."
Not long after, dinner was ready. Kristen had prepared steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots. She placed all the food out on the table, and walked to the bottom of the staircase.
"Dana! Mulder! Dinner's ready!"
Momentarily, her guests were downstairs and seated at the dining room table. Kristen stood up, "Please excuse me, I'll be right back. Help yourselves."
She went downstairs to talk to Scott.
"Are you coming to dinner?" She asked quietly.
"No. Bring it down here to me." He replied venomously.
"I'll be back down in five minutes."
Kristen walked back upstairs and into the dining room. She picked up the plate and silverware she'd set out for Scott. She put some food onto the plate and headed back downstairs.
"Here you go. Enjoy." she said.
Kristen returned to the dining room and sat back down.
"I'm sorry. Scott's just...Scott. He wanted to eat alone tonight."
"The food is delicious," Mulder said.
Kristen smiled brightly. That was the first compliment she'd gotten on anything she'd done at home in months.
"Thank you very much."
"You *MUST* give Scully the recipe. That way, she can cook for me." Mulder said jokingly.
"No problem."
Dana sat pretty much in silence for the rest of the dinner. She was worried about her friend.
Mulder sensed there was something troubling Scully. She gave him that look that meant, "Wait until we're alone and I'll explain."
Soon, dinner was over. Scully helped Kristen clear the table and wash the dishes. Mulder had excused himself to go look over the case reports. After all the dishes were washed, Kristen and Dana walked up the stair and retreated to their own rooms. As soon as Kristen's door was closed, Dana slipped out of her room and into Mulder's.
"Hey Scully, what's up?" He asked.
"It's Kristen."
"What about her?"
"Don't you see it?" She questioned.
"See what?" He was interested. Something was clearly bothering her.
"She is shit scared of her husband! Did you see the way she jumped before when I touched her shoulder? Or how scared she was when she realized that he was home?"
"You think he's abusing her?" Mulder asked incredulously.
"No. Not physically at least. Verbally, mentally."
"Scully, you can't know that for sure. Not without her saying so."
"Yes I can Mulder."
"How?"
"Because I've been there myself." She said barely above a whisper.
"What!?!"
"Jack Willis did the same thing to me, Mulder. It started of verbal then turned physical. That's when I got the hell away from him."
Mulder sat in shock. He never knew. He'd never pictured Scully as one to be caught up in an abusive relationship.
"Mulder, I'm going to talk to her...I'll be back soon."
With that, she got up and left the room. Dana stood outside Kristen's door and knocked softly.
"Who is it?" She heard Kristen ask.
"Its Dana, can we talk?" The door opened to reveal Kristen, with tear tracks down her face.
"Come in." Kristen locked the door behind her.
"What's going on Kristen?"
"It's nothing Dana...absolutely nothing."
"That's bullshit Kristen and you know it. You can tell me...you need to tell someone."
Kristen poured her heart out to Dana. She felt so relieved to finally be able to trust someone with her horrible secret. Dana sat and took in all of what Kristen had to say. Listening intently and giving her a shoulder to cry on. Kristen had almost finished telling Dana everything when there was a knock at the door. Kristen froze.
"Who is it?" She asked softly.
"It's Mulder." Kristen's relief was apparent when she opened the door.
"Please come in."
"Is everything okay? You've been in here for quite a while, Scully."
"Everything's fine, Mulder." Kristen watched their exchange enviously.
"I wish I had someone who cared about me like that." She said.
An awkward silence followed which was soon interrupted by Kristen.
"There's one more thing, I didn't tell you Dana. It's something that no one other than me and one other person know."
"What? What is it Kristen?"
"I'm pregnant."
"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here and say that the 'one other person' is not Scott." Mulder said.
"No...I can't tell him. He doesn't want children. He would make me get an abortion and I don't want that. I don't have many more childbearing years ahead of me, and besides, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I chose to have my child killed." She cried.
"You've been through a lot today Kristen, why don't you try to get some sleep?" Scully suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea. Rest well." Mulder said. He rose and left.
"Don't worry Kristen; everything will turn out just fine. I'm sure it will." Dana said. She hugged Kristen and left the room. Dana headed down the hall to Mulder's room.
"I told you Mulder."
"She admitted to it?"
"She said that he calls her names and yells at her for no reason all the time. She is afraid to anger him."
Mulder and Scully talked about it for a while, then Scully returned to her on room and fell asleep.
The next day, they received a big break in the case. While performing the autopsy on the boy that had been found the day before, Kristen lifted a partial print from his body. After completing the autopsy, and wrapping and dressing the body, she brought the print to her friend in fingerprinting, Cathee Kershman.
"Hi Cathee, can you do me a favor?" Kristen asked.
"Sure. What do you need?" Cathee asked looking away from her computer.
"I need you to run this print through NCIC and see what comes up."
"No problem."
"Thanks a bunch Cathee."
While having lunch with Mulder and Scully at a small cafe a few blocks from headquarters, Kristen's cell phone rang.
"Agent McCaffrey speaking...Really? What did you find...Can you pull up the paternity on him quickly?" Kristen sighed.
"Okay, do you have an address?...Thanks a million Cathee." Kristen hung up her cell phone and turned to the questioning faces of Mulder and Scully.
"We got an ID on the perp...Paul John Roche. John Lee Roche's son!"
"You're kidding." Mulder said.
"The chances that I am kidding are about as good as those of a snowball's chance in hell. We have his address too. Let's go bring the S.O.B. in, shall we?"
"Let's roll." Scully said.
Paul John Roche was arrested later that day and charged with the murders of several young boys. He later confessed to the crime he was charged with.
The next day Scully and Mulder were due to leave Falls Church. Just as they were about to go, Scully asked to speak with Kristen in private.
"What are you going to do about Scott?"
"Nothing. Not yet anyway."
"I think you should consider leaving him. It's only going to get worse Kristen."
"I know it's going to get worse. But I can't leave him. I have a life here in Falls Church, a job that I care very much about. I could never just up and leave."
"Ask for a transfer then. Even if you just go back to Quantico for a while. You could teach there, and we'd be closer together." Scully suggested.
"I will Dana. And don't worry, I'll be fine, things will work out. I promise."
"I sure as hell hope so. If not for your sake, for your baby's."
Kristen nodded, knowing exactly what she was getting at. The two rejoined Mulder a few moments later.
"Thank you guys for coming out here and giving me a hand. I really appreciate it. It was great to see you again Dana."
"Same here Kristen. We keep in touch." Scully stated.
"You've got it." She hugged Dana, and then Mulder.
"I promise to come visit you two soon. Take care."
With that, they began their trip back home to D.C.
******************************
5 months later...
Dana Scully's apartment
12:02 a.m.
******************************
Dana Scully was jarred out of sleep by someone pounding on the door. She threw on her robe and opened it, expecting Mulder.
"Mulder, what the hell is--" she stopped when she realized it wasn't Mulder, but Kristen. She was soaked from head to toe; there was dried blood under her nose and she had a few bluish, purple bruises developing on her face.
"Oh God what happened?" Scully asked as she pulled Kristen into her apartment and locked the door. As soon as she saw Kristen in better light, she knew. From Scully's quick guess, she had to be about six months along in her pregnancy, if not better, and showing.
"Scott found out about the baby." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes. Then, he insisted that it wasn't his, because we were careful. He tried to blame Mulder." Tears were streaming down her bruised face.
"I knew I was only going to be able to hide it for so long, but I thought I could have the divorce and transfer finalized by then."
"Is this the first time he hit you?" Scully asked, obviously taken aback by the situation.
"Yes. I would have been long gone had he touched me before." Kristen said.
"You can stay in the spare bedroom, Kristen, come on, let me find you something to wear."
"That may be a bit difficult Dana, seeing as how you still have a waistline." Kristen joked, trying to lighten to mood but failing miserably.
"I've got one of Mulder's old sweatshirts you can wear," she replied disappearing into the bedroom. She came back into the living room a few minutes later with a green sweat shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants.
"Thank you so much Dana. I don't know where else I could have gone."
"Don't worry about it. Now, you go get some sleep and we'll go down to the police station tomorrow morning and file a report. I'm going to take off of work so we can spend the day together."
Kristen took the clothes from Dana and went into the spare bedroom. She changed and fell asleep. The next morning, she woke up to the sounds of voices in the living room. One of which sounded a lot like Scott's.
"You're lying to me!! That little tramp is here!! I know it!!! I saw her car parked outside!! Don't you lie to me or I'll do you worse than I did her!!" he yelled.
Kristen locked the door to the bedroom, and picked up the phone that was on the nightstand. She dialed 9-1-1, then hit speed dial one, which she assumed (and prayed) was Mulder. Luckily, she was correct.
"Mulder," he answered.
"Mulder, it's Kristen."
"Hey! What's up?" He asked, slightly cheerful.
"I'm at Dana's and I need you to come over here. Scott's here. I ran out on him last night...he was beating me. Anyway, long story short, he found his way here and won't leave! I called 9-1-1...they're on their way, but I thought that you could get here sooner. Please hurry! I'm afraid for Dana."
"I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Oh, and Mulder, let me warn you...he thinks that you are the father of the baby."
"What?!?"
"I'll explain later, just hurry!"
They hung up their phones simultaneously. A few minutes later, Kristen heard the front door open again, and then Mulder shout.
"Get the hell out of here Scott!" He yelled.
"I want my whore of a wife back now! And I'm *NOT* leaving without her!" Scott responded.
"Just leave her alone! She doesn't want anything to do with you ever again!" Scully yelled.
Before Scott could respond, the police bounded up the stairs and into the apartment. They arrested Scott for battery of a federal officer, and took him down to the station. Kristen unlocked the door and came into the living room.
"I'm so sorry Dana." She said, her eyes filling with tears again.
"Don't be sorry Kristen! You were just protecting yourself and your baby, and that is nothing to be sorry about!" Dana said.
After Kristen had given her statement and the police left, all the excitement died down.
"So why exactly does he think that I'm the father of the baby?" Mulder asked quizzically.
"Because the baby was conceived roughly six months ago, and that's when you and Dana were staying at my house. He just doesn't want to admit that he could father a child." Kristen replied placing her hands on her swollen stomach.
Several days later, Kristen returned home to Falls Church. When she arrived at her home, the two letters she was praying for earlier that week were waiting for her--the divorce papers, and letter of approval on her transfer to one of the Virginia field offices, from the Director. That day, she put her house on the market and started packing; never once looking back on what she was leaving.
********************************
Epilogue
1 year and 6 months later
********************************
Kristen McCaffrey is now living happily in Arlington, Virginia, with her 14 month-old daughter, Dana Krystine. She still works for the FBI, and was just promoted to Assistant Director. She still keeps in touch with Dana and Mulder. In fact, two days ago, she received an invitation to their wedding, and was asked to be the maid of honor. According to the note Dana had sent with it, it seemed like a "switch was flicked" about 8 months ago.
Scott Marko is now in prison where he will remain for the next 25 years. As it turns out, he was wanted in 6 other states for numerous other outstanding crimes.
***THE END***