Part 55
"Mom, this is Dana. I know you aren't home right now but I'm calling you from Las Vegas. Its a really long story Mom but you may have already heard that Mulder and I are in hot water. I just want to assure you that we did not do anything illegal, well not in this case but I don't want to get into that now. What I am trying to say is that we're in jail right now, but please don't worry. I am fine, Mulder is fine. They are going to be transferring us to DC within the next couple of days, but I wondered if you could give our attorney a call and see if he can do anything to speed up the process. I really love you Mom and I'm sorry for disappointing you. Dad would be so embarrassed." Scully starts to cry. "Whatever you do please try to keep Bill away from the tv and don't tell him that we're in jail." The answering machine beeps that the time is up. As she is about to hang up she hears a man's voice come on the line.
"Dana! Its Bill. What the hell is going on out there?"
"Bill, what are you doing at Mom's?", asks Scully.
"Tara and I are here. We are waiting for Mom to get home and we're all going out to dinner. Should I remind you that you would have been better off coming along with us tonight? Where the heck are you?"
"I'm in Las Vegas", says Scully sniffling.
"You're where?"
"I'm in Las....."
"I heard you the first time. God Dana that loser isn't with you is he?"
"What loser?", asks Scully defensively.
"Oh come on Dana! You know who I mean, that Fox Mulder guy. He is the reason that you're there in the first place. That sad sorry son of b****h got you into this whole mess didn't he? Wait until I get my hands on that arrogant pretty boy!"
"Bill, we were on a case in California and we just took a little side trip to see the sites. Its not Mulder's fault. We got robbed and the bureau overreacted because the card was missing. They apparently think we spent a lot of federal money. We'll straighten it out I promise."
"Its still on your record Dana. It will be a permanent marker on your identity. God Dana, Las Vegas....why in the world of all places would you want to go there for, and with Mulder? You could have come home and we could of had a barbecue in the backyard. Agent Mulder could have gone on an alien hunt by himself. Why would you do this to your family Dana?"
"I did nothing wrong Bill", says Scully. "I'm thirty-six years old if you remember. You can't treat me like a child anymore. You aren't my Dad."
"Dana, you sound like a defensive teenager caught with a guy that your parents have forbid you to see. Whats up with all of this? Oh my God, no! I've got it figured out. The arrest isn't the only permanent marker of this trip is it? You've gone and done it! You've married the jerk haven't you?"
"No, we didn't get married.....yet", says Scully.
"Dana, I'm glad you're in jail. At least it prevents you from making the biggest mistake of your life. How can you even think of marrying him? He's possessed with a mission that doesn't concern you. Its his first priority in life and you'll always be somewhere on the back burner. Frankly Dana I hate his guts."
Scully clenches the phone and bites her tongue as her brother vents his anger with her. Finally she can't take it anymore. "Bill, tell Mom I'm fine and I hope you choke on your dinner because I'm the only one in the family that knows the hymlic. Lastly, no one and I mean no one has the right to call Mulder a jerk but me. Understand!" She slams the phone down and turns around to face Mulder who has been standing there the whole time.
Part 56
"Scully you think I'm a jerk?", asks Mulder sadly. "I don't blame you for feeling that way. I think I'm a jerk too." He stares down at his handcuffs.
"Oh Mulder, you're taking that ll out of context", says Scully taking his hands in her own. "I was talking to Bill and he can get out of hand. You know how it is, I was defending you."
"It would be easier for you if your family could accept me, but thats not going to happen is it?", he swallows. "Bill always said that you were my biggest defender and I was one sorry son of a b****h. Maybe he was right. Here I had tried to make up for our Bigfoot fiasco with a little side trip. I wanted to prove to you that yes, Fox Mulder could be a caring and even a romantic kind of guy, but did things turn out the way I had hoped they would? No. I caused you grief again." He pulls away from her and sits in a chair. He bends over and places his head in his hands. "I'm just bad news Scully. A normal life isn't in the cards for me. I think maybe we should reconsider this engagement thing. Its not what we really want. We're two lonely people looking for some stability to our lives and I don't know about you, but I can't provide that. I can't guarantee that some night that you are sitting at home waiting for me that I'm not lying dead somewhere. My life involves taking chances and no matter how much a perfect life looks appealing to me, my life's path has been set for me by others that have an agenda."
Scully blinks back tears as she kneels before him. "Mulder, don't do this", she begs. "Can you honestly say that you don't love me? Isn't that worth something to you?"
"Sometimes love isn't enough", replies Mulder looking up and seeing her stricken face. "Some choices are made to protect others, and thats what I'm doing. I've told you before to get as far away from me as you can. Go be a doctor while you still can."
"Mulder, I am still a doctor whether or not I'm with you", says Scully. "I choose to be with you because I want to. Not because I have to or am forced to, but because I need to. I need to be near you, please don't shut me out. You can't protect me by pushing me away. You're only punishing yourself further, because in the end I will die emotionally from your callous attitude towards our friendship, our relationship."
She places her own handcuffed hands on his knees. "We can work this out Mulder. If we quit, they win. How can you let them win?"
"To save you. I'm sorry Scully", says Mulder blinking back his own tears. "It doesn't matter anyhow. Our FBI careers are mud once we get back to DC.
"Mulder, to hell with the FBI. Do you honestly think that I care more about what Kersh and the others think than I do about you? The FBI is just a job. Mulder, you are my life."
"I'm not going to see you die Scully for any hollow cause of mine. Whether or not I'm in the FBI, I've been designated as a player in this war game and I'm not gong to see you become a casualty."
A guard approaches and clears his throat. "Come on Starbuck. Spooky has his own house to haunt down on cell block five. I'm taking you over to the ladies' wing." He takes her by the elbow and pulls her to her feet. Scully is led to the door and she takes one final look at Mulder who has his head in his hands again.
"Mulder, please don't throw away the last seven years. I love you!"
Mulder sobs as Scully is led away through the door. Another guard passes them leaving. He approaches Mulder and pulls him roughly to his feet.
"Crying for mama won't help boy", sneers the guard.
"My mother is dead and she probably would leave me here to rot anyway", says Mulder. "I didn't get my one phone call."
"Be quick about it", says the guard shoving Mulder towards the phone. Mulder picks up the receiver, placing it to his ear he pauses before he punches in a phone number. He waits for an answer as it rings.
Part 57
"Lone Gunmen", answers Byers.
"Its Mulder, I'm in the slammer."
"We heard', says Byers turning to look at the tv behind him. "Hows Scully holding up?"
"She's as well as can be expected I guess", says Mulder pinching the bridge of his nose. "They've separated us."
"So whats the word? You coming home soon or what?", asks Byers.
"I don't know. They aren't telling us anything. I don't even know if they have set bail for us or not. I doubt thats going to happen though. My guess is that we'll be back in DC on Monday or Tuesday. So, I need you to be ready to post bail for me. Don't worry about the money. I can arrange that. I just need you to be the outsider."
"What about Scully? Should we post bail for her too?", asks Byers.
"Call Mrs. Scully and see if she is prepared to post it. If she's not, then I'll give you access to more money. I would prefer if they wouldn't depend on me though if it can be helped", says Mulder turning around and leaning against the concrete wall. He notices the guard tapping his foot. "I can't talk much longer. Call my bank and inform them of the situation. Have them contact me here and I should know more by then."
"No problem Mulder, but I have one question", says Byers slightly confused.
"What?"
"Why wouldn't you want your future mother-in-law to be depending on you? She obviously is going to need support through this thing both emotionally and financially."
"Because things have changed', says Mulder quietly.
"What do you mean things have changed?", Byers turns as the door opens and Frohike and Langley enter carrying Macy's bags. He motions them over and then presses the speaker phone button.
"What was that?", asks Mulder suspiciously. "Is this a secure line?"
"Yeah, I just put you on the speaker phone. I'm doing some work and need my hands free", says Byers shrugging to his friends. "You didn't answer my question Mulder. Whats this new big change involving you and Scully?"
Frohike tilts his head and gives Byers a frown.
"I decided that the engagement is off. Its not the best thing for us. I can't let her be a target anymore. If the rest of the syndicate think that we are romantically involved she'll never be safe. I can't allow that......I won't let anything happen to her. I would rather see her happy away from me than receiving an immediate death sentence as a result of our marriage."
"Are you really sure this is what you want?", asks Byers slapping his forehead.
"What I want doesn't matter. Survival is what counts."
"Scully must be devastated. How did you tell her?", asks Byers. He turns to a fuming Frohike.
"I told her after we got fingerprinted. I heard her on the phone talking to Bill. She had to defend me again to him. Thats when I decided that it was best that we didn't continue this any further. Scully's family has suffered enough because of me. They don't need a constant reminder for the rest of their lives. I'll admit it, she took it badly. It broke my heart to be saying such things to her, but I had to make it look realistic. She thinks that the last seven years have meant nothing to me."
"While you no good &^%@&", yells Frohike approaching the speaker phone. "You had no right to make Dana feel that way. Here she has been supportive of you every minute of those seven years. She has never left your side and has saved your life countless times, lied for you and risked her life for you and this is how you repay her. You throw her love back in her face and use your conspiracy as an excuse.? You are a weak, gutless and pathetic worm! You don't deserve Dana and if I wasn't so sure I'd lose, I'd kick your a**!"
"You're right", says Mulder. "You are absolutely 100% right."
The Lone Gunmen look at each other and look back to the speaker phone as they hear a click. Mulder has hung up.
Part 58
Scully has been escorted to a cell. She is relieved of her handcuffs and the door slams shut behind her. She turns to watch the guard saunter down the cellblock swinging his keys around his finger. She sighs and turns to assess the situation. and is surprised to see a fat woman sitting on a lower bunk bed.
"Welcome to the clinker honey", she smiles. "My name is Marge."
"You've got to be kidding?", asks Scully reminiscing when Mulder had warned her about getting their stories straight regarding that vampire. He had said that she was as deep into the situation as he was and that her cellmate's name would be Large Marge. She wasn't about to test the nickname out anytime soon.
"What are you in for honey?"
"Alleged credit card theft", says Scully. "But I didn't do it. I work for the government and my fiancé....my partner forgot to cancel it. Unfortunately, our superiors don't believe us when we say that we didn't charge those things."
"Whats your name?", asks Marge shifting her weight on the bunk.
"Dana", replies Scully looking around and noticing a small barred window for the first time. She drags a chair over to it and climbs up. She peers out the window and is disappointed to see an empty courtyard. A couple of wooden picnic tables line the area with a couple of basketball hoops. She wonders if Mulder has had a chance to notice the hoops. Maybe he'll get to shoot a few before they leave. She turns away and climbs down.
"What are you in for Marge?", asks Scully sitting down on the chair.
"Oh, I hit my husband in the head with a frying pan. He deserved it though. Was cheating on me with my next-door neighbor. I should of suspected though. She was always coming over offering to help me do stuff. Then she would come over and ask me if I could send my husband over to fix something for her. Little did I know what he was really fixing if you get my drift." Scully presses her lips together and nods politely. "Well it didn't turn out too good because I hit him a little harder than I anticipated. He fell down dead and now I'm in here awaiting my trial for second degree murder. Couldn't make my bail as all my kin are poor as church mice. So, here is where I sit and bide my time." She turns and picks up a romance novel and opens it. "I don't know why I bother reading these trash books. Men never act like this in real life do they? They never come to the rescue when you are at death's door and defeat the villain?" She turns back to her book.
Scully swallows and thinks to herself about all of the times that Mulder had done just that. One near miss and she wouldn't be there alive today. She closes her eyes as she remembers nearly being beheaded by those townspeople. The sheriff in the headhunter costume had just been raising his machete when Mulder shot him. The look that Mulder had given her when he had freed her was heartstopping. He always did that. He got sentimental and protective when he finally realized how much danger she had really been in.
"So what do you do for the government? Let me guess, IRS?", says Marge turning the page of her book.
"No, I'm an FBI agent", says Scully coming back to reality.
"Really? That must be so exciting! You chase bad guys and go on secret cases and stuff?"
"Something like that", says Scully attempting to smile. "I work in a special division. Theres only two of us and we have been fortunate in that we can be selective of the cases that we choose. Most cases find us, we don't find them."
"I don't understand. Tell me about it", says Marge.
"My partner and I we investigate paranormal phenomena."
"You mean like ghosts and monsters and stuff?", asks Marge amazed.
"Well, yeah", says Scully averting her eyes. "We study cases that have been unlovable due to unexplained circumstances. In order to learn as much as we can we usually go on field assignment. Although, often once we investigate into the case we find we can't come up with any concrete conclusion on our own. There have actually only been a handful of cases that we have been able to somewhat agree on a answer to. Which is pretty amazing since I've only worked on the X-Files for seven years now."
"X-Files? It sounds like porno or something", says Marge.
"If you told my partner that he would probably be flattered", smiles Scully.
"You ever been to Area 51? Thats here in Nevada", says Marge.
"Yes, we've been there once, but the funny thing is I can't remember much of what happened there. One minute I was standing next to my partner and then it goes fuzzy. The next I'm reaching for his arm and telling him to get in the car. Some men stopped us so we didn't learn anything. You see my partner is a big believer of EBE's so thats why we went out there to investigate."
"EBE's?"
"Extraterrestrial biological entities", says Scully rolling her eyes. "Aliens. We look for aliens. Boy, this sounds really cheesy doesn't it?"
"No, it sounds like a kick, but I can't believe the government pays you to go chasing after little green men! No wonder there are only two of you assigned to this division."
"Well, according to my partner they're gray and not green and yes there is only two of us. There is always only two assigned. At different times we have been reassigned or separated, but our superiors eventually bring us back as we seem to do well together on this work."
"Was it just my imagination or did you first call your partner your fiancé?", asks Marge. "I mean I don't want to be nosy or anything, but if you are going to be my cellmate I want to know whats going on in the background."
Scully tears up. "I'm not ready to talk about it with anyone right now. We had decided to give protocol a kick in the rear and go for it. We admitted to each other that we have loved each other for most of if not for the entire time that we have been partnered together for. Now he has taken it back and wants to protect me from all of the baggage he comes with. He has a lot of inner struggles that he deals with on a continuous basis. I feel I can handle that, but there are others out there seeking revenge on us for the work that we do. I want to risk it and show the world how we feel . Mulder doesn't' feel that way. He can run off to Antarctica, or Puerto Rico on a whim and I have to juggle everything else while he troops to the ends of the earth. Oh by the way I'm also a forensic pathologist."
"You cut up dead people?", asks Marge making a face.
"You get used to it", says Scully. "My partner calls it 'slicing and dicing'."
"Is he in jail here too?"
"Yeah, I guess he must be in the mens' wing."
"You miss him don't you?", asks Marge
"Yeah, I do", says Scully looking down at the floor.
"One of the guards, Ricky comes in at 6:00 p.m.. He is a decent guy and if you tell him your circumstance he will deliver a note to him for you. He won't even read it."
"I don't know if Mulder would even read it", replies Scully sadly. "He is pretty anti-Scully right now."
"Mulder? Scully?", asks Marge confused.
"We call each other by our last names. Most agents do", explains Scully.
"You even call each other by your last names offduty?", asks Marge.
"Well yeah", says Scully. "It would sound odd for him to call me Dana all the time and he would never want me to call him by his. I already tried that once a long time ago and he quickly corrected me."
"Why, whats so bad about his first name? What is ?", asks Marge.
"Ah, its Fox", says Scully.
"Fox? Thats a cool name and he doesn't want to use it? Ladies would really dig it if he did", says Marge.
"Well maybe its better if he doesn't", says Scully quickly.
"Why don't you write that note and Ricky will give it to .......Mulder or Fox when he comes in", says Marge handing her a pad of paper and a pen.
"I guess its worth a shot", replies Scully taking it. She takes them and pauses a minute before she writes a short note.
"Mom, this is Dana. I know you aren't home right now but I'm calling you from Las Vegas. Its a really long story Mom but you may have already heard that Mulder and I are in hot water. I just want to assure you that we did not do anything illegal, well not in this case but I don't want to get into that now. What I am trying to say is that we're in jail right now, but please don't worry. I am fine, Mulder is fine. They are going to be transferring us to DC within the next couple of days, but I wondered if you could give our attorney a call and see if he can do anything to speed up the process. I really love you Mom and I'm sorry for disappointing you. Dad would be so embarrassed." Scully starts to cry. "Whatever you do please try to keep Bill away from the tv and don't tell him that we're in jail." The answering machine beeps that the time is up. As she is about to hang up she hears a man's voice come on the line.
"Dana! Its Bill. What the hell is going on out there?"
"Bill, what are you doing at Mom's?", asks Scully.
"Tara and I are here. We are waiting for Mom to get home and we're all going out to dinner. Should I remind you that you would have been better off coming along with us tonight? Where the heck are you?"
"I'm in Las Vegas", says Scully sniffling.
"You're where?"
"I'm in Las....."
"I heard you the first time. God Dana that loser isn't with you is he?"
"What loser?", asks Scully defensively.
"Oh come on Dana! You know who I mean, that Fox Mulder guy. He is the reason that you're there in the first place. That sad sorry son of b****h got you into this whole mess didn't he? Wait until I get my hands on that arrogant pretty boy!"
"Bill, we were on a case in California and we just took a little side trip to see the sites. Its not Mulder's fault. We got robbed and the bureau overreacted because the card was missing. They apparently think we spent a lot of federal money. We'll straighten it out I promise."
"Its still on your record Dana. It will be a permanent marker on your identity. God Dana, Las Vegas....why in the world of all places would you want to go there for, and with Mulder? You could have come home and we could of had a barbecue in the backyard. Agent Mulder could have gone on an alien hunt by himself. Why would you do this to your family Dana?"
"I did nothing wrong Bill", says Scully. "I'm thirty-six years old if you remember. You can't treat me like a child anymore. You aren't my Dad."
"Dana, you sound like a defensive teenager caught with a guy that your parents have forbid you to see. Whats up with all of this? Oh my God, no! I've got it figured out. The arrest isn't the only permanent marker of this trip is it? You've gone and done it! You've married the jerk haven't you?"
"No, we didn't get married.....yet", says Scully.
"Dana, I'm glad you're in jail. At least it prevents you from making the biggest mistake of your life. How can you even think of marrying him? He's possessed with a mission that doesn't concern you. Its his first priority in life and you'll always be somewhere on the back burner. Frankly Dana I hate his guts."
Scully clenches the phone and bites her tongue as her brother vents his anger with her. Finally she can't take it anymore. "Bill, tell Mom I'm fine and I hope you choke on your dinner because I'm the only one in the family that knows the hymlic. Lastly, no one and I mean no one has the right to call Mulder a jerk but me. Understand!" She slams the phone down and turns around to face Mulder who has been standing there the whole time.
Part 56
"Scully you think I'm a jerk?", asks Mulder sadly. "I don't blame you for feeling that way. I think I'm a jerk too." He stares down at his handcuffs.
"Oh Mulder, you're taking that ll out of context", says Scully taking his hands in her own. "I was talking to Bill and he can get out of hand. You know how it is, I was defending you."
"It would be easier for you if your family could accept me, but thats not going to happen is it?", he swallows. "Bill always said that you were my biggest defender and I was one sorry son of a b****h. Maybe he was right. Here I had tried to make up for our Bigfoot fiasco with a little side trip. I wanted to prove to you that yes, Fox Mulder could be a caring and even a romantic kind of guy, but did things turn out the way I had hoped they would? No. I caused you grief again." He pulls away from her and sits in a chair. He bends over and places his head in his hands. "I'm just bad news Scully. A normal life isn't in the cards for me. I think maybe we should reconsider this engagement thing. Its not what we really want. We're two lonely people looking for some stability to our lives and I don't know about you, but I can't provide that. I can't guarantee that some night that you are sitting at home waiting for me that I'm not lying dead somewhere. My life involves taking chances and no matter how much a perfect life looks appealing to me, my life's path has been set for me by others that have an agenda."
Scully blinks back tears as she kneels before him. "Mulder, don't do this", she begs. "Can you honestly say that you don't love me? Isn't that worth something to you?"
"Sometimes love isn't enough", replies Mulder looking up and seeing her stricken face. "Some choices are made to protect others, and thats what I'm doing. I've told you before to get as far away from me as you can. Go be a doctor while you still can."
"Mulder, I am still a doctor whether or not I'm with you", says Scully. "I choose to be with you because I want to. Not because I have to or am forced to, but because I need to. I need to be near you, please don't shut me out. You can't protect me by pushing me away. You're only punishing yourself further, because in the end I will die emotionally from your callous attitude towards our friendship, our relationship."
She places her own handcuffed hands on his knees. "We can work this out Mulder. If we quit, they win. How can you let them win?"
"To save you. I'm sorry Scully", says Mulder blinking back his own tears. "It doesn't matter anyhow. Our FBI careers are mud once we get back to DC.
"Mulder, to hell with the FBI. Do you honestly think that I care more about what Kersh and the others think than I do about you? The FBI is just a job. Mulder, you are my life."
"I'm not going to see you die Scully for any hollow cause of mine. Whether or not I'm in the FBI, I've been designated as a player in this war game and I'm not gong to see you become a casualty."
A guard approaches and clears his throat. "Come on Starbuck. Spooky has his own house to haunt down on cell block five. I'm taking you over to the ladies' wing." He takes her by the elbow and pulls her to her feet. Scully is led to the door and she takes one final look at Mulder who has his head in his hands again.
"Mulder, please don't throw away the last seven years. I love you!"
Mulder sobs as Scully is led away through the door. Another guard passes them leaving. He approaches Mulder and pulls him roughly to his feet.
"Crying for mama won't help boy", sneers the guard.
"My mother is dead and she probably would leave me here to rot anyway", says Mulder. "I didn't get my one phone call."
"Be quick about it", says the guard shoving Mulder towards the phone. Mulder picks up the receiver, placing it to his ear he pauses before he punches in a phone number. He waits for an answer as it rings.
Part 57
"Lone Gunmen", answers Byers.
"Its Mulder, I'm in the slammer."
"We heard', says Byers turning to look at the tv behind him. "Hows Scully holding up?"
"She's as well as can be expected I guess", says Mulder pinching the bridge of his nose. "They've separated us."
"So whats the word? You coming home soon or what?", asks Byers.
"I don't know. They aren't telling us anything. I don't even know if they have set bail for us or not. I doubt thats going to happen though. My guess is that we'll be back in DC on Monday or Tuesday. So, I need you to be ready to post bail for me. Don't worry about the money. I can arrange that. I just need you to be the outsider."
"What about Scully? Should we post bail for her too?", asks Byers.
"Call Mrs. Scully and see if she is prepared to post it. If she's not, then I'll give you access to more money. I would prefer if they wouldn't depend on me though if it can be helped", says Mulder turning around and leaning against the concrete wall. He notices the guard tapping his foot. "I can't talk much longer. Call my bank and inform them of the situation. Have them contact me here and I should know more by then."
"No problem Mulder, but I have one question", says Byers slightly confused.
"What?"
"Why wouldn't you want your future mother-in-law to be depending on you? She obviously is going to need support through this thing both emotionally and financially."
"Because things have changed', says Mulder quietly.
"What do you mean things have changed?", Byers turns as the door opens and Frohike and Langley enter carrying Macy's bags. He motions them over and then presses the speaker phone button.
"What was that?", asks Mulder suspiciously. "Is this a secure line?"
"Yeah, I just put you on the speaker phone. I'm doing some work and need my hands free", says Byers shrugging to his friends. "You didn't answer my question Mulder. Whats this new big change involving you and Scully?"
Frohike tilts his head and gives Byers a frown.
"I decided that the engagement is off. Its not the best thing for us. I can't let her be a target anymore. If the rest of the syndicate think that we are romantically involved she'll never be safe. I can't allow that......I won't let anything happen to her. I would rather see her happy away from me than receiving an immediate death sentence as a result of our marriage."
"Are you really sure this is what you want?", asks Byers slapping his forehead.
"What I want doesn't matter. Survival is what counts."
"Scully must be devastated. How did you tell her?", asks Byers. He turns to a fuming Frohike.
"I told her after we got fingerprinted. I heard her on the phone talking to Bill. She had to defend me again to him. Thats when I decided that it was best that we didn't continue this any further. Scully's family has suffered enough because of me. They don't need a constant reminder for the rest of their lives. I'll admit it, she took it badly. It broke my heart to be saying such things to her, but I had to make it look realistic. She thinks that the last seven years have meant nothing to me."
"While you no good &^%@&", yells Frohike approaching the speaker phone. "You had no right to make Dana feel that way. Here she has been supportive of you every minute of those seven years. She has never left your side and has saved your life countless times, lied for you and risked her life for you and this is how you repay her. You throw her love back in her face and use your conspiracy as an excuse.? You are a weak, gutless and pathetic worm! You don't deserve Dana and if I wasn't so sure I'd lose, I'd kick your a**!"
"You're right", says Mulder. "You are absolutely 100% right."
The Lone Gunmen look at each other and look back to the speaker phone as they hear a click. Mulder has hung up.
Part 58
Scully has been escorted to a cell. She is relieved of her handcuffs and the door slams shut behind her. She turns to watch the guard saunter down the cellblock swinging his keys around his finger. She sighs and turns to assess the situation. and is surprised to see a fat woman sitting on a lower bunk bed.
"Welcome to the clinker honey", she smiles. "My name is Marge."
"You've got to be kidding?", asks Scully reminiscing when Mulder had warned her about getting their stories straight regarding that vampire. He had said that she was as deep into the situation as he was and that her cellmate's name would be Large Marge. She wasn't about to test the nickname out anytime soon.
"What are you in for honey?"
"Alleged credit card theft", says Scully. "But I didn't do it. I work for the government and my fiancé....my partner forgot to cancel it. Unfortunately, our superiors don't believe us when we say that we didn't charge those things."
"Whats your name?", asks Marge shifting her weight on the bunk.
"Dana", replies Scully looking around and noticing a small barred window for the first time. She drags a chair over to it and climbs up. She peers out the window and is disappointed to see an empty courtyard. A couple of wooden picnic tables line the area with a couple of basketball hoops. She wonders if Mulder has had a chance to notice the hoops. Maybe he'll get to shoot a few before they leave. She turns away and climbs down.
"What are you in for Marge?", asks Scully sitting down on the chair.
"Oh, I hit my husband in the head with a frying pan. He deserved it though. Was cheating on me with my next-door neighbor. I should of suspected though. She was always coming over offering to help me do stuff. Then she would come over and ask me if I could send my husband over to fix something for her. Little did I know what he was really fixing if you get my drift." Scully presses her lips together and nods politely. "Well it didn't turn out too good because I hit him a little harder than I anticipated. He fell down dead and now I'm in here awaiting my trial for second degree murder. Couldn't make my bail as all my kin are poor as church mice. So, here is where I sit and bide my time." She turns and picks up a romance novel and opens it. "I don't know why I bother reading these trash books. Men never act like this in real life do they? They never come to the rescue when you are at death's door and defeat the villain?" She turns back to her book.
Scully swallows and thinks to herself about all of the times that Mulder had done just that. One near miss and she wouldn't be there alive today. She closes her eyes as she remembers nearly being beheaded by those townspeople. The sheriff in the headhunter costume had just been raising his machete when Mulder shot him. The look that Mulder had given her when he had freed her was heartstopping. He always did that. He got sentimental and protective when he finally realized how much danger she had really been in.
"So what do you do for the government? Let me guess, IRS?", says Marge turning the page of her book.
"No, I'm an FBI agent", says Scully coming back to reality.
"Really? That must be so exciting! You chase bad guys and go on secret cases and stuff?"
"Something like that", says Scully attempting to smile. "I work in a special division. Theres only two of us and we have been fortunate in that we can be selective of the cases that we choose. Most cases find us, we don't find them."
"I don't understand. Tell me about it", says Marge.
"My partner and I we investigate paranormal phenomena."
"You mean like ghosts and monsters and stuff?", asks Marge amazed.
"Well, yeah", says Scully averting her eyes. "We study cases that have been unlovable due to unexplained circumstances. In order to learn as much as we can we usually go on field assignment. Although, often once we investigate into the case we find we can't come up with any concrete conclusion on our own. There have actually only been a handful of cases that we have been able to somewhat agree on a answer to. Which is pretty amazing since I've only worked on the X-Files for seven years now."
"X-Files? It sounds like porno or something", says Marge.
"If you told my partner that he would probably be flattered", smiles Scully.
"You ever been to Area 51? Thats here in Nevada", says Marge.
"Yes, we've been there once, but the funny thing is I can't remember much of what happened there. One minute I was standing next to my partner and then it goes fuzzy. The next I'm reaching for his arm and telling him to get in the car. Some men stopped us so we didn't learn anything. You see my partner is a big believer of EBE's so thats why we went out there to investigate."
"EBE's?"
"Extraterrestrial biological entities", says Scully rolling her eyes. "Aliens. We look for aliens. Boy, this sounds really cheesy doesn't it?"
"No, it sounds like a kick, but I can't believe the government pays you to go chasing after little green men! No wonder there are only two of you assigned to this division."
"Well, according to my partner they're gray and not green and yes there is only two of us. There is always only two assigned. At different times we have been reassigned or separated, but our superiors eventually bring us back as we seem to do well together on this work."
"Was it just my imagination or did you first call your partner your fiancé?", asks Marge. "I mean I don't want to be nosy or anything, but if you are going to be my cellmate I want to know whats going on in the background."
Scully tears up. "I'm not ready to talk about it with anyone right now. We had decided to give protocol a kick in the rear and go for it. We admitted to each other that we have loved each other for most of if not for the entire time that we have been partnered together for. Now he has taken it back and wants to protect me from all of the baggage he comes with. He has a lot of inner struggles that he deals with on a continuous basis. I feel I can handle that, but there are others out there seeking revenge on us for the work that we do. I want to risk it and show the world how we feel . Mulder doesn't' feel that way. He can run off to Antarctica, or Puerto Rico on a whim and I have to juggle everything else while he troops to the ends of the earth. Oh by the way I'm also a forensic pathologist."
"You cut up dead people?", asks Marge making a face.
"You get used to it", says Scully. "My partner calls it 'slicing and dicing'."
"Is he in jail here too?"
"Yeah, I guess he must be in the mens' wing."
"You miss him don't you?", asks Marge
"Yeah, I do", says Scully looking down at the floor.
"One of the guards, Ricky comes in at 6:00 p.m.. He is a decent guy and if you tell him your circumstance he will deliver a note to him for you. He won't even read it."
"I don't know if Mulder would even read it", replies Scully sadly. "He is pretty anti-Scully right now."
"Mulder? Scully?", asks Marge confused.
"We call each other by our last names. Most agents do", explains Scully.
"You even call each other by your last names offduty?", asks Marge.
"Well yeah", says Scully. "It would sound odd for him to call me Dana all the time and he would never want me to call him by his. I already tried that once a long time ago and he quickly corrected me."
"Why, whats so bad about his first name? What is ?", asks Marge.
"Ah, its Fox", says Scully.
"Fox? Thats a cool name and he doesn't want to use it? Ladies would really dig it if he did", says Marge.
"Well maybe its better if he doesn't", says Scully quickly.
"Why don't you write that note and Ricky will give it to .......Mulder or Fox when he comes in", says Marge handing her a pad of paper and a pen.
"I guess its worth a shot", replies Scully taking it. She takes them and pauses a minute before she writes a short note.