Seattle General Hospital
Basement Morgue Laboratory.
18thDecember 2004 7.05 PM
Always her least favourite part of the autopsy Scully blew the air up her face to move that last annoying strand of hair that insisted on tickling her cheek as she sewed the Y-Incision closed. Pulling the wire tightly, she made sure it was sealed and even before knotting the thick blue twine and cutting it off. Considering the body would be clothed for the burial or cremation she often wondered why she took such care with the sewing. Care to make sure it was tidy, clean and sealed. With a wry smile she ran her gloved hand over the stitches, searching one last time for imperfections before placing the paper garb over it and wheeling it back into the morgue storage. As she removed her gloves and facemask and tossed them into the trash, her phone rang loudly in her coat pocket that had been draped over a chair by the door. Not recognising the number on the ID she answered it cautiously.
"Hello?"
"Dana, It's David. I'm calling from the precinct."
"How is it going?"
"Nothing. The tapes are useless."
The static on the phone swirled between them for a moment and Scully felt a pang of guilt at her earlier outburst, but knew to speak of it would be to make an issue of it.
"How did the autopsy go?" he asked into the silence.
"It will be tomorrow before the blood work gets back but I see no signs of drug abuse, no pin pricks from injections, no bruising or muscle tearing that would indicate that he had been tied up or forced."
"Any sexual trauma?"
"There was some scratches on the inside of his thigh but I would be hard pushed to say it was due to rape, or for that matter consensual intercourse."
"The first body was found to have marks and bruising that would indicate rape, but the autopsy didn't go any further into it save for mild external examination."
"With minimal external evidence I made no further examination either."
"I see. Oh I think our presence here is being felt more than we realise."
"What do you mean?" She was untying the surgical scrubs from behind her with one hand but her hand froze at his words, a mental image of Det Williams watching her before he got into his car flashed before her. "It seems that Detective Williams isn't too fond of the FBI. Especially me."
"Oh?" Afraid to move she listened carefully to his next words.
"I wouldn't worry about it, he'll learn to live with it. So are you done? Do you need me to pick you up yet?"
"I eh, I have some paperwork to do first. I'll just get a cab back to the motel."
"No Dana, let me pick you up," David pleaded.
"I have tons of reports to fill in and I'm going to be here for a while. I'll give you a shout when I get back."
"Okay. Call me if you change your mind."
She was smiling as she put her phone back into her coat and turned towards the changing rooms. The shower she took was warm but offered little comfort as she battled with her mind to regain control of her thoughts. The brown goatee that seemed out of place, the dull grey eyes that used to shine bright green under the light of the slide projector and the strong broad shoulders that still stood tall if a little stiffer.
Wringing her hair out she turned off the water and stepped out; wrapping her towel around her body she padded softly out to the changing room and sat heavily onto the bench. Sitting still watching the steam curl off her body, she shivered uncontrollably almost enjoying the sensation of goose bumps rising up her arms and shoulders. But as a shiver danced across her back she stood and dressed quickly.
The room plunged into darkness as she hit the light switch with the palm of her hand and she paused a moment in the silence, her heart bouncing in her chest. She gritted her teeth and fixed her coat lapels before walking through the lab, to the reception to call a cab. The med student on night shift smiled warmly at her, happy for the company as Scully waited for her lift.
After only a few moments of stilted conversation the bright lights of the taxi shone through the windows accompanied by a loud bang of his horn. Scully pulled her coat closed and hunched her shoulder before pushing past the large double doors. The entrance to the hospital was lined with a floral garden and several benches. She spied her taxi waiting by the curb; the engine running and she hurried her pace in the light snowfall, with anticipation of the heat that awaited her in the car. But as she glanced up to check the distance left she spotted a figure sitting on one of the benches. It turned towards her at the sound of her perfunctory footfall but she tore her eyes away fixing them on her target, the door handle to the back of the taxi.
One gloved hand reached out to take the handle but she turned back to the figure only to see him standing, his arms hanging loosely by his sides and his eyes boring into her. He visibly shivered before her and she wasn't sure if it was because of her or the cold. Her heart stopped as he closed the distance between them with three agonizingly slow steps, his grey eyes steady his hands shaking.
"Scully..." her name was but a whisper almost stolen by the wind but she grasped it tightly, holding onto it for dear life. Her eyes watched his mouth curl around her name, his goatee making his bottom lip seem even fuller than she remembered. Slowly her eyes travelled over his face until finally their eyes met, blue crashing against grey, confusion and hurt hammering between both of them. "Scully." He said her name again, this time louder.
She forced a deep stinging breath past her lips and into her lungs filling them wide and slow, all the while willing the threatening tears into the pit of her stomach. She stepped back from the barrage of emotions he was giving to her all of a sudden realising her heart hadn't stopped and it was beating faster and louder than ever before.
"Dammit Scully...say something." Her face was pale and thin, more so then he remembered but then it had been four years, he chastised himself silently.
"Mulder."
His name her voice; it was all he could do not to break out in joyous tears, having longed to hear her utter his name. But nothing he imagined could have prepared him for the husky whisper she emitted.
The snow was forgotten swirling between them, sprinkling their hair and shoulders with delicate flakes. But as he moved his hand, lifting it up to touch her cheek a loud horn from the taxi made them both jump, startling her out of the daze and she stepped back closer to the car. "Hey lady you want a lift or not?" Her eyes darted to the driver then back to Mulders unfamiliar face, confusion claiming sanctuary across her worried features.
"Come with me," he whispered but she shook her head in short sharp shakes.
"No...no I have to..."
"Scully." He reached his hand out to her his palm open and facing the sky, hoping she'd take his invitation, but she stared at it blankly. "We have to talk."
"I'll meet you at the hotel Mulder." He nodded silently, retrieving his hand, placing it into his pocket.
"The Sleepy Hallow right?"
"Yeah. Room twenty four."
She bustled herself into the cab sinking into the warm air, wanting to watch him fade away as the driver took off, but forcing her eyes to stare straight. He stood still as the cab left, watching its lights long after they had disappeared.
"Lovers quarrel?" the driver asked with an exuberance Scully could have lived without.
"He's not my lover. He's not even my friend."
Taking her tone as hint enough the driver concentrated on driving through the snow, wishing suddenly that he had taken the direct route instead of the scenic expensive way. Her head spun with a million thoughts of a million outcomes. She'd imagined what would happen if she met him again but now with the confrontation looming closer, her mind seemed to have given up on how to handle it. For so long she looked and for so long she failed only to have him walk back into her life like this. Her anger grew as she thought of how he would have known she was arriving but she had no idea, no preparation. For a moment she contemplated calling Frohike to see what background he could find out on Frank Williams but she decided against it, wanting to hear Det Frank Williams story first. With a scoff, she pushed aside her growing tears and focused on the linear patterns the sleet made on her window. Her hand fumbled for her phone and she dialled AD Skinners number before cancelling the call and shoving the mobile back into her pocket. Anger again rising in her throat as she tried without success to ignore the concern and delight she could feel bubbling in her stomach. The lights on the motel suddenly came into view and all reservations she had about remaining calm were thrown out the window.
She paid the driver and walked past the reception towards her room, shuffling her keys to get the right one ready. Looking up her breath was stolen at the sight of him leaning lazily against her door, his hands fiddling with his tie. He looked up as she approached a crooked half smile playing on his lips, testing her attention. He stepped aside for her to open the door but her hands froze making her drop the keys. He watched patiently as she swiftly bent to retrieve them then tried again. When she dropped them the second time his hand came out to stop her from reaching them.
"Here let me." He was standing directly behind her and his voice; a mere whisper, kissed her ears. She seemed to flinch at his touch so he released her and grabbed the keys from the ground. He reached around her, not bothering to move his feet, enjoying the closeness of her body as he slotted the key into its hole and turned the lock. The door opened a fraction as he took his hand back letting it rest on her elbow. She pushed it open further and walked quickly in, wanting to be rid of his body heat and intoxicating essence. She busied herself removing her coat and hanging it into the wardrobe when she heard the door closing and sensed rather than saw him standing by it, watching her intensely. Taking a deep breath she forced her heart to steady as she turned to face him. He stood tall, his hands still hanging limply by his sides. She noticed his hair was black, suspiciously black, almost matching the colour of his goatee. His eyes, grey instead of the green she remembered so vividly, but the wide jaw, the unmistakable nose, the small mole on his right cheek bone were all there.
"It is me." He seemed to wait as she scanned him with her eyes, noting the long study of his hair colour and the slight frown at his eyes. "They are lenses I had made. Finally got rid of the glasses."
"And the colour." Her voice had more bite than she intended but she wasn't sorry. "What are you doing here Mulder?"
"Working."
"Detective Frank Williams?"
"I had to do something." He looked away for the first time, pulling his over coat off roughly and piling it onto a chair beside the door. She noticed he was shivering and his shirt was damp.
"How long were you waiting out side the hospital?"
"Since I saw you walk in." His voice was beginning to shake now; the adrenaline from seeing her was wearing off and the effects of the cold wet snow was finally getting through to his senses.
"Mulder you're freezing."
"Funny thing about snow..." he stammered through chattering teeth.
She pulled the blanket off the bed and went to drape it over his shoulders. He didn't move as she reached over him, making her stretch to her fullest reach.
"Why?" With her hands on his shoulders holding the cotton blanket tightly around him her voice travelled up to him with ease, holding out her heart to him, showing him her vulnerability in all its glory.
"I had too." He whispered, looking down to her, wanting to smile but holding it all back. "I had to leave."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say goodbye?" Her heart was slowly being reeled back in and he watched achingly as she started to hide it from him, replacing it with a stoic expression, her grip on the blanket loosening. He covered her hands with his own, keeping them in place, trapping her.
"Because it hurt too much...because I knew you'd never let me go...because I never wanted to look in your eyes and see the hurt I see now."
Her lips trembled under the emotion he was dragging through her heart and body and he released her hands pulling the blanket around them both. She buried her head in his chest, his smell unforgotten and completely overwhelming as she took deep shaky breaths, inhaling what she could, believing he'd disappear as soon as she looked away.
He absorbed her sobs, stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other, he dared to reach out his lips and tentatively touch her forehead with a gentle kiss. They stayed like that swaying slowly to the music neither could hear until finally she managed to free herself from his grip and stepped back. Rubbing her face with her fingers she tried in vein to get rid of her tears only to have more fall in their place.
"What are you going to do?" he asked softly.
"Do? What do you mean?"
"I mean are you going to tell them who I am?"
For a moment she just looked at him blankly not understanding what he was saying, but slowly her bewilderment was replaced by anger.
"Is that why you came here? Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
"No Scully that's not why I came here."
"Well if it's your secret you want kept safe don't worry about it, Det Williams. I won't tell a soul." She yelled at him stepping back even further and resting her hands on her hips.
"Scully...let me explain...it's been a long time-." He stared to talk but she cut him off with a small wave of her hand.
"Yes it has. But you left of your own choice. I looked for you Mulder, you knew I would, but do you know what I found?" She walked past him to the door and held it open. "Nothing Mulder. I found nothing. You know I may have stopped ringing hospitals and getting photos of any John Doe's but I never stopped looking...I. Never. Stopped. Looking."
"I'm here Scully, it's me!" he walked over to her and shut the door, ignoring her silent plea for him to leave.
"Is it Mulder?" Her voice was shaking with her last ounce of strength backing away from him as he stepped closer forcing her against the wall.
"Trust me Scully." His words were spoken softly but shot through her painfully and she suddenly found the power to fight back.
"I did Mulder. I did trust you but you threw my trust away. You don't get to have it back."
"Scully..."
"Leave."
"But Scully let me-."
"Just Leave."
The anger in her voice forced him back a step and he turned to put one hand on the door handle. Twisting the knob he pulled it open a little, his eyes still on her shaking form. With a lingering glance he grabbed his coat from the chair and dropped the blanket in its place. Walking out of the room he closed the door softly in his wake. She stood behind it, reaching out to turn the bolt when there was a loud knock form the other side. Looking through the spy hole she saw Mulder standing there looking at the door expectantly. As she opened it and stepped back he walked in pulling the door from her hand and slamming it shut behind him.
"Mulder..." She stepped back.
"Wait."
He followed her in, grasping her arms a little more forcefully than he had intended and dragged her against him. He held her in place for a moment looking down at her confused face without moving, his hand reaching up to caress her features. Her eyes closed under the gentle stroke and she shivered beneath his fingers. He slowly bent down to her, his breath racing across her skin making her shiver until finally his lips brushed hers. With a stifled moan he kissed her harder, exploring the moistness of her mouth, until he felt her whimpering beneath him unable to stem the tide of passion that welled unbidden between them. Slowly his kiss faded and eventually he pulled away, gazing down at her intently as her breath came in short sharp spurts.
"I always promised that if I ever saw you again I'd finally get up the courage to do that." His voice was raspy and spoken through swollen kissed lips but she didn't mind. It was all too sudden when his fingers released their grip on her arms and he stepped back his own breath heavy and laboured. "Goodnight Scully." His hand reached up and cupped her chin as his thumb brushed her red parted lips before he turned and left the room.
She stood transfixed to the spot, watching the door almost hoping he'd return, but knowing he wouldn't. The phone rang loudly shaking her from her trance.
"Hello?" she said breathlessly her hand clutching the cuff of her blouse.
"Dana, it's David."
"Oh hi...David."
"I just got a call from Det Shane. They found another body."
"Okay. I'll be ready in five minutes."
She put the phone down and hurried into the bathroom to wash some freshness into her face. Changing her blouse quickly she rushed out to the car where David was waiting a grim smile on his face. As they pulled out of the motel car park she spied the black car across the street, the unmistakeable figure within it watching her. She tore her eyes away and focused back on David's words as he told her about the body that had been found.
Pike Place Market
18th December 2004 8.36 PM
Red blue flashing lights tainted the beautiful park side in a way Scully had witnessed too often. She stepped under the umbrella with David and approached the small crowd gathered by the large ornate fountain. Her head was swimming with all the sensations she'd struggled through in the past hour but with some effort she managed to push them down and pull her usual façade in place.
"Can you believe this sleet?" David said, keeping up the idle chatter he'd started in the car to little or no reaction from Scully. "So much for getting away from the weather in DC."
"Yeah." He glanced down at her but held back his thoughts as Det. Shane turned to them. "Male victim, ID unknown at this point. We're running prints." Shane stepped aside and showed them the body. All the air rushed out of Scully's lungs as her eyes fell upon the headless naked body that lay on the fountains edge. Lying in an open body bag she couldn't help her curiosity that propelled her closer for an examination. From behind her David held out a latex glove with a grim smile.
"I'll leave the honours to you."
"Thanks." She slipped it on before touching the body finding it cold even through the light material of the glove. In the centre of his chest was a small plate nailed vertically along his sternum with a six-inch nail at the top and bottom of the plate. "It's another bible quote."
"What does it say?"
"'He that believith and is baptised shall be saved; he that believith not shall be damned'."
"Mark 16:16," Shane said grimly.
"More bible quotes...more religious connotations." David stood away from the body his hands resting on his hips in plain frustration.
"From the look of this neck it seems the head was taken clean off in one go. The wound was cauterised...maybe to stop bleeding."
"I have some guys going over the surrounding area, if there is anything to find they'll find it." As if on a cue an officer suddenly yelled out to them.
"Shane...Shane, we got something over here."
They all turned to the voice and started to rush over to where a young officer was waving at them. He pointed at the small line of trees beside them and at first nothing could be seen until David switched on his flashlight.
"Oh my god!"
Speared on a five-foot high metal pole was the victim's head, the mouth closed but from the corner of the lips a dark brown substance seeped out; the eyes were open and gaping at them.
"The head..."
"I'm going to need that head in the morgue for examination as soon as possible." Scully seemed to have switched something on inside of her that activated the macabre routine she was normally used to. "Nobody touches it. Get it wrapped and ready to go."
"And the body Agent Scully?"
"Yes the body too."
"Who found the body?" David asked reaching for his notebook as Scully took his flashlight to examine the head closer.
"Students from the university were setting up a table for a demonstration that's being held here tomorrow."
"Have they been questioned?"
"I hardly think-"
"Have they been questioned?" David asked again.
"Yes. They are at the precinct right now."
"Where is Det Williams?" he asked glancing at Scully, who turned to Det Shane to hear his answer only to see him watching her with a careful gaze.
"He's on his way."
"I'm going to travel with the corpse." Scully moved away from the head and tore her gloves off as she walked back to the body and helped to pack it for the quick journey to the hospital.
"How is eh, Agent Scully?" Shane asked David as they watched her walk away.
"Agent Scully is fine. Why do you ask?" David said knowing a leading question when he heard one.
"She seems a little on edge...has she said anything to you?"
"About what?"
"About...anything?" Shane wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his eye catching the gruesome sight of the head pierced by the metal pole.
"I'm not sure I know what you were talking about. If you are concerned about Agent Scullys ability to work on this case-"
"No it's not that at all. Forget I mentioned it." Before Shane could dig a deeper hole he nodded his head and walked away.
From his parked car, Mulder could see Scully barking orders on how to pack the body and preserve evidence and it brought a lonely smile to his face. Her movements were small and measured, not an ounce of energy wasted as if she had practiced the night before. He hadn't forgotten how small she was, coming up to only his shoulder but he had failed to remember how big her presence was when in full FBI mode. Nothing was stopping her from getting the body packed up as soon as possible and getting it to the morgue. He contemplated pre-empting her journey and going straight to the morgue but his heart lurched at the thought of being face to face with her again. He grabbed his phone from the seat beside him and called Shane's cell number.
"Gary, I'm going to go straight to the precinct."
"Alright, Frank." Mulder could see him searching Scully out of the crowd. "Have you spoken to Agent Scully?"
"Briefly." Shane seemed to whisper into the phone as if Scully could hear him but Mulder could see they were too far apart. He had explained to Det Shane that he had worked with Scully before and it ended badly as a way of explaining the bad reaction he was sure he'd receive from her. "I think it's going to be okay."
"Good. Good. She's taking the body to the morgue and McLane is hanging around here for a while before going to the precinct."
"Okay, I'll go back and talk to those kids. Is the area being canvassed?"
"As we speak."
"Talk to you later then Gary."
Seattle General Hospital
Basement Morgue Laboratory
18th December 2004 9.15PM
Scully reached around to the back of her hair and tied it up before pulling the surgical top over her head. She couldn't believe she was back in the morgue with a different body. It lay before her the head sitting a foot away from the neck in a disturbingly fascinating way. She pulled the small table with her tools closer and hit the record button on the tape player.
"Special Agent Dana Scully performing autopsy on John Doe ID number IQ2 272MH. Black male approximate age...mid thirties. Victim has been decapitated with possibly a sword or long thin blade. No blood at the scene or on the victim although clothes had been removed and the body was found floating in water." She leaned in closer to the chest to examine the plate. Leaning behind her she grabbed a large silver tool that looked like needle nose pliers. "Body looks to be dead for under 24 hours. Submerged in water for at least 10 of those hours. There is a metal plate...looks like plated tin...nailed to the sternum. The top nail is embedded at the broadest part of the sternum, the manubrium, by the clavicular notch. The plate is six and a half inches in length but only four inches wide." She measured it with a tape that she quickly returned to the table behind her. Reaching the point of the pliers under the rim at the top of the plate she held it tightly and pulled it up trying to loosen the nails. After some struggle she managed to pry it free and pulled it until the nail was revealed fully.
"The nail was embedded to its head with a now dried blood flow from the wound suggesting the victim was alive for the nail insertion." Scully suppressed the shiver she could feel building up at the base of her spine and moved to the other nail. Pulling it free she held the plate up to the light and saw that it was the back of a car licence plate.
"The second nail, also embedded to its head, is possibly at the facet for the third costal cartilage. I will expect to find extensive damage to this bone on opening. This plate...appears to be a coated licence plate, possibly coated in silver to make the engraving easier. Partial... SVG...can't read any more. Run the ID through Washington state registered cars."
Looking down at the body with the two holes in the chest she noticed a lack of other injuries. No abrasions on the wrist or ankles to suggest he was tied, no bruising on the body after a beating and without a tox screen she couldn't be sure if he had been drugged or not. The head had been cut off, probably after the plate had been nailed to his chest and ultimately killed him but she couldn't find any evidence of a struggle. "A willing victim?" she said aloud letting her words help her thoughts form theories. "A willing participant."
Her phone rang loudly in her pocket and she walked over to get it, her eyes still on the severed head.
"Scully."
"Agent Scully, it's Gary Shane here. I think I have something here you might like to see. I can't seem to get hold of Agent McLane."
"What have you got?"
"The bodies ID. It's Reverend Thomas Jefferson. He runs a small Baptist church on Mercer Island, holding weekly baptisms in Lake Washington. The Church of The Holy Gospel."
"The other victims, were they religious men?"
"Jared Wilks was a Pro-Life Activist, arrested on more than one occasion for disturbing the peace." Scully could hear him shuffling papers as he searched for the information she asked for. "The victim from this morning is still unidentified. His prints have been run but no results. Rev. Jefferson was on our books after rioting breaking out in ninety-four beside his church. He was arrested for his involvement in instigating it."
"But we have no record of the victim that was crucified?" She glanced over at the body her frown deepening.
"No ma'am."
"Did you say you couldn't get hold of Agent McLane?" she asked his words finally sinking in.
"Yes ma'am. I thought he might be there with you."
"No, I presumed he was at the precinct." "No ma'am. He might be gone out with Frank. He's gone to the church of the Holy Gospel to speak with the congregants."
Scully rolled her head around her neck to release the tension she could feel building but her only release was a small sigh.
"Okay. I'll see if I can find anything here. Thank you for the information Det Shane."
Scully slowly made her way back to the body, her feet tired and heavy and her head swan diving into oblivion. She put on fresh gloves and returned to the body. Carefully picking up the head she placed it into the scales and recorded it's weight.
"The head weighs six...six point three pounds. The wound has been cauterised possibly with a hot blade. The epiglottis has been blocked off with wet leaves." She turned the head up to look up the open neck. "And the mouth filled with a red viscous substance... unknown...it smells sweet...it smells like..." She leaned in closer to smell the dark brown sticky liquid. "It smells like vanilla."
A/N Didnt I promise you another chapter today? After this chapter there are another 4...