Title: What He Knew
Author: Gillian Leigh
Summary: What if Skinner had been abducted instead of Mulder? What would it mean for the X-Files and for Mulder and Scully themselves? Why would he have been abducted in the first place? Post-Requiem.
Disclaimer: They're not mine. If they were, would I be writing this?!
X-Files Office
Half-eaten sandwich in hand, Scully entered the office to see Mulder sitting behind the desk, angrily flicking pencils at the ceiling. Chancing a glance upward, she found that the ceiling tile was dangerously overloaded, and pencils loomed menacingly, threatening to fall with every passing second.
"Thanks for getting me lunch, Scully," he said, not even looking at her. She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself not to yell at him.
"Well you seemed to be so full of yourself during your little spat with Kersh that I didn't see how you could possibly have any room at all for lunch," she replied, coldly. Two can play at this game, Agent Mulder. He removed his feet from the surface of the desk to look at her. His gaze was cold, but hers was even colder.
"I didn't see you jumping to my defense up there, you know," he said, rising from his chair to stand before her. He was in her personal space, but she didn't back up. He wasn't going to intimidate her today.
"Not that I could get a word in edgewise," she hissed, crossing her arms. "And you seemed to be doing a pretty good job of pissing Kersh off all by yourself. You didn't need my help."
"Damn it, Scully! Kersh is trying to get rid of me, don't you see it? He wants me off the X-Files, because then he has more of a chance of shutting us down!" he yelled, causing her to flinch.
"No Mulder," she began quietly. "For once in your career, I think that there is no ulterior motive here. Kersh didn't tell you that you couldn't continue working. He said that when you got to the point --if you got to the point-- where you were unable to continue working anymore because of your declining health, that Doggett would take over and assist me. And I didn't see him trying to replace me, so I think that we're safe, that the X-Files are safe."
"But you're not going to be able to stick around much longer," he said, the anger fading from his voice. "It's going to be too dangerous for you to be in the field pretty soon, and Kersh is going to assign some green agent to replace you too. We'll both be out for an indefinite period of time, and with two unskilled agents working the cases, he can shut us down for good."
"That is true," she said, reaching out to touch his arm. "But if Doggett gets in the office now, and we start training him tomorrow, he would be more qualified than not to take over the unit while we're gone. And even if I'm not allowed in the field in the months before my maternity leave starts, I can either work out of the office or go to Quantico and continue to consult on cases. I don't think that Kersh is pushing us out the door here Mulder. I truly think that he's looking out for the interests of the division, and those of the Bureau, and our own interests too. His ass is on the line too. He needs to find Skinner, and you and I are two of the best agents he's got to try and do it. He already knows that you might be out of commission soon, and he's going to find out within the next week that he's losing me to maternity leave too, but he wants to hang onto us as long as possible to have the best chance he can of finding Skinner." His expression softened, and he took a step back, out of her personal space.
"I'm sorry I about how I acted," he said, avoiding her eyes. She took his hand in hers.
"It's alright, Mulder. I know how you feel. I felt threatened in much the same way when I was sick. But I made it, and you will too," Scully said, squeezing his hand.
"I'm a mess, Scully, and I'm worried that I won't be here for you and the baby down the road," he said, rubbing his forehead. "The day that you told me about your pregnancy, I made it my goal to be a good father, and provider, and to make sure that you were both taken care of... The thought that I might not live to see my child is killing me inside..." Scully's eyes pooled with tears.
"Mulder...you can't think like that..." she said. "You'll live to see this baby be born. And you'll live to see him grow up, graduate high school, then college, and get married. You'll live to see him, because after all of the things that we've been through, this is something that we deserve. That you deserve..." Mulder wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him. "And it's about time something went our way," she added in a whisper, burying her head in his chest.
Neither saw Skinner's assistant standing in the doorway. Kimberley bit her lip and ducked back out of sight to give the two a moment of peace. After an adequate amount of time, she rapped on the doorframe, and cleared her throat. The two agents were no longer locked in an embrace, but they were still standing close to one another. At the sound of her sharp knock they stepped apart and turned toward the door. Scully's expression registered mild shock at the sight of Kimberley standing in the doorway.
"Kim? Can we help you?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Biting her lip, Kim stepped into the room warily, trying hard not to show them both how anxious she was. "Have you heard anything more about the Assistant Director?" she asked, quietly. Mulder studied her peculiarly. She had never approached them before, what was going on now?
"No, we haven't," Scully replied. "Are you alright? You look a little pale..."
"Come sit down," Mulder said, offering her a chair. She accepted the chair and sank into it gradually.
"What's wrong?" Scully asked, growing more concerned as she watched Kimberley more closely.
"I just-- I don't feel well," Kimberley replied, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear.
"It's more than that, isn't it?" Mulder questioned gently. "You're not just worried about Skinner as your boss..." Kimberley was silently damning his Oxford education in psychology and the fact that he could read her like a book. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell them. They wouldn't threaten her job, not when they were so worried about keeping their own.
"You're right," she said, after a moment. "Walter and I have been involved for quite some time now... almost a year. We didn't tell anyone outside of our own families, because it would get the two of us fired. You know the FBI's feelings about fraternization in the workplace..." Mulder and Scully glanced at one another and almost laughed. "But he's been missing for so long now, and I'm scared that he might not come back..." She was fighting her tears. "You have to promise me that you'll find him," she looked somberly at both of them. "And I promise that I'll do anything I can to help."
Both Scully and Mulder were surprised that they had not picked up on the relationship earlier, but then again, no one had picked up on theirs when it had actually started. Most of the employees of the FBI believed that they knew the story of Mulder and Scully's romantic relationship long before they ever had one.
"Give me a call whenever you need someone to talk to, Kim... my number's in the book," Scully said as Kim rose to her feet and walked to the door.
"Thank you..." she took a step and paused, turning back. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" Both agents shook their heads simultaneously.
"We won't breathe a word," Mulder said, offering the woman a smile. She returned a feeble one before heading off down the hall. "Skinner and Kim?" he said, once she was out of earshot. "Who knew?" Scully smiled, and headed over to the filing cabinet to pull a file she'd been wondering about that concerned Skinner's mysterious illness the previous year. Mulder walked over and sank into his chair.
The comfortable silence they'd settled into barely lasted a minute before there was a knock at the door, and a man in a jumpsuit holding a clipboard looked at the two of them.
"I've got a desk here for an Agent Doggett, is he here?" he asked. The name patch sewn on his jumpsuit read "Jeremy".
"No he's not, but I can sign for it," Scully said, stepping forward.
He nodded to her, and handed her the clipboard, saying, "Thank you, ma'am. Now where would you like us to put it?"
Mulder wanted to say, 'You can put it back on the truck and take it the hell out of here', but instead he said, "Just over there." He pointed to his left. The movers nodded, and both agents stepped out of the way as the three movers set to work. Mulder noticed that Scully was wearing a scowl, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I've been down here for seven years and I haven't gotten so much as a nameplate, but the minute that Doggett moves in Kersh gives him a damn oak desk," she exclaimed bitterly.
Mulder smiled and bent down to whisper in her ear. "We'll just have to go upstairs and 'do it' on his desk as payback." The three movers looked at the two agents strangely when they burst into peals of laughter.