Detective Patterson pulled out a photo and handed it to an officer. "All right, I want that man's face made famous!I want him put up on every building, telephone pole, post office, anything that a picture can be put up on! And get that photo to the press as well!" He then turned to Mulder. "Agent Mulder, I trust you'll take care of America's Most Wanted?"
Mulder nodded. "Yeah, sure. I would say that kidnapping a federal agent warrants this schmuck on FBI's Most Wanted and a cameo with John Walsh." He glanced over at Ethan who sat hunched on the steps of the restaurant. He sat there staring at the tiny box in his hand as he shook. Mulder sighed as he stepped over to him. "Mr. Minette?"
"What?" Ethan asked in a monotone voice.
"I just wanted to see how you were feeling?" Mulder asked.
Ethan lifted his head and looked at Mulder. "And just HOW do you think I'm feeling right now, Agent Mulder?Hmmmm? Some madman has kidnapped my girlfriend and possible future wife! A madman that sends his victims eyes as a present before he butchers them! And not only that but I just found out that this bastard also has pictures of Dana everywhere in his room including shots of her nude and in her bra and underwear! MY Dana is some fucking lunatic's wallpaper and fantasy! And what's worse is that this fucking bastard was in her class every day! He was right under our noses and we didn't even know it!"
"Mr. Minette, I know how upset you are about this. And you have every right to be."
"Well, I'm so fucking glad that you approve of my reasons, Agent Mulder!" Ethan replied sarcastically.
"Mr. Minette I need you to control your hostility as much as you can."
Ethan tilted his head at Mulder. "Oh, really and just what would be the reason for that? This guy deserves the worst punishment imaginable! He should be gutted slowly! He should be skinned alive! He…" Ethan rose from his seat. "Never mind. I can't expect you assholes to find him anyway now can I?"
At this point, Mulder reached over and grabbed Ethan by the collar.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Ethan yelled. "Let go of me!"
"Now you listen to me, Mr. Minette." Mulder answered coldly as he pushed Ethan against a wall. "I understand how upset you are and that's why I'm going to try and look beyond how you are talking to me. It's true that Ryan Sedrick is a despicable man for what he has done. I should know as I've dealt with monsters like him in the past. Yes, I called him a monster, Mr. Minette because that is what he is. I had to get into the minds of people like Ryan Sedrick every day when I worked in Violent Crimes. And it wasn't like I could just go home and forget about it either. Men like him were in my mind twenty-four hours a day and some of them still are to this day. Can you imagine that Mr. Minette? Having a man like Ryan Sedrick in your mind for all that time? And all because you want to find out just why some man likes to tie up women to beds and cut them or why a man chooses to strangle his female victims with a pantyhose instead of an extension cord?"
"I lost someone close to me dammit!" Ethan yelled back.
"And you think I don't know anything about that?" Mulder answered back. He shook his head. "You think I don't understand what you are going through, Mr. Minette? I also lost someone close to me. I lost my sister when I was only twelve years old. She was taken away right in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it. I had to tell my parents when they got home that she was gone. Do you have any idea what that is like, Mr. Minette? To have a family basically fall apart because of something they blame you for? My sister is still missing, Mr. Minette and I have to live with that EVERY day. So, don't try and pretend that you are only person who has lost someone! Now, you can either get rid of this hostility and help us find Agent Scully. Or you can stand here and fight with me while that Sedrick has all the time in world to kill her. If you don't want the next headline of your news to be Serial Killer claims next victim Special Agent Dana Scully or something similar to that then I advise you to cooperate and get yourself together. Are we clear?"
Ethan nodded. "All…all right. Just let go of me, please?"
Mulder felt his anger lessen and loosened his grip on Ethan. "Good. I'm glad we have an understanding. Now, when you're ready to talk please join me with the other officers, thank you." He then stormed off leaving Ethan alone.
As Ethan stood fixing his collar, he could tell that he had obviously hit a nerve with Agent Mulder. He wasn't quite sure if the story about his sister disappearing was true but based on Mulder's emotions he was pretty sure there was some truth to it. He slowly made his way back to where Detective Patterson was standing. "Detective Patterson."
"Mr. Minette." Patterson answered as he put his cell away. "We're doing what we can right now to track down Ryan Sedrick. So far, no one matching his description has been spotted in the area. But don't worry; we are plastering his picture on every communicable access possible. We'll find him."
Ethan glanced over at Mulder who was standing in a corner. "Detective Patterson, I wondered if you might answer me a question in regards to Fox Mulder."
"If I can, sure."
"Well, is it true that his sister disappeared years ago?"
"As a matter of fact it is. I've personally known Fox since he was at the FBI Academy with my son." Patterson pointed toward Mulder. "That man over there has been through a lot in his life. Some say the reason he went to Violent Crimes for a time was so that he could try and prevent others from losing someone close to them. Maybe in a way he is trying to understand about what happened to his sister through it? To be honest I'm quite amazed that he is still here and that he didn't put a bullet in his brain."
"Yes, well Agent Mulder did appear to be slightly….eccentric when I first met him."
"His behavior may appear slightly unusual but I assure you Mr. Minette you couldn't have a better man on this case than Fox Mulder." Patterson replied. "With Fox Mulder on this case I know we will catch him. He was a great inspiration to my son."
"Can I ask just why he was taken off Violent Crimes if he is such a good profiler? I mean…I would think that a man with a reputation like that would want to be kept in that position?"
"Actually he made that choice himself, Mr. Minette. No one really knows that particular reason for sure there is just speculation. But…perhaps he had seen enough into the minds of serial killers and his brain just couldn't handle it anymore. The only person who can really tell you the answer to that question is Fox Mulder himself."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Could you excuse me a moment?" Ethan started to step away from Patterson.
"Oh and Mr. Minette, don't forget that he is doing this case off assignment to his current section. He wasn't forced into this. That should tell you something."
Ethan nodded. "That's why I need to go take care of something." He then made his way toward Mulder who was talking with another officer. He truly felt terrible now about the way he had acted toward him just moments before. And he knew he had to set things right. "Agent Mulder?"
Mulder turned to Ethan. "Have we finally become rational, Mr. Minette?"
Ethan nodded. "And I wanted to take this time to apologize for my behavior back there. It was completely uncalled for and unprofessional. I let my emotions get the better of me and am truly sorry. I'm…I'm just concerned about Dana that's all."
"Apology accepted, Mr. Minette. And I apologize myself for my grabbing you and slamming you against the wall. I was just trying to bring you back to reality. The last thing I would want to see happen is have you fall apart on this when we need you." Mulder put his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "So, are you ready to find Agent Scully?"
"Yes, I am."
"Good, then let's have a pow wow, shall we?" Mulder looked toward Patterson. "Detective Patterson can I have you and your men gather over here please?" He then looked at Ethan. "And this is where your information will come in handy, Mr. Minette."
Patterson walked over as drops of rain began to fall. "Actually, Agent Mulder I think it would be better if we met back at someplace more…private don't you? And perhaps dry?"
"Good point. I don't care to go swimming in mud myself." Mulder answered. "Why don't we head back to a meeting room at your precinct?"
Patterson chuckled. "Already ahead of you. See you back at the station." He motioned to the other officers. "Let's go people! Back to the station!"
Mulder turned back to Ethan and grinned. "Don't worry, Mr. Minette just follow me. I promise you I won't be a lead foot."
Scully slowly opened her eyes and shifted. She could feel her head pounding and reached her hand up to touch her forehead. The entire room was still spinning in her mind as she slowly sat up in what appeared to be a bed. As her eyes focused she could see a dresser at the end of the room with a jewelry box. On the other side was a mannequin with a wedding gown on it. She carefully climbed out of the bed and tried to keep her balance as she walked toward the side of the room. She walked to the dresser where she could see a manipulated picture consisting of herself and Ryan. She blinked disbelievingly at the picture before turning to the mannequin. Walking over to the mannequin, she took her hand and started to run it down the wedding gown. "What…what is this?" She whispered.
"Glad to see you're finally awake." Came a voice from the far side of the room. "Do you like it?"
Scully turned toward the voice and could barely make out a shape due to her blurred vision. But she knew exactly who it was without seeing him. "Ryan…why have you brought me here?"
"Isn't it obvious, Dana?" Ryan asked as he started to walk across the room. "I brought you here because this is your new home, now."
"My…"
"I told you how much I desired you, Dana but you wouldn't believe me. Instead you chose to just…push me aside for that….that other newsboy boyfriend of yours." He walked over to her and grabbed her hair, pulling her toward his face. "And you see what you resorted me to?You made me have to give you that box, Dana. I didn't want to but you forced me. Do you have any idea what it felt like for me to have to do that? It really hurt me more than you will ever know." He paused and let go of her hair. "But you can make it so that I don't have to kill you, Dana."
"What….what do you mean?"
"I believe that you are different from the others, Dana." Ryan replied as he slowly ran a finger across her cheek. "That you were meant to save me from this…dark side that has possessed me. You…are my angel, Dana."
Scully pulled away from his touch. "I am no one's angel!"
Ryan stepped away from her and over to the mannequin. "Oh yes you are, Dana." He ran his fingers over the bridal gown. "You see, I've been searching for the right woman all this time. The one who would set me free from darkness. I tried to seek that with the others but….they just weren't worthy. They died because they failed the test." He turned back toward Scully. "But you put all of them to shame. I've been searching for her all this time and now I've found her. Little did I realize that fate would bring my bride to me here in Washington."
Scully then realized what Ryan's intentions were. "If you think I'm going to marry you in some public ceremony you're crazy!"
Ryan chuckled. "Public ceremony? Oh no, I have absolutely no intentions of marrying you that way. I have our own little private ceremony planned."
"And what makes you think that I will marry you?"
"Oh you will." Ryan stepped back toward her as he pulled out a knife. "Because if you don't, I will go and kill your boyfriend, Ethan Minette." He placed the knife to Scully's throat. "I'll take this knife and cut down him slowly. And while I watch the blood drain from his body, I'll take some hooks and pull back his skin while he screams for mercy."
"No! You bastard!" Scully reached up her hand and knocked the knife out of Ryan's hand. She then tried to run from him but found the whole room spinning again which send her slowly collapsing to the ground on her knees.
Ryan laughed as he reached down and picked up his knife. "Ah, ah, ah careful now, Dana. You have had a little too much to drink now and wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
"You drugged me." She whispered as she tried to catch her breath.
"You didn't really think I would let an FBI Agent just wander around her and risk getting my ass kicked, did you?" He got down on the floor next to her and once again placed the knife to her throat. "I had to keep the lioness at bay that is…until I broke her spirit. Do you know what it's like to see a person's spirit broken, Dana? It is truly a wonderful thing to see. Your fiery spirit is part of the reason I chose you. The others had spirit too but none such as yours."
"When they find me they will kill you." Scully answered in a determined voice. "Killing a federal officer is more punishable then doing the same to a civilian."
"Kill you? You really think I intend upon killing my angel?"
"Stop…stop calling me that."
"You are making me lose my patience Dana and that is a dangerous thing. You saw what happened to Laurie, didn't you? I know you saw her body since you autopsied it. She had the nerve to try and defy me can you believe that?"
Scully was drugged but that didn't mean that her rationality was completely gone. She remembered the classes at Quantico dealing with hostage situations. Ryan was most dangerous when he was angry so she had to try and subdue him. "Why…why did you kill those women, Ryan? What did they ever do to you?"
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Ryan asked angrily as he pressed the knife to Scully's skin.
Scully swallowed and winced as she felt the knife close to her. "I….I just want to know. There must be a reason. You…you seem like such a nice guy, Ryan. Why…why would you do such a terrible thing to those women?"
"You really want to know?"
"Yes. I…I do."
Ryan took the knife away from Scully's throat. "All right, I'll tell you why." He threw his hand holding the knife out angrily. "Because those fucking bitches didn't want me, that's why! They all acted so hoighty toighty with their fancy suits, expensive hair dos and manicures! Sitting so high and mighty in their fucking Mercedes Benz or Ferrari! I try and be nice to them but do you think they would even give me the fucking time of day? No!" He paused. "Let me ask you something, do you think I'm ugly?"
"No, I…I think you are a nice looking young man."
"That's right! I had lots of shit going for me! I even planned to be an FBI Agent! Did I drive a fancy sports car? No, I didn't. But just because you don't drive a sports car doesn't mean you are a total loser, right!"
"No. I…I don't think so."
"Then why do the guys with all the money get the chicks? Huh? Take a woman out to a café and she treats you like shit. But hey some guy takes her to the Ritz and she is ALL OVER him. But you know all about that, don't you Dana?"
"I don't know what you…"
"Oh don't be all coy with me! You know damn well who the fuck I'm talking about! That cock monkey from the press! Just why are you so gaga over him huh? Because he has a smancy job and has a nice car? Because he takes you to fancy restaurants and the theatre? You think that's what makes him special? Well, you know what, it isn't! Because regardless of WHERE you go, in the end he ends up taking you back somewhere and fucking you! So it doesn't matter if you go with a guy to some fancy Italian restaurant or McDonald's, the end is just the same isn't it? You end up having an orgasm sprawled in the sheets with sweaty hair."
"Things between Ethan and I aren't like that."
"Oh really? Then what about that night in front of your fireplace hmmm? A little wine and then a fuck for good measure? You seemed to like it when he flipped you over and took you from behind, didn't you? Do you like that, Dana?"
Scully swallowed. There was no possible way that Ryan could have known about that….unless. "You…you were spying on me?"
"Call it a weakness." Ryan replied back with a smile. He wrapped his arm around Scully's neck and whispered into her ear. "But you see I can do the same thing for you, Dana. I can fuck you just as good if not better. Anything you ask of me, I will do. I will be a much better husband to you then that prick ever could. I'll make it so that you will never think of another man again." He flicked his tongue around her ear.
"Ryan, I…I know you are a good person. I saw that so many times in class. You have…such intelligence and a bright future ahead of you. You can get that back….if you just let me go. I…I can talk to Ethan and he can arrange…"
At these words Ryan grabbed Scully's hair roughly. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Don't think I didn't see what you were trying to do! If you think you can sweet talk me into thinking what I'm doing is not moral and shit then you are fucking wrong! Now, get dressed in that wedding gown or I will take that trip to see your boyfriend and make him the next front page headline!" He placed the knife to Scully's jugular. "And don't think that I won't do it! And don't underestimate my ability to kill you either! Push me over the edge and you will see just WHAT I am capable of!" He took the knife away from Scully's throat and pushed her away roughly. "Now prepare for our wedding!" He then walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Scully slowly rose from the floor and walked over to the mannequin. She fingered the veil. "Ethan. Please…please find me." She whispered.
Note: A special thank-you to those of you who have been reading this fic. Your continued reviews are GREATLY appreciated!
