CONDUIT (1x04)
"Darlene Morris? My name is Special Agent Fox Mulder. I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. My partner and I are investigating Ruby's disappearance. We'll be arriving in Sioux City tomorrow, and we were hoping we could stop by your house and ask you a couple of questions about Ruby."
She had talked to a lot of law enforcement officers in her life, but this was the first time she didn't have to beg for their attention. It was a new experience having someone actually want to hear what she had to say. At first, she thought it was a prank call. A man from the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Interested in her? Fox?
Darlene was used to law enforcement dismissing her outright, and now the same was happening on her daughter's behalf. The only difference was instead of "a vivid imagination," Ruby was being labeled "a troubled young girl." Active imagination, rebellious teenager, it seems like the town has an endless amount of labels to use instead of the word "victim."
Even as she sat at the kitchen table and talked, she waited for the proverbial shoe to drop. She felt the familiar dread settle in the pit of her stomach as she anticipated the moment when she said too much and the kindness in this man's eyes turned to judgment.
She was sure that moment had come when Agent Mulder mentioned her name was affiliated with UFO sightings. Her body tensed as she waited for the conversation to pivot into blaming her for Ruby's disappearance. The Sheriff sure had been doing that lately, insinuating that she was a bad mother and Ruby ran away to get away from her. She thought Agent Mulder would take it a step further and throw her past in her face, saying she was using her daughter's disappearance as evidence for her own alien abduction story.
But that moment didn't come. In fact, when she pressed him on it, he was the one who looked admonished. She realized there was something different about Agent Mulder, an empathy she'd never experienced.
Agent Scully was polite enough, at least she wasn't laughing in her face like others did. But every time her partner mentioned Darlene's story, she saw Agent Scully grimace. If she wasn't so attuned to the skepticism of others, it probably would've gone unnoticed. It was the same look her own mother gave her whenever she tried to tell her story. Darlene had learned young that it was never the fault of the skeptic for not being open-minded, but the fault of the believer for having conviction.
When Agent Mulder first brought up her past, she saw his partner bristle, much like her mother did when she spoke out of turn: fear that her child was putting herself in a position to be laughed at, embarrassed to be the crazy girl's mother. She didn't think Agent Scully wasn't as cruel as her mother was, but she could tell she didn't share her partner's viewpoint.
When Darlene pushed back against the look in Agent Scully's eyes, the woman didn't get defensive like most. She didn't insult her or insinuate she was deserving of criticism. She just said she didn't know what to make of it, but that she wanted Ruby to be returned safely. Even while Agent Mulder was in the other room, Agent Scully was kind enough to ask questions and try to learn more about Ruby outside of the reputation that was bestowed on her. Even if she didn't believe it was them, she still cared enough to want Ruby safe and she was willing to treat her partner's view with respect.
Darlene Morris felt a kinship with the young man. There was something about his curiosity that she felt a connection to. It wasn't that they wanted something so evil to exist, but if it did, it shouldn't be brushed aside. Instead of judgment, he had empathetic eyes that made her want to trust him, made her feel like she could tell him everything and be understood.
It just felt like… he wanted to believe.