Disclaimer: No Infringement bla bla bla. I only wish I was making money off this.
A/N: Originally I was going to wrap this with Chapter 10 … so I went to Maggie's…this little coffee shop/diner/hole in the wall down the street from my house and starting pounding the keys. After an hour I decided that what I was writing was too predictable and too much like the episode … so I deleted the whole file and started over. This was the result. I hope you like the results and that you are reeled back into the storyline.
Chapter 10
"Ugh! I hate this case!" Scully grumbled as she walked determinedly to Nester's rental car. She squinted and shielded her eyes as she exited the extended-stay hotel where the Jacksons were in protective custody. She glanced back at the building with a disgusted expression on her face. "I'm about sick of the 'I don't know anything' cop out."
"You want to get some lunch?" Nester asked as he rounded the vehicle. Scully was right about their trip to talk to the Jacksons. They were less than forthcoming. So much for the gratitude of protective custody, he grumbled silently to himself.
"What?"
Nester smiled at her and then held his hand up, pretending to do sign language as he repeated the question. "I said... do you want to get some lunch?"
"I heard you! Is that all you do is eat?" Scully scowled at him. The man's stomach is a bottomless pit, she thought as she yanked the car door open.
"What's that supposed to mean? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."
"Nester!" Scully retorted sitting down on the seat. "What about those four cookies you just ate in the hotel?"
Nester pulled the car door open and climbed inside. "Excuse me! I'd hardly call eating four cookies a meal."
"Calorie wise it probably is a meal," Scully replied sarcastically. She buckled her seat belt and stared blankly through the windshield.
"Yeah, well, only women count calories," he replied smugly, looking over at her. "I'm a growing boy."
"Keep that up and you'll be growing, all right," she mumbled, staring straight ahead.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nester questioned her. When she didn't respond he turned the key in the ignition and slammed the car into reverse. "Geezus! I'm glad you aren't my regular partner! I'd be malnourished."
The two drove in silence for several minutes until Nester wheeled the car into the parking lot of a small diner named Maggie's. He parked the car and started to climb out of the vehicle, looking over to see what Scully's response was going to be. He found her staring blankly out of the window.
"Dana!" Nester called to her. She didn't respond. "I'm going to get some lunch. You can sit here and …..continue meditating if you want." He stared at her for another second as she sat in the seat next to him, lost in her own thoughts. When she didn't reply, he shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself," he mumbled under his breath and climbed out of the car.
The slamming of the car door jolted Scully from her reverie and she jumped at the sound of it. "Geezus," she mumbled under her breath. She craned her neck around to see where Nester had gone, embarrassed that she hadn't even realized he had parked the car. She caught sight of him just as he walked into the diner. Scully climbed out the car and hustled across the parking lot to catch up with him.
Nester spied her walking in the door and smirked to himself. "Not hungry, huh?" he mumbled under his breath. "Try the wraps," he said more loudly, drawing her attention. "They're healthy, and the veggies are really crunchy."
Mulder was standing in the kitchen enjoying an ice cold glass of water when his cell phone rang. "Mulder."
"Hey! We're down seven feet and I don't see any remains," Driscoll said from the front yard.
"Are you serious?" Mulder said pacing aimlessly across the room.
"Yeah, I'm serious," Driscoll replied.
"Maybe we need to dig deeper?"
"We? What's this we stuff? You're sitting inside your air conditioned house and I'm the one out here sweating my ass off."
"Don't be bitter," Mulder joked with Dris. "If I remember correctly, you volunteered for the job."
"Yeah, yeah … stop rubbing it in," Dris mumbled into the phone. "Wait, what? Oh, good. No complaints from me. Rob, we're out of here. We'll come back tomorrow and finish."
"What? You're leaving me?" Mulder remarked.
"Yeah, with no regrets I might add," Driscoll laughed. "Where's the other half?"
"Doing some research," Mulder replied. "Scully left about two hours ago."
"Okay, well, let's meet up down the street. I'll meet you in thirty minutes at the usual."
"What're you thinking about?" Nester said after the silence at the table was deafening. Scully hadn't said anything more than excuse me since she sat down.
"The case."
"What about it?"
She sat back in her chair and sighed. "About how disgusted I am with it. I'm sick of people lying to me about what is going on around the neighborhood. Sick of the phony socialite women that hang out at the clubhouse pretending the neighborhood is the American Dream, sick of having nothing to go on but Mulder's wild imagination, sick of …."
"Geezus, tell me how you really feel!" Nester interrupted.
Scully looked over at her partner and smirked. "Was I ranting?"
"Slightly," Nester said pushing his plate to the side. He pulled his case notes out of his pocket. "Okay," he mumbled skimming through the notes. "So basically we had more information when we left the Vesch's house than we do now. The Jacksons were completely useless, and I agree … the 'I don't know' defense is getting a little old."
"I was surprised that you didn't put the full court press on them for more information," Scully replied, taking the note book from Nester.
"I was trying to be nice," Nester replied. "Besides, what's the point? Three other cops have talked to them and the only person to get any information was Mulder when he talked to the kid."
"Yeah," Scully replied rolling her eyes. "Just what we needed … one overactive imagination feeding another."
"Now, now, now, girlfriend," Nester chided her. "The kid was spot on about the tunnels, the cavern, and the disappearances."
Scully pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. She leaned into the table and whispered caustically, "Don't forget he claims to have seen a monster eating his friend!"
"Your partner saw that same monster chase your neighbor across the front yard," Nester retorted. "Are you saying Mulder is making it up?"
Scully shrugged her shoulders and sat back against her chair. "No, I believe he saw something. I'm not convinced it was a monster, though." She sighed heavily.
"Okay ...You think we'll have more luck at the library?" Nester asked, changing the subject.
"The association records should all be listed as part of the public record," Scully replied quietly. She bit her lip and tilted her head in thought. "Have the neighbors ever seen you when you've been over?"
"Maybe. Why?"
"I was just thinking that if we come up empty handed at the library, you could go to the realtor's office and pretend to be a prospective buyer," Scully suggested.
Nester laughed at the thought of it, and the visual flashed through his mind. "Ha! Yeah, I could go there with my sister and pretend she's my wife!"
"Too bad Tracy isn't here," Scully blurted out. "She would probably be into playing house with you for a couple of weeks."
"Tracy?" Nester exclaimed thinking about Scully's remark. Tracy was his partner's sister and there was a mutual attraction between them, but it was nothing that either had acted on. Scully knows about that? he thought quickly. Holy shit! She doesn't miss much. "Why do you say that?"
"Oh don't act like there isn't an attraction there," Scully replied smugly.
"There is an attraction, but she's…. she's practically like my lil'sister!" Nester replied defensively. He turned the subject back on her. "Did you get that thing with Mulder worked out?"
"What thing?"
"Dana, don't be dumb!"
Scully shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "We haven't had a talk about it yet, if that's what you mean," she replied.
"Why not?"
"I haven't had the time."
"What? You're living together. How can you not have the time?"
Scully looked at him and shook her head. He was staring at her, and it was making her very uncomfortable. He had looked at the Jacksons the same way, and she wondered why he wasn't able to 'break' them into divulging something. "I'm not ready, I guess," she finally blurted out.
"Ready for what?" Nester questioned. "To admit you're completely whipped?"
"It's more complicated than that," Scully replied.
"How is it more complicated?" Nester said. He leaned into the table. "All you have to do is say …"
"It's not about love, Nester," Scully interrupted.
He sat back against his chair. "It's always about love."
"No, it's not. Sometimes love just isn't enough," Scully remarked quietly.
"Well, what more do you want? And don't you dare say 'something normal' because Aunt Betty would have to say something about that!" Nester retorted.
"I don't …."
"You don't what? Trust him? That's crap," Nester interrupted.
Scully bit her lip. "I don't know what it is," she sighed. "And until I figure it out, I can't talk to him about it."
"Maybe talking to him about it will help you figure it out," Nester replied. He stood up from the chair and looked down at her. "You never had problems talking to each other when you were just friends. Maybe you need to change the parameters of your relationship until you get things straight in your head. Don't string him along, Dana. You can't have your cake and eat it too." Nester turned and walked toward the door. Women! he thought to himself as he pushed open the door and headed toward the car.
Driscoll scanned the crowd, half listening to the conversation between Gervase and Bates, the two San Diego police officers working on the case that had met him at the Red Truck Grill. Mulder was an hour over-due, and considering the stares the neighborhood had given Driscoll when he had pulled away from Mulder's house, he was concerned for his friend's welfare. A wave of relief rolled over him as he caught sight of the yellow jeep pulling into the parking lot of the bar. Driscoll waved him over as soon as Mulder made his entrance.
"I was starting to worry about you," Dris said as Mulder approached. "I was about ready to call for reinforcements."
"Sticks and stones, my friend," Mulder chuckled and ordered a beer from the bartender. "Stares will never hurt me."
"You think," Bates said, adding his two cents worth. "There seemed to be a lot of activity at your neighbors house, Berlander's…"
"Gogolak's," Gervase piped in.
"Really?" Mulder questioned. "After my driveway encounter?" Mulder tilted his head in thought. Officers Gervase and Bates were undercover in the neighborhood all afternoon watching for any activity from the association board. Gervase was stationed down by Gogolak's house and Bates was working the street above Mulder's as a cable television repairman. "I don't remember seeing either one of them leave Shroeder's, did you Dris?"
"Ah, no …. I didn't see anything," Dris commented.
"Well, I didn't see them leave Shroeder's either. But, mysteriously, Gogolak came out of Berlander's garage, got into a car parked in the driveway and drove off," Bates stated matter-of-factly.
"So how did he get down there?" Dris asked absent-mindly.
Mulder cursed under his breath. "The friggen tunnels!" Son-of-a-bitches were right under our noses all afternoon! Mulder chided himself for not considering it earlier. He pursed his lips in frustration.
Driscoll noticed the frustration on his partner's face. "Crap! Don't beat yourself up over it, Mulder," Driscoll countered. "We all missed it." Driscoll took a swig of his beer and was quiet for a minute. "Gervase, you said there was activity at Gogolak's when he got back there?"
Gervase was mid-swallow on his beverage and nodded his head. He set his glass down on the bar. "Geez, I almost forget. Right after Gogolak got home this guy pulled up in his driveway and had a long conversation with Gogolak in his garage." Gervase fished a Polaroid photo out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Mulder. The man in the photo was Rick Sams, Mulder's neighbor and Scully's brother's co-worker.
"Hey, wasn't that the guy that wanted to play basketball with you this morning?" Dris asked as he peered at the photo.
"Yeah," Mulder guffawed as he stared at the photo. I knew that guy couldn't be trusted, he thought. "He works with Scully's brother at the Naval base."
"He's Navy?" Dris questioned. "He's a little heavy."
"Civilian," Mulder muttered. "He tried to befriend me last week."
"Did he tell you he worked with Scully's brother?" Bates questioned with a perplexed expression on his face.
Mulder shook his head. "No, Scully went to dinner with her brother last week and he told her that Sams lived right down the street," Mulder explained, handing the photo back to Gervase. "That was the same night Sams introduced himself and wanted to shoot hoops with me." Mulder laughed at the irony of it all. "He tried to warn me that using my portable hoop would be an association violation."
"Well, we don't know what he was doing there," Gervase offered. "He could've been there for some legitimate reason."
"There are no legitimate reasons in this community," Mulder remarked dryly. His cell phone rang before he could comment any further. He unclipped the phone from the holder on his jean pocket and stepped away from Dris and the officers to answer it. "Mulder."
"Mulder it's me," Scully said. "Nester and I are at the library and guess what we found out."
"That Rick Sams is on the association board?"
"Not exactly," Scully replied slowly. "How did you know that?"
"Gervase has him on film at Gogolak's house this afternoon. What'd you have on him?"
"He ran for the association board three times in the past three years. Each time he lost by just one or two votes to Big Mike, the Vesch's, and Paul Acton."
"Yeah, right … I bet he lost," Mulder chuckled. "Sounds like a case of the ole stuffing of the ballot box."
"Do you think we should go talk to him?"
"Ahhh, no," Mulder replied biting his lip. "I don't want to blow our cover just yet. We're too close."
"Do I get a say in this?"
"Sure, you always have a say, Scully."
"Really?" Scully quizzed him. "Then you're going to let me have my way?"
"Well, I don't know about that," Mulder replied, joking with her.
"Mulder this has gone on long enough! We need to bring him in, if not tonight, tomorrow," Scully said pleading her case. "Nester and the PD can pick him up tomorrow at the base. We need some straight answers about what the hell is going on over there and I think he's the guy to give it to us."
"Scully, I don't trust him," Mulder argued.
"Mulder this isn't about trust!" Scully interrupted. "It's about getting some damn answers. This time, I call the shots!" The call dropped before she could continue her tirade.
Man, is she getting bitchy! Mulder thought to himself as he clipped his phone back into its holder. He turned back to Driscoll and the officer's conversation.
"What'd she find out?" Dris asked nodding toward the phone.
"Nothing we didn't already know," Mulder said. "This thing is starting to smell like a rat."
"I agree," Dris nodded. "I'm getting that 'sick' feeling that something is going down. I don't think you two should be alone tonight at the house."
"That's going to be difficult," Mulder remarked. "A sleep-over might ward off any activity…"
"And that's exactly what we want," Officer Gervase blurted out. The four men nodded in unison. "What about surveillance from the neighbors?"
"Shroeder's on one side and there's an unfriendly old man on the other," Mulder remarked as his mind raced trying to find a solution.
"What about that house behind you?" Dris asked. "Didn't you say the residents were gone?"
"Yeah, they left town," Mulder replied. "Scully has the keys. We'll have to be careful about getting into position. It can't be anything obvious."
Gervase and Bates exchanged glances. "We could drop two undercover officers at the park and have them come up to your place through the tunnel." Gervase offered.
"Jobgen and I could run it tonight," Bates added. "I could set up shop at the neighbors and he could camp out in the tunnels."
"That would cover both bases. Are you good with that, Mulder?" Dris asked in a Senior Agent way. It wasn't really a question.
"Yeah, I'm good with that," Mulder nodded agreeing with Driscoll.
"Okay, let's call it a night then," Dris said. "We'll reconvene tomorrow morning at the PD."
"Scully, what'd'ya want for dinner?" Mulder yelled out to his partner as he ran down the stairs from the second level. He found Scully sitting in front of the fireplace, staring hypnotically into the flames. He walked up behind her and began to rub her shoulders. Her neck muscles were tight, and after a moment she sighed and relaxed into his touch.
"Hmmm, magic hands," she mumbled relaxing into his touch.
"I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve," Mulder replied quietly. He stopped rubbing her shoulders and walked around the couch to sit down next to her.
"Corny," Scully chuckled. "You use that line often?"
"Every chance I get," Mulder replied. "It works especially well at the grocery store."
"Please," Scully cringed rolling her eyes. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "Hmm, what time is it?"
"Eight thirty," Mulder said, looking at his watch. He leaned back against the pillow. "Are you hungry?"
There's that food thing again, Scully thought looking over at him.
'What's that look about?" Mulder asked as she stared him down.
"Why are you guys obsessed with food?" Scully asked as she stood up from the couch. She started to walk around the sofa, heading for the kitchen.
"You guys?" Mulder replied grabbing her hand. "What guys would those be?"
"Nester," Scully said looking down at him.
"You're lumping me in with Nester?" Mulder retorted. "Thanks a lot." He let go of her hand and stuck his lip out in a pout.
Scully ran her fingers through his hair and leaned over to place a kiss on his forehead. "If the shoe fits," she whispered quietly.
Mulder pulled back and locked eyes with her. He held her stare, sharing an unspoken communication. A knock at the door interrupted their thoughts. "Sounds like we have a visitor," Mulder said with a smirk on his face.
The only sounds from the darkened living room were the steady ticking of the clock on the mantel and the soft chirping of the menu screen from the DVD left playing in the machine. Mulder jerked awake and made a visual sweep of his surroundings. He tried to sit up, only to discover Scully asleep on his chest. He looked down at her soft red hair and ran his fingers through it absent-mindedly as he listened carefully to the sounds of the house. Mulder looked over at the clock and squinted to see the time. Two thirty a.m. Jobgen and Bates had been in position for over five hours.
Mulder reached over his head to pick up his cell phone from the end table. He flipped the phone open to check if he had missed a call from either of the pair. There was nothing on the screen. Mulder was silent for another moment. He didn't like the feel of the room. Something had awakened him, and it wasn't the TV or the clock on the mantle.
TBC