COOPER: Diane…it's approximately 5:45 on the afternoon of March fourteenth. Im sitting in the conference room at the Twin Peaks sheriff's station and not, as I should be, on an A319 Airbus en route to Philadelphia. (Pause) What started as a somber day of reflection on the life of one of Twin Peaks' elder statesman—a man turned so wholly evil that he was barely recognizable in the end—has taken a surprisingly strange and dark turn. (Pause) Although at the time I'm recording this for you—and most certainly by the time you hear it—you'll probably already know the details, it still behooves me to tell you that I've been suspended, indefinitely, and without pay, for my actions surrounding the rescue of Audrey Horne from her kidnappers last week. (Pause) I knew I would likely have to pay the piper for my unexcused jaunt into Canada without their government's permission, but the rest of it is a mystery to me. Murder, drug charges…(Knock at the door; Cooper pauses a beat before continuing) I will have to postpone my return, Diane, until the legal issues in which I've become ensnared are sorted out. I trust you'll take care of the necessary arrangements…

"Misfeasance?" Sheriff Truman questioned. "That's a stretch…"

Cooper steepled his fingers on the table top. "Not exactly," he said. "I did engage in unlawful actions, as soon as I stepped across the border."

"But you did it because Audrey was in trouble," Deputy Andy replied.

"You had an obligation to her, as a lawman," offered Hawk.

"A personal obligation, or a moral one, perhaps," Cooper frowned. "But the wrongful exercise of lawful authority is the very definition of the term misfeasance. This is all to say nothing of the murder and drug charges…"

"It's hogwash!" Truman pounded a fist on the table.

Cooper tried to calm his friend down. "Harry, I'm a firm believer that those who have done nothing wrong have nothing to fear. I will answer the charge of misfeasance, for which I must, and I will fight the others with a clear conscience and a defence of innocence."

Lucy, who stood in the doorway, suddenly hitched a sob and walked over to Cooper, throwing her arms around his neck in an emotional outburst that surprised the assembled deputies into stunned silence. Cooper, himself, was overcome; he lifted a hand and patted Lucy's shoulder in comfort before smiling.

"Gentlemen, Lucy…I have a fishing trip to finish packing for. And then I must figure out my living arrangement for the next little while. I don't know how long I'll be staying, but if it isn't too much trouble, Harry—"

"You're staying at the Great Northern," Truman said, his voice firm. "On the sheriff's department's dime."

Cooper was stunned. "But I—"

"Lucy took care of everything as soon as we heard," the sheriff said. "It's a done deal, Coop."

Agent Cooper smiled, warmly. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," Truman nodded.

Cooper set his mouth in a line and nodded, curtly, before pushing himself up to stand at the head of the table. Reflexively, he swivelled his hips to avoid clanking his gun and badge on the underside of the table as he stood, but when he felt his belt and holster, he remembered that he had no gun, and had no badge. Like a war veteran with phantom limb pain, Cooper knew he was going to have trouble getting used to the idea of being without those things that not only made him a law enforcement official but which contributed to his entire sense of self.

But he forced a smile and excused himself, walking as stoically as possible out of the room, into wholly uncharted territory, while his heart hammered in his rib cage…

TRUMAN: This is the statement of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, taken on Wednesday March the fifteenth. It is approximately 4:45 in the morning. Agent Cooper, what happened tonight at Pearl Lakes?

COOPER: I scarcely know where to begin.

TRUMAN: Where were you with Major Briggs this evening?

COOPER: The Major had invited me to go night fishing with him, an invitation I initially accepted with heaviness owing to what I thought would be my hastening departure from town—a kind of farewell to this beautiful place, I thought—but which given my current circumstances became somewhat of a diversion.

TRUMAN: Your current situation being...?

COOPER: My suspension from the Federal Bureau of Investigations pending the outcome of an investigation into charges of misfeasance, drug trafficking, and murder. (Pause) Baseless charges, and ones which I am prepared to defend myself against to the fullest extent of my ability.

TRUMAN: What time did you leave for Pearl Lakes?

COOPER: Nightfall.

TRUMAN: What happened there?

COOPER: We were unsuccessful in our attempt at catching any fish, save for a small lake trout that Major Briggs hauled up about an hour after our arrival. We returned to our campsite to eat our meagre catch, to warm up and then to bed down for the night. Together we enjoyed a philosophical discussion, about death and life and the mysteries of this earth. As you're familiar with the recent developments in the Palmer case, you'll understand why these questions were on the forefront of our minds.

TRUMAN: But for the record...?

COOPER: Certainly. (Pause) In our pursuit of Laura Palmer's and, later, Madeleine Ferguson's killer, we discovered that elements of the supernatural seem to have left their mark, that there were perhaps otherworldly forces at play. With Leland Palmer's death three days ago, that supernatural force that existed within him has become something of a mystery. It was questions of this nature that we discussed: where did the evil spirit go? What was the fate of the people of this town now that it was let loose from the bonds of its corporeal prison? Was it even a prison to begin with and did Leland's death release it, or was Leland the conduit for evil-doings sought out by the spirit? Our conversation meandered from that point. Major Briggs was quite clear in his assessment of the entire situation. He told me—and I'm paraphrasing here—but he said it was some men's fate to face darkness, and that our choice of reaction determines the outcome. If I'm to understand that correctly, it might be extrapolated that Major Briggs believes that fear begets fear, and it's not an entirely unreasonable assumption. (Pause) We spoke of the White Lodge, a place the existence of which the Major was quite certain. He seemed eager to continue our discussion, and I was eager to hear more, especially of this White Lodge, but we had been drinking coffee for quite some time and I felt the need to…relieve myself, at which point I left the comfort of our campsite for the relative stillness of the trees. (Pause) I heard an owl, and the Major calling my name, as if in warning. There was a bright light. I ran towards it. When I reached the campsite, I couldn't see the Major anymore. He had simply vanished.

TRUMAN: Vanished?

COOPER: To the best of my recollection, yes. Vanished.

TRUMAN: Do you have any idea where he might have gone?

COOPER: Sheriff, if I could answer those questions I don't think we'd be sitting here right now…but if I had to hazard a guess, I would have to say there was more to this than meets the eye…

(Tape recorder clicks; silence)

**A/N: Wow! Three chapters in a little over 24 hours! You guys are lucky :P I'm doing this because I'm heading out on vacation (my plane leaves for Mexico in about six hours!) so I might not be as diligent in updating as I'd like to be. But stay tuned, and I'll try my best to get as much out there as I can! Cheers ~ Lynzee**