A/N: Jus watched the eppy One Breath & OMG when Skinner's talking about his experience in war, even though I've watched this eppy a brazilian times I teared up & literally wanted to hug my tv haha. Poor bastard. Well all I know is, in the future (Seasons 4-End) Jade is gonna be a comforter :D srsly what do people think of her? Constructive criticism is definitely welcome & praise even more so ;D
XOXOX
Jade was awoken that morning, not by her cats playful paws, but by the phone ringing. She growled & rolled over in the general direction of the phone, jolting awake as soon as she rolls too far & onto a sleeping Exley, resulting in a screech from both of them.
"Dammit!" She cursed & reached for the phone. "Whoever it is you better have a good reason for calling at..." She glances at the clock. "2:30am."
"Ooh so you're not a morning person." A male voice taunts.
"Dammit, Agent Mulder, 2:30 is not morning & you have one minute to explain before I hang up." She threatens.
"Remember the possible case I told you about yesterday? Well we're headed out today to West Virginia to solve it."
"When?" She murmurs tiredly.
"I'll pick you up after Scully, so about 7:30?" He offers.
"And you just had to call me This early?"
"No." He chuckles. "See you in a few hours, Rileigh." She grumbles & hangs up without bothering to reply before checking how Exley is & scratching her ears by way of an apology. She slips beneath the covers again & waits to fall asleep. And waits, & waits... She sighs angrily before pushing herself out of bed & storming to the sofa, flicking on the television & surfing for anything even slightly decent.
XOXOX
She stirs at the sound of someone banging at her door & glances at the clock through sleep laden eyes. 7:43am. SHIT!
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She yells & the knocking stops. She stumbles to the door & unlocks all 4 locks & flings it open to see Mulder & Scully stood there impatiently with their mouths wide open at the state she answered the door in. She looks down at herself & blushes, her underwear barely covered by a skimpy lacy forest green night gown. "I'm sorry, after you called I couldn't sleep & fell asleep on the sofa." She apologises. She ushers them in. "Make yourself comfortable while I get ready, I'll be 20 minutes." She tells them flicking the coffeepot to on & telling them to help themselves to coffee. She then rushes into her bedroom & gets ready at top speed dressing in a plain black skirt-suit with a white blouse & black shoes. She pulls her prepared overnight bag & takes it into the living room where she grabs a mug of coffee & feeds the cat. Once finished with her coffee she hastily brushes her teeth. When she exits she sees the two agents crowded around the picture of her & the teen girl with something akin to reverence.
"Who is this?" Mulder asks her, strained.
"That's me as a baby." She replies.
"Who's the girl?"
"Um... I'm not sure, I asked & asked for years until there was no-one left To ask." She tells him.
"Her name is Samantha." He states. "And she's my sister."
"Oh... Well maybe you knew me as a baby then." Jade says, nervously.
"I doubt it." He almost growls. Scully places a calm hand on his arm.
"When was the picture taken?" She asks calmly & almost for the first time towards Jade, friendly.
"I-I guess I'm about 2 there so... 1978?" She deduces.
"Do you remember seeing her since then?" Scully questions & it starts feeling more like an interrogation.
"No, I don't even remember that time. What is this about?" Mulder speaks up again.
"My sister, Samantha, disappeared without a trace from my house right in front of me when she was eight, I was twelve. I haven't stopped searching."
"How do you know its her in the picture? That girls about 13, that's 5 years difference." She hated to say it. "How do you know she's still alive?"
"I know my own sister. If that photo was taken in 1978 then its the right age for her." He ignores the last question & she let's it slide.
"Where was this taken?" Scully asks.
"I honestly don't know. I'm sorry."
"Is there anyone that does know?" Jade merely shakes her head & bites her lip.
"Fox, would you... I mean, do you want that photograph? I can always have a copy made..." She trails off.
"Are you sure?" Mulder asks, looking like a small boy again asking his mother for ice-cream. She nods & Scully smiles warmly at her for the first time. He begins to take it out of the frame, fumbling with the back clasps.
"Oh, don't worry about the frame. I personally always thought the two were perfect for eachother." She smiles. He looks on the verge of tears as he reaches out and touches her arm.
"Thank you." He says with a wobbly smile. "Thank you."
XOXOX
The three drive down the unnamed highway as the rain hits the windows with a soft continuous 'Tap Tap Tap'. They had briefly discussed the contents of the case & the magazine it originates from lays limp in the sleeping Rileigh's lap.
"Do you think she's innocent?" Scully whispers to her partner.
"I think so, yeah. She seems to be anyway." He answers in a whisper.
"What about what happened the other night? Don't you think she was trying to get close to gain your trust?"
"Nothing happened the other night. We were drunk... Well I was. For how small she is she can certainly hold her alcohol."
"But Mulder-"
"Scully that's it, she took me home & then she left."
"Whatever you say Mulder."
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Mulder & Rileigh stand beside eachother as they watch the Nelligan baby's tail swish from side to side. Mulder notes the sad but hopeful look on her face & stores it away for the future. Scully walks up to them & hangs up the phone, after a short conversation rife with quips she leads them to a medical room where they review medical charts for each of the babies where they determine that all 5 children have the same father & make their way to the only OBGYN's office in town. Mulder strolls off examining the place while Scully & Rileigh stay & try to calm down the couples. Everything is fairly calm until Mulder races down the halls chasing a balding chubby man. Rileigh steps in front of him & he slows slightly, enough for her to grab his shoulder when he tries to pass. He continues struggling & she takes him to the floor easily. That's when Mulder kneels down & pulls his pants down slightly to show a scar at the top of his butt.
"Check it out." He states, pleased with himself, as the surrounding couples gasp.
XOXOX
"What about you, Rileigh? If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be?" Mulder asked as they stood on the Van Blundht's porch. She thought for a few seconds.
"I'd like to be someone cruel or insane." She answered. "To see what makes them like that." As she speaks the 'H' in Van Blundht falls off the wall & Eddie 'Snr' opens the door.
"What are you doing sneaking around on my porch?"
After a long discussion about Eddie Jr resulting in them finding out it is actually him, they chase him & when he is lost they start searching the house. Mulder opens a cabinet in the upstairs hall as Jade gets on her tip toes to reach for the door into the attic. A clattering sound startles her & she misses the string by centimetres.
"I'm alright." Mulder calls.
"What?" Scully shouts back.
"Could you give me a lift, Mulder?" He looks at Rileigh confused. "I can't reach." She elaborates. He bends down & wraps his arm around her legs lifting her onto his shoulder just as Scully comes up the stairs. Jade tugs the string slightly & a white powder falls, getting in her eyes & nose. She sneezes & rubs her face.
"Ech! You might wanna stay out of the way, Agent Scully." She pulls again, more firmly this time & a body rolls out in a large cloud of white powder. She coughs & covers her mouth as Mulder sets her back on the floor.
"Not so spry. You think the fall killed him?"
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While Mulder is off questioning Amanda Nelligan, Rileigh assists Scully with the autopsy, handing her equipment etc while Scully tries to learn about her at the same time as the striated muscle tissue.
"So why do you have a picture of you & Samantha?"
"I honestly don't know, I was only a baby when it was took & its the only reminder I have of my childhood. That's the only reason I kept it."
"Why is it the only reminder?"
"Because, Agent Scully, as you can guess my childhood was interesting & that's all I need as a reminder."
"Why did you give it to Mulder then?"
"Because no matter how much sentimental value that picture has for me, he deserves it more." Jade sighs.
"How close have you gotten to Mulder?" Scully asks almost nonchalantly.
"I haven't, he trusts me as much as you." Scully raises her eyebrow & carries on what she was doing. Jade's eyes light up as she realises what Scully's thinking. "You think we fooled around." She states. Scully ignores her. "We didn't. I'm not attracted to him in the slightest."
"Why was your sweater rumpled when you left his the other night?" Scully questions.
"My sweater? Oh! I'd had quite a bit to drink aswell & it caught on the door handle." She explains. "I swear we didn't do anything. I'd never do that with my superior. Plus he was really drunk, I don't think he would have been able to do too much anyway." Scully nods calmly but the atmosphere feels lighter already. Scully finishes in silence & as soon as she tugs her rubber gloves off her phone rings. She talks to Mulder for a minute & when she hangs up informs Rileigh they need to get to the hospital for Mulder.
They meet him in a long corridor with an ice pack held to his head & arguing with a few men. When he's allowed to leave he tells the female agents his suspicions on there being no X-File & Scully, slightly puzzled, & Rileigh, excited to wrap up her first case, accept it & leave.
XOXOX
After discussing the case with Skinner all 3 agents make to leave.
"How was Agent Rileigh's first official case?" Skinner stops them with.
"She did rather... Excellently, sir. She's the one who found Van Blundht senior's body." Scully tells him. Rileigh smiles gratefully at her. "But perhaps her obvious talents are wasted down in the basement."
"I'm sure she'll be fine, & what are your thoughts Agent Mulder?" 'Mulder' stammers for a few seconds.
"She's uh- good, sir?" Skinner nods suspiciously.
"You two are dismissed." He tells the senior agents as Rileigh bites her lip. They leave & he tones down the stern expression needed to deal with the duo. "How do you think you're doing, Agent Rileigh?"
"Um, fine sir. After a bit of a rocky start."
"What do you mean, rocky?"
"I found out that Agent Mulder had been trying to dig through my past. Luckily he did not find anything." She explains.
"He's not likely to." Skinner remarks.
"I know, I still worry though."
"Agent Rileigh- Jade, I know your reasons to be concerned but your past is exactly that & its hidden. So don't worry too much."
"I know, sir. Thank you."
"Congratulations on closing your first X-File."
After leaving the office, Jade makes her way down to the basement where she finds 'Mulder' sat in his chair & Scully nowhere to be seen.
"Hello, Agent... Rileigh." Mulder greets her uncertainly.
"Hey Mulder." She replies. The room lapses into awkward silence for a moment. "So what are you going to do with that picture?" She asks.
"Picture? Oh, um, probably put it in an album or something."
"You're not going to keep it in its frame?"
"No, its only a picture." He states. Jade hums noncomittingly. "Well, bye." He says, standing up & walking out. She frowns & opens up the copy of the report on the X-File remembering what happened with Eddie impersonating his father.
"This isn't right." She mumbles as she walks out & locks the office door.
XOXOX
After driving all the way back to West Virginia she arrives at the hospital & finds Amanda Nelligan packing her things to leave.
"Miss Nelligan, did anything weird happen when you last saw Agent Mulder?"
"Well, kinda. He asked where he went." She chuckles. "What a weirdo."
"What did you tell him?"
Nothing, I didn't know."
"Thanks." Rileigh searches the mens locker room where she knows he last was & finds the door leading down to the basement area of the hospital. She searches it & finds nothing out of sorts & is about to leave when she hears banging.
"Hello?" She calls. She banging gets more furious & she hears a muffled voice calling her. She finds the door & sees Mulder through the window. "Mulder!?" She tries opening the door to find its locked & pulls 2 hair pins out of her pocket. After a few deliberate flicks of her wrist in the lock it clicks & he pulls the door open.
"Thank you!" He exclaims stepping out & inhaling the non too stale air. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"It doesn't matter, he's in DC pretending to be you."
"We gotta get Scully, he kept staring at her in the interview room." He shouts as he rushes down the corridor.
XOXOX
They burst in on Eddie, still acting as Mulder, & Scully about to kiss. As Scully gasps & stands up & Eddie morphs back into himself Jade looks back at Mulder next to her. Eddie shrugs.
"That... That's messed up." She comments. "Have your handcuffs?" She questions the other two agents who shake their heads still musing over what's just transpired. She pulls her cuffs out & walks over to Eddie then handcuffs him.
"Mulder... Where did you come from?" Scully asks nervously.
"He locked me in the hospital basement. Luckily Agent Rileigh came back for me."
"How did you know?"
"He didn't care about the picture." She shrugs.
XOXOX
Please review & if you're gonna give me flames give me good ones! Give me flames to roast my vegetarian alternative of chicken, not flames that will burn my house down cuz if you burn my house down you're destroying my autograph off Gillian Anderson & then I'll cry.