| Scully looked up at Skinner, wondering what in the hell he
was doing with his hands on her face....my God, she thought, he's not actually
considering......"Sir," she started, and he just kept looking at her with the
strangest expression, his eyes growing darker by the second. Maybe she was still asleep on
the third flight, still on her way home, and none of this was happening at all......maybe
Mulder was fine and at home, Skinner was still his honorable trustworthy self, Diana was
back underneath whatever rock she had crawled out from, Krycek was back in a land far, far
away, and she herself was dreaming.
"Scully, I'm so sorry. I never meant for...." Skinner interrupted her supposed
dream state, and he in turn was interrupted by the trilling of her cellphone. He quickly
removed his hands from her face, not quite sure where that had been going, anyway. He
chalked it up to stress over Mulder's current condition, and in an instant, he had
released the elevator from it's locked position, even as Dana answered the phone with her
customary and curt, "Scully".
"Dana, I think you and Walter should come back up here right away," Diana Fowley
said, and Scully bristled at the other woman's familiar use of her and the AD's first
names, "it's Fox...he's getting worse."
"We'll be right there," Scully said tersely and turned her phone off. She looked
up at Skinner and felt as though her legs might go out from under her....this was all too
much to take in one night, she thought, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath as she
told Walter, "That was Agent Fowley. We have to go back up....Mulder's getting
worse." She thought that Skinner looked rather pale himself, and she was actually
glad to see the remorse in his face. It comforted her to know that, although he was the
Consortium's patsy, his heart wasn't in it. Maybe he hadn't sold his soul to the devils
after all; just his body, she thought grimly.
The elevator had made it to the ground floor and the doors swished open. As Skinner
reached to press the door close button, he looked out through the lobby and caught a
glimpse of a man dressed all in black; a man who had vanished instantly when he saw the
occupants behind door number one - no deal there, Monty; a man that
looked one hell of a lot like, "Krycek," Skinner growled under his breath, and
he took off through the already half-closed doors, "Scully, get upstairs to Mulder -
NOW," he yelled as he took off down the hall after Alex, safely trapping Scully in
the excruciatingly slow-moving elevator out of harm's way; for the moment.
"Goddammit," Scully yelled to no one, sincerely aggravated that Skinner had
taken off. She grumbled aloud, "If it's not Mulder ditching me, it's Skinner. Just
perfect." She pressed the button to Mulder's floor repeatedly, as though it might
hurry the elevator along, but it didn't work. Finally, the doors swished open, and Scully
ran out of the elevator - nearly crashing into Diana Fowley, who was waiting to get on.
"Where are you going, Agent Fowley? Any particular reason that you might be leaving
at the same time Skinner is in pursuit of that rat bastard downstairs?" Scully
growled through clenched teeth, anger growing that once again, Fowley was keeping her from
Mulder's side.
Diana regained her icy composure, smiling wryly back at Dana, "I'm sure I don't know
who you are talking about, Agent Scully. Mulder's been calling for you, and I believe I'm
finished here anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me...." Diana attempted to go around
Scully, but Dana grabbed Fowley's arm, gripping her tightly, and Diana couldn't pull away,
though she continued to try as Scully berated her, rather loudly, in the hospital hallway.
"Oh, I'll excuse you, alright.....just as soon as you tell me what the hell you've
done to Mulder. You're one of them now, aren't you?" Scully was
beyond pissed, and found that she couldn't stop herself from continuing, even though her
mind screamed at her to shut up and let Diana go, "You're with Cancer Man and Krycek
now....you couldn't get Mulder to go along with you, so now you're going to help them in
their sick little control games....you double-crossing bitch," Scully spat, finally
releasing Diana's arm.
"Agent Scully, sounds like you've been spending too much time around Fox. Paranoia is
his department, is it not?" Diana retorted as she rubbed her arm where Scully had
been clutching her.
Dana had reached her breaking point, and the stress of worrying about Mulder and whether
or not to trust Skinner, combined with her exhaustion from 48 hours with no sleep, finally
overtook her. Scully clenched her right hand into a fist and decked Diana, catching her
squarely in the left side of her jaw. As Diana fell to her knees in shocked surprise, the
doors to the elevator swished open once more, and Skinner stepped out, not fully
comprehending the sight that met him. He bent down and instantly helped Diana back to her
feet, glaring furiously at Scully, who was still trying to shake the throbbing out of her
knuckles. "What the hell is going on here, Agents," Skinner hissed as Diana
stood up beside him, clutching her face.
"It's her, sir," Scully said accusingly, "she did something to Mulder;
she's working with the Consortium. She was trying to leave as I got up here to check on
Mulder. The same time you were in pursuit of Krycek, sir." Scully hoped her point was
getting across, but she wasn't certain.
"Jesus Christ, Scully," Skinner growled, "Diana was taking care of
Fox.....do you actually think..." Diana Fowley interrupted Skinner.
"Excuse me, AD Skinner, but I was just leaving." She glanced from Skinner to
Scully, and finished, "Agent Scully, I think that you are going to be on fertilizer
duty for a long, long time after this little outburst. I'll be taking this up with the
Director as soon as I get back to the office. Good day." Agent Fowley boarded the
elevator, and glared at Scully as the doors slowly closed, leaving Dana to face the wrath
of Skinner alone.
Skinner grabbed Scully's arm, and pulled her up the hallway to the monitoring station,
stopping just outside the door. "What in the hell were you thinking, Dana?"
Skinner asked her, seething, his teeth grinding from the clenching of his jaw. "Or
should I say, were you thinking at all?"
"Sir," Dana said, pulling her arm away from him, "she's working with the
Consortium. She knew Krycek was here, and she was leaving to meet him, I'm sure of it. If
she were so concerned about Mulder, why would she be leaving just then? Especially after
his condition has just worsened?" Scully pleaded to Skinner with her eyes, but she
got nothing back from his gaze other than pure irritation. Goddamn you, she thought to
herself as Skinner stood glowering over her, for protecting that bitch....when Mulder's in
here because of her, I'm sure of it.
"Agent Scully, you will be extremely lucky if the Deputy Director doesn't have your
badge after that little display." Skinner reached up and took his glasses off,
rubbing his eyes in frustration.
"Well, sir," Scully said coldly, "after your little
display, it was her or you....just be glad you were downstairs," and she turned to
enter the monitoring room, leaving Skinner in the hallway. At least I'll go out of the
Bureau with a clear conscience, Scully thought morosely as she shut the door behind her.
"Agent Scully, your partner is worsening," the doctor commented, "I've been
waiting for you to get back here so I could get your opinon. Take a look," he said,
stepping aside so Dana could see Mulder's room. Fox lay in the corner of the padded cell,
curled up in a fetal position, yelling Scully's name over and over again, his arms
covering his head. He appeared to be in a great deal of pain, and Scully instantly got
tears in her eyes. She had seen Mulder in varying degrees of psychosis, but never like
this. He looked completely helpless, and she turned to the doctor and stated
matter-of-factly, "I'm going in there to see him."
"Agent Scully, I don't think that's a very good idea....he's been extremely violent
and unpredictable. I can't personally ensure your safety. He could lash out at you for no
reason, and - " Scully interrupted the doctor, "I appreciate your concern,
doctor, but Agent Mulder would never hurt me. It's imperative that I go in to see him
right away....he needs me. He'll talk to me."
"Agent Scully, I've given him enough medication that he should be in a barbiturate
coma by now...but he's still rambling. I can't advise you to-" but Scully was out the
door and on her way to Mulder's room, glaring at Skinner as she passed.
Goddammit, Skinner thought to himself, as he peeked in the monitoring room, observing the
screen that held Mulder's image. He was so frustrated, moreso by the necessity of having
to go to Diana's aid, when all he wanted to do was comfort Scully. The Consortium truly
had him by the balls, and he couldn't figure out how to get out of it. Krycek held the key
to Walter's very existence in his one good hand, and nothing that Skinner could do would
change that. Or would it? Suddenly, he had an idea. He ran to the stairwell, and raced
down the flights of stairs, hoping that he still had time to catch Diana Fowley before she
left. He suspected the same thing that Scully did, although he couldn't share that with
her right now.....that Diana was in on something with that Morley smoking bastard, but if
he could get to her in time....maybe he could persuade her to leave the dark side. For a
little while, anyway. That's all I need now, is just a little more time, Skinner told
himself as he made his way out into the hospital lobby, searching for some sign of
Mulder's ex-partner.
Scully reached the maximum security doors that housed Mulder's cell, among others, and
flashed her badge. The nurse buzzed the double steel doors and allowed her to pass,
warning her that no one could immediately come to her aid should Fox Mulder turn on her
suddenly. Dana nodded, confident that Mulder would never do such a thing, and when she got
to his room, she heard the telltale hum of the door being disarmed for her to enter. Dana
walked slowly into Mulder's room, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat when she
saw Fox, curled up in a tight ball, shivering and murmuring nonsense to himself. It was
one thing to see him on the monitor, but it broke her heart to see him like this, so
helpless, so lost, and not a damn thing she could do about it. "Mulder," Scully
said quietly, and Fox stopped shaking momentarily at the sound of her voice, "Mulder,
it's me, Scully. Can you hear me?" There was no verbal response, and Scully continued
slowly towards the man crumpled on the floor; her partner, her confidante, her best
friend. The man who could catch a serial killer with such finesse, the genius of the
paranormal, the Ivy-League scholar, now reduced to a quivering heap on the floor, courtesy
of the very people he reported to.
"Scully," Mulder suddenly shouted, causing Dana to jump slightly, "Scully,
they're in my head....I can hear them, Scully, they're talking to me. I can hear you, too.
You're in there, too. You're one of them; one of us. God, Scully, they're hurting
me......" he trailed off, sobbing to himself, still tightly curled up, his back to
Dana.
Scully shushed Mulder quietly, "Mulder, it's okay, I'm here now, okay? I'm here with
you, and I won't let them hurt you, Mulder. Listen to me," Scully said soothingly,
slowly approaching the spot where he lay, "I'm here, Mulder." She crouched down
next to him, placing her right hand on his back, and he jumped at the contact, but Dana
didn't pull back. She kept her hand on his back, and she talked to him in a quiet voice,
hoping the doctor couldn't hear her....or anyone else for that matter, although she was
almost positive the room was bugged to the hilt. "Mulder, what happened to you? Who
did this to you? Do you know?"
Mulder could just barely make out what Scully was saying to him, the high-pitched feedback
in his head too overbearing, but he could hear her, nonetheless. He felt as though his
head was going to explode, just like in that film, Scanners (no infringement intended),
but somehow, he was still in one piece. And he could hear Scully's thoughts...my God,
Skinner...and Krycek....it was all in fast forward, but he got all of it, just from Dana
being so close to him now. He slowly rolled over onto his back, eyes still shut tightly
against the light of the small room, the brightness only adding to his discomfort.
"Scully," Mulder croaked, tears rolling down both sides of his face, sweat
pouring off of him.
"Oh my God, Mulder," Scully whispered, looking at his pale face contorted in
pain beneath her steady gaze. "Mulder, can you sit up?" Scully asked him, and
she put her arms around him and helped him to sit up, his back resting against the soft
wall. "Mulder, how do you know what Skinner told me?" Scully asked.
"I can hear him, Scully. I can hear him now....but he's so far away....I can hear
him....he's looking for someone......Scully," Mulder opened his eyes just barely, to
a squint, and something that she supposed was a smile but looking more like a grimace came
over his face, "did you really punch Diana, Scully?" Mulder said, then clutched
his head again, resting it on his knees with his arms around his face.
Scully smiled grimly, "yes, Mulder, I really did. I know she did this to you. If she
didn't do it, she knows who did, and we're trying to find out who. Skinner..."
"NO!" Mulder screamed suddenly, "Not Skinner....Scully....someone else...on
this case.....he's.....lying......." Mulder sobbed into his knees, and Scully placed
both of her arms around him, trying to give him some comfort. She rubbed his shoulders
gently, murmuring to him, trying to tell him to relax, but she knew that there was more
going on in his head than he could tell her.....and how in the hell did he know all about
her and Skinner's conversation, and Diana, she wondered?
"Scully, my head.......pounding......screaming.....the noise....God, the fucking
noise," he croaked, and as Scully rubbed his shoulders, she noticed
something...something hidden just under his hairline. She placed her fingers in the middle
of his neck and gently moved Mulder's hair aside.
"Oh my God, Mulder," Scully gasped, running her fingers over the tiny scar on
his skin. She looked up to the camera and called for the doctor, shouted for him to come
to the room right away, that she had found something, something important.
The doctor lay on the floor of the monitoring room, blood pooling and spreading across the
clean tiled floor from the bullet wound in his head. Krycek tucked the gun back into his
jacket, and turned off the set that currently showed Mulder and Scully. He left the small
room, and headed down the hall towards the maximum security psychiatric ward.
Scully held Mulder in her arms, staring in vain at the video camera surveilling them.
She had been yelling for the doctor to come for the past 10 minutes, and he was either not
in the room anymore, or not paying any sort of attention to them, both of which worried
her. Some monitoring practice, Scully thought dismally to herself, thankful that Mulder
hadn't chosen to freak out or go ballistic on her. She continued to scrutinize the mark on
the back of his neck, ignoring his incoherent rambling. She pressed on the spot, and was
only slightly relieved to find nothing beneath the skin - nothing she could detect,
anyway. Scully mused that she did, after all, consider herself somewhat of an expert on
alien implants and microchip technology, thanks to the Consortium.
"Hang on, Mulder, I'm going to call Skinner.....with any luck, he hasn't caught up
with Diana yet, and I'll have him take a look at you as well," Dana said aloud,
reaching into her coat pocket for her cellphone, finding it and dialing Skinner's number
immediately.
Skinner was in the elevator, heading back up to Mulder's floor, mildly miffed that he had
missed Agent Fowley. Among other things, he wanted to see if he could diffuse her attitude
over Dana's 'excitement' in the hallway earlier. It was bad enough that one of his prized
agents was already out of service; the last thing he needed at the present time was Scully
being censured and/or suspended. She was Mulder's best chance for recovery, and Skinner
had a feeling that some serious ass-kissing might be in order. "Jesus Christ, these
X-Files are going to be the death of me yet," Skinner grumbled aloud, slightly
alarmed when his cellphone rang.
"Skinner," he said gruffly, lost in thought over Mulder and Scully.
"Sir, I need you to get up here right away....it's Mulder....I've found something you
should see," Scully said excitedly, adding,"and could you please stop by the
monitoring room on your way? I've been trying to call the doctor, and haven't had any
luck."
The elevator doors swished open, and Walter exited the elevator as he spoke to Scully,
"I'm almost to the monitoring area now, Scully.....hold on," he said, as he
headed for the door. He entered the room, and promptly exclaimed, "Shit!" He
knelt down to search for the doctor's pulse, but there was no telltale vibration in his
neck. Skinner stood, and turned the television to Mulder's room back on.....he looked
closely, catching a glimpse of Krycek just outside the window that was fixed in the center
of the heavy metal door.
"What is it, sir?" Scully said, waiting on pins and needles for Skinner's
response, knowing at once that something was amiss.
"Scully," Skinner shouted, "draw your weapon...I'm on my way....Krycek's
outside..." Skinner raced up the hallway, hoping that he made it to the room in time.
Scully glanced back at the door, saw Alex's profile, and clutched Mulder all the more
tightly to her. "Mulder, hang on.....the wolf's at the door," she hugged him
once more, lay him gently down, and stood, running to the door. Somehow, Krycek had
managed to gain access to the locks, and released the door quietly, catching Scully by
surprise when he flung the door open, knocking her into the wall rather brutally, and
running into the room, his gun trained on Mulder.
Skinner had just rounded the corner and heard the commotion in the hallway ahead, racing
towards Mulder's cell. "FREEZE," Skinner yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping
against hope that he would make it in time. He reached the doorway in time to see Scully
out cold on the floor, and Krycek had Mulder in his arms, the muzzle of his gun against
Mulder's temple.
"Well, well, well, AD Skinner," Krycek taunted, his customary shit-eating grin
affixed to his face.
"Drop your weapon, Krycek," Skinner sneered, seething with rage that he was,
again, just a little too late,"let him go."
"Mr. Skinner, you know me much better than that, now, don't you?" Alex tightened
his hold on Fox, just to show his leverage in the current situation.
"Goddamn you, Krycek, haven't you done enough?" Skinner knelt down next to
Scully, feeling gently for a pulse, and breathing a slight sigh of relief at the strong
thudding in her neck, not taking his eyes off of the rat bastard in front of him.
"Your little fire-haired agent is fine, Skinner," Alex laughed, dropping Mulder
to the floor with a heavy thud. Fox had since resumed clutching his head in apparent
agony, further testament to Skinner that Krycek definitely had something to do with his
state of mental discomfort.
"No thanks to you," Skinner growled, losing his patience by the minute, his
weapon still aimed directly at Krycek's chest. "What do you want this time, you
insolent fuck?"
"Ooooh, Skinner, such harsh language," Krycek taunted, still smiling, "I
have a message for you. For all of you, even if you are the only one currently
listening." Alex reached into his jacket pocket with his one good hand, retrieving a
seemingly harmless metal object; it looked to Skinner like a knife with a rounded handle,
only there was no blade protruding. "Against my better judgment, Mr. AD, I have
decided to give you just a bit of help here. Take this." He handed the object out to
Skinner, who advanced none too cautiously to retrieve it.
"What the hell is this, Krycek?" Skinner examined the item in his hand
haphazardly, jumping a bit when the 8-inch steel needle with the fine point on the end
slid out.
"You'll know when to use it, Skinner. I suggest you go find Agent Fowley now. And you
might want to brush up on Fox's reports regarding the alien bounty hunters that there are
no proof of. And just remember...." Krycek reached into his pocket once again,
pulling out the flat metal box labelled Skinner, and Walter flinched visibly.....it was
the remote for the SR-819 virus that resided, albeit unactivated, in his own body,
"you're my bitch now." Krycek stood up and fled past Walter, leaving him alone
once again with Mulder and Scully. Walter put the item that he assumed to be some sort of
weapon in his own pocket, and knelt down next to Dana once again, holding her in his
muscular arms as she moaned, regaining consciousness.
"Scully," Walter said softly, "Scully, are you alright?" He watched as
her ice-blue eyes fluttered open, her forehead swelling slightly where the door had hit
her square on. He brushed strands of her fiery red hair from her face, perhaps a little
too tenderly.
"Skinner...." Scully whispered,
"Mulder...where's.....Mulder.....Krycek...here...." she swallowed hard as she
tried to regain her composure, stars still dancing behind her eyes from the force of the
door's impact.
"Sssshhh, Agent Scully, you're okay, Mulder's okay.....I'm here," Walter said
quietly, trying to mask his concern before she was fully conscious. God forbid she would
find out how concerned he really was for her.
"Sir," Scully groaned, "where...." she was still dizzy, and attempting
to sit up, she realized she was held firmly in the AD's arms.....large, muscular arms that
felt so warm and comforting after yet another brush with Alex Krycek; she wondered if she
was hallucinating, then eschewed that thought when she looked up into deep brown eyes
filled with concern.....for me, she thought distantly.
Skinner got his cellphone out of his coat and called the Bureau....within minutes, he had
armed guards posted around each entry of the hospital, as well as several on Mulder's
floor, and surrounding his room. Scully had since recovered, and was standing with an ice
pack pressed to her forehead, awaiting further instructions from her superior. Skinner
finished giving his orders, and approached Scully once again. "Agent Scully, I am
taking you home to get some rest," he said tersely, in full surly AD mode.
"Sir, I want to stay with Agent Mulder-" Scully tried to resist, but Walter made
sure it was all futile.
"Agent Scully, you haven't slept in over 48 hours, and you have a nasty bump on the
head. I am taking you home, and you are going to rest. Agent Mulder is no longer in
danger. This is a direct order, and there will be no more discussion about it."
Skinner put an arm around her shoulders, steering her down the hallway of the maximum
security ward towards the elevators.
"Yes, sir," Scully said weakly, not sure if she was just plain worn out,
suffering from a concussion, or turned on by the feel of Walter Skinner's arm around her.
She chased that final thought quickly from her mind and allowed him to assist her, all the
way down to where his car was parked in the hospital garage. He opened the door for her
and helped her into the black Ford, strapping her safely in....she could feel the heat
radiating off of his body as he leaned over her to buckle her seatbelt, and she felt
warmth rise in her cheeks as he finished.....he smelled so good, she thought, shivering
slightly.
"Thank you, sir," she managed, a small smile passing across her lips as he stood
outside the car.
"Safety first, Agent Scully," Skinner replied curtly, shutting her door and
walking slowly around the front of the car to his side, getting in and buckling his own
seatbelt.
The drive to Scully's apartment was a silent one, filled with tension from the events of
the day. Scully found herself wondering if perhaps Skinner was being just a tad
overprotective, then shrugged it off.....she was one of his prized agents, and she had
been through one hell of a lot in the last couple of days...it was just Walter Skinner
being polite, and she kept telling herself that over and over, as if she might believe it
if she told herself enough times.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Scully's apartment, and Dana wondered how Skinner knew
his way...she was certain that she had never given him directions....oh well, she thought,
chalk it up to FBI computers....he was the boss, after all.
"I'll walk you up," Skinner said matter-of-factly, getting out of the car and
coming to Scully's side of the car, giving her his hand to help her out.
"How chivalrous,"Scully said, restraining a slight chuckle, instead grinning
smugly up at Skinner, who seemed none too amused at her attempt at humor. He held the same
stone-faced expression that she knew all too well from the office.
"Come on, Agent Scully, to bed with you," he said. Damn, he thought, I hope
that's not too suggestive...I just want to help her upstairs.
They rode up the elevator, once again in comparative silence, and he didn't remove his arm
from the small of her back as he walked her to her apartment, as though he had been there
a hundred times.
"Sir, I think I'll be fine from here," Scully said, although she really didn't
want him to leave...she found herself feeling much more at ease with him around, even
though hours earlier, she had accused him of being a liar and conspirator.
"Dana, I just want to make sure you get in alright. Krycek's back on the case...you
never know where he might show up." Scully shuddered slightly at the thought of
Krycek hiding in the shadows of her darkened apartment, and suddenly wanted nothing more
than Skinner walking her in, and maybe even tucking her in.....Scully, she said to
herself, this is your boss....hello...must've been that rap on the head...what kind of
cologne did Skinner wear anyway, she wondered, sidling up to him just a
little closer as she unlocked her front door.
They both entered the apartment, Dana first, Skinner following closely behind. She found
the light switch on the wall and flicked it, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any
sign of an intruder......there was no indication that anything was out of place, and she
sighed deeply, relieved....she swore she heard Skinner do the same. She set the now melted
ice pack down on her kitchen counter.
"Well, sir, thanks for bringing me home. It doesn't look like anything out of the
ordinary has been going on here." She looked up at Walter, her eyes shining brightly;
probably just from not sleeping, Skinner thought as he returned the gaze.
"Scully, I have to ask you something.....Krycek gave me something, and I...well, I
just wanted to know if you knew what it might be. In your professional opinion." He
reached into his pocket, even as Scully arched an eyebrow at him, curious as to what he
might be holding onto. Skinner pulled out the metal weapon, and pushed the button that
released the pointed tip.
"Where........where did that come from, sir?" Scully gasped, recognizing it
instantly; Mulder had held and used that same weapon a couple of years ago.......Jesus,
Scully thought....what the hell......
"I don't know. Krycek gave it to me in Mulder's room, and he told me that I'd know
when to use it. He told me that I should re-read Mulder's reports on the so-called alien
bounty hunters, and.....Scully, are you alright?" Walter moved towards Dana, and
helped to seat her on the couch. The color had drained from her face, and her hands were
shaking.
"I...I didn't believe Mulder, sir....it was......two years ago....Jeremiah
Smith.....that case, with the people who had been shot in that fast-food
restaurant....Mulder said that Smith had healed the shooting victims.....and then, at the
shipyard.....Mulder stabbed a man in the back of the neck with that same weapon...the man
was chasing Smith. He bled.....well, sir, he bled green." Scully looked at Skinner's
disbelieving face, wondering how it was that she herself wasn't in a padded room.
"Agent Scully," Skinner started, sitting next to her on her sofa, "I think
that you need to get some sleep." He looked at her questioningly, wondering if
perhaps she was spending too much time with Fox Mulder. She was supposed to be the
scientist, the one giving reason to Mulder's often fiction-sounding accounts and reports.
"No, sir, I mean it. The man...Mulder stabbed him in the back of the neck, and he
bled green. If Krycek told you that you would know when to use it....shit, sir...."
Scully blushed instantly, ashamed of cursing in front of her direct superior, "there
really is something going on here....I mean, the scar on Mulder's neck, and----" Dana
was cut off by the AD immediately.
"What scar, Dana?" Skinner raised his eyebrow now, waiting for the information
that had been discovered just before Krycek's attack.
"Sir, I found a mark on Agent Mulder's neck....." Scully choked back tears, the
memories of her own sickness flooding back to her, "I think Diana Fowley is involved,
sir. I just have a feeling. She was the last one to be with Mulder before.....this."
She looked hopefully at Skinner, and was met with doubt, as she figured she would be.
"Agent Scully, just what are you implying?" Skinner growled, his jaw clenched,
gaze fixed on Scully's tired and now bruised face.
"Sir....I......" Dana faltered, suddenly feeling dizzy again, and just as she
began to lurch forward, Skinner caught her, holding her close to him, her head resting on
his chest. He wrapped his arms protectively around her, and she submitted completely,
allowing him to hold her as she struggled against nausea and dizziness. She placed her
arms around his waist and held him, her tears finally coming; tears for Mulder, and tears
at her frustration for not being able to explain herself fully so that he could see...so
that he might know what they were up against. The truth was, she didn't even really know
herself.
"Dana, are you alright?" Skinner said quietly into her ear, smoothing her hair
as she rested her head on his rock hard shoulder. "I think you need to lie down. Come
on. I'll help you into bed," Walter said, and stood, pulling her up with him as he
did.
Scully was weak, both from lack of sleep and the trauma to her head. She was so
tired...but oh, god, his arms felt so good, so comforting...she hadn't felt so safe in
years....and he was taking her to bed! That thought was the last one she had before she
collapsed, into his arms, halfway to her room. Walter picked Dana up and carried her to
her room, laying her down on the bed, and pulling the coverlet up over her. He wanted so
badly to hold her, to comfort her.....she had felt so good in his arms, her small feminine
body cuddled in his manly one, but he left her alone to sleep; he knew she needed that
much more than anything else at the moment. He turned to exit the room, and Scully
murmured to him,"Walter, don't leave me." It had only been four words; four
words that he had never hoped to hear in all of his life, but she had just spoken them. He
figured she was just delirious, and he continued out the door....but she spoke again, her
voice just barely above a whisper.
"Walter, stay with me, please." Shit, he thought, what......and he stopped where
he stood in the doorway, waiting......"Please, Skinner, I don't want to be
alone." There. She had said it again. He turned around, and walked back to the bed,
wondering what the consequences of this might be.
"Dana, you need to sleep," Walter said quietly, and she spoke again, almost
unintelligibly, "I want you to stay with me." Skinner debated for a long moment,
then sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her in the darkness. He had so much inner
turmoil at the moment.....he should be out looking for Krycek, or Diana Fowley, or even
that Morley-smoking bastard, but he was transfixed....he couldn't leave her now. Not now.
She wanted him to stay, wanted him to be close, needed to feel protected. He kicked his
shoes off, and, against his better judgment, lay down next to her. Dana rolled over and
clutched him tightly, her arms wrapped around his chest. He fought off the feelings of
intimacy that plagued him, and gave into the much needed sleep that washed over him,
taking Dana into his arms and returning her embrace as he drifted off.
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