House of Cards - Chapter 4 By Jennifer T. Brooks E-Mail: Jenntou@excite.com *************************************************** Seneca Falls, West Virginia Days Inn Hotel August 1, 1998 12:05 am Dana slowly sat on the bed of room 222. She wanted nothing more than to take a long bath and go to sleep. She decided that first she should call and see if she had any messages. She was certain that being away for almost two weeks she was bound to have a few calls. She thought to herself angrily. Dana Scully called into her answering service to find that she had 10 calls. Three were from her mother wandering when she was going to come back. One was from Blake inviting her to the movies. Claire also called letting her know about a book she had read by Sebastien Japrisot entitled "A Very Long Engagement" which Dana just had to read. Four calls were telemarketers. The last call was from Dr. Susan Lowenstein telling Dana that she was concerned about her since she missed her last 3 appointments. "I forgot to call her. She probably thinks that I'm dead," Dana said to herself aloud. Dr Susan Lowenstein was a psychiatrist Dana had been seeing for over four years. She saw her twice a week and because of this Susan knew more about her than anyone in the world. Susan knew such intimate things about her, things that she never would and never would be able to share with anyone else, except for Blake and Claire. She knew that Susan was probably concerned that she had missed three appointments. She decided to call Susan at home to let her know that she was alright. The last thing that Dana needed was for her shrink to call her mom. Maggie Scully didn't know that Dana was receiving professional help on a regular basis. "Hello," Susan answered her phone. "Susan, this is Dana. I'm sorry to be calling you so late. I'm so sorry that I missed my appointments and forgot to call you to cancel." "Is everything alright Dana?" Susan asked. "Yes. I had do go to a last minute training exercise at Quantico. Basic, firearms and survival. I have been outside for the last two weeks and have not had access to a phone," Dana explained. "It's alright. I just got a little concerned after you missed three appointments. It isn't like you and I was afraid something had happened." "Afraid that something had happened to me or afraid that I had done something to myself?" Dana asked. "A little of both." "Susan, I told you that I'm not going to do anything to myself." "I know that you may say that Dana, but with your past history, I can't put that thought totally out of my mind. You have a lot of issues to deal with, issues that would have broken the soul of a weaker woman." "I'm fine no, Susan." "Okay, you're fine then. How is your appetite?" "Fine." "Dana, would you stop using that goddamn word. You promised me last new years that you would come up with another word to describe how you are feeling or at least make an effort and admit your feelings." "I'm trying Susan." "Well try a little harder. It's annoying." "Okay, how about I'm feeling just splendid." "A little antiquated, but better. So how's your partner?" "He's okay. I just left him for the night." "You sound a little tense Dana. Anything happen between the two of you?" "Anything sexual, or anything in general?" "Which ever one you want to tell me about," Susan responded. "Well there's no sexual us. Mulder just doesn't see me that way. Sure he teases me, but it is more like how my brothers tease me. I have tried giving him hints that I'm interested in more than friendship but he hasn't responded. As far as anything in general, he has truly managed to irritate me once again. We had a field exercise as part of training. I won't torture you with all the details. Anyway, I found the suspect and Mulder took all the credit. The AD just assumed that because Mulder was a man, that he had to have solved the puzzle." "Ouch, that must have hurt. Which AD was it? Your new AD Kersh?" "No, that's what made it hurt even more. It was Skinner," Dana said while her eyes started to tear up. "Dana honey, I'm so sorry." "I know. It was like he turned a knife in my gut assuming that I wasn't bright enough to solve the puzzle." "Why didn't you say anything?" "What good would that have done. Mulder knew that I solved it. Who cares if Skinner knows." "I think that you do care Dana, even though you act as if you don't. Deep down you still care for the man deeply. Calling him Skinner now instead of Walter as a means to depersonalize your relationship with him isn't going to change the past. You need to start dealing with your past Dana instead of running away from it." "Easier said than done. I have tried so hard to put all this behind me but I can't seem to escape it. I just want the voices in my head to stop screaming at me and leave me alone." "Only you can exorcize your demons. The less contact you have with Skinner the easier that it will be on you." "I know that, but I can't escape him. He and Mulder are friends. They play basketball together in a league. Even though he isn't my AD, I still see him everyday." "How does he react to you?" Susan Lowenstein asked. "He seems to have no reaction. Why should he have a reaction. I'm just his ex-girlfriend, nothing more." "Dana you know that you were much more to him than that." "If I meant so much to him why didn't he leave his wife for me? Tell me that? He didn't leave his wife because he loved her more than he loved me and I never could compete with her. When I gave him the ultimatum, he chose her and not me. He didn't want me," Dana said while sobbing. "You never gave him the chance to chose you. You could have told him about the bab.." Susan said before Dana angrily interrupted her. "Don't say it. Don't say the word." Dana cried out. "Why because if I don't say it, it doesn't mean it is real? Is it somehow going to change the fact that you were pregnant with Walter Skinners child and never told him." "Don't do this Susan. It hurts too much." Dana cried. "You need to get this out Dana. Thousands of women have abortions every year in this country. You chose what was best for the child." "No, I didn't. I went against all the teachings of the church. I was selfish and chose what was best for me. Our baby was innocent. It didn't deserve to die because of me." "Dana you were confused at the time. You should have told Walter that you were pregnant and carrying his child. He had the right to know. But you didn't and you can't change the past. You need to except it for what it is, learn from the experience, and move on. Dwelling on it isn't going to change anything." "I couldn't have told him. He would have chosen me for the wrong reasons. He would have chosen me for the baby, not because he loved me enough to leave Sharon. I couldn't do that to him. He would have hated me for the rest of my life. It would have ruined his career and mine." "What you did was for the best Dana. You shouldn't feel guilty for making a responsible decision, as hard as it may have been." Susan thought that Dana sounded tired and depressed. She was worried about her. "You sound tired. Why don't you get something to eat and then go to sleep. Call me as soon as you get back into town and we can set up another appointment. If you are going to be delayed there longer call and leave me the number. You've worked too hard to start relapsing into your old addictions. You know you can call me anytime of the day or night." "Thanks Susan. I think I'll grab a bite to eat and then call it a night. Thanks for letting me use your shoulder once again to cry on." "No problem Dana. You are like a daughter to me, you know that I care for you deeply and want to see you get well." Susan and Dana said their goodbyes. Dana decided to skip the meal and opted for a hot shower instead. ************************************** Seneca Falls, West Virginia Days Inn Hotel August 1, 1998 10:45 am Mulder was on his way back from the complementary continental breakfast when he ran into Scully in the hall. He noticed that she was wearing exercise apparel. "Where did you get the exercise clothes Scully? They only gave me a pair of jeans which mind you is a little too snug in the ass, some woman must have picked them out, and a FBI T-shirt. Where did you get the sweat pants from?" "I asked for them nicely at the front desk." "You aren't serious?" "No. I got them from the gift shop this morning." "The gift shop doesn't open until noon today." "You'd be amazed at what people will do for you if you just ask nicely, Mulder." "Didn't you like your FBI t-shirt and jeans?" "I haven't tried them on yet. I was just out for a run. Oops, I need to run and take a shower before some the FBI academy gopher comes to get us. I'll meet you here in about 15 minutes," Scully said as she started to walk away. "Need any help scrubbing your back Scully?" Mulder called out after her. She seemed to either not hear him or was ignoring his comment as she entered the stairwell and shut the door. ******************************************* Somewhere in Virginia August 1, 1998 Mid afternoon The FBI academy gopher that came to pick up Scully and Mulder ended up being some 24 impressionable female with large breasts who was enraptured by Mulder. Scully knew from the moment that she saw her, Agent Candy Black, that it would be best for her to sit in the back seat and feign sleep. This was going to be a long ride. Dana thought. Dana listened to Mulder try to explain to Candy how they'd found the suspect in the cave, but she didn't seem to get it. Scully noticed that he conveniently left out the part about her being the one to solve the puzzle. Sometimes it was easier for her to keep her mouth shut and left him take the credit. If he wanted to impress this young agent, fine, she'd let him. It wasn't as if he were interested in her anyway. He deserved to have a stable relationship with a female. Maybe Candy was the one for him. "Scully, what do you say we stop to get something to eat. I'm getting kind of hungry." "Sure, that sounds fine Mulder. I'm kind of thirsty." They ended up eating at the local Burger King. Scully really didn't like Burger King or fast food restaurants for that matter, because there was nothing healthy you could eat there. She opted for the salad with fat free dressing and a large diet coke. Agent Black ate a chicken sandwich and a side salad. Mulder ate the big King, king size fries and a chocolate milkshake. He ended up finishing his meal before the rest of them. "Hurry up ladies, there's a game on tonight that I don't want to miss." "Heavens forbid we interrupt your television watching. Call Byers and have him tape the game for you," Dana Scully suggested. "Good idea once again Agent Scully. Let me call him while you finish up your meal." Mulder left the two of them while he went into the men's restroom to call Byers on his cell phone. Meanwhile, Agent Candy Black took the opportunity to question Dana Scully. "Agent Scully, how do you manage to work with Agent Mulder on a daily basis?" "What do you mean?" She asked innocently. She knew damn well what *Candy* was getting at. All women asked her the same thing. She found it annoying that professional women, her peers, couldn't understand how it was possible to work with a man and not be sexually interested or involved with him. So much for the equal rights movement. "He's so good looking, so smart," Candy gushed trying to contain her excitement. She shrugged her shoulders, and her voice softened. "I've worked with him for the past five years and it hasn't been a problem." "Are you two involved?"Candy asked as she leaned closer to Scully. "No, not that it's any of your business. We're professionals who follow agency rules which prohibits a relationship between partners. There will never be a relationship between the two of us." "That's good to know. So what's he like?" Dana Scully was getting nauseated by this line of questioning. Candy was acting more like a high schooler and less like an FBI agent very passing minute. "What is he like?" Dana asked trying to clarify what Candy wanted to know. "Yeah, what are his hobbies, favorite movies, favorite bands. Tell me all that you know about him." "Agent Black." Scully started. "Please call me Candy." Candy Black interrupted. "Fine, Candy, if you want to know personal information about Agent Mulder you are going to have to ask him." "Do you think he would answer me? Do you think that I have a chance with him? He's like 10 years older than me, which I normally don't do but in his case I would overlook his age because of his good looks. Am I his type?" Scully looked at the younger well-endowed blond woman sitting across from her. If Mulder had a type that she was aware of she was sure that Candy Black had a shot. Sure, she asked Scully stupid questions and acted like a school girl with a crush, but she could be really intelligent. She didn't see why Mulder wouldn't go for the leggy blond. "I don't see why not. Why don't you ask him." "Okay, I think I will. You are really much cooler than what people told me about you. I expected you to be a arrogant and aloof. bitch." "Candy sometime in this life you will realize that people are seldom what they appear to be. You really should judge people for what you think about them, not other peoples opinions." Scully said as she gathered up her trash and got up to throw it away. She saw that Mulder was coming back from the bathroom. "Hey Scully, Byers said he would tape the game for me, but I owe him a favor to be repaid at a later date. Are you two ready to go?" "Yeah, the academy gopher appears to have a crush on you. If you aren't interested please turn her down nicely because she seems like a nice girl." "Thanks for the warning Scully." They rode the rest of the way back in silence. After Scully's warning that Agent Black was interested in him he decided to play it safe and act like he was sleeping. Scully sat in the backseat and knew what he was doing. She wished that he would get the balls and just tell her that he wasn't interested or make up a mythical girlfriend. But no, Fox Mulder had to take the cowards way out and act like he was sleeping. ******************************************* FBI Headquarters Washington DC August 15, 1998 3:30 p.m. Time had passed pretty quickly between the agents since they got back from their little trip in the West Virginia countryside. Mulder had presented to the academy how he had solved the UNSUB exercise and had been given a commendation. All the top brass were there for the lecture and there was talk about Mulder joining the team that made up the exercises for next year. Mulder never once told anyone that it was Scully that solved the puzzle. She wondered if he truly believed that he solved it with all these awards and commendations coming his way. Since she was on this team she got to spend the rest of training in the barracks. However, there were no awards or commendations for her. She continued to see Susan Lowenstein twice a week. She knew that she should probably be seeing her three times a week but she wasn't sure that her health insurance would pick up the extra weekly session. She had seen Walter Skinner a couple of times since they returned but he never really said much to her. She decided that she needed to get away from Washington, Mulder and Skinner for the weekend. She decided to call her friend Blake. "Hi Blake, its Dana," She said into the phone. "Darling, it is so good to hear your voice. I thought that you were ignoring me. Did you get my message?" "Yes. I was in field training for a couple of weeks and didn't have access to a phone. I apologize for not phoning you sooner." "It's okay. I realize what a busy and mysterious life you lead as an FBI agent. How is that delicious partner of yours?" "He's fine. Listen, do you want go away this weekend?" "I would love to. There's a little town in South Carolina that I have been wanting to visit. I'll make all the travel plans and be by to pick you up at 6:30." "Great. Did I ever tell you how much I love you Blake? You're the greatest." "Too bad that you aren't a man or I would be in heaven. As cute as your little red headed body is, you just aren't my type. See you tonight." Scully was glad that she had maintained her friendship with Blake over the years. She met him when she was 16 at the clothing store where she worked. Blake was 20 years old and the department manager of the young mens section when Dana was hired. Claire was hired into their department a year later. She and Blake immediately hit it off. In the beginning she had a major crush on him. She had never met a man who understood women so well. He was almost too good to be true. She actually got up the nerve and asked him on a date when he had to turn her down gently and tell her that he was gay. From that moment on their friendship deepened. Scully decided to leave Mulder a note and went to Diana Fowley's office to ask for a couple days off. ******************************************* Dana Scully's apartment August 15, 1998 7:00 pm "God woman, would you hurry up. We're going to be late," Blake said to Scully as he grabbed her underwear out of her drawer and put it in her suitcase. "I think that I'm perfectly capable of packing my own underwear, thank you very much." Dana said as she pulled the underwear out of her suitcase and put it back in her drawer. "Dana, you need to bring underwear. So I put it in the suitcase! Who the hell cares? You're wasting time." "Blake, sometimes you are a pain in the ass. You want to pack for me? Fine, pack my underwear, bras and socks for me while you are at it." "I knew that you would come to your senses sooner or later. We should only be there for a couple of days so you don't need to bring everything you own." Fifteen minutes later they were packed and headed for South Carolina in Blake's new BMW 325i convertible. "I love this car Blake. I'm glad you came to your senses and picked this one over the Porsche," Dana said as the wind whipped through her hair. "Sometimes I regret the decision but I do manage to get quite a few dates out of it." "How's the store?" Dana asked him. Blake Maxwell owned a chain of trendy upscale boutiques along the east coast. One of the benefits of having Blake as a friend was that he was always giving her new outfits that he said she just had to have. Half of the stuff in her closet wasn't suitable to wear to work and she was sure that Mulder and the gunmen would pass out if they saw her in some of Blake's gifts. "The store is fine. I got you two new Donna Karan suits that I thought would be just perfect for you. They are at my house, remind me to give them to you next time you are over. Oh, I also picked up a few things for you to wear on this vacation." "Blake, you know that you don't have to buy me clothes." "I know, but I love you Dana and love giving you beautiful things." "I feel the same way about you. So where are we going?" Dana asked reclining the seat back a little more. "Well I made reservations in Charleston but we can go to my beach house in Cape Fear if you would rather go there." Once Blake's chain had started to turn a profit he started investing in real estate. The house in Cape Fear was just one of many properties. "You chose Blake . I'm just glad to get away from Mulder. Oh shit, I had an appointment with Susan this afternoon. She's going to get worried if I don't call her." "So how is the lovely Dr. Lowenstein?" Blake asked. He had been the one to introduce and recommend Dana to Susan. He had been seeing Susan professionally for about 5 years at the time. He had not seen her for a six months due to a friendly argument they got into over who was the world's best soprano. "She's fine." "Dana Scully. You were supposed to work on not using the world fine. Chose another word," He said as he grabbed her small hand and playfully smacked it. "Okay, she's how she always is." "The intrusive proverbial Jewish mother." "Exactly. Let me call her and let her know that I haven't committed suicide." Dana pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number she knew by heart. Susan answered after two rings. "Hello, this is Dr. Lowenstein." "Susan, it's Dana." "Dana, I was wondering what happened to you when you didn't make your appointment this afternoon. Is everything alright. You sound like you are calling on your cell phone." "I'm fine. I just decided to go away for a long weekend." "With Mulder?" "No with Blake." "Blake! How is he doing?" Dana put her hand over the phone and told Blake, "She wants to know how you are doing. What should I tell her?" "Tell her that I was perfectly normal heterosexual male until this kooky shrink with no taste in music messed with my head and made me like boys." "Susan, Blake is distraught over your rift with him. He apologizes for his bad taste of music and is begging you to come back to him," Dana said as Blake grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Dana is a liar. We all know that she cannot be trusted." "Blake, it is good to hear your voice. How are you doing?" Susan Lowenstein asked her old friend. "I'm fine. I thought I'd take Dana out of town for the weekend. She seems depressed." "I'm really worried about her Blake. She doesn't take care of herself. Last time I saw her she looked like she wasn't eating again. I don't know if she's over exercising again or not, so you might need to watch her. She had a run in with Walter Skinner a couple of weeks ago," Susan told him in confidence. Blake had dragged Dana to Susan Lowenstein after she fell apart and tried to kill herself after having an abortion. Blake held her hand through all the counseling sessions for the first two years she saw Susan. Dana had signed a release letting Susan talk to Blake about her. Susan knew that if one person totally understood Dana and could reach her it was Blake . "Thanks for letting me know. I'll call you later and give you an update. And by the way the worlds greatest soprano is Lesley Garrett," Blake said as he hung up the phone not giving Susan a chance to respond. -end-