From: "Gerry Hill" Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 09:50:54 -0800 Subject: xfc: NEW: "An Assumption of Guilt" (1 of 6) NC-17 by Gerry Hill Source: xfc March 29, 2001 DISCLAIMER: This story is based on the characters and situations created by Chris Carter, the Fox Network and Ten Thirteen Productions. As such, the characters named are the property of those entities and are used without permission, although no copyright infringements are intended. The following work is for the distribution and entertainment of fanfic members only. Any further distribution of this work without the author's consent is in violation of international law. TITLE: An Assumption of Guilt AUTHOR: Gerry Hill E-MAIL ADDRESS: fox42@ix.netcom.com SPOILER WARNING: Triangle. Time frame is up until "all things" in the seventh season, sort of. My dates aren't exactly right, but then neither are Chris Carter's. :-) THANKS: Jo-Ann, Helen, Ten, Macspooky, and nikki tried to reason with me, but I'm posting this anyway. Seriously, this story was a mess until they offered their wisdom and experience to mold it into shape. RATING: NC-17 (for sex, language) CLASSIFICATION: X/S, R, A KEYWORDS: MSR SUMMARY: Scully makes an assumption about Mulder and it nearly derails their partnership. *********************************************** AN ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (1 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) Somewhere in Oregon Wednesday Afternoon June 21 , 2000 Six bleeping days in bleeping Oregon. Special Agent Dana Scully was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Watching her partner nearly die had been the icing on the cake, she wearily thought. More than ready to return home to D.C., Scully was packing her suitcase in her motel room while her mind insisted on reliving the painful memories. She and Mulder had arrived on Thursday to join the task force that had been formed to catch a serial killer. While Mulder had worked frantically at tightening his profile, two more children had been murdered and she could see how it had been eating him alive. The local media had upped the pressure with a news story, complete with pictures, about "...the FBI profiler, Special Agent Fox Mulder, who has been called in to stop the horror of these child murders." There had been one memorable knock-down, drag-out battle between them about his need for sleep and food, which had ended badly. When she tapped at his door after the argument, he refused to open it or to speak with her. Scully chose to pretend that she didn't hear the muffled demand to "fuck off," but she did leave him alone after that. Fortunately they'd had a break in the case before he had completely gone off the deep end. She remembered with crystal clarity the poor child's cold body on the steel table and the injection mark she'd discovered between the small toes on the right foot. The injection mark had apparently been missed by Dr. Eldon Meyers, who had performed the first autopsy days earlier. Uncertain that her partner would answer his phone, she nevertheless called him immediately. Not only had he answered, but the quickness of his "Mulder" indicated that he might have been expecting a call. There had been silence after she had described her finding, and then that brilliant mind of his had made the connections that revealed the identity of the killer. What happened after that would be added to Scully's long list of nightmare material. The arrest of the suspect had been botched by the local authorities. That cold-blooded, murderous woman hadn't even been in the building they had surrounded. She had somehow approached from the street, walking right past the disorganized mass of police, SWAT members, and sheriff's deputies. Mulder had been standing next to their GSA car, donning his Kevlar vest. The killer had unhesitatingly approached him, firing her gun when she was still twenty feet away. The first shots shattered several windows of the car in which Scully had been sitting. She heard her name shouted by Mulder as the glass imploded and fragments flew all around her. Still firing, the woman had continued moving steadily toward Mulder, who was desperately trying to pull his own weapon while looking for cover. Scully had rolled out of the car onto the ground and, firing across the undercarriage, managed to hit the woman's lower leg with a well-aimed round. But that hadn't stopped her. With blood flowing from the gaping wound, she fought and won the battle to keep upright, and resumed shooting at Mulder. While Scully was getting to her feet and moving around the front of the car, Mulder had finally freed his own weapon, just as a bullet caught him in the center of the chest. He was falling backward to the pavement at the same time that Scully finally stopped the woman with a head shot. Scully paused in her packing chores as she remembered the eternity of those next moments when she thought she had lost Mulder forever. The clatter and commotion from the rest of the task force had faded into the background as she took those interminable steps toward her frighteningly motionless partner. As she knelt next to him, he had suddenly rolled to his side, gasping for breath, and then groaned, holding a hand to his chest. Life seemed to re- start itself when she discovered that the vest, despite being unfastened and loose, had stopped the bullet. He was no doubt bruised, with the breath knocked out of him, but probably would be all right. "Son of a bitch!" he gasped, and then repeated it several more times for good measure. Yeah, he'd be fine. Shaking with relief, she went through the motions and made sure he wasn't damaged beyond the inevitable bruising he would suffer. She remembered seeing his expression change as he realized how much she had been affected by his "death". Then the moment had passed as he had haltingly gotten to his feet and faced the concern of the formidable number of law enforcement officials who had gathered around the scene, some with weapons still drawn. It had taken hours to finish with all the formalities that always accompanied a shooting death, but the two FBI agents had finally escaped that afternoon to their motel. A rapping sound on the connecting door startled her back to the present. Before she could react, Mulder walked in and flopped down on her bed, narrowly missing a neatly-folded stack of clothes she was ready to pack away. She noticed a tiny wince when he raised his arms to put his hands behind his head, probably from the bruised chest. Too weary to protest, and too damn glad he was still alive to torment her in these small ways, she stood there, hands on hips, waiting for whatever he had to say. Stretched out on the bed like that, his feet hung over the bottom edge. His hair was damp and he was wearing his suit pants and an undershirt. She mentally slapped herself back to attention when she realized that her eyes had been wandering over his lanky frame.... Oops. Caught. Well, dammit, when he lays all the goodies out like that, it's hard not to notice. With his most endearing smirk, he was waggling his eyebrows at her. Pretending ignorance, she asked, "Well, Mulder, what do you want?" She had almost said, 'What's up?' but changed that dangerous wording in time. "Oooh, would you like to know what I really want, Scully?" Well, maybe that wasn't a safer wording after all. The man could take everything she would ever utter and turn it into something sexual. It was a talent he had and it was going to get him into big trouble some day. Finally relenting when Scully narrowed her eyes at him, he said, "Skinner called. As of right now, we are officially loaned out to the San Antonio Bureau to assist them in another child serial murder case. He didn't give me any details and didn't take kindly to my whining, so I guess we'd better change our reservations and bite the bullet on this one." She sighed and her shoulders slumped. God, she was so tired. She could see that he was putting on a cheerful front for her sake, but he had to be screaming inside at the prospect of trying to catch another child-murderer so soon. Catching her gaze with his own, he said, "I got Skinner's word that we could go home after this next case, have a break, and then stick with the X Files." She knew that he was trying to reassure himself as much as his frazzled- looking partner. His serious expression suddenly changed to a smile, however, when he added, "I'm sure that you're as homesick as I am for one of those good old crop circle mysteries." He drew in a deep breath through his nose and then noisily exhaled. "Aahhh. I can just smell the heady aroma of trampled alfalfa now." With that, he swiftly got to his feet and left her to finish packing. San Antonio, Texas Wednesday, June 22, 2000 105 degrees F. (Day) 89 degrees F. (Night) 84 Humidity The agents had reluctantly changed plane reservations and landed in a hot and humid San Antonio at 11:45 PM on Wednesday. Neither one of them had bothered with having any supper before arriving at the motel after 12:30. As soon as they checked in and located their rooms Mulder mumbled something about his ass dragging, fuck dinner, he was heading straight to bed, and he practically fell into his room when he got the door unlocked. Feeling much the same way, Scully prepared for bed and was sound asleep before 1:00 AM. Bright and early at 6:45 AM someone was pounding at her door. Muttering curses, Scully stumbled out of bed and over to the peephole, seeing her smiling partner through the distorted lens. With a groan, she unlocked the door, retraced her route, and collapsed across the rumpled covers. She was feeling a sense of deja vu; it seemed that they were spending most of their lives in motel rooms. Mulder stood just inside the room, hands full of coffee cups and paper bags, taking in the sexy sight before him. Scully was lying face-down on the bed, blue silk pajamas clinging to her curves. The top was hiked up so that a wide patch of pale skin was conspicuous on her lower back. Her hair curled messily around her head, no doubt kinking up because of the humidity in the air. Then she wiggled her hips and groaned again, which nearly made him drop one of the coffee cups. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to turn away and carefully set his armload down onto the small table by the front window. He deliberately didn't try to hide his obvious arousal, wanting her to know how she affected him. Another step forward in their relationship would be nice. But they were on a case, so he'd have to settle once again for tiny baby steps and not push any further for the moment. When she sat up on the bed and sleepily focused on him, of course her attention immediately zeroed in on his crotch before drifting up to his face. He couldn't help grinning like a fool at her. In the next second, however, Scully had smelled the coffee and was instantly at the table, hands busy with the food. She took a huge bite of the sesame-coated, cream cheese- filled bagel. Her eyes closed in bliss as she chewed and a satisfied hum sounded from her throat. When she re- opened her eyes, she saw that Mulder was still standing there, his arousal even more pronounced, lips parted, and eyes riveted on her mouth. She held her breath as he reached out with a finger to the corner of her mouth and when he pulled it back, she saw a small smear of cream cheese on it. Not waiting to see what he would do next, she fled like a coward to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder that she had to get her shower out of the way if they intended to get to the Bureau in time for their 8:00 AM meeting. Lathering her hair furiously, she cursed the fact that they were on a new case with no break after the last one. She wanted him, and was at last ready to tell him so. Once back home... Federal Building San Antonio They reported to SAC Jenna Robinson at 8:00, Scully already wishing for a second shower to combat the effects of the enervating temperature and humid air. At least the air conditioning was working quite well in the Bureau offices, and the relief was immediate as they walked through the doors. Five minutes later they were seated in the SAC's office, glasses of iced tea in hand, watching the tall black woman sorting some files on her desk. SAC Robinson was efficient and thorough, a woman whose personality matched the crisp, white linen suit she wore. Not wasting any time on preliminaries or pleasantries, she handed Scully a very thick file folder. "These are copies of the autopsy reports on all four victims." Handing a stack of files to Mulder, she said, "Those are complete copies of six case files. In addition to the four bodies, there are an additional two children still missing and presumed abducted by the same UNSUB." Her brown eyes held each agent's gaze in turn as she added, "We need all the help we can get on this. So far, no one has come up with any leads. We thought that a fresh viewpoint might break something loose." "So you requested us specifically on this case? May I ask why?" Mulder said, as he held the files in his lap with one hand and sipped at the iced tea with the other. "Agent Mulder, you must be aware of your reputation in the Bureau for profiling. This case could use a revised profile with, as I mentioned, a fresh viewpoint." There was a pause as the SAC gazed thoughtfully at him, and then she added, "You and your partner have tackled quite a few 'odd' cases as well. This latest abduction may have occurred from a completely locked home. Now, there's probably a simple explanation for this; as simple as that the babysitter lied, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone of your expertise take a closer look at the circumstances." There was a tap at her door and a tall, dark-haired man in his late thirties walked into the room. He had rugged features, and the golden tan and squint lines at the corners of his eyes spoke of time spent in the outdoors. There was an overall rumpled look about him, though, and he seemed tired, but he managed an engaging grin at seeing the visitors. "Howdy. I'm Chris Imrie, the ASAC on this case. I suppose that you're the agents from Headquarters?" Jenna Robinson made the introductions and told Imrie, "I need to get over to the mayor's office for the press conference. Agents Mulder and Scully will need to go through these files in order to get up to speed, and then you might want to fill them in on the latest status." "Sure thing. I'll see you on the five o-clock news." Robinson rolled her eyes, then gave them a little wave as she hurried out of the room. Imrie turned to the agents and said, "First, I'll show you where you can set up camp. We have a small, unused office available, but I'm afraid there's only one desk in it." Scully raised an eyebrow at Mulder, silently telling him that she was used to that kind of setup, but he pretended not to notice. "That'll work. With Scully taking care of the forensic pathology and with me running a profile, I doubt we'll be using it together very much." Scully nodded, acknowledging that this was normally the way things worked. The space they were allotted turned out to be more than adequate, with several chairs, a tack board on the wall, a small table, a telephone, and a large wooden desk which had seen better days. Imrie provided more glasses of iced tea, introduced them to the office staff and a couple of agents, and then left them alone. They settled down to review the files. The agents worked in a companionable silence for awhile, then Mulder got to his feet, muttering something about his "back teeth floating in iced tea." Brushing by Scully on his way to the door, he casually stroked the side of her neck. Startled, she stared as he sauntered out of the room. What the hell was that all about? she wondered. She knew how it had affected her, but wondered what the gesture had meant to her partner. By the time he returned, she was deep into the file again, seemingly oblivious. Mulder smiled. An hour or so later Imrie rejoined the agents and gave them the promised update. By the time he had finished, Mulder was champing at the bit, ready to check out a crime scene or two. He listened impatiently as the agent gave them specific assignments. "I would like you to cover the last two abduction sites; those involve the victims which haven't been located yet. The sites will give you a good representative picture of the typical crime scene, which will hopefully aid in your profile development. There's an added benefit that you two might turn up something that would help us find the victims before they die. Of course, that's a long shot, since the other four children were dead within five hours of their abductions. There's always that outside chance that this isn't the same UNSUB, or that he has changed his timetable." As they grabbed the files and prepared to leave, Imrie reminded them of the 8:30 progress meeting in the morning. "Maybe by then you can give us a rough outline of a profile?" While Scully's eyes widened at the load they were putting on her partner's shoulders, Mulder shrugged and said, "Sure." ******************* Rural/Suburban Area North of San Antonio 3:45 PM The agents' interview of Lisa Morgan, the aunt of the missing Anderson child, had not gone well. Okay, Scully admitted to herself, it hadn't gone well from her own point of view. Mulder, however, was as happy as a pig in a mud wallow. Lisa Morgan had turned out to be a very beautiful woman, with a figure that Pamela Anderson Lee would have envied. When she answered her door in that extremely short and tight dress, with her perky boobs looking buoyant and inviting, Scully could feel the intense interest coming off Mulder in waves. Suddenly alert, her partner's tired slouch disappeared and he completely took over the lead in the subsequent interview. In her rumpled, sweaty clothes, Scully uneasily observed the highly-charged interplay between the two. When the woman revealed that she had seen a bright, white light the night of Mary Anderson's disappearance, Mulder had looked at their witness as if she were the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. Scully shifted uncomfortably, feeling irritatingly like a voyeur. The breaking point came, however, when Ms. Morgan turned her back on Mulder and leaned way over to find a picture in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet. Her wiggling, shapely upthrust ass caused his eyes to widen, his hands to twitch and, despite the air conditioned house, sweat popped out on his forehead. When his eyes caught Scully's, he'd had the audacity to smirk at her. At that point, Scully'd had enough. She left the house without a word, intending to wait for him in the car despite the 105-degree heat. Not having brought her sunglasses, she squinted in the glare as she reached for the door handle. The metal had baked in the sun for quite some time, so grabbing the handle was like trying to take a cake pan out of an oven without using the oven mitt. "Ow! Dammit! Shit!" She stood shaking her wounded hand for a moment, and then used the hem of her jacket as protection when she tried again. The door handle, however, wouldn't budge. In an uncharacteristic fit of pique she kicked the door when she realized that the car was locked and her partner had the key. Mulder unknowingly saved himself from certain death by not making her wait much longer. He soon emerged from the house, squinted in the bright sun, and quickly settled his sunshades onto his nose. As he pulled the car keys from his pocket, she couldn't help but notice the increased bulk at the front of his trousers. Apparently his libido didn't discriminate, she mentally sneered. He playfully jangled the keys at her as he sauntered down the walkway. "Bastard," she muttered. Leaning down to unlock her door, he gave her a sidelong look and commented, "Ms. Morgan was concerned that you might be ill, you left so suddenly." He straightened up and met her gaze. The effect of the concern in his voice was ruined when she saw the amused/condescending expression on his face; one that she'd love to wipe away with her fist. Instead, without a word, she yanked the car door open, got in, and slammed it shut, narrowly missing his legs as it swung closed. She ignored the renewed sting on her hand from contact with the still-hot door handle. During the past few months Scully had been seriously contemplating the increased affection and closeness she and Mulder had achieved. The kiss on New Years Eve hadn't been repeated, but she felt that it was just a matter of time before things progressed from there. Mulder had been flirting outrageously with her ever since then, making it clear that whatever happened next was up to her. Well, she had finally been ready to go for it all, when this shit had happened. To be honest, she couldn't fault him for reacting as any male would have. But to be so blatant about it, and with Scully standing right there beside him...It felt suddenly as though he had decided to move on with his affections since nothing much was happening on the home front. Would he view sexual commitment as a temporary circumstance? Mulder was buckling his seat belt as he muttered something about needing to go back across town and check out the Anderson house. That was the site from which the child had disappeared two nights previously. Lisa Morgan had been at the Anderson's place babysitting Mary as a favor to her sister and husband, Janet and Rob Anderson, when the five-year-old girl had vanished. Morgan had sworn that all the doors and windows had been locked from the inside and were still fastened when the disappearance had been discovered. "No." Pausing mid-reach to turn the key in the ignition, Mulder looked at her in surprise. "No? What's that supposed to mean?" "Just what you think it means. We've already been through the Anderson property and found nothing. This new little bit of 'information' about a bright light isn't going to change that." He huffed out a breath, turned the engine on, and then leaned back in the seat, eyes still on her. "You, of course, don't believe her about the light." It wasn't a question. To Scully, it sounded disappointed, and had the feel of a door slamming shut. Ignoring a sensation of pending doom, she said, "No, I don't. Come on, Mulder. What's the obvious answer here? This woman was alone with the child in the locked-up house. She should be the prime suspect. I'm sure she is, to all the other officials on this case. We need to go to the police precinct and talk with the detective in charge, and then back to the field office to see what our guys have to say." She noticed that his knuckles were turning white on the steering wheel. "Then how do you explain the other missing child who was taken from this area last week? And the four murdered children who disappeared under similar circumstances, all from this vicinity? Do you believe that she's a serial killer?" "This case may not even be connected to the others. Or maybe she took the opportunity to use the other disappearances as camouflage for her own crime." "With what motive?" "I don't know. That's part of what we should be investigating; not some UFO sightings or little gray men running around the neighborhood." Mulder bit back whatever he had been going to say and just stared at her for a moment. Anyone else would have thought he was pouting, but she knew he was royally pissed off at her. The heat wasn't helping keep tempers down, either. "Let me get this straight. You believe in me, right?" At her hesitant nod, he continued. "You think that my theories are crap, but you believe in me despite the fact that you think my theories are crap?" Not giving her an opportunity to answer, he spit out, "Fine." With that word he clearly dismissed her. He put the car into gear and merged into traffic, heading west. Scully soon realized that he was going back to their motel. "It's only 4:30, Mulder. What do you need at the motel?" "To drop you off." He sharply took a right-hand turn into the parking lot, pulled up to the motel entrance, and waited with the engine running. "What?! We have a case to work..." "No," he loudly interrupted. "*I* have a case to work. You clearly have no interest in respecting my theories or in investigating possibilities raised by a witness. I've had it, Scully. I've finally had it with your constant belittling of my *usually correct* conclusions on a case. Go follow your own narrow-minded lines of reasoning for awhile." Staring straight ahead out the windshield, he added, "And jealousy doesn't become you. It's unprofessional and it's out of line when we're working." Speechless, she stared at him. Dozens of emotions ripped through her, but she finally settled on rage. "*You're* talking about *unprofessional*?!! You son-of- a-bitch! What do you call it when your tongue is hanging out the entire time you're interviewing the witness? No wonder you want to believe her questionable story; you're so horny you can't think straight." She was out of her seatbelt and the car in seconds, nearly deafening him when she slammed the door. Scully stalked across the paved area and disappeared into the motel office. Mulder simply sat there, furious that she would question his professionalism on the job. Then the small rational part of his mind admitted that his behavior at Lisa Morgan's place had been unforgivable, especially during the investigation of a case. He had deliberately tried to annoy his partner by overreacting to the charms of the witness. His eyes glazed over as he remembered the woman's attributes and knew without a doubt that he would have taken Lisa's unspoken offer once the case had been closed, had Scully not been present in his life. But she was, and Scully was everything to him. He had thought for weeks now that they would finally express the love he knew existed between them, but she hadn't seemed quite ready yet. His gentle verbal nudges and frequent touching hadn't done the trick. Frustrated, some insane impulse had prompted him to try and make her jealous. While it had been fun ogling Lisa and provoking Scully, he realized too late what a bonehead move it had been. Trying to tease her into making that final move had backfired, big time. To make matters worse, he had reacted to her justifiable anger like a typical male, pretending to be clueless and then blaming everything on Scully. His head dropped to the top of the steering wheel and he closed his eyes. Christ, how can I be such a fuck-up? Realizing that he would probably make things worse if he went in to talk with her now, he put the car into gear and drove out of the parking lot. He didn't see the taxi that pulled up at the motel office some time later or see his partner get into it. ********************* (Continued in Part 2) AN ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (2 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) A nearby tavern 4:42 PM The vent in the ceiling blew blessedly cold gusts of air onto Scully's overheated body as she gratefully settled onto the stool at the bar. Still imagining the many ways Mulder could be strung up and tortured, she wondered how much more she could take before she overloaded and walked out on him and the whole X Files crap. She ordered a gin and tonic, which sounded good and cold, and then sipped it while her thoughts turned back to the autopsy reports she had been studying earlier. The kids hadn't been sexually assaulted, which was a small blessing. There were marks on their arms and necks where someone had presumably grabbed them and held them under water until they had drowned. The water in their lungs had been fresh water, so that ruled out the sea or salt-water fish tanks. The absence of chlorine, however, would indicate that a swimming pool hadn't been used either. Tap water was out, too, because... "Howdy. I wondered if I could buy you a drink, ma'am?" She looked up and saw a cookie-cutter businessman: Nice suit, neatly-combed sandy-colored hair which was just the right length, and polite smile with nice white teeth. She couldn't help wondering how many kids he had and whether his wife was a blonde. "Uh, no thanks. I'm just having this one drink and then I have some work to do." She gave him a smile so that her brush-off wouldn't sound too harsh. "It's after 4:30 and you're going back to the office? Are you one of those workaholics?" His grin was wider now. He was obviously not going to take no for an answer. Scully glanced around the room and realized that her motel manager, upon seeing her suit, had sent her to a bar frequented by similar types. Suits everywhere. Suddenly fed up with men in general, and one in particular, she told her admirer, "I have a social disease; go away." Yeah, and his name is Mulder, she thought. As his face showed disbelief and some amusement that she was kidding, his expression gradually settled into disgust and anger. Without another word, he returned to a table against the opposite wall. Scully barely noticed his departure. She was too busy feeling guilty at her thoughts about her partner. He hadn't tied her to his side all these years; it had been her own choice to stay with him through all the crap they'd endured. Feeling morose, she changed her mind about making a visit to the local precinct that evening; what they really needed was Mulder's profile. There wasn't much she could contribute at this point. She could go over the cases in her room later and see if anything jumped out at her. She finished her drink and asked the bartender where she could find a real redneck bar. One with authentic cowboys. He grinned at her, wrote down a name and address, and called a taxi to take her there. "Good luck," he said, with a wink. She wondered what he meant by that. Motel 5:58 PM Pondering over what he had turned up in the past hour and a half, Mulder entered his stuffy, hot room and cranked up the air conditioner. Then he went back into the corridor and tapped at the door to Scully's room. They needed to put their argument behind them, not only so they could concentrate better on the case, but also for his peace of mind. He didn't want to fight with her and he was willing to apologize first if it would restore harmony between them. He absent-mindedly rubbed his chest around the perimeter of the bruise he'd received from the last case. The bruise was tender, but not bad, he decided. No answer. He knocked a little louder and called, "Scully?" Still no answer. Maybe she had gone to dinner already. Returning to his own room, he couldn't tell that it was any cooler than before. In fact, the hot air that was blasting from the air conditioner's vents made things worse. He shut the unit off in disgust, grabbed the phone to complain to the office, and got a promise that someone would take a look at the problem shortly. Sitting on the bed after making the call, he realized that the unpleasant odor in the room was himself. He wrinkled his nose and decided to take a shower before he offended anyone. As for a change of clothes...He hadn't brought any cooler clothing like shorts with him on the trip, so jeans and a tee shirt would have to do. Mulder ran water into the tub, but when he pulled the lever to engage the shower, the piece of metal came out of the faucet into his hand. Shit. Fiddling around with the mechanism didn't work, so he resigned himself to a bath instead. But the drain wouldn't close, either. Stopping up the drain with towels or plastic wouldn't work too well. He sat on the rim of the tub and took a deep breath. To hell with the whole thing. He called the front desk again. After explaining all of his woes, the woman, sounding embarrassed and apologetic, offered him a different room. She said that she would meet him at number 810, four doors down from his current location. It was larger, recently remodeled, and all the fixtures and utilities worked; they would just charge him the same price of his old room. It even offered a view of the small pond behind his unit, equipped with three ducks. Quickly gathering his belongings, Mulder lugged them down the corridor where he found 810's door standing open. There was a middle-aged woman adjusting the air flow controls when he entered, and she rushed to help him with his burden. "Sorry about this, Mr. Mulder. I have the maintenance people on the way, but didn't think you'd care to wait in that hot room for hours. We'll have everything fixed soon and will probably even be able to rent the room out again, to latecomers tonight." Finished with her task, she turned to him and said, "Oh, I'm Billie Jean Carver, the manager. If you need anything else, just let me know." He barely had time to thank her before she was on her way to handle the next crisis. Who *was* that masked man? he whispered, slightly taken aback by this dynamo of efficiency. Then he wasted no more time. In a matter of seconds his sweaty clothes lay on the floor in a trail to the shower. Twenty minutes later he was sprawled out on the bed, dozing, with the cool air blowing over his body. He had set the alarm for 7:00 PM so he could begin putting his thoughts about the killer down on paper. But for a few minutes more, he intended to relax. Motel 9:18 PM Scully had returned to her room around 8:00 after an enjoyable evening at Randy's saloon. She had met some real cowboys, won $20 at the pool table, and danced a couple of dances to the jukebox's hillbilly tunes. For a few hours she had tried to forget real life and Fox Mulder, but had finally lost that battle. She called for another taxi, settled her bill, made excuses to the two cute guys who didn't want her to leave, and returned to the motel. No one had answered at Mulder's door, so she figured he was either at dinner, was in the shower, or had gone out running. After making notes on the laptop from the day's activities she had taken a shower and decided on an early night. Maybe she could catch up on all the sleep she had missed recently. She had been drifting toward sleep when the expected sound of Mulder's door closing pulled her back into wakefulness. She lay there for a few minutes, intending to go see if she could make things right, when she heard a thump on the wall between their two rooms. And another thump. It was rhythmic and now she was aware of a woman's voice and the squeak of bedsprings. A loud cry was muffled but distinct. Her eyes widened as she realized that Mulder had brought some woman back to his room and was apparently having sex with her. An image of a nude Lisa Morgan on the bed, backed up against the wall, with Mulder driving into her over and over flashed across her mind. So Mulder's getting some tonight, she thought, and then her cry of humiliation was quickly smothered into her pillow. She welcomed the suffocating sensation and briefly wondered if she could just keep her face jammed into the softness and never have to breathe...and hurt like this...again. The woman's cries grew louder. Scully was paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of hurt and betrayal. She had never imagined that such cruelty existed behind what she had thought was Mulder's innate kindness. He had to know that she could hear what was going on in his room. She tried to deny a secondary emotion; that of intense arousal, with a hot liquid ache at her center. A single tear slowly trickled down her cheek. The cries next door grew even more frantic, and something broke in her heart. She could hear a man's muffled groan and knew he was probably coming inside the woman. Her breath hitched as a sob shook her. Pulling a pillow over her head, she let the tears flow. ***************** Motel 7:00 AM After a night interrupted periodically by helpless weeping, Scully had dressed and prepared herself for work. If she was going to get through the day, there would have to be a massive intake of caffeine, she thought, as she headed down the corridor to the coffee shop. Halfway there, she spotted Mulder ambling in her direction, looking handsome in a gray suit. The bastard looked as though he hadn't a care in the world. He was carrying a cup of coffee and his eyes lit up when he saw her. "Scully! I've been trying to..." Ignoring him, she breezed past, jostling his arm in the process. If there hadn't been a lid on the coffee cup it would have sloshed over the side. What the hell?! She looked terrible, with dark smudges under her eyes. He nervously hurried to catch up with her and tried humor to lighten her mood. Leaning down to her ear as they walked rapidly down the corridor, he murmured, "You weren't home around dinnertime, Scully. Hot date?" He nearly ran over her when she abruptly stopped. Again, the coffee was agitated, but the lid stopped any spillage. A glimpse of her face told him that something more was wrong here than he was seeing. She was pale and her blue eyes were blazing with hurt and anger. Maybe she *had* gone out with someone last night and it had turned out badly. Oh, God. He didn't know if he was more distressed at the thought that she would go out with someone else or that it had been a bad experience for her. "I, uh, was kidding. Are you all right, Scully?" Her teeth clenched, she gritted out, "Can you please drop the crap, Mulder, and let me get my coffee? Some of us have to work." Although he was concerned about her and still felt some guilt from the day before, he was becoming irritated with her attitude. "Scully, what's your problem? You know that I take these cases seriously. I was up until two o'clock this morning - " "I'll bet you were," she spat, and turned to continue her trip to the coffee shop. "What the hell is *that* supposed to mean?" he demanded. She ignored him and kept walking away. He shrugged, trying to tell himself that her antagonism and rejection didn't bother him at all. He suddenly noticed that she was wearing an old brown pants suit he had always hated because it hid her curves and made her look dowdy. He had thought she'd ash-canned it years ago. "You're not wearing *that* today, are you?" he said, before thinking. She paused and then spun around. "What did you say?!!" She was practically spitting fire now. He shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. How do I escape alive, he wondered, running various explanations through his head. Scully was moving slowly back toward him, obviously expecting an answer. Her fists were clenching and unclenching, he noticed. "I just...you hadn't worn that outfit for a long time and I was surprised to see it." Then he sealed his fate by pushing his luck and continuing to babble on. Trying for the ever-popular innuendo, he added, "You should dress like Lisa Morgan did yesterday, Scully. It's a shame to hide your -" His words were cut short when her fist hit his jaw. The coffee went flying and his butt hit the floor. When he looked up in shock, she was gone. Halfway down the hallway, the door to Mulder's previous room opened and a giggling young couple emerged. Oblivious to the man on the floor, they turned away and headed for an exit to find breakfast. "Have to keep up our strength," the man joked, as his hand patted the woman's jeans-covered fanny. She giggled and swatted him on the arm. ****************** Scully hadn't meant to hit him. She had thought that her professional armor had been locked into place once again and that she would at least be able to face her partner with an outward display of decorum. But when his lanky form had come into view and that lazy smile emerged, her entire body had tightened like a spring. She had still been confident that she could hold it all in, but when he cruelly had compared her to his newest conquest, something had snapped. In his blatant display of lust last night he had ripped her soul in two, and now the grief and fury merged in that one white-hot second and she had struck out at that beloved and hated face. Horrified at her actions and not able to deal with him at the moment, she had fled. Since he had the car keys, she was forced to grab a ride on the first city bus that passed the motel, intending to find a taxi once she had put enough space between them. ****************** That Mulder was stunned went without saying. He had no idea what the hell had just happened. He felt anguished that Scully could actually hit him with an obvious intent to injure, but anger began to emerge as he got to his feet and gingerly touched his sore jaw. Ow! That fucking hurt! What the hell had brought this on? She wasn't still that mad about yesterday, was she? But even if she were, it wasn't like Scully to haul off and slug him like that. There was a meeting scheduled with the ASAC this morning at 8:30. He planned to waylay Scully beforehand and clear up whatever was going on in her head. *************** FBI Offices San Antonio 8:10 AM Mulder had been pacing up and down the hallway outside the still-empty conference room since soon after he had arrived, hoping to avoid the ASAC until he could compare notes with Scully before the meeting. He had written up his theories on the case the previous night and wanted her input first. And there was that other little matter...His throbbing jaw kept reminding him how she had flown off the handle that morning. A peek in the men's room mirror down the hall had revealed a red area on his jaw, with a bruise beginning to form. It should match the one on my chest nicely. Great. Just fucking great. At least no teeth were loose. He looked at his watch. 8:16 already. When he looked up again, Chris Imrie was headed his way balancing a cardboard tray of apparently full coffee cups on top of a large box of donuts. "Agent Mulder. Good morning." No human being should have that bright a grin on his face at that hour of the morning, Mulder grumpily thought, as he nodded a greeting in return. Seeing the tray dangerously beginning to slide, he hurriedly rescued the coffee from its precarious perch and followed the ASAC and the donuts into the conference room. "Grab yourself something now, before the ravening hordes clean it all out." Both men helped themselves to the coffee and the still-warm donuts and sat down at the conference table. Imrie was at one end and Mulder sat to his left, careful to keep his sore jaw out of the man's view. How the hell was he going to explain it? 'My partner slugged me for no reason' would go over really big. They were supposed to be professionals, working in harmony, not two strangers, constantly bickering and fighting. Imrie, his mouth full of his first bite of donut was looking blissful. Mulder tried to take a big bite out of his own pastry and involuntarily let loose a moan when the pain knifed through his jaw. Dammit. Imrie was staring at him in concern. "It's okay. My tooth has been bothering me but I haven't had time to visit the dentist. Then I managed to whack that same exact spot with the corner of the car door this morning, so..." He was saved from mumbling on and embarrassing himself by the arrival of three other agents. Scully was trailing behind them so he didn't see her until she was sitting down at the far end of the table, looking everywhere but at her partner. He noted that she seemed tired and...resigned? There was such a defeated air about her that he was disturbed by the sudden idea that she might have simply given up on him and on the work. He could understand all too well how she might feel that way, causing her to want a change in her life. And it scared the hell out of him. Still ignoring his concerned gaze, she listlessly stared at the coffee cup in front of her while the meeting began. "Agent Mulder. I'm interested in hearing what you and your partner have managed to determine about the case so far. I realize that you haven't had a lot of time to delve too deeply yet, but any little bit can help." Mulder began addressing the group, his gaze compulsively flicking back to Scully occasionally during his presentation. "I gave your administrative assistant, Ms. Betancourt, a diskette which contains a rough profile of the UNSUB and contains my reasoning behind its conclusions. She said she would make copies for everyone, but in the meantime, I'll cover the highlights. "As you know, we investigated the two more recent cases, the ones where the children's bodies haven't been found. We made some interesting discoveries. The most important one is that the Anderson abduction case is in no way related to all the others. In fact, I'm sure that the child isn't dead." Every person in the room suddenly focused their attention on him, including Scully. Their eyes met at last, and he was shaken by what he saw there. If it were only anger, he could deal with that. But the mistrust he saw was like a literal blow to his stomach... Agent Inez Navarro was the first to speak up. Disbelief tinged the inflection of her voice when she asked, "How can you know that?" Tearing his attention from his partner, he shrugged and replied, "I believe that the Anderson case was a paranormal event, evidenced by the locked-up house and the intense white light present during the time of the child's disappearance. There was a discrepancy of nine minutes on all timepieces in the upper floors from where the abduction took place. On the outside of the window of Mary Anderson's bedroom, the siding had apparently been seared with intense heat. All of these facts correspond to other documented incidences of abductions." Agent Navarro looked astonished, as did the other members of the group. "*Alien* abductions?" Jeff Garrett, the local senior profiler, asked incredulously. "Either that, or some terrestrial-type kidnapping for research and/or testing purposes." After a few moments of silence, ASAC Imrie cleared his throat and said, "You mentioned other discoveries as a result of your investigation. What were those exactly?" "Well, based on the Cornu case we looked at in the field and on the other case files, I find that my preliminary profile is pretty much in line with the one written by Agent Garrett, with a few exceptions and additions. I believe that the UNSUB is nearer to age 30 than 20, and that he lost his mother in his pre-teen years. Because the victims died by drowning, I at first thought that his mother had also died that way. But after further thought, I've come to believe that her death was *related* to a drowning or a near- drowning, which has caused the UNSUB to avenge this traumatic event, over and over. I'm sure that the UNSUB witnessed her death, either at their home or in a hospital later on, and probably feels some guilt in causing that death. "As for where we might find the killer, I'd look in rural locations rather than the city, and not too far from where the abductions all took place..." Mulder was interrupted by the arrival of the administrative assistant, who placed a stack of collated copies of his report on the table in front of him, with the diskette lying on top of the stack. He took the diskette and one copy of the printout and passed the stack to his left, for distribution. There was silence for a few minutes, while the group absorbed what he had said and skimmed over his report. Jeff Garrett rubbed his hand over his face in a weary gesture and asked, "This shifts the focus on the search for the killer a bit. How sure are you of these conclusions?" At least he didn't challenge me outright on how I veered off his profile's path, Mulder mentally sighed. Profilers could be like rabid junkyard dogs in his experience, refusing to consider questions or changes to their creations. "Ninety-nine percent. And the one percent doubt is just so you don't think I'm too full of myself." Imrie and Garrett smiled at that, and the still-silent Jim Sanger appeared amused, but he noticed Navarro and Scully's grim expressions. "Can't get past my theories on the Anderson case, eh?" he asked Navarro, with an engaging grin. She blinked, and then said, "Since you asked...no. I've heard about your reputation, Agent Mulder, and I'm aware that your normal caseload involves the paranormal. It's understandable that you'd see a 'way out there' explanation for what is probably a run-of-the-mill kidnapping." "You've been talking to Agent Scully, I see," he joked. Again, neither agent was amused. Imrie intervened at that point and said, "Agent Mulder, I would like for you to concentrate on the Anderson case since you believe it to be separate from the main investigation, and since it falls under your line of expertise." Mulder studied the ASAC's expression for a second, but couldn't detect any sarcasm there. Would wonders never cease? "Yes, sir, I'll get right on it." His eyes had swiveled to his partner as he spoke and saw her eyes widen, then narrow at him. What had he said that made her react like that? 'I'll get right on it' sounded innocuous to him. His attention shifted back to Imrie, who was still talking. "In addition, we'll probably want to consult you from time to time on the main investigation. However, we could use Agent Scully full-time to help us with the autopsies and other areas of the investigation which are within her medical and pathological expertise." He saw her nod at the ASAC, seemingly content with the assignment. Imrie continued with the meeting, but Mulder's attention was primarily staying with Scully. He wasn't sure how he felt about being separated from her on the two cases, but he figured that she'd be satisfied with Imrie's assignment. She obviously wasn't happy with her partner at the moment. Brilliant deduction, he thought, as he gingerly touched his sore jaw. As the meeting was winding down, Ms. Betancourt discreetly entered the room and passed Mulder a note which read, "Lisa Morgan is waiting in the lobby to see you." Shit. He didn't want to delay in tackling the situation between himself and Scully, but he had better see what was going on with the Morgan woman. Folding the message in half, he wrote, "Please don't leave - we need to talk." Folding it yet again, he wrote Scully's name on it and passed it down to her before he left the room with a muttered excuse. ******************** Scully quickly read the scrawled note from Mulder and then opened the piece of paper to its full size, revealing the administrative assistant's loopy handwriting. After reading what it said, she could only stare at the message in her hand as if it were a snake. Her mind provided a few choice words for her partner and his current cure for celibacy before coming up short against the fact that she had to maintain her decorum and concentrate on the case for now. She could make the decision on whether to kill Mulder or leave him once this assignment was finished. One more second of thinking about this and she would fall apart. The room's occupants began to stand up and move around the room, signaling that the meeting had ended, so she shoved the note into a file and made her way to the door. There was no sign of Mulder as she returned to their temporary office. There were, however, new lab reports on the desk, so she picked them up, intending to concentrate on those for the time being. But minutes later, the image of her partner and that bitch indulging in a "quickie" in the little room off the lobby filled her mind. She dropped the reports back onto the table. Head in hands, elbows on the table, fighting to get control of herself, she must have presented an interesting picture to the ASAC. "Are you all right?" Imrie's voice made her start, and she sat up quickly to see him standing in the doorway. She gave a wan smile and said, "Just a mild headache. It's okay." "Better grab yourself some aspirin," he said, as he turned to go. "You can ride with me. The Cornu body has turned up." He was halfway to the exit by the time she snatched up her jacket, briefcase, and reports, and hurried after him. (Continued in Part 3) AN ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (3 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) Mulder had been torn between disappointment and relief that the Morgan woman had dressed more conservatively for her visit to the Bureau offices. When he entered the lobby, he had spotted her sitting at a small table in the room across the way, rummaging through her purse. She was wearing a pale green dress that covered the essentials, but it failed miserably in hiding her impressive chest. He straightened his tie before crossing the lobby and entering the room. Giving her a nod and a smile, he closed the door and then took a seat across from her. "How can I help you, Ms. Morgan?" he asked. Intense green eyes held his gaze as she replied, "I needed to know if you've made any progress finding my niece, Agent Mulder." He tried not to show his surprise when he felt her foot rubbing the calf of his left leg. Is it me, or am I just the guy who's in a position to help her? he wondered. Shifting his leg away from her attentions, he ignored the blatant pass and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you much. There are no new developments yet. I'm devoting nearly all my time to your case and will let you and the Andersons know the minute we find out anything definite." Disappointment plain on her face, she nodded. "I feel responsible for Mary's disappearance, you know. It's tearing me up thinking about all the things that could be happening to that sweet little girl." Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Mulder was trying to understand the woman. She obviously had a manipulative personality, but at the same time, seemed to be genuinely worried about her niece. She was now gazing up at him with a sultry look. When his attention was suitably riveted on her, she sensually licked her full upper lip and slowly stood up, never dropping eye contact. "When this case is complete, Agent Mulder, I really would like to see...more of you." A sigh, and her impressive breasts strained against their confinement. At his raised eyebrow, she added, "You're an attractive man, Agent Mulder; surely you must know that." She moved gracefully around the table toward him. Mulder was of half a mind to run screaming to Scully, but the other half was feeling very smug to have this beautiful woman verbally stroking his ego - and other parts of his anatomy. Her hand was on his chest and he was about to remove it when the door suddenly opened after a perfunctory knock. Ms. Betancourt, a middle-aged matronly type, had a distinctly disapproving frown when she saw the pair standing so close. But she quickly hid it behind a noncommittal smile and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Anderson is on the phone. It was difficult to understand him at first, but it seems that his missing child has shown up." He was out the door and into the lobby in an instant and was handed the phone receiver. "This is Agent Mulder. Mr. Anderson?" There was a pause and then a male voice obviously trying to hold back his tears replied, "Ye...yes. We, uh, we found Mary..." A hitched breath was heard, and then, "...she was standing in the front yard. Just...standing there. She was still wearing her nightgown from when she...disappeared. My wife and I are taking her to our doctor to see if..." His voice completely disappeared and Mulder could hear voices and sounds in the background. After another minute, he came back on line and said, "You can meet us there. It's at 11249 NE Bailey. Doctor Patel." The line went dead. Mulder jotted down the address, hurriedly gave it into Ms. Betancourt's hand, and asked her to pass the word to the task force that the Anderson kid had been found alive and was on her way to her doctor at that address. Then he put a hand to Lisa Morgan's lower back and ushered her out the door. ****************** As Imrie drove, Scully sat in the passenger seat, sorting through her paperwork, trying to organize the files and notes. She didn't notice Imrie's sharp glance, nor his thoughtful expression. "So, do you need the number for a good dentist?" Startled by this from-out-of-the-blue comment, she looked up questioningly. "A dentist?" "I mean for your partner. He could barely take a bite out of his donut this morning. It must hurt like a son-of-a-bitch." A flush spread over her face as realization dawned. "Uh, no. He wouldn't go even if I drove him there. He hates to go to the dentist, especially someone he's never seen before. He'll wait until we get back to Washington." Scully had placed the ordered files and papers into her briefcase, keeping the latest lab reports out to read. She opened one of these now, hoping that her blush would quickly fade. It was Imrie's turn to be startled a few minutes later when his passenger suddenly exclaimed, "Cows!" He looked out the side windows and saw nothing but recently-built houses and apartment complexes. "No, no," she said. "The murderer has cows. Or at least there are cows at the place where he's killing these children." She held a sheet of paper up and said, "This letter accompanying the latest lab reports explains that your task force initially only received preliminary results of lab analyses, rather than final results. Now they've provided the full report, and it shows that fecal matter, bovine hairs, animal saliva, vegetal and fungal matter, and a variety of other substances and bacteria were present in the lungs and respiratory passages of the victims." She looked up from the report, saying, "Taken as a whole, the picture it paints is that of a body of contained water which is used as a watering hole for cattle." "So Agent Mulder was right. We're looking for a rural property, one which raises at least a few cattle, and has a tank with a fair amount of water in it." "A tank?" "That's what we call a pond or watering hole for ranch or farm animals around here." He stopped at a traffic light and looked over at her, saying, "Agent Scully, I hate to burst your balloon, but we don't exactly have a shortage of places around San Antonio that would fit the description of 'rural, some cows, and a water tank'. There are probably thousands of properties like that." She nodded thoughtfully, reality dampening her excitement. She wasn't completely discouraged, however, and her mind was running over all the possibilities on how to narrow the search for the murder site. Imrie's voice broke into her thoughts as he commented, "This latest victim was found in an area where development peters out into agricultural land. The crime scene is only a few miles from where we found victim number two." Scully could see that the built-up area was thinning out, giving way to older, smaller homes with large yards and the occasional barn. "We need to take a look at the crime scenes on a map, define a 'dump' area, and check out properties within that area which fit our 'rural/cows/tank' profile." Imrie sighed, knowing what a monumental task that was going to be. There was already a map with crime scenes identified by red push-pins, but if his memory served him right, they were fairly scattered and covered a lot of miles. A few minutes later he turned onto a secondary road and commented, "Why don't you call your partner and fill him in on the lab findings? Maybe he can get started on the search..." He was interrupted by the ringing from within his jacket. They were approaching their destination; several Bexar County Sheriff's cruisers could be seen up ahead, pulled over to the right-hand side of the road, bubble lights flashing. Imrie promptly parked behind the last car and then answered his phone. Scully got out of the car to make her call to Mulder. The vehicle was rapidly heating up once the air conditioner had been turned off. She stood in the shade of a large oak tree as she listened to the ringing. Idly, her gaze wandered over to the corner of the adjacent weedy field, where a dozen people were performing their individual labors to bring about some meaning to the death of the child at their feet. "Mulder." "It's me. I have new information about the..." "Not now, Scully. I'll call you back." She stared at the disconnected phone for a few seconds, trying to decide between rage and incredulity. She had distinctly heard Lisa Morgan's voice address him as 'Fox' in the background. That was the last straw. To blow off the investigation; to blow *her* off like that, was unforgivable. Imrie finished his call and walked up to her, appreciative of the shade the tree provided. "Some good news for a change. The Anderson child is back. She's being checked over by her doctor right now. Your partner was right again, about her being alive and not a part of this serial killing spree." Thank God, at least one child had been spared the fate of the others. But even that relief couldn't erase her rage at Mulder. She gave a terse nod of acknowledgment to Imrie, ignored his thoughtful stare, and started walking toward the knot of people. The dry weeds scratched and snagged on her pant legs as she moved, and several grasshoppers flew up and out of her path. She didn't notice. ******************** Doctor Sarah Patel's Office 10:16 A.M. The child was becoming fretful and cranky at all the unfamiliar commotion. Deborah Patel, her doctor, had reassured the Andersons that their daughter didn't appear to have been harmed in any way. And as near as she could tell, that included psychologically as well as physically. So far, Mary's frame of mind seemed quite normal for a child her age, with no particular trauma evident. Dr. Patel would run more comprehensive tests to be certain, however. Mulder had finally been given permission to ask Mary a few questions, but with all the family in attendance, it had been nearly impossible to even grab the child's attention. Then his cel phone had rung. He had been a little short with Scully, but realized that it was his own fault that he hadn't turned the phone off temporarily. Turning back to the room's occupants, he clapped his hands loudly a couple of times. All conversation ceased as five pairs of eyes sought out the cause of the noise. "Please. Just five minutes alone with Mary. She can't even hear my questions, much less answer them. This is my job and I promise to take it easy. Five minutes." With obvious reluctance, they agreed. Mary was given repeated reassurances by her parents, her aunt, and the doctor as they vacated the room, but the child didn't seem to be concerned with being left alone with this stranger. Her blue eyes were now riveted on him as she clutched her doll to her thin chest. When Mulder squatted down beside her, Mary giggled as his knees popped loudly in protest. "Oh, so you think that's funny? Laughing at an old man..." Her giggles faded as she gazed expectantly at him, some of the previous petulance reappearing in the set of her mouth. "Did they tell you who I am?" No response. Not even a blink. "My name is Fox Mulder and I work for the FBI. I'm like a policeman who finds people and catches bad guys." At mention of his first name, there was a tiny quirk of her mouth but she still waited silently, eyes watchful. Come on, kid, don't make this so hard, he whined to himself. "Do you remember what happened, Mary?" Nothing. "You remember the light, don't you?" A leading question, but I'm not in a courtroom, he figured. A tentative nod. Aha. "What happened when the light came?" She studied him for another moment, then surprised him by moving closer and leaning over to whisper in his ear. "I flied and then I came home." She pulled back again to solemnly regard his face, just inches away. Finding his voice, Mulder softly said, "You...flew? Up in the air?" She nodded again. "May I check the back of your neck, please?" he gently asked. "I promise not to hurt you." He took her silence for agreement and tenderly probed the base of her neck. Feeling a slightly raised spot, he looked closely and saw a small scar, just like Scully's. Oh, shit. He closed his eyes for a second, and then thanked Mary for being so helpful. It was obvious that she didn't remember anything of her abduction beyond the initial "floating" sensation. Mulder took the parents aside and explained everything to them, meeting the expected incredulity. He stressed the fact that they should leave the implant alone for the time being. Mr. Anderson called him a 'fucking lunatic' and things degenerated from there. He knew that the man was resorting to anger in order to hide his fear, but knowing that fact didn't make the confrontation easier. Lisa Morgan gave him a smile as he made his escape through the outer lobby, but her attraction to him would undoubtedly disappear like smoke as soon as she got an earful on his theories from the Andersons. He steered the car toward the field office to write up his report, but first dialed Scully on his cel to see what she had wanted earlier. Thinking of his partner, however, had reminded him of his aching jaw. Probing around with his tongue, the inside of his mouth didn't seem so tender anymore. Although he wasn't above letting her think his jaw hurt more than it really did, just to see if he could get some sympathy...and an explanation. "Scully." Her voice lacked any clue as to how she was feeling, and being separated by the telephone didn't give him any visual guides. Better test the waters... "Hey, Scully. It's me." Safe enough. There was a slight pause, and then, in the same noncommittal tone, she said, "Meet me in the field office," and hung up on him. ****************** (Continued in Part 4) AN ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (4 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) FBI Offices 11:05 A.M. Walking through the Bureau's bullpen, Mulder could see a knot of agents on the far side of the room, discussing something by a wall map. Scully was among them, but she stepped back when she spotted her partner. Motioning with her hand for him to follow, she walked into their borrowed office. When he entered the small room, she was sitting behind the table. He noticed that her pant legs were dusty and flecked with dried grass and weeds and she was still flushed from the heat outside. "Please close the door, Mulder." "Oooh, Scully. What do you have in mind?" The innuendo was out of his mouth before he could rein it in. Now was not the time for being a wise-ass. Her sober expression confirmed his thoughts; without another word, he closed the door as she requested. He had a bad feeling about this. As she began to speak, Scully was looking down at her index finger, which was drawing circles on the table surface. Not a good sign either. "Mulder...I want to apologize for my actions this morning. There's absolutely no excuse for physical violence, ever. I shouldn't have hit you and I'm sorry. It'll never happen again, I promise." She finally met his gaze, and he could see that she was extremely upset. He nodded his head, opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. Finally, he simply said, "I just want to know why." She breathed in sharply as she tried to keep her anger in check. "You know perfectly well 'why'. Does 'Oh, yeah! Do me hard! Harder! Oh baby, baby!' remind you of anything?" And if you want to address the matter, this isn't the time or the place." Her eyes pinned him to the chair, implying that he deserved the death penalty in forty-three states, and he felt an amorphous guilt; but more than that, he was thoroughly confused. Mulder really had no idea why she had become pissed off to such a degree that she had hauled off and decked him, and in a public place at that. And what was with this dialog from a bad porno film? Whatever he had done, it must have been a doozy this time. Had she heard him watching that video he'd rented up in Oregon when he couldn't sleep? That shouldn't have caused such a reaction from her; she knew his taste in movies. Momentarily at a loss for words, he opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. During this mental paralysis, Scully pulled some files over from the end of the table and began a rundown on the status of the serial case. "The last known victim has been found, and from my preliminary examination, nothing is different from all the other related murders. As the ASAC and I were leaving that crime scene two hours ago, we were informed that another child, an eleven-year-old girl, has gone missing from a home not two miles away. The distraught single mother couldn't tell us anything that was helpful. Imrie has six agents questioning the neighbors and checking the police database for any vehicle violations which might have occurred in that area during the time period of the abduction." Still staring at the file in front of her, she continued, saying, "I tried to let you know earlier that new lab test results have come back on the fluid found in the victims' lungs and respiratory systems. It seems that the children were drowned in a watering pond for cattle." She finally looked up at him, fixing her gaze on something in the vicinity of his tie. "Agents Sanger and Navarro have marked off the area on the wall map, defined by where the victims have been dumped. They're checking county and city property records to see if a list of all rural/semi-rural properties can be prepared - ones which might meet our criteria for this murderer's killing ground." Mulder tried to completely focus on what she had told him about the case developments. He couldn't let another child die if there was a possibility that he might come up with a way to save her. All this other crap with Scully could wait. He hoped. A sharp rap on the door frame startled them both, and they looked up as Imrie walked into the room. He was gazing at them with a curious expression on his face. Mulder wondered what the man could read from his and Scully's tense postures and expressions. "We've had a break, agents. Inez Navarro ran the first of the lists of land parcels against our new data system and damned if she didn't come up with something! The cross check brought up a 911 call from a neighboring parcel. It seems they heard what sounded like screaming, but they weren't sure if it came from an animal or a human. A patrolman didn't get out there until forty-five minutes after the 911 call..." Imrie winced at that, and continued. "It seems that they're short on staff from budget cuts. Anyway, he looked around. The place appeared to be deserted except for a couple of dozen cattle in a pen. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary." "This incident coincided with one of the deaths?" Scully asked. "You got it. Jennifer Cornu. The bad news is that the judge wouldn't grant a warrant, saying that we were 'stretching this flimsy coincidence farther than one beer could stretch at a honky-tonk." He can't see that taking serious legal action has been justified in this case. Well, we may not have a warrant, but we can go out there and knock on the door, check things out. You up for a ride?" "Won't we scare him off if it turns out he's our guy?" Scully asked doubtfully. "Nah. Just a few of us can go knock on the door; I'll tell Sanger and Navarro to hang loose in case we need to call them for backup." They both followed the ASAC out to his car. Trailing along behind the other two, Mulder's thoughts were on the case, particularly the UNSUB. He knew that the killer was probably murdering another child as they desperately sought to find him, but held out hope that they just might be in time. She had been missing now for nearly four hours. The window of time to find her before it was too late was running out fast, since none of the other victims had been alive five hours after their abductions. Covering these current leads might be a long shot, but it was all they had at the moment. This one possibility had really sounded right to Mulder, from what Imrie had told them. He refused to be too optimistic, however. He'd had other cases like this where the clues hadn't panned out, no matter how promising they'd seemed. Reaching the car, Mulder settled into the back seat behind Scully. He childishly let his knees bump repeatedly into her seat back, partly because of the adrenalin generated by this new lead, and partly just hoping to get a rise out of her. She had been pretty much ignoring him. The only reaction he got, however, was a bit more leg room when she moved her seat forward a notch. Not once did she turn to speak or look at him during the twenty minutes they were on the road. Instead, she and Imrie carried on a boring conversation about cadavers, maggots, rodeos, and cutting horse competitions. Then they were turning into a dirt and gravel driveway that meandered up a slight rise to a sixty-year-old white clapboard house with peeling paint and sagging front porch. There were lots of overgrown pyracantha bushes and cedar growing in a wide, unruly swath down one side of the house, and a scattering of Spanish oak and mesquite trees off to the other side. At the base of the slope at the back part of the property, there was a fairly good-sized watering hole, and about a dozen cattle were grazing a hundred yards away in a pasture. A dilapidated barn off to their left and some sagging wooden fencing completed the rustic picture. Scully noticed the shudder that passed through her partner's body after he had stepped out of the car and let his gaze travel over the scene. She raised an eyebrow but kept silent, and turned to approach the house. Imrie made no attempt at stealth as he clumped up the uneven wooden steps and across the porch. He opened the screen door and knocked firmly on the sturdy oak that hid the interior of the house from their view. Mulder hadn't accompanied them onto the porch, however. He was standing in the heat of the front yard, motionless. Just as Imrie had decided that no one was home, he realized that Mulder was rapidly moving over to the left corner of the house. The crackle of dry, brittle grass accompanied his footsteps, and Imrie idly noticed that all of their shoes were accumulating the inevitable fine coating of dust from the arid dirt. Mulder wasn't stopping when he reached the corner, Imrie noticed. "We don't have a warrant..." he called out, but the agent had already disappeared around the side of the house. "Dammit! Where's he going?" He let the screen door swing shut with a creak and a bang. Scully didn't reply, probably because she was intent on following her partner, and also vanished around the corner into the shadow of the overgrown bushes. "Well, shit. This is just great," Imrie muttered. Scully, meanwhile, had drawn her weapon and was hurrying to back up her partner. She tried to avoid the thickest of the cedar foliage but couldn't avoid it all, which proved to be prickly and uncomfortable when it hit the skin. She would have gone around the thicket, but that would have taken too long. Three-quarters of the way through, she discovered that Mulder had somehow avoided a large spider web and had left it for her to tear through. She nervously hoped that the maker of the web had scurried for safety by now. From up ahead and out of her sight she suddenly heard a loud thump and some unidentifiable noises. After an eternity, Scully finally rounded the back corner and broke free of the cedar. The brightness of the sun hit her full in the face and blinded her for a second or two. Blinking, her vision cleared enough to see that Mulder was lying on top of a young girl, trying his best to protect her, while a large man stood over them, in the act of swinging a long-handled axe downward. Even as she fired two quick rounds, she knew she was too late. The axe had already arced high in the air and begun its descent toward Mulder and the girl. The man crumpled to the ground as the bullets hit his body; however, the only thing she was aware of was the sickening sound the axe made as it hit its target. "Please," she whispered, to no one in particular, and then forced her feet to move forward. Imrie came running into view, gun drawn, so she left the man with the axe in his care. She had something more important to do. She dreaded having to see the damage that the heavy blade had caused her partner. The journey to his side seemed to take forever. Even the shadow of the hawk that floated over the parched back lawn was in slow motion, and when her foot accidentally struck Mulder's weapon where it lay on the ground, it skittered away, leaving fine dust suspended in the air in its wake. Then she was finally kneeling on the lifeless brown grass at Mulder's side, vaguely noting Imrie speaking on his cel phone behind her. Scully's gaze searched out the axe blade, even while she placed her trembling fingers at the side of the girl's neck. In seconds she noted that there was a steady pulse. The girl was unconscious, and had a nasty bruise on the side of her face. Then her full attention returned to Mulder and the axe. Its blade was buried in the earth, parallel to his torso, just below his outflung arm. It had missed him. Good God, it had missed him. He groaned and Scully smoothed the hair from his face, not able to speak for a moment. Thinking he had been killed was taking a toll on her whole system, especially her emotions. This was the second time in several days he had nearly caused her heart to arrest when she'd thought him to be dead or fatally hurt. He, like the girl, had received a blow to his head. There was scraped skin and swelling at his temple. His injury had left him dazed, but he was beginning to focus on the world. Scully needed to move his weight from the girl's small body and was able, with Imrie's help, to turn him over onto his back. She could see now that his normally alert and expressive eyes were somewhat glazed and that he had bitten his lower lip until it bled. Still, he managed to glance at the girl and mumble, "Is she okay?" Upon being reassured that she would be fine, he closed his eyes and asked Scully for some SPF-200 sunblock if she was going to leave him lying in the scorching Texas sun for much longer. Then the EMTs, with Navarro and Sanger at their heels, came bustling toward them, and Scully could hear more sirens in the distance. She gave Mulder's hand a squeeze and backed off to let the paramedics do their job, and then she had to begin to reply to the dozens of questions that needed answers. ********************* San Antonio Bureau Offices 3:15 PM Scully was not happy. She had been ordered away from the hospital, away from Mulder, to answer questions from SAC Robinson about the case. The SAC had been concerned about making sure the shooting had been necessary and if the agents' presence on the property had been legal. This would be preliminary, since a more formal statement would still have to be made. Robinson told her that, assuming he was well enough, Mulder was probably being questioned by a Bureau agent and someone from the District Attorney's office at that moment. "We wanted to obtain your accounts while everything is still fresh in everyone's minds," she added, looking at Imrie and Scully. Scully wondered why they couldn't have questioned her at the hospital, along with Mulder, but figured they wanted to check their separate stories and see if they matched. She supposed she should be angry that they'd pull that sort of thing on them, given their experience and standing, but she understood they had to cover all bases. The phone on Robinson's desk had rung in the middle of the questions, and she asked the two agents to wait out in the bullpen while she took the call. Scully was pacing back and forth with impatience, wanting to talk with Mulder's doctors. She suspected a mild concussion, but wanted to make sure it wasn't any worse than that. Imrie flopped into an empty chair at a nearby desk and said, "Why don't you try to relax, Agent Scully? We'll probably be here for awhile, and from what I understand, Agent Mulder is doing all right." She didn't pause in her movements, but darted an exasperated glance his way and then veered down the hall, muttering, "I'm going to get a drink." Bending over the water fountain, she was aware that two women were passing her, apparently headed out for coffee. She recognized Ms. Betancourt's voice as she said, "...were glued together, right there in the front conference room!" "No!" was the scandalized response. "Yes, and they would probably have done more than grope each other if I hadn't interrupted their little 'meeting'." "But isn't it unethical for an agent to get involved with a witness in..." The voices faded as the two women entered a stairwell and the door closed behind them. Face flushed, Scully straightened up and wondered why the floor hadn't swallowed her as fury, embarrassment and heartbreak raged in her body. If she had any strength of character left, she told herself, she wouldn't put up with the situation any longer. She hadn't forgotten the motel room tryst, but had shoved it to the back of her mind when Mulder had been injured. But the humiliation and hurt she had felt then was returning in a rush, compounded by the fact that he had been flaunting his relationship with that...woman, right here in the office. Still, her partner wasn't bound to her other than professionally. They had never taken the next step in their personal lives. She really had no claim on his affections, other than deep friendship. Although she knew this to be true, the acknowledgment cut through her like a knife. She knew that it was unfair for her to display her jealousy under the circumstances, but also knew it would be impossible to hide her emotions when confronted with any dalliances and sexual adventures on his part. My God, she had already punched the man, in public no less. At that moment she made a life-changing decision, and then, with a huge effort of will, calmly returned to sit near Imrie with an expressionless face. He gave her a curious look and said, "Before we go back in there...What exactly did Mulder say about why he decided to go around to the rear of the house?" "He was still a little jumbled in the thinking department when they took him off in the ambulance, so I didn't have a chance to go into it too deeply, but he did mention hearing a faint sound, like a child crying out." Imrie furrowed his brow in thought. "That's funny, since I don't remember hearing a thing. Well, whatever happened, it saved that girl's life and stopped that bastard from hurting anyone else." She nodded, wondering how she was going to tell Mulder that she was going to request a transfer the minute they got back to D.C. When she and Imrie returned to the SAC's office, Robinson was wearing a curious expression. "I've been talking with the mayor and he tells me that you and your partner are quite the heroes with the media ever since they heard about what happened. He's having another of his press conferences tomorrow..." Imrie rolled his eyes. "...and he wants you and Agent Mulder there for a photo op and interview. He feels that the Bureau should appreciate the publicity they'll be getting for the role their agents played in putting an end to the child murders which have had the city in an uproar. The Director seems to agree and will be sending his public relations man down here from Headquarters tonight. Press conference is at 10:00 AM at City Hall." ****************** Immediately following the meeting with SAC Robinson, Scully had hurried to the hospital and managed to find Mulder's doctor, Carol Jordan. Doctor Jordan was happy to tell her that they would be releasing her partner within the hour, since his injury was a very minor concussion, with no complications. At the most, he might have a headache for a day or so. From the doctor's eagerness to see the last of Mulder, Scully assumed that he had been making a nuisance of himself. "You seem awfully sorry to see him go," she commented wryly . Doctor Jordan grinned in reply, then said diplomatically, "He can be quite charming when he wants to be. Right now, he's not so inclined." Scully left the hospital without stopping in to see her partner, since neither one of them would be up to confrontations yet. She did, however, check on the girl they had rescued and found her bruised and sore but otherwise fine. She didn't want to talk much, which Scully certainly understood, so the agent soon left the sad, haunted-looking girl in the company of her family. Her doctor wasn't around at the time, so she made a mental note of contacting him later. On the way out of the hospital, she turned her cel phone off. With the case essentially over, the Bureau and other law enforcement people could wait until the next day to talk with her any further. But the main reason, of course, was that she didn't want any contact with her partner. Later at the motel, she ignored the ringing of the telephone in her room. Every time her resolve weakened, she would remember how he had behaved with Lisa Morgan. ******************* (Continued in Part 5) ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (5 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) Hospital Mulder had been asking for Scully ever since he had been deposited at the hospital by the EMTs. No one seemed to know anything. He was positive that she hadn't been injured, having been assured of that by Imrie, but where the hell was she? He had been puzzled, but figured that she'd come by to see him after running the red tape gauntlet at the field office. But the morning dragged on and still no Scully. Following another examination, the doctor had said that Mulder could leave the hospital that evening. If his headache should happen to grow worse, or if he should become dizzy or experience vision problems, he should contact either herself or her backup, Doctor Pafford, immediately. Apparently word got around that Mulder was going to be released. A deputy sheriff, an assistant district attorney, a representative of the mayor, Agent Navarro from the Bureau, and a stenographer gathered in a group around his bed to take his statement. They were particularly interested in his version of the events leading up to the shooting. The deputy sheriff, Jim Hoffman, seemed to have a chip on his shoulder for some reason. Mulder figured that he was bent out of shape because the feds had resolved the case that had stymied the sheriff's department. He had seen this kind of reaction from local law enforcement numerous times on numerous cases, unfortunately. "How is it that no one else heard the girl cry out but you, Agent Mulder?" Deputy Hoffman asked, with barely- suppressed sarcasm. "I don't know; maybe by standing nearer to the corner of the house than the others, the sound reached my ears. I almost missed it myself, it was so faint." "And then what happened?" Agent Navarro's question overrode whatever the deputy was going to say next, and earned her a glare. "When I reached the back yard, a man was trying to drag a girl down the steps from the open screen door. When she resisted and held onto the frame, he hit her with his fist. I pulled my weapon out and ordered him to let her go. He kicked the screen door into my arm and grabbed an axe that had been leaning against the house. My gun arm had been knocked aside when the door struck it, and when the flat of the axe blade hit me on the side of the head, I must have dropped the weapon. I was stunned; unable to think straight." Mulder stopped speaking for a moment and passed his hand over his forehead. Drawing a breath, he continued. "He was bringing the axe back up, ready to hit me again, when the girl flew at me and clung for dear life. I dove for the ground, trying to get us out of the range of the blade. Again, I wasn't thinking; just reacting. Once on the ground, I realized that I was in no shape to get up and run, so all I could do was pray that Scully...my partner, Agent Dana Scully...would get there in time. I remember waiting to feel that sharp, heavy blade burying itself in my back..." The room was totally silent, as everyone hung on his words. All could clearly visualize the axe blade swinging down toward the two helpless people on the ground. "Then I vaguely remember gunshots and a trip to the hospital, and that's about it." There was an audible shifting of bodies in the room as he finished speaking. The mayor's representative, a tall, distinguished, silver-haired man, stood and said, "Thank you, Agent Mulder. We may have more questions later, but in the meantime, we'll have this preliminary interview prepared for your signature. We're glad to see that you weren't seriously injured, and wish to commend you for your actions." As the group filed out, several shook his hand, and he was on the verge of asking Agent Navarro about Scully. But he refrained, knowing that his partner wouldn't appreciate being tracked down just because he wanted to say 'hey.' ******************** Mulder was alone in the boring, sterile, lonely hospital room once more. He fiddled with the television for a minute or two, wincing at the sappy soap operas and advertising before shutting it off. By late afternoon, with still no word from Scully, he had decided to risk her wrath and was aggressively trying to contact her. A "not in service" message from her cel phone and no return of his messages to the Bureau or motel caused him to imagine the worst. He finally raised such a ruckus about needing to leave in order to reach Scully that Doctor Jordan heard about it and decided to pay him another visit. Her smile a little more strained after putting in a 14-hour day at the hospital, the doctor breezed into his room and asked, "I thought you'd have gone home by now." "The nurse just told me that I could leave, and she's bringing my clothes to me. But I've been trying to reach Agent Scully all day, and..." "She didn't see you about a half hour ago?" Doctor Jordan said in surprise. Looking hopeful, he asked, "She's here?" "She *was* here, asking about your injuries, and then had to leave right away. I thought she had probably dropped in on you before our discussion." She didn't want to check on me? Or give me a ride to the motel? His eyes were eloquent in their disappointment. The doctor shrugged but her brown eyes reflected the sympathy she felt for her patient. "Agent Scully seemed to be in a hurry; perhaps she had to get back to work?" Since it was nearly 6:00 PM and the case was essentially solved, he doubted that. He had a very bad feeling about what might be going on. ********************* Mulder's room at the motel There was no answer to Mulder's knock at Scully's motel room door, so he hurried down the corridor to his own room, sat on the side of his bed, and picked up the phone. When he finally managed to reach Imrie at his home, Mulder immediately got into a shouting match with the man, who insisted that he had given Scully all Mulder's phone messages and it wasn't *his* fault that she hadn't contacted him yet. Obviously trying to steer the conversation into calmer waters, Imrie asked "How are you feeling, Agent Mulder?" after an ominous silence at the other end of the phone line. "You did a very courageous thing, saving that girl like you did." The silence continued for another moment, and then Mulder just said, "If you speak with my partner or see her, please tell her that I've been released from the hospital and have some things to discuss with her." A click indicated that the agent had hung up. Mulder dropped his head into his hands. He was so terribly afraid of what might be going on with Scully. It was easy for him to imagine the most horrible of scenarios, but his logical mind told him that she was most likely leaving him and the X-Files. Why else would she be avoiding him after he'd been injured? Why else was she so hostile toward him this morning? ************************ Scully's room at the motel Scully had given in to cowardice and hadn't answered the door when someone had knocked on it. She knew it was her partner and there was no way she could have faced a scene with him that evening. In the morning, after their meeting with the press, a private talk would be unavoidable. After taking a shower and organizing her notes about the case on the laptop, she was thinking about having a pizza delivered when she heard something on the other side of the wall. Mulder's room. Since she hadn't turned on the television or a radio, her room was silent, and it wasn't difficult to hear the murmur of voices next door. The words weren't clear, but she could tell that there was a male and a female voice speaking. Oh, God, not again. After his concussion, mild or not, he shouldn't be fooling around. She couldn't take another night of listening to him screwing that woman. She would move to a different motel. Mind made up, she began throwing things into a suitcase, but paused for a moment. Before things got too...intense next door, she should tell him about the morning's press conference. And he'd also need to know that she was moving out. When she tried calling his cel phone, however, she found that he had turned it off. Of course. Calling his room only got her connected to the front desk clerk, who told her that the person in Room 802 had asked that he not be disturbed. She barely managed to keep from slamming the receiver down before stalking to the door. ********************* Before he changed out of his dirty, sweaty clothes and got more comfortable, Mulder decided to go down the hall for some ice and stop by Scully's room again to see if she was back yet. As he neared her door, he was pleased to see her emerge, dressed considerably cooler than he was, with shorts, tank top and bare feet. She turned and saw him standing there with his empty ice bucket, and gave him a glare that could have stripped the paint off the side of a building. "We've been ordered to attend a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 at City Hall," she said. He had been expecting more of a 'How are you feeling' type of greeting, but at least he had finally caught up with her. He bent slightly toward her and murmured, "What is it about hallways, Scully? They aren't very intimate settings for all these meetings we keep having in them." His affectionate smile shattered her tightly-held emotions and she found herself blurting, "Why did you tell me that you loved me?" For one of the few times in his life, Mulder was at a complete loss for words. Seeing his mouth parted but no words forthcoming, she gritted her teeth and reminded him, "After Bermuda. I knew you meant it but couldn't take that kind of step at that time, so I blew you off." Nodding slightly like a man in a daze, he could only wait and see where she was going with this. "If you were telling the truth, then what you've been doing to me is cruel." Tears welled in her eyes as she continued to meet his stunned stare. He finally found his voice, but could only say, "What?" A terrible, resigned expression stole over her face and she dropped her gaze to the floor. His voice sounded strangled as he asked, "Scully, please tell me what is going on here. I really, truly don't know." He could see her shoulders tense up, and then her blazing eyes met his once again. "You screwed Lisa Morgan in your room, right up against the wall behind my bed, knowing I'd hear you. It may be none of my business what - or who - you do, but you could at least be more discreet about it." She was unable to go on without breaking down, so she whirled around, pushed the card into the lock, and slammed into her room. Mulder still stood in the hallway, shocked to his toes. Several things became clear as a bell, even to his befuddled brain. She thought he loved her, which he did. And she cared enough for him to be insanely jealous of his attentions toward Lisa Morgan. But what in the hell was the rest of that all about? Then the light dawned as he put the remaining pieces together. He hadn't yet told her that he'd changed rooms. The young couple in his former room must have been...Oh, God. Mulder pounded on her door. Scully, meanwhile, was standing just on the other side of the door, willing herself not to cry. She needed to finish this with him now, but not if she was out of control like this. And from the sounds of it, he'd be kicking the lock open with his big foot any second. She finally felt capable of facing him, if only for a few minutes, and turned back to the door as though she were about to die. Mulder was startled when the door suddenly swung inward, a grim-faced Scully backing up so he could enter. He eyed her warily, and stepped inside the room so she could close the door. Hoping to clear up the misunderstanding as fast as possible, he quickly said, "Scully, Lisa Morgan and I never...had sex. What you heard..." "Stop it. Just...stop it." Her deadly calm voice cut through his explanation like a diamond cutting through glass. "You're lying, Mulder, but I don't understand why, since you know I heard you screwing that woman myself." "Scully, I didn't..." "Don't *lie* to me!" she shouted. Mulder closed his eyes for a moment, and then, teeth clenched, he said, "Okay, you win, Scully. What do you want to hear? Yeah, Lisa and I have been fucking like bunnies all along. In fact, she's moving to D.C. to be my love slave." He dropped the sarcasm then, and moved closer to her. "How could you believe me capable of doing something like that? Of being that insensitive to your feelings? You told me you trusted me, Scully." "Don't you dare give me that crap, Mulder. Not after this." "There is no 'this,' Scully." He sounded weary all of a sudden. He usually didn't back down from a fight so quickly. In fact, he was walking toward the door as if he had given up the battle. She saw him impatiently toss the ice bucket onto a nearby chair. Perversely, she was offended that he wasn't going to fight for her to stay; to get her to continue to take his abuse and humiliation. Wasn't she worth more than a few minutes' effort? He was out in the corridor now, but he turned and motioned her to come to him. What the hell? Scully crossed her arms in a stubborn posture, but when he patiently motioned again, she relented and moved slowly in his direction. By the time she stepped into the hallway, he was knocking on the door to the next room. *His* room. Her brow furrowed. She didn't want to have a conversation with his bimbo. But the person who answered the door wasn't Lisa Morgan. This was a woman Scully had never seen before. Her blonde hair was fetchingly mussed, and a fluffy white robe was apparently all she was wearing. So, is Mulder showing off his harem tonight? I don't need this shit. Scully began to back away, but Mulder's hand was at the small of her back, blocking her movement. He was saying something... "...question. The tub drain mechanism and the air conditioner were both broken yesterday afternoon. They were repaired after the former tenant was moved out. Have they been working okay for you folks?" "Yes, everything's fine. Thanks for checking." The woman seemed preoccupied with something going on in the room behind her, and when Scully shifted to the left a bit, she could see a reflection in a mirror on the wall. There was a man with just a towel around his waist comically posing and flexing his muscles. Mulder was thanking the woman, who closed the door in the middle of his sentence. Clearly, there were more important things on her mind. Scully couldn't bear to meet his gaze at that moment, and she stood frozen, breath caught in her lungs. She finally broke the tableau when she took his hand and pulled him back into her room. Once inside, she remained half-turned away from him, but Mulder was very aware that she still had a death-grip on his hand. "Mulder, I...I don't know what to say. Except...I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions like that. I'm ashamed I believed you would do such a thing. And hitting you...Oh, my God. How can you ever forgive me?" She slumped onto the bed, head down. Scully, normally able to face anything, found it horribly difficult to meet his eyes. When he shook his hand free, however, her head jerked up. Meeting his gaze now, she couldn't 'read' him at all. He was completely expressionless, and that scared her enough to bring her to her feet in panic. Still embarrassed to death over her display of jealous behavior, she tried to find the words to make it all right again. His silence was terrifying her. But when she parted her lips to speak, his fingers were pressed against her mouth. He had somehow moved closer while she was busy panicking. "It doesn't matter, Scully," he murmured. It really didn't, although there was a deep-down resentment that she could think that he'd do such a thing to her. Logically, he could see how it had happened, but he wanted her complete trust. That thought was followed by a mental snort of derision, realizing that if Scully ever blindly followed him and never questioned anything he said or did, she wouldn't be Scully. He enfolded her into his arms and rubbed the side of his face in her hair. He could feel her trembling and ran a hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. She finally pulled back so she could meet his gaze. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she said, "You should be mad as hell at me, Mulder. Your private life is your own." His face reflected an expression that she could only interpret as amused/affectionate. "What if I want you to share my private life with me?" Comprehension took a few seconds, and then she wasn't sure that her legs would hold her upright. She was drowning in those clear gray-green eyes and she clutched his arms for dear life. He was drawing her closer, his gaze flickering hungrily to her mouth and back to her eyes... "This is where we always step back, one way or another," he whispered. "I don't want to do that anymore. I want to have this, too." Then he was kissing her. There was nothing tentative about the way his mouth claimed hers. His lips were warm and soft, but demanding. He was intensely focused on exploring her taste and texture, it seemed. Scully tried to formulate an argument against indulging in this behavior, but gave it up before she even began. She would be lying to say she hadn't wanted this for what seemed like forever. Her universe was utterly focused on how he was making her body resonate with sensations. And she wanted more. As his lips moved to her eyelids and then back to her mouth, she was aware of her puckered, sensitive nipples sliding against his chest and of the warmth concentrating in her groin. This sexy and beloved man was igniting her whole being as she responded to his attentions. She gasped with another surge of pleasure when he sought the delicate skin of her neck, and then his warm breath caressed her ear as he whispered her name. Her own mouth found the incredible softness of the skin and hair behind his ear. After some nuzzling, she couldn't resist licking the whorls of that ear. She smiled at the resulting hiss of his breath. When he could find his voice, he murmured, "Let's move this to the bed, okay?" He grinned at her raised eyebrow and added, "We need to talk. What did you think I meant?" She walked toward the bed while he shrugged out of his jacket and threw it over the back of a chair. His weapon followed the coat, and then he began loosening his tie. Knowing that he was watching her the whole time, Scully got up onto the bed on her hands and knees, shorts straining over her backside, then turned her head to look back over her shoulder at her partner to sultrily ask, "Coming?" He stood frozen in place for a moment, his eyes holding a predatory gleam. She smiled as she turned away once more, then sat back against her heels with the remains of a smile gracing her mouth as she patiently waited. Mulder took a deep breath and slowly let it escape. Slipping out of his shoes, it occurred to him that, if this kind of intimacy was arousing him so much, how could he last two seconds if they *were* to carry it further? As he walked toward her, he knew that there was no way she could miss noticing his hard-on. He grinned apologetically and shrugged, then threw all the pillows into a heap at the head of the bed. He sat up against them and held his arm out at the side, welcoming her company. Scully gladly crawled up next to him and settled against his warmth. His right arm draped across her shoulders and the left lay across his lap with the tips of his fingers touching her bare thigh. "We don't need to talk, you know," she ventured, as she idly ran her forefinger through the smooth hair on his forearm. She felt him shiver at her touch. "I don't think we talk enough. I don't see that changing, really, but right now, this is too important for misunderstandings." His voice sounded tighter and a little deeper than usual. Scully thought back to what he'd said about neither one of them being able to share their thoughts, and had to agree. They *were* secretive people and no matter how close they became, laying their inner thoughts bare to the other wasn't likely to become a routine thing. She finally nodded, but had to confess, "I was ready to move from friends to lovers after our last case." She could feel his head make a startled move and knew he was looking down at her. "Why didn't you clue me in, Scully?" "I had been waiting for the right moment, and then all...this happened." She waved her hand in a vague gesture toward the wall behind them. He tightened his hold and murmured into her hair. "Well, I've been more than ready for a very long time for us to 'consummate' our partnership. And that's not just hormones speaking." Glancing at his lap, she saw that his arm couldn't disguise the very large body part that was trying to break free of confinement. She grinned, letting her hand slide off the side of his arm to brush against the mysterious bulge, and said, "Oh, really?" A groan and a shifting of his hips told her of the torture she was inflicting. Looking up into his face, she saw that his eyes were closed. That she was free now to kiss that beloved face was a heady, exhilarating thought. Then she saw the purple and black bruise near his temple, half-hidden by his hair, and the faint discoloration at the side of his jaw from her punch. She remembered the bruise on his chest, as well, and felt a strong urge to wrap him into her arms and comfort her injury-prone partner. Still ashamed that she had left him alone in the hospital, she asked, "Do you have a headache from the concussion?" Opening one eye, his expression clearly conveyed how little the change in topic interested him. It also conveyed that he was fine, and that if she started one of those 'doctor' conversations, he might have to become violent. But there was one question she had to ask. A slight frown appeared on her brow and she said, "Do you really think we'll be okay together...after this?" He lifted her hand and held it in his own, opening his eyes to her blue gaze. She could see the desire in his face and it fed her own matching emotions. "I have no doubt we'd be more than okay. Scully, if we became lovers, it would be..." She watched that delectable mouth purse in mid-sentence, as if he was trying to find the perfect words. "...it would be the best thing that could ever happen to me...except, of course, for finding Elvis pumping gas at a Mini-Mart in Elko, Nevada." She gave his arm a punch. Mulder just smirked at her and then asked, "Shit, Scully. Are we really going to do this?" She accomplished two things when she abruptly rolled to face him with a knee between his legs: It answered his question and it quickly wiped the smirk off those lips as she leaned against his chest and kissed him. And oh, what a kiss! Instead of letting him set the pace as before, she enthusiastically explored his lips and mouth with her tongue, absurdly pleased when she heard and felt him moan. She leaned away but he refused to break contact, leaning with her, lips fused with hers. She smiled in the kiss, and he finally released her with a question in his eyes. (Concluded in Part 6) ASSUMPTION OF GUILT (6 of 6) by Gerry Hill (fox42@ix.netcom.com) "Let me get out of this..." she muttered as she grabbed her tank top at the waist and yanked it over her head. It sailed out into the room, landing in a graceful drape across a lampshade. He was speechless, filling his gaze with her wild hair, sultry eyes and...oh, boy. Her suddenly freed breasts jiggled in his face as her bra followed her blouse to their fate as lampshade covers. Staring at this delightful pair of breasts, there was no way he could keep from touching them. Experimentally cupping them in his hands, he delighted in the softness and weight of them. The nipples were puckered so he ran the palm of his hand back and forth over one, feeling an erotic tingle in his hand where it met his skin. Looking up at Scully's face, he was struck by her parted mouth and the quickened pace of her breathing. Her eyelids were half closed in apparent rapture. Encouraged by her reaction, he ran his tongue around and over the pebbly texture of the hardened nipple as he squeezed the breast and she gasped, closing her eyes. Pleased, he closed his mouth over her breast and strongly sucked, while lightly pinching and tugging on the other nipple. That brought a moan and a thrust of her hips. Her hands were in his hair, holding his head against her chest, clearly not wanting him to stop. He gladly complied and began massaging one breast while he teased the nipple still in his mouth with his teeth and tongue. Her hip movements were driving him crazy, however, and his own hips were counter-thrusting in reaction. He needed...he needed...he needed Scully. He gently pushed her away and ignored her protests at the lost contact. "Clothes," he explained. A button, a zipper, and a simple downward motion were all it took for Scully to be naked. Her shorts and panties landed on the floor. Watching her strip for him, he wasn't exactly making much progress with his own disrobing. His belt was unbuckled, but he was frozen in the act of unzipping his pants in order to absorb the sight before him. Now nude, she was stretching back against the pillows, an initial shyness now replaced with open hunger for him. Eyes still roaming her body, he slowly finished unzipping his pants and stepped out of them. Then he stripped his boxers off and stopped for a moment to drink in the sight on the bed again, only to be met with a burst of laughter. He looked down and had to smile. He wiggled his toes in the socks he was still wearing, and then his gaze moved up his long, slender, bare, hairy legs to where they disappeared under his shirttails, and finally his gaze settled on the reddened, engorged penis that jutted out from the opening in the lower front of his shirt. "Nice look, Mulder," she managed between giggles. "That's what all the clerical staff say when I show up for 'casual Fridays' at the office." He soon had the shirt and undershirt on the floor, then sat with a bounce at the foot of the bed to divest himself of the socks. His erection bounced, too, and she couldn't help but crawl over and encircle it with her hand. All movement ceased. Mulder stared at his diminutive partner's hand wrapped around his dick and knew he was going to embarrass himself if she so much as moved that hand a tiny bit. Speaking from behind clenched teeth, he said, "Could you do the exam later, Doc? I can't..." She saw the problem immediately and released him. He blew out a breath and then tenderly framed her face with his hands. "I want to slowly learn your body, Scully, but I don't think that's going to happen this first time." He paused, drinking in her cherished features, letting all the love he felt for her show in his eyes. "First time?" she breathed. "Just how often do you think we can do this tonight?" "I was thinking in the long term, Scully. Like sixty, seventy years..." Her eyes closed briefly, and then her gaze made his heart skip a beat, there was so much emotion focused on him. Gripping his wrists where they still cupped her face, she simply and huskily said, "Kiss me." So he did. He began with an almost reverent touch of lips, but couldn't help trying to devour her moments later. Scully was equally fervent in her exploration of his mouth, which served to inflame him all the more. Releasing her lips in order to breathe, he realized that she was now straddling his lap, having apparently swung her leg over him while he was lost in the sensations of the kiss. "Yee-ha," she said with an impish grin. In answer, he spread his legs wider, opening her sex to him. Her nest of reddish curls drew his undivided attention. Reaching down, he gently and repeatedly stroked the fingers of his right hand through her damp folds. Her expression instantly changed from devilish to ecstatic. Enthralled with her reaction, he also captured a nipple between his left thumb and forefinger, rubbing and squeezing it. He was rewarded with another moan that shot instantly to his erection, and she thrust her hips into his hand. He also found that he was coming into contact with his balls while pleasuring Scully, bringing him even more enjoyment. Covering her open mouth with his, he let his tongue fuck her mouth while he pushed a long finger inside her heat and wetness. Oh, God, he was touching Scully. At last. She was so delicious in so many ways, he was discovering. This magnificent woman was so responsive that when he finally rubbed her clit, an orgasm began immediately to sweep through her body. He was a hair's breadth from coming, himself, just from feeling her wet center spasm around his finger and her nipple become so rigid in his mouth. Crying out his name, she rode the orgasm to its end with moans and sighs that kept him perilously close to the edge. He held her tightly against his body as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. Finally she drew in a deep breath and leaned back from him, her eyes shining. "Oh, Mulder," was all she could say at first. Then she dropped her gaze downward and smiled. He looked down as well, and admired the contrast of the large, very warm, throbbing and flushed penis pressed against the smooth, pale skin of her stomach and abdomen. She sighed in contentment and said, "I felt as though we were alone in our own universe..." Suddenly they heard male grunts and groans and a female's sharp cries from behind the wall, accompanied by a 'thump, thump' sound. Grinning, Mulder commented, "Our universe is getting crowded." Acutely conscious that he was holding a very naked Scully in his arms, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her fragrance, and began to lower her to the bed. She scooted back into the pillows, looking very pleased with herself. "Feeling good? he asked, suppressing a grin. "Mmmmm," was her reply, as she spread her legs open for him. All control was down the tubes as far as Mulder was concerned when he saw her display herself with such trust for him. He moved to cover her body, supporting himself on his elbows, and reached down to guide himself to her center. Tasting her sex with his tongue would have to come later, no matter how much he was anticipating that pleasure. He couldn't wait a moment longer to sink his stiff and throbbing penis through that velvety entrance to her body. Raised up enough to watch the process, he realized just how much bigger he looked than what her lower body could possibly accept. She was so petite! A familiar panicked look crossed his face, but Scully could read him so well. Her hand covered his and helped him guide his erection into her opening. Her heels on his ass urged him on, so he slowly buried himself in that sweet sheath. A loud groan issued from his mouth as he felt himself surrounded by her welcoming warmth. At last he was where he belonged. His mind could dwell right there forever, but his body had other ideas and urges. Nearly withdrawing his throbbing member all the way out of that tight passage, then plunging back inside, he felt his balls already constricting in anticipation. It was only going to take a few thrusts... Scully, sensing his hesitation, pulled his head down to her shoulder and whispered, "Come in me, Mulder. Come for me." Unleashed by her words, he pumped strongly and repeatedly, his thrusts shoving her body back against the headboard. Stubbornly wanting her to join him, he fought past his urgent need, reached down, fumbled for her clitoris, and pressed it with his thumb in a rough circular motion. He panted her name and then, with a few more rapid thrusts, he groaned into her neck as he reached his own orgasm. Scully followed him with inarticulate cries. The explosion of sensations concentrated in his cock blossomed to saturate every atom of his being. As his orgasm peaked, it felt as though he was pouring his very soul into this woman. When Mulder could form thoughts again, they were disjointed and dazed. At the most coherent, they consisted of 'OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod...' Knowing he was too heavy for her, he rolled them over so that she lay draped across his body. Her face had a light sheen of perspiration and a lazy smile curved her lips. She had never looked more beautiful to him. Scully began placing little kisses on his chest, pausing once to rub vigorously on her nose when the hair tickled. Then she worked her way up to his neck, kissing and nuzzling, and making happy-sounding murmurs and sighs. Mulder was in heaven. Not only was he sexually sated, but Scully - his Scully! - was still making him feel incredibly good. He hadn't been touched this much in years. With all his heart, he wished that they could remain in this one moment forever, dreading the return to the inevitable disappointments, pain, rejections, and failures of life. His arm tightened around her waist at the thought. "Stop it." Startled, he peered down at her disheveled hair where it spread over his neck and chest. Her head moved so she could look up into his eyes and she said, "Yes, I want us to make love again. Yes, this will work; we'll make sure that it does. And yes, I do love you. Does that cover most of what you're worrying about?" His eyes closed briefly. "Yeah. All but whether this means you'll be making my coffee in the morning, doing my laundry, cooking my meals, and being at my beck and call," he finally replied. His expression was perfectly serious, but the humor she saw in his eyes gave him away. "I see I'm immediately going to have to set you straight on a few things," she said with a smile. ****************** Next morning, 7:41AM Scully's motel room The water from the shower head pounded on Mulder's back as he pounded into Scully. Her legs were around his waist and hips as he gripped her ass and buried himself again and again in her hot, wet center. Her back was against the tile wall and she was making the most amazing sounds to express her pleasure. He vaguely realized that they were probably entertaining the neighbors, but didn't care. "Can you rub yourself, Scully?" he said, in between gasps of breath. "I don't have a free hand right now. And I'm awfully close." He wasn't sure she was ready for something like that yet, at least not with him, since this was only their second time, but she didn't hesitate to slide her hand down between them and rub her clit. He looked down to watch her, experiencing a surge in his groin at the sight, and then became aware that her eyes had opened and she was, in turn, watching him. He slammed into her even harder and then they both let go, shuddering in ecstasy, Scully crying out and Mulder groaning his pleasure. Mulder continued to hold her tightly under the shower spray, feeling so many things for this beautiful woman. She'd slug him again if she knew that an intense feeling of protectiveness for her was near the top of his list. And he hadn't felt this satisfied and happy in ages. Noticing that his legs seemed a little rubbery, he reluctantly slipped out of her and let her body slide down his until she, too, was standing. "Do you think they'll suspect something when I have this silly grin on my face during the press conference?" he asked. "Since I'll have one on my face, too, I'm sure they will," she replied, as she grabbed the wash cloth and the bar of soap. He happily submitted to being scrubbed down by Scully and then even more happily returned the favor. She pretended to be impatient with his hands lingering over certain parts of her anatomy, but he knew she loved it. "Mulder, did you grow two more hands overnight, or is there someone else in here with us?" "Nobody here but us chickens," he chuckled as he tickled her under her arm where he knew she was sensitive. The squeak she emitted made his day and he shut the water off, more contented than he'd ever been. Until she swatted his rear and dashed past him and out the bathroom door. Thence ensued a naked chase around the room which Mulder easily won with his long legs. The tickling match on the bed left them both reddened and gasping for breath. Lying there side by side, Scully said, "It's time to grab a bite so we can get to the press conference on time." Ooops. She would have to watch how she worded things to him from now on if they expected to ever get anything done. When he quit nibbling on her breasts, she reluctantly rose from the bed and began gathering the clothes she would wear. "Meet you at the coffee shop?" she asked from inside the closet. "Sure." Peeking out from behind the closet door, she saw him pulling his rumpled, dirty trousers on and admired the excellent moon he inadvertently flashed her. Then he gathered the rest of his filthy clothes, tossed her a wink, gave his butt a little wiggle, since he'd known she'd been checking him out, and left the room with a bounce in his step. ******************* Motel Coffee Shop 8:43 AM With the experience born of years of shared breakfasts on the road with Scully, Mulder had ordered for both of them by the time she arrived. She walked in the front door, gaze sweeping the place, and said something to the hostess. Before she spotted him in the booth at the rear, he was able to look at her with the new eyes of a lover. With affection and pride, he saw that she was glowing. Her cream-colored suit set off her red hair and the faint flush of her skin perfectly. She was beautiful. And that smile when she finally saw him...his heart gave a little stutter at the sight. Telling himself to get a grip, he managed to keep a normal expression on his face instead of the goofy, infatuated one that threatened to break out at any moment. He'd had plenty of practice over the years, pretending that she was only his colleague, nothing more, so he told himself he could do this. But when she sat down with a breathless, "Good morning, Mulder," his smile would have powered the electrical demands of a good-sized city. Needing to touch her, he reached across the table and put his hand over hers, asking impishly, "Sleep well, Scully?" Her eyes widened just the slightest, but enough to know that he was pushing it. Not in public, you asshole, he told himself. Obediently he slid his hand back to his own side of the table and tried to look repentant. However, his touch and his comment apparently hadn't bothered her the way he had thought, judging by what she said next. "Actually, I did sleep well, but I wouldn't mind having just a little...bit...more." She looked at him from under her lashes and added, "What about you, Mulder? Or are you all 'slept' out?" Although delighted with this new side of Scully, he pretended to be offended that she would question his sexual endurance. In what he hoped was a sultry tone, he said, "We don't have to leave for half an hour. Personally, I'm up for a nap." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Scully giggled. An actual, honest-to-God giggle. Mulder vowed to get her to laugh like that more often. A loud voice at their side suddenly jerked both of them out of their cozy bubble, and they noticed that the world still existed. "Okay, hon, here's your 'Ride 'em, Cowboy' Special. And for you, little lady, this is the "Rocking Horse." Enjoy!" The plates and bowls clattered to the table top in front of them and the waitress immediately disappeared on another food run. Tears ran down their faces, they were laughing so hard. "The...the 'Ride 'em, Cowboy?' " Scully manage to choke out before breaking into another peal of laughter. "Yee ha!" he agreed, which sent them both into stitches again. ******************* As it turned out, they both had good appetites and finished their meals quickly despite a few residual snorts and giggles. Then Scully had excused herself to freshen up in the restroom before they left for City Hall. "You just want to stiff me on the bill, Scully," he mock- complained as she stood up. "Would I do that?" she innocently asked, and then walked to the other side of the restaurant. He was throwing some money from his wallet onto the table when his cel phone rang. He searched for the instrument in his coat that lay across the seat next to him and pressed a button. "Mulder." It was Imrie. Without preamble, the agent gave him the bad news. "The press conference has been cancelled. Hannah, the girl you guys rescued, just jumped to her death from the hospital's fifth floor." Mulder felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. He managed to ask "What...why?" Imrie's conversation lasted another few minutes, and he was just disconnecting the call when Scully walked back up to the booth. She saw a pale, shocked partner, who stood up abruptly, pushed past her and rapidly made his way to the exit. When he emerged from the restaurant, he quickly walked around to the side of the building with Scully close behind him. It must have been 98 degrees outside already and both of them were perspiring. He unexpectedly stopped when he was half-way to the rear of the restaurant, nearly causing Scully to crash into him. Then Mulder smashed his fist into the hard wooden siding of the structure, uttering an obscenity. Then he hit it again. Then a third time, before Scully was able to grab his wrist and hang on with all her strength. His shoulders drooping, he didn't fight her, but neither did he let her inspect his hurt hand. "She's dead, Scully," he said, his voice sounding raspy and tight. "That bastard Terry Lee hadn't abducted anyone her age before; all the other victims ranged from five to nine years old. Hannah was eleven. That son-of-a-bitch molested her. God! My profile didn't pick up on the fact that he would gradually go for older kids and escalate into sexual aggression. He messed with her mind, terrified her, raped her and then was on his way to drown the poor kid." Scully looked stunned at the news, but he couldn't stop pouring out the rest of the horror story. "At the hospital, Hannah told her parents she was going to sleep for a while, so they left her alone for a few minutes in her room. She snuck out, went up to the lunch room on the floor above hers, found a window she could open, and jumped. Her brother had the pleasure of seeing her body hit the pavement below, since he'd been outside, retrieving a present for her that he'd left in the car." He had to stop speaking for a moment, bowing his head to run his hand through his hair. When he continued, she could see there were tears in his eyes. Hers were wet, as well, at the thought of how traumatized that boy had to be. "Oh, and my profile was also wrong about there having been a drowning in his past, probably involving his mother. I'm such a blind asshole. It turns out that he was just your run-of-the-mill serial killer with abusive parents. Terry Lee apparently tortured and killed neighborhood pets when he was a kid. Maybe he began drowning animals, liked it, and eventually graduated to humans." His agonized look seared Scully as he cried, "How could I have missed all that?! Each child had been approximately a year older than the last. There were obvious signs pointing to the right answers but I missed them altogether. Ah, Scully." As he bent over double as if in pain, it tore at her heart to see him so desperately anguished. When she tried to touch him, he jerked upright and backed away, eyes now devastated and bleak. "We caught that guy with good old-fashioned investigation and luck; mostly luck. And mostly thanks to your catch on the lab results. What the fuck am I doing here? A little girl is dead, goddammit!" "Mulder, you have a brilliant mind. But even brilliant people make mistakes now and then. You're human, after all. And besides, we don't even know that what happened *was* a mistake on your part. We still don't have all the facts of the case." This time he allowed her to put a hand on his arm, but he bitterly said, "I came strutting into the field office and arrogantly put that profile together, hardly breaking a sweat over it. Then I shoved it down everyone's throats, bragging about how I'm never wrong. Oh, God forgive me...What have I done?" She gave his arm a shake and demanded, "Are you even listening to me?" He took a breath to steady himself and nodded. She hugged him to her, placing her arms around his waist and sighed in relief when she finally felt his arms respond. He held her tightly, his face against her hair. "I realize that I tend to take all the world's faults on my shoulders, Scully, but this time..." "But this time, nothing, Mulder. You can't always know everything. You have to move on from this or it'll eat you alive. Even if your profile had been perfect, we most likely wouldn't have caught him before he took Hannah. It all happened too fast for that." She leaned back to look up at him and said, "Let's go back to the room. I want to check your hand and then find out why the hell the hospital didn't inform us that Hannah had been raped. She probably didn't receive any counseling, either." He allowed her to grasp his uninjured hand and lead him back to her room, where she cleaned his bruised and bloodied one. No bones seemed to be broken, to her relief, and she applied antibiotic ointment and a gauze bandage. All during this treatment, he hadn't said a word, choosing instead to stare at the floor. She knew him, and was well aware that he would let this gnaw away at his mind. She had to do something. "Mulder." He didn't look up. She sat next to him on the bed and tried again. "I'm not saying that what happened wasn't serious. And even though I'm your friend, lover and partner, I'm not automatically saying that you never do anything wrong. However, you need to stand back and look at your life and see that you've saved more people than you've lost and you always try to do the right thing, the compassionate thing. If once in awhile something goes wrong, well, you're not Superman. Mmmm, not outside of bed, anyway...." She was relieved to see a fleeting little smile on his face at that comment, although he still was finding the floor quite interesting. "You haven't satisfactorily resolved every single case that you've profiled before, have you?" There was no response for a few seconds, then he gave a negative shake of his head. Scully stood up and held her hand out to him. "What do you say that we go down to the Bureau and get more details? Then we can go back home and begin sharing our personal lives with each other." When he raised his head to gaze at her, his eyes were shining; partly from tears and partly from emotion. He reached up and took her hand and pulled her into his lap. "Scully, that girl is dead." He put his face against her shoulder and held on to her as though he was drowning. She rubbed his back soothingly as they both mourned the unnecessary death. ******************* Epilogue Offices of the FBI, San Antonio Special Agent Inez Navarro sat down at her desk, wondering why Agent Mulder was sprawled in a chair nearby. Then she spotted Agent Scully talking with Barry Jancowski over by the window. Since they were both forensics people, she figured it was shop talk. Mulder looked like a disgruntled husband, impatiently waiting for his wife to finish gossiping with a friend they'd run into at the mall. He kept looking at his watch and tapping his foot. She hid her smile when the agent realized that she was watching him. He straightened up in his chair and nodded at her. Agent Navarro was fairly observant. When the agents had arrived in the office earlier that day, she could see that they were both upset about recent events. And given that the "great profiler" had provided the Bureau with a profile that missed the mark in several areas, he must be feeling embarrassed. His reputation was quite impressive and she knew that he seldom got things wrong. As it happened, his misses didn't affect the outcome of the case - this time. "Agent Mulder?" "Yeah?" "I wanted to tell you that I was impressed with your conclusion that the Anderson girl was not one of Terry Lee's victims, and that she was still alive. Every one of us had assumed she would be dead by his hand, just like the others. Good call." Instead of looking pleased, Mulder had a confused look on his face. "But...you didn't believe my alien abduction theory." She gave an impolite snort. "And I still don't. I may not be a believer, but you did know enough to recognize that hers was a separate and unrelated abduction." "Haven't you heard that I didn't catch the age thing with the Terry Lee case, or that he would escalate into sexual molestation?" he wearily asked. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "You win some and you lose some. The tragedy is that we would have lost Hannah anyway, no matter what you wrote in your profile. You do know that, don't you?" It was his turn to shrug, and then he looked over toward his still-schmoozing partner and then back to his watch. Navarro clearly saw that Mulder *did* blame himself, and there was probably nothing she nor anyone else could say to change his mind on that. He'd just have to come to terms with it himself, eventually. She had been with the Bureau long enough to know that there were times when you wish to God you had done something differently, and maybe the case you were assigned to might have ended just a little happier than it did. And only time would ease the pain and regrets, unfortunately. And the love of a good woman, she added to herself, as she watched a radiant expression wash over his face when Agent Scully was finally walking across the room toward him. I hope his boss doesn't see him looking at her like that. Or her looking at *him* like that, come to think of it. Something told her that this was a recent development and that they'd be able to hide it better eventually. Agent Mulder stood up, let Agent Scully walk past him, and then followed her out the door with a hand low on her back. Navarro felt a twinge of envy. She wished them a long and happy life together. Even if he *did* believe in aliens, she charitably added. THE END