From: Donna Honeycutt Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 13:08:05 -0400 Subject: New Story - Past Indiscretions Title - Past Indiscretions Author - Donna Email address - donnah@donnas-stories.com Url - http://www.donnas-stories.com Rating - R Category - MSR Spoilers - Never Again, Keywords - MSR Summary - An old boyfriend of Scully's causes Mulder to understand a few things about their relationship. Feedback - Please Disclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunman and Skinner all belong to Chris, 10-13 and Fox - Bless them for it!! No infringement intended. Past Indiscretions Mulder looked up as his partner came in the office. "Did you find the file?" She nodded, reading as she walked. She knew this office well enough to wander around without watching her footing. "Oh, you had a call." "Um, who?" She still hadn't bothered to look up. "A guy named, let's see, Alan Nichols." Damn, he hadn't expected that reaction. Her face was flushed, her breathing rapid. She'd almost dropped the file. Who was this guy? "Did he?did he leave a number?" It didn't even sound like her voice. "Yeah. I put it on your computer." Was her hand trembling as she picked it up? "You gonna call him?" "Sure, in a little while." "Go ahead, you won't bother me." And he sure as hell wanted to hear the conversation. She glanced at him. It didn't look like he was leaving. Well, so what? It was just a phone call. She dialed, watching Mulder out of the corner of her eye. "It's me." It's me? She didn't even have to identify herself? He never heard her mention Alan before. "When did you get back?" Back. So he'd been gone. How long? And why had he bothered to come back? He watched her check her wristwatch. "Okay. Yeah. 30 minutes. Me too." She hung up and didn't quite look at Mulder. "I'm going to take off now, Mulder. See you in the morning." She closed the file and shut off her computer. "Everything okay?" "Yeah, sure. Just gonna take some, uh, personal time." "Okay. Have a good time." No way. Something wasn't right. He did not like the vibrations he was getting from her, hell the hair was standing up on the back of his neck. Even though he knew it was a mistake he raced to his car and fell in several cars behind her when she left the parking garage. He followed her to a restaurant and parked as far from her car as he could get. He watched her emerge from her car and glance around. There was a man approaching her. Over six feet, dark curly hair, lean and very tan. He picked her up and swung her around, kissing her. And god, she was returning the kiss. No, he wasn't having a heart attack, it was only breaking. The man had put her down, but her hands remained on his chest. Was she. . . was she rubbing his nipples? His own tingled and hardened. What the hell kind of pervert was he? He shouldn't be here. He should be anywhere but here. The looks on their faces. . . she'd be in his bed tonight. He'd have his hands on her, his mouth. He'd be inside. . . Mulder groaned. He had to get away. This was the worse mistake he'd ever made. He had no right to witness any of this. She obviously wasn't in danger, why had he even thought she was? His radar wasn't usually that far off. He waited until they entered the restaurant, then peeled out of the driveway. He had to get away and fast. Morning came agonizingly slowly. He was at the office before seven. He got no work done, but he had to get out of his apartment. The office wasn't much better. He could see her everywhere he turned. Why was he reacting like this? They'd never paid attention to each other's dates. Of course he couldn't remember the last time either one of them had gone out. When she finally arrived, he took in every aspect of her. She didn't look any different. Would she? At least she wasn't grinning or, heaven forbid, singing. "Morning." "Good morning, Mulder. No coffee?" "I forgot to make it." "Forgot? Coffee?" "Sorry, thinking of other things." How could he forget the damn coffee? What was wrong with him? She made the coffee, unaware of his scrutiny and got down to work. A phone call sent her upstairs and she came back shortly with a visitor. "Alan, I'd like you to meet Fox Mulder, my partner. Mulder, this is Alan Nichols." He already knew that. Now could he make his body move? He made it to his feet and took Alan's outstretched hand. Alan actually tried out the macho grip on him, but Mulder had been ready for it. "So, you're an old friend of Scully's?" "Yeah, Dana and I go way back." "I knew Alan while I was in Medical School." Scully volunteered. "Um hum." Alan put his arm around her shoulders. "She liked to practice autopsies on me." "Yeah? She's gotten her technique perfected now." Scully's eyes widened. What was that? Alan's eyes narrowed and he gave Mulder the barest nod. He fully understood. Scully had become very uncomfortable. She obviously shouldn't have brought Alan here. Very shortly she started moving him toward the door. "Listen, Alan, we've got some work we need to finish." "Lunch?" "I'll call you. Can you find your way out?" "Sure. I'll be waiting." He kissed her, nodded at Mulder and left. "What was that about?" Scully demanded as soon as she heard the elevator doors shut and knew they were once again alone in their own little dungeon. "What?" The puppy dog look wasn't going to work this time. "Don't act innocent with me, Fox Mulder. What was that macho posturing? I thought you two were going to crash your heads together any minute." "How come I've never heard you mention him?" "A little obvious on the subject change, Mulder. I told you, I went with him while I was in medical school." "Went with him. What does that mean?" "We lived together, okay?" Mulder winced. Lived together? And she'd never mentioned him? "Where's he been?" "Mulder, why?" "I'm curious." Damn curious! She settled herself in the chair she used. "After he got his masters in engineering, Alan joined the Peace Corps. He's been living in South America. I guess he really liked it. He's been gone for years. I haven't heard from him for most of them. I wasn't even sure I'd recognize him." "You recognized him pretty quickly last. . . " Oh shit. The eyebrow. She was gonna zap him with that damn eyebrow. "Mulder, you didn't!" She was sitting bolt upright now, staring at him incredulously. He wouldn't have followed her, would he? "I'm sorry. I didn't like you taking off like that. I didn't know he was an old friend. You could have been. . . " "Bullshit, Mulder. Listen to me, I am not one of your suspects and I do have a life outside of these walls. Don't you ever, ever do anything like that again. Do you understand me?" She risen from the chair now and headed for the door. Even her footsteps sounded furious. She was as mad as he'd ever seen her. Hell, he might as well go all the way. "Were you with him last night?" "What?" She paused, her hand on the doorknob. "You know we had dinner, if you followed me." "That's not what I mean." She could feel the flush that took her face. How dare he ask her something like that? It was none of his damn business. He'd never asked her anything like this before, even after that disastrous weekend with Ed. And he had no right to. This was personal; it had nothing to do with him. So why did she hear herself saying, "I was alone last night."? She couldn't look at him; she didn't even want to know what he was thinking. He watched her leave the office and as the door shut, collapsed into his chair. "Damn." He breathed. She heard him fall into the chair. Where had all that come from? He didn't. . . she couldn't stop the small smile that was forming. This was ridiculous, she was furious and she had every right to be so. She hadn't missed the handshake, but that obvious "she perfected her technique"? Mulder had never been that territorial before. She'd cooled off by lunchtime and let Alan pick her up. When they were seated at the restaurant he leaned back and smiled. "I didn't think Wolf was going to let you come." "His name is Fox and he has no say about whom I choose to see." "Really? He seemed quite possessive to me. Is he the reason I was alone in my hotel room last night?" He leaned toward her in the booth. "You were alone last night because we haven't seen each other in eight years." "You're sure about that?" "I'm sure that if we don't change the subject I'm leaving." She responded shortly. "He really did set you off. Okay, okay." He threw his hands up. "Minor subject change. Tell me about this Fox so I can see him from your point of view." "Why?" "I'm curious." That was exactly what Mulder had said. What was going on? "Okay, he's a Ph.D. in psychology from Oxford. He has done some incredible profiling work for the Bureau and now works in a new division that he created, trying to clear up older cases outside of the mainstream. He's brilliant and as sometimes happens with people like that, he has built a wall around himself, isolating him from many people." "So you're attracted to the loner in him." He probed. "I didn't say I was attracted to him at all. He's my partner. I understand him." "Do you think of him as a fox?" "Alan, this is pointless. If you want to have a nice lunch why don't you tell me your plans, now that you're back in the U.S." ***** After lunch she returned to the office. Mulder was there and it didn't look as though he had accomplished much. "Good lunch?" He wanted to make up with her, but wasn't sure what to say. "Yes. Did you eat?" He shook his head. "I wasn't sure you'd come back." "I wasn't sure myself." She admitted. "Look, why don't you tell me a little more about this guy, so I can see what attracts you to him." He gestured toward her chair and pulled his up closer, giving her his full and complete attention. Almost the same words again. They were both spooky. "Look, why don't you two just exchange resumes and leave me out of this." "Are we applying for the same job, Scully?" She was actually speechless for a moment. "I don't know what either one of you is doing. I'll be working at home this afternoon. You can reach me by email or phone." "Scully, don't leave." She stopped and looked at him. "What's going on Mulder? This isn't like you." "I know. Scully, I just don't like him." I really don't like him, he thought, but I don't know why. "Well, he doesn't seem to like you much either, so I guess you're even." "I don't trust him with you." "Mulder, you don't trust anyone." "I trust you." "Are you. . . nevermind." That couldn't be it, this was stupid. Mulder didn't get jealous, territorial maybe but not personal. "What?" "Mulder, you're acting almost as though you're jealous of Alan." "Should I be?" "Answering a question with a question is a bad sign, Mulder." He grinned slightly. "Been hanging around me too long huh? Well to answer your question, I think maybe I am." Now why the hell had he admitted that? She sank into her chair. Had he really said that? "I think we're both outside our comfort zones right now, Mulder. We need some time to think." "Can you do that while he's around?" He was seriously interested in her answer to that. "I don't have any choice now. Mulder, Alan will probably only be around a few days and then I may never see him again. Let's not mess anything up." "What if he stays?" "He didn't last time." "Can you tell me about that?" He had to be careful not to push, but he absolutely had to know. "Mulder, there's nothing to tell. He finished school and left." Okay, not entirely accurate, but it was a long time ago. So why couldn't she look him in the eye when she said it? "Did he ask you to go with him?" "No, by that time I'd realized we weren't exactly right for each other. And I wasn't through with school; I wouldn't give that up for him. It was too important." All true there she nodded to herself. "So you separated on good terms?" "Yes, Mulder. We separated on good terms. Enough? I'll see you tomorrow." No not enough, but a lot more than he had any right to ask. He watched her leave the room with a feeling he quite couldn't analyze, but fear was part of it. Why fear? **** She was out to lunch with Alan again. He'd pretty much given up on eating lunch, so he was still at his desk when the phone rang. "Mulder." "Fox, how are you?" "Hi, Mrs. Scully. I'm okay, you?" "You sure about that Fox? You don't sound like yourself." "Just thinking about a case." No need to go into this with her. "You looking for Scully?" I am, he added silently. "Yes. I haven't heard from her in over a week. Is everything okay?" "Uh, yeah, sure. An old friend from school is in town and she's spending a lot of time catching up. You know." "Oh, who it is? Maybe I should have her over." "Him. It's Alan Nichols." "Alan? No! Fox, have her call me, please. As soon as she gets in." "Mrs. Scully, what. . .?" "Fox, just have her call me." She hung up before he could ask her anything else, without even saying goodbye. Well, it was nice to know his opinion of Alan was shared, but. . . Mulder wandered upstairs to find a candy bar. Eating without Scully, he really had no appetite. There was a small crowd gathered around a desk near the candy machine. As he opened the candy he joined the group and caught sight of the gruesome photo. "Hey Mulder, we almost had to call Mrs. Spooky in on this one." One the agents looked up and spotted him leaning over the desk. He decided to let the nickname go. Why give them the satisfaction? Besides, it linked her to him. "You mean she lived?" "Barely. These pros are tough." "She was a prostitute?" "Yeah. The DC police have asked for our help. They have a serial rapist who really enjoys beating them half to death afterward. So far all hookers, five in the last three weeks." "Five? And you don't have a good description?" "I guess they weren't looking at his face, Mulder." Several of the guys chuckled at that. "How about a profile?" "We're working on it. We frankly suspect an earthling, so we can probably handle it." Mulder just shook his head at the laughter and walked off. He was used to it, and he also knew that if they got stuck they'd be asking for his help. He just wished Scully would do the same. When Scully returned from lunch, she brought him a sandwich. "Thanks, but you didn't have to." "You need to eat occasionally, okay?" "Yeah. Oh, your mom wants you to call." "Anything special?" "She said she hadn't heard from you lately." "And she's right." Scully picked up the phone and dialed her mother's home. "Hi, Mom." "Dana, why didn't you tell me Alan was back?" She was wasting no time getting to the point here. Scully shot an 'I'll get you for this' look at Mulder. "I didn't think. . . look, Mom, I can't talk right now. I'll come by after work, okay? Yeah, I promise." She hung up and turned to Mulder. "Did you have to tell her?" "I assumed she knew, since he's an old friend. Why doesn't she like him?" Come on Scully, he thought, talk to me. I'm not the only one that feels like he's bad news. What is it about the guy? "Don't worry about it." Mulder rose and came to her side of the desk. "I want to know. Please." "She didn't like the way he treated me, okay?" Boy, she did not want to get into this with Mulder. She could never explain it to him. She didn't really understand what had happened between them herself. "How did he treat you?" He knew he was pushing but he had to know. "Mulder, this is old stuff. You don't want to know all this." "Please." Why was she so reluctant to talk about him? Her body language was so defensive, almost as though she was afraid to talk about it or afraid of him because he was pushing for answers. "She thought he was too possessive. He did sometimes get jealous, and he wanted a lot of my time." Okay, that's bland enough. "Sounds like me." "No. No Mulder you are nothing like him." "Did he try to isolate you?" Too possessive? What exactly did that mean? "I guess so." "Scully, did he. . . did he ever hit you?" That photograph was back in his head. His eyes narrowed as she blushed and he realized his hands had become fists. "One time. I threw him out." Shit, she hadn't wanted him to know that, she still could barely believe how she had acted back then. Why had he thought to ask? And why hadn't she lied to him? "But you let him come back." It wasn't a question. "He never hit me again." That sounded defensive, even to her. Was she still defending Alan, even to herself? "What did he do instead?" He held his body still, though he was shaking inside. He had hit Scully? Mulder had the overwhelming desire to break Alan's jaw and nose and whatever else he could reach. "Mulder, it doesn't matter now. It's all ancient history." It is ancient history, I'm not attracted to Alan anymore, I'm attracted to. . .oh shit. "When you made him mad after that, what did he do instead of hitting you?" He was going to get an answer one way or the other. He hoped the answer would come from her. "He'd leave, be gone for a couple of days." Those memories, ones she really didn't want were back in her mind. And they were intermixed with this new revelation she's just given herself. "Pick up other women?" "I don't know. We never discussed it." I didn't want to know back then, she thought, and I don't care now. I just wanted someone steady in my life and I wasn't strong enough to know any better. It was so long ago, she could almost pretend it was someone else being that weak. "But you let him come back. Is he that good in bed?" Way over the line, Mulder. Shit, let's antagonize her good, then she'll really want to talk with you. She lifted her hand as though to slap him and he tensed waiting for the blow. It didn't come. She lowered her hand and sighed, "I was young and stupid, okay? You have no right to ask me these questions." He chose to ignore that. "But he wants you back." "How would you know that? You've seen him one, okay, two times." Where was Mulder getting this? Why did Alan raise his hackles so, there was no way he could have known about their past. "He's breathing isn't he? What man wouldn't want you?" Too much, way too much! Why had he revealed that? What the hell is wrong with you, Mulder? Her eyes widened. What was he saying? She jumped as he backhanded the pencil holder, scattering pens, pencils and markers all over his side of the room. He collapsed into his chair and stared at his shoes. "Mulder, where is this coming from?" She hadn't moved, she wasn't sure she could. He didn't respond or look up from his shoes. "Mom keeps telling me that you care about me, Mulder." He glanced up then and quickly away. "I keep telling her that we're partners and of course you care. But she seems to think. . . " "That it's more than that." He finished for her, still not making eye contact. He wanted to look at her, but this had gotten out of hand way too fast. This discussion should not be happening, not here and not now. It wouldn't be if that damn Alan hadn't shown up. "Your mother's a very wise woman. Maybe you should listen to her more often." He was on his feet with his jacket in hand, and out the door before she could respond. When he didn't return she finally left the office as well. She might as well face her mother. This day wasn't going to improve anyway. Her mother answered her knock quickly and gave her a hug. When she stepped aside Scully saw Mulder standing in front of the sofa in the living room. "What are you doing here?" "I needed to talk to somebody. I needed to know if I was like Alan." He sounded so strange, like he did when he talked about Samantha, kind of lost. Scully glanced over at her mother. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Please don't leave until we talk, Dana." Dana sighed and nodded. "Mulder, I told you that you weren't." "I needed to hear it from someone else. Come on, Scully, you know how territorial I can get. You've called me on it often enough. And I expect your time to be mine. I call you at 2 a.m. and just assume you want to talk to me." "I usually do want to, Mulder." He looked away, assessing that remark. "Mulder, there is absolutely no basis of comparison between you and Alan. You are already so much more than he'll ever be. Don't you know where you fit in my life?" "Not really, and there could be a basis of comparison that I'm not sure I could handle." She blushed at that. "You shouldn't worry there either." "Scully, how come with my Ph.D. and your M.D., your mother is so much smarter than either one of us?" She sighed, "She's not as damaged, Mulder." "I could kill him for what he did to you." He said it quietly, with little emotion, but she believed him. "Not unlike how I feel about Phoebe, Mulder." That startled him. She thought about Phoebe? She correctly interpreted that look. "She's part of the reason you are who you are, Mulder. She helped form you." "So he's part of the reason you keep me at arms length?" She sighed, "Yeah, I guess so. I didn't want that kind of control from any man." Even from you Mulder, she conceded to herself. I can't handle anyone taking over my whole life, controlling me. Like I now let you of my own free will, she thought, even though you don't realize it. "I wouldn't do that to you." "I know. You think I've hung around for five years without learning as much as I could about you?" She gave him a little smile, almost shy. "Why don't we introduce Alan to Phoebe?" She actually laughed at that, breaking the tension. She reached out and took his hand. "You know, we would be doing mankind a huge favor if we did. Can you just imagine it?" Mulder was smiling now, too. He loved to see her laugh. She sobered and looked at his hand. "Mulder, please. He has no hold over me. He's been gone for years. He doesn't know anyone else in town. Look, he's only been here a week." "How many times have you seen him?" "We've had lunch most days and gone out a few evenings. He's looking for a job and I'm introducing him to a few people." "So there's no relationship?" "Not like you mean. He's an old friend. There's no romance, Mulder." "Is he okay with that?" He wasn't willing to let it rest; he still felt something was wrong and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Scully, you may not know it. Hell you're probably avoiding it; but your mother's right and he knows it. If he was jealous before, will you be safe?" "I can't believe that Alan would hurt me again. You're going to have to trust me to handle this, Mulder." "I do trust you. That's not the problem. Look, I know your mother wants to talk to you, why don't you two visit and I'll meet you at your apartment later. I'll bring supper." "I'd like that." Such a simple sentence - why was she blushing? Why did she feel so shy? This was Mulder! ***** It was late when Mulder left her apartment. In fact it came closer than either wanted to admit for him not to leave at all, but cooler heads prevailed and after their talk both knew it was just a matter of time anyway. Even if neither was willing to say it out loud. They'd waited this long - there was no reason to rush now. ***** The next morning after Scully locked her apartment; she turned and almost stumbled over Alan. "What are you doing here this early?" "Wanted to catch up with you before you started your day. I need to show you something." "Now? I have to get to work." "Yeah, it's important, Dana. Very important. You won't be that late." "Well, I should call in. Let Mulder know I'll be late." She couldn't know how her eyes changed when she mentioned his name. "No need for that. I promise it won't take that long. Come on." He had her arm, firmly if not tightly, and walked her to her car. "Would you like me to drive?" "No. Where are we going, Alan?" This didn't seem right. Or had Mulder put this in her mind? Was she allowing his suspicions to cloud her judgment? "I've got the directions here. You'll see." ***** "Agent Mulder?" "Yes. Angie? Great, what have I done now?" He hated starting a day with a call from Skinner's secretary. No good could come from it. Angie laughed, "Nothing that I know of, Agent Mulder. But the day is young. Actually you have a phone message left on my machine. It's a man's voice asking that you meet Agent Scully at 1712 Alexandria Drive as soon as possible." "On your machine? He didn't leave a name?" That was odd and strangely uncomfortable. "No, sir. That's the entire message. It was recorded at 7:15 this morning." "Scully's not here yet. Okay, I'll try to reach her by cell phone. Thanks, Angie." "I hope there's no problem." "Me too. I'll talk to you later." He hung up and dialed her cell phone. No answer. Why would she have some man phone Angie's number to leave a message? Something wasn't right. He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. ***** 1712 Alexandria Drive was just a warehouse, not much to look at. But that was her car, now where was she? Something was definitely not right, he decided to go ahead and draw his weapon. He let his arm hang down by his side, if there was a problem, everyone didn't have to know what his options were. He opened the door set in the larger cargo door. No element of surprise here, these doors hadn't been oiled in decades. "Nice of you to join us, Agent Mulder. Please put your gun down, so that I don't have to shoot "your" partner." The voice was behind him. He held his hand out with the gun in a non-threatening grasp and turned. Alan stood to the side of the door; Scully clutched against him, a gun at her head, her gun. Mulder's blood ran ice cold. He carefully placed his own gun on the cement floor and took one step back. "Calm down, Alan. There's no reason for this to go any further." Mulder held his hands away from his sides, trying to look non-threatening. Alan held the gun steady on her, not wavering. "Dana is mine. She's always been mine. She was mine before she even met you and she'll be mine after I kill you." "Alan." Her voice was shaking. She swallowed trying to steady it. "This isn't necessary. You two are not rivals. There is no reason for you to hurt Agent Mulder." "He loves you and he wants you. That can be very attractive to women. You might fancy yourself falling for him." "Alan, don't do this." Mulder wanted to scream at her to get away. But what if he rattled this guy and he shot her? This was totally out of hand. Without warning Alan shoved her away from him and brought his other hand up to ensure the gun was completely steady, now pointed at Mulder, and added pressure to the trigger. "No!" Scully leaped at Mulder, knocking him to the side. The bullet, when it connected with her body, spun her completely around before slamming her into the floor. Alan stared, stunned at her body. Mulder roared his rage as he slammed into Alan. He heard the gun clatter away as they hit the concrete and he had his hands around Alan's throat. Alan was no match for Mulder's fury as Mulder slammed his head into the floor while choking him. "Mulder. . . " "Scully?" Alive, she was alive. "I'm here Scully. Just hold on." He ensured that Alan wouldn't be moving anytime soon and had his phone out, demanding help for her. "They're on the way, Scully. Talk to me, okay?" "It hurts." "I know. No, don't try to move." "Alan?" "I haven't killed him yet. He's over there; he's out." "I'm sorry, Mulder." Her voice was a whisper now. "No, you've got nothing to apologize for. I can't even blame him. After all, I'm obsessed with you too, you know." Why was there so much blood on her clothes and the floor? Where was the damn ambulance! "It's nice to have someone sane attracted to me." Her color wasn't good. "It's even nicer to be considered sane. Hey, hold on Scully. Squeeze my hand - but you gotta stay awake. Keep talking, okay? They're on the way." Don't let her see your fear, she will be okay. That bastard was not going to take her from him. "It's hard to breathe, Mulder. I think my lung's collapsed." "Let me look, Scully. Just stay still." He carefully unbuttoned her blouse. Too much blood, her blood. He had his handkerchief out, pressing it against her wound. "Mulder. . . " "I'm right here. I. . . Scully, I can hear the ambulance. You're gonna be fine. Scully? Scully! Wake up!" He'd never known this kind of fear, wake up Scully! "Sir, move aside please. Let us in here." They moved in, treating her and getting her ready for transport. The police motioned the second paramedic over to the unconscious man. "We're going to need a second ambulance." "She goes first." Mulder didn't even bother to look up, though he did display his credentials. The paramedics did look up, there was definite menace in his voice. "Of course. She's the top priority, sir." Mulder only nodded. He did agree to follow them in his car, rather than ride in the ambulance, and ensured that Alan was under guard before he was transported. ***** "Mr. Mulder, you know the rules here as well as I do. You spend as much time here as me. You are going to have to wait out here, and Dr. Reed will speak to you as soon as he can. Who do you need to call that you've forgotten about?" Mulder wanted to glare at her, but who knew when he'd need her in the future? And she was right - he needed to call Mrs. Scully and Skinner. He heard the commotion as the ambulance with Alan arrived. Mulder watched as Alan was rushed into one of the cubicles to be examined. Scully was already in surgery. The SOB would pay one way or the other. He got Mrs. Scully on the first ring. "Fox, hi. I was just on my way out. Is everything okay?" "No, Mrs. Scully, its Dana. They're sure she'll be fine, but. . " "Fox?" "Alan shot her. He's here, too. She's in surgery to remove the bullet." "Alan shot. . . " "I'll call you a cab. You just wait there, okay?" "No! I'm on my way." "Not unless you can calm down. Mrs. Scully, please." "I'm fine, Fox. I'll be there in a few minutes. Is Alan going to live?" "Yeah, I stopped in time." "Well." She seemed about to say something else, but stopped herself. "Emergency?" "Yeah, I'll wait for you here." Mulder heard her hang up and dialed Skinner. He'd never heard Mrs. Scully like that before. He didn't think she could hate anyone. Well, maybe hate was too strong, but. . . "Skinner." "Agent Mulder, sir. Scully's been shot; we're at Georgetown." "How?" Mulder had his full and undivided attention. He was already rising from his desk and had one hand on his jacket slung across the back of the chair. "It was not in the line of duty, sir." "Did you shoot her?" "No! She. . . " "I'm on my way. Wait right there." The phone went dead in his ear. Did he shoot her? What the hell kind of question was that? Well, okay it was a legitimate question, but. . . damn. Skinner arrived first and Mulder was bringing him up to date on her condition when Mrs. Scully arrived. "Fox?" "No word yet, but they keep telling me it hasn't been that long. She's going to be okay, Mrs. Scully." He had his arm around her and she gratefully leaned against his strength. He led them to the elevators and pressed the surgical floor. She looked into his eyes. He was holding in more than usual for Dana to be injured. What wasn't he telling her? She took a deep breath and tried to relax her shoulders. "Come over here and have a seat. Dr. Reed is with her and they say he'll be out when he can." Mulder led her to the plastic couch in the waiting area. "I hate this, Fox. What happened?" He quickly brought Mrs. Scully and Skinner up to date on the events of that morning. "He was trying to shoot me, to get me out of her life. She jumped in front of me at the last minute. It should have been me. I'm so sorry." "It shouldn't have been either one of you. I've known Alan was trouble from the first, but I made the mistake of telling Dana that. I should have been smarter. I'd already been through relationships with the other kids, but none as bad as this. Of course she defended him and. . . oh Fox." He put his arms back around her and after a moment Skinner rose to see if he could get any new information. He brought back tea for Mrs. Scully, but no new information. "Thank you, Walter. It's good of you to stay." "I hate this the most, waiting to make sure one of mine is okay, but I couldn't be anywhere else." She nodded and sipped her tea. The door opening drew their attention and Mulder glanced over at one of the nurses he knew too well. She nodded and he rose. "Mrs. Scully? I'm Dr. Reed. I just wanted you to know that Dana is doing very well. Her ribs did exactly what they were supposed to do - protect the lungs. The bullet was deflected before it could do any major damage. We removed the bullet and inflated her lung. She was very lucky she was hit at such an angle. That decreased the amount of damage as well. She should be out of recovery in about an hour and put in a regular room. We'll keep an eye on her, but I don't think she'll need any intensive care at all. She's a very strong woman." Mrs. Scully didn't speak; she just hugged him, then she hugged Mulder and then Skinner. Skinner looked the most startled, which caused Mulder to smile. When was the last time Assistant Director Walter Skinner had been hugged? "When they get her room assigned, you can wait in there. I'll have the nurse inform you. I'll check on Dana later this evening and talk to you again then." Dr. Reed headed back toward the surgical area and the three of them sank onto the couch. "I suppose we should ask how Alan's doing?" Mrs. Scully ventured. "No, but we should check that he's in custody. I'll take care of that. You two just stay here and wait for Scully, and I'll let you know." Skinner rose and pressed Mrs. Scully's hand again. "Call me if you need anything. Mulder has my number and I'm pretty sure he'll be close by." The nurses relented and allowed Mrs. Scully and Mulder to wait in Scully's room, so they were there when she was finally brought down. She was semi-conscious and in some pain, but when she spotted Mulder the lines around her eyes relaxed and she drifted off. "I remember that. I'm so glad she's found it too." Mrs. Scully touched her daughter's forehead and smoothed her hair back. "What?" Mulder glanced away from Scully's face reluctantly. "Nothing hurts as bad when the person you love is there." Mulder gaped at her for an instant, then had to look away as his eyes filled. Mrs. Scully put her arms around him. "It's okay to love her, Fox. She loves you too." ***** Skinner returned after several hours to check in. "Well, Mulder, you and Scully get credit for another bust. We can prove that one Alan Nichols is the serial rapist that's been beating up the prostitutes in town." "What?" Mulder couldn't have heard him correctly. "Yes, he's been positively ID'd by two of the women." "Alan?" They hadn't realized Scully was awake. "He did that?" "Agent Scully. I didn't mean to wake you." "You didn't. I've been lying here listening to Mom and Mulder." "Oops, what were we talking about, Fox?" "The Knicks, I think, so we shouldn't be compromised." He grinned at Scully, then turned back to Skinner, "But, Sir, Alan's only been in town a week or so. I thought these attacks had been going on for nearly a month." "He's been here. He showed up right after he was released from prison in South America." "Prison?" Scully and Mrs. Scully spoke together. "Yes, he's not been in the Peace Corps for some time. Right after he got there he moved in with a local woman and then proceeded to beat her nearly to death. He's been in prison for the past six years. When he got out they got rid of him as soon as possible." "Did the American Consulate allow that?" "They didn't know. He didn't contact them for assistance, and the locals weren't worried about dotting all of the i's; they just wanted him punished. Apparently beating women is his favorite past time and he really gets off on it. He's escalated since he finally got out. I don't think that's going to happen again for a long time. Mulder, are you okay?" Mulder realized he was shuddering, the photograph of the prostitute he'd seen emblazoned before his eyes. He hadn't been wrong, his radar was perfectly in tune. "Sorry, a case of the 'what ifs'." "Mulder, it's okay. I'm okay. Don't think about it." Scully took his hand. He'd saved her again, but he'd pay in additional nightmares. She wanted to sooth him, but there were just too many people here. "You don't have any other old boyfriends I need to worry about do you?" He tried to lighten the atmosphere. "What? And reveal my secrets?" He glanced over at Mrs. Scully for help. "Don't worry, Fox. We'll talk when we're sure she's really asleep this time." "Mom!" Mrs. Scully just smiled, watching her daughter and the man that had become as close as her own sons in recent years. This was the kind of man she'd always wanted for Dana. She nodded mostly to herself, then took Director Skinner's arm and led him out of the room in order to give them what they wanted most - time alone.