Chapter 3:

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I left Blatt in charge at the van listening to phone conversations
and eating yet another hamburger while I made my way to Tiny's
Coffee Shop downtown. I plastered a smile on my face as the woman
approached my table. I glanced down at my hand on the coffee cup
and willed the tremors to stop. I hadn't gotten much sleep these
last two days and it was beginning to show.

She slipped into the booth with me and I raised my eyes to hers.
She was busy swiveling her head to make sure no one was watching
her, thus drawing attention to herself.

I put my hand out across the table. "Doris Whipple, I presume?"

She smiled thinly at my little joke. "Yes and you're Mike Raaker
of course."

"My reputation proceeds me," I said grandly.

She looked me over with her watery colorless eyes, seemed to want
to say something but just nodded.

Through many complicated mechanisms I had managed to contact
Dole's partner in the bullpen under Mulder and Scully and by some
miracle she had decided to let me talk to her. I was about to find
out why.

"You people in the press have this thing all wrong. You're making
it seem so torrid," she said primly, nodding to the waitress's
offer of a cup of coffee.

"So tell me what was going on," I encouraged her.

"Well." She was going to draw this out, get her moment in the sun,
I could tell. "Regardless of what that man said, they never did
anything at work. Nothing overt at least."

"So they were involved?" I asked as a courtesy.

"Oh definitely. Everyone at the bureau says so. The way they
looked at each other! The thing is, I blame this partly on A.D.
Skinner. Not that he isn't a fine boss," she corrected herself
quickly. "It's just that for six years they had worked alone, in a
little room with one desk. And suddenly they're in separate
offices with Dole and I in a bullpen between them. They just
weren't used to it, you could tell. Even during their
recent...troubles...they were in the main bullpen and could still see
each other. This arrangement, I think it upset them."

"What do you mean?" I led her on.

"Well, they would spend a lot of time in each other's office with
the door closed, I could see how that would upset...someone..." I
raised a brow and nodded to let her know I felt her pain. "I mean,
the imagination would go wild! Dole's I mean." She took a sip of
her over-sweetened coffee and continued. "The alternative wasn't
much better. They would leave their doors open and they moved
their desks so they could see each other and they would sit there
and as they worked, they would...they would just glance at each
other and nod...I can't explain it...it was as though they were
talking in a foreign language and you know how that drives you
crazy when you don't know what someone's saying?" she asked me
intently.

I eased my hand across the table and covered her cold little fist
gripping her spoon. "I think I understand."

"Not to say what Dole did was in any way justified," She clarified
with a blustering tone.

"No, of course not," I soothed.

She looked at me beseechingly. "You do understand?" I nodded to
reassure her.

"Doris, may I call you Doris?" she nodded. "Doris, could you spare
me the time to talk about this on camera?"

She looked horrified. "I just came here today to straighten out
some misconceptions you have about my fellow agents. I have no
interest in making a spectacle of myself on television."

"No, no, of course not. But the public isn't going to believe me
if I turn the camera on myself and say the things you've told me.
I need a body and voice even if it's disguised."

"That won't do any good. Mr. Skinner and Mulder...Agent Mulder would
know it was me." She struggled out of the booth. "No, no, don't
tell anyone I came. I have to go."

I grabbed at her hand and held her there. "At least tell me what
the X-files are."

She looked truly frightened then and wrenched her hand away from
me. She hurried off; leaving me slumped in the booth. Another
opportunity lost.

I cased Scully's apartment building that night. After figuring
which was her apartment, I checked out the building across the
street. The roof was two stories lower than her building and
offered some good sight lines.

A little money to the landlord of the building, and I was the
renter of a few square feet of his roof.

I put in a call to a pal of mine at the Hall of Records, the
bastard was actually asleep but I got him to go down and dig up
the floor plans for her building. Fortunately the landlord had
recently had to apply for some permits for improvements, and the
plans were current. I looked them over and familiarized myself
with the layout.

Next I called another pal who specialized in surveillance
equipment, a Mr. Smith, waking him up too, and brought him down to
look things over. He got some ideas and went home to start
gathering the necessary equipment. Things were progressing well.

 

June 4, 1999; 5:35 am

When I got back to the van just before dawn, Blatt had ripened to
the next level of putrid and he and Hal were snoozing. I filled
him in on my progress and he seemed pleased.

"Good boy, you're catching on."

The next call was from Scully to Mulder at 10am.

Scully's disposition hadn't improved with some sleep. <Mulder,
where the hell are you? >

<I told you, Skinner's banned me from the hospital. >

<Oh. > There was a lot of subtext there. I pitied him.

His voice throbbed with an odd passion. <I want to be there. You
know I do...but...but Skinner said some things to make me think. >

She was indignant. <What could he possibly say to keep you away
from...the hospital? >

<He suggested that we've drawn attention to ourselves and that
will draw attention to the X-Files. Questions will be asked,
questions that our superiors don't want to be answering. >

<Questions? >

<He's done a lot helping us get the X-files back, he thought he
was doing us a favor with Dole and Whipple, he's worried about our
careers...>

She sounded incredulous. <Our careers? >

<Well, your career. I'm not too worried about my upward mobility.
Skinner just pointed out how any adverse publicity could hurt your
reputation...he said you would understand, remember? >

She was on a slow boil. <Sounds like the two of you have decided
what's best for me. >

He groaned, <Scully...>

<I'm checking out of this place tomorrow. I've looked at enough
hospital walls for this lifetime. >

<But your mother's going out of town today...> he fretted.

<I know. I don't care, I've got to get out of here. I can take
care of myself. >

<I'll come stay with you. >

<You don't have to. > She was remote.

<I want to. And I'll pick you up. What time do you think it'll
be? >

She sounded worried but capitulated. <All right. It'll be about
six o'clock tomorrow evening. Is that ok? >

<I'll be there on my white steed. > He hung up without saying
goodbye.

Within a few moments, Scully made a call out.

<Mr. Skinner? >

He sounded hesitant. <Agent Scully? >

<Yes. I needed to talk to you to clarify a few things. >

<Yes? > He sounded really worried now.

<I understand that Agent Mulder has been banned from coming to
visit me. >

<Yes, that's correct. >

<Do you care to share with me why? >

<A situation has developed Agent Scully, a situation that I really
don't want to go into at this time. >

She growled. <You two...>

He got the upper hand while she sputtered. <I do have a few
questions for you while I have you on the phone. >

<Yes sir? > She was all business again.

<I have to corroborate your answers with the ones Mulder gave me.
> He started in. <Did you have any idea that Dole had...feelings for
you? >

<Yes sir. I just didn't realize the extent of the threat. He had
never given me any indication that he was capable of physical
violence. >

<Had he ever touched you...or asked you out on a date...anything like
that? >

<Yes sir. He did touch my shoulder once. I moved away. He didn't
try it again. I thought he had gotten the message. But then, out
of the blue, he asked me out, last Tuesday. >

<Mulder said that he had noticed Dole watching you when you were
unaware, staring down your...blouse...> He gulped and I began to feel
sorry for him. <And he had a 'little talk' with him...>

She exploded. <What! > I heard a muffled curse and she lowered her
tone. <What? >

<He said he took Dole aside and told him he had observed his
behavior and he would 'kick his ass' if he continued. He never
said anything to you? >

Her voice was made of stone. <No sir. >

<Uh...Agent Scully...your behavior...that is the behavior of you and
Agent Mulder...would suggest that the two of you are engaged in...> He
plunged on. <...A personal...intimate relationship. > He had to stop
to take a deep breath.

I swear I could hear her sooty lashes blink, slowly, once. "<Sir?>

He rushed on. <After you were shot...> His voice went up an octave.
<Agent Mulder became very emotional, > up another level, <That in
itself isn't unusual, I realize the two of you are close...but...when
you were on the gurney, > and he finished at a high squeak. <Agent
Mulder...that is...you...the two of you...kissed. >

After an interminable pause she said calmly, <I was reassuring
him. >

<Uh...well, all right...I just...I have to ask...> He sounded like he was
strangling on his too tight tie. <Are you and Agent Mulder engaged
in a sexual relationship? >

<No sir. > Maybe she could lie.

<All right. That's what Mulder said, but you know him, he'll lie
on a dime...> I heard his chair creak as he leaned back in it.
<Especially to protect you, without any regard for professional
deportment. Frankly I thought for sure he was lying he denied it
so strongly. > Skinner babbled on. <I must admit I feel partially
responsible about all of this. I was the one to assign more agents
to the X-files when it re-opened and I will say part of the reason
was my concern about the two of you possibly ruining your chances
at re-starting your careers if any suggestion got around...But I
should have realized, well if nothing had happened by now...>

She cut him off. It almost sounded as though there was a sob in
her voice. <Sir, if you're finished, I really need to get some
more rest. >

He mumbled his good-byes, but the line was already dead.

"Now, Blatt, now? If I hurry I can have these on the air by the
early edition of the evening news." I was frothing.

Blatt leaned back with satisfied grin on his fat sweaty face.
"Nah, we wait."

"What!" I exploded. "I need this exclusive...wait again?"

"Yah, think about it. What better scene than our little heroine
being escorted home by her knight, eh? If we play these tapes
before she checks out, this Skinner fellow is just going to stop
Mulder. No, we wait until after he has taken her home and then we
play it to fill all those hours of footage of the exterior of her
apartment building."

I had to agree, grudgingly, that he had a point. I wondered how
Skinner was going to get away with the no sexual relationship line
now after hearing their intimate conversations.

"Watch my moves kid, you'll learn a thing or two," Blatt said.

 

June 5, 1999; 6:12 p.m.

 

I had gotten myself a good position at the back of pack. All the
other guys had fought for the rights to be at the door, but I
wanted a different image. I was waiting back by the curb. My
sources had told me there was no sign of Mulder in the hospital,
so I was giving him credit for sweeping up on his chariot to carry
her away at the curb.

The hounds began baying excited cries and then I could see the
light reflecting off the bull's head as he pushed through the
crowd. Suddenly, just a few inches away from me, she was there. I
had to look down, down to find her. Our eyes met. Damn she was
small! Dole hadn't been a big man, so she hadn't seemed that small
in his grasp. But now, in front of my gaseous-bellied, old sweat-
smelling, wrinkled clothed body, she was tiny and fragile. Her
eyes were cool and solid as steel though. She swept me aside with
that gaze.

AD Skinner was confused, looking around. He yelled at another
agent. "Where the hell is the car?"

The agent shrugged and began talking into his lapel. Skinner
pulled Scully back against his body. A car approached. Skinner
looked relieved and then constipated. Mulder stepped out of the
vehicle and approached them as though he was stopping in his
Sunday drive.

"Sir. Scully. How you doing?"

She was trying to control her face. She just shook her head in
denial and then rolled her head back on her neck to look up to
him. Her eyes were suddenly damp with unshed tears. He leaned in
close and everyone took in a breath. He was going to kiss her. He
didn't kiss her. He looked carefully at her bandaged shoulder and
then over it to Skinner.

"I'll take it from here, sir. Don't worry about a thing. Her bag?"

Skinner chewed all his teeth and swallowed them, with difficulty.
He handed the bag to Mulder without a word.

Mulder opened the passenger door and Scully sat down, supporting
herself on his arm.

Skinner finally found speech. "I'll expect a call from you Mulder,
when you've got Agent Scully settled in at home."

Mulder was getting in the driver's seat. "Yes sir."

He leaned over Scully's body and we all took in a breath again.
Their eyes were locked. His hand snaked out slowly to tuck her
limp red hair behind her ear and then as though he did this every
day, grabbed the seat belt and brought it across her body. His
hand brushed her breasts and she turned her gaze away from his
actions and stared out the window at me. I realized she was
looking right through me as he pulled the belt tight against her
chest to buckle it. When he was done, he leaned in and whispered
something in her left ear as he tucked the hair on that side out
of the way. She stared straight ahead and said 'fine' to
something, but I could see the single tear trickle out of her
right eye, out of his eyesight. If this is what it was like to be
around them all the time, no wonder Dole snapped. I was pretty
close after just a couple of days of this.

I shock myself out of my revelry and pushed Hal ahead of me as we
scrambled in the van. We had to stay within range if the first toy
Smith gave me, the sensitive long-range listening equipment, was
going to work.

As we raced after them, the speakers crackled and squeaked before
finding the signal.

Mulder was saying, "Scully, you sure you're ok? Maybe you should
have stayed in the hospital another couple of days..."

"No! No...But I do think it isn't such a good idea for you to be
wasting your time staying with me."

"Huh? But your mom..."

"I know. I'll hire a nurse."

"Now what's the point of that? You should have stayed in the
hospital then! You think I can't even make some soup and fluff
some pillows."

I was watching them through binoculars through his car's back
window. It was shaky, but I could make out Scully in the front
seat staring down at her bruised and torn knuckles, picking at the
scabs on her wrists.

"Don't do that, they'll scar," Mulder admonished her.

She screwed her mouth up like a little girl. "So what?"

"Do your hands hurt? You worked him over pretty good."

"Oh, so now we're going to talk about what happened."

Mulder's tone of good will was gone. "What?"

"You keep trying to avoid talking about what happened with Dole,"
she muttered.

"Ok, let's talk. How did he get you?"

"Well, I guess after you had your little talk with him," he
cringed, "He got pissed and decided to punish us."

"For what?"

Scully shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe he came with some past
problem..."

"How did he get you?"

"After I turned down your gracious invitation to lunch," he
grimaced, "I went out to the park as I originally planned..." She
was furrowing her brow to remember. "And I was on the bench back
by the trees, in the shade, when I began to feel woozy. He must
have drugged me. I wasn't knocked out, I just felt ill. And then
he was there, offering to drive me back to the office. In his car,
I was so thirsty. He offered me his water bottle; it must have
been drugged. I couldn't move when he put the handcuffs on..."

She buried her head in her chest. "Goddammit!" She burst out and
he jumped.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I don't know, I guess it just felt good." She closed her eyes
as if she was sleeping and Mulder sped up, escaping us.

 

End (03/07) send feedback to bugsfic@yahoo.com

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