By shawntaw
shawntaw@hotmail.com
 

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Their not mine, although I think I might've done a better
job exploring the depths of some of the secondary characters...
Spoilers: Um, Season 8, I guess.
Summary: Who's the Daddy?

feed the author at shawntaw@hotmail.com  :)

Thanks to The Haven for the inspiration!:)  No one could rec me a
story like this one, so I wrote one!! (Although it didn't go QUITE
where I thought it would..)

***************************************************

Kim was definitely beginning to get suspicious.

Every since his return from Oregon, her boss had been
decidedly....distracted.
And Kim suspected it centered around the recently ditched Agent Scully.

For Agent Mulder had disappeared, presumed dead by some.  When Kim had
expressed her sympathies to A.D. Skinner and asked what had happened,
he simply avoided the issue by saying the two of them had been in
Oregon looking into something when Mulder had vanished.

But, why was Skinner with Mulder instead of Scully?  Skinner was saved
from hearing Kim's unasked question by Agent Scully's entrance into
the outer office.  To Kim's shock, he'd become doting and nervous
around his agent.  Not at all like his usual self.

"Oh for goodness' sake, sir, cut it out," Scully had said in an
exasperated voice and instead of the brusque retort Kim had expected
from Skinner..he'd tried to back off.

The difference in the way Skinner acted toward Scully became so
pronounced that they became the subject of idle speculation around the
watercooler.

Was it because he felt guilty about Mulder's mysterious dissappearance?

Perhaps a more..personal..relationship was forming between the A.D.
and his fiery, red-haired agent..

Only Kim was privy to information that would have shocked the
watercooler gossips.

Instructions to order a small bouquet for the X-files office on the
day of Scully's return from an undisclosed medical leave after the
case in Oregon.

Walking in on her burly boss holding a weeping Scully in his arms on
the couch in his office.  He had merely given Kim a solemn look and
she had backed out quietly so as not to disturb them.

And like a good secretary, she never breathed a word of it.

Not until the night she'd found the A.D. himself crying.

It had been late at night.  She normally wouldn't have even been
there, but she'd taken some typing home that night and had found
several pages missing.  Kim was retracing her steps when she heard a
muffled sound from Skinner's office.

Surely he wasn't here?! It was 10 o'clock at night!

She carefully opened the door without making a sound, hoping to catch
the intruder unawares.  Kim hefted her stun gun in her hand.

It was Skinner, sitting in his chair in the dark, lit only by the
faint moonlight filtering through the blinds covering his window.

And he was weeping with deep, bass, gasping sobs into the shaking
hands he held so tightly over his face that Kim wondered how he could
breathe.

That was it.  She couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

But, Kim also knew that her boss was a proud man and would not
appreciate a witness to this breakdown.

Her internal argument ended when Skinner sensed her presence and
looked up suddenly.

He wasn't wearing his glasses and his wide, brown, tear-streaked eyes
were unguarded and glinted in the pale light as they stared at her in
shock.

"I-I'm sorry, sir.  I heard a noise-" she stammered.

"What are you doing here?" he said roughly, sweeping his glasses from
his desktop and setting them on his face.  He did not wipe the tears
from his face or acknowledge them in any way.

He couldn't help snuffling a bit and clearing his throat through and
it melted Kim's heart.

This decided it.  He obviously needed someone.  She stepped all the
way in the doorway and shut the door behind her.  She made no attempt
to turn on the light.

"I took some work home and discovered I was missing some papers.." she
trailed off and gestured, the rest of the narrative obvious.

He cleared his throat.  "You shouldn't take work home, Kim.  You do
enough as it is."  He was standing and putting files into his
briefcase.  She realized he was making chit-chat and trying to
distance himself from the situation.

"Sir?" She began hesitantly "Do you need to..to talk to someone?"

He paused in what he was doing and without looking at her, said ever
so quietly, "Please just let it go, Kim."

"But, sir-"

"Please," he said, louder, in a strangled voice and she realized he
was barely holding it together.

"So," he continued, almost normally, "I'll see you tomorrow then, Kim.
 Have a good evening."

He rushed past her too fast to hear her faint, but unsure, "You too, sir."

************************************************

It was Agent Scully who finally - and inadvertently - gave it away the
next day.

She was sitting on the outer office couch in front of Kim's desk
waiting to see Skinner when she'd turned white as a sheet.  Scully had
bolted to her feet, but it was obvious to Kim exactly what was about
to happen and she'd stood and shoved her small wastebasket at the agent.

Scully quickly brought the trashcan up to her face and retched....and
retched.

"uhhhh.." Scully moaned and retched again.

"Agent Scully?" Kim shifted from foot to foot, not quite knowing what
else to do.  She was glad she'd thought of the wastebasket.  She'd
seen that look on her niece's face plenty of times when she was sick.

"I'm fine," her voice sounded muffled from where she hunched with her
face practically in the trashcan, "really.  Just give me a minute."

There was quiet for a moment and she thought it was over, when Agent
Scully retched again even louder than before.

Kim was startled by a muffled thump thump of rushed footsteps from
inside Skinner's office right before the door swung open.

Skinner looked startled and more than a little worried as he rushed
forward.

"Scully?" he said as she lowered the trashcan.

Scully gave him a weary look before turning to Kim.  "Sorry about
that, Kim.  Thank God there wasn't anything in my stomach to come up.
 I appreciate the quick thinking though."

Kim smiled, "No problem, Agent Scully.  Are you really o.k.?"

She smiled a little, "Yes, I really am o.k."  Her answer was directed
more at Skinner than Kim and he nodded at her slightly.

"I was here to see you, sir," Scully continued, straightening up, "Do
you have a minute?"

"Of course," Skinner said, even though Kim knew for a fact that he was
supposed to be on his way to a meeting with the Director.

"Hold my calls, Kim," he said as held open his door for Agent Scully.

Kim started to say "Yes sir" when suddenly Scully wobbled to one side
as she stepped into Skinner's office.

Kim rushed forward and grabbed one arm about the same time as he
grabbed the other.

"That's it," Skinner said with his mouth in a grim line and abruptly
bent and swept Agent Scully off her feet into his arms.

"But-" Scully tried to object, but the look on his face must have
changed her mind.

He carried her into his office while Kim flitted about the two of
them, feeling useless and left out of the loop.  Skinner kicked his
door shut with a backwards kick and set Scully gently on the small
couch inside his office.

"When is the last time you saw the doctor, Dana?"  His use of Scully's
first name caused Kim's eyebrows to arch in surprise, but she said
nothing.  She just stood there, staring at them.

"I saw him this morning and don't 'Dana' me, WALTER," Scully blue eyes
sparked at him.

Kim's mouth made a small 'o.' She'd never heard them speak like this
to one another before.

Skinner glared at her, communicating his disapproval with his eyes.

"Go ahead and say it, sir.  Between the two of us, we've already given
enough away to fuel the rumor mill for months," Scully said nastily,
gesturing with her chin in Kim's direction.

Now Kim was offended.

"Agent Scully, I would NEVER-"

"We can trust Kim," Skinner cut Kim off and her mood softened.

Scully immediately closed her eyes and sighed.  When she opened them,
she fixed Kim with her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kim.  Its the hormones," she explained, "I'm pregnant."

Kim felt floored.  PREGNANT?! THIS was what her boss was so stressed
about?  This was why he'd been acting so differently?
Is the baby the missing Agent Mulder's as most would presume?  Or is
the baby HIS?

"Wow," was all Kim said, pulling a chair from the conference table
over to the couch and sitting heavily in it.

"That about sums it up," Scully agreed blandly.

***********************************************

The next morning, Kim could feel the difference in the air.  Now that
there was no longer this huge secret floating between them, Skinner
was much more relaxed around her.

But whenever Scully was around, he still doted on his agent like she
was bone china.  Kim realized this was going to have to stop or he was
going to give it away when Scully started showing.

Everyone would, at first, assume that the absent Mulder was the father
as Kim had.  But once they saw the way Skinner looked at her...the way
he had begun acting around her...well, then the truth would be known.

For Kim had decided that there was no doubt in her mind that Skinner
was the father of Agent Scully's child.  She'd never seen him so
besotted...not even with his own wife years before.

Kim clutched the impulsive gift she'd bought her boss to her chest as
she listened to him packing up for the day.  It was 5:45p.m. and
normally she would have been gone by now, but she wanted to be sure
they were mostly alone in the building when she gave him this present.

Kim listened to the thump, click, click that signaled Skinner closing
and latching his briefcase and then knocked on his door hesitantly.

"Come in," Skinner said in his usual manner.

Kim walked in and shut the door behind her.  She stood there,
clutching the gift bag to her chest.

Skinner's eyebrows knitted. "Kim?"  His eyes fell to the bag.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you about something, sir.  Its pretty
personal and I wouldn't even bring it up if I didn't feel it was
vitally important.." She realized she was babbling.

"It-It is personal and very likely none of my business, but.." Kim
faded off again, unsure of how to proceed.

Skinner still looked confused and concerned, but he gestured to the
chairs in front of his desk.

"Have a seat, Kim, and tell me what's going on."

She sat and he came around to the front of his desk and leaned his
backside on it, crossing his arms.

"Go ahead," he encouraged, still frowning with curiousity.

She took a deep breath and looked down at her lap.  *Just spit it out,
Kimberly!* she thought.

"Sir, now that I know that Agent Scully is pregnant I realize why
you've been acting so..so different around her as of late and I
realized that if I could add two and two together then so would
everyone else when she starts to show and I thought maybe the reason
that you're hovering so much is that you don't know what's normal and
what's not for pregnancy so I bought this for you and I marked the
chapter for fathers and I hope it is helpful," Kim blurted in one long
breath, stopping only when forced to inhale.

She glanced up at him and found an absolutely stunned look on his
face.  Kim suddenly had the thought that she would have shocked him
less if she'd stripped and done the can-can on his desk...He looked
that shocked.

Trance-like, he reached out and took the gift bag..walked around to
his chair..sat..and reached inside.

He drew out "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

To her surprise, a short, surprised huff of a laugh pushed from his
lips as he flipped open the book to the bookmarked chapter.

He looked up at her, eyes amused, "Kim, I-"

"I also never got the chance to congratulate you, sir.  You and Agent
Scully.  I didn't even know you were seeing each other," she spit out
the second part of what she'd rehearsed saying before she lost her nerve.

He shut the book, placed it on the desk in front of him and
intertwined his hands atop it.

"Kim, Agent Scully and I are NOT involved.  The child is NOT mine.  I
apologize for the misunderstanding," he said quietly.

He cleared his throat as this stunning news soaked in for Kim.

"I feel very..strongly for Sc-Agent Scully.  She is like family to me.
 And so is Agent Mulder.  I feel responsible for the fact that he is
not here to share in this and have been..perhaps.." He stopped for a
moment and then continued, "..too attentive trying to act in his stead."

"Mulder is the father," Kim whispered, almost to herself, "Of course."

Skinner nodded and she noticed him tear up a little.

"But he is not able to be here and I am," he stood and moved toward
his briefcase, "so I will definitely keep your gift and put it to good
use," he said brightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

Kim watched him pick up his briefcase, open it and stuff the book inside.

"You're right.  Maybe if I read this, I won't hover so much.  Dana
keeps fussing at me for that," he smiled a little at Kim.

Kim wondered if he realized he just called Agent Scully 'Dana' and how
much he gave away when he did so.

"The baby may not be yours, but you still have some very real feelings
for her.  Don't you?" She whispered before she could censor herself.

His facade twitched once, almost imperceptibly.  "I'll see you
tomorrow, Kim.  Thank you for the gift and you have a good evening,"
The A.D. said and hefted his briefcase.

She blushed furiously when she realized what a personal comment she'd
just made to her boss.  Kim couldn't meet his eyes as he started to
make his way from the office.  She heard the door open.

"Kim?"

She turned.  He stood and looked at her for a moment if unsure why
he'd spoken her name.

"Thank you.  Really," he said.

She smiled.  "Your welcome, sir."

He nodded once and then left.

***********************
Probably more of this coming...;)

feedback at shawntaw@hotmail.com  :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title: Proxy II
Author: shawntaw
Rating: PG
Category: AU, MSR implied, major SA and some S/Sk UST (this story ends
in MSR eventually don't worry)
Disclaimer: Their not mine, although I think I might've done a better
job exploring the depths of some of the secondary characters...
Spoilers: Um, Season 8, I guess.
Summary: Who's the Daddy?

feed the author at shawntaw@hotmail.com  :)

And Eons later...Proxy II!!*L* If you don't remember "Proxy I" don't
worry.  I'm reposting it too since its been so long so you can read
them together!!  Have fun!!

**************************************************
In his mind he began thinking of it as their "faux marriage."

She would show up out of the blue at his door, her edges softened by
sadness and sleep-deprivation, ashamed of her neediness but too scared
to care.

The first time it happened, he didn't know what was going on but
couldn't turn her away.  She stood in his doorway at 11pm on a Tuesday
night clutching the edges of her black trenchcoat together in front of
her and shuffling her feet in ratty fuzzy slippers.

"Scully?"  He remembered being confused and a little embarrassed
himself, being dressed in sweatpants and not expecting company.  His
immediate fear was for the baby.  What horrible event had propelled
her to him this late at night?

She didn't say anything, but blinked at Skinner and licked her lips.
She looked...off-kilter. Unbalanced.

"I'm tired," was all she said and then something behind him caught her
attention.  She ducked under Skinner's arm and headed for the couch.
To his shock, she stretched out on it and closed her eyes.

He could only stand and stare.  What the hell was going on here?
Skinner shut the door and headed for the couch.  He stood beside it
and looked closely at her.  That was when he realized that she was
wearing pajamas under her coat.

It had fallen open and Skinner could see that she wore silky, blue
pajamas styled after old-fashioned men's pajamas with double pockets
on the top and a wide collar. Scully had no make-up on either and
every freckle on her face stood out.  And there was that beauty mark
he had only seen glimpses of over the years.

Scully would never let anyone see her like this - save perhaps Mulder
- unless she was in dire straits indeed.  But she wasn't acting like
anything was wrong...

Was she sleep-walking?

On a whim, Skinner walked over to the window facing the front of his
building and looked down.  He gasped.  Sure enough, there was Scully's
car parked haphazardly, the tail-end almost blocking part of the street.

Finally there was some action he could take.  Skinner dashed back to
the couch and knelt beside Scully's slumbering form.  He carefully dug
in each of the coat pockets until he came across her keys and hurried
downstairs to move her car, careful to shut the door quietly on his
way out and on his way back into the apartment .

Skinner placed the keys on his coffee table with a muted clink and
once again looked at the small, red-headed woman sleeping on his
couch.  After a moment of consideration, he sighed heavily and decided
not to wake her and get into the whys and wherefores of her presence
here tonight.  There would be plenty of time for that later.  Maybe he
would look up sleep-walking in that pregnancy book Kim had given him.
 He went to get a blanket to cover her and keep her warm.

***************************************************************************************************

He felt the bed dip and smelled her before he opened his eyes, the
smells of moisturizer and perfumed lotion that he used to associate
with Sharon when she'd come to bed in the dark after he'd already
retired for the night.  But the scents were different and he jolted
fully awake realizing that there was no way it could be his ex-wife.

Skinner sat up and reached out on his side of the bed, clicking on the
bedside lamp.  Scully lay beside him, under the covers, her coat and
slippers abandoned in a heap by his bedroom door.  For several moments
all he could do was sit and stare at her again, his hand still frozen
on the pull-cord of the night table lamp.

Should he wake her up?  Let her sleep?  He knew one thing; it
definitely wasn't appropriate for them to be sleeping in the same bed.
 She HAD to be sleep-walking.

Skinner flung back the covers and made his way to the couch.

***********************************************

He heard muffled crying. Skinner sat up in the inky blackness of his
living room and was instantly on alert. Who was crying?  He slowly
became more awake.  Oh, that's right.  Scully was in his room.  Scully
was crying?  Skinner got up from the couch and made his way to his
bedroom.  It was dark and he didn't have his glasses.  Skinner stubbed
his toe on the edge of the couch and bit his lip to keep from
swearing.  He reached the bedroom door and pushed the door open.

"Scully?" he whispered into the darkness.  There was no answer but he
could hear her continue to weep.  He moved closer and then finally sat
on the edge of the bed beside her.  He reached out and turned on the lamp.

"Scully?" Skinner reached out hesitantly and pulled on her shoulder to
roll her to her back so that he could see her face. She looked up him
in the dim light with soulful blue eyes. "What's wrong, Dana?" he
whispered, brushing a comforting hand over her hair and down the side
of her face.

"I was so scared at my place.  Sometimes I can't be strong anymore,
Walter. Every time I would fall asleep, I would jerk awake dreaming
that someone was in my apartment to hurt me...to hurt the baby.  I'm
so tired of being on alert.  I'm only human.  I don't know how long a
person can do this.  I don't think I can do this without Mulder.  I-"
 She was sobbing now unabashedly and Skinner was fighting an inward
panic that told him he didn't know how to deal with this.  The guilt
he carried over the loss of Mulder threatened to choke him as he
watched one of the toughest agents - one of the toughest people - he
knew break down.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to say and she sat up suddenly and
hugged him.  He was frozen for a split second but then settled his
arms around her and awkwardly patted and rubbed her back.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated and tightened his hold on her when he
realized he was tearing up too.  He cleared his throat.

"It'll be alright," he tried to promise, but Scully pulled away and
looked at him.

"It will," Skinner said to her doubtful look, "you'll be fine and the
baby will be fine and everything will..be...well.." he was fading off
realizing he had talked himself into a hole.

"Fine?" Scully finished with a sniffle and looked like she was going
to start laughing. But instead she sniffed again, "I don't think I can
lie about being 'fine' anymore. I'm not fine! I'm losing my mind!"
Her lip quivered and she lowered her gaze from his inquisitive eyes.

"Do you know why I came here tonight?"  She said to his chest.
Skinner stared at the top of her head. "No," he finally said, "not
really."

She lay one hand on his bare chest and he willed himself not to
shiver.  It wouldn't be right and it wouldn't be welcome, he knew.

"I knew I'd be safe here," she whispered, "I need to feel safe."

She almost sounded like she was begging, "I just want to sleep,
Walter"  Now she did look up at him.  "I never need anyone," she
stopped for a moment, "No, that's not true.  I never WANT to need
anyone.  BUT I am asking you to let me stay here, at least for
tonight.  I just need to feel safe and get some real sleep."

He was just sitting and listening, his brown eyes almost impossible to
read in the dim light.

Scully swallowed her pride.

"Please?"

Skinner looked startled.  "Scully, surely you know that I wouldn't
mind.  You're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

He wasn't a man who was any good at emotional displays, but he reached
out and took her hands in his.  He stroked them and gave them each a
squeeze as he gave her a small smile.

"You'll feel better after a few nights of good, solid rest," he spoke
decisively now, "You're going to stay here for a few days until we can
find a way to make you feel safer at your place."

Scully's eyes shimmered with moisture, but she didn't cry again as she
nodded her head once.

He patted her hand and stood, "Now, get some sleep.  We've got work
tomorrow and you'll have to get up early to go back to your place for
clothes and to get ready."  Again she nodded once, firmly, her lips
pressed together.

He got as far as the door when he heard it.  The words that made his
heart leap into his throat.

"There's no point in you taking the couch.  You'll kill your back and
the bed's big enough for the both of us."

Skinner turned to look at her in disbelief.  She blushed and then
blustered defensively.

"Unless you're afraid I'll attack you in your sleep?" She challenged,
but she was still red-faced and looking over his shoulder rather than
at him.

He opened his mouth to tell her he actually had a guest room when it
hit him.  She was afraid to be alone.  She trusted him that much.

The realization heartened him.  No matter his immense respect for her
and his simmering attraction to her, more than anything else he wanted
her happiness.  And he knew that deep down Scully felt he loved both
she and Mulder and would do anything to keep their baby safe.  She was
right.  They were his family.  But what she wasn't aware of is that
Skinner had been harboring some very real and deep feelings for her
for years.  He'd carefully filed that away and locked it up under
"Never Going To Happen" and tried to forget about it.  He could still
see Kim's face when she thought he was Scully's baby's father and
remembered the split second of longing he'd felt for it to be true.

He had taken too long to respond and now Scully was mortified.
"Forget it. No big deal. See you in the morning."  She lay down and
rolled to her side.

Skinner slowly padded in his bare feet to her night table lamp and
turned it off.  He crossed to his side of the bed and flung the covers
back.  One deep breath and he climbed in.  He could feel the tension
from her side of the bed.

"Good night, Scully," he said after a few minutes and tried to sound
casual.

"Good night, sir," she responded automatically, sleep already clouding
her voice as she relaxed.

He fell asleep amused at having his bedmate address him by 'sir'.

**************************************************************************************************

Skinner awoke to the sound of retching.

He felt his own stomach turn a little.  It was one of his biggest
weaknesses; he hated the sound of puking.

He sat up in bed and looked toward his bathroom.  "Dana? You ok?"

She retched again and he could hear her throw up.  She moaned.

He swallowed uncomfortably and got out of bed.  He approached the
bathroom door with reluctance.

"Morning sickness?" he said from just outside the half-open door.

"Uh-huh," she managed and got sick again.  It sounded horrid and wet.
 Skinner felt sweat break out on his face and knew that he wasn't
going to make it if he stood here and listened.

"Anything I can do?" he choked out.

"Nuh-uh," she said in a wobbly voice.  He wiped his upper lip shakily
with his hand.

"Um, alright then. I'll be-" Whatever he had been about to say was cut
off by the sound of Scully being sick again and that was the last
straw for Skinner.  He pushed the door out of the way and bolted into
the bathroom.  Seeing Scully kneeling in front of the toilet, he
grabbed the wastebasket and puked into it.

"Ugh..." he moaned and sank to the floor.  Scully was hanging her head
over the toilet, pale and hollow-eyed but frowning with concern at him.

After a few minutes, Scully stood, flushed the toilet and began to run
water in the sink to rinse out her mouth.

Skinner stood as well, embarrassed but still a little nauseous.  He
met her questioning gaze in the mirror over the sink.

"The sound of puking tends to make me sick," he explained, the tips of
his ears red, "I'm usually pretty good at controlling it though."

"Sympathy morning sickness," she diagnosed after rinsing and spitting,
"It usually happens when the father is wrapped up in the mother's
health and is worried about the baby," she glanced up at him, "Its
very unusual in someone who is not the father, but I think I can
understand it."

She rinsed and spat again and then stepped out of his way as he bent
over the sink to do the same.

He said nothing because he could think of nothing to say.

After that eventful first night and morning-after, she stayed for
three days while the "gunmen" made her place as safe as they could.
From then on, she'd appear sporadically at his door in the middle of
the night, terrified and just wanting to lay in bed next to him with
her cold feet warming against his calves and talk about her fears and
hopes for the baby as he spooned around her, making her feel safe.
Many a morning he awoke to her snuggled up against him; just as many
mornings he awoke to the sound of her being sick in his bathroom -
although he was never sick along with her again.  They would exchange
pleasantries, talk about what to eat for supper, get ready for work
and drive away in separate cars.  His "faux marriage", he reflected,
was going better than his real one had.

He tried not to fall desperately, hopelessly in love with Dana Scully.

**********************************************

Skinner was staring at Scully.

Kim saw it right away and had the sudden urge to march over and stomp
on his toe.  Didn't he realize people were watching him and would
eventually draw the same false conclusions she had?

He was purchasing a donut from the cart and distractedly doling out
change to the vendor from his pocket while he watched Scully leaning
over her desk in the bullpen, making a phone call.  He wondered how
she was feeling.  She'd had a particularly bad bout with morning
sickness yesterday and after Skinner's harping had agreed to make an
appointment with a doctor this morning.  Now that the X-files had been
closed, and Scully had been reassigned - again - to that idiot Kersh,
Skinner had been watching Scully more closely than ever whenever he
was in her vicinity at work.  He was using her nearness to his
advantage now, trying to see if she was actually well and if she went
to see the doctor.

Kim could see why he was staring so intently.  Scully was pale and
looked tired.  She munched miserably on a small package of crackers
and sipped at a can of Sprite.

Skinner's frown deepened as he thanked the donut-cart gentleman and
started over to Scully.

*Oh, not here, sir.  Don't do this here.* Kim thought.  And then,
digging in her suit jacket pocket, she acted.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said in her
'I-have-something-that-needs-your-immediate-attention' voice and
strode toward him purposefully.

It worked.  He blinked and turned to look at her.  "Yes, Kimberly?"

"This was labelled urgent, so I thought I'd better get it to you right
away, sir," Kim said and handed him a slip of paper.

He took it from her and read it...

It was a receipt for Kim's lunch.  Ham and cheese on rye with mustard.
 Medium Coke. Oatmeal cookie.  $3.54.

He frowned, confused and flipped the paper over.  Nothing.

*Please get it, sir.* Kim mentally projected.

He raised his eyes at her, utterly without a clue, and opened his
mouth to speak.

"Did you want me to pull those files right away, sir?" Kim blurted,
shifting her eyes to Scully and then back to him.

Agents flowed around them, going about their usual business, seeing
nothing unusual in the discussion between the A.D. and his secretary.

Skinner's frown eased a little and understanding lit his eyes.  She
watched him blush slightly to the crown of his head as he cleared his
throat.

"No, I'll see to this myself.  Thank you, Kim," he said and studying
the paper intently, stuffed it in his pocket.  Skinner took a casual
bite from his donut as he strode away back toward his office.

Kim nodded and nonchalantly walked through the bullpen toward the
women's restroom.  Of course, to get there she'd have to pass Agent
Scully's desk...

As she got closer, she could hear Scully talking urgently to someone
on the phone.

"Frohike, I'm fine! Would you guys stop?! I'm not leaving work yet,
especially if I can use the F.B.I.'s resources to search for Mulder,"
she paused as she saw Kim getting closer, "Look, I'll talk to you
later, ok?"

Scully hung up and gave Kim and expectant look.

"Hello, Agent Scully," Kim said, "I don't get a chance to talk to you
much anymore with your reassignment.  How are you doing?"  Kim looked
at the soda and crackers and back at her, cocking an eyebrow.

Scully sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward.  Kim reflected that she
was having a lot of nonverbal conversations with people today.

Scully motioned Kim closer until they were practically face to face.

"Tell Walter I'm fine.  He sent you, didn't he?" Scully whispered.

Kim went ahead and nodded.  It was easier than explaining that she was
acting as a go-between on her own decision.

Scully heaved a sigh. "Tell him that I went to the doctor this morning
- AS I PROMISED HIM - and all this nausea, throwing up and everything
is perfectly normal - AS I TOLD HIM," she harshly whispered into the
air between them.

"I will, Agent Scully...and take care of yourself, ok?" Kim said and
stood upright again.

Scully smiled at her.  "Thanks, Kim."

Kim just smiled back and continued to the Ladies' room.

************************************************

Skinner was in full 'A.D' mode when he found the slip of paper in
between two files in his 'IN' box.
 

"She went to the doctor and everything's normal.

                    Kim"
 

His hand trembled for a moment and then he crumpled the paper and
tossed it into the trashcan.

************************************************
And that was the end of the major drama for awhile. Agent Scully still
visited A.D. Skinner's office more often than usual, but Skinner was
being much more discreet.  And when Scully's morning sickness faded,
she started acting like and looking more like herself again.  Her late
night visits to Skinner's place tapered off, even though they still
ate together every evening.  And so, everything was going along fine.

Until Scully began showing.

************************************************

It seemed to happen almost overnight.  To Kim it seemed like one day
Scully looked normal and the next like a pregnant woman.  And Kim
could see that Scully had decided there was no point in trying to act
like she wasn't pregnant any longer.  Her suit coats hung open and her
small stomach pooched through her skirts. Kim was sure the skirts had
to be held on with safety pins or else she couldn't see how they would
still fit.

Like lightning, people began to make the obvious connections.  Spooky
disappeared.  Mrs. Spooky's pregnant.  Obviously Mulder had headed for
the hills once he'd found out.  Some got more adventurous. Thinking of
Scully's legendary temper, some speculated that SHE had killed Mulder
and hidden the body like a black widow spider.

But then, some started noticing other things.  She arrived every
morning in the same elevator with A.D. Skinner.  Could they be riding
into work together?  She reported to him several times during the day.
 He doted on her.  She was heard one day fussing at a "Walter" on the
phone in her cubicle.

The final straw was when someone saw "What to Expect When You Are
Expecting" lying on the floorboard of Skinner's vehicle.  Noone
bothered to ask why someone was peering into the A.D.'s vehicle.

It began to be the final consensus.  Skinner was the Daddy.

The rumors spread like wildfire.

**********************************************

It had been a long day.  No scratch that.  A really, REALLY long day,
Skinner reflected.  He collapsed on his couch still wearing his coat
and carrying his briefcase.

He wearily lifted his wrist and looked at his watch.  Nearly midnight.
 Damn, he thought, I have to be back at work in less than eight hours
to get ready for the morning conference with the team.  He was in
charge of an investigative team that the Director himself had put
together in order to find a missing Senator's daughter.  There were
rumors of cult or possible militia involvement.  Skinner sighed.  It
was very possible that the girl had simply run away.

His head fell back on the edge of the couch and he lightly dozed,
waking once when his briefcase fell from his limp hand to land loudly
on the floor.  He went back to sleep after that, waking only when he
felt cool hands on his face removing his glasses.

"Huh?" he managed and his head came up.  He looked about fuzzily.

"Shhhhhhhh, its just me," Scully said as she set his glasses on the
coffee table, "I fell asleep waiting for you in the bedroom."

"You o.k.?" he asked muzzily as she tugged on him to sit up so she
could remove his trench and suit coat one arm at a time.

"I'm fine; I just couldn't sleep at my apartment," she said,
concentrating on his tie as she loosened and removed it.  She folded
it neatly and set it beside his glasses.

"Bad dreams?" he asked, blinking as he tried to clear the sleep from
his brain.

Scully didn't answer.  She unbuttoned the cuffs of his now rumpled
white dress shirt and then started on the shirt itself.  He sat
passively for a moment, but then realized what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" he grabbed her hands and flattened them against
his chest, stopping their work.

She frowned and looked up at him, "Getting you ready for bed," she
said matter-of-factly.

It was though a film had been lifted from his eyes as he turned his
head to talk to her.  She knelt beside him on the couch in silver
pajamas, her mussed red hair tucked behind one ear, her face scrubbed
clean.  She looked...beautiful.  And her intelligent blue eyes were
looking at him as though he lost his mind - half concern and half
amusement. But her expression was open.  Accepting.  Was this how she
looked at Mulder?  And did his heart do a flip whenever she did?

Skinner let go of her hands and she pulled them from his chest.  He
wobbily stood and looked down at her.  "I can do it myself, thanks,"
he said gruffly and headed for the bedroom.

Scully looked after him, her head tilted thoughtfully.

***********************************************

Well, here it is. Part Three is coming in a timely manner.  I have
been getting really inspired lately, so look for an update on "Alpha
and Omega", and a new story putting Mulder and Scully in a situation
my husband and kids and I found ourselves in just the other day.  A
blizzard and forced to spend the night in a roadside motel with no
drinking water?!! Yep! Cliche' and yet it really happened!!*L*  Watch
for further updates...thank you for your attention....:P

I'm hungry for feedback...I'd like to supersize it with fries and a
drink please!!! :D

shawntaw@hotmail.com

************************************************
Proxy III
Author: shawntaw
Rating: PG
Category: AU, MSR implied, major SA and some S/Sk UST (this story ends
in MSR eventually don't worry)
Disclaimer: Their not mine, although I think I might've done a better
job exploring the depths of some of the secondary characters...
Spoilers: Um, Season 8, I guess.
Summary: Who's the Daddy?

feed the author at shawntaw@hotmail.com  :)

And Eons again later...Proxy III!!*L* Please read "Proxy I and II" to
catch up. :) I know this is incredibly short, but at least I'm writing
again.  Hope you enjoy!

***********************************************************************************************

When he came out of the bathroom, she was sitting cross-legged in the
middle of his bed.

"I'm taking advantage of you," she said simply, picking at a thread on
the comforter.

"What?" Skinner stood in old gray sweats, bare feet and a white
t-shirt.  When he was so abrupt to her earlier, he assumed she'd be
gone when he came out of the bathroom.  Obviously she'd been thinking
instead.

"I said, I'm taking advantage of you.  I - I'm mothering you.  I'm
using you to fill some-some gap Mulder's left," she was gesturing
helplessly with her hands now, and laughed abruptly, "actually I'm
"wife-ing" you more than "mothering" you."  Scully realized what she
was doing with her hands and suddenly clasped them together, raising
her eyes to meet his. "And I'm sorry."

"Its ok, don't -" he automatically began to excuse her, but she shook
her head.

"Don't argue with me on this, sir," she interrupted, sounding more
like herself than she had in a while, "I was only thinking of you as
my friend, a person I can trust completely.  I mean, I trust my
mother, but you are the only one besides Mulder who REALLY knows all
we've been through.  I should have given some consideration to you as
a-a man."

She stuttered over the end of her little speech and dropped her gaze
nervously again.

He swallowed convulsively and she looked up in time to see his Adam's
apple bob up and down.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, trying to sound angry.

She considered him knowingly, but without pity, "Yes you do."

There was tension-filled silence between them for a moment.  Scully
suddenly sighed loudly and moved to get off of the bed.

"All I can say is that hormones may be clouding my judgment and are
probably what are fueling the nightmares, although I am loathe to
blame hormones for my using you in this way."

She stood straight beside the bed and Skinner wondered how she did
that.  How did she maintain her dignity in bare-feet and rumpled,
silver pajamas?  She seemed tall and decisive, every inch the agent he
was used to dealing with at work.

"I won't be coming over like this anymore," she walked to the door and
he followed wordlessly, knowing from the tone of her voice that any
objections he made would only embarrass her with their dishonesty.

She threw her coat over her pajamas and slipped her feet into her
comfortable fuzzy slippers instead of getting dressed and Skinner was
transported back in time to the first night she'd come to him.  He
felt like he was living it again in reverse.

*divorced again* he thought inanely and felt slightly panicked.

Scully was jangling her keys as she took them out of her pocket and it
pulled him back to the present.

"Dana..." he began without knowing where he was going.

She just looked at him, stepped forward and tiptoed up to kiss his cheek.

"Goodbye, Walter," she whispered in his ear with a hint of melancholy.
 She turned and opened the door to leave.

"I'm always here if you need me for anything," he blurted to her back,
emotions roughening his voice.

"I know," she said without turning, "you always are."

Scully left.

Skinner stared at the door for a few minutes, clenching and
unclenching his jaw, and then took himself to bed for lack of anything
better to do.

***************************************************************************************************

Scully rushed through the halls of the Hoover building, zipping in
between others walking toward and away from her.  She knew people were
staring, but she didn't care.  The Gunmen had finally come through.

She practically flew into Skinner's outer office.  Kim looked up
startled and stood when she entered.

"Agent Scully? Is everything alright?"

There were two other agents sitting on the couch waiting and they
looked up at her as well.

"I need to see him NOW," Scully stopped, catching her breath, "Its
vital that I see him immediately."

Kim nodded and the one of the male agents seated smirked at the other
beside him. This man frowned and shook his head slightly.

"Something wrong, Agent Scully?" Agent Pearson asked with false concern.

"Just something I need to discuss with A.D. Skinner for a moment," she
responded without looking at him.  She resisted to urge to tap her
foot as she watched Skinner's door.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you, Agent Scully, that I was sorry to
hear about Agent Mulder.  Especially considering the current...situation."

She dropped a gaze on him so cold an icicle should have been hanging
from his nose.

"Or maybe that's why he's missing?" Agent Pearson said thoughtfully as
though it had just occurred to him, "Jealousy could go a long way to
explain such a sudden disappearance."

"Jealousy?" Scully was not only fuming, but confused.  Agent Pearson
deserved a sock in the nose and she could feel her good sense fleeing
at every word Pearson uttered.

"You know, of your...relationship with the Big Guy," he finally
smirked right at her, unable to hide it any longer.

Scully's breath caught in her chest for a moment at his audacity and
then she felt her ire rare up in response.  Agent Beyer next to
Pearson, paled for his partner.  Her reputation for castrating men
verbally was well-known.

Skinner's door flew open.  "I was on the phone with the Director," he
said, worry creasing his forehead, "You needed to see me, Agent Scully?"

She shot a withering look at Agent Pearson and bent to harshly
whisper, "You got off easy, Pearson.  You ever say anything like that
to me again and you're ability to father children will be seriously
compromised."

Scully walked through Skinner's door.  She didn't look back.

*************************************************************************************************

She was trembling with anger when she strode through the door.  He
wondered what that was about.  The men sitting in his waiting area
looked shell-shocked.

Skinner shut the door behind Scully and waited, hands on his hips.  He
took the opportunity before she spoke to simply look at her.  They'd
only eaten together a handful of times in the last two weeks since
the...incident.  Kim stood to one side, wringing her hands.

Scully took several deep breaths to calm down.

"Is it the baby?" Kim finally said quietly.  She couldn't stand the
waiting any more.  Skinner's knees suddenly felt weak.  Why hadn't he
thought of that?

"No!" Scully said, seeing their expressions, "No, the baby's fine.
Growing."  She rubbed her small, round belly and smiled briefly.

"No, I'm here because the Gunmen have found a lead," she continued.

Skinner's eyes fell closed.  All the time wondering if there was
something they should be doing and realizing that they had absolutely
NO leads.  Nowhere to go.  What could they do? Stand in the Bellefleur
woods and stare at the sky?  So they'd had the Gunmen watching their
'unofficial' sources...hacking into satelite feeds..doing whatever
they could.  The F.B.I.'s 'official' investigation had given up
without much of a fight.  No one seemed to care where Mulder went.
People just decided he had finally gone over the deep end, never mind
the Assistant Director's report about a flying object.

When he opened his eyes, there were tears in Scully's.  Kim's mouth
hung open.  "A lead on Agent Mulder?"

Scully nodded and then grinned, "Satelitte pictures similar to the
ones the night that he was abducted.  They're just flashes and then
they're gone, but we're hoping that maybe he'll be returned  the way I
was."

*Was this what they were reduced to, Skinner thought, hoping?*

"I thought you were in a boxcar?" he said instead.

Her good mood faded a little, "Yes, but we still don't know how I got
there ultimately.  And there was what Mulder saw at the mountain," she
frowned a little and raised her chin stubbornly, "Anyway, its
something.  We have to keep believing Mulder's coming back. He never
gave up on me."

************************************

Proxy III - courtesy of Sarah Kellogg reminding me that it had been a
while since I'd sat down and written anything. Thank you, Sarah, and I
hope it lives up to your expectations!
 

***********************************
 

People were pretending not to notice and she was making up her mind
not to care.

Scully sat alone in the cafeteria, scarfing down her lunch tray full
of mashed potatoes.  Her thoughts were on Skinner's pessimistic
reaction to her news concerning Mulder.  What must the big "THEY" have
said to him to make him so grim? How honest had he been with his
superiors about what he'd seen in Oregon? Why couldn't her let her be
just a little bit joyful?  A little hopeful?  She needed it...desperately.

She startled herself out of her reverie with the metallic scratching
sound of her own fork scraping mashed potatoes out of all the corners
of the lunchtray.  Scully lifted the fork to her lips and licked it
clean, wondering if she could go back for seconds.

She suddenly realized she was surrounded by utter silence.  Almost
everyone was staring and she quickly lowered her fork and blushed to
the roots of her red hair. Arching her eyebrow at them all, Scully
stood and turned to make her usual decisive exit.  Dizziness assailed
her and the world tilted.

*DAMN!*  She sat on the floor - hard - utterly humiliated and was
mortified to discover that she was tearing up. *I HATE HORMONES!* She
screamed on the inside as she tried to drag herself to standing.
Frozen in surprise, noone moved to help for a moment and then she
heard people approaching.  Scully doubled her efforts to gain her
footing, trying to ignore the slight nausea that crept up the back of
her throat.

"Agent Scully, are you alright?," His deep, reassuring voice and
hurrying footsteps from the doorway were such a relief that she
literally had to stifle a sob.  She stopped trying to scramble to her
feet. What was wrong with her??  She felt off-kilter.

Skinner's hand appeared in her view and she dazedly examined it.
Short hand, wide hand, strong hand, tan hand, neatly trimmed nails,
heavy expensive watch, white cuff, suit jacket sleeve...

"Scully?"  People were beginning to talk among themselves.  Skinner
suddenly knelt in her view. The familiar scent of his cologne wafted
over her with the action and she suddenly remembered how Mulder had
smelled.  At work he'd smelled like soap, shampoo, shaving cream, and
maybe a little hairgel that he never let her see him use.  He didn't
use cologne or aftershave.  She sighed to herself.  She missed him so
much.

Skinner was frowning at her, his brown eyes squinting behind his glasses.

"Sir, do you want us to call someone?," a voice said from above. She
could see various legs standing around him.  Pantyhosed legs ending in
heels and in pumps.  Pants legs with shiny dress shoes or sensible flats.

"Dana?" Skinner whispered and she observed how pale his face was
looking.  She blinked at him...

...and realized that she was sitting on the cafeteria floor of the
Hoover Building surrounded by fellow agents, secretaries and goodness
only knows who else.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling herself together and taking the hand
that a visibly relieved Walter Skinner offered to her.  She stood with
only minor assistance and immediately took her hand back.

Scully straightened her jacket and dusted off her skirt.  People
continued to stare and mutter.

"Do you need us to call someone to look you over, Agent Scully?" Some
anonymous secretary was looking worriedly at her.

"No," Scully held her head high, "No, I'm just fine.  I misstepped. I
was a little stunned, but I'm fine now."

Without acknowledging anyone, she turned and left.

Everyone burst into conversation and got back to their lunches,
discussing this new juicy tidbit about the knocked-up Mrs. Spooky.  A
few were sneaking glances at the assistant director as well.

Skinner stood alone staring after her, a deep wrinkle between his eyes.

*****************************************

She appeared at his door that night.

Somehow, Skinner wasn't surprised.

Things went as usual.  She climbed into his bed.  They spooned up and
fell asleep.  He did not question her.

He was surprised, however, to wake up in the middle of the night to
find her sitting up sobbing her guts into a pillow. He immediately sat
up as well, twisted, switched on his bedside lamp and turned back to her.

"Scully? What is it? Bad dream?"

She shook her head once and cried louder into the pillow.  Skinner
felt panicked.  "What is it then, Scully? Tell me."

Scully shook her head side to side, but took the pillow away from her
face.

"I was trying not to wake you up," she said roughly, not looking at
him. She inhaled deeply, sniffed and wiped a hand across her
tear-streaked cheeks, "I can't stop crying," she admitted.

"That's understandable-" Skinner began, but Scully threw her pillow
violently across the room. It bounced harmlessly off the wall.

"It's NOT understandable!!" she yelled, finally looking at him.  Tears
streamed from her eyes and her expression was sheer fury. "I can't
collect my thoughts!  I'm weepy! I'm losing my mind and I can't stop
it!!"  Scully dissolved again in sobs, covering her face again with
trembling hands.

"I'm no good to anyone this way," Her voice was barely recognizable.

Before he could think too much about it and feel uncomfortable,
Skinner clicked off his lamp, reached out and enveloped her in his
arms.  She resisted at first, weakly pulling away from him.

"I don't want any more of your pity," she protested, "You've given too
much already."

He held her firmly until he felt her relax. He laid back, clutching
her to his chest.

"You don't always have to be strong, Dana.  Just relax," he stroked
her hair over and over, "Relax and sleep."

Skinner felt her slowly sagging against him as he hushed her over and
over again.  He stroked her hair and back and fought the droop of his
own eyelids.  He wouldn't sleep until he knew that she was alright.

Her sobs began to settle to sniffles in the silence of Skinner's
bedroom.  He watched the time change minute by minute on the digital
clock atop the dresser.  After awhile her breathing evened out and he
assumed she was asleep.  Skinner let himself begin to float away in
the hazy place right before sleep, when he heard her speak.

"We're never going to find Mulder, are we?" She sounded so resigned,
so utterly exhausted.

Skinner blinked away sleep once more to answer her, "We have to face
the fact that we may have to wait for him to be returned to us," he
harshly whispered into the darkness truthfully, "He did everything in
his power to find you when you were missing, but ultimately we only
got you back because they decided to return you."

Silence in the darkness as she mulled that statement.  He could feel
her breath against his neck as she sighed.

"I shouldn't even be here," she said quietly, "I mean, can you imagine
what the bureau would say if they knew? We're sleeping together,
eating together, practically living together.."  Her voice trailed off.

"Well, we know better," he said gruffly into the darkness.  To his
surprise, he felt her slightly rounded stomach jostle against him as
she huffed a short laugh.

"I can see that OPR meeting now...'But we're not having sex - HONEST!
- we're just sleeping together in the A.D.'s bed!'" Again she snorted,
"I'm sure that would be utterly believeable.  By being here, I'm
endangering our careers, our ability to continue looking for Mulder
and our ability to continue investigating his life's work - the x-files!"

Skinner didn't know what to say.  She was right.

Silence reigned again.

"This isn't normal," she muttered into his chest, drifting again
towards sleep.

"Since when have our lives been normal?" Skinner retorted without
thinking, now wide awake and staring upwards blindly.

"I'm still taking advantage of you," her voice was fading and
slurring, "Not considering your feelings.."

Skinner sighed heavily into the darkness.  He really didn't want them
to acknowledge aloud his obvious attraction to her.

"I can live with it," he finally admitted, not even liking that he was
giving away that much.

But she was already asleep.

***************************************************

It was finally the weekend.

After work on Friday, Scully had returned to her apartment to collect
some things.  She was moving in.

Skinner stomped about his apartment, scrubbing and cleaning.  Making
room in the closet and in his chest of drawers.  Scooting his
toiletries to one side of the sink.  Wondering what sort of groceries
he should stock for her.  He felt faintly ridiculous; after all, as
much as she'd been here recently it wasn't like she hadn't seen the
apartment messy already.

He was on his hands and knees in the bathroom wearing elbow-length,
bright yellow, plastic gloves scrubbing the floor when he heard a
sound behind him.  He wearily rose up and grimaced down at the wet
knees of his tattered sweatpants and his torn t-shirt. Scully stood
behind him with an amused look on her face, holding a suitcase.

"Hi," she said after they stared at each other for a moment.  He heard
more noises coming from his living room and frowned.

"The Gunmen helped me bring over Mulder's fish and a few other things
so I wouldn't have to make but one trip," she explained.  Skinner
nodded and tried not to look nervous.  He wondered what Mulder's
friends made of his and Scully's "arrangement."

As if on cue, Frohike appeared in the doorway beside Scully.  "Hey Big
Guy," he said with a serious tone and then turned to Scully, "Byers
wanted you to come tell him where he and Langley should put the
fishtank," he told her.

"Sure," Scully smiled slightly...almost nervously..and looked from him
to Skinner and back again.  She nodded and walked away into the living
room.

*So,* Skinner thought, *Frohike's gonna defend her honor.*

The two men regarded each other for a moment,"Nice look," Frohike
commented, gesturing at his gloves with his chin.  Skinner hastily
pulled them off his hands and flustered, "Just so you know, I'm not
trying to..." He had no idea where he was going with the comment.

"I know," Frohike answered him anyway, understanding his intent.  The
two men stood in silence.

"We love her too," Frohike finally said, "She's really weak right now;
whether she likes it or not."

"I know," Skinner looked intensely at the smaller man, "and I would
never-"

"I know you wouldn't," Frohike interrupted him again, "at least not
intentionally."

Skinner looked at him steadily, "AT. ALL." he said in his best A.D.
voice, the voice that said 'I say it and so it is'.

Frohike looked away for a moment, looked down at his feet and then
nodded.  Skinner realized how hard all of this was for the small man.
 Obviously, Frohike felt is was his responsibility to be Scully's
protector.

"Scully told us how she's been able to..um...lean on you and she says
you've been terrific to her," Frohike said, "We appreciate it."  He
looked up at the now blushing Skinner.

"Wish like hell it was me," Frohike grinned.

Skinner blushed deeper, and Frohike chuckled.

************************************************

Stars.

When he opened his eyes and blinked, he saw a vast starry night sky.
It was so dark that the stars looked like jewels dripping down toward
him.  He gasped.

He didn't know where he was.  He felt slightly dizzy because he wasn't
even sure if he was standing or lying down.  His body felt
inordinately heavy.  He lifted his arm slowly and looked at it.

He was suddenly aware that it hurt to move. He heard a voice cry out
and wondered if it was his.

*Home.* he tried the old calming mantra and felt wetness in his eyes.
 Pictures flashed like lightning behind his eyelids and his back
arched with the pain.

*Light.  Sharp-fingered hands took his clothes; he was so cold.  Cold
tables. Voices crying...begging. Needles. Lasers. Cutting...oh
no..stop..stop..*

He rolled to one side and cried out in pain, this time realizing it
was his voice he heard.

*Home.* he thought, seeing red-hair, loving eyes, and feeling a
cooling touch on his forehead and not knowing why.

**********************************************

Skinner and Scully rode the elevator up to his office.  They were arguing.

"Why are you making such a big deal about this, Walter?" Scully was
looking at him like he was growing horns out of the top of his head.

"I've been wearing heels for years. Pregnancy is not a reason to
change that!"

"I'm just saying that you wear such HIGH heels.  What if you were to
fall again? Get dizzy again?"

The elevator dinged.

"You could hurt yourself and the baby!" He towered over her in
full-A.D. mode, hands on hips.

Scully was infuriated.  She hated when men tried to control her! It
had taken years for her to get over her need for a father-figure and
she sure as hell wasn't going to be ordered around now!

"Walter Skinner, you and your macho posturing can go to-"

A loud snicker caught their attention and they both turned in mutual
mortification to the now open elevator doors where a small group of
people stood - including the Director.

Skinner took a small step back out of Scully's personal space. They
quickly looked at one another and silently agreed.

"We'll discuss this at a more appropriate time, Agent Scully. Now if
you'll excuse me.."

He pushed his way through the small clutch of F.B.I. employees,
acknowledging the obviously suspicious and disapproving Director with
a quick, "Good morning, sir," and strode toward his office.

Scully didn't even ask if anyone needed the elevator.  As everyone was
distracted by the retreating A.D., she pushed the button for the
basement and smiled sweetly at the shocked faces that turned back
toward her for a split second before the doors slid shut on them.

************************************************

The stars were fading.

The sky was pinking and somehow he knew the sun was rising soon.  He
looked foward to it.  It seemed like his whole life had been darkness,
tests, and stars...lots and lots of stars.

He suddenly remembered the last place he'd been.  The release room,
they all called it.  *The..the testing ones..* he thought *..they
watched when all the tests were done.  The strong ones got to keep
going or sometimes - the rumors said - sometimes they were released.
If you looked sick or weak, you didn't get marked.  If you didn't get
marked, you were killed.*

Flashing back to this, he reached up with a weak, shaking hand to feel
the dried blood holding together the slashing mark across his scalp.
He remembered how it felt to be marked.  He remembered the pain and
the relief.  He remembered the intense fear.

The stars blinked out and a soft light appeared on the horizon.

He was back.  Oh, thank GOD, he was back.

He remembered the unmarked ones and how they had sounded when they
were killed.  How they looked.  He knew suddenly that some of the
dried blood he felt on his skin was not his own.

He rolled over and vomited.  He vomited until his stomach was sore and
it brought tears to his eyes.

The sky lightened.  He waited for the light, his eyes hungry for
anything but stars.
 

************************************************

It was only after she arrived at the basement that she remembered she
didn't work there anymore.  It was so quiet as she stepped off the
elevator.  It felt sacred - like church - as she walked down the
short hallway to the basement office.

The nameplate was still there; she had wondered if it would be.  She
had been able to hold on to the x-files for a very small time after
Mulder's disappearance...until word came from above that it was being
shut down.  No one could tell her exactly why.

Her fingers traced Mulder's name on the door as she thought. *And now
I work for that idiot Kersh, Mulder.  Can you believe that?*

Scully pushed the door open and only the click..clack..click..clack of
her heels reverberated in the small room. She flipped on the light.

It was empty.  Scully closed her eyes and pressed her lips together.
She knew it would be and this was precisely why she hadn't visited the
x-files office until now.  Until she felt led here by circumstance and
fate.

When she opened her eyes again and realized she was staring at
Mulder's "I want to Believe" poster, she could not hold back the
grateful sob that burst forth from her lips. Scully shakily walked
forward and gently ran her fingertips over each corner where she knew
he must have touched when hanging it on the wall.

"Mulder..," she muttered, sorrowfully.

Scully pried the poster gently from the wall and rolled it up.
Clenching it under one arm, she took one last look at her second home.
 A place filled with many memories.  Laughter. Debate. Joking. Sorrow.
Anger. Curiousity. Fear.  But always he was here.  And always he
challenged her mind..her heart.  And so she came back. And back.  And
back again.

Scully turned and -as was her nature - walked decisively, turned off
the light and shut the door firmly behind her.

Her tip-tapping footsteps receded down the hallway.

She would not return this time. Without him this place was truly empty.

************************************************

Daniel Wisson took off his battered cap and scratched his head.

In the middle of his cornfield - like some cotton-picking Hollywood
movie - his corn bowed down in the same direction formed a loose
circle.  Inside the circle lay five rumpled, bloodied bodies.

His wife was calling 9-1-1 that very moment.

*Damn,* he thought *Crop circles. Dead bodies?!*

A bass moan sounded suddenly in the dewy morning.

A pained feminine cry echoed after it, followed by another different one.

All the blood ran from Dan's face and he felt sick.

Not all the bodies were dead.

*************************************************

Kim looked up as Skinner came flying through the reception area on the
way to his office.  She quickly stood up and barely got "Good morning,
s-" out before he was already in his office and shutting the door.

She stood perplexed for a moment, greeting the empty room.

"Alriiiight," she commented aloud wonderingly and started for
Skinner's door.

He was at his desk, head in hands, mumbling.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"Sir?" Kim approached him, unsure.

Without lifting his head, he spoke to her.

"Shut the door, please Kim."

She shut it and strode to his desk, seating herself in a chair.

"What's going on?"

He cleared his throat, but kept his head bowed.

"Sometime today, the Director is going to call for me or ask if he can
come here to speak to me.  It may very well lead to an OPR meeting and
then my dismissal.  This may very well lead to the loss of your job as
well, a fact which I regret deeply, Kim," he sighed.

"WHAT happened, sir?!" Kim was beyond shocked.

He lifted his head and looked at her.  He looked weary. "Scully and I
rode up on the elevator together today.  Before she went to the
bullpen, she wanted to stop by and see you since she said she hadn't
spoken to you in awhile.  We got into an argument," he paused and
sighed again.

"An argument? About what?" She sat on the edge of her chair.

He sadly chuckled, "High heels, of all things.  I made a comment about
how dangerous those heels she wears will surely become as she gets
bigger," he laughed, "She HATED that. She's been
getting..hormonal..lately."

Kim was smiling as she pictured Scully ripping into the A.D.  She'd
seen her do it before.  It was only Skinner's affection for Scully
that ever made him put up with it.

"Anyway..the elevator opened while we were arguing and - lo! and
behold - the damn Director is standing there with a few lackeys to
hear the whole thing," he reconsidered, "Well, he heard enough."

"Are you sure?"

Skinner nodded and stared sadly off in the distance over the tops of
his steepled hands, thinking.

Kim considered her reaction for a moment.  She wanted to reassure her
boss. To show her loyalty.

"Think Scully will need a nanny? I know someone that may be available
soon...cheap."

Skinner jolted up straight and looked at her.

His laughter could be heard in the hallway.

*********************************************

Ambulances surrounded the scene.  Cop cars blocked up his driveway.

And now a small line of black cars with tinted windows were driving
through his corn toward the scene.

Daniel had stood by long enough.  His wife and children peered
fearfully from the farmhouse window.

"HEY!! Hey, you cain't jus' drive though my damn corn!!!" He blocked
the cars physically and waved his arms.  They stopped.  Daniel lowered
his arms and stood his ground, defiantly.

A man in a black suit wearing reflective sunglasses stepped from the
back door of the car.

"This is your farm?" he had a calm, deep voice.

"Yes, it is. And you are killing my crop," Daniel made sure to show no
fear, but he just knew these guys were government.  He could
practically smell it on them.

"You will be reimbursed for your inconvenience," he pulled a pen and
pad suddenly from an inside suit jacket pocket and Daniel jumped.  He
couldn't help it.  He and the family had rented "Men in Black" once.

He pointedly did NOT look at the fancy, silver pen as he heard it
click.  Daniel did not see the man raise his eyebrow in haughty amusement.

"May I ask you some questions?"

"Yeah," Daniel said, not sure where to look now since he couldn't see
the other man's eyes and wanted to avoid looking at the pen.  He
settled for the man's forehead.

"Start by telling me the story of how you discovered this..scene," the
man said smoothly.

Daniel told his story for what seemed like the hundredth time that
morning.

A few yards or so away, an EMT leaned over one of the male victims.
Victim of what, he had no idea.  But it was obvious that all these
people were victims of something. Two were dead and the other three
barely alive.  He shook his head in disgust.

The man he worked on looked up at him with intense hazel eyes.  Most
of his face was covered with an oxygen mask.  He was waiting for his
turn to be loaded into an ambulance.

A policeman approached.  "Ok, time for this guy's check.  I.D.?"

The EMT held up a black I.D. wallet. "You won't believe this," he said
calmly, although he shook inside.  The cop took it and flipped it open.

"A fibbie?! You kidding me?"  The man with hazel eyes watched him
fearfully.  For some reason he was scared.  He struggled to sit up.

A picture and some cash flew out and floated to the ground as the cop
flipped the i.d. shut.  He picked the photograh up and looked at it.

"Who's she?" he held it out to the struggling man.

"He hasn't spoken. None of them have," the EMT commented softly to the
policeman.

To their surprise, the man ripped the oxygen mask from his face.

He reached out a trembling, scarred hand to clutch the picture and
then held the now creased and balled up photo to his chest. He fell
back to lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Home," he scratchily whispered, "Home.."

*******************************************************
 

Sock it to me! shawntaw@hotmail.com
 

End Ch VI
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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