Title: Oh-So-Human
Author: shawntaw
Rating: G
Spoilers: Takes place after "Requiem."
Scully POV.

Disclaimers: Not mine. No money changing hands.

Summary: Skinner is riddled with guilt and gets smashed.  He shows up 
at Scully's...

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I was stunned.  

He showed up at my door at 2:30 a.m. a few days after Mulder's 
disappearence, completely and utterly smashed.

He tried to hide it, but failed miserably.

"Scully?  Agent Scully?  It's Skinner," he said helpfully to the 
peephole as I stood on the other side of the door peering out at him 
in shock.  

"I-I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to check on you.  See 
how you and the baby are doing."

I flinched.  He said this last part WAY too loudly and no one knew 
yet but him. But then I realized that none of my neighbors were awake 
to hear.

"I mean, the baby," he stage-whispered to my door, correcting himself 
and swaying slightly to the right. 

His eyes were blood-shot behind glasses that were slipping down his 
nose and his coat was wrinkled and rumpled as though it had spent the 
night crumpled in a booth or thrown over a bar stool.  His tie was in 
no better shape, loosened so much it was practically untied.

I sighed.  He hadn't actually woke me up.  I had been lying in the 
dark, trying not to think of Mulder when the knock had sounded.

I opened my door.  "Hello, sir.  Do you know what time it is?"

He tried to look at his wristwatch, adjusting his glasses when he 
couldn't get the numbers to focus.

"No, I'm afraid I don' know.  I think I may need a new prescription," 
he said quite seriously, tapping his wire-rims.

"It is 2:30 in the morning," I said, calmly.

His reaction is immediate. "What?!  I couldn't have been at the bar 
THAT long," he glared again at his watch as if this is somehow its 
fault.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Scully.  I'll see you at work tomorrow," 
and with that he tried to turn and walk to the elevator with all 
dignity befitting an assistant director - 

only to loose his balance and stumble sideways into the wall. 

"Sir, sir," I said, stepping into the hallway and taking the much 
larger man by the elbow, "please come inside.  I'll make you some 
coffee and call you a cab."

Now he was embarrassed.  I could tell by his immediate brusqueness 
and by the fact that he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"No, I'll call my own cab; I have my cellphone," He took it out of 
his coat pocket and it fell from his hand, clunking to the hallway 
carpet.

"Sir," I said in a soothing voice, "please come in.  Share some 
coffee with me."

He looked at me for a moment and then let me lead him into the 
apartment.

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I took his coat and led him to the couch.

"Here, just have a seat.  I'll be back in a minute," I patted his arm 
reassuringly and started to step away to the kitchen to start the 
coffee.

Skinner caught me by the sleeve of my robe.

"I'm so sorry, Scully.  Really.  I-I lost him and now the baby.." he 
shook his head in despair, "I just want to say I'm sorry.  I don't 
know how to make this better.  I've gone over and over it in my head-"

I clasped the hand that was gripping my robe, "Don't do this to 
yourself, sir.  There's nothing that you could have done; if they 
wanted him they would've found a way no matter what."

He nodded and leaned back to rest his head on the back of the couch.

"I'm - I'm just so sorry, that's all," he said again.

I left him to make the coffee and when I returned with two steaming 
mugs, he was asleep.

Walter Skinner snores, I thought amusedly and felt a surge of 
affection for the man at this display of oh-so-human weakness.

I padded forward to the couch quietly and set the mugs on the coffee 
table.

I reached out carefully and removed my boss's glasses.  His brow 
furrowed, but he did not wake up.

Deciding that he would have to sleep in his suit coat, I gently 
pushed back on his shoulders.  I hoped that the conditioning from 
being married would make him follow my gently spoken instructions.

"Lay down, Walter, you're tired," I breathed to him in the quiet of 
the room.

He muttered, but lay down as told and, rolling to one side, stopped 
snoring.

I removed his shoes and tucked the throw blanket kept on the back of 
the couch.

"Sleep tight," I whispered and kissed him softly on his cheek.

The next morning he was gone, the blanket neatly folded on the 
couch.  

There was only a note.

"Thank you."

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*sniffle*  I occasionally watch episodes and become fascinated with 
the under-explored character of Walter Skinner.  Mitch Pileggi is 
awesome.

feedback appreciated at shawntaw@hotmail.com  :)