Title: Safe Harbor Series: Part II
Author:shawntaw
Category: MSR, Mulder/Scully/Skinner friendship, X-File
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Still not mine. Darn.

Summary: While helping Mulder and Scully profile a killer, Skinner 
learns more about his agents' special bond and deals with his own mid-
life crisis.

IMPORTANT NOTES: THIS IS OFFICIALLY A SERIES, THANKS TO ALL THE 
WONDERFUL FEEDBACK ASKING FOR MORE! :) READ "SAFE HARBOR" FIRST IF 
YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS ONE...:)

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

RIIING!....RIIING!.....RIIING!....

The call came too early for Skinner's liking. He groped for the 
blurry telephone and answered it gruffly.

"Hello?"

"Wake-up call, sir? You put in for a wake-up call at 7am?" 

"Oh, yeah. Thank you." He growled and hung up.

Skinner threw his legs over the edge of the bed and wearily 
stretched, wincing at the ache in his back from sitting up too late 
hunched over file after file.

He reached for his wire-rim glasses and placed them on his nose, 
bringing the hotel room into immediate focus.

Standing with a mild protest from his knees, he shuffled into the 
bathroom and regarded his reflection.

*I don't know why I always look; It isn't going to change.*

"I'm fifty," he said aloud to his reflection as he had for every 
morning the past two weeks, "get over it already."

He stretched again, took a deep breath and padded back out of the 
bathroom.

Skinner lowered himself to the floor and did his morning push-ups and 
sit-ups.

He took a quick shower, replaced his glasses on his face, brushed his 
teeth and stood in front of the mirror again to smooth down what 
little hair he retained with his comb.

He got dressed in his suit and tie and then took one last look at the 
man in the mirror.

*Assistant Director Skinner, at your service*

He sighed, put his keys in his pocket, and left the hotel room.

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

Mulder sat across from him, oblivious, shoveling bacon and eggs into 
his mouth. Apparently, the previous night's activities had not 
affected his appetite.

Skinner and Scully watched him - one faintly stunned, the other 
amused.

"Does he always eat like that?" Skinner quirked one eyebrow at Scully.

The three had agreed to meet at the little diner across from the 
hotel for breakfast and sat now, enjoying their morning meal.

Mulder had ordered the largest, greasiest, platter of bacon, eggs, 
hash browns, pancakes and toast that Skinner had ever seen.

Scully sat sedately eating her plate of fruit and sipping her juice.

Skinner looked down at his second bowl of cereal and tall glass of 
orange juice, and looked back up at Scully again.

She nodded, smiling. "It all goes to his feet," she jibed.

"Hey," Mulder said around a mouthful of eggs, "I'm sitting right 
here, you know." He chewed and swallowed.

"Besides, I run. I play basketball. I swim. I'm entitled."

To emphasize his point, he took a big swig of his chocolate milk. 

Scully just shook her head in defeat, "I don't know how many times 
I've told you that at your age you don't have the metabolism you used 
to. You eat like you're seventeen years old. It is going to catch 
up with you, Mulder."

She turned to Skinner for support. He was eye-balling Mulder's food 
with envy.

Scully sighed. *Boys will be boys.*

"So," Mulder's voice interrupted her thoughts," when do we meet with 
the local SAC?"

"9:30," Skinner said, pushing away his cereal. Suddenly, he didn't 
want it anymore. Living vicariously through Mulder, he had really 
enjoyed that bacon. He took a drink of his orange juice and 
continued, "He's meeting us at the first dump site."

"The profiling team?" Mulder finished off his chocolate milk and 
without thinking, Scully reached over and swiped at his milk mustache 
with her thumb.

Embarrassed at her impulse, she cleaned her thumb on her napkin as 
Mulder gave her a startled half-smile.

Skinner cleared his throat. "We're meeting with the profiling team 
at 11 and then a working lunch with the SAC."

"Are you ready to tell us why you're here, sir?"

Mulder was looking at him frankly. 

*He really thinks I have a clear-cut reason for being here*

Skinner took off his glasses and cleaned them carefully with the edge 
of a napkin.

"I actually just wanted to get out in the field for a change," he 
said, hoping it didn't sound too lame.

He put his glasses back on, "I just thought I'd see if I could be of 
some help."

"Well, we're glad to have you, sir," Scully jumped in. He could 
practically see her kicking Mulder under the table as he piped in.

"Of course we are, sir. We just assumed-"

"That I was checking up on you. Well, I'm not."

Mulder and Scully were staring at him. Skinner stared right back.

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

At first, the authorities didn't know they had a serial killer on 
their hands.

The first victim was found outside his residence on October 20th, 
1998. The cause of death was obviously a execution-style gunshot to 
the head. 

The autopsy showed the victim had been drugged, moved to an unknown 
location, starved and dehydrated, and then shot dead. The victim had 
then been dumped in front of his apartment building.

The police had no clues to go on. No witnesses. The murder was 
unsolved.

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

When another man was murdered on October 20th the following year, the 
police didn't make the connection. 

The local coroner inquired about the similarities to a case the year 
before, but was barely listened to.

Again the victim had been sedated, moved, starved and dehydrated and 
then shot through the head. And dumped in front of his parents' 
house where he lived.
****************************************************

It was only when it happened a third time that the local police 
reluctantly admitted to having a serial killer on their hands and 
called in the F.B.I.

The M.O. on the third victim was exactly the same as the first two, 
with one exception. 

The third victim had been given water.

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

"Yeah, Scully noticed that too," Mulder's voice startled Skinner out 
of his reverie as he re-read the case files.

"What?"

Mulder gestured to where Skinner's finger rested on the anomoly he 
had been reading about in the third victim.

"Scully, noticed that the third victim wasn't dehydrated like the 
others. He was given fluids."

Skinner felt deflated, but tried not to let it show.

"Oh, so you already knew. It was such a small notation and I didn't 
hear the two of you mention it last night.."

Mulder regarded him with a slight frown, noting the small note of 
defeat in Skinner's voice.

"Sir, is something wrong?"

"No, Agent Mulder, nothing's wrong."

Skinner stood as Scully returned from the restroom.

"Ok, I'm ready to go," she said.

The three of them threw some money on the table for their meals and 
strode out of the small diner.

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

It had been a very long day. The three of them had been to each 
crime scene and given a detailed summary of the findings at each one 
by the Special Agent in Charge.

Then the meeting with the profiling team.

The group of men from the Violent Crimes Unit were none too pleased 
that "Spooky" Mulder had been called in, but seemed anxious to catch 
the killer nonetheless. They each answered Mulder's questions to the 
best of their abilities.

The working lunch with the SAC was a "crunch" session with ideas and 
theories flying around the table like spitwads as everyone inhaled 
their deli sandwiches.

Skinner, Mulder, and Scully had been present at the exhuming of the 
bodies and then Scully had gone off to redo the autopsies. 

The two men sat in a conference room at the police station discussing 
the case and trying out different theories until Mulder's stomach 
growled - LOUDLY.

Skinner was exhausted.

And Mulder was mumbling to himself again. Just loud enough to be 
annoying, but not quite loud enough for Skinner to understand what he 
was saying.

*If he doesn't stop soon, I am going to reach across the table and 
throttle him.*

Skinner saw himself suddenly reach across and grab Mulder by the 
necktie, "STOP!"

"Sir?"

Skinner blinked the image away and stifled a yawn. He looked at his 
watch as he answered Mulder, "What?"

It was 11:34 p.m.

The Denny's the two of them were eating at was practically deserted. 
Skinner sipped his black coffee and raised his eyebrow at Mulder.

"Just wondering where you were. Something about the case bothering 
you?"

Skinner's eyebrow climbed even further.

"EVERYTHING about this case bothers me. No clues, no witnesses...and 
October 20th is just around the corner."

Mulder turned back to the files he had been mumbling over and 
nodded. The frown wrinkles reappeared on his forehead.

"Well, maybe Scully will have something for us when she's done 
redoing the autopsies." He looked at his watch.

"She oughta be calling it a night pretty soon and turning up at the 
hotel."

Skinner wondered if Mulder was thinking about his nightmares. He 
wondered if Mulder even knew he'd starting having them on this case. 

Had Scully told him what happened last night?

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

Mulder and Skinner were spread out in Mulder's room, discussing the 
case.

"Ok, but why these three guys? What's the connection?"

"Could they be random?"

"I don't think so. The body types are too similar. All-American. 
Ex-jocks in their 30's. Same day every year....must be significant 
somehow...connection to killer..sporting goods store?...a 
birthday...a death anniversary...starvation and 
dehydration...weakening...punishment?..hmm.."

Skinner sighed. There went Mulder again. Mumbling, staring down at 
the file in his lap and pulling on his bottom lip.

*So, this is why they call him "Spooky."*

"The killer is punishing someone...punishing the victims for their 
strength..that's why the UNSUB weakens them..then they aren't worth 
the trouble anymore..quick death..shot to the head..but-"

The door to the hotel room opened and Scully wearily entered.

"Scully!" Mulder suddenly came back to Earth.

"Hey, find anything?"

Scully looked wearily at him for a moment.

"Fine, Mulder, and how are you? Dinner? Oh, no, I haven't had any, 
but, hey, don't worry about me-"

Mulder interrupted her sarcastic rambling by jabbing a styrofoam 
container at her.

"Fruit platter, now gimme. Whatcha got?"

She took the food from him. " I sure have had a lot of fruit today. 
Tomorrow I'm indulging in a burger." She jabbed a piece of 
cantaloupe and ate it hungrily.

"I found all the same things that the coroner before me did, with one 
exception. There are traces of cologne on each of the victims' 
bodies."

Mulder and Skinner looked at one another.

"What's so unusual about that?" Skinner said, "Men wear cologne."

Scully waved her fork in agreement and nodded.

"Which is why the previous coroner didn't mention it, " she said with 
her mouth full, "BUT the cologne on each victim seems to be the same 
one. AND-"

She swallowed and paused. "Well, this part is pure conjecture on my 
part.."

Mulder lit up. "I am rubbing off on you!"

Scully shot him a withering look.

"What? What did you find, Scully?" Mulder wheedled, serious.

"I-I could swear that the cologne was more like women's perfume. It 
seemed very sweet. The scent still lingered on the third victims 
clothing that had been sealed in a plastic evidence bag. I needed to 
compare some fibers found on the body with that of the victim's 
clothing and when I opened the bag.."

She shook her head.

"I swear it smelled like women's perfume."

The two men stared at Scully open-mouthed.

Skinner said it first, "A female serial killer."

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

He felt himself smiling as he watched Scully sleep. She was slumped 
against the headboard, red hair falling across her face. The lamp 
cast a soft glow across her dozing figure and the files that lay open 
on her lap. 

Skinner suddenly became aware of Mulder's eyes on him. He shifted 
his gaze from Scully's sleeping form to Mulder's penetrating 
appraisal.

*Why do I feel like apologizing for looking at Scully?*

To his surprise, Mulder suddenly smiled. "She can fall asleep 
anywhere. Don't tell our boss, " He said in mock seriousness, "but 
she even falls asleep on stakeouts."

"That's o.k., " Skinner rejoined, "I hear her partner covers for her."

Mulder chuckled a little and his eyes moved affectionately to Scully.

The three of them had been going over the files yet again with the 
thought in mind that they were dealing with a female serial killer. 
Mulder thought the change in perspective might reveal further clues 
from the information.

So far, no luck.

"I guess we better call it a night," Mulder said, finally, "Scully'll 
kill me if I pull my 'profiler crap', as she calls it, and stay up 
all night."

He stood, stretched and strode to the bed where Scully slumbered.

Skinner watched them from the corner of his eye as he gathered files 
and threw away take-out containers from their midnight snack.

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

"Scully?" Mulder gently reached out and brushed her hair back from 
her face in his customary fashion.

She started, looked confused for a moment, and then sat up.

"I-I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?" 

Mulder carefully took the files from her and stacked them on the 
bedside table.

"It's 2:30 in the morning," he held out his hand, "Here, let me help 
you up."

Scully stood and wobbled blearily on her feet.

"Oh-" she clutched Mulder's arm for balance, "Thanks."

"Scully, take off the stilts. You're only going next door and you're 
gonna kill yourself walking on those things half-asleep."

He sat her back down on the edge of the bed and knelt down to take 
the shoes from her feet.

Skinner couldn't shake the tender feeling toward his agents as he 
witnessed the intimate, almost worshipful, gesture.

"Ok, Mulder, but no short jokes," she muttered around a yawn and took 
the proferred shoes from his hands.

Mulder chuckled under his breath and helped her to the connecting 
door between their two rooms.

"'night, Scully."

"'night, Mulder."

And she was gone.

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

Mulder seemed unaware of how much had just been revealed of his 
relationship with Scully.

Skinner realized that Mulder was unaware himself of the nature of his 
relationship with Scully.

The thought made Skinner sad for the younger man.

"Well, Mulder, I'll see you and Agent Scully in the morning."

Mulder walked him to the door, commenting that he was tired and 
looking forward to getting some sleep.

But Skinner knew Mulder would be up all night, staring at the 
pictures of the dead and trying to crawl inside the mind of a killer.

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

Scully woke abruptly to the feeling of someone in the room with her.

She felt goosebumps rise over her skin.

A dark figure walked closer and closer...

She took in a sharp breath to scream and flailed her hand out to the 
night table in search of her gun-

The familiar scent of sunflower seeds, aftershave, and sweat caught 
her attention.

"Mulder?"

A small sob sounded from the dark.

"I can still hear your voice," he whispered.

"Mulder?" she said again and leaned over to click on the lamp.

He stood at her bedside, looking utterly forlorn. He still wore his 
suit.

The tye was loose, his sleeves rolled up, and the jacket was missing, 
but it was obvious that Mulder had fallen asleep in his clothes.

"Mulder, are you awake?"

He stared at her.

"I AM going crazy. I can SEE you." His voice trembled and his eyes 
were wide.

She reached out and took his hand. He flinched.

"Mulder, you were dreaming. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You were taken," he insisted quietly, but his eyes were riveted to 
their entwined hands.

Scully was nodding, "But I'm back now. It's o.k."

She tugged on his hand and he sat on the edge of the bed.

"You're back?" He seemed unconvinced.

She was nodding again and stroking the back of his hand with her 
thumb.

"Let me help you back to bed, Mulder."

Scully was getting out of her bed and pulling him to his feet.

He took her by surprise by standing and taking her into his embrace.

"..never let you go.." he was muttering into her hair.

Scully allowed herself to relax into him for a moment, cherishing the 
feel of his warm arms around her.

She felt secure, protected, loved.

His heart beat steadily under her cheek. The rhythm of it nearly 
lulled her back to sleep. His hand stroked her hair, softly.

She felt him sway on his feet and realized he was dozing off where he 
stood.

"Come on, Mulder. Let's get you back to bed."

Scully led him through the connecting door with no resistance. He 
merely stared at her through exhausted, mournful eyes.

She removed his tye, belt, shoes and socks.

"Lay down, Mulder," she ordered gently with a hand on his chest.

He laid back, still watching her.

When she turned off the light, she heard him gasp.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing."

"Mulder-"

"I can't see you. I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or not. I-I think 
I'm awake. We're on a case- right, Scully? And-and I think I'm 
having the damn nightmares again."

"That's right, Mulder," she answered softly into the darkness.

"And Skinner's with us, isn't he?" His breath blew out in an audible 
gush, "I hope he doesn't find out about this. They already think I'm 
nuts at the Bureau as it is."

"Just go to sleep. It'll be alright," Scully skirted the subject.

Silence. Then-

"Stay."

She was going to say no, she really was, but-

She was really tired of saying no.

"Ok. Scoot over, Mulder. And don't hog the covers."

She could feel him smile in the darkness.

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

END OF PART 2 -- MORE TO COME :)