"Trust Me"

Kathleen A. Klatte

"Trust Me"

Feedback and commentary are most welcome.

Disclaimer: The X-Files is the property of Chris Carter, FOX, and Ten Thirteen productions, et al; this is a recreational endeavor, no profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

Missing Scenes: Trust No 1

Thanks to Kerr, for beta-ing!

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John Doggett didn't like this place. Not one bit. It was too damn dark, and the footing was too treacherous, and footsteps and voices echoed too confusingly from the quarry walls. On top of all that, he wasn't even positive that the man he saw run off into the underbrush really was Agent Mulder. He decided to give it one more shot.

"Agent Mulder! Agent Mulder, it's John Doggett!"

"John," Agent Monica Reyes said urgently.

Doggett turned to see what she was pointing at and caught sight of a familiar red-haired figure coming towards them at a dead run. His initial relief at seeing that Scully was apparently safe was washed away by an intense desire to know exactly what she was running from, how dangerous it was, and how close it might be.

"Dana! Over here!" Monica shouted.

The bottom dropped out of Doggett's stomach as Dana Scully stumbled and fell, and it took every ounce of discipline he had to keep from breaking into a run himself. There was too much loose gravel and debris and he didn' t want to chance an injury. His heart started beating properly again as she scrambled to her feet.

A few more long strides on Doggett's part and Dana ran headlong into him. He wrapped his free arm around her, mostly to keep her steady on her feet, but also to reassure himself that she was safe. She struggled at first, not recognizing him in her panic.

"Dana, it's John Doggett. Are you OK? Talk to me."

"John," she whispered faintly. Her fingers curled around a handful of his jacket in a death grip.

"Are you hurt?" Monica asked, still scanning the area.

Scully shook her head silently.

"Did you see Agent Mulder?" Doggett asked quietly.

"No...it was the other one...the man you shot."

"Where is he?" Monica demanded, aiming her weapon back in the direction Dana had come from.

Dana buried her face against Doggett's shoulder, trying to block out the awful images. "I think he's dead."

Doggett ducked his head slightly, trying to see her face. "Agent Scully, did you shoot him?" he asked carefully.

"No...he took my gun."

"Where is he now?" Monica asked.

"There," Dana answered, pointing at the rock face.

"Is there a tunnel?" Doggett asked.

"No." Scully shook her head violently. "He's inside the rock."

"Dana, that doesn't make any sense," Monica said gently. Her dark eyes were filled with worry for her friend.

"John, what you said about the iron and his DNA...you were right. The iron deposits in the quarry...they did...something...to him."

Doggett exchanged doubtful looks with Reyes over Dana's head. "Awright," he decided, "whatever happened out there, I don't think we wanna be standin' around discussin' it in the dark. Let's get the hell outta here." He tightened his arm around Scully's waist and tried to head them back to their vehicle.

"No!" Scully dug her heels into the rocky terrain with surprising force. "Mulder - he's still out there!"

"Dana, if he was still here, he would have answered us by now. I think he's long gone," Monica said regretfully.

"If he was ever here," Doggett muttered, still eyeing their surroundings warily. He wished he'd kept his mouth shut when he saw the flicker of raw agony that danced over Scully's features. Fresh tears welled up and rolled down her face as all her strength suddenly deserted her. She leaned heavily on Doggett as they made their way back to the car.

******

Doggett slid wearily into the back seat of the car with Scully. She didn't seem to have the strength to speak or even cry anymore and her head rested limply on his shoulder. The third time Scully tripped over the uneven ground, Doggett had resolved matters by picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way. It bothered him a great deal that she hadn't even tried to protest. He knew the immensity of the grief she was experiencing and he feared for her.

He didn't insult either one of them by mumbling trite words of comfort. The state Dana was in just then, there was no comfort, and John knew it. He held her close and wished for some flash of inspiration that would allow him to solve the deadly riddle that Scully and Mulder and the baby were entangled in, but his thoughts remained as dark and fathomless as the night sky.

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AGENT SCULLY'S RESIDENCE

The door to Scully's apartment popped open while Monica was still fumbling with the keys.

Doggett's hand was halfway to his gun before he realized that it was Byers framed in the doorway. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled as he pushed past the smaller man, steering Scully towards the couch.

"Babysitting," Langly informed them in a stage whisper, pointing to the ruffled bassinet that stood in the corner.

"Also housekeeping," Frohike added grimly, as he plunked a box full of dismantled surveillance components down on the coffee table.

"Is this place clean?" Doggett demanded.

"We think so," Byers answered.

"You think so?" Doggett repeated.

"Agent Doggett, we pulled apart the phones, the light fixtures, and the appliances," Frohike explained with forced patience. "We rolled back the rugs and checked inside all the cabinets and drawers. We opened up the heating vents and the drains. But you have to understand, this is damn sophisticated equipment."

"There's stuff here we've never seen before," Langly added. "Probably prototypes."

"So what I'm saying is, we did our best. We pulled out everything we could find."

"But you don't know if you got it all?" Doggett asked again.

"There's no way to be sure," Byers said, "but this is everything we pulled out." He added two more boxes to the table.

Monica's eyes widened in shock and Doggett swore. Scully's face paled to a sickly grayish green color and she bolted from the couch.

"Dana!"

"No, John, I'll go," Monica said as it became evident that Scully was being violently ill in the bathroom.

"You want a cuppa coffee or something?" Frohike offered. "I think they're gonna be a while," he noted as the sound of running water filtered through the closed door.

"Yeah, why not," Doggett sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to jump down your throat..."

"It's all right," Langly said. "It's been a long night for all of us."

******

Doggett started up from a fitful doze as Monica returned to the living room. "How is she?"

"I've got her settled in bed...she really needs some rest, but she heard the baby fussing."

Doggett turned sharply and saw the comical sight of the three Lone Gunmen hovering over the bassinet with an assortment of toys, bottles and baby care books. Shaking his head wearily, he stood and walked over to them. Doggett carefully lifted the baby to his shoulder and patted his back gently until the baby finally emitted a tiny belch. "There ya go, little guy. Feel better now? Wanna go see your mom?"

Scully was sitting up in her bed when Doggett entered the room. She was still pale, but somewhat more composed.

"How are you feelin'?" Doggett asked as he sat down on the side of the bed and settled Baby William in Scully's arms.

"Better. John, I want to apologize..." Scully's face flushed with embarrassment and she looked away.

"You got nothin' to be sorry for," Doggett told her gently.

"I shouldn't have fallen apart like that," Scully fretted.

"You had plenty of reason. You're carrying around more pain than anyone should ever have to deal with."

"Sometimes...sometimes I just feel so alone...and I don't know who to trust."

"Hey." Doggett reached out and touched her face gently. "You can trust me. And you can trust that lot out there. And between all of us, we're a pretty resourceful bunch. So don't ever go thinkin' that you're on your own, OK? OK?" he repeated.

"OK," Scully finally nodded.

"Good girl. Now, why don't you lie down and get some sleep. No offense, but you sure look like you could use it."

Doggett took the baby back as she settled herself against the pillows.

"John?" Scully murmured drowsily.

"Don't worry," he assured her as he dragged over a chair and sat down with the baby on his lap, "I'm not going anywhere."

Fin.