RPJ2; Undercover Phase by nja3

First week of April; spring still having a hard time settling in to East 
Coast
The Office;  Tuesday, 8A

Scully is usually very organized and efficient while at work.  She moves 
through
her routine; checks her email and voicemail, reviews any folders left in the
inbasket on Mulder’s desk,…”Mulder’s not here yet”, she pauses in her 
routine.
“Skinner’s not going to be in a very good mood if he’s late for this 
meeting.”
She goes back to the folders.  She opens the first one, sees the final 
report, sees
the words on the page, but there is no comprehension.  She’s viewing, but 
not
processing.  She puts the folder back into the wire basket.  She is jumpy 
this
morning.  She assumes it is because of their upcoming case with another 
Agent.
She has not told Mulder about this development.  She chastises herself from
keeping it from him and tells herself that she did so because she didn't 
want to
ruin their last day together.They are rarely assigned to work an entire case 
with
someone else.  Three is a strange number she muses.  She then wonders
whether the new case is the entire reason for her feeling on edge.
She sits in Mulder’s chair, her arms on the armrests and sighs.  Unbidden, 
freeze
frames of Sunday night at the Big Sky Planetarium are going through her 
mind;
the shutter advancing rapidly.  Mulder’s look of excitement when they 
arrive.  The
man dressed all in black ushering them inside.  The “stars” overhead as she 
sits
in the chair while Mulder arranges his surprise for her.  Mulder’s fingers 
in her
hair.  Mulder feeding her a chocolate covered strawberry.  Mulder moving
closer… Thoughts of Monday play through her mind next.  Little moments; big
feelings.  Their subway ride, their bodies close, the private club at The 
Ritz.  She
is in another place, another time.  She needs to cool off!  She leans back 
in
Mulder’s chair and places her feet on his desk.  As she leans back, her eyes
close.
The phone ends the picture show in her head abruptly.  Her eyes open, she
rouses with a start.  She sees Mulder leaning against the door frame with 
one
hand on his hip.  He is smiling mischieviously.
She grabs the phone, her face flushed, “Scully.”
“Agent, I need to see you and Agent Mulder in my office now.” Skinner hangs 
up
before she can answer.
“Welcome back to the real world, Scully”, Mulder smiles.
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Skinner’s Office; Tuesday, 8:30A

Skinner has several folders open on his desk when Mulder and Scully walk in
and sit down.
“Agents, I have a new case for you.  You are going to be working with a 
Field
Agent on this case.  You will be travelling to Rye, New Hampshire later this 
week.
Rye is a small town on the eastern edge of Portsmouth very close to the 
ocean.
You will all be in deep cover.  Agent Mulder, you will be leading the team.”
“Sir, what is our case?” Scully asks.
“We’ll get to that in a minute.  In the meantime, as soon as this briefing 
is over,
the three of  you will go to the Deep Missions Office for your new 
identities.  You
will spend the next few days learning all you can about your covers, the 
town and
the case.”
“Some would like to think of this as an X-File.  At this point, I just don’t 
have
enough information to make a definitive statement on that.  However, the 
Field
Agent will fill you in.  He should arrive any minute now.”
Scully is looking down at her hands.  She furtively glances over at Mulder.  
He is
staring off into space.  He senses her gaze and returns it with a slight 
smile.
They both look away simultaneously.
Skinner’s assistant comes to the door.  “Sir, the Field Agent is here to see 
you.”
“Show him in.”
Scully and Mulder both look to the door.  Two sets of eyebrows raise in
amazement.
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Skinner stands.  “Agent Ritter, please come in.  I believe you know Agents
Mulder and Scully?”
Field Agent Payton Ritter has the good grace to momentarily look toward the
floor and then says, “Uh, yes, Sir, we all know each other.”
Mulder starts to stand.
Scully reaches over and lightly places her hand on his arm.  He remains 
seated.
Skinner moves them past the possibly indendiary situation.  “Let’s clear up 
any
misperceptions and judgments before we proceed.  Field Agent Ritter was
sanctioned by his home office following the case he and Agent Scully were
assigned to last year.  He has redeemed himself since that time.  He needs 
our
assistance since the current case crosses state lines.  He needs your unique
skills, Agents.”
Mulder is thinking about how Scully almost lost her life because of the 
redeemed
Agent Payton Ritter.
Scully is not sure of Ritter’s willingness to work with either of them based 
on the
comments he has made regarding Agent Mulder.
Mulder and Scully both know that protesting the assignment is detrimental to
their future employment at the Bureau and continued status with the X-Files.
Neither one says anything.
“Let’s move over to the table so Agent Ritter can fill us in.”
Skinner observes the non-verbals among the Agents.  He briefly wonders about
the wisdom of partnering these three.  However, no matter what he shows
externally, he has the ultimate faith and confidence in his Agents’ 
abilities to put
aside personal issues for the sake of the case at hand.
The four sit around the table.  Skinner sits next to Agent Ritter on one 
side;
Mulder and Scully on the other.
“Agent Mulder, Agent Scully; I’m going to work very hard to make this work.  
The
New York Field Office desperately needs your help.”
“Okay, Ritter, enough with the niceties”, Mulder is antsy, “Get on with it.”
Scully tries hard to remain silent.
“Ok, Agent Mulder is right.  Here’s the story.  Dr. Brenton is a surgeon of 
some
repute at New York General.”  Before he can continue, Scully says, “’Some’
repute? He’s a reknowned surgeon.  He does general surgery, but his 
specialty
is neurology; especially those cases related to brain functions.  I’ve heard 
him
speak and read some of his papers.”
“That’s him.  The problem is what’s been happening to his recent surgery
patients.  As Agent Scully said, he specializes in brain surgery.  In the 
last year,
he has completed approximately 50 successful brain surgeries.  Of the 50
patients, all went to recovery with strong vitals and no outward appearances 
that
anything was out of the ordinary.  Once they went home, the peculiar 
behavior
began.”
“Define ‘peculiar’”, Mulder says with a small smirk on his face and a 
not-so-small
edge in his voice.
Agent Ritter looks slightly flustered, glances at Skinner and then 
continues.
“By ‘peculiar”, I mean that once home, families, partners, friends started 
reporting
strange behavior.  While Dr. Brenton told each patient that she or he could
expect some lasting effects; mainly dizziness, nauseous or feeling a slowing 
of
movements, he did not warn them about what they were experiencing.  They
appeared to be mind reading those closest to them.”
Agent Ritter pauses.  He looks at each face at the table.  Agent Scully has 
her
lips pursed and her right eyebrow raised slightly.  Agent Mulder is trying 
to look
anywhere but at Agent Ritter.  Only AD Skinner is looking directly at 
Ritter.
He remains silent.  When he does not get any questions or comments, he 
thinks
“tough room, Ritter” and continues. “While cases of people close to one and
other having a special connections is not unheard of, these people reported 
that
the surgery had made it possible for the patient to actually quote specific
thoughts.  The strangest part of the case is that these patients then 
disappeared.
They cannot be located anywhere.  The disappearances occurred within 48
hours of their return home.  There do not appear to be any similarities 
among
these patients.  We pulled data for age, sex, living environment, family 
size,
family medical history, place of employment, schooling; no overlaps.  Even 
our
interviews with the families and friends showed no consistancies other than 
the
anecdotal reports of mind reading.”
“And we’re going to New Hampshire for the scenery?” Mulder asks.
“When the heat got turned on at NY General and in New York state, Dr. 
Brenton
also disappeared, seemingly without a trace.  He is now practicing at Mercy
Hospital in Rye Beach as Dr. Baines.  Although neighboring Portsmouth has a
much larger hospital, Mercy has continued to serve the smaller outlaying 
areas of
West Rye, Rye and Rye North Beach.  It is somewhat more conservative, but
has a strong track record medically.  The area is economically well-situated 
and
can afford to provide state-of-the art techniques.  We believe Dr. Baines 
chose a
smaller hospital in which to practice to keep the heat off.”
“Are there any questions?  Dana?”, Ritter asks.
Scully looks him in the eye, “It’s Scully.  And, no , there are no 
questions; yet.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Skinner continues with the case details, “Agents Mulder and Scully will fly 
to
Boston’s Logan Airport on Wednesday morning.  From there, you will receive a
an SUV.  You will drive it into Rye, New Hampshire.  This vehicle will be 
part of
your cover.  Mulder and Scully will each have an apartment in a Victorian 
house
on Cable Road.  Agent Ritter will be living on the next street over, Central 
Road.
He will fly straight into Portsmouth.”
Mulder is fidgeting; he is getting too many details without the bigger 
picture.
“So, Scully and I get to drive while our man Payton here wings it in?” 
Mulder
refuses to lessen the animosity he still feels toward Agent Ritter.
Skinner notices and attempts to move past the tensions.
“While the three of you will naturally interact in such a small town, it 
would be
much too obvious to have three newcomers all arrive on the scene together,”
replies Skinner.  He continues, “I’ll ask a final time before you all head 
to Deep
Missions; are there any questions?”
Scully looks up questioningly, “Sir, Field Agent Ritter has stated that 
there are no
common variables to the patients.  What about their medical procedure?  
Surely
‘brain surgery’ is a broad term encompassing many different conditions and
subsequent protocols and procedures.”
“That’s just it, Scully, their surgeries were all different, yet the final 
result was the
same”, Ritter replies.
Mulder and Scully stand.  For them, the meeting is at an end.
Although they are still concerned with their new partner, they are anxious 
to
begin their new assignment.

Scully starts to head out the door first.
As Mulder begins to follow, Ritter stops him.  Scully, sensing that Mulder 
is no
longer behind her, pauses and turns around.
“Sir, I’d like to talk with Agent Mulder alone, if I may?” Ritter asks.
Skinner merely nods once and ushers Scully out of the office, closing the 
door
behind them as he leaves Mulder and Ritter alone.
Mulder stands, hands on hips, his suit jacket behind his hands.  Ritter is 
looking
somewhat sheepish, but tries to hold his ground.  “Agent Mulder, I think we 
need
to clear the air here and now if we’re to work together.”
“No, Field Agent Ritter, I don’t think we need to clear the air.  You have 
been
redeemed, your superiors speak highly of you.  Agent Scully and I will treat 
this
case professionally.  However, I will remind you of what I’ve said before, 
‘you
were very lucky’ your first time with Agent Scully.  Do NOT tempt Lady Luck 
for a
second time.  Am I making myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes”, is Ritter’s only reply as he heads for the door.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Deep Missions Office, 9:30A Monday
The man behind the reception desk looks up as the three agents enter.  “Yes,
may I help you?”
Scully, anxious to get underway, speaks first, “We’re Special Agents Scully 
and
Mulder and Field Agent Ritter for the New York City Office.  We’re here to 
receive
our cover assignments as prescribed by AD Skinner.”
“Ah, yes, Agents; please follow me.  Agent Scully, you will be working with
Specialist Nona Harkins.  Agents Mulder and Ritter, you will be working with
Specialist Bart Smith.  Since Agent Scully’s cover is much more involved, 
she will
need to work very closely with one Specialist.  The three of you will remain 
in this
complex for the remainder of the day.  The first part of your briefing will 
be
intense.  After today, you will begin to assume your new roles and interact 
with
each other in those roles only.  Are there any questions, Agents?”
The Agents walk away with their Specialists.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Deep Missions Office; Specialist Briefings
“Specialist Harkins”, Scully begins.  “Please, call me Nona; the other stuff 
is quite
a mouthful, don’t you think?”  Scully smiles, “ok, Nona, just what will my 
role be?”
“You will be Dr. Baines’ chief medical/surgery nurse.  Given your background 
and
training as an MD, it would make the most sense to have you establish a 
close
working relationship with the man.  He’s in his early 50’s, salt and pepper, 
blue-
grey eyes, about 6’3”.  He comes across in a very mild-mannered, charming 
way;
especially to the women with whom he works.  Unlike some of his 
counterparts,
he is not usually intentionally demeaning to women.  He works hard to treat 
his
nurses and fellow doctors appropriately.  He does, however, have a slight
reputation as a lady’s man, if you catch my drift.”  Scully ‘catches’ it 
alright.  She’s
thinking Mulder won’t like that aspect one bit.
Nona continues, “You will become Dana Katz.  We’re going to darken your hair 
to
more of a medium brown; you’re red hair will make you much too ‘memorable’.
Given the conservative, yet monied nature of Rye, we’ve created a new look 
for
you.”  Nona pulls out three jewelry cases.  Inside are a choker, bracelet, 
and
earring of small seed pearls with gold spacer beads.  “These will be worn 
all the
time; your ‘signature’ as Dana Katz.  They show a classy, yet moderately 
well-off
woman.”
Scully is always a bit skeptical of what she views as ‘sweeping 
generalizations’
made from something so insignificant as jewelry or hair color, for example.
However, she defers to Nona who has much more experience in this area than
she does.
“You have just moved into town with a long-time, but casual, friend; that 
will be
Agent Mulder.  You received your nursing diploma from the University of
Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.  You have been most recently
practicing out West in New Mexico where you also received a certificate in
advanced training from NMU School of Medicine.  You have moved back east to
be closer to your family.  Ms. Katz is athletic; she runs daily, usually in 
the early
morning.  She also likes an occasional glass of wine with dinner and has a 
fine
sense of humor.  Agent Scully, this means you will need to let yourself 
smile
more.  Now, to make Nurse Katz a little more interesting, she needs to have 
a
slightly wild side that is apparent, but only in appropriate settings.”
Specialist Harkins waits for a smile.  She doesn’t get one from Scully.
Scully thinks, “oh brother…”
Nona tells Scully that from this point forward, Scully will need to live her 
new role.
Scully and Nona head off to “wardrobe” for her hair and clothing changes.
Meanwhile, in the next set of rooms, Mulder and Ritter are getting their
assignment briefings.
Specialist Smith begins with Mulder.  “Agent Mulder, you will become Fox
Masters.  You’re new to town and have arrived with your long-time, casual 
friend,
Nurse Dana Katz.  You have been on the east coast while she’s been nursing 
in
New Mexico; although the two of you have visited frequently and been in 
touch
the entire time.  You’re helping her settle into her new position in Rye and 
you
may stay around for a while.  You are looking for a job, but are in no rush 
to do
so.  Your family has some money.  You will end up teaching psychology at the
nearby Portsmouth Community college.
We’re going to give you a somewhat more ‘rakish’ look; let your hair fall 
forward a
little more, buzz the back,  do the v-neck sweater with the pushed up 
sleeves
over nice trousers look. You will exude boyish charm.”
“Agent Ritter, you also have a colorful role to play.  You wll become Peter 
Roden
and…”
Before Specialist Smith can continue, Mulder bursts into laughter.  “Well, 
Ritter, I
mean Rodent, guess some grand poobah got your number straight!”
“That will be enough, Agent Mulder”, Specialist Smith continues describing
Ritter’s role.
“You have been hired as the chief of hospital maintenance.  In that role, 
you will
be Agent Scully’s major on-site contact.”
Mulder is not happy about this development.
Ritter seems to make note of this fact as he smirks in Mulder’s direction.
Smith continues as if he doesn’t notice the chill in the air.  “In keeping 
with the
hospital appearance codes, we’re going to shorten your hair considerably.  
You
will wear the hospital uniform.  Your backstory is that you have recently 
been
widowed and fallen on hard times.  You have moved here to put as much
distance between you and your past so you can make a new start.  You will 
need
to casually ‘meet’ Dana and Fox as quickly as possible so you can make some
contact in public.”
“Now, I suggest that you both get to wardrobe and begin to review your 
roles.
From this point forward, the three of you will live your new roles.”
Mulder and Ritter head off to wardrobe for their new looks.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
“Wardrobe” Section of Deep Missions Office, 10:30A Monday
Scully is escorted to a room equipped to resemble the local hairdressers.  
She is
given a permanent wave and her hair is dyed a warm brown with some red
highlights.  Once it is dried, she’s given a dark brown velvet slim fabric
headband.  Her hair is slicked back from her face and the band rests behind 
her
ears.
She puts on the seed pearl jewelry.
She then disappears into the Closet.  Nona helps her select her street 
clothes.
She chooses a chocolate brown just above the knee length suede skirt, brown
hose and a mocha satin stretch button down shirt which she tucks in.  Nona
suggests chunky heeled brown suede slip ons.  Although this is a departure 
from
Scully’s usual style, she finds she is comfortable with it.  The hair is 
taking her
longer to adjust to…  She has her make-up redone.
Nona gives her a casefile on her new persona and takes her to the library 
section
to read.
Mulder has his hair re-styled.  A little gel and a dryer allows the stylist 
to give him
the rakish look.  His hair is buzzed in the back.  He is given a hunter 
green v-
neck cashmere sweater and tan lightweight trousers.  They are fitted through 
the
waist and hips, but drape from his backside to his brown loafers.  He pushes 
up
the sleeves of his sweater.  The ‘V” dips down slightly below his 
collarbone. He
keeps his watch, but is given a marine link gold chain for his neck.
Ritter’s dark brown hair is cut very short and close.  He wears jeans and a 
white
polo shirt.
They are each given their reading material and head for the library.
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@
The Library Section of Deep Missions Office, 12:30P Monday
Scully finds a table in the corner.  She chooses a chair facing the door so 
she
can see when Mulder and Ritter enter.  She has her file laid out in front of 
her
and is learning the details of Dana Katz’s life prior to her arrival in Rye. 
  Her
newly-brown hair falls forward from her headband and her legs are crossed at
the knee under the table.  She pulls on her wire rim glasses and takes notes 
as
she reads.
Mulder is thinking of how many ways he can use Ritter’s new last name.  He 
also
starts to play his new “rakish” role. “Hi, I’m Fox Masters”, he swaggers.
Ritter is not far behind him.  He wonders just how they’ll pull this one off 
with
Mulder’s open anymosity toward him.  He believes that he can handle Scully, 
but
Mulder is an unknown. He’ll have to report on his progress with them.
They both reach the Library and look around for Scully.
The Library appears mostly empty except for one man at the first table and a
woman in the back corner in this section.
Ritter tells Mulder he’ll go around the other side to see if he can locate 
Scully.
Mulder nods and walks in.  He automatically checks out the woman in the back
corner.  She draws him to her.  He stops and chastises himself.  He is 
finally
making headway with Scully and is looking at someone else.
She’ll kill him.
As he approaches the back table, the woman glances in his direction.
She puts her pencil in her teeth,  smiles shyly at him and then wraps her 
lips
around the pencil as she take it out of her mouth.
She puts her hair behind her ear. Mulder's blood pressure appears to be on 
the
rise.

They both stop. They realize who they are looking at each other.
Mulder wonders how she can be anymore exquisite and gives himself a brief
reprieve when he realizes he was attracted to Scully!
Scully checks out his new look with open admiration.  She stands and walks 
over
to him.
He notices her outfit and gives her the once over.  She extends her hand to 
him
and tosses her hair back behind her shoulders.  “Dana Katz, nice to meet you
Mr.?” She says.
“Dana Katz, long time, no see; it’s me, Fox Masters”, he purrs to her.
They know they are supposed to remain in their new characters but they are
having so much fun checking each other out.
Scully wonders absentmindedly when Mulder’s hair grew in.  She’s so used to
seeing it combed back.  The way the front part hangs down over one eye and 
the
extremely short back is very…interesting she thinks.
“Let me show you my antique book collection back there in the stacks, Dana”, 
he
says as he guides her around the corner to the shelved books.
She whispers, “what are you doing, Fox?”, as she walks backwards toward the
stacks.
He walks with her, toe-to-toe, backing her into the wall.  He is developing 
his new
persona.
He not-so-gently pulls her arms over her head up against the wall.  He holds 
her
wrists with one hand.
Her chest is rising and falling noticably; theatening to open the buttons on 
her
satin blouse.
He wets one finger and slowly places it inside the pearl choker. He runs his 
finger
along her neck.  When his hand reaches the back of her neck, he tilts her 
head
up.  He teasingly kisses her lips lightly.  Then he kisses her more deeply.
She wimpers his name.
He brings her arms down and puts his hand lightly over her mouth.  
“Remember,
Dana, I’m not Mulder.”  He smiles, kisses her forehead, and walks back to 
the
outer section.
“Mulder”, she whispers and then grabs the shelving for support.
“This is going to be one interesting undercover assignment!” she thinks.
When she has cooled down and composed herself, she walks back to her table.
She finds Mulder and Ritter sitting there.
Unbidden, she thinks that Ritter looks rather handsome in a boyish sort of 
way.
She thinks this assignment is going to be trouble.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Making Arrangements to Leave Town, Tuesday, 9A Scully’s Apartment
Scully is reading over her information about the case for the hundreth time.
She’s thinking about “Dana Katz” and trying to keep herself in her role.  
She’s
chosen her outfit for travel; something comfortable that can go from flight 
to drive.
She finds herself wondering what Mulder will look like, “Fox Masters”; she
chuckles at the sound of that name.
She decides it’s time to call her mom since she’ll be out of town and 
undercover
for at least the next month.
“Hello?”
“Hi, mom; it’s me.”
“Dana!  What’s new?”
“Well, I actually called to let you know that I’ll be out of town for the 
next month or
so.  You’ll be able to reach me by cellphone only during that time.”
Maggie Scully is quiet.  She realizes this means that her daughter is 
embarking
on another (probably dangerous) case.  She understands that Dana can’t 
discuss
her business, but she worries nonetheless.  She secretly hopes that Fox will 
be
with her daughter.
“Are you sure you’re going to be ok, Dana?  Should Fox go with you?”
Scully smiles into the phone.  Her mother is very protective.  Her smile 
fades
briefly as she realizes that her mother is worried about losing another 
daughter.
“Mom, yes, Mulder will be with me.”
“Can you at least tell me what state you’ll be in?” Maggie pleads.
“Ok, Mom!  We’ll be in New Hampshire.  If it helps you feel better, we’ll 
also have
another Agent with us.”
“Dana, it sounds serious!” the thought of additional help, intended to help 
her
mother feel that Scully will be safe only makes it worse.

“Mom, I’m a big girl, I’ve worked for the Bureau for a long time and I know 
how to
take care of myself.  I’ll be careful.”
“I love you, Dana.”
“Love you too, Mom!”
Scully hangs up.  She grabs the picture of the family taken the Christmas 
before
her father died and puts it in her luggage.
On her way to her bedroom, she passes a mirror and does a doubletake.  It’s
taking her awhile to get used to her new hair style.  She reflects that 
Mulder and
Ritter seemed to like the change.  She picks up the pearl jewelry and puts 
it on.
As she clasps the strand of pearls around her neck, she remembers Mulder’s
finger against her neck as he fingered the necklace.  A shiver runs down her
spine.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Mulder’s Apartment
Mulder drops a long-feed tablet in his fishtank and says good-bye to his 
golden
scaled friends.  He picks up errant tapes from his famed video collection 
and puts
them in the closet with the others.
He feels a little like Biff from Death of a Salesman.  He hopes he looks 
better.
Scully didn’t seem to think he looked half bad in the Library yesterday.  He
realizes he’s going to have to get used to her new look so he reacts 
normally to
her.  He doesn’t want to admit how turned on he is by her new persona.  He
admits that a little wild thing in the stacks definitely crossed his mind.  
Luckily, his
Bureau training gives him willpower to overcome his potential dalliances…
He cancels his paper and mail deliveries for the next month.
He decides that he and Scully should work on their new roles somemore.  He
breifly wonders if he should be magnanimous and include Ritter.  He just as
breifly thinks “no way!”
Fox Masters would definitely know how to cook a little something for his 
close
friend…Even if it’s just a late lunch/early dinner in his very tiny kitchen. 
  “Mulder,
what ARE you thinking?  Your greatest skill lies in punching the phone 
buttons
for take out. Just delete the ‘cooking’ aspect of Mr. Masters’ life.”
“Hey Scully; I mean Dana.  What’re you doing right now?”
“I’m reading more information about Mercy Hospital and Dr. Baines.  Why,
Mulder, what are YOU doing?”
“Well, I’m thinking that we will probably both need to eat something later 
today.  I
mean, we have this big case coming up and will need our wits about us and 
our
strength and”
“Mulder, do you want to have lunch or dinner together?”
“Um, yeah, Scully.  How about if I make us a late lunch/early dinner at my
place?”  Mulder is suddenly very nervous about Scully’s reaction and 
response.
She pauses and takes a deep breath away from the mouthpiece so he doesn’t
hear her gasp.
Half-laughing, but trying very hard not to, she replies, “Why Mulder, I 
didn’t
realize you liked to cook!  I guess you’ve been hiding that side of you from 
me all
this time, hmm?”
“Scully, I don’t cook that often, you know how busy we are.”
“Ok, Mulder, it’s a date; I mean deal. Tell me what time and let me go 
finish my
reading.”
“Be here at 4:30P Scully and don’t be a minute late.”
“Mulder, am I ever late?”
“Bye, Scully!”
Scully smiles and then falls onto the couch laughing.  The lengths this man 
will
go to for her.


@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
In Mulder’s Kitchen; 2P
Mulder is pacing in a state of near panic.  He has just invited the woman 
he’s
pretty sure he loves over to eat at his place.  “What’s wrong with this 
picture,
Mulder?  For starters, you haven’t cooked anything more complicated than
Ballpark Franks and a can of beans in the last year.  For another, you don’t 
own
any real cooking items.  He**, you don’t own any food right now!  What does
Scully like to eat?  Where do I buy non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicles?  Can 
we just
order take out?”  A rush of crazed thoughts fire through his mind.
He then remembers something his mother used to say when she and her dad
had friends over for dinner, “Always keep it simple and provide what you’re 
most
comfortable with.  Remember, they’re here to see you and a little 
presenation is
everything.”
“Ok,” he thinks, “I can do this.  Just need to be a little creative.  
Sneaky, coniving
and cunning wouldn’t hurt either”, he thinks.
First, he needs to make the kitchen look like it is used.  This means some 
signs
of food, cooking, activity.  He takes the one quart saucepan that serves as 
almost
his entire cookware collection and places it on the stove.  He then takes 
the 10-
inch fry pan and does the same.  He needs flatware, dishes, stemware 
(although
in his mind, he needs plates, silverware and glasses).  What are neighbors 
for?
He walks across the hall to Mr. and Mrs. Stephens apartment.  As he explains
what he needs, Mrs. Stephens takes pity on him.  She’s always had a soft 
spot
for Fox.  If she were just 20 or 30 years younger and not married, why, she
doesn’t know what she’d do with him, but it would be oh, so, fun!
She goes inside and invites him in.  He looks around at the exact mirror 
image of
his apartment done in early grandmother.  Lace doilies on the furniture, 
quaint
lamps, wall-to-wall carpeting and two, big, plump, grey cats sleeping on the 
sofa.
She returns from the kitchen with a full place setting for two of her best 
Currier
and Ives stoneware, flatware and stemware.  Mulder’s arms struggle to hold
everything without dropping a piece.  He thanks her profusely and wonders 
how
she knew he only needed two of everything. All he asked for was “some plates
and stuff”.
He doesn’t worry about a tablecloth.  One of the few nice pieces of 
furniture he
owns is his small, rectangular, mahogny kitchen/diningroom table.  He 
guesses it
will look okay with the dark blue and white of the stoneware. He sets the 
small
table in his pseudo-dining room.
Now, he just needs the food.  “Relax, Mulder, it’s only 2:30P, you’ve got 
two
whole hours.”
He grabs the phonebook, heads for the yellow pages under “Delicatessens”.  
He
calls Dardens and places his order.  He returns to the kitchen and puts away 
his
pot and pan.  This late lunch/early dinner is well on it’s way!
Now he can’t figure out what to wear.  Undercover Fox would probably wear
sweats as he’s wearing now, but he needs to get inside Fox’s head for this 
late
lunch date.  He decides some wide wale corduroys and a soft pima cotton, 
long
sleeved pullover should be fine.  “Ok”, he thinks, “small clothing problem. 
You
don’t OWN wide wale corduroys and that cotton pullover.”  Mulder heads two
blocks down to the Brooks Brothers.  He figures that his clothing allowance 
for
this case can afford the new digs.  The hair thing is driving him nuts, but 
Scully
did seem to like it…

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Scully’s Apartment, 3:45P
Scully plans to take a cab to Mulder’s apartment. She is also seriously 
trying to
become Dana Katz.  She sweeps one side of her hair up and back with a 
barrett
and lets the other fall naturally.  She puts on a black, mid-calf length 
skirt with
leather boots and a eggshell cropped angora sweater.  She puzzles over what
scent to wear and chooses her basic lavender.
She’s nervous about this lunch thing.  Ostensibly, they are merely further
learning their new roles.  That’s a good thing.  Underneath, she’s turned on 
by
the whole thing.  Her senses where Mulder’s concerned are on high alert.  
(She
smiles inwardly at that phrase.  She hasn’t heard it since her father passed 
away.
Her upbringing in a military home provided many such phrases over the 
years.)
They have both made attempts to talk out their situation, but always seem to 
get
interrupted.  Maybe this trip will give them some time to talk.
“Ok, Ms. Katz, let’s go sample some fine Masters cuisine! Yeah, right!”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Mulder’s Apartment, 4:15P
Mulder has found chocolate brown corduroys and a tan pullover.
There is a knock on his door.  “It can’t be Scully; the food’s not here!”.  
He walks
toward the door, then walks away, cursing quietly.
“Darden’s delivery.”  Relief floods through Mulder.  Their timing is 
perfect.
He pays the delivery person and tips handsomely.  Darden’s saves his butt!
He places the salads in the chilled stoneware from Mrs. Stephens and returns
them to the refrigerator.  He puts the still warm sourdough rolls in the 
cloth lined
basket and puts it on the table.  He takes the lemon thyme broiled chicken 
breast
and rice pilaf and puts them on plates he sets in his warm oven.  He’s 
forgotten a
vegetable, but hey, they do have salad!  The spiked rum raisin gelato goes 
into
the freezer.  The blush wine is already chilled and in an icebucket by the 
table.
“All is right with the world, Mulder”, he thinks.
There is another knock on the door.  He looks through the peephole to see 
Scully
standing there smiling right back at him.
“Scully, you’re right on time.  I didn’t see your car downstairs.”
“That’s ‘cuz I took a cab, Mulder.  Can I actually come in or are we eating 
in the
hall?  Not that halls are such a bad place for us, Mulder.”

Mulder grabs her by the arm and pulls her into his apartment.  “Are you 
hungry,
Scully?”
Scully smiles and says, “lead the way, Mulder.”
He takes her hand and they walk into his kitchen.  She is impressed and
amused.  “Mulder, I didn’t know you owned such historic china.”
“There are some things a man just have to keep hidden, Scully”, like lies 
about
owning anything resembling cooking and eating paraphrenalia, he thinks to
himself.
He pulls a seat out for Scully and brings the salads out of the 
refrigerator.  They
are already dressed with a low-fat, yogurt vinaigrette.  Scully tastes a 
forkful and
smiles as she chews.  “This is excellent, Mulder.  Whose recipe is the 
dressing?
I’d love to get it from you.”
He is sitting across from her.  “Well, it’s really easy, Scully.  It’s just 
that yogurt
stuff you like to eat at lunch.” The lies come a little easier once you get 
going, he
thinks.
Scully pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth at that response.  She 
stops
chewing and raises one eyebrow, looking up at him from beneath her hair.  
She
then resumes eating.
He pours them some blush wine.  At least he actually purchased this himself…
To give the illusion of dusk, Mulder has pulled the living room curtains 
partially
closed and lit some candles on the kitchen counter.  The overhead lights are 
out.
They sip the wine and look at each other.
“So, Dana, what have you heard about Mercy Hospital?”
“Well, Fox, it’s cutting edge, I mean really state-of-the-art and the staff 
is top
notch (did I just say ‘top notch’, Scully thinks).  This Dr. Baines is a 
leader in his
field.”  Scully is trying to use Dana Katz language and inflection.
Fox Masters, on the other hand, is just admiring Dana Katz.  “So, Dana, what
type of relationship have we been having prior to Mercy Hospital?”
She has kicked off her boots.  She runs her bare foot up against his shin.  
The
thick wale of the corduroy is deep and thick.
Her unspoken response to his question startles him; catches him momentarily 
off
guard.
Her foot moves to the inside of his lower leg and heads for his knee.
She finally speaks her response, “I hear I have a slightly wild side that 
exhibits
itself only in appropriate places.”  She smiles and leans back in her chair.

“Maybe we should skip to dessert, Dana?”  The chicken warning in the oven
quickly forgotten, Mulder gets up, rather quickly, and heads for the 
freezer.  He
pulls out a large, balloon goblet with the spiked rum raisin gelato and 
grabs two
spoons.  He then moves his chair a little closer to the other side of the 
table.
He spoons some of the gelato and leans toward her.  He places one hand under
her chin.  He brings the spoon closer to her lips.
She parts her lips, looking at him the entire time.  When the cold gelato 
touches
her tongue, her eyes close.  The taste is as exquisite as the company…
She follows suit, feeding Mulder some of the gelato.  They feed each other a 
few
more bites.
She moves her foot against his leg again.  This time, she moves her foot 
above
his knee.  He draws in breath sharply and his eyes close.  She moves her 
foot
between his legs and then ‘massages’ his inner thigh with her toes.  She can 
see
and feel his reaction. “How’s dessert, Mulder?”

He reaches under the table and grabs her foot in his hands. Now, it is her 
turn to
inhale sharply.  His hands are cold from the goblet of gelato.  One hand 
holds
onto her foot.  The other moves to her ankle, her shin, her calf.  When his 
fingers
touch her behind the knee, she tries to pull back.
He smiles at her with a “cat and mouse” kind of look.  “Dana, what’s the 
matter?
Don’t like it when someone beats you at your own game?”
She smiles back cunningly.  “Fox, who said anything about ‘being beaten’?”  
She
stands up, bends over and tries to put her boots back on.
Mulder comes up behind her as she’s bent over, trying to grab her boots. He
places his hands on her waist.  He sits down in her chair and pulls her onto 
his
lap.  “Scully, say ‘uncle’”, he taunts.
“Mulder, no way!  You know I don’t give up easily, don’t you?”
“Ok.  You’ve got a point there.  Just tell me one thing, Ms. Scully; oops; 
Ms. Katz.
How do you see yourself getting out of this one?  I’ll wait very patiently 
and
quietly while you figure out your answer.”  Mulder waits patiently, but does 
not
take his arms away from her waist.  She is squirming, trying to find 
something to
distract him or hold onto so she can pull away.  She’s very strong, but he 
has her
from behind in a sitting position with no shoes on.  Her feet barely reach 
the floor,
so she has no purchase to stand up.

He’s enjoying her struggles in more ways than one.  The sensations she’s
creating as she squirms to get free have him very aroused.
She decides to turn his own game back on him.  She stops struggling in hopes
that he will relax his death grip on her.  She slowly turns to look at him.  
She
places one arm on his shoulder and behind his neck.  She leans back slightly
and blows lightly in his ear.  He does not loosen his grip any further, but 
she does
notice the very physical and visible differences in his body.
“Scully, you’re good”, he whispers, “but not good enough to break free!”
She then tongues his ear lightly.  She tells herself she’s just trying to 
stay in
character as Dana Katz.  If she’s honest with herself, she’s probably even 
more
turned on then Mulder is.  She’s alternating between softly blowing in his 
ear and
tonguing it.  She leans in to his neck and gently bites and sucks on his 
warm, soft
skin.  She whispers in his ear, her lips barely touching him, “Mulder, you 
taste
very good.”
There is a loud knock on his door.  Both Agents are shocked to reality.
However, Mulder doesn’t let her go.  Scully is momentarily glad; she has 
just
been so badly jolted, she’s afraid she won’t be able to stand on her own.  
His
hold on her is strengthening (as well as a huge turn on).
“Mulder, someone’s at your door.”  “I know, Scully; they’ll go away when I 
don’t
answer.” He smiles and tries to kiss her.
The knocking continues.

Scully wriggles free of his arms and heads to the door barefoot.  When she 
looks
through the peephole, she is very surprised by who she sees.  Mulder is now
behind her.  She turns to him and motions toward the door with her head
indicating that he should look for himself.
“Oh, jeez, it’s Rodent himself.”
Mulder slicks back his hair, looking rather exasperated.  Scully is standing
between the two Agents looking from one to the other.  Finally it is she who
speaks, “So, Ritter, what brings you here?”
“Skinner called.  He said he’s been trying to reach you two, but wasn’t 
having any
luck.  He asked if I knew where you were.  I went to your place first, Da- I 
mean,
Scully.”
“Ritter, we both have our cellphones on and Skinner does have our apartment
numbers.  I can’t imagine how he tried all four numbers?” said Scully.  She
wanted to respond first because she was a little concerned what Mulder’s
response might be if allowed to answer.
Ritter ignored her response and started looking around Mulder’s apartment.  
The
two Agents followed him as he headed for the kitchen.  “Mmmm, smells good in
here, Fox.  Didn’t know you were a cook, too!  Scully, your boots seem to 
have
fallen off during dinner”, Ritter smiles.
Scully smiles briefly and looks at Mulder.  She thinks Ritter is trying to 
lighten the
mood, but they still do not know why he has come over.
Finally, Mulder can wait no longer for the explanation.  “Look, Ritter, 
what’s really
going on?”
“Seriously, Skinner’s looking for you two.  Look, I may not be your best 
friend, but
the fact of the matter is that we’re assigned to work together.  Since we’ll 
all be
undercover, it’s essential that we interact effectively, convincingly.  I’m 
willing to
give it a shot if you are?”
Mulder sizes Ritter up.  He then says, “Ok, Ritter, I’ll give it a try, but 
remember
what I told you before.  I’m dead serious and I always keep my promises.”
Feeling just a little short in her bare feet between two very tall Agents, 
Scully
heads for the kitchen to get her boots.  She also gets her cellphone and 
calls
Skinner.
“Skinner.”
“Sir?  Special Agent Ritter tells me that you’ve been looking for me and 
Agent
Mulder?  Our cellphones have been on all day.”
“Agent Scully? What?  I have not been calling you.  There must be a mistake.
However, as long as I’ve got you on the phone, I want to make sure the three 
of
you are all set for your roles and the case.  I cannot stress enough the
importance of this case.  I’m counting on you, Agent Scully.  You will have 
your
hands full with Agents Ritter and Mulder along for the ride.”
“We’ll be fine, Sir.  Now, I need to go find out how Ritter got so confused 
about
your phone call.”
Scully has put her boots on and put her phone away.  Mulder comes in the
kitchen alone.  “Scully, what’re you doing?”
“You mean, why did I put my boots back on, Mulder?”
“I think we know the answer to that question”, she says.  She then moves a 
little
closer and whispers, “Besides, Mulder, you lost that one.”
“Only because Rodent showed up and you know it”, he smiles back.

“Mulder, I just talked to Skinner.  He didn’t call either of us.  He did say 
that he
expects us to work well together; all three of us!  Remember, Mulder, you’ve
been regaining some of your perspective and judgment.  Use them wisely.”
“Well, now that you mention it, Scully, I think I’d like some additional 
classroom
experience; especially on the good judgment part.”
Scully smiles and shakes her head as if helping an errant student, “Mulder, 
how
many times do I have to tell you, it’s just ‘judgment’; there’s no ‘good’!?”
“Scully, I really thing you should rethink that stance.  Philosophically 
speaking,
everyone has judgment, right?  Right.  If I’m to continue to be a strong 
Agent, I
would think my judgment should be better than neutral; it should be ‘good’.  
I
think that makes a lot of sense. I mean..”
“Mulder, as usual, you’re right.  Now, let’s go talk with Ritter.”
When they come out of the kitchen, Ritter is nowhere to be found.  They are 
both
puzzled.  Mulder walks over to the phone and calls Ritter’s cellphone.
“Ritter here.”
“Ritter, this is Mulder.  Where are you?”
“I’m down at my car.  You two looked pretty busy, so I was heading out.”
“Look, Ritter, Scully talked to Skinner.  We both know he never called us.  
Did
you think we werent’ even going to follow up?”
Ritter is silent.  He then says, “Well, I knew he’d want to talk with you, 
so maybe I
was just helping him make the connection.”
“That was lame, Ritter, lame; even from you!  Look if you just wanted to 
come
over and play, you should have called.  Now that you’ve had your fun, go 
home.
We’ll see you at the airport in the morning.”  Mulder hangs up.  Scully has 
heard
the whole conversation. They both decide to laugh it off; for now, anyway.  
They
are both somewhat concerned that this type of game among Agents undercover
can turn out badly.
“Mulder, I really should go.”  Scully is sitting on his coffeetable facing 
him on the
couch.  She leans forward and gives him a quick kiss.
“Aww, Scully, you’re no fun.  Just think about what could have happened if
Rodent—“
“Mulder, stop calling him that!  Give the man another chance.  I know you’re
much more magnanimous than you let on outwardly.”
“Ok, Agent Ritter.  Now, if he hadn’t shown up…”
God, he could be like a dog with a bone that wasn’t going to let go!
“I’m going, Mulder.  I’ll see you at Ronald Regan Airport in the morning.”
She picks up the phone to call a cab.  He puts his finger on the switchook 
and
ends her call.  “Mulder, what’re you doing?  I need to go.”
“I know you do. I just figured I’d save you the money and drive you home.”
She contemplates his offer.  She decides to turn him down.  She needs to 
sleep
and she knows that that will be the last thing on his mind-or hers-if she 
lets him
drive her home.
“You’re sweet, Mulder, but no, I’ll get a cab.”
He watches her walk down the hall.  He closes his door, shaking his head.  
He
smiles and reaches his hand up to his neck, rubbing it lightly.  He winces 
slightly
as he realizes she’s bruised him.  The pain is delicious.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Ronald Regan Airport; Washington, DC 9A Wednesday

The three Agents meet at the gate to check in.  AD Skinner is there waiting 
to
see them off.  “Well, I see the three of you are in your roles already; a 
wise plan.”
He is amazed at the physical transformation in his two Agents and Special 
Agent
Ritter.  He also admits, somewhat grudgingly to himself, that Agent Scully 
looks
quite, “oh, heck Skinner, she looks hot! Mulder’s going to have his fragile 
ego
bruised a little, I think.”  Skinner walks a little closer to Mulder.
“Agent Mulder, you’re injured.”
Mulder is caught off guard and does not know what Skinner is referring to.
Scully is walking back and forth; two steps away, two steps back, to keep 
from
laughing.  Mulder has a good, old fashioned, hickey on his neck!  Let him 
talk his
way out of this one, she thinks.
“I’m fine, Sir.”
Scully looks into Skinner’s eyes and can see the rare sense of play there.  
He is
enjoying Mulder’s discomfort.
“No, Mulder, maybe you should let Agent Scully have a look.  You cannot
jeopardize this case if you’re ill. If need be, Special Agent Ritter can 
fill in for
you.”
Skinner and Scully watch the light dawn for Mulder.  Ritter is slow on the 
uptake,
but realizes what Skinner is looking at just after Mulder does.
“Sir, can I talk with you privately about my ‘condition’?” Mulder tries to 
move
Skinner away from Scully and Ritter.
“Really, Agent Mulder, I think Special Agent Ritter and I will go have a 
seat while
you and Agent Scully head for the first aid station so she can get a better 
look.”
Scully knows that Mulder is going to kill her, although he didn’t seem to 
object
yesterday…
Scully tries to lead Mulder away.  He reaches up and touches his neck.  He
winces slightly.  He smiles broadly, “Scully?  This score has yet to be 
evened…”
“Hello and welcome to United Flight 55560 with service to Boston and 
connector
flights to Montpellier, Kittery,Portsmouth and Montreal.  We will begin 
boarding
our first class passengers and those passengers with small children or in 
need of
special attention now at Gate 15.  Please have your tickets and boarding 
passes
ready.  Thank you for choosing United.”
The three Agents move toward the gate 15.  They are all travelling first 
class;
Mulder and Scully as far as Boston and Ritter on to Portsmouth.  The boys in
Auditing will have a filed day with this case’s expenses!
In keeping with their new roles, they are all seated separately.  While 
Mulder and
Scully actually have an undercover relationship, it would be better that 
they not
be too obvious until they reach their destination.
Mulder and Scully both think about changing their seat assignments, but 
realize
that their job must come first.  Ritter ends up on an aisle seat right 
across from
Mulder’s aisle seat.  Scully is directly in front of Ritter.  She glances 
back at
Mulder and smiles.
Her look at Mulder isn’t lost on Ritter.  He is sure there is something 
between
them.  He is also wondering how that will affect their work.  He plans to 
keep AD
Kersh apprised of the situation.  While he knows that Skinner trusts his 
work, he
also knows that Mulder and Scully are on the top of Skinner’s “favored 
Agents”
list.  He has already talked candidly with Kersh because Ritter’s own 
reputation is
at stake with this case.  Everyone knows that personal relationships between
Agents is expressly forbidden.  He files that information away for future 
use, if
needed.
The three settle into the flight. Scully sleeps, Mulder watches ESPN on the 
seat
back screen.  Ritter is looking out the window to his left.
Scully drifts off to sleep worried about this case.  Something doesn’t feel 
quite
right to her.  Oh, she feels the case is legit; she’s done her homework 
thoroughly.
She can’t help but continue to wonder about Ritter’s “visit” yesterday and 
the
precise timing of it.  She decides to shelve that thinking for now.  
Besides, that’s
more her partner’s baliwick.  As she falls asleep, she pictures Mulder as 
Masters,
the look, the taste of his skin.
Ritter is thinking, too, as he gazes out the window.  Somewhere deep inside, 
he
knows that he nearly got Scully killed on the case of the photographer death
chaser.  He got careless.  If he digs a little deeper yet, he knows he let 
his
hormones dictate his actions on that case.  He had heard about Agent 
Scully’s
reputation from colleagues.  He had also heard about “Spooky” Mulder and his
reassignment to background checks.  Word had it that the two partners were
more than that.  The case started out well enough, he reflected.  He 
appreciated
Scully’s analytical mind and ability to cut to the chase.  Somewhere along 
the
line, it became about trying to pull her away from Mulder, too.
So, Ritter knows he has to do this pretty much by the book.  He knows he is 
a
good Field Agent.  Skinner has also told him he needs to keep his focus.
Undercover work should be the perfect way to focus.  Scully stirs in her 
seat in
front of him.  He feels his resolve waver, but reigns himself in.

The flight hosts make their way down the aisle bringing light refreshments.
Scully wakes and asks for hot tea.  Mulder takes a cheese danish and a large
coffee, black.  It appears that he does not really need the caffeine as he 
is now
bopping along to something lively through his headphones.
Ritter passes and continues to gaze out the window.
Scully gets up to use the restroom at the front of the plane.  When she 
returns,
Mulder beckons her with his finger.  She smiles and walks over to him. 
“What’s
up, Mulder?”
He takes the headphones off and places them on her ears.  “Listen to this”, 
he
slightly yells.  Scully momentarily pulls the headphones away from her ears; 
he
has the volume turned up very high.  He is listening to “Light My Fire” by 
the
Doors.  Scully hands the headset back to Mulder and starts to return to her 
seat.
Mulder sings, slightly off key, "C'mon baby light my fire."
“Agent Scully, I’d like to talk to you about our roles and interaction at 
the
hospital”, Ritter motions her to the window seat next to him.  Scully knows 
it is
risky to have a visible relationship with Ritter prior to arriving in New 
Hampshire,
but she agrees since it has to do with the case.
Mulder, trying to look as if he isn’t noticing, is noticing.  He glances 
over as Scully
squeezes infront of Ritter’s knees and sits down.  She catches Mulder’s gaze 
and
raises her eyebrow in question.  Mulder tries to smile, but doesn’t quite 
succeed.
“So, Ritter, what do you want to talk about?”
“Well, unless we determine an initial point of contact, it’s going to be 
difficult to
explain how the Chief Med/Surg doc’s nurse hangs out with the Chief of
Maintenance, don’t you think?’
“Ok, you’ve got a point there.  From the floor plans, it appears that 
Med/Surg is
on the 5th floor and the Maintennce Operations office is in the basement.” 
Scully
begins.  Ritter cuts her off with, “Guess that won’t be a problem for you, 
you
being used to the basement and all.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he looks over at Scully.  She sits 
turned
toward him wth her arms folded tightly across her chest.  Her face is dead
serious as she looks at him.  Just past him she can see Mulder who has 
removed
the headset.  Mulder appears to be restraining himself from leaping across 
the
aisle.  Scully sends him an, “it’s ok” look.
“Agent Ritter,  I thought we were pretty clear on trying to work this out.  
You do
not know me in any way that could be misconstrued as having a friendship on
which to base your statements.  While our cover roles may require a more
personal relationship, I would advise you to back off that line of approach 
with
me.  Have I made myself completely clear?”
Ritter, not wanting to appear to have been redressed, holds her gaze.  He 
simply
says, “Point noted, Agent.”
They continue discussing their meeting and the establishment of a 
relationship.
“I imagine that Human Resources will have some type of new employee
orientation.  That would be an ideal place to connect”, Scully proposes.
Ritter considers her suggestion, but has a concern, “I’m still not following 
how a
powerful nurse, connected to the top doc, will associate with the lowlife.”
“Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to turn on the charm, won’t you?”  
Scully
makes a perfunctory smile, stands and returns to her seat. Now it’s Ritter’s 
turn
to cross his arms across his chest.
Mulder seizes the opportunity and moves over next to Scully whose seat mate
has decided to visit someone in coach.
“Scully, maybe this won’t work and Ritter and I need to switch roles.”
“Mulder, that ugly green thing called ‘jealousy’ is rearing it’s ugly head…”
“That’s not it, Scully, though I do admit that I’d rather be working more 
closely
with you. “
“Mulder, we’re going to be living in the same building!”
“I know, Scully.  It’s just that I still don’t trust him as far as I wish I 
could throw
him.”
Scully grasps Mulder’s forearm and smiles at him.  She is greatly touched by 
his
concern.  “Mulder, you know I can take care of myself, don’t you?”
“Yes, Scully, I do, but…”
“Look Fox Masters”, she whispers in his ear, “I’m going to tell you this one 
more
time and one more time only; trust me to work this out.  I’ll have you to 
come
home to.  Ok?”
Before he can reply, she kisses him on the cheek, places her fingers over 
the
black and blue mark on his neck and smiles at him.  She makes him return to 
his
seat.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Logan Airport, Boston
Noontime Wednesday

“Hello, this is your Captain.  We are on approach for Logan Airport in 
Boston,
Massachusetts.  The current time is 11:50AM, the weather is a chilly 50 
degrees
and very breezy. They are predicting heavy rains for the Boston and northern
areas tonight.  The flight attendants will come around to give you the gate
numbers for the connector flights.  Flight attendants, please prepare the 
cabin for
landing.  Thank you for flying United and enjoy the rest of your travel.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, please return your tray tables and seat backs to 
their
upright position.  Fasten all seat belts and turn off any cellphones or 
computers.”
The flight attendant walks through First Class and stops at Ritter’s seat.  
Sir, your
connector flight to Portsmouth will be at Gate 10, off the plane and turn 
right.”
“Agents, I’ll see you in Rye.” Ritter grabs his bag from the overhead 
compartment
and deplanes.
Mulder and Scully follow and head for Baggage Claim.  Once Ritter heads for 
his
connector flight, Scully says,  “Mulder, I can’t shake the feeling that 
Ritter’s up to
something.  I keep thinking about his outright lie to us about Skinner 
trying to
reach us and his quirky disappearance from your apartment.  I know that’s 
not
much to go on, but that’s all I’ve got.” They head down the escalator toward 
the
United Baggage Claim area.  Mulder smiles and shakes his head. “Scully, you
sound like me.  You must admit I’ve been pretty quiet where Ritter’s 
concerned.
Remember, that my perceptions of him are slightly influenced by the fact 
that he
nearly got you killed.  So, anything I might say in agreement would be 
suspect,
would it not?”
“Mulder, you know that I trust your judgment.  So, what DO you think?”
“I think that things are not as they seem.  I think we will need to be at 
the top of
our game and one step ahead of the wonderful Janitor, Mr. Rodent.”
They stand at the baggage claim carousel.  They don’t say anything more 
about
Ritter.  Mulder grabs their larger bags and Scully carries the carry-ons.  
They
head for the government agencies rental vehicle area.
They board the shuttle to the outlaying lot to pick up their vehicle. “So, 
what do
you think Skinman has waiting for us?”  “Mulder, you know he doesn’t do the
reservations.  It’s from Deep Missions.  I’m sure it will fit our covers and 
our
location.”

They pull up in front of a black 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with black leather
interior.  Before Mulder has a chance, Scully hops out of the shuttle and 
grabs
the keys for the Cherokee. “Hey, Scully, I think I should drive.”  “Why is 
that,
Mulder?  Could it be because you drive all the time?  Could it be because 
you
think you do a better job driving than I do?”  Scully smiles as she keeps 
the keys
and unlocks the vehicle.  Mulder takes the luggage to the back compartment 
and
lifts the hatch. Scully joins him with their carry-ons.  Mulder cannot 
resist one
more attempt, “C’mon, Scully, you can rest all the way there.”  When he 
doesn’t
see her moving to hand him the keys, he tries again.  “I’ll let you drive 
when we
hit the border.”  Scully is standing there with her arms folded.  When she 
thinks
he has stopped pleading, she walks around to the driver’s side and gets in.  
She
leans over to open the passenger door for him.  He gets in and buckles his 
seat
belt, smirking sheepishly.
As Scully starts the vehicle, the clouds roll in.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
On the Road; Route Interstate 495 to Route 1
Wednesday, 1P
Mulder assists by navigating.  After leaving the airport, they follow the 
signs for
495.  It has started to rain lightly.  “Scully, I’m hungry.”  “Mulder, 
you’re always
hungry”, she smiles at him, “I’d really like to make it by early evening, 
can we do
drive through somewhere?”
They pull into a McDonald’s.  “May I help you?”  “Uh, um, yes.  We’ll have a
grilled chicken salad with Lite Vinaigrette, a double bacon cheeseburger, 
extra
large fries and two Diet Cokes.”  Scully drives up.  They pull into a 
parking space
to have their lunch.
“Mulder, just answer this; where DO you put all the gross food you eat?  You
never seem to put on even one pound!”
“Scully, it’s genetic. I just have good genes.  My body knows how to convert 
all of
this into beneficial nutrients so I am always in peak form.”
“Oh, yeah, Mulder, ‘good genetics’…”
Scully thinks, “you’re damn right about your peak form”, though,  but only 
smiles.
“Mulder, I’m heading for the restroom.  Mulder, I have the keys, so don’t 
get any
ideas.”
Once again, they are on their way.  They make good time, initially.  Once 
they
are close to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border near Newbury Port, the
rain becomes relentless.  It is so heavy that Scully has a hard time 
navigating or
even seeing the highway.
“Scully, maybe we should pull over at a rest stop for a little while until 
this clears
up some.”
“That’s a great idea, Mulder.  I can barely see the road.”  The sky has 
darkened
considerably since they left Boston.

Scully pulls into a rest stop with a winding entryway that leads up quite a 
hill.
The area is densely wooded with pine trees.  The parking spaces overlook a
meadow and are quite removed from the highway down below.  The overhead
lights start to flicker on due to the encroaching darkness.
Mulder finds an oldies station.  A block of Chicago is playing.  “Color My 
World” is
on.  Scully is still sitting with her hands on the wheel and her seatbelt 
buckled,
staring out the window.  She suddenly realizes just how tired she is.  The 
last few
days with Mulder have been a real (enjoyable) roller coaster.  Then, the 
sudden
call back to duty by Skinner, the meeting and assigned case with Ritter and 
now,
driving in the pouring rain.  She is exhausted.
“What’re you looking at, Scully?”  Mulder unbuckles his seatbelt and turns 
toward
her in the seat. The leather is very soft.  He leans over a little closer to 
her; trying
hard to ignore the stupid gear shifter console.

“What, huh?” Scully looks at Mulder and seems a little dazed.
“Here, Scully, let me help you”, he says as he takes her hands off the 
stearing
wheel.  He reaches down to unbuckle her seatbelt, but she stops him.  “I’ll 
get it,
Mulder.  Besides we won’t be here that long.”  The rain continues to fall 
steadily
almost to prove her wrong.
Mulder doesn’t say anything.  He moves closer and puts his arm on her 
shoulder.
He gently moves her out from behind the wheel and helps her over to his 
seat.
“This is kind of nice, Scully, isn’t it?”
Scully seems to come alive again as if merely moving from behind the wheel 
has
awaken her.  “Yes, Mulder, it is.  It’s so quiet here except for the rain.  
Almost
peaceful.”
The Chicago block has ended and Earth, Wind and Fire is on.  “That’s the Way 
of
the World is playing.  “I’ve always loved this song, Scully.   Isn’t it 
beautiful?”
Scully gets more comfortable.  She slides down, putting her feet somewhat
awkwardly, over the gear shifter into the driver’s seat until she is laying 
back with
her knees bent and her head resting in Mulder’s lap.  He is moving her hair 
back
from her face and rubbing her arm.  “You’re not going to sleep on me, 
Scully, are
you?  I might have to drive, then.”
“Mulder, do you ever know when to shut up?”
“Oww, Scully, you wound me—again, I might add!” Mulder feigns personal 
insult.
Scully slowly sits up, moving onto his lap, facing him.  She places her 
hands on
his leg and looks at him.  “Mulder, kiss me”, is all she says.
He holds on to her arms and pulls he closer to him.  She is flooded with
excitement and sparks. “Damn, he does this to me every time”, she thinks.  
Just
when she thinks he’s about to kiss her, he pushes her slightly away from him
again.  She looks puzzled, but says nothing.
“I don’t think you heard me, Mulder…”
“Oh, I heard you alright, Sully.  Have you ever heard of delayed 
gratification,
woman?”

“Well, if that’s the way it is today, Mulder, maybe we should just get back 
on the
road.”
She attempts to move back over to the driver’s side.  As she tries to pull 
free of
his grip, he pulls her closer.  He moves her so she is sitting even closer 
to him.
He kisses, then sucks on, her lower lip.  He does the same with her upper 
lip.
She feels as if she has just reached her boiling point.  She is trying to 
kiss him,
too, but he has his own agenda.  He releases her arms and places one hand on
either side of her face.  He runs his hands into her hair, pulling it back 
from her
face on both sides.  He turns her head and kisses her earlobes and her neck.
She feels his hot lips on her neck and thinks he’s decided it’s payback time 
for
the little “gift” she gave him.  She is breathing so fast she is sure he can 
actually
see her heart beating.
His kisses make her skin tingle.  She needs to feel and taste his mouth and 
turns
toward him. “There is something about his mouth”, she thinks…

Mulder briefly notices that the windows around him are completely fogged.  
The
rain continues its steady, heavy beating on the roof of the Cherokee.
“Scully”, he pants, “wait, stop a minute.”
“Mulder, you’ve picked a strange time to talk and; just for the record”, she 
pants,
“isn’t that my line?”
He looks into her eyes and sees the desire.  He also remembers that they 
still
have not finished their discussion from Monday.  His love for her will not 
allow
their situation to get out of control without both of their approval.  What 
he would
like to do now and what he should do now may be two very different things.

“Scully, I want this more than anything; I hope you know that.  However, I 
want it
because we are clear with each other about what it means for us.  We have 
both
talked about the problems a relationship can present for our jobs.  I just 
want us
proceeding with our eyes wide open.”
Scully smiles.  She knows why she loves this man so much.  “How much of 
‘this’,
as you refer to it, do you think we can take before our rationale minds are 
taken
over by our not-so-rationale bodies, Mulder?”
Now it is his turn to smile.  He kisses her again.  “Hey, Scully, after 6 
and a half
years, this is very exciting; don’t knock it!”
“Mulder, you’re a first class rat!”  Scully laughs.
As Scully starts to move back to the driver’s side, she reaches down, 
briefly
touches and then squeezes, Mulder’s upper thigh.  “Well, then here’s a 
little more
‘excitement’ for you, Mulder.”
Mulder looks at her and then down at his thigh as she moves.  “I think that 
was
very direct excitement, Scully.  Do you think they have showers at this rest 
stop?”
The rain has slowed some, but it is enough for Scully to see the road.  They 
head
out.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye, New Hampshire
Wednesday, 4P
“Hey, Scully, we’re ‘Entering Rye’”  Scully slows down.  They both look 
around.
The rain has almost completely stopped and a hint of late afternoon sun is
peeking out of the clouds.  The streets are broad and tree-lined; large oaks 
and
maples.  From Route 1, they turn left onto North Road  which turns into 
South
Road a little farther down.
“Mulder, this town is beautiful!”  Scully looks at the quaint northern New 
England
mixture of old Victorians, “Leave it to Beaver” capes and old farmhouse 
style
homes.  The streets have oldfashioned street lamps that peak either right in 
or
right above the trees.
From South Road, they turn left onto Central Road.  On their right is Bailey 
Pond
and just within site is Rye Beach and the Atlantic.  Central Road ends at 
Cable
Road where Mulder and Scully will live.  They turn right onto the eastern 
end of
Cable.  The entire street is also tree lined, but also has a small park-like 
island
down the middle of the road.  The eastern end borders the ocean.
Scully is in awe.  She has not had much experience with New England towns;
especially those as quaint as Rye appears.  Mulder is pleasantly surprised, 
as
well.  Although he grew up in New England, the Cape are is a bit different.
“Mulder, I think that’s our house; I mean our apartments are in that house.”
“It’s ok, Scully, I was sort of thinking of it as ‘our house’, too.”
The house is a large charcoal grey Victorian with white and mauve shutters 
and
bric-a-brac.  The roof has a few parapets and widows’ walks facing the 
water.
The house is set back from the street and turned on an angle to the road;
secluded.
They pull up into the winding driveway, shut off the Jerokee and just sit 
there,
taking it all in.
“I think we have to get out, Mulder.”
“Um, yeah, Scully, you’re right.”
They walk up the red brick walkway; noticing the hydrangea bushes alongside
the holly berry bushes and sculpted arbor vitaes.  There is a huge 
wrap-around
porch on the front and sides of the house.  They head up the stairs to the 
front
entryway.
“Ok, Scully, time to really become Dana Katz.  It’s showtime!”
“Yes, Fox Masters, I think I figured that out.”
Knock knock, knock.
They wait a few minutes and still no one comes to the door.  Scully walks 
around
to try to look into the windows.  The long, ecru lace panel curtains allow 
her to
view what appears to be the main receiving parlor.  The furniture fits the 
style of
the house and the feel of this town.
“Scully, I mean, Dana, come back over here.  I’ve found a note for us.”
Mulder is squatting down beside some flower pots with a note in his hand.  
“I saw
this sticking out from under the flowers.  There’s a key here, too.  It 
says,
‘Welcome Dana and Fox.  I’m your landlady, Sandy Bell.  I’m volunteering 
over at
Mercy right now and am sorry I couldn’t be here to greet you.  Here’s the 
key to
the house.  Your apartment keys are laid out on the kitchen counter with 
some
nosh.  I thought you might be hungry after your long journey.  I’ll see you 
in the
morning.  Please get settled in and tour the house.  You two are the only 
tenents
for the next several months, so move about as you will.”
“’Nosh’, Scully?”  “Mulder, that’s a colloquial term for munchies.”  “Sure, 
whatever
you say, DANA.”  “I’ve got it, FOX.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

55 Cable Road, Rye New Hampshire, Wednesday
Mulder goes back to get the luggage while Scully unlocks the front door and
steps inside.  This home is impeccably kept, furnished and appointed.  She
suspects the pieces are antiques.  She wanders around the main floor.  She
notices that most rooms have large windows that reach almost floor to 
ceiling.
“Must have huge heating bills”, she thinks.  There is a fireplace in the 
main
parlor, the sitting room and, surprisingly, in the large kitchen.  The 
windows in the
dining room and kitchen face out onto a large back yard and the ocean just
beyond.
She finds the apartment keys.  She will be on the 3rd floor and Mulder just 
below
her.  She opens the backdoor and steps outside onto a semi-circular, red 
brick
patio.  She can actually smell the salt in the air!  She stretches with her 
arms in
the air and then runs her hands through her hair, pulling it up.  She 
reaches into
her pocket and pulls out a hair clip that she hasitly fastens.  Whisps of 
hair float
down around her face.
Mulder has been observing from inside the kitchen. He is taken with this 
house,
the grounds, the view.  He quietly walks out behind Scully.  He places his 
arms
around her waist from behind and steps closer until their bodies make 
contact.
He rests his chin on the top of her head, looking out toward the ocean.
“This reminds me a little of home, Sc—Dana”, he says wistfully.  “Oh, the
climate’s all wrong, but it’s just the feel of the place.”  He kisses the 
top of her
head.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?  I’ve never ‘lived’ this close to the beach.  I 
wish it were
warmer.”
“I can help you there, Dana”, Mulder is smiling mischieviously now.  He 
places
his hands on her shoulders and turns her to face him.

“Fox, I think we should get settled in.  I have to attend new employee 
orientation
tomorrow morning over at Mercy.  I need to be alert and ready.”
“I can help with that, too, Dana.”
“Well, Mr. Helpful, how about we get the luggage up to my 3rd floor 
apartment?”
Scully grabbed the carryons.  As they walked toward the stairwell, they were
surprised to see a very old, accordian gated, elevator!  “Fox, I can’t 
believe this!”
Scully smiled as she went over to the brass gate.  She put the carryons down
and pulled the gate open.  Then, she pulled the heavy door with the diamond-
shaped window in it open.  The elevator was large enough for two or three
people and was actually wallpapered in a small rose print.
Mulder and Scully got in and wedged the luggage around them so they didn’t
have to make two trips.
“Mezzanine, sportswear; first floor women’s lingerie, second floor—“, Mulder
began.
Scully laughed as they reached her floor.
They left the elevator door open when they pulled her luggage out.  Directly 
in
front of them is a small hallway that leads to the door of her apartment.  
No
expense had been spared even on the interior design.  The door mirrored the
main entryway’s with two smaller windows at just about Scully’s eye level.  
“Oh,
Fox, I think I’m in love!”
Once inside, her feelings didn’t change.  Her parlor, kitchen and bedroom
windows faced the ocean.  The bathroom was large with a real victorian tub.  
The
bathroom also had a shower stall and sitting area.  The kitchen was warm and
bright with all of the modern conveniences.  The bedroom and parlor also had
working fireplaces.
“Fox, much as I’d love you to stay, right now I need to get unpacked and get 
into
my role for tomorrow morning.  How about I meet you for lunch somewhere in
town and we can catch up?”
“Awwh, Dana, do I have to go now?  I want to explore with you.”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that.  Remember, we do have a ‘relationship’
already…” she said with much innuendo.  She took him by the arm and started
walking him to her door.  “Do we get keys to each other’s place, Dana?”  
“We’ll
see if our landlady can help us out tomorrow.”  As they reach the door, 
Mulder
blocks the way with his arm.
“Fox, you need to go.”
“What I ‘need’, Dana is this.”  He bends down to kiss her forehead.   He 
then
finds her mouth with his.  “Fox, that’s—“  “That’s going to have to be 
enough for
now, Dana; you greedy woman, you.”  Mulder closes the door quietly behind 
him;
in her face.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The First Day
Thursday, 5:30A
Her alarm buzzes quietly and she is not sure where she is, what time it is 
or why
she’s supposed to awake.  Although the light has yet to dawn outside, her 
role
“dawns” on her quickly enough.  She is a runner and doesn’t miss a day; 
“please
let me miss today”, she pleads to no one in particular.
When no one intervenes to allow her to remain sandwiched under the down
comforter and on top of the feather bed, she arises.  After a quick go at 
her face
and brushing her teeth, she dons her sweats and sneakers.  She performs a 
few
stretches and then heads for the stairs.  She notes the beautiful silence of 
the
house at this time of day, “I’d love to experience that silence from my 
bed”, she
mumbles to herself and is halfway down the stairs.  She pauses momentarily,
thinking it would be fun to wake Mulder, but thinks that she really has to 
run and
needs no more temptation to go back to bed.
She heads out the front door and takes a deep breath.  The sky is dark; 
street
lamps still glowing.  The grass is wet with dew.  She hears a lone dog bark 
in the
distance.  She starts walking and then picks up her pace. She follows Cable
Road to Washington and turns right, following it until it reaches the beach. 
  She
then turns left and runs along the beach itself.  She hears the waves 
slapping the
shore loudly; it must be high tide.  There is a slight wind off the water 
and the
seagulls ride the wind, sqwauking as they soar.  She is actually enjoying 
the run.
She figues she has done about 5 miles this first day out; thank goodness she
keeps up her cardiovascular work.  She finds Cable Road again and turns 
right
onto it.  Her house is on the right.  She enters through the back yard where 
the
sun is making its slow appearance.  She walks around the yard, cooling down.
She comes to a stop at the patio and stands there to watch the orange and 
red
glow rise over the ocean.  She takes a deep breath and leans down to 
stretch.

As she straightens up again, she feels hands on her shoulders.  With 
lightening
reflexes, she reaches back without turning to look.  She grabs the right arm
attached to the hand on her shoulder.  She then turns into it, stepping hard 
onto
the right foot.  She continues her momentum to knock the body to the ground;
hard.  She releases her grip, shaken and breathing hard.  She steps back
deciding what she should do next.
“Aww, Scully, is that any way to greet the morning?” Mulder says, rubbing 
his
head, grabbing his foot and trying to hold his shoulder.
Scully is caught between her fury at a percieved attack and sincere remorse 
for
downing her partner.
Her first words echo the fury, “Mulder, what were you doing?!? You nearly 
scared
the sh** out of me!”
Her next words belie her concern for him.  She kneels down by his side and
cradles his head on her lap.  “I’m so sorry, Mulder; you just scared me.  
Are you
alright?”
“I will be when you make it all better”, he purrs.

“Mulder, we have a landlady and I have to get ready for work.”
“Scully, she’s not here, remember?  She told us she’d be away.  It’s only 
6:15
and the hospital is 5 minutes away.  He pulls her toward him for a quick 
kiss.  He
sits up and, as he does, he rolls her off into the dewy grass.
“Mulder, we’re both soaking wet!”
“Gee, Scully, I was wondering what that sensation was; thanks for explaining 
that
for me.”
“Mulder, you are the true master of ‘seize the moment’!” she says with a 
little
exasperation, but much more enjoyment.  “Just when I think I can guess what
comes next, you go and surprise me again.”
He doesn’t actually respond to her statements. “Scully, it’s gorgeous out 
here,
isn’t it?”  He pulls her with him to sit at the edge of the brick patio.  He 
directs her
gaze to the slow, brilliant sunrise over the water.  The sky is lightening.
She leans into him and he wraps his arm around her.  Though neither voices 
the
sentiment, they both revel in their ability to spend quiet time with each 
other. It is
rare that in their day to day lives moments like this one venture in.
“Mulder, I really do have to get ready for work.  Can I tell you something? 
“ Not
waiting for an answer, “I can think of a place or two I’d rather be.  One 
would be
right here with you.”
“What about the other, Scully?” He smiles, although he’s not looking at her.
“The other, Mulder, would be back upstairs, in my apartment, in my warm bed—
with you.”  She kisses his cheek quickly, stands and runs back inside before 
she
changes her mind.
First Day; 6:30A
Scully is glad Mercy’s uniform code allows Operating Room (OR) staff to wear
colors.  She knows she looks ghastly in white from her experience performing
autopsies.  She chooses  a teal, two-piece skirt and short sleeved shirt 
uniform
for her first day.  She is doubly thankful that Mercy does not subscribe to 
the
need to wear the old-fashioned nurse’s cap.  Scully hates hats for other 
than
warmth even more than white uniforms!  She remembers to put on the signature
pearls.
She heads out to the Cherokee.  She moves resolutely down the stairs, 
knowing
that if she so much as stops to knock on his door, Mulder will want to come 
with
her.
She has decided she will grab some coffee and drive around the town for 
awhile
before reporting early.  She also plans to explore the hospital on her own 
before
the official “orientation tour”.
She heads back up Cable onto Washington Rd and over onto Sagamore.  As she
approaches Foyes Corner, she notices a small, quaint looking, strip mall.  
She
sees a small bakery, “Foyes Family”.  She decides to spend a little time 
here;
check out the local community.
The aroma as she opens the door makes her stomach growl quite loudly.  She
didn’t realize she was this hungry.  Then again, she never runs in the 
mornings!
She walks over to the old fashioned counter and sits on one of the stools.  
It’s a
good thing it has a foot rest; her feet are hanging above the floor.  The 
counter is
black marble with aluminum trim.  All of the fixtures behind the counter are
chrome and are reflected in the huge, marble flecked mirror that covers the 
wall
behind the counter.
“Can I get you anything, sweetie?” asks the counter staff.
“I’m new in town and don’t really know what you have.”
“Well, you’re looking at ‘what we have’, hon.  Homemade bagels; 4 varieties,
sesame, poppy, plain and chokeberry.  Homemade muffins; 5 varieties,
blueberry, corn, bran, lemon poppy and kitchen sink.  Your basic eggs,
homefries…”
“Whoa!  That’s quite the menu.  What’s a chokeberry bagel and a kitchen sink
muffin?”
“You definitely aren’t from around here, are you, sweetie!  Chokeberry’s a 
local
berry; cross between a cranberry and blackberry; tart and sweet.  Kitchen 
sink
muffins have a little bit of everything but the kitchen sink in them; real 
delicious
leadweights!  So, what’ll it be?”
“I’ll have a cup of tea, black and a chokeberry bagel with a little bit of 
cream
cheese on the side, if you don’t mind.”
As she awaits her bagel and tea, she looks into the mirror to observe the 
other
patrons.  There is a good mix of people heading off into the city of 
Portsmouth to
work, some vacationers and who she guesses are retired town folk. All seems
pleasant enough.
Her food arrives.  She enjoys the local chatter around her and the time to 
be
incognito.  She is halfway through her bagel and sipping her tea when she 
sees a
face she recognizes behind her in the mirror.  She pretends she hasn’t seen 
him,
but she knows he has seen her.
“Excuse me, is this stool taken?”  he says.
“No, it’s not.”  she replies.
Field Agent Ritter sits down and takes the other half of her bagel off her 
plate.
She quickly and efficiently extricates it from his hand and returns it to 
her plate.
“We don’t know each other yet…remember??” she asks, extremely angry at him
for stepping out of his role in public.
He is not sure how to recover this one; he knows he acted impulsively.  He
cannot shake the pleasant-enough agitation he feels around her.  It is 
different
than the feeling he had on the previous case with her; although he was 
attracted
to her then, too.  Her new look, he admits, turns him on.  He is going to 
have to
be more careful.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” he extends his hand to her.  “I’m Peter Roden; 
that’s
Ro-DEN.  I’m new to town.”
“Hello, Mr. Ro-DEN, I’m Dana Katz and am also new to town.  Where are you
from?”
“The DC area.  I’ll be working over at the hospital.  It looks like you 
will, too?”
“Yes, actually, I’ve just been hired on as a nurse for Dr. Baines.”
When Scully mentions his name, a few heads turn in her direction.  She 
resists
turning around to look at them more closely.

“What do you suppose the looks are all about?” she whispers to Ritter.
“I don’t know, but it sure looks as if our doc is known in these here parts. 
  Why
don’t you continue talking about him a bit more and we’ll see what happens.”
“I’ll be  working primarily on the medical surgery floor.  He’s very 
well-known for
his techniques, you know.”
“I wouldn’t know.  I’m going to be working maintenance; not too familiar 
with the
docs.  I just keep the building in tip top shape for them.”  Ritter is 
checking the
reactions in the marble flecked mirror now, too.
Scully notices that no one seems to be smiling at their conversation.  As a 
matter
of fact, they look downright stricken.
She leans over and quietly says, “I think now would be a good time to 
leave.”
Scully leaves money for the bill on the counter and they head out.  Ritter 
places
his hand in the small of her back as they approach the door.  Scully waits 
until
outside the door, steps away from him and glares.  “Agent, you are clearly 
out of
line!  You are supposed to be in character and your character doesn’t know 
me
well enough to have physical contact.  Unless you want to be reported faster 
than
you can say ‘undercover’, get your priorities straight!”  She storms to her 
car and
drives off.
Scully drives out of the strip mall and heads for route 1A, intending to 
drive along
the ocean on her way to the hospital.  She sees Ritter pull out and head in 
the
opposite direction.  She is clearly angry with him and concerned that he 
will blow
their covers.
As she drives along the shore, she is hardly seeing the beauty of it.  She 
finds
her mind wandering back to that fateful case in New York.  It had been hard
enough trying to act nonchalant about being assigned to the case and leaving
Mulder to do background checks without her.
She hated the unfair reputation that Mulder had with certain higher ups in 
the
Bureau. She also knew full well that he would not want her to jeopardize her 
own
career path for him.  Their relationship was just that way…  Trust and care 
for
one and other to the extreme.  They would do anything for each other.  Her
thought process had veered sharply from anger with Ritter’s behavior to, to,
what?  “Mulder” was her answer.
As her thoughts turned more to Mulder, she found herself appreciating the 
view
more.  She pulled over to the beach area and stopped the Cherokee.  She sat
there watching the waves and thinking about her partner.  He was never far 
from
her conscious thoughts; professionally and personally.  If she were truthful 
with
herself, she would admit to much more where he was concerned.  The hardest
part was wondering how he felt.  Oh sure, she had indications.  H***, their 
days
together before this case were ‘very indicative’; but, of what?  “Mulder is 
a very
caring and sensitive man,” she thinks.  “Maybe he’s just showing me he 
cares.”
“He would care about any of his good friends in that way.”  Yet, deep down 
she
thinks otherwise.  It’s true enough that Mulder is sensitive and caring.  
But the
sides of him that she is allowed to see and experience are different; she 
knows
this in her heart of hearts.  She also knows in her heart of hearts that 
when she
thinks of him, she goes weak in the knees and in the heart and in the soul.  
This
is not mere concern for her partner.  She wonders whether being away,
pretending to be someone different, will afford them some time to explore.  
She
starts to think it through logically; ‘Scully, you scientist, you!’.  “Ok; 
we live in the
same building with an absentee landlord.  We share a rather nice vehicle 
(what
ARE you thinking, Scully?), we have a cover that allows us to have contact, 
we
have Ritter; oh, God, Ritter!  Talk about acid and oil (Mulder and Ritter 
are much
more volatile and unmixing than water and oil, she thinks).  Mulder hates 
Ritter.
Ritter is jealous of Mulder’s relationship with her.  Ritter is her 
‘approved’ contact
for this case. UGGGHHH!  Time to go to my new job!”  She leaves the beach
area.

Rye Mercy Hospital; 8:45A
Scully walks up the brick walkway and through the automatic doors.  She 
still has
15 minutes before reporting for orientation.  She stops at the Information 
Desk
and asks for the Human Resource Department; it is one floor below the lobby.
She notices that the building exterior very quaintly hides the cutting edge 
setting
of the interior.  Exterior brick, white shuttered windows and parapets slide 
into a
very warmly decorated lobby with soft lighting; easy on the eyes.  Also on 
the
main floor, she finds a rather large, well-equipped cafeteria.    She 
notices the
large choice of meal items and makes a mental note to stop here for a few
meals.  Part of her pay includes a meal plan.  She then walks around the 
other
end of the floor to find Patient Registration, Same Day Surgery, Emergency,
Radiology and the Gift Shop; “The Sea Drift”.  She finds the main Directory 
and
notices that maintenance is in the basement as Ritter has told her.
A call over the pager catches her attention, “Good morning, this is the 
Hospital
Administrative Offices welcoming you to Rye Mercy.  All new employees should
report to the cafeteria to begin orientation.  Thank you.”
Scully heads in and sees Ritter already waiting.  She sits down next to him.
“Good morning, staff!  I am Jason Dodge, Chief of Staff here at Mercy.  
Welcome
to the greatest little hospital in New England.”
“They’re pretty sure of themselves, aren’t they?” Ritter whispers to Scully. 
  She
tries to ignore him. She feels a little like the kid who made a mistake and 
sat next
to the class clown in grade school.
“First, a few business items:  if you have not completed your benefits 
package
paperwork, please stop by Human Resources located downstairs, there are
men’s and women’s staff lounges on the top floor, there are on-call rooms on 
the
same floor.  Before I bid you good day and ship you off to your new 
assignment, I
wanted to announce that there will be a staff dance tomorrow night at 8PM 
sharp!
The theme is “Disco Retro”. It will be dressy casual which translates to ‘no 
prom
gowns, but no chinos’.  We strongly urge all staff to attend. Since this is 
our first
team building event for the spring season, we respectfully request ‘staff 
only’; no
families or partners.  Thank you; that is all.”
Scully briefly wonders how they’re going to hold a staff dance in a hospital
cafeteria with patients upstairs trying to recover and sleep.  Don is not 
far behind
her; catches her glance upwards.  He realizes what she’s thinking.  “Barb 
was
telling me the Board pulled out all the stops when designing this place; 
sound
proof walls and cleilings, overhead walkway looking down into cafeteria 
proper,
extreme sound system, etc.  Don’t think we’ll be bothering much of anyone.  
So,
are you coming to the dance?”
“I’m thinking about it.” Scully smiles.

“Well, then I’ll see you there, Dana.”
The 20 or so new staff get up and start milling around.  Scully sees her 
chance to
move away from Ritter.  Ritter decides to tag along.  Scully finds a few 
other new
nurses and doctors and stops to introduce herself.
“Hello, I’m Dana Katz; new to med/surge.”
“Dana, hello, I’m Barbara Sullivan and this is Don Sisko.  I’ll be working 
in peds;
CAN, and Don is a new thoracic man.  I’ll be working on the floor right 
below you;
we should have lunch sometime.  Who will you be working with, Dana?”
“I’ll be working with Dr. Baines.”  Scully again notices the change in the
conversation directly around her.  This time however, some of the women 
blush
and smile.  The men merely try to make small talk and turn away. She starts 
to
feel like an old TV commercial; something about, “when someone talks, 
everyone
listens” only in this case, when she talks, she gets strange reaction…
Ritter is still standing there.  Scully realizes she should probably 
introduce him to
the group.  “Barbara, Don; this is Peter RoDen, head of maintenance.”  
Ritter
smiles and shakes their hands.  He stands a little too close to Scully and 
she
moves away.  “He’s pushing this relationship thing a little too far.”
“Well, everyone, I think it’s time I go meet the good doctor.”  Scully heads 
out
quickly before Ritter can catch up with her.

Med/Surge and Dr. Baines; 9:30A Thursday
Scully gets off the elevator on the 6th floor and heads for Dr. Baines’ 
office.  He is
working at his desk when she knocks on the door.  she notices the wall-wall
windows of his corner office.  They overlook the flower garden on the side 
of the
buildng.  She notices that he is all Nona has said he is.  As he looks up, 
she is
shocked to find that her instant reaction is a strong similarity to a 
younger Daniel.
“Why are there so many elements of this case that are trouble?” she wonders 
not
for the first time…
His voice, luckily, is nothing like Daniel’s.  Nor are his mannerisms.
“Nurse Katz, welcome!” he exudes and reaches to shake her hand.  He has a
firm, warm grasp.
“I’m sorry I came right to your door, your receptionist was away from his 
desk.”
He waves off the comment with a sweep of his hand, “No problem, we don’t
stand on ceremony around here.  So I’ll guess that you’ve had the 
orientation
shpiel from ‘ole Dodge City himself?” he laughs and smiles.
“Uh, yes; I did.  I also met some of the other new staff.  By the way, 
please feel
free to call me Dana.”
“Ok, Dana, then feel free to call me ‘doc’!  No! Just kidding!  Call me Art. 
  Let me
show you around Med/Surge.”
Dr. Baines escorts Scully past a number of patient single and double rooms, 
past
ICU, a smaller CCU.  Interspersed along the way are the three ‘hearts’ of 
the
floor, the nursing station desks.  They are amazingly spacious and 
well-staffed.
They finally arrive at the Operating Room suite.  There are 4 large Ors 
within the
suite.
“They’re all equipped like this one.” Dr. Baines tells Scully.  She looks 
around to
see the latest equipment, monitors, video projection and sound equipment.  
Each
room has a ‘gallery’ above it; used in teaching scenarios.  Each room is
connected to the other via special decontamination chambers.  One wall has
approximately 10 pagers charging so that medical staff are always 
accessible.
“I’m impressed!” Scully demurs.  She hasn’t seen facilities like this since 
her
training days.  She also much prefers having the upper hand in her hospital
visits…
“Well, Dana, I think I’ll have you visit a few of our surgery candidates.  
I’ll get you
the charts and then let you do some rounds on your own, if that’s ok with 
you?  I
have to prep for an assist with Dr. Smyth.”
“Yes; that’s fine, Art.  I’d really like to get going.”
“I’ll send you out to Nursing Station#1.  By the way, there’s a staff lounge 
on the
floor that’s prett well equipped and stocked.  There’s also a private phone 
line
since we obviously can’t use our cells, here.”
Scully heads out to the station and introduces herself to the staff.  She 
picks up
the folders of the three patients Art has told her about.  Her trained eye 
looking
for similarities doesn’t see any upon cursory inspection.  One 25 year old 
male,
one 50 year old male and one 78 year old woman.  The 25 year old has just 
been
tested for a possible brain stem tumor, the 50 year old is exhibiting signs 
of early
onset dementia syndrome and the 78 year old has a vague diagnosis dealing
with her parietal lobe functions.  She quickly makes copies of the files, 
intending
to study them more at home tonight.
She walks in to the first patient room.  Jeremy Hudson, 25 year old white 
male, is
sitting up in his bed, watching a game show.  His head is bandaged from the 
last
test procedure.  “Jeremy?  Hello, I’m Nurse Dana Katz, but you can call me
Dana.” Scully smiles as she walks over to his bed.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?  I mean the nurses here are babes, but you’re 
hot
with a capital ‘H’!”  Jeremy is trying to be the cool young adult while 
trying hard
not to blush.
“Thanks for the compliment, young man.  Now, what can you tell me about your
lovely bandaged head, Jeremy?”  “She watches him become more serious.
Serious illness will make you serious,” Scully reflects from personal 
experience.
“I’ve got a brain stem tumor; about 5 centimeters, typically inoperable,” he
begins.
Scully is somewhat surprised, but has been around those with chronic or life
threatening conditions to understand the ability to absorb and repeat lots 
of
technical information about themselves.  It’s almost as if the disease’s 
intensity
requires the patient to learn its terminology.  Jeremy continues, “Dr. 
Baines has
this way cool procedure that can remove the tumor without affecting the
surrounding tissue or any of my higher brain functions.”
“Wow, that’s a mouth full!  It does sound pretty promising, though.  How did 
you
and your family find out about Dr. Baines and his procedure?”
“Oh, I don’t have any family, they’re all dead.  I found out through one of 
my
professors at the community college.  He referred me when I started getting 
sick
and didn’t know why.”

Scully spends a little more time with Jeremy and then moves on to the other 
two
patients.
Bruce Davidson, 50 year old black male, referred by clergy; no family alive. 
  Hilda
Yardling, 78 year old white female, widow, no other family, referred by her 
family
physician.
A pattern emerges for Scully…
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
RMH Cafeteria, noontime

Scully makes her way down to the cafeteria.  One of the benefits of working 
for a
hospital that can pay well and keep up with required technology is hiring 
enough
staff.  A benefit of enough staff means that they can take breaks and they 
can
end their shifts as scheduled.  It also means generally happy staff and that
translates to well cared for, happy patients.
She goes through the line and grabs a small salad, hard roll and apple.  She
finds Barbara and Don and joins them.  Amazingly, Ritter finds them, too.  
“We’re
going to need a serious talk…”she thinks.
Ritter greets everyone.  He looks like he’s been working hard for his first 
day.
While he appears put together, there are obvious sweat stains under his 
arms;
his well-muscled arms, Scully notices.
Everyone chats as they eat.  Barbara brings up the staff dance tomorrow 
night.
“So, is everyone coming to the dance?  I hear they decorate the cafeteria 
and
hire a great DJ.”  Don and Ritter both nod that they’ll be there.  Scully 
just smiles
and says she’s going to try to be there.
She excuses herself to get some fresh air.  She heads for the parking lot 
and
pulls out her cellphone.  “Mulder.”  It’s only been about 6 hours and she is
thinking how she misses him.  She’s glad she caught him.
“It’s me, Mulder. What’re you doing right now?”
“I was just going to have some lunch and check out the community college 
since
I guess I’ll have to be teaching a class there.  What are you doing, 
Scully?”
“Well, things are going well here, but I am finding some interesting facts 
about
the good doc’s patients.  I’ve made copies of the files and was hoping you’d 
take
a look for me tonight.”
“You know I’d be happy to help out, Scully.  How about we order in pizza at 
my
place and do some work?”
“It’s a deal, Mulder.  I’ll be home around 5.”  She hangs up and heads back 
to
work.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Cable Road, 5P Thursday
Scully has pulled her hair up in a clip, but as the day has worn on and she 
has
worn down, whisps here and there are hanging down her neck.  The wave that
was added along with the color and the early spring warmth of the day have
added ringlet curls here and there.
As she drives home, she tries to clear her head of the hospital, but finds 
it hard to
do.  Her senses have been innudated; patients, new staff, Dr. Baines; Art, 
Ritter
getting in her face once too often, surgery next week to prepare for.  She 
has her
work cut out for her.
Right now, she needs to relax and clear her head before going over the files 
with
Mulder.  She locks the Cherokee in the driveway and heads for the front 
door.
Mulder is waiting for her on the front porch.  He is sitting in a white 
ladder back
rocking chair and smiling at her.  She feels the stress flood out of her as 
she
sees him smile.  God, this man is too much to handle sometimes and at other
times…
“Mulder, you’re looking like the cat who got the canary.  What gives?”  She
smiles back at him as she stands in front of his rocking chair.
“And you, my dear Nurse Katz, look exhausted, but rather pretty.  Come 
here.”
He tells her in a low, monotone voice.  He reaches his hand out toward her 
and
pulls her toward him.
She moves toward him willingly.  “Really Fox, I should get inside and change
before our pizza.”  She half-heartedly tries to back away.
He pulls her gently into his lap and she swings her legs up to hang over the 
arm
of the chair, leaning against his chest.  “Mulder, I could sleep right here, 
right
now.”
“That’s not what I had in mind, Dana.” He continues in the low voice that is 
surely
driving her mad at this point.  She knows her tiredness is compromising her
judgment right now, but she’s not interested in self-chastisement right now,
either.
Mulder pulls the clip from her hair and lets the clip fall to the floor.  He 
runs his
hands through her hair.
“So, Dana, how was your day?”

“Muld—I mean, Fox, it was very hectic, but I’ve started to learn a few 
things I
think we can use.  Can we talk about that later, I’m resting right now and 
I’m
enjoying it way too much to let work interfere.”
Mulder is running his hand through her hair and stroking her face with the 
other.
Scully looks up into his eyes and smiles.  She sits herself upright, leans 
over and
kisses him on the forehead.
“Let me go shower and I’ll meet you in your apartment in a half hour, 
Mul—Fox!”
Damn, she’s having a hard time with the name!
“Dana, are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
“No, not at all, Fox.  It’s what I ‘have’ to do.”
She takes her time getting up.  He remains on the porch a while longer and 
then
heads up to his apartment.  He orders two large pizzas; he’s starving.  He’s
somehow forgotten to eat since coffee this morning.


@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Pizza and Files Chez Fox; 6P
Mulder clears the round oak dining room table and puts a red-checked 
tablecloth
on it.  He grabs some paper plates and napkins and tosses them onto the 
table.
He finds mugs for the beer.
Mulder answers the door. Scully arrives, files in hand.  Her hair is damp 
and
she’s pulled it up again.  She’s wearing grey, dancer sweats; rolled low on 
the hip
and a black, cap sleeve tee.  Mulder lingers on her.  Although her new look 
is
certainly a turn on, it’s moments like this in which he sees the real Scully 
in there.
Without thinking, he smiles at her and thinks, “she’s not wearing a bra”.  
He then
blushes profusely and tries to hide his thoughts.  Scully appears not to 
have
noticed; much.
“Mulder, I hope you haven’t been working too hard on the pizza.  I know how
much you love cooking for me; you wild chef, you!”  Scully smiles 
sarcastically
and walks past him into his apartment.
She deposits the files on the coffee table and sits on the floor.  Mulder 
joins her
on the other side of the table.
“When does the pizza get here, Mulder?”
“Are you that hungry, Scully?”
“I’m starving; it’s been a hectic day.”
“Tell me about your day, Scully.” Mulder says, feeling a little like one 
half of a
couple; not a bad feeling.
“Mulder, I’m really concerned about Ritter. Now, before you go getting all
protective, it’s not like that.  He just seems to forget about his role a 
little too
easily.”  She tells him about their breakfast meeting and his 
overfamiliarity with
her and several instances at the hospital.  She also tells him that she has 
spoken
rather pointedly to Ritter about his slips.
“I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right, but I can’t put 
my finger
on it, Mulder.”
Mulder appears to be deep in thought as he listens to Scully voice her 
concerns.
“Scully, is there a chance that you may be reading more into this?  I mean, 
yeah,
we all know what a bast*** Ritter is; we’ve got his number.  But, is it 
possible he’s
just having a hard time working with us knowing how we feel?  You know that
Skinner wouldn’t purposely set us up.”
Scully smiles briefly.  “Mulder, since when have you been willing to cut 
Ritter
slack.  You’re usually ready to go at him with little provocation!  Plus, 
isn’t it my
job to tell you that you’re reading too much into a situation?”
They both laugh. “Ok, Mulder, I’ll give it another chance.  But, I’m telling 
you, my
guard is up with him.”
“As well it should be Scully, as well it should be.”
They spend the next half hour going through the files.  Mulder also notices 
that
each of the three pre-op patients has no family.  Mulder, ever vigilant, has 
also
picked up on another commonality, although he’s not sure it has any bearing 
on
the case.   All three share the same height and green eye color.  Scully is
impressed with his analytical abilities.  While any of the commonalities 
alone
might be interesting, but not statistically significant, the three 
commonalities
taken together appear to be much more than mere coincidence.
Scully is looking at their test results.  Each has had both CT scans and 
MRIs.
The test results don’t really seem to indicate anything out of the ordinary 
because
those tests are used to diagnose a variety of brain and nerve disorders.
“Mulder, here’s what I’ve got so far:  three patients of varying age, 
weight,
ethnicity with previous good health.  All three have no familiy, are 5’ 8” 
tall, have
green eyes and have had the same diagnostic tests on the same day.  Now,
what does strike me about this scenario is that those are the only two tests
they’ve had. It’s almost as if Baines already knew their condition.”
Mulder is listening intently.  He appreciates Scully’s deductive reasoning 
skills.
“So, Scully, what’s your next step?”
She is concentrating hard.  Jeremy is scheduled for surgery first; on the 
following
Friday; just 7 days away.  The other two are on Monday and Tuesday after
Jeremy.  “I need to meet the other two first.  I don’t have enough to go on. 
  I also
need to get my hands on some of Baines or Barnes former patient files.  Do 
you
think you can work on that part for me while I’m at work?”
“Sure, Scully; I aim to please!”
“You do, Mulder, you do.” She smiles warmly.
They close the files and stack them neatly on the coffee table.  Mulder gets 
up
and puts the news on.  The announcer is finishing a local, Rye story about 
the
hospital, “and their first dance party will be held this Friday night in the 
RMH
cafeteria turned ‘disco’.  Of course, as this is Chief of Staff Dodge’s 
first staff
team builder, this party is not open to the public.  If it goes anything 
like the last
one he threw, who knows if the hospital will open in the morning!  This is 
Daniel
Drew…”  Mulder is no longer listening to the news.  He is all over Scully 
with
questions.  “You didn’t tell me we were going to a dance Friday night, 
Scully!  I
don’t have a thing to wear.”
“Mulder, back up the bus a minute.  You heard the same report I did; 
hospital
staff only.  You can’t risk blowing our covers.”
“I’ve got a great idea, Scully.  While almost everyone is occupied 
downstairs, I
can snoop around the good doc’s office and the ORs. It will be easy to get
around without so many staff underfoot; don’t you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea, Mulder.”
Knock, knock!!  The pizza has arrived; one veggie, one Meat express.  Mulder
grabs a few beers out of the fridge and pours them into the mugs while 
Scully
opens the pizzas.  They both dig in; ravenous.
After at least two pieces each, Mulder asks, “Scully, do you have work this
weekend?”
“Only half day on Sunday, why?”
“Oh, no reason, I was just thinking.” He mutters between bites of pizza.
“When you’re ‘just thinking’ I need to watch out, Mulder.  Out with it.”
“Well, I noticed some nice, craggy, hills near the beach and thought it 
might be
nice to do some beach hiking if the weather’s nice.  What do you think.”
“I think I would like that, Mulder.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Friday morning, 5:30A
“This could get old, fast”, Scully thinks as she throws on her running 
tights and
long sweatshirt.  As she’s tying her running shoes, she decides to take some
music with her this time.  She grabs her CD walkman and puts in her 
beltpack,
inserting the ear buds.  She quietly heads down the stairs and out onto the 
front
porch.
It’s still dark and it’s very quiet.  The sound of the water is soothing; 
not what she
needs right now!
She turns on her Euro Club cd and cranks the volume.  She starts to stretch 
and
then finds herself getting into the steady, repetitive beat.
She heads off; up Cable, across Washington and Lang Roads and out toward
Route 1.  She picks up her pace.  She is much less winded this time and
suddenly finds herself at Foyes Corner again.
“Well, might as well grab breakfast.”  She heads into Foyes Family Bakery.  
The
counter staff recognizes her from yesterday and says ‘hello’.  She orders a 
bowl
of oatmeal with some strawberries and an OJ.  One of the locals she 
remembers
seeing yesterday comes over and sits down beside her.
“Hello, I’m Sandy.”
“Hi, Dana.”
“Um, Dana, you’re new to the area, right?”
“Yes; that’s right.”  Scully isn’t sure where this is going, but has a 
feeling she
should play this one just right.
“Did I overhear you say you’re working at Rye Mercy, with Dr. Baines?”
“Yes, yes you did.  Is there something I can help you with?”
Sandy is clearly striken.  Her jaw has dropped slightly and she is no longer
speaking.
“Are you ok, Sandy?”
“Oh, um, yeah!  How well do you know Dr. Baines?  I mean, I know you’re new
here and he’s relatively new, too.  I was just wondering if you followed him 
here
or just ended up here; you know?”
“Well, actually, I’ve heard of him before, but never worked with him.  I 
knew I was
going to move to the area and found a vacancy posted.  Why do you ask?”
Sandy looks around furtively and leans closer to Scully who has a spoon of
oatmeal halfway to her mouth.
“Um, Dana, I can only say this once and won’t repeat it even if you ask me:  
be
very careful, take every precaution; he is not who he seems to be.  Well, 
nice to
meet you Dana”, she says brightly and walks away.
Scully puts down her spoon of oatmeal and takes a large gulp of OJ.  She 
smiles
at the server, pays her bill and leaves.  She heads home to shower.
Her cd player turned up, she has reached Cable Road again.  She has tried to
forget Sandy’s comments, but keeps re-running them in her head.  She is so 
into
the music and trying to decipher the meaning of the comments, that she does 
not
see the dark shape coming up behind her.  The shape is pacing her; not too
close, not too far away.
She is about halfway down Cable when he runs closer and grabs her arm.  Her
reactions are instantaneous.  She turns quickly and kicks him in the shin.  
She
then sprints to the house.
She can see him under the street lamp, bent over, holding his shin and 
making
little yelping sounds.  She is thinking that running when it’s dark is not 
such a
safe thing to do.
As she turns to head into the house, she hears a familiar voice, “Scully, 
just
‘what’ are you trying to do to me, or, more accurately, what did I do to you 
to
deserve this two mornings in a row?  This is no way to show me you care!”
“Mulder!  Haven’t you learned yet?  You’re trained the same way I am; what 
did
you expect me to do?  I’m alone, it’s dark, someone approaches from behind.
What did you want me to do, stop and ask what you had in mind?”
“I just figured I could get my run in, too.”
“Why didn’t you just come with me, then?”
“Is that an invitation, Scully?”
“Mulder, you ARE absolutely exasperating sometimes—and this is one of those
times!”
“I don’t have many limbs left untouched by you; maybe we could explore the
others now while they’re still in good shape?”  He asks with a sly smile.
“Ok, Mulder, here’s the deal for today.  I go get dressed for work, I go to 
work.
You get dressed, you go get that teaching position at Rye Community College.
You have entirely too much time on your hands for this assignment!  We meet 
for
a quick picnic outside the hospital at noon; emphasis on ‘quick’ and you 
have to
bring the food.  After work, I come home, get changed, go to Disco. Got it,
Mulder?”  Scully is playfully all business.
“Ok, work, RCC, picnic, Disco; wait, Disco?”  Mulder is suddenly all ears.
“Mulder, we already had this discussion; no guests.  You’ll be upstairs 
nosing
around.  Just remember, there will still be a skeletal staff; especially for 
pre and
post op patients.”  Scully heads for the front door before he can react.
“Hey, Scully, if I wear white polyester, will you hustle with me?”
“Mulder, if you wear white polyester, I may have to hurt you. You’re not 
invited,
Mulder!”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
RMH; Friday, 8A
Scully walks into the cafeteria to grab some tea.  She notices some of the
maintenance staff on ladders suspending a mirrored ball from the high point 
of
the ceiling in the center of the room.  Others are mounting the colored and 
strobe
lights from the balcony areas around the perimeter of the high center 
ceiling.
She shakes her head in amusement.  On her way out, she runs into Ritter,
literally.
“Excuse me, Nurse Katz; didn’t mean to get in your way.”
“Oh, that’s alright Peter, and please, call me Dana.”
“So, Dana, are you going to the Disco tonight?”
“Yes, I think I will, although I don’t know where I’m going to find any 70s 
clothing
on such short notice.  How about you?”
“I’ve got by shiny polyester and stretch bells all set.  I’ll save you a 
dance.”  He
walks away before Scully gets a chance to say, “don’t bother”.
She heads up to Med/Surge to start morning rounds.  She stops in Jeremy’s
room, but doesn’t find him there.  She pulls his chart and notes that he’s 
gone for
additional testing.
She next heads over to meet Hilda Yardling, the 78 year old woman.  Hilda is
sitting in a chair by the window, facing the door.  “Hello, Ms. Yardling, 
I’m Dana
Katz, your nurse.”
Hilda simply looks at Scully.  Scully slowly walks into the room, holding 
Hilda’s
chart.  “May I call you Hilda?”  “Yes, I’m Hilda; who are you?”  “I’m you’re 
nurse,
Dana.  Hilda, how are you feeling this morning?”  “Nothing new except for my 
big
headache. Dr. Baines is going to make it all better and then I can go home.”
“Who’s going to be with you at home, Hilda?”  “Oh, no one, I can live by 
myself
once my headache is gone.”
Scully checks her vitals and tells her she’ll be back later.
She moves on to meet Bruce Davidson, the 50 year old male.  He’s sitting in 
his
bed reading.  “Well, aren’t you the cutest little thing to come through that 
door in
days!” he says as a greeting.  “Why thank you, Mr. Davidson.  I’m Dana Katz,
you’re new nurse. How are you feeling today?”  “Oh, fine enough, I guess.  
Just
bored,though, really rather be outside enjoying the spring day, “he says, 
hooking
a finger behind him toward the window.  “Really wish I could at least see
outside.”
“Well, ‘that’ I can fix for you!”  She steps on the lockdown peddle of the 
bed and
then heads behind the headboard. She slowly turns the bed so it is parallel 
to the
window wall, allowing him to look out.  Since this hospital is so 
well-equipped,
there are panels for equipment on each wall making the room arrangement
changeable.
“Well, I’ll be; that’s great, Dana!”  “We aim to please, Mr. Davidson.”  
“Please, call
me Bruce.”
“Bruce, things are looking good right now.  Are you all set for your 
surgery?”
“Yeah, I guess so, “ he looks a little glum at the prospect, but quickly 
brightens
again.
“I’ll be back to see you later.”  Scully heads out to meet the other 
patients on her
floor.
Before she knows it, it’s noontime.  Her beeper goes off and she heads for a
phone at the Nursing Station. “Hey, Dana, it’s me.  Your picnic awaits on 
the
edges of the South lawn.” Mulder hangs up.  Scully smiles and tells the desk 
staff
she’ll be back in an hour.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
South Lawn, RMH, Noontime
Mulder is sitting on his fleece blanket (Scully has visions of the 
planetarium; does
he take that everywhere he goes? She wonders.)  Shocked to see him in off-
white dockers and a white cable knit cotton sweater with the sleeves pushed 
up.
The closest to white she’s ever seen him in was dark tan!  This all-in-white 
look is
a good one for him; he** the man looks good in just about anything…
“Hey, Dana, how was your morning?”  He smiles as he opens the picnic bag.
“Leave it to Mulder to pack a picnic lunch in a bag” she thinks.  “What’ve 
you got
in there, Fox?”
“Well, I have two turkey sandwiches, two salads, two iced teas, and, if 
you’re
really good, some of that fake icecream you seem to like so much.”
“How did it go over at the college, Mulder?  You did go, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did.  I’ll be teaching a two week special section of Advanced Psych 
for
Professor Susan Strand. She wants me to cover Non-Verbal Communication with
her senior psych majors.  You know how good I am at non-verbal
communication, Scully.”
“Don’t go there now, Mulder, but yes, you are very good.  Who’s this 
Professor
Strand?”
“What you really mean, Scully, is ‘what does she look like’?”
“No, well, you can tell me that, too.”  Scully pretends to be very 
interested in
what’s in the picnic bag.
“She’s only been teaching at the college for 5 years now. She’s from London.
She’s about 35 and…”
“That’s enough, Mulder.” Scully is picturing Phoebe Green.
“AND, as I was starting to say, she and her husband are expecting their 
second
child in July.”
Scully laughs and grabs a sandwich and the iced tea.  Between bites she 
says,
“Mulder, you’re going to need to be very careful tonight. I didn’t get a 
chance to
tell you about a strange, pretty one-sided conversation I had with a local 
this
morning at the Bakery.”
“So, talk to me, Scully.” Mulder, already just about finished with his 
sandwich,
opens the salad and starts eating, “just what do you see in this, Scully?”
“Mulder, a woman named Sandy was very concerned that I’m working for Dr.
Baines.  She actually warned me to be very careful around him. I’m thinking
she’s got someone else in mind.”
“Scully, keep your guard up.  I think you can probably recall a character or 
two
you ‘trusted’ who gave you know good reason to?”  Mulder is thinking back to
their early days together with Martin of the Massachusetts Kindred.  Scully 
is not
pleased with the connection he has made, “Mulder, how can you bring him up?
That was very early in my career and he was using some type of chemical
control over me at the time.”
“You didn’t seem so controlled; you seemed about to do the horizontal bop 
with
the man.  Anyway, I’m going to check this character out, too.  It’s just 
what good
Agents do.”
“So, where’s my dessert, Mulder?” Scully smiles and reaches into the picnic 
bag
and pulls a small cup from under the ice packs.  “I’m in heaven, Mulder.” 
She
smiles.
He moves over, still facing her, and kisses her cheek, “So am I, Dana, so am 
I.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Getting Ready to Boogie, 6P Friday
Barbara and a few of the other staff have helped Scully piece together her 
outfit
for tonight.  While the Agents were given a healthy clothing allowance for 
special
circumstances, “Disco clothes” were not on the list.  Scully decides for
“conservatively provocative”.  She’ll wear black satin stretch no-pocket 
jeans cut
a little low through the waist, a cap sleeved low-cut front and back deep 
pink
stretch satin top and some black patent platforms.  She again sweeps one 
side of
her hair up, but this time, clips it with a large rhinestone barrett.  She’s 
only
partially dried her hair so it’s curlier than usual.  She ditches the pearl 
jewelry just
this once and opts for a black velvet ribbon close around here neck and tiny
rhinestone studs.  Since it will be rather dark, she opts for a little more 
make-up.
A quick spritz of  Jovan’s Night Musk and Dana Katz is ready to 
boogie-oogie-
oogie.
She grabs a small purse and her black leather jacket and heads for the door.
Just as she opens it, she finds Mulder about to knock.
“Whoa!  Is that really you, Scully?”

“No, Fox; it’s me, Dana.”  She smiles at his reaction to her. “Where are you 
going
all decked out?  You seem a tad over-dressed for ‘snooping’ around Mercy, 
don’t
you?”  She raises her eyebrow, arms folded across her chest and waits for 
his
answer.  She wonders whether he’ll take a while to make up a good one or 
just
tell her the truth.  He opts for door number 2.
“Well, Dana, I figured I could do some snooping and then maybe just stop by,
you know, give you a ride home?”  He’s wearing a black polyester suit right 
out of
Saturday Night Fever and she has absolutely no idea where he could have 
found
it.  He also has on a dark blue, paisley shirt unbuttoned almost to his 
waist with
the long, pointed collar laying over the lapels to the suit jacket.  He’s 
wearing
what she calls, “strutting boots” a la John Travolta.
“Fox, don’t you think you might be just a little obvious on the Med/Surge 
floor in
that get-up?”
“Dana, Dana, Dana, how little you think of my abilities as an Agent, “ he 
shakes
his head from side-side in mock disappointment, “this is for later.  I have 
‘this’ for
snooping.” He pulls a large black tee from behind his back.
“Oh, yeah, you’re prepared, Fox.”  She gives him a small smile and heads for 
the
stairs.
“I’ll drive, Dana.”
“No, you’ll call a cab.  We can’t go together.”
He’s watching her walk down the stairs and admiring her parting view.  “Hey,
Dana, for old time’s sake, you know, me and you being such good friends and
all…”  As she steps into the parlor, he takes her jacket and purse out of 
her
hands and puts them on the chair.  He takes her hands, places them on his
shoulders and whispers in her ear, “Wanna get down tonight, Lady Marmalade?”
Before she can laugh or reply, he kisses her earlobe and then kisses her 
lips.
“None of that close ‘bump’ stuff, Dana.”
She smiles, grabs her jacket and purse and opens the door.  On her way out, 
she
points her index finger and waves it up and down in the air, and say, “ooh, 
ooh”.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Fox Undercover; RMH Med/Surge Floor, 8P Friday Night
“Dana Scully, Dana Katz, Scully, Katz…” Mulder is waiting for the cab.  “How
many more sides of her am I going to find…” He’s thinking that he could use 
a
few hours of routine, Bureau work.  They have a serious case to unravel and
there seem to be quite a few threads.  He likes the challenge of this case; 
their
new roles, the setting.  He is, in part, living some of his fantasies where 
Scully is
concerned.  Many opportunities.  Not enough time.  Needing to stay on his 
mark.
Needing to find her mark.
The cab arrives.  It’s a short trip to RMH.  As the cab pulls up to the 
front
entrance, Mulder can already hear the pulsing rhythms and see the strobes 
and
colored lights.  The cafeteria is to the right of the entrance and its 
windows
continue around the east side of the building.
He decides against using the main entrance.  As he walks around the outside 
of
the cafeteria, he finds one of the side exit doors propped open.  Thinking 
he
might be able to check things out, he quietly slips inside.  He finds a 
stairway to
the overhead balcony and ascends. He walks around until he finds a good
vantage point.  He leans onto the railing and looks down.
More and more staff are arriving.  As he looks toward the main doors, he 
thinks
he sees Ritter and almost looses his own balance from laughing so hard.  He
gives Ritter credit; he has really gotten into the mood of the evening!  
Ritter is
decked out in a totally white polyester suit with a shiny black shirt styled 
much
like Mulder’s dark blue shirt.  If Ritter’s pants were any tighter, he might 
need a
gender change.  Ritter is literally swaggering around.  Ritter finds some 
staff he
seems to know; a man and a woman.
Mulder is looking for Scully, but hasn’t found her in the ever-growing 
crowds.
Just as he’s about to head up to Med/Surge, he notices the man and woman
grabbing Ritter’s arm and pointing away from them.  Mulder follows their 
gazes to
the main entrance doors.  Scully is walking in with someone.  From the 
briefing
description and Scully’s, it appears that this is Dr. Baines.  Mulder 
experiences a
slight pang somewhere deep inside.  Scully plays her role well, he’ll give 
her that.
The look on Dr. Baines’ face says he’d like to give her a thing or two, as 
well.
Mulder decides it’s time to get to work.  He knows Scully can take care of 
herself.
Mulder pulls out a copy of the Med/Surge floorplans.  He locates Dr. Baines’
office suite.  He decides to take the back staircase so he won’t alert 
anyone to
his presence.  Scully told him there will be skeletal staff only, so he 
won’t have to
dodge too many personnel.
He quickly finds his way into the office suite.  This hospital is “rich” in 
everyway
he thinks as he looks around.  Even with minimal lighting, Mulder can tell 
that the
furnishings are not cheap.  He follows the small reception area to the 
smaller
office to its left.  The door plaque reads, “Chief Medical/Surgical Nurse; 
Dana
Katz”.  Mulder’s curiousity gets the better of him.  He enters.  Since it is 
an
internal office, he risks turning on her desk lamp.  Scully with a real desk 
all her
own.  He sits in her desk chair and looks at the pictures she has on the 
desk.
She has a fictious “family” picture; no need to risk her real family.  He is 
very
surprised to find a Fox Masters picture on her desk.  It is a copy of the 
picture
taken by the Deep Missions Office for their files.  The picture is only a 
3X5 and is
situated so only she can see it, but it still concerns him.  He places it in 
her top
desk drawer and exits her office.
Dr. Baines’ office is located through a small hallway behind the reception 
area.
His office is larger than Scully’s and the reception area combined.  Not 
wanting to
waste anymore time, because he knows he’s going to find his way into that 
damn
Disco and to Scully—under the pretense of having to know more about this Dr.
Baines—he heads for the files.  He pulls the files for each of the three 
patients
slated for surgery next week.  As he reads each of their files, he initially 
notices
nothing out of the ordinary.  That is, until he reaches the bottom of each 
under,
“Other notes:”  He finds a mysterious set of words that at first appears to 
be
“doctor’s handwriting”.  Upon further inspection, he realizes that it says, 
“transfer
substation 48hrs stat, subdermal temporal factor .08 solution”.  Although it 
is still
mostly greek to him, Mulder now believes he has some solid proof about the
post-recovery involvement of Dr. Baines.  He makes a copy of each file and
returns them to the filing cabinet.  Scully will make sense of this, he is 
sure.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
RMH Disco A-Go-Go, 9:30P Friday
Mulder heads back down the stairwell, stopping briefly to retrieve his satin 
shirt
and jacket from the corner he left them in on the way up.  He heads out to 
the
parking lot to toss his tee shirt in the Cherokee.  He decides the balcony 
might be
a good place to start his entrance.  From that vantage point, he can scope 
out
the scene (“where did that language come from, Mulder?” ) before he enters 
it.
As he walks in, he hears the question, ‘Voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce 
soir?
Voulez vous coucher avec moi?”  So, who’s reading your mind, Fox? The whole
floor below him seems to be alive and moving to the beat.  The lights are 
pulsing,
the mirrored balls reflecting the light in strange ways.
He notices Ritter’s stark, white suit.  The man knows how to dance…With 
Scully!
They are both moving quite well to the beat; knees bent, hips low, arms
overhead.  Ritter is using his two index fingers, crossing them in front of 
him in
that Travolta sort of way.  Mulder wants to laugh.  Then Ritter is trying to 
cross
them behind Scully’s back.  She is but a mere sliver of a shape so close to
Ritter’s body, arms over her head, head thrown back, smiling.
As the song shifts to “Don’t Leave Me this Way”, Dr. Baines cuts in on 
Ritter.
Ritter smiles good naturedly and finds someone else to dance with.
Baines is holding Scully’s hand, pulling her toward him and then moving her
away again.  He spins her once, twice.    The man and woman he saw talking 
to
Ritter earlier come up to Baines and Scully.  The four stop to talk.

The music slows down.  “Pick Up the Pieces” is being mixed in to “Don’t 
Leave
me this Way”.  Scully and the other woman, still talking with the man and 
Dr.
Baines, start to do the bump with each other.  This seems to attract some
attention.  Quite a few others are dancing near them, but they stop to 
watch.  The
woman is about an inch of two taller than Scully and as blond as Scully is
temporarily-brunette.  She has a little more weight on her, but is every bit 
as
curvaceous.  Mulder wonders how their knees allow them to bump so low to the
ground. Mulder also wonders what it would feel like to be very close to 
Scully as
she bumps…

Mulder starts to head downstairs.  He decides he very much wants to enjoy 
this
party with Scully, not watch her enjoy it with everyone else.
As “Rock the Boat” plays, two lines form.  Two by two, dancers start moving
down the middle showing their most creative moves.  Baines and Ritter both
approach Scully at the same time, but the other man gets to her first.  
Scully acts
like she knows him.  They start out holding hands; both with arms overheard,
facing opposite directions, letting arms cross behind them.  They step 
apart, each
dancing on her and his own.  He comes up behind her, pulls her hips to him 
and
shimmies toward the floor and back up.  They’ve reached the end of the line.
Mulder realizes that he is experiencing many reactions right now; most of 
them
possibly resulting in a few bruised men if he acts upon reactions.  His 
rational
side is keenly aware of their roles here and realizes his downright jealousy 
and
protectiveness have no place here.  Many of his other sides are arguing with 
his
rational side and telling him to get to Scully before he has to watch 
anymore.
Ritter starts walking toward Scully as the music changes to the Bee Gees
singing, “More than a Woman”.  Mulder has seen enough.  He smoothly walks up
to Ritter, smiles, shakes his hand as if in greeting and then smiles at 
Scully.
He sees surprise and anger flash across her face.  He knows she is concerned
about their covers.  He also knows he has a cover that includes a prior
relationship with her.  He only broke the “no guest at the party” rule.  He 
takes
ahold of her hands and smiles again.  She is trying to pull away from him 
without
causing a scene.
She leans in close, he gets the wrong idea.  “What are you DOING here?” she
demands in a hoarse whisper.  “Are you trying to purposely cause a scene?”
She is smiling, but he can still see the anger in her eyes.  They are both 
dancing
to the beat.  She is trying very hard to be uncooperative.
He leans in to her other ear and bitingly says, “I’m causing a scene?!?  Who 
is it
that has my picture on her desk?”
“What were you doing in my office?”
Mulder twirls her and comes out of it with his arm around her waist, 
“walking” her
around by his side, and then twirls her again. “Dana, why don’t you just 
introduce
me to your friends?”  He can feel her breathing very hard attempting to 
diffuse
her anger toward him.  He is thinking, “Guess who doesn’t have an icecube’s
chance in he** of getting anything tonight, Mulder?”
She realizes that he’s partially right; all he did was crash the dance.  She 
just
wishes that he hadn’t come in the way he did.  He has a way of jolting her 
senses
that makes it hard to think.  She suddenly looks at him in his Disco finery 
and
realizes that he’s chosen colors he usually wears to work; she’s seeing the 
70s
version of Mulder the FBI Agent!  She starts to laugh.  He mistakes her 
laugh for
acquiesence.
She decides to push her anger aside for awhile and enjoy the dance.  
Afterall it
IS Mulder she’s dancing with.  He senses her body relaxing.  He places his
hands on her shoulders and steps away from her briefly.  Her platform shoes
bring her almost to his eye level.  He looks at her questioningly and 
smiles, “Shall
we continue to dance, Dana?” In response, she reaches her arms around under
his jacket.  He places his arms around her waist, his hands landing on her 
velvet
clad hips.  He leads her farther from the middle of the room.  “Scully?”  
She
glares briefly at him.  “Dana?”  He tries again.  She looks into his eyes 
and
smiles.  His hands move up her body and into her hair.  His lips find hers. 
Her
lips part and she tastes him, feeling her own body respond with heat and… 
“Hey,
here they are.  I told you I saw them over here.”  It’s Ritter..
<Talk about ‘interruptus’…> Mulder, still holding onto Scully tightly, turns 
to
seethe at Ritter.  When Ritter is close enough to hear, Mulder fumes, “This 
had
better be VERY good, Rodent!”  Scully playfully slaps Mulder on his butt.
“Ok, I’ll make the introductions,” Ritter continues, not missing a beat. He
introduces Mulder as a good friend of Scully’s who lives in her apartment 
building
on Cable Road.  Barbara and Don shake hands with him immediately.
“Welcome, Mr. Masters.”
“Please, call me ‘Fox’.”
Ritter steps up and says, “’Fox’; what an interesting name that it.  Were 
you
parents animal lovers?”
Scully quickly holds Mulder’s hand and puts it around her waist.  “Actually, 
Mr.
Rodent, I am so sorry, Mr. RoDEN, my parents simply liked the name; it was 
as
unique as they knew I would become.”  Mulder demonstrates true grace under
fire.  Scully gives his hand a reassuring squeeze and smiles at him.  She 
thinks,
“Jesus, Mulder, you can be truly amazing when you want to be.”
Barbara takes a step toward Mulder leaving Don standing alone.  “So, what do
you do, Fox?”
“Well, I’m about to teach a two week session for a Psychology class at the
community college.”
“Oh, really.  Psychology was my favorite course.  What will you be 
teaching?”
Scully rolls her eyes at the obvious come on, but also wonders what’s going 
on.
Mulder smiles and holds onto Scully a little tighter, sensing her
uncomfortableness with Barbara’s blatant flirting.  “I’ll be teaching a 
section on
reading body language.”
Barbara doesn’t miss a beat, “What is my body saying to you right now, Fox?”
Just then, Barry White’s low, deep gravelly voice starts to sing a very 
slow,
dripping with heavy innuendo song.  Barbara is standing close to Mulder and
Scully, one hip thrust forward toward Mulder, shoulders back and down and 
one
hand on her hip.
Dr. Baines approaches her from behind and invites her to dance, much to 
Don’s
surprise.  If pouts could wound, Dr. Baines would need a bandage.  He
nonetheless leads her to the dance floor.
Mulder, oblivious to Ritter and Don, pulls Scully to face him.  Ritter and 
Don head
off to find  dance partners.  Ritter keeps his eyes on Mulder and Scully.
Mulder moves Scully onto the dance floor, almost dragging her, albeit 
willingly.
Barry White’s music is like sex on the dancefloor muses Mulder silently. He
reaches both hands to Scully’s backside and gently squeezes, pulling her 
even
closer.
She is having flashbacks to their night at the Planetarium.  She is very 
turned on
and reaches her arms up around his neck.  They look at each other, catching
glimpses of each others’ eyes as the strobes and colored gel lights cross 
their
faces.  The beat is getting heavier and the song thankfully refuses to end.
Ritter is standing by the dancefloor pretending to listen to a woman who 
appears
to be attracted to him.  He really needs some concrete evidence to support 
his
claim to Kersh that there is a personal relationship going on between the 
two
Agents, but he knows this situation won’t do it.  They could justifiably 
claim they
were “in character”.
Meanwhile, Mulder moves them deeper into the gyrating, pulsating throng of
dancers.  Scully moves her hands to Mulder’s satin shirt and unbuttons it to 
his
waist.  Mulder is clearly surprised; he takes a sudden breath.  She runs her
hands over his abs and his chest.  She then rebuttons his shirt and smiles 
up at
him.

He leans toward her ear and says loud enough to be heard over the music, 
“You
know, Scully, I still need to even this score.  You are making it harder on 
yourself
with each  little flag on the play…”  He moves his hands to her waist and 
across
her back.  The smooth satin shirt moves over her back easily.  As she’s 
pressed
close to him, he keeps one hand on her back and moves the other to her neck.
She looks up at him and smiles.  “Mulder, I know exactly what I’m doing.”  
She
raises on to her toes, although with her platforms, she easily reaches him
anyway, and kisses him playfully.  He, however, takes her face in both hands 
and
kisses her a little more roughly.  Her reaction is to push herself against 
him even
closer.

“Scully, I think we’re demonstrating more than ‘good friends’ behavior; 
don’t
you?”
Scully unwillingly pulls back a little.  Mulder is right; she’s risking 
their covers.
But so is he!
“Mulder, how is it we keep finding ourselves in these ‘close call’ 
situations?  Have
you noticed that’s happening a lot lately?”
“Oh, I’m noticing Scully, I’m noticing.”
Before they can risk further discovery, the Ohio Players jumping rhythms of 
“Love
Rollercoaster” cut in.  “Maybe we should call it a night, Mulder?”  Scully 
is
readjusting her shirt.  She reaches over and touches Mulder’s face briefly,
smiling.
They start to make the rounds to say good night.  Dr. Baines finds them 
first.
“Leaving so soon, Dana, Fox?  I hope you had a good time.  I’m glad you 
could
join us, Fox.  I mean every party should have at least one crasher, right?”  
Scully
cannot tell if Baines is totally joking.  “I’m sorry, Art; I tried to tell 
him it was staff
only!”
“Look, Dr. Baines, this is all my fault. Dana put the fear of God into me 
about
showing up.  I just couldn’t help myself.”
“Well, think no more of it, Fox.  Good luck with your course over at the 
College.”
Mulder is practicing for his course.  He thinks that there is a definite 
lack of one-
one correspondance between Baines’ words and his body language.  The body
is saying, “I didn’t like you being here.” One of Baines’ eyebrows is raised
skeptically, his arms are crossed; he is about as “closed” as a body can get 
and
still be visible!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
55 Cable Road, Midnight Friday
Mulder and Scully walk out to the Cherokee hand in hand.  They notice the 
quiet
night, the dark sky.  The only light other than the stars are the parking 
lot lamps
set not much higher than Mulder is tall.
Neither needs to speak.  Both are content with each other’s silence.
“Mulder, you—“  “Scully, I’m—“  They both laugh.  It is often this way; one 
knows
what the other will say; neither need to speak.
Scully is half asleep.  Mulder wishes he were.
They’re home.  Mulder sees that Scully is sound asleep.  He is hesitant to 
wake
her.  He opens her door and leans in to lift her out.  He has one arm behind 
her
back and under her arms and is reaching under her legs with the other.  Her 
satin
shirt is warm, yet slippery, against his arm.  She is very warm in his arm.
She is somewhere halfway between asleep and partially awake when she feels
him close. Her arms automatically encircle his neck, her had resting on his
shoulder.  She is awake enough to enjoy the wild sensations and asleep 
enough
to love the dream.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Upstairs and Downstairs, 55 Cable Road, Saturday morning 8A
Downstairs, Mulder is trying hard not to wake from his dream.  Scully is in 
his
arm, he is lifting her onto his bed.  She is nibbling his ear lobe.  She is 
whispering
to him how much she wants him.  He is lowering her gently on to his bed.  He 
is
lowering himself on top of her, his hungry mouth findng hers roughly.  She 
is
responding.  She is beeping in his ear.  “Beeping in my ear?”  Mulder 
reaches
over to swat at the alarm clock.  He succeeds in shutting off and sends it 
flying
into the wall.
He needs an extremely cold shower.  He needs Scully.  He sets the shower
nozzle on driving spikes of water…
Upstairs, the warm water is being shut off as Scully steps out of the 
shower.  Her
running has become a short term habit.  She awakens later since she doesn’t
have to work today, but she decides to run.  She’s running because she likes 
it.
Running is good for her cardiovascular system.  Running clears the mind.
Mulder snuck up on her last time she was running.  Running.  Mulder.  
Mulder.
“Gotta run”.
She tries to head quietly down the stairs.  Surely he won’t be awake this 
early on
a Saturday.  She knows he’d probably live in his bed until noon if not for 
his job.
She makes it outside and heads off through the back yard toward the beach.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Body Language Beach, Later than 8A
She is experiencing the runner’s trance; steady padding of shoes on sand, 
low,
early spring morning fog and mist enrobe her.  The beach looks endless.
Autopilot runner; Scully.
A momentary shiver runs through her.  Her mind, as if connected by unseen
tendrils, floats back to Mulder.  There is much and little unresolved 
between
them.  There is chemistry between them; it’s like beads of water on a 
sizzling
frying pan.  Deeper, there is an unshakeable trust they share.  Yet, she 
keeps
some fence gates closed over her emotions.  She does not trust easily; yet 
she
trusts him implicitly.  She senses the same from him to her.  She is not 
sure what
she is afraid of.  She is afraid of the immensity of feelings.
She is in the midst of deeper, early morning fog.  She has run farther than 
she
knows; Maine can’t be far!  She continues.  She is on the coast, she cannot 
run
out of beach.  She hears only the occasional seagull.  She notices a few 
pine
trees in small stands; three or four here, seven or eight there.  As she 
runs past a
small stand, she notices a sign post, “Wallis Sands State Beach”.  She has 
run
almost ten miles.
She explores the area closer to the water although she cannot make out much
past her arm’s length due to the heavy fog.  She can feel it wet on her 
face.  Her
hair hangs in wet ringlets around her face.  Her light weight sweats are 
lightly
clinging to her skin.
She is thinking about how easy it is to become disoriented in such deep fog 
when
she hears a rustling in the trees.  It is almost a whisper through the 
pines.  She
turns slowly in each direction, trying to sense the location of the sound.
Out of habit, she reaches for the weapon that is not there.  She is cautious 
and
her adrenaline is pumping; preparing her for flight or fight.
She hears breathing and reasons that if she can hear the breathing, this 
person
or animal has been running recently.  She tries very hard to control hers.
Although she is no longer running, her mounting anxiety level has kept her
breathing shallow and quick.
She starts to back away from the sounds.  As her shoe hits much softer and
yielding sand, she realizes she has moved too close to the water’s edge.  
She
heads farther up the beach until she comes to a clearing. “Great; visiblity 
for me
and my stalker.”  She finds a few pieces of broken driftwood and grabs a 
hefty
piece.  She heads back toward the small stands of pines.  She finds a 
defensable
position in a stand of seven or eight trees, holding her driftwood in front 
of her.
She slows her breathing and remains still and silent.
She senses someone moving up from behind, but her right shoe is wedged
between to tree trunks.  She quickly unties both shoes and, with a firm 
grasp on
the wood, runs for it. Her wet, stockinged feet are kicking small clumps of 
sand
up behind her; she is moving at the speed of light.
“Scully, slow down; you’re going to trip.”
She whirls around, dark eyes flashing extreme anger. She cannot speak she is
so angry.  This man, the subject of her running reveries, her fantasies, her 
career
is running three for three.  “He has the knack, oh yeah, he does.”
“Whoa, Scully, no shin kicks, no karate, put down the driftwood and no one 
gets
hurt; especially me!”  Mulder is walking toward her slowly, observing her 
body
language.  Still he tries to talk his way out of the situation, “Ok, Scully, 
I’m
reading a little bit of a defensive posture here, go with me on this one.  
I’m
reading maybe a smidgen of anger, laced with a fine line between wishing me
dead and wishing me on my back in the sand. How am I doing; close?”
Scully thinks that he has read her very clearly indeed.  She is not even 
sure
which wish for him comes first; “ok, let’s be honest, a dead Mulder would 
just be
no fun, supine in the sand is so much better.”

He is taking in their surroundings and her.  She looks beyond beautiful; 
wet,
angry, damp sweats clinging to her hips, her chest, driftwood sword still 
held
tightly in her hand.  “Maybe we both belong in the sand.” Mulder thinks as 
he
walks closer to her.
“Don’t do it, Mulder.  You are on very thin ice.  I do not understand why 
the h3**
you can’t just say you want to run with me.  This is three mornings in a 
row!  I
didn’t want to believe it was you, Mulder.  I thought, ‘oh, no, he’d never 
do that to
me; especially after my reactions the first two times.’  How wrong could I 
be?
Just tell me, Mulder.  I’m waiting.”
“And, Scully, you’re going to keep waiting till you give me a chance to get 
a word
in edgewise,” he says quietly as he approaches her, arms open at his sides.
“Don’t give me that ‘open, trusting posture’, Mulder.  I want an 
explanation.”
Scully is still visibly angry and, although she has not lost control, she 
has lowered
her voice level some.  As he approaches, she backs away.  She runs into
something and stops.  She turns slightly to get a look.  It is a large 
driftwood log
with several branches poking off it it toward one end.  She sits down toward 
the
end away from the branches and catches her breath.  She wonders how many
more mornings of getting up early, running and being caught off guard with
Mulder her poor heart will take.

He sits down next to her and swings his legs over the log until he is 
straddling it.
He reaches one hand toward her, but says nothing.  His eyebrows are raised 
and
his head is tilted slightly to one side; a question, an invitation.  RSVP?
Scully lets the driftwood sword drop to the sand and looks at Mulder.  She 
sees
the sincerity in his eyes, makes note of his invitation, decides to RSVP.  
She
turns to face him and holds his hand, “my reply is ‘yes’”, she smile.
As she turns toward him and moves closer, he pulls her toward him until she 
has
her back to him, his legs on either side of hers as she leans back against 
him.
She holds his hands in hers and he places them on her thighs.  Oh, God, how
she wants to just melt into him.  She knows it would take very little to do 
so.
First things first, however.  “Mulder, please help me understand why you 
follow
me.  I’m at a loss to figure out why you seem to get perverse pleasure out 
of
scaring the wits out of me.”
“Scully, do you honestly think that was my intent?”
“Mulder, what am I supposed to think when it’s happened three days in a row? 
  I
mean, once, it’s kind of cute, twice it becomes annoying, three times, a 
little jail
cell could be your new home.”
“I just didn’t want to bother you.  Oh, he!!, what am I saying.  I just 
wanted to be
with you.”
Before they can continue, they glimpse someone in the stands of pine trees.  
The
sun is starting to melt the fog, sending golden haze across the sand and 
water.
“Muld—“  “Shh, Scully.”  Mulder sits Scully up and then he gets off the log. 
  He
looks toward Scully, motioning with his finger to his lips.
Mulder walks toward the trees.  Scully watches his back and follows.  As 
they
near the trees, Ritter steps out, hands held up in front.
“Ritter, what are you doing here?” Scully beats Mulder to the question.
“I need to warn you both; Baines is very suspicious.”
“What are you talking about?  We’re supposed to have a relationship.”  
Mulder
snarls, suspecting Ritter of who knows what.
Scully walks toward Ritter and glances back at Mulder.  “Tell us what you 
know,
Agent.”
“After you two left the dance, me, Don and Barbara were hanging around 
talking
and dancing.  Baines approached us and started out just chatting.  He danced
with Barbara and then stayed with us.  He tried to be casual about it, but 
didn’t
succeed.  He asked me specifically who you are, Mulder.  He was very 
interested
in your background.  He also wanted to know just how well you know Scully.”
“What else do you think he knows or suspects?” Mulder asks.
“He told us about a possible break in to his office suite during the dance; 
right
before you showed up to crash the party. His words, not mine.”
“Mulder, this isnt good.  We better get back and figure this out.”  Scully 
is clearly
worried that their covers may be blown.
“I can give you both a lift to town if you’d like.”  Ritter offers.
Mulder, ever the skeptic, declines for them both, “We’ll walk, thanks.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Heading Home
“I just don’t get him, Scully.  He’s after something, he’s dogging us.  Then 
he’s
playing Agent of the Year, tipping us off.”
“I know, Mulder, I know.  I have the same doubts and questions.”
They’re walking along the beach; almost back to Cable Road.
“What’s your read on Baines, Scully?”
“Oh, he’s everything he claims to be medically; genuis, brilliant.  There’s 
an edge
there, though.  He treats all staff with respect; I can feel the sincerity.  
But, it just
doesn’t jive with what we suspect.  I do think Ritter was really trying to 
warn us.
Baines wasn’t exactly friendly to you, Mulder.”
“I think we play this one by the book.  Blowing our covers too early and 
calling in
the big guns isn’t going to get the same results.”
“Agreed.”
The sun has really started to burn off the haze.  The sunrise to their right 
over the
water is almost complete.
As they are talking, they don’t intially notice just how close the water’s 
edge they
are.  More accurately, how close to the water’s edge Scully is.
“How about an early morning swim, Scully?” Mulder smiles playfully in her
direction.  He nudges her closer to the gentle white surf foaming near her 
feet.
“Mulder, it’s April, it’s northern New England.  Do you know how cold that 
water
is?  I’d be blue in an instant.”
“Yes, you would be, wouldn’t you?”  Mischief lights his face as his left arm 
is
pushing her right arm.  She is off balance and trying to push back.
Since her arm does not provide enough leverage, she puts both hands on his 
hip
and shoves him away from the water; and her.
“Sccuuullllly; whoa.  I really think a swim is just the thing. A nice, 
bracing,
saltwater dip.  Does a body good!”  With that last statement, he comes up 
behind
her, his hands on her shoulders, and tries to push her into the water.
She digs her feet into the sand to stand her ground.  An idea surfaces.  She
allows him to “push” her closer to the water.  She pretends to be concerned,
muttering plaintive cries about not wanting to get her hair and clothing 
wet.
Mulder is buying it, “Scully, I can’t do much about your hair, but if you 
want to
stop to remove your clothes, I’ll wait.”
Scully seizes her advantage.  She stops. Mulder lets her go.  She pretends 
to
pull her sweatshirt up over her head.  Mulder is relaxed just enough.

She drops her shirt, runs behind him.  She puts her weight into his hips and
sends him sailing into the water.  He ends up running forward into the surf.
Although he’s moving too fast to stop completely, he does manage to grab
Scully’s hand so she joins him.
They both end up sitting in the surf, totally drenched.  The water is cold 
enough
to bring goosebumps.
“Mulder!”
“Scully!”
“Ok, Mulder, you truly are the king of the practical joke; I concede.”
“Scully, remember, it’s me, Mulder; I know you don’t believe one word you 
just
said.  I’m thinking you need to lie back and get some rest.”  He pushes her
backwards so the water rushes over her.  She quickly sits up, sputtering 
water at
him.  Mulder notices that her lightweight sweats are almost completely stuck 
to
her body.
“Mulder, I’m frozen.  Please, let’s go get dry.”  He pulls her into his arms 
to help
“warm” her.  From two cold, wet bodies, warmth ensues…

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
55 Cable Road, Saturday, 9A
The two, very wet, Special Agents try to squeeze some of the water out of 
their
clothing before walking on the hardwood floors of the house.  Mulder reaches 
for
the hem of Scully’s sweatshirt, “I could give you a hand, Scully.”
“No thank you, Mulder, you’ve already ‘given’ me so much this morning 
already.
I wouldn’t want to appear greedy.”  With that, she heads inside and 
upstairs.
Mulder follows.
As he reaches his apartment, he calls out to her, “Scully, I’m going to run 
in and
grab the information I copied from Baines’ file for you before you head up.  
Can
you wait just a minute?”
Scully waits in the hallway.
Mulder returns and gives her the information he copied, “transfer substation
48hrs stat, subdermal temporal factor .08 solution”.  “I can figure out the 
first part,
Scully, but what the heck is a subdermal temporal factor in some weak 
solution?”
Scully wrinkles the bridge of her nose as she puzzles the information.  
“Well,
Mulder it looks to me as if Baines is using a specialized cloning solution 
to affect
the temporal lobes of the patient’s brain.  The temporal lobe is responsible 
for
memory function. This solution may somehow be involved in enhancing its
function.  The 48 hour notation may be the time period the cloning factor 
needs
to have an effect.  The information though is not proof of anything; 
possibly
assumptive.  I need hard facts, Mulder. We’ve got to do better than this.”
“Ok, how about I get cleaned up and head back over.  You said Baines isn’t 
due
in until late this afternoon.  I’ll go see what I can find.  We can get 
together
downtown at lunchtime.”
“Mulder, be careful.  You know that Baines is suspicious already, but you 
don’t
know if he merely suspects or already knows.  If any of what I’ve heard and 
been
warned about is accurate, you could be walking into a trap.”  She places her
hand on his arm and looks into his eyes.
“Scully, you know I’m always careful.  Ok, I take that back, you know I 
always try
to be careful.  Now, go take a hot bath, you’re freezing!  Much as I’d love 
to warm
you up, I know you’ll just say, ‘Mulder, we’ve got work to do’”.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Downtown, Saturday, 11:30A
Scully decides to walk to Washington Street a little early and wait for 
Mulder to
join her.  The spring air is warm, but with that slight New England chill 
still in the
air.  This is turning into quite the case.  She has been on stake outs with 
Mulder
before, but this is their first long term undercover work.  It has 
rejunvenated her
interest in the Bureau.  The closeness of their situation is not lost on 
her, either.
She reflects that neither one of them is having any difficulty staying in 
character.
The living situation is perfect. “Perfect” for what, Scully?
She has wandered west on Washington and realizes she’s heading toward the
outskirts of town.  It’s almost noontime and she hasn’t seen the Cherokee
anywhere.  She dials Mulder’s cellphone, “the celluar customer you are 
trying to
reach is not available.”  Scully is at first angry that he left the phone 
off.  She then
experiences that sharp little pang of anxiety in her chest.  It quickly 
moves to her
throat.  She is worried.
While Mulder is not known for his punctuality, he’s been at RMH for over two
hours.  Unless he decided to perform surgery, there is no good explanation 
for
his absence.
She calls a cab.  “Rye Mercy Hospital, as fast as you can get there.”
“Easy lady, it’s only a ten minute ride.  You must be from the big city, 
maybe New
York?”  The cabbie drones on, but Scully isn’t listening.


@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
RMH, Saturday 11:30A
Mulder is trying to open his eyes in the darkness.  They will not open more 
than a
fraction.  They will not focus.  He realizes he is blindfolded.  His jaw is 
extremely
hot and sore as he tries to move his mouth.  The cloth pulled tightly 
between his
lips and fastened behind his head does not allow much movement.
He continues his situation assessment.  His hands and feet are bound with
something that feels like duct tape.  He wriggles his fingers to regain some 
of the
feeling in them.  He is barefoot, but otherwise fully clothed.  His ribs 
cause him to
attempt to cry out whenever he tries to move.  He leans against the wall, 
trying to
stand.  He slides back down the wall. Lying instead on his side, he pushes
himself forward, trying to explore his captivity.  “Scully’s going to be 
mighty
hungry by the time I get out of here.”  He tries to remember what happened.
He went up to Baines’ office.  He started looking through the doctor’s desk 
files
this time.  He heard someone coming and decided to leave.  He went into the
stairwell.  The lights went out.  Sounds behind him on the stairs.  A couple 
of jabs
to his ribs; one to his face.  He is in this room.  He’s pretty sure he’s in 
the
hospital still.  He can smell faint cleaning fluids and disinfectant.
He tries to stand again on the other side of the room.  This time, he makes 
it.  He
half jumps and half slides against the wall in search of the door or another 
exit.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

RMH, Saturday, noontime
Scully enters through a back, staff entrance and heads for the staff lounge. 
  She
is not sure where she wants to go first.  She cannot imagine Mulder still 
upstairs
after all this time.  The lounge is specially shielded, allowing her use of 
her
cellphone.  She calls Field Agent Ritter.  He has not seen Mulder today and
expresses concern.  He offers to assist Scully.  She tells him she’ll be 
back in
touch.
Wondering where she would end up as the result of foul play, she heads for 
the
basement.  Ritter is not working today, so she knows she won’t run into him.
Other than emergency lighting, the basement appears to be in a blackout.  
She
tries the light switches. No change.  She draws her weapon.
She can hear the steam hissing in the overhead pipes.  She can smell the
disinfectants and cleaning fluids.  She wants nothing more than to call out 
his
name, but is afraid she may alert his assailants if they are still there.
She finds Ritter’s office, but the door is locked.  She moves farther down 
the
hallway, feeling her way along.  She reaches another door.  It’s unlocked.  
She
walks in, but the room is empty.  She hears heavy footfalls in the hallway.  
Her
breath catches in her chest.  Her weapon is cocked.  She walks back toward 
the
door to the hallway.  Raises her weapon to shoulder level and steadies the
weapon with her other hand.
The hallway is empty.  She steps out.  As she passes Ritter’s office again, 
she
hears a heavy thud and a grunt.
She wants to call Ritter for back up and his damn key.  She decides to 
continue
on her own.  The door is only hollow core wood.  If Mulder is in there, he 
may be
able to hear something less than a yell.  She whispers as loudly as she can,
“Mulder, are you in there?”  At first, she hears nothing.  She calls his 
name again,
a little louder.
She hears someone up against the door.  “Ulleeee.  It’s eee.”
“Mulder, I’m coming in, move away from the door now!”
Deciding that freeing Mulder is a greater need than maintaining silence, she 
high
kicks the center of the door.  The second kick blasts the door in.
She reholsters her weapon and runs to Mulder.  She removes the blindfold and
mouth cloth, touches his face gently.  “Are you all right, Mulder?”  She 
reaches
gently for his carotid; checking his pulse.  As she touches his forehead 
with the
back of her hand, she notes he is warm, but does not appear to have a fever.
She smooths his hair back, he winces and moans.  “I’m sorry, Mulder, it 
seems
like you’re pretty bruised.”
She removes the duct tape from his wrists and ankles.  “I’ve got to get you 
out of
here, Mulder.  Whoever put you here may still be in the area.”
“Scully, I don’t know how well I can stand.”  She pulls him to his feet and 
reaches
an arm around his waist.  He groans; she has touched his very sore ribs.
“You’re not in such hot shape, Mulder.”
“Is that your final medical assessment, Dr. Scully?”  There is a laughter 
quality
about his voice.  Scully takes it as a good sign.
“Mulder, lean on me, we’re getting out of here now.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
RMH; Saturday, 4 Hours Ago
“Baines, here.”
“Roden’s on his way up to your office now, sir.”  The lobby security guard 
calls
upstairs.
“You wanted to see me, Dr. Baines?”
“Uh, yes, Roden.  There seems to be a problem with security in my office.  
It’s
clear to me that someone has entered when I wasn’t here.  I’m guessing it 
may
have been last night during the party.”
“Do you want me to call on the local police, sir?”
“No, no; that won’t be necessary.  I wanted to get your impressions though.
Unless it was one of our other new staff, the only outsider was Nurse Katz’s
friend, Fox—quite the name, that, huh?”
“Well, he was the only one here that wasn’t invited, but…”
“Look, I want my locks changed and I want the place card access only from 
now
on.  See that no one but you, me, Nurse Katz and the receptionist have cards 
or
the access code.”
“I have some business to take care of.”  Baines heads out.
Ritter is quite concerned that Mulder’s cover is blown.  Not that he gives a 
rat’s
a$$ for him, but he could blow the entire case out of the water.  Kersh 
would
definitely not like that.
Ritter heads off to warn Mulder and Scully.  Not that Ritter would be able 
to stop
what he already thinks Baines is setting in motion.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
55 Cable Road, Saturday afternoon
“Well, Scully, I guess hiking is out for this afternoon, huh?”  Mulder 
winces
slightly as Scully sits him on his bed.  “Scully, I never thought bed could 
hurt so
much.”
“Mulder, just relax a little.  You’re holding yourself tighter than a closed 
clam
shell.  Let me help you out of these clothes.”
“I thought you’d never say that, Scully.” He mouth is smiling; his eyes are 
not.
Scully notices how much pain he’s in.  While helping Mulder heal is not a 
new
experience for her, it still hurts to see him in pain; ever. She gently 
eases his
pullover off.  She then removes his shoes and socks.  As she reaches for the
button on his jeans waistband, he touches her arm.  She looks up at him and
smiles.  “Mulder, would you rather do this yourself?”  Already in pain, she 
does
not wish to embarrass him.  Although, with all they have been through 
together,
there is little left unseen between them.
“No, Scully, I need your help.  It’s ok.  I just hate that you have to do 
this.
Because I’m hurt, that is…”
As she helps him ease out of his jeans, she says, “Mulder, it’s not as if 
you
brought this on.  You are not responsible for this situation.  As soon as I 
get you
set, I’m off to find Ritter.  I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”

Scully lifts Mulder’s legs up onto the bed and pulls a blanket over him.  
She
moves up to the head of the bed and lifts his head to adjust the pillow 
underneath
him.
“I’m going to get some ice for your ribs and face, Mulder.”  She places a 
towel
over his abs and lays the icebag on it. She takes an ice bag and places it 
on his
forehead.
As she moves away, he holds her hands.  She gently squeezes his hands and
looks into his eyes.  She sees hurt, but she also sees something much 
deeper.
Part of it is gratitude for her, part of it is that inexplicable bond 
between them.
Their eyes lock.
Anxious to find his attacker, Scully leans down and kisses Mulder; first on 
the
cheek and them on his lips.  She whispers, “Mulder, if you so much as 
entertain
the thought of getting out of this bed for anything other than bodily 
functions, you
are so dead.”
“Scully, I promise to stay put if you promise to be very careful.  You know 
my
feelings about Ritter, but Baines is the unknown.  I’d bet the farm he’s 
behind
this.  If he’s on to me…”
“Mulder, how many times do I have to say it, shut up!”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
In Pursuit of Mulder’s Attacker, Saturday afternoon

Brrrnnng.  “Ritter.”
“Ritter, meet me in the grove of trees at the edge of the Cable Road 
property as
fast as yo can get her.”
“Scully, I’m in the middle of something.  Can we make it say, in an hour?”
Scully is seeing red.  “Ritter, I do not care WHAT you’re ‘in the middle of’ 
right
now.  If you’re not here in the five minutes I know it takes you get her, I 
will hunt
you down.  Do not make me any angrier than I already am.”
Scully snaps the cellphone shut and heads outside.  The day is beautiful; 
she
has hardly had time to notice.  She reflects that she could be spending a 
nice
afternoon with Mulder instead of stalking about waiting for Ritter to show 
his sorry
butt.
<Somewhere underneath it all, the man has scruples.> Scully thinks as she
watches him approach.  <Either that, or I scared the shit out of him.  Yeah, 
that’s
probably it.>
“What did you want to talk to me about, Scully?  I mean, it’s not like I 
don’t have a
life you know. I was just about…”
“Ritter, I don’t personally care what I caught you in the middle of.  
Mulder’s laying
upstairs after having been beaten to within an inch of his life.  What do 
you know
about it?  You took the time to find us this morning to tip us off to 
Baines’
suspisions;  why?”
Many looks are passing over Ritter’s face.  Probably because many emotions 
are
passing through him at the moment:  Dana is beautiful when she’s flat out 
angry,
he didn’t realize just how hurt Mulder could be, he really had nothing to do 
with
what Baines set in motion, but he did have a very good sense that something
was about to happen.  Oh yeah, there is also the fact that once again, in 
spite of
himself, he’s messed up.
“Look, I don’t know who attacked Mulder.  I was with Baines early this 
morning.
He wanted to see me because he suspected someone had broken into his office.
He was having the locks changed to card access and codes.  I suggested he
contact the local PD, but he just said he’d ‘take care of it’ himself.  I 
guess I could
have told you and Mulder a little more when I saw you. Look, I’m sorry, 
Scully.”
Mulder has come out of the bathroom and heads for his window.  He has been
watching what looks like a very one-sided, heated interaction between Scully 
and
Ritter.  “That’s my girl.”   Scully’s diminuative size in no way diminishes 
her ability
to tackle the situation head on.  Ritter looks as if he’s weasling and 
waffling; no
surprise there.
Back outside, Scully grabs Ritter’s wrist.  “Look at me, Agent.  I don’t 
know what
your other agenda is, but you’re clearly not playing with the team, here.  I 
have
been willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you’re sorely trying 
my
patience.  When Skinner hears about the latest development, you’ll be 
risking a
pull-out.  I suggest you reevaluate your goals, here.”
“Skinner knows I’m capable or he wouldn’t have allowed me to work with you
two.  And Kersh—“  Ritter stops dead in his tracks when Kersh’s name falls 
from
his mouth unintentionally.
Mulder thought the discussion was going much better.  He then notices that 
as
Ritter appears to stop talking mid-sentence, Scully literally throws his 
wrist down
by his side, places both hands on her hips, opens her mouth to speak and 
then
closes it again.  “Whoa, Scully Fury!”
“What does Kersh have to do with this case, Ritter?  Tell me!”
“He probably notified Skinner that I had information.”
“You’re not a very good liar, Ritter.  I will find out what’s going on 
here.”  With that
statement, Scully quickly walks back to the house.
Mulder quickly climbs back into his bed.  He can’t wait to hear what Scully 
has
discovered.  By the look on her face, he’s going to want to pulverize 
Ritter.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Mulder’s Apartment; Saturday Afternoon
Scully storms into Mulder’s apartment.  She is seething over Mulder’s attack 
and
Ritter’s complicity.  Her face is contorted with rage.
Mulder, clothed only in his grey, cotton, knit, boxers, is standing in the 
doorway to
his bedroom watching her pace; listening to her growl in frustration.  He 
half-
smirks, erasing the look before Scully sees it. <Not a good idea to anger 
her
further.>
She sees him.  “Mulder, what are you doing out of bed?”  She is not angry at 
him.
She is very concerned about him.  She is wondering why she is entertaining 
such
inpure thoughts about Mulder in his grey cotton knit boxers when there are 
more
urgent and pressing matters pushing them, <whoa, girl; that’s mightly 
graphic
thinking!>
“I’ll go back to bed Scully if you join me.”
“Mulder, please, turn yourself right back around and get back in bed.  I was
coming in to talk to you anyway.”  Mulder does as asked.  Scully finds her 
eyes
glued to his butt as he walks away from her.  Those damn cotton boxers leave
little to the imagination.  She experiences a hot zing through her body and 
quickly
tries to banish it.
Mulder is back in bed, propped up against the pillows at the headboard.  
Scully
admits he does seem to be recovering nicely.
She sits crossed-legged on the bed, facing him.
“Mulder, it appears that Baines is probably behind this attack.  It makes 
some
sense.  He knows you’re not on staff, you crash the party, he thinks you 
were in
his office, he knows about our connection.”
“Scully, you’re probably right.  The one question I have is what is Ritter’s
connection.  I was watching you two outside.  You did not look like you’d 
choose
him for your volleyball team.”
“Mulder.” She smiles, “I thought you were supposed to be in bed?”
“I was near my bed. I really wanted to go outside and send him a message 
where
the sun don’t shine.”  Mulder smiles sheepishly. “Now, back to my question 
about
Ritter’s connection.”
Scully shifts so she’s facing him more directly and has moved a little 
closer to
him.  “I just don’t know, Mulder.  There’s something very questionable in 
his
behavior.  When he came to find us, he had already been with Baines.  He 
never
told us any of that.  There’s more, Mulder, but I don’t think you’re going 
to like it.”
Mulder leans toward her, one hand on hers.  “Talk to me Scully.”
“I guess there’s no good way to say this, so here it is.  Ritter’s somehow 
working
with Kersh on this case.  I don’t think he intended for me to know, because 
the
name just dropped into our conversation.”
Mulder is the picture of tightly coiled energy; anger and energy; anger and
energy and extreme frustration.  He is up out of bed. He is pacing.  
“Scully, this
stinks!  We’re being set up for a fall.  We’re right back with the big boys
manipulating, controlling, obfiscating.”

“Much as I hate to admit it, I’m with you on this one, Mulder.  Something’s 
not
right here.”  She is up off the bed and walks over to him.  He’s looking out 
the
window.  The look in his eyes tells her he’s planning.  Mulder at his best;
grasping onto the situation, considering all the angles; heck, inventing 
extreme
angles if need be, developing his finely honed strategy.
“Mulder, what are you thinking?”  She joins him by the large, picture 
windows.
“I’m thinking we need to talk to Skinner.  Do you have your cellphone on 
you?  I
seem to be missing my pockets right now.” He smiles at her.
Scully grabs her phone. “Sir?  Yes, our covers are intact, but I need to 
talk to you
about Ritter.”
“Agent Scully, what is the problem now?  I thought the three of you were 
going to
make this work.  Is Agent Mulder providing provocation?”
“No, sir, that’s not the issue.  Agent Mulder has been attacked. No, he’s 
fine.  We
think Baines is behind it, but Ritter is smelling fishy.  He mentioned 
Kersh.”
“Kersh?  In what way, Agent?”
“Well, Sir, that’s what we were hoping you could help us with.  Has the AD
mentioned anything to you about Ritter?”
“No, Agent Scully, I can’t say he has.”
“Sir?  That sounded awfully cryptic.”
“Agent, I will do what I can, but I need you and Mulder to stay on top of 
this.
You’ll need to forge a stronger relationship with Ritter to keep him 
focused.”
Skinner hangs up.
Mulder has heard bits and pieces.  He reads Scully’s eyes; she is no longer
angry, but she is definitely concerned about something.
“What is it, Scully?”
“I can’t shake the feeling, Mulder, that Skinner knows something he’s not 
telling
us.  He seemed more surprised that I thought there was a connection between
Ritter and Kersh than he did that Kersh might be involved.  He said we need 
to
stay in top form.”
Now that Mulder has his plan, he has moved on with this issue.  His plan is
simple, he will beat the tar out of Ritter while trying to coax him into 
providing
information.  In the meantime, Scully appears way too stressed.
“C’mere, Scully.”  He walks behind her.  He places his hands on her 
shoulders
and begins to message them.  His touch is gentle at first.  It is then more
demanding.  He moves from her shoulders to her back, using his thumbs and 
the
pads of his fingers to rub and probe.
“Mulder?”
“Scully?”

He moves her toward the bed.  She sits down at the end.  He moves onto the
bed, kneeling behind her.  He continues to massage her back and shoulders.
She is trying very hard to relax without letting on how turned on she is 
becoming.
She bites the inside of her cheek to keep from making any sounds that may be
miscontrued.
She manages to get out a sentence, “Mulder, I should be doing this for you.”
“Yes you should, Scully, but I’m afraid a message could be a little painful 
at this
point in my recovery.”
Mulder continues his ministrations.  His hands move to her neck and then her
scalp.  She lets her head roll forward.
Scully’s cellphone chirps loudly. <Just how do we always end up getting 
pulled
apart?!?  Someone’s sending us a message; I know it!>
“Scully.”
“Scully, it’s Ritter.  You may want to come over to my apartment. Can’t say 
more
here.”
“I’m on my way.”
“That was Ritter?  What did he want?”
“He seems to have some urgent information for me.”
“I’m coming with you, just let me throw on my jeans.” Mulder is already half
dressed.
“Mulder, you really should rest.  I can handle this.”
“It’s not about whether or not you can handle it, Scully.  It’s about my 
plan for
Ritter.  Now, he can make it easy on himself by being honest with us, or he 
can
make it really fun for me…”
Scully sighs.  She sits down as Mulder finishes dressing.  “Mulder, is there
anything I can say to make you stay here?”
“No.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Ritter’s Apartment, Central Road, Late Afternoon Saturday
Although the distance is negligable, Scully takes the Cherokee.  Mulder is 
in no
condition to walk it right now.
Ritter’s apartment is just a street over from theirs’.  Although smaller in 
size;
bedroom sitting room and bath, it is also very old New England.
“I didn’t know you’d be coming, too, Agent Mulder.  Scully said you were 
pretty
badly beaten.”  Ritter has the good sense to appear contrite.
Mulder says nothing.  He knows Scully will get this started just fine.
“Enough, Ritter.  You called me; let’s have the information.”
Ritter is pacing the short distance between Mulder and Scully in the sitting 
room.
“I went over to my office at Mercy.  When I got downstairs, I could hear 
Baines’s
voice, as well as, someone’s voice I didn’t recognize.  They were talking 
about
the upcoming surgeries for this week.  Scully, you know, the three patients
Baines has assigned to you?”
“How did you know about them, Ritter?  I haven’t spoken to you about them 
and I
can’t imagine why the Chief of Surgery would tell his Head of Maintenance.”
“Ok, so I did some snooping.  I’m an Agent too, you know.”
“Oh, poor Ritter’s feeling left out; that it?”  Mulder’s voice drips with 
undisguised
sarcasm.
“Contrary to what you believe about me Agent Mulder, I do want this case to
conclude successfully.  I have a lot riding on it.”
“Not to mention the lives of the patients you care so deeply about, huh 
Rodent?”
Mulder is gaining speed.
“Ok, you two, enough!  What do you know about these patients and how do you
know it?”  Scully once again pulls the focus back.

“How I know it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Ritter pushes on before 
Mulder or
Scully can reply.  “What I heard is that we’re correct that the patients are 
sent
into a holding warehouse of some sort for 48 hours once they’ve recovered
sufficiently here.  Their families are led to believe they are in intensive 
care with
instructions for no visitors; not even family.  That temporal solution; 
whatever it’s
nature, is given intravenously right after surgery.”
“Ok, so that sounds like our case is solved.  Scully will be there to stop 
the IV
solution, we follow them to the warehouse.”  Even as Mulder says it, he 
knows
the answer cannot be so simple.
“Well, see, that’s where it gets weird.”  Ritter has stopped pacing and 
joins Scully
on the two-seater.
She looks at him, eyebrow raised. “Define ‘weird’.”
“One of the nurses who has worked closely with Baines and one of the newest
nurses, Barbara Sullivan—“
“She’s the person I met at Orientation.  She was with us at the dance.”
“Yeah, Scully, that’s her.  Anyway, she and the other nurse were talking 
about
how ‘effective’ Baines is  with his mind control.  The long term nurse was 
talking
about how she’s seen him do it for staff.  She described how he places his 
hands
on the shoulders and starts to chant.  The person starts chanting with him 
and
begins to look ‘glazed’; hey, their words, not mine!”
Scully is looking dubious.  She looks across at Mulder and sees that 
familiar look
in his eyes.  He’s doing a ‘brain search’, probably going through vast 
internal
catalogues of cases and encyclopedic information to identify Baines’ 
methods.
Sure enough, she is right.  He has reached several conclusions and is about 
to
share a few…
His voice takes on that almost monotone, low-pitched, yet also, excited tone
Scully is so accustomed to.  “I bet it’s either some form of deep regression 
post-
hypnotic suggestion, often practiced by psychologists and psychiatrists for 
those
patients least likely to show progress with other, invasive or intensive 
methods
OR it could be the lost British art of touch suggestiveness practiced at the 
turn of
the century by nobles…”  Mulder continues.
Scully and Ritter look at each other.  Scully takes a deep breath and stops
Mulder.

“Mulder, we have our smoking gun; the solution.  Now, we need to get a 
sample
to identify its actual chemical make up and its path of action.  From there, 
I’ll be
able to contact the labs to help with an antidote.  I hardly think that 
looking for
some paranormal connection is going to help.”
Ritter is watching the volleys. <Don’t they ever tire of this nonsense?  
They’re
playing a well-rehearsed game.>
“Are either one of you going to concede to the other, or, better, come up 
for air?
It sounds to me like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Mulder stands and, in one stride, is face-face with Ritter.  “Before you 
rush us off,
Rodent, I need to know what Kersh has to do with this case and, with you!”
“Where did you hear anything about Kersch, Mulder?  Too much oxygen
deprivation to the brain?”
Before Scully can intervene, Mulder punches Ritter square in the mouth.  He 
is
about to swing again when Scully steps up behind him and touches his arm.  
She
then leaves the apartment.
“Ritter, I’ve got your number, had it from the start.  You’re doing nothing 
to prove
me wrong.  You don’t want to mess with me; do you hear me?  You’ve
jeopardized all of us.  Scully has to assist Baines with those surgeries.  
If you
have, in any way, put her in danger—again—you will not live to try to make 
it
right this time.”  As Mulder leaves the apartment, he shoves Ritter into the 
two-
seater.
Ritter reaches up to touch his now sore face and bloody nose.
Mulder finds Scully sitting in the passenger seat of the Cherokee.  He heads 
to
the driver’s side.  “Hey, you’re going to let me drive this thing?”  Mulder 
feels
great; he’s set things straight; for now.
Scully smiles inwardly, <He’s such a kid sometimes; gotta get it out of his
system.>
“Mulder, you’ve been dying to drive this thing and have had very little 
opportunity.
Let’s go get some food for dinner and go back to my place.”
“I thought you’d never ask, Scully!”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

55 Cable Road, Scully’s Apartment, Saturday Night
As they pull into the driveway, Mulder notices that Scully has been staring 
out the
window for the last 10 minutes. “You ok, Scully?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.  Just a little tired; actually exhausted, and 
hungry.  It’s
been a long day.”
Mulder grabs the chinese take-out and they head for the house.  “Can we take
the elevator just this once, Mulder?  I don’t think my legs will make it up 
the
stairs!”
Mulder smiles and heads for the elevator.  Now that they’re moving, Scully
seems a little more awake.  The smell of dinner is rousing her.
Once inside the elevator, Scully moves to stand close to Mulder.  “Hmmm,
something smells very good.”
“Can’t you wait till we get up to your place, Scully?” Mulder asks, softly 
laughing.
“You know, Mulder, I don’t think I can.  I’m just soooo hungry.”  She takes 
the two
cartons from his hand and presses the “stop” button on the elevator panel.  
She
is standing only inches from him.
Mulder’s lips part slightly; he is very surprised.  “Scully?  If you’re 
hungry, leaving
the food on the floor won’t help you feel satisfied.” <Bad choice of words,
Mulder!>
Scully shakes her head playfully from side to side.  “No, Mulder, it won’t 
help me
feel ‘satisfied’.  I actually had a little something else in mind to feed my 
current
hunger.”  She places one hand on either side of his waist against the wall.  
She
looks into his eyes.
“Mulder, this has been a very hectic and frustrating day, wouldn’t you 
agree?”
Not sure where this is leading, but very much interested in finding out 
where, he
replies slowly, “Yes, Scully, I guess I would say I agree.”
She places one hand on his chest and he draws in a breath sharply.  “Mulder, 
do
you believe—“

He is trying hard to focus on her question but his concentration is having 
trouble
hearing, <What is she doing?>.
“—do you believe that the human mind is capable of blocking out all else but
physical sensation?  That it can, let’s say, forego contemplation of the 
more
spiritual, the metaphysical, the emotional?  I mean, would you say that’s
theoretically possible?”
Mulder decides that a:  if she doesn’t stop now, he will not be responsible 
for his
actions, b:  she is driving him mad and c: damn she’s hot when she’s
commanding and theoretical.
“Scully, where is all of this coming from?  A mere few minutes ago, you were
exhausted and starving.  Now, you’re arousingly contemplative.  Care to
enlighten me?” <There, I have some control again!>
She takes her hands away from him and walks to the other side (two feet 
away)
of the elevator.  “I’m sorry, Mulder, I didn’t mean to make you 
uncomfortable.”
She picks up the food and reaches for the 2nd floor button.
Before she can push it, his hand is on hers. “Back up the truck there, 
Scully.  Just
what do you think you’re doing?  You can’t start this and then just let it 
go.”
She backs away again.  “It’s just that you looked as if I was upsetting you. 
  I
wouldn’t want to do that to you, Mulder.  I mean, first you end up drenching 
wet in
the ocean, then you’re attacked, then you had to deal with Ritter.  I should 
have
realized I’d be expecting too much.”  She feigns disinterest, all the while
surreptiously watching him.  She glances downward and notices that she has
‘indeed’ upset him…She turns to face the door, arms folded against her 
chest.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say ‘upset’ is the right word Ms. Katz…”  Mulder comes up 
behind
her, grabs her by the upper arms and turns her to face him.  He backs her 
into
the wall of the elevator.  He whispers very close to her ear, still holding 
her upper
arms, “What are you up to, Scully?”  He looks into her blue eyes.  He smiles 
that
half smirk, lopsided smile.
She is having trouble holding up her end of the game.  That damn smile…
He uncrosses her arms and places her hands on his hips.  He lightly kisses 
her
lips.  It is sometimes like this after a rough case or prolonged heavy 
schedules.
Today qualifies as ‘one of those days’ for both of them.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Brief Interlude; Scully’s Apartment, Saturday Night
The two Agents devour their dinner quitely.  Scully has put on the evening 
news.
They sit, very domestically, at the oak dining room table eating Chinese 
food out
of cartons. Mulder decides to give chopsticks a try just one more time.  His 
long
fingers intermingle with the sticks making “X’s”.  He manages to secure a 
large
piece of chicken, but the grains of sticky rice lay scattered in clumps on 
the table
and on him.
Scully covers her chuckle by going to get them something to drink.
“So, Scully, which shift do you have tomorrow?”
“Second shift; at least I get to sleep in some.”
“Don’t forget your run, Nurse Katz.”  Mulder mumbles as he forks some snow 
pea
pods into his mouth.
“I am not running tomorrow, Mulder.  You remember, ‘and on the seventh day, 
he
rested.’?”
“You said, ‘he’, Scully.  That still leaves you.”
“No run, Mulder.  You’ll just have to find another way to interrupt me 
tomorrow!
<ow! Where did ‘that’ come from, Scully?>
They finish eating.  “Well, Mulder, time to ship out, hit the road, put an 
egg in
your shoe and beat it, take a burger with that shake.” < WHAT am I saying?
Have I lost it?>
Mulder has been silently watching her reel out the cliches.  He is amused.  
He
doesn’t often get to see this side of Scully.  Hell, he didn’t even know 
this side
existed!  <She must be beat!>
“Ok, Scully, I think you’re trying to tell me you need your beauty sleep.”
PUNCH!  “Scully, I didn’t mean it like that.  You hurt me!  Remember, I’ve 
already
been attacked once today?”
“Goodnight, Mulder.”
“How about a goodnight Mulder kiss?”
Scully kisses two fingers and puts the fingers up to his lips.  She pulls 
them away
before he can react.  “Your goodnight Mulder kiss.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Sunday, Noontime, Landlady Luncheon
“Scully.”
“Hey, Scully, it’s me.  Do you smell something good?”
“Mulder, why are you calling me on my cellphone when you’re right 
downstairs?”
“Scully, I think someone’s making us lunch and it’s not me! Get your little 
self
down here right now!”  Mulder hangs up.  Scully just shakes her head at the 
now
dead phone and heads downstairs.
Mulder is coming out of his apartment as Scully reaches it.  She is dressed 
for
work.
“So what are you up to this afternoon, Mulder?” <whatever it is, wish I 
could be
‘up to it’ with you…>
He’s bounding down the stairs behind her, “I don’t know yet, Scully.  I was
thinking about checking the area for that warehouse Baines might be using.  
Is
Ritter on shift with you today?”
“Check the area about 5 miles from Mercy.  I think I remember seeing an open
field while I was driving through there the other day.  And yes, Ritter is 
on shift
with me.  What are you up to, Mulder?”
Just as he is about to answer her, they reach the parlor.  Sandy Bell is 
waiting for
them, apron wrapped around her waist.  “Glad I finally get to meet my new
tenents!  Hope you’re finding everything to your liking.  C’mon in and have 
a seat.
The kitchen’s the coziest place to eat, I think.”
“It smells like Saturday lunches from my childhood.” Scully says with a 
smile on
her face.
Sandy brings over 3 calico print placemats, 3 white porcelain plates and 
soup
bowls and some spoons.
Mulder is smiling ear to ear.  Scully can’t tell if he’s just happy or 
deliriously
hungry.  She admits to herself that her mouth is watering.
Sandy sets down a large porcelain soup pot filled with tomato soup with
homemade croutons on top.  She sets down a platter of piping hot grilled 
cheese
sandwiches cut in half diagnolly.
The two Agents and Sandy help themselves, eating in companionable silence 
for
some time.
Sandy breaks the silence.  “So, Dana, you’re working with Dr. Baines, I 
hear,
over at Rye Mercy.”
“Yes.  We have 3 surgeries scheduled this week.  Do you know him well?”  
Scully
is thinking that Sandy could be a great resource since she volunteers at 
RMH.
Sandy pauses briefly; the Agents can’t tell if she’s just reflecting or 
trying to figure
out how to answer the question posed.  “Hmm, Dr. Baines is, uh, well, I 
don’t
often get to Med/Surge.  Sorry, I’m rambling!  Well, if you’ve heard he’s 
nice; he
is. If you’ve heard he’s quite the ladies’ man; that is he, too!!  He is 
truly
wonderful with his staff, but he’s also, let’s say, raised and lowered the 
old
hospital beds in the on-call room a few times more than I can count.  Some 
of the
women staff seem to find him irresitable.  As for his medical prowess, 
that’s
beyond reproach.”  Sandy smiles, somewhat weakly.  Mulder, ever the 
observant
one, finds a mismatch between her words and her smile.
Scully, making the same observation, presses on, “Sandy, you must have heard
the stories about what has happened to some of his patients after they’re
released.  Do you think there’s any truth to the stories?”
While Sandy contemplates, Mulder is leaving no sandwich half uneaten.  
Scully
shoots him a side glance and smiles.
“Well, I guess, yeah, I have heard the stories.  They do make me wonder.  I
mean a few very reputable staffers have mentioned it; you know, hushed
whispers and all.  I guess I don’t pay them much mind.  He’s always been 
very
nice to me.”  She blushes.
Scully looks at her watch and starts to get up.  “Sandy, thanks so much for 
lunch!
It brought back warm memories of little girl Saturdays.  I’ve got to run or 
I’ll be
late for my shift.  I’ll be quiet when I come on later tonight.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it, I’ve been staying off with a friend and will 
probably be
there most of this week, too.  I’m on third shift tonight, so I’ll probably 
catch you
as you’re leaving.”  Sandy heads into the kitchen and starts cleaning up.
Mulder walks Scully to the Cherokee.  “So, what do you make of all that, 
Scully?”
“I just don’t know, Mulder.  We keep getting the same kind of ‘definite/not 
definite’
information about him.  I guess, though, that I’ve slipped under his 
‘womanizing’
radar!”
Mulder pouts, “You sound disappointed about that Scully!”
She smiles as she gets into the truck.  She lowers the window as she starts 
the
ignition.  Mulder is leaning up against the door.  she reaches through the 
open
window and grabs his shirt, pulling him toward her.  “Mulder, be careful, 
behave
yourself and be waiting for me when I get home.”  Before he can say 
anything,
she pushes him away, raises the window and backs out of the driveway.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rye Mercy Hospital, Sunday, 4P, Dr. Baines’ Office
“Dana, please, come right in.  I’ve sent the receptionist on a long break.”  
Art
Baines stands up to offer Scully a seat.
<Get a hold of yourself, Scully!  The man is just being polite.>  Scully is 
having a
hard time =not= thinking about all of the comments she has been hearing 
about
Dr. Baines.
“So, how did you find your patient visits?”
<Loaded question, Dana…>  “Well, a few things struck me.  One:  the 
similarity
in how their cases present, two:  how different they are in race, gender and 
age,
and three:  the fact that none of them have families.” Scully tries to relay 
the
response neutrally; no raised eyebrows, hands in her lap, relaxed posture.  
She
hopes it is convincing.
Dr. Baines looks at her thoughtfully and smiles, “I can see why they
recommended you to me for this position.  You’re everything your file 
promised!”
“I’m a little confused.  I wasn’t aware that I was recommended to you.”  
Scully is
treading lightly, but hoping to learn more information.
Dr. Baines is hoping to learn more about Dana…
“Well, Dana, when this position became available, I asked some of my friends
from New York to make some calls.  It’s one of those ‘friend of a friend’ 
things.
Someone called someone who knew someone and, well, you know how it goes!
I heard about your work at Quantico.  You’re just what I was hoping to 
find!”  He
smiles broadly and rises.
Scully is thinking he’s closing their meeting, but, is also very concerned.  
This is a
new development.  While she is sure that the Deep Missions Office has 
planted
all of the information his ‘friend of a friend’ scenario discovered, he’s 
hit a little too
close to home.  She starts to stand, as well.
Instead of approaching her, he walks past her and closes the door.  She 
hears
the ‘click’ of the lock. <Where’s my weapon when I might need it?>
He places a hand on her shoulder, motioning her to follow him.  <Where?  He
locked the door.>
He is now walking slightly behind her, guiding her.  He places his hand in 
the
small of her back. <Whoa, buddy!  What is it with these guys and my back?!?>
She moves just enough so that his hand loses contact with her body.
They have walked into a back room area that is set up much like a living 
room;
soft, plush, dimly lit.
“Have a seat, Dana.”  He sits close to her on the couch.  “So, what do you 
like to
do when you’re not working?  Do you spend much time with that party crasher
friend of yours, Fox?”
Scully is becoming very uncomfortable and her senses are on full alert.  She 
is
too close to making a discovery for their case and doesn’t want to risk 
blowing
her cover.  However, she is not sure how far Baines will take this 
situation.
“Oh, I like to run, explore.  I’m enjoying getting to see more of Rye and 
the
surrounding areas.”  She avoids mentioning Mulder, hoping Baines will let it 
drop.
He does.  Seemingly satisified with her lackluster response, he moves on;
literally.  He places an arm across her shoulder.  <How far is he going to 
push
this?  How far will I allow him to push it in the name of getting 
information?  Well,
better start information gathering then, Scully!>
She doesn’t move his arm away.  “Art, what about you, what are your 
interests?
I mean, I know about your general practice area, but how did you get into 
it?”
He interprets her question as a sign that she is comfortable with the 
situation.  He
moves closer while answering, “Well, Dana, I’ve always been interested in 
the
working of the brain and, subsequently, the mind.  I’ve done quite a bit of
‘supplemental’ reading in the area of higher thought processes and forms of
communication.  A little bit on telepathy, auto-suggestions, etc.  
Fascinating stuff;
don’t you think?”
Scully starts to open her mouth to reply.  Baines places his other hand 
quickly on
her other shoulder and kisses her lightly on the mouth.
She pulls away abruptly, taking his hands off her shoulders and stands. 
<This
guy has balls!>  “Art, I don’t think this situation is appropriate.”  Scully 
tries to
muster as much calm reserve as she can.  She must extricate herself without
offending him if she is to continue this case.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

One half hour earlier, Rye Mercy Hospital
Mulder has come to Mercy to gather informal information about Baines after
heading out to check out the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.
Even though he knows that Baines’ office has been changed over to a key card
system, he has found a way around it.  <Hey, they don’t call me Spooky 
Sticky
Fingers for nothing.>
He notices that the door to the reception area is closed.  This end of the 
hall is
deserted and very quiet.  He hears voices; Baines and Scully. It is not 
difficult to
hear almost their entire conversation.
<Way to go, Scully, skipping right over his question about me!  He IS 
curious
though, isn’t he?>
Mulder listens carefully.  The conversation seems to stop.  He hears the 
lock
being set from the inside and he experiences a sense of forboding.  He 
strains to
listen, but their voices are receeding.  They are no longer in his office 
area.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Back in Baines’ Office
She starts to walk back into the outer office area; appearing to take her 
time, but
move confidently.
As she reaches the receptionist area, she discreetly unlocks it, but does 
not open
it.
“Dana, I’m sorry if I startled you, but I can’t believe you don’t feel the 
attraction,
too.”
<Why oh why do they always assume it’s mutual…>
“Art, I don’t know what to say.  I’m enjoying working with you.  Maybe we 
can talk
some more over an early dinner downstairs?”  She is hopeful he will not take 
this
as the ‘grand brush-off’.
Mulder is right outside the door, listening.  He does not want to storm in.  
It is
obvious that Scully is handling the situation.  He remains partly because of 
his
sworn duty to watch his partner’s back and a lot partly because of who his
partner is and what she means to him.
Dr. Baines pauses and seems to be considering Scully’s offer.  He walks 
closer
to her.  In one very quick move, he is in front of her, his hands on her 
wrists
rather tightly.  He moves her away from the door, his face very close to 
hers.  “I’d
love to have an early dinner with you, Dana.  But, you do know that 
appetizers
come first, don’t you?”  Before she can respond, he places both hands on her
face and begins to kiss her deeply.
She is in the midst of pushing him away when the door opens.
Mulder grabs Baines, who is very distracted by his attempt to kiss Scully. A 
well-
placed knee to the groin causes Baines to bend over, holding himself, and 
head
for the back room.  The door slams shut behind him.  The deadbolt is thrown.
Mulder takes Scully by the hand and leads her out into the hall and to the
stairwell..
Scully takes a few deep breaths and leans against the wall of the stairwell.
“Scully, are you all right?”  Mulder’s face is lined with concern and care 
for her.
“I’m ok, Mulder; he just caught me off guard.  I didn’t believe he’d 
actually try
that!”
“Scully, you’re just way too trusting.  I keep telling you that…”
“Yeah, you do, Mulder and it’s got to stop!”
Mulder is watching Storm Scully develop and he has no idea who seeded the
storm clouds.
“Whoa, Scully, what did I say?”
She is absently rubbing her wrists, trying to shake off the feeling of 
Baines hands
on her.
“Mulder, I am perfectly capable of judging others and my situation.  I was 
right by
the door, I had unlocked the door, it was broad daylight.  Is that enough 
for you,
Mr. Overly Protective?”  She really doesn’t want to be angry with him, but 
she is
torn.  She was in control of the situation.  She knows he cares deeply for 
her and
was afraid for her.
“Just back off!”  The words come out rather harshly before she can stop 
them.
To attempt to save face and give him breathing room, she starts down the 
stairs.
He is right behind her. “Scully, wait!”
“Mulder, just let me go.  Go check on that warehouse. I’ll see you home 
later.”
He continues to follow, hoping that she will talk to him.  “Scully, just 
stop.  I need
to set this right with you.”  He reaches out to try to touch her shoulder.
She freezes in the stairwell and turns to glare at him.  “Mulder, what part 
of ‘let
me go’ did you not understand?”  She continues down the stairs, leaving him
standing there.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The Warehouse; Sunday night

Mulder heads to the parking lot, stopping occasionally to check on Scully.  
She is
in the hospital lobby.  She walks back and forth for a short distance, then 
stops,
arms folded tightly cross her chest.  She then begins walking back and forth
again; stopping to fold arms across her chest. Mulder can recognize Angry,
Fuming, Frustrated Scully when he sees her.  He wants nothing more than to 
try
to comfort her, but he knows from experience that she needs her space right
now.
Mulder starts the Cherokee and heads out to the warehouse.  <Might as well 
get
this overwith.  At least she said she’d see me at home.>
The sun has just about set; it’s twilight.  He approaches the warehouse from 
the
open field area.  The area appears very run down.  It is hard to tell what 
this
place may have been previously.
He is able to park right by the door.  It is unlocked; surprisingly.
He  pulls his flashlight out and heads inside.
The main entryway looks like some many thousands of other warehouses he and
Scully have visited.  He spots a stairway farther back and to the right.  He 
heads
toward it.
He spies a faint light source at the top of the stairs.  It appears to be 
framing a
slighlty open doorway.
When he reaches the top of the stairs, he turns off the flashlight and 
reaches for
his weapon.  He moves against the wall to the lit doorway, weapon trained on 
the
opening.
He does a quick sensory sweep; there are no unusual smells, the light 
appears
to be a simple incandescent bulb, but there is a faint clanging of metal on 
metal
coming from within.  He does not hear any voices.
He moves quickly and silently to the other side of the door frame to enter 
from
the side closest to the hinges.  As he pushes the door open, he hears the 
voice,
“Oh no, not again, please!”  The plaintive cries are coming from farther 
inside the
room.
“Hey, it’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you.”  Mulder tries to reassure the 
unseen
male.
“No!  Don’t come any closer!  I don’t want anymore, send me back!”
Mulder follows the voice. He enters a well-furnished  and carpeted room. 
There is
a young man, probably in his 20s, sitting in a club chair with chains around 
his
wrists and ankles.  His head is entirely bandaged and his eyes are wide.  He
looks badly frightened.
“I’m Fox Masters.  Are you all right?”
The young man looks at Mulder as if he’s sizing him up.  “Um, I’m Jeremy
Hudson.  I’m ok, I think, but then again, I don’t really know.”
Mulder pauses.  He remembers that name.  <This young man is supposed to be
Scully’s first surgery.  If that’s the case, then what is he doing here, 
now?>
“Jeremy, aren’t you a patient at Rye Mercy Hospital?”
“Uh, I was, I mean, I am, I think.  How did you know that?!”  Jeremy is once 
again
agitated, questioning Mulder’s motives.
Mulder notices the effect his question has had on Jeremy.  “Jeremy, it’s ok! 
  I’m
new in town and so is my part--, my friend, Nurse Katz?  You remember her 
from
Mercy?”
Jeremy smiles faintly.  “Yeah, Nurse Katz is pretty hot.  You live with her 
or
something?”

“Or something, Jeremy.  Now, let’s get back to you.  What are you doing 
here?”
“I’m not sure.  Dr. Baines told me my surgery had been pushed up to Monday.
Then on Saturday, two orderlies came and told me the doc wanted me moved.  I
thought I was just going to another room.  They brought me here for some 
pre-op
treatment.  I thought it was pretty weird; especially being brought to this 
place.”
Mulder is starting to piece things together.  “Jeremy, were you given any
medication while you’ve been here; a shot, a pill, something?”
“Yeah, I mean, he gave me a shot, but it didn’t seem to do anything at all; 
didn’t
feel any different, didn’t fall asleep.  Just one weird thing…”  Jeremy’s 
eyes
scrunch a little, as if he’s looking far away, trying to remember something 
just out
of reach.
“What is it, Jeremy?”
“Well, I got here on Saturday, right?  I got one shot on Saturday and one 
today.
Well, tonight, I started thinking that maybe I was the doc.  I would all of 
a sudden
start to think about prepping patients for surgery.  As soon as I would 
wonder
why I was thinking it, it would go away.”
“When was the last time anyone came here to see you, Jeremy?” Mulder is
worried about Jeremy’s emotional and nutritional state.
Mulder pulls out his cellphone.
“Scully.”
“Dana, it’s me.  You need to get to the warehouse right away.  I think 
there’s
someone here you need to see now.  Bring your medical bag.”
“Mulder, what are you talking about?  How am I going to get there, you have 
the
Cherokee?”
“Dana, you’ll fnd a way.  Jeremy Hudson wants to see you.”  Mulder 
disconnects,
confident that Scully will come.
Mulder tells Jeremy he will return.  He heads downstairs to meet Scully.  He 
finds
himself quite angry when he sees who has arrived with her.
“How did you expect me to get here, Mulder?  They don’t exactly have buses
running out here.”
Mulder bites back his response, thinking of Jeremy alone, upstairs.
“Hey, Fox, Dana tells me you’ve had a breakthrough?”  Ritter walks between
Mulder and Scully.  He seems quite pleased with himself for getting to bring
Scully.
“Let’s not stand here talking about it.  Jeremy is waiting.”  Mulder leads 
the way
to the lit room.
Scully instantly goes over to Jeremy to check his vitals.  Other than hunger 
and
emotional strain, his vitals appear strong.  He recounts what he has already 
told
Mulder.
Scully’s eyebrow raises and she pushes the hair back from her face.
“Fox, we’ve got to get Jeremy out of here right away.  Ritter, he’ll need to 
stay
with you for the short term.”  Scully, being directive and in control.
Ritter starts to open his mouth to protest, but decides against it.  <She 
doesn’t
want to mess up their little nest.>
Ritter pulls some tools from his best and removes the shackles from Jeremy’s
wrist and ankles.
“Look, Jeremy, we’re going to make sure everything is ok for you to go back 
for
your surgery.  In the meantime, you’re going to go home with our friend, Mr.
RoDen.  He’ll get you some clothes, food and a bed.  I don’t want you to 
worry.
Your health is fine.”  Scully smiles at her patient trying to reassure him.
“What about those weird ‘doc mind’ things that are happening to me?”
Scully looks questioningly at Jeremy and Mulder, sensing that her partner 
knows
something about this.
Mulder speaks first, “don’t worry about that Jeremy.  It might just be your
medication.  Nurse Katz will check into it for you.  Tonight, you just eat 
and
sleep!”
Jeremy and Ritter head out to Ritter’s car.
“Mulder, what’s the doc…”  Before Scully can finish her question about 
Jeremy,
Mulder touches her shoulder.  “Scully, I’m really sorry about the scene at 
Mercy.”
He looks intently at her.
She smiles at him, “I’m sorry too, Mulder.  I guess I overreacted. It’s just 
that I
need you to know the difference between caring about me and trying to ‘save’
me.  I know you’d lay your life down for me, Mulder, and I’d do the same for 
you.
I just need you to know that sometimes small packages can pack a wallop.”  
Just
to prove her point, she punches him in the arm and sprints to the Cherokee.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Monday, Rye Community College, 9A
After a quick call to Ritter to make sure Jeremy is doing ok, Mulder is off 
to teach
his first psychology class.
He and Scully will meet at lunchtime to discuss Dr. Baines, Jeremy, and all 
of the
other loose ends of this bizarre case.
As Mulder pulls into the parking lot at RCC, he notices a lot of students 
heading
toward the Humanities Building.
He joins them and locates lecture hall room 148.  The classroom is empty.  
He
has one half hour before his class begins.
He sets up his laptop for his presentation and begins to review his notes.  
He is
so absorbed in his reading that he doesn’t notice the time, nor, the first 
wave of
students entering the small lecture hall.
“Excuse me?  Um, excuse me, Professor Masters?”  A small group of students
are standing at his desk, waiting for his acknowledgement.
Mulder looks up quickly and removes his glasses.  “I’m sorry!  I hope you 
haven’t
been standing here long?”
The group of students look at him.  The women in the group are blushing.  
One
man speaks first, “We’re just wondering if we’ll need to talk notes or 
anything
today.  I mean, I’d probably have to borrow and pen or something if we do.”
<Ah yes, youth…>
Mulder smiles at them and simply says, “Why don’t you all have a seat and 
we’ll
get started.”  They seem to scurry up the steps to take their seats.
“Good morning, class.  I’m Professor Masters.  I’ll be here for this week 
and next.
Your professor has asked me to talk to you about body language.”
Before Mulder can finish his introductory speech, he hears a comment from 
the
front row, “I’d like to talk to you about your body and the language I’d 
like to make
it speak.”  The woman who made the comment smiles.  The women on either
side of her, obviously friends, whisper, “Shh, Kat, he’ll hear you!”
Too late…He feels his neck warm slightly.  <Get a grip, Mulder; they’re 
probably
all of 19 or 20!  Scully will have my head.>
He continues, acting as if he has not heard the comment.
“Today, we’re going to explore the messages conveyed through facial
expression.  Who can give me some examples of facial features that
communicate?”
A woman in the second row stands.  “I’m Eris.  I think that the eyes
communicate.”
Mulder nods in agreement, “So, Eris, tell us how the eyes communicate.  What
can they ‘say’?”
“They can express sadness, joy, simply by the way they move or the direction 
in
which they move.  Eyes down can mean contriteness or sadness.  They can
show extreme joy or arousal when they dilate.  That’s one way to know that
someone is returning your feelings of extreme joy.”  She sits back down.  
Her
friends pat her on the back and smile.
<Whoa, she cut right to the chase!  This is going to be harder than I 
imagined.>
“Yes, Eris, the eyes do speak volumes.” <If Scully were here, she’d tell her 
a
thing or two about lowering her eyes in my presence.>
“How about someone else?  Yes, you in the back.”
“Hello, I’m Carrie, but my friends call me ‘Aussie’.  I’d say that the mouth
communicates, even when no words are voiced.  The mouth can be a very
powerful communicator.  It can also be used as a strong sensory organ.  I’d 
be
glad to demonstrate, if you want me to?”
Mulder is wondering whether Ritter set him up for this class!  He has to 
pull it
back to his lesson plan.
“Um, thank you, too, Aussie.  Sit back down, I mean, have a seat.” Mulder is
tripping over his words.
He turns on the laptop presentation and begins to talk about the 
possiblities for
match and mismatch between the spoken and the non-spoken word.  He notices
that most of the students are busily taking notes.
He also notices that some of the women are non-verbally communicating
extremely lustfull looks in his direction.  <Maybe Scully and I should head 
back to
the Arctic?>
“Ok, class, next week, we’ll be doing some role playing.  If anyone has any
questions before we end this session?”
Not one hand rises. They are non-verbally communicating the “if anyone 
speaks
now, they’re dead” mantra.
“Class dismissed.”  <Did I just say, ‘class dismissed’?  You are rusty, 
Mulder,
rusty!>
Eris, Aussie, Kat and her friend, Raine, come down the steps and approach
Mulder’s desk.
It is Eris that speaks first, “Umm, Professor Masters, we were wondering if 
you’d
like to join us for a cup of coffee in the Student Center?”  Aussie is 
batting her
eyelashes at him and Eris is smiling so broadly, he’s concerned she will get 
a
facial muscle cramp. Kat and Raine are merely staring.  <Oh, yes; they have
understood this lesson in body language.>
“Well, ladies, as much as I’d love to take you up on your nice offer, I’ve 
got
lecture notes to transcribe.  Thank you, though.”
<Phew!  That WAS close!>
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Lunch at RMH Cafeteria, Noontime
Scully is on line when Mulder joins her.  She is chatting with Barbara and 
Don.
“Hey, Dana; how was your morning?” <Hope it was nothing like mine or I’d be
pretty mad!>
“Pretty busy, Fox.  I’ll tell you about it when we sit down.”
Scully grabs a salad, some soup and an apple.  Mulder surprisingly takes a
turkey sandwich and some soup.  “Fox?  Are you feeling all right?”  Scully 
smiles
and laughs good naturedly.
Scully tells Barbara and Don she’ll talk with them later and heads over to 
the far
corner to join Mulder.
Nodding in Scully’s direction, Don says, “There’s something going on between
those two.  Did you see the way Dana looked at him when he came in?  I’d 
swear
they’re much more than good friends.”
“A little jealous, Don?  I didn’t know you had the hots for her.  Better 
back off.
Baines is next in line, I think.  Right after that maintenance guy, Rodent 
is it?”
“So Mulder, how did your first class go?  Any cute co-eds?”
Mulder’s face gets a little hot as Scully zeroes in on his first class.  
<How DOES
she do that?>
“It went okay, Scully. Have you heard how Jeremy’s doing today?”  Mulder
quickly changes the subject.  The look on Scully’s face tells him she caught 
his
subterfuge, but allowed it.
“Ritter says Jeremy’s fine physically.  The memory effects Jeremy alluded to
seem to have ended.  I’m guessing he hadn’t been given enough of whatever
drug was being used to induce the full effect.  One thing bothers me, 
Mulder.”
“Just one, Scully?  Usually, you’d have a whole list of implausible 
scenarios,
unsubstantiated theories—“
“Mulder, shut up!”  She smiles and continues, “This does not seem to be an 
X-
File at all.  Sure, we don’t know what drug has been used, but that’s not a
mystery; it’s just unknown at this time.  There are many drugs which can 
effect
the memory in a vast array of methods.  Why, there’s the—“
“Scully?”
“I know; shut up.”
“I agree with you though.  Everything here seems pretty clear cut.  Except 
for
why Baines needs to make the memory change and why he chooses patients
with the common variables.”
“Paging Nurse Katz to Dr. Baines’ office stat, paging Nurse Katz….”
“Damn!  What do you think he wants?”
“How was he this morning?”
“He wasn’t here; he called in sick.”  Scully giggles and Mulder loves the 
sound of
her laugh.  “What’s so funny, Scully?”
She tries to be more serious.  “Mulder, a doctor calls in to a hospital to 
say he
can’t work because he’s sick; get it?”  She once again breaks out in a fit 
of
giggles.
Mulder is laughing with her, but doesn’t quite get the depth of her joke; at 
least
not in the way it’s affecting her.
“If he’s not here, then how can he page you, Scully?”
“I’m going to check and be right back.”
Scully heads for the house phone. Mulder can see her nodding and talking.  
She
returns.
“They don’t know who paged me and they confirm he’s not in today.”  Scully 
gets
up and picks up her tray.  As she’s heading for the tray drop off, Mulder 
comes
up behind her.
“Scully, I’m going to head up the stairwell and just ‘be available’, ok?”

She considers telling him she doesn’t think it’s necessary and then decides 
not to
protest.  He’s following SOP; one Agent always backs up the other.
As Scully approaches Baines’ office, she notices the door is open.  She 
glances
to the left, toward the stairwell door, and sees Mulder’s face in the small 
window
in the door.  She nods to him and then heads in.
“Oh, hello, Dana, come in.”  It is the receptionist.  “Can I help you with
something?”
“Um, yeah.  I just got paged to Art’s office, but he’s out today.  Do you 
know who
paged me?”  Scully looks around and sees that his office and the room behind 
it
are both dark.
“Nooo, I don’t know who would have paged you.  I’m the only one up here and
have been for the last hour.  Are you sure they said it was Dr. Baines?”
“I’m positive.  Look, if you don’t mind, I’m going to just check out the 
back
rooms.”
“Sure, go right ahead, if you want. I think someone’s playing a joke on you,
though. Hey, do you mind if I just run down to grab a take out lunch?”
“No, no, go ahead.  I’ll grab the phone if it rings.”  Scully heads into 
Baines’ office
first and switches on the light; no one there.
She then heads for the back room where Baines put the moves on her
previously.  She is about to reach for the light switch when she feels a 
hand on
her wrist.  She gasps, startled.  Before she can ask any questions, another 
hand
covers her mouth.  The door is kicked shut.
“Don’t move, Dana, everything is ok.  It’s just me.”

She recognizes the voice and bites the hand covering her mouth.  In one 
swift
motion, she yanks her wrist free.  “Ritter!  Just what the hell do you think 
you’re
doing?!” she says indignantly.
“Scully, quiet.  I had to talk to you privately and-“
“Any your basement office was so public, you were afraid everyone would see
us, so you chose the high profile Med/Surge Chief’s office and had me paged 
by
him and he’s not here today!  What the hell is your game, Agent?”
Ritter begins to sweat; a lot.  <Ok, this was not such a smart move on my 
part.
Now, Ritter, find your way out of this before she really goes ballistic.>
“I needed to tell you that Jeremy is ok and—“
Scully is not yet ready to back down.  “You already told me he’s fine.  Is 
he more
fine now, Ritter?  You know, Mulder was right, you’re a rodent!”  She gets 
up to
leave.
Mulder comes walking in as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.  He has 
heard
the entire exchange.  He is smiling; but his eyes are not.
Ritter stands.  He paces, attempting to find a way out of the room.  
Mulder’s long
and lanky frame is clearly blocking Ritter’s exit.
“Not so fast, Rodent.  Just what do you get if you dig up something on me 
and
Agent Scully, huh?  Do you get promoted? Do you get assigned to the DC field
office?  Do you get a commendation?  Picture those career altering rewards.
Now, picture them non-existent.  If I were to call Kersh and Skinner right 
now,
your sorry ass would be hauled out of here so fast, you little whiskers 
would be
twitching in the wind.  Get your sorry ass out of here now before I do 
something
you and Scully might regret.  Notice I didn’t say I’d regret it…”
Ritter hightails it out of the office just as the receptionist comes back 
with her
lunch.  “Oh my, where did he come from?  Did something need fixing I didn’t
know about?”
Mulder and Scully head for the stairwell and head home.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rodent with Tail between Legs; Monday
“Ritter.”
“Agent Ritter, AD Kersh here.  What do you have to report?”
“Well, sir, we’ve found out that Baines is using some type of mind or memory
altering drug on his patients.  We were able to—“
“Agent Ritter, I’ve already heard that information from AD Skinner.  Agents
Mulder and Scully have already reported in.  What have you learned about
inproprieties between the two Agents?”
Ritter is flustered.  He has tried to arrange situations or to appear where 
he is not
invited.  All he has gained is Mulder agony.
“Agent?  I’m waiting for your report.”
“Well, Sir, they are extremely friendly.”
“Ritter, listen to me and listen well.  You are on a short leash.  I am well 
aware of
the friendship connection between the Agents. Hell, the whole f****** world 
is
aware of their friendship.  You had specific instructions.  You know what is
resting on your successful completion of your case.  Have I made myself 
clear?
Is there anything you wish to report?”
“No, Sir.  I mean, ‘yes, Sir’, I understand what is riding on my work and 
‘no, Sir’, I
have nothing to report.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@@@

Trying to Tie Up Loose Ends; Monday Night, 6P
The evening air still holds a slight warm spring hint.  It’s staying light 
much
longer.  Mulder and Scully walk out onto the patio and watch as the sun 
starts
sinking toward the horizon; just over the water’s edge.
“I’m going to check in with Skinner, Mulder.  He hasn’t contacted either of 
us in a
few days.”
“Can’t it wait?  Aren’t you tired?”
“Yes, I’m very tired, but I think we need to get this over with.  Don’t you 
think
Ritter’s reporting in to Kersh?  Why leave Skinner in the dark?”
Mulder exaggeratedly hangs his head down.
“Sir?  We wanted to check in with you.  I’m more sure than ever that Ritter 
has
another agenda with this case.”  She explains the recent developments to
Skinner.
“We’ve taken Jeremy out of the hospital; he’s safe.  I don’t find any 
evidence of
the paranormal with Dr. Baines.  No, Sir, only very ‘normal’ criminal 
behavior.”
“Skinner wants to talk to you, Mulder.”
“Hello, Sir.  What?  Oh, yes, that is true.”  Mulder is walking around as he 
talks.
Scully gets the distinct impression that he’s moving away from her so she 
doesn’t
follow the discussion.  “Yes, Sir, I always do.”
“What was that all about, Mulder?”  Scully is standing by his side, one hand 
on
her hip, looking up at him inquiringly.
“Um, nothing, Scully.  Skinman just wanted to make sure we’ve got everything
under control.”
“You’re a bad liar, Mulder!  Out with it.”

“Kersh had contacted him.  He just wanted to know if it was true that Baines 
had
tried to put the moves on you.”
“And you said, what, Mulder?”
“I said that you handled it fine.”
“You said nothing of the sort, Mulder.  C’mon, tell me.”
“He asked if I helped you out.  I said, ‘I always do’.”
“Yes, you do, don’t you, Mulder?”  Scully smiles.  They head inside.
They stop in the kitchen to grab some dinner.  They take a few sandwiches
upstairs.
“You know, Scully, I think this case is almost wrapped up.  Another few days 
or
the week and we should have enough information on Baines to nail it.  My
college teaching career will come to an end!  We’ll have to go back to just 
plain
old Agents again.”
They stop at Mulder’s floor.  “Your place or mine, Mulder?”
“Let’s head up to yours.”
Mulder holds both plates as Scully fishes out her apartment key.  She turns 
on
the lamp.
“Do you mind if I get out of this uniform, Mulder?”  Scully is pulling the 
shirt out of
the the waistband of her pants, walking toward the bedroom.
“Do you want any help, Scully?”  Mulder is being helpful.
Scully turns and smiles almost coyly at him, “Much as I appreciate your 
offer, I
think I can handle this.  I’ll be out in a minute.”
Mulder sets the plates on the dining room table by the window.  <It’s going 
to be
hard to go back to my apartment… At least Scully’s real apartment is nice.>
Scully comes out in a pair of knit shorts and a cropped tee shirt.  She’s 
barefoot
and her hair is in a ponytail.  She looks over at Mulder.  He’s holding his
sandwich halfway to his mouth and looking up at her.

“Mulder, let’s talk about what still needs to be ironed out, ok?”  She 
smoothly
steers the conversation to a ‘safe’ topic.  She knows well that look in 
Mulder’s
eyes.
Mulder takes a bite of his sandwich and pushes Scully’s plate toward her.
“Wuhh, Scuhli, Ah.”
“Mulder, I didn’t mean we had to talk this minute!  You CAN eat first.”
They finish their sandwiches in companionable silence.
Scully outlines what they know and what they need to accomplish.  “First of 
all,
we’ve got to get Jeremy over to Portsmouth to have some testing done.  I 
don’t
know if he really has a neurological disorder or not, but we’re not going to 
be able
to take him back to Mercy.  Second, I need to get some blood samples of the
other two pre-op patients to the lab for the same reasons.  I don’t want any
unplanned disappearances like Jeremy’s.  I’m sure Baines is much more
suspicious now and I’m not sure how effective I’ll be with him.  Then, 
there’s
Ritter--“
“Whoa, Scully, were you planning on writing all this down for me?  Ok; I 
follow
you.  As for Ritter, he needs to be trussed up and--“
Scully heads into the kitchen to get some icecream.  She calls back to the 
dining
room, “Mulder, you’ve got nothing on Ritter other than being a royal pain in 
the
ass.  That alone doesn’t justify ‘trussing him up’ and whatever else you had 
in
that brain of yours.”

“Scully, isn’t he driving you nuts, too?  He’s put you in some compromising
positions, he’s almost blown our covers and he’s reporting to Kersh on some
unknown agenda.  I’d say that qualifies him for ‘bozo of the year’ or 
something
like that.”
“Mulder, wait, I think I’ve got Ritter’s ‘unknown agenda’!”  Scully puts the 
bowls of
icecream on the table, but continues to stand.  “Think about every time he’s 
been
in our faces; your apartment the afternoon you, uh, ‘made me lunch’, on the
plane, at the hospital, on my run, in Baines’ office.  Are you seeing a 
pattern
here, Mulder?  I am.  He’s trying to prove we have a more than ‘partnerly’
relationship for Kersh.  Kersh has been gunning for us for awhile.  He can’t 
fault
our work, so he’s going to fault us.  Kersh will have enough to pull us 
out.”
Mulder is still eating his icecream when Scully makes her point.  “I think 
you’re
right, Scully.  That IS what he’s trying to do; ‘trying’ being the operative 
word,
here.  There’s nothing for Ritter to report, that’s why he keeps turning 
up.”
They both pause.  They have been so wound up in their covers, this case and
trying to keep Ritter at bay, that they have not really had the chance to 
further
explore their feelings and the depth of their relationship.  Now that 
they’re aware
of Ritter’s motives, maybe it is for the best.  Or, maybe it will just wait 
a day or so
until they wrap up the case…
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Tuesday’s Routine, 5:30A
Knock, knock, knock.  “Scully, are you in there?  Isn’t it time for your 
run?”
Mulder is dressed in his sweats, having decided to go with Scully this time. 
  He is
running out of body parts to have injured.
Scully cracks the door open.  Through a sleepy fog she says, “Is that you,
Mulder?”
He pushes the door open a little bit more.  “Scully, I want to run with you 
this
morning.  C’mon, time to get going.  Let’s double the distance this 
morning!!
Wake up, sunshine.”
Scully opens the door for him to come in.  Her apartment is dark; it’s now 
obvious
she had no intentions of running this morning.
“Scully, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I just thought--“
“It’s ok, Mulder, I should be up anyway.  I’m not running this morning, 
though, so
if you want to go, go on ahead without me.”
As she walks over to the couch, Mulder can see she’s wearing a long tee 
shirt
that barely covers her panties.  Her hair is loose and she has a rather wild 
look
about her. <God, if this is how she looks when she wakes up, I’d love to see
her… Better stop there, Mulder.>
“If you want some coffee, help yourself.  I set the timer on the coffee 
maker last
night.  I’ll wake up soon enough.”  She scrunches herself into the couch and 
hugs
her arms around her.  She is suddenly aware of just how little she is 
wearing.
She’s also a little chilled since she turned the heat down when she went to 
bed.
Mulder gets some coffee for them and then heads for the bedroom.  He grabs a
cotton blanket and heads for Scully.
He sits down next to her and gently pulls her over to him.  He wraps the 
blanket
around both of them.
“Hmm, this is nice, Mulder.”  She snuggles up against him, feeling the 
warmth of
his body.
He kisses the top of her head.
“Scully?  The sun is up.  You do have to work today, don’t you?  I have to 
get to
the College.”
They have both slept for an hour in each other’s arms.
“Oh, gosh, Mulder.  I’ve got to be at the hospital by 8 this morning.  I 
hope I
haven’t made you late, too.”
Scully sits up quickly, her tee up around her waist as she pulls the blanket 
off of
them.
<Guess I’m wide awake, now> Mulder thinks with a smirk.

“Do you think we should check under the couch for Ritter, Scully?”
“Don’t even think it, Mulder!  You better get going.  I’ll call you around 
lunch time,
ok?”
Mulder stretches out his lanky frame as he stands and heads for the door.
Before he gets there, Scully comes up behind him.  “Mulder?”  She touches 
his
arm and turns him toward her.  “Yeah, Scully?”  He smiles.
“Mulder, you’re awfully comfortable to sleep with.”  She smiles up at him, 
stands
on her toes, and gives him a quick kiss on the lips.
<You’re not getting off that easy this time, Scully.>  Mulder lets her take 
her lips
from his, but then he grabs her, on hand on each arm and pulls her toward 
him.
He lips find hers and they explore each other.  She is heat and fire and 
electricity
on his lips.
“Mmmm, Mulder…”
Mulder gently breaks the kiss, “Yes?”
Scully leans in closer, struggling to stay standing on her almost liquid 
legs and
whispers in his ear, “Go get ready for class, Mulder.  Now.  Before you have 
to
find a sub.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye Community College; Advanced Psychology Class, Tuesday morning
Mulder strides into the lecture hall.  Most of the students are already 
there, in a
totally sociable mood.  The noise level is so high that they do not hear him 
when
he says, “Good morning, class.”
He notices his ‘fan club’, Eris, Aussie (<wonder if she’s from Australia>), 
Raine
and Kat.  He also notices their furtive glances in his direction.  He picks 
up bits
and pieces of their animated conversation, <talk about non-verbal
communication; these four have it down to a science!>
Kat: Oh my god, look at what he’s done to his hair today, or, should I say 
‘hasn’t
done’!?  It looks like he just let if fall in his face!
Eris:  Forget the hair, check out that body, black chinos and ribbed 
turtleneck; the
man clearly knows how to dress ‘hot’!
Raine:  C’mon you two, it’s the total package; he’s packing something and 
it’s
leaving flames…
Aussie:  I’m sticking with the face; talk about your ‘body language’.  That 
man’s
face says ‘get me to the bed’ in every language!
Mulder’s heard quite enough and he’s starting to blush.  “Ok, everyone, 
today
we’re going to practice observing body language.  Do I have any volunteers?”
When he sees the show of hands, he adds, “Uh, I’d like some women AND men
to volunteer.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye Mercy Hospital, Tuesday Morning
“Paging Nurse Katz to OR #4, Nurse Katz to OR#4.”
Scully is on the phone with Portsmouth Hospital when the page comes through.
She does not want to hang up because they are about to give her the blood 
work
results on Jeremy and the others.  The page comes through again, this time 
with
‘stat’ tacked on.
“I’ll call you back.”  Scully heads to OR #4.  When she enters, the OR is 
dark.
She reaches for the light switch and a hand is immediately on top of hers.
She freezes, waiting for whoever it is to make her or his move.  “Dana, 
don’t
move.  It’s me, Don.  Don’t turn on the lights.”
“Don, why didn’t you just come to my office?  What’s all the cloak and 
dagger
about?”
Don, who seems to see quite well in the dark room, leads Scully by the wrist 
to
the stairs.  They ascend to the viewing theater above the OR.  He turns on 
one of
the seat lights since it contains only a 40 watt bulb.
“Look, Dana, Barbara and I wanted to warn you, Baines is on to you.”
Scully’s heart skips a beat, but she says nothing.  She waits for him to 
continue.
“He knows you got Jeremy out of here and he’s not a happy camper.  What’s
going on?  We can help you.”
<Phew!  Baines is only on to Jeremy, but not my actual role here.>
“Thanks, Don; it means a lot to me that you and Barbara would want to help 
me,
but there’s no need.  I really appreciate you tipping me off, though.  
You’re taking
a risk being here.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye Community College, Role Playing
“Ok, now that you’re in small groups, here’s what you need to do.  Each 
group
will choose an emotional situation they want to role play.  It can be 
anything that
doesn’t take too long.  For example, you might choose receiving a gift from
someone special. When you’ve chose your situation, you’ll act it our for the 
rest
of the class without using any words.  You’re going to use your bodies to 
show
us.  Now, just a reminder; you’re in a public place with people you don’t
necessarily know.  Choose your body language appropriately, for class, 
please.”
Mulder smiles and hops up to sit on the counter in the front of the room as 
they
work with their groups.
<I’m just a little nervous about what the ‘fan club’ might choose.  Good 
thing
they’re working with some others.>
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rye Mercy Hospital, Check and Checkmate
Scully goes back to her office.  She calls Portsmouth Hospital Lab.  She is
distressed at the results; none of Dr. Baines pre-op patients had any 
pre-existing
conditions and show no current signs of neurological problems.  This means
tests have been faked and more importantly, people have been hospitalized
against their will and unnessarily.
She wants to call Mulder, but knows he’s teaching his class.  She contacts 
Ritter
and tells him she’s coming down to his office.
On her way to the elevator, Dr. Baines stops her.  “Nurse Katz, I’d like a 
word
with you in my office, please.”
“Can’t do that right now, I have to see someone.  I’ll be back--“
Although he is smiling, his words are not, “Nurse Katz, this is of the 
utmost
urgency.  I highly recommend that you follow me now.”  He places a heavy arm
across her shoulders and leads her there.
<Ritter, I hope you wonder where I am…>
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rye Community College, Emotional Situation
“Ok, is Group 1 ready to go?  Come up here to the front of the room.  
Everyone
else have a seat.  What I’d like you all to do is use your senses to 
observe.  Let
each group show their entire ‘situation’ before guessing at it. “
Group 1 includes Eris, Aussie, Kat, Jake and Stephen.  They approach the 
front
of the room.  Eris and Jake move to the center.  The others coach them and 
let
them begin.  Eris slowly approaches Jake, half smile on her face.  She 
pauses
halfway there and looks at him from his feet, slowly moving to his face.  
Jake
returns the gesture.  He approaches her and takes her hand, looking into her
eyes.  She takes his other hand and puts it to her face.
By this point, some of the students are ‘ooohing’ and ‘ahhing’.  Raine, Kat 
and
Stephen are nodding to Eris and Jake in encouragement and support.
He starts to pull her body to his.  At that point, Mulder tries to calmly 
indicate that
they should end their role playing.  When discreet signals don’t work, he 
say,
“Ok, nice job, Group 1!!”  He notices that both Eris and Jake have dialated 
pupils
and are breathing a little heavy.  Heck!  So is he!
“Anyone care to guess what their emotional situation was?”  It seems like 
every
hand in the room shoots into the air.   When it takes him more than two 
seconds
to call on someone, they begin calling out their guesses.
“Shake their booties!”
“He wants some and she’s ready to give.”
“Hot monkey love!”
“She’s a hooker.”
Mulder is ready to laugh.  <This would be a great time for the Dean to walk 
in…>
He asks Group 1 to respond.  Stephen speaks for the Group.  “Actually, the 
only
wrong guess was that she’s a hooker; the rest are all ok!”
“Ok, everyone, before you go, let’s talk a little bit about what you 
observed and
how you decided what was being portrayed.”  Mulder waits a few minutes; no
one responds.
He decides to help them get started.  “Alright, let me give you an example.” 
  He
pauses breifly, considering which example to use.  He stops midway across 
the
front of the room and looks up at the class members who are all sitting 
quite
attentively.
“Now, observe me and tell me what I’m doing to get my point across.”  Mulder
begins by standing in front of them with his arms at his sides.  He lifts 
his
shoulders, shrugging, then lets his arms fall back to his body.  His head 
hangs
down to his chest, his hair falling in his face.  Next, he looks up, 
focusing his
gaze toward the back of the room.  The students follow his gaze and all turn
around to look.  He smiles before they turn back around to watch him.
“Ok, what was I experiencing and how did you know?”
*Now* they are quite animated.  Raine is ready to melt into her seat, she 
has
been *studying* him rather intently.  Kat elbows her, suggesting that 
Raine’s
response is just a little too obvious.
Jake replies, “You appeared to be dejected; your arms hanging down, then 
your
head.  I don’t know what the hair in your face signified.”  The class erupts 
with
laughter.  Aussie finds herself thinking that the hair in his face simply 
*signified*
another wonderful look for Professor Masters.
Eris raises her hand.  “You also looked disinterested when you shrugged.”
“Thank you, all.  How about when I looked to the back of the room?”  Mulder 
is
walking back and forth in front of them, hands on his hips, eyes sparkling.
Although he is sure they are paying attention, he is not sure to exactly 
what or
who they are paying attention.  He notices several sets of eyes following 
him; or
rather, following his body.
As if by some unknown galactic force, everyone starts to put their notebooks 
into
their book bags and stand.  <A true X-File; unexplained college behavioral
phenomena.>
“Ok, class, we’ll finish the groups next time!”


@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye Mercy Hospital, The Gig’s (Almost) Up, Noontime Tuesday

Ritter is pacing in his office.  Scully called him almost 10 minutes ago.  
There’s
no way it would take her that long to come down the stairs.  <Scully is a 
woman
with an agenda.  When she’s got a plan, there’s no stopping her.>
Ritter’s training kicks into gear.
He bolts from his office and takes the stairs two at a time to her floor.
-------------------------------------------------
Baines has ‘walked’ Scully into the backroom of his office.  <Oh, no, not 
here
again…>
“What it is you want to talk to me about, Art?”  Scully is nervous, but 
she’s trying
very hard to portray confidence.
He sits her down on the couch and joins her.
“Dana, I’m not sure exactly what you’re up to, but Jeremy is missing and all
indications point to you.”  He smiles briefly, as if he’s forcing himself, 
and
continues,”I really think that now is the time to explain yourself.”  The 
smile is
gone.  He has one hand on her knee and is gripping it tightly.  The other 
hand is
around her waist.
As she is about to answer, Ritter bursts through the door.  His sudden
appearance is enough to startle Baines and he releases Scully.  She moves 
over
next to Ritter.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
On the Way to Rye Mercy Hospital, 11:30A

“C’mon, Scully, answer your phone.”
“The cellular customer you are trying to reach is not within the service 
area.”
<Shit!  It’s not like Scully to turn her phone off.>  Mulder punches the gas 
pedal.
He takes the corners on two wheels, causing the Cherokee to balk.  <Don’t 
fail
me now.> he pleads with it.
He leaves it in the Employee Parking Lot and runs through lobby.  He jabs at 
the
buttons on the elevator.  When it doesn’t respond fast enough, he heads for 
the
stairs.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Rye Mercy Hospital, Gig’s Up!  Noontime
Mulder approaches Baines’ office quietly.  He hears voices inside; Scully, 
Baines,
Ritter.  The voice tones and levels tell him that no one is in danger, but 
there is
tension among them.
“Look, Doc, we’ve got your number and you’re not going anywhere.” Ritter 
begins
to read Baines’ his rights, much to Scully’s disappointment.
“Just who the [edit] do you think you are, Mr. RoDEN, is it?  Since when 
does the
Chief of Maintenance ‘read me my rights’?”  Baines is extremely angry.  He 
takes
a step toward Ritter and Scully.  Ritter stands his ground and reaches out 
to pull
Scully slightly behind him.
At that moment, Mulder walks in.  “Great, now the whole gang is here!”  
Baines
spits out that sentence, looking for an exit.
Cooler heads prevail.
Mulder begins, “Look, Baines, why don’t you just have a seat and we’ll talk 
this
out.”  He gestures toward the couch.
“YOU have a seat!  This is my goddam office, I don’t know who you all claim 
to
be and I want some answers now or I’m calling security!”  Baines remains
standing, reaches out and grabs Scully by the arm.  He holds her arm behind 
her
back with one of his arms and pulls his other arm across her throat.
“Did you know that the human larynx can be easily crushed when pressure is
applied to the exact point?”  He pushes his arm against her throat; not hard
enough to injure, but just enough to get his point across.  Scully’s face 
turns red
as a beet and then goes white.  Her body arches forward and her head lolls 
back
onto Baines’ shoulder.
Ritter starts to move forward slowly.  “Baines, why don’t you let her go and 
we’ll
all just answer your questions. W e can work this out.”  Ritter keeps Baines
talking.  Baines eases up on Scully’s neck a little.  Some of the natural 
color
returns to her face.
Mulder slowly slinks out the door and walks into Baines’ office.  He slides 
the
office window open and notices a rather large ledge outside.
He makes his way out onto the ledge and walks the short distance to the 
other
room.  Ritter sees Mulder, but does not give away the plan.
<Hang in there, Scully, I’m on my way.>  Mulder eases the window open, glad
that Ritter is carrying on his mindless conversation with Baines.  Baines is 
totally
engaged, never having noticed that Mulder left.
Mulder steps onto the couch from behind and grabs Baines.  Baines falls back
onto the couch with Scully falling backwards on top of him.  As Baines 
falls, he
releases Scully.
Ritter helps her up and looks at her neck which is rapidly becoming black 
and
blue.
Mulder pulls out his badge and holds it in front of Baines’ face.
“Get a good look Dr. Baines, or, should I say, Dr. Brenten?  Let me also
introduce Special Agent Dana Scully and Field Agent Payton Ritter.  Now, I 
will
read you your rights as they relate to your alleged involvement in the plan 
to
conduct memory altering experiments on subjects without their express
permission.”
“You have the right to…”  Mulder continues.  Ritter assists him.  Scully 
observes,
massaging her throat.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Rye Mercy Hospital Cafeteria, Tuesday Night
After calls to Kersh and Skinner, the three Agents have dinner in the 
cafeteria.
“Can we drop you somewhere Ritter?”  Scully offers.
“Nah, that’s ok, I’ve got a few things to do here and then I’ll be making my 
flight
arrangements.  When are you two heading out? Maybe we can get on the same
flight.”
“Ritter, don’t push the relationship thing. I’ll be sure my report indicates 
your
‘helpfulness’ to Skinner.  We’ll probably never see you again, such a 
shame…”
Scully pokes Mulder in the ribs for that comment.
“Actually, Payton, Mulder and I are diving the Cherokee down to Boston, so 
we’ll
head out in the morning.  Thanks again.”  Scully stands to signal the end of 
their
dinner.
“I’ll be right back, Scully.”  Before she can respond, Mulder follows Ritter 
out to
the parking lot.  Scully starts to follow, but decides against it.  <I’m 
sure I know
what he’s up to…Can’t say Ritter doesn’t deserve it, either.  And, what I 
don’t
*know* I can’t respond to.>
Ritter is a few feet in front of Mulder when he hears footsteps.  He pauses, 
but
does not look back.  Mulder closes the gap and grabs Ritter’s arm, spinning 
him
around to face Mulder.
“What do *you* want, Agent Mulder?  I thought we said our good-byes inside.
And where’s Scully?”
“Enough talk, Rodent man.  You listen and listen well.”  Ritter tries to 
shrug free
of Mulder, but has no luck. Mulder’s hand is like an iron clamp.
“I’ve got a good mind to pulverize you where you stand you lousy skunk, but 
I
know it would just upset Agent Scully.  Just so you’re clear on this matter, 
we’re
both on to your hidden agenda with Kersh; you like letting yourself be used 
by
others, don’t you?  No matter.  Consider this fair warning:  keep your nose 
and,
he!!, any other part of you, out of my way or you probably won’t live to 
regret it.
Scully would be much kinder and give you the benefit of the doubt, but I 
can’t say
I suffer from her kindness where you’re concerned.  Now get your butt across 
the
state line before I toss it there.”
Before Ritter can utter a syllable, Mulder turns and walks back inside.  
Scully
greets him at the door, arms crossed, smiling.  She shakes her head and 
rolls
her eyes, but the smile never leaves her face.  “Don’t even say it, Scully.  
Just
get your little feet moving.”
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
55 Cable Road, Nightfall
The night is one that presages summer; heavy, moist air, but the darkness 
has
edged away some of the heat, leaving the air early summer warm.
“I can’t believe we only get one more night here, Mulder. It really is 
beautiful.”
“It is beautiful, Scully.  Since we’re not in any hurry, why don’t we head 
to the
beach for some down time?”  Mulder wishes he could see her face; he could
swear he can ‘hear’ her smiling back at him. <God, how I love that smile…>
“Sounds good to me, let me just go get changed.  This uniform isn’t exactly
‘beachwear’.  I’ll meet you on the patio in a few minutes.”
Mulder is sitting in a lounge chair by the patio door.  Visions of Scully 
dane
through his head.  He hears Scully walking through the dining room, her 
sandals
clacking on the hardwood floors.
Just as she reaches the patio door, he pulls it open.  Before she can react, 
he
pulls her toward him, into his arms.  She nearly steps out of her sandals as 
she’s
pressed to him.
Her breath catches in her chest and she looks up at him.  “Hey, Scully.”  
Mulder
smiles at her casually as if it’s everyday they’re in this situation.  He is 
the master
of understatement at times.
“Hmmm, I could get used to this type of welcome when I come through a door.”
She lightly blows a whisp of her hair from in front of her eyes; not wanting 
to free
her hands to push it aside.
“I think Skinman would be only too happy to oblige you, Scully.”
She looks puzzled. “What’re you talking about, Mulder?”  She circles his 
waist
with her arms.
“Oh, c’mon, Scully; don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how he looks at you!  
He
just about drools--ok, Skinman probably wouldn’t ‘drool’, he’d probably 
‘leer’ very
sternly.”
Scully is laughing; a devil-may-care-to-he!!-with-them-all laugh that Mulder 
rarely
witnesses.  He laughs easily with her.
He steps back and brings her to his side, his arm around her shoulder, her 
arm
around his waist.  They walk to the edge of the patio.
“So where’d you get this little outfit, Scully?” <And I wish I’d seen it 
earlier!>
Scully is wearing a simple , ruby-colored, cotton knit tee dress that falls 
just
above her knees.  “It’s been around Mulder, but it’s not exactly my usual 
office
attire.”
He takes her hand and they head out to the beach.  With the exception of the 
half
moon hung low over the water, there is little light anywhere.
Scully smiles; the fleece blanket is back, along with a couple of large, 
square
cushion, pillows and another large throw.  <Someone’s been busy…> she 
thinks.
His ability to plan out his fantasies to the most minute detail never ceases 
to
amaze and delight her.
They sit on the blanket facing each other.

“So, what do you think will happen to Baines, Mulder?”
“I think they’ll make Ritter spend some time with him; cruel and unusual
punishment for one so deserving.”
“It’s tragic that those patients risked losing so much to someone who cared 
so
little for their lives, Mulder.”
“Yeah, it is.  Ever wonder how we do this day in day out when all that seems 
to
come of it is hurt, pain and social injustice, Scully?”
“I try to focus on the reason we do this.  Then, I try to find something  or
someone to take it from me.”  She turns around until her back is to him and 
slides
closer to him.  She reaches her hand back to signal him to open his legs so 
she
can sit between them.  She leans back against him and he encircles her in 
his
arms.  Her body is bracketed by Mulder’s.  She leans her head back against 
his
chest, feeling the warmth radiate.  For several timeless minutes they’re 
breathing
exists in unison.  Mulder rests his chin in her hair and then kisses her.

He whispers into her ear, “If I were to use my judgment right now, Scully, 
do you
know what I would do?”
“Yes, Mulder, I think I do.”
His tongue slips into her ear gently, sending wave-like ripples of warmth 
from her
ears and south...  He then whispers into her ear, murmuring her name until 
she is
beginning to squirm in his arms.  He hears and feels her sigh and whimper.
“Scully?”
“Mulder?”
“Kiss me, Scully, now.”
She turns sideways, her legs over his leg.  He cradles her in his arms and 
leans
toward her upturned face.  She licks her own lips and then his; first his 
lower,
then his upper lip.  He parts his lips to allow her tongue to move inside 
his mouth.
His hand moves along her hip, his mouth covering hers.  A low, almost-growl
escapes him sending vibrations through them both.
Scully breaks the connection and murmurs, “Mulder, I think you have an angel 
on
your shoulder, but the devil on those lips of yours.”
His voice low and throaty, he says with mock surprise, “Is that a problem,
Scully?”
She smiles just before she places her hands on his face, drawing him closer.
When their faces are but mere inches apart, she whispers in response, “No,
Mulder, not a problem.”  She kisses his mouth.  The kiss begins sweetly; it
languishes; it moves beyond ‘sweetness’.
Mulder tells himself to pull back, to ‘read’ Scully’s reaction before 
continuing.  Try
as he might, he cannot pull away from the taste of her lips.  As if 
intuiting his
intentions, Scully runs her tongue over his lips and briefly pulls back.  
“Mulder, I
need--I want--you, more”, she pants.
Mulder has the response he needs.  His hand moves to her hip.  He runs it 
along
her dress, moving the dress up a little higher each time, but stopping 
before it
reaches higher than mid-thigh.  “Why, Scully; I don’t think there’s anything 
under
this dress…”
Scully’s hands are underneath Mulder’s shirt, leaving sparking trails along 
his
skin when she says, “I must have forgotten a few things in my haste to join 
you,
Mulder.”
THE END!!