TITLE - D.C. Confidential (1/1)
AUTHOR - Miss Bit
E-MAIL ADDRESS - [email protected]
RATING - PG
CATEGORY - V
SPOILERS - Within
KEYWORDS - Post-Episode
SUMMARY - Mulder's gone, and Doggett and Scully struggle to come to an
understanding...
ARCHIVE: Yes, yes, and yes! Please ask me first and keep all info attached.
Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: Huh? What do you mean, *not* mine? I gotta give 'em back? *pouts*
Oh, all right, here they are! But if the Almighty Creator (a.k.a. Chris Carter)
keeps screwing up the way he does, I'm gonna keep 'em. For good.
FEEDBACK: Well, of course!! Will be welcomed by a warm hug if you leave it at [email protected]
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Uh, yes, this is a bit... long for a vignette, but I did use this
classification tool thingie and it told me this was a vignette, so I'm not to
blame, *g*. Now that I come to think of it, you could also call this 2 vignettes
in 1... Slight traces of angst in the second (say: last) scene. This is taking
place after the events of 'Within', and my characterization of John Doggett is
mostly guesswork. Anyway, I hope he'll turn out this way, you know, that strong
kind of guy with a soft touch, a little bit in love with Scully... (she and
Mulder belong together, though, so don't get any ideas ;-) BTW, this piece has
nothing to do with the movie 'LA Confidential' - I just wanted a title that
included the word 'confide'. Now go on reading and please don't forget to let me
know what you thought of it!
A big thank you goes out to Cate, my relentless beta reader. You're the best!
D.C. Confidential (1/1)
by Miss Bit
The corridor that led to Kersh's office was less crowded than John Doggett had
expected at this time of the day. But then most agents were either out to lunch
or trying to avoid running into Kersh who, it seemed to Doggett, was not the
most popular of superiors. For as long as Doggett had known Kersh the former
Assistant Director had never given him a reason not to like him. Not that it was
important to him. Doggett had never cared about liking or not liking his
superiors as long as they had treated him fairly and not interfered with his way
of handling his cases. Eventually, this attitude had helped him to get this job
with the FBI.
Doggett strode down the hallway, heading toward the elevators. He patiently
waited for a group of young male agents to get out, then entered the elevator
and pushed the button for the third floor. After having talked to Kersh for
about an hour he was not exactly looking forward to another meeting but Skinner
had insisted Doggett come and talk to him as soon as his meeting with Kersh was
over.
The elevator came to a halt and Doggett stepped out into another hallway. If the
corridor two floors lower had been almost empty then this was deserted. There
was only one other person. Doggett recognized her immediately.
Special Agent Dana Scully was sitting on a bench, her hands folded in her lap,
her blue eyes half closed. She seemed to be waiting for something, and Doggett
assumed that Skinner had asked to see her, too.
"Agent Scully", Doggett greeted, inclining his head towards her as he
walked past her to talk to Skinner's secretary. Scully's eyes focused on him.
She returned the nod.
"Agent Doggett."
Her voice was expressionless, as were her face and eyes. If she still held a
grudge against him she was not letting anything on.
"Ah, Agent Doggett", Skinner's secretary said as soon as he got into
her sight. "AD Skinner is... busy right now. I'll let you know when you can
go in."
Doggett was a little surprised. Skinner had seemed quite keen on meeting him
earlier on, but then the AD had not known when Doggett's meeting with Kersh
would be over.
"I'll wait, then", he informed the smiling secretary. He hesitated for
a moment, not quite sure if he wanted to find out what Scully's change in
behavior meant. Maybe she was just giving him the cold shoulder, after all. But
he had a distinct feeling that that was not the case.
Doggett turned the corner and went over to the bench Scully was sitting on. With
a glance he asked her permission to sit down next to her. After two or three
seconds of silent consideration Scully nodded almost imperceptibly, and Doggett
took a seat.
The silence between them stretched until it became uncomfortable, though Doggett
realized that the awkwardness seemed to be mostly on his part. He tried to think
of something to say, something that would startle her out of her well-kept guard
but not enough to make her too angry at him. All he wanted were some pieces of
information that would, eventually, help him to find Agent Mulder.
"Kersh speaks very highly of you."
Scully surprised him, more so by being the first of them to say something than
by what she said.
"He's got no reason not to do so", Doggett replied smoothly.
"So I've heard. AD Skinner wants to talk to you?"
She turned her head to look at him. Her hands were still folded in her lap,
giving him no clue as to what she might be thinking. What bothered him even more
was the fact that he could not read her eyes, like he could so easily the other
day when she had seemed so agitated about the rumors he had told her about.
Today, Agent Scully was composed, an expression of utter calm on her face and in
her eyes. Doggett noted that Scully had not used Kersh's title whereas she had
given Skinner that courtesy.
"Yes. I suppose he's not too happy about my handling this manhunt for Agent
Mulder."
Doggett carefully watched for any signs, as inconspicuous as they might be, that
would give away Scully's thoughts or at least her intentions. Not even the
mention of her partner's name evoked a reaction.
"Your methods don't agree with him", Scully answered noncommittally.
"From what I've heard, neither did Agent Mulder's."
This time, Doggett's words did provoke a reaction. There was a brief flash of
anger in her eyes which she suppressed quickly, but not fast enough for him not
to notice. She gave him a tight smile.
"Agent Mulder has earned Skinner's respect, and though they do have
different views on how to interpret the Bureau's regulations, there's nothing
wrong with their working relationship."
"Are you implying that there is some sort of problem between AD Skinner and
me?"
Scully's smile grew a bit wider, almost touching her eyes. Almost. For a
fleeting moment Doggett wondered what she might look like with a genuine, a
happy, smile on her face, a smile that included her eyes. In the short time that
he had known her he had only seen her either angry or sad. Today was the first
exception; he was now getting a glimpse of the strong-willed, self-composed
agent he'd heard a lot about. 'Glad to finally meet you, Agent Scully', he
thought wryly.
"You're here to find out about that, aren't you?"
Doggett decided that he had had enough chit-chat.
"I am here because I have been told that there will be some changes in
personnel. Obviously, these changes will not only affect me. Deputy Director
Kersh is making sure that only the most qualified and apt agents will work on
Agent Mulder's case so as not to waste the Bureau's resources."
When he had finished he could not help but admire Scully's self-
composure. He knew his comment on personnel rearrangements had hit home; for
Scully's greatest fear seemed to be that she would no longer be allowed to
participate in the search for her partner. She tensed at his words and her eyes
narrowed. Doggett watched with some fascination as she forced herself to relax
again, though he was sure that what she really wanted to do was to unleash her
anger and frustration against him.
"I'm sure Kersh only has the best in mind for the Bureau", she said
flatly.
"Even if that's not what's best for Agent Mulder", Doggett finished
the sentence for her, a trace of compassion coloring his voice. He saw her blink
in surprise at his words. Scully averted her eyes from him, but only for the
length of a heartbeat. When she looked at him again, her gaze was searching, and
Doggett found himself wishing to pass her silent examination. She kept looking
at him, her gaze calm and steady, giving Doggett the impression that there was
something she wanted to tell him, only that she was not sure if she should.
The moment passed, and Scully rose from the bench, all the while maintaining eye
contact with him. Doggett knew that whatever she had wanted to tell him was
important to her, but he also knew that she was not going to tell him now.
"I'll see you later, Agent Doggett", Scully said evenly, not waiting
for him to answer. She turned on her heel and began to walk down the hallway.
Doggett felt slightly confused. He was not sure about what had just happened.
But he did know that he wanted some answers from Scully.
"Scully! Please, wait", he called after her, knowing he had said
something wrong as soon as the words were out. She stopped dead in her tracks,
her body stiffening. Slowly, she turned around and came back to where he was
sitting. Her face was even, but there was an unmistakable turmoil in her eyes.
"Don't call me that!" she demanded sharply, a little to Doggett's
surprise. Why on earth should the mention of her name have her so upset? Then it
came to him. He must have, involuntarily, sounded like her partner.
"It is your name, isn't it?" He asked innocently. Scully gave him an
unreadable look.
"I'd rather you call me Agent Scully", she replied, much calmer again.
"Or Dana, if you must."
The add-on caught him by surprise, and he realized that this issue must hold
more importance to her than he had thought, what with her being ready to put
herself on a first name basis with a de facto stranger.
"Very well, then, Agent Scully. I'll keep that in mind."
His choice of words got him a brief nod, though whether acknowledging or
appreciating he could not tell.
"So, what was it, Agent Doggett?" Scully wanted to know. Doggett
struggled with himself for a second or two, realizing that he could not tell her
why he had called her back because he did not know that for sure, either.
For a moment he wondered whether or not he should tell her what he had learned
in DD Kersh's office about ten minutes ago. Not only had Kersh indicated that
there would be some changes in the current assignments of several agents, he had
also pointed out the remote possibility that Doggett would be reassigned - to
the X-Files. He had no clue whatsoever as to how remote the possibility was, but
he was certain that even the slightest hint to such a change would not go well
with Scully. After all, it was as good as admitting that Mulder would not
return. Or, at least, not in the near future.
"Well, you were here before me", Doggett said, deciding to go with the
obvious. "Don't you want to wait for AD Skinner to call you in?"
Scully's eyes grew wide at his question, and for a split second Doggett thought
she was about to laugh. But then she tilted her head ever so slightly to the
left, giving him an oddly curious look.
"Whoever said I was waiting to see Skinner?" She asked, her face
carefully kept expressionless. Doggett was stunned speechless for almost a whole
minute, the full meaning of her words slowly sinking in. So he had been right -
she had been waiting for something when he had first seen her sitting here, only
it had not been Skinner she had wanted to talk to. He did not know whether to
feel flattered or alarmed but went with flattered since Agent Scully surely did
not pose a threat to him. She was, however, worth his undivided attention,
Doggett decided, if he was ever going to figure her out.
Once more, Scully did not wait for his reply to her last remark, but left him
sitting. She strode down the hallway, nodding friendly at Skinner's secretary
when she passed her. About a second later, Skinner's booming voice rang through
the corridor.
"Scully? Is that you?"
Doggett saw her turn around to face the AD. A warm smile flashed across her
delicate features. So she did not object to Skinner calling her that? At that,
Doggett felt a strange twinge, feeling every bit like the outsider he was to
these two people. Usually, it would not even bother him, but here and now it
did.
"I thought you took the day off", Skinner continued, giving her a
concerned look and relaxing when he saw she was all right.
"Well, I just thought I'd better remind you of your appointment tonight,
Sir", Scully said lightly. Skinner's expression became serious, and, if
Doggett was not erring, slightly annoyed.
"I must admit I find it quite hard to forget *them*", he answered,
putting an emphasis on the last word. Scully smiled at his words, shaking her
head ever so slightly.
"They have been a great help to me. I don't know where I'd be today if it
weren't for their support", she said gently, in such a low voice that
Doggett had a hard time understanding her at all. It was then that he realized
that he was eavesdropping on Skinner and Scully. Not that he had planned to.
After all, this was a public hallway, right?
"I appreciate that", Skinner was quick to reassure her. "I do.
But they can be... enervating."
"So you'll come?"
"Wouldn't dream of missing it."
"I might be a little late. There's something I have to take care of
first."
Skinner smiled warmly at her.
"You just take your time. See you tonight, Agent Scully."
"Yes, see you then, Sir."
Scully was about to leave when she suddenly turned her head in Doggett's
direction, as if suddenly remembering that he was there, too. She raised her
eyebrows at him, and the gesture made Doggett feel uneasy. As if he had been
caught doing something which was not only wrong but also highly immoral. And in
a way, he had. He returned Scully's look, not letting anything on. After a
second or two, Scully broke the eye contact, turned and left.
Doggett suddenly found himself under the full attention of Assistant Director
Skinner. Skinner could be intimidating at times, and right now he was doing his
best to nourish this impression.
"Agent Doggett, I'd like to talk to you if you can spare a few minutes for
me", he said sternly, clearly giving an order instead of asking a favor.
Doggett got up from the bench, drawing himself up to his full height. He was not
going to let Skinner get away with it. After all, Skinner was not his superior.
Not yet. Still a little confused about his encounter with Agent Scully, Doggett
followed Skinner into his office, wondering how many more surprises the future
might hold for him.
***
The apartment was only dimly lit but Scully would have found her way around even
in complete darkness. Mulder's apartment was as familiar to her as her own,
maybe even a little bit more so since she had been spending a lot of time here
lately.
A furtive glance at the clock told her that it was almost time for her to go.
She frowned, for she was loath to leave Mulder's apartment. It was as if his
spirit, his essence, was still palpable when she stayed here. The scent of him
was still around, lingering in the pillows on the couch, the sheets on his bed,
even in the air. This was as close as she could get to Mulder right now, and she
treasured every second of it.
Part of her thought she was acting pretty ridiculous but coming here took the
edge off the pain of losing Mulder. It was still one of the most painful
experiences she had ever endured. But if she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply,
she could at least pretend that he was near, in the other room maybe. Scully
felt a burning sensation in her eyes and knew that tears were threatening to
well up again. She blinked rapidly, trying to ignore the constricted feeling in
her throat.
'This is not the time to lose yourself in your broodings', she told herself
firmly, walking out of the living-room and into Mulder's bedroom. It, too,
looked as though Mulder had just left for a few days and might be walking in any
second now.
Scully sighed and picked up one of Mulder's sweaters that was thrown over the
back of a chair. She went over to the bed, put the sweater down and started
folding it up. Once again she fought back her tears, forcing herself to
concentrate on the task at hand, even if it was as trivial as folding laundry.
Her gaze lingered on the sheets of Mulder's bed. It had been oddly comforting to
sleep there, and maybe she would permit herself to return here after her meeting
with the Lone Gunmen and Skinner was over.
Her lips curled into a tentative smile as she thought of Skinner standing before
the Gunmen's door, waiting for them to invite him into their lair. Surely the
guys would let him in, even without her being there...
A noise from the living-room caught her attention. She felt her heart skip a
beat, only to go on beating a lot faster then. It was not, it could not be...
him.
'Mulder wouldn't just walk in like that. Welcome to real life, Dana.'
Scully tried to get a grip on herself as she turned to face the doorway. She was
not at all surprised to see Doggett standing there. After all, she had left him
pretty confused after their conversation in front of Skinner's office.
"Agent Doggett, hi."
Doggett did not seem to be surprised at seeing her here again, either.
"Hello, Agent Scully."
His blue eyes locked with hers. There was a steel-like expression on his face,
but his eyes were telling her enough; she did not need to read the expression on
his face.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"Well, yeah, as a matter of fact. There's something we should talk about.
You see, I did not even bother to try your place. I figured I'd be more likely
to find you here."
Scully frowned slightly at his words. Why was he telling her that? So she had
been spending a lot of time in Mulder's apartment lately. That was certainly
none of his business.
"So, now that you've found me, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Whoever said it was me who wanted to talk?"
His gaze softened, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Scully was
impressed. So he had listened to her earlier this day. Really listened. Even for
a former copper he did possess an astonishing amount of empathy. What with him
not having known her for much longer than a day or two.
"You talk, and I'll listen, Agent Scully", he continued, his tone a
trifle gentler than before.
She nodded, trying to think of something to begin with. This was not easy for
her. Doggett was almost a complete stranger to her, yet she
felt the urge to trust him. As of yet she had not decided whether or not she
liked him, but she knew that he might be a valuable help in finding Mulder. And
his remarks about her not really knowing Mulder still stung. That was why she
had wanted to talk to him in the first place. To make him understand that she
did know her partner, even if there were things she did not know about him.
"Her name was Sheila", she finally began, sitting down on the bed,
putting the sweater on her lap. Her eyes never left Doggett's face. "She
used to work in accounting. I met her four years ago. Well, actually, she met
me. There was something she wanted to tell me. It seemed to be urgent to her, so
I agreed to meet her. And I listened to her. For three years I wished I
hadn't."
Doggett's expression was one of attentive calm. Scully took a deep breath,
willing herself to get it over with.
"She was one of the women Mulder would confide in, as you put it. The only
one I ever knew about; the only one I ever wanted to know about. They had an
affair, a brief one that was ended by Sheila. She felt attracted to him, but
there was something about him that made it impossible for her to turn it into a
long-term relationship."
Dammit, it should not be so hard on her, not after all those years. She closed
her eyes very briefly, as much to steady herself as to escape Doggett's intense
gaze for a moment. It was as if Doggett tried to see right into her. And she let
him, for reasons she did not care to admit to herself.
"Sheila told me that, when they were together... when they were
having..."
Scully heard her voice quiver but she couldn't help it. This was painful for
her. It had been hard enough on her to deal with it in the privacy of her mind,
but dragging it out in the open was almost impossible to bear. Oddly enough the
fact that Doggett was as much a stranger to her as Sheila had been made it a bit
easier to go on now.
Doggett was still looking at her with this intense gaze. He did not say
anything, and once again Scully was impressed. Anyone else might have tried to
help her by putting in a polite expression for what she was going to say, only
making matters worse for her in the end. Maybe Doggett sensed that what she
needed was not his help but his full attention. She needed him to understand.
'Come on, Dana, get it out. Look at him; he won't laugh at you. And it won't
kill you to say this.'
"When they were in bed, having sex, Mulder would cry out a name. It wasn't
Sheila's." She paused for a moment, and when she continued her voice was
but a pained whisper. "It was mine."
Even after all this time, Scully still felt sorry. Sorry for Mulder, who had
never dared tell her about the emotional dilemma he was in. Sorry for herself,
since she had sensed it but never allowed herself to recognize what it meant. It
was not so much the knowledge that had hurt her all those years; it was the fact
that she had not started to act on it until a few months ago.
"Sheila said she wouldn't have minded if it had happened only once, what
with Mulder and me being partners, being... close. But it seems that it happened
more than once, and Sheila didn't want to put up with it. She thought I should
know about it; that's why she told me in the first place."
Scully felt herself blush ever so slightly. She averted her eyes from him. Maybe
it had been wrong to tell Doggett about this. He did not need to know it. But,
for some reason, she needed him to know. Scully forced herself to look up at him
again. Tears were brimming in her eyes, but she blinked them away. The memory
hurt, yes, but that would not make her break down and cry in front of Doggett.
Who was still looking at her, a completely different expression in his eyes now.
There was compassion; she had expected that. And there was understanding; she
had hoped for that. But there was something else she thought she saw. Gratitude?
For sharing this with him?
"I never told Mulder. He doesn't know I know. That I learned it the way I
did."
"But you told me", Doggett said softly, speaking for the first time in
what seemed an eternity to Scully. "Why?"
The question did not surprise her. It scared her a bit, though. This time she
fought down the urge to avert her eyes from him. She held his gaze, lending her
voice an even tone.
"Because I wanted you to know. I do know my partner, even if I don't know
every single detail of his life. So I don't know the rumors about him or him and
me? So be it. It's the things that count I know about."
"You didn't know he was dying", Doggett said in the softest of tones.
At that, Scully closed her eyes. It was true, she had not known. Mulder had not
told her. Had he planned to? Or was he just going to die, taking her by
surprise, leaving her behind in shocked grief? Was there a cure that he had
hoped to find in time to save his life, just as the implant had saved her from
the cancer? But there was another question, even more important to her - had she
wanted to know? She opened her eyes, meeting Doggett's curious gaze.
"I didn't want to", she replied quietly, amazed at the even tone she
had managed. "But in my heart, I think I knew. I'm a medic; I know the
signs. Maybe I just chose not to see them."
She stared into the depths of Doggett's steel-blue eyes, putting every bit of
determination into her look. Doggett gave a very small nod of appreciation.
"If you really want to find him, Agent Doggett, there's no one else who'll
be a more valuable and reliable help in doing so than me."
There was no answer from Doggett, at least not a spoken one. His stance had not
changed; he was still standing in the doorway, his arms hanging loosely by his
side, his expression one of calm attention. But his eyes were so much more
communicative than the rest of him. Scully searched them, hoping to find some
sort of tacit agreement in them. And she did. Then, suddenly, the expression in
his eyes changed, became alert and slightly aggressive. She had seen this
expression before, when he had talked to her about those rumors. Something was
heading her way, and Scully steeled herself.
"Do you knit, Agent Scully?"
Did she knit? What kind of a silly question was this? But then, this was
Doggett, this was the man who tried to provoke powerful reactions with seemingly
senseless remarks.
"No. I never find the time", she answered carefully. Just what was he
up to?
"But you know how to?" Doggett insisted.
In spite of herself, Scully felt anger stir in the pit of her stomach. Here he
was, wasting time with meaningless questions, instead of being out there on his
search for Mulder. He kept telling her that that was what he wanted - finding
Mulder. So why these questions now?
"Yes", she said, exasperated. Waiting for him to make sense.
"So, suppose you did find the time - and I'm quite sure you will - what's
it gonna be? A blue jumper or a pink one?"
His question hit her totally by surprise. Now where had that come from? And why
had she not seen it coming? It was all she could do not to put her hands over
her stomach in a protective gesture. Did he know? Could he know? For a split
second Scully wondered if Skinner had given away her secret. 'No', she decided
firmly, 'he would never betray my trust like that.' Her thoughts lingered for a
few seconds on the unborn life in her. She still had no idea how it had happened
but that did not make her less happy it had happened at all. This child was a
gift to her - only she was not sure by whom.
"So where's your grain of salt now, Agent Doggett?" She asked coolly,
determined not to let anything on. "It seems to me that you are relying far
too heavily on rumors to gather information."
Though, privately, she wondered if the rumors about her pregnancy had really
already started.
The expression in Doggett's eyes had softened once more. This time, the softness
seemed deceptive to Scully, what with the kind of questions he was asking her.
"Is Agent Mulder the father?" He asked, in a tone as calm as if he had
only asked her what time it was.
'Now there's a good question if I've ever heard one', Scully thought wryly.
'Wouldn't you like to know? Wouldn't *I* like to know?' It was a question she
had given a lot of thought to these past two days. Not that she had come up with
a satisfactory answer. There was no way of knowing - for sure - who the baby's
father was, until she had a paternity test run on her child. Which she would do,
in due time.
She felt another wave of anger burn in her stomach. Doggett's question, the
question she had asked herself over and over again, made her angry beyond
reason. Yes, there was a good chance that Mulder was the father, one way or
another, but Scully knew that there was also another possibility. Well, more
than one, actually. She had no way of knowing exactly what had happened to her
during the time she had been unconscious in the hands of the CSM.
The thought was sickening, and Scully had a hard time fighting back a wave of
nausea. She would not - could not - go there now. Not with Doggett facing her,
waiting for an answer. Any answer.
"What do you expect me to say to that?" She asked Doggett, with more
calm than she was feeling at the moment.
"Yes or no, Agent Scully."
His voice was matter-of-factly, but there also was a hint of understanding in
it. Scully nodded.
"Yes", she said, "or no."
Doggett stared at her, uncomprehending. Then understanding dawned, and he began
to chuckle. The chuckle grew into a full, heartfelt laugh that lasted a whole
minute until it began to die down.
"I see", he then said, becoming serious again.
Scully was a little bit surprised that he would let her off the hook so easily
but then decided not to look the gift horse in the mouth. Maybe there was a way
the two of them could get along, after all.
"It's gonna show in few months", Doggett continued, by way of a
warning, leaving Scully to wonder whether or not Doggett knew she was pregnant.
But then, why ask her all these questions if he did not know, if he was just
guessing? Besides, there was nothing to guess right now. Her pregnancy did not
show - yet - and Skinner was the only one she had told about the child. So
Doggett must know. But who had told him? Who else knew she was pregnant? A
fleeting thought of the CSM crossed her mind, but she pushed it away.
"We'll see about that", she answered Doggett's warning, neither
confirming nor denying his assumptions.
Doggett locked eyes with her, and they stared at each other for a minute or two.
Eventually, Doggett nodded. Scully felt a surge of relief wash through her. He
could be a powerful ally, a valuable support and she really did not want to have
to fight him.
"You don't like me very much, do you, Agent Scully?" He suddenly
asked, surprising her a little.
"Is that important?" She genuinely wanted to know.
"It is, to me", he replied. And he looked as if he had only just
realized that himself.
"I didn't have the time to decide that yet", Scully said, rewarding
his honesty with a small smile. The tension she had sensed between them eased
off, and for the first time Scully felt at ease in Doggett's presence. True,
they were quite different personalities, with backgrounds that could hardly be
any more dissimilar, but right now she could see a way for them to work together
until they could bring Mulder back. The thought lifted her spirits a bit and
made it easier for her to leave the apartment now.
Scully got up from the bed, turned away from Doggett and walked over to the
closet. She opened it and put Mulder's sweater on the top shelf. Then she closed
the wardrobe and turned to face Doggett. He cocked his head, watching her
curiously.
She bridged the distance between them, pausing for a second or two, and then
went past him.
"Agent Scully?" He called after her, clearly confused.
"Don't forget to feed the fish", she said, halfway to the door. Then,
half-turning, she added: "And lock the door when you leave."
With that, she left Mulder's apartment, looking forward to the evening when she
would return here. As much as she appreciated Doggett's coming here, she wanted
him gone as soon as possible so that she could find some comfort in all the
little reminders of Mulder before she drifted off to sleep.
The End
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