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�I�m not sure if I believe you, but I�m more worried about your brother�s actions than yours right now,� I said honestly.
Scully laughed. It was low and throaty, like her voice, and I could tell she wasn�t used to laughing much. �Bill is hard to figure out,� she agreed. �But he�s more likely to hurt Mulder than anyone else. I honestly didn�t think Bill would be in port when we got here. If I knew he was on base I would have sent someone else to negotiate with the Admiral.�
�How is the Navy involved in your case, anyway? If you don�t mind my asking,� I said.
�There�s a really tenuous connection that I�m not even sure I understand. I think it�s mostly because of the horny sailor stereotype that the Navy�s developed that the thought Miramar even entered into the profile,� Scully said. �And, lucky me, I get to be the one to tell a two-star who knew my father and called me �little britches� when I introduced myself today that one of his guys might be a serial rapist that the FBI called out it�s star profiler to track down. Sometimes I really hate that my family history is included in my personnel file. Just because I grew up around sailors doesn�t mean I want to be here.�
There was so much bitterness in her voice that I felt the urge to move away from her, but I didn�t.
�Not exactly the trip to Sea World people assume you�re making when you say you�re going to San Diego, huh?� I said more than somewhat sympathetically.
Scully smiled a tiny smile and then turned to watch a pair of F-14�s taking off. �It still terrifies me when I see those things,� she said. �Thinking Harm might be in the cockpit� I think him being a pilot is part of why I hate flying.�
�If it makes you feel any better the only thing he flies right now is his Stearman, and even that he doesn�t get up in the air all that much anymore,� I said. Memories of flights with Harm in �Sarah� brought a smile to my lips and my fingers tightened around the ring. I was itching to slip it on my finger and let people assume whatever they wanted to but it wasn�t just my decision to make and I did want Harm to be on board with whatever I did regarding our relationship. �Of course that doesn�t stop him from wanting to be catapulted off a carrier deck like that,� I added as another pair of Tomcats headed off into the wide expanse of blue sky that was both their playground and office space.
�Nothing would,� Scully said softly.
I had to agree with her on that one.
We were silent for a minute and then Scully spoke again. �How long after I left to find Mulder did Bill track you guys down?� she asked.
�Excuse me?�
�I know Bill and I know he thinks he�s trying to protect me from the horrors that he thinks Mulder inflicts upon me, and I�m positive that he would go to Harm. I just want to know how much damage my brother has done.�
I smiled softly. �It took him about twenty minutes,� I said before relaying an edited version of the part of the conversation I had witnessed. �I could tell it was making Harm uncomfortable, talking about all that with me there, and I was about two seconds away from attacking Bill and risking a Court Marshall so I left them alone and came out here. But it�s not like Harm�s going to do anything. For one he�s not going to take orders from Bill. Not to mention that Harm obviously has a great respect for you. And neither one of us has seen Mulder do anything to you, good, bad, or indifferent, so as far as I�m concerned it�s none of our business.�