Shambles II
By RocketMan
lebontrager@harding.edu

DIsclaimer: Mulder and Scully belong to CC, 1013, and Fox. No fringe is
intended.

Please read Shambles I to understand.

~~~~~
Shambles II
~~~~~
"Drag this neurotic to hysterics Leave him
balked and unfulfilled holding inside outward-
ly patient 'till the time he'll call it Alluring
exotic twisted hero Leaving him more lonely. . ."
--'How Much Longer' Eve 6
~~~~~

The room was too cold that morning and she twisted in her seat as Mulder
came in, late as usual, his tie skewed from the straight lines of his lean
body.

She turned around front to face the inquisition, her mouth pursed, eyes
narrowed, and posture unforgiving.

Chief Blevins sat at the head of the table, his eyes old and blood shot,
mouth worked into a kind of unforgiving frown as he stared Mulder down.

Mulder seemed to be unaffected.

She wanted to scream. When she had left his apartment at one that morning,
they still had no idea what to do.

Crazy thoughts had surfaced in her mind, then run rampant as she imagined
the panel's reaction if she said such things.

Everything from 'we're secretly married' to 'Mulder was replaced with
clones' had taken residence in her head and the one she liked best was the
first.

However, she had a feeling that would be even more detrimental.

Skinner had not been invited to the meeting, she saw, and Blevins' friends
were perched in their chairs like vultures circling potential road kill.

Scully waited, body tensed and ready to pounce, to beat back their twisted
lies with her own logic, her own sense of decency. They could not do this
to them. Not when they'd only been paired for a few months.

Blevins was watching her from the head of the table, as if determining
whether or not she was on their side. Her glare made him hastily avert his
eyes.

He cleared his throat to gain the attention of the quietly talking
members, glancing over his shoulder at the older gentleman who had
stationed himself against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

Then, with a grandfatherly voice, he said, "We've called only a few
members of the Office of Proffessional Conduct in order not to waste the
time of others, and maybe get to the bottom of this matter faster. Now, in
regards to Agent Scully's testimony and subsequent -"

Scully interrupted. "Sir, I do not believe I testified at any moment to
you or anyone else about Agent Mulder."

"Agent Scully, we will get to the bottom of these allegations quickly if
you will-"

"Sir, I'm sorry. Allegations?"

"Yes. According to your testimony and eyewitness accounts-"

"Sir, is there an official charge against my partner?"

Mulder glanced over at her for the first time, his look clearly telling
her to quit questioning the Section Chief: she could get blasted.

"Yes, Agent Scully, by yourself, if I-"

"Oh? Well then, sir, I believe we can get to the bottom of this much
quicker than we all expected. I have no charge against Agent Mulder and
whatever allegations you may have can be dropped. Now, I'm sure we all
need to get back-"

"Agent Scully. You will remain quiet for the duration of this inquiry and
wait until you are called upon to give a reply."

Mulder might have laughed at the look of fury etched on her face, and at
the way her mouth dropped open with Blevins demand.

Except this wasn't funny.

"What?!" she said, her presence looming in the room. She could command an
audience, for he sure did want to reach over and smooth her ruffled
feathers.

"The OPC recognizes the level of danger to your job that such allegations
would pose, therefore, your assignment is being taken under my authority,
so that Agent Mulder or others may not blackmail you into dropping the
charges."

"But there were no charges made in the first-"

"Agent Scully! You will cease talking this instant."

Closing her mouth, Scully slumped in her seat, defeated for the moment.

They were trumping up some false charge and laying it at her feet.

"Agent Mulder, we are here today to understand whatever unappropriate
behavior may have occurred in your office, or in the field. Due to the
sensitive nature of this investigation, we ask that you refrain from
bursting out as your partner has done, and that you keep all emotions in
check."

Mulder simply nodded.

"Would you describe for us the nature of your partnership with Agent
Scully?"

Mulder seemed calm, in control of himself.

Scully was ready to scream at Blevins, or else, speak up and make him see
that nothing was wrong, that Mulder had never, never harassed her.

"Our partnership is only a few months old, as you know, Section Chief, and
so we are not as close as some."

Scully glanced quickly to him, crushed just a bit at his words, although
she knew she shouldn't be.

"We work well together, with her more practical approach to solving cases
and my more. . . out there methods. I hold a great deal of respect for her
as a person, and as a doctor, and her abilities and insights are
invaluable to me."

Scully wanted to smile broadly at him, wanted to take his hand and squeeze
it tightly, let him know how much his words meant to her. To know that he
valued her rather closed minded view on their work.

She always thought she held him back.

"How do you spend time with her in the field?"

Mulder seemed confused by the question. "How? On the case. Doing the job."

Blevins shook his head, as if that was not what *he* had heard.

"In one instance did you not stay in your room the entire night, Agent
Mulder? And did not Agent Scully come to you in only her bathrobe?"

Scully's mouth dropped again, remembering their first case, but furious
that Blevins was using that to indict Mulder. That was certainly not
anything at all related to him harassing her.

"I don't see how that's relevant. She came because the lights went out.
She wanted to know if I had some candles or our flashlights because she
couldn't find either. We ended up talking about the case."

She sighed. It was a lie, but only roundabout.

She had come because the lights went out; she'd been spooked. And they had
ended up talking about the case . . . sort of.

"We have reason to suspect your attitude in the field, Agent Mulder, from
some very reliable sources."

At Blevins words, a tape recorded voice echoed eerily from the speakers
set about in the room.

"Does it make you uncomfortable while on a case?"

It was Blevins' voice, a question Dana remembered well. She grew furious
because she knew what her reply was.

"Yes. I guess so, sometimes-"

And the tape was cut off quite abruptly.

Mulder was staring over at her; she felt crushed.

"Play the part before that tape, Sir. You know that wasn't what I was
talking about. We were talking about methods! Not harassment. . .this
is quite illegal. You never once said I was being taped, and you have
taken my words completely out of context."

Scully had stood somewhere in her fury, brows knitted together in a kind
of mental pain as she remembered more of her conversation and the many,
many things that she'd said that could be used against them.

Blevins was looking at her in shocked vehemence, his eyes wide and face
red.

She pulled away from the table, shoving her chair angrily in, and turned
on her heel.

"I won't sit here and let you use my words against us."

She looked once to Mulder, then began to walk out, knees jelly filled and
stomach tensed for the sound of the Section Chief's rage to belittle her
once again, like her father's punishments.

As she got to the door, it closed behind her heavily, sounding like a
prison door slamming on her future.

She had probably single-handedly thrown her career away.

Suddenly feeling sick, she slumped against the wall, then hung her head,
taking in short deep breaths.

The door slipped open and she jerked to a standing position, turning to
face whoever came out, determined to be strong.

It was Mulder.

He was smiling at her.

"I walked out."

He nodded. "Yes, you sure did."

She clutched her hands together to keep them from shaking.

"I . . . what did they say?"

He smiled brighter and took one of her hands, pulling her along with him
as he began walking back to the elevator.

"They hate you." he said and grinned like a fool.

She closed her eyes and slumped a bit more, sighing.

"Isn't this great?" he chortled, then led her into the elevator car and
pushed the button for the basement.

"No!" she said, slumping to the wall panel.

"Scully. . . that was awesome. They were stunned. But I was kidding. They
don't hate you . . . I don't think. "

"Mulder, I'm going to fired, you know that."

"No way, you were right. The entire thing was bogus and they know it. I
mean, it would never be allowed in court like that. You didn't know you
were being taped, they're using excerpts that aren't even relevant. . ."

The doors opened and he pulled her from the car, then placed his hand on
the small of her back, rubbing his fingers up and down her spine.

"So what did you mean by uncomfortable?" he said, suddenly serious and
pensive.

His face was guarded, arm stiff, but his fingers still soothing her.

"Not you. . .just the methods, the things we have to deal with," she said
softly, realizing that this was probably something she didn't want to have
to tell him, but that she now had to.

"It *should* make you uncomfortable. The things we deal with are inhumane,
Scully."

She was relieved that he did not think any less of her for it.

"Scully?"

She glanced up at him as he ushered her into the basement office, taking
deep breaths as his heat sidled close to her, calmed her tensed body.

"I . . . what you did in there. . . no one's ever done that for me."

He turned away quickly, sitting at his desk, hiding his face.

She watched him, stunned.

No one?
~~~~~
~~~~~

~~~~~
"And I'd be lying if I said
I had not tried to leave a time or two
But every road that leads me
Leads me back to you."
--'Every Road' Amy Grant
~~~~~

She was bothered by his last words to her.

In the waning light of their basement office, his fingers snapping out a
constant rhythm on the keyboard, she watched him concentrate on everything
except her.

She wanted to ask him why no one had ever done that for him.

She would do it for him again, and again, and forever.

He was. . .more. . .she could not explain it right.

Just more. More wonderful, more good, more honest and innocent and naive
and caring and hopeful and even trusting.

He trusted her, and she wasn't so sure she'd have the strength to trust
anyone if the same had been done to her.

He deserved to have someone stick up for him.

She sighed and tried to return her mind back to the paperwork before her,
attempting to derail her thoughts from him. 

She always tried to mother him, and he always refused it.

The lights flickered for a moment and he looked up, just as she did.

Her eyebrows rose and she smiled at him.

"No theory?" she said lightly, pausing in her work.

He was staring at her. "Nope."

She felt the awkwardness and glanced back to her makeshift work station,
the table slightly rickety and piled high with his files and scraps of
information.

"Scully?"

She sighed and refused to look up. "Yes?"

"Let's get out of here."

She was surprised and looked up, meeting his eyes.

"What?"

"Let's go get some dinner."

She paused and put her pen down, then slid back from the table.

"Okay," she said softly and stood, smiling suddenly, a dazzling grin that
made him grin back reflexively.

He relaxed and took her arm, then led her from the basement, to the
elevator.

"My treat, Scully."
~~~~~

As she unlocked her apartment door the smell of hyacinth wafted out at
them, making a wonderful welcome.

He came in behind her and pushed her through the door, then grabbed her
arm and took her coat and his own to hang up in the closet.

She went into the kitchen and hastily grabbed a bag of popcorn, then
shoved it in the microwave, setting the timer.

He came in behind her and sank against the counter, and she turned to face
him.

"Thanks for dinner, Mulder. That was a great place."

He nodded and smiled softly at her, his eyes dark and unreadable.

She wanted to smile, to well up with bursting bubbles of happiness for the
way he was paying attention to her, smiling at her, enjoying her company.

He acted like what she said mattered; he respected her opinion while still
disagreeing with it.

And she found she liked arguing with a man who knew when to shut up and
when to press the conversation.

She pulled the popcorn from the microwave and yanked on the edges, letting
it cool off before eating it.

He grabbed the bag and set it down on the counter behind him.

She frowned, wondering at his actions, then stiffened as he snaked an arm
around her waist and pulled her against him for a quick hug.

Before she could relax, he let her go and smiled almost coyly.

She peered up at him, still close, still feeling the warmth of his chest
seep through her.

"Thanks, Scully. This has been great."

She smiled but felt her confidence waver.

He couldn't be . . . he didn't harass her. . .he didn't.

He led them into the living room and sat her down on the couch while he
messed with the VCR. The movie appeared and he jumped back and onto the
couch beside her.

When he felt her stiffen again beside him, he pulled away quickly, a small
look of panic crossing his features.

"I'm not. . .bothering am I? Just tell me Scully. I don't want to make you
uncomfortable."

She swallowed her earlier feelings and guilt blossomed within. He was
being nice, respectful, keeping her feelings above his as always.

"No, you're not at all bothering me. I'm just. . .tense a little."

"Because of me?"

She wanted to crawl away to the other side of the couch, but she forced
her body to relax against the cushions. 

"No. The whole day has been. . .strange. Exciting and frightening at the
same time."

She looked up at him, complete trust radiating from her, and he nodded
softly.

"I should go."

She wanted him to go. She wanted to crawl back within herself for awhile,
find a place to assimilate everything that had happened.

"You don't have to."

She didn't really know him. That's what kept flooding through her mind.

She didn't really know him.

"I'll let you sleep. You did a lot today. Vanquished the enemy and put up
with me all through dinner."

She shook her head. "I enjoyed dinner. It was fun, Mulder. I wish we did
that more often."

He glanced at her. "We can."

Her mind was screaming 'too much, too much' but her heart was beating
rapidly. All the new feelings welling up in her were conflicting,
confusing. She wanted to curl up and ride them through.

His hands found her neck and began massaging gently, making her relax
involuntarily. Her father used to do this to her all the time; coax her
into a drowsy mood after studying or maybe when she couldn't seem to fall
asleep.

He pushed her down the couch and she fell into the cushions willingly,
amazed that this felt so good now, when before, his hug had thrown her
off.

Soon, her eyes had drifted shut and her entire body had relaxed into
softness. His hands trailed down her back and poked at the muscles running
along her spine, then dug hard into the ones at her shoulder blades.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, he bent down and kissed her
forehead.

"Good night, Scully." he whispered and pulled the afghan off the back of
the couch and onto her body.

"G'night," she mumbled and fell into sleep.

He quickly left her apartment, managing to lock the door behind him.
~~~~~

end
adios
RM