This is a fiction story based on the characters created by Chris Carter. No infringement of copyrights held by 10/13 Productions, Twentieth Century Productions, or Fox Broadcasting is intended. All unrecognised characters and plot-lines belong to me. Names, characters, and places exist solely within my imagination, or are used fictitiously. No connection to any person, living or dead, is intended, and any resemblance is entirely coincidental. Feel free to distribute, but please keep me as the author. Rating - R (for sexual content - and not between our heros). Classification - X, R. Summary - Mulder and Scully go undercover to Nebraska to investigate some murders, and discover that working so closely has both advantages and disadvantages. This story is dedicated to Gerry Hill, whose work continues to inspire me. No spoilers. Danielle Culverson. Undercover. Part 1/2. An auburn-haired woman sat alone at a desk in a basement office in the J. Edgar Hoover Building. She wrote quickly on a report form, glancing up every now and then to check some piece of information from the folder open on the side of the desk. There were three desks in the cramped room, which was stuffy and warm from a lack of air conditioning. The one the woman sat at was fairly neat, with a pile of papers and folders in the "In" tray in the corner. A polystyrene cup of coffee stood on a coaster next to the tray. The name-plate on the front of the desk read "Dana Scully. Special Agent.". The desk to Scully's right was strewn with papers and documents. Two empty polystyrene cups lay on their sides on the floor at the side of the desk where they had fallen. Sunflower seeds and their empty husks littered the desk and the area around it. Both the "In" and the "Out" tray were nearly empty. A photograph of a pigtailed girl aged about eight stood near to the trays, in the only clear area on the desk. The desk was unoccupied, but the name-plate that lay near the cups on the floor read "Fox Mulder. Special Agent.". In front of the unoccupied desk was a smaller desk supporting a computer, not yet switched on. To the right of this was an old photocopier. Near the door to the office was a waste paper basket with a toy basketball hoop above it. It was overflowing with balls of paper. Next to the basket was a coat stand, supporting a black baseball cap with the letters "N.I.C.A.P." on the front. On the left of Scully's desk were three metal filing cabinets, each marked "X-files". The X-files was a small department within the FBI that was worked only by Agents Mulder and Scully. It dealt with all the cases which didn't fall into Bureau mainstream. The wealth of unusual cases which passed through the partner's hands had given them a certain reputation within the Bureau. Their colleagues mostly treated them with suspicion or contempt. Their superiors disliked certain aspects of their investigations, which often involved exposing conspiracies, and government secrets. It wasn't just lack of space which kept them confined to the basement of Bureau headquarters, out of sight, and as much out of mind as possible. The door of the office opened, and Scully looked up to see her partner coming in. "Morning, Mulder." she smiled as she greeted him. He smiled in return. "Hi, Scully." He moved over to his scruffy desk, and dropped his bag at the side of it. Removing his light brown suit jacket, and tossing it onto a wooden chair a little way behind his desk, Mulder moved to the imitation leather swivel chair at his desk, and sat down, his hands automatically reaching to undo the buttons at the collar of his shirt, and loosen his tie in concession to the over-heated room. Mulder stared at his desk for several moments, organising his thoughts and preparing his mind for the day's work. A few feet to his left, Scully finished the report she had been working on, and turned towards him. "Message from Skinner." she said, "We're expected in his office at nine o'clock this morning." "Any idea why?" Mulder asked, frowning as he tried to remember if he had done anything worth being called into Skinner's office to be yelled at for lately. Scully shrugged. "New case, possibly." she replied. Mulder looked hopeful. Scully got to her feet, and crossed the room to the shelf at the side of the photocopier in order to get a folder she needed for her next piece of work. Mulder sat back in his chair and admired her as she passed his desk. She was wearing a bottle green skirt and jacket that brought out the green in her eyes, with a white v-necked blouse underneath. As his gaze traveled down her legs towards her low-heeled shoes, his eyes caught on something. "You've got a run in your stockings, Scully." he said quietly. She span around to look at him in surprise, and then down at the offending piece of clothing. She sighed. "You shouldn't be looking." she scolded Mulder gently, and crossed the room to where she had put her bag down at the side of her desk. Taking out a spare pair of stockings, she turned to leave the office. "If you're going to the ladies, it's closed." Mulder reminded her, "They're still redecorating. - You'll have to go to the one on the second floor." Scully glanced at her watch, and groaned, "It'll be really busy at this time in the morning." she said, and then surveyed the room thoughtfully before turning back to her partner. "Look the other way, Mulder." Mulder obligingly swiveled his chair until he had his back to Scully. After watching him for a moment, she slipped off her right shoe, and quickly unfastened and removed her right stocking. Glancing at Mulder again to make sure he wasn't peeking, she turned slightly away from him as she put the new stocking on. She had almost finished, and had her skirt hitched most of the way up her leg when she realised that Mulder had turned his head, and was admiring what he could see. "Mulder...!" she said warningly, too embarrassed to be properly angry with him. He grinned stupidly, and turned away again as she fastened the stocking in place, and straightened her skirt. "You shouldn't mind anyway," Mulder commented, still with his back to her, "you're a doctor. - You know we're all the same." Scully pulled a face, and her eyes fell on the discarded stocking at her feet. Picking it up, and holding it by the ends with her hands, she advanced on Mulder, and caught him around the neck with it. "That's what *I'm* supposed to tell *you*." she growled, before releasing him, and whipping him playfully with the stocking. Mulder grinned, and turned back to face her. "It doesn't mean it's not true." he said. Scully sighed, tossed the stocking into the waste basket, and returned to her desk. - Mulder would be Mulder, and she knew she would only get in deeper with this discussion. Pulling a file from her "In" tray, she set to work. * * * Mulder and Scully entered the outer office of Assistant Director Skinner, and the secretary looked up and smiled brightly at them. "Mr Skinner said you are to go straight in." she told them. Mulder glanced at his partner, who gave a tiny shrug, and headed for the door to the inner office. She opened it, and stepped inside, closely followed by Mulder. There were two agents already seated in front of Skinner's desk. Smiling, Mulder nodded to Agents Kirren and Stanton, two of the few agents who didn't treat him with contempt. Behind the desk sat the bald-headed Assistant Director. He looked up at the partners as Mulder closed the door, and gestured towards the chairs around the conference table behind Kirren and Stanton. "Take a seat, agents." he invited. The two partners drew up chairs, and sat down alongside Kirren and Stanton. A silence fell as Skinner closed the file he had in front of him, and passed it across the desk to Agent Stanton. "I've called you in here to assign your new case." Skinner began, nodding towards the case-folder which Stanton opened, surveyed quickly, and then passed to his partner. "Over the last two weeks three couples have been attacked and murdered in different hotels in Rosetown, Nebraska." Kirren pulled out three crime-scene photographs from the folder, and passed them to Scully on her left. "In each case, the man was hit over the head, apparently tied with twine, and then shot once in the head, and once through the heart. In each case, the woman was raped, and then stabbed to death on the bed. All the couples were in their late twenties or early to mid-thirties. Other than that there are no apparent significant links between them. All the attacks took place during the night. We have very little other information." Mulder took the photographs from Scully, and looked at the three scenes. In each case the man lay on the floor, bullet-holes in his forehead and chest, and the woman lay on her back on the bed, sprawled in a pool of blood and the remnants of her nightclothes. The black and white photographs did not dispel much of the horror of the crimes. Colour images could not have given a more stark view of just what had taken place in those three hotel rooms. He put the photos back on the edge of Skinner's desk, and looked up at the Assistant Director. "Agents Kirren and Stanton, you will investigate this case officially, with the aid of the local law enforcement." Skinner continued, looking at the two agents, "Agents Mulder and Scully, you will go undercover as a couple staying in one of the hotels not yet hit, - whichever you think the most likely target, - and try and expose the killer that way." "Killer? Sir?" Scully spoke up, "Surely in a case like this, two people would be needed to control the two victims?" "Possibly, but it would be possible for one person to carry out the attacks," Skinner replied, "and the evidence gives no direct indication of more than one person being involved." "The level of psychosis needed to trigger such activity is unlikely to preclude two people being involved." Mulder added. Skinner nodded in agreement. "Your travel arrangements have been made, and I advise you not to associate between the two groups other than by phone once you arrive." Skinner added, "Your plane leaves Washington National Airport at 12.35pm." He nodded his dismissal. Mulder, Scully, Kirren, and Stanton got to their feet, and headed for the door. - It looked like being a busy few days. * * * Scully stared out of the window of the rental car as Mulder drove them into Rosetown, Nebraska. Their flight to Omaha had been tedious, and made worse by the fact that upon their arrival only one of Scully's bags had arrived with them. Her smaller suitcase had disappeared somewhere at 30,000 feet. The day was still light although it was mid-evening in Rosetown. Mulder pulled the car up outside the "Excalibur Hotel", and shifted into park. Glancing across at Scully, he said, "Okay, "Kathy"?" She sighed, and got out of the car, slamming the door closed a little hard behind her. Mulder got out on his side, and moved around to the trunk to get the cases which *had* arrived with them. Watching him, Scully muttered, "I don't see why it couldn't have been one of your bags which went missing, Will. - It wouldn't have mattered as much then." Mulder didn't comment, knowing that Scully was just tired, and would be in a better mood once she had got some sleep. Feeling generous, and wanting to cheer her up as well as create their image as a couple, he picked up her suitcase as well as his, and carried them into the hotel. He approached the young, dark-haired receptionist. "We've a room reserved in the name of Hindley." he told the girl. She nodded, and turned to fetch a key from the board on the wall behind her. Mulder's sharp eyes picked out the number of the hook as being 207. The receptionist pushed a clip-board towards him with a sheet attached to it. She marked a cross by one of the boxes. "If you could just sign there for me, Mr Hindley." she said. Mulder bent over the sheet, and carefully signed his pseudonym, - "William Hindley". - The receptionist took back her clip-board, and handed him the key. "Clive will show you to your room." she said, indicating a nearby bellboy, "Dinner is being served until nine." she added. Mulder nodded, and picked up Scully's suitcase, letting Clive take his heavier one. He and Scully followed the young man towards the elevator. As they stepped inside, Scully saw Agents Kirren and Stanton entering the hotel. Emerging on the second floor, Clive led the two agents to room 207, and then left them. Mulder put the suitcases at the side of the double bed, and looked around at the pleasant room. Scully went over to the table to put her laptop down, and then looked out of the window. "Welcome to Nebraska, Kathy." Mulder said cheerfully. She managed a small smile, and glanced at her watch. Moving towards the door which led to their ensuite bathroom, she said, "I'm going to wash up quickly, and then we'd better go down to dinner." Mulder nodded in agreement as the door closed behind his partner. Looking back at the two cases standing at the side of the bed, he hoped he was right about their hotel being the next target. He had pinpointed the positions of the other three hotels where attacks had taken place, and noted that the killer was gradually moving through the town in an east to west direction, probably just taking each hotel to be a logical next choice without realising there was a pattern to his crimes. He was missing the really seedy joints, and the really expensive, upper-class hotels with video surveillance systems, but otherwise was just logically working his way across the fairly large town of Rosetown. Mulder sat down on the edge of the bed, and waited for his partner to come out of the bathroom so that they could go to dinner. * * * Mulder and Scully re-entered their room after eating a pleasant dinner, both feeling a little brighter than they had when they had arrived at the hotel. It was now nearly ten o'clock, and they had decided to go straight to bed in order to catch up on their rest. Mulder closed the door behind them, and turned to stand beside his partner as she contemplated the double bed. "There's only the one bed." she stated the obvious, as though that might somehow change it. "It wouldn't make any difference if there wasn't, - we'd still have to maintain our cover in here." Mulder replied carefully. He wasn't concerned about having to share a bed with his attractive partner, but he understood that she wouldn't be too keen on the idea. "I know." Scully sighed, still not lifting her eyes from the covers, "I suppose we can live with it." "Sure we can. - I'll keep to my side, if you keep to yours." Mulder grinned. "What would I want from your side of the bed?" Scully retorted, "There won't be anything there but you." "Scully, I'm hurt!" Mulder exclaimed, and moved to open his suitcase and unpack the clothes he had brought with him. Scully moved to do likewise. There were two pine wardrobes, so they each took the one closest to their side of the bed, and began hanging their clothes up. Scully put a few of her things on the pine dresser beside her wardrobe as well. She frowned at her hanging clothes, and turned to face her partner. "Mulder, my nightclothes were in the suitcase which went missing..." she began. Mulder turned around to look at her, a cunning glint in his eyes. "And...?" he asked hopefully. She sighed. "And I was wondering if I could borrow one of your shirts?" "Sure." he picked a white shirt from his suitcase, and tossed it to her, "There you go." "Thanks." She finished unpacking, pushed her case underneath the bed, and then headed into the bathroom to change. Mulder took the opportunity to strip himself, and when Scully emerged from the bathroom ready for bed, he was wearing only his black boxer shorts. She glanced at him, decided not to comment, and moved quickly around the bed to her side. Mulder watched her, his eyes dropping to take in her slender legs below the shirt. "You look better in that than I do." he commented admiringly. Scully shot him a black look, and he lowered his head and hurried into the bathroom to wash. When he came out again she was already under the covers, and reading over the case-notes. He slipped into the bed beside her. She glanced over at him. "Goodnight, Mulder." she said. "Night, Scully." he replied. She switched off the bedside lamp on her side of the bed, and the room was plunged into darkness. Mulder heard the rustle of Scully putting the case-notes in her bedside cabinet, and felt her lie down. They lay in silence until sleep came. * * * Mulder drifted slowly towards consciousness, fighting the force which was dragging him into the next day. He turned over under the warm covers, and his left arm fell across a warm body. He sighed gently, and relaxed back towards sleep, wishing he could stay where he was for the whole day. Scully awoke slowly, and opened her eyes. After a couple of moments she became aware of what had woken her, - the weight of her partner's arm resting across her body. She shifted her weight in the bed. "Mulder." she said sternly. He mumbled something which sounded like "go back to sleep", and didn't properly waken. She said his name again, louder, "Mulder!" "Hmm?" Mulder opened his eyes, and lifted his head to look at his partner. "Get your arm off me." Scully said impatiently. Mulder stared at her for a moment, not understanding, and then retracted his arm so quickly it was as though she burned. "Sorry." he mumbled, and turned over to slide out from under the covers. He opened his wardrobe, pulled out a t-shirt and jeans that would be suitable for the day, and lay them on the bed as Scully climbed out. She fetched a calf-length olive skirt from her wardrobe, and a cream blouse to go with it, and then headed for the bathroom to get dressed. Mulder watched her going in, his gaze on her legs again. Just before she closed the door she looked back and caught him staring. He dropped his eyes to the floor in embarrassment, and she smiled as she closed the door between them. When Scully emerged from the bathroom fully dressed ten minutes later, Mulder was also dressed, and sitting on the edge of the bed with his cell phone in his hands. "Who are you calling?" Scully asked. "I'd thought I'd check what Kirren and Stanton are planning to do today." Mulder replied. He pressed a number into the phone, and then put it to his ear. He listened for a few moments, and then smiled as the person at the other end picked up. "Hi Stanton, it's Mulder. - We were just wondering what you two were planning to do today, so that we can keep out of your way... Yeah, sure... You are?..." Mulder listened as Agent Stanton related his and his partner's plans for the investigation. "Mulder," Scully said in a loud whisper, "ask him if they can drop us a copy of the list of people, including staff, at each hotel at the times of the attacks." Mulder nodded, and related this to his colleague. "Scully says could you find a way to get us a copy of all the guests and staff at the hotels at the time of the attacks?... Yeah, thanks Stanton. Good luck." Mulder disconnected, and nodded to Scully. "He'll have it here by tonight." She nodded. "Shall we go into town after breakfast then?" she said, "We need to be seen together." "Sure." Mulder nodded, and got to his feet, slipping the phone back into the pocket of his jacket, which was hanging on the back of the chair by the small table at the window. He turned towards the door, and took Scully's arm, "Can I take you to breakfast, madam?" he asked with a little bow. Scully smiled, and nodded. "Of course, sir." she said. They left the room arm in arm. End of part 1. I'd greatly appreciate any comments or constructive criticism from fellow X-Philes. Email me at . Danielle Culverson. From GHill52695@aol.com Mon Mar 10 08:56:27 1997 Subject: "Undercover" (2/2) by Danielle Culverson From: GHill52695@aol.com Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 09:56:27 -0500 (EST) -------- I am forwarding this for the author, Danielle Culverson (smythja@aston.ac.uk). She would love to hear any comments you may have! Gerry This is a fiction story based on the characters created by Chris Carter. No infringement of copyrights held by 10/13 Productions, Twentieth Century Productions, or Fox Broadcasting is intended. All unrecognised characters and plot-lines belong to me. Names, characters, and places exist solely within my imagination, or are used fictitiously. No connection to any person, living or dead, is intended, and any resemblance is entirely coincidental. Feel free to distribute, but please keep me as the author. Danielle Culverson. Rated: Strong R for sexual situations. Part 2/2. * * * Scully put the two drinks down on the table, sat down on the sun lounger, and put her sun-glasses on. Resting her book on her knee, she picked her drink up, took a sip, and then glanced over at her partner, who was absorbed in a game of solitaire. They had spent the morning like a couple of tourists, wandering through Rosetown being seen by as many people as possible. Finally bored of looking at over-priced knick-knacks in brightly-lit craft-shops, they had returned to the hotel to spend the afternoon in the garden, being seen by as many people in and around the hotel as possible. All this public undercover work was very tiring. Mulder completed his game, having won against the odds for the first time in seven rounds. Glancing at his watch, he sat back in his chair and stretched his arms out in front of him. "Can I borrow your phone, Kathy? - I left mine in the room." "Sure." Scully replied, and gestured towards her handbag vaguely with the hand which wasn't holding her glass. Mulder picked up the bag and found the phone. He dialed the number quickly. "Hello, Stanton? - Will here. - How's things?... There has?" Mulder sat up, all his concentration on the phone call. Scully noticed his changed attitude, and looked over at him. "What happened?" Mulder listened, "Yeah, sure, I understand. Just like the others?... Yes, okay, we will. Let me know what happens. - Bye." Mulder disconnected, and looked over at Scully. Glancing quickly around to see that nobody was within hearing distance, he said quietly, "There's been another pair of murders, - in a hotel just east of here. He's still moving this way." Scully nodded in understanding, "I feel like we're not doing anything here." she complained, "We might not even be noticed. Surely we're of more use investigating the case?" Mulder shrugged, "Skinner said undercover, I say we stay undercover. - We can't afford to rile him at the moment." Scully nodded in agreement, and took another sip of her drink. "That doesn't make me feel better though." she said quietly. Mulder nodded in understanding. "Well, we'll just keep a high profile, and see what turns up. - If there are any more Skinner might well change his mind anyway." Scully nodded, and glanced at her watch, "Should we go in and get ready for dinner?" she asked, "I'm tired of sitting out here, and I'm feeling hungry already." "And you say it's me who's always eating." Mulder grinned, and got up from his seat. He offered his partner a hand, which she took to help her up, and they went into the hotel together. * * * Scully stirred in sleep, and turned towards the warmth beside her. In her semi-consciouss state she thought only of her immediate comfort, and in the back of her mind lurked the unpleasant idea of waking up properly and reaching a point where her duty became more important than the bliss she was currently experiencing. Moving one hand slightly, Scully's fingers brushed against the body providing the warmth, and she drew herself up against the long, lanky body, her legs lying along the back of his legs, her face pressed against his firm back, her curves naturally folding around his. She sighed softly, and wrapped both arms around the form to hold it close to her, although this meant her left arm was uncomfortable squashed beneath the larger frame. Mulder turned his head slightly as Scully slipped her arms around him, and smiled in his sleep at the sensations he was feeling. Then, abruptly startled awake by the realisation that something was wrong, he discovered his situation. His movements woke Scully, and as she shook off the remnants of sleep, she looked up at his turned head in surprise. "You're lying on my arm." she commented after a few moments of stunned silence. "You *are* on *my* side of the bed." Mulder defended himself, certain he was not to blame in this instance. Scully said nothing more about it, but carefully extricated herself from her partner. Sliding out of bed she retrieved a suitable outfit for the day, and headed into the bathroom to change. Mulder watched her go in silence. Shaking off the last cobwebs of sleep, Mulder got out of the bed, stretched his stiff limbs, and got his jeans and a clean shirt from the wardrobe on his side of the bed. He dressed quickly, and was sitting at the table reading the list of names supplied by Agents Kirren and Stanton when Scully emerged from the bathroom. She crossed quickly to the door, and then turned back to him impatiently and said, "Well, are you coming to breakfast or not?" Mulder followed her out of the room hastily, making a mental note not to mention their night again. The breakfast room was a light, airy room with yellow paisley curtains, and matching table-cloths. Few of the hotel guests were down for breakfast yet, but those who were chatted happily to each other about what they had done the previous day, and where they were planning to go today. Mulder and Scully collected their breakfast from the buffet table set out along one wall, and took their seats relatively unnoticed. Scully stuck to her usual breakfast of coffee and toast, while Mulder helped himself to everything going, drinking coffee and orange juice, eating cereal, toast, and croissant. He ate with his usual ravenous appetite, which Scully envied because he never seemed to suffer indigestion. Their meal was essentially finished in fifteen minutes, but they made their drinks and quiet morning conversation last some time longer in order to remain in view of the other guests. Finally leaving the breakfast room, they determined to leave the hotel half an hour later, and visit a monument in the centre of Rosetown. * * * Mulder rose from the depths of his sleep, aware that something in his immediate surroundings had changed. As he surfaced into wakefulness, he realised what it was. During the night, Scully had moved closer to him again, and had just turned over. She was now resting against his side, one slender leg thrown over both of his. Lying on his back, Mulder held his breath, not daring to move. The feel of Scully's skin against his own awoke feelings in him which he had been vaguely aware of for some time, but which he had always pushed to one side. He knew that to reveal what he held so close to his heart he barely knew it himself would only lose him the friendship he so valued. Scully shifted in her sleep, apparently in the grip of a dream. Looking at her face, - something Mulder realised he could do without fear of embarrassment while she was asleep, - Mulder guessed it was a pleasant dream, as she was smiling at her thoughts. Her leg rubbed against his, making it harder for him to ignore the pleadings of his body. She sighed, smiled, and turned her head slightly. Smiling again, she murmured a word. "Fox..." Mulder's eyes widened. He had never felt so touched by someone using his first name as he did then, and yet he didn't know why she was saying it. What was it that she dreamed about him? What made her smile in her sleep as she said his name so tenderly? Mulder's right arm was starting to lose it's feeling under the weight of Scully's body. He tried to extricate it gently, but his actions woke his partner. "Mulder?" Scully opened her eyes, and found herself looking straight into her partner's face. "Scully..." he began, but then was uncertain of how to continue. He tried again. "You were dreaming." "Y...Yes." She looked startled, and tried to hide her eyes from his, as though to keep something from him. "A good dream, I hope?" Mulder asked, "You were smiling." "Yes... a very good dream." she admitted, still not meeting his eyes. Mulder was silent for a minute, but then said quietly. "You said my name." Scully looked a little flustered, "I said "Mulder"?... Well, I must..." "No," he corrected, "You said "Fox"." Scully looked up into her partner's eyes, her embarrassment gone, replaced by a look of mild surprise, and an innocent-appearing hope. "I did?" She didn't seem to expect an answer. Lowering her head slightly, she rested it against the side of Mulder's chest, before looking up at him again. "I guess I ought to admit that sharing a room and a bed with you isn't exactly something I look on as a necessary part of our work to be endured." she said carefully. Mulder stared at her, wondering if he was hearing and understanding her correctly. "My agreement to our undercover personas was... partly selfish." She lowered her head to his chest again, hiding the expression in her eyes from him. Mulder lay in silence for a moment, lost in the wonder of what he had just heard. Then he moved his left hand to lift her face towards his again. Scully looked up into her partner's eyes, and saw something there that she'd never noticed before. When he spoke to her, his words were soft and understanding. "What are you saying, Dana? Is there... something personal in our relationship for you?" She swallowed, and met his gaze as she nodded dumbly. She saw the relief flood through her partner's face, and felt his arms move to embrace her. "And all this time I thought it was only me." he said, with a smile. "You mean you too..." she trailed off as she realised they had both been hiding from the other. Mulder turned onto his side, and pulled Scully close against him. "I think we've got some talking to do." he murmured, and moved his head slowly towards hers. Their lips brushed... The door of the hotel room flew open, and two men holding revolvers in their hands rushed inside. One switched the light on, and the other closed the door behind them. As the partners broke apart and moved to reach for their weapons, forgotten as they revealed their secrets to each other, the first man charged across the room, and hit Mulder across the back of the head with the butt of his revolver. Mulder collapsed forward on the bed on top of Scully. The second man approached Scully as the first dragged Mulder from the bed towards the radiator by the table. As her eyes grew accustomed to the light she realised that the two men in the room were identical... all the way down to their psychosis. Still reaching for her gun, Scully was dragged back into the centre of the bed by the second man, who gripped her wrist with a hand like a vice, and used his other hand to strip away the bedclothes covering her as she inflicted as much damage on him as she could with her free hand. The two men were both dark-haired, dark-eyed, and fairly short, but well-built. The first was busy tying the half-consciouss Mulder's hands to the radiator with twine as his twin was occupied with holding Scully. While they both had revolvers, they seemed more inclined to use their hands than the weapons. The first man finished tying Mulder just as the agent returned to full consciousness. He stood back against the wall by the door, watching his twin on the bed with Scully. The second man had succeeded in pushing the covers off Scully, and was now holding both of her wrists as she tried to hit him. She was backed up against the headboard of the bed, fighting for all she was worth. The room was completely silent except for the harsh breathing of the two on the bed, and their quiet grunts as Scully fought off her attacker. Mulder raised his head and blinked to try and bring his eyes into focus. What he saw when he managed it horrified him. "Scully!" he cried, forgetting all about their cover as he wrenched at the twine on his wrists, trying to get to his partner. He was rewarded by a kick from the man standing near the door, and lapsed into silence again. He watched helplessly as the man on the bed dragged his partner away from the headboard until she was lying on the bed instead of sitting up. She was wearing the shirt he had lent her, a little creased now from three night's wear. Tears pricked at his eyes, but did not fall. Scully gave a low moan of frustration. The man on the bed had pinned her wrists against the mattress, and was holding her legs down with the weight of his own. He had been wearing sweat-pants with an elasticated waist-band, but he had managed to remove these. Shaking his head in despair at his inability to help Scully, Mulder's eyes happened upon his nearby jacket. His cell phone was in the pocket, and he knew that the last person he had called was Agent Stanton. If he could just manage to switch it on and press the re-dial button... Keeping his gaze fixed on Scully as he shifted his position, Mulder moved so that his foot was towards the chair on which his jacket hung. Reaching up with his leg, he prodded the jacket pocket gently, making out the position of the phone. Guessing where the "On" button would be, he prodded, and hoped for the best. Then he shifted his weight, and aimed for the bottom right of the phone, where the small re-dial button was located. He pressed, and thought he felt the button through the material beneath his toe. If he'd hit the wrong one... Scully struggled as the man shifted over her, and moved her hands together above her head so that he could hold them both with one hand. Mulder cursed his earlier loss of concentration, straining against his bonds, tears in his eyes because yet again he could not help her when she needed him. The man holding her ripped away her panties with his free hand. Mulder closed his eyes, and dropped his head in despair. Scully gave a short cry as the man entered her, turning her head to the side, her body going limp as she lost the mental will to struggle any longer. Her cry pierced Mulder's heart, and twisted it, and a tear escaped his eye and ran down his face as he watched his partner being violated. The man by the door watched impassively as the act progressed, barely seeming to notice what his twin was doing. The hotel room door flew open under the impact of a heavy shove. Agents Kirren and Stanton rushed in, Kirren turning even as she entered to deal with the man standing by the door, Stanton heading for the bed where he pulled the other man off Scully. In half a minute the twins were handcuffed, and hustled out of the room by Stanton, while Agent Kirren remained to untie Mulder. She turned to go to Scully, but Mulder put a hand on her arm, and shook his head softly. She nodded in understanding, and left the room to help her partner. Mulder went over to the bed where Scully was now sitting up, his shirt not properly covering her body, her eyes dry and staring straight ahead. He sat down beside his partner, and put his arm around her, offering silent comfort. She stiffly allowed him to embrace her, and then the tears she had until then held back welled suddenly in her eyes. She turned gratefully into Mulder's embrace, and buried her face against his neck. As her body shook with the pain that escaped her, Mulder held all of his in, not showing his own hurt as he helped his partner to deal with hers. * * * Mulder sat alone on the couch in his apartment, staring at the floor a little way in front of his feet. His brown hair was tousled and unkempt, his eyes lifeless, and the shadows beneath them darker than was usual, even for him. He had barely slept since the attack in Rosetown, and it had been four days since then. Four days. It felt more like weeks. They had spent the rest of that night giving samples and statements, and the next few days undergoing embarrassing personal interviews, reviewing their statements, and completing the paperwork for the case. So far there had been no time for them to talk to each other in private about what had happened. There was a knock at the apartment door. Mulder closed his eyes for a moment, and then got to his feet and went to open it. Glancing through the peephole he saw his partner standing outside, and felt a wave of guilt wash over him again. He opened the door, his head lowered so that he wouldn't have to meet her eyes, and invited her in. Scully entered the apartment, and looked around at the dim main room, which seemed more than usually untidy. Glancing back at her partner, who was following her into the apartment, she knew that once again he was torturing himself for what had happened to her. She moved to a chair, and sat down, watching as Mulder took the couch, and then moved to sit next to him. Taking both of his hands in hers, she spoke quietly. "I know what you're doing, Mulder." she said, "You're blaming yourself for what happened. - It was *not* your fault." He shook his head in negation of her statement, "I shouldn't have let down my guard like that, - I knew why we were there." "So did I." Scully pointed out. Mulder shook his head. "I should have *done* something." "Mulder, you *did* do something!..." Scully cried. "Well I didn't do enough!" he yelled back, "He still raped you!" Mulder looked up at her as he said these words, and Scully saw the terrible pain in his eyes. It squeezed her heart, and for a moment left her speechless. Then she spoke again quietly. "It could have been a lot worse." she said, "If you hadn't managed to contact Agents Kirren and Stanton, it *would* have been a *lot* worse." Mulder lowered his head again, still trying to come to terms with the guilt he felt was his. Scully lifted her left hand from his, and brushed it along the side of his face, lifting his chin so that he had to meet her gaze again. "If you hadn't managed to contact Kirren and Stanton, they would have killed both of us." she said quietly, "You saved both our lives, Mulder. - Thank you." Mulder stared at his partner, confusion in his expression as he realised what she was saying. He swallowed, and Scully continued. "I think we were in the middle of an important conversation when they broke in." she said, "A conversation we really ought to finish." "I don't remember what we were saying." Mulder replied in a whisper, his gaze holding hers. "I think I do..." Scully leaned closer to her partner, and touched her lips to his. Moving her arms to embrace him, and draw him closer, she kept her eyes open to watch his face, and to prove to herself that this time it was happening in more than just her imagination. Mulder responded to the kiss, allowing his arms to enfold her. He too kept his eyes on her face as they touched, and the kiss intensified. Drawing her head back, Scully looked up at her partner, and gave a faint, but beautiful smile. "Your touch wipes away the filth of what he did." she murmured, "Your kiss makes me clean again." Mulder stared into her eyes in wonder, the hurt in his own diminishing at her words. "You've never been other than perfect and pure in my eyes." he said. Then he lowered his lips to hers again. The End. I'd greatly appreciate any comments or constructive criticism from fellow X-Philes. Email me at . Danielle Culverson.