|
|
Title: Resignation (2/?)
Author: Emmyjean (emmyjeanb@yahoo.com)
URL: www.agentsndoctors.50megs.com
Rating: PG
Classification: Scully POV, Mytharc.
Spoilers: Post-Existence
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Archive: E-mail me, and I'll say yes for sure. J
Summary and Author's Notes: See Prologue & Part One.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scully stood quickly and opened her door at the sound of the soft knock. There they stood, the three amigos, just as she remembered them. She smiled inwardly at the comforting notion that some things don't change- and these men hadn't so much as adopted different hairstyles since she had met them nine years ago. They all just stood before each other for a moment, smiling softly at the random memories floating through each of their heads in tandem. It was John Byers who finally spoke first, and mindful as always of the world around him, he kept his normally soft voice down so as to not wake the baby.
"Agent Scully…we're very glad that you called us. We've been thinking about you lately- you and baby William."
She smiled wider and stepped aside, allowing them entrance to her home. Langly merely returned her friendly gaze as he passed, but Frohike nodded and said, "Lovely as always."
She quirked her brow, albeit in good humor…some things really didn't change.
Closing the door, she turned to find them simply standing in the middle of her living room, obviously waiting for an explanation. She felt exceedingly awkward, which was not a feeling she was accustomed to handling. It was unsettling and a bit sad that these men, despite their relatively busy routine, would drop everything to come and help her after the way she brushed them off a couple of years ago. She knew she was going to owe them a lot after this...but somehow she didn't find the prospect of resuming contact with the three friends as frightening a thought as she once did.
"Does anyone want coffee?"
Byers and Frohike nodded, and she motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen. Once they were seated at her table, she proceeded to let them in on her reason for coming into contact with them so suddenly.
"I suppose you're wondering what this is all about."
They looked at each other somewhat warily, before Frohike answered, "The question did cross our minds. You're not in any kind of trouble, I hope?"
She sighed as she set their mugs down in front of them, then took a seat opposite Byers.
"Actually, that's what I was hoping you guys would be able to tell me."
At their confused looks, she proceeded to relate the entire story while they all sat in rapt attention. When she finally finished, no one said anything right away. They all simply sat and processed the information. Finally, Langly spoke.
"So, what is it that you want us to do, Scully?"
"I want you to find out everything you can about this organization. Dig it all up, I don't care how small the bits of information are. If Marita Covarrubias is still alive, then she'll be able to give me the answers I need about this entire operation. I need to know what they want from me...what they want from Will."
Byers nodded, and said, "You know we're here for you, Agent Scully. Anything you need…" he trailed off.
Scully smiled wanly and corrected, "It's just "Miss" Scully now, Byers. I don't work for the Bureau anymore. Or you can just call me Scully."
Byers' kind blue eyes twinkled as he replied, "If it's all the same to you...I'd rather just stick with "Agent". I mean it in the greatest respect."
The group again fell silent for a moment, and then Frohike inquired softly, "Any word from Mulder, Scully?"
Her heart jumped a little at the all-too-familiar sound of his name, but she sighed and shook her head.
"I thought that you would be the ones to keep in contact with him."
They shook their heads, and Byers explained, "He didn't give us any contact information. No phone numbers, no address...not even an e-mail account."
"We've tried to track him down multiple times, but every time we think we're getting close...it turns out to be a dead end," Langly added.
Surprised at this, Scully asked, "You mean he hasn't contacted you at all in the past two years? I'm shocked...I thought that you would surely know where he was."
Frohike answered, "We thought the same thing about you- that's why I asked."
Scully shook her head again, and looked down at her mug. The foursome fell into a morose silence, none of them knowing quite where to take the conversation. Scully admitted to herself that she had held a certain amount of vague hope that the Gunmen would be able to tell her something about Mulder's whereabouts. Any clue would have done, but she hadn't expected them to be looking to her for information. The thought alternately depressed and worried her…where could he be? Why hadn't he at least sent any of them letters? Negative thoughts sprung up instinctively, and she pushed them to the back of her mind, attempting to focus on the matter at hand.
Just then, a small voice issued from the general direction of William's bedroom made them all snap out of their individual musings. Scully looked up at the three men apologetically, and said,
"Sorry…we must have woken him. He's not used to so much activity at night."
The Gunmen smiled in unison, and Frohike sheepishly asked, "As long as he's up, would it be possible for us to take a gander at the little guy?"
She smiled and nodded in reply, getting up and heading into the bedroom to get her son. She walked into his room and, as her eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the nightlight, she found him standing up in his crib clutching his blanky in one hand.
"Mommy was too loud, huh?"
Will sleepily rubbed his left eye in response, nodding slightly.
"No sweepy," he whined softly.
Scully kissed him on one chubby cheek, and lifted him out of his crib.
"It's not long now before you can sleep in a big-boy bed."
Will cast an excited glance at his current bed, apparently imagining the possibilities. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and laid his head down on his mother's shoulder.
Scully chuckled, "Not sleepy, huh? Well, I've got some friends out in the kitchen, Billy. I'm gonna take you out there so they can say, "hi"…but then you have to promise Mommy you'll go to bed, okay?"
Will nodded, his rust-colored hair rubbing against her neck.
"Mommy's pwiends?"
Scully stopped rubbing his back for a second, her eyes growing a bit misty as she contemplated her answer.
"They're your Daddy's friends, Will."
The little boy lifted his head and Scully could see the wonder dancing in his hazel eyes as he asked, "Daddy?"
She nodded and smiled at her son, happy she could at least let him have this small connection to Mulder. Regret filled her at the thought of the time she had wasted, and she knew it had been wrong to cut Mulder's best friends out of their lives completely. At least now the door was open, and she could start to make amends.
She carried William out into the kitchen, and all three of the men stood up to greet him as if he were a little prince. Will looked up and regarded them without a trace of shyness, as if the strange men weren't so strange because they had known his daddy.
An emotional silence ensued, broken after a moment by Frohike's muted, "Hey, little fella."
Will said nothing, but smiled slightly as he suddenly became bashful and hid his face in his mother's red curtain of hair. She brought him to his high chair and, setting him down, said,
"Billy…say hi to Melvin."
Will awarded Frohike with a faint greeting, and then looked at the other two men. He looked to Scully for explanation, and she continued,
"This is John, and this is Ringo," she told him, feeling like she was introducing him to the Beatles.
Will apparently was more interested in his stomach, and he said to Scully, "Cheewios?"
She sighed and caved, glancing in defeat at the Gunmen as she went to the cereal cabinet to get the Cheerios. As she pulled out a small bowl, the Gunmen began a conversation with William in which all three became totally engrossed. She laughed a bit to herself as she imagined them talking to the two-year old about JFK and the grassy knoll.
After Will was finished with his Cheerios and looked at if he was ready to drop from exhaustion, Scully picked him up in her arms and the Gunmen stood to take their leave. After she put a sleeping Will back in his bed, she walked the guys to the door.
"Don't worry, Agent Scully," Byers assured her, "we'll get your information."
"We'll contact you in a couple of days and tell you what we've found," Langly added.
"Guys?" Scully broke in.
They looked at her questioningly, and she continued, "If…if you ever want to just stop by and see Billy…I just want you to know that I'd love the company."
They looked at each other, then Frohike asked, "Anytime?"
She nodded and smiled genuinely, "Anytime."
They gazed fondly at her, and then they turned to go through the front door. Before he walked out, Frohike turned back to her and said, "You know…he has Mulder's eyes."
She felt her throat constrict at his statement, as she knew very well that it was true. He had started out with blue eyes, but gradually they had changed color to a rich hazel with yellow specks…just like his father's.
Frohike interrupted her sentimental thoughts suddenly with, "But he has your hair…and your nose. Thank the Good Lord."
She found herself smiling a sentimental smile, and then Frohike brushed her hand with his.
"Good to have you back amongst us, Agent Scully."
With that, he left…and she closed the door, thinking herself a fool for not having called them sooner. As she got herself ready for bed, she tried not to think of what they would dig up about Covarrubias…she wanted it to just go away. She honestly didn't want to be dragged back in the middle of all this insanity, and more than that she didn't want William brought into contact with any of these people.
It was in the past. She wanted to keep it that way...but she wondered now if that was simply impossible. Resolved to see this thing through for the sake of her child, she decided she would make a trip to the Bureau the next morning to see John and Monica…and, if she could manage to catch him between meetings, AD Skinner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Be Continued in Part Three
Send feedback to emmyjeanb@yahoo.com