From: Kristie Hughes Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 02:55:47 -0500 Subject: Favors This is going to be a relatively short one...although it will be more than one part. It is complete fluff....but I had so much fun with Persistence, I couldn't help but wonder about this....There's a relationship warning here. DISCLAIMER: i don't own these characters. i just wanted to play with their minds for a while. DEDICATION: this is for sam. she'll know why. TIME SPAN: June 1996 CATEGORY: MSR AUTHOR'S NOTES: i have no idea *where* exactly this is headed. so, if you don't like it, it won't offend me. it's not one of my obsessive inventions. by the by, my roommate suggested i do something involving skinner. she always wondered why i didn't since he's my favorite character. i guess it's because i like the idea that we don't know that much about him. but anyway, here it is. ************************* professor twist i give you now professor twist, a conscientious scientist. trustees exclaimed he never bungles! and sent him off to distant jungles. camped upon a riverside, one day he missed his lovely bride. she had, the guide informed him later, been eaten by an alligator. professor twist could not but smile. you mean, he said, a crocodile. - --now, if anyone can explain to me what the hell kind of message this poem is supposed to send and why i had to recite it not in elementary school but in ninth grade, i'll be eternally grateful and write any story you demand. ************************** uh, sorry i got sidetracked again. here we go. **************************** Favors: 1/? by kris Scully picked the phone up, eyes never leaving the monitor. She'd been writing this report, well, trying to write it, for the past two hours. But she wasn't getting very far. Her upstairs office was being repainted or refumigated or something stupid like that. And she was stuck down here with Mulder, who had been impossible on their last two cases, and was now crumpling up paper and tossing them in the vicinity of a wastebasket he had set up in the middle of the office. Every third of fourth shot he would throw at the back of her head. They were headed out to San Francisco that evening for a lecture series the Bureau was forcing them to attend. Neither of them was happy about it, but he was being particularly childish about the whole thing. First, he had whined. Then he had sulked. Then he had thrown the hulls of an entire bag of sunflower seeds on the floor, one by one just to piss her off. Basically, she was ready to throttle him. And he made no effort to answer the phone when it rang. Things had been pretty....tense between them to say the least. He'd been trying his best to get under her skin, and it was working. Damn him. She thought back to that stakeout last week. She had dozed off, leaving him with his sunflower seeds and iced tea. In her sleep, she must have shifted so that she was using him as a pillow. The air was muggy, and she had slipped her jacket off earlier. She felt something cool and wet hit her chest, on the skin just above the top button of her blouse. The condensation from the bottle of iced tea he was drinking. Running a hand absently over the welcome moisture, she arched her neck back and shifted, stretching out a little bit more. Her right had settled on his left thigh, as she pressed herself against him, trying to get comfortable. She felt him tense up, in that wonderful state where she was aware but not awake, and ran her hand down his thigh and back again. She shifted her legs towards him, her right over the top of his own. Then she felt his arm around her, stroking her back. Burying her face in his neck, she wished she could have dreams like this more often. "Mulder," she said in a husky voice. Then she'd heard him clear his throat. "Uhhh, Scully?" His voice had sounded strange. She tried to shake off the sleep, and came back to awareness with a start. She jerked her hand off his thigh and scooted back quickly. Mulder had shifted uncomfortably. "I think you drooled on me," he had joked. Things had been so hot between them since then that she thought she would melt. And neither of them had even brought it up. "Scully," she said, cradling the receiver between her shoulder and her ear. She was greeted by the sound of Assistant Director Skinner's voice. Oh God, what now? A survival weekend course refresher? Well, there was no way in hell she was spending a weekend with Mulder in the woods. No way. "Agent Scully. This is A.D. Skinner. I need to see you and Agent Mulder in my office immediately." Scully sighed and saved her report. "Yes, sir." Now what had Mulder done? She replaced the receiver, stood up, and turned around. Just in time for Mulder to launch another paper ball her way. It hit her square in the chest. She glared at him. He ignored her and launched another ball in the direction of the trash can. "That was Skinner. He wants to see us in his office immediately." Mulder noticed the accusatory look in her eyes. "Well, what does Mr. Clean want this time?" He started to follow her out of the room. "I was hoping you could tell me, Agent Mulder." Scully quickened her pace, feeling as if she were in a race. Mulder gave her his whipped puppy look. "I haven't *done* anything, Scully. I swear it." She didn't respond. ************************* Walter Skinner sat behind his desk, waiting impatiently. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. But he had no choice. His wife would probably kill him when she found out. He almost smiled, thinking about his beautiful, dark haired wife's expression when she heard about this. God, had they actually been on the brink of divorce only months ago? Things were still a little rough around the edges in their relationship. But they were making it, this time much better than before. He had learned a very valuable lesson. One he wasn't likely to forget any time soon. Shutting down emotionally to protect yourself and the people you loved only hurt you--and them--more. No matter what his profession, a man couldn't live without loving...or letting himself be loved. Skinner snapped out of his reverie as what he liked to call his two rogue agents came in and stood before him. Mulder looked completely uninterested, staring at his feet as if they were the only interesting thing in the room. Scully, he noticed, was, well, in full bitch mode to put it mildly. Damn, he hated to do this. They were already pissed at him for sending them out to this convention in California. But he couldn't think of another way. "Agents," he greeted them briskly. "Sir," Scully replied, meeting his stare unwaveringly. "Whatever it is, Mulder would like to apologize, right, Mulder?" Mulder shot her a look that would have scared the hell out of any other agent. But Scully wouldn't be intimidated. "Actually, Agent Scully, Mulder is not in trouble." Skinner had to hide a grin. These two *really* needed to lighten up. Mulder shot Scully a smug look. She ground her teeth and clenched her fists to keep from slapping him. "I, well, this is actually a personal matter, Agent Scully." Skinner hesitated. "Please, sit down." Mulder looked suspicious. Scully shot him a questioning look. Skinner was reminded of the way siblings dealt with one another. It was one thing for them to call each other names and think horrible thoughts about the other, but if anyone else tried it, they were ready to beat the crap out of that person. What a team. It's amazing they hadn't killed each other yet. "I need a favor from you two." Scully lifted an eyebrow. "A favor?" "Yes. My wife is in New York. I can't get out of a meeting in Chicago. And you two are already going to be in California." He waited for Scully's next question. When it didn't come, he continued. "I, well, my daughter got out of school today. She goes to a boarding school in San Francisco. The dorms are closing, but she needs to stay for the awards banquet and graduation. Not *her* graduation, but she wants to be there. However, Sharon and I can't go out there to stay with her....and I was wondering, since you have to be there, if you would um, just keep an eye on her this weekend." He fidgeted. Mulder gave him an incredulous look. Unh-uh. Babysitting for the boss was not in his job description. Besides, how could Skinner actually have a kid? What did he do, keep her locked away somewhere? He'd certainly never laid eyes on her...or even a picture of her. Scully was as shocked as Mulder. Skinner had a *daughter*?? "Sir, I don't know that this is such a good idea," she began. "I mean, well, we have all those meetings to go to. We're going to be pretty busy." Skinner had been prepared for this. "If I can get you out of those meetings, will you do this? I can arrange for you two to go to San Francisco as planned, but not actually attend the convention if you do this for me." Mulder had the distinct impression that they had been set up. This convention probably wasn't even mandatory, but unless they did this, Skinner would make it so. "Exactly what would this...um...assignment entail?" Skinner gave Mulder a kiss-my-ass kind of look. "Listen, I don't know who else I can trust with her. And I know better than to try to make her come home and miss this. She would make my life hell for the rest of the summer. You don't even have to attend the awards ceremony or graduation. Just, you know, make sure she stays at the hotel at night. Doesn't go to any wild parties, or off with any strange guys, that sort of thing." Scully was starting to get amused. "Why doesn't she just stay with one of her classmates and her parents?" "Oh, she tried to pull that already. But last Christmas, she said she was going on a supervised class trip to Colorado. We completely bought it. She went, but it sure as hell wasn't supervised." Mulder almost laughed. The idea of a kid being the cause of Skinner's baldness was just too funny. And he liked to think that was his doing. "I get it. So this is sort of payback for that? Send Scully and me out to make her life hell?" Skinner scowled at Mulder. "So, will you do this or not? Consider it...an all expenses paid vacation." Scully and Mulder did some silent communicating. What the hell. It sure beat sitting around a convention hall with stuffy, longwinded bureaucrats all weekend. And both were interested in this daughter Skinner proclaimed to have. "All right," Scully said slowly. "So, what's your daughter's name?" Skinner gave a sigh of relief. If only these two knew what they'd just agreed to. "Madison. Madison Montgomery Skinner. Don't even ask. Sharon's originally from the south. They like to name their children by the maiden name of their mothers for some strange reason. Madison was Sharon's mother's maiden name. Montgomery was my mother's. This is the most recent picture we have of her." Skinner took a snapshot out of his desk and handed it to Scully. "Sharon calls her Maddie most of the time." Scully studied the picture, Mulder looking over her shoulder. The girl was beautiful. She was standing on the beach, sunglasses on top of her head, brow wrinkled as if she was studying something in the distance very intently. Hair a color Scully didn't think she'd ever quite seen before cascaded to just below her shoulders. It was somewhere between brown and chestnut, little flecks of red and gold glimmering in the sunlight. Her lips were slightly open, as if she were about to say something. But her eyes, they were icy blue, a startling contrast to her dark hair and tanned skin. Madison's face seemed perfectly proportioned. Mulder could see how the girl could give a father fits. He hoped to God he never had to deal with a teenage daughter. "How old is she?" he asked. "Uh, she turned sixteen in October. Mulder, Scully, we really do appreciate this. Don't be alarmed if she's not overly friendly towards you, however. She's no more excited at the prospect of two FBI babysitters than you are. And whatever you do, don't be taken in by her pout. Trust me on this one." Skinner handed them a name and address of their hotel. "This is where the awards ceremony is being held. I believe you'll find it more to your liking than your usual accomodations. I've arranged for a three bedroom suite. Madison should already be there when you arrive." Scully followed Mulder out of the office. Mulder gave her a little smile over his shoulder. "Why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?" Scully considered that. She wasn't feeling as good about this as she had been. She already had to babysit Mulder all the time. She wasn't sure she could handle this. Or being that close to him. She just scowled at him. Mulder felt a wave of desire course through him. When she looked at him like that...he had a lot of trouble reminding himself that she was his partner. There had always been a lot of chemistry between them. Neither of them could deny that. But lately, he could swear the sparks flying between them had actually smelled of fire. Or was it just his imagination? He decided to put that theory to the test. Wrapping an arm possessively around her waist, he whispered into her ear. "I can't wait to move in with you for a weekend, Scully. Have I told you lately how turned on I get seeing you in your bathrobe?" Scully stiffened at the feel of his breath in her ear. God, she hated him. He was so frustrating. No other man could get under her skin so easily. She couldn't control the quickening of her heart beat at having him so close. Elbowing him out of her personal space, Scully stomped off. Mulder rubbed his side. But he could have sworn she'd blushed. Maybe it wasn't just his imagination after all. ********** end part 1 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 03:09:21 -0500 Subject: Favors (2/?) i don't sleep much, especially in the summers. can you tell with all the stories i churn out? i hope they aren't annoying you all....but they keep me occupied! DISCLAIMER: please note, i do not own mulder, scully, skinner, or sharon. they belong to the 'i made this' people. no infringement intended. AUTHOR'S NOTES: well, no one strongly objected to this, so i'm sending out the next part. besides, if anyone had strongly objected, i would have overruled the objection. i'm telling you, mother. you cannot force me to climb that tree just to find out if you can see into your new neighbors bathroom from there. i don't care *how* nice his muscles look when he mows his lawn. if you want to see him naked, get him drunk. honestly, i've had this conversation with my mother. and you wonder at my writing. ************************** Favors (dos/?) by kris Scully turned the page of the book she was reading, trying to ignore Mulder's little sighs for attention. He was squirming around in his seat already, and they had just taken off. She knew he had plenty of legroom; Skinner had given them two *first* class tickets. Madison must really be something. Secretly, Scully was looking forward to it. How bad could it be? She was just a kid after all. And Scully remembered doing some pretty stupid things when she was in high school...and college...and med school. Hell, she still did some pretty stupid things by working with Mulder. Mulder kept shooting Scully sidelong glances. He knew that she was just outright ignoring him, and it was starting to really annoy him. Reaching for the headphones to the portable cd player he'd brought, he shifted again and sighed. They were both dressed casually. To Mulder's surprise, Scully had shown up wearing jeans that fit just right, in his expert opinion, a blue summer sweater that fit a little too well, in his professional opinion--he'd seen the man across the aisle trying to strike up a conversation with her twice already--and sneakers. He couldn't remember ever seeing Scully in sneakers. Actually, he had vaguely wondered if she owned any. She'd always worn hiking boots with her casual clothes. He turned the volume up so that he knew she could hear it from over in her seat. Mulder didn't really care for the music, but it would annoy Scully, so he listened to it anyway. Mulder saw the first warning glance she shot him over the top of her book. He smiled innocently and a few seconds later, turned the volume up a little more. In return, Scully shifted so that she couldn't even see him. A few minutes later, he turned it up some more. She turned and lifted an eyebrow at him, giving him her best I'm-pissed-and-you're-to-blame look. He turned the volume up all the way and closed his eyes. God, the music was giving him a headache. But it was worth it. Mulder felt Scully reach across him and drew in a quick, startled breath. Before he could even open his eyes, she wrenched the headphones from cd player and tossed them backwards over her head. A man a few rows back had the pleasure of being smacked up side the head by them. Now it was Scully's turn to smile sweetly at Mulder. She returned her attention to her book. As payback, Mulder leaned across her, pretending to take in the scene from the window. He let his hand pass over her thighs the slightest bit. When he felt the involuntary shudder of excitement course through her, he sat back...quite satisfied with himself. Suddenly a man appeared, dangling the headphones from his forefinger. The man looked Scully over. "Did you lose something?" Scully smiled coyly. The man was hot. There was no other way to describe him. He was dressed impeccably, but looked a little too...masculine to be dressed that way. "Actually, those belong to the gentleman I had the misfortune of being seated with. His music was really giving me a headache." She flashed him another smile. Mulder saw red. This was not in the slightest bit funny. And it was cruel. He tried so often to elicit that smile from Scully, and succeeded oh so rarely. He snatched the headphones from the man's hand. "Thank you so much for returning them." He was about to strike up a conversation with Scully about work, hoping the man would take the hint, when the man spoke again. "Well, it just isn't right for a beautiful woman to have a horrible flight when there's empty seat next to mine. Would you care to join me? Allow me to buy you a drink?" What a line, Mulder thought. He waited for Scully's Irish temper to flare and her to tell this arrogant jerk off. But she surpised him. She closed her book and stood up, flashing the man yet another dazzling smile--one where her teeth actually showed--one Mulder would give his right arm to have aimed at him--and said, "That sounds wonderful." Mulder had to practically pick his jaw up from the floor as Scully swept past him, never giving him a backwards glance. *************************** Mulder was now in a very bad mood. Yes, he was sulking. He didn't want to deal with Skinner's teenage daughter. He didn't want to go to San Francisco. And he didn't want to hear Scully's throaty laugh from a few rows back one more time. Maybe he'd gone too far in teasing her. She had seemed pretty pissed at him earlier at work. And for her to go off with a strange man...Dana Katherine Scully was still a mystery to him. He'd never understand her. Sometimes she would smile at his jokes, at others she would pretend he didn't even exist.... Scully slipped back past Mulder, brushing against his legs. Mulder never looked up from his copy of The LoneGunmen. She settled herself in. Mulder noticed that she wasn't smiling anymore. Scully thought what a jerk the guy had been. He'd actually had the nerve to suggest a quickie in the bathroom. What a creep. She had really had to restrain herself when he put his hand on her leg. But then, she had been leading him on, just to get back at Mulder. Why did things have to be like this with her and Mulder? They always seemed to take everything just a little too far. Their teasing was fun, until one of them wound up taking an emotional fall. Sometimes she just couldn't figure Mulder out. Mulder noticed the strange expression on Scully's face. He'd seen it before. It was that look she got whenever she felt threatened but didn't want him to know it, so she tried to put on a brave face. Someone who didn't know her very well wouldn't even expect anything was wrong. But he could sense it, in the way she held her shoulders rigid, chin tilted up a little more than usual. Like she was trying not to cry. What the hell had happened back there? "Scully?" Mulder ventured, wondering if she was even speaking to him. "Mulder?" She didn't quite meet his eyes. "Scully?" "Mulder?" "Scully?" "Mulder?" Now Mulder could see the faintest signs of amusement lighting her blue eyes. That was more like his Scully. Her face may seem impassive, but her eyes were literally the gateway to her soul. "Scully? Do you have any candy?" Mulder gave her his best little boy smile. God, she thought, he was worse than a child, especially when he smiled that lopsided smile, eyes crinkling at the corners. She had to fight the urge to reach out and tousle his hair. She returned her attention to her book. "Maybe. But it's gonna cost you. What are you willing to pay." Always quick on the uptake, he leered at her. "That depends; I'd have to examine the merchandise first." She just lifted an eyebrow and tossed him a package of chocolate candy. He looked at the package. Whoppers. God, how could she eat so healthily at meals and have such a chocolate fetish? He popped three into his mouth and leaned across her, trying to get a peek at what else was in her candy stash. Ooohh, a Snickers! Mulder thought joyously and tried to make a grab for it. But a slap on the hand restrained him. "Mulder, you haven't even eaten what you've got." He tried pouting. "I'm a big boy, Scully. And I didn't have dinner yet." "Well, you should have *eaten* your food instead of making little UFO sculptures out of it." He gave her the puppy dog look. She was lost. She handed over the Snickers, hoping it would keep him occupied for a while. It didn't. "Scully?" "Mulder?" "Scully?" "Muuullderrrr." "You wanna play a game?" That little boy voice again. She sighed as she closed her book. "What kind of game?" Three hands of gin later, Mulder looked at her. "You're the best partner I've ever had, Scully. Have I ever told you that?" Scully looked at him, surprised. "No, Mulder, I don't believe you have." She smiled at him, one of those rare, toothy smiles. Mulder did a little victory dance in his mind. It hadn't even cost him a body part. "Well, you are." He smiled back at her. "And you smell a hell of a lot nicer than Krycek ever did." She rolled her eyes, but he noticed the light had returned to them. She had the most beautiful eyes. He sometimes got so lost in them that he forgot the case they were arguing about. "Scully, what happened back there?" He referred to the man she'd had that drink with. "Did he do something to you?" "No. I'm fine, Mulder." She didn't quite met his gaze. "Because if he said or did anything to hurt you..." he trailed off. "You didn't seem fine when you came back." Scully slipped her hand into his. "But I'm fine now, Mulder." She squeezed his hand lightly and then moved to withdraw it. He closed his fingers around hers before she could pull her hand away. Scully sighed and leaned her head back, enjoying the contact. As she slipped off to sleep, she felt him lift her hand and brush his lips across her knuckles. No, she would never quite figure out Fox Mulder. But that was what she loved most about their relationship. No matter how close they got, there was still room to learn more, and he always managed to surprise her. ************** end part 2 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 04:38:51 -0500 Subject: Favors (3/?) credit is due to alanis morissette in this part... DISCLAIMER: i don't own them. well, i do own madison...at least for now. the people with the huggie coats have been trying to take her away from me. but i won't let them have her! ;) i burned my hand tonight. the first time i've ever had a burn...i made it twenty years, and then whaddaya know. those things are painful. but i think i burned the fingerprints off. so if you ever need an assassin, i'm your person. i could leave no trace.... ***************************** Favors (3/?) by kris Scully looked around the lobby of the hotel, feeling a little underdressed. Wow...this really made her wonder about the Skinners. They must be very well off to send their daughter to a school that held its graduation exercises in this place. Mulder was looking a little uncomfortable himself. He had never considered the fact that the kid could be a snob. Sharon Skinner had seemed so down to earth the times he'd met her. But then, he'd grown up with money and look how well he'd turned out. You'd never even know it to look at his apartment or car... A bellhop showed them to their suite, which was on the top floor. She lifted an eyebrow at Mulder as they entered the foyer. Hell, her apartment didn't even have a foyer. The sounds of Alanis Morissette resounded off the walls. Scully was familiar with the music. She really liked "Ironic"...but this song left her wondering at her own taste. "....And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back" "I hope you feel it..." "Oh, can you feel it.." This time Mulder couldn't resist raising his own eyebrow. The bellhop left them standing there, overnight bags between them. He just shrugged. No sense trying to talk over it. "...but you're still alive..." "And I'm here" "To remind you...." Scully wrinkled her nose. "You...You...You...outta know." Silence. Oh God, Blessed silence. The door to a bedroom swung open. Instead of a teenage girl, however, a guy appeared. "Mad, there are people in here," he called back into the room. The guy looked older than any sixteen. Scully wondered again what she'd gotten herself into. Madison Skinner appeared in the doorway, drying her hair with a towel. Mulder noticed that the guy's hair was wet as well. The guy picked slung a tote bag over his shoulder as Madison walked in. "Hi," Scully said politely, offering her hand. Madison took it. "I'm Dana Scully." "Nice to meet you, Dr. Scully." She smiled. "You, too, Madison." Scully returned the smile. "Call me, Dana, please." "Well, then you can call me Maddie." Scully turned to Mulder. "This is Fox Mulder." Madison shook his hand. "Just call me Mulder," he told her, smiling. The girl turned around to include the well-over-sixteen-guy-with-wet-hair in the conversation. "This is Jason Shelby. Jason, Dana Scully and....Mulder." "Nice to meet you." The guy leaned down and kissed Madison on the cheek. Scully noticed for the same time that Maddie was only about her height. "Thanks for the shower, Mad. I'll call you later, let you know what the plans are." Maddie gave him a killer smile. "Mmm..no, thank *you*. Tell Sarah what room I'm in." When he left, Madison turned to Mulder and Scully. "I guess you would like to put your things away. I figured you'd stick me in the middle bedroom, anyway, so you can have the ones on either side. That one," she pointed, "has its own bathroom. So I guess Mulder can take it." Maddie returned to her own room to blowdry her hair. The connecting door was open, so she could see Dana moving around. She leaned against the door frame. "I know this isn't the way you wanted to spend a weekend. What did my father hold over your head?" Scully studied the girl and sat down on the bed. "A convention....thirty-six hours of stuffy old guys boring us to death." She smiled. "You seemed the lesser of two evils." Although she wasn't sure that things were as they had seemed. Maddie grinned. Mulder knocked on Scully's door. He came in and plopped down on her bed. "I'm starved. Can we get some food?" "Mulder, you're always hungry." He gave her a slight shove. She looked up at Madison. "Have you eaten?" "No. Jason and I just finished carting all my stuff to the airport to have it shipped home. Do you guys feel up to going out? Room service will probably take just as long with everything that's going on." Mulder jumped up, eager at the mention of real food. "Out is fine. Let's go. Where to, Maddie?" She gave him a look and arched a perfect eyebrow. "Can I call you Foxie?" He grimaced. "NO! You cannot." "Then you can't call me Maddie. There's a place down the street. Let me put on some shoes." She retreated into her room. When she returned, she was still wearing the faded jeans and cropped shirt that had a little Dr. Seuss symbol on it that said "CAT". Scully figured she was dressed appropriately if Maddie was wearing that. Madison finished tying her black boots. "Come on, G-people." They walked out of the suite, and Maddie noticed Mulder's hand at the small of Scully's back. They passed a group of kids and parents. "Hey, Maddie," a guy called, "you gonna meet up with us tonight?" "I don't know yet," she called back. "Come by later, okay? We're in 1013." Mulder draped an arm over Madison's shoulder and gave her his best little boy look. "How come I'm the only one who has to call you Madison?" "You're making me call you Mulder. Would you rather call me Skinner?" She smiled sweetly. "Yeah, but everyone calls me Mulder. Everyone calls you Maddie." Madison was not being taken in. "I'll tell you what, Slick. Since you obviously have a confidence problem, I'll let you call me Maddie. But I can call you Slick, okay?" Mulder didn't know how to take that. Scully stifled a laugh. "I guess. So, I thought you went to an all-girl's school." "Nope. Believe me, my father tried. But I have much more will power than he does. Mom got sick of us arguing about it and convinced him. We do have separate dorms, though." "Oh. So...who is this Jason guy?" Maddie pursed her lips. "I don't remember agreeing to play twenty questions with you." Mulder just looked at her. She sighed. "Jason is my roommate Sarah's older brother. They live in Arlington. He helped me move my stuff since my parents weren't here." She turned to Scully. "So, Dana, how was your flight?" Mulder grimaced. "Interesting," Scully said, shooting Mulder a meaningful glance. Maddie noticed that they did a lot of nonverbal communicating. She wondered just how close they really were. "Scully here doesn't like flying," Mulder offered. "No, Mulder, I just don't like flying with you." He gave her that look again. As usual, she fell for it. When was she ever going to learn? "When is the awards ceremony, Maddie?" "Oh, tomorrow morning. It's a brunch kind of thing. It's pretty fun. They read a list of 'most likely to' and wills and prophecies and stuff. Then, there's nothing to do until graduation Sunday night. So you guys can do some sightseeing." Maddie hoped they would go off on their own. Mulder piped up. "Good, that means you can show us around." He grinned. Madison gave an obviously fake smile. "Oh, I just can't wait. How do you feel about nightclubs?" Scully looked startled. "You can't get into a nightclub." "Of course I can. I have connections." Oh, this was going to be a very long weekend indeed. ************** end part 3 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 00:23:34 -0500 Subject: Favors (4/?) DISCLAIMER: i do not own the characters that aren't mine. this is still for sam, who helped me by sitting up with me until two in the morning talking about the stupidest things we ever did in high school--and believe me, between the two of us, we've done a lot worse than maddie ever thought about. it's amazing i made it out alive. ***************** Favors (4/?) by kris Mulder sat at the table watching Scully and Maddie. These two had really hit it off. He felt like pouting again. Sure, it was nice to see Scully smile so frequently...but Madison seemed to have it out for him. Usually he had no trouble with teenage girls. This just hadn't been his day. First the incident on the plane with that creep.... Scully laughed as Maddie recounted the infamous Christmas ski trip. She didn't see how a kid had slipped that past the assistant director of the FBI, even if he was her father. Maddie had even printed up letters and sent them to Skinner on school letterheads. Dana, in return, told her about the time she and Missy had gone off to New York City without their parents' permission, telling them that they were each staying with friends that weekend. "So, what is the stupidest thing you've ever done?" Scully asked her. Maddie considered that. "Well, it may not have been the stupidest, but it certainly got the biggest reaction. Sarah and I love the movie *When Harry Met Sally*...we've seen it twenty times at least." Scully nodded, "I love that one, too." Mulder propped his head up on his hand, getting bored. "Well, we were talking about it at lunch one day in the caf, and a couple of guys kept saying that women couldn't really fake orgasms...Sarah and I immediately thought of that scene in the movie. So...Kate and Sarah didn't believe that I would...um, re-enact that particular scene. So I did. Sitting right there in the cafeteria. However, we were sitting right next to the faculty table and had the head of the department of education visiting that day. The director called my father, after practically dragging me out of the cafeteria. Let's suffice it to say that Asst. Director Skinner was none too happy at hearing how his daughter had faked an orgasm in the middle of a high school cafeteria." Mulder couldn't help but laugh a little. Scully spit some of her drink out through her nose. "You did *not*." "Oh, yes, I did. And it has been downhill ever since according to my father." Scully sobered a little. "Do you and your father not get along?" Maddie shrugged. "We don't really communicate. He's busy, I live in San Francisco. This will be the first time since I was thirteen that I've been home for more than a couple of weeks at a time." She toyed with her napkin a little. "Are we done? I'm supposed to get the check. Apparently, my father appreciates your dealing with me more than you realize. He's footing the whole thing." "Well, I'm at least glad we got to meet you," Scully said as they stood up to leave. "Maddie? Why did you go away to school at thirteen? I mean, isn't that a little young?" Madison didn't quite look at Scully. "Something happened and my father didn't want to put me at risk, I guess." That grabbed Mulder's attention. "What happened?" Scully wasn't sure he should be asking, but she was interested as well." Maddie met his gaze and held it for a second before answering. "Some higher-ups tried to use me as a way to....discourage my father from his position as Assistant Director. I guess the job was more important to him, and sending me to school out here seemed the best thing." She pursed her lips. "Actually, that's probably not entirely true. Logically, I know he didn't choose the job over me. He made the only decision that his conscience and strength of character would let him make." Mulder almost wished he hadn't asked. She hadn't given him any details, but it was obvious he'd dredged up memories she'd rather put behind her. He touched Maddie's arm briefly. Whether she knew it or not, he could relate to some of what she was feeling. She smiled at him. "Come on, Slick. I've got big plans for this weekend." *************************** Scully yawned, watching the credits roll on the movie they had been watching. Surprisingly, Madison hadn't given them any trouble yet...unless you counted the guy she had in her shower earlier. But that could have been completely innocent. She wasn't sure about Madison Skinner. The girl seemed to have a wisdom beyond her age, but strived hard to hide it. Scully wondered what made her do the crazy and rebellious things she did. Madison looked up at Sarah, who had joined them for the movie. She and her mother and Jason were staying a couple of suites down from them. Sarah had very light brown hair, and was a couple of inches taller than Madison. "So, where are you headed now?" she asked Sarah. "I don't know. A bunch of people are throwing a party. I don't guess you can come, huh?" Sarah smiled sympathetically at Maddie. "Well, big parties don't do much for me these days, anyway. Don't worry about it. I'm pretty tired. You can fill me in later, okay?" Madison walked her to the door, where she said goodnight to Mulder and Scully. Mulder thought he heard Sarah say, "Are you sure you're all right?" But he couldn't hear what Maddie's response was. "I guess I'm going to turn in, you guys. If you sleep in tomorrow, I'll be down at the awards ceremony until 11:00." Scully looked at her. "I could go with you, if you'd like." "Oh, you don't have to do that. I can sit with someone else." Maddie perched on the arm of the couch that Mulder was sitting on. "With Sarah and her family?" "No, Sarah's not going. She and her mother have something else they're going to do. But I need to go." Maddie rose to leave the room. Mulder called after her, "Wait." She turned and walked back in. "Are you receiving an award?" "No. I just need to be there." She bit her lower lip, shuffling her feet. Scully spoke again. "Well, would you mind if I came with you? Then we can leave to go shopping and sightseeing like we'd planned. You still have to show Mulder and me around." Maddie shrugged. "I don't mind if you come. It starts at nine, okay?" She had a feeling Scully was doing this just to keep an eye on her. "Okay. Mulder, are you going to come, too?" Mulder looked up at Scully. "I'll pass. I'm not much on those school functions. I'll just meet you and Maddie downstairs at eleven." Madison went into her room and closed the door after saying goodnight. Mulder looked at Scully. "How long do we have to stay up to make sure she doesn't leave?" Scully grinned. "You know, Mulder, I really don't think she's going to pull anything tonight." "Yeah, right, Scully. I'll bet it's all an act, and she's in there getting dressed right now." Mulder still seemed to be pouting a bit. Scully ruffled his hair. "Mulder, she's just a kid." Mulder propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her. "That's the last thing she is, Scully. For God's sake, she had a guy in her shower before we even got here." Scully shrugged. "I didn't think you were the type to condemn someone so quickly, Mulder...being the believer in extreme possibilities that you are." "I'm not condemning her Scully. I'm just making predictions based on the behavior she has displayed so far. What is it about Maddie that seems to be playing your heartstrings, anyway?" Mulder leaned forward, his face next to hers. Scully shifted her position on the floor so that she was looking directly at him. "I don't know, Mulder. Look, I'm really tired. I think I'm going to change and crawl into bed." Mulder gave her his best please-don't- leave-me look. She sighed. "You can come talk to me for a while if you want." He flashed her a winning smile. "Okay. You change, I'll make you some tea...how does that sound?" ************************ Mulder was sitting in the chair in Scully's room, having pulled it up next to the bed so he could prop his feet up, when there was a knock at the door. "Gee, I wonder who that could be," he said sarcastically, getting up to answer it. Scully heard muffled voices from the other room and got up to investigate. A tired looking blonde woman was standing there, talking to Mulder. "Uh, are you Mr. Skinner?" Mulder shook his head. "No, Mr. Skinner couldn't make it. I'm here with Madison instead." He held out his hand. "Fox Mulder." The woman shook his hand. "Linda Dearman. I needed to speak to Maddie. Is she here?" Scully came to stand at Mulder's side, as Maddie opened her door and came out, looking sleepy. "Linda." Scully noticed the color drain from the girl's face. "What's wrong?" Linda stepped forward. "Nothing. I just," she held out a box. "I found this in Joel's stuff. I know he would've wanted you to have it." Maddie took the box and looked at it. "Oh. Thanks." When Linda just stood there, Maddie spoke again. "Do you know what it is?" The woman shook her head. Maddie bit her lip and opened it. Inside was a picture of herself and a tall, good looking guy wearing a football jersey. The silver frame was engraved, but Mulder couldn't read it from where he was standing. There was a jewelry box in there as well. Maddie opened it, and Scully noticed her fingers trembling. She held up a silver necklace, examined it, then put it back into the box. "Thanks for bringing it by, Linda. I didn't know he'd even bought it." The woman stepped forward, looking uncomfortable. "Maddie. I don't know what really happened that night, but it wasn't your fault. You have to know that." Madison stood up. "At this point, I still don't know what to think or feel." She put the picture and necklace back into the box and set it down on the couch. "I know that coming here must have been difficult for you." The woman wiped her eyes. "I'll see you some time tomorrow?" Maddie nodded. "Yeah." After Linda left, Scully started to speak, but another knock on the door interrupted her. Mulder watched as Maddie sank down into the couch, looking as if she were in shock. Sarah, another girl, and three guys were at the door. Mulder let them in. "Hey, Mad. We were just on our way out. Wanted to stop by and ask you one last time if you wanted to go--" The girl stopped short as she noticed the picture in the box. Sarah looked over the other girl's shoulder. "Oh God. Maddie, where did you get that?" Sarah sat down next to her on the couch. "His mother just brought it by." Maddie was staring at the floor. "You don't seem surprised. Did you know?" Sarah winced. "I helped him pick it out. I'm so sorry, Mad. It never even occurred to me to tell you about it." She turned to her other friends, who all looked like they'd seen a ghost. "Listen, why don't you guys go ahead without me?" Maddie looked at her. "I don't want company right now, Sarah. Just go with them." Sarah looked hesitant. "Maddie, I don't want to leave you like this." Maddie's voice rose as she stood up and walked to the door. "Nothing anyone says tonight is going to change anything." Her face was stony. "I can deal with this." Mulder and Scully just stood there, looking confused. It was obvious how upset Maddie was. They just couldn't figure out why. Sarah tried again. "Madison, come on, I thought we had gotten past this. It wasn't your fault. There's nothing you could have done." Maddie stared at the girl, her voice even. "Sarah, the day someone blows his brains out in front of you, then we'll talk about feelings of guilt. Until then, I don't want to hear another word about this." The other three kids walked out of the open door. Sarah lingered. "I don't see why you won't at least talk to me about what happened. You can't keep it inside forever." Maddie didn't waver. "There's nothing to talk about. It happened. I've moved on. End of discussion." Sarah raised her voice. "You haven't moved on! No one even says his name around you. Everyone wants to help, you just won't let them." "Goodnight, Sarah." Maddie closed the door and turned to Mulder and Scully. "I'm going back to bed." Scully stepped towards her. "Maddie, wait. I don't know what's going on here, but you're obviously very upset. Why don't you stay and talk to us for a while." She put her hand on the girl's shoulder. Maddie shoved Dana's hand away. "Don't you get it? I don't *want* to talk. I just want to be left alone." Mulder put a calming arm around Scully, who tried again to talk to Madison. "Look, this isn't healthy. We aren't asking you to talk to us about whatever it is that happened. We just don't want to leave you upset." Madison's temper flared. "You're right, Dana. This isn't healthy. But what do you want me to say? That the guy I had been dating for almost a year got fucked up one night, locked me in a fucking bathroom with him and shot himself? Is that what you want to hear?" Scully looked stricken. "I didn't think so. It's not something people want to talk about. But do you know what? That's not even the half of it." With that, Madison stomped out of the room, slamming her door behind her. Mulder stopped Scully from following her. "Let her go, Scull. She's not going to talk about it tonight." Scully leaned against him. "God, Mulder. I can't even imagine that horror." She picked up the photograph and read the inscription. "This must have been what he was going to give her for their one year anniversary." Mulder put the photograph back into the box. "Come on, let's try to get some sleep. We can deal with this tomorrow." He led her back into her room. ************************* Maddie paced her room, feeling like a caged animal. She was going to go crazy if she had to just sit there. She picked up her cellular phone, and after a moment's hesitation, dialled the number. "Sarah, it's me. Listen, you were right. I don't feel like being alone. Is it too late to join you guys?" Sarah's voice came through, soothing and warm. "No, it's not too late. Do you want me to come back and get you?" "No, I have to figure out how to get out of here. Then I can just meet you." "Well, Jason is coming in about thirty minutes. Do you think you could get your stuff and go to our suite? You can get dressed there and come with him." Maddie smiled. "That sounds good. Will you call him and ask him to wait for me?" *************************** Maddie looked at her watch. It was 5:15 in the morning. "Sarah, let me change back into my pajamas in your room. I can pick up the rest of my stuff later." Fifteen minutes later, she opened the door to her own suite, a bucket of ice in her hands. She looked up to see Mulder coming out of Scully's room, wearing nothing but his boxers. Mulder ran a hand sheepishly through his hair. "Where've you been?" Maddie shrugged. "I could ask you the same question." She put ice in a glass and poured herself a Coke. Mulder grimaced. His situation was entirely innocent for the most part. Scully had been pretty upset about Maddie, even though she wouldn't admit it. They had watched some late night sappy romantic comedy, before Scully had fallen asleep. When he'd gotten up to leave, she'd been using him as a pillow once again, and had protested groggily. Instead of waking her--he knew she hadn't gotten much rest during the two back to back cases they'd just finished--he slipped out of his jogging pants and curled up beside her. God, it had felt so good sleeping there with her head on his chest. He hadn't slept that well in years. He noticed now that Maddie had on makeup and her hair was done up in a wild mass of curls. She obviously hadn't been in bed. But he let it slide--the last thing he needed was her explaining to Skinner how he'd spent the night with Scully, no matter how innocent. Maddie offered him a Coke. "You're up early," Mulder commented. "Couldn't sleep. Is Dana okay? I didn't mean to yell at her." Mulder sat down next to her on the couch. "She's fine. She was just worried about you." Maddie surprised him by leaning her head against him when he put an arm lightly around her. "I didn't mean to upset her. I wasn't thinking clearly. It's just..." "Just what?" Mulder prompted softly. Scully came out of her room quietly, not wanting to interrupt. But Maddie noticed her. "Hi." "Hi yourself. I was just going to get a drink of water." Scully hesitantly filled a glass. "You can come sit down. Looks like we're all awake now, anyway." Maddie gestured for her to come over. "Do you want to talk about it now?" Maddie shrugged. "I don't know. Joel and I didn't have the relationship everyone thought we did. Everyone thought we were perfect, the perfect couple. I never knew things could turn out this badly." Scully sat across from them in an armchair. Madison scooted out of Mulder's reach, to the other end of the couch, and drew her knees up. "He had a horrible temper. Things were rocky between us, and that night, he'd been doing something, I could tell. But I didn't think anything about it. I'd seen him screwed up before, but that night he was so out of control." She looked uncomfortably at Mulder. "I didn't want to make a scene, so I went off to talk to him. That's the stupidest thing I've ever done, actually. The rest, I guess, is history." Scully bit her lip. "Did you tell your parents?" Maddie looked up. "They knew that Joel killed himself. Mom knew that we had been seeing each other. But I'd gotten in too deep, and I hadn't talked to her about him the way we used to talk. Otherwise, I might have seen it coming. I just, it's not the kind of thing a kid can easily tell a parent about, even when you're close. And Mom and Dad were having problems of their own, I didn't want to worry her anymore. I thought I could handle it. I told him it was over that night. That's what set him off. I couldn't live like that anymore." She shuddered. "Like what?" Scully asked. Maddie stared at nothing, like she wasn't actually completely there. "Everyone thought Joel was great. The most popular guy in school. Funny, smart, friendly, a great athlete. I did, too, for a while. But he wasn't. He had a lot of problems, family wise, I guess. Now I realize that he had emotional problems as well. And he took them out on me." Scully looked at her in horror. "Did he hit you?" How could the Skinners be so oblivious to what was happening to their daughter? "Only once. That was why I broke up with him. He had always been short tempered with me, but that really scared me." The phone rang, startling them. Mulder picked it up. "Hello?" Sharon Skinner's voice greeted him. "Mulder, may I speak to Maddie, please?" He handed the phone to her. "It's your mother." "Hi, Mom." "Maddie. Why didn't you call me when you found out that your father wasn't coming? I thought he was going to be there with you. I just got off the phone with him. Are you all right?" Sharon's voice was filled with concern. "Mom, I'm fine. It's okay." "Mad, I can catch the next flight out there. I don't want you to have to make that speech alone." "Mom, listen to me. I'm fine. Mulder and Dana are here with me. You don't have to fly out. Dad had no idea what was going on, it wasn't his fault. I'll see you Monday night, okay?" "If you're sure you're going to be okay. I'd still feel better about coming out there." "Mother, you're at a conference. Stay there. Stop worrying. Dana is going with me to the awards banquet." Sharon sighed. "Okay. Maddie, you can still not make that speech. No one should have asked you to." "Mom, I'm doing it for Joel's mother. I'm expected to. No one knows what to think about this. It's been a tough year for everyone here. After this, I can put it all behind me. It's really early here. I'm going to get some sleep before the ceremony." "Oh, right. I forgot about the time difference." "Just call dad and patch things up with him. I'm sure you let him have it, and he doesn't even realize why." "Okay, sweetie. I love you." "Me, too." She hung up the phone and yawned. "I think I'm going to sleep for a while." Mulder and Scully let her go. Scully got up and sat beside Mulder. "What's wrong with the world today, Mulder?" He kissed the top of her head. "I don't know, Scully." ***************** end part 4 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 03:18:50 -0500 Subject: Favors (5/?) DISCLAIMER: see fine print at bottom. okay, here goes. thanks to all of you who have been following and responding. here's hoping that this piece is lighter! ****************************** Favors (5/?) by kris Maddie finished applying her makeup, ran a brush through her hair, and stepped out into the living room. She hadn't heard Dana moving around, so she assumed she had decided to sleep through the awards banquet after all. When she walked into the room, she noticed that someone was curled up on the couch. Peering over the back of the couch, Fox Mulder's voice greeted her. "Hi," he whispered. Maddie noticed that he wasn't alone. Dana was curled up into a little ball, using his chest as a pillow. How did they both fit on that little couch, anyway? Mulder's feet were sticking off the end as it was. "Hey, Slick," she whispered back. "Looks like Dana isn't going with me, huh?" "You can wake her if you want. She really did want to go." Mulder spoke a little louder, but Scully didn't move. Maddie shook her head. "No, that's okay. It's no big deal. Let her sleep. I'll see you guys around eleven." **************************** Scully stretched, her foot connecting with another body part of sorts. What the hell? She struggled to sit up but was trapped beneath another body. Realization dawned. He wore an expression so relaxed and endearing that she was willing to bet it was--even if he wouldn't admit it. Silently, she raked herself over the coals for being so weak around him. Normally, she could take care of herself. But lately, she seemed to be leaning--literally--on Mulder more and more. The idea of becoming dependent on him scared her to death. He was consumed by his work, and she didn't need the pain that would come from allowing herself to enter into an emotional relationship that wouldn't be reciprocated. Looking at her watch, Scully realized that it was already 10:00. Shit. Why hadn't Maddie woken her up? Or had Madison changed her mind? Slipping out from under Mulder, Scully rolled off of the couch. Great, now Mulder had her sleeping on the couch. Mulder shivered at the loss of warmth when Scully got up. He rolled over and curled up. "Scully?" he murmured. "Sshhh. Go back to sleep, Mulder. We'll come get you in about an hour." She had to fight back the urge to brush back the hair that had fallen over his face. Right, right. She checked Maddie's room, saw that she had gone ahead to the banquet, and dressed quickly. Standing at the back of the auditorium twenty minutes later, Scully scanned the crowd. She saw Maddie standing in the wings, getting ready to make her speech. Madison walked confidently to the microphone when she was asked to speak on Joel's behalf. Scully thought it was cruel that she had even been asked to do so. Maddie took the award from the woman who had made the introductions and looked at it for a long moment before speaking. "I came here today hoping that I could somehow make a speech that would comfort and reassure everyone. But I know now that I can't." The girl paused, taking a deep breath. "You know, we try so hard to make sense of things in this world, only to realize that we've failed miserably. At moments like these, we all feel alone and abandoned. And maybe we are. If that is the case, nothing I say can comfort any of you. I can't pretend to understand what happened with Joel. None of us can. But that doesn't mean that we should give up, that we should stop trying to understand each other. We may all be alone in this world, some of us more so than others. But if that is true, at least we have common ground. And because of that, perhaps we aren't so alone after all." Madison straightened her light blue silk jersey dressed and stepped down from the stage. She paused long enough to hand the award over to Joel's mother, then walked out of the auditorium. Scully followed her out of the auditorium. "Maddie?" Snapping her head around, Maddie gave a weak smile. "Hey, I thought you had decided to sleep in." Scully followed her out the entrance of the hotel. "I came late. Listen, do you want to go get coffee with me before we catch up with Mulder?" "Sounds good." ****************************** Mulder hummed as he as he finished dressing. A whole day with Scully that didn't involve chasing aliens or mutants. Life just didn't get any better than this. He heard a knock at the door and smiled. "Hey, forget your key?" he asked as he slung the door open. Sarah stood there with a tall, gorgeous brunette woman. Mulder couldn't help giving her a second glance. "Hi, Mr. Mulder. Is Maddie back yet? Oh, this is my mother, Nancy," Sarah said. Mulder held out his hand. "Fox Mulder." Sarah continued, not paying them any attention. "So, where's Maddie? We're going shopping, wanted to see if she cared to come along." Mulder looked at Sarah. "What? Oh, Maddie and Scully aren't back yet. But they're planning a day of shopping and sightseeing." Nancy smiled at Mulder. "Then perhaps you'd care to join us?" Mulder bit his lip. "Actually, that would be great. I need to do a little shopping of my own." Sarah rolled her eyes. Why did men fall all over her mother? "Let me leave Maddie and Scully a quick note. We can meet them for a late lunch somewhere, if that's okay." **************************** Scully opened the door to the suite, Maddie close behind her. "Let's change into more comfortable clothes before we go, okay?" She knocked on Mulder's door but got no answer. "Oh, Day, here's a note." Maddie picked it up. "S & Mad...Had to go out for a while. Meet up with you around three for a late lunch?? --M." Scully couldn't believe it. Mulder even ditched her when they *weren't* working. She reread the note over Maddie's shoulder. "Well, it looks like it's just us girls." Madison felt bad for Dana--she could see the disappointment in her eyes, even though she was trying to hide it. She put an arm around Dana. "That's okay. We don't need him to have a good time. There are lots of places to shop around here. Trust me, Sarah and I have perfected the art these past few years." ***************************** Scully and Madison sat at an outdoor cafe, enjoying the warm June day. "Dana?" Maddie asked hesitantly. "Yes?" "Tell me about you and Mulder." "What do you mean?" Scully wasn't sure what the girl was getting at. Maddie shrugged. "I mean, I can see how close you guys are. How much he respects you...he's so affectionate with you. You know?" Scully wasn't sure she did know. She wasn't sure of anything when it came to Mulder. "We make a good team, I guess." Maddie shook her head. "That's not what I mean. You're more than partners...and no, I'm not asking you about your sex life, so don't get all defensive on me. Although, it's obvious that there's a lot of sexual tension between you guys." Scully raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I guess I'm just in awe of you guys. With your jobs, it must be difficult to trust anyone. And it's obvious that you trust each other. Dad says you're the best agents he has. And that you're the most difficult." "Your dad told you that?" "No. He told my mother. I just overheard it." "Oh. Well, you're right. Trust is difficult to achieve these days, for anyone, particularly Mulder...and myself." Maddie nodded. "Do you love him?" Scully was flabbergasted. She had asked it so simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to admit. "Yes, I suppose I do." Maddie smiled. "But it's not the same thing as being *in* love with him, right?" The kid was smart. "No. That one's a little more difficult to figure out." Scully sighed, swirling a lemon slice in her iced tea. Huh..iced tea. "I don't know why I'm talking to you about this. You're just so...open. You don't beat around the bush. That's refreshing." She paused. "Let me ask you something. You don't have to answer me if it's too painful." Maddie lifted her eyebrows expectantly. "Did you love Joel?" She took a deep breath. "Yes. I loved him for making me feel again." "Were you in love with him?" Scully couldn't believe she was asking a sixteen year old this. "No." Wrinkling her brow, Scully thought about that. "How did you know?" Maddie seemed to consider that. "Because I couldn't overcome the pain I had suffered, even indirectly, because of him. When it came down to it, the hurt outweighed my ability to appreciate the good times. That's how I knew." Scully was lost in thought. She saw all the pain she had suffered since being teamed up with Mulder--the loss of faith in her beliefs, her abduction, her sister's death, her inability to believe in the system she had wanted so badly to uphold. But with each thought, she saw something else. She saw herself and Mulder in a candlelit bedroom in Oregon. Mulder smiling down at her in a hospital room when she woke up from a coma. The way he touched her after her sister's death. And finally, she saw his eyes when he said, "Scully, you're the only one I trust." And she knew. That was enough for her. As long as she had his trust, she could go on. She had the strength of his beliefs, and she always would. "Must be fate, Mulder," she remembered saying. Yes, she thought now, definitely must have been fate. "Dana? Hello?" Maddie waved a hand in front of Scully's face. "What?" Scully looked at her, eyes bright. "Nothing. You were just really out of it." Maddie shot her an odd look. "Do you think we've had enough excitement for one day?" She looked at all their purchases. "Yeah, my credit cards can't stand much more of this." *************************** Scully stopped midstride. No, this was *not* happening. Maddie almost bumped into her, she stopped so suddenly. "Hey, what are you doing?" Maddie exclaimed, trying to regain her balance. Then she saw. Mulder was coming out of a store, walking so close to a woman that there was literally no space between them. Oh, great, she thought. Of all the women for Mulder to have gone off with, why did Nancy Shelby have to be the one? Mulder noticed them and looked guiltily at Scully. "Uh, hi." Nancy smiled at Maddie. "Hi, Madison. Sarah was looking for you earlier." The woman gave Scully a once-over, then never acknowledged her existence. "I had some shopping to do," Mulder explained weakly. Scully still hadn't said anything. So Maddie smiled sweetly. "Oh, that's okay. So did we. Well, we have plans." She turned to Dana, after shooting Mulder a cold look. "Come on, Day." Mulder stopped them. "Wait, I'll come with you." Maddie turned around. "No, you're not invited. I think you've got your hands full as it is." She looked at Nancy. "I'll catch up with Sarah later." As she dragged Dana down the sidewalk, Maddie heard Nancy Shelby's annoying whine. "Come on, Fox. You promised to take me out to a late lunch." God, how could someone like that have great kids like Sarah and Jason? And it didn't get past her that Nancy had called him Fox. After they had crossed the street, Maddie stopped. "Dana, I'm sure it's not what it looks like." Scully shrugged. "He's just my partner. It doesn't matter if it is what it looks like." Maddie frowned. "Whatever." Then she smiled. "Well, I guess it's time to finish our shopping." It was Scully's turn to frown. "I thought we were already finished." Maddie gave a devilish smile. "Dana, my dear, we have just begun. Let me clue you in here. Two can play the game that Mulder's playing." "I don't think so, Maddie. Let's just go home." Scully shook her head. "No way, Day. Listen to me, he's already feeling guilty as hell. I could see it in his eyes. Now, *we* are going to have a little fun. Fox Mulder won't know what hit him after tonight." The girl's mood was infectious. Scully knew that if anyone could turn the tables on Mulder, Madison could. She smiled. "What did you have in mind?" **************** end part 5 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 05:35:53 -0500 Subject: Favors (6/?) DISCLAIMER: i didn't do it. you can't prove anything. mulder, scully, and the skinners belong to cc & 1013 productions. no infringement intended. now, let the wild rumpus start! oh yeah, there's some iffy language in this one. ******************************** Favors (6/?) by kris Maddie pursed her lips. "Dana, you have to be still. I can't finish your makeup if you don't stop moving." Scully whined. "I don't know about this, Maddie. Wait a minute. You are *not* putting that on my lips. What the hell color is that?" "It's black. The vamp look is quite popular these days." Maddie finished applying it to her own lips. "See?" Scully rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. Very attractive." "Come on, Day, loosen up. This is going to be a night to remember. I can't wait for Slick to see you in that outfit. Can I pick his jaw up off of the floor when he does?" "No," Scully grumbled, "let him trip over it." She watched Maddie light a cigarette. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" "Calming myself. This is going to be too easy." Maddie was practically hopping with excitement. "Here, let me have one of those." Scully lit the cigarette and took a drag. "I think I'm going to need something stronger than this." Maddie grinned. "Sit tight. And put the damn lipstick on." She walked out of the bathroom. In the living room, she saw Mulder sitting on the couch, looking all pathetic, flipping the channels. He looked up when he saw her. "Where in the *hell* do you think you're going dressed like that?" He took in the hipriding, extremely tight black leather pants and top, not to mention the black lips and eyeliner. Christ, even her nails were painted black. "To get ice." Maddie filled two cups with ice, returned to the bedroom and shut the door. Mulder beat on the door. "I don't know what you're doing in there, Madison Montgomery Skinner, but you are not leaving this hotel dressed like that. Scully's going to die when she sees you." The only response he got was someone cranking up the volume on the stereo from inside. Maddie pulled out a bottle of Vodka and some lemonade and fixed Scully a drink. "Here. Drink this. It's better with lemonade than orange juice." Scully shrugged. What the hell? "Great." She finished teasing her hair and stepped back. "Well, what do you think?" Maddie grinned. "You're going to fit right in. Finish your drink, then it's show time." ************************** Mulder banged on Scully's door twenty minutes later. "Scully, I think we have a problem. Maddie is dressed as a teenage vamp from hell." From the inside, Maddie smiled knowingly at Scully. "See? Even Slick knows the vamp look is back." Scully opened the door. "Are you ready to go yet, Mulder?" Mulder's jaw did indeed drop to the floor. Dana Scully was wearing the tightest black leather skirt he'd ever seen in his life. The Scully he knew did *not* own black leather. This was not even funny. And he smelled cigarette smoke. He could see every curve of her body in that outfit. There was no way in hell he was letting either one of them out of his sight dressed like that. "Uh, Scully? Have you been smoking?" was all he could manage. Scully cocked an eyebrow and gave him a cold look. "Let's go, Maddie." She looked over her shoulder. "Coming, Mulder?" Mulder finally regained some semblance of control over himself. "Wait a minute? *Where* do you think you're going? You're not leaving here dressed like that." He stepped in front of Scully, blocking her passage. "I am a grown woman Mulder. I can dress any way I see fit." Scully gave him a little push. See fit was right. All Mulder could see was how well Scully's skirt and top fit. He following them, wondering what he was getting into. *************************** To Mulder's dismay, Maddie ordered the cab to stop in front of what had to be the loudest, scariest nightclub he'd ever seen. And he'd seen quite a few in his younger days. Well, there was no way they were going to let Maddie in there. The line to this place was all the way down the block. But Maddie seemed undaunted. She and Scully chatted while they stood in line. Mulder noticed a rather large man eyeing Scully. A rather large, tattooed man. He heard Maddie say, "Day, where do you think I should get my tattoo? I've been thinking right here on my ankle." Scully wrinkled her nose. "That would be okay for you. But I can't have one that will show in my dress suits." "Well, we could get them right here," Maddie pointed to a spot on the extremely lower side of her abdomen. "Yeah, that'd be a good place." Scully turned to Mulder. "What do you think?" He looked too shell shocked to answer, so Scully smiled at the tattooed man who had been listening to their conversation. "Do you think that would be sexy?" The man leered. "Anything would be sexy on you." Mulder wished he'd brought his gun. He noticed they were nearing the entrance, where there was a huge guy checking I.D. Well, at least this thing is almost played out. Maddie couldn't get past this guy...could she? Once again, Mulder underestimated the girl. The bouncer looked up. "Hey, Mad. Looking good. Who's your friend?" Maddie smiled. "This is Dana. Dana, meet Zero." The guy had a nose ring. "You ladies have fun. Let me know if anyone hassles you, Mad." Maddie gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, yeah, the preppy G-man is with us, too." Zero looked disbelieving but let Mulder pass. "He's not your usual type, Maddie." Mulder walked in and was blinded by the lights and his eyes immediately stung with what he *hoped* was only cigarette smoke. Oh, God, this was going to be a long night. He'd already almost lost Scully and Maddie in the crowd. Obviously, Scully was pissed at him. **************************** Mulder finally saw Maddie again, and thankfully, Scully was in tow. Unfortunately, they were headed for the dance floor. Or what was being used as a dance floor. The whole place made Mulder cringe. Almost everyone looked like some sort of vampire. Or hooker. Mulder watched as Maddie began to dance. The kid could move, he had to give her that. But there was no way Scully was going to go for *that* kind of dancing. Once again, he was wrong. He saw Scully shrug, then start dancing. He'd never even considered the fact that Scully could dance. And oh, could she dance. He made a mental note to ask her some time just where the hell she learned to move like that. Pouting, Mulder sat down at a table. He felt like an old F.B.I. agent. Hell, he was old. Eventually, he saw Scully laugh and stop dancing. She grabbed Maddie and headed off of the floor. But they were stopped by a couple of guys bearing drinks. Scully took the drink and downed it fast, then let the guy lead her back onto the dance floor. Maddie took the other drink, then sat at a table near where Dana was dancing with the other guy. Mulder noticed that Maddie wasn't actually drinking it...and she was watching Dana pretty closely. He was beginning to understand that this was some sort of payback for today's little encounter on the sidewalk. Maddie could tell that Dana was having fun. But she could also tell that Dana wasn't the drinking type. She felt like she was babysitting. But it was worth it to see Mulder sitting across the way, sulking. Still, she knew what kind of trouble Dana could get into, so she kept a close eye on her. The guy that Scully was dancing with was not really a threat, no matter how it looked. But oh, did it look bad. She watched as Dana put on the show of her life. The guy now had his hands in place she was sure Dana would have decked him for under any other circumstances. Scully yelled something into the guy's ear, then turned so that he could see Mulder. "I really appreciate this. Maddie said she had connections. That's Mulder over there." The guy grinned. "Yeah, he's pretty hard to miss in this place. And I'd do anything for Maddie. But dancing with you is not what I'd consider a hassle." Scully blushed and ran her hands down the guy's chest. Maddie had somehow managed to pull this whole thing off. She could see the muscle in Mulder's jaw working even from there. Still, she didn't even want to consider how Maddie had come about making these...connections...as she called them. She saw Mulder get up and head over to Maddie's table. Mulder yanked her up by the arm. "Maddie, whatever you and Scully are trying to prove, I think you've made your point. She's going to get into trouble." Maddie wrenched herself free of his grasp. "She's a big girl, Slick. She doesn't need you acting like a pesky older brother. Let her have some fun." Mulder silently counted to ten. The guy was now kissing...or was he biting...Scully's neck. And she seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. "I know her, Madison, and this is not her idea of fun." Maddie gave him a cold look. "Obviously, you don't know her as well as you think you do." She sat back down next to the guy she was with, who slipped his arm protectively around her. Something inside of Mulder snapped. He didn't need some bratty kid telling him that he didn't know Scully. He knew her better than anyone. Before Maddie realized what was happening, Mulder jerked up the guy she was sitting with. "She is a sixteen year old kid? Do you know that?" The guy gave Mulder a light shove. "Relax, man. I thought you were interested in that red head over there." Mulder returned his stare to Scully. Well, she may be willing to let some guy manhandle her, but he wasn't. He had more respect for Scully than anyone he knew. And he wasn't about to let some guy degrade her like that. She deserved to be treated like the wonderful, warm-hearted woman that she was. It dawned on him that he may not manhandle her, but he didn't exactly treat her with respect...like when he ran out on her, or when he left her hanging like he did today. It must have looked to Scully like he had ditched her all day, left her with Maddie--whom they were supposed to be jointly keeping an eye on--and gone off with some woman he didn't even know. Why hadn't he just come clean earlier at the hotel? But he had wanted the moment to be right...and at the time, Scully wasn't even speaking to him. The guy on the dance floor slid his hand around the curve of Scully's hip...and Mulder lost what little control he had left. He closed the distance between the table and Scully. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but I'd appreciate it if you'd leave her alone." Mulder was about the same size as the guy, but leaner. The guy just pulled Scully closer. "Who are you? Her bodyguard? I don't think the lady minds." "I don't give a damn what you think. We had a fight and she's doing this to get back at me. It doesn't concern you." Mulder grabbed Scully's arm. "Let's get out of here so we can talk." Scully yanked her arm free. "I'm sick of talking to you, Fox William Mulder. I don't care if I ever speak to you again." Okay, so maybe the three drinks she'd downed tonight had loosened her tongue. Mulder felt like he wanted to wring her neck. She was so damn stubborn. So he did the only thing he could think of--he pulled her up against him--so close he could *feel* every curve that he could previously only see. "You don't want to talk? Fine, we won't talk." Mulder took her face in his hands and kissed her hard, hoping to keep her quiet. Scully felt a surge of panic...and excitement. She certainly hadn't expected this reaction. Mulder's lips were hard, and she could feel them bruising hers. But she couldn't keep from responding. She felt like she was going to melt into him. Four years of carefully restrained passions flooded into the kiss, breaking free all at once. Mulder felt it the instant she stopped fighting him and parted her lips the slightest bit. He realized that he must have been hurting her, which was nothing new, but he had never hurt her physically before. And he hated himself for it. "Oh, God. Scully, I'm sorry. Please don't hate me." Mulder saw the tears in her eyes, and he couldn't stand it. He gently wiped away the one tear that had actually fallen, then tenderly kissed the spot where it had been. "I'll understand if you do, but please don't. I'll leave you alone. I'll never talk to you again." Mulder backed away, looking like he'd lost his best friend. "Whatever you want, Scully. Just don't hate me." Scully pulled him back to her so he could hear her. "Mulder, I could never hate you. I hate the way you make me feel sometimes, the way you treat me, but I don't hate you." Mulder's temper flared again, inexplicably. "So you thought you'd teach me a lesson, is that it? Well, congratulations, Agent Scully. It worked. I have learned something--I wish I had never laid eyes on you." With that, he turned and walked across the floor, out of the building. Maddie had been close enough to hear most of it. Oh, God. Now Dana was probably hurt even more and it would be her fault. But Dana didn't seem all that upset. "Let's go, Maddie. I think Mulder and I need to talk." In the cab, Maddie looked at Dana, confused. "You don't seem very upset at the way he reacted." Scully smiled. "That's Mulder. No one understands him like I do. He was hurting, and the only thing he knew to do was to lash out. I really shouldn't have manipulated him that way. But I didn't know any other way to make him see. We've tried talking. That never gets us anywhere." Maddie nodded. "And when someone's hurting, they usually lash out at the people they care about the most." She paused. "You know, they say that hate is the flip side of love." Scully felt the tears sting her eyes. "Yeah, they say that. But I never really understood it until tonight." ******************** Mulder paced the streets, not really knowing where he was headed. He figured it was in the general direction of their hotel. Why had he yelled at her like that? They were so close...so close to admitting what they felt. And it scared him. And he couldn't ignore the fact that he was pissed at her. She'd made him feel like a complete jerk--which was exactly what she'd set out to do. He'd never thought of Scully as devious, and it hurt that she felt she had to resort to such measures to show him how she felt. And he certainly hadn't meant what he'd said. If only he could take back those words. How could he say he wished he'd never laid eyes on her? When she was the best thing that had ever happened to him? In her, he'd found truth. It may not have been in the form he'd been searching for, but he'd found it nonetheless. His memory flashed back to those months when she was missing. The anguish he'd felt at having lost her. He was feeling it again...only this time, that was what she wanted him to feel. She may not have realized just how deeply it would effect him...but he still hated her for doing this to him. He was completely furious by the time he reached the hotel. And when he saw Scully and Madison sitting at the table, freshly showered, Scully's hair in a ponytail, looking all the world like they were completely innocent, he thought he would kill one of them. If not both. He stomped into his room and rummaged through the bags of stuff he had bought that day. Pulling out the bag he was looking for, he stomped back into the room where they were sitting and threw it down in front of Scully. Scully's head snapped up as she saw Mulder fling something down in front of her. It was a rubber chicken. What in the hell? Mulder looked at her. "I bought this as a gag gift today, you know, sort of a cute reminder of the way we always get through the tough cases together." He took a large knife from the counter. "But you know, I think I like it better like this." Slamming the knife down, he cut the rubber chicken's head off. The meaning behind his actions rocked Scully to the core. He couldn't possibly mean...That case in Arkansas had actually been one of her worst experiences. She'd had nightmares for months about being decapitated by a bunch of crazed cannibals. Scully's lower lip trembled the slightest bit. Mulder noticed that her hands were shaking. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't know you felt that way." She stood up and walked into her room, like she was in a daze. Mulder picked up the chicken and flung it into the trash. "Fuck." He said, sinking into a chair. Maddie understood the meaning behind his actions as well. Dana had told her about it earlier that day. She and Dana had talked about a lot that day. And all of it revolved around this man. If only he could realize what he actually meant to Dana. But Maddie knew she couldn't do it for them. They had to learn to deal with their feelings--or they were going to destroy themselves and what they had. Mulder ran a hand through his hair. Maddie bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I wasn't thinking when I suggested all of this. I thought it would maker her feel better. It's my fault. She was so shocked at seeing you with Nancy; I thought that shocking you would make things better for her." Mulder looked at the girl, who probably understood some things better than he did. "What do I do, Maddie?" He looked so lost. "I can't lose her." "I know," Maddie said, going around behind him, massaging his shoulders. "No, you don't know. Without her, I'm nothing. And I just keep screwing things up." Maddie smiled and kissed his cheek. "You know, Slick, you could tell her what you just told me. That sounds like one hell of a start." ***************************** Mulder knocked gently on Scully's door. "It's open," came the muffled reply. When he walked in and saw her lying there, her face buried in the pillow, he thought his heart was breaking. "Scully?" he asked hesitantly. She looked up at him. "Mulder." It was a statement, not a question. Mulder stepped forward, sitting on the edge of the bed. He had a gift wrapped package in his hands. "This is what I spent all day doing. I don't know if you'll even accept it now. I don't blame you if you don't." She sat up, taking the package with trembling hands. She opened it, and pulled out a ring box. Inside lay a beautiful silver ring, and she wasn't sure what the little symbol stood for. "What...." Mulder gently turned it over, showing her that it was engraved. Scully squinted so that she could read it. In small, block lettering, she read, "In You, I found Truth. Love, FM." Scully fought hard against the tears that were threatening. She held out her left hand so he could slip it on--it only seemed right that she wear it on her left ring finger. Mulder looked surprised. "You mean you'll wear it?" Scully traced his jaw with her finger. "I'll do anything for you as long as you still want me around. You should know that by now." She smiled. "Besides, it's not every day that a man gives me jewelry. I think I'd better hang onto you." Mulder smiled, slipping the ring onto her finger. "I'm so sorry, Scully." "Sshh. I know." She leaned her forehead against his. "Me, too." "We're probably going to kill each other before anyone else actually gets the chance, you know." Mulder smiled against her face. That made Scully laugh. "Mmmm....you're probably right, Mulder." The look in his eyes turned devilish. "By the way, Scully....you *are* keeping that leather outfit, aren't you?" Scully slid into his lap, pulling his ear down to her lips. "Oh yeah, but you should see the panties and bra that go with it..." She nibbled gently on his earlobe. "You wouldn't by any chance still be wearing them would you?" She grinned. "As a matter of fact, I am." Mulder slid his hands under her t-shirt, then looked at her, confused. "Scully, you're not wearing a bra." "Why, Agent Mulder, you're quicker than I thought you were." She laughed, a deep, throaty sound he'd only dreamed about. Mulder cradled her in his arms, kissing her neck. "So....show me exactly where it is that you want to get that tattoo....." ************************ end part 6 =========================================================================== From: Kristie Hughes Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 01:57:33 -0500 Subject: Favors (7/7) DISCLAIMER: you know how it goes. i don't own them. i won't hurt them unless they bother me first. *********************** Favors (7/7) by kris Maddie shivered as she opened the door to their suite. She couldn't remember *whose* bright idea it had been to go waterskiing in the middle of the night--or morning--whatever it was. Probably Sarah's...crazy girl. But surprisingly, it had been almost fun...which wasn't something she'd had a lot of recently. She glanced at her watch...6:15. Hey, it was late enough that she could officially get up now. Wondering if Mulder and Dana had even missed her, she opened a Coke. Madison grinned. Probably not. Mulder had never re-emerged from Dana's room last night. At least, not in the hour and a half before she'd left again. And since she hadn't heard them *arguing*...well, she'd take that as a good sign. Feeling bitchy after her shower, Maddie slipped on the Knicks jersey she liked to sleep in and tried the door adjoining Dana's room to the bathroom. Locked...damn, where was that fingernail file? Maddie slipped into the room and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She could make out the clothes scattered on the floor and what she thought was two distinct forms in the bed. At least, there were more arms than one person should have. Picking up Mulder's clothes as she went, Maddie flung open the blinds, letting the brightness of a San Francisco sunrise flood the room. The only response she received from the tangle of limbs on the bed was for Mulder to pull the covers over his head. She all but jumped on the end of the bed and yelled, "Good Morning, G-People. This is your wake up call!!!" Mulder tightened one arm around Scully as the light flooded into the room, pulling the covers over his head with the other. If this was a dream, he sure as hell didn't want it to be interrupted by something so mundane as a sunrise. Scully rolled over, burying her face in Mulder's neck. She smiled and kissed him just above his collar bone. Then she was startled out of her safe cocoon by the sound of Maddie's voice. Mulder felt Maddie's weight at the end of the bed and tried to kick her off. But he couldn't get much leverage--Scully's legs were intertwined with his. "Come on, up and at 'em. We have things to see, people to do this fine June morning!" Maddie tried not to laugh. "Oh, sorry, bad joke." Mulder muttered something that Scully took to be, "Where'd I leave my bleeping gun?" Sitting up, he glared at the teenager. "Madison Montgomery Skinner, you have ten seconds to remove yourself from this room...or I'll physically do it for you." "Well, Fox William Mulder, I think that would be rather interesting." She held up his jeans in one hand, boxers in the other. "Go ahead. This will make my day." Scully wrapped the sheet around her chest and propped herself up on her elbows. She grinned at Maddie. Mulder looked so damn cute, hair all over his head, his eyes still sleepy. "It's no wonder they shipped you off to boarding school. God, don't you ever sleep?" Mulder noticed that it was only 6:45. Maddie shrugged. "I try to set aside a couple of hours every month or so for precisely that purpose. But I'm a busy girl. It's not always easy." She stretched out across the foot of the bed. Mulder continued to glare. "Don't even think of getting comfortable down there? What are you looking at?" Maddie held up a box of condoms. "Just checking the reliability of your brand o' choice." Scully almost blushed, but the sight of Maddie scrambling off the bed, holding Mulder's boxers in one hand, condoms in the other was just too funny. Mulder tried to take the covers with him so he could reach the girl, but Scully protested loudly. "HEY!! Jesus, Mulder, just calm down. I'm not exactly decent here, either." The phone rang, and Maddie snatched it up. "Helllooo? Love Shack, this is Maddie speaking, would you like to hear about this morning's special?" She grinned wickedly as she twirled Mulder's boxers around." Then her expression sobered. "Hi, Dad....No, you didn't wake me...What?...WHY?...No, they're still in bed, I believe...Yeah, I talked to her yesterday...No, I'm not writing it down...I can remember it...okay, okay...I've been a perfect angel, father dearest...unh-huh...Oh yes, I'll give Mulder and Scully your love." She hung up the phone and looked at the two special agents. "Your boss sends his love." Mulder leaned back. "Now I see why you're an only child. If you were my first, I'd think twice about having another." Maddie pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. "Well, for your information, Slick, it just so happens that I'm *not* an only child." Mulder's jaw dropped. "You mean there's another one?" He turned to Scully. "Aren't there laws against that or something?" Maddie scowled at him. Scully perked up. "So...who is this other sibling of yours...or is there more than one?" Maddie perked up. "I was just screwing around with the G-Man's head. There aren't any more of us." Mulder gave a dramatic sigh of relief. Maddie shot his boxers at his head as if they were a rubber band. Mulder noticed her jersey. "Hey, nice shirt." "Do you like it?" Maddie asked. "I have one just like it." "Well, in that case, I'll burn it. And here I was thinking I had great fashion sense." She started for the door. "Honestly, Dana, now that you've gotten him into bed, perhaps you could teach him about color coordination." **************************** Thursday morning, Scully looked up from the paperwork in front of her. Somehow, she had kept Mulder from strangling Madison...the girl had been returned safely to her parents, after only one major incident. Mulder had found birth control pills in hers and Maddie's bathroom. Now, that had been a real treat. Maddie had just looked at him seriously and said, "They're not mine. Must be Dana's." Mulder had been pouty for three hours after that. Maddie had finally relented. "Okay, they're mine. Does that make you feel better?" she'd asked over lunch. Mulder scowled. "I'm not sure. That makes me worry, Mad." Maddie had given an exaggerated sigh. "It's nothing to worry about, Slick. Do you want me to explain PMS to you now?" And they hadn't heard from her since delivering her to the Skinners' home over a week ago. She had to admit that things had been pretty quiet, and she missed Maddie's energy. But she and Mulder had already been out on another case. Thankfully, Skinner hadn't detected a change in their relationship...and neither had anyone else. Scully had thought that the sexual tension between them would ease up now that they were involved. But it hadn't. Things were the same as always. Mulder would make a sexual remark, she'd raise an eyebrow at him. Mulder smiled at Scully over the computer screen. "That was Skinner on the phone. He wants to see us in his office." Then he scowled. "He'd better not want us to dog sit this time." "Come in," Skinner motioned from his desk. "I never got to thank you for going to San Francisco to stay with Madison." Scully spoke up. "It was no problem. Maddie's a great kid, sir. She was not trouble at all." Skinner looked at her suspiciously. "Is that right? Agent Mulder, do you agree with Scully?" Mulder took a deep breath. "She was a perfect angel, sir." Skinner scowled. "Well, maybe we could just pay the two of you child support or something. Maddie's given us hell ever since she got back. She's mad at me right now for cutting down the tree outside her window." Mulder covered a laugh with a coughing fit. He could just see Maddie climbing out of her window. But knowing her, she'd still find a way. "Maybe she was attached to the tree, sir." Scully shot him a warning look. Skinner rubbed the top of his bald head. "The latest crisis is that she doesn't want to go with Sharon and me to Florida this weekend. We're spending the weekend with an old friend of Sharon's. You'd think we were torturing her instead of offering her a nice weekend on the beach." Mulder looked at his fingernails. Scully piped up, "Why don't you let Maddie come stay with me for the weekend? I don't have any plans, and I wouldn't mind seeing her again." Skinner looked surprised. "That really isn't necessary, Scully. But thanks anyway. I wanted to know if you had that report for me." Mulder shot Scully a lethal look. He didn't think he could handle another weekend of Maddie. Scully ignored Mulder. "Here it is, sir." She handed it over to him. "Really, though. Maddie is more than welcome to stay with me." Skinner almost smiled. "She seemed happier than I've seen her in a long time when she got back from San Francisco." The truth was, he had trouble imagining the straight-laced Dana Scully getting along with his rambunctious teenage daughter. Scully smiled. "Maddie and I had a little bonding experience, I guess you could stay." Another lethal look from Mulder. "Well, if you want to ask her, be my guest." The buzzer sounded. "Mr. Skinner, your daughter is here." Skinner shook his head. "Speak of the devil. Send her in." Maddie came in, looking more subdued than Mulder had ever seen her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the two agents sitting there. "Hi, Day." "Hi, Maddie. How's it going?" Scully noticed how tired the girl looked and wondered if she still wasn't sleeping. "It's okay." Maddie perched herself on the edge of Mulder's chair. "Hey, Slick, how's it going?" Mulder somewhat grunted. "Nice tie." Maddie made a face. "I see you're still dressing in the dark." "And I see you are your usual charming self." Maddie wrinkled her nose. Scully spoke up. "Maddie, do you want to come spend the weekend with me? We can take in a movie or whatever." Maddie shook her head. "I can't. We're going to Florida." Skinner laughed at the girl's expression. If she'd rather spend another weekend with Scully...let her. "You can stay if you want, Madison." Maddie's eyes brightened. "Great. Hey, maybe we could go shopping again." Mulder scowled, but Maddie flashed him an innocent smile. Scully laughed. "Why don't you come here tomorrow afternoon? Just go home from work with me?" Deep down, she knew Mulder enjoyed Maddie. He'd forgive her...well, she could make it up to him tonight. Mulder decided he'd just admit to defeat. He guessed he could stay at his own apartment for the weekend. Then he thought better of it. Not a chance. He wasn't leaving Scully alone with the little monster again. On the way out of the office, Mulder leaned in close to Scully. "Do you think we could get a dead bolt for your bedroom this time?" *********************** end. hughekd@okra.millsaps.edu or khughes@msms.doe.k12.ms.us so, what do you guys think? should we make maddie a recurring character???