From greyfox@netcom.ca Tue Dec 10 04:41:44 1996 ------------------- Date: December 10, 1996 Rating: PG-13 Category: S Spoilers: none Summary: An agent has mischief in mind for Scully's social life. Disclaimers: (see last page) ------------------- This is a short, sort-of humorous piece. It may be a little out of character, but then this is The X- Files and you never know. Reminder: anytime you see <> it indicates personal thoughts etc. not said out loud. ------------------- Write me? Lonely… need good mail… :-> ------------------- Blueprint For Mischief (1/1) by Alicia Dononvan or He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. After all this time thinking he didn't have a chance. Brian Pendrell wondered what she saw in him. *He* wasn't her type. At least he didn't think so. *He* wasn't even that good looking. Then yesterday he had seen her holding hands with *that* man. A look of adoration in her eyes. Giggling at his cute little jokes. Pendrell tried to think clearly about the man. He did want to have an unbiased opinion. But, nevertheless he knew it probably would be otherwise. He walked to the elevator and pushed the down button. Everyone in the building must have been leaving at once. Brian thought of kicking the darn thing, but knew it wouldn't do any good. Finally it arrived. Getting the elevator to come and open was one thing, now it wouldn't close. He punched the lobby button till his finger ached. "Hold the elevator," someone called as the doors just began to close. He pressed the open button. "Geez, Agent Pendrell. Couldn't you just wait?" It was Agent Mulder. Pendrell thought. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you at first. Are you going home now?" he asked him trying to be polite. Mulder was not a bad guy. He was just misunderstood. It was unfair how people talked about him and Dana behind their backs. Mulder was an intelligent fellow and some people were just jealous at his uncanny ability to solve impossible cases. "Yeah, I just came from the A.D.'s office. You going home too?" he asked. Pendrell nodded. "Has Agent Scully gone home?" he asked trying to sound nonchalant. Mulder seemed surprised at the question and shook his head. Brian hoped he would explain his reaction. "Oh. Haven't you heard through the grapevine, Pendrell?" he asked. "What?" "Agent Scully has a date. An actual date with Agent Karlsen. They've been going out for almost 2 weeks straight. It just so happens we haven't had to go out of town lately." His tone was sympathetic. "Really. She's going out to dinner with him tonight?" "Yep. She left early to get her hair done. They're going to that restaurant, Lascaux. She loves French food, but he doesn't. I don't know why they decided to go there," he said watching the lights blink at each floor as they descended. "Why doesn't he like French cuisine?" "He hates shallots and parsley, or is it chives?" he said wrinkling his nose, trying to remember. "Oh, but I definitely remember her saying that he's allergic to alcohol. He breaks out at just a taste. Strange to go to a French restaurant. They use wine in most of their sauces and dishes." Mulder shrugged. "She really likes him doesn't she?" He asked holding my breath hoping he'd tell me otherwise. "Yes, I think so. She said she'd take a little more time to get to know him, but she likes him a lot," he said smiling. "What about you? What do you think of Trevor going out with Dana? Aren't you just the least bit jealous?" "Me? No! I think it's great she's seeing someone. Why would I be jealous? We're just friends," Mulder explained. "You know, it's no secret. You've had a crush on her for quite a while," "What? Oh, you noticed? Am I that obvious?" "Afraid so. You know it's a shame. Your *admiration* for Dana is far greater than Trevor's," "It's out of my hands now," Pendrell added in defeat. "Cheer up, Pendrell. You still have a chance. All's fair in love and war, and in your case, I bet it's going to be a Revolution!" he said. Mulder smacked his back in a friendly way before stepping out of the elevator ahead of him. Brian wondered why Mulder was in such a rush. Perhaps he had a date as well. Pendrell grinned as he walked out to his car. --------------------- He rolled down his window. "C'mon! Come on!" he yelled out loud. Of course Brian knew shouting at drivers would not induce them to plow a clear path just for him. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He thought of Claude. He would help, plus the fact that they were cousins worked in his favor. Brian had helped to sponsor him to come to America only a few years ago and Claude was grateful. Pendrell pulled into the nearest parking space as he neared the back entrance to the restaurant. It was a tight fit. He walked to the building and opened the back door slowly, hoping it wouldn't creak. Stepping into the bustling kitchen, he looked for Claude whom he spotted overseeing the cooks by the grill. "Claude." I called. He turned to Pendrell and smiled. "Brian! How did you get in here?" he sauntered over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good to see you," he greeted him. "It's not important how I got in here. What is, is that I need a huge favor. Remember you said you owe me one!" "Alright. What is it?" he asked curiously. He walked over to the small, circular glass window looking out to the many tables in the dining area. The couple he wanted to see was being seated by the maitre'd at that very moment. He waved to beckon Claude. "What's wrong?" Claude asked. "You see that couple?" he asked him pointing through the circle. "That, is the woman of my dreams." Pendrell saw Claude smile mischievously. "I see, I see! You want me to personally take care of their orders, n'est-ce pas?" "You read my mind!" "Done. No problem for my buddy!" he said. Claude waited for their waiter to return and told him he would take care of the order personally. "Brian, they made some requests for the man's dishes. He can't take parsley and shallots. They make him feel sick. And no Burgundy in the sauce," Claude read aloud. "Do what you can, but not too much that will make him ill." Pendrell couldn't believe he was actually telling him to sabotage Dana's date. He promised himself he would go to confession this week. Pushing aside his guilt, he went to observe Claude making Trevor Karlsen's salad and main course. Claude put the finishing garnishes on the plates. To the untrained eye, no evidence of one shallot or a sprig of parsley could be detected. The sauce was made to perfection. Brian hoped Trevor would not eat too much without first tasting his order. The waiter came for their entrees and put them on a mahogany cart to be wheeled out. Claude wished his cousin luck as he hid behind the waiter and followed him through the door. Pulling a large leaf off of one of the plants to use as camouflage, he moved closer through the foliage. Dana looked towards the plants. Horrified Pendrell stayed motionless. He was even afraid to breathe. Then, she looked away. He sighed in relief and strained his ears to listen to what they were saying. "I'm so glad we came here tonight. It's lovely," Dana exclaimed. It was lovely. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling, but their light was slightly dimmed giving the restaurant a warm, romantic atmosphere. Accomplished musicians played fine classical music in one corner of the restaurant. Every detail was taken to make their dining experience memorable down to the delicate floral bouquets and crystal candle holders on each table. "Anything for you, my dear. Dana, you look absolutely wonderful tonight," said Agent Karlsen. "Thank you. Compliments are hard to come by these days," she blushed. "Did you hear something, Trevor?" she looked towards the greenery. "It's nothing. You know, Agent Mulder doesn't appreciate you enough," Agent Karlsen reached out to take Dana's hand in his, making Pendrell's stomach turn. He almost cheered when the waiter arrived and interrupted. "Viola. Monsieur et mademoiselle, bon appetit." Karlsen must have been hungry. He began eating immediately, chewing his food briefly and then swallowing it. His face quickly began to turn a shade of pink. He coughed a few times, drank half his glass of water, and wiped his mouth. Then, without much of a pause to say more than one sentence, he continued to eat. Pendrell could almost feel devlish red horns and a tail growing out from his head and behind. Suddenly Karlsen began to sneeze. Seven times consecutively. When he stopped sneezing, he put another piece of food in his mouth. Unexpectedly Karlsen spit it out with disgust, most of it landing on Dana's new dress. "Are you alright?" Pendrell heard Dana ask. "Waiter, waiter! I specifically said no shallots!" he stood and bellowed as the maitre'd came running. "Monsieur, I am so sorry! Please, the chef must have made a terrible mistake," the man apologized. "It was just a mistake," Dana added. "A mistake? I made a point to tell you no shallots or parsley. WHAT IS THAT?" he pointed to the plate. "And I'm sure this sauce has wine in it! I am allergic to wine!" The restaurant became deathly quiet. Agent Karlsen's complaints caused the other people to sit and stare with horrified looks. "Trevor, calm down. I'm sure they didn't mean to make such a mistake. It's still early. I'm sure they can make your chicken again properly," Dana tried. "Oui, of course. Please let me get monsieur another plate," the waiter almost groveled. "I don't want another plate! I'm breaking out into hives! And I'm going to be sick! I'm leaving!" With that Agent Karlsen stormed out of the restaurant leaving Dana behind to deal with the waiter. Pendrell carefully sneaked back into the kitchen and found Claude watching from the glass window. he thought to himself. "That did not take too long. Your friend caused quite a scene. I was surprised to see him, how do you say… inhale the chicken so quickly without tasting it a little," Claude told his cousin. "You won't get in trouble for this, will you Claude? I did go over the top," Pendrell said feeling remorseful. "Non, don't be silly. I will just tell Jacques it was a mistake. After all, I am the head chef and that Trevor was very rude," "Well, thanks a lot. I better be leaving," Brian thanked him and walked out the back. Pendrell tried to convince himself. --------------------- Brian Pendrell paced back and forth in his office like he had every single day for two weeks following the incident. His coworkers sharing the office space had already left for lunch. It had gone round the department that something must have gone wrong on Agent Scully and Agent Karlsen's date. Dana had refused his calls and ignored him in the cafeteria. When Karlsen had continued to cause embarrassing scenes, Dana had just stopped coming to the cafeteria for lunch. Karlsen had been on the warpath ever since. Today was the day, Pendrell thought. He would ask her out to lunch. Just as friends. Then he would perhaps ask her to a movie and see where their relationship could head. He picked up the phone and dialed. After dialing six of the seven numbers, he put the phone back in it's receiver. he decided and grabbed his coat. -------- he thought to himself. Pendrell raced to the elevator. If he didn't ask her out now, he was going to lose his nerve again. Instead of going down to the basement directly, he decided to go to the first floor lobby and take the stairs down. He would need the time to think of what to say to Dana. The words kept repeating over and over as if he needed to hypnotize himself. The elevator doors opened and he allowed the other passengers to exit before him. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the metal box. He balled up his fists and blew out the air in his lungs while mouthing the word 'Yes!'. Pendrell turned to the right to walk towards the stairwell. Before he went a step further, the elevator beside him opened. Only two people emerged, but they were quickly swallowed by the mass of people. A flash of red caught his attention. Through the crowd he noticed that Dana was walking towards the back entrance that FBI and other personnel used to exit and enter the building. "Damn, too many people!" Pendrell muttered. "Da… Agent Scully," he called. Over the murmur of the crowd, his voice was small and unheard. He noticed that Agent Mulder was walking beside her. He laughed quietly at how much taller the man was than his partner. Dana would get sick of someone towering over her like a Sequoia every single day. Comparing himself to Mulder, Pendrell smiled at the thought of Dana being able to just gaze up and there he would stand. She'd never have to use a stepstool to… to…. He blushed at the thought. He made his way through the crowd and ran to catch up. He noticed that Agent Mulder was carrying his partner's coat. He thought. "Agent Mul---" his voice dropped off. Pendrell stopped suddenly making the woman behind him slam into him. He didn't even notice her annoyed comments for his sudden halt. Pendrell looked ahead of him and frowned. The two agents ahead of him had stopped walking and were waiting their turn to walk through the metal detectors. The long line moved slowly. Agent Mulder took his partner's coat from his arm and had held it out for her to put on. As she slipped her arms through the sleeves, Mulder bent near to Dana's ear and whispered something that made her smile. As if as an after thought, she covered her face with her hands and shook her head with embarrassment. Even from where Pendrell was standing, he could see her blush. Just when he thought that was the end of that, Mulder gently pulled his partner's hands down from her face and pushed her hair away from her eyes. He bent down closely and looked at her with a mischievous smirk on his face. Pendrell's arms lay limp by his side. His legs felt like they had taken root in the linoleum. He couldn't run up and demand to know what was going on. Then, he saw Dana reach up and tweak her partner's nose playfully. Pendrell's jaw dropped. He had never seen them this playful with each other. He had to be dreaming. No, it was a nightmare. Mulder caught his partner's hand in his and shook his index finger while he mouthed 'no-no-no' and laughed out loud. Hand-in-hand, the pair walked through the arch and then out of the building. Brian Pendrell's gaze followed the tall man, invisible daggers shooting out of his eyes. He stood confused and fuming. "Mr. Fox Mulder, I believe you set me up!… Well, let me tell you this. Don't you turn your back on me. Just when you think your safe. I'll be there. I'll be watching you! I hope you sleep with one eye open!" The guards kept an eye on the strange man with smoke coming out of his ears, standing by the elevators and staring at the empty lobby. --------------------- I'm thinking of continuing this one depending on what you, the readers think. I already have a few ideas, how about you? Comments welcomed! Have a nice day! --------------------- Disclaimer: Characters and theme were borrowed from The X-Files belonging to Ten Thirteen Productions and Twentieth Century Fox. The key word here is "borrowed" No infringement of copyright is intended. For the love of the show… ----------------- All done… bye-bye! >From owner-fictalk@chaos.taylored.com Tue Dec 10 06:10:49 1996