Cheesecake by Steven M. Wagner swagner@nando.net DISCLAIMER: This is a fiction story based on the characters created by Chris Carter. No infringement of copyrights held by 10/13 Productions, Twentieth Century Productions, or Fox Broadcasting is intended. All unrecognised characters and plot- lines belong to me. Names, characters, and places exist solely within my imagination, or are used fictitiously. No connection to any person, living or dead, is intended, and any resemblance is entirely coincidental. Feel free to distribute, but please keep me as the author. The characters of 'Jackie St. George' and 'Marty' are property of Sheryl Martin and is used by permission. The characters of 'Liz Martin' and 'Robert' are property of Char Hall and is used by permission. This story is based on the pictures, including cover and title page, included in the article 'Gillian Looks like a Million' by Stephanie Mansfield, TV Guide, issue for 6-12 July, 1996. Reference is made to the cover photograph of Cinescape for August, 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 13 July 1996 E Street Washington, DC -------------- "I can't believe that you two talked me into it," the diminutive redhead told her two companions. The companions, a blond dressed in tailored blue wool, the other, army-surplus and blue jeans, looked at each other. "Dana," the blond Liz Martin said. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." Snickering. "Yeah, you were stretching and purring like a cat," Jackie St. George echoed. Looking from friend to friend, Dana laughed. Yes, she had enjoyed the afternoon. It was exciting wearing sexy clothing and exotic makeup. Things that made her feel feminine. Things that had no place in her world of pathology and the FBI. Liz needed a birthday gift for her boyfriend, Robert, and had decided that boudoir photographs were the perfect thing. Dana and Jackie had tagged along for 'moral support'. Besides Scully needed some copies made of some old family photographs. But when they got to the studio, things quickly got out of hand. Looking through the rack of leather costumes, Jackie quickly decided that a set would be just the thing to give to her fiance, Marty. "Dana," Jackie said, pulling one out, "you know how cold and lonely Marty gets on those long trips. This would be just the thing to warm him up. Don't you think." "Yes, it would," she replied. she thought. Holding out a peach antique lace blouse, "Dana, try this on," Liz told her friend. "This would look great on you." "Liz, this is almost see-thru," the agent protested. "Layer it over one of those Victoria's Secret bras you wear. Those black pants you're wearing. The right lighting. It'd look great." "So that is where Mulder gets his catalogs," Jackie quipped. "No, he has his own subscription," Scully replied absently, intently looking at the blouse. "That's all very interesting," Liz said. "But try this on," she continued, holding out a beige night gown. The rest became a blur of lace, satin, and feathers. Jackie's voice pulled Scully back to the present. "What are you going to do with your photographs, Dana," Jackie asked. "You could always give them to Mulder," Liz finished the thought. Scully sputtered, stopped walking, had a look of complete horror on her face. Jackie and Liz stopped walking and watched their friend. They could see her jaw working as she tried to get some words out. She finally burst out laughing. "Right, give them to Mulder. That's really great you two. I can see it now. I don't know who would die first." "I don't know Dana," Liz interrupted, "I think that he would enjoy those pictures." "Oh Yeah! Mulder would sure enjoy those," Jackie agreed. "Yeah. He would enjoy them so much, I'd have to kill him. Now, I want a promise from you two. You are not going to tell Mulder about these photographs. Not a word, not a syllable" Jackie nodded. "Jackie," Scully said, "This is serious. I want you to swear by your sword that you will not say anything to Mulder about these photographs." "OK. OK. I swear by my sword that I will not tell Fox William Mulder about your photographs." Liz's eyebrows went up at Jackie's oath. "And now you, Liz," Scully paused thinking. "I want you to swear by your Maryland Bar License." Liz nodded her agreement and came up with an oath that Scully could live with. Three days latter J Edgar Hoover Building Washington, DC ----------------- Liz had picked up the proofs on the way to the office that morning. Scribbling 'Personal' on the envelope, she asked the FBI receptionist, "Please see that Special Agent Dana Scully gets this immediately. She is with the X-Files." "Of course, ma`am." the receptionist thought watching the blond stride off, But not knowing who is whom in Washington made her curb her tongue. The woman looked around to see if there was anybody that could deliver it now. Special Agent Darryl Pendrell overheard the conversation, and decided to help his friend down in the basement. "I can run that down, Mary." "Thanks, Agent Pendrell," she said, and promptly started working on the next crisis. the young agent wondered as he walked down the steps. The package was a simple kraft envelope, stiff, with the words, "RoMo Photo Labs" and "Photographs: Do not bend" on it. And the words "Dana Scully" and "Personal" handwritten. He shrugged and knocked once on the basement office door. A muffled "Come in," and he was, in his opinion, in the office of the two best agents in the FBI. "Hi, Pendrell. Ah . . . Thanks," Scully told the FBI lab tech. These were those boudoir photographs. Unbidden, the image of her in a black silk suit came to mind. The addition of the cigarette holder and sullen sexy look completed the film noir image. Pendrall couldn't know about them. "Thanks for bringing these photos down." she said, setting the envelope on the desk. "No problem, glad to help," he responded, leaving the office. the thought came to mind. Climbing the stairs back into day, he wondered, Scully looked at the envelope as it was going to bite her. A throat clearing caught her attention. And the shine of light off a bald pate told her who it was. "Good Morning, Sir," she said to her 'boss', Assistant Director Skinner. "Good Morning, Agent Scully," came the dry baritone she had come to both respect and fear. "Some pictures," he asked. While anthropologists do not know if the social norm to open packages of new photographs and show them to others, comes from a desire to share or perhaps boast. Or from Madison Avenue campaigns of Eastman Kodak. Scully understood that, while Skinner was rather open-minded, he might not understand a photograph of her laying on the floor, decked out in a pink silk dressing gown, bordered by a thick layer of marabou. And she didn't want to find out. "Just some reprints I had made for an insurance claim," came out the lie. Skinner's eyebrows went up as if he really did not believe in that one of his finest agents told him. But also, he did not want to press the issue. "I need to see you and Agent Mulder as soon as possible." At her nod, he turned and left. She plopped down into her office chair relieved. "Hey, Scully, what did Skinner want," a familiar voice intruded on her thoughts. she thought. Unbidden, one of the pictures came to mind. She had selected a white halter dress to wear. A poolside picture of her leaning back looking up into the camera smiling would be attractive, she thought. The coat-like double zipper allowed her to adjust the skirt so it showed a lot of leg, and the halter so it showed, at least to her, enough bosom. "Scully, you look like a nun," Jackie's voice piped up. Scully glared at her friend for a moment and undid the bodice almost to her navel. She reclined back, smiling at her friends, she thought. She planned to reduce the exposure before the picture was taken. The flash of light and the 'pop' of the photographer's strobe ended that plan. She smiled up at her partner trying to calm her heart. "Good Morning to you too. Skinner wants to see us ASAP." Picking up the envelope and looking it over, "O.K., he absently responded. "What's in the envelope," he asked. "Nothing, Nothing," she replied, snatching the envelop from his grasp. She set it down on her desk and put her purse on top of it. Grabbing Mulder's arm, she hustled him out of the office and up to their boss's office. The 'weekly butt chewing' was not too bad this week, and they were soon back into their basement office. Mulder noticed that his partner was acting a bit distracted. He walked over and parked a ham on a corner of her desk. "Anything I can help with, Scully," he quietly asked. she thought, "No, not really." She felt his eyes on her. "I'm really fine, Mulder." "Good," he responded. Running thru a mental check list of things that would stress or piss off his partner, he came up blank. If Jackie was having problems, he would have heard about them before Scully. She would have mentioned if Liz was having problems. No new men in Scully's life. "How is your mom doing, Scully," he asked. , she thought. "Mom is doing fine. I talked with her over the weekend," Scully responded, deciding to play the chit-chat game. Her voice brightened. "In fact, she would like for you to come up for dinner next Sunday. Bill Junior will be home on leave, and both he and Charles really want to meet you," she told her partner with an innocent smile on her face. "OK," he responded a little nervously. Mulder, having an Oxford PhD, knew that the only time that brothers want to meet any male friends of a younger sister was to give him the 'third degree' and find out what his intentions are. was his miserable thought. Wordlessly, he went back to his desk and sat down. Scully congratulated herself. She had gotten Mulder off the scent. He wasn't asking questions. But, she couldn't get the envelope out of her mind. She put it in the lap drawer of her desk. But, the idea of the scantily clad images and somebody discovering them kept coming to mind. She tried slipping them into her brief case. But the envelope didn't quite fit. The day finally exploded when Agent Colton dropped in. He didn't normally soil his wingtips by coming down to the basement, but he had today. And he came straight to Scully. "Dana," he opened. "Yes, Colton," she knew that he would hate her dropping the honorific, but he was rather a jerk. She saw Mulder look up. "What may I do for you," she asked. What he wanted done was for her to do an autopsy on a body that had been found. It had been in the water for a week. "You are the best, I want you to do this one." "Thank you for the compliment, but Quantico has people just as good as I," she responded, seething. She did not like Colton, the jerk had treated both her and Mulder poorly. And for him to come in here today of all days. "This is a high profile case. It would look good for you," he countered. Spotting the kraft envelope sticking out of her briefcase, he unwisely changed the subject. "Some reprints, Dana," he said taking the envelope from her briefcase. The idea of him ogling the photograph of her lounging in a beige nightgown wearing black heels made her sick. Scully would rather have had Frohike look at those photos than this jerk. Standing up and grabbing the envelope. "Special Agent Colton," her voice making the title a curse. "I have a meeting in half an hour in Falls Church. You must excuse me. Proper procedure to gain my assistance would be for your supervisor to make a request to Section Chief Fox Mulder, my supervisor. Good Day." Picking up purse and briefcase, she left the room. Scully sat at her coffee table hating the kraft envelope and its contents. "Well, might as well take a look at them before burning." She opened the envelope and pulled out the cardboard folder. The sudden ringing of the doorbell startled her, making her drop it. She went to the door, gun in hand. The distorted image of Mulder, takeout boxes in hand, changed her mind from execution to calm. She unlocked and opened the door. He walked in smiling. Or rather smiling until he saw her holding hands with Misters Smith and Wesson. "Shall I leave? I brought your favorite Thai as a peace offering." The sight of him standing there, worried look on his face, and the smell of ginger completed the relaxation. "Come on in, Mulder. It's been a bitch of a day." The 9mm went back into it's holster, safety on. "Umm. Pad Thai, Spicy Drunken Noodles, Evil Jungle with squid, Mekong Shrimp, even Coconut Soup. You went all out. Thank you." Her eyebrows went up, "I expect you're hungry." His big smile was all the answer she needed. "Ok, sit down in the living room. I'll bring out some plates and tea." She smiled as she unpacked the bag. The smell of the spicy Thai food was starting to remind her that she had skipped lunch that day. Coming to the bottom of the bag, she pulled out a flat carton she knew well. she thought. "So these are those photographs you've been hiding all day," came the voice from the living room. She froze. "This is a real cute one of you in the pool." The image of her playing Esther Williams came to mind. The studio had a small indoor pool, and both Liz and Jackie had pictures of them taken in the water. And even Scully had to agree that the pictures would look good. So the two talked her into doing the same. The shot of her in makeup and costume jewelry in water up to her collarbone did not show much. But the memory of discovering that they had set up the shot, and then discovered that the swimsuit was a size too small. Better than a Wonderbra. She braced her hands against the kitchen counter, her head bowed down. she thought. "Who's all these people in this one photograph," came the muffled question from the living room. "What are you talking about Mulder," she asked, quickly walking into the living room. The pictures spread on the coffee table were the ones she had taken in to have copy prints made. One had been of her in waterwings at age two. Another was a forgotten family reunion shortly after she had been born. She had some copies made to give to her brother. she thought rejoicing. She smiled, taking a minute to explain a couple of the photos to him. Mulder stepped into the bathroom to wash before dinner when the doorbell rang. She went to open it. "Hi, Liz. Hi, Jackie." Her two 'comrades in shame' swept into her living room. "Scully, the lab screwed up putting the correct pictures in the right envelop. Liz and I got some of yours. And I must say, the Vargus Girl picture of you is the best of the bunch," Jackie said to her friend. "I don't know, Jackie, I like the one of her by the pool. The come hither look is just you, Dana," Liz argued. "Quiet, both of you, Mulder's here," she hissed. "'Vargus Girl', 'come hither look,' something you hadn't told me, Scully," came Mulder's voice from the hallway entrance. Jackie and Liz jumped at sound of his voice, he wasn't supposed to be there. Scully saw her life flash before her eyes. The photographs scattered like leaves in a breeze. They dropped to the floor to pick them up. Mulder quietly walked over, watching the women scurry on the floor picking up photographs. The revelation hit him, this was what Scully was worried about all day. He reached down and started to gather some of the pictures off the floor. "Scully, this is a nice shot. Your mother will like it," he said handing the picture to his partner. The next picture started to clue him in as to what the photographs were. Jackie smiled in the color print. The fact that she was carrying a sword was not a big deal, the fact that she was wearing a rabbit fur bikini might be. Handing the print to Jackie, "New picture for your CID identification card," he quipped. The third picture was an eye opener. Liz was smiling seductively, wearing black fishnet stockings and an abbreviated French Maid's outfit. One that left no question as to the size of her bust. Even included a feather duster. "Reno changing the dress code," he asked, returning the photograph to the lawyer. The next picture was of his partner playing Esther Williams. The light in his head switched from dim to bright. He handed the stack of photographs in his hand to Scully, and walked into the kitchen. Letting the door close behind him, he burst out laughing. was the common thought in each of the women's minds, watching Mulder hand the stack of photos to Scully. What caustic comment will he come up with next? He never misses a chance to zing somebody. They watched with bewilderment as he walked into the kitchen. But when the deep laughter was heard, the tension evaporated and Scully, Liz, and Jackie started to break up as well.