Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 06:41:58 GMT
Subject: NEW: Crossed Lines IV

Crossed Lines IV
by Louise Valmoria
valmoria@eisa.net.au

Summary: The idiocy continues . . . Mulder and Scully are outside, waiting to
discuss the previous embarrassing conversation, but just *what* is Skinner
doing in his office?! Category: Idiocy. No, wait. I'll be serious. V, humour
(hopefully!) Rating: Ah, we leave it at PG. R, maybe, for sick jokes.
Spoilers: NOPE! Disclaimer: Skinner, Scully, and Mulder aren't mine. Laura is
my character, though. CC, if you're reading this (as if!!) just read and
laugh - this is just my fun with the characters. Okei?

BTW, no crossed lines, but the idiocy is enough to tide you over until Laura
returns . . . or something appropriate judging by what she's doing *now* . .
.

  Skinner looked up as the door opened and Laura waltzed in. His face lit up
with a smile, but it soon faded when he realised she'd walked in through the
*other* door -- the one Cancer Man liked to use so much.  "Walter, honey, why
the long face?" Laura cooed. "Please, Laura, no more jokes about me being as
virile as a horse," Skinner said dryly as she came over to his side of the
desk and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "What are you doing here? I
have a meeting with Mulder and Scully right now."  "But they're not here, are
they? Besides," she added, smiling at him, "I was hoping to meet them."      
Warning bells sounded. "Laura . . ."	"Just to say hello, I promise."      
  Skinner tried not to let himself get distracted by her soft silvery-grey
eyes and long dark hair, although they were practically in his face. "I find
it extremely unprofessional. There must be protocol," he added severely. 
Laura sighed, and then without a moment's hesitation, hopped onto his desk.
Papers crumpled; Skinner mumbled something unfriendly under his breath but
she cupped his face with one hand and brought her mouth close to his.	 "It
is also extremely unprofessional to make love to someone on an office desk,
Walter."	Skinner was getting tense; he jumped out of his seat and
paced around the room. "I really think that now is not the time to, er . . ."
 Laura jumped off his desk and caught him while he was pacing by. "I love how
you never finish those sentences," she growled seductively as they made a
neat one-eighty turn. She pushed Skinner so he was on his desk. "It lets me
use my imagination more -"   Laura's imagination certainly didn't leave
anything to be desired, Skinner decided wryly as he succumbed to her
imagination.


  "Mulder!!! Where have you been?"  Mulder rushed into the foyer of Skinner's
office and spotted his partner's tense, worried face. "Hey, don't worry -- I
went to see the guys about the phone lines always getting crossed."  "What
did they say?" Scully asked, wondering when Skinner was going to buzz them
in. His secretary had left soon after letting Skinner know they were there;
Kimberly had some sort of home emergency to attend to, Scully remembered.
Skinner had said that he had some things to take care of; and that he would
buzz when he was ready for them.     Mulder shrugged. "Frohike says hello." 
"Frohike *would* say hello, Mulder, now what did *they* say?"	"Well, I
don't have a full transcript of the conversation, " Mulder began.      Scully
cut him off by merely rolling her eyes. This whole situation over the last
few weeks was beginning to border on the bizarre - she rarely saw Mulder in
the office any more, and the longest conversations they'd had -- well, *one*
anyway, ended up throwing more weirdness over them. When would Mulder ever
give her a straight answer.	  Well, it wasn't like she'd give *Mulder* a
straight answer about what she was doing while waiting. She had been worrying
-- and then thinking `unprofessional thoughts', which was Scully main
argument in trying to battle the thoughts from surfacing. Somewhere along the
line, she had imagined Mulder with someone else -- and the name Laura kept
coming up, leaving Scully to wonder just who *was* Laura in the first place. 
  Mulder shrugged again. "They said that they'd never had that problem before
-"  "Yeah, *right*, Mulder.  I remember having the occasional crossed line
every now and then. My problem with this is why this keeps occurring."	 "To
you," Mulder pointed out. "Maybe someone at the telephone company has a
vendetta against you."	    Scully was in a childish mood, but she refrained
from crossing her eyes at her partner. "That's all fine and well, but I doubt
it. But if that wasn't happening, why would the FBI have two crossed lines in
two weeks?"	   Mulder nodded solemnly. "That *does* push the boundaries
of extreme possibility."       Scully grimaced. "Yeah. Now I just wonder what
sort of story Skinner would have about all this."


	Skinner pushed Laura away and fixed up his clothing. "This is really
inappropriate," he told her.	   Laura pulled away and adjusted her own
clothing. Skinner sensed she was hurt, but he knew her manipulations well
enough not to buy into it *too* much. "That's what I love about you," she
said with a forced laugh. "You're so *stiff*. I gotta make you lose your
inhibitions someday."	    Skinner softened slightly, despite him knowing
perfectly well what kind of ploy she was on about this time. "That's what you
make me do . . . every night," he told her.	   A predatory gleam lit up
in her eyes, and before Skinner could react, she was pouncing on top of him
again, knocking him onto his telephone --


	-- and maybe it was a complete fluke of nature, or perhaps Laura had
it perfectly timed, but the buzzer sounded on the intercom.	   Scully
checked to make sure her suit jacket was still straight.  "Well, that's for
us," she said.	     Mulder hesitated.	     "Mulder, we'd better not make
him wait."	  "Yeah, I know," Mulder said. "There was just one thing I
forgot to ask."        "What's that?" Scully asked idly as they walked
towards the door.	Mulder grabbed her hand as she reached for the
doorknob. "What did you hear in the other conversation?"	 Scully
hesitated for a long moment. What *had* she heard? Nothing. Just Laura
speculating. But something about it had altered her opinion on Mulder.
Although the change was so minute she could *almost* forget it was there, she
knew she couldn't.   "Not much -- we'll talk *after* the meeting, okay?" she
asked, grateful for the extra time to think.	Mulder nodded, let go of her
hand, and opened the door.


Dum, da-dum-dum DOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!! No crossed lines, here, although it has and
*will* be discussed - just thought I'd drag it on for a bit. It makes it more
fun ^_^

Feedback is greatly appreciated. Anyone who wishes to admonish me for the
weird way things have turned out risk getting their e-mails pinned onto a
wall for use of a darts competition!! Hope that's clear!! Actually, I deserve
it -- I'm trying to extend the torture out as long as I can stand writing it
. . .

valmoria@eisa.net.au