From: "Donnilee" <donnilee@snet.net>
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 15:58:15 -0400
Subject: RE:  "Double Whammie" by Donnilee
Source: direct

PART 4 (NC-17)
WALTER SKINNER'S APARTMENT
ALEXANDRIA, VA
 
She nodded.  "Walter, this isn't as simple as it may seem.  I
can't just leave."
 
"Why not?"
 
"I'm not ... independent."
 
"You mean you have a pimp," I said, cringing at the thought of
retribution she would receive if she tried to leave.  God, I'd never
even asked about that in all the time I'd been seeing her.
 
She nodded.  "He wouldn't be pleased.  He gets ... about 50% of
everything I make."
 
"Fifty percent!"
 
She smiled.  "Yeah, and I make a lot of money, especially from people
like you that want me for a whole evening.  He doesn't have many girls
with customers like that.  It keeps me in his good graces.  Where do you
get all that money anyway?"
 
"I don't have a lot to spend it on these days.  This isn't
insurmountable, Sydney.  We'll just have to take him down."
 
"Take him down?  Are you crazy?  Who do you think you are?  Rambo? 
The man is a pimp.  He has bodyguards and guns.  What the hell can you
do?  What are you going to do?  Call the fucking police?  Then I get
arrested for prostitution!"
 
I smiled, realizing with a flash that she had no idea what I did for a
living.  I'd never told her.  I'd talked about the office, but that
was it.  She probably thought I was a businessman of some kind.
 
"Have you ever been arrested for soliciting?"
 
"No, and I'm proud to say I've avoided that fate.  I'm very
careful on the streets and I stay away from the areas that the beat cops
patrol."
 
"Good, without a record, I can protect you from a first time
offense."
 
She scrunched her brow.  "You sound awfully confident.  What are you? 
Some rich guy with connections?"
 
"I'm not rich, but I do have connections."
 
"To judges?"
 
"In the FBI."
 
"The FBI!  Are you fucking nuts!?"  She tried to sit up abruptly but
I held her down with a hand on her shoulder.
 
"Calm down, Sydney."
 
"Calm down!  I'm a fucking hooker!  Do you know what the FBI could
do to me?  Mix me up in trying to take him down in exchange for a
lighter sentence!  I could get killed!"
 
Calmly, I said, "Nobody is going to get killed and I can keep you out
of it completely."
 
She was unnaturally still for several long moments, staring at me as if
I had two heads.  Finally she whispered, "I'm having an awful
feeling here.  What do you do for a living?"
 
I slowly let a smile creep across my face.  "I'm an Assistant
Director with the FBI."
 
"WHAT!?" she screeched.  This time I didn't stop her as she sat up
and leaped off the bed, searching the floor for her clothes.  I slowly
slid off my side of the bed, still nude, and went around to her.  She
was clutching her underwear and jeans to her chest.  Her tee shirt and
bra were downstairs on the living room floor.
 
I placed my hands on her shoulders and she froze looking up at me with a
frightened expression.  Tears pooled in her eyes and began to pour down
her cheeks.  "I can't believe you set me up," whimpered.  "Not
you!"
 
Now my face fell.  She'd totally misunderstood!  "No, Sydney! 
I've done nothing of the kind!  I could lose my job for being with
you."
 
She just stared at me, her tears drying up, but her bottom lip
quivering.  "I don't understand what the hell is going on here! 
You're a fucking cop!  Worse than a cop!"
 
"I care about you Sydney, probably more than I should.  I want to help
you, and I have the means to do it!  Let me help you for Christ's
sake! "  
 
She stood staring up at me, looking so child like with her clothes
clutched to her chest.  I could feel her shivering.  "Put your pants
on.  I'll get you a shirt.  You're freezing.  We'll go downstairs
and talk about this some more."
 
She nodded numbly, totally overwhelmed and confused and began putting on
her underwear.  She stopped, "I need the bathroom," she said
quietly.
 
"Go ahead.  You know where it is."
 
She nodded again and nearly trotted off to the bathroom next to the
bedroom.  I heard the water running and went to the closet to get an old
dress shirt.  I knocked gently on the door and said, "Sydney, I have a
shirt for you."
 
She cracked open the door and stuck her hand out.  I placed the shirt in
it and let her pull it in and close the door on me again.  I sighed. 
Through the door I said, loud enough so could hear me. "Sydney, I
won't hurt you."  I swallowed around the sudden lump in my throat. 
"I promise I won't hurt you."
 
I took a deep breath and decided to give her a few minutes to herself. 
This hadn't gone as smoothly as I'd hoped.  She was suspicious of me
now.  I supposed in her ... profession ... she had an inbred fear of any
type of law enforcement so I shouldn't have been surprised.  I'd
arrogantly thought she would be impressed.  What a jerk.
 
I dressed quickly in jeans and a tee shirt, slipping into my moccasins
that I used for slippers and went downstairs to put on some coffee.  It
was going to be a long night and we were going to need it.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I walked quietly across the carpet of the living room and stood silently
in the doorway to the kitchen.  He was standing with his hip against the
counter, his arms crossed over his chest.  He was staring at the coffee
pot as if it held the answers to the universe, a frown pulling his mouth
down at the corners.  I imagined that scowl had intimidated more than
one person in his lifetime.
 
FBI.  Holy fucking Christ.  What had I gotten myself into?  How had I
not known he was a cop?  There was no point in running.  If I even made
it out the front door, he'd hunt me down.  He'd sounded so upset
when he'd said he wouldn't hurt me.
 
Could I believe him?  What the hell would a cop ... excuse me, an
Assistant Director with the FBI, want with me? I wondered.  He was a
good-looking man, certainly buff, or fit, as the kids said today.  He
had a body to die for.  What the hell was wasting his time for with a
hooker anyway?
 
He could probably have a lot of women.  He certainly lived nicely
enough.  He was a tough guy, very masculine.  He was obviously used to
getting his own way.  However, he could be tender and caring also. 
I'd seen that too.
 
I'd asked myself that question before.  I'd known about his
fantasies and just figured this was his way of not getting involved with
anyone.  Like most men, I figured he was probably commitment phobic. 
Not that I was one to talk.  Being a hooker didn't exactly pave the
way for lasting relationships.
 
But he'd gotten under my skin.  I couldn't deny it.  Yes, he'd had
his twisted little fantasies about that woman, Scully he called her. 
But I'd known men a lot more twisted than Walter, with much sicker
fantasies.  Walter was a lot of things, but I'd never thought of him
as sick.  And he wasn't cruel.  Despite his acting out his fantasies
with me, he'd never hurt me, and he'd actually been a pretty
considerate lover.  I'd been with more men than I could count in the
five years I'd been doing this and Walter was the only one that ever
tried to tend to my pleasure.  
 
He was the only one that actually tried to make me come.  No one else
ever had bothered.  With everyone else, I faked it.  I'd never really
understood his motivation.  It was foreign to me.  Maybe that's why
I'd been so drawn to him, had wanted to get to know him, unlike my
other customers.  
 
Not because I was craving for an orgasm but because I was stunned by his
desire to make me enjoy myself.
 
Scully.  It was weird that he called her by her last name.  Then again,
maybe not, kept her at a distance.   I knew she worked for him.
 
Shit!  Did that mean that this Mulder and Scully were FBI agents too? 
Jesus!  She could be a secretary, but the way he talked about her, I
doubted it.  He had said she was brilliant.  That wasn't an adjective
you normally attached to a secretary.
 
He looked up then and saw me standing there.  He smiled sadly.  I held
my arms out to my side and shrugged.  I was swimming in his dress shirt.
 It hung to my knees like a dress.  I felt pretty stupid, but I saw his
eyes travel over me and his eyes sparked with pleasure.  I realized he
liked the way I looked.  I couldn't imagine why.  I wasn't wearing a
speck of make up and I was sporting old, worn out jeans and dress shirt
about ten sizes too big.
 
Then I remembered his comments about my size.  Apparently, the man liked
tiny women.  Whether that was in general or because of his fascination
with Scully, I didn't know.  My mind was swirling with questions, so I
figured I'd let him start this conversation.
 
"You wanted to talk, so talk," I said finally.
 
"You look better in that shirt than I do," he said gruffly.
 
I smiled and shook my head in bemusement.  "It's nearly a dress."
 
"I know.  You look so tiny in it.  Just the sight of you sometimes ...
Jesus."
 
He swallowed heavily and waved me back into the living room.  He
followed a minute later with two cups of coffee.  We sipped gingerly as
we sat on opposite ends of the couch turned toward one another.  He
pulled a leg up onto the couch and I mimicked his position.  He smiled
sadly again, bringing his hand up to rest under his chin, his elbow
propped on the back of the couch.
 
"I've been an ass, Sydney."
 
I decided I'd keep my comments to myself about that one.
 
"This started out as one thing but it's turning into something else.
 I'm not even sure I understand it myself.  I've handled this all
wrong.  Yes, there's some guilt involved."
 
"Walter," I interrupted.  "You don't need to feel guilty. 
That's what hookers are for."
 
He winced and made a face.  "You're more than a hooker, Sydney."
 
"Am I?"
 
He looked at me sharply then.  "Yes, you are; to me you are.  Are you
telling me that there is nothing more to you?  That you have no history,
no past, no childhood?  No dreams?"
 
I laughed harshly then.  "Yes, I have a childhood, a rotten one.  Yes,
I have a history, interesting to nobody but myself.  As for dreams ...
my dreams died a long time ago, Walter."
 
He frowned.  "First, I think your history would be interesting to me. 
I think there's a woman under all that make up and attitude that
doesn't like who she is and would like to do something different."
 
"You think?" I asked sarcastically.
 
His bottom lip quivered for a second but then he held it under his top
teeth and closed his eyes, sighing loudly.  "Look Sydney, could we
skip the dispassionate sarcasm for a minute?  Can we really talk like
adults?"
 
I hung my head, not knowing what to say.  I was used to keeping my guard
up and I didn't know if it was safe to lower the shields, so to speak.
 He was acting as if my shutting him out hurt him.  Could that be true? 
I didn't owe this man anything, then again, he didn't owe me
anything either and he was offering to help me. He was watching me
carefully when I looked up from under my lashes at him.  He sucked in
his breath and I saw the familiar look of desire on his face.
 
He closed his eyes against it and opened them again.  "Sydney, I want
to help you."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because I care about you.  Because you were a fantasy of mine at
first, but now you're a woman I care about."
 
"Why?"
 
"I don't know why!" he cried.  He was obviously frustrated. 
"Jesus!  I wish I didn't care sometimes.  I wish I could walk away
from you with a clear conscious ..."
 
"You can," I stated bluntly, interrupting him again. 
 
"No, I can't," he said simply and stared at me again.  "I
don't know when it happened, but at some point, I stopped seeing you
as ..."
 
"Your fantasy?" I volunteered.
 
He nodded, looking embarrassed.  "The last time we were together, I
got upset when you wanted to kiss me."
 
"I know," I said, swallowing against the sudden thickness in my
throat and wondering about it.  What was it about this man that made me
so emotional? I wondered.
 
"I wasn't mad at you, Sydney."
 
"Sure sounded that way."
 
"I know.  This is where I became an ass.  Instead of facing what was
really going on, I lashed out at you and made it your fault."
 
"What was really going on?"
 
"I was angry with myself.  I was angry because I couldn't ... keep
this the way I intended it when it all began, uncomplicated and easy.  I
was angry because I ... I WANTED to kiss you so fucking badly."
 
He broke off and looked at his lap.  "Was that so scary?" I asked.
 
He looked up at me again.  "Yes, it terrified me."
 
"Why?"
 
"I don't know.  Maybe because I knew what you were."
 
"A prostitute?" I confirmed.
 
He nodded.  "I'm not supposed to care, right?  I'm not a
possessive man, Sydney but think about it for a minute.  How bad would
it be for me to fall for a hooker?  I'm not supposed to want more from
you.  There was no future in it."
 
"More from me?" I asked, slightly bewildered now.  He was falling
for me?
 
He stared at me in silence again until the moment stretched into the
uncomfortable zone.  I cleared my throat.
 
"Yes, I wanted more from you Sydney.  I wanted to keep you here.  I
wanted to kiss you and ask you not to leave.  I wanted to ... make a
future with you in it.  I still do."
 
"I told you I'd leave the job for you, didn't I?"
 
"Yes ... and that shocked my socks off."
 
I smiled.  "I don't know why I said it.  It seemed right at the
time.  I believed it at the time.  I wasn't thinking beyond the
moment."
 
"What's changed?"
 
"Well, you threw me out for one.  I haven't heard from you in weeks
for another.  And I thought about it afterwards and realized how
ridiculous it was to think that I could ... be anything different."
 
"Why couldn't you?"
 
I chuckled mirthlessly.  "Why do you think?  I'd just be setting
myself up for disappointment.  Nobody cares about hookers.  Nobody has
ever cared about me."
 
"I care.  I'll help you Sydney."
 
"What? In return for freebies?" I snapped out, wincing myself at the
harshness of my words.
 
He recoiled as if I'd slapped him.  His mouth opened and the look of
hurt and remorse on his face almost did me in.  "Jesus, Sydney, you
think that little of me?  That's not what this is about!"
 
"Then what is it about?  What?  You want to help me.  Why?  To appease
your guilt over pretending I was someone else and then pushing the real
Sydney away?  Take it somewhere else, Walter.  I don't need your
fucking pity.  I'm a hooker, you had a fantasy and we played it out. 
End of story.  Nothing complicated about it.  I don't hold it against
you.  I've met men with some sick fantasies.  If you must know, yours
was rather tame.  But that's beside the point.  I never asked you to
feel sorry for me and I don't want you to now."
 
He was shaking his head in the negative.  "No Sydney.  I want to help
you because I care about you.  It goes beyond being attracted to you. 
And even that's changed.  I was originally attracted to you because
you looked a bit like her and you were my type."
 
"What's different now?" I asked.
 
"I'm attracted to YOU," he said softly.  "Not some vision of
Scully.  I care about you.  It stopped being just about sex and that's
what scared me, so I pushed you away.  The last couple of times, I
pretended like I always had, gone through the motions because I thought
that's what you would expect and it was partly habit.  But the truth
was my anticipation was for you, not Scully.  I wanted Sydney."  He
paused, licking his lips.  "I care about you," he repeated.  "Why
is that so hard to believe?"
 
I tipped my head to the side asking a question without saying anything. 

 
He continued.  "I'm not attracted to a vision of Scully anymore,
Sydney.  I'm attracted to you for you, because you're a beautiful
woman and because that conversation we had made me look at my real
feelings for you.
 
"You'd already stopped being a fantasy.  I realized ... I wanted to
get to know you.  So I stayed away because I thought that was
impossible."
 
"And it's not now?"
 
"No.  It was never impossible.  It was just about me accepting my
feelings and finding the courage to do something about them. 
Ironically, I think fulfilling my fantasy with Scully was what helped me
do that.  Even as I told her I'd never had better sex than I'd had
with her, your face was floating in my mind and I knew it was a lie as
soon as the words were out of my mouth.  It had always been just as good
with you.  But I was friends with Scully and now I realize I want that
same connection with you, someone who could share my life with me."
 
"So you started seeing me as a person?  An individual that you ...
liked?" I clarified.
 
"Yes, more than liked; as a person with feelings.  Feelings I had
hurt.  Feelings I had tromped in during my selfish quest for sexual
gratification.  But that's not all of it either.  I wanted you to like
me and it scared me that I gave a damn what you thought.  When I saw you
hurting the last time we were together, it nearly ripped my heart out to
know I'd been so careless with another human being, with you."
 
I didn't know what to say.  Prostitutes weren't supposed to have
feelings, but I did.  I was a prostitute, but he was right.  I was a
woman too, and a person with feelings.  And this man had done something
to unbalance me.  He made me forget when I was in his bed that he was
paying me for this.  He made me forget that I was selling my body.  He
made me feel ... special.  That was a dangerous road for me to go down.
 
"I don't know if I can trust you."
 
"Have I given you a reason not to?" he asked quietly.
 
I thought about it for a moment.  No, he hadn't.  He'd always been
straightforward with me.  I couldn't confuse that with telling me what
I wanted to hear.  Just because he'd hurt my feelings, didn't mean
he'd been dishonest.  He'd been very clear in the beginning, what he
wanted and he'd never changed his routine, until the last time. This
time.
 
This time.  Oh boy.
 
  "I want YOU, Sydney."
 
 "I'm going to make love to you."
 
Damn!  What the hell was he doing to me?  What frightened me more than
anything was that I wanted to believe him.  I wanted it so bad I could
taste it.  I wanted to believe he really cared for me.  I wanted to
believe that there was a chance I could leave the job and make something
of myself.  
 
"No, I guess not," I said finally.
 
The silence stretched between us again.  Finally he said, "What do I
have to do to convince you that I won't hurt you?  That I mean what I
say?"
 
"Where could this go, Walter?  Honestly?  Do you actually believe you
and I could have a future of any kind?"
 
"Why not?"
 
I rolled my eyes again in exasperation.  He couldn't be that na=EFve,
could he?
 
"I didn't say it would be easy, Sydney."
 
"I'm not even sure what you're asking for."
 
He licked his lips as and then said, "I want a relationship with you,
Sydney.  I want you to be .... My friend, my girlfriend, my lover. 
I'm sick and tired of being scared by what I feel.  I've always had
a healthy sexual appetite and slightly off center tastes.  The women in
my past couldn't handle it, so I suppressed it.  So maybe the fact
that you are so sexually free is part of the attraction.  I know I
won't scare you with what I want.  But I'm tired of pretending it
isn't a part of me.  I want to embrace it, be a man about it.  But I
also want the friendship part too.  That's a part of me too.  
 
"But to have a real relationship ... if that's going to happen, you
HAVE to leave the streets.  Whatever it takes.  I'll help you.  I'll
take your pimp down.  I'll keep you safe here and off the streets. 
And I'll help you find work or send you to school, whatever."
 
"How can I take all that from you?  I'll owe you my life," I said
quietly.  "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that."
 
"You're not taking anything, Sydney.  I'm giving it to you.  I'm
offering it.  You didn't ask, you're not twisting my arm.  And you
won't owe me a thing.  Even if it didn't work out between us, I
would feel good knowing I helped you find another way to live."
 
"I have to think about it."
 
"I know.  I didn't expect you to decide right now.  Take the time
you need, but really think about it Sydney.  I hate that you're in
danger every day."
 
"Why are you doing this?"  I held up a hand to forestall him.  "I
know.  You care about me, but there has to be more to it."
 
He smiled softly.  "Not really.  Well, maybe."
 
"The truth, Walter.  Don't stop telling me the truth now."
 
"Some switch was flipped in the last couple of days, Sydney.  I
realized that I wanted something more than I could ever have with Mulder
and Scully.  Something definitely changed tonight too ... between us.  I
know you felt it.  I want to believe you did.  I don't want to believe
that I felt that all by myself and it was a one way street."
 
"Felt it?"
 
"This pull between us.  I can't stop wanting to touch you.  But
it's not just the sex. I want to protect you and keep you safe.  I
think about you leaving and never coming back and I'm ... Jesus, just
the thought of it hurts.  I want to take the sadness away, Sydney, that
I see in your face. 
 
"I want to make you smile and feel safe and secure.  I also want to
take down the bastard that put that sadness behind your eyes.  Now that
I've started, I can't stop thinking about you and all the
possibilities for us."
 
"Us," I said carefully, ruthlessly suppressing the sting of tears
that came with his admission.  I blinked rapidly.  It hurt him to think
that I might not come back?
 
"Yes, us.  That's what I want, Sydney, an 'us'." 
 
"What about your ... friends?"
 
"I'll straighten things out with them.  They are very understanding
people."
 
I nodded.  "Will I have to worry about you with ... them?"
 
He smirked then.  "Are you jealous?" he asked, seemingly amused.
 
I shrugged, feeling stupid.
 
"You won't need to be.  If I we do this.  If we become ... a couple,
then I won't see them anymore ... not that way, unless we all decided
to be together, but that's another issue.  However, I have to see them
at work."
 
"Work.  Are they agents too?"
 
He nodded.  "I'm their boss."
 
"Christ on a crutch!" I exclaimed.
 
He chuckled, amused by my reaction and I couldn't blame him.  "See,
we're not all saints and we're not all devils."
 
I smiled, realizing that I had made as many assumptions and judgments as
he had.  "Should I go now?"
 
He shook his head.  "No, we should have some more coffee."
 
"I don't think I want any."
 
"You sure?"
 
"Yes, I should go."
 
"No, you should stay."
 
I looked at him debating the pros and cons of staying.  His eyes held a
sadness and longing I'd never seen before.  He was paying me for the
night.  Then again, now I felt cheap taking his money after all we'd
talked about.  But if I didn't, Carlos would have my hide.
 
As if he'd read my mind, he said, "I'll give you the money for the
night.  That was the arrangement for tonight.  And don't worry about
it.  We know there's more between us now but that doesn't erase
reality.  I know you have to pay him."
 
I nodded and felt my face screw up into an emotional knot.  More between
us.  Oh God, what the hell was I getting into?
 
"Hey, hey, baby, it's going to be all right," he cooed as he slid
down to my end of the couch and picked me up by the waist, easily moving
me onto his lap, my legs straddling his thighs. 
 
He called me Baby.  No one had ever called me that except in a lewd,
suggestive way.  His uttering had been an endearment, outside of sex. 
He held me close.  The touch of his hands and the tender brush of his
fingers on my back opened a floodgate and I began to sob, much to my
chagrin.  It was all too much!  How long had it been since anyone had
given a damn about me?  Been tender or comforting to me?  I realized
that I ached for affection and caring.  I was just terrified to accept
it.  If I did and then it was taken away, I might never recover.  He
cooed, "Shhh, shhhh, it's all right, Baby.  Let it go."
 
"Baby?" I repreated, hating the squeaky sound of my voice.
 
"You like that?" he asked softly.
 
I nodded.  "I HATE IT!  I HATE MY LIFE!"
 
"I know, I know."
 
"I hate my fucking life!" I cried between sobs, wondering at this
man's ability to strip away all my protective layers and lay me bare
emotionally.
 
"We'll change it, Sydney, I promise.  We'll change it.  Just hang
in there a little longer."  He kissed my tears away, laying butterfly
kisses on my eyelids , my nose and finally on my lips, pulling them
gently between his.  There was no passion in the kiss, just comfort and
soothing.
 
I nodded and sniffled, my tears finally drying up.
 
"I feel so ... dirty and cheap.  You deserve better than me,
Walter."
 
"You're not dirty or cheap, Sydney.  You're a woman trying to
survive.  You've done what you had to do.  Now, let's get you tucked
into bed.  You must be exhausted."
 
I nodded and leaned back, hopping off his lap.  "I'm sorry,
Walter."
 
"Don't be.  You need to let it out sometime."
 
"I'm embarrassed."
 
"No need to be embarrassed with me.  I'm just going to turn off the
coffee pot and I'll meet you upstairs, all right?"
 
I nodded numbly and made my way up the stairs towards the bedroom.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I was so tired now and struggled to stay awake.  He approached the bed
gloriously nude.  "Sleep now ... Baby," he added with a quirky grin
on his face.  
 
I smiled and flushed, embarrassed by my enjoyment of the endearment.  I
responded, "No sleeping on the job," I joked, but it fell flat.
 
He grimaced, "Sydney ..." 
 
I cupped his handsome face in my hands.  "One more time, Walter.  Make
me believe in US.  Make love to me."
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I made love to her slowly, gently, as tenderly as I could.  She cried
silently in my arms as her body rippled through her soft climax.  I
kissed her tears away, feeling my heart break wide open.  Afterwards,
she curled into me and fell into a deep slumber.  Somehow, she
couldn't hide her feelings when we were in bed.  She must hide them
all the time, so I had to figure that I was affecting her big time for
her to let those tears go.
 
I watched her sleep, her hand curled under her chin.  She looked like a
little angel.  Twenty-four years old.  Shit.  I was too old for her. 
She deserved someone young and vibrant and her own age, but I realized
that wouldn't happen for her anyway.  Most young men would be unable
to see past what she did for a living and realize it was a necessity for
her, not her nature.  My heart had broken in two when she sobbed in my
arms.  She'd seemed so fragile in that moment.  All my protective
instincts had coming rushing to the surface.
 
I trailed my fingers through her silky hair and she sighed in her sleep.
 A plan was forming.  I need to talk to Mulder and Scully and see what
we could do about taking down this pimp.  I knew there was a task force
on the D.C.P.D. that was formed to bring down the prostitution trade in
the city to a manageable level.  I had no idea how successful they were.
 Maybe with Sydney's inside information, we could feed them
information and help bust things up for this guy.  
 
It would be tricky though.  It would leave other girls, I had no idea
how many, vulnerable to other pimps if he was taken down.  Arrangement
would have to be made to help them in some way.  
 
I sighed loudly realizing this would be a lot more difficult than I had
planned.  Before now, I would not have considered the girls on the
streets and what bringing their pimp down would do to them.  I would
have thought that their being arrested was a good thing if it got them
off the street.  I was realizing now that there was a lot more to it
than that.  These women needed to survive.  I would need to check with
that task force and see if they had made any provisions for helping the
girls that they were trying to pinch off the streets.  I doubted it. 
Until then, how could I keep her off the streets? I wondered.
 
I did have some saved money to spend since I lived very frugally, but I
wasn't rich.  Mulder was though.  I wondered if he would give me a
loan.  Maybe I could have Sydney tell the guy that I wanted her for a
week or so and pay her the money that would require.  She could pay him
in advance and he might leave her alone.  That way she could be tucked
away here, safe and out of the line of fire. 
 
I needed to talk to Mulder and Scully.  It was late and there was
nothing I could do now, but I needed to come up with a plan.  I would
call them tomorrow and see if they could come over to talk with Sydney
and me.  I would call the task force on Monday and get the ball rolling.
 I had enough money to keep Sydney with me for a couple of nights.  Then
I would have to wait for the next paycheck that wasn't until two weeks
from now.
 
I had some money stashed for a rainy day but I didn't want to touch it
if I didn't have to.  That money was there in case I ever suddenly had
to find another place to live or some other type of disaster struck me. 
I didn't want to let go of that security blanket, but I would if I had
to.
 
Exhaustion finally took me and I rolled her gently onto her side.  She
smacked her chops lightly and I smiled, feeling a warm tingle race
through me as I slid behind her, spooning her tiny body in the cradle of
mine.  I slipped one arm under her pillow and let her head lie on my
bicep, the other I clasped around her waist and pulled her firmly
against me.
 
She squirmed a little but then settled in.  I relaxed and felt sleep
overtaking me.  This was not going to be easy, but I had a gut feeling
it was going to be worth it.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I woke Sunday morning to an empty bed.  I held still and listened and
heard the shower running.  I climbed out of bed and glanced at the
clock.  It was only 8:00 AM.  I lumbered into the bathroom, feeling
muscles protest at the forced activity.  I wasn't getting any younger.
 I felt a flash of indecision as I thought of how young she was.  Then I
looked up as I entered the bathroom and looked at her through the glass
shower enclosure.  
 
The glass was not frosted.  It was clear as crystal.  With the life I
led, I'd never wanted anyone to be able to sneak up on me while I was
in the shower so I'd opted to have the frosted glass replaced with a
clear glass shower door.  
 
My body reacted instantly to the sight of her small, tight body covered
in water as it sluiced down her front.  My cock swelled but remained
resting against my thigh.  Her hands were buried in her hair as she
worked the lather of the shampoo into her hair.  Her breasts stuck out
slightly from her position and I itched to touch them.  Not wanting to
startle her, I cleared my throat.  Her head whipped toward me, her hands
coming down.  She saw me in that instant but then grunted as shampoo ran
into her eye and she turned to the spray of water and let it wash over
her face.
 
I stepped forward and opened the door, climbing in behind her.  I waited
for her to finish.  She turned to face me and smiled.  "Your turn,"
she said softly and moved around me so I could get wet.  As I stood
there soaping my armpits and chest I felt her hands begin to roam over
my back muscles, kneading gently as her slippery hands made their way
down to my butt and back up to my shoulders.  
 
I moaned with pleasure and stretched into her hands.  We were otherwise
silent as she slowly proceeded to wash me from head to toe.  She saved
my genitals for last.  Her hand slid between the cheeks of my ass and
cupped my balls that were feeling heavy and full.  I groaned, low and
loud.  She slid her other hand over my hip.  As her soapy hand drew back
and forth over my shaft, I hardened to fully erect, feeling a bit sore. 
I turned to face her.  She must be sore this morning.
 
Slightly alarmed at the roughness of my voice, I asked, "Are you sore
today?"
 
She made a face, slightly grimacing and said, "A little.  Nothing I
can't handle."
 
I wondered about that.  She would probably never admit to being in pain.
 I'd been rougher with her in the past than I was last night. 
However, pushing past the barrier of her cervix had to have left her
lame.
 
I pulled her to me and leaned down to kiss her.  I had to bend quite a
bit to reach and I was struck again with how small she was.  My hands
rested on her waist.  I broke the kiss and went down on my knees,
coaxing her toward me, and spreading her thighs.  
 
She sighed as I licked her crevice from back to front and flicked my
tongue against her clit.  I kissed and licked her, holding her firm,
little buttocks in my hands to steady her as I slowly explored all her
folds and finally ventured inside.
 
She gasped and pushed her crotch into my face.  She murmured, "I want
you ..."
 
I felt my chest tighten at her simple declaration.  I continued without
answering until I felt her legs trembling against my arms.  I slipped a
finger inside gently and curled it toward me, searching for the elusive
spot.  I felt her knees buckle and knew I'd found it as she moaned in
delight, her arms bracing her against the wall of the shower and the
door.  I held her tight with one arm to keep her upright and sucked her
clit into my mouth, laving from bottom to top, peeling her hood away and
back with every lap.
 
She shook and vibrated as she was taken by her climax.  She groaned and
threw her head back.  I rode it out with her, lapping gently.  
 
She finally hissed and pulled back.  I loosened my grip and stood
clumsily, hearing my knee crack.  It echoed in the confines of the
shower stall and I caught her amused look.  
 
"Think that's funny, do you?" I teased.
 
She just smiled wider and said again, "Your turn."  She dropped to
her knees and took my erect member in her tiny hand.  
 
I hummed as she wrapped her lips around the head and slid down as far as
she could.  She pumped me with her hand and sucked the head of my dick
until I was thrusting gently into her mouth.  Her free hand came up to
fondle my balls and squeeze them gently.  That was all it took and I was
gasping and letting go of my jism, shooting it into her mouth and down
her throat.  She hummed and swallowed, taking it all in stride.
 
She licked me clean and stood up.  We both rinsed off again and then
stepped out, drying with the huge towels I kept on a shelf by the
vanity.  I went into the bedroom and retrieved a pair of gray boxer
briefs and slipped them on.  I turned to find her admiring my body.  
 
I actually flushed a little under her intense regard.  She said softly,
"You have a magnificent body, Walter."
 
I smiled.  "So do you, lady."
 
She raised an eyebrow.  "I've been called a lot of things, but
'lady' isn't one of them."
 
I approached her and wrapped her in my arms, towel, and all.  My lips
dropped to her ear and said, "Then they were fools, Sydney.  You are
so much more than you appear on the outside, although the outside
isn't half bad."
 
"Half bad?" she joked.
 
I chuckled.  "You're like a damn vision, Sydney, a dream come
true."
 
She sniffled a little into my chest and her arms came around my waist.
"You're going to get under my skin if I'm not careful," she
whispered.
 
"Would that be such a bad thing?"
 
"I don't know yet," she said solemnly. After a pause, she said,
"It may be the stupidest thing I ever do but I want to try, Walter.  I
have to trust somebody sometime.  I decided.  I want to be with you.  I
want to leave the streets and if I don't do it now, I feel like I
never will, like I will have lost my chance.  I hate it out there ...
and I feel ... so safe when I'm with you, like nothing can hurt me."
 
I tipped her head up and kissed her gently, savoring the taste of her
lips.  I pulled away, not wanting to get side tracked now.  "Let's
get dressed.  We have some serious planning to do and I want to call
Mulder and Scully."
 
"I have to go see Carlos."
 
"I know, but not yet."
 
"I have to check in by noon."
 
"That's three and half hours away.  Let's have some breakfast and
I'll give you the money.  Maybe I can get Mulder and Scully over here
before you have to leave."
 
She nodded and backed up.  I grabbed some jeans, socks, and a white
muscle tee and dressed hastily.  It was normally about $300 for her to
spend the night like this.  I had six hundred stashed in my dresser.  I
took it out surreptitiously and stuck it in my front pocket.  She was
coming back tonight if I had anything to say about it.


PART 5 (PG-13)
WALTER SKINNER'S APARTMENT
ALEXANDRIA, VA
9:00 AM - SUNDAY MORNING
 
We ate scrambled eggs and bacon and coffee.  I called Mulder when we
were finished. 
 
"Can you come over?" I asked.
 
[Sure, what's up?]
 
"I have Sydney here."
 
[Oh!  What do you want me for?]
 
"Both of you actually.  I'm going to need your help with some
things."
 
[What we talked about Friday night?]
 
"Yes."
 
[Give us a half hour.  We'll be over by 9:30.]
 
"See you then."
 
I hung up and found Sydney staring at me.  "What are they like?" she
asked tentatively.
 
"They are very nice people, Sydney."
 
She grimaced.  "Lots of people are but they still treat prostitutes
like they aren't people."
 
"You don't have to worry about them.  They aren't like that.  They
encouraged me to go to you."
 
"They did?"
 
"Yes, they want me to be happy."
 
"And you think I can make you happy?"
 
"I think so.  I don't know.  There ware no guarantees but I want to
try, Sydney."
 
Her expression was sad but there was a spark of hope in her light blue
eyes.  "Me too," she said softly.  I smiled and kissed her forehead.
 
 
"Let's relax on the couch with coffee.  I need to make some more
phone calls.  What's your pimp's full name?"
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I sat quietly on my end of the couch with my legs curled underneath me
as I listened to his side of the conversation. 
 
"Kimberly, it's Skinner."
 
His last name was Skinner.  I'd always thought it odd that it wasn't
on his mailbox or the buzzer downstairs.  Kimberly?  Who the hell was
Kimberly?
 
"Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, Kimberly, but I need a huge favor. 
It's important."
 
There was a pause.
 
"Could you call that friend of yours on the Soliciting Task Force and
ask him if they have any files on a Carlos Margales?"
 
I stiffened.  Task force?  What task force?  This could get creepy.
 
"Yeah, I'd like to keep it quiet for now.  If he has any files, see
if he can get you a copy."
 
Another pause.
 
"Yeah, I appreciate it, Kim.  Thank you."
 
He hung up and turned to me.  "Kimberly is my secretary."
 
Oh!  I didn't respond.
 
"The Soliciting Task Force is with the D.C.P.D."
 
"I gathered that."
 
"Don't get nervous.  I'll keep you out of it, but they may have
information we can use and I may have information they can use."
 
"From me," I clarified.
 
He nodded.  "Yes, maybe we can trade information."
 
I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat.  I realized it was fear.  I
was used to fear, I lived with it every day.  However, it was something
I'd gotten used to, being on the streets.  It was a vague sense of
unease that had sharpened my instincts to a fine point.  That fear I
knew.  This fear was something altogether different.  It was the fear of
the unknown.  I had no idea what was going to happen and I suddenly felt
like my life was careening out of control.  It scared me not to have the
control of the events in my life.  I was trusting Walter to make things
happen and frankly, I didn't like it.  He could still turn on me.  My
intellect told me I was an idiot to trust him, anyone, but especially an
FBI agent. 
 
But my heart and my instincts told me that his motives were pure.  Being
on the streets honed your bullshit detector.  And I knew he wasn't
lying to me.  At least I knew that he believed what he was saying.  He
didn't want to hurt me, but he might anyway.  
 
I cringed internally thinking that if people knew how scared and fragile
I really was, I would have been dead by now.  He could hurt me so
easily.  Then again, I wondered if it mattered in the long run.  I hated
my life anyway so what was the difference?  If there was a chance that
he could make it better then I wasn't going to stand in his way,
regardless of whether or not his motives were pure.  Did it really
matter?  I had nothing to lose.  No family, no kids, not ties to anyone
but Carlos. 
 
But Carlos was a dangerous man.  He'd hit me a few times when he was
displeased but he'd never really hurt me.   I was too valuable to him.
 And I knew some girls out there had it a lot worse than I did.  Some of
them lived four and five girls in a two-room apartment.  I had my own
place and had earned more and more freedom as time had gone on.  Carlos
trusted me and in a sick twisted way, I was loath to break that trust. 
I was a prostitute, but I had integrity.
 
I almost laughed out loud at that.  Honor among thieves.  How silly. 
Integrity, me, a hooker.  The whole concept was an oxymoron.  I sold my
body for sex and was worried about breaking the trust of a pimp.  I
didn't delude myself.  I was valuable to Carlos, but nobody was
indispensable and if I ever betrayed him or defied direct orders, I knew
he wouldn't hesitate to beat me.  The only good thing was that he
insisted his girls stay clean.  If he found out you were using drugs,
you were gone.  If he found out you had STDs, you were gone.  He'd
built a reputation on the street for having clean girls.  He paid to
have us checked medically three times a year.  I went more often of my
own accord.   Consequently, his reputation allowed him to charge more
for his girls.  He was a very rich man now.
 
"Walter, what will become of the other girls?"
 
He was silent a moment and then said, "I thought about that last
night.  That's one of the questions I have for the task force.  I want
to know if they've made any kind of provisions for the girls they take
down."
 
"And if they haven't?"
 
"I don't know, I'll think of something.  Mulder and Scully may
have some ideas as well."
 
The doorbell rang and he jumped up to answer it.  I kept my back to the
door, again feeling a wave of uneasiness.  This was the woman he'd
lusted after.  This was the woman he had pretended I was.  I felt an
unfamiliar tug of jealousy in my gut and squashed it, telling myself not
to be an idiot.  I heard him greet them.
 
"Come in, have a seat.  Coffee?"
 
"Love some," I heard a beautiful, smooth baritone voice say.  
 
A second later, I heard her say, "Me too, thanks."
 
I stood slowly and turned slowly, feeling my heartbeat accelerate at an
alarming rate.  I glanced up to see the tall man taking her coat from
her shoulders and turning to hang it on the coat rack that stood by the
door.  I turned my head for my first look at the mysterious
'Scully.'
 
We both gasped at the same time.  It was eerie, almost like looking in a
mirror, but not.  There were differences.  We stared openly at one
another.  I realized she was looking for the differences as well. 
 
A felt my lips tug at the corners in amusement and hers did too.  We
didn't say anything for several long minutes but just allowed each
other the opportunity to stare.
 
She stepped toward me but stopped about three feet away.  She was
wearing sneakers and I was barefoot.  I was a couple inches taller.  My
hair was a darker shade of auburn, but the cut was almost identical. 
Mine was a little shorter and thicker and bobbed under on the ends.  Her
hair was a little longer.  Her lips were fuller than mine, but we both
sported high cheekbones and light blue eyes.  Her figure was a bit
lusher than mine.  It was hard to tell if her breasts were bigger as
they were hidden under a bulky sweater, but I could see her hips were a
bit womanlier than mine.
 
She cleared her throat finally and smiled. "Well, this is
interesting," she stated simply.
 
The tall, dark haired man whispered, "Jesus, Double Whammee.  It's a
little creepy."
 
I burst out laughing.  I don't know why, but the whole scenario struck
me as hilarious all of a sudden.  Maybe it was nervous laughter, I'm
not sure, but she laughed too and her husband started to smile at us
laughing.  I heard him mumble, "Wow, my God Scully, she could almost
be your twin.  It's even more apparent in the flesh."
 
Just then, Walter returned with two mugs of coffee and asked, "Having
all this fun without me?"
 
Our laughter died abruptly.  I knew she had the same thought that I did.
 We'd had our fun with him separately.  I bit my lip, not knowing what
to say and now feeling awkward.
 
"Uh oh, sorry," Walter mumbled as he handed them their coffee and
motioned to the chairs in the living room.  We all took a seat, Walter,
and me on the couch and they sat in chairs facing us across the coffee
table.
 
The man spoke next.  He leaned out of his chair and extended his hand. 
"I'm Fox Mulder.  But everyone calls me Mulder."
 
I tentatively took his hand, really looking at his face for the first
time.  He was a handsome man and I found myself caught by his hazel
eyes.  They were very compelling.  I broke the stare and looked down at
my lap as he pulled his hand back.  "Nice to meet you," I muttered.
 
Scully didn't rise, but she said, "Obviously, I'm Dana Scully."
 
"But everyone calls you Scully, right?" I asked mildly.
 
They all chuckled.  She responded, "At work everyone calls me Scully. 
Mulder calls me that because we got so used to our surnames, but I
don't care. If you're more comfortable calling me Dana, that's
fine too."
 
I nodded. "I'm Sydney, ... obviously," I added.
 
She nodded.  "Nice to meet you too, Sydney, we've heard a lot about
you."
 
My gaze shot to Walter who was sitting back and seemed to be enjoying
the exchange.  He glanced at his watch and said, "Do you need to check
in?"
 
I startled, wondering at the time.  "What time is it?"
 
"Close to 10:00."
 
I relaxed.  "I have a little time."
 
He nodded.  "Why don't you call now and tell him you'll be late. 
Tell him you have a chance to make more money."
 
I swallowed, suddenly embarrassed to be talking like this in front of
these two people.  Normal people.  People Walter cared about.  I felt
the unfamiliar sting of tears that this man seemed to evoke from me.  He
put his coffee cup down and slid down the couch, putting his hand on my
shoulder.  "It's all right, Sydney.  Don't be embarrassed.  They
understand."
 
I glanced sideways and they were both nodding.  I felt like a jerk
again.
 
I stood up abruptly.  "I'll use the phone in the kitchen."  I
picked up my coffee cup and trotted into the kitchen.
 
As I hurried toward the phone, I heard Walter say, "Excuse me a
minute."
 
I was dialing when he reached me and placed his finger on the disconnect
button on the phone.  I stopped and went still, turning to look at him. 
"Do you want me to call or not?" I asked testily, trying to cover my
embarrassment.
 
He handed me his digital phone.  "Use this, harder to trace and it's
signal is scrambled and blocked.  It won't show up on caller I.D.  I
don't really want this loser knowing my home number or figuring out
where I live."
 
I nodded and took it from him.  One hand cupped my cheek and she sighed.
 "I didn't mean to embarrass you, Sydney.  I just wanted to get this
out of the way and not have to rush or be interrupted later.  I want you
to stay."
 
I nodded, swallowing hard.  "I just feel so ... inadequate ... cheap
... I don't know," I trailed off.
 
He lifted my face and leaned down to kiss me gently.  "Don't.  They
are very understanding and so am I."  He stared at me a minute and
then whispered, "God, woman, you break my heart sometimes."
 
I smiled sadly then, not sure what to say.  "I need to call," I
said, my voice sounding hoarse.
 
He nodded and reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a wad of
cash and held it out to me.  I felt the traitorous tear stings my eyes
again. "Way to go, Walter.  That's just the thing to do when I'm
feeling cheap," I said.
 
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, I didn't think. 
I just want you to take it and tell him I've paid for two nights and
you're staying tonight too."
 
I grabbed the money and stuffed it in my pocket, not counting it.  I
knew he would never cheat me.  I paused wondering how I was so sure of
that, but I was.  "Go to your friends, give me some privacy," I
requested.
 
He nodded and kissed my forehead and then retreated into the living
room.  I dialed the phone as I leaned on the counter.  It only rang
twice before he picked up.   He didn't say anything, probably
wondering that the number wasn't showing up on his caller I.D. on his
cell phone.  I usually called him from home after a night out before I
went to sleep.  My days usually began at 8:00 PM.  I didn't bother to
tell him that Carlos already knew where he lived.  When I'd started
having him as a regular client, Carlos had wanted to know where he
lived.  I'd showed him.  I regretted it now but I'd be damned if I
was going to say anything at this point.
 
"It's Sydney."
 
[Where da fuck are you, girl?]
 
"I'm with a customer."
 
[Still?  What da fuck? It's almost 10 a'clock.]
 
"I stayed the night ...  with Mr. Nautilus."
 
[You get paid?]
 
"Yes, he paid for two nights actually."
 
[Two?  You shitting me.]
 
"No, He wants me to come back tonight.  This is the one that always
wants me for the night."
 
[Yeah, I know, but now he wants you two nights in a row?]
 
"Yes."
 
[Mr. Nautilus really gotta a taste for your poon tang, eh, baby?]
 
I cringed at his crudeness, suddenly feeling very acutely the
degradation of my life.  "Any problems with that, Carlos?" I forced
myself to ask.
 
[Not so longs you get da green,]  he stated in his horrible English.
 
"I got it.  $600 right here in my pocket."
 
[In advance ... well, well, you done good, Red.  How 'bout you bring
me my half now.]
 
"I'm tired Carlos.  It was a rough night."  In more ways than one,
I thought ironically.
 
[You can sleep after I has my money, honey.]  He chuckled, thinking his
rhyme was clever.
 
"I really need to sleep Carlos.  Couldn't I bring it tonight before
I go see him again?  I need to get home and go to sleep now or he
won't be happy with what I look like when I show up tonight."  He
had no idea I'd slept well, really well, better than I had in years. 
Having Walter wrapped around me like a warm, protective cocoon.  For all
Carlos knew though, I'd been up all night 'working'.
 
[Why you bein' harsh, honey? You don't never argue like dis?  You
tellin' me the truff, aren't you?]
 
"Of course I am."
 
He was silent a moment.  [You my bess girl and I knows youse smarter dan
to lie to me.]  He was silent, waiting for me act nervous or cagey to
detect the lie.  I stayed silent.
 
Finally he said, [All right, but I let youse off the street for dis guy
for two nights in a row, I wanna see da green befo'han.  No later than
6:00, baby.]
 
"I'll be there," I said wearily. 
 
[See ya den.]  He hung up.
 
I sighed with relief and looked up to see Mulder watching me from the
doorway to the kitchen.  I flushed with embarrassment.  He smiled
gently, no mocking in his expression.  "You don't need to be
embarrassed, Sydney.  We really do understand."  
 
He swallowed visibly.  He continued.  "Walter filled us in a little on
what he means to do.  We'd be more than happy to help."
 
"Why do you give a shit?" I asked with my usual skepticism, my walls
coming back up with a vengeance. 
 
He didn't react to my ungrateful tone.  "Because I care about Walter
and so does my wife.  He's our friend.  He's gotten us out of more
jams than you can imagine.  He's very good at getting people out of
jams. You couldn't be in better hands, Sydney."
 
I just looked at him, not knowing what to say.
 
He sighed and looked at me again.  "I know you have no reason to trust
us.  But we really will help you.  And if Walter trusts you and likes
you, I'm sure we will too.  He's a good judge of character."
 
I snorted then.  "Yeah, he can pick 'em."
 
He pursed his lips and then said, "Stop beating yourself for caring,
Sydney.  You're human.  It's all right to be frightened or
confused."
 
I met his gaze. "I'm not frightened," I defended myself
automatically.
 
He just smiled gently.  "Whatever you say."
 
"I'm not!" I exclaimed, hearing my own voice become shrill and
cringing internally.
 
"We're not the enemy, Sydney.  That's all I wanted to say.  And as
far as our relationship with Walter, we've left the ball completely in
his court.  So there's no need for you to feel threatened by my
wife."
 
"I'm not threatened," I stated, much more calmly than my last
denial.  He believed me this time.  He nodded.  
 
"Good.  Let's join them again and come up with a plan."
 
I nodded and followed him back into the living room.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
The guys decided they needed to talk finances and come up with a game
plan for Monday morning.  I was very curious about this girl and what it
was about her that had so captured Walter's interest.  
 
I could tell his interest was more than casual by the wistful way in
which he looked at her.  There was lust there, but there was a lot more
going on as well.  I liked to think that I could read him pretty well,
and I saw concern and fear, but no pity.
 
"Sydney, why don't you and I go get a pizza or something or bring it
back?"
 
She looked startled as I made the suggestion, but hesitantly nodded.  I
turned to Mulder and Walter and asked, "What do you want on pizza,
guys?"
 
"I like pepperoni," Walter suggested.
 
Mulder added, "How about pepperoni and mushrooms?"
 
We all nodded our agreement.  Mulder pulled his wallet out of his back
pocket when I smiled and held my hand out.  I'd forgotten to bring any
money with me even though I had my purse in the car.  He handed me forty
dollars and I stuck it in the front pocket of my jeans.  
 
"See you later," I waved over my shoulder as I made my way out the
door with Sydney on my heels.  We walked in silence to the car.  I slid
behind the wheel and waited for her to buckle herself in.
 
"Alfredo's all right?"
 
She nodded, not saying anything.
 
"You all right?"
 
She barked out a burst of mirthless laughter filled with irony. 
"Yeah, I guess so."
 
I decided not to push it right now.  I pulled out on the state road and
said, "We'll stop at Alfredo's.  They have good pizza and we can
grab some coffee while we wait.  It usually takes about twenty minutes. 
I don't know about Walter, but Mulder can eat half a pie himself, we
better get two."
 
She smiled then and said, "Walter has a healthy appetite."
 
I grinned at her and wasn't sure if she was talking about food or sex,
but decided not to clarify.  I hadn't missed the flash of jealousy
that had crossed her face when I'd first stepped through the door,
though she'd hidden it quickly.
 
Five minutes later I pulled into the parking lot.  We went in, gave our
order, and sat down in a booth in the back, asking for coffee.  After
being served, we sat in silence for a moment while we fixed our coffee. 
She blew on it tentatively and took a sip.  I realized I was going to
have to be the one to break the silence.
 
"All right, I'll start."
 
She looked up and met my gaze but said nothing.
 
"This is awkward, Sydney, but I'm sure we can get past this."
 
"This?" she asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
 
I didn't blame her for being defensive.  On the other hand, I knew
nothing about this woman, absolutely nothing.  However I could only
assume, due to her lifestyle, that she was streetwise and no dummy.
 
"I'm no threat to you, Sydney."
 
"Who said you were?" she asked tonelessly.
 
I sighed deeply.  "Am I flattering myself?" I asked in a
self-deprecating pitch.
 
She smiled finally and said, "No, not really."
 
"I don't know a thing about you, Sydney."
 
"No, you don't," she replied, no malice in her voice.  It was just
a statement of fact.
 
"I would like to though," I said quietly.
 
She looked at me for a long moment and then said, "Why?"
 
I smiled.  "I care about Walter, he's a good friend of ours."
 
She grinned then.  "Yeah, I know just how good a friend he is of
yours."
 
I looked at my lap suddenly embarrassed.  "Look Sydney, that's
something we're going to have to talk about eventually but we don't
have to do it today.  And that wasn't what I was referring to at all. 
We've known Walter for over eight years.  He's been our supervisor
for all that time.  We've been through countless jams and life
threatening situations together.  I don't know if you can understand
the bond that creates between people."
 
She looks politely interested.  "Yeah, I can.  And I'm sorry.  I
don't mean to be a sarcastic bitch."  She stopped and licked her
lips.  "I guess I don't have a clue what to say really."
 
"I'm fumbling myself.  I just wanted you to know that ... if it
matters to you ... I'm no threat to you.  I care about Walter, but
I'll let him go.  Not that it's my decision, but I mean I wouldn't
fight it.  I want him to be happy and ... although we've enjoyed our
brief time together ... Mulder and I are not what he needs.  I see that
now."
 
"And you think I am what he needs?" she asks tentatively.
 
I smiled at her genuinely.  "Yes, I do."
 
"Why?"
 
"Your favorite question," I stated.
 
"No ... jealousy or resentments on your end?  You just started this
relationship with him."
 
"No.  I love my husband to the point of distraction.  Walter was ...
an exciting experience but all my love is for my husband.  He's my
soul mate.  There's no room to love anyone else, not that way."
 
"So it was ... just a physical thing?"
 
"Mostly, although we are friends and have a genuine respect and caring
for one another.  I don't think I could have done it otherwise.  I
couldn't do that with a stranger.  There was trust there from the
start.  I know he cares about me and would never intentionally hurt
me."
 
"He did hurt you though, didn't he?"
 
I was surprised he had told her.  "Not intentionally," I replied.
 
"But he ..."
 
"Did what I asked him to do, so if there's any blame, it rests
squarely on my shoulders."
 
She pursed her lips.  "Look, Scully ... Dana, whatever."
 
"Whatever you're more comfortable with."
 
"He always called you Scully."
 
"That's fine, that's what most people call me."
 
"O.K., then.  Scully, ... I'm used to being very independent, other
than my ... employer."
 
"I imagine you are."
 
"What I mean to say is that I'm not used to having anyone,
particularly a man ... give two shits about me."
 
I felt a wave of sadness for her.  She was so young and I couldn't
begin to imagine what her life had been like to lead her to the streets.
 "He does care for you."
 
Her bottom lip quivered slightly and so quickly, I thought I might have
imagined it, but then it quivered again and she looked up at me.  Her
eyes were suspiciously moist but no tears fell.  "I want to believe
that," she said finally, her voice a little huskier than before.
 
"Believe it.  Before we were even together, he talked about you, said
he ... was sorry about the way he'd treated you."
 
"He shouldn't be sorry.  I'm a hooker," she said blandly.
 
"You're more than that to him, and I think you know it," I said
simply.
 
She looked at me for another silent moment. "Like I said, I want to
believe it.  I want to believe it so bad ... I can ... fucking taste
it!" she hissed through clenched teeth.  I could tell she was
struggling for control of her emotions.  When she had them under control
she added, "But I'm terrified to believe it.  Can you understand
that?"
 
I nodded.
 
"I don't think you can.  I hate my life ... Scully, but it's the
only life I know."
 
"Are you afraid of Walter?  He'd never hurt you."
 
"Not per se.  I'm afraid of ... feeling too much and having it taken
away.  That might be worse than never having felt it at all."
 
"I don't believe that personally, but I understand what you mean.  I
suppressed my feelings for my partner for years, and all it brought me
was depression and misery.  I had all the excuses why I shouldn't want
him, why I shouldn't touch him.  And in the end, they all crumpled to
dust."
 
"Why?"
 
I smiled at her favorite one word question again.  Her lips turned up at
the corners quickly but then she frowned again.  "Because it's
always better to be with someone than to be alone."
 
"Not always."
 
"Maybe not in your situation, but I mean, if you care for someone,
it's always better to let it show.  Repressed feelings will eat you up
from the inside out until there's nothing left but an emotional husk. 
That's just existing, not living.  That's what I did for a lot of
years.  I convinced myself that it was safer that way and I was
terrified of losing what we had ... a beautiful friendship and an
amazing partnership."
 
"What changed your mind?"
 
"I couldn't ignore it anymore.  And NOT giving in was starting to
destroy the very thing I was trying to preserve.  We were best friends,
but I started avoiding him outside of work because being with him was
... not painful exactly but ... tense.  I wanted to touch him so badly
and when I couldn't it ruined my enjoyment of the time we were
together."
 
She seemed deep in contemplation of that when the waitress reappeared to
refill our coffee cups.  After she walked away, Sydney looked at me and
changed the subject, "It's a little eerie how much we look alike."
 
I smiled then and nodded.  "Yeah, it threw me a little there at first,
even though I'd seen you ..."  I stopped, realizing that she may not
know that we'd seen that tape.  How embarrassing was that for her and
did she even know about the tapes.  Jeez, that was a dumb move, I
thought.  Careful, Dana, I scolded myself.
 
She flashed me a grin.  "I know about the tapes.  He told me you saw
one and that's how you found out about me.  I don't know which one
you saw, but ... it doesn't really matter.  I figure I don't have
many secrets in that area anyway."
 
I sighed in relief and she chuckled at my visible relaxation. 
"Whew!" I said dramatically.
 
She laughed then, genuinely laughed for the first time.  It was not the
nervous laughter that had erupted when we first stared at each other;
this was relaxed and truly amused laughter.  Her voice was low but not
deep and her laugh was rich and full and it transformed her face from
sadness to truly beautiful.  I saw in an instant what Walter saw when he
looked at her.  She was a beautiful girl.  She was me 15 years younger. 
I'd never thought of myself as beautiful particularly but I thought
that this girl, with her slimmer lips and young vitality was beautiful,
especially when she laughed.
 
I grinned at her and then said, "Walter wouldn't go this trouble for
just anybody, Sydney.  He must care very deeply for you."
 
Her mirth ended and she stared at me and then said, "I'm afraid.  I
know that's stupid, but ... I've run from cops all my life.  I
nearly had a heart attack when he told me what he did for a living.  I
immediately assumed he'd been setting me up."
 
I laughed this time and shook my head.  "You don't know him very
well do you?"
 
She said, "In some ways I do, in others, I'm baffled."
 
"Join the club."
 
We smiled at each other then.  "He hadn't called me in over a month.
 I didn't think he would again and I ... was surprised at just how
much that ... hurt.  And I was pissed at myself for letting myself care
about him.  I'm not supposed to, you know?"
 
"No, I don't imagine that would normally be in your best interests. 
You're human Sydney, and whether you think it's right or wrong, you
didn't make a mistake with Walter.  He's a lot of things.  He can be
blustery and he can be stubborn and difficult, but one thing he isn't
is a liar.  If nothing else, you can count on him to be honest with you.
 If you are his friend and honest with him, he will be honest with you,
Sydney.  He'll say what he means even if it isn't what you want to
hear."
 
She nodded, swallowing heavily.  "Good to know."
 
The waitress approached and slid our pizzas onto the table.  I paid her
and then asked, "Do you want to talk some more?  We don't have to
race back with these."
 
"No, let's go back.  I mean, I may want to talk more later, but I
want to know what they plan on doing."
 
"Me too.  And Sydney?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"We'll help out however we can.  We have ... resources, and we'll
use them."
 
"I don't doubt it," she said.
 
"I meant we have personal resources, not just the Bureau."
 
She raised her eyebrows in question then.
 
"Mulder and I have ... money and connections.  We'll make sure
you're safe."
 
"Is that why he asked for your help?"
 
"Partly, and partly just because he trusts us."  I paused.  "God,
you look more like me than my own sister did.  It freaks me out a
little."
 
She smiled.  "I may look like you, Dana, but ... I'm about the
farthest thing from being like you as anybody could get."
 
I was silent a moment, wondering what exactly she meant.  Was she simply
referring to our professions or something deeper?  Finally, I said,
"Don't be too sure, Sydney.  We're both women and we think
differently than they do.  We girls have to stick together."
 
She nodded.  "Let's go, then."


PART 6 (R)
WALTER SKINNER'S APARTMENT
ALEXANDRIA, VA
 
The men had been busy making plans while we were gone.  They were both
pacing the living room with digital phones to their ears as we returned.
 They both stopped talking abruptly and waved us in.  We put the pizza
on the coffee table and retreated to the kitchen to find napkins and
paper plates and Parmesan cheese.  When we emerged, the guys had both
ended their calls and had the pizza boxes open, staring longingly at the
delicious smelling pies.
 
Dana grinned at me.  "Some things never change."
 
I laughed in spite of myself.  I didn't want to like her, but I did. 
I think maybe I was more afraid of her judgment than anything else. 
After all, Walter had wanted her or I never would have been in his life
in the first place.  On one level, I owed her for that if this worked
out.  On another level, I wondered if I would always be unsure of him
when she was around.  I would have to get over that.   She said she
wasn't a threat and maybe in her mind she wasn't.  
 
What about Walter's feelings?  Would he always prefer her, the real
thing?  Would I always be a substitute?  He said I wasn't anymore that
he wanted me for me, but I found that hard to believe.  My brain just
didn't want to wrap around that thought and embrace it.  It was a
dangerous one to have and believe.  He could break me emotionally, and I
didn't remember any man ever having that power over me since I was a
little kid.  My father broke me and no one else had ever been given the
opportunity since.
 
I was taking the biggest chance of my life.  My mind was in turmoil.  I
knew that regardless of whether it worked out with Walter, I wanted this
chance.  How long was I going to survive on the streets anyway?  I would
be old before my time and the streets were unforgiving.  And nobody
wanted a haggard, old whore.  And that was what I would become.  I'd
already seen the results in the faces of older, more experienced women
that walked those streets.  I had to take the chance, but my survival
instincts kept getting in the way.  I wanted to keep those walls up. 
However, Mulder and Scully's easy acceptance of me and Walter's
loving glances were chipping away at my natural defensive posture.  
 
I don't ever remember being so scared.  Carlos didn't even scare me
like these people did, maybe because I understood Carlos.  I knew what
to expect.  Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, I
guess.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
I looked surreptitiously at Walter and Sydney sitting on the couch
together.  Scully sat in the chair next to mine, eating slowly with her
plate in her lap.  Walter kept glancing at her and I would see an
expression on his face that I could only describe as excitement.  Not
arousal, but excitement.  He was looking forward to this.  I wasn't
sure if it was the challenge of taking this idiot off the street and
being out in the trenches again, or the excitement of actually being
able to have Sydney with him on a permanent basis.
 
While the girls were gone, he'd expressed some concerns as to whether
she would stay when this was all over.  I didn't know her well enough
to say and suggested we take this one step at a time and not worry about
what she might or might not do at this point.  He agreed, but I could
see he was troubled.  I knew he cared for this girl, but even I hadn't
realized how much.  I think he really hadn't realized it either until
the prospect of having her with him was a real possibility.  He hadn't
wanted to like her that much ... but he did.  I could see it in every
glance and every slow tug at the edge of his mouth that wanted to become
a smile whenever he looked at her.  He was well and truly hooked.
 
Before now, even before we were together, I'd noticed that if Scully
was in the room, he couldn't take his eyes off her.  It was different
today.  Sydney was here and she was the one his eyes kept going back to
like a magnet.  He hardly even glanced at Scully at we talked. 
 
We finished eating and sat back, satisfied for the moment with our full
bellies.  "What now?" I asked.
 
Scully said, "Why don't you tell us what you've done so far."
 
I turned to Scully.  I called our accountant and told him that I was
going to be making a large withdrawal tomorrow and to make out the
paperwork and have it waiting for me at 9:00 AM.  She nodded and asked,
"And this is for?"
 
"I'm going to lend Walter $4,200."
 
"What?!" Sydney exclaimed.
 
I smiled and looked at Walter, deciding he'd better explain this. 
"Sydney, ... if it's possible, I'm going to ask you to tell Carlos
that I want to take you away on vacation for two weeks."
 
"Are you fucking nuts?" she asked immediately.
 
He turned to look at her, licking his lips and looking a tad nervous. 
"No, I'm not, and I don't see how he will be able to turn down
$2,100. up front."
 
She just stared at him.  "He'll be suspicious."
 
"Tell him that I'm a businessman and I'm going to a conference
where I don't want to be unescorted.  That all the men there will have
dates and I don't want to take someone who will think there are any
strings attached."
 
She looked at him solemnly.  "I don't know ..."
 
"There are strings attached, Sydney.  You know that.  You know I want
you with me.  He will think you're out of town and you can lay low
here.  If you have to go out, Scully will go with you and we can keep
you out of your neighborhood where he would be likely to see you. 
Having you completely out of the picture will allow us to ... do this
without fearing that you'll get hurt."
 
She looked at him.  "You're crazy, it won't work."
 
"It will work.  Tell him tonight when you go see him."
 
She was shaking her head.  "You don't know Carlos.  He won't let
me out of his sight that long."
 
I cleared my throat, "What if you tell him Walter's willing to pay
double."
 
She turned to me with her brows scrunched together.  "You're all
fucking crazy!' she exclaimed.
 
"Tell him, $4,200. up front. That's $600 a day.  That'd be high
even for a good week, wouldn't it?"
 
"Mr. Mulder, I can't take that kind of money from you."
 
"Sure you can, and you will.  It's nothing to me anyway."
 
"$4,200 is nothing to you!??"
 
I looked at her calmly and decided there was no harm in telling her. 
"I don't advertise it because then all the nuts come out the
woodwork with their hands out, but ... I'm a millionaire, Sydney. 
$4,200 is nothing to me."
 
She stared at me in silence, her mouth hanging open, trying desperately
to believe what I was saying.  "I can't be gone for two weeks."
 
"Don't know unless you ask, do you?" I countered.
 
She turned to Walter.  "What if he says, 'No'?" 
 
"Then we'll come up with something different, but I'd like to try.
 Do you think you'll be in danger, just from asking?"
 
"I don't think so, " she replied, but she didn't sound
convinced.  
 
"You want me to pose as a new customer?" I asked.
 
She turned to me.  "He was surprised Walter wanted me for two
nights."
 
Walter's eyebrows raised, "Really?"
 
"Yeah, I think his response was, 'Really gotta a taste for your poon
tang, eh, baby?'?"
 
Walter visibly cringed and made a face.  "Shit," he muttered under
his breath.  She looked at him with mock innocence.  "Carlos is not a
complicated person, Walter."
 
"So I gather," he said, disgust dripping from his voice.  "Jesus,
what an asshole."
 
Sydney merely shrugged.  "A new customer might be more believable. 
And if he thought that you might be a repeat, it would intrigue him, the
scent of more money.  I've mentioned Walter too many times.  I don't
use his name, but he knows who I'm talking about."
 
"What do you call me?" Walter asked.
 
"Mr. Nautilus," she said with a perfectly straight face.  Scully and
I burst out laughing as Walter made another face of distaste.  It was
funny, I couldn't help it.
 
Walt looked at us, "It isn't that funny," he said dryly.
 
As Scully and I tried to get our mirth under control and Sydney grinned
at our reaction, Scully said, "Yes, Walt, it is!" 
 
Another fit of giggles overtook her and Sydney started laughing too. 
"Well, I couldn't give him your real name.  I didn't even know it
for one."
 
We all quieted at that.  Walter looked at her, "You knew my name was
Walter."
 
"Yeah, but I didn't know if that was your real name.  Lots of johns
give false names, and I didn't know your last name, not that I make a
habit of knowing them anyway.  However, I find out by accident
sometimes.  You on the other hand, don't have your name on your
mailbox and you never leave any mail or anything out where I could see
it."
 
He swallowed and looked down.  "I didn't want you to know who I
was."
 
"Afraid I'd rat you out?"
 
He looked distinctly uncomfortable.  "Or blackmail me," he said
finally.
 
I looked at him suddenly.  "Walter, you didn't think that break in
was her did you?"
 
"No, I knew it was two men, but I didn't know if it was her pimp or
not."
 
"I thought you suspected, Krycek?" Scully asked.
 
He shrugged.  "Could have been him too, I just didn't know.  Can you
imagine a pimp getting a hold of my name and knowing who I am?  He could
black mail the shit out of me."
 
We all looked somber then.  Sydney said, "I never thought of that, of
course, I didn't know what you did for a living."
 
"Now you do," he stated simply.  "It was no reflection on you,
Sydney, but it was a concern of mine."
 
"Still is, right?"
 
He shrugged his big shoulders again.  "I'd rather no one ever finds
out that we met that way, but if they do, we'll cross that bridge when
we come to it."
 
"I can't let you risk your job," Sydney replied quietly.
 
He looked at her.  "I told you before, you aren't asking me for
anything. I'm offering.  If we take this guy down, then that's the
perfect cover."
 
"What do you mean?" she asked.
 
I cut in at this point, seeing that Walter was uncomfortable with these
explanations.  "He means that if people were to ask him why he was
with a prostitute, he could say that you were an informant and that he
wasn't with you for sex."
 
Her head whipped around to look at him.  "You said you'd keep my
name out of it."
 
"And I will," he stated firmly.  "Even if someone finds out I was
with a prostitute, they don't have to know it was you."
 
"How will you explain my presence?"
 
"I'll just say we met at a coffeehouse or something, that you just
moved into town."
 
"What if one of my clients recognizes me on the street."
 
He looked at her, swallowing hard again.  "I don't know yet, Sydney.
 I haven't worked it all out to the last fucking detail!" he said,
raising his voice and sounding extremely frustrated.
 
"Sorry," she replied, barely loud enough to heard.
 
He looked instantly contrite and slid down next to her on the couch and
pulled her into an embrace.  She almost looked like a teen child in his
arms.  He dwarfed her even more than he did Scully.  She was so ...
petite all over.  "I'm sorry, Sydney, it's just that I can only
work one thing out at a time right now.  First things first, all
right?"
 
"Yeah, I just don't want you to get caught out because we don't
have a plan."
 
He smiled at her.  "We'll work it all out.  We don't have much
time though.  If he falls for the bait and we can hide you away here, it
will be easier and quicker to take him down.  And if he thinks you are
out of town, he won't suspect you of ratting him out." 
 
Now it was her turn to cringe.  She had to be frightened and the term
'ratting someone out' probably didn't sit well with her.  I'd been
no stranger to prostitutes before Scully came along and even for a while
after she'd joined the X-Files.  I'd succumbed to the temptation
before in my past.  That was one of the reasons that I didn't judge
Walter for turning to her.  I knew the loneliness that ate you up from
the inside and the fear of going into a committed relationship that
would put that person in danger.  Prostitutes were safe in that there
were no strings, no obligations and they took care of a need.  
 
I broke in at this point to suspend the awkward moment.  "We do need
your help though, Sydney.  Basic information," I informed her.
 
She nodded and asked quietly, "Let's get it over with.  What do you
need to know?"
 
XXXXXXXXXXXX
 
I resolved to stay in close contact with Sydney.  She was cooperating
with the guys, but something told me that there was a puzzle piece
missing.  She hadn't done or said anything to make me think that, but
call it woman's intuition, there was something she wasn't telling us
and it worried me.
 
I studied her face and body language as Mulder asked her questions.
 
"Where does he live, Sydney?"
 
"In an apartment above the Grand Hotel.  Number 432."
 
"How many body guards does he keep?"
 
"Six that I know of."
 
"Which ones are with him at night?"
 
"Two, one inside and one outside the door of the suite."
 
"Do you know their names?"
 
"They call them Slimmy and Toad.  I don't know their real names."
 
"What weapons do they carry?  Do you know?"
 
I tuned them out as the questions went one and just studied her.  She
answered calmly and without emotion.  To an outsider, she would appear
to be totally unaffected by this.  However, I heard her hesitate a few
times.  I wondered why she was frightened about asking for two weeks to
go away when that much money was involved.  Of course it would all be
going to her pimp, and she had rent to pay. That could be it but I
didn't think so.
 
I couldn't put my finger on it but something was missing here.  And I
was going to figure out what it was.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
Sydney left that night at 5:00 to go see her pimp and then she was
returning.  Mulder decided to take her and stay outside in case Carlos
wanted verification of her 'client'.
 
As it turned out he did.  He emerged from the lobby of the Grand Hotel
and Mulder took his picture with a tiny label camera the Lone Gunmen had
equipped him with.  Carlos slipped to the passenger side of the car and
Sydney waited on the sidewalk.  Mulder had driven our Mercedes rather
than the government issue Taurus that they might recognize him as a cop.
 Of course, driving a Mercedes in that section of town wasn't a good
idea but we didn't really have a choice.
 
Walter and I had followed from a discreet distance and parked a block
back from the rendezvous.  We both watched through binoculars as Carlos
leaned into the window that Mulder had rolled down.
 
His wire picked up everything loud and clear.  We hadn't wired Sydney
because we were afraid it would be discovered.  That would be all he
needed to go into a rage and kill her and we weren't taking any
chances with these last contacts she had to have with him.
 
He spoke quietly as though not wanting to draw attention.  "Meet me at
the diner two blocks down, Dandy."  He looked up at Sydney.  "You
walk with me, Baby."
 
Without another word, he spun on his heel and hit the sidewalk with
Sydney close on his heels.  Mulder pulled out and drove to the diner. 
Again we parked one block back and observed the door to the Noah's Ark
Diner.  Mulder said into his wire, "He's got a shoulder holster on
under that leather jacket, probably a .22 of some kind.  I couldn't
get a good look.
 
We waited until they were inside to exit the car and casually made our
way to the sidewalk across from the door.  Walter looked down at me and
said, "You should probably wait in the car."
 
"Why, so you can go nuts at exactly the wrong time with no one here to
stop you?" I asked sarcastically.
 
He gave me a dirty look.  "No, because if he sees you it may tip him
off.  You two look at lot alike you know.  Nobody's going to see that
as a coincidence."
 
I sighed, knowing he was right.  "Don't do anything stupid.  Let
Mulder handle it," I warned.
 
He nodded.  "I won't.  I want this bastard and I'm not going let
him slip away on some stupid technicality."
 
"Then stay out of it, Walter."  I paused.  "Even if he touches
her," I added.  He looked at me again, his face screwing up into his
trademark scowl.  "I mean it, Mulder will handle it.  Trust him to
protect her, Walter."
 
He nodded sharply.  I wasn't convinced but made my way back down the
sidewalk out of sight of the diner.  I slid into Walter's car and
locked the doors to wait, my eyes on him every second.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
NOAH'S ARK DINER
SOUTHEAST SECTION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
MONDAY - 11:00 AM
 
We had decided to have Sydney pay for last night on her own.  She
returned and we continued to plan late into the night. 
 
This morning we'd contacted the task force and Kimberly gathered
information and money and then set out.  We figured it would be less
suspicious if Sydney's two proposals were separated.  If she gave him
the money for night two and asked for two weeks away at the same time it
would have looked suspicious.
 
So she returned with me this morning and retrieved him from the hotel. 
I was hoping we could avoid this confrontation but I hadn't really
thought he would take her at face value.
 
We sat in a booth near the back.  Sydney and I on one side and Carlos on
the other.  He was eyeing me like a snake.  Finally, he spoke, "What
you want my girl fo'?  S'plain dis to me."
 
"I'm a businessman, software company.  Once a year we go to a
convention.  Lots of hotshots there.  It's considered ... uncouth to
show up without a ... trophy wife or girlfriend."
 
"Good lookin' guy like you don' have no girl?"
 
"No, I don't want one.  They just misinterpret things and think
I'm getting ready to buy a ring and I don't want that, man," I
said in my best casual voice, rolling my eyes.
 
He chuckled, "Yeah, dey can git pretty clingy."
 
"Exactly, and if I ask some woman I know, they think I want to get
serious if I'm asking them to go away with me on a business trip.  We
don't do a lot of work, it's more schmoozing  with the big money
investors, but I don't want to go alone either."
 
"Why not?"
 
"Looks bad.  Look, ... Carlos is it?  I don't have time to explain
all the politics to you."
 
"You will if I wan' you to," he replied calmly, but there was
steel in his voice.
 
I nodded. "Is that really necessary?  I don't need anyone seeing me
in here with a known pimp either."
 
"Shhh, keep your voices down," Sydney admonished.  We both gave her
a dirty look; mine for show, his for real and she shrunk into the corner
of the booth.
 
"You don' wan' to be seen wit me, but you're willin' to take a
hooker wit you?"
 
I stared at him like he was an idiot.  If I appeared too saavy, I would
blow it.  He wouldn't expect me to know how the game worked.  "No
one will know she's a prostitute.  I'll buy her appropriate clothes.
 She just has to hang on my arm and smile a lot at these gatherings."
 
"And fuck your brains out at night," he added.
 
I raised my eyebrows.  "Maybe, I'm paying for it, aren't I?"
 
He nodded.  "Yeah, so you say."
 
"You want the money now?"
 
"No!  You a fuckin' idiot!  Youse never give money in a public
place."
 
I nodded, swallowing, feigning embarrassment at my ignorance.  He
clucked his tongue as if to say I was a total moron.  But my act of
naivete may have convinced him.  He sighed and said to her, "You got
jobs for the next two weeks?"
 
"I can let my regulars know I'll be gone.  No big deal.  Nothing
that can't wait."
 
He nodded.  "All right, let's go out to your car, fancy boy and THEN
you give me the money.  You got that, bright boy?"
 
I nodded enthusiastically, playing the part of the relieved idiot.  He
shook his head and stood up, walking out without another glance
backwards.  I slid out of the booth and held out my hand.  Sydney took
it and I pulled her to her feet.
 
She smiled hesitantly and said under her breath, "Nice show,"
 
I smiled down at her and said, "Let's catch up to him."
 
She nodded and we went out to the sidewalk.  I unlocked my car and he
got in the front seat.  Sydney slid into the back.  I locked the doors
and then turned to face him.  He was pointing a gun at me, waist height,
out of sight of the car windows.  


"Jesus!" I exclaimed, putting my hands in the air.
 
"You a fuckin' moron.  Put your fuckin' hands down!" he hissed.
 
I slapped them down on my thighs.  Playing an idiot was starting to get
to me.  "Is that really necessary?" I asked, my voice shaky.  
 
He didn't answer my question.  "Where da money be, pretty boy?" he
asked.
 
I replied, "In the glove box."
 
He raised his eyebrow and turned and opened the glove box.  I glanced to
the opposite side of the street and saw Walter lounging in the doorway
to the abandoned Palace Theater, picking his nails, one shoulder leaned
against the ornate column framing the boarded up door.  He glanced at me
and then away again.  Only I could have detected his tense body stance. 
I looked up the street and saw two goons that I could only assume were
his people watching the car like a hawk. 
 
I'd put it in a plain business envelope.  He pulled it out and opened
the tucked in flap with one hand. He braced it against his stomach, the
gun still pointed at me as I breathed hard, trying to fake that I was
nervous and panicking a bit.  I was nervous.  I never liked having a gun
pointed at me.  I had one in a belt holster at my low back, concealed by
my suede jacket, but if I reached for it, he would fire before I could
pull it out.
 
Sydney was silent through this whole thing, not seeming to be nervous. 
I wondered how many guns she was around on a daily basis and frowned. 
He thumbed through the $100 bills in the envelope, counting it.
 
Finally, he looked up at me, stuffing the envelope into the inside
pocket of his leather jacket.  "All right, you wasn't lying 'bout da
green.  You can have her, starting tomorrow night, all right.  Tonight I
want her to work."
 
I nodded, wondering how Walter was going to take that.  He climbed out
of the car and walked down the sidewalk without looking back.  I watched
until the two goons followed several seconds later, trailing him at a
discreet distance.  I flashed Walter a thumb's up as Sydney slid out
and climbed into the front seat.  Walter began his trek back to the car
and I pulled out and headed back for his apartment in Alexandria.
 
XXXXXXXXXX
 
Sydney was quiet for a minute and then said, "Walter won't like it. 
He'll want to give me money for tonight, but I really should work."
 
"You're right, he won't like it."
 
"He doesn't own me," she said defensively.  "Even if he is
helping me out."
 
"I think you know that's not what it's about."
 
"Really?  No, I don't know that."
 
"Sydney, he's worried about you getting hurt.  There are lot of
weirdoes out there."
 
She snorted.  "You think I don't know that?  You think I don't
deal with them every damn day of my lousy life?  I know how to handle
creeps, probably better than any of you."
 
I sighed.  "Maybe so but that doesn't mean we have to like it or
want you to go through it any more than you have to."
 
"I think I have to.  Too many coincidences and Carlos will be
suspicious.  He is now, but the money temporarily blinded him.  But that
won't last.  He'll start thinking and that's when we'll be in
trouble."
 
"You said he wasn't a complicated person.  Maybe the money was all
he needed to convince him."
 
"And you're stellar acting job," she said wryly.  Then she added,
"I said he wasn't complicated, I didn't say he was stupid."
 
I glanced at her and pulled on to the highway.  "I realize that."
 
"Do you?  I wonder.  People tend to confuse lack of education with
stupidity."
 
"Is that what people have done to you?" I asked softly.
 
She looked at me briefly and then turned her head to the side window,
watching the scenery fly by and I took the car up to 65 mph.  "Carlos
is a bastard.  He's not stupid.  Don't make the mistake of thinking
he's stupid."
 
"We won't."  I paused.  "Do you care for him, Sydney?"
 
"Who?  Carlos?"
 
"Yeah," I clarified.
 
"No!" she said a little too quickly.
 
"You can tell me if you do, Sydney.  It would make a difference."
 
"How?" she asked, clearly suspicious.
 
"How harshly we treat him.  If I know you care about him, we'll just
get him put away and not ... make it rougher for him than it has to
be."
 
"It's not that I care about him, really," she said cryptically.
 
"But ..." I trailed.
 
"Never mind."
 
"Sydney, you need to be honest with us."
 
"I don't think I can about this."
 
"Why?  Do you think I'll think less of you if you care about your
pimp?  I won't.  I realize he's probably put himself in the role of
your protector.  I imagine he's gotten you out of jams.  You have to
feel you owe him for that."
 
"That's not it."
 
"Then what?"
 
"I need to think.  Let it drop for now."
 
I nodded, not wanting to push her but making a mental note to have
Scully drill her.  She was better at getting these things out of people,
particularly women.
 
We arrived at Walter's townhouse and I parked in the parking area. 
Scully and Walter pulled in thirty seconds later and parked beside us. 
We got out and Scully said, "I've been talking to Walter, Mulder. 
What about having Sydney stay with us?"
 
"What?" Sydney said, already shaking her head, 'No.""
 
"She'd be safer there," Scully replied.
 
I nodded.  "Let's go inside and discuss this. Not out here."
 
They all agreed silently and we made our way inside.  As soon as the
door shut behind us, and we made our way to the furniture in the living
room, Sydney spun around to look at us. 
 
We sat and she stayed standing.  We all eyed her.  It was obvious she
had something to say.  We didn't have to wait long.
 
"Look, I've gone along with everything up till now."
 
"Sydney ..." Walter began.
 
She held up her hand, palm out to stall whatever he was going to say. 
He pressed his lips together, clearly not happy about it.
 
Scully interrupted, "Let her talk, Walter." 
 
Sydney's eyes sent a silent thank you to Scully.  "There's
something I've got to tell you."
 
Her arms were wrapped protectively around her torso, and her toe tapped
nervously on the carpet.  Scully had said she was hiding something and I
wondered if we were about to find out what it was.
 
We all waited in silence while she cleared her throat and gathered her
thoughts.  "Carlos has done something for me for the past ... three
years or so," she said finally.
 
Scully looked at me triumphantly and I scowled at me.  I hated it when
she got that 'I told you so,' look on her face.
 
"Most girls give up 35 or 40 percent of their take."
 
Walter interrupted, "You said you give him fifty percent.  I thought
that was high."
 
She nodded.  "There's a reason for that."
 
We all waited.  I watched Walter's shoulders hunch with tension.  He
was expecting the worst.  All sorts of things went through my mind.
 
She made a gesture with her hands like she was cupping someone's head
and Walter and I both wore expressions of confusion but I glanced at
Scully and she had the look of someone that had a big light dawning on
her.
 
Walter noticed too.  Sydney's face screwed up and silent tears fell
slowly down her face.  Scully whispered, "Oh my God, Sydney.  You have
a child, don't you?"
 
She nodded, looking very fearful and I saw the color drain from
Walter's face.  His eyes closed slowly and he shook his head slightly
as if in denial.  She nodded in the affirmative and then spoke again,
her voice strained and breathy, "He's five years old.  I've never
been able to take care of him.  But Carlos' mother does.  I go see him
whenever I want, but Carlos takes fifteen percent of my money and gives
it to his mother to take care of him. I couldn't work and take care of
him too."
 
We were all silent and Scully stepped forward, holding out her arms. 
Sydney suddenly let loose the tight rein she had on her composure.  As
soon as Scully touched her, she fell into her arms and sobbed.  In
between sobs, she gasped out, "I'm so sorry!  ... I should have told
you ... but I'm so scared!  I can't leave him!   But I can't take
him... And if Carlos goes down, ... what ... what happens?  I'll
understand if you want to call it off.  But what, what happens to my
baby!??"
 
Scully held her as she cried.  I touched Walter's arm and indicated we
should go into the kitchen.  He took a step towards the women and I
shook my head and whispered, "Give them a little privacy.  Let Scully
take this one."
 
He nodded, not looking happy about it but we retreated into the
bathroom.  He wiped his hands over his face, taking a deep breath and
muttered, "Shit."
 
"Yeah, huh?"
 
He looked at me and said, "I'm an idiot.  I should have known."
 
"Why should you have known?"
 
"She has very faint stretch marks on her abdomen.  But they're
barely visible.  She must work out and her stomach is so flat, I
wondered if maybe she was heavier at one time.  That can cause stretch
marks too."
 
I nodded.  "Reasonable assumption."
 
He shook his head as thought to negate my statement.  "No, I should
have asked, but I didn't because at the time ... I didn't care,"
he said softly.  His voice was full of self-loathing.
 
I patted him on the back and said, "Stop beating yourself up. 
There's a lot you two don't know about each other."  I paused. 
"How do you feel about it?"
 
"I don't know yet.  But I know this.  I still want her.  I still
want her here with me."
 
"A kid changes the whole picture."
 
"Yeah, it does.  I never really thought about it."
 
"What?  Having kids?"
 
"Yeah.  Sharon couldn't have them, so I gave up thoughts about it
long ago.  I never really made it part of my reality."
 
"And this one comes with five years of history."
 
He nodded.  "Christ, we'll have to get the kid too."
 
"Let's find out more.  If she still has legal custody it shouldn't
be a problem."
 
"You're right."
 
"But do you want to deal with this, Walter?  You need to be sure
before we go any further."
 
"I can't answer that right now."
 
"Well, don't take too long to think about it.  I have a feeling your
decision on this determines this entire relationship.  How badly do you
want this?  Want her?"
 
He looked at me and took a deep breath.  His voice was on the edge of
ragged when he said, "I've never wanted anything so badly in my
entire life.  It's so strange, Mulder.  I don't even really know
her, but there's this ... pull.  I can't let go.  And it's not
just about the sex.  I can have good sex."
 
"With my wife?" I asked, a teasing lilt to my voice.
 
He frowned.  "Mulder, please ..."
 
"Sorry."
 
"It's all right.  I just can't joke right now, especially after
what happened.  I still feel guilty."
 
"Don't, it was an accident.  I should have been more alert and
careful.  I knew she could be hurt that way, but I relied too much on
her to know her limits and that was my responsibility.  She didn't seem
to think we had to worry about it for another three months or so.  I
should have done more research."
 
He nodded.  "Well, anyway ..."
 
"Yeah, forget that for now.  She's fine and I'll be watching her
like a hawk for the rest of her pregnancy."
 
He swallowed again.  "Mulder, what does ..." 
 
"What?" I asked, wondering at his pause.
 
"What does it feel like to be in love?"
 
I raised my eyebrows and chuffed in amusement.  "Could you be more
specific?"
 
"I don't know, I guess I'm just wondering about this thing between
me and Sydney."
 
"Thing?"
 
"You know what I mean."
 
"I think I know what you're asking, Walter.  But I can't answer
that for you.  Are you in love with her?  Only you can say.  What does
it feel like for me?"
 
He nodded in encouragement.
 
"I feel like she's a part of me.  When she isn't around, I don't
feel whole, like there's a part of me missing.  When we come together
it's like we become one being, two halves of a whole.  I can feel her
joy, her love wash over me.  It's an incredible feeling.  I've never
experienced it with anyone else.  And I'd had my fair share of wild
sex before I met Scully."
 
He grinned.  "I don't doubt it."
 
I smiled. "But it's not about that, like you said.  There is a pull;
a desire to be with them all the time, yet there is a trust.  I don't
worry when she's away ... well, not in the sense of worrying about
other men.  I'm totally convinced that she loves me, and only me.  The
jealousy is gone.  We are connected and no one can tear that apart."
 
"It's a truly amazing thing to watch," he said softly.
 
"I think our love grew out of trust and friendship.  And if you want a
solid relationship, I think that's what you have to do."
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"I mean you need to be totally honest with her.  You need to take the
risk and open yourself up.  Let yourself feel the feelings even if they
scare the shit out of you.  And you need to spend some time getting to
know each other.  It takes time.  Rome wasn't built in a day, you
know?"
 
He nodded.  "I've been open with her.  Well, more open than I've
ever been in my life.  Even with Sharon, there was always a part of me
that I held back."
 
"Well, I don't know her that well, but I can say this; she doesn't
strike me as the type of women that scares easily.  If she's been on
the streets for a few years, I doubt your past will intimidate her."
 
"That's a plus," he said dryly.
 
I smiled.  "But a kid, that's a whole other ball game.  It sounds
like she doesn't have him living with her either, so it would be an
adjustment for her too."
 
"You know, when I heard Scully was pregnant, I envied you."
 
"You did?"
 
"Yeah, I realized you were going to have your family, the one you
always wanted.  And it made me see what I was missing.  I want someone
of my own to share my life with."
 
"Well, then take the plunge.  What's the worst that can happen?  It
doesn't work out? Oh well, you can say you tried.  But you'll never
know if you don't try."
 
He was nodding slowly.  "You're right.  I want to try.  I have no
idea what the fuck I'm doing.  But I want to try.  I want her, I want
a future with her and if that means a kid, which is something I might
have thought about later on anyway, then so be it."
 
"You sure you want her that much?"
 
"Yeah, that much I'm sure about."
 
I nodded and looked toward the living room.  Sydney and Scully were
standing in the doorway to the kitchen.  Sydney's eyes were moist with
unshed tears.  Walter looked up when he saw the direction of my gaze. 
She'd obviously heard us.
 
She stepped toward him tentatively and he opened his arms.  She fell
into them and he pulled her tight against him.  He whispered, "Let's
make some plans, Baby.  Let's make some plans."
 
THE END.