From: ThrillHouse Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 17:12:41 -0700 Subject: NEW: Doubt (1/1) by Heather "Doubt" by Heather hgct73@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Quite a few of the characters in this story are owned by Mr. Carter and 1013. He has already reaped plenty of rewards from these characters and should learn how to share. But I don't own them and am not using them for profit. Just hoping to entertain a few people as I myself have been entertained. Summary: Scully comes home to find a visitor who has some things to say about her and partnership with Mulder. Spoilers: none, maybe some Diana eps I wrote this story when I was thinking of one thing that i would like to see before Diana left. Other than her leaving, what i would really like to happen would be for her to confront Scully and for Scully to respond. That's what this story is about. Thankyou to all the MNL's. You all add so much humor into my life and a welcome respite from the world of too much work. Thanks to all of you for your help and encouragement. Feedback: Is very appreciated, even if you just let me know that you read it. hgct73@aol.com "Doubt" by heather Scully walked into her apartment and dropped her coat and bag on the floor in the entryway. Usually she would have hung up the coat in the closet and put the bag in its proper place but she was too exhausted to do her normal routine. She just wanted to drink a cup of tea and sink into the cushions on the couch and try to forget, even for just one minute that Mulder was lying in a hospital bed because of her. She moved into the kitchen and placed the tea kettle on the stove. Leaning against the counter she thought back to the doctor's words reassuring her that Mulder would be okay. That the surgery went fine and he would be fully recovered. The kettle whistled and she poured hot water over the tea bag in her cup. She took the cup and moved into her living room. She didn't turn on any lights preferring to sit in the dark. She sat down and put the cup up to her lips when a voice came out of the dark shadows of her living room. "Are you happy with what you have done to him Agent Scully?" Scully jumped at the sound of the woman's voice and spilled the hot tea over her lap and couch. The pain was forgotten in the shock and fury she felt over her intruder. Standing, Scully drew herself up to her full height and spoke, her voice shaking with anger, "Get out of my home now." The intruder's face and form became more evident as she stepped from the shadows into Scully's view but Scully already knew who she was dealing with. With the same bitterness of tone Diana Fowley continued, "I just came to congratulate you on a job well done. Even better than we hoped." Scully didn't want to hear anymore from her lying tongue but her curiosity was raised. "What are you talking about?" "Your partnership with Fox. You can't, not now, deny knowing who set your partnership up. Who placed you in his life." "I know who planned our partnership but I never once did their work for them. Never once sacrificed my beliefs, integrity or self-respect to work for them." She paused to take a breath and calm her voice which had risen steadily with each word. With her emotions once again under guard she added, "Unlike you." Diana regarded Scully haughtily. "Have you wondered why Mulder has been allowed to live all these years. To continue his search." Scully never responded but Diana knew that she had hit a nerve. That Scully couldn't deny the truth of this statement. "You know who I am Agent Scully. You knew from the start who I was working with but did you ever ask yourself why. I was the one protecting Fox." "You're lying, just like you have since the moment you came back into his life." Scully's flashed in anger over the statement but the anger was mixed with pain at the possible truth of what she was saying. "I know you are a woman who values proof. I'll use evidence to convince you of my claims. A man sent by my authority pulled him out of the arctic and to a hospital where you yourself found him. Did you never wonder how he ended up at the hospital. Just a year ago Fox was shot in the head by a man driving an ambulance that picked you up after an unfortunate incident. The bullet only grazed his head even though the man who fired was only a foot away. After all these years he is still alive. I intend for him to remain that way only now I know who I really must protect him from, you." "You bitch!" Scully seethed. She took a step towards Diana and clutched her fists at her side. She already hated the woman standing before her but at this accusation she had to work to keep her emotions from exploding. "How dare you! There is no one. No one who cares more about Mulder than I do. I would never hurt him." She yelled, her eyes boring into Diana's and her body tensed in anger. "Because you love him." Fowley responded. She spoke tauntingly to Scully. "What! I don't need to explain my reasons or my feelings to you." Scully turned her back on Fowley and began to walk toward the door. "Get out of....." Diana grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face her again. "Get your hands off of me." Scully spat out at her. "You are doing your job even better than I had hoped. I picked you out to be his partner. I was a bit jealous of the thought of pairing him with a woman but having studied you I thought that I would be safe putting you with Fox. You didn't threaten me at all." She paused before she let loose with her next blow, "I chose you". "I thought you would simply walk in, disregard all his thoughts and opinions and put the final nail in his coffin and end his career at the bureau. Being disheartened and in need I would reappear and make him an offer he couldn't refuse." She paused letting her words sink in. "Only it didn't work out that way. But perhaps this is even better." She said with a slight smile meant to disarm the woman in front of her. Build fear in Scully because of her own confidence. "You underestimated me Diana. It didn't work. I didn't behave as you expected me too." Scully said in response. Still not letting Diana see the small chinks of doubt in her armor. "Yes I did. It hurt my pride a bit but in the long run you worked out better than I had originally planned. Before he met you Fox cared for no one, not even himself. We had no leverage over him. I first came into his life with the hopes that his feelings for me would help our cause but he only had a warm regard for me. Never the passion he shows for you. Until you came into his life there was nothing we could entice him with that would bring him into our fold." Again Diana let the small smile play at the corners of her mouth. "You, Dana Scully are Fox's Achilles heel. Did you know what he almost agreed to do in order to save you?" Diana knew she didn't have to explain anymore. She knew Dana Scully was an intelligent woman, she would put the pieces together. "Why is Fox in the hospital right now?" Diana asked, already knowing the answer and the pain that the answer caused Scully. Scully looked Diana in the eyes showing her all the anger she felt for her. The words that had been spoken had touched a nerve but Dana wouldn't let Diana know that. She wouldn't let Diana see her come undone. "Get out of my house now! I won't tell you again." she said fiercely. Diana nodded and left silently but with a smirk that didn't go unnoticed. When Scully heard the door shut she quickly moved to the door and locked it. Even knowing a simple lock wouldn't do much good against those she wanted to keep out of her life. She sank down next to the coat and bag she had discarded earlier. She didn't let any tears fall. But she let her mind sort through all that she had heard tonight. She needed to think and find the truth. A truth she was afraid she already knew. ********* Later that evening a lone figure dressed in jeans and a simple cardigan sweater quietly entered a hospital room. She pulled up a chair and brought it close to the bed. She took the hand of the dark-haired man laying on the bed and held it tight. Her other hand she used to brush through his short brown hair and lightly caress his forehead. It was as much a comforting gesture for her as it was meant to be to him. She enjoyed the feel of his skin, the texture of his hair as it brushed against her fingers. "Mulder" she sighed. The one word carrying much meaning. She knew that at least some of what Diana had said to her that evening was true. She knew that Mulder had sacrificed himself the night before, for her, for her life. That was why he was lying here right now. The truth hurt. The truth that if they were to take her and tempt her safety for his acquiescence to them that he would probably agree. After Diana had left Scully had sat on the cold, hard floor of the hallway wondering if she should just walk away. Pack up her bags and leave. Let Mulder live and continue his search unhindered by her. But in her heart she knew there were two truths that were greater and perhaps more important. And maybe this was one time in her life where she should believe in her heart more than her head. She loved Mulder. Of that she was certain. And Mulder loved her. More than his own life. He had shown her that in his actions, if not his words, many times over. They would try to use this against them. They had tried but she couldn't believe that their love was a bad thing. Something to be used against them. It was the one pure, good thing that she had and she wouldn't let "them" take it away from her. Together they were stronger than if they were apart.