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Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 13:46:04 +1000 (EST)
From: VANESSA GRAY <v.gray@student.qut.edu.au>
Subject: His Own Man by Vanessa Gray (A/PG)
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SERIES TITLE: Reflections on the Past

DISCLAIMER:-   All the characters and situations of the X-files television
               program are the creation and property of Chris Carter, and
Fox Broadcasting and have been used without permission.  No copyright
infringement intended. Please e-mail with thoughts, good the bad and the
ugly.

SPOILERS:-     Set in the third season episode Piper Maru. (3x15)
               It also contains information from Avatar (3x21)

SUMMARY:-      Skinner Anguish.  Basically it's Skinner reflecting on his
               life and weather he should continue to help Mulder and
Scully.  NO MSR, NO VIOLENCE, NO MAJOR SWEARING.  It's Skinner and his
relationship to his wife and people he works with.



His Own Man 
By Vanessa Gray
   v.gray@student.qut.edu.au


He walked slowly down the street, coming back from lunch.  He 
wondered where Mulder and Scully were; knowing them they could be 
anywhere.  For heaven's sake the other month they had been to Norway. 
 He still couldn't understand, why did he protect and help them?  Was 
it that he felt the public needed to know the truth?  Or was it 
because he felt a connection to the paranormal?  Could it simply be 
that he liked them?  In this business it was deadly to have 
attachments.  It could cause pain.  

While having lunch a few minutes ago, he had been threatened.  There 
was no doubt in his mind who had organized it, and why.  They wanted 
him to leave Melissa Scully's murder alone.  Doing that would cause 
pain not only to Dana, but to himself as well.  He felt slightly 
responsible, if he hadn't insisted that Scully come and talk to him, 
she might have caught Melissa on the way to her house.  

The cost of that disk was much greater than any of them could have 
anticipated. Mulder and Scully had found something and once again 
they hadn't told him.  He wondered what it was this time?  What were 
the costs going to be this time?  Were they worth the benefits?  This 
job had already cost him his wife.  Maybe it was better that way, 
they couldn't use her as a pawn.  

If only they knew the truth.  He was sick of being used.  First 
Cancerman then Krycek.  Mulder and Scully didn't use him, they just 
keep secrets from him, not that he wasn't guilty of keeping secrets 
from them either.  But sometimes, especially on days like these, he 
felt their quest was foolish; all the risk and no real returns.  Had 
they ever gone public?  No, they hadn't, but it wasn't from not 
wanting to.  

They had shown those who had judged them that they could solve the 
unwanted or too difficult cases whether they were connected to the 
supernatural or not.  He had fast realized that they had their own 
way of investigating.  Why restrict them, they always got results.  
That was if Cancerman wasn't sticking his nose into the case they 
were working on, making evidence disappear.   

He knew by protecting them he would never rise higher up the ladder.  
But that was the choice he had made, it was more interesting with 
these two around.  His life was in danger but that was life.  He 
didn't doubt Cancerman's words, that he would jump at the first 
chance to kill him, if he could make it look like an accident.  He 
had thought that when he had been promoted to Assistant Director that 
the risk would disappear.  Now, it didn't really matter because he 
didn't have any family left, only friends. Mulder and Scully may not 
accept that he counted them as such, but friends were hard to come by,
 especially in this job.  

How was he going to deal with the investigation into Melissa death?  
He couldn't let them get away with what they had done!  Then there 
was still Mulder's dad.  One problem at a time.  He just hoped next 
time Mulder got information that close to the truth he would tell him.
  Maybe then he could help, or control how
much the Syndicate found out.  

If he worked this out right, he could rejoin the group by giving up 
the search for the truth.  He and his would be safe then.  Would it 
be worth it?  

To hell with them, he was going to fight for the truth.  As he opened 
the door to his office and got ready for his next meeting, he thought 
how refreshing it was not to have the smell of cigarette in the room. 
 





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
^^     Vanessa Gray   v.gray@student.qut.edu.au     
00     MPPB, CMNB, NLEB, Ratnic, SPCDD #30, LGW #77, PFSCM #12
><     XPRA, RelationshipX, Myth Patrol, FanFic, Fictalk

<:8)-- WS:- Watch your back this is just the beginning (2x22)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



