From xangst@frii.com Sun Jan 26 05:32:34 1997
Everyone knows the disclaimer drill.  The XFiles and its characters belong
to CC, 1013, Fox, etc.  I'm borrowing.  I'm not making any money.  I just
like to play on my days off from work.  No infringement on anyone's rights
or pocketbooks is intended.


Summary:  This story takes place between "Paper Hearts" and that semi-awful
"Chupawhatsitcalled" ep.  (I'm in a bad mood, so please forgive me.)
Scully is given an official reprimand by an angry Skinner.  Mulder does not
handle her feelings very well.  Rated PG.  No real spoilers.  Finished
1/14/97.


"The Reprimand"

         by

  Macspooky


Dana Scully entered the basement office and greeting her partner, she put
her briefcase down on her desk.  He acknowledged the greeting but didn't
turn to look at her.  He seemed engrossed in something, too engrossed.  It
was the sort of "engrossed" that made her wonder what he had been up to.
She hoped he had gotten some sleep the night before.  Dana had known he was
not in good shape and had been worried about him all night.  These days it
seemed she spent too many nights worrying about him.


"Coffee, Mulder?" she inquired.  Perhaps that would get a reaction out of
him and she could ascertain what was going on.


"Oh, yeah....um...yeah, Scully, that would be nice."


<Hmm....didn't look at me.  He's done something else he knows I won't
approve of.>


She went to the coffee maker and poured two cups.  She added sugar to his
and creamer to hers and then set the cups down in their respective spots on
each desk.  He muttered a thanks.  He still didn't look up.  She didn't
have time to reply before her phone rang.  From the corner of her eye, she
could have sworn that she had seen Mulder flinch.


"Okay, Kimberly," she sighed, "Tell him I'm on my way up."  Dana placed the
handset into the receiver with greater ferver than normal and Mulder looked
up.


"Skinner want to see us?" he asked.  She had a feeling that the question
had been rehearsed somehow.  He looked far too innocent not to be feeling
guilty about something.


"No, Skinner wants to see me," she replied.  She headed for the door and
closed it as Mulder stared after her.  This day was not beginning
auspiciously.  She already knew that Skinner was angry with her.  He hadn't
hesitated to let her know that he felt she had let him down over the Roche
case.  It had surprised her just how much his words had hurt, and she
hadn't been able to say anything in her own defense because she had known
that he was right.


Kimberly gave her the forwarning look that her boss was on the war path and
signaled that she should enter the inner sanctum.  Dana straightened her
shoulders, composed her facial expression and entered.  He left her
standing for a long time while he completely ignored her and finished
signing some expense vouchers that he was working on.  Then, he pointed to
a chair and she sat.  He put everything neatly away, straightened some
items on his desk that didn't need straightening and finally looked her
directly in the eye.


She looked back at him.  Dana recognized this for what it was.  It was a
military style power play  designed to intimidate the new recruit.  Well,
she wasn't a new recruit, although she knew she was the subordinate. Still,
she was not about to look downcast in front of her "commanding officer."
She didn't look rebellious either.  Dana made certain she looked simply
inquiring.


"Agent Scully," he began finally, "We need to discuss the Roche case."


"Yes, Sir," she replied.  Having a dad in the military was an advantage
sometimes.  Although William Scully had been a loving man, he had also
instilled discipline and respect in his children.  When he had been in his
disciplinary mode, the "sirs" were uttered as a matter of course.


Walter Skinner looked at the younger woman agent.  He had a great deal of
respect for her and did not want to say what he had to say.  In this
instance, however, he had no other choice.  Sometimes he still wondered how
it was that this discplined, logical and controlled woman could work with
Fox Mulder.  Two people couldn't have been less alike, and yet together
they made one of the Bureau's most formidable teams.  Still, things had
gone too far this time.  As much as he liked and respected both of them,
the situation with Roche had gotten out of hand.  He had already read
Mulder the riot act, to no avail of course.  It was never to any avail. Now
it was his partner's turn.


He handed her a piece of paper, a copy of a memo.  She accepted it from him
and read it not permitting her facial expression to change one iota.  When
she was finished, she handed it back to him.


"It is yours, Agent Scully.  A copy will be placed in your permanent file.
Your supervisor has already been apprised of the situation. Do you have
anything to say in your defense?"


"Everything you have said in the memo is absolutely true, Sir.  To what
could I possibly object?"  Well, now she knew what was bugging Mulder this
morning.  She wondered idly if she should tell him that that sweet innocent
look he used always screamed "guilty" louder than a full confession of
misdeeds.  No, if she did that he would find some other way to look and it
would take time to figure out.  Best to maintain the status quo for now.


"Agent Scully, I do not like giving you an official reprimand.  In this
case, however, I had no choice.  You are a fine agent.  Your work with Fox
Mulder is the sort of which Bureau legends are made, but your partner
really wigged out on this case, Agent Scully, and you were obligated to
apprise your superior of the situation.  His actions posed a danger to
himself, to his partner and most of all to an innocent civilian, a child."


"Agent Mulder is my superior, Sir," she replied.  "And I did apprise him of
the fact that I considered his actions to be inappropriate."  She knew it
was a lame argument but it was the only one she had.


"Very clever Agent Scully, but it won't wash and you damned well know it.
You are too smart not to know it.  Agent Mulder checked a dangerous
criminal out of prison without approval.  You know what happened."


"Yes, Sir."


"You saw it coming and you chose not to mention it to me."


"Perhaps I should have known what he was going to do, Sir, but I am not
psychic despite my years with the X-Files.  Agent Mulder did not ask my
permission."


Walter Skinner sighed.   "Good try," he said, "But it isn't going to work.
Agent Scully, I can understand loyalty to ones partner.  Out in the field
in a difficult situation, sometimes it is all we have.  However, in this
case, I think you let your personal feelings for Agent Mulder get in the
way of your responsibilities as a field agent."


"Indeed? And just might what those feelings be, Sir?" she inquired cocking
an eyebrow.  At that moment she reminded him decidedly of Mr. Spock.  He
was tempted to ask her if she ever watched Star Trek, but restrained
himself.  She had chosen to be frustrating today.  "Or, have you suddenly
become psychic, Sir?"


"Cut the crap, Scully," he snapped.  He saw that that had gotten her
attention.  Her eyes had flashed for just an instant. "There is a great
deal of fondness between the two of you.  I would even say love.  Don't
misunderstand me.  I don't believe all the rumours I hear about the two of
you, Agent Scully, but I saw the look on your face when Mulder came back
from Russia, and I did not miss the way he hugged you."


"And, Sir?  Does this signify something?"


He was losing patience with her.


"Consider yourself warned.  One more incident such as this in which your
partner is engaging in dangerous and unauthorized activities unreported by
you, and you'll find yourself cleaning up autopsy bays at Quantico for the
next three years.  You won't even be doing the autopsies, Scully.  You'll
be sucking out the drains with a straw. Do I make myself absolutely clear,
Agent Scully?"


He expected her to argue, to say something in her own defense.  Instead she
merely looked at him and said, "Yes, Sir."


Walter Skinner had the feeling that somehow he had just lost a battle.  As
he dismissed her, he half expected her to salute.  He knew that in the end,
she would do just what she damned well pleased.  Well, he had done what he
had had to do and the rest was out of his hands.  He had always hated it in
school when all the good kids got punished because a few bad ones were
making noise.  The technique of applying peer pressure, however, often
worked.  Maybe Scully would be able to do something with her errant
partner.


The side door opened up and the cigerette smoking bastard entered.


"Good work, Mr. Skinner," he said quietly.  "Perhaps that will keep Mr.
Mulder out of our hair for awhile."


"Get out of my office," snapped Skinner.  "I don't need you to pass
judegement on my work."  He found himself wondering just why the smoking
son of a bitch had taken to hanging around again.  The man seemed to enjoy
being an itch....the kind one got from a bad case of poison ivy.


Dana stopped in the ladies room and took a moment to curse.  Just what the
hell was she supposed to have said?  She knew damned well enough that
Skinner had been absolutely right.  He was a cool customer.  He couldn't
control Mulder, so he had passed the ball to her.  She couldn't control him
either, but when he went on another wild goose chase, it would be her
career on the line.  She doubted she had that much influence over her
partner. Using a lot of language that would have made her father blush, she
vented her frustrations into the mirror then pulled herself together and
returned to the office.


She entered and sat down behind her desk wordlessly and switched on her
computer pulling up the report that she had not finished last night.


"So, what did Skinner want?" he asked somewhat hesitantly.  Damn him, he
was going to carry the innocent act through until the end.


"What did Skinner want?" she asked.  "Skinner wanted my hand around your
balls while my ass was in his sling, okay?"


He looked at her in shock.  It wasn't exactly like Dana Scully to talk this
way.  She took her copy of the reprimand and folding it into a paper
aeroplane sent it in his direction.  It was childish, but she was
frustrated.


He read over it.  "I've seen this, Scully, he finally admitted. "I'm sorry.
I didn't think they would reprimand you over something you had no part
in."


"Don't you know I'm supposed to be psychic where you are concerned,
Mulder?" she inquired.  "I've become my own personal X-File."


"So, are you mad at me?" he asked in a voice that sounded so much like a
little boy.


"Don't pout.  It isn't going to work.  And the answer is, no Mulder, I am
not mad at you.  I am furious at you, but then again I usually am.  I'm
caught between a rock and a hard place.  Skinner is a good man but he is
also shrewd.  You get out of line one more time, and if I can't control
you, I end up in  Quantico on latrine duty."


"What are you talking about, Scully?"


"I mean that was the ultimatum.  You screw up and I'm transferred back to
Quantico for three years of cleaning autopsy bays.  Sucking out the drains
with a straw is the way Skinner described it.  I damn well bet it will be
one of those short cocktail ones too."


"He wouldn't do that."


"Don't bet on it.  Now I have work to do, Mulder."  She focused her eyes on
the computer screen.  She hoped it was the end of the conversation.


"You did argue I hope," he said quietly.


"No, I did not.  And, the reason I did not, was that the man is absolutely
right.  I should have told him what was going on and I didn't.  I let my
feelings for you interfere with my job.  You screwed up badly this time,
Mulder, really badly.  I haven't said it before because I know you, and you
are kicking yourself harder than anyone."


"Okay," he nodded miserably.  He knew Dana cared about him.  He felt
miserable about her getting into trouble because of him.


"Mulder," she said softly looking up at him her face finally softening, "I
don't want to go back to Quantico.  I don't want to be anything else except
your partner.  Okay.  Please, don't put me in the position of having to
.... well, just don't do this to me again, okay.  If I'm going to go
against regulations, I have to do it with you.  We'll deal with it somehow,
together, you and I, like we always have but don't put me in the position
of having to go it alone at Quantico again.  Just don't ditch me again
because you aren't going to save me or my career in doing so.  I'm going to
be in hot water anyway.  Alright, Mulder?"  She sat back in her chair and
looked at him.  He would, of course, agree, but in the end, he would do
just what he wanted to do anyway.


"No promises," he said quietly surprising her.  "I am what I am, Scully.  I
do what I do.  I wouldn't want to lose you as a partner.  Ever.  I wouldn't
want to lose you as a friend either, but I will do what I have to do to
find Samantha.  I told you once that that was the most important thing in
the world to me.  I wasn't lying."  It wasn't entirely the truth, of
course, she was just as important to him, but he couldn't say that.  He was
being himself, fighting all efforts to put him on a leash and make him
behave.


Dana Scully switched off her computer and got to her feet.


"I appreciate your honesty, Mulder," she said quietly.  "I guess I always
knew that when it came down to the wire, I was somewhere at the bottom of
your priority list.  I'm not asking you to change, just to include me.  If
my career is going to go down the tubes, I want it to be for something, for
someone, for you, for Samantha, not just because you decided you didn't
want me around no matter how noble the reason."  She put on her coat.


"Where are  you going?" he asked her.


"The US Government owes me so much comp time it isn't funny.  I'm going
home.  I'm going to take the day off and catch up on all the normal things
I've been neglecting.  You're my supervisor.  You want to put another
reprimand in my file, go ahead and do it.  It's only a matter of time
anyway."


She picked up her purse and her briefcase and walked out the door leaving
him alone to think.


Fox Mulder sighed and went back to his reports.


Dana Scully looked around at her now immaculate apartment.  When she got
angry or frustrated, she cleaned.  Everything was neat and shiny.  All her
dry cleaning had been picked up.  The laundry was done and folded and put
away.  She was simply out of things to do.  Now she would be forced to
relax and to think.


The phone rang and she rolled her eyes.  With luck it would be her mother.
One thing she did know for certain.  It wasn't going to be a rich handsome
man asking her out on a date.  She didn't date anymore.  Sex had become a
thing of the past, something to be remembered fondly as having felt good.
Worse yet, she didn't even have the desire anymore, at least not with
anyone she cared to admit to wanting to be with.  She picked up the phone.


"Oh, hello, Mulder." She didn't know whether to be glad to hear from her
partner or annoyed that her thoughts had been interrupted.  She decided to
remain annoyed.  He had really hurt her this afternoon.


"I'll be by to pick you up in half an hour.  We've been ordered to do a
stakeout out in Greenbelt Park.  I'll fill you in when I get there."  He
hung up before she had a chance to protest.


With a sigh she changed into a pantsuit and some reasonably comfortable
shoes.  She was tired and had been looking forward to going to bed and
getting some decent sleep.  Was it too much to ask to have one night?  She
supposed it was.  Quickly she made a pot of coffee and filled the thermos.
She put together some sandwiches and added some cool drinks as well.  It
might prove to be a very long night.


Mulder sat silently watching his partner sleep.  Although she had brought
coffee and sandwiches as was her habit, the drive out to the suburbs had
been silent and uncomfortable.  He didn't blame her for being angry with
him.  He had been cruel to her earlier in the day.  He had found himself so
much wanting to tell her about the way he truly felt towards her, but it
had frightened him so he had lashed out instead making certain that she
knew that his sister was still the most important thing to him.


Now, instead of nestling against his shoulder, she slept with her face
pressed to the glass.  It couldn't be comfortable and the night was chilly.
He wondered if he could.....probably not.....but he had too.  He reached
over and ever so gently moved her, pulling her against him where she would
be warm.


Dana felt herself being moved or thought she did.  Her face was no longer
pressed against glass but rather against a familiar and comforting warmth.
She felt something brush the top of her head, gentle lips.  The words "I'm
sorry," were whispered quietly. She was somewhere half between being awake
and asleep in a twighlight world of incredibly pleasant dreams.  It didn't
feel like a dream though.  The words were so distinct and the touch so
real.


She stirred and nestled in, "Fox," she murmered, and then suddenly she was
awake.  She was on stakeout with her partner.  She had fallen asleep
against the window.  She tried to straighten up but her partner's arm
really was around her and when she moved he tightened his grip.


"Hey, Squirt," he said touching her nose with one finger, "I kinda missed
you drooling on me.  Sorry I woke you."  He gazed down at her.


She wondered if she had really called him Fox.  She had thought she was in
a dream.  Dana looked at him.  She could see his face in the moonlight that
shown through the car window.


"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I'm so very sorry, Scully."


"I know," she said softly.  She managed a faint smile for him.


" Hey, I'm getting hungry.  How about we break out those sandwiches?"


"Sure." Dana opened up the bag and handed him one. "It's liverwurst."


He laughed.  "You know what I like....."


"Coffee?" she asked.


"Not now.  Have any soft drinks?"


"Unh hunh..." She reached in the bag again.


He chuckled.  "If there's an ice tea in there, Scully, this could be love."


"Must be fate, Mulder," she smiled remembering a stakeout from seemingly so
long ago.


She handed him a can.  He threw back his head and laughed.  "Ice tea.  I
guess that means its love."


Dana had no time to think up a retort.  The radio crackled.  The bad guys
had been spotted heading in their direction.  It was time to go to work.

The End


All comments or feedback can be sent to macspooky@erols.com

xangst@frii.com           TheDeanXF@aol.com
--------------------------------------------
If I'd known life was going to take so long,
I'd've brought a book.

Queen of Angst       Mysterious & Suspicious
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Skinner Chick   Genteel Ladies Writing Guild

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