From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:19:08 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Senator Matheson of Iowa by ML by ML
Source: direct

Reply To: msnsc21@yahoo.com


Title: Senator Matheson of Iowa
By: ML
Email: msnsc21@yahoo.com
Archive: just let me know where
Spoilers: The Pilot
Disclaimer:  I still don't own them, darn it, just 
the action figures.  But I'm grateful to Chris 
Carter, 1013, and Fox, not to mention all the 
actors, for bringing these characters to life and 
giving me so much enjoyment.
Synopsis:  Inspired by a deleted scene from the 
Pilot, where Ethan Minette tells his girlfriend, 
Dana Scully, he knows who "Spooky" Mulder is.

Acknowledgments: to the Posse, always, and to Circe 
Invidiosa, who gives my stories a lovely home:  
http://ml.invidiosa.com/index.html

x-x-x

Washington, D.C.  Office of Senator Richard 
Matheson

"Your ticket will be waiting at the gate, and the 
car will be here in half an hour.  Is there 
anything else, Senator?"  His newest assistant, a 
real go-getter, stood poised and ready to rush out 
and do whatever his bidding might be.

"No, I think you should close up and go home, 
Carol.  Enjoy your long weekend."

"Thank you, Sir.  You, too."

Senator Richard Matheson began putting folders into 
his briefcase for the flight home.  The start of a 
long weekend meant time at home, but no lessening 
of the work.

"Sir?"  Carol put her head around the door.  "A Fox 
Mulder here to see you?  He doesn't have an 
appointment."

"It's all right," the Senator said.  "He's the son 
of an old friend."

His assistant went back to the outer office and 
returned with the unexpected visitor.

"Do you need me to reschedule your flight?"  Carol 
asked pointedly as she stood in the door.

"No, it's fine, Carol.  Go on home." 

"Fox!" The Senator said jovially as the door 
closed.  "How good to see you.  How's your father?"

"Sir, I'm not here on a social call," the younger 
man said. Matheson put his finger to his lips and 
went to the office door, opening it quietly.  All 
clear.

"How about a drink?"  Matheson asked.  He went to a 
cabinet containing a small bar and poured them both 
a stiff Scotch.  "Sit down, Fox.  Here."

He handed his guest a drink and gestured for him to 
sit down.  

"I must say, I'm surprised to see you here during 
'business hours', Fox," said the Senator.  "I 
thought we had an agreement."

"More than a year has passed, Sir.  I thought --"

"People in politics have long memories.  But no 
matter.  It's late in the day, just before a long 
weekend, it's not likely that many people are 
about."  He sat back in his chair.  "How is your 
father?"

Fox looked stony.  "I haven't seen him in a while."

"Well, next time you do, give him my best," 
Matheson said.  "What brings you here?"

"They're giving me a new partner," he said.

"It's about time.  You've been left alone too 
long."

"I don't need any help," Fox said flatly.  "It's 
better that I work alone."

"Most agents have partners, don't they?"  Matheson 
said mildly.  "And you're a field agent.  You need 
backup when you go into the field, don't you?  
Unless you're going back to the Violent Crimes 
Unit?"

"No Sir, I'm still pursuing...other areas," the 
young agent said.  "And I don't need anyone along 
who will impede me."

"What happened to your last partner?  She didn't 
impede you, did she?"

"She took a promotion and transfer.  It was too 
good an opportunity to pass up," Fox recited 
without conviction.  

It had been part of a double blow to his young 
protege the year before, the Senator reflected.  
The UFO research funding had died in committee -- 
thanks to some careful internal lobbying and a 
whisper campaign against his esteemed colleague in 
the House -- though not before it had created a 
scandal on the Hill.

He'd met with the headstrong young man for the 
first time then, although he'd known of him for a 
while.  While at the State Department, Bill Mulder 
had been to the Hill any number of times, 
testifying in closed sessions of the Appropriations 
Committee that Matheson happened to be on.  As was 
often the case, most influence seemed to take place 
outside the meetings, and the two men had 
cultivated the friendship for their separate 
reasons.  

Once Bill Mulder had retired, Matheson had kept 
track of Bill's son.  His reason was not solely as 
a favor to an old friend, but to keep track of the 
young man's interests.  Being who he was, a lot of 
people were keeping track of him, and in some 
circles it was thought that he would be a valuable 
asset, depending how future events unfolded.

That is, if he didn't implode first.    

"And you've been without a partner since then?"  
Matheson asked.

"I've been doing some work for Violent Crimes.  
That was the agreement, wasn't it?  That I help 
them when asked?"

There was a slight air of petulance about the young 
agent, as though he felt he was being punished for 
something not his fault.

Fox Mulder obviously didn't realize how close the 
whole thing had come to being a career-ender for 
him.  The nickname he'd earned when he was the 
golden boy of Violent Crimes began to take on a 
much less flattering connotation.  It had taken 
Matheson a considerable amount of influence to keep 
Fox from being drummed out of the FBI entirely, and 
to allow him to continue the indulgence of the X-
Files.  Matheson had agreed, with the others, that 
they'd have to find a better way to control him  

His partner was transferred -- though they made it 
look like it was her idea.  Diana Fowley was 
ambitious enough that it had worked, with Fox none 
the wiser.   As planned, they'd been more than work 
partners, but after showing how little a 
sympathetic partner was able to control him, the 
discussion turned to alternatives.  It was agreed 
that it would be better to try someone who was less 
amenable to his theories, and someone who didn't 
have a stake in the game herself.  

"That's what I was told, as long as your solve rate 
doesn't suffer.  How many cases have you solved 
from the X Files so far?"

Fox shifted uncomfortably.  "The investigations are 
ongoing.  They were filed as unsolved for a 
reason."

"Exactly.  So you probably need help with them.  It 
can't be easy going it alone."

There were so many things Fox didn't know -- 
couldn't know -- about why he was suffered to 
investigate these files.  He also couldn't know 
that his new partner had been hand-picked for him, 
same as his old one, though for different reasons.  

It had been agreed that he needed someone who 
wouldn't just give in to him.  Someone who wasn't 
his type.  Seduction as a technique was all very 
well -- if the seducer didn't fall for her victim.

Not that there was any guarantee that Dana Scully 
wouldn't fall for him, or he for her.  She was 
beautiful and smart, a deadly combination.  She 
just wasn't Fox Mulder's type, and he definitely 
had one.  Tall, buxom, and agreeable usually filled 
the bill.  Dana Scully was none of those things.

She was, however, a rule-follower, someone who 
believed in the chain of command and the system.  
Those attributes, along with her background in the 
hard sciences, made her a perfect foil for Fox and 
his as-yet unproven theories.  It didn't hurt that 
she was in a committed relationship, either.  
Blevins promised that they would keep closer tabs 
on the situation, too, and not rely solely on her 
reports for information.

"What have you heard about her?"  He asked, 
although he'd seen her file.  He'd asked Blevins to 
keep him out of the day-to-day details as much as 
possible.  He needed plausible deniability, but 
Blevins was a follower, not a leader.

"She's a doctor, recruited right out of medical 
school.  She's been teaching at Quantico since 
then.  She has very little field experience; 
they're grooming her for head of Forensic Science 
at the Academy.  They say she's likely to run the 
show one day, or at least be Deputy Director."  Fox 
drained his glass.  "She's a real bluuuuuuue 
flamer," he drawled with a sardonic expression.

"Really.  Then what are you afraid of?  That she'll 
outshine you?  That she'll prove you wrong?"

"Maybe I'm afraid that she'll let her ambition get 
in the way of the work.  That she'll shut me down 
because she's told to.  That she'll do what's 
politically expedient, not what's right."

"Do you have any evidence to support these fears?"

"I know what I know," he said stubbornly.

"It boils down to this, Fox.  I don't think it's 
appropriate for me to intervene in what is really a 
personnel matter."

"But you said you believed in my cause.  That you 
wanted to help me," Fox interrupted.

"Yes, I did, and I do.  But as I told you last 
year, there's a proper time for such things.  I am 
in favor of an eventual bill, but the timing has to 
be right.  The people will never be in favor of 
funding something like that without a credible 
threat or some kind of evidence."

"So I keep shouting at the heavens with my badge 
and gun in the meantime?"

Matheson shook his head and smiled in disbelief.  
"You really don't know the meaning of 'low 
profile', do you?"

"Of course I do.  My office is in the basement, how 
much lower can I get?"

"Very funny.  You know exactly what I mean."  He 
walked to his desk and closed his briefcase with a 
snap.  "Fox, if it should get out that I'm exerting 
influence for your benefit in this, it's going to 
decrease my ability to influence in areas where it 
really matters.  Not to mention that it won't do 
your reputation any good."

"I think I've already taken care of that on my own, 
Sir," Mulder muttered.

"Be that as it may.  You gained a name for 
yourself, a good name, as a profiler and a rising 
star.  Some indulgence has been given you as a 
result.  But if you start refusing to work with 
people and draw too much attention to yourself, any 
help I can give you is over."

"It shouldn't matter what people think if you're 
trying to uncover the truth.  I thought that you 
were as interested in that as I am.  And you 
approached me first."

"Don't make me regret it, Fox."  Matheson poured 
himself another drink, and offered the bottle to 
Mulder, who shook his head no.  "I'm a politician, 
first and foremost.  My influence ends if I'm voted 
out of office.  After last year's UFO fiasco, I 
need to be careful.  You may not care who you piss 
off, but I have to."

Silence from Fox.  His expression was uncannily 
like Matheson's teenage son had been when he was 
grounded.  Matheson waited.

"So I'm stuck with her."  Mulder finally said 
glumly.  "A babysitter, and a rookie at that.  
She's hardly been out of Quantico."

"Maybe it's better that way," Matheson said.  "She 
won't know much about you, you'll have a clean 
slate with her."  He stood up.  "I'm sorry; I do 
have a plane to catch.  Is there anything else I 
can do for you?"

"I guess not," Fox Mulder said sullenly.  He stood 
up, squared his shoulders, and held out his hand.  
"Thank you for seeing me, Sir," he said 
courteously.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you on this, 
Fox, but please keep in touch," Matheson said, as 
he would to any constituent who petitioned his 
help.

He watched as Mulder let himself out of the outer 
door, and locked it quietly behind him.  He looked 
at his watch and picked up the phone to dial.

When the call connected, he said, "Hello, old 
friend.  Now, don't sound so suspicious.  Yes, I do 
have a favor to ask, but I think it's one that you 
won't mind granting."

He listened for a moment.  "Yes, that's right, Fox 
Mulder.  You know him already...."

x-x-x

End.

Notes:  And so it begins!  As I go back to the 
beginning and re-watch episodes, I wonder if 
there's anything to be written that hasn't already 
been written.

That remains to be seen.  There are things that I'm 
interested in exploring, in looking at from 
different angles, knowing what I know now.  If 
you're interested, stay tuned...

feedback: msnsc21@yahoo.com