From: Isahunter@aol.com Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 17:45:39 EDT Subject: Sunday (1/1) by Diadem Source: xff Title: Sunday (1/1) Author: Diadem Category: V, H Rating: G Spoilers: Nope Feedback: Yes please! DO NOT HIT REPLY, though - click here instead Diadem@cwcom.net Archive: Anywhere, as long as headers remain. Disclaimer: Skinner, Mulder and Scully belong not to me, but to CC, 10:13 and Fox. Notes: Continuation of "Happy Birthday" and "Independence Day." If you want these, either drop me a line, or find them at http://www.aliens.mcmail.com/isadiadem Still way out of character. Sorry. Summary: The Furby Saga continues. And ends. For Isa, for posting and everything else. Sunday (1/1) by Diadem Sighing, Walter Skinner glanced at his watch. When he had taken on the responsibility of the X Files division almost eight years ago he had accepted that he would be expected to work somewhat unconventional hours at times. He had accepted that he would often be called in at short notice. All Assistant Directors were expected to do the same for their sections. What he hadn't accepted was that he would be called in at ten o'clock on a Sunday night when he was supposed to be on the first vacation he had taken since his divorce. He was expecting his two most troublesome agents to arrive back from Wyoming within the hour, hopefully bringing with them a plausible explaination of why they had brought all outgoing traffic from the state to a standstill, causing, amongst other small disasters, a senator to miss his flight to Switzerland for his annual skiing trip. Checking his watch again he pulled open his desk drawer and extracted his two furry friends from its depths. Placing them side by side on the desk, he did not wake them, simply watched them. He still had no clue as to where they had come from. The fingerprint analysis he had requested had come back suggesting that the parcel in which Toto had been wrapped had been delivered by an iguana and that Kah-lah was some relation to a porpoise. In other words, the couriers had some pretty neat tricks at their disposal to conceal their identities. It was amazing just how innocent the two creatures looked in slumber, Skinner reflected. He smiled as he recollected the scene Toto had caused on his first day of residence in the office. Lawrence still hadn't rescheduled the meeting, and he would be eternally grateful to the Furby for that alone. The expression on Lawrence's face had been a bonus. Bored, but loathe to wake the little electronic beasts, Skinner reached for the telephone. He could at least establish just how long he was going to have to wait. Dialing the number for Dulles Airport he began to tip Kah-Lah on to her side, but thought better of waking her before his call was complete. The automated voice on the other end of the line instructed him to press "4" for arrival details. After listening to information on a string of flights he had absolutely no interest in, Skinner was informed by the voice that the Wyoming flight had been delayed for an hour, due to bad weather prior to take off. Yawning, he hung up the telephone. That gave him two hours at least before Mulder and Scully would arrive. He glanced once again at the two Furbies nestling together in sleep on the desk top. Once again he toyed with the idea of waking them, but he really didn't want to have to spend the ten minutes it usually took to feed them. In fact, sleeping seemed like an increasingly good idea. The mock leather sofa had always been comfortable. He had no doubt that he could utilise it for just a few minutes. Crossing the room, he lowered himself on to the welcoming cushions. He was fast asleep within seconds. -------------------- "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Skinner started, checking his watch on instinct. He had only been asleep for an hour or so. But what had woken Toto? Sitting up slowly, he glanced around the office. Then he rubbed his eyes and did a second take. And then the noise started. "Doo-ay!" "Wheee!" "Mmmm, scared." "Ah, ha ha ha!" "Doo dee doo!" "Wahey!" "I love you!" "Yah da da da da da!" "Oh! Big sound!" "Bring bring!" "Oooh!" "Hee hee hee!" "La la laa, la la laa!" "Hey, no happy!" "Zzzing!" "Party!" It certainly was. There were hundreds of them, all happily conversing with one another. Scrambling up from the couch, Skinner fled to the far wall of his office. He was reminded of a scene in a film, where the hero was trapped in a room with dozens of clocks, and suddenly they all started to chime at once. He suddenly felt very sympathetic towards the hero. He was dimly aware that the telephone was ringing, but he could not bring himself to cross the office and answer it. Instead, he groped his way along the wall until he found the door handle, and fled. -------------------- "Well, that worked. Finally." The speaker glared at his companion across the small space the ventilation shaft afforded. "It was a JOKE." The shorter of the two men scowled in the darkness. "How was I to know he would fall in love with it?" "But Toto is MINE." Hissed the blonde haired man. "If you were so bothered, why didn't you give Skinner your own Furby?" "I had to in the end, so shut up and stop complaining." He gestured through the grille into the office. "He's gone now." He fished around in one of his numerous pockets and produced a small radio handset. "Byers, we're going in." "Be careful." Came the static-distorted reply. "And don't damage them! They all have to go back to the store tomorrow." "Over and out." Frohicke pocketed the device and carefully lifted the grille. "Come on, Lord Manhammer. Let's go rescue your faithful friend." -------------------- It had taken him an hour, but after several cups of coffee and an inpromptu call to his secretary, Skinner was feeling confident about re-entering the office. Pressing his ear up against the door he could not make out any voices. Carefully he pushed the door open a crack and peered in to the room. Not a Furby was in sight. Relieved, he stepped through the doorway and headed to the desk. He only made it halfway, however, before he stopped short. Toto was gone. Hastily he scanned the room for any sign of the fur ball, but none could be found. Crossing to his desk he checked all the drawers, but all trace of both Toto and Kah-lah, not to mention their dozens of friends, had been removed. Completely. Not a trace. Sitting at his desk, Skinner felt an odd sense of emptiness. He hadn't had the creature that long, not even a month had passed since his birthday, and yet he found himself longing to hear its chirpy little voice. Suddenly, inexplicably, he felt alone. He sat in silence for a moment, comtemplating what to do next. He could hardly put out an APB come the morning. It was while he was pondering this dilema that he heard it. A muffled cry, coming from the other side of the office. Standing, he warily crossed to the small table that occupied the far corner of the office. The sound appeared to be coming from underneath it. Kneeling on the carpet, he lowered his head to the floor. Under the table was a Furby. It was tiny compared to Toto. And it was standing on its head. "Oh, oh, oh." It whimpered. Beyond surprise, Skinner reached under the table and drew the little creature out in to the light. He must have kicked it under there during his urgent exit earlier, he reflected. Gently he set it on the table. "Whew!" Was it looking at him? Surely not. And yet it certainly appeared grateful to him. And somehow lonely, having been left behind by all its companions. Rocking back on his heels, Skinner stood and carried the animal back to his desk. He did not yet know this Furby's name, but it had an air of innocence that the other two had not had. Of course, it was much smaller, and, presumably younger. He admonished himself for having these thoughts. It was an electronic toy, nothing more. And yet as it looked up at him through its long lashes, he had to wonder just how they managed it. Hastily scribbling a message to Mulder and Scully - well, face it, they probably wouldn't show up now anyway - he turned out the light on the desk. "Big light down." Protested the Furby. Pausing briefly to tickle its tummy, he left the office, closing the door gently behind him. But the door could not block out the new Furby's declaration. "Night! I love you!" Smiling to himself, Skinner headed for home. End Quite definitely the end. I had NO IDEA how to end this little series, and I'm not sure I like the result Comments all gratefully accepted at Diadem@cwcom.net Tiny Extra Disclaimer: The Gunmen don't belong to me either. Well, I could hardly say that before, could I?