From: lhoward388@aol.com
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 17:30:40 EDT
Subject: xfc: Unwanted (1 of 1)
Source: xfc

Title:  Unwanted
Author: Agent L
Classification: S, 3rd person POV
Rating: PG, a few bad words 
Spoilers: Requiem
Distribution: Archive anywhere, but keep my name and 
e-mail attached please! 
Disclaimer: To Chris Carter, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Fox:
I know they're not mine, and no money, gifts or even chocolate would be
expected or accepted for this. I wouldn't have to do this if you'd stop
taking summers off.
Summary: Special Agent John Doggett meets Special Agent Scully.
Author Notes: Dedicated to Amy at HFTFBIMU for keeping me 
entertained and informed. 

Unwanted

"Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." -- Fox Mulder


John "Bull" Doggett was not a happy camper. He hated suits, he 
hated waiting and he hated feeling inferior -- and right now he fell 
into all three categories. The only bright side was the pretty red-haired 
secretary behind the desk who kept stealing glances at him, and he 
made a mental note to find out the FBI's policy on office relationships.

He had only been an agent for six months, mostly doing background 
checks and grunt work, but he knew you had to pay your dues to get 
anywhere in life. He'd grown up in the slums of New York, slogged his 
way through the marines, then joined the New York Police Department 
to try to make things different for kids growing up like he had. After 
working his way up through the ranks of the NYPD, he'd finally been 
accepted into the elite Homicide division -- only to be caught up in a 
bribery scandal. Even though he'd been cleared of any wrongdoing, but 
the stench of corruption had driven him out of the division and eventually 
out of the police force. A friend had referred him to an FBI recruiter and 
the rest, as they say, was history.

Or maybe the future.

He had met Assistant Director Skinner only once before, a week ago 
when the man had called him into his office to welcome him to the Bureau. 
John had liked Skinner immediately. An ex-military man himself, he still 
looked as if he kept himself in shape despite having a desk job. His sharp 
brown eyes were direct, his white shirt perfectly pressed, his handshake 
firm. After a brief discussion of their service careers, Skinner had asked 
John some questions about his experiences as a police officer. 

Then, to John's surprise, the A.D. had offered him a special assignment.

He had always started out at the bottom and busted his ass just to get 
to the middle. The only special thing that had ever happened to him was 
his promotion to Homicide and that had become a nightmare. So, flattered 
as he was at being singled out after such a short time with Bureau, he 
couldn't help but wonder if he was the new golden boy or the latest 
sacrificial lamb. 

By the end of the meeting he still wasn't sure.

He'd heard of the X-files, of course, and of Fox Mulder, a once 
brilliant profiler who'd become obsessed with chasing down little 
green men. In John's opinion, the agent was an embarrassment to 
he Bureau, flaunting rules and procedures and demonstrating little 
or no respect for his superiors. Sure, John had broken the rules once 
or twice in his patrol days, but only because he saw no other recourse 
at the time and lives were at stake. Agent Mulder seemed to delight in 
defying authority for no reason at all.

Rumors had been flying since John's first day about Mulder's recent 
disappearance, and about the rapidly growing evidence that his partner, 
Agent Scully, was pregnant. Of course they'd been boinking each other 
for years, John was told, and it had only been a matter of time before 
they ran out of luck... or condoms. Apparently about the time Agent 
Scully had discovered her "condition," Mulder had conveniently vanished 
during an investigation. 

Now Scully needed a partner to keep the X-files open, particularly as 
her pregnancy would make it increasingly difficult to be out chasing 
down leads. For whatever reason, the A.D. had chosen John as an 
appropriate candidate. 

"But I don't believe in aliens, sir," John had said.

Skinner had smiled, and for the first time his gaze had slipped away 
from John's, to a point somewhere across the room. "Neither did I," 
he said, almost to himself. 

Then he had explained that John's belief or disbelief was really of no 
concern to the Bureau. They were more interested in John's history 
of conducting thorough and by-the-book investigations and his 
impressive record of closed cases. The X-files had been under 
constant threat of closure almost since its inception, and in light of 
Mulder's unexplained absence, the unit was the object of renewed 
scrutiny by everyone from Internal Affairs to Accounting. The 
investigations had to be run with military precision.

As he waited to be introduced to Agent Dana Scully, John heard 
raised voices in Skinner's office and recognized the deeper tone as 
the A.D.'s. The other person was a female, by the sound of it, and 
John had a sinking feeling that Agent Scully was not receptive to the 
idea of a new partner. While he understood the almost sacred bond 
of partnership in law enforcement teams, he couldn't help feeling a little 
insulted. The woman hadn't even met him yet. Then again, if the rumors 
were true, she and Agent Mulder had been more than just partners... 

Suddenly the door opened and Skinner stepped out. His face was 
flushed, his tie askew, and he barked at his secretary to hold all his calls, 
then ordered John to enter. 

The woman who stood near Skinner's desk came as a complete surprise. 
She was small -- probably no taller than 5' 3" and 100 pounds soaking 
wet (if you didn't count the noticeable roundness of her lower abdomen). 
Her red hair gleamed with gold highlights, like the spectacular sunsets he'd 
seen when stationed in the Caribbean. She stared at him with piercing blue 
eyes, her full lips pressed in a thin line, her arms crossed over her chest 
defensively. 

Agent Scully was gorgeous. 

John blushed as he felt his body react to the presence of a beautiful woman. 
He had been divorced for five years now and had had a few relationships, 
but it had been a while since he'd been aroused by anyone, much less a 
pregnant woman who obviously hated him on sight.

Fortunately, Scully's attention was distracted as the Skinner came in 
behind John and ushered him to a seat. He started to sit down, but 
Scully remained standing, and his ingrained politeness wouldn't allow 
him to sit until she did. Skinner apparently had no such reservations, 
plopping down in his chair with an exasperated sigh and ordering them 
both to "sit the hell down." John immediately sat, conditioned to respond 
to the tone of authority. Scully glared at Skinner, then at John, before 
reluctantly taking a seat.

"John, this is Special Agent Dana Scully," Skinner said. "Agent Scully, 
Agent Doggett will be your new partner."

Scully turned her laser stare on Skinner. "I have a partner," she 
said in a low voice.

"Your 'temporary' partner," Skinner amended through gritted teeth. 
"In order to keep the X-files division open -- which is, I believe, 
what you were just discussing with me?"

"Yes sir," she spat out. 

Skinner returned his attention to John. "You and Agent Scully will be 
investigating cases of unexplained phenomena, applying science and 
logic to bring about a satisfactory solution. I expect regular reports on 
your progress - " He paused at an unladylike snort from Scully before 
continuing, "- And investigations by the book. I can't emphasize the 
importance of keeping your noses clean at this point." His glare returned 
to Scully, and John sensed the last sentence was directed at her. 
She raised her eyes to Skinner's and John was impressed that the 
man didn't flinch.

"Agent Scully, why don't you show Agent Doggett to the office," 
Skinner suggested, in a tone John recognized as a dismissal. He started 
to stand, but Scully remained in her seat. 

"That will be all, Agent Scully," Skinner snapped. And only then did 
Scully stand up and walk out of the room, without a backward glance 
at her boss or her new partner, slamming the door behind her.

"Please tell me her bark is worse than her bite," John said, only 
half-kidding.

"That will be all, Agent Doggett," Skinner murmured, his eyes already 
on his paperwork.
_______________
Agent Scully had already disappeared, but John knew the infamous 
X-files were located deep in the bowels of the Hoover building, in the 
basement. After running into a few dead ends in the maze-like structure, 
he finally found a set of stairs that led to the door still marked "Fox 
Mulder, Special Agent," and opened it to see Agent Scully seated at 
the desk in the middle of the room behind Mulder's nameplate. 

John took a few moments to gaze around as Scully studiously ignored 
him. The first item to catch his eye was a large poster featuring what 
appeared to be a spaceship hovering over some trees. "I Want to Believe" 
was written in large, white block letters across the bottom. 

Sheesh.

The walls were littered with newspaper articles, gruesome and 
bizarre photos, and hand-drawn renderings of creatures and spaceships. 
Every flat surface was covered with notebooks, journals, magazines, 
all in a haphazard arrangement that dismayed the military man in him. 
He hoped the files themselves were better organized, or at least 
alphabetical. There were other objects scattered about -- an old-fashioned 
microscope, a partial skull, a slide projector -- but nothing to indicate 
an unbalanced person, just an unorganized one. 

Then he saw the pencils dangling from the ceiling. 

John stared at them, reconsidering his assessment of Mulder's state 
of mind, when he realized Scully had finally deigned to recognize his 
presence. He looked into her blue eyes and felt as if he were staring 
into an Alaskan ice cavern. But John had faced tough sergeants, drug 
dealers and hardened killers in his day, and was damned if he'd let this 
little slip of a woman intimidate him. He stuck out his hand and gave 
her a smile.

"It's a privilege to work with you, Agent Scully. Call me John."

She did not change expression or move to accept his hand. "Call me 
Agent Scully," she replied in a voice as chilly as her eyes. 

He sat down without invitation, only because he knew it wouldn't be 
forthcoming. "Look, Agent Scully, I know this isn't easy for you, but 
I'm eager to assist in any way I can. Why don't you tell me what case 
we're working on so I can get up to speed? Bigfoot? The Loch 
Ness Monster?"

He immediately knew the weak joke had been a grave error. She got 
up and walked over to the file cabinet and pulled out a thin folder, then 
brought it back to the desk, tossing it into his lap.

"This is the only case I'm interested in."

John glanced up at her before he opened the folder, labeled X-File 
10131121, to scan the meager contents regarding the disappearance 
of Special Agent Fox Mulder while investigating some kind of UFO 
rumor in Oregon. The sole eyewitness described a "bright light" and 
a "strange craft." 

The witness was Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

Special Agent John Doggett wondered if it was too late to go back 
to New York.

The End

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