California Case File

Title: California Case File - Part 4/4 (Chapters 19 - 24)
Author: Margie
Rating: R (mostly for violence and/or graphic descriptions of corpses
and things)
Pairing: MSR UST, M/Sc/Sk friendship

Summary: Mulder and Scully are loaned to ISU to help profile and
catch a serial killer in Santa Barbara, CA.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. 1013, Fox and Chris Carter have
carte blanche on all. (Except maybe Jon Engle)
Feedback: Yes please! margaritagomez1@msn.com
Archive: If you want it just email me to tell me where it's going. It will
eventually be on my own website when I get the chance to update
(www.angelfire.com/indie/margarks/index.html)

Author's Note: ** Warning ** If you don't like descriptions of serial
murders and the affects they have on family members left behind
don't read this fic. Otherwise, enjoy.

Beta: Thanks to Fran!! My wonderful Beta. This story wouldn't have
been anywhere near as well written without your insightful character
and storyline comments, and your wonderful grammar skills!

***

Ch. 19

Addison Family Home
Santa Barbara, CA
January 6, 2003 1:49 PM PST

"Engle!" Jon whipped his head around at the call of his name.
"What's the status? Where is Skinner?" Mulder was running up to
him as he fired off his questions, Scully right behind.

"Skinner's down, sir." Engle announced. "He took a bullet in the
thigh. It must have hit an artery because they had trouble stopping
the bleeding."

"Where is he now, Jon?" Scully queried.

"They took him to Santa Barbara General, ma'am." The EMT
answered for him. "His blood pressure was down and he'd lost
enough blood to leave him unconscious by the time we arrived."

The EMT tied off the bandage to Engle's arm. "He should be fine
once they transfuse him; the bullet went clean through. He'll be off
the leg for at least 6 - 8 weeks, though, not including the physical
therapy."

"What the hell happened?" Mulder demanded, returning his focus to
Engle and Crane.

"The worst fucking timing in history, " Crane mumbled.

Before Mulder could reply, Engle spoke up. "We arrived just as the
suspect and hostages were exitihe hhe house."

Mulder's brow furrowed as he pictured the scene.

"It seems that Elizabeth Addison caught sight of us first. J Addison
was still turned toward the house, apparently locking up. She tried to
grab Mark and make a run toward us, but Mark cried out, and that's
when everything went to hell." Engle's gaze swept up to meet
Mulder's. "She was running across the lawn when the first shot was
fired." Engle's gaze dropped to the ground. "A.D. Skinner was the
first to spot Addison's weapon. yellyelled for everyone to drop but it
was too late. Addison fired and Skinner went down."

Crane took up the story from there. "We kept up cover fire as
Deputies Bristol and Sloan arrived. They got Skinner to safety, but
we couldn't do anything to prevent Addison from recovering Elizabeth
and Mark and returning to the house."

Engle heaved a tired sigh. "He grazed my arm with the last round.
Once they got Skinner out, we retreated. It's been quiet ever since."

"Shit!" Mulder cussed under his breath, his fingers running through
his hair.

Scully watched as Mulder paced before them. "At least we know both
Mark and Elizabeth are still alive."

"Or at least they were half an hour ago, " Mulder retorted, meeting
Scully's gaze. He turned abruptly to regard Engle and Crane. "Did
you see whether Addison or the hostages were injured in the
exchange?"

Both Engle and Crane denied any knowledge of the captives' injuries,
though they were sure that if Addison were hit, he had been no more
than grazed. Mulder's pacing continued.

Scully knew that Mulder was already feeling guilty for Skinner's
injuries. She stepped into his path, effectively stopping his motion.

"Do you think that Addison might harm them now that we've cornered
him?" she asked, trying to focus his mind on Addison.

He considered for a moment before shaking his head. "No." He
sighed. thouthough if they were injured in the crossfire, there's no
telling what his reaction will be. Right now he's confused, but he
knows that we're a threat. He's trying to defend his family, even
though he knows on a subconscious level that we aren't a physical
threat to Mark and Elizabeth. He's reacting to the threat we pose to
his family as a unit."

"So what do we do now?" Engle asked.

"We need to bring in a negotiator." Crane suggested.

"No! None of that 'honesty, containment, conciliation, and resolution'
crap!" Mulder protested. "It's not going to work here."

He turned his head, his eyes focusing on Addison's house. "We're a
danger to his dream. The only way to get Mark and Elizabeth out
safely is to make him believe that his fantasy is real. To get him to let
his guard down."

Scully laid a gentle hand on his arm, regaining his attention. "But how
do you suggest we do that, Mulder?"

"By playing into the illusion, Scully." Mulder turned to gaze down the
street.

***

"Oh, God." The words were whispered from Liz's pale lips.

JC stopped his frantic pacing to turn toward his wife. "What?!" he
practically screamed at her before his tra traveled to the spot by her
side.

He seemed to pause for a moment, his mind taking in the slight form
of his son laying still on the floor. And then in the next heartbeat he
was there. "Jason!"

His broad hands shook as they skimmed over his son's body. A wave
of relief swept over him as he registered the quick rise and fall of the
boy's chest. The bullet had hit his shoulder. The front and back of his
shirt was stained with blood. Liz didn't know anything about bullet
wounds, but Mark had already passed out from the pain.

"He needs a doctor. We have to get him to a hospital." Liz tried to
reason with him.

JC was torn. Every nerve in his body was screaming to move, to grab
Jason and run to the nearest doctor. But those men…those men
wanted Jason. Wanted Liz. He couldn't let that happen either.

He'd do whatever it took to protect his family. 'Even letting them die?'
a quiet voice in his head questioned.

"We can't leave." He grabbed Liz's hand giving it a gentle squeeze in
reassurance. "Those men are dangerous. They did this to him! And
they're still out there."

JC stood again to pace the room.

Elizabeth's brow scrunched in frustration. Mark was going to die!
And this was a death that definitely deserved to be on her
conscience. She was the one that had tried to run.

What could she do?

"JC, he needs help." She turned to smooth the hair back from Mark's
forehead. "He's dying."

"Get the first aid kit. It's in the master bedroom bath." JC gestured
toward the rear of the house.

"That's not going to be enough!" Elizabeth stood to face off with her
ex-husband.

She took an automatic step back as JC's arm swung up to point the
gun at her. "It will be enough, " he stated quietly.

'Oh, God! We're all going to die.' Liz thought as she turned to make
her way down the hall.

Just then, the phone on the end table began to ring shrilly. JC
stopped his pacing to stare at the offending appliance for a moment.
He then quickly strode across the room and picked up the receiver.

"Who the hell is this?" he demanded.

***

Jon's hand shook as he gripped the phone, Mulder's words echoing in
his head.

"Stay calm. Don't let him get you on the defensive. Just ask him if
anybody was injured, but try to stay away from the details of the
confrontation. Tell him that we have paramedics here who can help.
If he says that no one was injured, try to insist that he let the
paramedics in to check for shock, or anything else you can think of.
Scully and I need to get inside that house."

Stay calm. Stay calm. He cleared his throat. "Hello J. My name is
Jon Engle. You can call me Jon. We just want to make sure that
everyone is okay. Was anyone injured?"

"You bastards shot my son!" Jon could hear the panic in Addison's
hoarse exclamation.

"It's okay, J. We have paramedics here that can help. How badly is
Mark hurt?" Jon glanced up to watch Mulder and Scully pulling on the
EMT shirts.

Fuck! Mulder was listening in on the conversation as he changed into
his gear. "Not Mark, Jason!" he hissed softly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" JC demanded.

Jon felt his face flush as he realized his mistake. Shit! "J…We just
want to help Jason. We can have EMTs there within 10 minutes. Is
he still conscious?" He held his breath waiting for J's answer.

"No…he passed out a few minutes ago. Liz is getting the first aid kit."
JC paused and took a ragged breath. "There's blood everywhere."

"Don't worry, J. His body is just trying to conserve energy." Jon
wasn't sure how serious the injury really was, but he needed JC to
remain as calm as possible. "Will you let the paramedics in?"

"Can they…will they help Jason?" JC's voice was hesitant.

"Yes. That's what they're trained for, " Jon soothed.

"Okay. But just them." Jon heard the phone click in his ear.

"You're in." Jon turned to Mulder and Scully. Putting the phone
down, he flexed his hand trying to restart his circulation.

"You did good, Jon. You kept him fairly level and got him to agree to
let us into the home." Mulder encouraged him. "And you didn't let
your slip faze you."

"Thanks, Agent Mulder." Jon took a few deep breaths, feeling his
adrenaline level drop.

"I wouldn't have put you through that if I didn't need someone on the
outside for Addison to be talking to. Remember that Scully and I will
both be wearing our radios, so you should be able to hear what's
going on inside." Mulder was shrugging on the EMT jacket as he
spoke. "We're going to try to talk him down. He may be agreeable if
he thinks it will affect whether 'Jason' lives or dies." Mulder shook his
head. "But we can't risk taking in our sidearms. I'll have my ankle
holster, but that's it."

Jon followed them as they walked toward the sidewalk. "Good luck, "
he said as a farewell.

Ch. 20

Scully's hand itched to check the holster that was normally clipped
just below the small of her back. Knowing it wouldn't be there, she
tightened her grip on the medical supplies she carried instead. She
studied Mulder as they walked toward the front door. They had both
changed into EMT uniforms before heading toward the house. His
mop of brown hair was now covered with a dark blue cap.

She felt her heart quicken at the sound of the doorbell, and took a few
calming breaths. She knew from the debriefing with Jon that Mark
had been hurt during the earlier exchange. She would minister to his
wounds while Mulder tried to talk with Addison. More than likely, if
Mark had been shot, they would have to get him to a hospital as soon
as possible. Mulder would need to convince Addison to let them
leave with the boy.

She heard the click of the dead bolt. She turned to find Mulder giving
her a reassuring glance and a nod as the door slowly swung ajar. It
was stopped by the chain before it could fully open and a woman's
head appeared.

Before they could speak, the face disappeared and they heard
hushed tones within. "It's just the emergency people, JC. "

Scully couldn't hear the mumbled reply, but caught Elizabeth's
worried plea. "Please, JC. Jason needs help." A murmured assent
and the face reappeared.

"Okay, you can come in. Please don't try anything." She gave them
a pleading look. "I don't know what he's capable of, " she whispered
urgently.

They entered the living room together. Scully's eyes surveyed the
area, noting the amount of blood loss visible in the puddles gracing
the floor. They had placed Mark on the couch by the fireplace where
he now lay unconscious.

She immediatelyrtedrted for him when she heard a gasp from
Elizabeth.

"It's okay, sir." Mulder's voice was low and melodic. "My name's
Mulder, and this is my partner Scully. She's one of the best. She's
only going to try to help him." He indicated Scully and Mark with a
gesture of his hand.

Scully turned to see Addison pointing the gun at her, his hands
shaking. She stood still, letting Mulder soothe the man with his balmy
voice.

Mulder tensed at Addison's notable agitation. Even if he hadn't spent
the last few weeks studying the crime scenes and profiling this man,
Mulder would have seen Addison's obvious discomfort with this rarely
used weapon. The fact that he was pointing that weapon at Scully
made Mulder's own hands clench, but he tamped down on his
reaction.

"Can you tell us where he was injured?" Mulder questioned him.

"H-he was shot in the shoulder, " Liz replied hesitantly when JC
remained silent.

"They shot him!" JC's face began to turn a dark shade of red, his
hand shaking violently.

"That's right, JC. They shouldn't have done that." Mulder placated.
He tried to assume a less threatening position, lowering his body to
seem just a bit smaller kee keeping his voice low and even. "Jason's
hurt. He needs our help. Scully just wants to take a look at his
shoulder."

"She…" JC's voice faltered, his hand lowering. "She can help him?"

"Yes, just lower the gun and let her examine him."

"Don't let him die." His v was was pleading.

"We won't. But she can't help him if you don't let her." Mulder
reminded JC that he was still holding the gun on Scully's still form.

"Okay. Help him already!" JC used the gun he held to point at his
son.

Mulder gave a slight nod to Scully before she began to her her way
toward Mark once again. She knelt down beside the couch, pulling a
pair of latex gloves out of her medical bag.

Someone had already taken Mark's shirt off, and tried to clean the
wound. The bandages were already soaked through with his blood.
She lifted the dressing and let out a small sigh of relief. At least the
bullet had a clean exit wound.

She checked Mark's vitals, noting his pulse was thready at best.
Although he wasn't running much of a fever, his skin felt hot to the
touch. She knew that if they didn't get him a transfusion soon they
would most likely lose him. He'd been bleeding out for at least the
last 25 minutes.

Scully looked up from her work to catch Mulder's eye.

"It's okay, JC. I'm just going to help my partner, " Mulder reassured
as JC warily eyed his progress across the room.

Once he reached her side, Mulder dropped to his knees next to the
couch. "What's the status, Scully?" he whispered under his breath.

"His vitals are extremely weak, Mulder. There's no way he'll make it if
we don't get him some blood within the next 15-20 minutes. Engle
made sure that the second EMT team would bring enough to at least
start an IV en route, but we have to get him out of the house first."

Mulder nodded, biting his bottom lip. "I'm not sure how he's going to
react, Scully, so let me do the talking. Try not to move or draw
attention to yourself while I negotiate with him."

Scully had replaced Mark's dressings with new bandages while they
spoke. She pulled off her gloves and nodded to Mulder to let him
know she understood. She reached out quickly and wrapped her
hand around his wrist to give him an encouraging squeeze before he
could stand up completely.

Their eyes met before Mulder turned back toward JC, and Scully took
a position between Mark and JC's gun.

Elizabeth had been watching the exchange between the two
paramedics and knew that Mark was in trouble. A fresh wave of guilt
assaulted her. They had to get him out of the house and away from
JC if he had a chance of surviving.

Before Mulder could speak, Liz's voice echoed through the room.
"JC, why don't you let the EMTs take Jason to the hospital. He needs
more help than he can get here, " she tried to plead with him.

Mulder winced at Liz's choice of words.

"No one's taking Jason away from me!" JC roared. His gaze
immediately fell on Mulder and Scully, standing only a few feet apart.
"Is that why they sent you in here?!"

"No, JC. We only want to help." Mulder tried to draw JC's attention
away from Scully and Mark. "But Elizabeth is right. Jason needs
blood and we don't have any here."

Mulder's eyes followed the gun's movement as it went from him to
Scully and back again. Shit! He'd never get to his ankle holster
before JC could fire off his first round.

"You are not taking him away from me!" JC repeated, his gun having
settled on Scully, the closer of the two to Jason.

Just then the phone let out a sharp ring, before exploding into several
parts. JC had fired the second the sound began. Farther off, the ring
of the kitchen phone could be heard.

"What the hell is this?" JC demanded. "Who the fuck is calling now?!
Go get the phone, " JC ordered, pointing the gun at Liz.

Both Mulder and Scully let out soft sighs of relief. Still in
communication with Engle, they knew he would be the one on the
other end of the phone.

Mulder was impressed. Firing at the telephone had at least relieved
some of JC's tension. Engle's timing was perfect.

Liz returned to the room with the cordless phone. "It's Jon Engle, "
she informed JC quietly.

"What do you want now?" JC demanded.

"Hello, JC. I just wanted to let you know that a second ambulance
has arrived. Once you told me that your son had been shot, I called
to make sure they brought blood and other supplies to help. They
have all the equipment set up in the ambulance; we just need to bring
Jason out to hook him up to the IV."

"Why can't they do that in here?"

"Some of the equipment is too large and needs to be hooked up to
the ambulance. Plus, we need to start getting Jason to the hospital,
and the sooner we get him there the sooner we get him proper care."

"You just want to take him away from me!" JC accused.

"No, JC. We just want to help." Engle was frantically trying to think of
ways to calm the man down. "No one's taking anyone away. We just
want to bring Jason to the best care possible."

Jon's statement was met with silence. Mulder watched as JC's eyes
lit upon Mark's still form. He could see JC's indecision.

"JC? Are you still there?" Mulder could hear Jon's hesitant voice
through the transmitter in his ear. "Just let Mulder and Scully bring
Jason out so that we can help him." Engle's voice was soothing.

No! Mulder knew the moment the words had left Jon's lips that JC
was beyond reason. JC's eyes shifted to focus on the most
immediate threat to his son, Scully.

"Down!" Mulder screamed as he threw himself across the room
toward his partner.

The shots were loud in the small room.

Pain exploded in Mulder's abdomen, two bullets ripping through his
intestines. He ed ied in a heap at Scully's feet. Scully automatically
reached back for the weapon that wasn't there, her heart trip
hammering in her chest.

Before he could fire another round, JC was tackled from behind. Liz
cried out as she fell toward the floor with him, cracking head ead on
the end table that formerly housed the telephone.

As she watched the couple go down, Scully's gaze fell on Mulder's
slumped body, her eye catching on the glint of steel visible. She
reached out a hand to snatch at the proffered weapon. Pulling it free
from its holster, she leveled the gun and took aim.

JC was struggling to free himself from beneath an unconscious Liz,
his right hand still clutching the gun. On his s hes he turned toward
Scully, whipping his right hand around to take aim.

"FBI, drop your weapon!" Scully cried as she took notice of JC's
freedom of movement.

She pulled the trigger.

JC went down just as the front door burst open to reveal Engle and
Crane.

Ch. 21

Santa Barbara General
Santa Barbara, CA
January 8, 2003 11:23 AM PST

Mulder woke to the sound of soft voices. His whole body ached and
his mouth felt dry. When he opened his eyes, he was met with an
explosion of light that left him dizzy.

Scully's head swiveled to focus on her partner when she heard the
quiet groan. His eyes were still closed but she could tell that he was
regaining consciousness. Without a word she strode toward the
bedside and reached for his hand.

"Mulder?" She drew soothing circles with thumthumb.

"Scully?" His eyes blinked slowly open.

Across the room, Skinner watched his two agents' impromptu
reunion. He reached for his crutches, knowing that neither would
notice his retreat from the room.

"I'm here." She continued to lightly stroke his hand.

"Elizabeth? Mark?" Mulder's voice croaked out a query.

"Elizabeth's got a mild concussion. After JC shot you, Elizabeth
tackled him and ended up knocking herself out on the end table. She
did give me enough time to grab your weapon and take JC down,
though." Scully explained as she handed Mulder a cup of ice chips.

Mulder took a few moments to ease his parched throat before
continuing with the conversation.

"Is he in custody?"

"Yes. There are two officers guarding him a few floors down. I shot
him in the shoulder just as Engle and Crane came through the front
door."

"What aren't you telling me, Scully?" The line that crinkled her brow
told him that she was holding something back, concerned about his
reaction.

"You should get some more rest, Mulder. You're still weak from
surgery. You won't be able to have any solid food for a few weeks.
You're lucky they were able to repair the damage, though; it could
have been a lot worse." Her eyes relayed the concern and worry she
had been shouldering since the shooting.

"I'm fine, Scully, " Mulder soothed. "Tell me what happened to Mark."

Scully sighed, turning her head to peer out the hospital window.
"Mark didn't make it, Mulder. He lost too much blood...there was
nothing we could do." She turned back to see her partner's jaw
clenched tightly, his eyes dull and dazed.

"I see."

"It's not youult,ult, Mulder."

"I am feeling a little tired, Scully. I think I'll rest for awhile." Pulling his
hand out of her grasp, Mulder turned to lie on his side, forgetting his
injured abdomen.

He groaned in pain, quickly shifting onto his back and squeezing his
eyes shut.

"Mulder?" Scully's voice was filled with concern. "Dammit! Why do
you have to be so damned stubborn?" She pushed the nurse's call
button as she admonished him.

A young looking nurse entered the room and looked inquiringly at
Scully.

"Agent Mulder has regained consciousness and is in some pain. Do
you think you can administer a dose of his pain meds?" Scully asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll inform the doctor that the patient is conscious." The
nurse injected a small dose into Mulder's IV as she spoke, then left
the room.

Scully could see the lines on Mulder's face relax as the medication
kicked in. She gave a long suffering sigh before speaking, "Try to get
some rest Mulder. The doctor will be in to check on you soon. If all
goes well, we should be able to get you out of here within a week."

The only response she received was a short grunt of acceptance, but
Mulder did not turn to meet her eyes. "I'll be back in about an hour.
I'm just going to run back to the motel and grab a change of clothes."
She smoothed back the errant lock of hair on his forehead before
standing to leave.

It was then that Mulder noticed that she was still wearing the same
suit she'd had on when they entered JC's home. There were a few
scattered drops of blood on her slacks, probably his own.
"Thanks, Scully." Mulder's quiet words reached Scully before she
could open the door. She turned to give him one of her rare but
sincere smiles before walking out, the door clicking softly behind her.

***
Down the hall, Scully opened the door to her boss's room. Skinner
was lying bon hon his bed, flipping channels on the television. He
clicked the TV off when she entered, giving her his full attention.

"How is he, Agent?" he questioned.

"As well as can be expected, sir. Physically, he'll be fine. He'll need
to be off active duty for at least 3 months, and he'll have to go through
some physical therapy, but there shouldn't be any problems." Scully
outlined for him.

"And mentally?" Skinner knew that Mulder would be blaming himself
for the loss of the child. He also knew how close to home this would
hit for his recalcitrant agent.

"I'm not sure, sir. You know how Mulder feels about any case
involving children. He'll need some time to process everything that's
happened, but you know that whether we captured Addison or not,
Mulder would view this as one of his failures." Scully shook her head
in silent rebuke.

"I know, Agent. But hopefully, given time and our continued support,
he'll eventually understand that there's nothing he did wrong, "
Skinner tried to reassure her.

"I hope so. Thank you, sir."

Skinner spent a moment to study the other half of the X-files team.
Scully looked tired, her eyes baggy and dark. Her skin was pale, and
her clothes were wrinkled. She hadn't left Mulder's side for more than
a few minutes since he'd come out of surgery.

"Okay, Agent. I think it's time you got youf sof something to eat and
then sacked out."

"I'm on my way back to the motel now, sir. I told Mulder I'd be back
within the hour. I just want to get a fresh set of clothing." She turned
to leave the room.

"Agent Scully." Skinner stopped her before she could escape. "You
wilturnturn to the motel, stopping on the way to grab yourself
something to eat. You will then lie down and sleep for at least 4
hours before returning to the hospital. is is an order."

"Sir, I've told Agent Mulder that I would be back - "

"I don't care what you told Agent Mulder. You need some rest. Look
at yourself. You still have blood on your clothes!" Skinner pointed to
the splattering on her clothing. "I will speak with Agent Mulder to let
him know that you will be back here by dinner time. Okay, Agent?"

"Yes, sir."

Scully turned on her heel and briskly strode out the door. Skinner
sincerely hoped she would follow his advice and get some rest.
Mulder wasn't the only stubborn agent he had under his supervision.

Ch. 22

Santa Barbara General
Santa Barbara, CA
January 8, 2003 3:04 PM PST

Mulder was dozing lightly when Skinner entered the room. He took a
seat by the bedside and studied his sleeping agent. He was actually
surprised that Scully agreed to leave so soon after the surgery. The
fact that Mulder had awakened earlier in the day was a good sign.

It had been exely ely close for all parties involved. Part of him was
glad that he'd been unconscious when they removed him from the
scene. He knew that if he'd been awake, there was no way he would
have left his agents.

As it was, the moment he woke, he'd been filled with anxiety over the
seriousness of Mulder's injuries. Scully had been there to debrief
him, and to let him know that er wer was in surgery, that his injuries
were life threatening and that the following 24 hours would be critical.

Mulder's eyes fluttered open when the presenc ano another person
finally seeped into his subconscious.

"Scully?"

"She's gone back to the motel to get some rest, " Skinner answered
quietly.

"Oh." Mulder dry washed the stubble on his chin. "Thank you, sir."

Sitting up slightly, Mulder noticed the crutches leaning against the
edge of the bed. He glanced up to his boss and gave him a
concerned once over. "And how are you feeling, sir?"

"Fine, Mulder." He raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not the one who
was shot in the stomach."

"Well, other than the fact that I'll be eating jello and chicken broth for
the next 2 months, I think I'm fine." Mulder made a face at his choice
of menu.

There was quiet for a moment before Skinner broke the silence.

"That wasn't exactly an SOP move you made back there, Agent."
Skinner somemademade this fact sound like a query.

"No, sir." Mulder sighed and turned away. "It didn't save Mark
either."

"No, it didn't." Skinner stated matter-of-factly. Mulder turned back to
meet his discerning stare. "But it did save your partner."

They locked gazes for a minute before Mulder's eyes fell to his
clasped hands.

***

Motel 6, Room 143
Santa Barbara, CA
January 8, 2003 3:41 PM

Scully stepped under the warm spray of the shower. She'd taken
Skinner's advice and grabbed a salad on the way to the motel. After
lunch, she was able to get a few hours sleeforefore waking up to get
ready for her return trip to the hospital.

As she reached for the shampoo, she noticed her hands shaking
slightly. Her body was finally allowing the shock to register. Since
the shooting, Scully had been running on autopilot. Now that Mulder
was conscious and she knew that most of the danger pas passed, the
events of the day were finally catching up to her.

Tears slid down her cheek as she thought of Mark. Another child
they weren't able to save. She knew how Mulder would take this.

When Addison had pulled the trigger she hadn't expected Mulder's
move. She had instinctively wrapped her body around Mark to try to
protect him. Without a weapon there was nothing more she could do.

Mulder had thrown himself in the line of fire. To protect Mark as well
as herself, she knew. But procedure dictated that he should have
drawn his weapon, letting Addison take his shot and then taking him
down.

But when was Mulder ever known to follow procedure? A fond smile
graced lipslips as she thought of her errant partner.

She rinsed the lather out of her hair, glad to finally be able to wash
the grime of the day away. She was actually surprised that she
hadn't gotten more blood on her. But everything had happened so
fast.

Once Mulder had been shot, her thoughts had to center around
getting all of them out. Once she'd seen the weapon, she dove for it
and took the first shot she had. By that time, Engle had arrived along
with the paramedics. And they had taken over the scene.

After Scully had informed them of Mark's condition she had turned,
only to find that Mulder had already been settled onto a gurney and
was being led out to the first ambulance.

Mulder's injuries were life threatening. Sadly, Scully thought, this
wasn't a completely uncommon occurrence. But the difference this
time was that she had been a main cause of them. He had taken the
bullet meant for her.

In the back er mer mind, she had always known that Mulder wouldn't
hesitate to sacrifice himself for her, as she would for him. After all, he
had been willing to risk his sister's life in exchange for hers, why not
his own?

Now she just had the physical proof.

***

Santa Barbara General
Santa Barbara, CA
January 8, 2003 5:15 PM PST

Mulder had been watching Skinner carefully since he'd awakened to
find the A.D. watching over him. His movements were stiff, and the
only time that their eyes had met was during their conversation about
Mulder's injury and its consequences.

Skinner seemed restless, constantly shifting in the chair.

"Sir?"

Skinner glanced up but then quickly away.

"Is your knee bothering you? You don't have to keep me company if
you'd like to go back to your room and lie down, " Mulder tried to
reassure his boss.

"No, Agent. I'm fine." Skinner's answer was short.

"Okay. You just seem a bit restless. I thought you might be feeling
uncomfortable in that chair." Mulder tried again.

Skinner sighed hard, and then finally looked up to meet Mulder's
gaze. "It's not that, Mulder." He looked away again. "I suppose I'm
just feeling my age."

Mulder's brow rose in question.

"I've just been reviewing my involvement, or lack thereof, in the
conclusion of this case. I imagine that in my younger days I wouldn't
have been taken down so easily." Skinner rubbed at his injured knee
absently.

"You can't assume that, sir. And whether that is true or not, those
circumstances were beyond your control, " Mulder reasoned. "The
outcome of the case may not have been affected one way or the
other by your shooting."

"I suppose a person can't help playing the 'what if?' game in a
situation like this, " Skinner supplied.

"No, sir. But that game is useless. There are never any winners, "
Mulder answered.

Skinner met Mulder's eyes once more. Their gazes held for a
moment before Skinner spoke again. "You're right, Mulder. I guess
we should both remember that."

Ch. 23

Santa Barbara General
Santa Barbara, CA
January 13, 2003 2:01 PM PST

Mulder was reading over Scully's notes on the case. Skinner had
flown back to DC last night and was expecting their full report by the
end of the week. Although Sc was was going to be writing the official
report, Mulder was adding any comments or significant facts to
Scully's notes for the final write-up.

He looked up as the door to his room swung open. Expecting to see
Scully, he was surprised when Engle's face appeared around the
opening. They hadn't spoken since Mulder's surgery, and he had
actually thought that Engle might have already returned to DC.

"Engle." Mulder greeted the other agent.

"Agent Mulder. How are you feeling?"

"Still feeling like a gutted fish. Especially since I haven't had anything
more than broth and the occasional spoonful of jello in the past 5
days, " Mulder admitted.

Engle was fidgeting, shifting from foot to foot and avoiding eye
contact with Mulder.

"What is it, Agent Engle?"

Jon took a breath and blew it out before speaking. "I wanted to say
that I'm sorry, sir."

"Sorry for what, Engle?"

"I feel sort of responsible for having set Addison off with our
conversation. I should have let you handle the negotiations instead of
having phoned in. I shouldn't have assumed that you needed help
with the situation." Jon looked away.

Jon's head shot up when he heard Mulder's low chuckle. "Engle, you
don't know how relieved I was when that phone rang." At Engle's
incredulous look, Mulder continued. "Your call helped defuse the
situation. Addison was so wired up that he could have shot any one
of us right then. But that call focused his attention on you instead."

Jon relaxed slightly.

"There might not have been anything that either you or I could have
said to resolve this without any injuries. Addison was too unstable.
Your call just stalled the inevitable for a few minutes, that's all. And
who knows? Those few minutes might have meant one of our lives."

"Thank you, sir." Jon was relieved that Agent Mulder didn't blame
him for Addison's blow up.

"Would you like to sit down now, Engle?"

"No. No, thank you, sir. I uhm…" Engle still clearly had something on
his mind.

"Yes, Engle?" Mulder prompted him.

"I also wanted to say I'm sorry about…well…about the other night."

"Other night?"

"The night you went jogging?" Jon looked away, not wanting to meet
Mulder's eye.

"What are you sorry for, Engle?" Mulder kept his voice dangerously
neutral.

"Well, I didn't mean to accuse, that is, assume that something had
happened." Jon tried to explain.

"You shouldn't believe every rumor you hear, Jon."

"Of course. It was just that you and Agent Scully seemed so close
and - "

"We are close. I told you we've been through a lot together, but it's
no more than that, " Mulder interrupted.

Jon didn't answer right away. It seemed obvious to him that Agent
Mulder's earlier explanation of their relationship was a little lacking.He wHe was sure that he'd been on the receiving end of several decidedly
unfriendly glares from the senior agent.

"So…you wouldn't mind if I asked her to dinner when we're all back in
DC?" Engle prompted.

The room was silent, as Engle received another not quite friendly
glare. But before Mulder could answer, although to Engle, the
answer was obvious, the door swung open once again.

Scully walked in with a salad and a sack full of magazines. She
stopped when she saw Agent Engle in the room.

"Hello, Jon." Scully smiled at him and then continued toward Mulder's
side.

Mulder watched the interaction as Scully handed him the sack of
magazines and then seated herself on the chair beside him to open
her salad.

"Scully, now I know it's bad when I get jealous of a salad!"

The corners of Scully's lips turned up in a conciliatory smile before
she turned back to Engle.

"What brings you here, Jon?" She poured the light dressing onto her
salad before tossing it. "I thought your flight left this afternoon."

"It does, Dana. I just wanted to see how Agent Mulder was doing
before I returned to DC."

"Well you can see that I'm fine, JON." Mulder stressed the use of
Eng Chr Christian name.

"O-okay, sir. Well, I better get going. Traffic is going to be hell
getting back to LAX." Engle made his way across the room.

Jon turned before completely exiting. "I just wanto sto say that it was
great working with both of you. I've learned a lot and it was incredible
to see you both in action. Thanks."

Mulder immediately felt guilty for his behavior. "You did a good job,
Engle. You did good work and we appreciate it."

"Thank you, sir." Engle's face was tinged slightly pink. "Well, see you
back in DC." He hadn't meant it as anything more than a parting
comment, but caught sight of Agent Mulder's scowl as he walked out.
Walking down the corridor he shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't as if
he was planning on acting on his 'threat' anyway.

Mulder turned to see Scully giving him a questioning stare. "What
was that all about, Mulder?"

"I think someone's got a crush, DANA." Mulder teased.

"That's ridiculous FOX. Jon has been nothing but professional." She
took a few bites of salad. "While you've been in here, Jon and I have
been wrapping up the paperwork needed for the Sheriff's office. I told
him he could call me Dana."

She looked up at the rustle of paper as Mulder moved the case notes
to the bedside table.

"So you wouldn't be interested if he, say, asked you to dinner when
we got back to DC?" Mulder asked casually.

Scully frow "N "No, Mulder. He's a kid, for goodness sake!"

"You sure it's not the buck teeth? They were pretty bad, " Mulder
answered nonchalantly, masking his relief.

Scully gave him a disbelieving look before shaking her head. "Just
finish the case notes so I can get out of here, Mulder. I need to go
pack our bags so that we can fly out tomorrow once you've checked
out."

Mulder jusve hve her a crooked grin before picking the paperwork
back up.

Ch. 24

Mulder's Apartment
Arlington, VA
January 14, 2003 9:51 PM EST

"Mulder, there are dead things in here!" Scully's voice carried over
into the living room as she scrounged in the refrigerator for something
to drink.

"Sorry, Scully. I'm sure the ice is okay. Why don't you pour some
water from the tap?" Mulder responded.

"Aha!" Scully's cry was triumphant as she pulled out a can of Brisk
Ice Tea from the back of the fridge. "I don't trust your tap water,
Mulder. And you shouldn't either!" she scolded as she returned to
the living room.

Mulder was stretched out on his couch, his eyes closed.

Scully sat on the floor indian style to talk to him. "How are you
feeling, Mulder?"

"'M fine, Scully. The flight kind of wore me out a bit, having to sit in
that position for so long, " Mulder admitted.

"You should get some rest, Mulder." She tapped his foot lightly. "In
bed and not on this monstrosity." Scully indicated the couch.

Mulder shook his head. "I'll be fine, Scully."

"No excuses, Mulder. I'm going to turn your bed down right now, and
you are going to get in it before I leave." She stood and headed for
his room.

She returned and shook him slightly from his sleepy state. Helping
him stand, she wrapped her arms snugly around his waist to help him
walk the rest of the way to his bed.

"This wasn't exactly how I pictured luring you into my bedroom with
me, Scully." Mulder teased.

Scully smiled back at him, but remained silent. She tucked him in and
brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. Her hand caressed his
cheek briefly before she removed it.

He'd noticed that she'd been touching him a lot more often since the
shooting. He wasn't about to complain, though. It was probably just
a knee jerk reaction to almost losing him again. As a psychologist, he
knew that a lot of family members seek physical reassurances after
this kind of near death experience.

A sad expression stole across his face as he remembered that Mark's
family wouldn't be allowed those kinds of reassurances.

Scully caught the look and her hand came out to rest atop his. "What
are you thinking about, Mulder?"

"Nothing, Scully. You should go. It's getting late and you're probably
tired from the trip, " Mulder deflected.

"No, Mulder." Scully was firm. "We have to talk about this. I know
you're feeling guilty over Mark's death."

"Of course I'm feeling guilty, Scully! It was my fault. If I had just
gotten the profile together one day sooner, or even a couple of hours,
this wouldn't have happened. Or if I had been able to predict which
house Addison would have holed up in, maybe the shoot out that
injured Mark could have been avoided, " Mulder lamented.

"Could have, should have, would have, Mulder. You can't know that
anything would have changed the outcome of the case. You're not to
blame." Scully tried to reassure him.

"Scully, that boy died because I couldn't save him." Mulder's words
were quietly whispered.

"You weren't the only one on the case, Mulder." Her hand moved
from his to cup his cheek. "And you're not the only one who's lost a
child. Don't think you're the only one affected by this."

Scully's words were like a slap in the face. "Oh god! I'm sorry,
Scully."

Mulder knew that Emily's death had torn something vital from Scully.
How could he forget that her pain would be just as strong, if not more
so, than his own?

"Mulder, I didn't remind you of that to make you feel worse. I just
wanted you to know that you're not the only one feeling guilty. We all
feel that way. If we didn't care, we wouldn't be doing the jobs that we
do."

Mulder's hand reached up to grasp her own. He brought it forward
and laid a chaste kiss on her palm. "Thank you, Scully."

"You're welcome, Mulder." She smiled gently down at him. "Now get
some rest, I'm sure we've got a stack of x-files sitting in the basement
just waiting for one of your insane theories."

Mulder relinquished her hand as she stood to leave. He was already
feeling drowsy, his painkillers and the effects of a long flight kicking
in.

"G'night, Scully."

"Goodnight, Mulder."

She leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the forehead, her lips
just brushing his skin.

She stood above him for a few moments, until his breathing evened
out into a steady rhythm. Her hand stole out once more to caress his
cheek.

"You did save someone that day, Mulder, " she whispered softly.
"Thank you." She smiled softly as she gently repositioned an errant
lock of his hair, before quietly stepping out of the room.

THE END.