Chapter Text
"Strayed above the highway aisle,
(jagged vacance thick with ice)
I could see for miles, miles, miles."
--"Holocene" by Bon Iver
Scully juggled two cups of coffee as she walked through the dusty and dimly lit basement corridor of the Hoover Building, while trying to prevent her bag from slipping off her shoulder. The basement was normally devoid of other agents, which Scully usually found a little lonesome, but now she was glad that no one was around to witness her less-than-graceful juggling act. She had wanted to do something nice for Mulder and it was turning out to be a pain in the ass. Scully wondered if it was a bad thing that most things having to do with Mulder ended up being a pain in the ass. She used her foot to open the door to their basement office; luckily Mulder was already there and it was cracked an inch or else Scully might be sporting some first degree burns from hot coffee.
“Good morning; I brought caffeine,” Scully announced as she made her way into the office.
“It is a good morning,” Mulder agreed, gratefully relieving Scully of one of the cups. “What’s the occasion?”
“Well we have that meeting with Skinner in half an hour and I thought it might be nice to have a pick-me-up beforehand.”
“Are you really that worried, Scully?” Mulder asked with his eyebrow quirked. He took a sip of the coffee and then pulled it quickly away from his mouth when he realized how hot it was.
“No, I’m not worried, but you have to admit, Mulder, whenever we have a meeting with Skinner, he’s not exactly giving us bonuses or accommodations.”
“What’s a bonus?” Mulder jokingly asked. If there was a competition for which pair of agents would get Christmas bonuses, then Mulder and Scully were definitely in last place.
“All I’m saying is that you might be thanking me later for not letting you go into this meeting un-caffeinated.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Agent Scully. Now let’s see what the captain wants this time.” Mulder used his back to push his way out of the office, smiling at her as he exited. Scully smiled to herself and followed him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Good morning, Agents, come in and sit down,” Skinner ushered them into his office. Scully and Mulder were very intimate with the two chairs that sat in front of his desk and it always made Scully feel like she was in the hot seat when she sat there.
“Agent Scully and I are curious about why you called us in here on such short notice,” Mulder commented. He was right. Scully had a message on her answering machine last night from AD Skinner, which was unusual since it was a Sunday night.
“Well, Agents, I have a case for you. And before you ask, no, it is not an X-File.” Skinner could see Mulder’s eyes widen at the word “case” and anticipated what his first question would be.
“If it’s not an X-File, then I don’t know why you would want us on it.”
Scully was well aware that Mulder really didn’t like to work on cases that were X-Files and usually challenged every case they received that didn’t fit into their usual purview.
“First of all, you’ll go wherever I send you, X-File or not. Second, even though this case is not strictly an X-File, I believe that your individual expertise will help solve this case quickly and efficiently. The case came out of the Cleveland field office…”
Mulder groaned at the word “Cleveland.” Skinner pushed on.
“… It seems as though they have a serial killer in their midst. The local police force and the FBI are having trouble putting together a profile, which is why they requested your assistance, Agent Mulder. As for Agent Scully,” Skinner turned to face the red-headed woman seated before him. “…they could really use your expertise on the autopsies. While they’ve found cause of death for the victims, they hope someone with more experience might find something that their M.E. has missed.”
Skinner handed them each a manila folder. “Here are the case notes so far. You’ll be meeting up with Agent Morgan Callahan with the Cleveland field office and he will be your liaison. There is a joint task force with the local police department so you will be working closely with their police chief and detectives on the case. I’m assuming this will not be an issue?” Skinner looked pointedly at Mulder, who sometimes had what he called disagreements with the local police. Scully called it “Mulder being an asshole.”
Mulder cleared his throat and blushed. “I’m sure it will be fun.”
With that, Skinner showed them out of his office, with instructions that they were to go home and pack in order to catch a late afternoon flight out of Washington.
As they walked back to the basement, Scully reflected on the case. She was looking forward to working on something that wasn’t an X-File, because she always felt more comfortable when she knew that science and reason were the only game in town. Sometimes she felt out of her element when the case involved suspected ghosts or werewolves. A regular, old serial killer was something that Scully could handle and she felt confident in her abilities in regards to a case like this.
For the past few months, Mulder and Scully had been on what felt like non-stop cases, not pausing to take a rest, or God forbid a vacation. Scully hasn’t minded, though. Since her cancer has been in remission, Scully has wanted to work and keep busy. She received a second chance at life and she wasn’t going to waste it sitting around watching TV. Obviously there were other fulfilling things she could be doing instead of working all the time but she believed that the X-Files were important and she was okay with the way her life was going right now. After losing Emily, Scully knew that she should have taken a break but working constantly was the only thing keeping her mind off that particular tragedy. Sometimes she could tell that Mulder was worried about her: that she was working too much, too hard, not getting enough sleep, etc. He could be very sensitive when he wanted to be. Maybe he was right, Scully pondered. Maybe after this case, she would plan a trip and have some fun for once.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So what do you make of this case,” Mulder asked Scully, while he examined the case file, biting his pen and jiggling his knee. They were in the terminal, waiting for their 4 o’clock flight to Cleveland, Ohio. Yippee.
“Well I know how you balk at working on a case that isn’t strictly an X-Fire, but the reasons for wanting us on the case seem legitimate. You are an excellent profiler and I probably have a lot more experience performing autopsies of this sort than their coroner.”
Mulder smiled. “That was nice, Scully, I think that’s the first compliment I’ve heard from you all year.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Scully stated seriously, but then smiled to show that she was kidding.
Mulder turned back to the notes. “This case is weird though. I mean, how do they even know it’s a serial killer? There have only been three murders and the location of the murders along with the victims' ages, races, and occupations are all different. I don’t know, Scully, this might turn out to be a total wash.”
“Don’t be so quick to throw this case away, Mulder.” Scully looked through some of the autopsy photographs. She made sure the folder was obscuring some of the images so that passersby wouldn’t freak out. Scully has been less careful in the past and regretted it immensely when she noticed the shocked faces of people sitting around her. “All of the victims were shot at point-blank range in between the eyes.”
Mulder wasn’t convinced. “It’s probably a gang initiation.”
Scully skimmed the case file further. “Aha! Look at this: all the victims have a connection to St. Luke’s Hospital. They either worked there, visited as a patient or volunteered.”
Mulder looked even less convinced at this information. “Scully, do you know who many people go in and out of a hospital each day? It’s probably just a coincidence.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in coincidences?” Scully challenged him.
“I don’t when the case is an X-File.”
Scully rolled her eyes at that.
Mulder continued, “But it annoys me that a small city has a few murders that they can’t solve, so they immediately think it’s a serial killer and ask for FBI assistance. Now if we can’t solve the case, it’s our fault and they can blame it on us.”
Oh dear Lord. Maybe Scully shouldn’t have been so optimistic earlier.
“Well look at it this way,” Scully pointed out, “If the murders were committed by different perpetrators and we catch them all, then we can up our solve rate for the X-Files.”
Mulder grinned at that. “Scully, that’s why I love you. You’re always looking out for the X-Files.” He tapped her knee once and then went back to the case file.
Scully blushed, but luckily Mulder didn’t see.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By the time their flight landed, they got their luggage from baggage claim, rented a car and drove to the hotel, it was starting to get late. The agents had instructions from Assistant Director Skinner that they were to meet Agent Callahan at one of the Cleveland police stations at 9 o’clock the next morning. Luckily, Mulder and Scully were able to get two adjoining rooms. This didn’t always happen but when it did, they always left the door ajar for easy access and communication. Scully liked that she didn’t have to walk outside or through the hotel to get to Mulder because invariably he would call her in the middle of the night for some random case file or photograph.
Scully was pulling items out of her suitcase when Mulder flung his adjoining door open to find that Scully had already unlocked her side in anticipation of his dramatic entrance.
“Honey, I’m home,” he grinned.
“Mulder, go unpack.” Scully was trying to hang her suits and put some things away before it was time for bed.
Mulder flopped on her bed. “There’s gotta be something good on TV right?”
“Mulder, come on. It’s late and I’m tired.”
Mulder jumped up to stroll over to her. “You’re feeling okay, right?”
This type of behavior was residual from when Scully had cancer. Even though she’s been in remission for over six months, every time Scully mentions feeling unwell or tired, Mulder becomes very concerned. If it wasn’t so endearing, it would be extremely annoying.
“I’m alright, I promise. Just normal exhaustion from flying.”
Mulder seemed appeased. “Okay, get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He patted her on the back as he left, pulling the door behind him but still leaving it slightly ajar.