EMXC 1st Year fanfic- October 1, 1994 thru October 1, 1995 Archived: 10/01/95 ============================================================== Janitor An X-Files Story By Raymond C. Gilford gylford@i-link.net or gylford@AOL.com 03/15/95 Disclaimer: The characters and events depicted in episodes of the X-Files television series are the property of Chris Carter, Fox BC and Ten Thirteen Productions, Inc. The story itself and the scenes it includes are the property of the author. Washington, DC FBI Headquarters X-Files Division Saturday 1 April, 1995 6:58AM Special Agent Fox Mulder yawned as the elevator doors opened. Turning to his right, he took out his keys and started shaking them absentmindedly while he walked. It was Scully's turn to bring breakfast. He could tell she was getting tired of his swinging by Winchell's on his way to the office, so she'd have something special. Mulder put his key in the lock and turned the knob. Someone had been in here. He let go of his briefcase. It hit the floor next to his right foot. "What the Hell?" he said aloud. I'll kill her, he thought as he looked about the clean, tidy office. Scully always kept her part immaculate, but his-Where is everything? The place had NEVER looked this good. When he'd first moved in, all he really did was throw out what was there and drag in his own stuff. I cannot work like this! >BeepBeep-BeepBeep< Mulder looked at his watch. April 1. Ok, I get it. She'll come in with all the stuff I was working on, or it'll be in my apartment when I get home. He brought his briefcase over, put it on his desk and sat down. He didn't even bother turning on the desk lamp. "Morning Mulder." Fox saw a flash of auburn hair cascading over a royal blue jacket before he heard his name. "Ok...make nice...give me my stuff." "Mulder, what are you talking about?" "Ha Ha Ha, very funny, Scully. I know it's April Fool's, but I've got work to do." "Mulder, I haven't been here." "Come on, Scully, you snuck in after I left and cleaned my part of the office. Now you're giving me these big, innocent blue eyes." Dana sat down in front of him. "Mulder, I left the same time you did last night. I just got here. If you don't believe me, go down and get the records from the card-key machine in Security!" Scully followed Mulder all the way up to Security. She was getting really offended by these outrageous accusations. Ron Royal, the Security Chief printed out the names of everyone who had been in or out of the building after they'd both left. Neither of their names appeared on the list from 12AM to 7AM when Mulder came in. "I-I'm sorry Scully," Mulder said as they were riding the elevator back down. "I don't want to hear it, Mulder. This is going to cost you." Mulder cringed at Dana's tone and at the azure fire that burned in her eyes. "I said I was sorry." "Mulder, save it. After you've done a few things, then you may approach me and request my forgiveness." 9PM Same Day Mulder sat alone at his desk. Scully had finally gone home. He a little felt better now that she wasn't there torching him with that gaze. He'd tried several times to get her to specify whatever punishment she had in mind, but she didn't want to talk about it. He had found all the stuff that had been on his desk. It was neatly filed in the extra filing cabinet and placed in some file boxes. He pulled out most of it and made a variation of the mess he had left there the night before. He started writing on his legal pad again. >Snap!< His pencil lead broke again. He reached over to their supply drawer and pulled out the box of #2s. It was empty. He got up and went upstairs to the second floor cabinet for another box. He walked back to the elevator and got on. This thing with Dana was really bothering him. He could not figure out why she wouldn't let him apologize. Mulder walked back into his office. He dropped the new box of pencils in his in-tray and started to sit down in his chair. The pencil he'd been using was in the same spot where he'd left it, but it was sharp again. Mulder set it carefully in the groove in the center drawer of his desk and took out one from the new box. He sharpened it, picked up a sunflower seed from the pile by his desk calendar and continued working. About five hours later, he turned out the desk lamp and went home. Monday 3 April, 1995 6:47AM "Just let it be the way I left it," whispered Mulder as he turned the doorknob. He shook his head as soon as the hall light illuminated the office. His side was straightened up again, but now Scully's side was a mess. I am going to die. He thought about taking off... just requesting a couple days vacation and going for a drive on Old Route 1, up and down the Chesapeake. Scully could kill him when he got back, but at least his final days wouldn't be so bad. Mulder decided against leaving and set about cleaning up Dana's side of the office. He put everything back in alphabetical order and stacked it all neatly, the way she always left it. About 7:38, he went back over to his own chair and sat down. He leaned forward and rested his head in his palms. He had to come up with a way to get Dana to let him off the hook. About ten minutes later, he heard a squeaking/flipping noise. He looked up. Scully's Rolodex was turning over and over and over. He watched the black knobs on either side of its aluminum stand slowly spinning and each card slapping the ones below it. The card-file started turning faster. Mulder stood up to go around his desk when the device started slinging cards up in the air. Great, I've got a poltergeist in my office and it doesn't like Scully. As Mulder sat back down in his chair, the Rolodex quit spinning. That didn't much matter, since it was now empty. He spun around in his chair and started looking for an empty box to put the cards in when he heard more noise. He turned back around to see the cards flying up off the floor and stacking neatly on Dana's desk. Then invisible hands divided the stack into ten equal-sized piles and started shuffling them two-at a-time like playing cards. Where is Peter Venkman when you need him? Mulder thought as he sat back and watched the show. He jumped up to grab the cards. In the second and a half that it took him to round the two desks, his 'visitor' put them all back in the rotary file. Mulder was pulling his chair up again when the door opened and Dana walked in. "Good morning!" Mulder said with a toothy grin. "Good morning, Mulder," she said setting her briefcase down next to her desk. "I see you're staying tidy." "Yeah, listen, about last Saturday..." "Oh no, don't start that. You are still in the doghouse." "What do you want, Scully?" "Well, let's see," Dana said, giving him a wide smile as she sat down. "You can start by taking my car down and getting my new plates put on it. Then I'll want it washed and waxed." "Is that all?" Mulder asked, relieved, perhaps a bit too relieved for Dana's liking. "Oh, Nooooo..." Dana said, gazing briefly up at the ceiling and running her right hand through her auburn hair. "Before you apologize, ever so humbly, I want you to be totally skeptical on our next case. I don't care how much paranormal 'evidence' we uncover. I don't even care if the aliens kiss you on the mouth. I want you to look at everything with total disbelief." "Was my sin so terrible that I deserve THAT much torture?" "Yes it was," Dana grinned again, nodding. "Ok, Scully, give me your keys," Mulder said holding out his palm. Dana reached in her purse and handed him her car keys and he walked out of the office. 10:37PM Same Day Mulder was back at his desk again. He'd just dropped Dana off at home after they had gone to see the new movie 'Hideaway.' She tried to look like it hadn't affected her so much, but he could tell it really scared her. He smiled when he thought of how their relationship had gone from adversaries to the best of friends... from accusing her of being sent to spy on him to trusting her with his life. He then began to think about how furious she was with him a few days ago. At that moment, Dana's desk drawers, all five of them, slid out and crashed on the floor. They vibrated loudly and the contents jumped all over the place. The picture of Dana with her Dad fell over on her desk, and Mulder heard the glass crack. "Stop it! Stop it! Damn you!" Mulder yelled at the thing causing this. Then he started to hear sobs... very familiar sobs. Immediately he felt guilty...pangs of guilt he had not felt for over 20 years. The sobs continued and got a little louder. "I'm sorry, Sam." A few seconds later he realized what he had just said. "Samantha?" "Yes," >SNIFF< "It's m-me, Fox," said an eight year old voice. Her picture slid over in front of him. Tears came to his eyes as he accepted the fact that she was really there with him. "Why are you doing this to Dana?" "She-she was mean to you." "It's got to stop, Sam. She's my partner... my friend." >SNIFF< "Then you're not mad at her?" "No, not mad at her, we just had a... well a misunderstanding." Mulder rocked backwards in his chair as what felt like sixty pounds came over and climbed into his lap. He felt a pair of lips touch his right cheek and linger there for a long moment. Then arms were about his neck hugging him tightly. He could hear the desk drawers sliding back, one by one, into place. The fragrance he smelled was the baby shampoo his Mother used to buy for his sister. He reached up and returned the embrace. He wept. He wept for all the years he had been forced to be without her. "I love you, Fox." "I love you too, Sammie." end.