The Job II:An Honest Day (2/2)
        by D Long(GreyesD@juno.com)

Summary: Mulder must decide whether or not to help save 
the life of the woman who shot him.

PG.
Disclaimer in part one.

and now, the continuing voice in my head is proud to 
present...part 2.

***
Jessica cradled the phone in her hand, listening to the hum 
of a dead line. Slowly, she hung up and turned to look 
around her. If Marty knew Agent Mulder was here, then he 
must be having he followed. And Marty only hired the best. 
Her mind quickly ran through her short list of options. Run, 
or stay and fight for her life.

After a long moment, she picked up the phone. "Yes, I need 
to get on the next flight off the island."

Within an hour, she had packed her bags and was preparing 
to leave her island haven. Crossing the lobby, suitcase in 
hand, she was stopped by Agent Mulder.

"Leaving so soon?"

<I should have known you wouldn't fall asleep when I 
needed you to.> "Yes, I have an emergency to take care of."

"Another problem to eliminate?"

Frustrated, Jessica sighed. "Agent Mulder, I don't have time 
for this. I have a plane to catch. Now, if you will excuse 
me." She tried to ignore him as he walked next to her 
through the large open lobby of the hotel. She wished she 
had the time for one last look at the marble tiles under her 
feet, and the detailed sculptures that surrounded her.  <I 
hope I live long enough to come back here.>

"What are you running from ?"

"I'm not running from you, if that's what you are 
wondering." Jessica stepped into the bright sunlight that 
flooded the entrance, and pushed the door open with her 
suitcase. As was her habit, she scanned the immediate area 
for anything even slightly out of place, and she found it 
across the street.  A man leaning against a store front, a 
newspaper draped casually over his right arm, his hand 
hidden. He was looking right at her. "Get down." she said 
only loud enough for Agent Mulder to hear.

"Why? So you can shoot me again?"

Jessica's eyes never moved from the man standing casually 
across the street , so she was ready when he lifted his arm, 
his hand holding the newspaper in place. It took her only a 
second to throw her bags in Mulder's direction, knocking 
him to the ground. She was turning to jump out of the way 
when she felt a hot pain flash across her left thigh.  She fell 
to the ground grasping at the pain. When she realized the 
color on her hands was blood, her mind seemed to click 
into automatic.

It was only seconds before she had her gun drawn and had 
squeezed off two rounds.  Pulling herself behind a large 
cement planter, Jessica glanced at her wound, <just a flesh 
wound> which was strangely becoming numb, and then in 
the direction of Agent Mulder. He also had drawn his 
weapon, and was aiming it not across the street, but at her. 

"Couldn't do it yourself so you had someone else finish the 
job?"

"*Hello* agent Mulder. I don't think he's after you." she 
pulled herself farther behind the planter and out of sight, 
even though she knew the man was gone. <people like him 
don't stick around, but then neither do people like me.>

"Oh I got it, you didn't finish the job so this is your 
punishment?"

"Are you really that stupid ? This has nothing to do with 
you. At least not like you think." She called across the 
twenty feet separating them. Jessica sighed and  pushed her 
hair from her face. <I have got to get out of here.>  She 
looked for a way to get out of the vicinity. <Shit!>

Mulder crossed the space between them, his gun still aimed 
at her.

"Put that thing away before someone thinks you shot me. 
Better yet, keep it out, they might take you to jail." Jessica 
pulled up her silk skirt and quickly studied her leg. <I guess 
Marty is losing track of who's the best after all.> 

"You're bleeding." Mulder said as he put his gun back in it's 
holster.

"I am being followed by Agent Einstein." Jessica quickly 
replaced her own gun and stood. She shrugged off Mulder's 
offer of help. "I can walk."

"Who was that guy?"

"No one." Jessica walked carefully over to her luggage and 
picked it up. "Taxi !"

"Oh no you don't !" Mulder grabbed her arm and drug her 
back towards the hotel.

"Let go of me!"

"Not until you tell me why a lady like you, who's just on 
vacation carries a gun in a thigh holster and has a man 
shooting at her." Pulling her through the small crowd of 
onlookers, they entered the hotel lobby.

"Where are you taking me ?"

"To a place we can talk." 

Jessica gave up her struggle and limped beside him. "You 
realize you just put yourself in a lot of danger."

"No more dangerous than sleeping with you, and I've got 
the scars to prove it."

<How the hell am I going to get out of this?> "I don't know 
what you're talking about."

She sighed as Mulder unlocked the door in front of them 
and pushed her inside. 

Mulder locked the door behind them and reached out for 
Jessica. "I'll take this." he said reaching under her skirt and 
removing her gun from it's holster.

"Hey, you can't take that!"

" I just did. So, why do you carry a gun?"

Jessica sat in the nearest chair and looked again at her 
wound. "Be a good man and get me a washcloth and some 
bandages."

***

Mulder casually paced the floor, while talking on the 
phone. Jessica watched him, shaking her head.  "People 
like him don't have names, Agent Mulder. You won't find 
him." She cut another strip of tape and placed it over the 
gauze square. 

He hung up his phone a few moments later and sat down 
across from her. "Why was he shooting at you?"

Jessica shrugged, and finished bandaging her leg.

"Why do you carry a gun?"

"Lots of women carry guns, is it so unusual?" Standing, she 
tested her leg, taking a walk around the room.

"Most women don't use thigh holsters. That's usually 
reserved for the professional."

"Are you the expert on women or professionals?" She took 
a seat on the small couch and lit a cigarette.

"For someone in your situation, you sure have a smart 
mouth." Mulder looked at her carefully.

"That's the second time today someone said I was in a 
situation."

"Who was the first?" he asked, trying to keep his eyes on 
her face, to ignore her long legs, which he could still 
picture in the short black skirt.

"You can quit asking me questions, Mulder, I can't answer 
them."

"Can't or won't?" 

Jessica smiled simply. "Either way, I'm a dead woman. But 
you, on the other hand, the less you know, the longer you 
live."

"Is that a threat ?" Mulder stood and crossed the room to 
her. "Is it ?"

She looked up into his face, into his hazel eyes. She 
remembered that night, so many months ago, when she 
stood naked before those eyes, felt his hands move slowly 
across her skin.  "All I'm saying is that it would be better 
for you in the long run to let me walk out that door.. alone."

"You have got to be kidding." Mulder laughed. "There is no 
way you are walking out that door. And if you think I'm 
going to believe anything you tell me--"

"Suit yourself. But may I make a suggestion? Make peace 
with yourself and your higher power, because they will go 
through you to get to me."

***

Mulder opened the door, accepting the tray of food from 
the young man. "Dinner's here." He said to Jessica. 

Jessica didn't turn from the window. She was busy 
watching a man walk casually back and forth on the beach 
in front of them. As if on cue, he turned to her and tipped 
an imaginary hat. With a deep breath, she moved from the 
glass. She wasn't naive, she knew she wasn't getting off the 
island alive. Marty had put out a contract on her, and he 
had hired more than one person to finish the job. <I guess 
it's time to make my own peace.>

"Did you hear me? Dinnertime." Mulder repeated. When 
she turned from the window, her face was pale. "Are you 
all right ?"

Jessica was silent for a moment. "Fine." Strangely, she 
really felt fine. She knew when she first started in this line 
of work that getting out was nearly impossible. And she 
had heard of more than one story about the new cleaning 
out the old.  She quietly made her way to the small table 
and sat down across from Agent Mulder.

"Not what I always wanted for my last meal, but it will 
suffice."

"This is not your last meal, Jessica. You'll have plenty more 
while you are in jail."

Chewing a bite of salad, she shook her head. "I'll never get 
that far. I'll be dead by morning."

"And what makes you so sure?" Mulder studied her 
face.<She really believes that. What has she gotten herself 
into?>

Jessica smiled. "I know what kind of people are outside 
that door. They have their limits. If I'm not dead by 
morning, they'll be next on the list." she picked up her glass 
and tipped it towards his.  "Cheers."

"You seem fairly calm for someone so sure they're going to 
die." He noticed her hands were steady, her eyes were 
clear.

"Agent Mulder, if someone told you that you were going to 
die tomorrow, but you could change one thing about your 
life, what would you change ?" She watched his face as he 
considered her question. <Such a strong face, I wonder 
what secrets you hide behind that face.>

"I don't know. But I guess it really doesn't matter, since I 
am not going to die tomorrow, and neither are you."

Jessica ignored Mulder's statement. "I wish I had called my 
mom, let her know I was okay." 

"It's not too late, you could call her now." Mulder's voice 
was soft.

"No, she died a few years ago." Jessica pushed her plate 
away. "I guess I'm not very hungry." She thought about her 
mom. 

The woman had been unwavering support of her only 
daughter's choices. At least the ones she had been aware of. 
When Jessica announced she was going to be a scientist, 
Virginia Montroll-Monroe set up a fund to pay for her 
education, and made sure she wouldn't need for anything. 
She had looked at Jessica more as a friend than a daughter; 
they talked about everything. But she never told her 
daughter about the illness that was quietly eating away at 
her body. She passed away after spending six months 
looking for her missing baby girl.

Jessica sighed. <Maybe if I had called her she would have 
found the strength.>

"Are you all right ?" Mulder was almost overwhelmed by 
the sudden sadness that spread across her face. Her blue 
eyes weren't seeing this room, he knew that. She was facing 
a ghost from her past. < Probably the same type of ghost I 
face every day.>

Shrugging off the memories, she stood. "Never better." 
Lighting another cigarette she stared out onto the clear 
water, keeping her distance from the window. <Am I really 
prepared to die?>

"I could help you, put you in protective custody." 

Jessica turned to him. "You can't save me, anymore than I 
can save you."

"Wait-- what do you mean?"

"You're life is in danger, Agent Mulder. I know who wants 
you dead."

*****

Jessica awoke slowly, and began to stretch when a sharp 
pain shot through her shoulder and down her arm. With a 
groan, she remembered Mulder had handcuffed her to the 
bed so she couldn't run away. She looked over at him, 
asleep in the over-stuffed corner chair.  "Mulder!"

"Huh.. What ?" He bolted upright in the chair, disoriented.

"Take these damn cuffs off before I dislocate my shoulder!"

"Boy, are you ever the cheery one in the morning.And you 
said you wouldn't make it this far." He said getting up 
slowly and digging the keys from his pocket.

"Tell you what. Tonight, you wear the cuffs, and we'll 
compare notes in the morning. But I bet you like being tied 
up, don't you." Jessica smiled, and waited as he unlocked 
the cuffs. Rubbing her wrist she moved from the bed. " I'm 
going to take a shower, you order breakfast, then find a way 
to get me off this island.. alive."

"Aren't you being a little too demanding?" 

"Maybe, but you want something I have and you'll need to 
keep me happy to get it." Laughing softly, she turned on the 
hot water. "I'd like a sausage and broccoli omelet, please."

Mulder shook his head. "Of all the assassins, I get the one 
with a sense of humor."

Jessica stuck her head out from the shower curtain. "Hey, 
Mulder."

"What now? Hash browns?"

"Sure, but that's not what I was going to say. Call to the 
desk and have someone get some hair color, preferably 
blond. I've always wanted to be blond. Make sure they get 
at least two boxes."
***

Jessica emerged from the bathroom.  "What do you think?"

"Looks great." he said, unsure of what she had even done. 
He looked past her into the bathroom and noticed the mess 
on the counter. Empty color boxes and bottles were 
scattered across the vanity, wet towels were tossed on the 
floor in a heap.

"I'm glad you like it." she smiled.  "Do you have a way out 
of here?"

"I thought we would set off the fire alarms and then move 
out in the crowd."

Jessica smiled as she tucked her hair under a ball cap. 
"Good idea. Do I get my gun in case we run into any 
trouble?"

"You expect me to hand you a loaded gun? Are you crazy?" 
Mulder rolled his eyes. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't suppose a promise will suffice?"

Mulder met her gaze. "Hey Mulder, why don't you give the 
woman who shot you a loaded gun." he mocked. "No, you 
do not get a gun."

"Then you damn well better be a good shot because it's 
going to be one gun against at least three." She stood up to 
him.  "This may surprise you, but we are trying  to get away 
from trained assassins. We'll probably feel the bullet long 
before we see the gun."

"Nice optimistic metaphor." Mulder sighed.

A short time later, the halls were filled with the sound of 
harsh ringing bells. Mulder poked his head out the door and 
watched for a moment as a group of people neared them. 

"Now." he said pulling Jessica from the room and into the 
crowd.

"This is exciting." she smiled,  "But you can loosen your 
death grip on my arm, you are my ticket out of here, 
remember ?" Jessica was bumped from all sides as they 
maneuvered their way through the panicking mass; each 
time fearing the feeling of cold steel against  her ribs. But 
even the knowledge that picking her out in all these people 
would be difficult, her nerves were tensed for every 
sensation.

"Shit!" he grumbled next to her. "In all these people, it's 
going to be hard to find a cab."

<Great. Just what I need.>  "How much time do we have?" 
Jessica kept pace with him as they stepped outside and on 
to the street.

"Not much." Mulder looked up and down the street. "Let's 
keep moving."

"How much is 'not much'?" Ignoring his glare, she  turned 
and looked around her.<Nothing out of the ordinary.>

"The plane leaves in fifteen minutes."

"Shit! Are you kidding me? You gave us fifteen fucking 
minutes to get to an airport that's on the other side of the 
goddam island ?"

"Are you sure you're not a sailor?" Mulder pulled on her 
arm to keep her walking. "I wanted to cut it close so we 
weren't hanging around in one place for too long."

"Mulder, if we miss this flight, when is the next one?" He 
mumbled something under his breath. "Excuse me, I didn't 
quite catch that."

"Five hours." He cringed as she stopped in the middle of 
the street. 

"What?! Oh my god. I bought us some time but not that 
much. Marty can be here by then."

Mulder looked at her. "What do you mean you bought us 
some time?"

"I said we were dealing with trained assassins, I didn't say 
they were the brightest in the world."

"Jessica, what have you done?"

***

With a heavy sigh, the man answered his small pocket 
phone. "Yeah."

"Is she dead yet?..... I asked you a question Farber. Is 
Jessica Monroe dead yet?"

"No, they're gone."

"They.. are.. what?" Marty's voice was strong and full of 
anger. "You are dangerously close to being out of time. Do 
I need to come there and do it myself?"

"No sir." Farber stammered. "We have reason to believe 
she's changed her appearance, and we are looking for her. 
I've got all exits off the island covered."

He tossed a used color bottle into the trash.  "She is not 
getting off the island."

"She better not or the only way you'll be getting off is in a 
bag. Am I coming through clear?"

"Um.. yes, yes you are." 

***

Jessica pulled her hat tighter down on her head. Looking 
around, she was only momentarily comforted not noticing 
anyone paying them more than a cursory glance.  "I said I 
just bought us a little time, but there is no way we are going 
to last five hours."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." she smiled. "All those color bottles I left in the 
room are going to make the idiots think we've changed our 
hair. So now, they are looking for blondes, not brunettes. 
But it's only going to be a matter of time before they catch 
on, probably with Marty's help." She bit her lip as she 
thought of what they could do next. "We have got to find a 
way off this island."

Mulder followed her gaze. "We could get a boat?"

"By now, there will be someone posted at every main way 
off the island, all two of them. We need to either steal a 
private boat, swim, or find a way to stay hidden until that 
next flight." Jessica shook her head. "This is an impossible 
situation."

"No, it's not. If you can avoid the police for four years, 
committing murder after murder, leaving no traces, then 
you can get off this island."

"Well, Mulder, I don't know whether to say thank you or 
fuck you."

"We could get another hotel room, hide out there."

"Um, in case you haven't noticed, there are only three on 
this quiet little island. It wouldn't take much to find us. We 
have to find a way to become invisible, that's our only 
chance." Jessica followed Mulder across the street. <I must 
be crazy, trusting this man. All he's going to do is put me in 
jail anyway.>
***

"Well, two down, three to go." Mulder said checking his 
watch. "We just might make it after all."

Jessica was silent, her mind running every option they had 
two and three times over. A feeling of dread slowly made 
it's way through her body, giving her chills in the ninety 
degree heat.  "I don't like this." she looked around the small 
room they were in.  Under the assumption that Marty's 
henchmen would be looking for them away from the hotel, 
they were holed up in a small room on the ground floor.

"I'll admit it isn't perfect, but it'll do for the next few hours. 
Chin up."

"Okay, I am psyched. Let's get off this island and go 
straight to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect two million 
dollars."

"I thought it was two hundred dollars."

Jessica laughed wryly. "My services were never that 
cheap." She lit a cigarette and took a seat at the small table.

"How much was I worth? And did you get extra for 
seducing me."

She smiled at him. "You don't want to know that." 

"Oh, but I do." he sat next to her and stared into her face 
until she met his eyes. "Come on, how much?"

"Five hundred thousand a bullet." She took a long, deep 
pull from her cigarette. "The sex was free."

Mulder was silent for a long moment. "You wanted to sleep 
with me?"

"Do you ever look in the mirror? Look at you Mulder; tall, 
well built, handsome, who wouldn't want to fuck you?"  
Jessica looked away from his steady gaze. "Anyway, that 
was then."

Mulder smiled. "You think I'm handsome?" It was a playful 
question.

Jessica rolled her eyes, then thought for a minute. "You 
were sitting in that bar, all but crying into your drink. You 
looked...sad." she noticed again, the haunted expression 
that seemed to always take over his features. "I know a lot 
about you, Special Agent Fox Mulder. I have to, in my line 
of work. But I never did ask you what led you to that bar 
that day."

He only shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want you in my 
head any more than you want me in yours. Besides, why the 
sudden interest?"

"I don't know. I feel like I don't have much time left, maybe 
I just want to kind of start over while I can." she laughed 
sarcastically. "Or maybe I am just kidding myself." she 
took one final drag from her cigarette and put it out in the 
small crystal ashtray. "What's going to happen to me, when 
we get back stateside?"

His brow wrinkled in thought. "Probably jail." he answered 
quietly. He watched her nod her head. "I .."

Putting up her hand, she stopped him.  "No, that's all you 
have to say." <I knew the answer before I asked the 
question.> She took a deep breath and stood. "I think I 
knew one day I'd end up there. You can't run forever."

"Jessica, maybe you could make a deal."

"No, I can't do that, even assassins have a code of honor." 
she smiled. Jessica ran her fingers along the thin gold chain 
around her throat.

"Where's the solitaire?" he asked noticing the charm she 
had been wearing only a few months ago was gone.

"Gave it to someone." she said in an off-hand way.

Mulder watched her fingers move across the chain. She had 
beautiful, delicate hands; perfectly manicured, and they 
moved with a  natural grace. <Not the hands of a killer>  
"What did you want to be when you were young?"

She smiled. "When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. 
Then as I got older, I thought I might follow in my mother's 
footsteps and become a scientist. I was almost there 
when...."

"When what?"

"When I changed my major to professional killing. How 
much time do we have?"

The change of subject was not lost on Mulder as he 
checked his watch. "Two hours."
***

"Come on, let's go catch a plane." Mulder stood, pulled on 
a cap and waited for Jessica to do the same. "We'll make a 
straight path, and get there ten minutes before the plane 
takes off."

"And if we run into trouble?"

Mulder paused, then turned and handed Jessica a gun. 
"This is really going against my better instincts. People 
have done a lot of things to avoid going to jail."

"You have nothing to worry about from me. I never thought 
I'd say this, but get me the hell off this island." Jessica 
tucked the weapon into the waistband of her shorts; feeling 
the cool steel against her back. She looked at Mulder, his 
hand gripping the doorknob.  "Let's go."

Opening the door, Mulder peeked out into the hallway. 
Satisfied it was clear he led Jessica down the hall and out 
of the hotel. Within minutes they were in a cab, headed for 
the small airport.  "We are on our way."

Jessica's eyes continued scanning around them. <This is too 
easy. It doesn't  feel right.> 

The cab driver smiled back at them. "Ah, newlyweds?" 

Jessica looked quickly at Mulder when he answered yes.  
"Play along." he whispered as he kissed her cheek.

A short ride later Jessica stepped from the cab just as a 
plane passed directly overhead. "What the hell was that?" 
she said pulling her hand away form him.

"This island is full of couples. We are less likely to attract 
attention if we play the game instead of nipping at each 
other." Mulder smiled. "Shall we get on a plane?"

Jessica stayed alert as they made their way through the 
small terminal, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked 
like they might work for Marty. Her mind turned to how 
she would get away from Mulder once they were stateside. 
She really did not want to go to jail. <Just concentrate on 
getting off the island first, Jess.>

She scanned the crowd as Mulder checked them onto the 
next flight.

"I hope you used different names." she whispered when he 
returned to her side.

"Of course I did. We are now Mr. and Mrs. Peter Miller."

"Ugh. I don't even want to know what my first name is." 
Jessica shifted in her chair. when Mulder passed her a look, 
she sighed. "How comfortable can you get with a gun in 
your back?"  She turned and glanced around her again. 
<No, please no.> Strolling down the terminal, wearing 
floral print shorts and a polo shirt was Marty.

Swallowing hard, she turned to Mulder. "It's him. We're too 
late."

"Who?" Mulder reached around her, acting as if he was 
hugging her, instead he removed the gun from behind her. 
He carefully placed it in her hands, keeping it hidden 
in-between them.

"Marty. Mulder, he will kill me right here if he sees me." 
Jessica tried to hide the shaking in her voice.

"It's okay, I am going to protect you."

"Mulder, he will kill you too. Please, get out of here while 
you can."

"I am not leaving this island without you, Jessica." Mulder 
watched Marty near them and quickly leaned into her, 
hiding her face from view by kissing her.

"Is he gone?" she whispered. 

"I think so."

"Then get off my lap."

"You are the most ungrateful woman I have ever met. I am 
trying to save your life and all I get is grief."

"You only want me alive so you can put me in jail." Jessica 
looked around Mulder to see Marty stopping only two gates 
up. It seemed to her slow motion when Marty suddenly 
turned around and faced her, a smile on his face. Jessica 
decided the only way she was getting off the island would 
be if Marty was dead. Jessica pushed Mulder out of the 
way, lifted her gun and pulled the trigger.

Mulder regained his footing, his gun also now drawn and 
pointed towards Marty, who was on the ground holding his 
arm. "You missed! For the first time in your life you 
missed!" Mulder said angrily. "Shit! What were you 
thinking?"

Jessica's eyes never left Marty as he slowly got to his feet. 
Mulder began walking towards him. "FBI! Get your hands 
up."

"Mulder, be careful." she said walking a short distance 
behind him. She ignored the few passengers pinning 
themselves against the off-white walls to keep from harm's 
way. She did, however, notice one man standing calmly by 
a phone, his body turned only slightly away from her. 
<bodyguard> Jessica's eyes moved quickly between Marty 
and his crone. Her hand tightened momentarily on her gun, 
her breathing was unusually normal and steady, she had a 
very bad feeling creeping up her spine.  Her eyes locked 
with Marty's. 

"You are dead, bitch." he mouthed.

"Jessica--" Mulder started.

Seeing a slight movement in the corner of her eye, she 
turned her head to the man by the phone., Appearing to 
Jessica in slow motion, the man pulled a gun from under 
his arm and aimed it at Mulder.

"Mulder! Get down!" Jessica yelled lifting her arm and 
squeezing off a round into the man. She let out the breath 
she was holding as he crumpled to the floor. She looked 
back at Mulder in time to see him squatting on the floor, 
his weapon still aimed at Marty. 

"Jessica! " Mulder and Marty yelled at the same time. A 
force of habit drew her eyes to Marty, fixing on the shiny 
nine-millimeter she had given him for Christmas a few 
years ago. It was a split second later when she felt a hot 
pain flash through her chest. Jessica heard Mulder's voice 
as she fell backwards, landing, then sliding across the shiny 
waxed floor. She didn't hear Mulder's return fire, or see 
Marty fall back for the last time, a bullet wound through his 
neck.

It seemed a long time that she saw or heard nothing, only 
blackness and silence around her. <Blessed darkness.>

"Jessica. You are going  to be fine. I can hear the 
ambulance, they're on the way." Mulder's voice was calm 
and reassuring.

Opening her eyes, she saw a skylight above her, and a clear 
blue sky beyond that. A strange feeling flowed through her, 
<an odd justice> before Mulder's face slowly came into 
view. "Mulder,"

"No, don't talk. Just relax, try not to move." Mulder had 
pulled off his shirt and stuffed it under her to contain the 
bleeding in the gaping exit wound. He used his hands to 
fruitlessly ease the bleeding of the small hole in her chest. 
"Hold on, Jessica, here come the paramedics."

Jessica shook her head, trying to clear it. "Seattle airport... 
pictures."

"Shh, don't talk." 

"Key in Chicago." she tried to take a deep breath but the 
pain returned and she felt herself drift back into the 
darkness.  "We had.. a deal."

Mulder watched helplessly as Jessica's eyes glazed over. 
"Dammit, Jessica." With a sigh, he closed her eyes and 
lowered his head.

***

two weeks later

Mulder slid the key into the lock, pushed open the door and 
stepped inside. Immediately he noticed a distinct presence. 
Locking the door behind him, he glanced at the pictures of 
Louise Montroll, a.k.a. Jessica Monroe, with friends and 
family. There was an empty dog food bowl in the kitchen, 
and a single setting of clean dishes in the sink. <Just get 
what you came for and get out of here. You don't need to 
know she was a real person.>

With one last look at a gold framed picture on the night 
stand, he began his search. it was almost an hour later when 
he sat back and examined the small object in his hand. A 
tiny one inch key set into a hard yellow base, the number 
361 engraved into the handle. 

"Now, onto Seattle."


the end..

please send any feedback to GreyesD@juno.com