Termination of Fate
Story by: Ivy - Written by: Jvantheterrible

Date: April 4th-13th, 1999
Rating: NC-17 for sex and violence
Spoilers: Nah, I was going to, but fuck it now. Shit, if you watch the show, you already know anyway.
Category: Skinner/Scully, including Mulder and others.
Disclaimer: The characters (and places...like the bank, for instance) don't belong to Ivy or me. They are Chris Carter's children, as well as 1013 and InFront Productions, and Fox TV. AS IF we were making any money. We just wanted to twist the story around so Scully and Skinner can get it on. And stuff.
Author's Note: Alright. So, here we go again. Ivy came up with this idea, and I really wanted to write today, so here it is. The product of an hour online arguing about what to have happen, and what to call it, and so on. Hope you like it. Besides...for all of us WalterHolics, the episode should've gone more like this, anyway. No offense, Chris. (Yeah, like HE reads this stuff!!!) Red, you are truly a goddess. Thanks for your support, and this totally awesome site.
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Friday Morning
6:00 A.M.
Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment

*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP* "Goddammit," Skinner muttered, one large hand covering the top of the alarm clock as he fumbled blindly for the snooze button. That feat accomplished, he rolled over and clutched the small redhead still sleeping with her back to him, taking her into his muscular, naked arms, and pressed his rather large morning greeting into the small of her back. "Dana," he said gently as he kissed her ear, causing her to stir, "Dana, it's time to get up."

"Mmmmmm," she moaned, pressing her body closer to his. The silky blanket of his chest hair scratched against her back as she reached back around his body with her right arm and grabbed his bare ass, grinding against his erection. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's 6:00. Rise and shine," he whispered in her ear, kissing her again, his hands caressing her body, "TGIF. We get the whole weekend together after today." He cupped her right breast in his hand and kissed her neck, even as she rolled over to face him, wrapping her arms and legs around him so that his cock lay encased between her warm legs, pressing against her already damp sex.

"It would appear that you are already up and at it, Mr. Skinner," Scully grinned, her icy blue eyes meeting Walter's warm brown ones, and she kissed him gently on the lips. No matter how comfortable she was around Walter, there really was no excuse for open-mouthed kisses with morning breath, she quipped to herself, emitting a slight giggle at her own thought.

"Well, Miss Scully," Walter retorted, "hardly in my control...especially waking up next to lovely, beautiful you," and he held her close, grinding against her, groaning softly when she pulled away and hopped out of bed, heading for the bathroom. He watched her bare backside as she walked away from him, shuddering with excitement. He decided that showering together was a good idea; after all, he thought, it saves water, time, sexual frustration for the rest of the day......his mind drifted as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, placing his feet flat on the floor, and raised his arms over his head in a massive stretch.

"Walter, morning wood is hardly my doing. It's just Mother Nature's wake up call." She laughed as she began brushing her teeth, the shower already running so it could warm up a bit. He walked into the bathroom and stood behind Dana, watching her as she finished scrubbing her teeth, running his large warm hands up and down her naked curves, giving her goosebumps as she spat out the rest of the toothpaste and rinsed.

"Well, I'd kiss you," she said matter-of-factly, "but you haven't brushed yet." She snickered, then continued, "I'll be waiting in the shower," her eyes sparkled at him in the mirror, and he leaned down and kissed the top of her flaming red hair. She slid open the glass shower door and stepped in, closing it behind her. "Mmm, this feels heavenly," she said, and Walter finished brushing his teeth hurriedly, wanting to do the soaping up himself. He slid the glass door open and entered the oversized tiled tub, joining Dana under the spray of hot water. He slid the door closed, and wrapped his arms around her deliciously soaked body.
"Now this," he said seductively into her ear as he bent over her shoulder, "is a shower." The water ran over his bald scalp and down over Scully's breasts, and she turned to face him, tilting her head up for a proper morning kiss. He drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her petite frame, and bent his head down, meeting her lips with his own, their tongues instantly tangling together.

"Mmm, minty fresh," Scully said, and they both laughed into each other's mouths as they finished their greeting. Dana grabbed the bar of soap and started to stroke Walter's chest, loving the feel of his muscular, taut chest under her slippery soapy hands. She worked up a foaming white lather in seconds, and spread it out across his shoulders and arms, his stomach, and then lower, down past his navel, following the trail of silky black hair with the soap. "Okay, turn around and I'll do your back," she said.

"Dana, what about..." Walter started, but she cut him off, laughing.

"Walter," she exclaimed, "I'm just saving the best for last. Now turn." He did as he was told, allowing her to run her hands up and down his strong golden tanned back, and she giggled a little as she reached his tight buttocks, making sure she didn't miss an inch. She worked the soap down his legs, kneeling down behind him so she could wash his legs and feet, grinning hugely as he struggled to maintain his balance despite her ministrations.

"A man could get used to this, Dana," Walter moaned, and he turned back towards her, knowing full well she was still kneeling, his now fully erect cock directly in front of her face.

"Alright, Walter, rinse," Scully laughed, and he stood under the hot water, rinsing Dana's handiwork away, even as she took his penis and scrotum into her hands and soaped them up as well. She continued to kneel in front of him, and once he was rinsed off, she took him into her mouth briefly, then pulled herself slowly off of him as she stood, handing him the soap as she turned her back to him. She made a production of smacking her lips loudly and proclaimed, "Okay, you're rinsed! Your turn - scrub!"

"Dana," he moaned, "you don't play fair." He turned the soap over and over in his large hands, pressing his cock into her back as he ran his massive paws over her small shoulders, under her arms, over her breasts; he wanted to be everywhere all at once. He washed her quickly and thoroughly, pausing only to kneel in front of her and pay especially close attention to the fiery red triangle between her legs, using his fingers to move in and out between her nether lips, not missing an inch of her. She spread her legs a bit to give him better access, and moaned softly at his touch, his large fingers purposefully rubbing over her clit, sliding easily back and forth with the foamy lather.

He stood abruptly, "Okay, rinse," Walter exclaimed, "you're done." Scully opened her eyes, staring at him hungrily, and he smiled wickedly, fairly certain that they were both going to be slightly late to work this morning.

"Oh no you don't," Scully whispered to him, "I'm not done yet. And neither are you," she said, her arms snaking around his neck, her breasts pressed against his warm sopping wet chest.

Skinner picked Scully up, his arms around her waist, and spread his legs slightly so that he was braced between both sides of the tub, his back slightly grazing the wall of the shower, silently thankful for the no-slip strips he had put down on the bottom of the tub just weeks before.

Dana locked her legs around his waist, the tip of his cock just inside of her, and she moaned loudly as he slid easily into her, pulling her hips against him, sealing her with himself. His hands cupped her firm ass, and he moved her up and down slowly on his cock as though she were weightless, and she gasped at the feeling of him filling her, his boiling hot hardness invading her warm tightness deliciously.

"Ohhh, yeah," Dana gasped, "oh God, yesssss..." she hissed at him, kissing him, licking and biting his lips and his nose, his chin, any part of him that she could reach with her mouth.

"Mmm, you like that?" he growled to her, "how about...this," he said firmly, thrusting deeply into her. She cried out with the pleasure of him driving into her, and she threw her head back, lips parted, eyes closed. Walter could barely keep from coming, the sexy redhead clinging to him, moaning, building to his climax. His strokes grew more insistent with her moans, his hands moving her up and down on his shaft, harder and harder and faster and faster, in as deep as he could go, then withdrawing, then burying himself into her fully once more.

"Look at me, Dana," Walter whispered to her, "look at me right now. I want to look into your eyes...I want to watch you come. Are you going to come for me, Dana?" He continued thrusting up into her, pulling her hips down to meet his with as much force as he could muster with each stroke.

Scully looked at Walter, and as she did, she felt the warmth begin to build at the base of her spine, working its way up her back, the invisible fingers stroking her insides, the familiar fluttering in her stomach, and her mouth opened slightly in an "O", and she groaned, "oh, God, yes, Walter, I'm going...I'm going to.....come....faster, Walter...harder...oh God...yes, yesyesyes..." she trailed off, her body beginning to twitch in his arms, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck so he could watch her climax. She clenched her teeth, her blue eyes wide open, staring directly into his, "Walter, now..oh God, now...I'm coming......" Dana cried.

He thrust into her forcefully, pulling her as close to him as he could, and he gritted his teeth as he pumped his orgasm into her, closing his eyes, crying out her name as she nearly screamed his. He continued to hold her close to him, their bodies twitching together in the still hot spray of the shower, their labored breathing slowing minute by minute. His thighs ached slightly from holding them both up, and he smiled a little at how he hadn't noticed that until just this moment. He released Dana slowly, allowing her to return to her feet and rinse away their lovemaking. He did the same, and turned the shower off, opening the doors to the steam filled bathroom, reaching for 2 fluffy dark blue bath towels. He handed one to Dana, and stepped out of the shower, allowing her to exit as well.

Skinner and Scully kissed while they dried off, and after a small towel-snapping contest that Walter lost miserably, they dressed for business. Scully had to dry her hair, and Skinner came into the bathroom, knotting his tie, and said, "I have to run to the bank before work, so I'm going to run off a little ahead of you, alright?"

"Okay, if you must," Scully replied, tilting her chin up for a kiss, which she gratefully received, "I'll see you at the office."

"Don't forget," Skinner called to her as he left the bedroom, "we have an 8:30 meeting this morning."

"Shit," Dana said, checking her watch. It was nearly a quarter to eight, and she had to get to the office in Friday traffic. She hurriedly dried her hair, applied her usual light makeup, and was out the door 20 minutes after Skinner.

Cradock Marine Bank
1 block from the Hoover Building
8:20 A.M.

Skinner stood in the usual lengthy bank line, wondering why in the hell the ATM had to be out of order this morning, of all mornings. He checked his watch. It was 8:20, and he was fifth in line; he still had ten minutes, he might make it after all. He smiled as he recounted why he was running a bit late in the first place, and shrugged it off. The FBI could wait five minutes so Assistant Director Skinner could do his banking. His thoughts were on Dana, not the Unified Crime Report meeting he was supposed to spend a fair portion of the day in; good Lord, he thought to himself, that was the sixth UCR meeting this week. How many times did they need to go over the total number of drunks caught pissing in public streets across the country, anyway? He sighed, and relaxed as he stepped forward a few steps, now third in line. He was certain that he would make it, until he heard the shot, and a booming voice from behind him, "EVERYBODY ON THE GROUND, NOW...YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS." He spun around, instinctively reaching for his gun, and stopped when he saw the man in the military jacket. The bearded man that had his gun aimed directly at the heart of Assistant Director of the FBI, Walter Skinner.

"Shit," Walter said under his breath. So much for being on time, he thought grimly.

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
8:40 A.M.
A.D. Skinner's Office

Dana Scully surprised herself, actually making it to the meeting 3 minutes early. She was slightly surprised, however, to find that Skinner was not in yet. Odd, she thought, since he had left before her, and should've been in by now, despite the fact that he had to stop by the bank. Stranger still, Mulder was on time; seated next to her, as well as about 10 other MIB's surrounding the massive conference table, graphs and charts ready to go. The only problem was, the seat at the head of the table was empty. Scully checked her watch; it was 8:40, and still, no Skinner.

"Agent Scully, gentlemen, I think that we should proceed with our scheduled meeting. We have quite a bit of ground to cover here," began one of the speakers, "and I'm certain that AD Skinner would like to keep things running according to plan."

Scully looked at Mulder, who looked back at her, and she shrugged, curious as to Skinner's whereabouts, and her concern was growing. He was never late. Never. Something might have happened...what if...no, no, she thought, put that out of your mind. There was just a line at the bank, that's all; that must be it. The meeting began, and Scully was fidgeting in her seat, checking her watch almost every four minutes, to the second. Around 9:00 A.M., Kimberly came into the conference room and asked for Mulder and Scully. Dana nearly jumped out of her seat, knowing instantly that something was wrong. Her worst fears were confirmed when Kimberly got them into the reception area.

"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully..." she looked as though she might cry, "I just got a call from the DC Police Department....there's a holdup in progress at the Cradock Marine Bank just up the street......" Scully's face turned pale, and she grabbed Mulder's arm for support as Kimberly finished, "and they think that AD Skinner is inside."

"We're on it," Mulder said, grabbing Scully by the arm and pulling her out into the hallway, directly to the elevator. He punched the down button furiously, and the doors finally swished open silently, allowing him to drag Scully inside with him.

"Scully, are you okay?" Mulder asked, "Scully, he'll be fine, don't worry."

"Mulder, I'm fine," she said softly, "he's a big boy, he can handle this." She looked at Mulder, her bright blue eyes wide open, her lower lip trembling slightly.

Her eyes betrayed her words, and Mulder knew better than to believe her. She was a rock in any situation, but this was different. This was their boss, and not only that, Walter Skinner was Scully's lover. Mulder knew, and had known for quite some time, since Dana and Walter had sat him down and talked to him about it, concerned that he might be upset. He admitted that it stung, and that, yes, he loved Scully, but it was a different kind of love. It wasn't that he didn't want her, because he truly did; but there were always X-Files or Cancermen or little green men getting in the way of his feelings for Dana Scully, and Walter Skinner could give her something that he, Fox Mulder, could not.....a stable life. Somewhat more normal than that of a self-absorbed UFO watcher; a self-proclaimed workaholic, insomniac, basketball and porn-loving bachelor, so set in his ways that he could never hope to accomodate a woman like Dana Scully. Mulder knew all of these things, and though he still loved Scully dearly, he knew it was better for her to be with Skinner. So he had accepted it, and that had been that. Of course, that had all been many months ago, and Mulder had resolved himself to being Scully's partner and best friend, something he was already good at, and what the hell, it worked - unlike so many other things in his life. But the look on the face of the fiery haired woman standing across from him now, his best friend; his partner; his confidante; told him that she was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, scared shitless. And so was he.

The elevator door swished open, and Mulder and Scully walked quickly out of the building, onto the street, nearly sprinting to the bank, where countless police cars and vans had already gathered, along with the throngs of onlookers. There was no doubt that a serious situation was evolving, and Skinner was nowhere to be seen. Mulder knew that if Walter wasn't inside the bank, he would damn well have taken charge of the site already, and it was just one more thing to add to an already troubling list of negatives. He and Scully pulled their FBI badges out and quickly found the police Lieutenant, only to discover that not only was there a bank robbery in progress, there were roughly 30 hostages, and the man, identified by his alleged girlfriend as Bernard Oates, had a bomb.

Cradock Marine Bank
9:10 A.M.
Lobby

Bernard Oates had gotten everyone to lie down on the floor, hands on their heads. Walter Skinner lay on the marble floor of the bank trying to figure out when might be a good time to draw his gun, but couldn't think of any time, since the psycho had a bomb wired to himself. He knew that any sudden movement on his part could cost one or all of the people around him their lives, and he was extremely frustrated and duly pissed off. Several minutes earlier, he had tried to check his watch to see what time it was, and had almost gotten himself shot; he decided immediately that it was no longer important how late he was for his meeting.

Bernard was pacing the floor madly, wringing his hands, unsure as to how his plan was going to unfold; things had somehow gotten exremely fucked up, and he knew that it was no longer a case of simply grabbing the money and leaving. He had not intended to cause such a scene; not meant to take hostages; not wanted to follow the present course of action in any way, shape, or form. The bomb was only supposed to be a threat, and before he had even known what he himself was doing, he had shouted at everyone, and now his flak jacket hung open, the dynamite and detonator exposed to everyone, including the throngs of authorities who now occupied two city blocks around the building. He walked in circles, around and around the people on the floor, glancing nervously out the front door every several seconds. He finally came to a stop in front of where Walter Skinner lay, his back to the agent on the floor, eyes fixed intently at the scene just outside the bank, watching, his mind racing with delusions of escape.

Walter glanced up and saw that his opportunity had arisen; the militia wannabe had his back turned, and Skinner slowly and silently reached into his coat and retrieved his gun, jumped to his feet as he shouted, "Freeze! FBI!" Sweat poured down his brow, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest, as Bernard Oates turned slowly to face him, a horrible, evil grin plastered across his bearded face.

"Well, well, well. It's not exactly your lucky day, is it, PIG?" Bernard said to Walter, not seeming to mind that he had a glock pointed at his forehead.

"It's over, man," Walter said smoothly, "what do you say we call it a day, huh?"

"I don't think so, Mr. G-Man. I need to get out of here, and one way or another, I intend to do just that."

"Why don't you just let these people go, and you and I will sort this all out, okay?" Walter tried the simple approach, as he wasn't too keen on blowing this guy away in front of 30 civilians. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Bernard. No one is getting out of here." There were several whimpers from the other patrons on the floor, and a few women began crying quietly.

"Listen, Bernard," Walter decided to try again, "maybe we can make a deal, what do you say? You let these people go, and I'll see if I can pull some strings and work out some sort of deal for you."

"Deal? What deal, asshole? I have a bomb, and hostages. What kind of deal am I gonna get? Fuck you." Bernard was not planning on budging on this particular arrangement.

"Look, Bernard...." Walter began, and was promptly cut off in mid-sentence.

"Shut up, asshole, you're starting to piss me off...get that fucking gun off me." Walter didn't budge, his weapon still trained on Bernard, and Bernard pulled a gun out of his coat, "I SAID GET IT OFF!" Bernard clicked the safety off, and his hand shook slightly as he aimed for Walter's chest.

"Please drop your gun, Bernard, we can work this out, it doesn't have to be like this," Walter said, suddenly quite sure that he wasn't going to be attending the UCR meeting, or maybe any more meetings at all. Skinner moved slowly to lower his gun, but he spooked the desperately frightened and crazed man in front of him in doing so, and Bernard pulled the trigger. *BANG* Walter fell to his knees, then over onto his side, blood pouring out of his chest. He gasped for air that seemed to be rushing out of his lungs faster than he could suck it in. He was numb, couldn't feel his legs, and only one thought went through his head as he lay on the floor in his own blood....Dana...Dana.....Dana.

"FUCK," Bernard screamed, dropping his gun to the ground, his hands flying up and running through his hair as he watched the man writhing and gasping and bleeding on the floor in front of him, "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, oh God, Fuck," he kept saying, as people began to scream and cry out, praying, begging with him that they didn't want to die. He lost all sense of reality at that moment, and flipped the detonator switch open under his jacket. He looked up as the SWAT team began their entry into the building, a calming feeling suddenly washing over him as he became aware of what he had to do.

Outside Cradock Marine Bank
Corner across the street
9:53 A.M.

*BANG* The shot rang out from inside the building, and Scully jumped nearly a foot in the air. She began to take off towards the bank, and Mulder grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Mulder, let me go," Scully cried, "Walter's in there...what if...what if..."

"Scully," Mulder shouted, "we don't have a choice, we have to wait," he said, holding her in his arms, his own eyes closed as he pressed his face into her hair. It came over the Lieutenant's radio at that instant that a man was down, and it was indeed Assistant Director Walter Skinner, and Scully sank against Mulder's chest.

"Send them in," the Lieutenant ordered, and the SWAT team began to rush the building. There was so much noise that it was nearly impossible to tell if anyone else had been shot, and Mulder held Scully tightly against him as he watched the SWAT team begin to enter the bank. Scully had collapsed against his chest, and he was holding her up, his arms around her as she sobbed and screamed into his dress shirt and tie, "No, Mulder, no, this isn't happening, this can't be happening Mulder, he only had to...he only left me an hour ago, no, Mulder, no no no noooo...."

"Scully, they'll get him out, don't worry," Mulder tried to soothe Scully, but it wasn't working very well, and suddenly, as the first 10 team members entered the bank, a massive explosion rocked the entire scene, and everyone outside dropped to the ground, Mulder pulling Scully down with him. Glass and bits of concrete flew past them, past everyone outside, and windshields and car windows blew out from the sheer force of the bomb. Smoke and dust filled the air, and a hush fell over the entire scene, no sound whatsoever escaping anyone. There was only shock and silent, unspoken horror on the faces of every officer and official surrounding the building, and Scully pulled away from Mulder, standing to stare at the remains of the bank.

Mulder tried to stand up, but he couldn't, his legs not obeying any command at the moment, only able to think of his mentor, his friend, his ally, his boss, his best friend's lover...gone. Gone. Walter Skinner, Assistant Director of the FBI, was just gone, gone in a blaze of fire and smoke, because of a bank robbery, gone. No aliens, no government conspiracies, no Krycek, no smoking men...just a crazy mother fucker with no life and a bomb. Gone. Scully. Oh my God, Mulder thought, Scully, where was Scully? She had been in his arms...he looked up, the tears streaming down his dust and dirt grazed face, and saw Scully, standing, staring at the demolished building. Standing and staring. Not moving. Mulder finally found the will to move, and stood to join her, had to see...had to know...had to find out....

"Scully," Mulder whispered, "Oh, Scully...." he tried to put his arms around her, but she unconsciously pushed him away, continuing to stare at what was left of the bank, her eyes open wider than Mulder had ever seen them; no tears, just emptiness and that deep blue ocean of iris. No sound. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking. She stood on the corner opposite the Cradock Marine Bank and simply stared, as though Walter might come walking out of the bank at any moment, hands up in the air, exclaiming that everything was under control, and everyone was going to be okay.

"Scully," Mulder whispered again, his voice having left him. He was shaking like Scully, the shock of what had just occurred too much for him to bear, even worse having to watch Scully try to bear it as well.

"Mulder, he's coming out. I know he's coming out, Mulder. He wasn't in there, Mulder. He got out in time." Her voice was no more there than his own, and Mulder continued to sob quietly, wanting to comfort her, wanting to make it all go away, unable to comprehend, unwilling to accept.

"Scully," Mulder cried, "Scully, here," he sobbed, reaching for her, and she shoved him away hard, almost knocking him down, "NO!" Scully screamed, "NO, NO, NO. HE'S ALRIGHT, MULDER. HE'LL BE OUT ANY MINUTE, MULDER. REALLY. WATCH. JUST WAIT A MINUTE. HE'LL BE HERE." Dana Scully had lost her iron control. She had lost Walter, the man that she loved, and now, she too was lost. There was no comprehension, no admitting that anything at all had happened. She felt that if she denied the reality, it would cease to be. Walter would certainly come out of the bank any minute. She was sure of it. She continued to scream as Mulder grabbed her and shook her, sobbing himself, trying to make her stop, trying to get her back from the edge she was so perilously close to going over.

"Scully," Mulder shouted, "Scully, stop it...he's gone, Scully...stop it...goddammit, STOP IT...."he couldn't get her to come back to him, even though she stood directly in front of him with his hands clutching her shoulders, her eyes still wide open, unblinking, still no tears, and he smacked her as hard as he could with his open palm. Her head swung around from the slap, and Mulder cried harder that he had had to do it, but she was in shock and didn't realize what was happening to her, didn't know what she was saying. She stopped screaming immediately, looked up at Mulder, her ice blue eyes meeting his, and she fell into his arms, unconscious. Mulder held Scully in his arms and sank to the sidewalk beneath them, holding her and rocking her, as if he could comfort himself just by comforting her, but it didn't work. He brushed her fiery red hair out of her face as his tears dripped down onto her cheek, and he rocked her in his arms.

"Oh my God, Scully," Mulder murmured into her unhearing ears, "Oh Scully, I'm so sorry, oh Jesus..."he was beyond thinking, beyond anything that resembled what his life had been just minutes earlier. Everything; his life, Scully's life, the FBI; anything with any semblance of reality was gone, and all he could do was hold Scully's presently lifeless body in his arms and sob......for himself, for Scully, and for Walter Skinner.



END PART ONE
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J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
2:00 P.M. Friday Afternoon
Anonymous Conference Room

Mulder and Scully sat around a massive conference table, along with several other agents that had been under Walter Skinner's command, and the usual gaggle of FBI higher ups. The meeting was called shortly after Mulder and Scully had returned from the Cradock Marine Bank, both in shock, and only Mulder able to speak of what had happened; Dana Scully was still staring off into some unknown point in space, and barely heard what transpired around her. She had not, in fact, been aware of much else since that morning other than the fact that Skinner was gone, taken from her forever.

Mulder continued on shakily, relaying the events of the previous hours to the panel of their peers, his voice cracking from time to time, although he hardly realized it, "....and at approximately ten this morning, Bernard Oates detonated a homemade bomb.........inside the Cradock Marine Bank.....killing himself and all of the hostages inside the bank.......including.........Assistant. Director. Skinner." Mulder hung his head, and fought the lump that had been in his throat for several hours, as well as holding back tears that threatened at the mere mention of Walter's name.

"Agents, I am aware that this has been a traumatizing event for you," the Deputy Director stated, "and I am granting you all a week of bereavement leave. I will not expect to see any of you back here until after AD Skinner has been laid to rest. You are all excused, and I assure you that all of us here in the bureau share your loss. Walter Skinner was a brave, honorable, respectable man, and he will be sorely missed."

Mulder and Scully remained seated until all of the other agents and supervisors left, Mulder once again giving in to the tears that had been threatening throughtout the entire meeting. He leaned forward and placed his face in his hands, then turned to look at Scully, who had not uttered a single word since she had collapsed in his arms hours earlier. She did not sob, she did not scream, she did not speak. She simply sat, staring across the room at the wall. Her eyes were open, but Mulder didn't think that anyone was home at the moment.

"Scully," Mulder said softly, his voice strangled with emotion, "Scully, you have to talk to me. You can't take this all on yourself. It isn't healthy, Scully...I'm a psychologist, and you're a doctor, and you know you can't do this......" his voice trailed off as she slowly turned to look at him, finally, some sign that she was not totally lost. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, and her icy blue eyes spoke volumes to Mulder, causing him to shiver just from the pain in her gaze. "Scully, please talk to me. I know....it hurts.....so goddamn badly....but please, Scully....Dana...."

She flinched from his use of her first name, Walter being the only one to have uttered her first name in months, no, years. She blinked at Mulder, as though she had just awakened from a long nap, and shook her head. "No, Mulder. I don't have to talk about this. I can't. Not yet. Not now." She stood up, and Mulder jumped out of his chair to be by her side. She held up her hands at him, and spoke once more, "Take me home, Mulder. Please."

"Scully, I don't think you should be alone....I don't want to be alone, Scully." He practically whined at her, and she lost her temper with him, with his weakness.

"Goddamit, Mulder," she shouted, causing him to jump slightly, "I can't take care of you. Not this time. I....I have to be alone for awhile. I have to grieve for him myself. Can't you understand that, Mulder? Just take me home, please, and.....and......give me some time. I can't be your partner today, I just can't do it."

Mulder continued to leak tears, nodding at her, agreeing to drive Scully home and leave her to herself and her feelings. They rode the elevator down to their shared office in silence, so that Scully could get her coat and purse, and headed back up to the parking garage, not speaking to each other until Dana realized that Mulder was heading for her apartment. "Mulder, I need to go to Crystal City. I have to go to his home. It was going to be our home soon...." she trailed off, and Mulder swallowed hard as he redirected the black Ford towards Skinner's apartment.

Friday Afternoon
3:00 P.M.
Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment

Scully slid the key into the door lock slowly, having hugged and consoled Mulder as best as she could, given the circumstances, before he drove off in a haze of grief. She walked into the apartment and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she shut the door behind her. She dropped her purse on the white carpeting, and slid her trenchcoat off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor as well. Her tired eyes looked miserably around the room as she took in the surroundings; the furniture, the neat and tidy bar area, the spotless glass doors leading out to the balcony overlooking the city. All that was Walter was still here, yet the man himself was gone. Scully ran her hands through her hair as she strode over to the bar and poured herself a scotch. She nearly choked as the liquid burned her throat, but she finished the glass off and poured another, which she quickly downed, giving herself an instant, mind-numbing buzz.

Dana Scully didn't usually drink, but she figured that if there was ever a time in her life that she would, it was going to be right here, right now. She leaned against the bar, staring into the mirror behind the crystal bottles and glasses, not even recognizing the wreck of a woman that stared back at her. Her red hair seemed to have lost its gleam, as had her eyes, hell, her whole soul ached, and she slumped over the bar, resting her head on her arm, her entire frame shaking with the sobs she had been holding in for hours and hours.

She lifted her tear streamed, stained face up, grime from the bank explosion still spotting her cheeks and forehead, and stared into the mirror again, a rage rising up in her that she had never experienced before. She began to scream, a high pitched wailing, and threw the glass she held into the mirror, smashing it into hundreds of crystal and mirrored shards which rained down over the rest of the bar, "FUCK THIS...FUCK...this isn't RIGHT...it wasn't supposed to BE this way, godDAMMIT....." she cried, her whole body suddenly alive with the pain in her heart, "WALTER....Walter...oh my God.....walter...." she sank to the floor as she continued to weep, burying her face in her hands, sobbing with her entire being for her lost love. She reached to her throat and felt the gold cross resting there, and was suddenly furious with all that it stood for.....faith my ASS, she thought, and she tore it from around her neck and flung it across the room, sprawling out across the floor and sobbing into the soft white carpet.

Friday Evening
7:00 P.M.
Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment

Scully awoke on the floor, curled in a fetal position, not knowing how long she had been out. The scotch had been enough to put her to sleep for a few hours, although her head now pounded with a fierce intensity, her face swollen from crying. Even though she had fallen asleep, she didn't feel rested; instead, she felt worse than she had before. She dragged herself up the stairs to Walter's bedroom...saw their shared bed....and she broke into a fresh wave of sobs as she stripped slowly, her clothes falling to the floor in a neglected heap. She walked into the bathroom and started the shower, shaking as she remembered their lovemaking that very morning, in that very tub, and she wearily entered the stall and washed away the remnants of the explosion, still in a state of disbelief that there would be no more showers with Walter, no more waking up next to his beautiful body, no more laughing together, no more of his irritated rantings over whatever case Mulder and she were working on.

She towelled off, and slipped into one of Walter's work shirts, the white ones that were always so crisp and framed his shoulders so well....it was, in fact, from the previous day, and it smelled of Walter, and she fell into the bed, still crying, wondering if she would ever be able to stop the flood that fell from her face. She rolled over and grabbed his pillow, the one that his head had rested on that same morning, and she clutched it to her, wrapping her body around it, as if it would somehow just materialize into the man himself. Dana Scully began to drift then, her tears continuing, silent sobs eventually lulling her into a troubled but much needed rest.

Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment
6:00 A.M.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* The alarm clock was going off, and Dana sat bolt upright in bed, confused. It was Saturday, wasn't it? Had she set the alarm the night before? She didn't remember doing so....and what.....was that.....the shower? As Scully sat in bed, trying to figure out what was going on, the shower stopped, and she heard the glass door slide open. Oh God, Scully thought, what the Hell was going on? She hadn't dreamt the whole thing, had she? She ran an entire conversation with herself through her head as she tried to grasp what was happening...she looked down, and saw that she was naked, the gold cross curiously back around her neck, and knew that something was wrong...she had fallen asleep in Walter's shirt....Walter.....Walter was dead, he was gone......but........who was humming in the bathroom?

"Good morning, beautiful," Skinner said, smiling happily at her as he strode out of the bathroom, a dark blue towel wrapped around his hips, his beautifully muscular, dark brown hairy chest glimmering in the morning sun that peeked through the bedroom blinds behind him. He stopped by the bed and cocked his head at her quizzically, wondering why on earth her jaw hung open, bright blue eyes open wide as though in shock. "Dana, are you alright?" Skinner asked, sitting on the bed next to her, reaching towards her shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Walter?" She whispered, aghast, "Walter? What....." she continued to stare at him, fingering her necklace, watching him as he reached for her.

"Sweetheart, I wasn't gone all that long," he chuckled, "I just woke up before the alarm and decided to shower. Are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?"

She flew to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder, "Oh, God, Walter, I had the worst nightmare....I dreamt.....I dreamt that you were killed....and....and I was alone..." she surprised him with her emotional reaction, and he pulled her off of him long enough to gaze at her, his deep brown eyes filled with sympathy for her....her dream had truly upset her, because Dana Scully didn't just cry at the drop of a hat.

"Dana, I wasn't killed! I'm here, right here, with you, right where I belong, it's okay, baby." He pulled her back against him, and she sank into his embrace, his warmth enveloping her. He smoothed her hair with one hand, rubbing her smooth creamy pale back with the other to soothe her, murmuring quietly into her ear, "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, it's okay...sssshhhh..."

Scully pulled back from Walter slowly, her tears stopping, and she hiccuped air into her lungs, barely able to ask Walter, "What day is it?" She bit her lip at his grin, and she suddenly felt foolish for her display...but goddammit, it had seemed so real!

"It's Friday, of course, Dana.....Jesus, are you sure you're okay? That dream really shook you up, didn't it?"

Scully was beyond words; she couldn't speak anymore, so she reached out and ran her hands down his shoulders, across his chest, curling her fingers into the nest of curls and finding his nipples, leaning down to suckle first one, then the other. She looked back up at him, and he gazed back at her, confusion and wonder fading to pure lust as she pressed her body against his and pulled him down on top of her, kissing him passionately. She yanked the towel off of his hips, and was delighted to find him already sporting an erection for her.

"Dana," Walter gasped, "this is quite a morning greeting," and he couldn't finish his thought because she had already wrapped her legs around him, holding him impossibly close to her as she thrust her tongue forcefully into his mouth, grinding against his hardness, begging him silently to enter her. He reached down between them, and slid two fingers inside of her warm folds, finding her more than ready to accomodate his full length. He wrapped his arms around Dana and reached down to grab her firm ass with one hand, his other holding her steady as he slid into her, making her gasp in ecstasy.

"Oh, Walter.....don't leave me, don't EVER leave me," she cried out, bucking up to consume him fully, his cock twitching inside of her already, and she refused to allow him oxygen as she sucked his tongue back into her mouth, kissing him and biting his bottom lip with a force that Walter had never experienced from her before. "Dana," he gasped, meeting her bucking hips with harder and harder thrusts, wanting her to be sure that he was indeed alive, and well, and oh God, he was going to come really soon if she didn't slow down......

Scully clamped onto Walter's cock with every muscle she could, feeling him deep inside of her, urging him with her hands and her mouth to go faster, harder, not to ever stop, not to ever leave her, and she somehow managed to roll them both over so that she was on top of him, riding him with the intensity of a jockey in the Kentucky Derby....she ground against him, taking him completely into her, then pulled up so that he was just at the entrance, then thrust back down onto him, his dark pubic hair grinding against her clit, his balls contracting each time her ass came back down to rest on them. She leaned over and kissed him again, and he held her against his chest, taking her nipples into his mouth one at a time.

"Oh, Walter," Scully moaned, her hips moving of their own accord, locked in an undeniable rhythm with Walter's thrusts, and she could feel the tickle in her stomach, the tingle at the base of her spine, and she fucked him as hard as she could, taking all of the grief and rage and emotion that she had "dreamt" and using it to show him just how much he meant to her, her body quivering almost uncontrollably on top of his.

"Oh, God, Dana....I'm going to....oh, yeah," he gasped, not remembering ever fucking anyone quite so hard in his life, his body completely locked into hers, and she threw her head back and gave him a final thrust that pushed him into her deeper than he had ever been, she was quite certain, and she screamed as she came, letting the orgasm flow over her like a waterfall, stars dancing in her vision as she contracted around him.

Walter cried out through clenched teeth as Dana milked him for all he was worth and a half......her final thrust had shoved him over the edge, and it seemed like he flooded into her like never before, his spasms not dying down for many minutes, and he continued to give her tiny little thrusts as he felt her body clamp around him, holding him inside of her, not letting any of him escape.

"Jesus," Walter panted, some moments later, "Dana, that was.....incredible," still unable to get his breath back at the present time.

"Yeah," Scully gasped back, sweating, still lying on top of him, his cock still pulsing inside of her, and she kissed him again, softly, still moving gently on top of him, "I told you, it was a really horrible dream, Walter." She looked down at him, and he smiled warmly up at her, covered in sweat himself.

"If you wanted to shower together, all you had to do was ask," Walter teased, and Dana laughed, forcing his now flaccid penis out of her, deliciously sore from their morning romp. She rolled off of him, and they lay holding one another, spent, happily exhausted and sexually satisfied.

"Shit," Walter muttered as he looked over the alarm clock, "we have to get going, Dana....I have to stop by the bank before our UCR meeting this morning, and--"

"NO!" Scully screamed, causing Walter to jump, "Oh, God, no, Walter, don't go to the bank. You can't, please,"she begged in earnest, tears filling her eyes again.

"Dana," Walter said, sitting up, confused, "what the Hell is the matter? What exactly did you dream?" He looked down at her concerned, and she sat up beside him, allowing him to put his arms around her.

"I dreamt that you went to the bank and there was a robbery, and.....Mulder and I were in the meeting but you weren't there yet, and Kimberly came to get us, and told us that there was a holdup."

Skinner listened intently, "Dana, that's quite a vivid dream, you know?"

"Yes, I know, Walter. Believe me, I know all too well just how vivid. So then, Mulder and I rushed down the street to see what was going on, and we heard a shot---you were shot, and then the SWAT team ran in and....and....." Scully got choked up again just remembering, "and Bernard blew up the bank, killing himself and you and all the rest of the hostages and the SWAT team."

"Jesus, Dana, what have you been eating before bed?" Walter joked, and then stopped when he saw the tears streaming down Scully's face, suddenly aware that it was no joke, and he kissed her tears away, while she continued telling him about her dream.

"And then, Mulder and I had to go to this meeting at the bureau, and they gave us time off for your funeral, and I had Mulder bring me back here so I could be alone, just me in this empty apartment...and I drank scotch and passed out in one of your shirts, holding your pillow...and then, when the alarm went off this morning, I swore......" she was still crying, "I swore that you were gone, that it was Saturday, and.......then you came out of the shower," Scully said, and Walter pulled her closer, most definitely not dead.

"Dana, ssshhh," he comforted her for the second time that morning, and it wasn't even 7 a.m. yet, "it's okay, darling, it was only a dream. I'm here, you're here, we're okay, alright?"

"No, Walter, it's not alright..it was so real....too real...and....oh, just please don't go to the bank, okay?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes pleading him to listen, to understand.....something really odd was going on, and even though she didn't understand it, she couldn't allow him to ignore it.

Walter sighed, "Okay, Dana, I won't go to the bank, I promise. But we need to get money for this weekend! I had something special planned, and.....shit," he said, getting up, gloriously naked, and pulling her out of the bed behind him, "I guess we could just hit the ATM on the way to the office, okay?" She stood in his arms beside the bed, burying her face in his warm hairy chest, "Okay, I think the ATM would be safe. Shower?" She asked, looking up at him lovingly.

"Definitely. Let's hit it," he said, and they showered together, dressed, ate breakfast, and headed out the door at 7:50 A.M. sharp, leaving just enough time to swing by the ATM before going to the office for what would surely be the one of the most excruciating meetings of all time. They didn't usually go to work together, but Scully had insisted on going with Walter, just to make sure that he didn't actually enter the bank, and he sighed and gave in to her pleading.....it meant too much to her to deny her just this once, he thought.

Cradock Marine Bank
8:15 A.M.
Friday Morning

Skinner pulled his black FBI issue Ford up to the front of the bank, and parked along the curb, leaving the engine running. He looked over at Scully, and noting her unease, comforted her, "I'll be right back, Dana, I swear, alright?" She seemed paler than she had been just moments before, but she nodded, and as he opened the car door, she pulled him back and kissed him.

"Good god," Skinner exclaimed as he exited the car, smiling slightly at her concern, wondering just what was going on in her beautiful little head this morning. He shrugged it off, and was quite irate when he got to the cash machine and saw it blinking with a message....Temporarily Out Of Order. "Shit," he hissed, wondering if he should just walk into the bank, and figuring that Scully would probably make a scene if he did so. He decided to take the honest approach, and walked glumly back to the car, Scully watching him intently.

She rolled the car window down as he approached, and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Walter sighed, becoming slightly terse with her as he said, "The machine's out of order, Dana. I have to go in, alright? I'll be RIGHT BACK, I promise."

"NO," Scully shouted at him, her eyes open wide, "No, Walter, you promised, you can't go in." She jumped out of the still running car and into his arms, slightly surprising Walter...they were mighty close to the office, and if any other agents or supervisors were around....Walter pulled her away from him quickly, noticing that she was teary-eyed....again.

"Dana," Walter growled, "you have to stop this nonsense - it was only a dream, and I really have to...."

Scully cut him off in mid-sentence, "No, look....I'll go in, okay? In my dream, it was you in trouble, not me. I'll go in, and you can just pay me back later, okay? PLEASE, Walter." She was so insistent, so worried, so goddamned adamant, Walter didn't see how he had much choice. Maybe she was spending too much time around Mulder......

"Fine, Dana." He softened at her smile, the pleased look on her face...and all he had to do was not go into the bank? "Whatever you say, Scully...you're the boss....for a few more minutes, anyway," he chuckled, and she ran to the bank door and went inside. Walter sighed heavily and got back into the car to wait for her. He checked his watch....8:20 A.M. Oh well, he thought, the FBI's UCR meeting could wait a few minutes to begin, and who knew, maybe they'd still be on time after all.

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
8:30 A.M.
Walter Skinner's Office

There was quite a bit of throat-clearing going on, as the Assistant Director and one half of his prized X-Files team were still missing. Mulder checked his watch, smiling slightly, having a pretty good idea of why the two of them might be late. Even though it killed him in some ways, he was still happy that Scully and Skinner had found each other, and he was dealing with it pretty well, if he did say so himself. The MIB's around the conference table that Kimberly had so painstakingly set up were restless, anxious to get on with their annual review of the crime statistics around the country. The UCR was due out the following month, and there was still plenty of working over to be done on figures and graphs and charts...Mulder sighed as he contemplated the task at hand, slightly irked that Skinner and Scully could just take their sweet time and breeze on in.....and then he became a little worried, because it really truly wasn't like either of them to be late, no matter what the reason...and he had had the strangest, most horrible dream last night, too....he shuddered as he recalled it, even in the light of day.

"Gentlemen," Mulder stated dryly, "allow me to check with Kimberly to see if AD Skinner has checked in, or Agent Scully, for that matter. I know you are all anxious to begin. I'll be back in a moment." Mulder stood and exited the conference room, breathing a huge sigh of relief to be away from the wolves - without the support of his two friends, he wasn't sure they wouldn't tear him to ribbons over his precious X-Files.

Kimberly looked up as Mulder exited the office, questioning him, "Agent Mulder, have you heard from AD Skinner? He's not in yet, and I'm a little concerned...he is never late for meetings."

"I know, Kimberly, I was just coming to ask you the same thing, actually. I haven't heard from Agent Scully, either, have you?" Mulder felt a slight twinge of fear pricking at the back of his neck. Something was not right.

"No, nothing here. I'll try AD Skinner at home, and you can call Agent Scully...maybe one of them had car trouble or something," Kimberly offered, and Mulder dialled Scully's number....'the cellular customer you are trying to reach is unavailable, please try your call again later'. Damn, thought Mulder, she must have forgotten to turn it on this morning. There was no answer at her apartment either, but he had already figured that much.

Kimberly had tried AD Skinner at home first, with no luck. As she dialed his cell phone number, another line rang in, and she stopped to answer it. She looked up at Mulder as she listened, the color leaving her face as she put the phone back down in its cradle.

"What is it, Kimberly? Is AD Skinner okay?" Mulder was suddenly worried, sure from the look on the woman's face that all was not well.

"That was AD Skinner, Agent Mulder. He wants you to cancel the meeting, and get to the Cradock Marine Bank right away. There's a robbery underway, and it seems that....Agent Scully is trapped inside as one of the hostages."

"Oh my God, Scully," Mulder said, running out of the office, tearing down the hall to the elevator, pressing the button for all he was worth until the doors swished open. He got in and rode impatiently down to the garage, sprinted around the parked cars and out onto the street, closing the distance between
the FBI building and the bank in about 10 seconds flat.

Cradock Marine Bank
8:45 A.M.
Lobby

Dana Katherine Scully had become an X-File. She was certain of this for two reasons....first of all, she had just finished getting over the fact that Walter Skinner was not dead, killed in a bank robbery as he had been in her dream, and second, well, here she was on her stomach, on the marble floor of the bank with her hands on her head, listening to a man she was pretty sure had to be Bernard Oates raving on and on about Clinton and economics and the finer points of building a bomb by hand.

She didn't have to look up to know that he was indeed wearing a bomb, a fact that became apparent moments later as several of the other bank patrons screamed when he pulled open his jacket, and surprise, surprise, surprise. Shit, thought Scully, some tradeoff this is...Walter for me? Where's the fucking justice in that, anyway?

And why, she wondered, could she remember everything about her dream, right down to the last detail, and yet, here she was now living it? In Walter's place because she hadn't wanted him to enter the goddamned bank? Okay, so there were three reasons she was sure she was now an X-File. She sighed deeply, not quite sure of what she should do, but knowing that she had to do something. Fast.

Outside Cradock Marine Bank
Corner across the street
9:00 A.M.

"AD Skinner, sir," Mulder gasped at Walter, finding him quickly by following his booming authoritative voice, barking out orders at the various police and SWAT officers, "where is she?"

"Agent Mulder, she's in there with that psychopath with the bomb," Walter growled, the rage in his eyes very nearly frightening Mulder.

"Bomb, sir?" Mulder asked weakly, feeling as though his legs might go out from under him at any moment, "Kimberly didn't mention anything about a bomb, Skinner...I mean, sir."

"Yes, well, that's been an added bonus to this three ring circus....hold on a minute...GODDAMMIT, GET THOSE MEN OUT OF THERE, NOW," Skinner screamed at the officers trying to close in for a better look inside the bank, "sorry, Mulder....these goddamn idiots...." he trailed off, and Mulder detected a hint of fear in his voice, no matter how much he held up his cool exterior.

Skinner was all business, despite the fact that inside, his heart was leaping into his throat with every passing beat. All he could think of was Scully, and her dream, and how upset she had been, and how....all of this seemed to be going according to how she had described it, and he could not, no, would not allow it to have the same ending. Not while there was still breath in his body, this asshole was not going to take Dana Katherine Scully away from him, not like this.

"Sir," Mulder started again, anxious for whatever information Skinner had, "Is she alright?"

"As far as we can tell, Agent Mulder," Skinner replied, exasperated, "she's in there with the rest of them, and hasn't alerted him to the fact that she is an FBI agent, and apart from the fact that he flashed the bomb at us, everything appears to be alright..for the moment." Skinner felt a chill run up and down his spine, not wanting to envision Scully pulling any heroics, trying to take the whacko down on her own. He closed his eyes, and wondered how he had handled it, in her dream. He prayed that she wouldn't try to act it out, and patted Mulder on the back as an afterthought. "She'll be fine, Mulder. The SWAT team is going to take this idiot down, and we should have her out of there in just a little while." God, Skinner thought, I wish I really believed the bullshit that I'm spewing...he can't possibly be buying it....and when he looked back at Mulder, he knew that Fox was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, not buying it.

"No offense, sir, but don't lay that shit on me, alright? Don't insult me like that. Besides...I had a really weird dream last night....I can't really remember it, but...." Skinner stiffened visibly at Mulder's mention of his dream, and Mulder caught it. "What is it, sir?"

"Scully.......Dana had a dream last night, too." The color ran out of Skinner's face, and Mulder braced in case he had to catch the burly AD in his arms, should he suddenly collapse or something; even if that wasn't a typical Walter Skinner move, this wasn't a typical situation, and Mulder was alarmed by Skinner's reaction. "She didn't want me to go into the bank this morning...she said she dreamt that I was killed in there...in a robbery...and she insisted that I let her go in instead of me....SHIT," Skinner spat.

"Oh my God," Mulder said, "That's it...that was my dream too, sir. I remember it now. It was a little too real, too....I mean, really real."

Skinner looked intensely at Mulder, and said quietly, "We have to get her out of there. He's going to blow them up...he's going to....." Skinner refused to finish the sentence, shaking his head violently, suddenly not interested in what was going on with the officers and officials and goddamned rubberneckers who had gathered. "Come on, we need to find the best sharpshooter the DC police department has." Skinner and Mulder stormed around until they found the Lieutenant in command, and explained their plan, with painstaking detail, to get Scully and the rest of the hostages out of the building unharmed.

Cradock Marine Bank
9:20 A.M.
Lobby

Bernard, if that was indeed his name, Scully thought to herself, was pacing like a caged panther inside the bank. He walked back and forth in front of the bank entrance, talking to himself, trying to coach himself through the situation. He obviously hadn't planned on doing it this way, Scully figured, and he was most definitely freaking out. He had only wanted to get his cash and be on his way, and when the police showed up so quickly, he had been trapped inside, his 'Plan B' a rather disturbing turn of events.

Scully had tired of waiting on the floor, and she cleared her throat and called out to him. "Excuse me, is your name Bernard? Bernard Oates?" Scully ventured.

He spun around, sweat pouring off his brow as he stormed over to her and stood directly above her tiny figure. "How the fuck do you know my name, bitch?"

Uh oh, Scully thought, perhaps that hadn't been the best route to take after all. "Well, see, I had a dream last night...and you were in it," she said, trying to show a little humor, most unappreciated by Mr. Oates at the moment, "and well, I was just wondering." She tried to look up at him, and he kicked her squarely in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. The bastard must have fractured something, goddamned steel toed boots.....

"You don't know me, Red," he said, "and after today, you won't be making any new friends, so if I were you, I'd just shut the fuck up right now. Capiche?"

"Okay," Scully said weakly, pain shooting down her arm. She tried to move to ease the discomfort, and Bernard pointed his gun at her, his hand shaking badly.

"Don't you fucking move, do you hear me?" Bernard shouted at Scully, and she winced from the sound of his voice, as much as from the pain in her shoulder.

"Look, I'm a doctor, and I think you may have dislocated something, and it really hurts, alright? Can I please take my hands off my head?" Scully gasped, hoping she hadn't pissed him off even further, but pretty certain that she had.

"Don't move, Red," Bernard hissed, kicking her in the other shoulder, and Scully cried out, pulling her hands down from her head......*BANG* he shot her in the back, grinning wildly, "I told you not to move, bitch." Some of the other people in the bank began to sob quietly, and Bernard began his pacing again, leaving Scully in a rapidly growing pool of her own blood, gasping for air, not able to get enough in to stay awake. Images of Walter Skinner and Fox Mulder whirled in her mind, and she whispered, "Walter, I'm so sorry," before everything went black.

Outside Cradock Marine Bank
Corner across the street
9:45 A.M.

The sharpshooter was already in position when the shot rang out from inside the bank. Mulder and Skinner both jumped at the sound, and it took all of Skinner's rapidly decreasing iron control to not run into the building and kill Bernard Oates with his bare hands. He had a horrible feeling, as though part of him was...."SHIT," Skinner screamed, looking around wildly for the Lieutenant, finding him, nearly grabbing him and shaking him to find out what the hell had just happened.

"Lieutenant, who....who's been shot?" Skinner demanded, his voice already betraying him.

"It hasn't been confirmed yet, Mr. Skinner....wait...." the officer pressed the mike into his ear more closely, and he looked at Skinner and Mulder's expressions, not wanting to convey the information, but doing so anyway. "It was a female hostage....red hair.....trenchcoat," he said quietly, and Skinner's legs went out from beneath him, Mulder helping him to the curb so he could sit down with some semblance of dignity.

Skinner placed his face in his hands, knowing for certain what was going to come next, and wondering why in the hell any of this was happening, anyway. Mulder seated himself next to the AD, unable to speak due to the rapidly growing lump in his throat, and put his arm around Skinner's shoulders. Skinner shoved him away, and Mulder stood to watch as the scene unfolded. With any luck, the son of a bitch would walk in front of the bank door just one more time, and he'd be a sitting duck.....suddenly, the officers quieted, and Mulder knew that the shooter had his target in sight.....it was only a matter of seconds.

Skinner stood up again, pulling his wirerims off to wipe away the tears he'd silently shed. He watched as the SWAT officer fired into the glass front door of the bank, hitting Bernard Oates in the chest. The rest of the team began to rush the building, and just when Mulder had begun to smile slightly, knowing that now they could get Scully out, that she'd be okay, a huge explosion rocked the entire block, he and Skinner nearly colliding as they dove for cover, debris from the building and various automobiles that had been parked too close raining down on top of them.

There was only silence, following the blast. Mulder was in shock, and sat up on the concrete, unable to stand. His coordination was gone, and he sat and shook, tears streaming down his dirt covered face. He looked directly at what remained of the bank building, still half-expecting Scully to traipse on out, any minute now. She couldn't be gone, there was just simply no way that she would be taken from him like this. Skinner, he thought, oh God, where's Skinner? He looked around frantically, and saw Skinner heading for the bank entrance, despite the shouts of 'freeze' from local law enforcement.

Mulder found his voice and his legs, running after the AD, yelling at him to stop, not to go in there....but Skinner disappeared into the building just the same. Mulder stopped dead in his tracks, in a state of disbelief at the sound that came out of the building a moment later. It sounded like something, some really large animal, was in a great deal of pain. It was a gut-wrenching roar, and it lasted for too many seconds......Mulder fell to his knees, knowing that the sound he had just heard belonged to a man that had just lost the most important thing in his life, and it just so happened to be the most important thing in Mulder's life, too. He sobbed and sobbed, covering his face with his hands, not caring that he was kneeling in glass and concrete, cutting into his legs through his pants...he couldn't feel anything physical anymore, only the hugest sense of loss he had felt in his entire adult life, and when Skinner emerged from the bank, Mulder actually passed out cold, the sight too intense for even him to take.

Skinner held Scully's broken body in his arms, her head hanging at an angle that didn't even belong in horror films. Her arms and legs were bent in different directions, and the mere fact that she was still in one piece was amazing enough in itself, but he carried her out just the same. When he reached the street, he fell to his knees, as Mulder had done, and cradled Scully's body in his arms, rocking her gently as he cried to her, words that she couldn't hear, but he had to tell her anyway. He screamed and cried, a scene that no grown man should ever act out, let alone have to witness, professing his and Mulder's love to her. He buried his face in her broken body and wept as he had never wept before in his life, all the while rocking her. When Mulder finally came around, he found the AD still cradling Scully, his voice only a hoarse whisper, shaking his head back and forth, just chanting the word, "No," over and over again. Mulder staggered to Skinner and sank back down to the ground, wrapping his arms around Skinner and Scully, weeping. Even the paramedics were crying at the scene in front of them, not daring to remove Dana Scully from the arms of the two men who had loved her most - and best.

END OF PART II

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building
2:00 P.M.
Anonymous Conference Room

"Assistant Director Skinner," began the Deputy Director, "To begin, I would like to convey my deepest sympathy to both you and Agent Mulder. I realize that you were both very close to Agent Dana Scully, and I realize this must be incredibly difficult for you." The Director stood at the head of the massive conference table, addressing Skinner and Mulder, as well as several other agents and higher-ups from the division.

You have no fucking clue, thought Skinner, his attention nowhere near the room that they occupied at the moment. All he could think of was Dana Scully...the beautiful, enigmatic, intelligent, sexy, and.........late........Dr. Dana Scully - he still couldn't believe it. Somehow, back at the bank, he had managed to finally let go of her body so the paramedics could take her away. Mulder and he had both given their statements, and walked side by side back to the Hoover building, not speaking a word to one another as they walked.....Skinner replayed this all in his head as the Director spoke.

"I am granting you both one week of leave, and do not wish to see you back in the building until at least then," the Director continued, "and I suggest, Agent Mulder, that you in particular might take some extra time on top of that, given your closeness to Agent Scully."

Mulder sat shaking slightly in his seat, hands folded on the table in front of him, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He wished the Deputy Director would go blow his smoke up someone else's ass, especially since he had no clue of how truly wonderful Scully had really been. The Bureau never paid attention, not unless it was to berate him and Scully for another outrageous case...usually, one that the Bureau itself had ordered them to investigate. Mulder wasn't really listening to anything the Director said, but he recalled the words "paid leave" and "funeral arrangements", and it all seemed so surreal to him; he simply nodded his head, replying from somewhere far off, "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Fine, sir." He wasn't even sure if he had replied in the proper order, but he figured that should cover it. Was the Director even done talking yet? He wondered.

As the Director finished his 'little speech', as Walter was calling it internally, he remained seated next to Mulder as everyone else left the conference room, not speaking until the last 'outsider' had left. He had no idea where he had found the strength to not give in to his emotions, but he had somehow managed to act as though he had simply - what a joke, he thought - lost an agent. He sat through the meeting, teeth clenched, actually pinching himself on the thigh as hard as he could the whole time, to give himself anything else to think about but Dana. No one except Mulder knew that he and Dana were an item, and he had to maintain the attitude of a leader, of a man with an iron will, accepting the loss gracefully, as though Dana Scully were just another agent under his command. Why would he be so personally devastated at the loss of a field agent who, in all respects, faced that danger every single day? His hands flew up to tear his wirerims off after the room had emptied, and he flung them across the table, causing Mulder to jump.

"Fuck," Walter spat, his hands covering his face as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the massive wooden conference table, "I don't....I can't...." he trailed off, his voice choking with emotion, and Mulder's tears finally started to fall once again.

"Sir," Mulder said quietly, "I think you handled that very well.......especially that comment about me being......closer to Scully." He looked over at the large man next to him, his tears blurring the sight of Skinner hunched over the table, and waited for a response.

"Mulder...." Skinner said, "I'm so very sorry, Mulder. God, I can't fucking believe this is happening." He shook his head, as though that gesture might negate all of the events of the day, and continued, as he gazed back at Mulder, "Do you........I mean, would you like to.....talk, or......." what, Skinner thought to himself, want to go out and grab a drink (or ten) and talk about how fantastic she was? He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence.

Mulder patted Skinner on the back, marvelling at being able to find the strength to stand, replying, "Sir, I don't think that anything I would have to say would be much help to either of us right now," he couldn't think of anything else to say; what the Hell could he do to comfort Skinner, when he was so far beyond that himself? "I'm just going to head home, sir. If you need anything, you know where to reach me." Mulder turned to leave the room, stopping to pick up Walter's glasses and gently toss them back to him, tears still running down his cheeks, and Skinner stood to leave as well. What more was there to say, anyway?

J.Edgar Hoover FBI Building
Walter Skinner's Office
3:00 P.M.

Skinner had come back down to his office from the conference room, pale, his nerves raw, a dull, heavy thudding behind his eyes. He thought that maybe, if he just immersed himself in work like he always did, he could get through the rest of the day. As he approached Kimberly's desk, he saw that she had been crying as well, and she attempted a weak smile as he entered the reception area, but it faded when she saw his face.

"Mr. Skinner," Kimberly began, her voice barely audible, "I am so sorry about Agent Scully, sir. I know that she and Mulder were your finest team, and she will be missed....." she stopped, seeing the AD with a look in his eyes that she had never imagined him capable of - he was really, truly, lost - his eyes, usually so intense and full of life, were dead, lifeless, nearly black with his grief. It showed all too clearly, and it made her shiver.

"Thank you, Kim. Why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off? I am going to clean up some things in my office, and head out myself." She nodded at him as he walked to his office, closing the door behind him. He walked slowly to his desk and sat in his chair, still clad in his suit and black overcoat, staring blankly at the stack of files in front of him. He recalled countless meetings and bitch sessions, Scully seated across from him, arguing on Mulder's behalf over some ungodly expense report, or the 'truth', or some conspiracy or other. There would be no more of that now. Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully was gone, and no amount of dealing with a certain Morley smoking son-of-a-bitch was going to bring her back this time. Work was not the answer, for once, and Walter knew it; being in his office simply reminded him of her, and even though going home would be just as bad, at least there wouldn't be anyone else around, and he could try to deal with his emotions in private, just the way he preferred. He was, after all, the "iron man"; the Vietnam vet who had lost his entire squad to snipers while he himself was spared, the surly, burly, Assistant Director of the FBI, the man that everyone came to if they wanted something done; nothing should break him. Nothing, he thought, except for this. He hung his head and walked back out into the reception area, Kimberly already gone, and shuffled toward the elevator, his usual purposeful stride broken, just like his heart.

Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment
6:00 P.M.
Friday Evening

Walter sat on the white leather couch in his apartment, his head thrown back over the cushion, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had no idea what to do with himself. He couldn't cry; he'd done enough of that today, and his eyes and head...Hell, everything hurt. His goddamn soul hurt, at least, that's how he figured it. He brought his hands up to his face and removed his wirerims, letting them fall behind the sofa, rubbing his eyes to try to relieve the dull ache behind them.

"Dana. My beautiful, sweet Dana. Oh my God," he said to no one. He stood up and walked over to the bar, taking off his coat and dropping it to the floor on his way. By the time he was pouring himself a drink, his suitcoat and tie had joined his overcoat, and he unbuttoned the top 3 buttons of his shirt as he downed the first glass of scotch. He poured another, as he leaned against the bar, and drank it down as well. He stared at his reflection in the mirror behind the bottles and crystal, thoughtfully pondering his image. Alone. That was quite appropriate, and he smiled grimly at himself as he poured his third scotch, sipping this one. Yep. Good old Walter S. Skinner. Assistant Director extraordinaire. Fuck. He shook his head, images of his dying war time comrades flooding his mind, him lying helpless and unable to help them as they all died around him. And then, thoughts of Sharon, helpless in her hospital bed, dying as he spoke to her, the only words of comfort he could offer her still falling entirely short of what she deserved. And now, finally, Scully. Gone, and him helpless to do anything about it. Life is so beautiful, he thought, as he downed his drink and rolled the glass in his hand, feeling the heavy weight of the crystal.

Walter's head buzzed slightly, but his headache was subsiding, for that much at least he was thankful. He held the glass, trying to decide if he wanted another drink, and then figured no, that wasn't going to fill up the emptiness inside of him either. Nothing would now, and he'd be goddamned lucky if anything ever did again. He glanced at himself in the mirror once again, just before he pulled his arm back and hurled the empty glass at his reflection, broken mirror and crystal shards raining down over the entire bar and onto the floor. He felt just as tense as he had before the scotch, and he dragged himself up the stairs to his bedroom, figuring that sleep might be the only way to deal with the day's events....best not to deal with it at all.

Walter took off his shirt and peeled off the thin cotton undershirt beneath, pulling it up over his head and throwing it to the floor.... no one to impress now, right? He winced at his own thought, unzipping his trousers and stepping out of them, then sitting on the bed to pull off his socks. He lay back on the bed, clad only in his white briefs, and stared up at the ceiling. He looked over to Dana's side of the bed, and saw a couple of fiery red strands on her pillow. His bottom lip quivered slightly as he reached over to touch them, picking up the red hairs and holding them in his hand, closing his eyes against the tears that he refused to allow to fall. He clenched his fists, and rolled over, burying his face in her pillow, the scent of her lingering there. He lay like that for a long while, just breathing in her aroma, shock washing over him again at the realization that she would never be there, her little body next to his massive one, falling asleep with her in his arms, or waking up to her smile, ever again. Exhausted and drained, Walter tried to sleep; his only comfort had been ripped from his world, just like everything else that had ever mattered in his life; he squeezed 'her' pillow tighter to him and drifted off, not really caring if he woke up the next morning or not.

Crystal City - Skinner's Apartment
6:00 A.M.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* Alarm? What....I didn't set the fucking alarm, he thought as he opened his eyes, wondering if maybe he was drunker than he thought the night before, and as he rolled over to swat at the clock, his breath caught in his throat.......it couldn't be.....there was no way.....and yet, there she lay, her beautiful blue eyes only half open..."Walter, are you going to kill that thing before I do?" Dana Scully smiled up at him, her arms reaching up over her head in a massive morning stretch.

"Oh. Oh my. My God," Walter said, his deep brown eyes opened wide in disbelief at the figure beside him. He reached over her and knocked the alarm clock clean off the nightstand, his eyes never leaving her face. Her beautiful face, pale creamy white skin, rosy lips, bright blue oceans in her eyes.

"Walter, are you alright? You're white as a sheet," she said, reaching up to touch his face, but he pulled away from her before she could touch him, instead reaching down and yanking the covers off of her, scrambling onto all fours and running his hands over her entire naked body, looking for any sign of injury. There was none.

"Walter," Scully squealed, "what on earth are you doing?" She half-laughed, half-yelled at him as he ran his hands up and down each of her legs, and her torso, and her arms, and finally her neck, looking completely confused, and totally confusing her.

"Dana, oh my GOD," he gasped, "you're......here!" He sat up and stared at her, genuine shock and surprise in his eyes, and Scully couldn't help but laugh at him, he looked so funny, sitting on the bed on his knees, completely naked, his big brown eyes opened ridiculously wide.

"Walter, are you feeling okay?" She reached over and touched his forehead, her warm palm against his face, and he closed his eyes, revelling in her touch. He grabbed her hand with his, and ran it down the side of his face, kissing her palm gently as he moved it to his lips.

"Dana, I have never been better in my whole entire life," he exclaimed, and she arched an eyebrow at him, his amazement at her presence completely lost upon her, "but.......what day is it?" He was still confused.

"Walter, what the....it's Friday, and where else would I be, other than here with you," she asked him, "and just what the Hell is going on?" She couldn't wait to hear this one, because Walter was acting quite strangely, and really, it didn't make any sense at all...except...something was nagging at her, tickling at the back of her mind....if she could just.......Walter interrupted her train of thought.

"Dana, I had a dream...and you.....you were.....oh, never mind," he growled, and he grabbed her in his arms and pulled her to him, causing her to stifle a giggle as he thrust his tongue into her halfway opened mouth, not letting her go until they were both gasping for air. He ran his hands into her hair, grabbed fistfuls of it and just held her that way, her confused gaze melting into something altogether different as he stared into her eyes, so intense....

Jesus, Dana thought, must've been some dream.....and then, suddenly, she remembered....."Walter, what exactly did you dream?"

He stared at her for a moment, then began to relay the story, and her jaw dropped at his description, causing him to stop just short of finishing his explanation and ask her, "Dana, what's wrong? You....look like you've seen a ghost..." Goddammit, why did THAT sound so familiar? Deja vu? Christ, he was beginning to think like Mulder now.

"Walter, I had that same dream, only it was....well, didn't I tell you about it yesterday? But, wait...when I woke up from that dream, it was Friday...only, today is Friday...oh my God, Walter......" Scully stared at him, his hands still gently grasping her hair, their eyes locked together, trying to piece it all together.

"What..." Skinner began, and then he stopped, shaking his head in disbelief. He distinctly remembered her telling him about her dream, about her fear of him going to the bank, of him dying and her being so upset....but, how could it be that now, he could remember that, as well as what his dream had been? About his vivid memory of holding her broken body in his arms, and he shuddered to recall it even now, even with her alive and well in his arms.

"I..." Scully started, and then she, too, stopped in mid-sentence, recalling her own horror of losing him in her dream, her eyes never leaving his as he sat in front of her now; and it was as though they had shared the dream, only independently, each of them finding out what it might be like to lose the other, in the most horrible way imaginable....."I love you," she blurted out. Whoa, had she just said that out loud? The look on his face told her that she had, and for a moment, she wasn't quite sure.......

"Dana Katherine Scully," Walter said, his face completely serious, "what did you just say to me?" He took her face in his hands, his palms resting on either side of her, and stared into her very soul, his heart feeling as though it might explode clean out of his chest.

"I said, Walter Sergei Skinner, that I love you. Very much." She looked back at him, her eyes searching his face, trying so intently to read him, and still not quite sure what was going on in his head. She had started to tremble slightly, surprised at her own words, really, because she had been wanting to tell him for quite some time, and she just hadn't thought to say it until just this very moment. Somehow, it just seemed.....right.

"Oh, Dana....I love you, too," Walter said, pulling her closer to him, wrapping his large muscular arms around her, both of them still kneeling on the bed, his erection digging into her stomach persistently. She wrapped her arms around his chest, trembling with emotion as he held her, and she held him, kissing his neck, then lifted her chin to find his lips, and locked onto them with intense ferocity, which he immediately returned.

Walter pushed Dana gently back onto the bed, covering her small frame with his massive body, placing one of his thighs between hers, rubbing his thick long cock against her abdomen as he kissed her deeply and thoroughly with his tongue and his lips, laving her mouth until he was sensuously drunk from the taste of her. His hands roamed over her shoulders and found her breasts, her nipples already erect and peaked as he traced a line down from her mouth with his tongue. He murmured to her, told her how much he loved and adored her, and never wanted to be without her, even if only in a dream.

Dana returned Walter's caresses, holding him tightly to her, and grinding her hips invitingly against him, smiling warmly at the feel of his cock against her, digging deliciously into her stomach, pulsing with his need for her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, even as he continued to suckle her nipples, using his teeth to drag tiny moans of pleasure from deep in her throat, and she slid down under his golden tanned body, the dark brown fur on his chest scraping pleasingly against her soft creamy skin as she slid lower, positioning herself so that he could take her; she wanted him, badly, and she told him so.

"Walter," Dana whispered, "I want to feel you inside me, all the way, Walter..I have to have you, right now, don't make me wait any longer, please," she moaned, rubbing her moist center against him, causing him to moan in return, "I can't be without you any more....make love to me," she moaned, and he didn't even need to guide himself into her, his cock knowing exactly where its home was, and all too happy to go, sliding smoothly into her, her hot wetness encircling him, making him gasp out loud on top of her.

"Oh, Dana," he hissed, his teeth clenched as he felt himself surrounded by her; even though his body covered hers, he was totally inside of her, his cock twitching as her muscles clenched him, "God, you feel so good....I don't ever....want...to lose you....ever...." he punctuated each word with a tiny but forceful thrust, and Dana squeezed him tighter with her legs, pulling him into her as far as he could go, wrapping her arms around him so hard that he grunted over her, digging her heels into the small of his back and urging him deeper still.

She was so tight, so hot, so wet, he slid easily in and out of her, achingly slowly at first, not wanting to leave her body, her warmth, her. He whispered in her ear, nibbling at her as he did, telling her that he could never be without her, never wanted to know what it would be like to not have her, wanted her with his whole soul, and he actually got tears in his eyes as he thrust into her deeply again, knowing that she was the one woman who ever could have affected him so completely. He took her mouth again, urgently, his hips moving back and forth, in and out, grinding into her, revelling in the grunts and moans that escaped her, her blue eyes filled with a haze of lust and want and love for him.

She clamped onto him, whispering back to him between her own moans of pleasure, begging him to go faster, harder, yes, that's it, she told him, the wiry hair at his groin scratching her clit, making her clench her teeth, so close to coming already...the feel of his balls against her ass with each stroke drove her mad, and her breath rasped in and out quickly, giving him the signal to go ahead, not to hold anything back, and he didn't.

He grabbed her shoulders and dug his fingers in firmly, pushing her down as he thrust up into her over and over again, his own name ringing in his ears even as he cried out hers.......she grabbed his firm ass and pulled him into her yet again, holding him inside her, locking him there with her hips and the heels of her feet, bucking up against him as she came, releasing him so he could pound into her one final time, his orgasm exploding into her with a mighty roar from his own throat....a very loud, animalistic sound in the form of her name. He shuddered into her several times, remembering the last such sound he had made.....as though it were in a dream.

Walter lay, spent and ecstatic, sprawled across Scully, waiting until he could get his breath back enough to roll gently off of her. When he felt himself regaining some blood flow to his northern hemisphere, he removed himself, rolling over and pulling Scully to him, holding her tightly in his arms. She returned the embrace, and they lay together, whispering quietly to one another, telling each other all of the things that they had been holding in for so long, their feelings, their dreams, their hopes and fears, nuzzling and kissing one another for each admission that was made.

"Dana, what time is it," Walter asked, and she made a rather large production of dangling off the side of the bed to reach the clock, which still rested on the floor. It read 9:08 A.M.

"Um, you don't want to know," she said, turning back to him, biting her bottom lip, "didn't we have an 8:30 meeting this morning?" Just then, Scully's cellphone trilled from her jacket, and she leapt from the bed to answer it, "Scully," she said.

"Scully, where the Hell are you two," Mulder said, "you're late...the meeting was cancelled half an hour ago." He sounded amused, moreso than usual.

"Uh, yeah, Mulder, but we had to, uh...." Scully stuttered, and Mulder cut her off, "Save it, Scully. Hey, you have to hear about this dream I had last night.....you don't have to go to the bank today for any reason, do you?"



THE END