From: Erinstone1@aol.com

Shrink - Chapter 12
ErinStone1@AOL.com
Rated: R
Spoilers: none
Category: Scully/Slash
Archive: Yes-please make me aware of any final posts to a site.
Feedback: Any/all is welcome
Disclaimer: Scully and Mulder are not mine. I make no profit from this story.

Summary:  Scully decides she needs to take responsibility for her unhappiness.





A whispered statement. "If I love you, what business is that of yours?"

Scully looked at Gail in the passenger seat as her heart raced in her chest.

Gail explained, "It's a line, from a poem I think. I can't remember who wrote 
it."

Scully nodded slightly but still looked confused. Her face felt hot.

Gail sighed. "It reminds me of Marlene. I always thought that the line fit 
her. It's like something she'd say."

'Of course, she's thinking of Marlene.' Scully recited the line in her head, 
'If I love you, what business is that of yours?' She thought about it for a 
second and smiled. 

"Take a left up here."

Scully turned the car down a street that looked decidedly industrial.

Gail pointed to the left. "It's that one. I'll need to get out and use the 
key-pad to open the garage door."

Scully pulled into the drive and put the car in 'park'. "I'll go with you."

Gail used her key to unlock the key-pad. She then entered a code number and 
the garage door opened. The garage itself was the size of a basketball court.

"Gail, why don't you wait in the car. Lock the doors and drive slowly into 
the garage. I'll walk ahead of you." 

Gail did as she was told and Scully pulled out her issue. She held it at her 
side as she walked into the garage slowly. 'This is a security nightmare,' 
she thought as she looked from one large square cement joist to the other. 
'Three people could hide together behind any one of these things.' She walked 
the perimeter of the space as Gail pulled slowly into the garage. The garage 
door closed behind her. 

After Scully satisfied herself that they were alone she motioned for Gail to 
get out of the car. 

They walked together to the old elevator and Gail lifted the slat door. They 
stepped inside and again Scully watched as Gail typed in a code on the 
key-pad. "I'll write these down for you so you have them, each door is a 
different code." 

When the elevator stopped Gail lifted the slat door and they were facing a 
small foyer. Scully walked from the elevator first, then motioned for Gail to 
follow. Again, another key-pad.

Gail smiled with embarrassment, "I was robbed once. I'm a little security 
crazy."

"It's a pretty sophisticated system."  

"Yeah. After the robbery I realized that I'm alone out here." Gail hit a 
button on the elevator that locked it on the second floor.

"It's understandable. I for one am glad you've got it."

"Today I'm thinking it's the best money I've ever spent."

Scully smiled and Gail entered the other key-pad code. The heavy steel door 
opened on it's own.

Scully walked through it first and gasped. "My God."

It was just like Marlene had told her, one giant room. Windows covered all 
four sides. The side they faced directly had an attached green house. It 
looked like an arboretum. Scully walked farther into the room, her gun at her 
side. Gail strode in behind her.

Scully turned to her, "Stay here. Give me a minute to do a sweep. Are there 
any rooms off this main one?"

"There are two. The greenhouse and the bathroom. There are two doors into the 
greenhouse. There's a deck on the other side of it also with a door leading 
out to it. The bathroom is to your left through that door there."

"Ok, be right back."

Scully walked the wall of the room. She flipped on lights as she went. There 
were no ceiling lights at all, the light came from floor lamps and 
up-lighting. Every light switch she threw bathed the area she stood in warm 
soft tones of gold. 

One of the switches turned on a large fountain, which she nearly ran into in 
the dim lighting. Fiber optic lights inside it's three rocky tiers shown 
through the water. She momentarily forgot what she was doing as she watched 
the colors rotate from green to blue. Water began to babble slowly over river 
rock.

She shook her head to clear it and continued her sweep.

At the bathroom door she stood to the side. She turned the handle and let the 
door swing open, then quickly stepped in front of it and through, throwing 
the light switch as she went. 

Empty. She looked around. Three shower heads? There was a drain in the floor 
and white tile on every surface. No shower curtain.

A large square tub seemed to be built right into the wall, again, all white 
tile. One wall was all mirrors. There was a sizable square sink and a simple 
white toilet. Tall plants were placed around the room. Scully speculated that 
it was nearly 15' by 15'. 

She emerged from the bathroom and walked with her back to the wall. She was 
forced to walk around plants and lighting. Artwork was everywhere; pictures 
on easel's, pottery on plaster cast pillars, elaborate mobiles with birds and 
abstract designs hung on impossibly long ribbons from the 20' ceilings.

The bedroom area was impressive also. One large bed sat on a platform of 
highly polished light wood. It had a nightstand made of the same wood on 
either side. Thin lace netting hung in a canopy from the ceiling. It came 
within 5 feet of the bed and created a 'covered' feeling that made it somehow 
cozy in the large space. 

'Incredible' she mumbled as she continued. The living room area actually had 
carpeting; shag carpeting in shades of beige and white. A large sectional 
couch sat at one edge across from two large chairs at the other side. All the 
furniture seemed to have velour fabric in shades of greens and purples. There 
were low tables scattered throughout in various shapes, all made of the same 
wood in squares and ovals.

She got to the kitchen area and walked slowly around the cooking island. 
There was a flat stovetop with radiant heat burners. Stainless steel 
appliances gleamed in the light. 'How does she keep this stuff clean?' Scully 
thought to herself as she got to the first of the greenhouse doors. She could 
see Gail waiting patiently where she'd left her across the room. 

She took a breath and opened the greenhouse door. Fragrant air rushed at her 
causing her hair to blow back gently. She walked through and gasped again.

It was nearly a jungle.

She took a couple tentative steps and crouched low to look under the planting 
tables. Realizing that she could nearly see the length of the room's floor 
from her position she easily determined that no one else was there. No other 
feet, no other legs. If someone was there then they were standing on a table. 
She relaxed slightly and walked the wide middle aisle. 

She got through to the other end and opened the door to the deck. There was 
an area about 30' x 20'. The deck was enclosed with a high cement wall that 
would make it impossible for anyone from the outside to see in. No one on the 
street could ever imagine what was inside the warehouse. Scully walked past a 
row of tiki torches and looked to see what they were mounted in. Plant boxes 
lined the edge of the deck. Each held at least three torches. 'It must be 
stunning out here with all of these lit.' She walked further and felt the 
ground beneath her feet change in texture. She looked down and saw that the 
wood had changed to tile. She looked forward again and realized that one half 
of the deck was a pool of some kind. 'How in the hell did she do that up 
here?' Scully knelt down and felt the plastic cover. 'Geez.'

She made her way back dodging lawn furniture and potted plants. As she came 
through the greenhouse door and back into the house she motioned for Gail to 
join her.

"Looks okay."

"Good. Can we call the hospital now?"

"Sure." Scully pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket and followed Gail 
to the couch. 

"You want some coffee?"

"I'd love some."

Gail got up and went into the kitchen. She was back ten minutes later with 
two cups in hand. Scully was just hanging up.

"Marlene's condition hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't improved much either. 
Her doctor thinks some of the blood has been reabsorbed by her system but 
she's still too shaky for them to run any tests. They'll call if there are 
any developments."

Gail sat down and handed Scully her coffee. Her face registered concern and 
fatigue.

"Maybe you should try and get some sleep." Scully offered. "I can wake you if 
I hear anything. I've got to make some calls to set up recording equipment 
for your phone and I'll arrange for another agent to stay with you during the 
day. I should get a car posted outside as well."

"I don't think I could sleep. Thanks for the offer though."

Scully nodded. "Where's your answering machine?"

"It's in the kitchen."

"We need to check it for Pickett. Is it tape or digital?"

"Digital." Gail said. "Probably not good huh?"

"We'll just have to make sure not to erase anything until we get some phone 
recording equipment set up."

Gail nodded and got up, "It's over here."

"Eight messages?"

"Yeah. All since I left here around 8 last night."

Scully looked at her watch. It was 2:57 a.m. 

"Want me to play them?"

"Yeah."

Gail hit the play button.

"GIRL!" A man's voice, nearly yelling came across and both Scully and Gail 
jumped. Scully got her pad and pen out but noticed that Gail was shaking her 
head.

"It's not Pickett."

Scully nodded as the message continued.

"Girl where are YOU? I'm dying here! I ran into 'Vulgarity' this weekend and 
she looked like shit. Seriously, SHIT! I was shrieking with glee girlfriend 
and I just had call you. That tramp has let herself go! See - I told you she 
was crazy when she broke it off with you. You were the best shit she ever had 
and now a year later she looks like a K-Mart ad. HA!  Anyway, call me. Bye."

Gail hit the stop button on her recorder and turned to Scully, a full fledged 
blush across her cheeks.

She gestured toward the machine. "Kevin."

Scully stared at her,  brow raised, "He seems a little worked up."

"It'd be rare if he wasn't."

Scully nodded slightly. She could tell that Gail was expecting more from her, 
some recognition that she'd just been outted. She ran through a list of 
things that would be PC and appropriate. In the end she simply said, "Shall 
we listen to the rest?"

Gail seemed to be thinking for a moment, then, "Sure."

Of the remaining seven calls only three were from Pickett.

The first:  "You blew it Doc. Really blew it. If you'd talked to me, even 
fuckin' waved to me I wouldn't have done it. I would have stayed away from 
Marlene."

The second:  "When will we meet again doctor? Do you miss me? Maybe I should 
start coming to my appointments again hey? Maybe I'll make my own appointment 
time. I think I'd be more comfortable at your house. Shall we do that?  I'll 
meet you at your house. I'll pick the time·"

Gail shivered. The change in his voice· from anger to calm calculation. It 
scared her to death. 

The third:  "I've got something for you. A gift. Yeah, that's right, it's a 
gift. Something to make sure you don't squirm to much. No no no, I'm not 
going to tell you what it is. I don't want to wreck the surprise. See you 
soon."

Gail felt her stomach contract and she ran suddenly toward the bathroom. 
Scully followed closely behind but remained just outside the door until it 
seemed Gail was finished. Eventually she heard the toilet flush and the water 
in the sink run.

Gail walked out of the bathroom a minute later with a towel in her hand. 
"Sorry."

"You all right?" Scully put her hand on Gail's back.

"Yeah. I think I'll take you up on that offer to lye down. I'm feeling a 
little shaky."

"I understand." Scully watched her sit on the edge of the bed and then went 
back to the living room. She sat on the couch and began making phone calls. 
Every now and then she'd glance toward Gail's sleeping form on the bed.

She spent an hour arranging for phone recorders, daytime security and an 
outdoor security car to be at it's post 24 hours a day. All were to go into 
motion immediately.  

She had a half hour before the phone crew showed up. She picked up her cell 
phone once more and dialed Mulder's number.

 
-end-