PHANTOM MENACE
by JoLayne
[email protected]
http://www.geocities.com/enyajo
For the X Files Lyric Wheel. Thanks to DS for the lyrics and Pollyanna for doing the wheel!
Spoilers: Small Potatoes, Requiem
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by FOX, CC and God knows who else.
CUMBERLAND REFORMATORY
"No matter what you've heard," he said in no uncertain terms. "I'm not a villain. I only spread love."
Mulder was cautiously sitting in a folding chair by a metal table. He noticed that the guard who was standing at the door had roll his eyes. Mulder had been happy to have the guard in the visitation room in case Eddie Van Blundht decided to once again morph into his own likeness. Mulder humphed, "Eddie, you raped women."
"I-did-not!" Eddie was too surprised that Mulder would make such an assumption. Eddie softly told him, "Each and every one of those ladies willingly slept with me."
"That's because 'those ladies' thought you were someone else, their husbands."
"It was just perception." Eddie leaned forward on his side of the table to whisper, "I would bet that if you talked to them, I helped their marriages. If you know what I mean."
"Eddie..." Mulder didn't want to get a visual so he quickly muttered, "I like you. Kind of. But I can't in good conscience make a case for your release with the parol board. I don't know if you're healed."
"My shrink said I am."
"Your shrink didn't have you turn into him, lock him in a closet and take over his life."
"And seduce your lovely partner?" Eddie's snide grin was too much for Mulder. "I requested for Agent Scully to come to this meeting. Where is she?"
"She had better things to do."
"Are you two....," Eddie asked as his shoulders twitched up and down. "You know. Yet?"
"That is none of your business."
"You're not," Eddie deduced, shaking his head. "After I got her all warmed up and everything? Why didn't you move in? Show her a good time? I tell ya, if I was born with your looks... Would that I were ruled by sweet, sweet fate--."
"You're ruled by your libido, Eddie."
"I've changed," Eddie pleaded with Mulder, for someone to believe him. He had to get out of that hole he was trapped in. "I'm not longer angry at my father."
"That's good," Mulder chuckled. "Maybe you shouldn't have killed him."
"I didn't kill him! I just didn't tell anyone he was dead."
"And you cashed his Social Security checks."
Eddie lowered his head and took a deep breath. Mulder wondered if he was acting or was actually sorry for what he had done. Eddie said, "I've paid for my crime, Agent Mulder. I've been in this place for 5 years."
"And you'll be in for a few more if I have anything to do with it." Mulder stood and motioned to the guard to open the door, calling an end to the meeting.
Eddie, in a hurt voice, quickly said, "You haven't even asked me any questions. How do you know I'm not healed?"
"I can tell by looking into your beady little eyes. You're looking at me like...," Mulder didn't want to utter it and turned again to the door.
Eddie told him, "Fox, I've been in here for a long time. I don't get any visitors."
"I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?"
"No. But forgiveness would be nice." Eddie fumbled with the draw string on his pants as he said, "You're free, you're out there, living life...," Eddie waved his hand. "Such as it is."
There wasn't any way for Eddie Van Blundht to know what had happened in Mulder's life since they last met up. Someone had performed brain surgery on him, he found out what happened to Samantha after years of searching, he'd become intimate with Scully, fathered a child, had been abducted and spent six months on a space ship. Some people's lives were more exciting than others.
Mulder looked at the pitiful little man across the room from him, then through the barred windows to the prisoners in the exercise yard. Maybe Eddie didn't belong in there. Some of the men walking back and forth in the same bright orange work shirts and draw string pants looked like bad news.
Mulder looked back at meek little Eddie, who had to make his way with the likes of them in that prison. Mulder sat back in the chair and opened the Van Blundht file to see if there was any indication that Eddie had been cured. Anything.
Eddie intoned, "I had a love of such beauty I just can't describe. I threw it all away."
"Are you talking about Ms. Nelligan?"
Eddie's relieved to hear Mulder speak her maiden name. "So Amanda's not married. I don't know anything about her life now. Or my kid. Did you find out what she's doing? Where she is?"
"On Tatooine," Mulder sneered.
"I don't even know my daughter's name."
"Leah."
"Come on," Eddie laughed. "Tell me the truth."
"Sadly, I just did."
"You did look her up! How is she?"
"She's getting on with life. She manages a video store."
"Way cool! She can watch "Star Wars" all day long. I bet she just loved "The Phantom Menace". They haven't even gotten it on video in here yet. Was it good? Oh, what am I saying, of course it was good. I'm sure it was excellent!"
"Don't get carried away, there Eddie," Mulder said as he continued to scan Eddie's file.
TWO WEEKS LATER
As Mulder walked into their apartment, Scully had the phone in her hand. "It's for you."
Mulder put down his suitcase by the door and stared at Scully, and her pregnant body. A smile creased his face and asked, "Who is it?"
"Cumberland Reformatory," Scully said. "Is this about Eddie?"
"Yeah." Mulder took the phone from her and planted a kiss on her. As he rubbed her belly, the baby, he answered, "This is Fox Mulder."
Scully wanted to know what the conversation was about, but from Mulder's end, all she could hear was 'yeah', 'no', 'really...'. She picked up a laundry basket and brought it into the bedroom to fold and put the clothes away. It had been a month since she started her maternity leave from the bureau and it would be lovely if the baby would come. Her days were filled with cleaning, shopping and doing a little research whenever Mulder and Doggett needed some information while on a case together. She needed to get out there. Scully felt that her investigative skills were slowly ebbing away from her.
Before she put the last of her sweaters on the shelf in her bureau, Mulder appeared at the door. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around Scully's inflated waistline and leaned his chin against the top of her head. "Eddie was released this morning."
Scully tightened with just the sound of that man's name. "Is he cured?"
"I'm sure he is. The poor sap just needed to learn his lesson."
"Where did he go? Do we have to keep an eye out for him?"
Mulder looked at her and shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Didn't they tell you on the phone?"
"He's not a dangerous criminal, Scully," Mulder argued on Eddie's behalf. "They called because I gave testimony at the parole hearing." He looked at her closely and lifted her chin with his hand, "Are you scared of Eddie?"
"No. Don't be silly," she said, a little tightly.
"Did you have any feelings for him that night that he morphed as me? What did you talk about? How did he get you to kiss him?"
"I didn't kiss him."
"But you were going to. Were you going to sleep with him?"
"Mulder! No I wasn't. I knew that was Eddie. We were just talking. We had wine. A lot of wine."
Scully shrugged, it was all in the past. She thought it was sweet that Mulder was so concerned. But for her, there was no one out there that was a better fit for her than Fox. Even when she needed to keep reminding him. Mulder leaned down and kissed her. Scully, who hadn't seen Mulder for four days while he was on a case with Doggett, returned that kiss with all the passion she had been keeping inside. She was tickled to think that Mulder had missed her just as much, if not more so. He started to move them to the bed. Even while she was ready to give birth at any moment, he still found her attractive.
Just as they laid on the bed, the phone rang. She turned to it on the night stand, but Mulder moved her face back toward his. "Mulder, Mom was going to call. She calls every day to make sure I'm all right. It will just take a minute."
She reached over and lifted the receiver and got the shock of her life. Mulder told her, "Scully, I'm going to be another day. I'm snowed in at the Minneapolis airport."
THE END
HOUSE FULL OF RICHES
Music and Lyrics by Duncan Shiek
Had a house full of riches
Threw it all away
I'm not a worthy man
No matter what you say
I promised forever
And left without a word
I'm not a worthy man
No matter what you've heard
My mind and my spirit
Where sharp and strong
I threw it all away
Tell me where did I go wrong?
But the purest of those moments
Pierce me through and through...
Wistful and hopeless...
No matter what I do
Somewhere within this heart of mine
Demons are working overtime
Would that I were ruled by sweet, sweet fate
Never facing the choice I made
I had a love of such beauty
I just can't describe
I threw it all away
I could not tell you why
But I remember her laughing
Drenched in summer sun
I'm not a worthy man
But I could have been one...
{PRIVATE} Somewhere within this heart of mine
Demons are working overtime
Would that I were ruled by sweet, sweet fate
Never facing the choice I made...
I threw it all away...
Threw it all away...