Weak in the Knees; chapter twenty-six
Title: Weak in the Knees
Author: Dhamphir
Fandom: X-Files
Pairing: Scully/OFC
Rating: NC-17
Please see previous posts for disclaimer/summary/notes. As always, thanks to celievamp for the beta!
Chapter 26
When Scully had finished talking with Det. Bobby Marinelli, she returned to the hotel and placed some phone calls in an effort to find out where Morgan had gone.
Scully called headquarters and spoke to AD Ben Taylor and then the Director himself. The Director congratulated her on the glowing review she’d received from Jess. He then asked what assignment she wanted. When she expressed her desire to stay on the taskforce he expressed his concern over the threat against her life. Scully reassured him she didn’t want to leave the case and he finally agreed. However, since he wasn’t aware of any issues between the two agents, he didn’t tell Scully where Morgan was; and she felt it was best not to ask him.
Scully ended up calling the Lone Gunmen and asking them the favor of trying to track her down.
“But I thought you were working a case with Jessica,” Frohike said.
“I am. It’s just... well, we’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding. When I got up this morning she was gone. She left a note, but it didn’t say where she went.”
“You mean she ditched you like Mulder always does?” Langly asked incredulously.
“That doesn’t sound like Jessica,” Byers added.
“Look, I know you guys care about her. So can you help me out?”
“What do you need, Scully?” Frohike asked.
“Can you check her credit cards maybe, and see if there’s any activity on them that would tell me where she’s at?”
She waited for them to work their computer magic.
“The only thing we can find was that she took a flight from Atlanta to Miami,” Byers told her.
“No idea where she’s staying?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Wait a minute, let me check something,” Frohike yelled in the background. He worked on the computer for a couple minutes. He then cleared the screen and the cache so no one would know what he’d done. He took the phone from Byers. “Guys, I need to talk to Scully privately.” He waited until the other two left before continuing. “Uh, Scully?”
“Yes?”
“I have to know - is Jessica in some kind of trouble?”
“No, she’s not.” She sighed. “Something happened last night, Frohike, and I didn’t handle it well. She left before I could talk to her about it. She left a note that said I didn’t have to work with her anymore.”
“So she thinks you’re mad at her.”
“Something like that.”
“Are you?”
“I’m more confused than anything. Which is why I need to find her and talk to her.”
Frohike hesitated. He didn’t want to do anything to betray Jessica. If she didn’t want anything to do with Scully... But he knew Scully and knew she was a good and honest person. “Is it personal or work related?” he asked.
Scully bit her lower lip as she considered her answer. “Both, Frohike... but mostly personal, I think.”
After a pause, he spoke again. “Hopefully she won’t kill me for this.”
“What?”
“She’s staying at the Loews hotel in Miami, but not under Jessica Morgan.”
Scully could hear the hesitancy in Frohike’s voice. “What name is she using?”
“Lady Essington,” he replied softly. “You cannot tell anyone about that, Scully. I’m breaking a long held confidence by telling you that. Swear to me you won’t tell anyone, Scully.”
Confused by Frohike’s words Scully nonetheless promised. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”
And now, she was lying in bed, in Jess’s room, unable to sleep and still not sure what was going on. She saw Jess change, right before her eyes. But her rational, scientific mind was having trouble wrapping itself around what appeared to be the obvious explanation.
She thought back to the case she and Mulder worked in Chaney, TX the year before. Mulder had been convinced Ronnie Strickland was a vampire - he even put a stake through his heart. They never had any proof he actually was a vampire since he had fake fangs and his body disappeared from the morgue. Although Scully thought she might have seen Sheriff Harwell’s eyes glow, she had been drugged and couldn’t rely on her memories of that night. And she couldn’t go by anything Mulder said since he’d been drugged as well.
She didn’t believe in the existence of vampires... but what other explanation was there for what she’d seen?
She rolled over again, pounding her pillow in a vain attempt to relax enough to sleep.
***
When Morgan woke up in the morning she wasn’t looking forward to the day. She had been thrown by Scully’s presence in her hotel room, especially since she’d used the Essington account to pay for it. Very few people knew about her familial ties and it wasn’t in her personnel file at the Bureau. She’d made it a requisite of her joining the Bureau that certain information about her not be in the files. She rubbed her hands over her face and shook her head. But then, Scully was an excellent investigator and she really shouldn’t put anything past the woman.
Morgan then realized that she didn’t have a change of clothes with her. Her bag was in the suite she’d left Scully in. She didn’t want to go walking through the hotel hallways just in one of the provided robes, so she put on her clothes from the night before.
Time to face the music.
***
When Scully heard the knock on the door she looked through the peephole. Tugging on the bottom of the t-shirt in an effort to cover herself more effectively, she turned the doorknob. As soon as the door was open she retreated to the bathroom to get one of the robes.
Morgan entered, and didn’t miss seeing Scully retreat into the bedroom. Nor did she fail to recognize her own t-shirt on the petite redhead. She quirked an eyebrow when Scully came back out, securing the robe around herself. “Where’s your stuff?”
Scully blushed. “In the car.”
Morgan picked up the phone and called down to the concierge desk. She requested they send someone up to get Scully’s car keys and then retrieve her luggage from the car. In three minutes flat there was a knock on the door. Scully tossed the keys to Morgan who opened the door and gave them to the bellhop.
“The car is...” Morgan turned back to look at Scully.
“A dark blue Mercury Sable,” the redhead provided.
“Not a problem. I’ll take care of it, Lady Essington.”
“Thank you.” Morgan closed the door. She sighed when she turned around again. She gestured toward the bedroom. “Would you mind if I got a change of clothes so I can go take a shower. I feel grungy in last night’s clothes.”
“No. Of course not.”
Morgan walked into the bedroom and got some stuff from her bag. When she returned to the living room and headed for the door, Scully stopped her.
“You don’t have to leave, Jess. You can take your shower here; this is your room after all.”
Morgan visibly hesitated.
“It’s not like you’ll use all the hot water,” Scully quipped, trying to lighten the heaviness in the air between them. “Go on, Jess, take your shower.”
With a silent sigh, Morgan returned to the bedroom and entered the bathroom.
Scully sat down on the couch when she heard the shower start. She felt nervous and confused... and angry. She wanted answers, but didn’t know what she was going to do with them once she got them. She went to the door when there was a knock. Answering the door she found the bellhop with her bags. “Wait a moment,” she said as she moved to get her purse so she could tip him.
“No need, ma’am. Have a good day.” He left, closing the door behind him.
Scully took her bags into the bedroom. She didn’t notice the shower had stopped, so she was surprised when Morgan came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and started to dress. She stood silently, unable to move. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Morgan. Gone were any traces of the beating she’d taken. Even the gash on her left arm that she’d gotten rescuing the driver from the accident was gone. She was in perfect condition.
Scully shook her head. “Sorry,” she murmured when she realized she’d been staring.
Morgan simply finished dressing and retreated to the living room.
Scully took a long shower. She was putting off the coming conversation... and she knew it. She was the one that demanded they talk, but was afraid of what the outcome may be. Finally, she turned off the water, stepped out and dried herself. Morgan was nowhere in sight when she entered the bedroom. She quickly dressed and went out to the living room. She was afraid Morgan had once again disappeared, but then she spotted her out on the balcony. She took only two steps toward the balcony before Morgan turned around and looked at her through the open sliding glass door.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Morgan asked flatly.
Scully’s jaw dropped. “What did I- How the hell can you even asked me that?” she snapped. “You know what we need to talk about!”
With a sigh, Morgan came back inside. She walked over to the mini-bar and took out a cold bottle of water. She spoke after taking a drink. “I’m just not sure what you want to accomplish, Dana. I can’t change what’s happened or who I am.”
“Well, for one, you could tell me why the hell you ditched me yesterday in Atlanta! I expect that kind of bullshit from Mulder, but not from you. I expected better from you! I expected some consideration from you!”
“Consideration? Why the hell do you think I left? I left out of consideration for you!”
“I don’t count being unceremoniously dropped from the case consideration. An impersonal note from you and it’s a done deal? I don’t think so!”
“I didn’t just get you dropped from the case. I got you your choice of assignment - anywhere in the damn country! I did what I thought was best for you.”
“Any assignment except working on the task force to stop this killer! And who are you to decide what’s best for me? Don’t you think that should be up to me?!”
“What the bloody hell do you want from me?!”
“I want to know what the hell is going on and I want to know what you are!”
Morgan turned away, flinching at the ‘what’ in Scully’s demand. She’d expected it... but it hurt more than she anticipated. Her eyes watered until she reined in her feelings and erected another wall around her heart. Her face was an expressionless mask when she turned back around. “Come on, Dana. You’re a smart woman. Do you really need me to spell it out for you? I’m a bona fide X-File! I’m half vampire!”
“But vampires aren’t real.”
“HA!” Morgan barked bitterly. “Then I guess I don’t exist!” she snapped as her features shifted.
Scully recoiled, taking a step backwards.
“And that’s why I left! You’re afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid of you!”
Morgan marched toward Scully, following her as she retreated until her back hit the wall. Morgan planted her hands on the wall, boxing Scully in. She glared at the redhead before dipping her head and sniffing the side of the redhead’s neck before raising her head and looking into her eyes again. “Perhaps you should be, after all, I do need blood now and then,” she growled. Then she forcefully shoved herself back from the wall and Scully, turning and walking away. Her features were back to normal when she turned back around. There was bitterness in her voice when she spoke, “Don’t worry, I’ve never taken human blood and I’m not about to start with you.”
Scully eyes flared with anger. “Then what the hell was that about?!”
“Making a point. You can’t help but recoil from me. Fear, revulsion, disgust; it doesn’t matter why. Forcing us to work together won’t do either of us any good. Being partners was only temporary anyway.”
“Well, for your information, I spoke to the Director - I’m still on the taskforce. I’m not a quitter!”
“So you’re still on the taskforce. Great. Last I heard they were headquartered in DC. I suggest you join them!”
“And what about us?”
“What about us? It was great while it lasted.”
Scully felt hurt and betrayed by Morgan’s dismissive words. But she was more angry than anything. So angry she simply saw red. She turned and stalked into the bedroom, grabbed her bags and marched out of the suite, slamming the door behind her.
Scully drove to the airport and caught the first flight she could find back to DC.
***
Morgan stood still, breathing heavily as Scully walked out and slammed the door. Her breaths soon turned to quiet sobs. She dropped to her knees and cried. It hurt so much... but it would have been worse, would have hurt more, to have to work beside Scully and see the revulsion in the redhead’s eyes.
Chapter 27...
prologue| ch 1| ch 2| ch 3| ch 4| ch 5| ch 6| ch 7| ch 8| ch 9| ch 10|
ch 11| ch 12| ch 13| ch 14| ch 15| ch 16| ch 17| ch 18| ch 19| ch 20|
ch 21| ch 22| ch 23| ch 24| ch 25|