Subject: She Ditched Him? (Tithonus)
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999

Summary: Fill in the blank for Tithonus. Mulder and Maggie make
their way to New York after a call with Agent Ritter.
Spoiler: Tithonus (DUH!)
Rating: PG-13 for some naughty words
Category: V, A, MRS but nothing blatant
Disclaimer: I was expecting a bit more, Vince. But it was nice. I
still don't own anybody mentioned, 'cept maybe the nurse.
Archive: Yes, with name attached
Comments. Such a gapping hole to fill--seven days. More than
enough time for our favorite worry wart to cause more trouble.
This is the first one, I'll get to the others when the ideas come.

She Ditched Him?
by Vickie Moseley
vmoseley@fgi.net

"Did you find her?" Fox Mulder's voice yelled into the cell phone
as he made his way into the airport terminal.

"Agent, . . . A-a-a-gent Mulder," whined the voice in return.

"Did. You. Fucking. Find. Her?" Mulder shouted once more into
the small piece of plastic held to his ear. He ignored the stares and
glares of at least a dozen travelers, all of whom were in hearing
range of his outburst. He didn't miss a step as he strode
purposefully up to the ticket counter, threw his VISA card at the
attendant and hissed "New York, next flight," at the woman.

After an interminable amount of time, the young agent at the other
end of the phone line answered. "I found her. Oh, god, I'm sorry.
I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean . . ."

"Stop the fucking . . ." Mulder stopped in mid-stream and forced
himself to calm down. The kid, and he remembered him standing at
his desk, looking half Mulder's age, was not going to tell him
anything until they both calmed down. "Ritter. Please. Take a
deep breath, and tell me. Did you find her?"

Mulder didn't breathe himself as he listened to the breath being
drawn on the other end of the line. Finally, a shuddering voice
returned. "Yes. I found her."

"Is she all right?" Mulder asked, and it was hurting his chest to
keep his voice that even, that controlled.

"No. No, she's not all right," came the timid voice of the younger
agent. "Oh, God, what have I done?"

Mulder's blood ran to ice and he stopped all movement. Nothing
else moved around him, all action was suspended in time. His
world had just ended.

"Ritter, I hear other people there. Put one of them on, please,"
Mulder begged. He heard a rustling and another voice came on the
line.

"This is EMS, are you the next of kin?"

Oh, God. Oh godohgodohgod, Mulder's mind screamed silently.
He forced himself to speak. "I'm Agent Scully's partner. Is she . .
. is she . . ." He couldn't say the word. He couldn't ask if she was
dead.

"She's lost a lot of blood. We're on our way to Holy Angels
Medical Center. If you can reach her next of kin, we'd appreciate
it. We'll need sign off for surgery when we arrive."

Suddenly, the whole airport came alive again. Noise entered his
hearing as air entered his lungs. "She's not . . ."

"She's hanging in there. She's come around a time or two and
mutters for 'mother' or something. She's a fighter. Can you reach
her mom for us?"

Mulder closed his eyes and a grateful prayer left his heart and
soared upward. He didn't bother to correct the EMS attendent's
assumption of who Scully was calling for. In all their time together,
she'd only addressed her mother as 'mom'. He knew in his soul
that she was calling for him. She had said 'Mulder', not 'mother'.

"Tell her that I'll get her mom. And tell her that Mulder, got that?
_Mulder_, is on the way. I'll be there as fast as I can." He blew
out a breath, let his fingers tap an all too familiar number on the cell
phone pad, and went back to the ticket booth to purchase another
ticket.

"Hello," answered the woman's voice and Mulder closed his eyes.
Why was he always doing this? Why was it always him who had to
make these calls to this woman who had never done him any harm,
who had always shown him nothing but kindness?

"Mrs. Scully?" His voice was trembling and he could hear the
sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"It's Dana. What's happened?"

"She's been hurt. She's in New York. I'm at Dulles, I have two
tickets to LaGuardia. Can you get here in 45 minutes?"

"Of course I can. Fox, why are you here? If Dana's in New York,
why aren't you there with her?" It wasn't a polite question. It had
all the bite of a demand.

"They gave her a separate assignment. They . . . uh, she was given
a different partner for this one. Mrs. Scully, I'll explain more on
the plane. Just get here in the next 45 minutes, please. I think we
need to hurry."

"I'm on my way," came the reply.

They had just announced early boarding for the flight when Mrs.
Scully arrived. Mulder had been pacing the area in front of the
security x ray machine. He'd already gone through the checkpoint,
but didn't want to leave for the passenger area until Mrs. Scully
was in sight. As she approached, he reached out and took her by
the elbow, guiding through the checkpoint and toward their gate.

"Fox, what is going on," Maggie Scully asked evenly.

"Here," he said, handing her the cell phone. "Hit the send button,
I've been on the line with the hospital a couple of times. She
arrived safely, but that's about all they'll tell me." At her perplexed
expression, he mentally backed up, trying to maintain his calm.
"She was shot, in the abdomen."

"Oh my God," Maggie gasped, and her knees almost gave out.
Mulder grabbed her around the waist, supporting her and guiding
her steps.

"Not now, Mrs. Scully. On the plane, OK? Let's get on the
plane," he pleaded and she weakly nodded her head. Somehow she
managed to put through the call before they reached their gate. She
talked to the doctor in the ER who had been waiting for her call
and gave approval for the surgery. She finished the call and handed
the phone over to Mulder.

"Why weren't you there? I don't understand. Why would they
assign someone else as her partner, Fox?"

The line was moving rapidly in the boarding lounge and Mulder
handed their tickets to an attendant, who smiled and handed them
back.

"It was . . . it was her chance. Her shot to get out of the," he
struggled with the words. "The _trouble_ I've gotten us into at the
office. After this summer, they've had us both on some stupid
assignments."

Maggie pointed out their seats and sat down by the window, with
Mulder in the middle seat. "I know, Dana's told me. Something
about fertilizer and background checks for janitors?"

Mulder nodded curtly, not daring to look at the woman next to him.
"Stuff they don't even give to rookies. Stuff they give to people . .
. agents they are hoping will get mad and resign."

Maggie nodded seriously. "But not this assignment."

"It was a murder case. There were a number of murders in the
New York area where one factor linked each crime. A crime scene
photographer who managed to be there just as each victim died."

"Was he the murderer?" Maggie asked innocently.

Mulder licked his lips. "I don't think so. Scully, uh, Dana didn't
think so either. The little shit she was partnered with," Mulder
hissed through clenched teeth and then took a deep breath and
started over. "Her 'new' partner, was positive they had the right
guy."

"How was Dana shot? Did the photographer shoot her?" Maggie
prodded.

Mulder shook his head angrily. "No. Her 'partner' shot her," he
said with a low growl. "He didn't see where Dana was standing.
The photographer was unarmed, but he shot the old bastard
anyway. Dana was standing right behind the guy. The bullet went
through the photographer, and hit Dana in the stomach." At that,
Mulder went white and Maggie grabbed his arm, afraid he would
pass out.

"Fox, she's at the hospital. The doctor assured me that she was
doing better now that they've given her blood. She's going into
surgery as we speak." All words meant to reassure the stricken
man sitting next to her. He nodded weakly and leaned his head
back on the headrest.

"I should have been there. I should have just flown up the minute
she needed help. But I stayed down here. I wanted her to solve
this, get the collar, get the credit. It would have been her ticket
out. She would have escaped." He turned his head away from her,
but not before Maggie saw a single tear careen down his face.
They continued the rest of the flight in silence.

Mulder rented a car at the airport and they made their way through
Manhattan traffic to the hospital. Once inside, they were instructed
where to go to await news of Scully. As they entered the surgical
waiting room, Mulder found Payton Ritter, pacing near the
windows.

Mulder grabbed the kid and slammed him up against the wall before
anyone could stop him. "Didn't they fucking teach you to wait for
a clear shot? Didn't they fucking teach you NOT to shoot your
own partner, you fucking prick bastard?" Mulder hissed low and
dangerously in the kid's ear. He let go of the kid's left side so he
could bring his arm across the kid's throat. "If she dies, so help me,
you're next. You got that. Just before me, but right after her.
You're next in line," he seethed. The kid turned white, or whiter
than he had been. It was difficult to tell if it was because of
Mulder's words or the hold on his adam's apple.

Maggie had been shocked by Mulder's sudden outburst, but she
quickly moved to his side and tugged on his sleeve. "Fox! This
isn't helping Dana. Please! Let him go!"

Mulder shrank at her words and dropped his hold on the younger
agent. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Scully," he muttered, chastised, but he
didn't turn away without giving the young man a venomous glare
and mouthing the word 'next' at him. Maggie saw that, but
decided to ignore it for the moment. Mulder moved away and
Maggie straightened herself and then extended her hand.

"I'm Margaret Scully. I'm Dana's mother."

Payton swallowed a couple of times and then took her hand to
shake it. "I'm Payton Ritter. Agent Scully was assigned to assist
me in a case I've been following."

"I see," Maggie said coolly. "Well, has there been any word?"

Payton considered the cold reaction and shook his head slowly.
"No, ma'am. They haven't told me anything."

Maggie looked around the room. They were the only occupants.
Fox was no where to be seen. She closed her eyes for a moment,
then nodded. "I better see where Fox has wandered off to," she
said, but didn't seem to be directing her comments to the young
agent next to her.

As she started for the door they'd just entered, Mulder returned
with a nurse in tow. "Mrs. Scully. This is the surgical nurse."

The two women exchanged hellos and the nurse looked at Mulder
then shrugged. "As I was telling Agent Mulder, there really isn't
much news. She was stable when they took her into OR. The
doctor will be sending reports out to us. They expected to be in
there about 3 hours, and it's an hour into that time already. I'll be
sure to find you if there's anything else to tell." Mulder nodded and
the woman smiled, then left them alone.

"That's good. Three hours. It must not have hit too many vital
organs," Mulder sighed and for the first time, looked relieved. "I
need coffee," he said out loud and then looked at Maggie.

"Me too. Black." Mulder nodded and Maggie slowly lowered
herself into one of the waiting room chairs. She turned her gaze to
the young man still pacing silently by the windows.

Mulder returned with two cups and sat down next to her. She
thanked him and took a sip. She looked at Mulder with a 'mother's
look. "Fox, I heard what you said."

Mulder had the good grace to blush slightly, but held his expression
steady. "I meant every word. I'm sorry, Mrs. Scully, that wasn't
meant for you to hear, but I meant every single word."

"Dana would never want that, you know. She wouldn't want you
to kill someone just to avenge an accident, and she certainly would
never want you to kill yourself because of her."

Mulder refused to meet her gaze. He took another sip of coffee.
"Well, if the time comes, she'll have all eternity to chew my ass," he
said gruffly and got up to inspect the magazines in the stand next to
the door.

Maggie sat there and sipped the rest of her coffee, but her eyes
never left her daughter's partner, her _real_ partner, as he tried to
hide from her behind a year's old Sports Illustrated. She wanted to
talk to him, but there was someone else in the room.

That's when she saw the haunted look on the other young man's
face. He hadn't said a word after their terse introductions, but he
kept glancing over at Mulder, a guilty expression on his face.

Two young men. Both with good intentions. Both tearing
themselves up over something they had no control over. Dana, she
had no doubt, would come in the door and kick some serious butt,
if she were able. But she wasn't. Which left the job up to Maggie.

She regarded them both for a moment. Might as well start with the
easier one, first, she mused and got up to walk over to the young
agent by the windows.

"Agent Ritter, I'd like a word with you," she said softly, keeping
her voice neutral.

Payton turned to her with an expression of barely concealed terror.
"Um, sure, Mrs. Scully. Want to sit down?" He motioned to the
bank of chairs farthest from Mulder. Maggie didn't miss the
significance of the distance, but she nodded and sat down.

"Agent . . ."

"Payton, ma'am. You can call me Payton."

Maggie smiled. He was so new, he squeaked, she thought to
herself. "Payton," she started again. "How long have you been out
of the Academy?" she asked kindly.

A bright red flush touched his cheeks. He chewed on his lip. "It's
not like that, ma'am. It's not because I'm new."

"Payton. Answer the question, please," Maggie prodded.

"One year," came the nearly whispered reply.

"Do you have a regular partner?"

The young man shook his head. "No, not yet. I had one, but she
got transferred to Dallas. And then it looked like I was going to get
another one, but he got bumped up to ASAC. They haven't gotten
around to assigning me a permanent partner yet," he said sadly. "I
don't think that's going to be a problem, now."

"Why?" Maggie asked, noting that tears were hanging on his lashes,
just not daring to take the leap.

"I'll be fired tomorrow. Agent Mulder will see to that. He might
be on the Bureau's shit list, excuse the expression, but he's still a
senior agent. Even he can get somebody fired for shooting their
partner. His partner, even more so."

Maggie licked her upper lip. And she thought this was the easy
one. "Fox has a bark that is much worse than his bite sometimes.
Please, don't take anything he's said to you without a grain of salt."

Payton looked up at Maggie and shook his head. "No, Mrs. Scully.
I think this time he's deadly serious. I've heard about them. I
knew what I was getting into. I didn't ask to have Dana assigned
to this case, that was AD Kerch's idea. But believe me, I got an
earful from the water cooler grapevine before she got up here. I
just keep thinking that if I kept my nose clean, made my reports,
kept my eye on the ball, I would be fine. If I went by the book,
regardless of how wigged out or half-cocked she got . . ." He
stopped, shocked at his own words. "I didn't mean it the way that
sounded," he assured Maggie quickly.

"How did Dana end up with the photographer in the first place?"
Maggie asked, changing the topic slightly so she could ignore
Payton's faux pas. "Shouldn't she have been with you?"

Payton shrugged. "I talked to her this morning. Told her I was
getting a warrant for the guy's arrest. I know this judge, a friend of
my Dad's. Anyway, she was pissed that I thought we had him. She
kept insisting that he didn't do it. But I knew we had him, dead to
rights. She took off in a huff and I went to get the warrant."

Maggie sighed. 'He ditched me, Mom. He didn't agree with what
I told him and he went off and ditched me.' Maggie couldn't count
the number of conversations concerning Fox and her daughter that
had started with those two lines. And now, at the first opportunity,
Dana followed the same logic, except on the other side. This time,
she ditched her partner.

"So you went to the man's apartment."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What happened then?"

Payton was having a hard time staying calm. His voice started to
tremble. "I, uh, I saw her car, her rental. I knew she was up there.
But I figured she was in danger, right? I mean, what the hell had
she been thinking, going off to his place without backup or
anything? Who the hell did she think she was, John Wayne? So I
went up expecting a hostage situation. I mean, I had my gun
drawn. And I opened the door, it wasn't locked. I identified
myself. And then there was this flash, bright, right in my eyes. And
I fired." He finally let loose and broke down into sobs. "I fired. I
shouldn't have fired. I couldn't see. I didn't see her behind him. I
just fired."

Maggie let that information digest for a moment. In other words,
Dana had ditched her assigned partner, and had gone off to warn
the man she believed was innocent. Then, when her partner
showed up, she hadn't bothered to let him know that she was there,
safe, and in control of the situation, if that were the case. Maggie
came to a rather hard conclusion, but one which would more than
likely save a young man's life.

"Payton, it sounds to me like there is enough blame to go around.
This was an accident. Yes, you acted rashly. That's dangerous and
I suppose the Bureau will need to take that matter up on their own.
But I want you to know that _I_ don't blame you. And I don't
think Dana will, either."

The young man's eyes raised to hers once more. "Do you really
mean that, Mrs. Scully?" he asked, fearfully.

"Yes, I really mean that."

Relief flooded his features and he heaved a deep sigh. "But that
doesn't mean he does," he noted sadly, nodding his head toward
the other man in the room.

Mulder was studiously ignoring the private conversation going on
just 15 feet away, but it was obvious from his posture that he didn't
approve of it.

Maggie followed Payton's gaze and nodded. "You let me worry
about Fox," she assured him, patting his knee.

"Uh, I need to, uh, call in to the office. And I think AD Kerch is on
his way up from DC. If I leave, it's because . . ."

"Think nothing of it, Payton. I know you're needed elsewhere.
Fox and I will stay and wait on word. And if you leave me your
number, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as she's out of
surgery."

He smiled, the first time since they'd entered the room. "Thank
you, Mrs. Scully. I'd appreciate that. A lot."

Maggie smiled in return and Payton left the room, hurrying past
Mulder's dour expression. Maggie sighed, and knew that the
harder battle was yet to be waged.

"Fox, don't be so hard on him. He made a mistake," Maggie said
quietly as she sat down next to him, moving a stack of barely
touched magazines as she did so.

"A mistake that killed one person and almost killed another. The
Bureau can't afford people who make those kinds of mistakes,"
Mulder intoned.

Maggie raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "Oh, I see. They
must have raised their standards, then, in the last eleven years."

Mulder looked at her, confused at first, but then realization hit and
his features froze to stone. "She told you."

"She's told me a lot of things over the years, Fox. There was a
time when she was very worried about you. She thought you were
being too hard on yourself. You were blaming yourself for an
accident, quite similar to this one, that happened years ago."

"An agent died because of me. I should have had my ass thrown
out then and there," he growled. "She'd have been a whole lot
better off if I had."

"Funny, she doesn't see it that way," Maggie said lightly. "But be
that as it may, apparently someone thought you deserved a second
chance. I think that young man does, too. Maybe he needs a
partner, a _real_ partner, to teach him the ropes, to act as back up
when he needs it. So that he's not walking into a dangerous
situation alone."

"Dana was there. He wasn't alone," Mulder said through clenched
teeth.

"Ah, but that's the problem. See, now, this is just Payton's side of
the story so it might be a bit skewed, but he told me that Dana
'ditched' him. Ran off without telling him where she was going. I
can't imagine a partner, a real partner, who would do such a thing,
can you?" Maggie turned and regarded him with a faint smile on
her lips.

"Is this where we get to the 'you're a sorry son of a bitch' line,
Mrs. Scully," Mulder said bitterly, suddenly interested in the pattern
of the carpet tiles beneath his feet.

"On the contrary. I'm thinking of using this one to hold over Dana,
the next time you decide to 'ditch' her. Seems you two have
picked up a few bad habits from each other. But it's nothing that
can't be fixed."

"She believed me on this one, Mrs. Scully. One of the only times I
can remember. Hell, she beat me to the punch. And that little wet
behind the ears brown noser couldn't see the facts past the collar.
All he wanted was an arrest and a conviction and he would have
done anything to get them. Dana and I don't work that way. We
never have and I hope to God we never do."

Maggie put her hand on Mulder's shoulder. "I hope to God you
don't, either. But Fox, I wish I could convince you that you can't
live your life around Dana."

He started to balk and she squeezed his shoulder, forcing him to
quiet.

"That's not what I mean. I want you there for her. Good God, I
do believe that if you had been working this assignment instead of
Agent Ritter, she wouldn't be in surgery right now. Chances are
better that she'd be out here, waiting for word on you," she added
with a wry smile. "But what you said earlier, that you would
'follow' her to the grave, Fox, that frightens me. Frightens me
more than I could ever tell."

"I'm sorry it frightens you, Mrs. Scully. I never intended for you to
hear it. But I can't help it. It's true. I've known it since the first
time she was returned to us. When she dies, I have nothing to hold
me here. I want to be with her."

"Fox, I loved my husband very much. And when he died, I thought
my world had ended. But it hadn't. It hasn't yet."

"I know that, Mrs. Scully. But you see, you have your children,
your grandchildren. You have work to do. You have people who
care about you. I have only Dana. If she's taken before me, I have
no reason to stay. Please understand that the circumstances are
different."

Maggie drew in a deep breath to steel herself. This was harder than
she first assumed, and that was bad enough.

"Fox, when Dana was taken, and we knew nothing about where she
was or what was going on, Bill, Captain Scully, had only been gone
a short time. The boys were at sea, I had no one to turn to. But
you were there. You would call me, almost every night, to give me
a progress report. You never gave up, you never forgot about her.
I know that as the weeks drew on, the Bureau pretty much moved
on and left the case by the wayside. But not you, Fox. Never you.
You even went with me to pick out the stone, even though I knew
that was so terribly hard on you. I'm sorry I put you through that,
Fox. But I'm so very grateful that you were there for me."

Mulder nodded, not daring to speak. Maggie reached over and
brushed the hair off his forehead in a motherly fashion. "Oh, Fox.
You don't have to be so strong all the time. And you don't have to
think she's going to leave you. She never will. Not willingly. And
if she does, someday, she'll always be with you. I know that, I
know that in my heart."

Before he could stop, Mulder found himself hanging on to Maggie
for dear life, sobbing as if his heart would break in two. She held
him tightly, rubbed his back and murmured soft words of comfort in
his ear.

"It's all right, Fox. She's going to be all right. It's all right. Let it
out. It's all right."

After some time, he began to quiet and pulled away, embarrassment
clear on his face. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Scully."

"For what?" she asked sharply. "Loving my daughter? Fox, don't
you ever apologize for that. Not to me, not to anyone. I depend
on you to love her, to not want anything to happen to her. If you
ever stop, that's when you have to apologize, not just to me, but to
Dana."

"It will never happen," he said firmly.

"I know that," Maggie said with a smile. She started to say more,
but there was someone standing in the doorway.

"Mrs. Scully, your daughter's in recovery. Dr. Stephens will be in
shortly to tell you the details, but he wanted me to let you know
that everything went very well and she should be good as new in a
couple of weeks."

Maggie bit her lip and closed her eyes, offering up a silent prayer of
thanks.

"When can we see her?" Mulder asked breathlessly.

The nurse gave him a curious look, but smiled. "She'll be taken up
to an ICU room in about an hour. She can have visitors then, but
only immediate family for a while."

Maggie smiled at the nurse and took Mulder's hand. "We _are_
immediate family," she assured the nurse. Her smile got brighter as
Maggie felt her hand being squeezed.

the end.

Vickie

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Man is a history making creature
who can neither repeat his past
nor leave it behind

W. H. Auden

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