REPARATIONS - PART 2

suspicious and even combative, but he had never anticipated her fury and
unconcealed hatred.

********************

"I said, what the fuck are you doing here?!" Dana Scully's voice rose both in
pitch and volume as her rage was fueled even further by her raw feelings of
betrayal. She spun away from him, stomping in the opposite direction then
changed her mind in mid-stride and spun back around, charging him like a
freight train at full speed. When Skinner didn't move out of her way, Scully
poured the full force of her pain and frustration into the blows of her fists
against his massive chest.

Skinner didn't deflect her attack despite the fact he was already in some pain
from the nanocytes' tireless activity; he was ready to accept whatever she
dealt. He could see her exhaustion in the circles beneath her eyes, the sunken
pallidity of her skin. The fact that she had been crying only heightened his feelings
of responsibility for their present situation and his sense of protectiveness
towards her. Walter simply stood there, allowing her to pound away her fury and
despair.

Although she had at first hit him several times in succession, Scully's blows
slowed to accent her shouted accusations. "You LIED to us!! You KNEW that
they were behind this thing all the TIME!!" Dana's eyes bored into his, while he
tried to convey his sorrow and his love through his unhindered gaze. Her
previously blazing glare wavered and her voice began to break. Her fists opened
to clutch his dark suitcoat and she clung to his lapels as her fury finally wore
itself out. "I trusted you..." she whispered hoarsely as her forehead lowered to
rest against his muscular chest. "I thought you were my friend..." Dana began
once more to sob, spasmodically gripping the dark fabric of his suit and pulling
herself tighter into his warmth.

After a moment of uncertainty, Walter finally responded to the trembling woman.
His arms slid up around her shoulders to hold her firmly but gently against him
as her petite body was wracked with emotions she could no longer keep at bay.
He closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of her head. Without thinking he
brushed his lips against the silky softness of her hair, breathing in her distinct
scent of cinnamon and an undefinable something that he would forever be able
to identify as Scully. He could feel his own tears start to gather behind his
eyelids as he was able to catch a few muffled words from the weeping agent,
her voice ragged and barely audible.

"I...found it...and...I couldn't figure out what to do...." Skinner held her even
tighter in response to her despair, rubbing his cheek against the top of her
head. He strained to hear her broken monologue as it continued against the firm
expanse of his chest. "I had to fight them...to let me in here...and then I found
nothing..." Her voice dissolved again to sobs as she shook harder in his arms.
Walter couldn't hold back his own tears as he rocked Dana back and forth,
kissing her hair and rubbing his hands up and down her quaking back.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Dana's sobs subsided and she leaned
quietly against him, her arms wrapped around his waist, allowing his strength
to support her. She didn't pull away so Walter loosened his hold on her,
continuing his reassuring caress.

Long, silent minutes passed while they stood there holding each other and then
Dana spoke again, her voice even hoarser and more forlorn than before.

Without raising her head from where it was buried against his damp shirt, she
whispered, "The worst part of all of it was that I felt so alone...."

Walter's breath caught at her words, the full weight of his guilt at betraying her
pressing against his heart, just as she was at that moment. Dana slowly
looked up at his face, her eyes red and swollen from crying but no longer enraged.
Just tired and needing...something. From him.

Walter raised his hands to cup her tear-streaked face. He sighed, knowing he
had to tell her everything now but dreading it. It had been too long since he had
opened himself up to anyone, but he couldn't be any less honest with her than
she had been with him.

"Dana," he began hesitantly, "I did lie to you and Mulder, but at the time I had no
choice." His fingers wiped away the moisture from her cheeks as he tried to
explain to her the reasons behind his betrayal. "I can't tell you all the details
because I'm afraid it will endanger you as well," his voice became almost
pleading as he rushed on, "but please believe me when I say I never thought
you or Mulder would be harmed. I didn't know what was happening to Mulder, I
swear." Walter's hands strayed to Dana's hair, stroking her scalp and neck
softly, lingeringly. "If I had thought for a second that either one of you were in
danger, I would have let them...carry out their threats towards me." Whoa.
That had been close. Skinner couldn't tell her about the nanocytes' recent
activity. She was definitely smart enough to put two and two together and figure out the
rat bastard's involvement with his mysterious illness. He drew a deep breath
and let it out, slowly, lowering his hands to her shoulders. Walter's deep brown
eyes didn't waver from her azure ones as he spoke next: "I would never, never
do anything to put you in danger. Your friendship means everything to me.
YOU mean everything to me. That's why I'm here now." Walter breathed deep
again and held it, waiting for her response.

Scully blinked once. Twice. Then let out a long sigh herself, part exhaustion,
part relief, part frustration. Relief that he was here, frustration that she had
turned to jello at the hard reality of his body beneath her hands. She couldn't
believe she had broken down in front of her boss. Skinner! AD Hard Ass! She
disregarded the useless recrimination; no use worrying about it now - it was
already done. But what did he mean he couldn't tell her any details, that it
would "endanger" her? What, did he think she wasn't in any danger NOW? That
Mulder wasn't in any danger? Oh god, Mulder. He had left him behind, too.
Ok, one problem at a time - I'll deal with that in a second, she told herself.

They had threatened him? Well, of course they had threatened him! It wasn't
like Skinner to go down without a fight. Whatever they had on him must be
pretty serious. Ok, she could deal with his initial betrayal; he was here now and
that's what mattered. In her heart she knew he wouldn't purposely put her or
Mulder in danger. Skinner had spent too much time, invested too much of his
own well-being into keeping them out of danger, so she believed him there. She
didn't want to consider his next-to-last statement, not even briefly. It felt too raw,
too close to what she was clutching against her own lonely heart.

Did she believe him enough to trust him fully again? When Dana looked up into
his earnest, unshielded eyes she made her decision.

As Skinner watched her anxiously for response, he was treated to a rare, full
Dana Scully smile. One that made his toes curl and his heart expand against
the brick walls he had spent so many years erecting around it. Skinner's lips
curled, first on one side, and then the other. As his grin widened, Scully's didn't
diminish but rather settled as she relaxed more completely in his arms, her
hold around him a little less desperate.

His eyes narrowing a little, Walter looked at her quizzically and said, "So....are
we...okay?" The smile was a good thing after all, but he didn't want to make any
assumptions with the fiery redhead.

Dana's smile softened as she heard the tentative question. She looked him full
in the eyes and said, "Yes. I believe what you said, about not knowing we would
be hurt." She smiled a little wider as the breath Walter had been holding
exploded from him in a rush and his expression shone not only with relief but
gratitude. "I believe you're here for me now," she continued, "and if you don't
feel you can tell me yet about what they threatened you with, I'll understand,
but," Dana fixed him with a serious stare, "you WILL tell me about it when this is
over. Is that understood?" It wasn't a question.

Walter grinned crookedly in a cross between "Aw shucks" and "That's my Dana!"
His expression turned serious again, reflecting her own and he vowed softly,
"Dana, that's a promise." Dana smiled at him again, and he was so happy at
having repaired their friendship that he cupped her face in his big hands and
tilted his head down towards hers, gently brushing her lips with his own.

Dana didn't back away or otherwise try to escape the kiss; after all that had
transpired between them in the last few minutes, a kiss seemed as natural and
right as breathing. In fact, it felt more than right. It felt good. Ignoring the fact
that they were in a hostile environment, that everyone was against them and
they were fighting the clock to save her partner, Dana closed her eyes and
kissed Walter back, marveling at the feel of his soft lips against her own,
the feel of his warm breath against her cheek and the scent of his slightly overheated
body, ripely male and wonderful. She could lose herself in this incredible
sensation, and she fought the urge to arch into him, to feel his body hard
against her soft one, this time in passion, not compassion. She wanted to lose
herself in him, to have those muscular yet tender arms hold her above his body as she
drew him inside her, drawing in his strength. She tried to push the mental image
aside; she couldn't give in to these feelings...yet. She somehow managed to
stop herself just as her tongue began to grow restless behind her closed lips,
aching to explore the moist recesses of Walter's warm, sweet mouth. With more
regret than she cared to admit, she pulled away gently from the kiss, waves of
sensation from the brief touch washing down her fatigued body and settling in a
warm throbbing between her legs.

When the kiss ended, Walter found it slightly difficult to breathe. He had just
meant to lightly kiss Dana out of friendship -- ok, he had to admit that what he
felt for her was far more than friendship, but his intention was to affirm

everything that had been said and felt between them. He hadn't expected her
to respond passionately. Well, it wasn't exactly passionate, but it wasn't
exactly platonic, either. Anyway, his fantasies had dwelled on the feel and taste of
her for so long he wasn't about to split hairs now. She had kissed him back, her
lips moving softly, silkily beneath his own, still closed but somehow promising
more. Walter pulled back from Dana slightly, looking dreamily into her beautiful
countenance. His breathing fluttered again as he registered the sensual,
unguarded softness around Dana's lips and eyes, the way her breathing had
picked up in pace a bit and even came out a bit shaky. Come to think of it, he
was feeling pretty shaky himself. Down boy, he chastised himself, trying to
ignore the rush of blood to his groin, you don't have time for this now. Walter
pushed aside the desire that threatened to overwhelm him and gave her his best
"you're my buddy" smile.

Dana saw the shift in Walter's demeanor and although she understood and
agreed with the need for it, she wanted very much to explore what they had
begun. Down girl, she told herself and returned Walter's friendly smile.

Walter lowered his hands from her face and ran them down her arms. Scully
almost shuddered as the electricity of his touch shot across her sensitized
body. When his hands reached her own, she clutched them not only out of friendship
but for actual physical support.

They shared one last tender smile before Walter let go of her right hand to grab
his glasses laying discarded on the huge desk. He put them back on and
regarded his companion with some sadness for the trial she still had to face.
He squeezed her left hand once for reassurance and then said, "Let's go see
Mulder." He started to pull Scully around the desk towards the door, but she
resisted against him.

"No! I can't leave Abidjan! The answers are here!" Scully waved her right hand
angrily, desperately around the ransacked office. "If we go back to DC we
have no chance of helping Mulder!" Dana's eyes pleaded with Walter's, willing him
to understand.

"Dana, you don't understand," Walter stepped back towards her, squeezing her
tiny hand in his once more. "Mulder is here. I brought him with me. We're not
going to DC," Walter finished sadly as Dana's eyes opened wide, digesting his
news. Walter looked down briefly at the floor, dreading the pain he knew she
would experience at her partner's state of health.

Scully took a step closer, trying to catch Skinner's downturned gaze. "What
is it?" she queried, her voice soft and hesitant, anticipating the worst.

Walter raised his eyes to hers, his face sober. "He's not in good shape,
Dana. He's catatonic."

Dana sucked in her breath as if he had punched her in the stomach, her eyes
again filling with moisture. "Catatonic...?" Her eyes probed Skinner's, looking
for reassurance, but his somber mien provided none. She swallowed hard, but
asked with a shaking voice, "He's not in a coma...?" It was a question she
really didn't want an answer to, but she needed the truth.

"In a coma, no," Skinner replied, his voice as soft as hers, "but close enough for
the doctors to be extremely worried." He shook his head in disgust and
frustration, "They don't know what the hell is wrong with him or how to treat
him. All they can do is watch him and keep him on an IV."

Skinner's voice betrayed his disgust with the situation, sounding more like
the surly AD Scully knew and loved. Loved? Dana's brows shot up at that
startling thought; don't even go there, she warned herself.

Walter's own brows knitted in confusion at her strange reaction to his words,
and Dana rushed to cover her mental meandering. "An IV? Is it just for fluids or
are they attempting medication?" There. That sounded good.

Skinner wrote off her puzzling reaction as nerves and fatigue and answered,
"They don't even know where to start, as far as medication is concerned." He
ran his right hand over his scalp, stopping to briefly rub the knotted muscles at
the base of his neck as he continued to express his frustration. "I just don't get
it. I mean," he looked at Dana, his weariness and worry evident in his face and
stance, "he held up really well all the way here, but the nearer we got to the Ivory
Coast..."

"The nearer you got to the ship...yes, that makes sense." Dana had spoken her
thoughts, once more the clinician, the investigator, trying to put all the pieces
together.

Skinner looked at her, confused. "The ship? What ship?"

Dana glanced up at him, her brows arching in surprise. She thought she had
mentioned it earlier while she had been sobbing all over the front of his suitcoat.

"I'll show you. After we see Mulder." This time it was Dana who pulled Walter
around the desk towards the door. She had wallowed in self pity long enough -
she wasn't alone in this anymore. She didn't have to feel guilty about leaving
Mulder behind. She pushed all self-centered thoughts out of her mind and
focused on her partner and best friend. They would have to move quickly.

Walter's mind reeled with the implications of a...spaceship. It was just too
much to deal with, all at once. Priorities, Walt, he rebuked himself. First
Mulder, then this ship, then Krycek, then....Dana.

One step at a time, old boy.

Without another word, Skinner followed the determined agent out of the office
and down the corridor.

END OF PART 2