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Title: The MonStar Mystery Summary: Married Mulder and Scully do a favor for Skinner on the set of a TV show. Dedication by Petal: Monica, there are precious things that we cherish in life, one of them in friendship. You are our friend, and now you are leaving. Even if an ocean separates us, our memories and love go with you. So we, Fox, GG, Lynn, Becks, and me, Petal would like for you to take this with you. The Mulder Residence "Home at last, I am exhausted" Dana Mulder tossed her purse on the table in the entryway, Fox close on her heels. She tossed her keys next to her purse and slid her jacket from her shoulders. As the couple crossed into the living room, they could hear laughter emanating from down the hallway, in the direction of the bathroom. "The wheels on the bus go round and round...." Monica stopped short when she realized that she had a larger audience than she intended. She carried William from the bath, wrapped in a large towel and gurgling happily at her song. Although only 15, Monica Bofill was blessed with more common sense and inner strength than most people twice her age. She was truly a find, the daughter of Margaret Scully's best friend with a easy smile and a natural way with children. The Mulder's trusted her with the most important thing in their lives, their son. "Sorry, I didn't know you guys were home." Monica tucked an errant strand of warm brown hair behind her ear. Fox was the first to reach out for the baby. "Don't be embarrassed, that happens to be one of my favorite songs." He tucked his small son next to his chest, and headed for the couch. Dana watched him go with the faraway look of a woman in love, as she so often did when her husband held their son. She would never forget to be grateful for the gift of them both. Mulder's return from his abduction, and the conception of their child were both miracles that she did not take for granted. Dana smiled at Monica, "Unfortunately he's not kidding. Sings it all the time. I'll be home for the rest of the week, Mon, so we don't need you until Tuesday, is that ok with you?" Dana had cut her teaching schedule at Quantico to part time, not willing to be in the field anymore, and not wanting to put in too many hours away from home. Fox's private practice was flourishing, his ability to work with children amazed everyone. He was a natural dealing with troubled kids, probably in no small part to having had a troubled childhood himself. "Sure, that's fine with me, Mrs. Mulder, I'll just go get my things." Monica was active in community theater, often bringing scripts to memorize while William napped. The apartment the Mulder's rented after their marriage was in Georgetown, at Dana's insistence, was in an older brownstone. Hardwood floors throughout the living room and dining room that continued down the hall echoed Monica's footsteps to the study that doubled as a guest bedroom when necessary. "My aunt is picking me up, she's in town shopping. I'll call her cell." She scooped up her back pack with her cell phone in it, and dialed her mother, as she gathers her belongings, picking up toys as she went to return to William's room. "You don't have to do that, Mon, Fox would be happy to drive you home." Dana poked her head into the study, Fox yelling "no problem" from the living room sofa. Good baby-sitters were next to impossible to find, she wanted to make sure that Monica stayed happy. "No, really, that's ok, my aunt Lynn loves to come to the city to shop she can be here in no time." The phone in the living room was ringing, Fox was taking care of it, while Mon was wondering if he had gotten a diaper on William, before the inevitable happened. "Scully! You're not going to like this." Mulder was coming down the hall with William. "That was Skinner, he wants to see us". Dana knew she was in trouble, he didn't call her Scully much anymore, but he was rapidly returning to G-man mode, she could feel it. Whatever Skinner said to him, it had him going. "Skinner wants us to come to his office, he has......awwwww no William, not on daddy!" Monica tried to suppress a giggle as she took William from his now wet dad. "Let's get a diaper on you, little one." She could hear the Mulder's talking in the living room, their voices quiet but gaining volume quickly. As she placed William on the changing table and went to work, she could tell the conversation was over. Dana's footsteps resounded down the hall on the wood floor. "Monica, I hate to bother you, but we have to make a quick trip to DC, could you possibly stay with William a little while longer? We can take you home later, or you're more than welcome to spend the night and I'll drive you home in the morning." Dana's agitation was obvious, "I'm sorry, if you need to go I'll understand, I don't really know why I'm letting him talk me into this in the first place." "No, that's ok, I would be glad to stay. You go ahead." Monica set her bag back down. Tonight my favorite show is on, so I'll get William settled and turn on the TV, it'll be fine." "What's on Thursday nights that you like so much?" Dana was taking her son from Monica, kissing his soft head, thinking she really didn't want to leave him again. But, what choice did she have? At least here with Monica, William would be safe. If she left her impetuous, albeit incredibly sexy husband to his own devices, who knew what would happen to him. "MonStar. I love that show. Its great, shows the strength of women, that we can kick some butt, too. Without being the dork fest that Xena is." "MonStar, isn't that the one with Rosa Rolon in the lead? Fox! Isn't Debra's sister Rosa Rolin? The one on TV?" She headed back down the hall toward the living room, Monica on her heels. "Um, yeah, it is. Remember she showed up at the wedding with an entourage? The producers of her show insisted she bring body guards and the whole works. The reporters were waiting outside the church, I thought Skinner was going to pop his cork. I don't think he realized what a circus his wedding would turn out to be marrying into a famous family." Mulder was putting his jacket back on, having had to change his suit thanks to his son. He took William into his arms again, while Scully slipped her shoes back on. He felt a pang of regret, leaving again so soon. He tried to tell himself that it would be a quick trip, but it didn't make the pain of parting with his child any easier. The only thing in the world more important to him than his son was his beautiful wife that had given him this miracle. "Wow! You've met Rosa Rolon? I can't believe it. That is so cool!" Moncia took William from Mulder as they prepared to leave. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." The couple left their apartment, taking a familiar route to the J.Edgar Hoover building, for whatever was waiting for them there. FBI Headquarters "Thanks for coming, both of you, its great to see you again." Walter Skinner came from around the desk to shake first Mulder's, then Scully's hand. He looked stressed. "No problem, good to see you to. How's Debra?" Scully took the chair he offered, Mulder followed suit. Skinner smiled at the mention of his wife of less than a year. "She is why I called you here, I need some "unofficial" help and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather ask. She's worried about the safety of her sister. There's been a murder. One of the crew, I don't have many details yet, they aren't releasing them to the press. It seems to be an inside job, though, and Debra is afraid her sister might be a target. The NYPD is handling the case, but they aren't getting much corporation from the production company. They are willing to 'contract' out some security measures, have a discreet entity come in and make some suggestions on how to keep Rosa and the rest of the crew safe. I thought, you two could do that, and at the same time, maybe find out who the killer is." He finished in a rush, as if he expected to be interrupted or immediately refused. Mulder looked at Scully, New York, that was not good. That meant leaving William for an extended period of time, and with her still nursing, it wouldn't work. Not to mention, he didn't know how either of them could be away from him that long. Man, what a crappy position to be in, he thought. They both owed Skinner so much, they were loathe to refuse him, but how would they do what he asked? Their gazes remain locked, they retained the ability to read each other's thoughts and emotions. They warred with them for awhile. At last Scully spoke. "How did the crew member die?" Stalling, that's what she was doing, getting more information about the case while she thought over their options. He was grateful for it, he didn't know what he was going to say to Skinner. "That is still a bit of a mystery, it seems that he was killed by his computer. Someone must have rigged it somehow, but no one has been able to figure out how, yet. There was one witness, at least she says she witnessed the event, apparently she's Rosa's assistant. She said that a hand came out of the computer screen and touched the victim in the chest, then he fell over dead. There were blisters on the chest, and his heart was burned. Black. And no one can figure out how." Mulder unconsciously leaned forward, it sounded like an X File, and he was suddenly all ears. The time and distance from his basement office had not tempered his desire to explain the unexplainable. At this point, Scully knew what would come next. They would be heading to New York. Refusing Skinner was really never an option, and coupled with this type of case, it was inevitable. She decided to take the heat off of Mulder, and spoke first. "All right, we'll go. I think we can pack and be there tomorrow, would you let the production company know we're coming? " She stood, both men looked at her as if they weren't sure who or what had taken over her body. Mulder stood, too, and followed her lead, the corners of his eyes tightening in silent question to her. Skinner stood to shake her hand again. "Thank you, this means alot to me, and Debra, too." They were on the elevator heading back down to the parking garage before Mulder questioned her. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it may take a few days in New York to solve this, and.." he trailed off as the doors opened. He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her to their car. Some habits never died. "We couldn't very well deny helping Skinner, and besides, we're taking William with us." "We are?" "Yes. We'll ask Monica to go with us, and if she can't, we'll take my mother. They can stay in the hotel, and he'll be near us." "You've thought this through that fast?" "If I'm going back out into the field, our son is coming with me. I won't leave him here, he's too young to be separated from us for that long. I won't let you go alone, we both know what happens when I'm not there to watch your back." Well, there was no denying her logic, so he remained quiet and let her finish. "We'll check with Monica and Lynn, if she stays in a secure hotel near the set, I think they will both be ok during the day while we work." That was why he let her make the decisions in matters of their domestic affairs, she was precise and to the point when it came to their family. Besides, it kept him from having to worry about screwing stuff up and getting in trouble. The Plaza Hotel "Are you sure you're ok with us leaving you here Monica?" Scully handed William over to her, a worried frown creasing her brow. She was having second thoughts now that the time came to leave. Setting Monica and William up in a hotel had been surprisingly easy, the girl had jumped at the chance to go to New York. Monica's aunt Lynn would be coming in a few days, to check up on her and lend a hand if needed. Scully had no fears that Monica was not capable of caring for William, but this was Gotham, after all, and there was much at stake. "We'll be fine, I'm not afraid. The security men here act like they know what they're doing, and no one else knows I'm here, so it will be ok. You guys go solve the crime, and don't worry about us. If I need anything, I'll call your cell. I know Mr. Mulder never turns his off", she shared a teasing smile with Scully. Mulder passed by Monica heading out the door, he paused to drop a kiss on William's head, hesitating for a fraction of a second allowing his eyes to flutter closed. He hated to leave his son, thankfully he was staying with Monica, or it might be unbearable. "Are you insinuating that I can't get along without my phone?" Mock indignation did not become him. At the moment, his phone rang, causing Scully and Monica to laugh. The Mulders started out in the hall, hand in hand, Monica closed and double locked the door behind them. She did not take this responsibility lightly, and had promised herself to be careful. She had brought scripts, books, and a lap top with her. She was, at heart, a computer whiz and loved to stay in touch with her cyber friends. William settled down for a nap in his crib without a fuss. At six months, he was really grounded in his routine and fairly simple to care for, as babies go. Monica pulled out her computer, hooked it up and jumped online. Set of the MonStar "Thank you for coming so quickly, I'm afraid Walter thinks I'm being overly cautious, but she is my only sister." Debra Skinner grasped first Scully, then Mulder's hand. She was small, similar in build to Scully, with long dark hair and fascinating yellow/green eyes. She was the antithesis to Assistant Director Skinner's bulk, and he treated her like a porcelain doll. He would do anything she asked, including pulling the Mulders in on an 'unofficial' case. Mulder understood, the need to protect was strong in men like he and Skinner that had spent way too many years seeing the dark side of humanity. He envied Skinner's ability to shelter his wife, Scully would not be coddled so. He loved her for it, he did, her strength was one of the first attributes he fell in love with, but sometimes he wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe. "We're glad to help, really." Scully smiled, she had liked Debra from their first meeting. Her sister, however, was a bit of a prima donna for her taste. She was the biggest television star out there at the moment, and it was impossible to forget it in her presence. "I can take you to the scene of the....death. No one will believe it was a murder, but I'm telling you that it was just a little strange to be a simple accident." They followed her down a large hall, built out of props and movable walls all housed inside a huge warehouse. "No one but me, that is, and I am getting tired of everyone calling me paranoid" Mulder and Scully exchanged amused looks. Debra missed it, however, and kept up her quick pace. She made a corner and opened a door that seemed to appear from nowhere, opening and going inside the small office required ducking under the yellow 'police line' tape. The computer sat on a small desk, it looked like a normal computer. No sign of damage of any kind. "Has it been dusted?" Mulder fixed his gaze on the screen, he wanted to switch the computer on to see what he could find. "Yes, it has. The room is yours, I need to go check on Rosa, if you two will excuse me. If you need anything at all, give a shout, someone will find me. Thanks again, both of you, for coming. I'm sure it wasn't easy to leave the baby. I know it would be hard for me." "We have him close by, we didn't know how long we were going to be gone." Mulder sat to boot up the computer as Scully moved to stand behind him. "You should have one of your own, you're a natural with Will." Scully's smile was soft, as she watched Debra leaving the room. "If only I could convince Walter to let me have a baby, I'd be right there. He's afraid he's too old now. See you later." She closed the door behind her. "Skinner with a newborn. I can picture that." Mulder was concentrating on the screen in front of him, opening files and searching contents. Scully leaned in behind him, resting her forearms on his shoulder. She briefly thought of all the years she spent wanting to be able to touch him this way while working on a case, and brushed off the sense of lost time with a feathery kiss to his temple. His eyes closed briefly, and he hummed in the back of his throat. No one would ever know the depth of his love for this woman, probably not even the women herself. "I can't find anything so far that looks suspicious. I wonder if I can get Esther to come give me a hand." He leaned back and caught the back of his wife's head with his hand, rubbing lightly just for the contact. "I would laugh, but I know you're not joking. Even if you could find her, what would you ask her? I mean, she can't possibly be everywhere on the net at the same time, maybe she wouldn't be able to help." She was proud of herself for sounding so supportive of his wild ideas. Scully was working hard on keeping the 'you're crazy Mulder' tone out of her voice most of the time. She figured it would not do for their son to grow up assuming his mother thought his father should be committed for his own good. He smiled, knowing she was stretching her limits here. "I'm just thinking that whatever it was that resembled a 'hand' that came from the computer, might have been visible from the inside, too. But, I don't even begin to know how I would reach her anyway. Let's go talk to some of the crew and cast members, ok?" "Sure, as long as you don't flirt with Rosa." Scully's eyebrow was up, as she sauntered out of the room, Mulder on her heels. "I do not flirt." Mulder deadpanned. They had had this conversation too many times through the years for him to think he had a prayer of winning. He was a one woman man, now, and he was confident that she believed it. "Sure, fine, whatever." He gaped at the back of her head. Just exactly how in the hell did he get into trouble here? She chuckled when she realized that his footsteps were not following her. "I'm kidding, really, come on." He shook his head and flashed a smile of relief, and decided it was safe after all to follow her out. Rosa Rolon sat in her make up chair, with a bevy of people surrounding her, all chatting at once. She took it in stride. She was, after all, the reason these people were employed. She had a dark beauty that spoke of long steamy nights. Her voice flowed over her audience like warm brandy, eyes dark as an unclaimed fantasy. Her figure was considered at first too lush to satisfy an American audience, but her incredible sex appeal soon changed the networks minds. She was a throw back to the age of voluptuous women, unafraid of their sensuality, with the elegant and sultry motions to entice any man into a frenzy. She was a gold mine, and she was pampered as such. She had merely to snap her fingers and her wishes were granted. Consequently snapping was her favorite pastime. Mulder and Scully were allowed to pass her body guards, and stood off to the side, waiting to get her attention over the cacophony of voices surrounding her. They exchanged looks, both thinking it was time to move on. It was then that Debra found them again. "Hey, you two ready to speak to Rosa? Hold on just a minute. All right! Everybody take five!" Mulder and Scully jumped at the loud voice the normally soft spoken woman used. On cue, everyone hovering around Rosa but for Brittani, Rosa's personal assistant packed up and wandered away, leaving them to speak to the biggest female star on television. Debra smiled at them, gave her sister a pointed look as she left. "Um, Ms Rolon, I'm Fox Mulder, this is my wife, Special Agent Dana Mulder. Can we ask you a few questions?" Rosa's gaze flowed over Scully, and rested on Mulder, with an obvious increase in interest. Her slanted eyes gave her a feline appearance when she lowered her lids in her patented seduction gaze, that she now had fixed on Mulder. The gaze did not miss Scully's notice, either. She took a small step in front of her husband and looked Rosa in the eye. "Could you tell me what you know about the death of the crew person?" Scully smiled slightly to keep it light, but the look in her eye and her body language clearly screamed 'hands off of my man', she rarely was the possessive type, but when the green eyed monster woke up, watch out. "Not really, I'm afraid, I wasn't in the vicinity when it happened. I'm so sorry, I wish I could be of more help. Britt was with me the whole day, too, and she didn't see anything either, did you darling?" The petite brown haired beauty at her elbow shook her head silently. Brittani was Rosa's right hand, she never went anywhere without her. Brittani knew that thousands of young girls would love to trade places with her, meeting the best and brightest of the television industry, and she was smart. She knew that the way to Rosa's finicky heart was keep your mouth closed, unless you're telling her how wonderful she is, and agree with everything. After all, how many girls her age got to travel with the biggest star on television? Not to mention being unobtrusive allowed her to be in the room with many of Rosa's conversations with her man-of-the-moment, George Clooney. Even someone as young as Britt could appreciate how attractive he is. " If you will excuse me, I have to get on the sound stage. Please feel free to call on me again." She extended her perfectly manicured hand around Scully reaching for Mulder. He took it, not wanting to be rude, after all, despite the eyebrow arching to the ceiling on his wife's face. MacRae's Diner "Ok, we've spent hours talking to dozens people who collectively know the sum total of zip, what now?" They were facing each other across a Formica table that had seen better days in a booth by the window of MacRae's Diner. The diner's claim to fame was the location to the studio, and it's round the clock hours. Beyond that it had little to recommend it. Scully had thought they were through with sitting in dumps discussing cases, but, truth be told, she was enjoying herself. She had called Monica to check on her and Will, and everything was going well with them. She leaned back as the waitress approached. "What'll it be?" Mulder looked up at the voice and had to smile. If ever there were a stereotype for a diner waitress, this was it. Her nametag pinned on top of a linen handkerchief to her uniform said "Marcella". She was tall and thin, early to mid 40's by his guess, bright red hair piled high on top of her head, bright lipstick, bright eyeshadow, bright green earrings. She was bright. She nearly blinded him to look at her. He almost wished for a camera, to capture a piece of Americana that had to be seen to be believed. Mulder turned on what his wife called his lady-killer smile. "Coffee, please, and you wouldn't happen to have any sweet potato pie, would you?" No woman was safe from the Fox Mulder flirting grin. Marcella was no exception. She was writing while thinking she would love to show this hunk the finer points of the storage room, when the woman with him spoke. "Just coffee, please, he's watching his cholesterol." Poor thing, Scully thought, she's being reeled in by Mr. Congeniality over there. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't going to gain him a slice of pie. They had started their family life late, and she fully intended him to stick around for many years to come. Consequently she had become a fanatic where his daily intake was concerned. She watched his weight and his cholesterol level like a hawk. Not that he appreciated her efforts. He figured if he continued to run and swim, he could continue to eat like he had in his 20's and 30's. His luck that the love of his life was a doctor. Marcella returned with the coffee, smiling her pearly whites at Mulder again. "Lemme guess, you two are investigating the death on the set, right?" She crossed her arms on the back of the booth, leaning just enough to allow Mulder a peek down her cleavage, her gum keeping time with her thoughts. "Yeah, we are. You know anything about that?" Uh oh, Scully thought, his lady-killer smile was up to mega watt level. Poor thing never stood a chance against him. Mulder leaned slightly over the table to show his interest. Whatever information Marcella had, Scully was certain that her husband would have it in the palm of his hand in no time. At that moment, her cell rang, she slid out of the booth to let the newfound buddies talk and took a few steps toward the counter to answer." "Mulder." She loved doing that, threw people off all the time. She had given Mulder quite a shock when she decided to take his name. He was sure she was too modern to drop her surname, but it had not been a difficult choice. She wanted the same name as her husband and her son, it seemed natural to her. "Mrs. Mulder, this is Monica. I think you need to come see this. There's something strange going on on my computer. Someone is asking for you and Mr. Mulder. I must admit, I don't know how this person found me, or got into my system." "Mon, who's voice is that in the background." "My aunt Lynn just arrived, she's getting reacquainted with Will. Can you guys come back and see what this person wants?" "We'll be right there." Scully shut her phone and sighed. She had to pull Mulder away from his new found friend, and she didn't think that the lady in question was going to be too happy with the intrusion. "Fox, honey, we have to go. That was Monica on the phone, and the baby is missing us." She smiled sweetly, one of the definite advantages of taking his name, she got to use his given name whenever she wanted. She couldn't very well call him by her last name, too, could she? "Um, ok. Well, thanks so much for your help, I'll be in touch." Mulder scooped up his keys, dropped money on the table and followed his wife out the door. He turned to spare Marcella one last smile, and was gone. Marcella gathered the cups and the cash from the table. Why are the gorgeous ones always married or gay? He was definitely the handsomest thing to sit in her section in a while. She made her way to the register, making a mental note of the total and the amount of money he left. Well, he was sexy, but cheap. His tip and five buck will buy me a new pair of support hose, she thought. Plaza Hotel The Mulders rushed in the door, Fox stopping to scoop up Will from Monica's aunt Lynn, Dana crossing the room impatiently to see what Monica had for them. He watched his wife's brow furrow in concentration, as he planted a kiss on Lynn's cheek in greeting. He was getting used to the extended family that he and Scully we're gathering. He hadn't had a "normal" family life since he was a young kid, and he found that he liked having people in his life to share the big and the little things with. Lynn had come along with Monica, and she was the type of woman you could tell anything to. She had one of those personalities that made you want to sit down and talk. She was a blessing for Dana, having had lost her other girlfriends along the journey with him. She wouldn't allow him to speak of all that she had lost during their partnership. She insisted that she did it for her own reasons, and she had made the choice to stay. He went with it, because it made living with the guilt so much easier. "Fox, come here." Dana's voice had an edge to it. "Don't you dare say 'I told you so', but I think it's Esther." Her eyebrow threatened to disappear into her hairline. He crossed the room with Will still in his arms. "You're kidding. I was kidding, Dana. How do you know it's her?" All he found on Monica's computer screen was an instant message box, with a screen name "TwilightTime" and a blinking cursor. Monica rose from her chair to make room for Mulder. "I tried to talk to her, but she won't respond to me. She popped in and asked me to call you to the computer to talk. Weird. I don't know how she found me, or how she knows that I am with you." Mulder sat down in front of the screen, at the same time, the dialogue box flickered. TwilightTime: Hey, long time no see. The cursor blinked at him, he didn't know what to do next. Chat rooms were not his forte, he began to type, hoping it would go through. When he hit the enter key, a screen name had been posted for him. TrustNo1: How do you know who I am? He heard Dana's snort at the screen name chosen for him. Whoever this was, they must really know him. TwilightTime: I can see you. I never forget a pretty face. I see you finally made an honest woman out of your partner. And a baby, too, congrats. TrustNo1: Thanks. I can't believe I'm having this conversation. TwilightTime: Why not? You believe anything. TrustNo1: Very funny TwilightTime: So, you wanna know what happened at the set of the MonStar show? TrustNo1: You know? TwilightTime: I see things in here, I haven't been idle, you know. TrustNo1: So, you found him, you found David Markham and you're together and all that? TwilightTime: It's beyond comprehension. I miss having a body at times, but we adjust ;). So, your witness said a "hand" came from the computer and killed that man. TrustNo1: That's the story TwilightTime: Didn't happen that way TrustNo1: What do you mean? TwilightTime: Look, when your computer is on and you're on the net, you are open to certain things. But physical contact? No, didn't happen. TrustNo1: You're sure? TwilightTime: Very TrustNo1: So, we're looking for a real person, not an web monster? TwilightTime: Always knew you were smart. Listen, gotta run. TrustNo1: Will we see you again? TwilightTime: Could be, ya never know ;) The dialogue box closed. He leaned back in the chair, looking into his wife's eyes. She clearly didn't know what to think, either. "Ok, so we're back to the set, then, there has to be something we missed." Scully sighed and sat down on the nearby sofa. "Tomorrow, Fox, Please? I'm exhausted, and I need to nurse Will." He passed the baby over, chastising himself for forgetting about her discomfort at being away from the baby for long periods of time. Lynn stood up and placed her hand on Mulder's shoulder, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "Well, since you two are here for the evening, I think Mon and I will go catch some sites." "Translation, shop till you drop?" Mulder smiled up at her. "Same thing, darling, same thing. What better sites to see than the inside of department stores? Come on, Mon, let's go paint the town green." Kicking his shoes off, Mulder settled on the sofa next to his little family. Will was drifting off to sleep in Dana's arms, he reached out a finger and traced the baby's cheek grazing lightly up the slope of his wife's breast. This sight never ceased to amaze him, and he was always happy that she let him sit with them and watch, making him part of a process that he otherwise couldn't be. "You know, I think the key will be Brittani, the assistant. She sees everything that goes on there, and tell nothing. We need to start with her tomorrow." It made him smile that she could be drifting in and out of sleep, nursing their son and still keep her mind on the case at hand. "I think you're right, the question is, how do we question her without Rosa around? She never goes more than a few steps from her." He picked up Will to burp him, and allowed Dana to start taking her clothes off for the shower. "That's where you come in, big boy. You distract her, I'll get Brittani off to the side." He was sure it was a good plan, but since she was naked and heading into the shower, he didn't actually hear what she was saying. He made an agreeing noise, but at that moment he would have agreed to jump 15 schoolbuses on a minibike, if she would have asked. She came out of the shower, taking Will with her and it was his turn. He found up he could clean up fast, with his naked wife in the bed waiting. Toweling his hair, he rounded the corner to the bed to find his wife and son sound asleep, Will still nursing intermittently. Thoughts of sex with Dana fled, and he was content to spoon up behind her, reaching over her head to stoke the baby fine hair on his son's head. He was soon asleep, too. Set of the MonStar Rosa was impressed with Mulder's good judgment, wanting to talk to her alone. After all, how much could you actually accomplish with a man's wife hanging around? She swept off toward her dressing room in a flurry of robes, with a decidedly scared looking Mulder following in her wake. Brittani made to follow them, was interrupted by Scully stepping in front of her. "Do you mind if I ask you a question, Brittani?" Scully smiled her toothy 'I'm your friend' smile, hoping to win the girl's confidence. The girl looked nervous, but agreed. To her surprise, Dana led her out of the studio, and across the street to MacRae's. They settled in the same booth that she and Mulder had used the day before, Marcella coming over to take their order. "Where's that handsome husband of yours today?" She pulled out her pad. "He's not accompanying me today, we'll both have a Coke, and maybe some fries?" Brittani nodded her head. "Thanks." Scully effectively dismissed the waitress, wanting to make use of the limited time she would have with Brittani. Marcella jotting their order down, walked off muttering to herself, "Hope she tips better than him." "Ok, Brittani, we both know that you have insight on everything that goes on around the set. That's what makes you so good at your job. Tell me, what happened?" Brittani twirled a lock of her dark blonde hair for a second, seeming to weigh her options. Finally she spoke. "It was an accident. That's all. There are large mirrors used on the set to catch the sunlight and increase the lighting for the cameras. I turned a couple of them, so Rosa could look at herself better in a new gown she was wearing on her date with George that night. It was getting late in the evening, the sun wasn't coming in through the skylights at the time, and I never considered the consequences of repositioning them. The next morning, Tom sat down in front of the computer terminal, and a few minutes later the sun hit the skylights, bounced off all the mirrors and hit him in the chest. I had no idea that something like that could happen. I'm really sorry." She was looking down at the table top, her voice no more than a whisper. "So, why didn't you tell anyone, Brittani? It was an accident, you didn't intend to hurt anyone." "Because, I didn't want Rosa to get angry, that I told about moving the mirrors around so she could see herself. We aren't supposed to move the equipment around like that. I didn't want her to look bad." Scully's cell rang, causing Brittani to get hold of herself, before she started to cry. "Mulder." "I call you just to hear you say that, you know that, right?" Well, at least he was still alive, after being in Rosa's clutches. "I've solved the mystery, Fox, it was an accident, nothing more." She looked across at Brittani, feeling sorry for the girl. "You have to do one thing for me, though, you have to smooth the way with Rosa for Brittani, apparently she's afraid that reporting what happened will make her angry." "No problem, we're great friends now." Mulder chuckled, imagining her eyebrow shooting for the starts again. "You just make it ok for her, and I'll be there in five minutes. That's not long enough for you to get into trouble." "You wound me, Dana." "Not yet, but you let me catch you in the grasp of a certain actress, you will understand the meaning of pain." Her voice was honey sweet. "Oh, well, in that case, lemme off this phone, so I can remove Rosa from my lap before you get here." "You're very funny, you know that?" She and Brittani were crossing the street, heading back toward the studio. "I'm closing in on you, buster, so you'd better make yourself presentable within the next thirty seconds, or else." She pushed the metal side door to the studio open, and almost rand into him. He still had his phone pressed to his ear, smiling that smile at her that melted her resolve to be irritated with him every time. "I love you, you know." Aw damn him for being so sweet just in time to save his own ass. "I know." End More author's notes: Way down here at the end, where no one but those near and dear will read it anyway. Special thanks, guys, once again. You trusted me with this assignment, to write a story for Mon, and despite the fact that I am the world's greatest procrastinator, you stayed up late with me to get it done. You all mean the world to me, you know who you are. Fox
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