[all-xf] New: Compromised, Part 1 3/3 slash Sk/K NC-17
Amazon X
4 WEEKS LATER
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
8:30 AM
The phone ringing was just enough to make me knock my mug of coffee
over, spilling over onto the rug. I could call maintenance to take
care of it later. I looked at the phone. It was my private line.
What bothered me more was there was no number in the caller ID
display. But I lifted the receiver anyway.
"Skinner."
"Hey, Walt old buddy, how's it hanging?" I cringed at Frohike's
assumed familiarity with me. But if he was calling me, he had news.
"What?" I know I was terse and rude, but I was annoyed. And I was
depressed. And I was about done with life if there wasn't anything
that could be done for me.
"Well, Langly cracked it. You're free, buddy. This thing is pretty
antiquated. But he did your deed. One good shit and you’re free.
Your piss is gonna feel a little like snot, too, I imagine, while
this crap is all filtered from your blood. But they’re easy to
program, and deprogram. And Langly destroyed the evidence."
I know I couldn't stop the tears in my eyes. But I had to maintain
my voice steadily. "Thank you, Frohike. You'll find the...donation
you mentioned in the appropriate place. And let your colleagues know
I am eternally grateful."
I replaced the receiver and walked to my bathroom to wash my face.
But I ended up breaking down and weeping, sitting on my closed toilet
lid. One of the advantages of being an assistant director was my
private en-suite bathroom for personal moments. But I knew I had to
get back to my desk directly. I had reports to read, I had to call
Scully to see if Mulder had checked in, and I had to speak with
Doggett to see a few loose ends tied up with some ideas I had for
him. Having the X-Files back under my belt since the arrest and
incarceration of AD Follmer was a good feeling.
I walked back out to my desk and looked at the coffee stain on the
rug. I'd tell Kim to get maintenance on it later. I sat back in my
chair to close the folders on my desk when my private line rang
again. I recognized the number this time. What the hell did my
lawyer want?
"Skinner."
"Walter, when did you buy this house?"
"House? What the hell are you talking about, Bruce?" OK, someone
was playing with my lawyer. Great.
"I just got the paperwork on a house that you bought, a cabin, and
the only thing that really bothers me is the damn price. How the
hell do I explain this, Walter? This is gonna make your accountant
insane!"
I was well and truly confused. I was buying a cabin...
"Bruce, who is the owner of this cabin? Maybe I'm having a senior
moment." It couldn't be, I reasoned.
"You, Walter? A senior moment? Not happening. But the owner is
listed here as a Sasha Arntzen. He sold it to you for a dollar. His
signature is here. I have it waiting for you to sign it. Why didn't
you tell me, Walter?"
"I...I've been very busy. I'll be there after I leave here, around 7
or 7:30. Tell Jane and the boys I said hello."
I hung up the phone. Oh shit. The cabin. What was he telling me?
It had been weeks since our...encounter. I had stopped thinking
about it. Well, outside the apartment. There was a pile of clothes
on my bathroom floor that my cleaning lady was getting annoyed about,
but I refused to let her move. She cursed me in Spanish for days
when I ordered her to clean around them. She just leaves them on the
bathroom rug and moves the rug out of the way to clean. But I won't
touch them again. If I disturb them, I'll smell them. And if I
smell them...I don't want to go there.
So I had bought the cabin. He knew I wanted to retire in a cabin
like that. What the hell was he telling me? I had turned 50, made
my 20 years easily. Wait, I had my 25 in, shit! Was it that long?
I could retire with my full benefits. Without a doubt Doggett would
take my place. He would continue the work on the X-Files, protect
Scully and William, and keep in contact with the Gunmen. I could
retire. I could move up to that cabin. It needed a hot water
heater. It needed another room. And I would turn the barn into a
woodworking shed.
I picked up my phone and called my assistant into my office. She
walked in, straightening her suit jacket, genuine grin on her face.
"Kim, sit down, please." She looked down at the coffee stain on the
rug.
"Sir, should I call..."
"Kim, please, relax a moment." I stood and closed the door so that
she and I could talk freely. My office was currently bug-free,
thanks again to the Gunmen. So I knew she and I could discuss this
with ease and privacy.
"I wanted to tell you this before anyone else, since you and I work
so closely together."
She smiled widely at me, stopping my next words to say, "You're
retiring, aren't you?"
I looked at her, letting the astonishment creep over my face. "How
did you know?"
"I've known for the last few weeks you were done. I could see in the
way you worked. Sir, I think you're right to want to retire. It's
time you got some rest."
I sat back, a small smile creeping over my face. She was amazing.
And I could have had her. And I let the chance slip away. Her
engagement ring sparkled in the light. She was seeing some actor, a
tall, well-built fellow with a handsome face. He would make a name
for himself in television one day. And strangely enough, he was as
bare-skulled as I was. Obviously, Kim's taste went to smooth pates.
"I think that of all the people in this building, I will miss you the
most, Kim. I'll write you the most glowing recommendation I possibly
can. And none of it will be fabrication."
"Sir, could you make it generic? I'll be moving to Los Angeles after
I'm married. You should receive your invitation in the mail very
soon, and I expect you to be there."
"Of course I'll be there. And yes, I'll write you anything you
want."
"I'll print your request for retirement benefits. Sir..."
"Walter. It's about time you called me Walter." It was so easy to
talk to her now. She was an old friend and finally acting like it.
"Walter, I want to thank you for being a respectful and pleasant
person to work for."
"And I want to thank you for being the most intuitive and supportive
assistant I have ever had in my entire career. And I would like you
to make lunch reservations for us at your favorite restaurant today.
Cancel my appointments. And make sure it's a nice place, I owe you
lunch, my dear."
She smiled at me and nodded. Then she left me there. And she took
care of everything.
*-*-*
VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS
4 MONTHS LATER
I sat on the porch watching the sunset, foot up on the railing. I
repaired the porch this summer and it came out pretty good, if I do
say so myself. The roof was first, then the porch. I would do the
interior stuff throughout the autumn and then just make furniture in
the winter. Yep, I loved it up here.
Kim had taken my retirement hard, until she married and moved out
west. Doggett was promoted as I thought, Reyes becoming a Section
Chief. The X-Files got a whole new crew. The basement was outfitted
as their command post, with 6 agents, and each had desks. Kersh owed
me. And he was making up for everything.
I sipped my beer, thinking about how I had just missed the shit storm
that came down on the FBI. All the agents who were involved in the
Consortium were yanked, prosecuted and the trials were still going
on. Some defendants had mentioned my name, but there was no
supporting evidence. Somehow, I think it was destroyed. I regretted
that part of my life deeply. But my guardian angel was looking out
for me. An angel who seemed to be in the shape of a rat.
I felt a cold, wet nose on my hand and turned. Bosco had come out to
sit with me. I had acquired a dog in the last few weeks. He just
showed up one night, whimpering outside in the rain. I looked at him
as he shivered from the cold. But he crawled to me, big brown eyes
sad and soaking wet fur. So I took him into the cabin, dried him
with a towel, and brought him some left over steak. He settled on
the rug and let the warmth of the summer evening seep into him from a
dry setting. When I took him to the vet, she gauged he was about a
year old, probably an abandoned puppy. She thought he was a mix of
Chocolate Lab and American Mastiff, with long brown, silky fur and a
blunt, squared head. But Bosco turned out to be the best thing to
happen to me in my retirement.
Yes, I added the hot water heater, and the woodshed in the barn with
a potbelly stove for heat when the winter came. And I was doing a
good job of getting this place together. But the loneliness was
getting to me. And then that brown lump walked into my life. He
followed me everywhere, slept on the end of my bed. It made sleeping
in that bed easier. Yes, it was the same bed. For all I knew, it
was the same blanket and sheets. I had changed nothing in the house
that was left for me. Of course, the washer and dryer in the kitchen
pantry helped make sure there weren't any critters in the sheets or
blankets.
The refrigerator was stocked with Labatts beer, as well. I kept it
there, in case he wanted to come back. Maybe it was too a small
gesture, but I couldn't do that to Alex. Not after his gift. Not
after the warning he gave me. He saved my ass, my pension and my
freedom, and ultimately my life. Treason was punishable by death.
And that made up for hurting me, more than enough. I wished I knew
how to thank him. The Gunmen couldn't find him, Mulder had no idea
where he was, and I hadn't heard from him since I had moved up to the
cabin. It was as if he'd dropped off the face of the earth. Well,
one day, I supposed, he'd come back. At least, I hoped he would.
The End
You liked? Tell me
yankees...@yahoo.com
Part two to be released tomorrow
=====
Could it be possible that fog is responsible for all recorded paranormal events?
No one's dead until Scully performs the autopsy!
read me at http://yankeestarbuck.tripod.com
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