Wonderboy By Maureen B. Ocks maureen_b_ocks@yahoo.com Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and all other familiar X Files characters belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and FOX. No copyright infringement intended. Archive -- Sure, just tell me and keep my name with it. Spoilers: Grotesque Keywords - 510 words, some key. Haven 510 bitchfest challenge. x-x-x North Georgetown Hospital Waiting Room 3:10am I heard her shoes long before her voice. "He'll live." "Yeah?" "Flesh wound. Mulder, about the case..." I put my hand up. Not really sure what she's going to say but I don't care. The last thing I want is our somewhat fragile relationship being Patterson's last victim. She sat down next to me. "Do you know what my first case was at the BSU?" "Didn't they have you working at the Academy?" "Myth. There was a flaw in the test case. I pointed it out. One thing lead to another. Suddenly, I'm Wonderboy." "I think you were..." She stops, stares at her shoes. "You think what?" I look at her. She looks me right in the eyes, "I don't think it was a myth. You were the fair-haired boy. You still are. Patterson brought you in to catch him. No one would think he was responsible, that he was working with Mostow. Only you." She looks again at her shoes. "So, your first case?" "It was assigned to me personally by Patterson. On Long Island, young girls were turning up dead on the beach or swampy areas near parks. Not knowing much about serial killers but taking a wild guess on Patterson, I concluded the killer's sister was a victim of a violent crime, probably the same approximate age of the victims." "The Bethpage Butcher." "The beginning of an interesting few years." We are quiet again for a while. I finally confess. "Skinner called while you were playing doctor." "Excuse me." she replies in mock indignation. "What did he want?" "Me. Nine a.m. in his office." "You did excellent work, Mulder." "The Director thinks so." "*The* Director? Does the Director want to see you?" "9:45, his office with Skinner." I scrub my face with my hands. "About six months before you came along, the last Director brought me in. Impressed by what I accomplished, thought I was doing interesting work but my gift, his word, was being wasted." "Think this Director will do the same?" "No, Skinner said he wants me to run the BSU. My BSU background, management experience with the X Files along with catching Patterson makes me the best option." "He has a point." She is quiet for a while but finally asks, "Are you going to do it?" "No." I can feel her relief. Maybe I'm not the only one worried about the other department member leaving. "No?" "I haven't found my sister, who took you, who killed my father, your sister. Too much to do downstairs." "They'll never offer you anything like this again." "Not interested. I'm fine downstairs." She's quiet again for a while. "If you're going to see the Director, maybe you should go and get some sleep." "Maybe. Wanna ride?" I stand and start fishing for my keys. "No, I'll stay until there is some official word on Patterson." "OK." I start walking away but turn back, "I'm sorry if you worried." "I meant what I said. Only you, Wonderboy." Maybe we're not victims after all. x-x-x Thanks to Shannon (noelleleithe) for mentioning the Haven challenge. Thanks always to Shari, America's best beta and best person too. "Grotesque" is my favorite episode. Feedback is my favorite type of email: maureen_b_ocks@yahoo.com