Title: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man's Shadow

Author: Pattie

Rated: PG (Kids, don't go following folks around
a lot. It's naughty).

Category: Missing Scene

Spoiler: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

Feedback: patfiler2016@outlook.com

Archive: Gossamer, I take care of the others, but
anyone else please ask.

Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and the Cigarette
Smoking Man belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen
Productions, and Fox Studios. I still make no
money writing fan fiction and it's still not my
intention to break copyright laws.


Scully was still not sure she should be driving
around with her co-worker in an unofficial
capacity. Was this what the man did when they
weren't in the office or on the road? "Mulder,
if we follow him around enough, he might just
turn around and confront us one of these times."

Mulder threw a sunflower seed hull into the
street. "I doubt it. He's got his mind on
something besides us these days. Don't ask me how
I know this, but I think he may be looking at
another line of work." Mulder stopped the car.
"Okay. There's the news stand.He's been coming
here a lot lately, just looking for... hold on...
Yeah, I can make it out. He's been checking on
those magazines you write articles to free-lance
for extra money. You ever do that kind of thing,
Scully?"

Scully took a sip of her now cold coffee. "Can't
say I have, Mulder. I can say I've written some
good drug monographs in my time, and of course
you remember my thesis: 'Einstien's Paradox'."


"Yeah, that was a classic," her partner
conceded. "Just bear with me a moment. I've
heard from a friend of a contact of a contact
that Cancerman has a new hobby."

"Writing? Mulder, I'd think he'd be more
interested in reading "American Mercenary" or
some other piece of crap."

The Smoking Man had purchased the magazine and
entered an alley not far from the stand. He was
still visible to Mulder and Scully.

"Looks like he doesn't like what he'd reading,
Scully. I wonder what he's saying to that bum?"

"I gave at the office?"

Mulder smiled. "Nah, Scully. I think he's
probably found out that editors take license with
whatever you submit. I have done a few free-lance
stories myself, you know."

"Whatever he IS doing, he looks kind of upset. I
mean, if I could feel sorry for him, I'd think he
felt like he wanted to change his life, this was
his chance, and he's blown it. Mulder, do you follow
him around on a regular basis or something?"

Mulder threw another sunflower seed shell out his
car window. "Well, no. I mean just sometimes. You
know what they say: 'Keep your friends close; keep
your enemies even closer'."

"What's your favorite sport again?"

"Basketball. Look, he'd going back to his hovel,
like a dog with his tail between his legs."

"I see. So you don't even know his name, you follow
him around periodically, and you could be watching
or playing basketball on a dull Saturday afternoon.
I'd say your second favorite sport is stalking."

Mulder laughed again, and started the car. "Let's
get a move on before he doubles back and sees us."
He pulled out of the parking spot and drove about
four blocks before hitting a red light. "Scully, I am
not stalking him. Besides, life is like a bag of
licorice all sorts ... "

"Don't you mean chocolates, Mulder? Life is like a box
of chocolates?"

"No, like a box of licorice all sorts. It's a mixed
bag of things and it's up to you to find out their
various merits and shortcomings. Light's green."

"So, next week, if we're not out of town, you're
going to stalk him again? I think you're obsessed,
Mulder."

"Maybe, Scully. But I'm watching out for the both of
us." Mulder reached for a magazine in the pocket on
his door. "Okay. Tell me what you think of my latest
submission to Omni. Maybe I can finally get out of
this FBI business and make it on my own."

Scully just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Then
who'd go off looking for all those aliens? You're not
serious, are you?"

"No, Scully. But it is an interesting side-line. Who
knows, maybe some day I'll write a book, maybe a
best-seller." As he thought about it, suddenly the
statement didn't seem that far-fetched. "Nah, I
like the unpredictable too much."


END