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GLEN'S MOTOR INN
PLACERVILLE, NEVADA
10:00 AM
The phone beside the bed rang incessantly until a very
groggy Scully finally answered. "Yes? Oh, all right. No,
it wasn't nice of them to come here on our honeymoon, was
it? Send them over. You have a nice day, too." She resented
Mulder's deep, coma-like repose. He was really out of it, a
very deep sleeper sometimes. She elbowed him gently.
"Mulder... Mulder wake up. We have company."
Surfacing and scratching his sides, Mulder pulled his eyelids
open. "Are we in decontamination again?"
"No, we're in a motel room, and Doggett and Reyes are
coming here right now. So I suggest you put some clothes on
and I'll grab my robe."
"Great. Joy."
She grabbed her robe and slipped into her slippers. "You
sound enthusiastic."
"Well, I just wasn't expecting anyone so... oh, geez, it's
past ten! I'll be right with you."
As Scully walked out to the door, there were three knocks.
"Come in," she bade the agents. "What is all this?" Her eyes
were agape, taking in a huge bouquet of flowers in Monica's
arms, and a bottle of champagne in Doggett's hand. Reyes
smiled.
"Is that any way to greet your cousins from Placerville when
you're such a happy, blushing bride?"
"Cousins. C'mon in. You woke us up, you know."
"Sure," Doggett droned, not believing that for a second.
"Where is the tiger?"
"Did I hear someone call me my pet name? OOOooo, champagne,
Maggie! We didn't have much at the reception, but we had
each other, didn't we!" He put his arm around Scully's waist
and sniffed her hair.
"Touching display," Doggett commented. He just didn't seem
to go for the demonstrative stuff. "I think I may get
diabetes.
Okay, let's put the flowers and champagne down and get to
business."
"You've got something? Are we leaving again?" Scully was
very much awake now.
Doggett plunked some envelopes on the dining table. "This
something is what made us decide to take our one week
vacation now."
Monica interjected, "Now, John, wait a minute. Have you
two had breakfast yet?"
"I'll order a pot of coffee and some donuts," Scully
muttered. "Separate creamers and sugars so they don't mess
up the orders." She went off to dial the desk.
Mulder's arms were folded as he leaned against a wall and
the others sat. "Where are you staying?"
"I'm three doors down and Monica is four. Well, why
do you think we suggested this place?"
"Is it on the FBI tab? Not for us, because they'll... "
"We're paying our own ways, all of us. Headquarters
thinks I'm in San Francisco and Doggett's in New York,"
Monica replied, because she knew Doggett might swear or
angrily say something he'd regret. Sometimes, she thought,
he's a crusty old fart with his briefs in a knot. "Look,
this isn't going to be easy to tell you.." she began, as
Scully hung up the phone.
"Tell us what? Did you find everything we need so we can
go home and live happily ever after?" What wild eyes she
had when she was kidding, Mulder thought, as he smirked.
"Maybe we've been declared officially dead," Mulder hoped.
"Well, no. Both of those scenarios are very imaginative
of you, but no." Doggett rose and allowed Dana Scully a
seat.
"Thank you, John. Monica? Tell us..."
"You'll need your morning zap first. Trust me on that.
Both of you are going to need to be fully alert when you
hear what we have to say."
The coffee and donuts, thankfully, arrived quickly, and
Mulder passed room service a couple of dollars, locking
the door.
Doggett took a sip of the coffee and opened the first
envelope of a stack of them. "Mulder? Recognize this guy?"
"Yeah. He was one of the guards in the stockade. Can't
remember the name."
"Kevin Price, Private First Class. Trained under one of my
old buddies in the Marines, Ron Dillman. Dillman gave me
the tip-off that this Price fella has sent a... "
"A what?" Scully prodded. "Nothing can scare us after
everything we've been through."
Monica decided to finish the story. "He sent a screenplay
to the studios."
"Good for him," Mulder said staidly. "A Marine who can
write scripts."
"Do you remember 'The Lazarus Bowl'? About Special Agents
Mulder and Scully chasing after..."
Mulder put his hands to his ears and Scully smirked.
"C'mon. guys!" Doggett bellowed. "Your lives are in
danger!"
"I'm sorry, really," said Scully. "The movie lost lots of
money, the critics panned it, and we spent months going
into work at night so our colleagues couldn't harass us about
it. why are we in danger, though?"
"Yeah, Just what is this movie about? Ohhh... let me guess.
The Insane Agents Mulder and Scully try to prove in a military
court that aliens are conspiring to take over the earth, no
one believes them, and the entire American public is going to
see this propaganda, realize that anyone who believes in any
alien conspiracies is wrong because we were proven wrong, as
they may well write it, adding to the Private's story, and,
Bob's your Uncle, the invasion begins!"
"Bingo," Monica said. "And the aliens may decide to start
the manhunt for you. They may try to find William and dangle
him in front of you like a carrot."
Scully looked pleadingly, almost helplessly to Mulder. Her
voice was shaky when she decided to speak. "Ahab, we need
two new crewmen..." she sobbed. "This ship's taking on
water."
Mulder embraced Scully and clung to her, kneeling beside
her. "I promised you, we'd get through this. We've hit some
rocks, we'll patch up or commandeer another vessel. Doggett,
where can we find this Private Kevin Price? Has he sold the
script yet?"
"No, he hasn't sold it, but he could. He's left the Marines
for domestic bliss with his new wife. Lives in Carson City."
"Carson City. You have the address, I take it? Maybe we
can persuade him to change his mind."
"Don't get any vicious ideas, Mulder," Scully cautioned.
"The man may just want some financial security, or a career."
"He may want anything in the world," Monica told them flatly.
"The point is, we can't let that happen at your's or your
child's expense. Trust us, okay?"
Scully and Mulder glanced at each other almost silently
communicating in a way only they knew how by this time.
"Okay," Mulder replied. "When do we get started?"
"Tomorrow. Price is having a tonsillectomy this morning.
The studios haven't replied. And there is a garden party
at the Price house tomorrow to celebrate his wife's graduation
from medical school. Dr. Helena Price, obstetrician."
"I'll rent a suit," Mulder quipped. "I need some shoes,
too."
Scully sighed. "Guess I need a fancy dress and some shoes.
Party, party, party. The cost of being social butterflies."
She wasn't entirely enthusiastic about this venture.
Doggett retrieved the picture, but left the rest of the
envelopes. "Yeah, you guys go shopping this afternoon. We
leave at noon tomorrow, so get up early. This stuff is some
homework you might want to do in the meantime regarding the
other matters in your life. Never leave them in the room."
Doggett grabbed a couple of donuts and his coffee as did
Reyes.
"We didn't have breakfast, either. Be careful," Monica
cautioned them.
"Careful?" Scully felt like a little girl. "We can take care
of ourselves pretty damn well. Besides, we're paranoid,
right Billy?"
"Right, Maggie."
"See you tomorrow." Monica almost pushed Doggett to the
door as they exited.
"Yup," Scully sighed, as she carressed Mulder's cheek. "Taking
on water. Well, time to take on the day."
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