Title: Within Revisited
Author: Vickie Moseley 
Spoiler: Within
Summary: Imagine Requiem if it wasn't Mulder but 
Skinner who was abducted. Now, imagine the rest of 
season 8.
Category: A, MSR/RST, series
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Dear FOX executives: The next time you 
let your greed get the better of you, remember The X 
Files and this timely lesson: What goes around, 
comes around. 'Nuff said. And I'm not making money 
off this, but then you aren't going to make any money 
doing a season 10 so I guess that squares it, right?
Archive: yes
Comments to vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com It was write 
this or listen to the voices in my head. I thought 
this idea was safer :)
So far Requiem Revisited precedes this one so you 
might want to read it first.

Within Revisited
By Vickie Moseley 
vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com

Hoover Building
10:45 am

Mulder was still torn over where he should be. He 
wanted to be with Scully, wanted more than anything 
to stick around the hospital and maybe see the 
sonogram up close and personal. A tiny voice in the 
back of his mind was chanting that he needed to see 
the sonogram, needed proof that this baby, _their_ 
baby, was real and . . . human. He knew better than 
to discuss his fear with Scully while she was still 
in the hospital. Hell, he didn't know if he could 
ever discuss this fear with her, it was too huge, to 
encompassing. If their baby was the product of 
anything other than their eternal love for one 
another . . .

But there was another matter, just as pressing. 
Skinner was out there, up there, somewhere. Mulder 
would need all the resources the Bureau could muster 
and more to find him. He shivered as he remembered 
the weeks Scully had been missing, how he'd searched 
every database, turned over every stone he could 
find, and still in the end, she'd just arrived one 
day, comatose and near death. He hadn't found her. 
She was back, but in her return he had still failed. 
Once again, he hadn't managed to save the one he 
loved. 

So was finding Skinner a way to redeem himself this 
time? It was a foolish question. Skinner was a 
grown man, a former Marine who knew the consequences 
of his dangerous career path. But he was also a 
friend, one whom Mulder and Scully had relied on 
countless times. He couldn't turn his back on 
Skinner now. He was probably the only person besides 
Scully who would know where to look.

He rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and walked 
quickly to Skinner's office. He had to see if there 
was something there, something that might alert him 
to the whereabouts of some of those famous 
'unofficial channels' Skinner was always so quick to 
deny. Maybe the names of some of Skinner's old 
Marine buddies in high places in the military. He 
needed all the help he could get.

He skidded to a stop at the commotion in Skinner's 
office. Agents spilled out of the room, examining 
the contents of Kim's rolodex, the files behind her 
desk. He walked into the chaos, ignored, and managed 
to get past several busy agents to enter Skinner's 
private office. The scene was just as bad in there, 
but more surprising than anything was Assistant 
Director Kersh standing at Skinner's desk and talking 
on Skinner's phone.

Or wasn't it Deputy Director Kersh now? Mulder 
vaguely remembered Scully pointing it out in the 
agency newsletter under promotions and the flip of 
his stomach at the thought that Kersh had 'Peter 
Principled himself into a higher level of authority. 
Another example of why the Federal Government would 
never survive in the real world. But that didn't 
explain what was going on in Skinner's office.

"Agent Mulder, I was just on the phone to the 
Director. We'll need you to make yourself available 
to the team as soon as possible."

"Team?" Mulder echoed, suddenly feeling like he'd 
walked in on a movie that was already half over. 
"What team would that be?"

Kersh sneered at him. "The team to investigate the 
missing person's case of FBI Assistant Director 
Walter Skinner, of course. I thought you were the 
last person to see him?"

Mulder drew in a shaky breath. "Yes, I believe I 
was, but how . . ."

"The sheriff in Oregon called the Bureau this 
morning, looking for you. When he couldn't reach you 
on your cell phone, he decided it wise to report AD 
Skinner's disappearance directly to the Bureau. 
Apparently, you were too preoccupied with other 
matters to attend to that detail," Kersh quipped 
sarcastically. "It's a good thing he did, valuable 
time was lost since the disappearance. But it's 
under control now. We have a team leader who is the 
top in his field . . ."

It was more than Mulder could assimilate. He held up 
his hand. "Excuse me, team leader? Sir, I feel AD 
Skinner's disappearance is directly related to an X 
file that Scully and I were investigating in Oregon. 
I think the Bureau should take that into 
consideration and allow me . . ."

"Are you doubting my credentials, Agent, um, Moldah, 
isn't it?" 

Mulder had never seen the man just to the right of 
Kersh, but he was pretty sure they weren't going to 
become fast friends. He appeared just a little to 
eager to get involved in something he knew absolutely 
nothing about. Ladder climber, Mulder decided. 
Aiming for the top rung, or one close to it. From 
the look in Kersh's eye as he nodded to the agent, 
this assignment as team leader was a boost up that 
ladder.

"I'm Agent John Doggett," the man said, leaning over 
Skinner's desk to offer his hand to Mulder, who took 
the offered hand but promptly dismissed the man with 
a look.

"Sir," Mulder turned back to Kersh, who was standing 
with his arms crossed. "Sir, please. I really think 
it would be best to let the X Files Division handle 
this . . ."

"Speaking of which, it's my understanding the Agent 
Scully is on medical leave. You wouldn't know 
anything about her condition, would you, Agent 
Moldah?" Doggett asked with forced politeness.

Kersh just raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer to 
the question. They were tag-teaming him and Mulder 
knew it. He hated it, but at least he knew how to 
handle it.

"Agent Scully is in the hospital suffering from mild 
anemia. She'll be released later today," he said 
evenly.

"Nothing serious, I hope?" Kersh asked with feigned 
sincerity.

Mulder clenched his jaw but otherwise kept his cool. 
"She had a flu a few weeks back, and she's had a 
little trouble shaking it. The doctor assured her 
she was perfectly healthy."

"Aside from the anemia, of course," Doggett jumped 
back into the conversation. "But for the here and 
now, she's out of the picture, right?" 

"For the here and now, she's very much _in_ the 
picture," Mulder snapped, but with some effort, 
brought himself under control. "She'll be back in 
the office by the end of the week. I can keep her 
apprised of any leads by phone."

"Pretty rough on your subordinates, ain't ya, Agent 
Moldah. I mean, the poor woman's in the hospital and 
you got her takin' business calls all day? Glad I 
don't work for you," Doggett chuckled.

Mulder once again turned back to Kersh. "Sir, am I 
to be allowed to work on this task force to 
investigate the disappearance of Assistant Director 
Walter Skinner?" he requested formally, his anger 
just below the boiling point.

Kersh looked Mulder in the eye and then spared a 
glance over to Doggett. When he turned back to 
Mulder, the corners of his mouth turned up just 
slightly. "No, Agent Mulder. I think you're too 
close to this one. I think it's best that this 
investigation be handled by someone with experience 
in missing persons cases. John here has had 15 
successful cases in the past three years. A damned 
impressive record, by all accounts. And the Director 
has approved his assignment personally. We've lost 
one of our own, Mulder. We need the best people for 
the job, personalities aside. We need to work 
together on this. I expect your full cooperation, of 
course."

Mulder had to swallow the bile in this throat. "Yes 
sir," he said through gritted teeth. Turning on his 
heel, he walked out of the office.

He was all the way to the elevator before he felt the 
hand on his shoulder. In no mood for playing games, 
he spun on his heel, prepared to deck whoever it was, 
only to find himself face to face with Agent Doggett.
 
"I'd really like to ask you a few questions, Agent 
Moldah. In light of your presence at the scene when 
AD Skinner disappeared."

Mulder's cell phone trilled just before he raised his 
fist. The upward motion of his arm wasn't as 
forceful as his muscles would have liked, but at 
least it diverted his attention to the phone.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me. Hey, the doctor is here and said 
I'm ship shape to leave. He's scheduled the sonogram 
for half an hour from now. Think you can make it?"

"I'll be right there," he said lightly. "See ya 
soon." He disconnected the call and turned to 
Doggett. "Sorry, Agent Doggett, but something 
pressing has come up. Can we reschedule those 
questions for later today sometime, maybe tomorrow?"

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and Mulder 
stepped into the car. Doggett followed right after 
him.

"I was under the impression that you wanted to assist 
in finding AD Skinner," Doggett growled. A few heads 
turned but at Doggett's sharp look, they quickly 
resumed examining the interior doors of the elevator 
car.

"I don't see how investigating this as if it were a 
missing publisher's daughter is going to get 
anywhere, much less get Skinner back," Mulder hissed. 
"You have no idea what happened in Bellefleur."

"You're right, I don't," Doggett snapped. "You do. 
So you enlighten me."

"Not. Right. Now." Mulder growled. "I can't waste my 
time right now on _your_ investigation, Doggett. 
You're the big man on campus, I'm sure you can find 
plenty to do without bothering with me for a while."

"Scully's suffering from more than just anemia," 
Doggett whispered in Mulder's ear.

Suddenly Mulder found his hands gripping Doggett's 
suit jacket as he slammed the agent against the wall 
of the elevator. A few gasps behind him alerted him 
to the witnesses surrounding him. He loosened his 
grip, but kept Doggett pinned to the wall.

"You keep Agent Scully out of this, you son of a 
bitch. You come near her and so help me, they won't 
find your body, you got that?"

"Are you threatening a fellow agent, Mulder?" Doggett 
choked out as he shoved Mulder back a foot.

"Finally, you got my name right," Mulder said evenly 
as the elevator hit the bottom floor and he left 
Doggett to stare at his back.

The end, for now.

More to come. If you have a scene you just really 
want to see 'revisited', drop me a note. I won't be 
doing every part of every episode, I'm just picking 
up the highlights as I see them.