Summary: Scully thinks about how to deal with her partnership problems. Mulder/Diana friendship, Mulder/Scully friendship. See also Change Of Opinions I, III and IV.

This story is number two. It was originally posted over
two years ago. I was re-reading this story and it's companion and
suddenly felt inspired to write more. So I figured I would re-post
the originals so you could understand the others. I haven't
changed them at all and they are exactly as they were then.
Anyway, here's a story that is post-The End, with no spoilers
aside from Diana Fowley. Everything after The End is completely ignored.

Well, I got requests from a few different people to pick up the story.
I'm glad people liked the first enough to ask for a second. So, I have
to dedicate this to Meredith and Janie, both of whom gave me great
feedback, and were wondering about more. I hope this lives up.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they are not mine. First and foremost, they
belong to Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Chris Carter, Fox and
1013 Productions come in second, third and fourth place, respectively.
Although if anyone is offering up ownership....

Archive: Anywhere and everywhere. : )

Title: Change of Opinions II
Author: Bridget
Email: msathenaxf@aol.com
Rating: G
Category: V
Summary: Scully thinks about how to deal with her partnership problems.

Archive: Anywhere and everywhere, if you really want to. Just let me
know. I like to see my name in print. : )

Change of Opinions II
*******************

Scully walked into the office to find Diana Fowley sitting behind
Mulder's desk. It was becoming a common occurrence. One she didn't
like.

'At least she knows enough to not to sit at my desk.'

Scully nodded at the older woman, politely ignoring her, then sat in her
own chair, removing papers from her briefcase. Skinner had asked for a
full report on the shooting of a suspect in a case three weeks earlier.
She had avoided turning it in, until finally he had called her into his
office. He wasn't entirely interested in the how and why. The dead man
deserved to be dead. What Skinner was concerned about was why she was in
that situation without her partner.

And Scully wasn't sure how to explain that he was chasing an illegitimate
lead with an agent that had no business in the investigation.

All she told Mulder when he had returned was that their man was dead,
shot in the back by the sheriff. She didn't mention that the suspect was
aiming his gun at her at the time. And now she was being asked to
condemn him on an incident he didn't even know had happened.

Except he should have known. He should have been there. Scully was
grateful to the sheriff that had saved her life; she just wished it had
been the man it should have been. That is what partners were for, meant
to cover each other's backs at all costs, to be there for you when you
needed help.

And her partner had been with someone else.

Lately, he was always with someone else. Gradually, but far too quickly
for Scully's liking, things were changing between Mulder and herself.
They didn't communicate as much as they once did, and Mulder was
continually ditching her to work with Diana. They had taken a huge step
backwards in their partnership, one that would cost someone their
life--probably their own--if Mulder didn't soon see what was happening.

And he needed to see with more than his eyes. Statistics and facts were
never enough for Mulder in their cases, and they would never be enough if
she wanted to convince him that the partnership needed help. Reports
indicating a drop in their success rate were worthless to Mulder.
Success rates mattered to him only in that a high percentage allowed him
to keep The X-Files. He would never view them as evidence of a greater
problem.

And their dying connection was a serious problem. Their relationship was
an integral part of what would someday stop the men truly in power, the
manipulators of the world. And if Mulder continued to let it collapse,
then the two of them would never win. He would never find his sister,
and she would never receive justice for her own if Mulder didn't make an
effort to be her partner again.

No, Mulder needed to understand with his heart. His alliance with Diana
was causing him to lose his friends, political and personal. Skinner had
lightened their caseload, and had not been sending any 'lost' files their
way. Scully knew for a fact that Mulder hadn't talked to The Lone Gunmen
on a personal level for over a month. He wanted them only for their
information, a situation they resented.

She resented it, too. Mulder came to her only when he or Diana were at a
loss on how to interpret a medical or forensic clue. She felt like an
intruder in her own office. And it *was* her office, nameplate or not,
desk or not. But it was fast becoming an uncomfortable place to spend
her time.

The worst part about it was that it wasn't Diana who made her
uncomfortable. Mulder was the person that made her feel out of place.
Scully could handle Diana. There weren't many people she couldn't
handle. But when Mulder blocked her out, when he ditched her or ignored
her, Scully felt insignificant. It wasn't a feeling she liked.

She had no idea what to put in this report to Skinner. No matter how
angry she was, she could never betray Mulder in that way. But they dealt
in the truth. It was their life. And it was possible that a nice long
lecture from Skinner would open Mulder's eyes.

'Of course, it may just piss him off.'

Mulder didn't even know about her close call with the suspect. He had
come back, disappointed that his theory was wrong, and angry that
Scully's had been correct. He treated her like a rookie agent who had
just had a lucky break. 'Good job, Agent Scully. Try to do it again
sometime.'

Slowly, Scully turned to her computer, placing her fingers lightly on the
keyboard. Her job was to tell the truth objectively, to give insight
into investigations no one cared about. And she would do that. She
would tell Skinner exactly what had happened that day--where Mulder was,
who he was with. It was her responsibility, both as an agent and as a
friend.

Lying on this report would be in contradiction to everything she and
Mulder stood for. It was a part of who she was to tell the truth in a
way that reflected well on Mulder. It had become second nature over the
past years. And she would do it; she always did.

He would be furious with her once he read the report, feeling she had
betrayed him.
But Scully could deal with an angry Mulder; it was a lot better than the
indifferent Mulder she was coming to know. Maybe, hopefully, if they had
one real argument, an argument based on trust rather than theories,
friendship instead of facts, they would get that spark back. And maybe
Mulder would understand what he had become. Maybe he would see what
*they* had become.


Maybe.
_____________________________________

Hi, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not sure how this would come out, if
people would like it, or not. I wasn't expecting people to like the
first one enough to be curious about what came after it. And I'm still
unsure if this would be considered an ending. Whether you liked the
first one, second one, both or neither, thanks for reading!! : )

Send any thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, so on and so forth to
msathenaxf@aol.com