Back in the Fold
by Susan

Email: touchstone98@tx.rr.com
Classification: vignette, Skinner's POV
Archive: No archive without permission.
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully still aren't mine, 
but I sure am glad they're coming back.

Notes: When I read the news that Mitch Pileggi
would be a part of the reboot as AD Skinner, I
was thrilled. Although his unwillingness to step 
over "the line that Mulder kept crossing" bugged 
me in the early seasons, Skinner became a true 
supporter and friend of both Mulder and Scully
and helped them out time and time again. I can't
wait to see how he will be a part of their lives
again on the new show, and that is what inspired
me to write this little scenario...

More notes at the end.

Summary: Skinner ponders a phone call he has
to make.

~~~~

Muttering under his breath, Skinner read through 
the official report, looked at the photo, then 
stuck everything back into the folder.

He had a feeling they'd be requesting their help
on this case, just as he had a feeling he'd have 
to be the one who had to make the phone call to 
ask them.

It wasn't that they couldn't handle the case...
he had no doubt about that...it was that he 
didn't want to be the one to pull them back 
into a life they clearly didn't need or want 
anymore.

Still a part of him couldn't help wanting them 
back in the fold again.

Of course, he'd been in charge of some great 
agents over the years since they'd left the FBI, 
but none of them had challenged him as much as 
Mulder and Scully had. 

He'd learned from them, lied for them, risked 
his career many times trying to help them, yet 
he'd never felt more satisfied and proud of 
what he was doing than when he was working 
with them on the X-Files.

It had been seven years since he'd last seen 
them and even longer since they'd officially 
been part of the FBI, though he knew that when 
he made the call and told Mulder what the case 
was, he couldn't say no.

The 8-year old daughter of AD Childers was 
abducted from their home under unusual
circumstances and had been missing for nearly
two days now.

But that wasn't what would pull his friend 
into the case.

It was the photo he was now holding in his 
hands.

If he didn't know for certain that it was a
picture of Allie Childers, he'd swear it was
Mulder's sister Samantha.

He'd seen her picture in Mulder's basement
office before, and when he'd briefly been in
their home seven years ago, he'd seen it 
tacked up on the wall in his office there as 
well.

And although he'd seen firsthand the emotional 
agony his friend had gone through for years 
over her disappearance, he knew that once he
actually saw the photo, he couldn't turn down
this case.

As for Scully, she would probably try to talk 
him out of it to protect him from all those 
painful memories, but then Mulder would convince 
her that it was the right thing to do and she'd 
reluctantly agree to come with him.

So now, here he was, caught between doing what
was best for a young girl and doing what was 
best for his two former agents.

Should he disrupt their lives in the hope that 
they could find Allie, or should he tell 
Childers to find someone else to lead the 
investigation?

Although he knew what he had to do the moment
he opened the folder, it didn't make his job 
any easier.

Opening the folder, he reread the report and 
studied the photo again, looking for any other 
details that might have been missed, but found 
nothing.

With a frustrated sigh, he opened his wallet and 
took out the emergency numbers Scully had given 
him seven years ago, then dialed the first number 
on the list.

After all these years, were their numbers still 
the same? And if they were, would she answer or
would he? 

It took four rings, but then he heard the familiar 
voice he'd heard hundreds of times before.

"Mulder."

Picking up the picture of Allie Childers, he took 
a deep breath and began. "A file came across my 
desk this morning along with an urgent request 
from the FBI for you personally to look into it," 
he stated, not even bothering with the formality 
of saying that it was him.

"I don't work for the FBI anymore and neither
does Scully."

"I'm well aware of that, Mulder," he countered. 
"But I think you need to hear what the case is 
before you tell the FBI to stick it where the 
sun don't shine."

He chuckled. "You know me too well, Sir. So,
what is it? What urgent matter do they want 
to drag me back for this time?"

The picture of the Samantha twin still in his 
hand, he replied, "It's a missing girl, eight 
years old, taken from her home two nights ago 
under mysterious circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances?"

"I'd rather not go into the details on the 
phone. There's an aspect of this case I can't 
tell you right now. I have to *show* you," he 
replied, deciding to keep the fact that the 
girl was the daughter of AD Childers to himself 
as well.

"Can you give me a hint?"

If he told him more about Allie now, would it
be the one thing that would convince him to 
come here and take on the case, or would it 
make him want to have nothing more to do with 
it?

Already knowing what he had to do, but not 
wanting to say it, he closed his eyes and 
answered with the one word he knew would 
have more impact than anything else he could 
possibly say.

"Samantha."

He heard a gasp on the other end of the line,
followed by deep sigh, and then silence.

"Mulder, are you still there?"

"I'm still here," he finally replied. "Scully
and I will be there by 3:00," Mulder added 
quietly, hanging up before he had a chance to 
say anything else.

Then again, there was really nothing else he
could say, was there?

Immediately wondering if he'd made a mistake, 
he put the file and photo back into the folder, 
then shoved it into the drawer.

Sooner or later, he'd have to make a second
call to Childers to tell him, but for now, it
would have to wait.


~end~
 

**I actually have no idea how Mulder and Scully 
will be reintroduced to the audience when the
show is back on again. Will they be back at the 
FBI on the X-Files, or will they work in some 
other department? Or who knows? Maybe they won't 
be involved with the FBI at all. That being said,
I had fun coming up with this little scenario for
Skinner, and whatever the writers ultimately 
decide to do with them, I'm sure it will be quite
intriguing.:) 

Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to share
how you think Mulder and Scully are going to be
brought "back into the fold", please drop me a
line or share your comments/ideas on my blog.

Susan
https://possibilities98.wordpress.com/


Originally posted April 2015.