Title: "The Fake Jake"
Author: Angela W.
E-mail:  tapw63@yahoo.com 
Category: MSR/Crossover/Actual XF-type case
(Mulder/Scully married)
Rating: NC-17
Summary: A serial killer is on the loose in Los
Angeles; a man named Jake - who just happens to bear a
startling physical resemblance to Mulder -  may hold
the clue to the killer's identity.
Timespan/Spoilers: I'd put it somewhere between Season
Six and Seven in the "real" X-Files universe; in my
fanfic world, which is more linear than most, this
comes after "Thanksgiving with the Mothers". One small
spoiler for the "Dreamland" eps.
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. 
Characters associated with "The X-Files" are the
property of Chris Carter and 1013 Productions.
Characters associated with "Red Shoe Diaries" are the
property of Zalman King.
Archive: Feel free to archive anywhere!
Feedback: Feedback of a positive nature, including
*constructive* criticism, is welcome. If you just
don't like the idea of Mulder and Scully being
married, don't read this!

 
 Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder stepped int
the office of their boss, Assistant F.B.I. Director
Walter Skinner.
 "You said you had a case you wanted us to look into,
sir?" Scully asked.
 "A new X-file?" Mulder inquired.
 "It's not an X-file, agents. But before you start
raving that your talents will be wasted on something
so mundane as plain, old-fashioned serial killing, let
me assure you there are reasons why we need you two -
and only you two - on this case," Skinner replied.
 "Of course, sir," Scully murmured.
 "You want me to work up a profile on the killer?"
Mulder asked. He was a good - damned good - criminal
profiler. Although he preferred investigating
paranormal phenomena, an occasional profiling
assignment wasn't without a certain amount of allure.
 "That will be part of your assignment, yes.
Especially considering that the original suspect we
had under investigation now seems not to be our killer
but more like a secondary victim," Skinner replied.
 "Did you want to give us the case file, sir?" Scully
asked.
 "Let me explain it to you first; that will save time.
Then you can read the file on the plane out to Los
Angeles," Skinner said.
 "We're all ears," Mulder answered.
 For the past eightteen months, there has been a
string of killings in the Los Angeles area. All the
victims were attractive women in their 20s and 30s;
half a dozen victims in all."
 What else did they have in common?" Mulder inquired.
 "Well, for one thing, all of them had, within the
year prior to their death, experienced either a
divorce or the break-up of a long-term, intimate
relationship. Most of them were also women who liked
to frequent the club scene."
 "Prostitutes?" Scully asked.
 "No. One was a college student. The others had
legitimate jobs. But they weren't candidates for
sainthood, either. Several of them had had mulitiple
one-night stands in the months prior to their murders.
The most telling thing they had in common was that all
of them had left the same club, within a week before
their murder, with a man fitting the same general
description." 
 "Well, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it
would seem he'd be our prime suspect," Mulder said.
 "That's what the Los Angeles agents originally
assumed. And they found him.  A Los Angeles area by
the name of Jake. He admitted to having picked up at
least five of the six women, and having sex with four
of them. But the vehemently denies having killed any
of them. In at least two of the cases, he has a solid
alibi for the time of the murder. In one case, he was
clear on the other side of the country, attending a
business conference.
 "Is it possible he's working with an accomplice?"
Scully asked.
 "It's possible, but the local agents are beginning to
doubt it. Whereas Jake first looked like our killer,
it now looks like he's the object of somebody else's
sick, psycho-sexual fantasies. That's one of the
reasons we want you out there, Agent Mulder. We need
you to talk to Jake, make a psychological evaluation
as to whether or not you think he's capable of these
killings. If you think he is, we need you to work up a
possible profile for his accomplice. If you think he
isn't, we'll need a profile on the type of person who
would fixate on Jake and kill any woman he had sex
with."
 "You said he admitted to picking up five of the six
women?" Mulder asked. "But only having sex with four
of them?"
 "He positively identified five of the six. The sixth
- who was actually the first victim - he couldn't
identify. He didn't deny that he might have picked her
up; he started frequenting the club a couple of weeks
before her murder and even agreed she was the type who
appealed to him. But, as he pointed out, one-night
stands are inherently forgettable encounters and, over
a year later, he couldn't be sure if she were someone
he had sex with or not."
 "Sounds like he's a bit of a sleazebag," Scully
commented.
 "Like the women he picks up, Jake's no candidate for
sainthood," Skinner agreed. "But there's no law
against multiple sex partners, as long as everybody's
agreeable and over the age of consent; and it's out
job to enforce the laws, not play morality police. To
give the man a little credit, he's agreed to drop the
club scene until we apprehend a killer. He said he
didn't want to be the cause, even indirectly, of any
more deaths."
 "Why didn't he have sex with the fifth woman?" Mulder
inquired. "The one he positively identified as having
picked up at the club, but says he didn't have sex
with?"
 Skinner flipped through the file on his desk.  "Oh.
Yes. That would be the youngest and next-to-last
victim. She was a 21-year-old college undergraduate
student. Name of Tiffany. A week before she met Jake,
or approximately ten days before she was killed, she
broke up with the boyfriend she'd been going steady
with ever since she was sixteen. According to Jake,
after they got back to his place, she decided she
wasn't really the one-night-stand type. That's borne
out by the interviews with her family and friends;
apparently the boyfriend was the only sex partner
she'd ever had and going to a club and letting a
stranger pick her up was a totally out-of-character
act for her."
 "So this Jake didn't. . .push it?" Scully asked
skeptically.
"He says not," Skinner replied. "Says he's not the
date-rape type. Honestly, agents, there's no reason
for him to lie about it. The woman is dead. If he said
they'd had consensual sex, she could hardly contradict
him. Since he says they didn't, presumably they
didn't."
 "She did go back to his apartment with him, though,
right?" Mulder inquired.
 "Yes."
 "How long did she stay?"
 "I don't know. Why?"
 "Well," Mulder said, "if we're operating under the
premise that someone is killing these women because
they've had sex with Jake - and if that person is
shadowing him or staking out his apartment - it makes
sense for her to be a victim only if she stayed long
enough for the killer to assume she had sex with
Jake."
 "Well, you can ask him when you see him. Possibly,
however, these women signed their death warrants
simply by leaving the club with Jake. It would be
easier for a non-professional to keep tabs on someone
in a crowded club than by hanging around outside a
residence," Skinner pointed out.
 "I'm still not sure exactly why you feel it's so
important to have the two of us on this case, sir,"
Scully said. "I'm not objecting, I just have the
feeling there's more going on here than you're telling
us."
 Skinner offered the agents one of his rare, small
smiles. "You're right, Agent Scully. There is. Several
things. To begin with, Agent Mulder bears a strong
physical resemblance to Jake. We were looking for
someone who could conceivably, in the low lighting of
a club, pass for Jake. The idea is to have an agent go
undercover as Jake at the club. One of the L.A. agents
went through the academy with you, Mulder, and seemed
to think you'd fit the bill. I've got a description
here of Jake and the basics are remarkably similar.
He's a few years older than you, a few pounds heavier
and an inch shorter. But hair color, eye color and
overall general appearance seem to be in your favor.
Going to the club he frequents, dressed like he
dresses, and we can be reasonably hopeful that our
killer will assume you ARE Jake."
 "Where do I fit in?" Scully asked.
 "As a potential victim. You're the same age as the
oldest of the women who were killed. Two of the
victims were redheads and all their heights varied
between 5'1" and 5'5"," Skinner said.
 "I don't like the idea of setting Scully up as a
potential victim for some madman," Mulder said.
 "I'm sure you don't," Skinner replied. "But she'll be
under surveillance from the time she enters the club
until we catch the killer. Or until such time as the
bureau determines that we're not going to catch the
killer via that method. And there may be a way to
speed things up."
 "How?" Mulder inquired.
 "Well, these women had all gone to bed - or were
presumed to have gone to bed - with Jake once and have
been killed within a week or two of doing so. When you
assume Jake's identity, Agent Scully can assume the
role, not of a casual one-night stand, but as of a
woman Jake is getting serious with. That should speed
the process up a bit, work the killer into a frenzy.
And that's the final reason I felt you two would be
the best agents to assign to this case. Asking a pair
of male and female partners to assume the lovers is,
in most cases, a potential land mine. Some of the
women assigned to such cases have objected, perhaps
not without merit, that such assignments are
tantamount to requiring them to grant sexual favors to
their partners. In your case, since you're married to
each other, I can't see that either one of you could
have reasonable objections."
 "In other words," Scully said, "if we want special
favors from the bureau - such as being allowed to
remain partners despite our marriage - then
occasionally we may be required to take on assignments
that are suitable only for married couples."
 "That's about the size of it, agents," Skinner
agreed.
 Mulder sighed. He admitted the logic of the A.D.'s
arguments, but he still didn't like the idea of
setting up Scully as the potential victim of a
homicidal maniac. "Give us the file," he muttered.
 
 The next morning, in Los Angeles, Mulder and Scully
met with Jake in a location of his choosing. It turned
out to be a diner that he frequented. The agents
agreed that a neutral site was better than meeting at
Jake's home or office or at the federal building.
 Mulder and Scully had been there for several minutes
and were each on their second cup of coffee when he
walked in. Both agents stared. They'd been told there
was a resemblance between Mulder and Jake, but this
was uncanny!
 "Mulder, look! He could be your twin," Scully said.
 "The word that pops into my mind is 'clone'," Mulder
replied. "I'm beginning to wonder if there's more to
this case than we've been led to believe."
 Jake walked slowly over to the back booth where the
agents were seated. "A redheaded woman and a man who
looks like me," he said. "I guess that makes you two
Agents Mulder and Scully."
 "I'm Mulder, she's Scully."
 "This is weird," Jake said. "It's almost like looking
in a mirror."
 "That's the main reason I was assigned to this case."
Mulder said. "So I can pass for you in a club."
 "Yeah, the other agents filled me in on the plan. It
seems odd to me, but I'm an architect. This
cops-and-robbers stuff is beyond me."
 "You didn't kill those women?" Mulder asked. "And you
have no idea who did?"
 "I've answered this before, several times," Jake
replied a bit tersely. "No. To both questions. I feel
somewhat guilty anway, though. However inadverdently,
I was apparently the catalyst that led to their
deaths."
 "You have no idea why someone would single you out
this way?" Mulder asked. "No known enemies?"
 "Enemies?" Jake asked. "That's such a melodramatic
word. I don't think I have any enemies, certainly none
that are homicidal maniaces. I mean, I've got business
rivals. Other architects I've beat out for lucratives
assignments - things like that. But someone with an
intense, personal vendetta against me? No. At least
not that I'm aware of."
 "Do you have a brother?" Mulder suddenly asked.
 "No. Not unless you're wondering if you and I were
separated at birth. Because you've got to admit, our
resemblance is uncanny."
 "Why did you ask, Mulder?" Scully inquired.
 "Just a theory. Right now, I'm operating under the
assumption that the killer is obsessed with - and
jealous of - Jake's sexual success with women. A
younger brother, someone you've always outshone, would
be an ideal candidate."
 "No brothers. One older sister, married and living
with her husband and two kids in Santa Barbara."
 "Anyone like that?" Mulder continued. "A co-worker, a
childhood friend, somebody you've stolen a girlfriend
from?"
 "Not that I can think of. I suppose it's possible.
I'm successful in my career. I'm successful, at least
on a superficial level, with women. So I suppose it's
possible that some other men might envy me. But if
you're asking for a specific person, someone whose
nose I've rubbed in it. . .I can't think of anyone. As
for stealing someone else's girlfriend - no. When it
comes to love triangles, I always end up losing out.
One way or the other," Jake said.
 "Why do you do it?" Scully asked.
 "Do what?" Jake responded.
 "The club scene, the one-night stands. Why not a real
relationship, one where you actually get to know the
woman as a human being? You're successful,
good-looking and intelligent. Do you simply lack the
emotional stability to form a truly intimate
relationship?" she inquired.
 "I don't think your pretty partner approves of my
lifestyle," Jake said to Mulder.
 "Whether she approves or not is hardly the issue. You
are our only link to a killer. To find out more about
him, we have to find out more about you. It is unusual
for a man of you age and education to have sexual
relationships exclusively in the form of one-night
stands," Mulder replied.
 "You've never done it?" Jake asked. "You're also a
well-educated professional, about my age. I'd have to
say we're equal on the attractiveness scale, since we
look so much alike. Are you saying you've never gone
to a club and picked up a woman just to screw her?"
 Shit, thought Mulder. This is exactly the sort of
conversation no man EVER wants to have in front of his
wife! "A few times, when I was younger," he muttered.
"But not frequently and certainly not recently. I grew
up and learned the difference between loving someone
and simply looking to get lucky."
 "Yeah, well, the women I love tend not to love me
back. At least, not exclusively," Jake replied.
 "Yes, you said something a few minutes ago about
always losing out when it comes to love triangles,"
Scully said. "Care to elaborate on that?"
 "Is this really necessary, agents?" Jake asked.
 "I'm afraid it is," Mulder replied. "You don't have
to answer our questions, of course, at least not
without a lawyer present. May I remind you, again,
that you are our only link to a serial killer? While
it's clear that you could not have personally
committed the murders - at least not all of them - the
possibility still remains that you know who did.
Accessory to murder - before or after the fact - is a
serious charge."
 "I didn't kill anybody and I have no idea who did,"
Jake repeated. "However, if you really feel this is
going to help with your investigation, fine. Ask any
intimate, personal questions you want!"
 "Let's start with the love triangles, since you
brought them up," Mulder said. "You made the word
plural, so I assume it's happened more than once?"
 "Twice," Jake answered. "Both within the past five
years. Which is why I've pretty much given up on the
idea of having an intimate, loving one-on-one
relationship with a  woman and settle for cheap
thrills with anonymous partners."
 "We'll need a few more details," Scully said, but her
voice was gentler than it had been.
 Jake sighed. "The first time was a woman named
Alexis. We were living together, engaged to be
married, when she decided to have one last fling with
some guy she met at a store. Only thing is, he didn't
want to be just a one-night stand. He started stalking
her, threatening to tell me that she'd been
unfaithful. Alexis. . .was never the most stable
person in the world. She'd had an odd upbringing, her
mother was a real dragon lady. Finally, Alexis reached
the point where she felt trapped. So she took what
seemed, to her, to be the only way out of the mess
she'd created of her life. She committed suicide. I
found her diary afterwards. That's how I pieced
together the reason why."
 "That must have been tough on you," Scully said.
 "It was hell," Jake agreed. "For several weeks after
her death, I was teetering right on the edge of a
nervous breakdown. I finally managed to get myself
back together, at least as far as the professional
side of my life was concerned. I went back to work
with a vengance, but for over a year after her death I
was completely celibate. I didn't even look at another
woman."
 "Then what happened?" Mulder asked. 
 "Then Kate happened," Jake answered. "I met here
here, at this diner. It's always kind of been a
hang-out of mine. She used to come by a lot, too, and
sometimes we'd get to talking. I'm not trying to be
egotistical when I say she picked me up. I'm just
stating a fact. I would have been happy simply
maintaing a casual acquaintanceship with her, but she
pushed me to begin going out with and, eventually,
sleeping with her. After a while, the pain of Alexis'
betrayal and death did begin to lessen when I was in
Kate's company. Unlike the women I pick up in clubs, I
actually wanted to get to know her. I told Kate about
Alexis, about my career, about my childhood. She told
me things about her career and childhood, too. It had
reached the point where I was going to suggest we move
in together, maybe ask her if she'd like to go up to
my sister's place with me one weekend, when I found
out that Kate had left out one small detail about her
life."
 "What?"
 Jake sighed. "She was married. Said she actually
considered leaving her husband for me, but in the end
decided to dump me, instead, and try to patch up her
marriage."
 "Ouch!" Scully said. She had come into this case with
a preconceived notion of Jake as, at best, some sort
of slimeball and, at worst, a killer. His first few
comments hadn't done much to improve her opinion of
him, but she was undergoing a change of heart as he
told the stories of his failed loves. This was a man
who'd suffered.
 "Yeah. Ouch," Jake agreed with an ironic smile on his
face. "A few months after Kate stopped seeing me, I
began. . .doing what I do. After two messy endings to
two love affairs in a row, I decided I wasn't cut out
for the happily-ever-after type endings. My emotional
committments - such as they are - are to my career, my
elderly parents, my sister and her family. . .heck,
even my dog, I guess. The women I pick up in the clubs
are just for sex. I figure it's easier that way.
Nobody gets hurt."
 Mulder nodded. "Okay. But, as I understand it, there
was one woman you left the club with but did not have
sex with?"
 "Oh. Yeah. Her name was Tiffany. Ironically enough, I
remember her better than the ones I actually did sleep
with."
 "Why didn't you have sex with her?" Scully asked.
 "Because," Jake said, "once we got back to my place,
she decided she didn't want to."
 "And you were. . .okay with that?" Mulder asked. "You
didn't feel like she was being a tease?"
 Jake sighed. "Look, she was just a mixed-up kid. She
was only 21; I'm 39, as you probably know from my
file. I didn't realize quite how young and naive she
was when I picked her up. Generally speaking, I don't
go in for cradle-robbing. She wasn't, really, the kind
of girl who frequents bars and goes in for one-night
stands. She'd just been dumped by the boyfriend she'd
been with ever since they were high school
sweethearts; he'd left her for another woman. Being in
the bar, coming home with me, was her somewhat
pathetic attempt to prove to herself, or to him, or to
the world in general, that she wasn't an unattractive
loser."
 "So when she decided she didn't want to have sex with
you, she just left?" Mulder asked.
 "Actually, we talked for a while. I don't expect you
to believe this but. . .I felt sort of protective of
her. My sister has a teenage daughter and, in a way,
Tiffany reminded me of my niece. I wanted to make sure
she understood that, whatever pain she might be in,
going to a bar and having sex with strangers was not
the way to handle it! After a couple of hours, I drove
her back to campus and dropped her off right outside
the dorm."
 "A few days after that, she was dead," Scully said.
 "I know," replied Jake. "Believe me, I had no idea
that these women were ending up dead as a result of
their encounters with me."
 "I believe you, Jake," Scully said. " But I think the
only way to catch the killer is for you  to allow
Agent Mulder to take over your life, at least
temporarily."
 "I realize that's the plan that's been decided on.
I'm going into my office for a few hours this morning,
trying to wrap things up," Jake said. "If you'll let
me know where I can contact you, I'll give you the
keys and directions to my apartment. Then I'll take my
dog and go up to the mountains and lie low for a week
or two."
 "This is where we are," Mulder said, sliding one of
his business cards, with their hotel name and room
number scribbled on the back, to Jake.
 "See you this afternoon, then," Jake said.

 "Where to now, Mulder?" Scully asked.
 "The local F.B.I. office, for a start," Mulder
replied. "I want to know everything about Jake that
they know. Then back to our hotel for a while, to work
up a profile."
 As they walked into the Los Angeles federal building,
the agents were amazed by its size. Generally
speaking, their work took them to remote areas when it
didn't keept them at bureau headquarters in
Washington. Mulder remembered that this was the
third-largest bureau installation in the world; only
headquarters and Quantico were larger. The L.A. office
handled federal crimes not only in southern
California, but in most of the rest of the Mountain
and Pacific time zones as well.
 Eventually, they were ensconced in a meeting room
with Agents Landers and Vandergriff. Both these agents
were men and, by a strange coincidence, Landers had
gone through the academy with Mulder and Vandergriff
with Scully, so introductions were brief.
 "Whew," Landers said. "At first I thought you were
Jake, coming in to let me know he'd picked up a new
girlfriend. I suggested that you might be able to pass
for Jake, Agent Mulder, but even I didn't realize the
resemblace was so strong. You two could be brothers."
 "Yes, Scully and I have met Jake," Mulder replied.
"All of us admit the likeness is uncanny."
 "That makes our job easier," Landers said.
 "I don't know," Vandergriff drawled. "What we're
suggesting is that Spooky Mulder and the Ice Queen
pose as a pair of potential lovers, picking each other
up in a happening club. Neither of them has done much
undercover work. From what I've heard, the only thing
that turns Spooky on is little green men. And Agent
Scully. . .well, to the best of my knowledge, she just
doesn't get turned on."
 "Just because I didn't get turned on by YOU, and you
pathetic attempts to score with me when we went
through the academy together, doesn't mean it can't
happen," Scully responded.
 Mulder shot Vandergriff a dirty look, then said  "In
any case , I presume Scully and I aren't expected to
actually copulate on the dance floor. As I understand
the assignment, I go to the club alone. A little while
later, Scully comes in. We drink, we dance; maybe we
smooch a little. I'll have to talk to Jake, find out
exactly how friendly he gets with these women in
public. You two, or other agents from this office, get
to watch that part. Then Scully and I leave. Other
agents follow. We return to Jake's place, while the
other agents try to determine if we're being followed
or are otherwise under surveillance."
 "That's the plan," Landers agreed shooting a dirty
look of his own at his partner.
 "I just want to make sure Scully is under constant
surveillance, everytime she's out in public alone,
from the minute she walks into that club until we
apprehend the killer o get on the plane back to
Washington," Mulder said.
 "She will be," Landers stated. "We've got six teams
of agents assigned to the case. The cover story, Agent
Scully, is that you work here in the federal building
as a secretary in the HUD offices. One of our female
agents, Dorothy Li, recently had her roommate move out
and she's agreed to let you sleep over at her place;
you two can meet later today, so you can go ahead and
bring some of your things over to her place and leave
from there when you head for the club.
 Mulder and Scully glanced at each other. The didn't
like the idea of sleeping even in separate rooms, much
less separate building on opposite sides of the city.
 Mulder cleared his throat. "I thought the idea was
for Agent Scully and I both to sleep over at Jake's
place. We can probably flush the killer out faster if
"Jake" seems to be getting serious about this woman."
 "We'll have to play it by ear," Landers said. "For
tonight, at least, that's the plan. Then we figured
maybe the two of you could meet for lunch or drinks
sometime tomorrow. But we can't have you constantly
together; that would sort of defeat the whole purpose.
After all, none of the women were killed while they
were actually with Jake, or even within a few hours of
leaving him. It's a little hard to be absolutely
certain, but the time range seems to be anywhere from
18 hours to about six days from the time he's with
them to the time of the attack."
 "I just want to make sure she's covered," Mulder
repeated.
 "Mulder, I'll be fine," Scully said, touching his
hand gently. "After all, I'll be on my guard. None of
these other women even knew they were targets. I'm
armed and trained for this sort of situation. From
what I've read, none of the other victims were even
particularly athletic."

 After several more hours at the federal building,
including a meeting with Dorothy Li and a few other
agents, Scully and Mulder returned to the hotel. Since
they were working closely with other agents, they'd
gone ahead and taken the precaution of registering in
separate rooms with adjoining doors. This arrangement
had the added bonus of giving them one room to work in
while the other was strewn with their personal items.
 "So, what do you think?" Scully asked. "Is Jake in
league with the killer, or merely a hapless catalyst
of events?"
 "My gut instinct is: hapless catalyst. Someone has
fixated on him for some reason. Maybe out of some sort
of homoerotic impulse, I don't know," Mulder replied.
 "Mulder, I've got a question or a theory or
something," Scully said slowly. "But you may think
it's kind of offbeat."
 "Don't tell me you think these murders are the result
of alien intervention or paranormal phenomena?" Mulder
asked.
 "No, I don't think it's anything like that," she
replied. "It's just that. . .I've read the autopsy
reports. None of the victims were particularly tall or
particularly athletic. I do think you're onto
something with the idea of the killer being jealous of
Jake, but what if it's not in the sense that you
mean?"
 "I'm listening, Scully."
 "What if the killer is a woman? A reasonably strong
woman, one who was fairly tall and worked out
regularly, could have overpowered any of those
victims, especially if she caught them by surprise.
After all, Jake isn't the one who has been attacked;
he wasn't even aware the killings were occurring until
a few weeks ago. If the killer was a heterosexual man
who was jealous of Jake, it seems it would make more
sense for him to kill Jake, not the women. If he was a
homosexual man who'd fixated on Jake, you'd think he'd
realize that, no matter how many women he killed, it
wouldn't change Jake's orientation."
 "But if it were were a woman?" Mulder asked.
 "If it's a woman, I'm betting she's someone Jake
knows, but has never thought of in a sexual sense.
Someone right near his own age, or maybe even a few
years older," Scully said. "A woman who can't stand
the thought of the man she loves - with what she
undoubtedly believes is a pure, unselfish love
- picking up what she probably thinks of as 'tramps'
and who are younger and better-looking than she is and
doing with them what he'd never dream of doing with
her."
 "I'm impressed, Scully," Mulder said. "You may be
onto something here. The majority of serial killers
are men, but female serial killers, while rare, are
not unheard of. So what sort of relationship would you
picture this woman having with Jake?"
 "My first guess would be someone he works with. A
co-worker or employee in her late 30s or 40s; maybe
never married, maybe divorced. But it could be anyone
like that. A woman he grew up with, but always
regarded as more like 'one of the guys' then a
potential girlfriend. Maybe a friend or sister of one
of those women - Alexis or Kate - he was seriously
involved with; a woman who might have thought he'd
turn to her after his affair with her friend or
relative turned sour," Scully suggested.
 "I definitely think you're onto something here,
Scully."

 "The Fake Jake", Part 2
 Disclaimed, summarized, etc. in Part 1.

 After several more hours of Mulder working up a
profile and Scully reading over the autopsies - and a
quick trip to the hotel coffee shop for sandwiches at
lunch - the agents were interupted by a knock on the
door. It was Jake.
 As Jake shared the information on his life that
Mulder would need to know, the agents shared their
theory as to who the killer might possibly be.
 "Does it ring any bells at all?" Mulder asked.
"Understand that just because you give us a name, it
doesn't mean you're accusing anyone. There may be
several women you know who fit the general
description."
 "Go over it again."
 "A woman aged anywhere from mid-thirties to late
forties. Reasonably tall, in fairly good shape. We're
not talking Xena, Warrior Princess here necessarily,
but definitely not five foot two and 98 pounds,
either. Either divorced or never married. Someone you
work with, maybe. A woman who was a close friend or
sister of either Alexis or Kate. Somebody you grew up
with and still talk to occassionally. A neighbor."
 "I'm sorry, but no. There are only three women in the
office where I work; one is an attractive 25-year-old
who's recently gotten engaged, the second is about my
age and happily married with two children in
elementary school, the third is a 60-year-old widowed
Grandma. Alexis was an only child and her best friend
- her only really close friend - was tiny; she kind of
looked like you, actually, Agent Scully - a petite
redhead."
 "How about Kate?"
 "I never met any of Kate's friends or relations. Our
relationship kind of existed in its own little bubble,
so to speak. And no, I can't think of any neighbors or
childhood friends who fit the description, either."
 "Why don't you ever pick up tall women?" Mulder
asked. "You're nearly six feet yourself, but none of
the victims was taller than five five."
 Jake was silent for a moment. "I guess because Alexis
was tall. Five eight. When she wore really high heels,
we were the same height. It's. . .easier, somehow, to
be with women who don't remind me quite so much of
her. That's the same reason I only pick up blondes or
redheads. Because Alexis was a brunette."
 "Okay," Mulder said. "I guess we're about done here.
You've give the story at your office?"
 "Yeah, I'm taking a week or so ff. I may bum around
home, I may take off to the mountains for a few days.
This way, if someone sees you being "me" around town,
it doesn't arouse suspicions."
 "Since we don't know exactly how the killer tracks
you, it's important to play our cards close to our
vest," Mulder said.
 "We DO know there's no kind of bug or tracking device
in your home, vehicle or office; the local agents
swept all three locations yesterday," Scully said.
 "I need to know exactly what you do in public with
these women," Mulder said. "Do you buy them a drink
first or ask them to dance first? Are you all over
them or are you relatively restrained? Do you ask them
to leave with you within twenty minutes, or do you
spend a couple of hours at the club first? What do you
wear? Do they stay on 'til morning at your place or
leave in the middle of the night?"
 "Want to know how much foreplay and what positions,
too?" snapped Jake.
 "Listen, Jake, I don't give a damn about your private
life!" Mulder replied. "All I want to know is the
information I need not to screw up this
investigation!"
 "Fine," Jake said. running a hand through his hair.
"You're welcome to wear my clothes, if you want, since
you're taking over my life! But if you'd rather choose
your own - California Clubbin' Casual. A T-shirt, but
a nice one. Dark, solid colors like black, navy blue
or dark green. Jeans. Boots. A tweed or leather
jacket. My sunglasses. Generally, I ask them to dance
first, then after a couple of songs we stop and drink.
The drinking and dancing usually go on for two or
three hours. I may be a pig, but even I draw the line
at saying "Want to go to my place and fuck?" five
minutes after I first meet a woman. During the first
hour or so, I'm a perfect gentleman. After that, I
tend to get a little. . .friendlier, but not so much
that it's physically impossible for me to walk out of
the club. Generally speaking, they sleep over at my
place 'til morning, but a couple of them have left in
the middle of the night. I don't get lucky everytime,
you know. Sometimes, when I make my suggestion, the
woman in question is insulted. One woman even threw a
drink in my face. Several others have simply suggested
that we trade phone numbers, go out to dinner the next
night, get to know each other a little better before
we hit the sheets. Since that's not what I'm
interested in, I decline such offers and go home
alone."
 "Look, Jake, I know this is embarrassing for you,"
Scully said. "Agent Mulder and I aren't exactly in an
easy situation either; we have to pretend to pick each
other up, knowing that three or four other agents will
be lurking in the shadows of the club, watching our
every move."
 "You want my advice, you two feel free to take full
advantage of my place. I have never met two such
uptight individuals! Are we done?"
 "Yeah, I think so," Mulder replied. "I've got your
cell phone number, in case we need to get ahold of
you, and you've got mine in case something comes up,
right?"
 "Right," Jake confirmed.
 "Goodbye, then. You and your dog enjoy the
mountains."
 As soon as Jake had left, Mulder turned to Scully
with a smile on his face. "You think we're uptight,
Scully?"
 "Mmm, well, combined we are."
 "What do you mean?"
 "Well, when you're up, I'm tight."
 "Scully!" Mulder said, then laughed. He was surprised
that his usually rather reserved wife had come up with
such a sexy play on words; and on the spur of the
moment, too. Moving toward her, he backed her up until
her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell onto
it, smiling up at him. He let himself fall on top of
her, grabbing her hands and holding them on either
side of her face while he kissed her. Finally, h came
up for air and buried his face in her hair, outlining
the edge of her ear with his tongue.
 "Mulder, we have work to do," Scully moaned. He
grinned. This was a tone he recognized. On the
extremely rare occasions when his wife actually didn't
want to do anything sexual with him, her tone was
quiet and serious. This was breathy and teasing. It
was her
I-know-we-shouldn't-but-I-really-want-to-so-go-ahead-and-persuade-me
tone.
 Mulder kissed her again and moved his lower body
against hers, so she could feel how turned on he was.
He'd finally come up for air again, grinned, and was
in the process of removing his tie when there was a
knock on the door.
 "Agents?" it was Jake's voice. "I remembered one more
thing you might need to know."
 "Shit," Mulder muttered in Scully's ear. "You're
going to have to deal with him, Dana. I'm going to go
to the bathroom and dump a couple of ice cubes down my
pants or something."
 Scully giggled and waited until Mulder had shut the
bathroom door before she opened the one leading to the
corridor.
 Jake was surprised at the picture Scully made as she
stood in the doorway. A few minutes ago, she had
seemed a consumate professional and about as sexy as
his grandmother. Now, although she was still fully
dressed, her hair was mussed and her lips was swollen.
She seemed. . .softer, more womanly. Jake made a quick
mental revision of Agent Mulder; obviously he was
responsible for his partner's condition. Maybe these
two weren't so uptight, after all.
 Unfortunately, just as Jake was leaving, the local
field agents called to discuss the case. By the time
the conversation was over, there really wasn't time
for indulgence in any marital relations. Mulder took
Scully and her suitcases to the federal building,
where they met Agent Li in the parking lot, so Scully
could go home with her. Then Mulder headed over to the
other side of town to begin acting out his role as
Jake.

 Around nine p.m., Mulder arrived at the club. He
grinned at one of the cocktail watiresses, sat down at
the bar, traded quips with the bartender and ordered a
beer. He'd been there only a few minutes when Scully
and Li walked in.
 Damn! Mulder thought. He'd never seen Scully dressed
like this before. She was wearing a black skintight
mini-dress witha matching jacket, black hose and heels
so high he didn't see how she could walk. Within
thirty seconds of the time she and Li had walked in,
Mulder was asking her to dance.
 As he led her onto the dance floor and pulled her
into his arms, Mulder murmured, "Let me guess. Missy
made you buy the dress years ago, but you never had
any place to wear it before now."
 Scully giggled. "Is it that obvious?"
 "Let's just say, you and your sister had radically
different tastes. By this time, I've learned to
differentiate between the things you pick out for
yourself and the items Missy made you buy. Like the
bikini you wore when we were in Hawaii."
 "Mmm, well, you look great, too, um, 'Jake'. Do I
even want to know the last time you were in a club?"
 "Probably not. Actually, I can't even remember. Know
what bums me?"
 "What?"
 "That we never got assignments like this befor we
were married."
 Scully giggled again and snuggled tighter against him
as the music changed from bouncy pop-rock to a slow,
seductive ballad.
 "Scul-lee," Mulder moaned in her ear.
 "Mmm?"
 "This is going to be the longest three hours of my
life!"

 It was. Mulder was on the verge of dragging Scully
into a dimly lit corner and having his way with her
right there at the club when his watch finally showed
it was midnight and he could reasonably ask Scully to
go back to Jake's place with him without blowing their
cover.
 Holding hands, Mulder and Scully walked back over to
Li. Scully gave a very good impression of being
slightly inebriated - or maybe the three glasses of
wine she'd downed made it more than just an
impression. Li played the part of a concerned friend
trying to make sure that Scully knew what she was
doing.
 Eventually, they made it out to the parking lot.
Mulder, who'd had only two beers the entire evening
and had a body weight nearly twice that of his wife,
was still completely sober.
 They got into a vehicle that Mulder had requisitioned
earlier that day. It was the same make, model, color
and year as the one Jake drove. The license plates
were different, but that couldn't be helped and they
could only hope the killer wouldn't notice.
 "How long 'til we get to your place 'Jake'?" Scully
asked with a smile.
 "Not long. I hope you, uh, like it."

 When they arrived at Jake's spacious loft apartment,
Scully was amazed. The place was large and neat, but
it was decorated like a "swinging single" bachelor pad
from the 1960s or 70s.
 "Mulder, is that a mirror over the bed?" she
inquired.
 "Mmmhmm," her husband replied with a grin.
 "And leopard skin print sheets?" 
 "They're clean. I tossed them in the washing machine
and dryer, then remade the bed when I was here for a
couple of hours earlier this evening."
 "You know, for all his good looks, I'm surprised Jake
ever gets lucky with ANY woman. I'd think they'd be
too busy laughing! I mean, this is like something out
of those movies I made you give to Frohike."
 "You don't like the idea of the mirror?"
 "I. . .don't know."
 "We could always turn off the lights. That way, the
mirror wouldn't have anything to reflect."
 "Yeah," Scully agreed. "But. . .maybe. . .we'll see."
 "Jake's got all kind of, er, *interesting* things
around. I could work up a helluva profile on the guy
just from sticking my nose in his nightstand drawers
and stuff."
 "Like what?"
 "Let's see. Enough dirty videos and magazines to put
my own premarital collection to shame. He even has a
bunch of handwritten letters that women apparently
wrote to him, in which they share their most secret or
shameful sexual escapades. A bunch of ties and
scarves. Three guesses what those are for. Let's see,
here's something I thought you might like."
 "Mulder," Scully's voice came out as a sort of
squeak.
 "What, baby?"
 "I can't. . .I mean. . .please don't tie me up."
 "Dana, I would never do that! For one thing, I'd
never do anything you don't want me to! For another,
that's not my idea of fun; I enjoy your active
participation."
 "What, then?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around
his neck burying her face in shoulder. Sitting down on
the bed, Mulder held her on his lap and stroked her
back.
 "Sweetheart, we don't have to *ANYTHING* if you don't
want to. I'd be lying if I said this whole situation
isn't turning me on. It is. But I'm not going risk
ruining the best thing that's ever happened to me for
one night of rollicking sex. Do you want to just turn
out the lights and go to sleep?"
 "No. I want you. I'm just. . .what was it you thought
I'd like?" 
 "This. It's some sort of lotion. I remember how much
you used to love having me put suntan lotion on you
when we were in Hawaii. I just thought you'd like
this. But if you don't want to. . ."
 Scully smiled up at him. "Please. I'd like it. I want
to do you, too. Just let me take off my clothes first
."
 "I want to do that," Mulder said, his voice thick
with desire. 
 Scully nodded. She moaned as he tossed off her jacket
and let his fingers dance tantalizingly over her
breasts. He slid his hands over her shoulders and down
her back, unzipping the dress as he went. Then he
pulled off her heels and the lacy, thigh high
stockings. Unable to resist, he dropped an
open-mouthed kiss on her through her panties. When she
whimpered, he grinned and undid her bra and slid off
the panties.
 "Now my turn," Scully said with a smile. Mulder
kicked off his boots, then let her pull the black
T-shirt over his head. She made quick work of his
jeans and briefs, pulling them off - along with his
socks - in one quick movement. "Mmm," she said,
running her hands up and down his chest, his belly,
his arms, his thighs, his back - everywhere except
where he most wanted her to touch him.
 "Dana," he growled, guiding her hands to his
throbbing arousal.
 "You weren't kidding when you said this situation was
turning you on. Where's that lotion?"
 "Here. Lie down."
 Scully flopped onto the bed, then rolled over on her
stomach. Mulder began stroking her back with
lotion-slick hands, causing her to give out little
sighs of pleasure. When his hands moved lower - to her
bottom and upper thighs - the sighs became full blown
moans. "I want you," she murmured.
 "In a minute," Mulder said, trying to ignore his own
need. "Tonight may have to last us awhile and I don't
want to rush things. Roll over."
 She complied and he rubbed the lotion into her
breasts, fondling them until her nipples were tight
peaks. Then he moved lower, massaging it into her
sides and stomach. Then both feet and back up her
legs. She was writhing on the bed by this point, but
finally managed to get out, " My turn. I want to put
the lotion on you."
 "Okay," Mulder said, lying down obediently. Scully
began working the lotion into his broad shoulders,
then down his back, his biceps, his thighs - finally
his rear.
 "You can roll over now," she whispered in his ear.
 He rolled over and reached for her, but she gently
swatted his hands away. "Not yet. I'm still doing
lotion on you."
 "Scul-lee!" he moaned.
 "Just a little bit more. Here," she said, running a
hand down his chest and belly. "And here," she touched
his arousal and began stroking him, her hand gliding
up and down silkily.
 Mulder growled and grabbed her. This time she didn't
try to resist, only giving a breathy sound somewhere
between a gasp and a giggle when he latched onto one
nipple with his mouth. He pulled her up along his body
for a kiss, then slid her back down. She reached
between her legs and guided him into her.
 Mulder smiled up at his wife. He was enjoying both
the view of her face - eyes dilated wide with passion,
lips curving up into a loving smile - and the view
reflected in the mirror, that gorgeous, sexy ass of
hers moving atop him. He moved his hands down her back
to her bottom, watching himself in the mirror. He'd
never understand why some men had such an aversion to
this position. Not only did he not have to worry about
hurting his wife when she was the one on top, it gave
him complete access to her whole body. It also totally
eliminated any worries abut ending the festivties. .
.prematurely, so to speak. And with the added bonus of
the mirror. . .
 "Enjoying the view?" Scully murmured in his ear.
 "Yeah," he admitted. "I'm not saying I'd want our
bedroom at home to look like this, but it's kind of
fun for one night. Don't you think?"
 "Oooh, Mulder! I just had the weirdest mental picture
flash across my brain. You and me, fully clothed,
lying on the bed in your old apartment, drinking wine
while we looked up at ourselves reflected in a mirror
above your bed. You never had a mirror in there, did
you?"
 He laughed. "Dana, not only was there no mirror, for
most of our partnership I couldn't even get on the
bed! It was always piled high with papers and books
and laundry and stuff. That's why I always slept on
the couch. In any case, if we were ever on the bed
together drinking wine - fully clothed or not - it's
definitely something I would remember!"
 "Guess it must have been a dream I had once or
something."
 "Pretty tame dream. I mean, the mirror thing is
interesting and so is the wine, but fully clothed? I'd
think you could do better than that!"
 "Oh, yes, I can do MUCH better than that," she
murmured in his ear, before licking the outer rim and
blowing in it.
 "Oh, yeah! Damn, sweetheart!"
 After that there were no more words, just gasps and
sighs and moans. Then Scully screaming out her
pleasure as she rocked back on him, followed a while
later by Mulder's own groan of ecstasy as he climaxed.
 Eventually Mulder shifted Scully's legs, so that she
was no longer sprawled on top of him, but was lying
beside him with her head pillowed on his shoulder. "I
love you," he murmured.
 "Love you, too," she whispered sleepily.

 The next morning Mulder awoke early, just as the
sunrise was beginning to send rays in through the
slatted blinds. He grinned. Sometime during the night,
he and Scully had respositioned themselves. She was
now lying spooned in his arms, her back to his chest
and her luscious little bottom snuggled tight against
his cock. And he was up, his erection so stiff it was
practically throbbing against her.
 Mulder allowed himself a moment of smug masculine
pride. It had been well after midnight when they'd
climaxed last night and it couldn't be any later than
seven now. So, twice in less than six hours was what
he was looking at. Pretty good for a man only a couple
of years shy of forty, he thought.
 He began kissing Scully's shoulder and neck, while
running his fingertips down her breasts, belly and
thighs.
 Scully wasn't sure where her dreams ended and reality
began, they merged so effortlessly into each other.
She could feel Mulder surrounding her - touching her
lightly on the front and kissing her back - not to
mention the feel of his arousal.
 "One for the road, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice
tickling her ear.
 "Mmmhmm. You on top this time."
 "Okay," he said, flipping her onto her back and
kneeling between her legs. "Any particular reason
why?"
 "Yeah," Scully answered sleepily, pushing the sheet
down so that his body was exposed. "Maybe you're not
the only person in this bed who enjoys a nice rear
view of their spouse's, um, assets."
 "Why Dana Katherine Scully! I'm shocked!"
 "Right, Mulder. Sure you are."
 Mulder thrust into her lazily and Scully smiled up at
him, first meeting his eyes then letting her glance
wander to the reflection of his backside in the
mirror. She could both feel it and see it when he
began to speed up.
 "You go ahead and come, lover," she whispered.
 "Ladies first," he answered back with a grin, then
snaked a hand between their bodies to tickle her a
bit.
 Dana gave a long, shuddering sigh as she climaxed and
the feel of her internal muscles contracting around
him pushed Mulder over the edge as well.
 After a few minutes of afterglow snuggling, Scully
reluctantly pushed herself away from her husband and
out of bed. "Guess I'd better go take a quick shower
and then hit the road," she said. "Jake told us most
of the women were out of here by nine, and it's almost
that time now."
 "Want me to join you?" he asked hopefully.
 "Mulder, I think I am supposed to be able to WALK out
of here," she replied with a smile.

 "What do you mean, I can't have any further contact
with her?" Mulder squawked into his cell phone. "She's
my partner!"
 "Nobody's trying to separate the two of you
permanently, Spooky!" Agent Landers replied testily.
"It's just that, after further review, the Special
Agent in Charge decided we better play it by the book.
Jake only spent one night with the victims, then never
saw them again. If the killer thinks 'Jake' is getting
serious with one of these women he - or she - might
not make a move. So, you continue to be Jake and Agent
Scully continues to pretend to be a HUD secretary and
Agent Li's roommate. As long as the two of you are in
Los Angeles, you don't see each other. Feel free to
call her on the phone."

 Scully rolled over and picked up the phone. Between
11 and 11:30. Right around the time he always used to
call her.
 "What is it, Mulder?" she asked.
 "Did I wake you?"
 "No, but we talked earlier this evening."
 "That was business. This is pleasure."
 "I miss you."
 "I love you."
 "I love you, too. I had fun last night," she said.
 "Me, too. I hate us not being together. It feels
weird."
 "I know. You didn't wake me up, even though it's the
middle of the night by Eastern time. I think I've
caught your insomnia."
 "I don't have insomnia anymore, sweetheart. At least,
not under normal circumstances," Mulder replied.
 "Meaning. . .?"
 "Sleeping in the same bed with you."
 "They say sex is the ultimate sleeping pill, lover."
 "It's not that. I mean, oh hell, I suppose the sex
helps. It's beyond fantastic. But even on the nights
when we can't, or don't, I still sleep better with you
than I did before our marriage. It's just. . ."
 "What?" she whispered huskily.
 "Knowing you're safe, feeling safe with you. You make
me feel protective and protected at the same time,
Scully."
 "I know, Mulder. I feel the same way. I hate sleeping
alone now. It's funny, I did it for so mnay years,
you'd think itwould have been sleeping with someone
that would have been hard to adjust to. But it wasn't.
I just. . .don't do very well without you."
 "Remember why you were assigned to work with me in
the first place, Scully? To take care of me, watch out
for me. You've certainly gone above and beyond the
call of duty on that one, sweetheart!"
 "I love you. I know it sounds really weird to say
this, but I hope I get attacked by that homicidal
maniac real soon, so we can quit playing this game and
go home."
 Mulder chuckled. "Have you stopped to think how
surreal this whole situation is? I mean, we're married
for real, but we generally pretend we have nothing but
a professional relationship when we're working with
other agents, yet here we are, pretending to be
lovers."
 "I hadn't thought of it like that," she said, then
paused for a moment. "Mulder, I think you just gave me
a headache."
 "Well, if you're going to have a headeache, I guess
it's better to have it on a night that we're apart."
 "Oh, I don't know about that. Remember how you cured
my headache last month when we were in Mississippi?
You were better than the extra-strength Tylenol!"
 "Scul-lee!" he moaned. "Are you TRYING to make it
impossible for me to sleep?"
 "No, Mulder. I love you. Good night."
 "Love you, too. Good night, sweetheart."

 Scully pored over the victim profiles Mulder had
faxed to her at the office. As "Jake", he couldn't
actually enter the federal building without arousing
suspicion, so he was working out of the other man's
apartment and communicating with Scully and the other
agents by phone an fax.
 Three of the victims had been found in parking lots.
One near the library of the college she attended, one
of the office where she worked and one of the
apartment complex where she lived. One had been found
in the dimly lit, seldom-used rear corridor of a club,
albeit a different club than the one she had been at
with Jake. Most intriguingly, two of the victims had
been found at home.
 As far as the agents investigating the case could
determine, none of the victims had been moved after
death. That mean that whoever the killer was, he - or
she - had been able to talk their way into the homes
of at least two women. The odds of the killer being
someone who was already personally known to both those
victims were astronomical, so the killer had to be
clever.
 Later that evening, Scully was watching TV while
Agent Li was taking a shower. A knock on the door
alerted her, and she cross the room steathily, making
sure her gun was easily accessible, but out of sight,
in the waistband of her jeans underneath the baggy
sweatshirt she was wearing.
 The peephole showed a woman in her 50s, perhaps a few
years younger than Scully's own mother. Scully had
noticed the woman aroud the apartment complex a time
or two in the past few days. Keeping the safety chain
in place, Scully opened the door. "Yes?"
 "I'm so sorry to bother you, dear, but I've just
recently moved in and my phone hasn't been connected
yet. Would you mind if I came in, just for a moment,
to make a quick local call?"
 "Well, my roommate is the one whose name the phone is
under, but I guess it would be okay," Scully said
slowly, sliding the chain off the door and backing
away a bit.
 "I just want to wish my daughter a happy birthday.
Today's the actual date, although I'll see her on
Saturday to have dinner and give her the present I
got. Look, this is it, I just bought it today. A
necklace. Do you like it?"
 "It's lovely," Scully agreed, looking at the heavy
gold chain. "The phone's right here."
 As Scully turned her back, the other woman - who was
about five seven and towered over the petite agent
- whipped the necklace down and wound it around
Scully's neck. Scully's startled mind just had time to
realize the trap had worked when she began to lose
consciousness.

 A few minutes later, Scully came to with Agent Li
leaning over her and pounding on her chest. 
 "I'm. . .okay," Scully rasped out.
 "Like hell," Li replied. "I've already called for an
ambulance and backup. I couldn't chase her - I had to
get this chain unwrapped from your throat so you could
breathe -  but at least we know what the killer looks
now. Did you get a good look at her, too?"
 Scully nodded. Then she whispered, "Mulder. Call him.
If he hears from other agents that I was attacked
he'll be," she wanted to say "frantic", which was
true, but instead substituted "worried".
 "I'll try to get ahold of him," Li said. "You need to
rest."
 "Speed dial. First button. My cell phone," Scully
whispered, before passing out again.

 When Scully woke up again, she thought she was
suffering double vision as the effect of her attack.
Because there were not one, but two Mulders in the
room with her. The one nearest her leaned over and
brushed a light kiss against her cheek.
 "How ya feelin', Scully?"
 "I've been better. Of course, I've been worse, too.
Why are there two of you?"
 Mulder laughed. "Look closer, Scully. There's only
one ME."
 Scully shifted her attention from the man sitting
next to her on the hospital bed to the one across the
room. It took her a moment, but then she began to
notice the differences in the two men and realization
hit her. "Jake," she said.
 "Yeah," Jake agreed. "I'm sorry you were attacked. We
got a description from Agent Li and I feel like an
idiot. Because all those questions about Alexis'
relatives and the description of the height and
fitness level of the attacker, even the marital
status. And I never even came close to making the
connection. Although I've got to say, you were off a
bit on the age."
 "Who?" Scully whispered.
 "Alexis' mother," Jake answered.
 "At least, we think so," Mulder added. "We had a
description from Agent Li and did a composite drawing.
It fits, Scully. Alexis was her only child. She and
her husband have been divorced for years. She's tall
and in remarkably good shape for a woman in her 50s. I
was on the right track, I just didn't take it far
enough. Blinded by my own sexism and ageism,  guess.
I've never heard of a post-menopausal woman being a
serial killer before."
 "You're right, I think," Scully whispered. "Before
the attack, the woman was talking about her daughter
but she had, I don't know, a weird look in her eyes.
Get her?"
 "No, not yet, but now that we know who we're looking
for it will just be a matter of time," Mulder replied.

 "The Fake Jake", Part 3
 Disclaimed, summarized, etc. in Part !

 After Scully had gone to sleep and Jake had left,
Mulder received a call from the local agents.
 We could really use your help in the field on this
one, Mulder," Vandergriff said tersely.
 "I don't want to leave Scully unguarded," Mulder
said. "I know it's a long shot, but the killer just
might, possibly, come to the hospital and try to
finish the job."
 "We can assign a rookie to keep an eye on her,"
suggested Vandergriff.
 Mulder was silent for a moment. He knew he was
paranoid, but they were talking about the most
important person in his life. He and Scully had been
betrayed before and there weren't many people he
trusted with her life. If they were back in D.C.,  he
would have called Skinner, the Lone Gunmen or Scully's
mother. However, they were in California and there
wasn't. . .wait a minute, he thought to himself. Maybe
there was.
 "Let me call you back in a few minutes, Vandergriff,"
Mulder said briskly. Then he took a deep breath and
made a call to directory assistance. Then another deep
breath. Facing down Cancer Man was easy compared to
this. Then another phone call.

 Scully slowly opened her eyes. She focused on the man
sitting on the other side of the room, dozing, and was
startled. "Bill?" she called out. What was he doing
here? She'd expected to find her husband at her
bedside, not her older brother.
 "Hey, Dana," he said, crossing the room with a smile
on his face. "How are you feeling?"
 "Not too bad, really. Where's Mulder? And what are
you doing here?"
 "Your partner is out trying to hunt down the psycho
who did this to you. The reason I'm here is because he
called me, asked me to come up and keep an eye on you
until he came back."
 "He's not just my partner any more. You know that.
Mom's told you. I've told you," Dana said.
 "I know," Bill muttered.
 "Say it, Bill!"
 "Fine. Your husband," the last word was muttered
through gritted teeth, "asked me to make sure you were
okay."
 At that moment, a nurse came in and checked on Dana.
Her injuries were pretty superficial, really. She'd
almost been strangled, but there was no permanent
damage.
 Before the Scully siblings could resume their
conversation, the door swung open once again.
 "Dana! You're okay?" Mulder asked, moving quickly to
her side and kissing her cheek.
 "Compared to a lot of other experiences I've had, I'm
doing great," Dana replied.
 "No thanks to you," Bill said, shooting a malovelent
glance at Mulder.
 "Why is Bill here?"
 "You know my motto: Trust No One. But when you
absolutely HAVE to trust someone, I figure a family
member's always a better bet than anyone else," Mulder
said.
 "But you two. . .don't like each other," Dana said.
 "True," Mulder admitted easily. "But we both love
you. Your Mom and Skinner were too far away, but Bill
was just down the coast. He was able to get here from
San Diego in less than two hours. You know, I always
thought the term 'cuss like a sailor' was just a
figure of speech until I told him where you were and
what I wanted."
 "Bill!" Scully said, glaring at her older brother.
 "I'm sorry, Dana, but I'm getting a little tired of
hearing that you're in the hospital - again - because
of his obsession with chasing little green men. Those
damned Z-Files, or whatever the hell he calls them!"
 Scully let out a weak giggle. "It's X-Files, Bill.
But this wasn't one of them."
 "What do you mean?" Bill asked.
 "This wasn't an X-File," Mulder said. "We were pulled
off our regular duties and sent out here to assist in
the search for an utterly human - at least in the
biological sense of the word - serial killer. It
wasn't an assignment I sought out; on the contrary, I
argued against having to take it on. But, while I'm
given more leeway than a lot of agents in choosing our
cases, we DO have a boss. When he says we have to
assist in a case, we have to assist."
 "One of the main reasons we were selected for this
assignment is because I resemble the victims. Right
age, right height, relatively attractive to the
opposite sex," Dana said. That wasn't the whole
reason, of course, but she didn't want to get into
details that would give Bill more ammunition to use in
his one-man hate crusade against her husband.
 "Well, I still don't think you should have married
him!" Bill snapped.
 "You know who you sound like, Bill?" Dana asked.
 "You're probably going to say I sound like Dad."
 "No. You don't sound anything like Dad," Dana
replied. "Who you sound exactly like is Uncle Joe.
You're talking about Fox the same way Uncle Joe always
used to talk about Dad."
 "That's not true!" Bill spluttered.
 "Who the hell is Uncle Joe?" Mulder asked. He'd met a
fair number of his wife's relatives in the years
they'd worked together before their marriage, and an
even larger number in the months since then, but this
name wasn't ringing a bell.
 "He is - was - our mother's oldest brother," Bill
replied.
 "He died about ten years ago; back while I was in
medical school," Dana amplified. "The point is, he
never wanted his baby sister to marry quote some
sailor unquote. He didn't want her to be dragged all
over the world and give birth to her four children in
three different U.S. states and one foreign country.
As far as Uncle Joe was concerned, Mom would have been
much better off to have stayed in Baltimore. He
thought she should have married her high school
sweetheart, got a house in the same neighborhood as
him and my grandparents, and spent her life surrounded
by her family and childhood friends."
 "Well, Mom never ended up in the hospital from her
association with Dad - not unless you count the four
times she went into give birth! She had a wonderful
life with him," Bill said.
 "By her standards, yes," Dana agreed. "But I'm sure
it was hard at times. She got pregnant with you on
their honeymoon, Bill. For the first ten years of
their marriage, she was either pregnant or had a child
under the age of three; sometimes both at the same
time. They moved five times in those ten years. Dad
was at sea six or more months out of every year. In
one sense, Uncle Joe was right when he said she would
have had an a easier life if she was living in
Baltimore, with a husband who came home every evening
at five and her extended family available to help out
with us kids. Just as, in one sense, YOU'RE right when
you say I'd have an easier life if I'd married a
doctor or a professor or, hell, probably any man on
the face of the planet other than Mulder! But the
point is, Mom didn't want 'easy'! She wanted the life
she chose, with the man she loved. Just like I want
the life I've chosen with the man I love."
 The room was quiet for a few moments after Dana ended
her tirade. Finally, Bill said, "That was some speech,
little sister."
 "I think you need to get some rest before you raise
your blood pressure," Mulder said, with a small smile
lurking at the corners of his mouth.
 "It ruined their relationship, you know," Dana
murmured, closing her eyes.
 "Whose?" both men asked simultaneously.
 "Mom's and Uncle Joe's," Dana said softly. "They'd
been close the whole time Mom was growing up, but by
the time he died they were barely on speaking terms.
She told me once that at some point it ceased to be
about Dad and was more an attack on her; as if Uncle
Joe thought she was too stupid to make her own
decisions about life. Just like," "Okay, Dana, okay!"
Bill said. "Point taken. Whether or not I happen to
approve of Mulder, he's the man you've chosen to share
your life with. And if I want to continue to have a
good relationship with you, I've got to. . .well, not
LIKE him, maybe, but at least accept him."
 "Exactly."
 "Dana, you need to rest," Mulder said softly.
 "There's just one more thing. I've got to tell both
of you, because you both do it."
 "Do what?" Mulder asked.
 "Bill, I think it's hard for you to understand my
having a career that means as much to me as being a
Navy officer does to you. Mom never worked outside the
home and Tara - well, I know she had some part-time
jobs before Matthew was born, but she never had what
I'd actually call a career. I'm not criticizing them.
What they do takes a different kind of courage than
chasing criminals, but it takes courage nonetheless. A
kind of courage I DON'T have."
 "I know what you do is important to you," Bill said.
 "The know this. I'm an F.B.I. agent. It's a dangerous
job, but it happens to be a job I get a lot of
satisfaction out of and a job I'm very good at. Mulder
had NOTHING to do with my decision to join the bureau.
Hell, I didn't even MEET him until I'd been through
Quantico and spent two years as an agent. He did NOT
request my help on the X-Files. It was a job I was
assigned to do by my superiors. In fact, the first few
weeks we worked together, he made it pretty obvious
that he resented my presence. Working with a partner
- especially a partner who'd never been in the field
before and had to be taught things that were already
second nature to him - was more of a hindrance than a
help, at least in the beginning. Yet you tend to blame
him, Bill; Mulder, you tend to blame yourself, for
things that have nothing to do with our personal
relationship. Misfortunes that befall me because of my
career. The career I made an independent decision to
pursue."
 "Dana," Mulder said, "Go. To. Sleep."
 "Mmmhmm," Dana said. She felt her husband lean down
and brush her lips with a soft kiss, then she drifted
off into her dreams.

 Mulder backed away from the bed, then turned to face
Bill. "You can go now," he said.
 "She may be your wife, but she's still my little
sister," Bill said quietly.
 "Sorry. That didn't come out right. I just meant I'll
be here. I don't have to go back into the field
office. You're welcome to stay, if you want."
 "Do you know when she'll be released?"
 "Yeah," Mulder answered. "I stopped by and talked
with the doctor on my way in. She should be out
tomorrow morning. We'll stay in L.A. for a day or two;
she can rest up at the hotel and I'll finish all our
paperwork. Then we'll head back to Washington."
 "I should be heading back, I guess. I've only been
home a couple of days. I'd like to spend as much time
with Tara and Matthew as possible."
 "Bill. . .I know I'm not good enough for her. You
don't have to tell me that. But I do love her."
 "I know. It took guts for you to call me, ask me to
come up here, knowing the way I feel about you."
 "Well, I wanted her to be safe. It wouldn't have been
hard for the perpetrator to have found out where she
was. I could have requested security from the local
field office or the LAPD, but they might have slacked
off. I knew you wouldn't," Mulder said.
 "I want to ask you something," Bill said abruptly.
"You'll probably say it's none of my business and tell
me to take a long walk off a short pier, but it's
something I've wondered about for a long time; even
more so since you two got married."
 "Shoot."
 "How long were you and Dana involved before you got
married?"
 "Depends on how you define the word involved," Mulder
said.
 "You sound like President Clinton," Bill snapped.
"How long were you sleeping together? Is that specific
enough for you, or do you want me to use explicit
four-letter words?"
 "I'll tell you, but you're probably not going to
believe me," Mulder said with a sigh. "Because we
weren't. First time was our wedding night."
 Bill was quiet for a long moment, staring at his
brother-in-law. Finally he said, "You're serious." It
was half-question, half-comment.
 "But. . .why?"  Bill asked. "I mean, as much as I
didn't like you, it was obvious from the first time we
met how much you and Dana cared for each other. And
you worked closely together for years."
 "Your brother asked me something similar, back before
we were married. Said he could tell I was attracted to
her, asked why I never did anything about it."
 "You going to explain to me, or do I have to call
Charles?" Bill asked.
 Mulder sighed. "At first, during the first year or
so, there was the whole issue of sexual harrassment.
If I'd made a move and she'd objected, it would have
been the end of our partnership; maybe even the end of
my career, if she'd complained. Later, when it became
obvious how much Dana cared about me, I knew she'd
never do anything to hurt me. In a way, that made it
harder. Because I figured if I asked, she'd say yes, 
but that it might be for the wrong reasons. In one
sense, Dana's loved me for a long time, but I think it
took her a lot longer to actually be IN love with me
than it took me to fall for her. So I thought she'd
say yes, but not because she wanted me. Only because
she wanted to help me out, ease my loneliness. Or
maybe to keep me from doing something stupid, like
going to a bar and picking up some stranger who might
give me a a fatal disease. Eventually, very slowly, I
could sense that her feelings were beginning to shift.
Then, one evening when we were on a case in Las Vegas.
. .well, it's a long story, we'd kind of made a bet,
and the upshot of it was she ended up offering to do
whatever I wanted that evening. Anything. So I asked
her to marry me. Because I figured, while she might be
willing to go to bed with me out of pity, not even
Dana is loving and generous enought to MARRY a man out
of compassion.
 Bill chuckled.

 The next afternoon, in the hotel, Mulder asked Scully
a question that he had been wondering about since the
previous day.
 "Dana?"
 "Mmm?"
 "You remember, yesterday, when you said your Mom and
Tara hada kind of courage you don't have?"
 'Yeah."
 "What did you mean by that?"
 Scully sighed. She didn't exactly mind admitting this
to her husband, but it was still a tiny bit
embarrassing. "Just. . .I couldn't be without you for
months on end. Dad was at sea more than he was ever
home and Bill's the same way. Mom managed to cope and
so does Tara. I couldn't, Mulder. I go nuts when I'm
away from you for just a few days. Everybody thinks
I'm brave and strong, but I'm not. Not really.
 "Of course you are."
 "No. Or at least, maybe I am, but only when I'm with
you. Remember that time, before we were married, when
you went on a vacation to Tennessee without me and I
went out and got the tattoo? When you came back, you
made some remark about not being able to leave me on
my own without coming back andn finding out I'd gotten
myself into trouble."
 "I was mad. Jealous. Because you'd gone out on a date
with that guy. The remark was uncalled for."
 "The remark was absolutely true, Mulder! I do tend to
do stupid things, self-destructive things, when I'm
away from you. I need you with me, all the time.
That's why, as much as I hate all the sneaking around
and not wearing our rings to work and stuff like that,
I'm still not quite ready to go public with our
marriage. I'm scared of even being away from you all
day long! Even though we'd both still be working for
the bureau, I'd be out at Quantico and you'd be back
on violent crimes and we'd be away from each other all
day and maybe sometimes you'd even have to go out of
town without me and. . .I sound absolutely pathetic,
don't I? This is what I meant about Mom and Tara being
brave in a way that I'm not."
 "You don't sound pathetic. You sound like a woman
who's madly in love with her husband. Which is
wonderful, because your husband's madly in love with
you."
 Scully smiled. "C'mere."
 Mulder grinned back. "I've got to finish up this
paperwork. And you need to rest. You just got out of
the hospital."
 "Mulder," Scully said. "Come here. Now."
 "Yes, Ma'am!" Mulder said with a grin, crossing the
room and flopping down beside her on the bed.
 "You're wearing your glasses," Scully pointed. "You
KNOW what your glasses do to me."
 "Why don't you remind me?"
 "Why don't you kiss me?"|
 Mulder complied, leaving his glasses on so that they
bumped softly against her nose as their lips met.
After a moment or two of kissing, Scully gently
disengaged their lips and said, "Take off your
clothes."
 "Damn you're bossy today. 'Come here.' 'Take off your
clothes.' Whatever happened to please?"
 "Oh, you'll get to hear me say please. More than
once."
 Mulder swallowed hard as he got up from the bed and
went to make sure the safety chain was on and the door
was locked. He loved the breathy, throaty pleading
sounds she made during lovemaking.
 He turned to the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt.
Mulder made quick work of his clothes, then said, "You
want me to leave my glasses on?"
 Scully giggled and shook her head. "No. It's too
weird, you wearing nothing but your glasses and a
hard-on the size of Texas."
 Mulder took off his glasses, then reached for the
oversized T-shirt - one that had originally been his -
that Scully was wearing. He quickly stripped it from
her, and was surprised to find that she was totally
naked beneath it.
 "Damn, Scully!" he breathed.
 Fox lowered his mouth to kiss his wife once more.
When they came up for breath, gasping, he whispered,
"Close your eyes."
 "Why?" she murmured, even as she did as he asked and
let her eyelashes drift against her cheeks.
 "Because I want you to concentrate on what you're
feeling.  I don't want you to be distracted by your
sense of sight. Blocking off one sense tends to put
the others - like taste and touch and smell - on a
higher level of awareness. Trust me?"
 "Always" she replied.
 "I want to go down on you," he whispered in her ear.
He was pleased with the way her body jerked and the
little whimper she let out at his suggestion.
 "Yes," she murmured.
 "Yes, what?" he asked, teasing her.
 It took Scully a moment to focus, she was already so
far gone. Then she remembered what she had promised
him a few minutes earlier. "Yes, please," she replied,
drawing out the second word.
 Mulder began moving his mouth down her body, so
slowly it was almost like torture. He lavished each of
her breasts with attention, licking, sucking and even
nibbling lightly at them. He continued to nip and suck
at her belly as he worked his way down her body. When
he reached the riot of red curls at the apex of her
thighs, he dropped a gentle kiss at the top of them,
then scooted down lower on the bed and kissed the arch
of her foot. He slowly worked his way up first one of
her legs, then the other.
 "Mul-der!" Scully whimpered. "Pleeease!"
 Mulder grinned. How could he ever deny this angel
anything? He touched his mouth to her center, feeling
her jerk then relax under his tongue. She tasted
wonderful; he lapped and suckled at her while twirling
his tongue within her.
 Dana could feel her orgasm building fast. She started
to whimper. "Fox!" she managed to moan out. Then she
was splintering into a thousand pieces, pulsating
against him.
 Mulder kept her tight against him until the last
waves had subsided. God, he loved her like this. Her
red hair was in wild dissaray, her breasts were peaked
and glistening and she wore a look of utter escstasy.
 Finally, Dana opened her eyes. "Your turn," she
murmured.
 Mulder smiled into her eyes and gently slipped into
her wet body. She smiled.
 "You can go fast if you want," she whispered. "I
don't think I'm up to another round."
 He grinned down at her. "I thought you liked it slow,
sweetheart."
 "I like it however you give it to me, lover."
 That did it. Mulder prided himself on self-control,
but this was just too damned much. He thrust into her
quick and hard and came within a minute or two.
 Rolling off so he could spoon her to his side, he
whispered, "I love you."
 "Love you, too," she managed to murmur before
drifting off to sleep.

 The next morning, the agents stopped briefly at the
L.A. federal building before heading to the airport
for a noon flight back to Washington. "So, we've got
all the loose ends wrapped up?" Mulder asked Landers.
 "Looks like it," Landers replied. "The woman's
confessed to all six killings, but even if she recants
we've got her on the attack on Agent Scully. Her
lawyer is going to plead mental incompetence, but I
don't really care if she's in prison or an asylum.
Just so she's off the streets."
 "Well, you just try not to get freezer burn from your
continued partnership with the Ice Queen, Spooky,"
Vandergriff said.
 "You've been out of the loop too long, Vandergriff,"
Scully said quickly, before Mulder could jump in to
defend her. "My new, official nickname is "Mrs.
Spooky". Ask anybody at headquarters."

 As they left the building, Mulder laughed. "What's so
funny?" Scully inquired.
 "You and that Ice Queen business. I mean, I
understand how got I got tagged "Spooky". But I've
never, for one minute, not from the first day we met,
understood your nickname," he said.
 "It was from guys like Vandergriff. Him and half a
dozen others who I wouldn't even give the time of day
to, much less hop in the sack with."
 "Do you really have to put up with a lot of that
garbage, Scully?"
 "Not for a long time. I did out at Quantico, both as
a recruit and an instructor. But there hasn't been
much of it since we became partners. Do you, by any
chance, have anything to do with that?"
 "I plead the Fifth Amendment."
 "Well, anyway, I remember the first day we met, too.
I remember thinking I was going to kill every female
agent I'd ever met who told Spooky Mulder stories."
 "Why just the women?"
 "Because," Scully said slowly, "you would think one
of them would have had the decency to warn me how
damned sexy you are!"
 Mulder laughed again, checked to see that none of the
L.A. feds were in the parking lot, and kissed his
wife.

Author's e-mail address: tapw63@yahoo.com