Asked For It

Asked For It

She pushed the door to the basement office open, surprised to find it unlocked. Mulder never left the place unlocked when he wasn't around. But there were no lights on, so no one was home. So what was wrong? It was then she noted the hum of the PC, saw the glimmer of light from its screen, noticed the hunched figure sitting in the gloom behind it.

"Mulder. Can I switch the lights on?"

A delay, then a mumble that might have been a groan, then words. "Yeah, suppose so."

She felt uncomfortable, her partner was sat in the dark and his voice. What on earth could have happened to make his voice tremble like that? So weak, so far away.

She decided against switching on the overhead lights, if they were off, they were off for a reason, she would give him time to adjust. Anyway, she didn't think she could face looking at him, what if he looked as bad as he sounded? She walked over to the desk and switched on the lamp. She moved to stand behind him, nervous that her presence would be too intrusive but wanting him to talk.

"What's happened? Has your mom..." Her voice trailed off, unable to complete the question.

He replied with a shrug. "No. God, no. Nothing like that. No, it's nothing. You know me. I just get in these stupid moods at times. I'm ok."

She edged to his side, he kept his head turned away from her. "Have you heard something about Sam, about...." Not his mother, not her, she wondered what else could put him into this gloom. She'd left him last night looking tired but relaxed. She thought about it some more, he had maybe been a little nervous, but she didn't know why he would be nervous. They'd just got back to town. He was looking forward to a rest, or at least, that was what he'd said.

"No. Honest Scully, it's nothing."

"Did you go out somewhere last night? I called you, but you didn't reply. Did..."

"I went out with Karen, no big deal."

Karen. He'd said they were just friends, maybe not even that. Was Karen more important to him than he'd suggested? And hadn't Karen felt the same way about him. Scully tried not to let her jealousy kick in. It was so rare for either of them to go out on a date. Work was always in the way. Even when it wasn't, it was hard to share more than a superficial chat with a stranger. Her and Mulder might not be lovers, but there wasn't a lot of space between them for a third party to get in.

"Did you get into an argument with Karen?"

"Drop it Scully. I'm ok."

Scully moved to the front of the desk to look at him. He tried to turn away.

Behind the dark glasses, but not completely hidden by them, was a bruise. Scully suddenly felt very nervous. What the hell had happened. Had he been out with Karen last night or not?

"What happened to your eye? Have you seen a Doctor?"

"It's only bruised. It'll be fine."

Her brain raced with alternative suggestions. "Who did it to you? Someone you know, one of your informers or something. Did you get into a fight with someone while you were out."

"Drop it, Scully. Please."

There was such a pleading in his voice that she felt bewildered about what to do about it, or what it meant. She couldn't just drop it. Not when his tone of voice was triggering all those alarm bells in her head. Why couldn't he talk about it? Why was he so embarrassed? Then she knew. She understood. Karen.

"Karen did this, didn't she? Why?"

"Please, Scully."

She suddenly started to feel anxiety to go with the concern she already felt. What would make a woman lash out like that at a man? Oh, my God. Surely. Not Mulder. He wouldn't. Scully made her voice calm, professional. "Why did she hit you?"

"Let it go."

"What did you do to her?" She willed him to answer, answer before her frustration and annoyance got the better of her.

His answer was useless. "Nothing."

Her irritation rose. "Nothing. Right. A 110 pound female office worker, hits a 170 pound male Federal Agent for no reason."

"Don't, Scully."

The calm was starting to go from her voice, "Don't what? Don't be upset by this hitherto unexposed new facet of my partner's character?"

He growled the reply. "Don't make assumptions and don't accuse me of things when you have no evidence."

Jealousy, frustration, anger, concern, she didn't know what the emotion was, still it set her blood racing. "What was the problem Mulder? She found someone else? You bought dinner and she wouldn't follow through."

"Don't Scully."

"Don't you think it's a reasonable question?"

"No, I don't. It's none of your business."

"Really?" She paused, her voice moving into the cold aggression of an interview room. "Is she ok?"

"Of course she is. Thanks so much for your faith in me."

"What made her hit you?"

He punched out the words, quietly, slowly, decisively. "She hit me because she wanted to, because she knew I wouldn't hit back." He dropped his head back to rest in his hands and stared at the desk. His voice quavered. "Ok? Happy? Are you relieved to hear your partner's not a failed rapist, he's just a pathetic punching bag. Does it fill you with confidence? Does it work wonders for your respect for my abilities."

Scully froze. She stopped herself from replying, just stood with her mouth open looking at her partner. The bruise, the desperation in his eyes, the slouch in his shoulders. She read it in, she replayed his words. She stood and let the anger subside and felt the jealousy that underlay it melt. He was telling the truth. "God. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well."

"I just." She paused. "It never occurred to me. It's so very rare. You should report it."

"It's rare. And even more rarely reported. I guess you can imagine why. Even you assumed it was my fault, that I'd asked for it, done something. Well, it's ok. I didn't have to do anything."

"But."

"But, what? But, I could have a fun filled day with Washington PD explaining how the Bureau's self defense training doesn't actually help unless you're willing to use it. Or maybe they could offer me a free place on one of those seminars where they would issue me with a pepper spray canister to keep in my handbag."

Scully felt a tremor of anger break through her. "Has this happened before with Karen?"

He didn't reply. Then glared. "Yes, she's hit me before, the second date, the one when I said good-bye. She said she was drunk and I startled her. I thought I'd just misunderstood. It's hard to believe someone will actually try and hurt you for no reason. Especially someone who spends most of the time being nice to you. So I assumed it was my fault."

Scully looked for something practical to do. "Can I look at your eye? See if there's anything that needs to be done?"

"Stop trying to mother me Scully."

"I'm not, I'm just. God, I'm sorry. For what happened. For thinking that you might have... That was stupid, I do know better."

"It's ok."

Scully's mind was racing. How had this happened? "You didn't say you were going out with her last night, did you phone her when you got home?"

"I didn't phone her at all. I hadn't planned on seeing her again. She arrived on my doorstep."

"How did she know you were back?"

"The car. She'd been watching the apartment."

She gasped, a quiet reply. "She was stalking you?"

"You needn't make it sound so melodramatic."

"She'd tried phoning you while we were away?"

"Until she'd filled up the entire tape in the answering machine."

Scully started to prowl the room, tried to find something to say. "She's sick. You have to do something. You have to report it."

"Stalking's not illegal, not at that level."

"But assault is."

"So, a 170 pound male Federal Agent is going to bring charges against a 110 pound female office worker. Interesting day in court for all concerned. Try and visualize it."

Scully wasn't sure whether to agree or whether to be angry at his resignation. "So you're going to wait until she really hurts you, or someone else?"

"I'm going to deal with it."

"By not dealing with it?"

"Stop it Scully. I am not going to be bullied by you or anyone."

She stopped herself from fighting him. "What are you going to do? What were you doing when I came in?"

"I'm a criminal profiler, I'm writing a profile."

"How far have you got?"

"I'm still on victimology, why that attacker choose that target."

Scully flinched. "Meaning, why did she choose you?"

"Precisely."

"And your conclusions?"

He sat back, looked at her properly, face to face, eye to eye, without trying to hide. His voice taking on a soft even tone she recognized from a hundred meetings where he was forced to present tough information to a difficult audience. Model professional. "It's a power thing. She feels as if she has no control over her life, she was almost certainly abused as a child. She's been involved in abusive relationships with men."

"So, it's revenge? Against men in general? Random."

"No, she's locked onto me, I'm not so generic as just any man. But yeah, it's against men in general. But, also against law enforcement for not protecting her." He looked as if he was going to continue but he stopped suddenly.

Scully prompted him, as softly as she could. "Is there something more specific?"

He stared up at the ceiling. "She wants to be punished, expects to be punished. She expects to be abused. She thinks I'm dangerous, violent. That if she pushes me hard enough, I'll respond. She thinks that she'll get what she deserves and show me what I am. Two wins for the price of one."

Scully thought about the words and suddenly recognized this was the reason for Mulder's dark mood. He wasn't worried about the bruises, not even the embarrassing source of them. He was worried about his own profile as a victim of the attack. About whether she was right. Whether he was right in the interpretation of her motive. Just push the right buttons and he'd hit back.

She spoke with care. "We have to stop her, Mulder. We have to get her off the streets. She needs psychiatric help."

Mulder nodded. He talked through the rest of the profile. They hatched a plan. Tried to.

It was only once the plan was hatched that he rejected it. The plan revolved around the use of Dana Scully. As bait.

She growled. "But I'm an Agent. I know how to handle myself in a fight."

Her words didn't help, he glared at her. "And I don't? I am not making you a target because I'm too screwed up to deal with a failed one night stand." His eyes were cold.

"Mulder. Please, let me help."

"Scully. Please, leave me alone."

He would resolve it. When he could. How he could.