All Characters copyright of TenThirteen Productions and Chris Carter. No infringement intended on any part...I like being poor, really... The character of Jackie St. George belongs to me though... Comments, complaints and just plain talk to sheryl_martin@tvo.org Dragons on The Prowl by Sheryl Martin Jackie St. George stopped just shy of the doorway; seeing the agent slowly walk past her. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the room and fired. Fox Mulder nodded to Dana Scully as they watched the pair move silently through the small alley; their eyes alert and searching. As one; they leapt out at them, firing rapidly. Assistant Director Skinner looked over the mock city block, usually used for training, squinting as he looked through binoculars at the losers straggling off the field. Beside him, the paint-splattered teams commiserated at the snack table. "See them yet?" Rosie looked up from her clipboard where she was keeping track of the players. "The Embassy's up on your people..." She smiled. "Only three left, believe it or not." "I don't need to know which three..." St. George slunk around the corner; seeing the exposed back of the enemy agent. Lifting her pistol quietly, she squeezed the trigger. Mulder yelped as the paint ball smacked into his left buttock. Rubbing the affected area mournfully, he tore off his red arm band. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Jackie spun and fired at the same time. The satisfying splat of the pellet on her targets chest coincided with the ominous thud on her own. She stared down at the green blotch as Scully stepped forward, a spreading red smear on her shirt. "A tie, I guess..." She laughed as Mulder joined them. "She still managed to kill me." He complained. "Hey, I only shot you in the butt." St. George protested. "Besides, Dana's a doctor... Maybe you can get her to rub it better..." She smirked. Mulder and Scully looked at each other, then as a team raised their paint guns. St. George lifted her own, taking a step back... then turned and ran. Skinner and Rosie looked up as the trio approached the table; red and green paint blending from head to foot in some comic display. Scully removed her face mask. "A tie, sir." He looked them over. "If each of those were for real; we'd be shipping you home in an envelope." "Well, your people used excessive force..." Jackie said. "St. George, you're the last person to be talking about excessive force. Skinner shook his head. "Go get cleaned up." Laughing, they stopped at the table to grab a soft drink. A petite brunette approached them, her FBI sweatshirt soaked with paint. "Agent Mulder..." She extended a hand. "Andrea Sontag. I just wanted to thank you for letting me be on the team." Fox awkwardly accepted the praise; gulping his drink. "Ah... I didn't really do anything but approve the list... Skinner drew it up based on who applied to come play..." He tried to avoid her deep brown eyes. Jackie poked Dana in the ribs. "Puppy love... ain't it cute?" Dana looked over the young woman. Sontag was all of twenty eight; a small intense package of eagerness waiting to prove herself to the world... Scully sighed, remembering when she was like that - and what had happened to her since then. Some things had made her stronger; but others... "Hey." She turned to see Jackie's concerned expression. "Let's go. You think too much, Agent Scully." With a soft laugh she nodded, joining the Canadian on the way to the change room. Mulder looked down at Sontag, still waiting at his side. "Ah... thanks. I've got to go now. Paperwork, you know..." "Would..." She took a deep breath. "Would you be free for lunch sometime this week?" Fox blinked wildly. "Yes... I mean, no... we just got a new case that might take us out of town... maybe next week..." He stumbled over the words like a schoolboy. Rosie, still scribbling madly on her clipboard, suppressed a grin at his awkwardness. "Okay... I'll call you next week. Later." She trotted off into the distance. Mulder turned to see a beaming Rosie staring at him. "Don't say it. And don't tell Jackie... or Scully..." The words trailed off as he realised the impossibility of his statement. "Never mind." He sighed as he left the table. ******************* "Next time, let's team up on Mulder... or better yet, do Skinner." St. George chuckled as she got into the car with Scully. "I don't really want to `do' Skinner." Dana said with a smile. "He is my boss, you know... and we can only push it so far with him." "But think of the possibilities, Dana." Jackie insisted, propping her feet up on the dashboard as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Think of the fun..." "Think of what Marty would do to you..." "Every minute I can, Dana..." ******************* Sighing, Dana started undressing from the minute she entered her apartment; heading for the shower in a long trail of painted clothing. Scrubbing at a spot that had somehow made it's way through the layers, she wondered at how likely it was that she'd ever take Jackie out that easily... or that it'd ever happen... ****************** Fox Mulder groaned as he listened to the messages on his machine, tenderly massaging the sore spot on his behind. "Fox... it's Andy... thought I'd just call and say hello... I'll call back next week for that date..." God, this was beginning to be more than he wanted. One of the primary rules of the Bureau, unwritten or not, was to not date within the Bureau... and he'd kept to that rule; not so much by choice as by lack of choice. Not many women wanted to seriously date "Spooky" Mulder... And who would fall into that category, for that matter... Breaking the rules... Letting his breath out in a slow sigh, he reached for the remote control. None of that, Fox Mulder. ***************** Jackie yawned as she stood up from her desk and stretched. Rosie popped her head around the corner, waving a folder. "Got those forms you were looking for." She laughed at St. George's expression. "Come on, I'm the one who gets to file this stuff... you just sign it." "And I'm so thrilled to be adding to the destruction of the Amazon rain forest." She joked. "Man, it's only been three days since that paint ball game and I'm still annoyed I let Dana get the jump on me." The phone rang. "Ah, must be the President asking if I wanna take care of Congress for him... knew he's come to his senses sometime..." "Jackie?" She heard the tremble in the voice, making her heart race. "Dana?" "It's... can you come over? Mulder's on his way..." "Two minutes... are you at home?" "Yes..." Scully's voice fell an octave. "It's Barry... I mean, it's not him but it's about what he did..." **************** Fox held the black and white photo in his hand, pacing back and forth in the living room as Dana made tea in the kitchen. A soft knock came at the door. He strode over, throwing it open to let Jackie in. She shot a fast glance towards the sounds of clinking mugs. He showed her the picture silently. St. George sucked in her breath soft and low, staring at the horrified Scully tied and gagged in Duane Barry's trunk. "Found this on her kitchen table this morning. And in the bathroom. And on the table here." Fox waved his long arms around the room. "Ten copies. Everywhere she looked." "Who got in while she was sleeping?" Jackie demanded. "Tell me it was leprechauns and I'll hurt you, Mulder..." "I don't know." He admitted. "I put the original in her file in the office..." "And someone got in? And took it and copied it a thousand times over?" She shook her head. "Man..." "Hey." They turned to see Dana holding out two cups of tea. "Look, I'm fine now... it was just scary to wake up and find those all around me." "No kidding." Jackie sipped the hot mixture. "Regardless, you did have someone break in here..." "Nothing on the door." Fox grumbled. "And dusting for prints... not much chance of getting anyone - if they're good enough to get into the office; then they'd think of wearing gloves." He looked into his mug. "Any ideas, Scully?" "You mean any jilted lovers? Any dejected hordes of men falling at my feet?" She smiled. "Not lately, Mulder. And we've been having a dry spell at work." He nodded. "I know. That's what has me confused. If we were working on something hot; something dangerous..." "Okay." Jackie interjected. "So either she stays with me, or with you." She wagged an eyebrow at the pair. "I know my vote..." "St. George..." "Jackie..." ******************* Dana dropped her overnight bag on the couch, sighing. "I wish you had let me stay in my own place." Jackie shook her head, checking the answering machine. "You think that Mulder or I would let you stay alone before we find out who's behind that picture, you've been sniffing that formaldehyde too much." She glanced at the computer before turning it on. "Although Mulder did seem open to the idea of having you stay with him..." Shaking her head with a smile, Dana began to unpack. "Someday you're going to get in more trouble than you can handle, St. George..." "Nah. Wouldn't be that lucky." She picked up the laptop from the floor, hooking it up. "I'll set up the modem so you can go in from here. Just think of it as another hotel room... without Mulder..." ********************* Skinner frowned. "And there's no sign of anyone breaking into the office?" Mulder shook his head sharply. "Nothing." He paused. "Which means that they had a key somehow and got access. The picture came out of her file - it's not there now." "What do you suggest?" The broad-shouldered man leaned back in his chair, tapping a pencil against his teeth. "I want surveillance on her while she's at St. George's... and I want you to find out if anyone wants to hurt her." He stared at Skinner. "You know." "Agent Mulder, I will check with my... sources to see if you've stepped on any toes you don't know about... or that you've missed." He paused, biting his lip. "But I can't set a watch on Agent Scully without her knowledge. It would only make her more scared; unless you plan to tell her." He looked at Mulder's face. "Which you weren't planning to, I see." Skinner shook his head. "And on a Canadian agent... I can't justify that. Aside from having her try to rip my head off - literally. I think between the two of you you can watch her." "Yes, we can." Mulder sighed. "But I still need to know who's after her..." ********************* "What the hell..." Dana tapped on the keyboard ineffectively. "Damn!" The rarely-heard curse brought Jackie out of the bedroom. "What's up?" She peered at the keyboard, putting her book down. Dana rapped her knuckles on the screen. "My password... it's not accepting my password. I can't get in." She slammed the top of the computer down. "I can't do anything. It's like I don't exist..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the Canadian. "Like I don't exist..." "I hate to say it or even suggest it..." St. George took a breath. "But I think this is a bit closer to home than we thought..." "Inside the Bureau..." "I have a headache, Dana... and it's not getting any better..." ******************* Scully pulled the car into the street, looking in the mirror so often that St. George began to wonder how she could drive. "Hey, chill." She chuckled. "Dana, no one's going to try and shoot us in the middle of the day in the middle of a big city... oh, right - this is America." The dark redhead ducked down, bringing a soft laugh from her companion. "I got the point, Jackie." She eased back on the gas, turning towards the J. Edgar Hoover building. "You could have just asked." "That's not as much fun." St. George pointed out. "Ah... this is a slow zone..." "I know..." A foot began to step down on the brakes. "And we're not slowing down..." "Blue Cross, where are you when I need you..." Jackie said ironically as they approached an intersection. "Beam me up anytime, Scotty..." ******************* "They're what? Yah, thanks Danny." Mulder smashed the phone down, grabbing his jacket from the back of his desk. Throwing the door open, he nearly ran over the woman standing in the hallway. "Agent Mulder..." Andy smiled shyly. "I was wondering if you had time for that lunch..." "I can't right now." He paused, calming himself mentally. Doing the hysterical thing would not help anyone right now. "My partner's just been in a car accident." "Agent Scully?" Sontag frowned. "My god... is she alright?" "As fine as smashing into three cars will get you..." He took a step away from her. "Look, I'm sorry... I have to go get to the hospital. Talk to you later." He raced down the corridor, leaving the junior agent shaking her head in dismay. ************* "Are you sure you're fine?" He looked at her carefully; taking in the bandaged left wrist and the small gauze taped to her left cheek. "Mulder..." Dana waved him away. "It wasn't that bad... the air bags deployed like they should have..." She sighed. "Jackie didn't cut herself - thank goodness. She'll be out in a minute - they wanted to get the X-rays back from the head hit before she signed herself out." "She's fine?" "As fine as I ever am, Mulder." St. George emerged from the small examining room, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "My head's as solid as a rock." "That's nothing new to me..." He playfully ducked the fist swinging his way. Taking a deep breath, he turned serious. "So we have someone trying to erase you... or at least make you uncomfortable at work." "Krychek?" Dana mused. "But we're not working on anything... unless there's something you should tell me." She looked up at him accusingly. He shook his head angrily. "You know I would have said something. Skinner's making some checks, but there's nothing that explains this..." "Okay." St. George put her hand up. "Let's not get too angry 'bout this. I think the best thing to do right now is go back to my place and catch some sleep and then try to figure this out." She stared at Dana. "I don't know how you feel, but any doctor would recommend a bit of rest after that crash... and you're looking like shit, mind my French." Dana bit her lip. "Maybe a few hours..." She looked up at Fox, nodding his head in agreement. "I'll get to work. You go and lie down. I'll call - promise." He waved towards the exit. "Let's go." ************* The screaming woke Jackie three times. The last time she dragged a pillow and blanket to the easy chair beside the couch, placing her revolver within easy reach as Dana closed her eyes again and tried to sleep. The door opened silently.. Jackie grabbed the revolver from the table, spinning quickly toward the person... and sighed. "Goddamn it, Marty..." He smiled. "A little touchy, aren't we?" Walking over, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "What's up with Dana? And why are you two home in the middle of the day looking like you just went through a riot?" She motioned him into the kitchen; quickly recounting the events of the day. "So I need you to babysit her for a few hours so she can get some rest - and I can go do some crawling around." The man sighed. "I've only got a seven hour layover... and she's not the redhead I was planning to be with." With a smile she hugged him tightly; then disappeared into the bedroom to change. Taking her place in the chair, Marty leaned his head back and closed his eyes, seeing Dana's pistol nearby on the table. ***************** "So?" Jackie slid into Dana's chair, looking across at Fox. He raised his head from the stack of paper. "Who the hell is with Scully?" He said, trying not to betray more concern than he had to. "Marty stopped by. Take it easy..." She motioned to the piles around him. "Anything?" "No." Leaning back in his chair, he tossed his glasses on the desktop; rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Nothing. We haven't had anything come up lately that would make sense..." "You don't think they're going to take her again." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. A shiver ran down his spine as he shook his head. "No... if they wanted to they'd already have her." He shook his head again, as if to banish the memories. "I don't understand..." "The Gunmen have anything?" "Nothing. Langley dropped his latest search for the expense files for a few Congressmen to look for the hacker who deleted her files. All he found was that it was an official password from a local terminal." "Inside the Bureau." "Inside this building, St. George." "So - you start at the top, I'll start at the bottom and we'll threaten and punch our way to meeting in the centre." He smiled, breaking the tension. "Have you ever heard of diplomacy?" "Yah. Cool game. I always lose." She grinned. "Let's rock." ****************** "Excuse me?" Skinner stared at them. "You had someone run a trace on the source of the cancel command on Agent Scully's files?" "Whoops." St. George said under her breath. Mulder flinched. "Ah... it came from an anonymous source who wanted to help." He tried to sound confident. "A reliable source, sir." "And that surprises me." He tossed a file at Mulder, who caught it before it hit the ground. "My own reliable sources came up with this." The Assistant Director turned to St. George as Mulder flipped the pages. "Sometimes I would like you to follow official protocol." She winked at him. "Walter... there ain't nothing official about any of us. And you still owe me that file on myself..." He sighed. "You know I can't..." "I know." She smiled sadly. "And that's half the problem, isn't it?" Mulder looked up sharply. "You're kidding me, right?" Skinner shook his head. "No. That's her psychological profile. And I already sent someone to her apartment. She's not there." "Damn..." Swinging the door open, he stopped to stare at Skinner. "Who set this up? Who?" "If I knew that, Agent Mulder, I'd be a much wiser man. Where's Agent Scully?" "At my apartment." The Canadian said. "Marty's with her... what's going on?" Mulder held up the file. "That new agent - Sontag - she's unstable..." **************** Scully's cel phone rang once, twice. Sitting up quickly, she beat Marty to it, putting the receiver to her ear. Frowning, she looked over at him. "No one there." Stretching her arms, she blinked rapidly. "When did you get in here? And where's Jackie?" "She went off to do whatever she does when I'm not here... and I'm here to babysit you." He grinned. "Her words, not mine..." "And I'm going to kill her for that." The redhead smiled. "My words, not yours." A soft knock came at the door. Marty approached it cautiously, listening to the person shuffling outside. "Who is it?" "Agent Sontag... I'm with the FBI." Scully nodded her approval from the couch. He opened the door to let the petite woman in. She spoke carefully and quickly. "Agent Mulder's been in an accident - something about a gunshot wound - I've come to take you to the hospital. It's serious - they don't know if he'll hang on much longer..." "Jackie?" The words shot out of Marty's mouth. "She was with him, wasn't she? How is she?" "Ah... I don't know how to tell you..." She bit her lip, looking him in the face. "There wasn't anything the doctors could do..." Dana put her hand on his shoulder, refusing to believe her ears. He sagged against the doorframe, fighting back the tears. Sontag paused, letting them both have a moment of silence. "I've come to take you both to the hospital. We have to leave..." **************** "Don't you run psych profiles before you let these kids get weapons?" Jackie roared as Fox manoeuvred the car through the rush hour traffic. He punched the car horn angrily. "We do... and she should have never cleared." He jabbed a finger at the paper. "Once you cut through the fancy language it means that she's obsessed easily with any male that catches her fancy... and she'll go to any end to win." "...stabbed a classmate over dispute about male teacher - all charges later dropped and file sealed." Jackie looked up. "So she got fixated on you and decided to get rid of the competition." "Which was Scully." He leaned again on the horn. "Move it..." ***************** The stunned man slumped in the back seat, leaning his head against the cushions as the tears began to flow down his face. Dana pulled him close, trying to fight to keep control in front of the junior agent. Sontag pulled away from the curb, into traffic. "No... not like this..." He mumbled into Scully's shoulder as she held him close. Biting her lip hard, Dana tried not to think about losing Fox as well as Jackie in the same hour. ************ "So who put her up to this?" Jackie leaned out the side window, cursing loudly at a cab driver. "No idea... but she shouldn't have cleared the Academy, regardless... much less be assigned to Washington." "And pointed towards you - a very handsome man, in a position of power... a great catch." She blushed. "And if you quote me, I'll deny everything." "Thanks, St. George." He chuckled. "I'll remember that one next time you pick on me." "A great catch for another agent, perhaps..." She squinted at a car passing them in the opposite lane. "What the... isn't that Sontag?" He peered at the sedan racing by; barely catching sight of the couple in the back seat. "Damn!" Spinning the car around, he cut off the oncoming traffic as he slammed the pedal down. "There's someone behind us." The brunette announced, speeding up. Dana turned, trying to make out the car. "We'll have to lose them." She turned sharply into a series of small lanes. "Think you can shoot out their tires?" Scully flipped the safety off her pistol; grateful in a small way for the distraction. "I can try..." "Shit!" St. George ducked as the first bullet zinged past her open window. "What the hell is wrong with her?" Grabbing Mulder's cel phone, she quickly dialled the number. Scully's first thought was to ignore the beeping from her coat pocket, but something told her to wait a second and answer it... whipping it open, she put it to her ear. "Scully..." "Mind not blowing my head off? Marty might be a bit pissed at you... and Mulder doesn't need any more holes in his head." Her head began to spin at the familiar voice. "What?" She shot a look at the back of Sontag's head. "Listen, Dana... you're with a nut case. She's bonkers; crazy... hell, Mulder can tell you the technical terms... just get out of that car or arrest her or do something!" Jackie yelled. "Hello? Dana!" Sontag screamed around a corner; putting her pistol beside her on the seat. Marty grabbed for the unconscious redhead as she fell, a rising bruise on her temple from where the butt of the pistol had landed. "What are you doing?" He yelled. She reached behind quickly, scooping up both the cel phone and the pistol from Scully's lap; yanking the wheel sharply to avoid crashing. "Just shut up and be quiet!" Her eyes met his; the darkness sending a shiver down his spine. Wrapping her hands around the pistol, she raised it for him to see. "If you want to live long enough to maybe make it out of this, you'll shut up!" "Shit... cut off..." St. George tossed the phone into the back seat. "And Marty must be with them... I am very upset, Mulder..." He sped up, coming close to the back of the car. "Your call..." She leaned out the open window. "Rock and shock, G-Man... and I'll buy you the beer tonight..." He tapped the back of Sontag's car lightly, sending her into a loose fishtail; the metal scraping the sides of the alleyway. The second crash sent the sedan bouncing back and forth along the laneway; sparks flying wherever the metal made contact. "Who are you?" Marty yelled, trying to keep Dana from flying around the inside of the car. Getting no answer, he glanced at the woman in the front; seeing that she was concentrating on keeping control of the car... and had put the pistol down on the seat. He looked through the front windshield, seeing the pile of garbage cans to their left coming up... and reached forward... Mulder slammed on the brakes as the sedan smashed into the metal containers; coming to an abrupt stop. Before he could even get his door open, St. George had jumped out the window and was charging at the car. Wrenching the driver's side open, she pulled Sontag out and pushed her against the wall face-first; making sure there was no chance of her holding a weapon in either hand as the handcuffs snapped shut. For her part, Sontag was dazed and confused; leaning against the wall. Mulder gently extracted the groggy woman from the back seat, careful not to aggravate her sprained wrist. Marty climbed out, taking the few steps to embrace St. George. "Hey..." She murmured into his shoulder; trying to keep an eye on the brunette slumping against the stone. "What's going on?" "She told me... told us that you were dead - and that Mulder was dying." He hugged her tightly. "I was afraid..." "SHE WHAT?" Pushing him away, Jackie grabbed Andrea Sontag by the collar; throwing her up on the hood of the car. Raising her hand, she slammed her right fist down on the bumper, slicing the skin cleanly. The static burst in the air around them. "Jackie..." Mulder yelled through the noise as he watched St. George pick up the delirious woman; one hand around her throat as the other stood poised to strike. "Don't do it..." Sontag writhed on the end of her grasp; tugging feebly at the fingers wrapped around her in an iron hold. She stared down at the fiery eyes below her; and her heart skipped a beat. "She hurt Dana... she hurt Marty... she would have killed them both and gotten away with the help of whoever sent her, Mulder." St. George snarled, pinning Sontag against the wall. "Not this time... no one walks away this time..." Mulder felt Scully move sluggishly, cradled in his arms as they knelt on the cold pavement. Her lips tried to move, but nothing came out. He tenderly put a hand to her head; holding it gently. "Jackie..." The soft tone met her ears. "Don't do this. Please." She tore her gaze away from the terrified woman to Marty, standing there with his arms out towards her. "Mulder's right... we're all fine and that's what matters..." Closing her eyes, she took a deep shuddering breath... "Keep working on love..." The soft whisper came out between her teeth... ...And dropped Sontag to the ground in a crumpled heap. **************** "So, someone set her up to go after Mulder and play femme fatale." Marty passed the cup of tea to Dana, who nodded gratefully. She touched the bandage on her head, flinching as the bruise flared. "Right. And if she doesn't seduce Mulder and set him up to be killed; she takes me out as part of the paranoia she's into - and causes an internal investigation to focus on Mulder and the X Files; effectively shutting them down again." "And she disappears like Krychek; into the woodwork." Fox finished, putting his mug down on the table. "Mind you, I don't find it impossible that she would be attracted to me anyway..." "Geez, Mulder..." Jackie appeared at the doorway of the kitchen, shaking her head. "Your ego is an X File..." "I seem to remember something about you calling me a very handsome man..." Marty shot Jackie an inquiring look, as did Dana. She sputtered as she leaned on the doorframe. "I meant for someone else, Mulder. I prefer my men to be a little less..." "Dangerous?" "No, not that." She laughed. "I like dangerous... in the right ways. Besides, I'm a firm believer in keeping it within the family." "Which family?" Dana frowned. "Within the Bureau..." She winked at Scully. "Say no more..." "Speaking of dangerous..." Marty got to his feet. "I've got two hours left before my flight... and while I certainly enjoy spending it with you two, I'd like to spend a bit of time with my fiancee... especially right now..." "Bargained well and done." Jackie smiled. "See you two later." Dana looked after the couple as they left her apartment. "So... what are you going to do about Sontag?" "Skinner's convinced that once we process her she'll disappear into the system... or maybe we'll be lucky and she might get to court. One thing for sure, she won't be stalking anyone else for a while." "Good thing." She leaned into his shoulder, feeling the safe warmth under her cheek. "We're the only ones who should be doing the stalking in the X Files..." Her voice drifted off as she slipped into sleep. Fox looked down at the redhead, dropping a soft kiss into her hair. "And who's stalking who, Agent Scully?" He whispered. ************** "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however." Richard Bach -- "Illusions"