Date: 11 Nov 1998 23:16:25 -0800 Subject: BACCARAT PIECE: WEEKEND (1/1) (M/Sk) -- By Kiyoko Ishimura PG BACCARAT PIECE: WEEKEND By Kiyoko Ishimura GHB00253@nifty.ne.jp CATEGORY: VRA RATING: PG SPOILERS: None KEYWORDS: Mulder/Skinner Slash SUMMARY: Anticipation and new discoveries. DISCLAIMER: Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner and Dana Scully are the properties of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and Fox Television. Copyright infringement is not implied or intended in their use in this work of fiction. TIMELINE: This story occurs in the second month of their relationship, when Skinner still lived in his house. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to thank Sean for his total support, advise and fixing my English, as always. I also would like to thank Laurie and Cynthia for their beta-reading and valuable suggestions! .................. "Agent Mulder!" The rich baritone voice of AD Walter Skinner echoed through the busy Hoover hallway. Fox Mulder was surprised at his boss' urgent tone. It was a Friday evening in late September, already past 6:00 p.m. Mulder was ready to leave for the weekend; more precisely, he was ready to leave for his and Skinner's weekend at the cabin by the lake. As he whirled around, the first thing that came into Mulder's mind was that something needed Skinner's attention just when he was ready to call it a day. He hoped that this weekend wasn't canceled. As the AD approached him from the other end of the hallway, Mulder couldn't tell what the older man had on his mind. To Mulder, Skinner's face was still unreadable. The wire rims acted as a barrier that Mulder found difficult to penetrate. Here at work, the AD was still a master at hiding his feelings. He was always professional and by the book. It was two months ago that Mulder and Skinner started their relationship. Despite its sheer size, the Hoover was one place where news traveled fast. Gossip in particular travelled with the speed of sound. So Mulder had to be extra-vigilant about showing how he felt. In stark contrast to the older man, Mulder found it difficult to hide his personal feelings for this particular AD. While Mulder was agitated at the prospect of the possible cancellation of a weekend he'd been looking forward to, Skinner's poker face was state of the art. Was it due to the wisdom of age or to self-discipline? "Yes, sir?" In the crowded hallway, Mulder shifted from foot to foot in apprehension. The manila folder the older man handed him was baffling. "It just came to my office. We'll discuss it first thing Monday morning," Skinner told him in clipped tones. For a fleeting second, Mulder saw a flicker of a smile pass over Skinner's impassive face. "Um . . . Yes. Understood, sir." As Skinner walked away, several junior agents cleared a path so that they wouldn't get in the way of the feared AD. Mulder returned to his deserted office. Scully had been gone the whole day; she was busy calibrating new forensic equipment up at Quantico. Even before the door was shut behind him, Mulder hastily opened the folder in his hand. It was a single piece of paper with a key taped to it. Skinner's note stated: "Running late with a meeting. Won't take long. Wait in the house." The AD's handwriting was heavy on the paper in clear block letters, as no-nonsense and straightforward as the man was. Mulder's mood considerably brightened. Their weekend wasn't canceled after all. It was a relief especially since they hadn't gone to the cabin for two weeks. Mulder detached the key from its taped confines on the paper. As a precautionary measure, he shredded Skinner's note. He looked at the small key in his hand. He had never been alone in the AD's house before. Mulder took the Metro back to his own apartment. Once his weekend gear was ready, he grabbed a cab to Skinner's house. If someone spotted a stranger, a young man, entering Skinner's empty house, it might draw attention. He was glad he was still in his regulation suit. At the least, the neighbor might conclude his visit was business related. The cab dropped him off at Skinner's within fifteen minutes. He paid his fare then got out of the cab as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible. .................. There was a definite difference being alone in a lover's house. He'd been alone in Scully's apartment occasionally. He had a spare key to her place, the same way she had one to his own. Mulder placed his overnight bag by the big sofa in the living room then looked around. It was only his second time here. That first time, Mulder had been way too nervous to notice much of anything; his mind had been preoccupied with doing the unthinkable -- confessing his feelings for the AD. Today, he was all alone in this vast house. Mulder shed his jacket, draping it carelessly onto the couch. Then he noticed he was still holding the key in his hand for dear life. It was already a little moist as a result. He laughed silently at himself and took out his key chain. He threaded Skinner's key right beside Scully's spare key. Mulder wandered around the living room, looking at some of the things on display. No doubt some were Sharon Skinner's detritus, left here after the divorce. Some of them were definitely not Walter's taste. At least, he thought they weren't Walter's taste. Mulder looked around some more while he waited for Skinner to return home. Home. The word sounded weird and uncomfortable. What was he thinking? The odds were one in a million . . . nah, a billion that they were ever going to . . . live together, but what about extreme possibilities . . .? He became aware of his thirst when he stepped into the kitchen. He remembered the fateful dinner he had here, the spaghetti dinner on the night that changed his life forever. It was nearly seven but still no sign of Skinner. Mulder opened the refrigerator, did a once-over of the contents and chose a can of iced tea. The refrigerator was surprisingly scarce with little meat or vegetables. It was apparent the AD didn't cook very often for himself. Mulder himself was a cook -- had been, mostly out of necessity, ever since he was a kid. He decided he should cook something elaborate for Skinner sometime in the future. He still hadn't shown his mettle in the cabin kitchen, considering that he and his lover were usually preoccupied with another kind of hunger when they were there. Lover. Even the word itself was uncomfortable in Mulder's mind. He'd never said the word out loud to Skinner. Mulder sipped his iced tea, idly opening and closing drawers and cabinets. The wall clock read 7:20. He drifted into a room off the kitchen. It was a family room of some sort. There was a huge bookshelf as well as a state of the art entertainment center. The CD collection intrigued the agent. Mulder was privileged to see the other side of Skinner, distinct from the demanding and stern AD. Skinner was a great lover, the one who always cared for him and was solicitous of him. However, the few hours together on stolen weekends passed by so quickly. There were still so many things Mulder didn't know about his lover. What kind of music did Walter prefer? Music. Abruptly, Mulder's face grew hot as he remembered the music from the stereo in the bedroom of the cabin while they made love . . . what was that song? For once, Mulder couldn't recall the title of the song. It had to be some kind of oldies with memorable melody. The agent shook his head, he certainly was much too preoccupied at that time to remember the title of the music. Mulder browsed the contents of the CD rack. Skinner had given him a spare key. It meant he could wander around at will, didn't it? All the CDs were neatly arranged by artists' name in alphabetical order, as Mulder had suspected. The collection itself was a fairly big one, there were at least several hundred titles. In general, Walter Skinner seemed to be a jazz/fusion person. In complete contrast to his stern demeanor, Walter also had a preference for Latino music. Interesting. The second rack was mainly occupied by older titles like the Beatles. Walter and the Beatles? Well, it figured, with Walter a teenager during that era. What surprised Mulder, though, were a few New Age titles with which he was familiar. The third rack was filled with the classical music. Mulder smiled; it was understandable. The classical CDs were mainly Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart. Suddenly, the vast house seemed too silent. Mulder switched on the radio to an FM station. Next, Mulder decided to tackle the AD's bookshelf. The bookshelf was as Mulder had expected: full of military/law-enforcement non-fiction, sociology, human studies, and mystery novels. Mulder knew he'd barf if Skinner were hiding the "Bridges of Madison County" on his shelf. However, he didn't get such a skin crawling revelation. Mulder spotted several books on dog training and made a mental note: Walter liked dogs. Skinner's mystery collection was quite massive. The older man seemed to be the type of reader who couldn't resist the latest titles, but had little time to read them. There were a number of books piled neatly on the floor, apparently not yet read by the AD. No wonder, Skinner's weekends were mainly spent in the cabin with him, busy with a particular activity. Mulder blushed again. Was he a teenager, or what?? Dick Francis seemed to be Skinner's favorite mystery author. Over 30 titles were kept neatly on the shelf, all in hardcover. To kill time, Mulder picked up one at random, sat on the couch, and started to read. .................. Walter Skinner parked his car in the driveway and hurriedly stepped out. Damn, it was nearly 10 p.m. and he was really running late. The meeting had gone on longer than he'd anticipated. The light inside the house gave him cheer however. It meant Fox was still inside. "Fox, I'm sorry --" When Skinner entered the living room, it was deserted. Music drifted in from the family room, where he found his lover. Fox Mulder was fast asleep on the sofa. His tie was loosened and the collar unbuttoned. The AD noticed the book forgotten on Fox's lap. Mulder's head was tilted against the back of the sofa and his mouth was slightly open. A smile formed around Skinner's mouth; he liked to catch his lover asleep. Mulder looked so innocent and vulnerable, free from all the tension, worry and sadness that surrounded him sometimes. "Fox, wake up . . ." Skinner casually reached over and shook the younger man's shoulder. Mulder gave a sharp start and jumped off of the sofa, dropping the book to the floor. Skinner berated himself; it wasn't the right way to awaken his lover. "Walt -- Sir? What?" Abruptly drawn from his sleep, Mulder was still disoriented. He rubbed his face then sat down once again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. And I'm sorry that I'm late." Skinner apologized sincerely. He sat down beside Mulder and pulled his tie loose and unbuttoned his collar, too. Skinner picked up the book to find it was "Proof", one of his books -- his favorite Francis piece, actually. Skinner was intrigued. "Have you been reading this?" "Y -- yes." Suddenly, Mulder was embarrassed without a reason. In fact, the story was moving, catching Mulder's attention from the first page. But somewhere along the way, he must have fallen asleep. "Can we head for the cabin now?" Mulder stood up eagerly and met Skinner's quietly smiling eyes. "Of course, just give me a minute, okay? I'll change my clothes." The stern AD was gone and Skinner was in his weekend mode. "You can take it with you, if you like." The older man handed back the book to his lover then headed upstairs. Skinner wondered what Mulder read in his free time besides those paranormal books that the agent frequently brought to the cabin. Skinner realized he didn't know very much about the younger man. It sounded so cheap. It was about time for them to get to know each other more. Their relationship was well into its second month. ...................... The drive to the cabin was smooth and fast, the roads were pretty deserted this late. Mulder gave a quick side glance to the older man behind the wheel and smiled to himself. Their weekend had just begun, finally. The long awaited weekend. Gradually, Mulder's eyes became sandy again from the tiring week, but now the next couple of days would be with Walter. Mulder was determined to find out more about his lover, like what he really liked to eat, not just what he chose to eat, for instance. What were Walter's favorite colors? His teenage shenanigans? For all he knew, Walter was a hippie before he enlisted for Vietnam. Skinner switched on the car stereo to soft and gentle music. Mulder smiled as he started to doze. It was one of the New Age pieces he didn't know Walter even listened to. A very serene, slow tune. And Mulder fell asleep, peacefully leaning on the older man and feeling at home there. END OF BACCARAT PIECE: WEEKEND Kiyoko Ishimura / October 25, 1998 Feedback highly appreciated at: GHB00253@nifty.ne.jp -------------------------------------------- "A beacon in the night." Mulder regarding Skinner Nisei ---------------------------------------------