Title: The Fool

Author: Jess Confessore

Email: maddict@jcn1.com

Keywords: MSR

Disclaimer: I wish.

Spoilers: The End, One Son.

Feedback: Please?



Now...on with the show.



The Fool

By Jess Confessore



In an apartment not far from the nation's hub, an alarm shrilly announced 
the dawn of a new day. From beneath a fluffy down comforter, one long, 
tanned arm reached out and swatted at the offensive machine with 
impeccably manicured fingers. The woman in the bed luxuriated in the 
warmth of the sheets as she slowly came out of her slumber. Sighing, 
she threw the airy bulk of her duvet aside and emerged to face the world. 
Her world. Today her life would begin. She would have everything she 
wanted- the love of her life returned to her, a fabulous job, and 
respect for all her hard work. 

She slipped into her silk robe and padded down the hall the to the front 
door. Opening it, she reached out and grabbed her morning paper. She 
read the headline to herself and smiled contentedly. < It's all because 
of me > she thought. 

"Must be a slow news day if you're smilin'. There's never anything to 
smile about in the papers these days." A voice said from her right.

The woman looked up from the review of her handiwork and smiled at her 
neighbor.

"Well, Mrs. Boutkitus," She said folding the paper under her arm, 
"Expect things to start looking up. I know I am."

With that, the woman re-entered her apartment leaving her stunned 
neighbor to her stoop sweeping. Walking to the kitchen to start the 
coffee, she dropped the paper on the table as she passed. Upon landing, 
it fell open to reveal the front page and headline which read: 
"Colonization Scare A Hoax; All MUFON and NICAP Chapters Closed While 
Under Investigation." 


Thirty minutes later, she sat down with her breakfast, freshly showered 
and primped. After a five minute gloat over the headline, she flipped 
through the papers skimming the articles with a huge smile plastered on 
her face. That is until she flipped to the wedding announcement page. 
Smiling up at her from a black and white picture was her lover hugging 
his bride to be. 

Enraged, she flew across the room and picked up the phone. She jammed 
her finger on M1 and waited impatiently while the phone clicked and 
began to ring on the other end. Finally, he answered.

"Hello?" a husky male voice said.

"Did you read the paper?!" she yelled.

"Yes. You do good work. The group is pleased."

"Not that, you bastard! You said he was mine!"

"Oh yes. That. You didn't think I'd actually let you have my only son 
as a prize did you?"

"But...After all I did! I've lied! I've killed! All for this! All for 
you! For what you promised me!"

"Surely you didn't trust a man of my character. It was a distraction, 
my dear. All part of the plan. As was your departure eight years ago. 
That you fought your way back, that was a defiance. This was your 
punishment. He doesn't love you and now you can never have him."

"ASSHOLE! I'll see you in hell!"

"I'll take that as your resignation. Good day, Agent Fowley."

Diana placed the receiver in it's cradle and ripped the photo from the 
paper. She walked slowly into the bathroom, clutching the balled piece 
of newspaper in her hand. She couldn't even bare to look at herself in 
the mirror. Instead, she opened the medicine cabinet and extracted a 
large bottle of pain-killers. She'd been taking them ever since the 
shooting and they were just what she needed right now.

She swallowed a handful of the blue pills, stumbled to the king sized 
bed and burrowed into the soft sheets. Opening her hand, she flattened 
the rumpled picture and stared at it for a long moment before tearing it
in two. Closing her eyes for the last time, Diana Fowley hoped a sweet 
dream would be her final memory.

X~X~X~X~X~X

She was on the beach, watching the shore-line. Her lover, jumping waves 
in an rare moment of happiness. She waved to him and he waved back, 
wading towards the sand and her waiting arms. She watched as his lanky 
frame emerged from the water and ascended the beach. She looked away to 
rummage through her bag to find the sunscreen. His would have washed off 
by now and she was dying to be the one to re-apply the protective lotion 
to his muscular body.

"Hey beautiful. Miss me?" His voice said from her right.

Diana turned to answer her lover only to watch him walk right past her; 
his soulful eyes fixed on something behind her. She turned more and 
watched in horror as Fox Mulder walked into Dana Scully's outstretched 
arms. They kissed for what seemed like forever, driving her closer to 
madness with each passing second. 

< He never kissed me like that > she thought bitterly.

Just as they parted, she damn near screamed when she espied her 
nemesis's rounded belly with Mulder's hand gently caressing it. He 
whispered something there while Scully giggled. He straightened, kissed 
her again and began gather up their beach gear. Once he had everything, 
he took her hand and they started towards the shore. They walked right 
by her, so lost in each other that they didn't even notice that they 
accidentally kicked sand on her as they passed.

Mortified, Diana Fowley watched as they playfully danced in the lapping 
waves, hands clasped and lips meeting as often as possible. She began to 
scream loud and long as world went black forever.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X

From her apartment, Mrs. Boutkitus heard her neighbor screaming in 
pain. She rushed to the phone and called the police. Forty-five minutes 
later, she stood anxiously outside her apartment as the police searched 
her neighbor's. Before long, Officer Cavanaugh emerged and walked over 
to her. 

"I'm afraid your neighbor is dead, Mrs. Boutkitus. It appears that she's 
killed herself." Cavanaugh said flatly.

"But I heard her scream!" She gasped.

"I'm sorry. But there is no evidence of another person in the apartment 
and pain-killers were found strewn across the bathroom floor. It's 
pretty open and shut." He began to walk away and then turned back. 
"We did find something we believe drove her to it. Can you identify 
either of the two people in this picture?"

Officer Cavanaugh held up a plastic evidence bag with the torn wedding 
announcement photo in it. Mrs. Boutkitus studied the handsome lanky man 
and the pretty, short woman in his arms.

"Yes...I can. That man is her ex-husband. They separated eight years ago. 
Miss Fowley was hoping for a reconciliation, but he stopped coming by 
about six months ago." She said in a rush.

"Thank you, Mrs. Boutkitus. You've been a big help. You can go back to 
your apartment now."

She nodded to him and watched him walk back into her neighbor's 
apartment. To look at her, she never would have thought that Miss Fowley 
would do anything like that. But then, she'd always been a hard, cold, 
lonely person, only softening when talking about her Fox. 

< It was pathetic to watch her fawn over him when even an old woman like 
me could see that he loved another. One look in his eyes and you could 
see that. But there was also a deep pain there. Something that was 
missing from his eyes in that picture. That's why I almost didn't 
recognize him. I'm so glad he's finally happy. He deserves that. I can't 
imagine what it must have been like living with her. > She thought as she 
went back to sweeping her stoop.

The End.



-Jess, Quote mistress of Deep Throat at:
http://members.xoom.com/451arcadia
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The quote of the week:

"Whenever Mulder leaves Scully, she does something interesting, like she 
has a baby. Whenever Scully leaves Mulder, he just fiddles around in his
underwear and dribbles a basketball."  -David Duchovny