Title: Twist
Author: fran58

headers in part one

Twist part four

The day had turned grey and fog cloaked the warehouses that lined the
street.  Mulder burst out of the Gunmen’s lair, searching for Byers.  In
the distance, he could just make out a shadowy figure being quickly
swallowed by the dense air.  He jogged toward it.

“Byers!”

The figure paused, then turned.  “Mulder, go away.  I don’t have any
more to say.  I said more than I should have.”  Byers stuffed his hands
into the pockets of his slacks.  A slight wind stirred, blowing his suit
coat back, giving him a mock heroic impression.

“How do you know so much?”  Are you that close to her that she told
you?  Did you find out some other way?”

Byers shrugged him off and continued down the block.  Mulder strode
forward, reached out and caught the shorter man’s shoulder.  “No, no
way.  You don’t get off so easily.  I need answers, Byers.”

“There’s the Mulder we all know and love.  Demanding answers, wanting
The Truth without regard as to its cost.”  Byers voice cut through the
fog.  “I don’t owe you any answers.  I don’t owe *you* a thing.”

“But you owe Scully?”

“Yeah, I do.  I owe Scully.  We owe each other, okay?”  Byers shrugged
Mulder’s hand off and pulled away.

The realization hit Mulder like a slap across the face.  It couldn’t
be.  Not Byers.  It was ludicrous.  Once more, he jogged to catch up
with the retreating figure.  The heavy air wetting his face, curling
into his nostrils making it hard to breathe.  His open leather jacket
flapped around his hips.

“You were involved with her, weren’t you.”  He raised his voice so Byers
could hear.  It was an accusation.

The figure stopped short.  “I told you that it’s none of your
business.”  Byers’ voice was tired.  “Why can’t you leave it alone?”

“You know why I can’t leave it alone.  Now more than ever.”

“Mulder – just – it has nothing to do with you.”

“How did it happen, Byers.  Tell me.”

Byers mouth was set in a thin line.

“Please, for my own sanity, I need to know what’s going on.”  Mulder
took a step closer to Byers.  “Please.”

“Not out here.”  Byers said, pulling his jacket around his torso.

Mulder nodded.  “My car’s just down the road.”

The sedan was almost colorless in the dense fog.  Mulder popped the door
locks and slid inside.  He was tempted to start the car, but by the time
the engine warmed up, he and Byers would probably be done.  The
windshield was covered with a fine mist, rendering the outside world
hazy and unclear.

Mulder pulled his eyes from the droplets of water condensing on the
window and looked at Byers.

“So?”  he asked softly.

“So... after you left, after you got married, Scully was pretty
rattled.”  Byers cut his eyes in Mulder’s direction.  Mulder nodded,
staring again out the wind sheild, not making eye contact.  “She took
some time off.  Frohike was concerned.  Well, we were all concerned, but
he was the most upset by the whole thing.  We all took turns going over
to see her every few days.  I think we drove her nuts.”  Mulder could
hear the smile in Byers voice.  “Little by little, Scully and I
discovered that we had a fair bit in common.  We enjoyed a lot of the
same books and movies.  Liked the same music.”  Byers shrugged.  “Things
like that.  I really enjoyed her company – I like to think she enjoyed
mine.”

“So you seduced her?”  Mulder queried tightly.

A surprised laugh escaped Byers.  “Oh right.  That’s what happened.  I’m
such an expert when it comes to women, I just turned on the charm and
she couldn’t resist.  Wait’ll I tell Frohike and Langly that one.  I’ve
never been cast as a Lothario before.”  He seemed genuinely amused.

“What really happened is that we just got closer.  We were both in a
lonely place in our lives.  The sporadic communications I usually
received from Susanne had stopped – I was worried – didn’t know what to
think.  And Scully was just torn up.  It wasn’t a great romance or
anything.  We both were emotionally invested in other people.  It was
just something that happened.”

Swallowing his bile, Mulder, stirred his bones and forced himself to
look at Byers.  The other man was now staring out the passenger window.
“So it ended when she met Vega?”

Byers shrugged.  “More or less.  It had pretty much run its natural
course by then.  We’ve remained good friends, cliché as that sounds.”

“How’d she meet Vega, anyway?”

“Someone she works with she had gotten friendly with.  Rita, in
Purchasing?  Maybe Benefits.  Anyways, she’s known him for years.  Rita,
I mean.  She and Leo are both from Chicago.  Grew up together.”

Mulder chewed on the inside of his cheek.  “So what else aren’t you
telling me?”

Byers reached toward the handle of the car door.  “I’ve got to go,
Mulder.  Anything else you need to know, you’ll have to ask Scully
herself.”

********************

It was a warm night for October.  So warm that Mulder was sweating even
though he had shed his leather jacket some time before.  It now lay on
the floor on the passenger side, along with the wrapper from a Mars
bar.  Mulder slouched down in the front seat of his car wishing he dared
to get out and stretch his legs.  Idly, he placed another sunflower seed
on his tongue, carefully sucking off the salt before cracking the hull
with his teeth.

He had been hoping they would have made an appearance by now, but the
evening wore on, and there was still no sign of either Scully or Vega.
Mulder fiddled with the radio, changing from classic rock to basketball
to a talk show about gardening.  Anything to occupy his mind for a bit.

A light flickered out on the second floor of the building he was
watching.  Vega’s apartment.  Mulder sunk down as low as possible
without obscuring his line of sight to the door of the building.
Moments later, Vega and Scully came out.  Mulder was surprised to see
Scully wearing a light, almost summery dress, a sweater thrown casually
over her shoulders.  Mulder twisted in his seat, straining his neck.

They walked down the street towards the business section of the
neighborhood.  After they had gone almost a block, he slid out of the
car, closed the door softly and followed.  He trotted after them,
drawing close enough to note Vega’s easy walk and straight carriage.
While not a big man, he looked young and fit.  His biceps filled out the
sleeves of his t-shirt.  There was no doubt in Mulder’s mind that if
Vega wanted to do some damage to another human being that he could do it
relatively easily.  Especially if that someone was three quarters his
size.

Impatiently, Mulder watched them stroll across the sidewalk,
occasionally stopping to peer into a storefront window, touching hands,
bumping shoulders.  A warm wind stirred, blowing Scully’s dress back in
a gauzy billow.  They stopped at small café.  Leo pulled the door open
and escorted Scully inside.

Mulder jogged across the street and scrutinized the restaurant.  A green
and white striped awning with black lettering proclaimed “The Venice”.
Squinting, he could just make out two figures moving away from the entry
way and into the main seating area of the café.  If he left now, he
would probably have forty five minutes, maybe an hour even if they were
just having coffee or a drink.  He turned back and trotted off in the
direction of Vega’s apartment.

cont'd in part five