This story is based on the characters and situations created by 
Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen Productions. Used without permission 
and no infringment of copyrights are intended.


			  The Hero
	      By. Michele Blankenship(Phenyx@AOL.com)

    Dana Scully tapped impatiently on the sterring wheel of the car as she 
waiting for the traffic light to turn green.  She had finished teaching 
her last class of the day although it was not yet noon.  She supposed that 
was one of the few perks to being back at Quantico :  she did get her 
Friday afternoons off.
    This afternoon, she wanted to spend some time with her ex-partner 
Fox Mulder.  She hadn't actually seen Mulder in over two weeks, but she 
had talked to him on the phone.  When she had called him yesterday he had 
sounded really strange.  She had tried to call him again last night and 
had only succeeded in reaching his answering machine.  Scully hated to 
admit it but she was worried.  It seemed to her as though she worried alot 
nowadays.
    Not that she didn't have good reason to worry.  After the X-files 
department had been broken up,  she had been reassigned to Quantico to 
teach.  Mulder had been reassigned to the Surveillance division.  Mulder 
had been having a rough time in surveillance, Scully had known that much.
However, she hadn't realized exactly how bad things had gotten for him 
until two weeks ago.
    No one in the department had even given Mulder a chance.  They had 
started calling him "Spooky" before he had even reported for duty.  From 
what Scully had been able to find out,  the other agents had spent weeks 
giving Mulder a hard time.  She had seen others treat Mulder that way 
before and she had seen him handle it in his usual off hand way.  But to 
have to listen to that constant ribbing and degredation day after day, 
for weeks on end had taken its toll on Mulder.  Until finally, two weeks 
ago, some idiot had said just the wrong thing.  Scully wasn't sure what 
the other man had said exactly, but it must have been pretty bad.  Mulder's 
reaction had been to pop the other agent a good right to the chin.  The 
other agent had been knocked cold.
    Skinner had exactly what he'd been waiting for, of course.  Mulder 
had been suspended amazingly fast.  The official word was that he'd been 
suspended for an "indefinite amount of time" for "disciplinary action".
    Mulder had not taken the news well.  He was still stressed out from 
the fiasco with the strange bacteria and the death of his 'friend'.  
During the past two weeks he had seemed to simply give up.
    Scully was determined that she would change his attitude today.  
By the time she reached his apartment and knocked on the door she had 
convinced herself that he would be his old self again in no time.
    When Mulder answered the door a few minutes later,  Scully thought 
that her self-appointed job may be a little harder than she had first 
thought.  Mulder was wearing a sleeveless sweat shirt and sweat pants.
He had obviously not shaved for several days.  He had deep circles under 
his eyes and looked as though he hadn't slept for a week.
    Mulder blinked at her stupidly for a moment before registering who 
she was.
    "Scully ? What are you doing here?"
    " I came to see you, Mulder.  I...I've been worried about you."  
she admitted as she brushed past him and into the apartment.
    There was one lamp next to the couch that was lit.  Still, the place 
was terribly dark.  There were shades and curtains pulled across all the 
windows.  The television was on ,of course,  and the floor was littered 
with nearly empty pizza boxes.
    " Oh good grief, Mulder." Scully didn't bother to hide her frustration 
as she angrily began to open the curtains.
    "What? " he whined, shading his eyes from the sudden sunlight.
    Scully stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.
She wasn't sure if she should yell or  cry.  She chose instead to just 
glare at Mulder.
    Mulder walked past her and flopped down on a mass of clutter that 
Scully knew was actually a couch.
    " I know, I know." he replied although she hadn't said anything else.
He leaned his head back against the wall, pressing the palms of his hands 
to his eyes, and sighed loudly.
    For several minutes,  there was only silence between them.  Finally 
Scully just couldn't take it any longer.
    "Are you going to let them do this to you?" she exploded angrily.
" I've never known you to give up, Mulder. Never."
    Mulder's shoulders slumped. " I'm just so tired of fighting, Dana.
I'm tired of chasing answers that I'll never find.  Tired of getting so 
close to the truth, only to have it yanked away from me.  I'm tired of 
listening to people whisper behind my back and giving me odd looks.
I'm just...tired."
    "Listen Mulder," Scully crossed the room and sat down next to him.
" You're just burnt out. You've been going non-stop for months.  When is 
the last time you had an honest to God vacation?  For pete's sake, look 
what you've been through in the past several months.  It's no wonder 
you're so fed up.  You really need a break."
    "Yeah, well now I'm getting one. Whether I want it or not." the 
bitterness in his voice was palpable.
    "You need a vacation, Mulder.  Not this terrible bout of depression 
and self-pity you've thrown yourself into."
    Mulder raked a hand through his hair and replied, "Well then what do 
you suggest I do on this *vacation*?"
    "Well, " she said with enthusiasm, " first thing your going to do is 
take a shower.  You really are a mess." 
    She stood up and when Mulder didn't make any move, she grabbed his hand 
and pulled him up too.
    "Then I shall take you out for a decent meal." she added, pointing him 
toward the bathroom.
    "Yes, Mother." Mulder grumbled.
    For a moment they simply stood and stared at each other.
    Scully then pointed towards the bathroom and said, " Are you going to 
take that shower or do I need to bathe you myself ?"
    Mulder smiled at that remark. " Would you really?" he teased.
    "Yep," she smiled back. "With a hose and a scrub brush."
    " Oooo," he grinned devilishly. " and surgical gloves? Could you 
use surgical gloves?"
    Scully suddenly grabbed a magazine from the floor and flung it at his 
head. " You are sick , Mulder. Do you know that?"
    He responded with a laugh that echoed to her from the hallway.  A few 
minutes later,  she heard the sound of water running.
    When Mulder reappeared, he looked much better.  His hair was still wet 
but it had at least been combed.  He was wearing a clean T -shirt and faded 
blue jeans. He had even made a half-hearted attempt to shave.
    "We aren't going any where fancy I hope." he said.
    Scully smiled, " I thought we could go to that little diner a few 
blocks over."
    Mulder shrugged.  She could see that he didn't really care where they 
went.  She could see it in his eyes.  He hadn't really cheered up any, 
but he was trying, for her sake. 
    They left the apartment and walked out to the street.  It was a 
gorgeous day. The sun was shining brightly but it wasn't too hot.  It was 
one of those glorious autumn days that made winter seem like a dream that 
would never come.
    Without saying a word they began to walk the six blocks to the diner.
The silence between them was a comfortable one.  Scully wondered to herself,
'how long has it been since I enjoyed a nice day ?'  She looked at Mulder 
and wondered what he was thinking.  He was looking at the ground as he 
walked and didn't seem to notice the day.
    Scully sighed to herself.  Mulder could be so damned stubborn.  Of 
course, His determination WAS one of the things she admired about him.
However, when the same trait got on her nerves she called it stubborness.
She couldn't blame Mulder really, he had some good reasons for getting 
depressed.  But she was not about to let him stay that way.
    She was still trying to form a plan when they turned a corner and 
bumped into a wall of people. The crowd was formed on just one side of 
the street.  The road itself had been cordoned off and there were dozens 
of vehicles parked in the middle of the street.
    There were police cruisers,  SWAT team vans, TV news crews and a few 
unmarked cars that Scully recognized as FBI vehicles.  
    "What's going on?" Mulder asked an onlooker.
    A young blonde man replied " The bank was being robbed.  It backfired.
Now the guy has a gun and hostages."
    Scully and Mulder exchanged a glance."We should offer to help." 
Mulder said.
    They made there way through the crowd toward a man in a suit who seemed 
to be in charge. When they got to a barricade, a police officer stopped them.
    "Stay behind the barricade please." she said impatiently.
    Scully showed her identification to the woman and replied tersely,
"Agents Scully and Mulder, FBI."
    The officer allowed them to continue without any further objections.
    Scully repeated the statement with her identification when they reached 
their goal.
    The agent in charge greeted them with a nod. " Agent Langley " he 
introduced himself. " We can use all the help we can get."
    Suddenly shots began coming from the bank.  The crowd on the opposite 
sidewalk scattered.  Camera crews and news reporters ducked behind their 
vans.
    " This guy is a real nut." Agent Langley said.  The three of them had 
crouched down behind a police cruiser.  " He's been robbing banks across 
three states and he's left bodies in each one.  I've been chasing him for 
months. "
    "Has he made any demands?" Mulder asked.
    "Yeah, he wants a car parked in front of the bank.  Then he'll come 
out with a hostage or two.  They'll be under a blanket so we can't get a 
clean shot at him.  He'll get in the car and drive off.  When we catch up 
to the car, the hostage will be dead and he'll be gone.  Trust me, I know 
this scenario."
    "How does he get away?" Scully asked.
    "If I knew that we wouldn't have the situation repeating itself now 
would we?" Langley said angrily.
    "We can't give him a car then. " Mulder said.
    "It's too late" Agent Langley said with disgust."The local authorities 
are already getting him one."
    "We have to do something." Scully said desperately.
    "They won't listen!" Langley smashed a fist against his thigh in 
frustration.
    Scully glanced at Mulder.  He was looking at the other agent with an 
understanding look of sorrow.  How many times had she heard Mulder say 
those same words? 
    Suddenly a car pulled up in front of the bank. A police officer 
stepped out of the car, leaving the engine running.  Scully's heart thumped 
painfully in her chest, she was completely engrossed in the scene unfolding 
before her.
    After a few minutes, a figure hidden under a green blanket emerged from 
the bank.  There were two pairs of legs visible beneath the blanket.
One pair of legs was covered in khaki pants and military boots.  The 
other was clad in nylons, no shoes at all.  The gunman and the hostage 
began to make their way toward the car.
    Scully's mind was reeling.  She had to think of something.  She turned 
to ask Mulder for ideas, only then realizing that he was no longer there.
Panic suddenly welled up inside her.  She frantically scanned the crowd 
behind her, knowing that she would not find him.  When she looked back 
toward the bank, she saw Mulder creeping around the corner of the building.
    "Oh God ,Mulder." she whispered.
    "What is that idiot doing." Langley exclaimed.
    Mulder was now in front of the bank, easing his way across the large 
window that bore the institution's name.  When he was directly behind the 
gunman,  he began to creep forward.  The crowd was silent,  Scully assumed 
that they were all holding their breath too.
    When Mulder was right behind his target,  he reached up and yanked 
the blanket away and at the same time, gave the girl a violent shove. As 
a result, the hostage fell to the ground and the gunman whirled around and 
fired at Mulder.  
    Scully didn't hear the screams from the crowd as the police fired on 
the suspect.  She heard only the one shot as a bullet tore into Mulder.
To her, the next few moments stretched into an eternity.  The round caught 
Mulder in the chest.  Some scientific part of Scully's mind registered that 
the impact did not occur near the heart.  It was too far to the right for 
that.  His right lung was torn up, of that she had no doubt.  The round 
may have shattered a rib or two as well.   Mulder's body was thrown backward 
by the impact of the bullet, forcing him through the plate glass window 
of the bank.  The glass falling to the ground made a strangely ominous 
sound.  Mulder landed inside the bank on his back.
    The street was still echoing with gunshots when Scully began to run 
toward her fallen partner.  
    " Ohpleaseohgodohpleaseohgodohplease" she prayed as she bolted across 
the street.
    As she reached the bank, she saw that Mulder was moving.  He was 
moving his legs as though he were trying to walk away.  
    Relief flooded through Scully.  He was still alive.  She stepped through 
the broken window to help him.
    "God Mulder," she began.
    However, when she knelt beside him, she got a better look at him and 
realized that the situation was not good.  She immediately covered the 
wound with both hands in order to apply pressure and stop the flow of blood.  
Blood already soaked the front of Mulder's shirt.  She was forced to 
practically kneel on top of him.
    Scully looked into Mulder's eyes and saw his hazel irises rolling 
around like a couple of marbles.  He was in deep shock.  Scully suddenly 
saw more blood pooling on the floor beneath him. She belatedly realized 
that the bullet had gone completely through Mulder's body.  The wound in 
his back was going to be worse than the one in his chest.
    Mulder was still thrashing weakly.  He moaned.  
    * Why can't you just pass out?* she thought. * This would be easier 
on you if you were totally unconscious*
    Scully became aware that someone was screaming for help.  A moment 
later she realized that it was her own voice doing the screaming.
    A paramedic crew had been standing by during the hostage crisis and 
yet it seemed forever before they actually arrived at Scully's side.
    Mulder's body suddenly contorted, nearly throwing Scully off balance.
He took a great gasping breath and started to choke.  
    Scully was pushed aside as the paramedics frantically began to work 
on Mulder.
    "His lung's collapsed."  Scully heard one paramedic say as she was 
led aside by another medical technician.
    The young woman with Scully began to ask her questions.
    "Do you know this man? How old is he?" she asked.
    "Um.. yes. Thirty-three." Scully tried to focus on the question rather 
than the sounds of Mulder's pitiful attempts to get air.
    "Is he allergic to any medications?"
    "No.  Nothing I'm aware of."
    "Does he have any diseases that may complicate his condition? Diabetes 
or anything?"
    "No."
    The questions had continued even after Mulder had been put in the 
ambulance and carried away.  Scully knew that the questioning was only 
meant to keep her out of the way. She hadn't been allowed to ride in the 
ambulance for the same reason.  These were good indications that Mulder's 
condition was very, very bad. 
    She had been driven to the hospital by a police cruiser and left alone 
in the waiting room while Mulder was rushed into surgery.  She sat there 
for several hours, trying to look through some magazines although she had 
no idea what she was reading.  She had turned the small television on in 
order to find some diversion.  However, every available channel was showing 
news bulletins about the bank robbery.  The camera crews had gotten a 
graffic shot of Mulder being blasted through the window and were playing it 
over and over again.  Scully had quickly turned the set off.
    A short time later, a young police officer came in and warned her that 
the press were swarming all over the hospital.  She needed to be careful 
about who she talked to if she didn't want to be on the news herself.
    As a result, Scully just stayed were she was and waited. It annoyed her 
that there was no one else waiting with her.  Mulder's a good person, she 
thought to herself.  Why was she the only one who cared about him?  There 
was no one she could call.  The "in case of emergency " information in his 
personel file was blank. She had known that for ages.  But this time,
Mulder's predicament was all over the news. Anyone out there who cared 
about him should have been trying to contact her.  She'd given the hospital 
personnel instructions to let her talk with anyone who called claiming to 
be a friend or relative.  There had been no phone calls. 
    Scully was forced to admit to herself that although she knew Mulder's 
personality better that anyone, she actually knew very little about 
his life.  They were friends but she had made very sure that the friendship 
stayed business like.  Neither one of them talked about their personal life 
very often.  Scully silently promised herself to remedy that problem... 
if she got the chance.
    Two days later, Scully sat in Mulder's hospital room reading the 
newspaper.  Mulder was sleeping.  Scully wasn't sure if the sleep was drug 
induced or just recooperative. Probably a little of both.  The doctors 
had operated on him for nearly five hours,  repairing the torn lung and 
removing fragments of broken bone.  The bullet had nearly shattered a rib 
and the surgeons had meticulously reconstructed what they could. The rest 
of the missing rib had been replaced by artificial means.
    All in all,  Mulder had been damn lucky.  In a few weeks, he'd be up 
and around again.  The doctors had assured her that within a few months,
the only physical reminder of the incident would be a few nasty scars.
    Scully smiled at the sleeping figure.  He was always lucky that way.
She was sure that if she mentioned his "luck" he would tell her she was nuts.  
He only saw the trouble he was always getting into.  He never realized that 
his luck kept getting him back out as well.
    Scully was almost finished with the crossword puzzle when Mulder 
finally woke up.
    "Hi" she said putting aside her paper.
    "Hi, yourself " he smiled weakly. "What are you doing here again today?"
    Scully patted his arm gently." I was here yesterday, Mulder.  You've 
slept straight through to Sunday."
    "I did not." he whined. "Stupid nurses kept coming in and waking me.
I just lost track of time is all."
    As he tried,painfully, to sit up, Scully helped prop up his pillows for 
a more comfortable position. When she was done, she sat on the bed next to 
him rather than go back to the chair.
    " Guess what?" Mulder asked. " I get real food today."
    "Really?"
    "Well... just some soup. But it's better than nothing."
    "Don't complain, Mulder." Scully teased " You've had the best 
intravienous nutrients in the state.  I just don't think i.v.s come in 
sunflower seed flavors."
    Mulder smiled.  He was still a little pale but Scully could see that 
there had been a marked improvement in his condition since yesterday.  She 
didn't need to worry about him anymore.  He was going to be just fine.
    Mulder must have read the expression on her face.  He took her hand in 
his and said " I'm glad that you were here.  I know that if things hadn't 
worked out you would've...taken care of everything.  That means alot to me."
    Dana was suddenly angry. " Damn it Mulder! YOU mean alot to me.  This 
has got to be one of the stupidest things you've ever done.  You could have 
been killed. "
    "I know." he admitted.
    A shocked look came over Scully's face " You didn't do this on 
purpose, did you?"
    "Was I *trying* to get myself killed ,you mean?" Mulder shrugged.
"Not consciously no."
    "Well." Dana replied. "Consciously or not. Try to be a bit more careful 
will you? If you go and get yourself killed, I'm going to lose my 
best friend and I'll be forced to hate you for the rest of my life."
    Mulder grinned devilishly."In that case, I'll have to come back and 
haunt you, ya know."
    "Haunted for the rest of my life by Spooky Mulder...Now there's a 
truly frightening thought."
    Mulder's laugh turned into a short coughing spell.  Scully was trying 
to pat him on the unbandaged side of his back,  when the door opened and 
Skinner walked in.  Scully felt Mulder tense immediately.  The coughing 
spell quickly subsided as Skinner came to the end of the bed and stopped.
    Scully stepped forward protectively and asked "What do you 
want, Skinner?"
    "Easy Dana." She heard Mulder say.  She stepped back to Mulder's 
side again and glared at the unwanted visitor.
    Skinner glance warily at Scully, then said to Mulder, "Can we talk 
privately?"
    "NO." Dana answered forcefully.
    Mulder saw the determination in her face. "I guess not." he shrugged.
    After a few moments of silence, Skinner sighed. "I hear that your 
going to be talking to the press tomorrow afternoon."
    "Yeah.  It seems that I've become a real popular guy, lately."
    "Cut the crap, Mulder.  You've become a media hero and you know it."
    Scully glanced briefly at Mulder.  She had been carefully shielding 
Mulder from the press and the huge media blitz that had resulted from the 
bank incident.  Mudler probably had no idea that he had become the media 
hero of the week.  
    Mulder covered any confusion he may have had. "So what's your point,
Skinner." he asked.
    "I want to know what you plan on saying."
    "You hypocrit."Dana exploded."How dare you waltz in here like this, treat 
Mulder this way and then have the nerve to worry about what he'll say!!"
    "Dana." Mulder cautioned.  "He has cause for concern."
    Scully fumed, but she kept quiet.
    Mulder turned back to Skinner. " You see Dana, Skinner has no idea what 
kind of nonsense I may reveal to the press.  After all, I am a disgruntled 
agent who's recently been suspended.  I could start blathering about 
government cover ups and illegal movements by our own people."
    Skinner seemed to fidget. "No one will believe you, Agent Mulder.
We will deny everything."
    "Yes." Mulder said cautiously." But you can't afford to have the media 
digging around in your garbage."  Mulder smiled.  He had Skinner over a 
barrel and both men knew it. "I could really give some young reporter one 
hell of an exclusive."
    "If you do,Mulder " Skinner threatened."Your life won't be worth much."
    "My life isn't worth much right now anyway." Mulder said confidently.
"If I'm going to go down I may as well take a few of you with me."
    Skinner walked over to the window and stared sightlessly at the street 
below. "I'll reinstate you immediately, of course." Skinner said finally.
    "I want the X-files back." Mulder demanded.
    Skinner turned to face them again. "That's not my decision, Mulder.
You know that."
    "But my chances would be better if you were backing me."
    "I'll see what I can do, Mulder. No promises." Skinner turned to leave.
"Enjoy your thirty seconds of fame, Agent Mulder.  But remember, the press 
will tire of you very quickly and then you'll have to answer for everything.
Understood?" Skinner then left without another word.
    Scully and Mulder let out a collective sigh.  When Scully looked at 
Mulder she could see that the encounter with Skinner had taken a lot out of 
him.  He was very pale again and was grimacing in pain.
    "I'll get the nurse." she said.
    Several minutes later,  Mulder was laying down.  His bandages had been 
changed, his vital signs had been taken and recorded.  He had also been 
sufficiently drugged again.
    "Scully?" He asked groggily.
    "I'm still here." she stood next to his bed.
    "What was Skinner talking about? Thirty seconds of fame?"
    Scully smiled. " The media has made you into a hero, Mulder.
The dashing FBI agent who even when off-duty, was willing to risk his life 
in order to make this a better place to live."  She told him dramatically.
    "Hmmm." he moaned. "They don't know me very well do they?"
    Scully laughed as Mulder drifted back into sleep.
    *******************************************************************      

    This story is based on the characters and situations created by 
Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen Productions. Used without permission and no
infringment of copyrights are intended.