Title:  Imperfect Penance

Author:  mimic117

Email:  mimic117@yahoo.com

Category:  A, vignette, challenge

Rating:  G, but not the fluffy kind

Spoilers:  Pine Bluff Variant

Summary:  A penitent man.

Archive:  Yah sure you betcha.

Disclaimer:  I have to admit, CC and Co did a splendid job with 

the episode, so I'm willing to give them credit where credit is 

due.  Just don't get me started on Seasons 8 and 9.

Author's Thanks:  To Sybil for once again tickling my muse.  

You naughty thing...  Written for the Haven "Speak To Me, 

Baby" 310 Word Challenge, May 2003.

Feedback:  Is printed out, fawned over and stroked to tatters at 

mimic117@yahoo.com

You can visit all my fics at the little house that XochiLuvr 

built.  surfacing.com/mimic117/

Your depravity levels may vary.

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Imperfect Penance

by mimic117

I didn't want to keep her in the dark.  I swear to you, I would 

have told her everything because I know she worries about me.  

But Skinner and the goon from the CIA said I couldn't bring 

Scully into it in any way, shape or form.  I wasn't *allowed* to 

tell her, for my sake as well as her own.  

It's a dangerous assignment, I won't kid you about that.  I knew 

what I was getting into from the start, although I wasn't happy 

about going in without backup.  Still, Skinner was right.  I 

couldn't risk the operation just because I feel naked without her 

next to me.  But she found out anyway.  Wish I could have 

seen her worming the details out of Skinner.  

You know, I'm such a selfish bastard, I'm glad she's here.  The 

gut-twisting fear isn't as hard to control when she touches 

me.  Even though my finger hurts like hell with her yanking it

around like that.  

Scully still hasn't said one word of reproach because I didn't 

tell her.  She doesn't have to.  You can see how upset she is by 

the way she purses her lips as she concentrates on getting my 

bones back where they belong.  

I'll try to make it up to her as soon as this whole operation is 

over.  If I'm alive, that is.  I'm on shaky ground with Haley 

right now.  One misstep and I could end up a new victim of their 

biotoxin.  A very nasty way to die, don't you think?  I'd hate 

for Scully to find me like that.  

I'm going to concentrate on getting myself through this 

assignment in one piece and then work on earning her 

forgiveness.  The pain in my finger is just a small down-

payment toward my atonement.  For now, it'll have to be 

enough for both of us.

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THE END

Feedback:  mimic117@yahoo.com

Homepage:  surfacing.com/mimic117/