:: Les dames de la Vieux Carré ::Chapter Thirteen Skinner closed his cell phone and turned back to face Dana, standing by the bed in his room putting the phone receiver back down. They had just gotten in and were both exhausted – and sweaty and hungry. Dana smiled, "They weren’t real happy about it, but are going to try and rustle something up for us. They say it would be about 45 minutes." She quirked her eyebrow up at him. "That would be just enough time for a shower." Breathing deeply, Skinner sighed. "A shower. A shower with you Agent Scully and I could almost feel human again." She reached out and took him by the hand and together they walked into his bathroom. Dana stopped and stared. "Hey! You’ve got a claw-foot tub! I only got a crummy hotel tub and shower. How’d you rate this?" The deep rumbling laugh touched her like it always did. "When did I have a chance to pay attention to the bathroom fixtures, Dana? Besides, it’s late and the food will be here and I think we should just shower." She glared back at him and then grinned before turning back to start the water filling the tub. "Well, I think I can take a nice long soak here, you can go and shower in my room if you like and then you can let the guy in when he comes with the food." She turned around and straightened to see his arms folded across his rumpled shirt with his best AD, what-the-hell-are-you-thinking face on. She locked her eyes on his and began to shed her soiled clothes. The tee was hastily tossed behind him, hooking neatly on the doorknob. Her slacks pooled around her bare feet and she kicked them behind her. Her lascivious grin caused him to gulp but he kept his eyes level with hers, refusing to gaze upon her body, though when she reached behind and unhooked the bra, freeing her breasts, she swore his eyes flickered for a moment. As she turned and bent over to turn off the water she wiggled her ass at him and she heard him groan. "Christ, Dana, you are going to be the death of me yet." She looked back over her shoulder and smugly replied. "Yeah, but what a way to go." She looked around the bathroom and sighed. "Men! So damn pedestrian." "What?" "Bath salts? Bubble bath? Shampoo?" "Have I ever impressed you as someone who needed any of those things, Agent Scully?" She pushed past him, muttering. "I’ve got some in my kit. The water is getting cold." By the time she returned to the tub, Skinner had quickly stripped and she found him lounging in the tub, pretty much as she knew he would be. She stood by the tub and looked down at him, sprawled comfortably, his head leaning back against the cool porcelain. She opened the bottle of sandalwood bath salts he had gotten her one Saturday when then had been able to just shop and stroll and be together and poured some into the water. "Comfy?" "Ummmmmmm." "You gonna go to sleep on me?" She asked as she slid the last article of clothing down her legs. She saw the deep brown iris flit behind eyelashes. "Ummmmmmmm." He reached up and held out his hand and she stepped into the tub and knelt between his legs. He pulled her to recline on his chest and she nestled there allowing his hands to play up and down her torso, gently bringing water up to smooth down her back on each up stroke. Her sigh was long and contented. "He’s going to be okay." His chuckle tickled her breasts as his chest heaved. "Yeah, but just until I kick his butt." She raised her head and kissed his chin. "Well, at least he was able to keep Lieutenant Morris from killing Commander Rabb." Walter met her lips in a light fleeting kiss. "Just barely. While you were checking Mulder’s chart, I talked briefly with Rabb’s doctor. Besides the dehydration they both were suffering from, Rabb had lost a lot of blood. Mulder couldn’t keep the tourniquet on constantly, or he would have lost the leg. There’s a real nasty infection but they’re pretty sure that they caught it in time. He is going to be out of commission for quite awhile. I guess they want to get him up to Walter Reed as soon as possible." Dana pushed off his chest, causing him to "ooph." She reached up to the shelf next to the tub and grabbed the small tube of bath gel and the shower scrunch she had brought back from her room. She squeezed a little on the rough fabric and bent forward and began to wash his chest, working more and more bubbles up in his chest hair. He groaned at the sensation as she began to trail her free hand down his chest, gently tracing each scar there. She scooted back as far as the faucet would allow and brought the material to caress and tease first one leg and then another, bending and stretching each and working the lather up and down his calves and thighs, always missing his groin area. When she was done she firmly placed each ankle over the edge of the tub so that he was spread before her. Casually hanging the netting from the shower handle, she rubbed some of the bath gel into her palms and set to work. Softly caressing his still flaccid penis, she concentrated on cleaning it and his testicles thoroughly. She was beginning to think that he really was too tired when she finally elicited a faint but positive response. She started to massage more deliberately, when he suddenly sat up and grabbed her and kissed her long and hard. He broke the kiss and growled. "Your turn, agent." He flipped her around, the water splashing over the side of the tub until her back was against his chest, her bottom firmly pressed against his growing erection. He reached around and grabbed the silly little puff in his huge hands, lathered it back up and began to rub it along her collarbone. Pushing her forward for just a moment he quickly soaped more of her back and then pulled her back against him and began his assault on her front, taking special care to soap and massage every inch of her firm breasts, producing a very focal response from her. "Oh God, yes. Walterrrrr," she purred. He whispered in her ear. "You like that do you, agent?" "Yes, sir. More, please." He rubbed down her belly and tickled her as he cleaned her navel. He leaned them both forward as he reached down her legs to clean them. He tracked back up her inner thighs, spreading them as far as the tub allowed and parted her folds and began to tease her with the material flicking it back and froth. She arched into his touch. "Yesss, oh yesssss." He lifted her slightly and bent her forward until his erection was poised at her core; she helped by grasping him and guiding him until he filled her completely. "Jesus, Dana. You feel so good. So hot." The movements were awkward, and more and more water splashed to the tile under the tub, but they finally found a rhythm and as he rocked up into her he began to squeeze and torment her nipples, rubbing them between his fingers. Dana rode him; gripping the sides of the tub to help her leverage up and down his thick shaft she felt the burn deep in her stomach. She gasped out. "Oh Walter, please. Oh, please harder, I need, I need…." He brought one hand down and found her swollen nub and rubbed hard and Dana cried out one last time, her contractions just what he needed to come with her. Dana fell forward resting her head against the faucet. He watched for a moment the expansion and contraction of her ribcage, each breath moving the ribs beneath her pale skin. In this position Walter couldn’t stay inside her as he liked. He leaned forward and laid his head on her back. "Not…too…bad…for…being…so…tired." Dana managed a laugh. "Pretty…damn…good…if…you…ask…me." He kissed her back and reached around and pulled the plug. As the water drained from the tub he pushed himself up and stood above her. "Come on love, now we can shower."
:: Chapter 14 ::The next morning, after quickly dressing, not even turning on the TV for the morning news, Skinner ran Dana out to the hospital before stopping off at the local lockup to check on Morris. When he got there, he knew something was wrong; detectives and uniforms were running toward the back of the building. He tucked his ID into his breast pocket and pushed his way past several cops. Assistant Police Chief Wilkins and Captain Luttrell were just coming up the stairs, neither looking like he had gotten any sleep. Luttrell spotted the FBI man and sighed. "She’s dead." Skinner growled. "How?" ".32 to the brain." Skinner roared. "How in the hell?" Just then two cops brought Special Agent in Charge Robins up the stairs in handcuffs. Skinner’s eyes grew wide. "You shot her?!" His voice was incredulous. Wilkins shook his head. "No, Mr. Skinner. But he is being arrested as an accessory. It was his gun that she used to kill herself." Cass and Chegwidden had made it back into town shortly after 2:00 AM. They had fallen into her bed and slept until years of routine woke him promptly at 6:00 AM. She had groaned and rolled over and promptly went back to sleep and he went down to his room to shower and change. He had snagged her key as he left and after going for a run down St. Anne he picked up beignets and two large cups of coffee from the Café du Monde and brought them back. He picked up a Times-Picayune on the way up, tucking it unread under his arm. He knocked gently before using the key to open the door. She was still sprawled out on the bed, her face buried, the sheet barely covering her panty-clad ass. He checked his watch and sighed. He wanted very much to wake her gently and lovingly, but he needed to get to the hospital. Instead, he set the coffee on the nightstand and sat next to her on the bed. He pushed the hair out of her eyes and gently shook her shoulder. "Cass. Cass, baby wake up." "Muff-muffle-go way." "Cass. Baby, I brought coffee. I brought beignets too, but I figured you don’t want any of them. So I’m just going to sit here and eat them and you can let your coffee…" He grinned as one eye opened and glared at him. She turned her head so her mouth was free of the pillow and ground out, "This is never going to work." He asked innocently. "What’s never going to work, dear?" She sat up slowly. "Us." "Us? Why?" "AJ. You are way too talkative in the morning. You brought coffee?" "Yeah. But if you want me to go..." "AJ! Give me the damn coffee. Turn on the TV and shut up!" He laughed outright and moved to sit back against the headboard, his sneakered feet crossed in front of him. He handed her the coffee cup, reached for the remote and plopped the paper open on his lap. Cass had just taken a first long gulp of coffee, when the newscaster came on. Even before Cass realized what the woman was saying she heard AJ curse. "Shit!" The perky blond intoned. "Early this morning, in the aftermath of a bizarre case, even for New Orleans, Lieutenant Jezzabel Morris was found dead in her jail cell. Police are not confirming, but our sources have indicated that the head of the local office of the FBI has been arrested in connection with case." Cass looked down at paper laying open. The headline read, "NOPD COP FOUND DEAD IN CELL." Together they stared at the television and then back at each other. Cass finally shuddered. "I have to get dressed and get down there." AJ considered before responding. "Why?" Cass’ eyes grew wide and started to sputter but then looked at him. "I don’t know, but I should." AJ took her hand in his. "Cass. What are you going to do there?" He pointed to the TV. "Look." She turned as the announcer continued. "In a live shot, you can see a man identified as FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner leaving the lockup." They watched as Skinner’s progress down the steps was halted by a mass of reporters crowding around him. Cass thought he looked as exhausted as she felt right now. Skinner raised his hand for quiet as the reporters shouted overlapping questions. He waited patiently for quiet and finally the last reporter realized that this man would not be bullied. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am prepared to make a brief statement. I will not answer any questions." Three reporters in back immediately started shouting out inane questions and Skinner merely stood very quietly and very still. After about a minute the other reporters turned on their colleagues who finally got the message. "I have been advised that Lieutenant Jezzabel Morris, who was in Federal custody but being held at the New Orleans lockup overnight, shot herself this morning at approximately 4:30 AM. We have viewed the security tapes and have determined that the wound was self-inflicted. New Orleans police have detained Special Agent in Charge Daniel Robins for questioning. The FBI will aid local authorities in any way possible." Skinner stepped into the sea of reporters pushing some none too gently out of his way. Cass sat back on the bed and then jumped back up. "I gotta get dressed and get down to the office. All hell will be breaking loose." She ran to the bathroom and AJ waited until he heard the shower running. He poked his head around the door and hollered over the sound. "I’ll meet you downstairs in 30 minutes." "Okay." An hour later, Cass looked around the bullpen of the field office. The local agents were all pretty much standing in a daze looking at each other and every time the phone rang, none of them wanted to answer it. She was glad that Chegwidden had elected to go to the hospital to check on Rabb. He had promised her he would check on Mulder, too. When another phone rang for the third time, Cass stepped forward. "FBI, Agent O’Malley." She glared at the other agents, a few of whom had the grace to blush. "Yes, ma’am. Just a moment." She put the caller on hold and called out. "Which one of you is Allenby?" A young GQ model stuttered out. "I’m here." O’Malley reached out the phone and he shrank back. "Damn it, Allenby. You workin’ a bank robbery in Baton Rouge?" Finally understanding that life went on, Allenby blushed and grabbed the phone. Reality sunk in the on the rest of the agents and they moved to their desks and began their daily work. Cass yawned, found an empty desk and began her report. She was hunched over the computer screen trying to figure out what to put in and what to leave out when Skinner found her an hour later. "Agent O’Malley, a word please." Cass followed him into Robins’ office and took the chair in front of the desk. Skinner started to sit down behind the desk, thought better of it and came back around and leaned against it, just to the side in front of her. "You’ve heard?" Cass nodded wearily. "What happened? How is Robins involved?" Skinner’s yawn started her at it again and for a moment, they both fought to shake the odd feeling of ennui they shared. "All we have to go on is what Robins is telling us. The security system down there is just rigged for visual – no audio. Robins claims that Morris threatened to tell prosecutors that he was involved in the voodoo ring we uncovered." "Is there any evidence to support that claim, sir?" Skinner shook his head. "No. And none of the men we questioned have confirmed it. The camera clearly shows him handing her his gun and then stepping away from the cell just before she put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger." "Christ!" Skinner nervously crossed and uncrossed his ankles before continuing. "O’Malley, I’ve got to ask. Can you shed any light on this?" Cass wearily shook her head. "No, Mr. Skinner. Not really. You see the last time I saw Morris was about 5 -- no 6 years ago in ’95. I was part of a task force on that bank robbery gang. You remember -- the one that fronted that religious right-wing gun-nut group. They hit three banks down in New Orleans and NOPD assigned Sergeant Morris as their liaison, she seemed fine – hard as nails and she bedded at least three members of the team, including my partner, but other than that…" Cass paused and then thought hard for a moment. "Holy shit!" Skinner stood and put his hands on his hips. "What!" "Robins!" "What about him?" Cass stood and paced. "Damn! I’m sure it was him." Skinner demanded. "O’Malley!" Cass spun on him. "Check it out. I’m sure Danny Robins was part of that team. Not the permanent group, though. I think he came up from Tallahassee to help when we thought we had them cornered." Skinner sighed and nodded. "Okay, O’Malley. I’ll check it out." He paused to study her. "You gonna be okay?" Cass smiled wearily. "Yeah, Skinner. You see my partner this morning?" Skinner sat back against the desk. He stretched his neck. "Yeah. He was suffering from dehydration. She never gave them anything to drink or eat. The doctors are keeping him for another day’s observation. He isn’t real happy about that. Agent Scully is handling that, but if you want, take off now and run over there and see him." Cass reached for the doorknob. "Thanks, sir, I will." "Oh, O’Malley. One last thing." Cass turned back and looked at him. "Yes, sir?" "I’m the only one allowed to kick his ass." "Damn." Cass walked down the hall with some trepidation. She clutched a goofy looking gorilla with a banana. She came up to the door of Mulder’s room and looked in. Mulder was asleep and Scully was sitting in the chair next to his bed, her head resting against the back, gently snoring. She stood at the end of the bed staring at her partner and whispered. "Damn it, Mulder, I can’t loose another partner." She was startled to hear him murmur. "I know, O’Malley. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Promise." She glared at his hangdog look, tossed the gorilla at him and was surprised that he caught it deftly with one hand. "Yeah, right." She walked up to the other side of his bed, where the IV drip slowly rehydrated him. She handed him a cup of water and he gratefully drank it down. "I guess I really scared you and Scully, right?" "Nah, we didn’t even know you were gone." She sighed. "You gonna tell me what happened out there?" "Yeah, Mulder, tell the story." Mulder and O’Malley looked over at the diminutive redhead who was now wide awake and staring intently at her former partner. Mulder ran his long fingers through his hair and thought back. "Well, we met Lieutenant Morris at the crime scene and neither of us noticed anything wrong with her. She was real helpful and she kinda came onto me, but she kept staring at Rabb off and on, like she recognized him or something. He was pretty oblivious to her though and just kept asking questions about his buddy, Lieutenant Roberts. Hey, is he going to be okay?" Scully yawned and nodded. "Yeah, I saw him right before I came up here. They are going to move him tomorrow." She looked at Cass. "Admiral Chegwidden is with him." Mulder noticed O’Malley’s blush and Scully’s grin and whined, "Hey you guys wanna hear this or not?" Scully smiled sweetly. "Sorry Mulder, please continue." Mulder huffed. "Well, anyway, she gave us very little information so I decided to check out this house in the Garden District that Frohike dug up, but it turned out to be a dead end." Scully interrupted. "Actually, I think he just got the address wrong. One of the people we arrested lived two doors down from the house you guys went to." Mulder beamed. "Oh yeah? We talked to the son who was pretty snotty about telling us anything, but I didn’t think he was lying. Just as we were leaving there, I get a call from Morris telling us to meet her at the Café du Monde around 1:00 AM. She said she had info and she didn’t have time to meet us until then. So me and Rabb visited some of the clubs and occult shops that Frohike had come up with." Cass cut in. "What about Lyrical Soulz?" Mulder thought for a minute. "Oh the jazz club? We never got there. Why?" It was Cass’ turn to smile sweetly. "The bartender and the bouncer were both part of the cult and they held meetings there after hours." Mulder stared at her in wonder. "Damn." Scully nudged him gently. "How did she get you out to the swamp, Mulder?" Mulder blushed. "When she met us for coffee, she told us that the cult was doing a snake ritual out in the swamp and she was on her way up there, and she would give us all the details later." Scully signed. "Well, I couldn’t let her go by herself could I? How was I supposed to know?" Mulder asked indignantly. "And Rabb, who was her real target, just went along for the ride. When we reached the homestead, we were both feeling kind of woozy and the only thing I can figure out is we both drank some bottled water that she gave us on the ride up there. It must have been drugged or something in it cause the next thing I know I wake up and Rabb is laying on top of me, both of us in shackles, and that fruitcake was laughing maniacally. I tell you ladies she is one sick puppy. I hope she never gets out of prison." Scully had just heard about Morris’ suicide. She looked at Cass before explaining to Mulder about Morris. Mulder sighed and lay back against his pillows. "Damn, Scully. The things she said. What that bastard must have done to her." He looked shyly over at his new partner. "She said some pretty weird things about you too, O’Malley. But she kept changing her story, kept getting confused. Do I look like your father?" O’Malley studied him closely, trying hard to superimpose a thirty year old image, but the only vivid memory of her father that she could dig up was the one of him lying in the bed that last day before he died, shriveled and curled up into a tiny, horrid ball. She whispered, "No, Mulder. I really don’t think you do." Just then a sharp rap sounded on the door of the private room and the three turned to see the Admiral, standing in the doorway in his dress blues. "Agent Mulder. I don’t know if you remember me." Mulder sat up straighter in his bed. "Yes, Admiral Chegwidden. The Josten case. The vampire…" "Uhm yes, well, I just stopped by to thank you." Mulder studied the imposing military man in front of him. "Sir? Thank me for what?" AJ stepped into the room and naturally gravitated toward Cass. "Commander Rabb was awake for a little bit. He told me how you tried to deflect Morris’ anger away from him." AJ coughed and Cass saw a pale blush start to creep up his neck. "Uhm. Commander Rabb told me what she wanted you to do to him and how you kept talking her out of it right up to the day she shot him. He said you were real good about working the tourniquet. The doctors say it probably saved his leg." Mulder blushed and looked away. "I’m sorry he was hurt, Admiral. Is he going to be okay?" AJ sighed. "The doctor’s say eventually, but he is going to need a lot of rehab." Mulder smiled and looked at Scully. "Hey. You think Frohike would want to move in with Rabb?" AJ looked at Cass, his eyebrow raised as far as it could go. Cass smiled, stood up, and patted her partner on the shoulder before walking up to Chegwidden. "Come on. Skinner still wants to have that meeting and I want something to eat. I’ll explain about Frohike on the way down." She turned back to Scully. "You comin’?" Scully looked down at Mulder and kissed him on top of his head before turning to leave with the others. "Yeah." The meeting had been longer than Skinner had hoped, but in the end jurisdictional problems were resolved, all the questions answered and everyone left the building that afternoon knowing they could spend the evening with family or at least get ready to make early morning flights back home. The bar was crowded and the quartet was good. The four of them sat at a small table just barely big enough for the small candle and four drinks. Cass sat next to Chegwidden and Scully sat comfortably next to Skinner, who was so close to her that he naturally had his arm resting on her shoulder. Skinner asked Chegwidden. "So, you leaving tomorrow?" Chegwidden sipped his scotch and nodded. "Yeah. I want to get back to the paperwork that has piled up on my desk before I have to appear before the Senate committee. I’ll accompany and the Roberts back. Rabb won’t be fit to be moved for another couple of days and I’ve given MacKenzie permission to stay with him. I think something might finally be resolved between the two of them." Scully noticed that O’Malley was humming happily to the quartet’s rendition of "Mood Indigo" and asked. "O’Malley, you heading out too?" O’Malley nodded. "Yeah. Mulder is being released tomorrow morning, too. I was able to get a flight out. I’ll drop him off at his apartment then go see if any of my plants survived." She considered for a second and then ventured. "What about you gu…what about you, Dana?" Dana smiled gently and looked up at Skinner. "Oh, I thought I’d take a couple of vacation days and see some of New Orleans that the tourists normally see." Skinner coughed and muttered. "I…uhm…I have to stay a few days and finalize the Bureau’s cooperation in Robins’ complicity with Morris’ death. That info you gave, by the way, was dead on. Robins finally admitted that he and Morris had been lovers off and on since they met on that task force. I not sure what they’ll do to him, but there’ll be some jail time and of course the Bureau will wash its hands of him." They all sat quietly for a moment as the quartet ended their song. There was a drum roll and Lady Soul came out from behind the curtains to stand before the mic. She smiled down at her old friend and winked at her before turning to the bass player and whispering something. The man shrugged said something to the other three and began a gentle intro. Walter Skinner, relishing the freedom he felt in the darkness of the club, nestled close to his lover. He noticed AJ slyly slip his arm around Cass O’Malley’s shoulder, and smiled. Lady stepped up to the mic again and whispered to the crowd. "This song is for a couple of friends who look like just maybe they have found out what this song is about."
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