This is part five of a nine-part post.  Author's Note and Disclaimer can 
be found at the beginning of part 1.  If there are problems with the 
posting (or comments on the story!) I'm at nvrgrim@aol.com.



A Notorious Affair (5/9)
by Nicole Perry
nvrgrim@aol.com
8/6/96



Mulder stood in Skinner's temporary office, listening intently to the 
discussion taking place.  The participants were Skinner, beads of sweat 
evident on his bald forehead, and a man who Mulder knew by sight  but not
by name.  In his own private thoughts, Mulder referred to him  as the
Smoking Man, since he never saw the man without a cigarette  in his
hand.  He was fairly sure that the Smoking Man outranked  Skinner, but in
what specific capacity he couldn't be sure.  

"I think we should consider this operation a wash," said the Smoking  Man,
taking another drag.  "We're not going to accomplish anything at  this
rate, and time is running out."

"I agree that progress has been slow," Skinner countered, "but an 
operation like this takes time to establish.  And we're just now getting 
to firm ground."

The Smoking Man exhaled.  "To be honest, Mr. Skinner, it surprises  me
that so little has been achieved.  I would have expected a woman of  that
sort --"

At that, Mulder entered the conversation.  "And what sort of woman is 
that, sir?"

"Oh, I don't think any of us have any illusions as to her character,"
the  Smoking Man replied.  "Have we, Mr. Mulder?"

Mulder could see Skinner cautioning him with his eyes, but his temper  had
already flared.  "Not at all, sir.  Not in the slightest.  Miss Scully  is
first, last and always not a lady.  She may be risking her life, but  when
it comes to being a lady, she doesn't hold a candle to your wife,"  he
finished, looking pointedly at the Smoking Man's wedding band as  he did
so.

"Mr. Mulder!"  Skinner glared at him.  "Your behavior is exceedingly 
inappropriate and grounds for immediate suspension.  Do you  understand
me?"

The Smoking Man remained curiously silent, and Mulder matched his  stare
before turning to face Skinner.     

"Consider my remarks withdrawn.  I apologize, sir."

At that moment, a knock on the door preceded the entrance of Mr. 
Skinner's aide.  "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir," said the young man, "but 
Miss Scully is here, looking for either you or Mr. Mulder.  She says
it's  urgent."

Mulder noticed that Skinner glanced at the Smoking Man before  replying. 
At his nod, Skinner said, "Very well.  Show her in."

A moment later, Dana entered, wearing a conservative plaid suit, her  hair
held back with a silver clip.  "I'm sorry to disturb you at the office, 
Mr. Skinner," she said by way of greeting.  "But it was a matter of  some
importance, and I couldn't reach Mr. Mulder."

"Not a problem," Skinner replied, offering her a chair which she 
graciously accepted.  "What is it, Miss Scully?"

"Well," Dana began, "I need some advice."  She looked up at Mulder,  and
it seemed as though her next words were intended specifically for  him. 
"Mr. Valenkov has asked me to marry him, right away."  She  paused for a
moment, and Mulder felt the full weight of her gaze.  "I  didn't know what
the department might think of such a step."

Mulder couldn't answer, and yet he couldn't look away.  He heard 
Skinner's voice as though coming from a distance.

"Are you willing to go that far for us?"

Dana glanced down at her hands, a flush blooming across her cheeks.  
"Yes, if you wish."

Skinner frowned, adjusting the position of his glasses on his face.  
"What do you think, Mulder?"

Mulder hesitated, unsure what to say.  "I... I suppose it could be a 
useful idea."  Dana looked up, and he caught a glimmer of surprise in  her
face.

Go ahead, thought Mulder, go ahead and play me for a fool.  You  won't get
any satisfaction from it.

"You know the situation better than any of us," Skinner acknowledged.  

Mulder took a step towards Dana, trying to keep his expression 
nonchalant.  "May I ask what inspired Mr. Valenkov to go this far?"

She met his gaze, but Mulder noticed that her lower lip was trembling.  
"He's in love with me," she answered softly.

"And he thinks you're in love with him?"  Dana could almost feel the 
venom in Mulder's accusation, but she refused to play into his anger, 
answering the question as truthfully as she could.

"Yes," she whispered, "that's what he thinks."

It was the man in the corner, the one with the cigarette in his hand,  who
spoke next.  "Well then, I guess that settles things."

A silence fell over the room, a silence that Dana waited desperately for 
Mulder to break.  Can't you tell, she thought, that I'm afraid to do
this?   Can't you tell that I need you to help me out of this mess?

But Mulder said nothing, and finally Dana was compelled to speak.   "Then,
it's alright?"

"Well, yes, I'd say so," Skinner declared.  "It's the perfect marriage
for  us, don't you think, Mulder?"

Dana turned her eyes back to Mulder.  He had plunged his hands into  the
pockets of his jacket, bunching up the neat lines of the suit.  "Yes,"  he
answered slowly, and Dana's heart sank. 

"But," Mulder continued, "it may delay us a bit."  Directing his 
attention towards her once more, he asked, "Mr. Valenkov is a very 
romantic man, isn't he?"

Dana couldn't bring herself to do more than nod.

"Then," commented Mulder in an even tone, "he'll be likely to take his 
bride away for a long honeymoon.  That could be quite a detriment to  our
investigation."

The man with the cigarette laughed, a dark, chilling sound.  "Oh, I  have
no doubts about Miss Scully's ability to get him back soon  enough, if
that's what we need."

Dana flushed with anger and embarrassment, dropping her eyes to her 
lap.  It wasn't until Mulder spoke that she dared to raise her head.

"Well then," Mulder drawled, "everything seems to be nicely arranged.   I
don't think you need me here anymore, do you Mr. Skinner?"  

For a brief instant, Dana managed to catch Mulder's attention, to hold 
his eyes with her own.  She pleaded with him silently to do something, 
anything, to change the circumstances.

If he received her silent message, he gave no indication of it.  Without 
waiting for a response from Skinner, Mulder headed out the door,  closing
it firmly behind him.



When Dana saw Mulder sitting on the bench in the park, it took all of  her
self-control not to break down in tears.  He looked so handsome  sitting
there, his hat perched rakishly on his head, his long legs  outstretched,
as he perused the newspaper.  It was her anticipation of  this moment, of
seeing him again, that had enabled her to survive the  ordeal of her
honeymoon.  Though she would never admit it to him,  the mere thought of
him gave her strength. 

"Hello, stranger," she said as she approached.

He looked up with a half-smile and made room on the bench.   "Welcome
back.  Lovely trip, I assume?"

She tried to smile back but it didn't quite work.  "It's nice to be
back,"  she confessed truthfully.

Mulder took a close look at her and suddenly Dana wished she was a  better
liar where he was concerned.  "You're doing alright," he said,  and she
heard the question in his statement.

"It's no fun, Mulder," she whispered, though she wasn't sure she  should.  

For a moment, it looked as though he was going to say something  sweet,
something to take her mind off her troubles.  There was a  warmth in his
eyes that she remembered from before, but it vanished  as soon as it
appeared.  "It's too late for that now, isn't it?"

The gentle mood between them blew away and Dana clenched her  teeth,
determined to return to the business at hand.  "I think I may  have found
something.  Now that I --" she paused a moment, trying to  force the words
out.  "Now that I'm staying in the house, I've had a  chance to do some
real looking around -- and I think I know where he  might be keeping the
papers."

"Where?"  Curiosity was evident in Mulder's face.  

"There's a room, upstairs.  It's a type of annex to his office, and it
has  some kind of fancy lock on it.  Not the kind that uses a regular key
--  I've never seen a lock quite like it."

"You've got to get in there," Mulder instructed, and Dana lost patience 
with him.

"I don't know how!"  She frowned in frustration.  "I'm no agent -- I 
don't know anything about breaking and entering."

Mulder removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair before  putting it
back on his head, an action which Dana found endearing.   "Where is this
room, exactly?"

"Upstairs, right next to..." She paused again, embarrassed for a reason 
she was hard pressed to name.  "Right next to our bedroom."

A series of mental images flew into his head and Mulder forced them  away
through sheer strength of will.  "Okay, then.  I'll break in, and  search
it.  You've just got to get me into the house."  He paused for a  moment,
weighing the possibilities.  An idea hit him, and he shared it.

"Tell dear Anton that you want to throw a party, and I'll come as a 
guest.  That'll give me the opportunity I need."

A stricken look crossed Dana's face, and when she spoke, her words  were
hushed.  "Anton isn't much interested in entertaining just yet."

More dark images flashed in Mulder's brain, and before he could help 
himself, he snarled, "Oh, I see.  The honeymoon isn't over, is that
it?"   Dana flushed, and he knew he should stop, but he couldn't. 
"Don't  underestimate your charms, my dear.  I'm sure you can convince
him."

"It won't be so easy about you," Dana replied casually, as though she  was
discussing the weather.  "He thinks... Anton thinks you're in love  with
me."    

Perceptive man, Mulder thought.  

"Well," he answered, never moving his eyes from hers, "tell him that if 
you invite me, and I come to the party and see how happily married  you
are, the horrid passion I have for you will be torn out of me  forever."

If his words affected her, Dana showed no sign of it.  With her  composure
completely intact, she remarked, "Sounds like a logical  plan to me."

Though it was the sort of answer he'd expected, Mulder couldn't help  but
feel disappointed in her response.  "Fine, then."  He stood up from  the
bench and offered her his hand as she stood beside him.  "I'll wait  for
my invitation.  Good day, Mrs. Valenkov."

"Good day, Mr. Mulder," Dana answered, moving off into the park as 
gracefully as she'd arrived.



It hadn't been nearly as easy to convince Valenkov as Mulder had 
intimated it would be, but at long last Dana had succeeded in  achieving
her goal.  The party had been the first hurdle -- Valenkov  had been
extremely reluctant to open their house to revelers. 

"Why don't we host a party at the club, darling," he had asked.  "That 
would be just as good a time, and a lot less hassle."

"But Anton," she had pleaded, "the house is so lovely, and I do so  want
to show it off.  Please, will you do this for me?"  She'd flashed  him her
most alluring smile, and it had finally done the trick.  

Getting Mulder on the guest list was quite another matter, and the 
resulting row had terrified Dana to the point where she had literally  run
out of the house.  

Valenkov had found her there, in the garden, and she had been afraid 
until she saw that most of his fury had dissipated.  "I'm sorry, my 
love," he had said.  "I don't mean to be so jealous."

"Then why do you act as you do?" she had asked, hands on her hips, 
masking her fear with trumped-up anger.  "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do, darling," Valenkov had replied, pulling her into his 
arms, stroking her hair as she did her best not to cringe.  "It has 
nothing to do with my not trusting you.  When you're as much in love  as I
am, any man who even looks at your woman is a menace."

"I understand," she had whispered, anxious to be free of his embrace.  

The hug finally ended, but before he released her completely,  Valenkov
had tilted her chin up to face him.  "*Do* you understand  me, Dana?  I
hope that you do."

Fortunately, that incident was now several days behind them, and with  the
house full of guests, Dana was doing her best to forget it.  She  walked
through the rooms arm in arm with Valenkov, the picture of  newlywed
happiness, searching the crowd more frantically for Mulder  with each
passing second.  The party had been in full swing for nearly  two hours
already, and she'd seen no sign of him.

"Darling?"  Valenkov's voice cut into her reverie, and she looked up to 
see that a man had joined them.  He wasn't quite as tall as Valenkov,  but
his bearded countenance was equally as formidable.  "I want to  introduce
you to Mr. Sergei Druyev.   Mr. Druyev, may I present my  wife, Dana."

"It is a pleasure," said Dana, offering her hand to the man, who raised 
it to his lips for a kiss.

"The pleasure is mine, madam," said Druyev, his eyes like steel as they 
bored into her own.  "I can easily understand why Anton has lost his 
heart to one as beautiful as you."

Valenkov turned to her, an apologetic look on his face.  "Darling, will 
you excuse me for just a moment?  I need to discuss a bit of business."

"Certainly, Anton," Dana answered, smiling at her husband as  lovingly as
she could manage.  "I'll be waiting for you."

With a nod of his head, Valenkov followed Druyev towards the bar,  and
Dana decided to make another circle of the main rooms before  checking in
the garden.  

As she made her way across the parlor, Dana noticed the front door  open
and someone enter the foyer.  She quickened her steps as the man  removed
his coat and she realized it was Mulder.  Her breath caught at  the sight
of his tall, lanky frame.  He was regally handsome in a black  tuxedo, his
hair impeccably styled with what she suspected must have  been a Herculean
effort.  Quelling the impulse to shout his name,  Dana headed towards the
foyer.



"May I take your coat, sir?"

"Certainly," Mulder replied, handing his overcoat to the butler.  He 
glanced around the foyer, noticing the posh elegance of the place,  struck
less by the decor than by the money it was so obvious Valenkov  had spent
to impress his new bride. 

"Mr. Mulder, welcome."  It was her voice, the same sweet alto that 
haunted his dreams, and Mulder's heart began to race as he turned  towards
the sound. 

Dana stood there, smiling at him, and she was so beautiful that Mulder 
felt as though his heart would break.  Her auburn hair was piled atop  her
head in a sophisticated upsweep that set off the strand of pearls  around
her neck.  The dress she wore was strapless, a black silk  number that
cascaded to the floor.  She wore a matching pair of black  silk gloves
that stopped a bit above her elbows, leaving her shoulders  and back
enticingly bare.  

"I'm so glad you could join us," she continued, and Mulder managed to 
snap himself out of his daze enough to reply.  

"Thank you for the invitation," he replied, taking her gently by the 
arm.  Bringing his mouth close to her ear, he whispered, "Is there 
someplace that we can talk?  Anton is watching."

Dana looked up and saw what Mulder had already noticed.  Valenkov  was
standing with a group of men on the far side of the parlor, his eyes 
fixed on Dana.

"He's a bit jealous," she replied, her voice low.  "But I can handle
him.   I think we'll be alright if we share a dance -- he can't object to
that.  It  is a party, after all."

"Right you are," Mulder answered.  In a more normal tone of voice, he 
asked, "May I have this dance, Mrs. Valenkov?"

She nodded, her eyes shining, and he escorted her into the ballroom.  



Though the dance floor was crowded, it might as well have been  empty, as
far as Dana was concerned.  Mulder was an excellent  dancer, better than
she would have expected, whirling her around the  floor with the practiced
steps of a professional.  It felt so good to be in  his strong arms, to
feel his hand against the small of her back as he  guided her through the
steps.  For a brief moment, she gave into  temptation and rested her head
against his chest, but the sensation was  so powerful it made her dizzy
and she quickly pulled away.

"You alright?" Mulder asked, twirling her in the opposite direction  this
time.

"Fine, just fine," she replied, unable to conceal her pleasure.

He smiled at her, and gazing up into his eyes, for a moment Dana  could
almost believe that things had never changed between them.   "Good," he
answered.  "I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

"Don't worry," she teased, returning the smile.  "I'll be sure and let
you  know if you do."



Although Mulder would have been more than content to spend the rest  of
the night -- not to mention the rest of his life -- dancing with Dana,  he
was all too aware that his welcome at the party had a finite time  span
attached to it.  He had a job to do, and he'd be a fool not to do it.

Still, it was intoxicating to be so near to her, to smell the heady
scent  of her perfume, to feel her silken hair brush against his chin as
he held  her close.   Mulder sighed, and forced himself to push pleasure
aside,  at least for the moment.

"Where's the room, Dana?" he asked, careful to keep his tone 
conversational.  

"Up the stairs," she murmured.  "Take a left, and then it's the third 
door on the right."

"Any reason to think old Anton will be coming upstairs?"

Dana shook her head.  "None at all -- but I'll keep an eye on him.  If  he
seems restless, I'll come up and find you."

"Okay then.  I'm going to head up there now.  If you don't see me  return
in twenty minutes, I've run up against a problem, and it'll be  your job
to distract him.  Understood?"

"Understood."  Dana offered him a little smile.  "Please, Mulder.  Be 
careful -- you don't know what he's capable of."

Something dark in her tone gave him pause and Mulder was tempted  to
question her further, but he knew time was of the essence.  "I will,"  he
promised, escorting her off of the dance floor.  In a voice designed  to
be overheard, he said, "Thank you for the dance, Mrs. Valenkov."

"Any time, Mr. Mulder," she graciously replied.

Mulder threw her a wink and then turned towards the stairs.

X-5X-5

Here endeth part 5... parts 6-9 posted simultaneously.  Let me know if 
there are problems with the posting at nvrgrim@aol.com.